Reader Submitted: The Survivor

YadNi Monde, whom is continuing to replicate his noted Junkyard in the TAG grid, recently sent me a couple screenshots. They were of several kiosks of various Second Life newsletters, including the Second Life Newser and it's predecessor the Second Life Newspaper.

"I took the freedom to get your very ancient dispenser here and to recreate script to link to your page," YadNi told, then noted that one, the Newser, stood out, "Green dot indicates you are LIVE. I guess you are the only real survivor amongst all those old newspapers I had at the junkyard."

We're still writing away after all those years, still finding reasons to enjoy Second Life, and still telling you about them.

A Few Words From Junkyard Owner YadNi Monde

Most Longtime residents are familiar with YadNi Monde. For eleven of Second Life's first twelve years, he ran "YadNi's Junkyard," the best known freebie place back then. But in June 2015, he had to close it down. The place is still fondly remembered, and some of the items can still be found today. YadNi himself went into a "3D personal enterprise" and then drawing, not going back into Second Life much.

I recently came across YadNi in Second Life, and we had a few words. He had put his artwork on hold for a few months. Hewas focusing more on virtual worlds, but it wasn't Second Life that was his main focus. "I am setting my foot on another grid, coming here to grab my stuff," he told me with a smile, "I'm going to TAG with all my old stuff." I asked if he meant The Adult Grid. He laughed, "Hahah! Well, there's nothing offensive on that grid (smile). It's only a name. It changed owners years ago. So, I dunno what it was before. But now, I could take my kids there if I had any."

I asked YadNi what he found so far in TAG. He called it a "cool place, a warm welcome. And I do know Constanza Amsterdam since quite a long time too. She is the owner, with her husband. ... I have an infinite number of prims ahead of me," he smiled, "One single sim can go up to 50 000 prims, and (I) have my OAR s from InWorldz." After I brought up that his Junkyard is still well remembered in Second Life, he told me, "my plan is to revive my junkyard there. It won't have all the freebies and all, but it will be the place." He did say the TAG grid did have it's own freebie sim, "with awesome quality. And some nice sims to visit too with little details everywhere, hidden places, easter eggs."

Other plans of his included building Mont Saint Michel, "we're going to revive my most beautiful child, as well as InWorld's Jackson Square that used to be IDI. I'm also building the whole timeline of all the sims I ever built on all grids. I'm reaching year five and it's already a quarter sim long. ... Wait 'til I reach my actual 15th year."

So a few years later, YadNi is keeping himself busy.

Bixyl Shuftan

The Return of Yadni's Junk

For over a decade in Second Life, Yadni's Junkyard stood and provided huge numbers of freebies for thousands of new residents of the Grid. Although Yadni Monde's freebie location has been gone for almost three years and he hasn't been inworld for a while, he is still fondly remembered. Fans of the noted blue resident will be happy to hear about one recent project of BrianL61 Landar (Prof Grey). He is making some of Yadni's items available again. Gemma set out to learn more and report.

Read Gemma's story in Places.

YadNi Monde, Maker of "YadNi's Junkyard," Needs Help to Continue Drawing

By Bixyl Shuftan

For longtime residents of Second Life, one place many visited in their early days was "YadNi's Junkyard," one of the best known and largest freebie places. Up since at least 2004, newcomers and more established residents on a budget could go there for clothes, avatars, jewelry, weapons, textures, animations, gestures, and more. He also had a few newstands of inworld publications, such as our predecessor paper the Second Life Newspaper. Although it's unknown how many people visited the place, YadNi himself felt the number was many thousands. But in June 2015, YadNi reluctantly took the landmark location down after it had been up for eleven years.

Unfortunately, YadNi hasn't been doing that well financially. After he had to put a small business on hold, he announced on his Facebook page via a Patreon site he had put up that he would need help if he was going to continue his hobby of drawing.

As far as I can remember, I am drawing. And I never stopped, using all tools that would fall into my hands, thus learning different techniques and skills (from analogic to digital). Today is the day where I need some support from all my friends from all over the World. I want to keep creating, to go back to my analogic roots and to do it for You Guys.

I had a chat with YadNi over IM. "Everything got a little complicated," he spoke of his troubles, "I had founded my own 3D personal enterprise. (It) lasted quite a good while, until i came onto a client who didn't honor his payments and put me under. I had to close said enterprise (due to a) lack of reserve money, had to move apartment to a single room, and now I'm totally disgusted in 3D and am going back to my first skills, hands and paper. ... I (had) worked for him for two months and I was always on the edge with money. The simple fact that individual didnt pay the bills, my accountant said there was nothing to save me and I had to close. So I'm starting all over from scratch, hoping to gather enough to restart something serious if possible."

When I brought up his past in Second Life, YadNi responded, "I have mostly been a builder, did work in Second Life for Nike, Toyota, Warner Bros, Alcatel, and many groups and (other) people. I built entire sims, even some stuff others refused because they thought it was impossible to do (Intel sim). I then went to InWorlds, a parallel grid where I did over four or five years building there." He pointed out his one page blog at (https://yadni.blogspot.fr/) that described his beginnings, including where his online name came from. mentioning he had been calling himself in real life as an artist.

Once again, YadNi's Patreon page is at https://www.patreon.com/YadNiMonde . His goal is to get $500 USD a month, at which he'll start holding raffles monthly to send one artwork to one of his supporters.

Bixyl Shuftan

YadNi's Junkyard Closing Down

For newcomers to Second Life looking for free items, one of the top places to go to, if not *the* top place, was YadNi's Junkyard. Run by YadNi Monde, his profile states he started it about April 2004, and was the first freebie "store" in Second Life. After running for eleven years, it retained it's popularity, recommended by both websites and residents' word of mouth. Gemma Cleanslate wrote about the place in September 2012.

On June 23, YadNi announced via Google Plus that the days of his Junkyard were over. He had taken it down.

YadNi's Junkyard has closed today.

After 11 years of helping thousands (of) new residents with REAL freebies, full perms for free, and one of the longest lasting money trees, I had to close the place today.

I hope you have good memories of that place.

His post was followed by sad comments, people remembering how important the place was, and wishing him well, "The Junkyard was a vital part of many, many, people's Second Life experience. As a relative latecomer in 2007, it created a connection for me with the history and culture of SL it would have been impossible to gain otherwise." "This is sad news, one of the first places I visited and would take people to when they joined.  Thank you for giving everyone this place for so long. Your dedication is noteworthy and it will be truly missed." "Thank you YadNi Monde . Your Junkyard changed my SL experience for the better. I taught myself how to build by looking at how the freebies were put together and textured. Building is the main reason I still do this. I brought so many friends to the Junkyard over the years and we all appreciated your generosity. You are a huge part of everyone's SL."

YadNi was humbled at these comments, "Thanks a lot guys, i am touched by your words, and very sorry i had no other choice."

Heading to it's location in the Leda sim on the Second Life mainland, I found the place was already gone. Nothing was left but a depression in the rocky ground.

And so, the first and best known freebies place is fading away into the virtual nether.

Source: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan