Pseudotropical ménage

I was an “experienced” avatar when I got my first piece of land, and since that first day I knew something for sure: I didn’t like a sandy beach for my place. I guess it’s easy to love such a sight when you live somewhere within a large landmass, hundreds or even thousands of miles away from the shore… and for a good reason: the view of the ocean is so majestic and breathtaking! Yet, when the salty breeze and the sea birds are in your backyard, you tend to look inland for a change.

About two weeks ago and after some months of premeditated absence, I decided to give another chance at owning land in SL. I went back to my previous estate and visited several parcels before settling in a 6144 sq.m. southwestern corner lot in an Adult area. I had my doubts about that rating (I had only lived in Moderate sims before), but it was the only spot good enough for me, a ground texture maniac. The sales agent also assured me it was a peaceful place too, where neighbors usually mind their own business and never cause any problem… or rarely show their prim appendages to the general public. With such a good review, I accepted the offer and moved in immediately.

Two days into landscaping, I got a strange message in my inbox saying all my objects have been returned to my inventory by the parcel owner. Since tier is paid on a weekly basis there, and so I still had five days to go, the email cast some shadows as to what was going on. Obviously, two things were clear: firstly, I wasn’t the owner of the lot anymore, and secondly, that all the work I had done was already lost. It turned out that, somehow, someone managed to get ownership of the land, and out of malice –because returning the objects was a logical step, but flattening the area was not– destroyed it. How that happened is a complete mystery to the estate managers because the land wasn’t up for sale. Nevertheless, according to Linden Lab there was no evidence of any abnormal activity. A quick glance at the disruptive agent’s profile demonstrated he wasn’t exactly in SL to be a casual resident, but more in line with the behavior he just exhibited. Another thing was evident: he was better suited than me to be in an Adult-classified land, with a awestanding photo-essay of contemporary Kama Sutra and then some.

After the estate’s support team sorted out the mess, I opted to search for another place to live in a Moderate region. Unfortunately, the appealing plots in my old sim were all occupied, so I had to accept a temporary solution while I wait for a vacancy to show up: A tropical islet of white sands and sun-toasted peasants.

And what’s wrong with living in a sandy region, you may ask? Probably nothing, really: it’s like any other sim. Yet, if you’re like me, you know the environment will constrain what you can place around to make it real. The “classic” look of sand will ask for grasses, shrubs, maybe palm trees, and some driftwood, but not much else. An alternative would allow for mangroves and brackish swamp things, but I presume that won’t make for a pleasant living (imagine mosquitoes the size of seagulls and the particular “smell”  of some deep mangal areas, to begin with). I could also go for the rocky appearance of more temperate latitudes, but the local covenant only allow for mild changes in terraforming, to make sure the rest of the residents feel they are living in a tropical paradise. “So what the hell”, I said. “It’s either that or neither. This is SL after all.” The result of my tinkering in a  smaller plot is what you see in these pictures.

The main building in the parcel right now is a Japanese tea garden designed by Bahia Tiki. “Japanese” and “tiki” aren’t necessarily complimentary to each other, being two different cultures, but  this particular ensemble is quite gorgeous. Actually, I can imagine placing this set in various surroundings and still looking good. The way the different elements are arranged is very eye-catching, from my point of view. The only aspect I don’t specifically like is the fact that the two trees are linked to the garden wall. I would have loved to replace at least the whitish one (partially visible in the pic below, behind Heart’s Tropical Tiger Grass) for something more natural-looking, but the furnished set is no-mod. I would also change the texture used in the pavilion’s tiled roof for something more Asian-like, but I can live with that one. In all, it was worth going for this dwelling, as it is simply charming. In the background, some bamboo from Organica, while in the foreground there are red leaves corresponding to a Japanese Maple from Organica, and the big green leaves of a Banana tree from Garden World.

Both the hammock and the umbrella are mesh products from Tiki Tattoo, and even though they are quite detailed, their land impact (the new prim count equivalency) is pretty low (2 and 5, respectively). The green beach grass is from grass virtuoso KIDD Grass Gardens, while the rocks are from di-rect. Just behind the umbrella, there’s a rocking boat from +PLUS, and a couple of mesh products from Organica: a Lebanon Cedar and a few rubber plants (more clearly visible to the left of the banana trees). The big oak is from Heart’s Garden Center, as blogged before. A few reed plants between the rocks are from Hydro Homes.

The front view of the Japanese tea garden faces east, so sunrises are obviously colorful, as should be expected from a place like this. From this side you can see the Yucca plants from 3D Trees, retextured stepping stones and an enlarged Hinoki Cypress  from Organica, a few smaller rocks from 1st Act (if I’m not mistaken), some shrubs from KTG, and in the background (visible in the first pic too) three Redwoods, also from 3D Trees.

The other buildings in the plot are two nicely crafted tiki huts from HeadHunter’s Island. This picture shows the larger hut (it also exhibits a Dracena plant from Tiki Tattoo –better shown on picture #2–, and three stupendous palm trees from 3D Trees), while pictures 1 and 2 present the smaller one. Actually, in those two pictures above, and to the left of the small hut, there is a couple of mangroves from 3D Trees, and to the right, an enlarged Bristlecone pine from Organica.

I hope I have covered all products properly, but if something else has escaped my glance, let me know. By the way, pictures were taken with the Exodus Viewer. I made that move after Kirsten’s Viewer went to eternal hibernation late last year.