Category: Reviews

I first visited the Cerulean estate in Septembers 2024. A collaborative involving Emm (Emm Evergarden) of The Nature Collective fame (among other things) and Teagan Cerulean. I enjoyed my visit at the time, as noted within Coffee and a Salty C in Second Life, and actually tried to make a return visit in May 2025. However, at that time, and while the regions of the estate had been completely revised, I found things a little heavy-going viewer performance-wise, and the hoped-for article never materialised as a result.

More recently, I was again contacted by Teagan with an invitation to try a further visit with the note that both she and Emm have made some adjustments to the setting which might – together with the Lab’s tweaking of the core viewer code to encourage better performance for users – make a return visit somewhat easier. As I have always appreciated the work of Teagan, Emm and other members of the extended Cerulean family in SL, I was happy to accept the invitation and hop along to have a further look.

The first hints of Autumn are in the air. Wander quiet trails, sip coffee by the water, or soak in the beauty of this tranquil PNW retreat. Cerulean is more than a place—it’s a feeling. Welcome home.

– Cerulean Township About Land Description

Occupying a Full private region leveraging the Lab’s Land Capacity bonus and with a Homestead adjoining it to the north, Cerulean township presents an engaging mix of public spaces and private residential rentals (the latter primarily located on the Full region, and all clearly marked as such to reduce the risk of accidental trespass by visitors).

Whilst not enforced, the main Landing Point for the setting lies on the western side of the Full region, mid-way between a cluster of private residences lying to the north-west of the region and what might be seen as its commercial district to the south. Taking the form of a little railroad station alongside aged tracks, the Landing Point is subject to repeated audio notifications that the next scheduled train has been indefinitely delayed, and so visitors are encouraged to enjoy the local attractions.

Some of the latter are to be found by heading south from the landing point and along Old Mill Road past the aging motel to where Sonder Books and Vinyl Vines are the first of a number of local establishments to offer visitors a warm welcome, together with the Rusty Spoon diner. A walk east along Stumptown Avenue will also bring visitors to the local open-air market and, sitting alongside one of the setting’s large areas of water, the Les Beans Café which has been pleasingly carried over from my original visit to the setting (if completely redesigned!), and is still the venue for assorted local events.

Across the bridge from the market and café lies the local glamping centre, complete with its own outdoor venue, the Bar/66. From here it is possible to take a chairlift up the eastern highlands overlooking Lost Lake and passing over tumbling falls as they cascade over the rocky cliffs. It’s also possible to follow a couple of trails up to the top of the highlands, but do note that these also pass close to some more of the setting’s private residences, so do keep an eye out for the signs warning you of such.

A trail skirts the foot of the highlands to head north towards Cerulean Lake, the largest body of water in the setting (comprising a little over half of the estate’s Homestead region. It is here that a long tongue of land extends north, passing between the main huddle of private residences to the west and a couple more to the east, between forming a low-lying and picturesque walk up to the lake’s harbour area with its waterside eateries, stores and line of (private, I think) houseboats and the land arcs around to the west, passing another campsite and the little wharf area marking the northernmost extent of the setting.

The latter forms one of the two termini for the local ferry that plies the waters of Cerulean Lake, the other being at the southern end of the lake’s waters, not too far from the path mentioned above. The ferry is not the only means of getting out on the water either. Little motor boats are available from a couple of the decks along the wharf, whilst back at Lost Lake to the south, kayaks might be rezzed and paddled along the waterways.

For those who prefer not to take to the water for rides and don’t want to explore entirely on foot, other means of exploration await, be it on bicycle, horseback or via hot air balloon. These all add to the attractiveness of the setting in addition to its natural design and beauty.

I will admit that I still had some issues with load times on arrival, but once I’d allowed things to fully load, the overall impact was minimal in terms of frame rates whilst wandering around (allowing for the fact I do have a reasonable GPU!), and certainly did not stop me from leaving shadows enabled whilst exploring. As such, I still consider Cerulean Township well worth visiting.

SLurl Details

• Cerulean Township (Cerulean Sea, rated Moderate)

Occupying a small portion of a homestead region – the rest being given over to open water – is Hrafn Island. The work of Frankie (Frankie Blackwood), it is a windswept place, aged and with a sense of both history and mystery.

Black sand, cold mist, and the echo of wings. The ravens came first, then the sea. Some say the waves still carry their voices, whispering to those who dare walk alone.

The island remembers what it’s given, and what it’s taken back

– Hrafn Island About Land

As regulars to these pages know, I tend to be especially drawn to locations in Second Life which have – or may have – been (in full or in part) inspired by physical world locations. On seeing the name of this setting, I couldn’t help but wonder if it might have been inspired by the small but handsomely rugged Ramsey Island sitting off the  Pembrokeshire coast of Wales, a name that forms “Hrafn’s Island” in Old Norse, referencing the many ravens (and perhaps choughs which might from a distance be mistaken for ravens) to be found there (among a variety of other species of birds).

It turned out my assumption was likely wrong, but this doesn’t negate the fact that Frankie’s Hrafn Island is a home to ravens, and is – more prominently – a richly engaging setting carrying with it both overtones and undertones of Nordic expression (for example, as well as meaning “raven”, Hrafn is also masculine personal and byname in Old Norse).

This is a setting that is beautifully minimalist, much in keeping with parts of Iceland: rugged, green, and showing clear signs of its volcanic history – in this case, notably by the basalt columns protecting much of the coast from the surrounding waters and the dark volcanic sands of the beach areas. The humped back of the island is devoid of trees and shrubs, the land being given over to rough grass on which sheep graze and a horse roams. The honest, simple beauty it presents is breath-taking, as is the dual sense of history and mystery I’ve already alluded to.

Further Nordic elements can be found in the form of the small homestead and its barn also occupying the island, together with small totems on the beach and the rough-hewn standing stones carved with runes. These – perhaps in part because of the region’s misty Shared Environment (by which it should obviously be seen – give the setting an enigmatic air.

The greater part of this mystery, however, comes in the form of 17 pages of a journal. Scattered across the island and awaiting discovery by the keen-eyed, these appear to have been written by one Eira Sævarsdóttir – a name which further points to Iceland as a source for the setting’s imagined location, as does the place by which Eira appears to have reached this island: Stykkishólmur, a town located on Iceland’s Snæfellsnes peninsula.

This journal presents an unfolding story of a deeper, older secret wrapped around the island; a mystery which draws Eira into its (dark?) heart, her fate forming a further chapter in its writing. It’s a tale I don’t want to spoil here; far better for it to to be discovered as the various pages are found and compiled (such is their scattering across the island, indoors and out, the order in which they might be found does not necessarily match their numerical order) such that they might be read in chronological order. While this may take a little time (it’s not always easy to locate individual pages – although a viewer with Area Search might help those pushed for time), for those who like to fully enjoy a setting, I do recommend doing so and then reading the journal in full.

With its mystery to be solved, a windswept, rugged beauty and even a spot of surfing to be had by those so minded, Hrafn Island makes for an engaging visit.

SLurl Details

• Hrafn Island (Star Gazer, rated Moderate)

One of the places I always enjoy visiting in Second Life is the homestead region of Natthimmel, held and curated by Konrad (Kaiju Kohime) and Saskia Rieko as a public space, and which is regularly updated to (in general) reflect re-world locations. Sadly, I was unable to cover the September / October iteration of the reason, as for some reason – and despite my best efforts – the setting repeatedly refused to fully render on my PC.

Given this, and aware that Rieko and Konrad had opened their latest build at Natthimmel towards the end of October, I was determined to hop over to take a look as soon as I was able to spend a sufficient amount of time sitting at my computer in order to appreciate it. In this, I was doubly curious / keen to do so, not only for having been unable to write about the previous build, but also because of the subject Konrad and Saskia had selected: the British Maunsell Sea Forts of World War Two.

Maunsell Forts were offshore defence structures built in the estuaries of the rivers Mersey (to defend the port of Liverpool and the western industrial regions of England against bombers using the Mersey as a navigational aid) and Thames, where they performed the dual roles of trying to shoot down bombers attempting to reach London or east coast ports such as Felixstowe and Harwich or which would try to mine the coastal sea lanes, and offering a line of defence against any fast German seaborne raiders attempting to strike ports in East Anglia.

Of the two groups of forts, those within and offshore to the Thames estuary are perhaps the most famous, primarily because some survive through to this day, whereas those on the west coast were all demolished following the end of World War Two. It is the east coast forts which form the basis for the Natthimmel build.

These forts were of two types: four Navy forts grounded on sand bars between 10 and 18 kilometres off the coast, and three metal Army forts of a more complex design located closer to the Thames estuary shoreline. The Navy forts were of a simpler design, comprising two large concrete towers containing 7 levels each of accommodation and storage spaces, topped by large metal gun decks mounting their main armament of guns, together with the main control building, radar and officer’s accommodation. They were were the forts charged with both anti-aircraft and anti surface vessel operations and protecting the approaches to the ports of East Anglia as well as the Thames estuary.

The Army forts were more complicated in design, comprising seven metal towers atop metal legs. Five of these were built around a central “control tower” and mounted anti-aircraft guns, with the remaining tower slightly offset and housing searchlights for illuminating enemy bombers to the guns. Connected by elevated walkways, the towers of the Army forts saw extensive action throughout the war, claiming over 20 Luftwaffe bombers shot down and, later in the war, around 20 V1 flying bombs.

For their build at Natthimmel, Konrad and Saskia present interpretations of both styles of Maunsell fort, with six Army-style towers linked (or partially linked) by their raised catwalks, some of which sport both single quick-firing guns and what might be taken as rapid-fire Bofors guns, whilst another appears to be the main command tower. They are joined by a structure resembling the more off-shore Navy style fort, this one acting as the searchlight tower.

Whilst not strictly historically accurate, the combining of the two styles of fort in this way allows visitors to explore them both with relative ease (allowing for the partially collapsed catwalks between some of the “army” towers!) from the Landing Point. The latter takes the form of one of the resupply moorings located at the base of some of the Army towers, and offers a link between the accessible Army fort elements and the slightly more distant Navy element.

Caught under a night-time sky which helps evoke their wartime operation, the forts at Nathhimmel are presented in a way that both also evokes the original purpose through the inclusion of their anti-aircraft guns and the beam of a searchlight splitting the sky, whilst also referencing their abandonment and decay following the end of the war, with the Army towers rusting away, their catwalks looking none too safe (or completely collapsed!), the Navy tower also looking strangely industrial in its deserted state, whilst the machinery and systems within their aging walls is clearly well past any practical use. It’s a haunting and captivating presentation.

I also like the fact that, as with so many of Saskia and Konrad’s builds, Nathhimmel: Maunsell opens the door on a period of history that might not be widely known, encouraging people to take a peep inside and perhaps find out more about the location being presented through their own research.

In the case of the Maunsell forts, doing the latter is particularly worthwhile, as one of the Navy forts – Roughs Tower (formerly HM Fort Roughs) – has a very colourful post-war history commencing in the 1960s and extending right up pretty much to modern times. It encapsulates the so-called “Principality of Sealand”, armed assaults by both civilians and a band of Dutch mercenaries, hostage-taking, a ransom demand, a so-called “government in exile” (itself allegedly mixed up in laundering drug money!), and much, much more. All of this you can lean about by looking up the “Principality of Sealand”, Major Patrick Bates and Alexander Achenbach, alongside the broader history of Guy Maunsell and his sea forts.

Just be sure to do so after you’ve visited Nathhimmel: Maunsell!

Slurl Details

• Nathhimmel: Maunsell (NewMoon, rated Moderate)