To season or not to season

[archangel969]

Winter is coming, how wonderful! I LOVE turning my land into winter! Hm, no, I HATE it, it's a drag. No-no I love it, HATE it, LOVE it.

 

Pro's and con's

PRO

- It's a quick win in atmosphere, Make everything white and you immediately want to get a cup of hot chocolate

- It's fun to do and find out what makers have in store for winter

- For a little week, you know what to do in SL

- It is a fun challenge to maintain the same quality for winter as other seasons

- It's the chance to try something totally different with your land.

- Just wait until everything is finished, with the last being the snowflakes, won't you be a little happy then? I will be. It only takes a little time ;-).

 

CON

- The atmosphere of the other seasons does seem to have more 'depth'. Winter can be a bit shallow.

- It's quite a hassle to get the same quality of winter objects as the other seasons. I have to kill a lot of darlings that I brought into the house because I fell in love with them, but which have no winter version.

- Maybe there are landowners who can be done in an hour, but I really spend just under a week on it, so it's a lot of work. Especially if you are picky.

- Nice to try something different, but I already miss autumn!

 

Finally doing it, I am turning Dutch estate into winter. Meanwhile, I'm just leaving the land open. I am for full openness and transparency. So visitors now have a work-in-progress experience .

I am curious to hear your experiences or opinions! Do you do seasons, winter being the most extreme makeover? What is your experience when you do?

[Tary Allen]

That depends completely on my mood and places own/rent.

My mainland is a green summery place, I didn't change it, Belli has rules and besides I have a houseboat and a stilt, won't change anything there. I have a Camper also, it is autumn right now, but I'm going to let it go very soon so no reason to change anything.

I rent in an island, ground level is tropical/beach , I have a house at 4000 m, changed to autumn, it is going to stay that way. There is a winter platform in the sim, that is where I put  a winter house and I'm decorating it. 

 

[archangel969]

5 hours ago, Tary Allen said:

That depends completely on my mood and places own/rent.

My mainland is a green summery place, I didn't change it, Belli has rules and besides I have a houseboat and a stilt, won't change anything there. I have a Camper also, it is autumn right now, but I'm going to let it go very soon so no reason to change anything.

I rent in an island, ground level is tropical/beach , I have a house at 4000 m, changed to autumn, it is going to stay that way. There is a winter platform in the sim, that is where I put  a winter house and I'm decorating it. 

 

That's a very nice idea: different sims, each with their own season.

[Cougar Sangria]

I change my region from season to season.  After Thanksgiving I will do the winter thing until the day after Christmas.  I'm not much on winter, except for leading up to Christmas.  It's pretty, but If I could, I would skip winter all together.  I am a 3 season girl.

[archangel969]

10 hours ago, Cougar Sangria said:

I change my region from season to season.  After Thanksgiving I will do the winter thing until the day after Christmas.  I'm not much on winter, except for leading up to Christmas.  It's pretty, but If I could, I would skip winter all together.  I am a 3 season girl.

Well, I have also thought about skipping winter because it is such a hassle. From spring to summer to autumn you can do gradually. Many plants you can colour up yourself. But for winter you really need a hardcore winter version. That means you have to go full out. Anyway, I have done most of it again. I think I'll say again next winter: I won't do it again! And then I'll do it again anyway ;-).

[Gabriele Graves]

I've always thought it quite strange that we have this fantasy world which can be anything but people allow this slice of the real world into it by syncing it with the real world seasons.
In the southern hemisphere we are coming into summer currently so those that track the seasons in the northern hemisphere wouldn't match anyway.

However, I decorate according to the look I desire rather than by a particular season. That can mean it looks like one season or another when no part of the real world is in the season normally associated with how it looks and means it can stay that way for a longer or shorter time than a real world season would be.

[archangel969]

20 minutes ago, Gabriele Graves said:

I've always thought it quite strange that we have this fantasy world which can be anything but people allow this slice of the real world into it by syncing it with the real world seasons.
In the southern hemisphere we are coming into summer currently so those that track the seasons in the northern hemisphere wouldn't match anyway.
 

I see what you mean, but it's not that strange. People are people and sometimes, even in a fantasy world, they need something of recognition, something they get comfort from. If that is by keeping the seasons and it makes them happy, why not? There are plenty of fantasy parts of Second Life and I love those too. During Halloween, I spent days in Dracula's castle, I couldn't get enough of it!

I choose to make my avatar look like myself in RL and my sim look like the Netherlands where I live. But is that an exact copy? No. It is an idealised version. In the Netherlands, it rarely snows like it does in Dutch estate, my land in SL. And with that windmill, that farmhouse and that houseboat, it would be an open-air museum in the Netherlands. In SL I sometimes walk in clogs, in the Netherlands hardly anyone walks in them anymore. You think it is the real world in SL, but in reality it is not. For me, SL is a little place I have created where I can unwind, which is all for myself, and which definitely adds something to RL. Let me create this 'ideal version' of RL, then I will occasionally go to a fantasy party in SL to go totally bonkers LOL.

Edited November 24, 2022 by archangel969

[archangel969]

23 minutes ago, Gabriele Graves said:

However, I decorate according to the look I desire rather than by a particular season. That can mean it looks like one season or another when no part of the real world is in the season normally associated with how it looks and means it can stay that way for a longer or shorter time than a real world season would be.

Yes, that actually applies to me as well. In the Netherlands, it briefly froze last week, but a winter snow landscape is still far away. In Dutch estate, it's hardcore winter :-).

[Gabriele Graves]

9 minutes ago, archangel969 said:

I see what you mean, but it's not that strange. People are people and sometimes, even in a fantasy world, they need something of recognition, something they get comfort from. If that is by keeping the seasons and it makes them happy, why not?

It is strange to me but not in a huge dramatic "OMG, you people are soooo strange" kind of way.  Just strange even though I understand the reasons and of course me finding it strange is definitely no reason for people to not do it.  To each their own.

[archangel969]

6 minutes ago, Gabriele Graves said:

It is strange to me but not in a huge dramatic "OMG, you people are soooo strange" kind of way.  Just strange even though I understand the reasons and of course me finding it strange is definitely no reason for people to not do it.  To each their own.

However I did some fatasy-like things. I did not go so far as turning into a dragon, although I interviewed one (also furries and petites) in the series I did 'Second life, our passion, an interview series with residents from SL, and that was great fun). But I CAN do a bit fantasy on my own way and manor ;-).

[archangel969]

I hope we will make it till chistmas LOL. And after this I will stop being so SL-like off topic 😉

 

[archangel969]

Back to topic: autumn vs. winter. So you see the difference. Finally nearly done working on winter at my sim.

 

Edited November 24, 2022 by archangel969

[Tary Allen]

7 hours ago, archangel969 said:

Back to topic: autumn vs. winter. So you see the difference. Finally nearly done working on winter at my sim.

 

It looks wonderful

[Stephanie Misfit]

It's heading into summer here in Australia. I have no desire to turn my land in SL into a winter wonderland. I might put a tree out at Christmas.

[archangel969]

31 minutes ago, Stephanie Misfit said:

It's heading into summer here in Australia. I have no desire to turn my land in SL into a winter wonderland. I might put a tree out at Christmas.

I can imagine that 😉

Edited November 24, 2022 by archangel969

[MoiraKathleen]

The only times I've changed all my landscaping to autumn or winter was when I rented a parcel in a region where the entire region changed seasons.  Otherwise, on my mainland parcel it's pretty much a spring/summer look all year.  I have given some thought to changing out trees, shrubs and flowers to autumn colors in the fall, but I haven't really done that yet - perhaps next year. 

It doesn't snow where I live in RL, so we never have a white Christmas.   In SL, it's hard to find a lot of outdoor Christmas decorations that do not include a snowy base or snowy objects.  

[archangel969]

5 hours ago, MoiraKathleen said:

It doesn't snow where I live in RL, so we never have a white Christmas.   In SL, it's hard to find a lot of outdoor Christmas decorations that do not include a snowy base or snowy objects.  

That's a true one: Christmas is always conflated with snow on marketplace. I honestly hadn't thought of it because I am European, but huge numbers of people, as Stephany also told here earlier, live in a place on earth (she in Australia) where it is not winter during Christmas. And some want to have that association with snow in SL, but others don't. There must be a market for that I would say!

By the way, Christmas in SL doesn't come to me until December. In The Netherlands we have first Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children) on December 5. We celebrate with presents and marzipan and speculoos. It's mostly for children. After December 5 I get the Christmas tree in RL. My goodness that's already soon - I now have everything snow and winter without Christmas frills. I had a nice conversation with someone the other day who said winter costs less prims (because mostly snow and less plants and such), but I don't think that applies to me :-). I hold my heart for the number of prims when Christmas is added LOL.

 

 

Edited November 25, 2022 by archangel969

[Kylie Jaxxon]

Beautiful job on your home...love both seasons   If I may ask, on the left of both pics, there are trees/bushes that kind of look like a tree stump with spiky branches coming out of the top.  Could you tell me where they are from?  They are unique, and the winter season ones really look good

Happy holidays to you!!

[Robberinthemuseum]

22 hours ago, archangel969 said:

Back to topic: autumn vs. winter. So you see the difference. Finally nearly done working on winter at my sim.

 

gasps!

It's beautiful 😍 

[archangel969]

47 minutes ago, Kylie Jaxxon said:

Beautiful job on your home...love both seasons   If I may ask, on the left of both pics, there are trees/bushes that kind of look like a tree stump with spiky branches coming out of the top.  Could you tell me where they are from?  They are unique, and the winter season ones really look good

Happy holidays to you!!

Happy holidays to you too!

Oh, those are pollard trees! You see them in The Netherlands alongside canals and ditches and in the meadows, always alongside water. I have searched for them for ages at marketplace because I didn't know at first how these were called in English LOL. But they are rare indeed.

I first had ones from Sweetbay Designs but they are not modifiable and I hate that. I modify everything :-). But I thought that were the only ones. But a few weeks ago I saw that T-spot had the trees and they call it 'Pruned tree.' They have autumn and winter. It's not my ideal version, they are a bit chunky and the crown is too small. but you can modify them (YES!)  so you can make the leaves of the autumn version greener in summer and make the crown bigger. If you wish, you can even take two crowns and put it on one trunk to make the crown more voluminous for next year spring/summer/autumn.

Edited November 25, 2022 by archangel969

[archangel969]

36 minutes ago, Robberinthemuseum said:

gasps!

It's beautiful 😍 

Thank you, you're sweet!

[Kylie Jaxxon]

Thank you so much for the info and the history.  They are indeed unique as I've mentioned, and beautiful.  I have never seen or heard of them before.  

[Maitimo]

If I owned a whole region, or just lived in a permanent skybox, I probably would, but generally I don't like to do seasons when the rest of the region remains the same. Especially in the Linden Homes, which are all pretty much summer all year long, and having a square patch of snow with winter trees just looks starkly out of place. 

I do put a bit of Christmas decor in my house though. Christmas is the only holiday I decorate for.

@archangel969 your place is so beautiful.

[archangel969]

10 hours ago, Maitimo said:

If I owned a whole region, or just lived in a permanent skybox, I probably would, but generally I don't like to do seasons when the rest of the region remains the same. Especially in the Linden Homes, which are all pretty much summer all year long, and having a square patch of snow with winter trees just looks starkly out of place. 

I do put a bit of Christmas decor in my house though. Christmas is the only holiday I decorate for.

@archangel969 your place is so beautiful.

Yes, I can image that, I don't think I would have done that in winter either. And thank you for the compliment, very sweet!

[archangel969]

24 minutes ago, archangel969 said:

Yes, I can image that, I don't think I would have done that in winter either. And thank you for the compliment, very sweet!

I was not entierly looking forward to the work, but I took it on anyway from last weekend and once I started it, I did get in the mood. I am not only doing snow, but for the variation also winter plants. I often make a mix then because some plants from suppliers look a bit artificial in winter version. The soft winter grass pack from LOVE is very useful, varied and low in prim. They are light, but have a faint colour so I mix them sometimes with winter grass from Hisa (which is pure white). Or with red berries for red colour accents.

From early December, I will also be doing the Christmas decorations.

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by archangel969