Hazardous

A year ago on February 9 a lovely new sim opened, Hazardous. A picturesque location with deep purple and lavender hues, designed by Wendy Xeno and Mandingo Quan, it evoked the sim HuMaNoiD (designed by Wendy) but commanded its own identity (old blog post here). After a short while, however, the sim closed—Mandingo wanted something different, and for the better part of a year now it's been once again under construction. And a year to the day—by sheer coincidence—the new version of Hazardous now opens, with a radical design that's unlike any space I've seen in Second Life.

Entering Hazardous places you on a windswept, sun-beaten grassy plain that exhibits signs of rural life and quiet rusted decay. But that first impression gives way as (don't read if you don't want the spoiler) you pan around to really see where you are: yes, on a grassy plain, but set high up on an incredible mass of rock with magnificent cliffs that reach down to the sea far below. Cutting through the middle of this block of stone is a deep gorge, where way down below is a second environment quite different than what's above: a magical area filled with lush vegetation, with beams of light slicing through to the water while dragonflies dance. A show house is set here.

Photographers and explorers will delight in Hazardous. There's a hidden space called "The Pond"—you'll have to find something to click on that will take you there. Spots for poses and dances abound, including these fun poses on the bridge (above), where Wendy is on the left and I'm hanging (uncharacteristically blond) upside down. Eventually the sim will host a shop (to be in a skybox above) that will sell some of the items you see around the sim, and maybe some other things besides. Don't forget to chip in at the donation box if you can.