Rufferta Mainlander

This is my place on Circuit la Corse in Celchu. I bought a 1024 roadside parcel and then I added 1024 by buying part of the abandoned land behind me, making the parcel 2048 in total. The ground structure is DecoStarF by RAG 142li, and the skybox is Spargel & Shine Casupolo Giana 174li w/o courtyard (I made a low-prim platform). Still a work in progress. Tier is 0, as it is supported by two Premium alts. I am having to decide today whether to keep a third alt so I can expand parcel. Furniture sparse until I have put up all my Tourist Information posters. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Celchu/125/143/49

A Possible? - Trompe Loeil is currently offering its Darby Modern Cabin to Trompe Loeil Superfans Group* members for $L50. Included is the Kitchen Module, which is 13 x 8 x 4high and 21li. I'm thinking some of our talented residents might be able to make it fit into a Newbrooke. (I almost got it to fit into my Ravensburg Chalet). The Cabin itself is a very nice take on what I have heard called a "Farnsworth" house but would not fit in Bellisseria. *free to join.

I found out it is not advisable to change avatars whilst riding a pod.

Just trying out the free "Jenny" body from Altamura. I love the Atreus frock (a hunt gift from ContraptioN).

I like Steampunk, but unfortunately some people think 'steampunk' just means 'stick a gear on it'. There has been speculation that a future Bellisserian theme could be 'steampunk'. If so, I hope they remember to include volcanos, geysers, fumaroles, and hot springs in the landscaping.

Trompe Loeill freebies. At http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Hyde Park/223/146/23 Billiard tables (13) - the texture can be changed - 3 land impact End Tables(10) - 2 land impact ('Vintage' means made in 2013). Lamps(24) 2 to 4 land impact. (Classic styles) The billiard table on the left has had the top and front re-textured.

I was at the Kiyomizu Shopping Mall Hunt in Nepessing http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nepessing/58/207/106 and the very first shop I visited had an amazing number of freebies, some of which might be useful in Bellisseria: Four Moai Easter Island Statues - 1 prim The hunt prize (look for the little cat) was seaweed in different colors - 1 prim Also pictured: 3-D Text letter sign which I am told says "Happy New Year" A stand with a "Mote-man" pose ball and gesture. The hunt only lasts through April 3rd but the store, Le Chaut, should still be there after that.

I would like to recommend James May's https://www.amazon.com/James-May-Our-Japan-Season/dp/B0875YQS3V on Amazon prime.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of sales events I found on Seraphim SL and other sites for this weekend. This set of Knicknacks at Hilted caught my eye. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/HILTED/159/128/24. The $L60 Happy Weekend set comes with each of the 14 different pets separately, or on a stand, or with just the empty stand. Full stand, if I'm reading things right, is 8 land impact The empty stand is 2 land impact. The pets are 1 land impact each; however, I was able to stretch Snooty Snoot to one meter and he came out at 4 land impact. With my graphics set to maximum distance but using default settings, there were some degradation of image at about 7 meters away for the smaller items, but the shelves and the enlarged pet were viewable at 10m. For myself, I see using the enlarged knickknacks as individual accent pieces, or small sculptures. I didn't have time to look at everything for sale this weekend, but whole area around Hilted was full of interesting shops and builds.

I didn't want to put in a lot of time and effort into a project that might get AR'd, and I really wasn't clear on what was meant by 'modern'. I notice that the Bellisseria covenant is much longer than it was when I first moved into Bellisseria, and I have faith that rules will be clarified in the future. Having said that, I have decided to hold onto all my Japanese/Asian landscaping items until (I hope) Bellisseria has a theme that it would better fit.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gebuesch/83/184/29 I have tried to put together information on 'how to buy a parcel on the Mainland'. It was intended to be for new residents who have only lived in Bellisseria, but perhaps it would be useful to others. Information was compiled from the Wiki, forum contributions, and my own experience. The newest poster with a notecard is "Bitsy Buys a Parcel on the Mainland". The web version (of this article only) is at http://thesecondlifetourist.blogspot.com/2022/03/bitsy-buys-parcel-on-mainland.html

You are right, I tend to be passive aggressive, but I meant it as a serious question.

What restrictions are there? I like this mid-century modern remodel in Seattle (except for the exterior color), but is the outside landscaping too extreme? (top image) Should I instead be looking towards the "California modern' exteriors of this Eichler houses?(bottom image). Confession: I've been accumulating vintage and modern Japanese furniture for years, and I would like to have a sorta-Japanese garden out back, but I also want to fit in. I already realize that I probably won't get away with a huge blossoming cherry tree, but what about a koi pond? Perhaps Bellisseria needs something like a 'building inspector' who could OK your remodeling plans before you make a major remodel?

I am getting used to "inworld store" links on the Marketplace landing me in abandoned or security-orbed sniper territory. At least this time I knew better than to teleport.

I ended up in Cathcart's Fumble under the surface! I keep getting logged out and there doesn't seem to be any way to abandon the parcel. Repeated teleports land me in the same limbo. And my hat has disappeared! Perhaps this is my punishment for trying more than once. Later: Once I was able to get out of limbo and explore the new neighborhoods, I have to say that the 'moderns' look much nicer now than they did during the first reveal. I'm also very impressed that with the exception of the one glitch I haven't seen any other problems. I like that you can claim a 1024 plot, but put a 512 house on it to give you more elbow room. Good job, Moles!

The Home & Gardens Expo is now open! Here is a nice sideboard for sale for $L50, with all proceeds going towards RFL. Land impact is 1. I love the annual Home & Gardens Expo because I often find designers I hadn't known about before. I fully expect to be broke before next tier.

On the other hand, if you are already using your 1024 tier on Mainland and want to move into Bellisseria, I believe you will have to upgrade your tier (Under Account/Land Manager/Land Use Fees/Update Tier) to qualify.

For those who like Asian decor, this is an Outdoor Bath House set from Monkey Banana These items were originally sold at gacha events, you might be able to find some of the individual items on the Marketplace, but I got the fatback at the inworld store in Calliope for $L1000*. I unpacked it later in a sandbox to get the prim counts**. Yuya Bath House - 7 (platform with bamboo shown on left, other plants in background not included) Yuya Bath - Hinokiburo - (square wood) - 3 with some poses High Bamboo wall - 3 (not shown) Low Bamboo wall - 1 (not shown) Shampoo bottle set - 1 Bath duck - 1 (slow rotation) Soap - 1 Bath pails - 1 each Bath light - 2 - touch on and off (2 lights - one black and one tan) Bath Sake set - 1 (gives cup and drink animation) Bath Enclosure - 4 Clothes Basket - 2 Towels - 1 Bath Chair - 1 with animations Mizu Uchiwa (fan) 2 - with animation - two designs Furo with secret Kappa - 3 (furo shown, but not kappa) *$L900 for group members **I'm sure you could link items to save prim costs. Most items are 'no modify, no transfer' but I was able to tint a few items. Now I hope the next Premium house theme is Japanese.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gebuesch/78/180/28 As promised, I have put together a collection of resources for Bellisserians who might want to live on the Mainland but don't know where to start. It is my response to the Bellisserian Embassies on the Mainland. It's not fancy enough to be called an Embassy though, so I just called it "Gateway to the Mainland". Subjects include topics like "What is Tier?" and "A Short Tour of the Mainland". I hope to add information in the future on terraforming, joint ownership of land, house placement & landscaping, and a step-by-step guide to buying a parcel. Information is from a variety of sources including residents' comments after I posted an article on "How Not to Buy Land"*. If you have any comments, suggestions, or complaints I have put in a suggestion box by the front door. You won't be able to find the place on search due to Bellisseria's restrictions, but there is currently an Operation Mainland passport kiosk on the front porch and after February 26th there should be a Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy passport kiosk there as well. *One of the few subjects on which I am an expert.

Don't tell them you want to downgrade at the end of your paid membership - they seem to have only two categories of membership - Premium with automatic renewal and Basic. As other posters have mentioned, you will lose any land you hold and your stipend will stop. I learned the hard way. Wait until just before renewal is due to expire to downgrade..

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue Moon/182/229/23. This is a free 12-stop hunt where you look for red envelopes. Each envelope gives you a notecard with information about the celebration, and a clue to the next stop. When you've found all 12 envelopes, there are two prizes - a flying tiger and a gift certificate. I also recommend trying the nearby Walden Walk http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blue Moon/250/184/1094 where you follow a path around an area simulating Walden Pond. Clicking on landmarks along the path gives you notecards with quotes from Thoreau and more information about his life. If you join the group you will also receive a gift at each stop along the way and another one at the end.

It took me a while to find a house that would fit on a 1024 cliffside parcel in Westport, Sansara. The parcel is between the water and the road with neighbors on both sides. I chose this Trompe Loeil Beach Cottage because of the window walls. When I set my graphics distance down low, the view to two sides is all water. When I want privacy, all the glass can be shuttered. The trees in the photos belong to the neighbors' parcels.

When I was looking for land I used all of the above methods: Looking for yellow spots on the map, Going to 'Search' and checking "Land for Sale", Looking at the auctions, Looking at the forum Land topic "Parcels for Sale". In addition I also made temporary landmarks, i.e., "Possibility #1", etc...as I explored so that I could find likely parcels again. Sometimes I would take a pod ride and set my viewer to "Show land owners" so that parcels I passed would show yellow. This method gives you a better idea of the terrain, but it is harder to make landmarks, and my viewer acts weird if I do it for too long. Have fun!

Setting up a Mainland Embassy in Bellisseria: I have some time and tier available and I'm thinking of setting up a "Mainland Embassy" in some part of Bellisseria. I'm thinking such an embassy might be helpful to newcomers whose experience has only been in Bellisseria and who might be interested in venturing outside. This 'Embassy' could provide links to posts and places that can offer help and advice on topics like: What do we mean by Mainland? Geography of Second Life Who can buy land. How to find land. How to evaluate land before you buy it. What is tier, anyway? Renting vs. 'buying'. Finding a house or structure that will fit on your parcel. How to make your own house. Skyboxes. Terraforming and terrain. How to take advantage of the 10% group discount for land. How to be a good neighbor. Decorating on a prim budget. I would be interested in knowing if the BBB would allow me to place one of their passport machines on such a parcel, especially since I am willing to let other groups have their kiosks in said 'Embassy'. I'm not social and can't offer big events or hoopla, but I can make up "Honorary Ambassador" certificates for anyone who wants one. There will always be free coffee and donuts. Added: This is not my original idea, it was inspired by others' suggestions. It makes sense that if Bellisseria has embassies on the Mainland, Mainland should have one or more embassies in Bellisseria.

Sold.