Tag: Exploring Second Life 2025

With the start of a new year, I thought I’d take a trip to one of my favourite SL settings: Reality Escape, the Full private region held by Tripty (triptychlysl).

It’s a place I’ve appreciated over the years both for the way each iteration presents something new to appreciate whilst each carries forward motifs from Tripty’s original Books, Coffee and Chairs, Oh My! which I’d visited in 2023. I’ve been back some four times since then, and Reality Escape have never failed to feel like a safe and welcoming retreat.

For this iteration, the Landing Point sits in the south-western corner of the setting’s main island, where Tripty’s familiar greetings are etched into the boards of the Landing Point decking and can be seen on the sign facing the deck. The latter is a greeting I always find raises a smile – You Are About to Enter Someone Else’s Dream -, and which is joined by another: Blame it on My Gipsy Soul, a sentiment I can fully appreciate for the wanderlust it evokes.

From here, three routes of exploration present themselves to new arrivals. Two take the form of raised wooden walkways and the third a hop over a very narrow channel to a flat, grassy island, home to a bench “borrowed” from a waiting room. The first of the two walkways runs along the southern shore of the the island to the Reality Escape Coffee Shop, whilst the second winds northwards and turns a little inland to arrive at the Reality Escape reading nook.

The Coffee Shop is an open-air affair marked by Tripty’s familiar chair sculptures, the place made cosy by the ivy-hung trelliswork extending out from the cliff and ancient wall adjoining it at a right angle.

Another walkway here offers a route to the shingles close to the island’s edge and offering a further route onwards, watched over by the island’s Siamese ruler, sitting in his rather novel throne. Beyond the shingle, under an archway of chairs, the walkway continues up the island’s east coast. As it does so, it passes a summer house of unusual design offering a place of retreat.

For those who prefer to stay on the shingle path, this points the way – with the aid of stepping stones – to the crooked finger of another island as it points south and east, wooden decking running over the grass and around a firepit, offering another place for friends to gather.

The walk to the island’s bookshop also offers a way to a raised deck built out over the water, and guarded to one side by a further trellis line of Ivy, whilst below it sits something of a damp orchard. Up the hill, the reading nook is really more of an old tram repurposed as a place to enjoy books, perhaps in the Lewis Carroll-esque garden sitting behind the tram.

Beyond this, the walkway loops around westward to link-up with the route running on from the summer house. As it does so, steps lead down to a grass trail, a little muddy and wet in places, running out to north-pointing, low-lying headland. beyond an arch formed by an aged tree trunk, the path is bordered by candle-lit snowdrops as they form a candle-lit fairy spiral. Beyond these, another raised deck awaits, two pontoon rafts tethered to it. The latter perhaps invite people to take a dip in the water as they are watched over by a rather large goldfish enjoying the shade of a bunta tree which adds its own little sci-fi twist to the setting.

Tripty’s Reality Escape designs always presents setting rich in detail, and this version is no exception. There is much to be found and appreciated throughout – more than I’ve covered here (such as a little island hithertofore unmentioned in this piece and the various animals and wildfowl waiting to be found).

When exploring, I would recommend sticking with the region’s shared environment – although, as again is the case with Tripty’s work, the region does work very well with many other environment settings. Also, do make sure you have local sounds enabled for the fullest experience.

SLurl Details

• Reality Escape, rated Moderate

Over the last couple of months and for reasons I can’t really explain, I’ve been getting interested in the US and Canadian Great Lakes and parts of their history. Much of this has centred on the role of the lakes in enabling commerce, and the sad tales of vessels such as the Edmund Fitzgerald (perhaps brought to international recognition by songster Gordon Lightfoot, and the loss of which occurred 50 years ago this past November), the Carl D. Bradley and the Daniel J Morrell, to name but three of the largest vessels to go down on the lakes.

I mention this as a roundabout way of introducing the December 2025 Natthimmel build by Konrad (Kaiju Kohime) and Saskia, and which draws inspiration from the shores of Lake Michigan (although not, admittedly, any of the vessel losses which have occurred on Michigan and her sister lakes down the centuries; that was something my little mind just jumped to in visiting the setting, for the reasons noted above).

Entitled The Keepers of Twin Lights, St. Castoris, the region design appears to draw its inspiration from the paired lighthouses of St. Joseph, Michigan, where two very similar lights (now decommissioned) once guarded the entrance to St. Joseph River, some 190 km northeast of Chicago.

The river had long been a trade and transport route linking the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River prior to the arrival of European settlers as they muscled their way westward. However, they established a significant outpost at the mouth of the river at the end of the 1700s, starting a continuous presence there which led to the establishment of St. Joseph village (now city).

The two lighthouses that inspired St Castoris were built in 1906 and 1907. They are very distinctive in terms of both looks and location. Both stand on a long pier extending out into the lake (one of two piers extending out from the mouth of the river), with a raised catwalk running the length of the pier to connect both lighthouses with the land.

The outer lighthouse is of a tapering conical build topped by a distinctive 9-sided lantern room. The inner lighthouse is a little more distinctive: a square lower level with a pyramidal roof rising to an octagonal tower with its own external access via steel dog-leg stair from the pier (and via the catwalk).

Many of these elements are captured in Konrad’s custom models of the lighthouses within St. Castoris; the distinctive similarities (if you’ll forgive the term!) leading me to conclude that St Joseph serves as the inspiration here. Indeed even the frozen water spray hugging the outer tower is mindful of a 2010 snapshot showing much the same.

But again, it’s important to note that even if inspired by the lighthouses at St. Joseph, Saskia and Konrad’s St. Castoris is very much its own place; there is no beach or harbour entrance at what might be the landward end of the setting. Nor do the lighthouses stand on a pier of relatively modern construction, as is the case with St. Joseph.

Instead, St. Castoris’ lighthouses appear to be built upon a long, narrow breakwater formed by earth, boulders and rocks dumped into the water to extend a finger outward, one with enough soil present to allow lines of frosted aspen to march out on either side of the catwalk at least as far as the inner lighthouse.  And while the lighthouses of St. Joseph may have been decommissioned in 2005, the lights of St. Castoris remain active, sweeping out towards the horizon, twin beacons indicating the safety of land, while much smaller buoys cast the red glow of warning against vessels coming too close in error to the more dangerous shores and ice floes lurking there.

It is to one vessel in particular that the lighthouses call, and the story of that vessel and its master can be found in the setting’s introductory notecard available at the Landing Point, as always. This offers further insight to St. Castoris, and carries with it the faint suggestion that within its narrative, the story refers to an earlier age whilst also offering a subtle hint as to the wayward nature of the weather over the Great Lakes during the winter months.

As always with Natthimmel, Konrad and Saskia have created an engaging setting which sinks its roots into history and the physical world whilst offering its own uniqueness. Look for the places to sit that await discovery and enjoy!

SLurl Details

• Natthimmel: The Keepers of Twin Lights, St. Castoris (NewMoon, rated Moderate)

It has been a fair while since my last visit to Luane’s World, the estate held and operated by LuaneMeo and her publicly-accessible Full region, Le Monde Perdu (The Lost World). It was summertime 2024 when I made that last visit, so with winter now dominating Second Life, a return for a Christmas-time blog post seemed to be in order.

The lake that often forms a part of the region remains with the latest iteration, but is now frozen, offering a place to go skating. Cabins sit to either side of the lake, with the Landing Point on a third side.

Taking the form of a winter market where hot drinks and more might be found, the Landing Point sits under an awning of lights. A small deck offers skates for those who wish to head out onto the ice. For those who prefer their skating on a smaller scale, a wooden gazebo sits to one end of the little market with an ice rink under its awnings. It is located alongside a large Ferris wheel waiting to give visitors a ride.

At the opposite end of the market area, a covered bridge allows explorers to continue onwards around the lake-edge trail. This leads past steps climbing to one of two chapels in the setting, this one ready for services and guarded by a cat.

Beyond the chapel, the trail winds past one of the two cabins mentioned above, turning away from the lake as it does so before branching. One part of the trail then climbs the setting’s uplands via log steps set into a relatively gentle slope, while the other offers the way to the bridge connecting the region with the rest of the estate, a shrine-like folly looking out over the water close by for those who seek it.

The path along the uplands runs around to the north, passing cabins among the trees there, including the one directly overlooking the lake, and which has a stairway leading down to a deck close to the water’s edge. None of the cabins are private, allowing them to present visitors with places to rest and enjoy company.

Continuing westwards, the path ends abruptly at a sheer cliff, the land dropping to a gorge-like valley through which water would normally flow between the lake and the open sea, but now sits frozen. A tall bridge spans the valley to reach the far side, where a snowy path curls up to the setting’s second chapel.

However, this is not a place of worship; it has been converted into a place where beverages of an alcoholic nature might be imbibed and pool played. These probably explain why Santa is circling overhead in his sleigh (and presumably awaiting clearance to land) – after a busy night zipping around the world delivering presents, the old chap justifiably deserves a drink or two! As well as being reached on foot by the path just described, the chapel bar is also connected to the lowlands by a ski lift as it shuffles back and forth between the bar and a spot close to the Ferris wheel.

Another path, this one marked marked by footprints and a sign pointing to the North Pole, runs west from the bottom of the ski lift and out to the icy edge of the region (say “hi!” to the little Santas having some fun along the way).

The ice floes are home to dogs having snowball fights or sleeping in igloos. Further around the ice and cliffs, that familiar SL anachronism of polar bears and penguins mixing together can be found; in this case the penguins are having fun with their versions of skating and sledding while the polar bears appear mostly interested in having fun with Christmas lights.

Throughout the setting are multiple places to sit and pass the time, watch the skaters on the lake or observe the local wildlife, while the familiar hot air balloon sits overhead awaiting anyone wishing to pose in it. Walks can be had around much of edge of the setting and there are touches of detail waiting to be found – such as the little Santa figures I’ve mentioned.

And of course, the entire region is highly photogenic, so have fun exploring!

Occupying a quarter Full private region leveraging the Lab’s Land Capacity bonus, lies the realm of the Naughty Panda, created by Alice Embervale (Alice Sakura) and her SL partner, Krow Embervale (Poetic Doll). From now through until January 4th, 2026, the setting is home to Return to the Light, a Japanese-inspired celebration of the Winter Solstice.

Called Toji (冬至) in Japanese, the solstice is one of Nijushi-sekki – the 24 divisions of the solar year. Occurring around December 22nd at ecliptic longitude 270^o, it refers to a period between the day and the beginning of the following sekki called shokan (the lesser cold season). It is the shortest day and longest night of the year, with the lowest culmination altitude of the sun, in the northern hemisphere.

Within Return to the Light, visitors are invited to take a lantern and follow a winter mountain walk. Along the path, guardians mark the way, offering information on the season, together with a riddle that leads to the next of their kind.

Thus, those travelling the route learn about the legend of Toji, solve a challenge and receive a special gift. Afterwards, there is the chance to relax in warm yuzu-infused hot springs and enjoy a shared feast in a peaceful courtyard setting. Yuzu is a citrus fruit, and it is said in Japan that taking yuzu-yu (a yuzu citron bath) is part of the traditions of the day, as is eating Toji-gayu (winter solstice rice gruel).

Whilst referred to as a quest, Return to the Light is not intended to be a race or in any way competitive. Rather, it is a personal journey, a reflection of the passage of life as we move through the depths of winter and towards the return of the light and warmth of the Sun. As such, it should be approached gently, with consideration and an openness to discovery and learning.

The Landing Point for the setting doubles as the starting point for the quest. It is here that visitors can collect their lantern and read instructions on starting the quest along the path to reach the kitsune temple.

But before starting, I would recommend – as per the introductory notes provided with the lantern – the setting should be experienced using the local environment settings and the custom audio stream. The latter’s music will not only soothe, but encourage you to take your time and appreciate the quest and the setting all the more.

Five stone Jizo – little carvings of a bodhisattva – form the aforementioned guardians along the route. Jizo is (in the simplest terms) the protector of all souls on their journey through life and reincarnation. Here, the little statues serve as the means to impart the story of Toji and its significance in Japanese tradition, before passing on a short riddle in which lies the clue to finding the next Jizo.

On reaching the shrine, visitors should hand over their lantern to hear the words of the wise kitsune – but do note, there are no shortcuts; wisdom only comes by following the path from point to point. After Kitsune has spoken, visitors are asked a five question challenge before a gift is given, and the journey can be taken back to the landing point.

Returning to the lowlands will bring visitors to a series of building built around a large onsen pool.  Here is where the feast mentioned in the setting’s notes might be found, and – on December 18th, it will host a solstice music event commencing at 13:00 SLT and continuing through until 18:00.

Small, engaging and with a wealth of easy learning to be had, Naughty Panda’s Return of the Light is a genuinely unique take on the time of year, and well worth a visit.

SLurl Details

• The Naughty Panda Return of the Light (Mattawan, rated Moderate)

Occupying a Homestead region, Eira is a cosy wintertime island offering a mix of quiet retreat and opportunities for activities and fun. The work of Yoon (Toyono), apparently supported by estate holder AMExperience, it is a delightful location well-suited to its role, and sitting under very appropriate environment settings.

Ruggedly steep, the island is crowned by snow-frosted pine and birch trees which in turn surround a modern cement-and-wood cabin (open to the public) and a large wooden gazebo forming a covered ice skating rink. The main Landing Point (not enforced) sits close by the cabin, making it and the gazebo an obvious first point of exploration.

A path winds away from the cabin and past the gazebo, heading west. As it does so, it passes a close-range snowball fight area to reach wooden decks and steps as they dogleg down to a frozen-over cove on the west side of the island to offer more ice skating (together with the opportunity to pick up some seasonal goodies as a gift from Yoon and – across the bay – to have a little posing fun with a snowman!).

The skating here looks a little more risky as the ice is clearly cracked and there is a warning of thin ice as it hugs the coast around a headland to the south, where a further shallow bay sits.  This is backed by a ski / sledding slope running down from the cabin and gazebo (rezzers at the top), with the chance to go skiddling out onto the ice if not careful!

For those preferring a more traditional way of enjoying the ice, a further skating rezzer can be found at the foot of the slope, whilst off to one side on a shelf of snow-coated rock there’s a little place to sit and warm hands before a fire.

Just beyond the trees marking the rezzer for the southern ski slope lays another snowy path winding between the trees. Travelling east to start, it turns more to the south-east to descend down wooden stairs to a deck build out over the water and another chance to go skating.

More skiing / sledding can be had from the top of the east-side slope of the island, where rezzers sit just behind the Landing Point, and angled snow slope dropping away from them, this time with a fence at the bottom to prevent any zooming out into icy waters (unless one steers for the gap in it! Also at the bottom of this slope, people can opt to shovel snow or (again) take to skates out on the ice.

Also reached via a path leading away from the west side of the cabin is a further path. After descending a set of steps, it branches, one arm running on down to where a little dock sits, offering both a skating rezzer and a little rowing boat for sitting and cuddling. The second arm of the path runs around the shoulder of the hill, offering places to sit and spend time.

Skaters setting out from the dock can easily make their way over to the smaller island sitting off to the north-east, which offers a couple of little attractions of its own, reached via steps running up from its north coast. I should also perhaps here note that the other little island sitting to the north-west can also be skated to and explored, but is given over entirely to nature (and so might be a good backdrop for photography).

Those not wishing to explore entirely on foot should also keep an eye out for the tall directional signs. These are actually teleport boards and allow for quick hops around the setting’s major features (or a quick hop back to the Landing Point if you get lost!).

Throughout all of this, Yoon has added plenty of little details to enjoy, together with a subtle soundscape of birdsong and the bubbling, rushing of the local stream and it tumbles over rocks and falls to the sea. For those who would like a Christmas-y soundtrack to go with their explorations, Yoon provides a curated selection of song on the region’s audio stream via Listen.fm.

In all, and as noted, Eira is a delightful, photogenic and enjoyable location!

 Slurl Details

• Eira (Karma Isles, rated Moderate)