Ten years of Harshlands - A celebration of Friendship and Fantasy

 Hello everyone,

Ten years ago I was walking down the rain, in a foreign town, with no set plans or future in front of me.

Ten years ago I felt like I was being strangled by a harsh reality of life, from which I could not escape; there was no light in those falling drops, nor in my path ahead.

And yet, ten years ago I took the decision to take a brand new turn. I ran to what was my home back then, and began playing with possible names, until something echoed in my mind:

Harshlands.

A fitting name for my situation. A starting point.

This is how, in February 2014 I chose to begin to create Second Life content.

Throughout this time I have met so many wonderful people, and found such an incredible community of enthusiasts, that every single day fuel my inspiration and passion.

I have learned a lot through mistakes and sleepless nights, and all of those friends have offered nothing but support and advices to soothe my pain and make me improve.

If Harshlands has managed to see the light of its tenth year, it is only thanks to all of you.

Harshlands Anniversary will not be a celebration of a Second Life Store. This is a celebration of the Friendship we have nurtured and cherished. The Passion we saw blooming in the enchanting garden of Fantasy. And I truly want to make sure that those who have always walked with me, will be recognized.

This year I have chosen not to host a traditional hunt, but instead, I have the humble honour to have friends and talented creators joining to offer incredible prizes of all kinds. All the many gifts will be scattered in Dragonstone, for you to be found.

I have also listened to your feedbacks all these years and a hint list will be provided by the landing point, so that you will not wander in the dark. Let us all be led by the light of our splendid Community.

In addition to this special hunt, another Vault Chest will be opened, and it can be found as well right in front of the landing point. This Chest will contain additional prizes, some exclusives, some limited. But all of them are part of this exciting 10 Years journey.

I really want to thank all the friends who chose to celebrate this important milestone, as well as those that unfortunately, due to unhappy reasons, could not .

Here is the list of the partecipating stores, please make sure to check them out!

Belle Epoque by Janire Coba

Cerridwen's Cauldron by Elicio Ember

Fallen Gods Inc. by Alia Baroque

Golden Unicorn Fireworks by Avariel Falcon

Hyacinth Poses & Designs by Hyaecinte

KaiDesign by Kailyr Resident

Laminak by Casey Tripsa

Swank & Co. by AdonisLubomir2 Resident

Touryuumon by Silverfox Rainbow

Viki by Achille Wirefly

To another ten year of Fantasy my friends, see you on Dragonstone!

Thank you so much for being such stars.

Kadaj

Click here to Teleport to Harshlands

Happy Holidays friends!

Hello friends and fellows.

Here I am, amidst the warmth of my house, writing these final wishes of the year. I've always found it to be an extremely important section of my life, because it is a way to sum up what we have experienced throughout the year.

And what I am personally feeling, is an outpouring wave of joy and gratitude.

I cannot lie. Mentally speaking it has been a very difficult year, I have been challenged more than I though, but not more than I could handle. If I managed to get through these dark days it is also thanks to your constant support and patience, your being there, when I needed the most, to shine a light in the crawling darkness within my heart.

Some of you knew, many of you didn't, and yet without knowing, you've saved me.

It has been a year where I have been absent for quite a long periods of time, and I do apologize for it. There are plans, however, to make sure this incoming 2024 will be full of surprises.

Christmas, or Yule, for me, is not just a season of giving, but mostly a season of thanking. No help, no support, no friendhsip is ever taken for granted, and this is the perfect time of the year to be reminded of those around us. What a best way to wrap up the old and rusty year, if not by putting a smile on our faces.

It is a chance to remind ourself that, despite everything life puts in front of us, we're never alone. YOU are not alone, and I will fight with all my strength to make sure none of you will never slightly feel this way. If you're feeling alone or helpless, reach out to any of your friends, also reach out to me. As they say, no human is an island.

For me, one of those people was Janire. She's the shining star that never let me drift on the ocean, like a beacon guiding a shattered little boat. I cannot be thankful enough for all you've done to me mi amor. You truly are a blessing, and I feel so lucky to know our paths have crossed.

May this season bring the best of you, and may it be a solid foundation to build the fondest memories. I truly wish you will be filled with marvelous surprises, and that your days will be surrounded by laughs and tears of joy.

With a heart full of stars,

and a mind clearing up its mist.

Happy Holidays friends.

Kadaj.

PS. Let's get ready. February 2024 marks Harshlands 10th Anniversary!

Halloween 2023 events: Hunts and much more!

 Hello everyone!

Back again writing in this blog after summer craziness.

As soon as the warm temperatures begin to fade out, we all know what's coming: Halloween!

This season is fully packed with events of any type, let's begin with our traditional hunt:

The Cult of the Hallowed is a Hunt that is about the discovery of a dark Cult, who learned through an Ancient Tablet, everything about the forbidden arts of life control, and life theft.

The Cultists of the Hallowed don themselves with the bones of the dead, craft Voodoo dolls, and partake rituals. Thanks to this Hunt, you will have a glimpse of the mistery of their existence.

There are 10 exclusive prizes hidden around Dragonstone. This is a group hunt so, please make sure to activate your group tag.

If you're not part of Harshlands group, you can join it for free by landing zone.

In addition to the traditional hunt, the Vault of the Ages has opened. There are 5 chests in the region, not hidden, but rather placed in obvious and easy to spot areas. 

Each chest contains three prizes from past Halloween events.

Throughout the Hunt duration (Oct 10 - Nov 10), Dragonstone will have a different Windlight setting. I hope you'll like it!

Click here to teleport to Harshlands

Fantasy Faire 2023 is open!

 Hello everyone,

after months, sleepless nights and countless of coffee cups, Fantasy Faire has opened, and the Fairelands are once again among us!

This year, Janire and me have been tasked again to build a region, and being placed amidst such talented and passionate Worldbuilders truly filled us with inspiration.

Our region is called Nysaris.

Trade harbor of a lush and prosperous peninsula, Nysaris has known peace but also a great deal of turmoil. Its story is written in songs, and it is for you to discover, thanks to the region hunt A Song of Nysaris:

Along with the region building, Janire and me are obviously sponsoring Nysaris, and right in front of the landing point, you will find our shared store, filled with exclusive releases, and many RFL products.

The majority of the buildings you see in the region is also being put for sale in our sponsor store!

Please, do consider stopping by in each of the many designers' stores, and give yourself the gift of love and care, by purchasing one of the amazing products they are offering through the dedicated Relay for Life vendors.

Each year we gather to fight a common cause. Let us be the light for those who are crawling in the darkness.

Happy Faire friends!

Click here to teleport to Nysaris

A small update

Hello everyone, I believe I owe you more than a simple message, but let's start with this one as a first step.

Before I begin: yes, everything is fine, and nothing is going to stop!

Yet a lot happened in my life in the past two months.

I found a new job in Real Life, as Night Time Hotel manager. It's fun and extremely interesting, however that came with a huge toll, that is, having to reschedule all of my time and availability, in both worlds.

During these two months I found myself unable to coordinate and tend to Harshlands as I would have loved to, and that also caused me to rarely access platforms like Discord, where many of  you messaged me.

In addition to that, the New Year brought me some seasonal sickness, that kept me in a sort of stand-by phase (aka in bed) so to rest enough to go to work.

Last but not least, I've developed what is called De Quervain Tenosynovitis, which is a very aggressive inflammation of the thumb tendon, which basically makes it impossible to have a functioning hand.

After undergoing a lot of treatment (still going) I have regained the use of my hand, although it still hurts to even do daily routine actions.

I am extremely sorry for not answering and being a stranger. I have been working hard behind the scenes, trying to catch up with the deadlines.

If I am writing this message, that's because I'm starting to finally find a balance, now that also my Real Life is starting to appear well, normal.

I hope you can accept my apologies, and in the following days I will make sure to be the friend I always wanted to be, to all of you.

Kadaj

Yuletide Magic - Holiday Season Hunt

 

Hello everyone,

the Holiday Season is right at our doorsteps. We can already start to hear the glimpse of happy carols and Mariah Carey's songs...wait, that doesn't sound happy and merry if I put it this way.

December is a special month, it makes us want to celebrate: whether we enjoy Christmas, Yule, or if we simply appreciate the beauty of winter, there are plenty of reasons to gather with our dear ones and contemplate the sweet passing of time.

As per usual, I love to organize a Holiday Season hunt, here at Harshlands. It reminds me of happy days spent together doing everything and nothing at the same time.

Yuletide Magic is just the beginning. There will be a number of themed exclusive releases, and hopefully enough time to let Dragonstone wear the festive mantle.

There are 10 prizes hidden in the region, most of them are brand new releases. Remember to wear Harshlands group tag to receive the prizes, and help your friends trying to collect them all..it's the season to be good after all!

May this month be filled with happy memories, to be shared with those you hold dear!

Click here to teleport to Harshlands

Haunted Clouds - A Halloween Hunt and Events

Hello everyone!

It's that time of the year, and as we bid our farewell to the warm season, the moment has come to celebrate everything obscure and macabre.

With the arrival of Halloween, our traditional hunt has been prepared, and it is now ready to enjoy.

There will ten prizes hidden around the new Dragonstone region. There will be some all time favourite prize for those who never managed to snag them (my apologies if you already had them), although most of them will be brand new original releases!

As usual, this is a group hunt, so please make sure to wear Harshlands group tag to get the prizes. If you're not part of the group, you can freely join without a hassle!

Click here to teleport to Harshlands mainstore

But Halloween doesn't simply mean hunting season, but also the time for many spooky releases, and since a couple of years I have developed the habit to merge important holiday seasons under one unique banner.

Throughout the month there will be new releases, yet some are already available:

The Skeleton Bullseye is an interactive game with scoreboard. Challenge your friend to see who's the fastest to hit the centre of the spinning wheel!

If you're not into competition, there's a decor-only version included.

This is an exclusive release for the Halloween Shop & Hop organized by Linden Labs.

Every item you'll see (the Bullseye included) will be discounted, from 30% to 70% off, and in addition to that, there will also be an exclusive gift waiting for you!

Click here to teleport to Shop & Hop

Inspired by tribal traditions, the Skeleton Lyre is a playable instrument made out of a...rather modified human skull (is it human though?).

It comes with seven songs to choose, and three colour variations.

You can find this instrument at We <3 Roleplay event, with an initial discount over the its final price when the event ends|

Click here to teleport to We <3 RP

Not really last, for mroe new releases are incoming, there's The Silent Watcher, a statue about the unperturbed flow of time. The sculpture comes with five colour variations.

This is an exclusive release for Swank, already available to preview!

Click here to teleport to Swank

A very personal post. A sad farewell.

 Hello everyone,

there are some things yo uwish you neve rhave to write, and some you'd never expect to.

I've been silent, absent, and off for quite some weeks, and I believe there's an explanation I owe you.

Some dear friends know I'm a cat dad, and a very cat person. The love I have for my cats is something that is really hard to top. They're no different from being sons to me.

A few weeks ago Hamlet, the alpha boy of the group of three brothers (two blood related, one adopted) stopped being responsive. He began being extremely sleepy, and uninterested towards food. 

That put me on alarm mode. Especially because he's always been rather healthy.

He undergo exams and tests, and ultimately I received the news I didn't want to hear, but that in my heart was expecting.

"He's got a degenerative neurological problem, it will slowly cause his organs to turn off, one by one. It won't be pretty. Unfortunately there is nothing to do about it".

I had to take the only possible solution for my Hamlet. So, as I held him in my arms, I gave the consent for a sweet, swift and painless solution, injected with love.

As I lulled him towards the rainbow bridge, I hope he found peace, for there will be no shortage of love, at least here.

Unfortunately pain come in different shapes, and my time of grief translated into closing myself, staring at a blank pc screen, sorting pictures, listening to music, and silently trying to get back the pieces of a broken heart.

He showed me eight years of pure affection, from the very first moments, when he chose me at the animal shelter, bringing his brother with him.

To all my friends, I am sorry if I did not answer your messages recently.

To all the Harshlanders, I am sorry if I did not provide a decent customer service.

To all the event owners, I am sorry if I did not setup, or if I was a no show.

I am starting to heal, and the sad toughts are now making room for bittersweet memories and fond stories to tell.

There will definitely be a plaque for Hamlet by the little memorial island. It's still hard to get to work on it. But there will be one.

Harshlands debut at We ♥ Roleplay

 Hello everyone! 

I am pleased to announce that Harshlands is finally part of the We ♥ RP Designers team!

It is such an honour to have reached a milestone I was pursuing for so long, and I am thankful to the amazing team of hard working people that runs this incredible event for Fantasy enthusiasts.

To celebrate the debut, I have decided to make a musical instrument that has been requested for such a long time, and I would like to apologize in advance for having taken such a long time to make it, but I wanted to make sure I would make it right.

It's here, the Hammered Dulcimer! 

The instrument comes in two texture variation, a lighter and darker tone. In addition to this there is a regular and smaller stand. Note that you can adjust the position of the playing animation.

The package also contains a dispeser that gives out wearable hammers, the "sticks" used to play a dulcimer. It is meant to be shared, so even your friends and dear ones can grab their hammers and play the dulcimer!

The Hammered Dulcimer will have a 25% discount for the whole duration of the event.

You can try it before purchase at We ♥ RP booth.

Click here to teleport to We ♥ RP

Harshlands Inworld Store is finally rebuilt

 

Sometimes it is about waiting.

Sometimes it is about finding the right moment.

Sometimes it is about being overwhelmed, and finding yourself again.

Sometimes it is about all of this.

After a long wait, I am finally honoured and humbled to announce that Dragonstone, Harshlands store region, has finally been rebuilt from scratch.

This has possibly been one of my biggest endeavours, but it felt right. I felt the need to express Harshlands progression throughout these incredible years, not only by remaking the region anew, but also by rebranding everything.

Some of you might feel the atmosphere very familiar, in fact, I have decided to use Living Echoes (the Fantasy faire region that Janire and me made) as backbone of store. It was my persona effort in not making the Faireland go forever. A glimpse of it still lingers, and will permanently do so.

In the following weeks I will make sure to optimize the land, as for now it is a newborn seed of creation; we need to give it time to stretch and expand, and adapt with us all. There will be constant small changes, and perhaps re-placements. See this new region as a Living Being itself. 

And I truly hope you could feel the region while visting it. It is a very personal and intimate project.

I really want to thank Janire again, for helping me in the most dire times, and when all I could do was staring at the blank canvas of what would become this region. And all the friends, who had encouraged me to never give up, and keep on pursuing this dream.

Ther Landing point Location has changed, however you should still be able to use the previous Landmarks to reach it, as for now, the TP is locked there; however, here's the new region landing point LM: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dragonstone/121/189/95

I hope you will enjoy Dragonstone.

Thank you so much.

Kadaj

TLC and Shiny Shabby are open

 Hello everyone!

The Liaison Collaborative is now open, andin addition to that, I'm also part of the Shiny Shabby designers group, so there will be a new regular even each month!

For these two amazing events, I've decided to prepare to garden related exclusives. Summer is coming, and so are the sunny days we love to spend outdoors.

PS. New vendor layouts are ready! The remade store region is getting closer!

The Liaison Collaborative

This Wooden Pergola Set is made of two pergolas and an interactive bench, with single and couple animation. Every piece comes with four texture options, to match the different wood types that can be used to craft these structures. You can preview them full size at TLC.

Click here to teleport to The Liaison Collaborative

Shiny Shabby

The Secret Garden Walls is a bundle of items to create your own traditional secret garden entrance and walls, with some extras! Each piece of the set is editable and separate, to help the customization of your results. In addition to that, daisies covers are included, to give more richness and a sense of secludedness to your garden. The covers are made in the shape of each piece of the wall set. You can preview them full size at Shiny Shabby.

Click here to teleport to Shiny Shabby