Tag: Exploring Second Life 2021

In July, Vally Lavender opened the latest iteration of her region of [Valium] with a new design by Dandy Warhlol (Terry Fotherington). Entitled Suaka, the Indonesian term for “sanctuary” it was initially  offered as a special retreat for [Valium] group members, but has since been opened to the general SL populace. It stands as an engaging, restful setting, rich in opportunities for escape and for photography (see: A sanctuary with a touch of Indonesia in Second Life).

She has now added to the estate with the arrival of a second Full region, and has again engaged Terry to handle the landscaping with the intent to extend the idea of refuge and respite – in which he has admirably succeeded -, and she kindly offered me an invitation to visit as the region opened to [Valium] group members (L$395 joining fee) – although the region will be open to the general public from Monday, September 6th, 2021, for a period of time.

Entitled Seiiki, the Japanese term for “sanctuary”, the new region sits to the south of Suaka, the two separated by a narrow band of water passing between their respective sandy shorelines, a path of stones breaching the water to provide a dry passage between the two. Crossing this path not only allows visitors to pass between the two regions with ease, it also moves them between two settings with very different root influences, for while Suaka draws on Indonesia and other parts of south-east Asia, Siieki draws its inspiration from Japan with touches of China sitting within it.

From is northern beach, Seiiki also presents a very different terrain to Sauka, although the two do flow together quite naturally. Where the latter is predominantly low-lying, Seiiki rises swiftly from its beach to present a rocky vista of cliffs, plateaux, hard shoulders of rock and flat-topped peaks that sit as foothills to the green mountains that rise beyond it. It is also a richly wooded location, the lower slopes home to dense coverings of what appear to be bamboo palms of the Rhapis genus, thus giving the first tilt of the region towards China, where this particular bamboo palm is common.

These woods flank a small valley leading inland and reached via steps that run up from the beach to a simple Torii gate. This little valley is home to a small café and is clearly the preserve of another Chinese influence: panda bears. These have clearly decided the stubby valley is theirs by rights, and a mix of small family groups and lone adults have marked out their little spaces within it, wandering, playing, eating and – in one case, at least – seek the bear necessities of life, be they bamboo fronds or catching some rays whilst perched in the natural curve of a Palmetto tree trunk!

It is from this little valley that explorations of the rest of the region all commence. On the east side, just beyond the café, stone steps climb up to a low promontory of rock with its flanks heavy with the bamboo palms mentioned above by way of a small gateway. On reaching the top of this finger of a hill, the path quickly offers a choice for those reaching it: tarry at the broad pond where duck play, follow a path leading back north along the shoulder to where a second, shaded pond hides, the home to koi and a simple little shack that is home to a cuddle-point, or venture further up into the hills by means of a choice of routes.

The first of these routes takes the form of narrow planks laid over the grass that wind past an abandoned hut by the side of the pond to reach a bridge, beyond which sits Seiiki’s little end-of-the-line train station, a small terminus on a single-track line. The second route follows the stone steps as they continue upwards to reach what might have once been a shrine set within its own walled rock garden but which is now a place for yoga and meditation as it sits neatly on a square plateau of rock that looks down over the head of the region’s central valley.

This valley head takes the form of what might generally be a peaceful pond, reached from the café along a grassy path in part marked by scattering of small white stones. The pond is watched over by a figure of Buddha offering his blessing, adding to its sense of peace, and who is in turn guarded by two Japanese crane. However, it is fair to say the serenity here may at times be broken by the hissing rumble of steam trains (or just the rumble of locomotives, given the track has overhead powerline for electric trains) as they pass over a trestle bridge that spans the gap between two tunnels above a small reservoir located upslope from Buddha and his pond.

Reached via a short set of steps, the wall of the reservoir both holds back the water and presents a path to a set of broad, flat stone that break the surface of the water to lead the way to where ancient stone steps switchback their way up and around the curving flank of the region’s highest cliffs. Those who take this giddying walk will find themselves at a high wooden vantage point that looks back down the valley, and a second stairway that runs back down the cliff-face. This descends way of a sake bar (the alcohol possibly welcome after the climb!) to another of the setting’s hideaways in the form of a little koi house nestled on its own rocky ledge, from where visitors can wave to those on the train as it huffs its way over the bridge, either to or from Seiiki’s little railways station.

To the west, and reached by another stone stairway, the region offer a spa sitting within a large Edo-style building (with most of the other buildings in the region in the same style), again built over water to present another place of peace and retreat.

Rich in detail, if a little heavy on some systems if you run with Shadows and other bells and whistles enabled all the time, Seiiki is a more than worthwhile companion to Suaka, the two of them offering a richness of space and setting for people to lose themselves. As noted above, Seiiki is open to [Valium] group members only until Monday, September 6th (joining fee L$395 – which goes directly towards the upkeep of both regions) – where after it will be open to the public at large, alongside Suaka, for an unspecified (at the time of writing) period of time.

 SLurl Details

• Seiiki (ValiumSL 1, rated Moderate)

Bo Zano’s (BoZanoNL) Elvion has been a popular location for Second Life travellers since he first opened it to the public in 2019. Initially a quarter Homestead, it quickly expanded to cover an entire region, iterating through a series of settings over the years, with a period of absence as well.

Having returned to Second Life earlier in 2021, Elvion has now once again expanded: in August 2021 Bo relocated from a Homestead region to a Full private region with the additional LI bonus. The move has brought with it an expansion to his vision that is richly engaging, in some ways a double-headed coin offering two  very different environments that come together as a whole to keep the dedicated Second Life explorer and photographer engaged for what can be hours.

On the ground level there is a rural setting mindful of the earlier iterations of Elvion: a place of open spaces, glades, tall trees, running waters and animals roaming free. At the same time, it offers much that is new to Elvion: a waterfront home for fishing boats that forms a place of commerce for those landing their loads of fish, watched over by the local chapel. Horses roam and open field close by, while further along the coastline is a rugged beach presided over by the ribs of an ancient boat and the tall finger of a lighthouse.

The landing point for the region sits to the north and west of this coastal setting, on the platform of an old railway line. The station serves a little corner-built hamlet, it’s paved square offering hints of cities from across Europe (perhaps most notably London, thanks to the wall-mounted street name). The shops here are furnished and the square rich in detail, making this one of the region’s many settings for photography.

Great oaks rise from the land bordering the town and sit between it and the southern coast. Under their broad canopy are multiple places awaiting discovery. I’m not going to name them all here, as exploration is a central part of any enjoyment of Elvion and I don’t want to spoil that; but wander far enough and you’ll discovery a wild garden with a greenhouse bathroom, ruins of considerable age. bridges awaiting crossing and many places to sit and pass the time.

Also circling its way through the trees and under their canopy is the railway line itself, rusted with age and probably no longer in regular use. A couple of buffered spurs branch from it, one the home of an aging boxcar. Without trains to threaten explorers, the track offer an excellent means to discover many of the region’s sites – and to reveal its chief secret.

I mentioned earlier that this is a region of two sides, each existing in its own right, separate from the other yet part of the whole. The link between the two takes the form of a small tunnel, a former pedestrian way under one of the region’s hills. sits alongside a length of the railway track (and admittedly not hard to miss given the signage 🙂 ), and which is in fact the teleport to Bo’s Sky World.

This is a genuinely magical setting, a series of island floating high in the sky, far above the clouds. Each offers a unique setting, all of them places caught in the midst of Autumn in difference to the summertime of the ground level setting. Some may appear entirely natural, complete with buildings and other familiar structures; others are more fantastical, the home of strange creatures – ShadowBull, giant scorpion and drangonfly or the most unusual setting for afternoon tea that winds its way up a spire of rock, itself topped by a steampunk-esque teapot/clock.

Throughout all of this there winds the rusting lines of the railway track, rising and falling, turning and crossing itself, offering a pathway around and between the islands. In doing so, it forms the motif that joins the Sky World with the ground level, even as they remain separate. Along the track can be found circular signs. Usually marking track point, here they offer teleport jumps to reach those island the track does not directly touch. Walk to the end of the and you’ll find a locomotive taking flight as it starts on its own journey of discovery.

Elvion’s ground level and Sky World both have enormous appeal about them (those used to running with shadows enabled may want to disable them when moving around to lighten the render load) and a which offer multiple opportunities for photography and / or sitting and passing the time.

Sadly, the members of Bo’s own Rat Pack and his three stooges are apparently absent this iteration – so no Frank or Sammy or Curly or Moe waiting to greet wanderers; but again, this is small price to pay for the sheer richest of the settings, and the dreamlike beauty of the Sky World.

Absolutely not a version of Elvion that should be missed.

SLurl Details

• Elvion (Woodland Realm, rated Moderate)

Earlier in August, Ocean (OceanLag) poked me about making a return visit to the Homestead region of Iona Shores. I last visited the region in June 2019, when it offered a mix of public spaces and private rentals – a combination that can be hard to blog about, given the potential for encouraging trespass into the latter.

Since then however, much has changed. Now the home of Ana Cristole (Anais Cristole), the region offers a new setting, courtesy of the design work of the ever-brilliant Busta (BadBoyHi) and is now offered to the public as location largely open for exploration, relaxation and photography. I say “largely”, because there is a house occupying part of the region that lies within its own parcel; while it has no signs to indicate it is private, I would suggest that caution is employed and it is treated as such to avoid trespass.

Like its Hebridean name sake, Iona Shores sits within a group of islands – although these are off-region in nature. Also, it would appear that were this to be a place in the physical world, it would reside in latitudes a lot further south than Scottish waters, given the monkeypod trees that can be found scattered over the uplands and narrow lowlands of the region, and the occasional palm trees waiting to be found around the coast.

It is the sharp contrast between the uplands and the beaches that define the nature of the setting. The former rise sharply as a trio of rocky plateaux with predominantly near-vertical cliffs and steep slopes, the beaches forming an almost all-encompassing skirt around their feet. the house occupies the largest of these plateaus, which is flanked on either side by the other two and is connected to them by a pair of bridges.

All three of these rocky tables has its own route to its top, but moving between the three is a little difficult assuming the house is a private residence, as it straddles the route from the plateau to the south-west to the one in the north-east, and thus blocks a direct route across all three.

That the direct route is blocked is not to the detriment of any exploration of the region – Ana has a right to have her house as she desires, after all. But more to the point, the fact the house is there encourages visitors to spend more time exploring via the island’s other routes. Also, given the manner in which they have been connected to the house rather than being left separate from it gives the suggestion that the two flanking plateaux have been cultivated as wild gardens for the latter. Each has been been planted with wild flowers and offer places to sit and relax, an old well also occupying the top of one of them.

Further places to sit can be found around the beaches, some of which can be reached with relative ease from the (quite arbitrary) landing point I’ve offered here while others might take a little walking to in order to discover / reach – such as the cove to the north-east with it’s little shaded and slightly makeshift hideaway. The lowlands between the three plateaus offer narrow paths between the east / west and north / south sands, helping with exploration, but the best way to find all the coastal spots is to follow the sands around the water’s edge.

Off to the north-west there sits a small nub of rock rising from the waters, home to a small lighthouse. Connected to the rest of the island by a wooden walkway, it sits as a perfect vantage point for looking back and appreciating the rest of the setting.

As one would expect from a design by Busta, Iona Shore is perfectly put together, a natural setting that offers a lot to see and plenty of opportunities for relaxation and photography and is undoubtedly a place that should be seen by all who enjoy exploring Second Life.

SLurl Details

• Iona Shores (rated: Moderate)

I first dropped into Once Upon A Tide, a build by Mïa ((zielonooka1) occupying a homestead region, just on a month ago as July was drawing to a close. If I’m honest, I cannot remember whether the landmark came from Mïa herself (my apologies to her if it did!), whether I heard about the region through other means (in which case my apologies to whoever poked me about it) and I grabbed the LM on that first visit, or the landmark came via other means. Anyway, it’s taken me a while to put fingers to keyboard and write about the setting, as I’ve (a little unfairly) allowed other things to get in the way – so again, apologies to Mïa.

No description is provided for the region in it’s About Land floater, but that’s not a problem, as it makes for a charmingly easy visit for those who drop in, offering – in the words from Mïa’s profile – “a little bit of Ireland”. The focal point for the setting is a compact rectangle of buildings, sitting as both a waterfront promenade of businesses look down over a sea wall to the west and the fishing boats that are making their way to wooden and concrete piers and as a beachfront row of businesses as they look eastward over broad cobbles and broader sands to more waters, these broken by sandbars and rocks that are in turn watched over by the local light house.

The landing point sits at the top of the wide steps that offer a way down from the rectangular street scene to the sandy beach, presenting visitors with a choice – to walk around the shops and places of business as they stand back-to-back and side-to-side as if in defensive huddle atop their sea walls, or trot down to the sands and wander over their warmth.

A walk around the former will reveal that the majority are façades, although one of the pubs and the neighbouring coffee shop each have interior décor as well as outdoor seating on the cobbles, should anyone fancy a sit down. But the fact the majority of the builds are façades doesn’t diminish them; they collectively offer numerous opportunities for photography  – joining the local group will provide those who need them with rezzing rights (just – as I always tend to request – remember to pick up anything you put out when you’re done).

The beach, meanwhile, runs along most of the east side of the island, curving around its south side to become a narrower ribbon of sand before it encounters a rocky shoulder extending out from the town’s sea walls. Here, tucked between the wall and the tide, is a place for outdoor music, the nearby steps providing a handy route up to the pub and coffee house for those who might be in need of refreshment after dancing in the Sun. Along its eastern arm, the beach offers numerous places to sit, the opportunity to snag some fish’n’chips, and even the chance to watch some home movies (aka YouTube) whilst lying on the sand.

To the north, the land becomes a little more rugged. Low cliffs mark the northern coastline, a place where a quartet of beach houses stand over the waters below, supported on wooden piles and beams that extend outward from the edge of the cliffs. These are available for rent by those who wish to extend their visit in the region (or even make it a most home – 100 LI is included in the rental fee).

Between the beach houses and the town sits what might have once been the grounds of a large building many, many decades ago. These now sit as informal gardens, just a single block of ancient stonework and arches remaining. Poles strung with lights stand close by, suggesting this might also be a place for outdoor events as well – a fact also spoken to by the plastic cups strewn  under the lights, awaiting collection.

Between the northern cliffs and the sands of the east beach, the land stands as a grassy table, offered as a camp site and the preserve of a pair of trailer homes that look as if they’ve dropped in from the United States, the battered pick-up truck with its Alabama plates adding to this feeling. A meal is being prepared alongside an outdoor fire, and someone has put together a makeshift tub for bathing – although I have to admit, the campsite’s weather report system had me smiling.

Easy on the eye and the viewer, offering room to relax, opportunities for photography and a setting where the various points within the region both sits as a individual settings and flow together as a whole, making Once Upon A Tide interestingly varied for explorers and photographers alike.

SL Details

• Once Upon A Tide (Toffey, rated Adult)

Update, October 16th: Shadezar has a new home. 

Update, September 20th: Shadezar and Venesha appear to have closed.

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.

No, that’s not a quote from the Ronald D. Moore re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica – although that show did famously use a variation of these words and is possibly a more popular modern frame of reference when the quote is now used. However, in this form, the words actually come from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, and it is one of two quotes Hera (Zee9) uses (with very good reason) to introduce the latest iterations of her builds Shadezar and Venesha, which are once again available for people to see in-world, at least for a time.

When Hera contacted me to say she had decided to bring these two build back to SL, I confess I moved them to the top of my list of places to visit because, as I recently stated when writing about Shangri-La, the build she opened earlier in August 2021 (see: Losing myself in Hera’s Shangri-La in Second Life), Hera a region creator whose imagination is in many ways unparalleled in Second Life. In fact, I’ll expand on that statement here: Hera is a genuine world builder, conjuring cities, islands, kingdoms and more from the depths of her imagination and casting them into Second Life where they might be discovered and inhabited by those who find them.

In this, Hera is also a weaver of tales. Whether we are transported to a future world – be it Earth or elsewhere in the solar system / galaxy (Drune), or to the romance and danger of desert kingdoms (Shadezar) or a voyage to arrive in an alternate version of renaissance Venice (Venesha) or a medieval city cast within a Gothic garden ( Golgothica) or discovering the mysteries of an ancient tropical temple (Shangri-La) – Hera lays down the fibres of stories in such a way that we are invited to weave them together within our imaginations into stories that can take flight, be it through our photography, a changing of outfit so as to feel more fully immersed in the setting whilst exploring, or casual free-form role-play with friends.

It is as a world builder / story weaver that Hera here presents the latest versions of Shadezar and Venesha. Both are offered on a Full region, with Shadezar occupying the ground level, and Venesha, in keeping with its last appearance in Second Life and these pages) occupying a sky platform. However, they are not the only builds within the region. Those visiting will automatically arrive in a third – the Attic.

Sitting within its own skybox, the Attic is more than a simple landing point; it is the place where dreamers are welcome and stories await their telling. As such, it is a place that should not be immediately hopped away from, but should be appreciated in its own right, having much to say for itself, both it terms of Hera’s builds and in reference to her approach to her creations.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to do a Neverland for adults. I even came up with a name for it, Neverworld X. It has always seemed to me that the Peter pan story has a lot more going on than the Disney version. But although I tried many times to build it, I always ended up feeling that it would in the end just become a naff place used for kinky sex etc. Nothing wrong with that, but not something I wanted to pour a lot of time and effort into. And it occurred to me that, in fact, SL itself was already this Adult Neverland. So, needing an entrance hub for these sims I decided to get this whole Neverworld, Perter Pan Nursery thing finally off my chest once and for all.

– Hera, explaining The Attic landing point for entering Venesha and Shadezar

Thus, The Attic sits as a place where we can enter a world of dreams and tales – the three books on the trunk under the window beckoning us to open them and be transported to Hera’s lands of fable and into tales framed though her work and our imaginations. It is a place that, as a portal, reflects Hera’s thoughts on the magic and power of Second Life, thoughts she also gives voice to in introducing visitors to her creations of Shadezar Venesha and Shangri-La by way of this attic setting:

You are maybe familiar with the Neverland from your childhood. But that is just one small Island of the Neverworld created by the minds of children. Adults loose the ability to play there when they grow up. But they should not despair, it is simply time to move on and discover the far bigger land of fantastic fantasy, The Neverworld.

It was once said of the Neverland in relation to adults that “On these magic shores children at play are for ever beaching their coracles. We too have been there; we can still hear the sound of the surf, though we shall land no more.” … Listen now to its deep sea waves as they crash against dark rocks of deep forbidden desires, and again to the soft lapping rhythm of the surf as it gently rolls up upon the beach of sensual dreams. Listen as they call you away to adventures far beyond the innocence of childhood, to the mysterious islands of Neverworld X.

Here as well, to further enhance our mood for a visit to each (and preferably all) of her designs, Hera offers us a story of her own, written in the manner of J.M. Barrie, and which is deserving of being read for itself. Look for a fourth book within this attic nursery as it lies propped against the fireplace; and when you find it, give it a click.

And without wanting to over-egg things, I would suggest Hera’s use of the quote from Peter Pan also has a very literal application.

This is not the first time either Venesha or Shadezar has appeared (or reappeared) in Second Life. Both have long histories – Shadezar’s origins lie within the Hera’s Kingdom of Sand build, whilst Venesha’s history stretches back to her Venexia build. Both have appeared in Second Life more recently (August 2020). Thus they are very much an embodiment of the quote from Barrie used by Hera and seen at the top of this article.

However, their return is no mere repeated roll-out of builds that were here a year ago; there are departures from previous iterations awaiting discovery. This iteration of Venesha, for example, has an entirely new version of the Doge’s palace from baths up to salons. Elsewhere, links to the past remain as well. Shadezar, for example, retains its subterranean invitation for swords and sorcery role-play that carries echoes all the way back to the Kingdom of the Sand. Reached via direct teleport from the landing point outside of the city’s walls, the role-play information area also offers a map of the city for those who might need it.

Throughout both of the builds, as one would expect, there are numerous opportunities for photography – and also numerous opportunities for engagement among friends and visitor, be it through simply spending time within one or both, engaging in casual role-play or making use of the rooms and places waiting to be found as a quiet hang-out (the Doge’s palace in Venesha caries out for use!).

When introducing her idea of Neverworld within The Attic, Hera also offers a variation of a quote by T.E. Lawrence from his autobiography, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom:

Those that dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds,
wake in the day to find that it was but vanity
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous folk
for they may act upon their dreams
with open eyes and Dream True.

This is an excellent quote to repeat in closing this article, because Hera is such a dreamer – and we are fortunate to be able to share in her dreams as we walk the streets, paths, halls and rooms of Venesha, Shadezar and Shangri-La. And if you appreciate her work, please consider a donation to her teddy bear in The Attic – the funds will go towards the cost of keeping Hera’s dreams available for all of us to enjoy.

SLurl Details

• NeverworldX main landing point (The Attic) (Cloud Lake, rated Adult)
• Hera’s (Zee9) builds in this blog