Category: Reviews

A recent entry into the Destination Guide was for a mainland location called The Forest of Hours, described as a newcomer-friendly setting with a lot to see and enjoy. It immediately caught my eye, with the description drawing me in even further through its mention of Cael Ystafell, a place I know to be held by Kinn (Kinnaird Mainlander) and her Second Life partner, Ziki Questi, two people with whom I’ve been acquainted for a long time (Ziki being a former Second Life arts blogger I’ve greatly admired for her work promoting the arts in SL, and who is a massively accomplished photographer as well). As such, I was keen to hop over and spend a number of visits exploring.

To describe The Forest of Hours without including Cael Ystafell would be somewhat akin to a visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower; both are completely intertwined and open to visitors and genuinely include a lot to see and discover, with portals and other surprises waiting to be found by wanderers. Both have been landscaped by Kinn, with Nix Onyx working on the core of The Forest of Hours alongside Kinn.

Kinn, Nix and Ziki describe the combined landscape thus:

It was our goal to create a space to show the possibilities of beauty on the Mainland … our joyful attempt at “reforesting” the Mainland on the Northwestern shore of the Heterocera Atoll. The Forest of Hours blends into Cael Ystafell … to the West, creating an unbroken treeline from Route 4 in Scape through Route 2 in Echo. Please feel free to explore all of the nooks and crannies and fun spaces tucked into the forest.

The Landing Point for The Forest of Hours lies at the side of Route 4 in the region of Scape and just inside the forest’s edge, close to a stone arch bearing the forest’s name. From here, the path winds into the mist-bound land, winding between trees through which rays of sunlight slant;  the tree trunks and mist work together to give a sense of mystery to wandering, concealing at they do what might be found, so that places of interest hide among the shadows, emerging from the mist in greeting as they are approached.

The first major location to so reveal itself is that of a once extensive structure built of carefully cut stone, the walls now broken and in places entirely absent, any roofing that may have once covered the shells of rooms now long vanished, the stone flagged floors and worn steps slowing giving way to the returning grass and moss of the forest. Within these remnants can be found a charming café, an open-air set for live music and dancing, places to sit (outdoors and in –  the latter courtesy of the House of Variants tucked into one corner) and even a magic potion brewer!

Where one goes from here is a matter of choice – paths wind onwards from the ruins, passing from them by means of arched doorways. Perhaps the most prominent of these, given it is signposted, is the one pointing towards Cael Ystafell – but don’t be in too much of a hurry to follow it; taking the path under the other arch away from the ruins offers its own mysteries, both above ground and under it.

Reached most obviously via a cave entrance sitting close to the path winding up the southern uplands to the forest, the landscape has hidden beneath it a network of tunnels and caves of a kind that just as you think you’ve found everything they contain, reveal something else within a waiting chamber. Meanwhile, the path up over this underground labyrinth offers its own many paths of exploration and places to discover, with camp fire meeting places, Japanese-themed elements and paths, meandering streams and tumbling waterfalls, and further routes pointing towards Cael Ystafell.

Along the way there are wonderful touches of detail to be found, from foxes and birds and more extraordinary creatures alongside trails and in the trees, to elements of 3D art carefully placed to surprise when encountered, together with multiple places indoors and out in which to spend time. The latter range from an artist’s studio hidden among the woods to a glamping tent with cosy bed and a Japanese tea house through to what appears to be (from the outside at least!) a witch’s cottage – and more besides, with the more outdoor places to sit equally as richly varied.

Also waiting discovery are a number of portals and references to other locations held by Ziki and Kinn. I’m not going to spoil things by saying where to find them, but do keep an eye out for the following:

• A doorway to Bay City, the community in which Ziki and Kinn are very active.
• A portal to The Far Away, a location originally created by AM Radio, and now in Ziki and Kinn’s guardianship (and which I wrote about way back in 2013!)
• A magic mirror that will lift you to Club Echo, a new venue where (I understand from Ziki) social and other events may be held in the future.
• Other portals and places – such as the underground New York apartment.

While exploring, visitors might also come across little references to things like Lucy van Pelt from Peanuts, a touch of Tolkien in the greeting over a doorway and what might be a further homage to AM Radio and his work, in the form of a radio studio and tower within Cael Ystafell, to name but three.

The Forest of Hours and Cael Ystafell are wonderfully landscaped and make for a relaxing and engaging exploration with a lot of discover and appreciate. Whilst naturally under a misty environmental setting, the locations are ideally suited to many ambient environments – as I hope some of the images here demonstrate.  Do be sure to visit.

SLurl Details

• The Forest of Hours (Scape, rated Moderate)
• Cael Ystafell (Echo, rated Moderate)

It was off back to Lam Erin’s Cherishville for me (in between growling at the PC, which decided to start playing up on me), to see what had come forth for the coming of spring.

The work of Lam and his SL partner, Azaria (AmariahRenee), the setting once again contains some echoes from past setting there, helping to give that sense of continuity, whilst also presenting something entire new and – as usual – photogenic.

That sense of familiarity is felt immediately on arrival:  once again, the Landing Point for the setting sits at one end of a road running before a row of houses, a road which form a T-junction at the one end and which turns sharply right at the other; only this street is cobbled, rather than paved, giving it something of a rural feel, something further trees and flowers facing the houses.

A further hint that this iteration of the region represents an earlier time that what has come before can be found in the saloon car parked at the end of the street, just before the road makes its right turn to the south.

Behind the row of houses sits a large lake, which takes up the middle are of the region. Rather than gardens or yards, the houses share a common terrace reaching out to the water, complete with docks for rowing boats and kayaks.

Whilst plentiful in number, these water craft appear to be for décor and sitting rather than taking out on the lake – which is fortunate, as the waters are the home to swans, with some of them nesting (together with ducks to one side of the lake).

Aside form the road passing around the lake on its west side, much of the land surround the lake continues the rural, almost pastoral theme; sheep graze, trees and flower bloom, streams and brooks bubble.

Winding through a good part of the scene, the road provides access to houses and cottages on the southern side of the lake, which they can look across from a slightly elevated position, one of them offered s a farmhouse with pigs, goats and chicken.

There’s no indication as to where in the world this iteration of Cherishville might be – not that this is important – but the large semi-fortified house on the east side of the region and again overlooking the lake did, for whatever reason, suggest Scotland to me – possibly helped by the off-region mountainous surrounds. This large house is a new(ish) release from Marcthur Goosson, and appears to combine elements of some of his previous designs (notably the MA MAISON Medieval Cottage and the Castle Gate Tower BARREZ, medieval style building) to present a large and engaging structure.

Whilst the fortified house is unfurnished, most of the rest are complete with furniture and décor, offering opportunities to peek inside them and perhaps take a seat as an alternative to the seats, boats and benches found outside.

Cherishville always tends to be be attractive – if with the occasion niggle with floating elements – but this iteration has the feeling of going beyond in the way the palette of colours from sky to scenery to buildings has be brought together as a whole. In this the use of PBR helps as well, the materials providing a sense of added depth to things like the exposed rock alongside the shoreline of the lake.

The simplicity of the setting, coupled with its natural beauty means that detailed descriptions really are not required; the region speaks clearly for itself.  With this in mind, I’m going to shut up here and encourage you to go see for yourself!

SLURL Details

• Cherishville – Spring (Tuscan Hills, rated Moderate)

I recently received an invitation from Nero (NeroRhea Supermarine) to visit her new public setting in Second Life – her first such undertaking offered to everyone to visit and appreciate – entitled OBSIDIA.

Set within roughly a quarter of a Full region leveraging the Land Capacity bonus, OBSIDIA presents an engaging and enigmatic location, which is both highly personal to Nero both in terms of being her first public setting design and the fact that – as she notes herself – she has tended to keep her Second Life to a small circle of friends; thus, presenting her creative intent to an audience across Second Life and beyond the art circles in which she has operated is a daunting exposure.

After more than 17 years, I finally feel the desire to share something with the rest of the world. OBSIDIA is the latest of my visions brought to life in Second Life, a space open to anyone who wishes to experience it. It’s a remote and enigmatic place, suspended between the present and the unknown, somewhere between tranquillity and unease, where reality seems to dissolve. It may feel like an escape from everything, yet there is always a lingering sense that something more awaits, something yet to be discovered. Take your time to explore and enjoy its different areas, designed for private relaxation, contemplation, or intimacy.

– NeroRhea Supermarine

I was immediately drawn to Nero’s description on reading it’s a remote and enigmatic place, suspended between the present and the unknown because I’ve always felt there is something romantic and compelling about visiting a place that might be referred to as being caught somewhere between now and when; so I knew I’d have to hop along and explore – and the region does not disappoint.

Presented using both PBR materials and Blinn-Phong (“legacy”) “fallback” textures / materials (I would recommend using a viewer supporting the former when visiting), OBSIDIA is both marvellously Earth-bound (the dark rocks mindful of a long-cooled volcanic outflow of the kind that might be seen in places like Iceland and Hawaii), whilst the EEP setting overhead combines with the landscape given the setting an otherworldly feel, a place where meteorite streak downwards as a gigantic version of our own Moon dominates the sky.

The Landing Point sits well back to one side of the parcel, not quite tucked under one of the two tall, slender ribbons of rock which separate the parcel from he rest of the region in which it sits. From here, before the entrance to a large structure housing a photographic studio and art gallery (of which more in a moment), arriving visitors are given a commanding view out over the setting and across the open sea bounding the parcel’s two remaining sides. The sound of surf pushing and booming against the rocky shoreline throbs through the air, a dominating presence alongside that of the huge Moon.

Across the desolate landscape directly in front of the Landing Point, a squared shoulder of rock sits between the sea and the familiar forms of three large shipping containers. These and the old water tower just beyond them, seem to help to further anchor the setting as being here on Earth; but then, rising beyond them, and standing somewhat silhouetted against the star-spangled sky, there rises the most curious of lighthouses which beckons the feet to come visit.

Approaching the lighthouse reveals that in order to reach it, it is necessary to climb that shoulder of rock and then cross a bridge. In doing so, this reveals the lighthouse is something of a steampunk / dieselpunk build, the structure partially embedded  in the cinder cone of an extinct volcano, a large engine under it holding it aloft and in place as it turns massive pusher blades. The lighthouse tower itself cannot be accessed, but the drum-like machine room connected to it can be, and a stairway winding up its flank provides access to the flat roof, where places to sit might be found. In a nice touch, the structure sits within its own parcel so that local chat conversations are confined within it.

The same is true from another coastal structure on the north side of the parcel. Taking the form of an elevated, glass-walled house, it offer another quiet retreat within its own parcel, complete with seating both within and underneath it. Between this and the gallery building at the landing point, sits a giant broken cat head. Whether it once stood here alone and complete or was once part of a larger statue is yours to decide; it appears someone is making an attempt to repair it, a scaffold having been wrapped around it, Whilst inside another seating area can be found. This head further reveals the feline element to the setting – cats very much having laid claim to it throughout

The gallery building is home to Nero’s art, at and the time of my visit was displaying Broken, an engaging series of six 3D nude pieces arranged in pairs across the floor of the gallery. These are engaging pieces in their presentation, the figures apparently suspended in Perspex (or glass, given its shattered appearance). No liner notes are  provided, leaving the individual pieces and the collection as a whole open to our interpretation.

With space found across the landscape, indoors and out (including the shipping containers), cats keeping an eye on everything, the sense of individuality within the setting gives it depth and a sense of warmth, whilst encouraging exploration. My thanks to Nero for the invitation!

SLurl Details

• OBSIDIA (Midnight Garden rated Adult)