Virtual Neko in Second Life

One of the many diverse apartments available to Nekos in Second Life (building on left), located in the sim called Spottieottiedopalicious

What constitutes “home” for a Neko? It’s not a simple answer. A home tends to define a specific attitude or style, and we Nekos truly run the gamut in SL — from grungy feral kitties, to spoiled, silken pillow house cats.

Thanks to my Neko friends, I’ve been able to explore a number of Neko homes in Second Life. Not surprisingly, the range I saw was not too different from the diverse places that cats call home in first life — from back alley dumpsters and cardboard boxes, to abandoned warehouse buildings and barns.

Let us not forget however the pampered house cats out there who much prefer the finer things in life, including sunny window seats, elegant urban lofts, and kawaii styled cottages… so, where to draw the line?

Nekopolis in Second Life

Neko Homes in Second Life

The majority of Nekos I see in Second Life prefer a “street / urban / grunge” look, quite possibly reflecting the kinds of places they like to roleplay (City of Lost Angels, Midian City, Wastelands and the like). So I started my list with homes that featured a more industrial, post-apocalypse, or abandoned style.

Then I added in all of us kawaii Nekos, which of course required me to include a few pink homes and cute cottages. Cyberpunk Nekos were already well supported within the overall cyberpunk community, so I did not include any “space” or “cyberpunk” specific homes on my list.

Last but not least, for those of you Nekos who prefer remaining essentially human? Let’s just say I already spend enough time maintaining the ever-changing slurls on all my Neko Resource pages, so I had to draw the line somewhere.  🙂 The best way to locate more “standard” homes is by using your Second Life “search” tab, or visiting XstreetSL.com and searching there.

Spottieottiedopalicious — a perfect sim for roleplay, or for Nekos to call home

Neko Apartments in Second Life

Not ready to purchase a home or land, but willing to rent something a little less expensive? A number of sims in Second Life offer “apartments” for rent, typically set within an urban build.

One such example is a sim called Spottieottiedopaliscious. This sim resembles an urban city, with aging buildings, back alleys, underground areas to explore, and even a few stores. I discovered this place thanks to fellow Neko friend Kevin Freelunch, whose friend Saedryn rents a cool three-story apartment (with a loft) here.

On my second visit, I saw several Nekos wandering about. On my third visit, the luck of my nine Neko lives brought me face to face with none other than Gaberoonie Szondi and Pitri Bebb, the brilliant masterminds behind this great sim… which I soon learned was indeed intended for casual, unenforced roleplay. “The only rule,” Gaberoonie assured me, “is to have fun.”

The “Sweeney Todd” loft at Spottieottiedopalicious

Spottieottiedopaliscious is based on the idea of a bunch of kids who tried to build things that mimicked what grownups would do, using whatever they could find, all within a post-apocalyptic city. The city features a diverse range of creative elements, all with well-done textures.

If you decide to make this city your home, Gabe and Pitri are only too happy to accommodate you. Just tell them how many prims you need, what sort of design you have in mind, and they’ll help you find it, or build to suit. Rental costs are affordably based on desired prim count. There are even a limited number of small parcels available for purchase within the city, giving you land ownership rights to build your own stuff (as long as it’s within the theme of the city). The building and any objects already on the parcel you purchase won’t count against your prims.

Last but not least, another option is the sim Nekopolis, especially if you’re the kind of kitteh who doesn’t need much space or furnishings — you can rent a small place here for only $1L a week (with a maximum of 10 prims).

Tentacles breaking through the sidewalks of the Delirium sim are just a hint of the amazing underground located beneath its urban streets

Dedicated Neko Community in Second Life

Some Neko sim owners talked about it, while others just went ahead and did it. Looking for a place to rent in a Neko-friendly sim? Look no further than Urban Dare.  For $200L a week, you get a beautiful urban condo with one floor and a loft, featuring a dramatic city view, and 100 prims allowance. Contact Craven Theas for more info.

If you’re looking to rent an apartment in a sim that has a dedicated Neko community, CatniP’s owner Akasha Wachmann, and LoveCats’ owner LoveCat Thei are both willing to consider adding something like this to their sims (if you haven’t been Akasha’s gorgeous sim at Delirium, you must… be sure to check out the underground!).

One of my personal favorites — Ananke Technologies’ steampunk-style “Serene Fantasy Cloud Hugger Airship”

Furnishing Your Neko Home

Once you’ve chosen your new Neko Home, furniture is the next step. My list includes stores that sell the more typical “Neko grunge” furnishings, including grungy furniture sets, dirty floor mattresses, dirty rugs, vending machines, old metal signs, lockers, and filthy pools.

I’ve likewise included all the stores that sell Neko-specific items, such as cat lounging trees, kitty baskets, Neko hammocks, sardine can beds, and the like.

Of course when I found a Neko store that made excellent leather couches, furniture sets, or even a few cute “kawaii overstuffed” items, they were included too.

Once again, for those of you kittehs who prefer a more standard / human look to your furnishings, please use the SL “search” tab or visit XstreetSL.com to explore the full range of outstanding furniture stores in Second Life.

Block13 ‘Bedicine’ Bed

Ready To Begin House Hunting? Here Are Your Links:

Neko Homes and Housing

Neko Furniture

© Stacia Villota / Virtual Neko in Second Life – 2009
http://virtualneko.com

=^..^=

~ by Stacia Villota / Virtual Neko on May 19, 2009.

Posted in Explore, MV-SL-Tutorials, Neko How To
Tags: apartment, cat, cat box, cat tree, chair, furnishings, furniture, grunge, home, home for nekos, homes, house, houses, kitty, neko, neko apartments, neko furniture, neko homes, neko housing, nekos, rent, second life, secondlife, SL, where do nekos live