Category: Reviews

I recently had the opportunity to visit TheNest : Sunbird, a Full private region leveraging the available Land Capacity bonus designed by Second Life partners  Adam Cayden (whisperinmyearz) and Lya Seerose, together with Tessa (Tessalie). The region offers a mix of photogenic public spaces and private rental – the latter of which are very imaginatively placed in order to help tenants maintain their privacy.

Come visit our blossoming city hidden in the mountains, enjoy the lake and its blooming scenery, our blissful rentals and enjoy the beauty from the smallest flower to the tallest of trees.

– TheNest : Sunbird About Land

The city in question is nestled in the south-east corner of the region, adjacent to the landing point, itself sitting on the southernmost tip of the land and facing an arch leading into the city, with two routes around the headland angling away from it on either side. A signpost offers hints as to what to look for when exploring, although at the time of my visit, the sign appeared to be on the wrong side of the archway, directing people around the waterfront (itself a nice walk!) to reach the city, rather than through the archway.

The main street of the townscape a has been neatly pedestrianized in part, presenting plenty of opportunity for wandering. Most of the building here are façades, relying on external elements for their attractiveness – tables and chairs, outdoor stalls, etc., – a combination that makes for plenty of opportunities for photography without the need to load-up shop interiors. The two exceptions to this are the rental office with details on some of the rentals available in the region, and the coffee shop.

We tried our best to give SL wanderers an interesting blend of urban city with a lively feel and intense blooming nature, building our rentals with the most wonderful views, trying to build a community of people to share it with … And we plan to do little events pretty often, festivals and more quiet things too!

– Lya Seerose, The Nest : Sunbird, co-owner

There’s a lot of small details in and around the city centre which make wandering a pleasure, from the fountain in the middle of the street, all the way around the southern waterfront, complete with its static figures to add a sense of depth and place, and which offer more opportunities for photography.

Other details to be discovered include the pet parking area, the mix of English / French / American influences (the telephone boxes, the subway and taxi, and the rooftop bar- club – and more. North of the town, the land rises significantly, curling around a deep-cutting inlet to offer broad uplands to the west, surmounted by the rental properties.

To the east, the route up to the higher elevations is marked by a tree-lined track leading up to a deep meadow bounded at its northern extent by the sheer walls of cliffs which again rise up to more of the local rentals. Those leaving the town on its eastern side, where the local road suddenly peters out, can also make their way along the coast to where the cliffs start to rise, and use a wooden board walk to climb up to the slopes above, and then walk up to the meadow from there.

With small glade-like area to one side offering shade across the head of a short stream that feed down into the inlet below, the meadow offers numerous places to sit and pass the time and an opportunity to feed the local raccoons. A further path rises to the west, passing through a woodland area which itself skirt the line of cliffs and plateaux with their rental homes.  This path curves around the head of the inlet, offering a number of vantage points from which to look out over it, together with further places to sit. In addition, the path split to offer a route to the western extent of the region and down to the waters at the head of the bay.

There is a natural flow and beauty through this part of the region that is very visually engaging, whilst the use of the higher plateaux for the rentals ensures they are nicely distanced from the public spaces to avoid trespass (or indeed, from having intrude into photos) without them being completely divorced from the setting, allow those renting the properties the best of both worlds – comfortable surroundings, the opportunity to drop down into the region and share the walks, etc., some excellent views – and privacy of their own.

The rentals themselves come in four five styles with up to 5 units in each style. All are supplied furnished and with a Land Impact allowance for personalisation. Gardens are included, with the larger units having nicely landscaped outdoor spaces which give plenty of room for tenants to have a comfortable home life. Those interested in renting should visit the rental office in the town for more details.

Charming, light, with much to see and appreciate – not all of which is covered here – TheNest : Sunbird makes for a very pleasing visit – and potentially, a very engaging place to live, if you happen to be in the market for a ready-to enjoy home.

Note: the official opening for TheNest : Sunbird will be on Saturday, May 25th, 2024 commencing at 23:30 SLT with music by DJ Vic. Lea, Tessa and Adam extend a warm invitation for people to hop over and join the party!

SLurl Details

• TheNest : Sunbird (Pyxee Hollows, rated Moderate)

Another year has passed, and so once again I decided to click my heels and make what is now an annual pilgrimage to Bambi’s (NorahBrent) Missing Melody. I did so because a little birdie informed me that she’d teamed up with Ethan Takeda to produce an interesting sky platform called Mirai Melody. However, the project didn’t start out with the intent to build a complete setting, as Ethan explains:

The inception of this street stemmed from Bambi and my initial vision to craft a backdrop for an editorial piece on NeoJapan for L’Homme Magazine April 2024. What began as a mere backdrop evolved into a captivating narrative, sparking discussions about creating a mini-sim. As ideas began to take shape, our conversations ignited a creative flurry, resulting in the birth of Mirai Melody.

– Ethan Takeda

The setting comprises a single street “somewhere in [insert name here]” as the hoary old TV / film caption goes. Not there is anything hoary about Mirai Melody; rather the reverse, offering as it does an engaging fusion of “old” – a ramshackle environment in a city where the surrounding high-rises might well look down on disdainfully – but their very presence allows it to carry a life of its own; one edged in the bustle of local life and – going on the presence of certain individuals at the landing point – can have a frisson of danger associated with it.

The main street scene is packed with detail – I strongly recommend visiting using the shared environment and, if you can manage them, with shadows enabled. This will ensure you get the full impact of the setting. There are local sounds as well, but I admit I’m not sure they entirely worked for me although they certainly add depth to all the eateries along the way.

This is a place rich in the tradition of the street market and what – going on the general friendliness evident throughout most of the street’s length – is likely a relatively close-knit community of small businesses support the local populace and possibly used to having tourists find their way through its length.

It is also a place which, as well as having a history to it, is very much of the present (or the future-present, so to speak). Holographic advertising is much in evidence, at one some are using “old school” mobile phones, other XR units which project information and data around them, and one of the sushi bars appears to have dropped in quite literally, given the thrusters located along its underside! Elsewhere, an apothecary’s shop offers a haven of peace, even if it does share the paved square in occupies with a noodle bar managed by mechanoid server that would look just as at home strolling across Mars!

Away from the landing point and the paramilitary types loitering there (are they the local militia? Here to keep unwanteds out or to stop those here wandering into the city proper? I’ve no idea – you make up the story for yourself!). Fortunately, most of them appear to be preoccupied by the flickering holo dancers just to the side of the landing point, so slipping past them is not a problem – although their presence appears to be enough for one stall owner to feel the need to wear a sidearm and another to look as if she’d happily bop the snoz of anyone remarking unfavourably on the gifts on her stall!

Further along the street things are a lot friendlier, as noted above, and visitors can mangle with the static NPCs, poke at the shops and stalls, slipping (literally in one case!) into a side-alley to find a book stall or through a doorway into a bar or a little old-style school.

For photographers, Mirai Melody is a delight, whilst the touches of detail and humour are bound to raise a smile. There might be an tendency to look at it quickly and think Bladerunner (as someone commented in local chat whilst I was hopping in and out), but I’d disagree. Whilst mixing an Oriental street scene with cyberpunk / futurist elements might have caused Ethan and Bambi to lean in that direction, they have wisely avoided the temptation and instead come up with something visually unique and engaging.

Visit and enjoy it whilst it lasts!

SLurl Details

• Mirai Melody (Missing Melody, rated General)