Trans-Sansara Causeway Update - Three New Sims, New Bridge Length

 

There's been some more progress on the Trans-Sansara Causeway project. To begin with, the unfinished bridge on the southern border of Pomponio and Albion has been cleared away. There's no trace left of the 2021 structure, and it appears a number of other builds and items have been moved as well. The construction sign has been removed as well. Were they going to use the bridge and change their mind, or was the sign a heads up the build would be gone? 

 

 

But while one bridge is gone, a new one is up. Just southeast of the five new sims that were reported on in August 10, there are now an additional three newer ones: Cleone, Falk, and Tunitas.  Just north of the sim border between Mavericks and Cleone, there's a new bridge. Currently, a gate closes it to vehicle traffic, and there's a construction sign there from the Linden Department of Public works. 

 

This new bridge is longer and more detailed than the one it replaced. Instead of just piers, the bridge is also build on rocky islands with some vegetation on them. They're also built a bit wavy and curvy. No way someone would get "highway hypnosis" on this road. A nice scenic structure to walk on, or drive on once finished. Well, one guy was driving. Abnor Mole left his car behind, with the words "Mo homes" on the side. 

 

The bridge is not yet finished, the last length resting on a bare rocky isle in the middle of the Swanton sim, within sight of the island at Tomales next door to the west. Presumable that's where further construction will be. 

 

Back in the Luna sim, where the other end of the causeway starts, further work has connected the tunnel to the road, and the construction cones have been removed. One can now drive their vehicles from the street and into it, though they will have to stop and turn around as construction at Thetis' island has not progressed. 

 

Stay tuned for more information.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

New Bellisseria Citizens Group HQ Location

 

 The Bellisseria Citizens Group has a new headquarters. At Fiddlehead Marsh, one of the Linden homes was converted by Teresa Firelight and Dreamer Pixelmaid into a headquarters for the group. The majority of the decorating seems to have been done by Teresa. 

 

The HQ was actually opened on Monday July 20. When announced in the group a few people headed over to take a look. A few weeks later, one can still go there to relax, maybe nibble on some of the snacks placed at the back porch, or have a cup of coffee inside. The most recent addition, one added by Dreamer, was two "therapy cats," two Kittycats that were on the second floor for anyone to pet. 

 

 

Teresa would say, "Dreamer and I are very excited about our new HQ location. We got extremely lucky and landed a very beautiful spot for all of us to enjoy. And Bellisseria Citizens, we want you to know... this HQ is your space!! It belongs to all of us, and you should always feel welcome to come here and enjoy it."

 

As a reminder, the Bellisseria Cituzens Group is a separate group from the BBB, the Bellisseria Bureau of Bureaucracy, and neither is affiliated with Linden Lab and the LDPW, though you will see an occasional Linden or Mole speak out in Citizens group chat.

 

 https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Fiddlehead%20Marsh/219/85/28

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Reader Submitted Picture: Zindra's New Roads And Lands

 

 

Taken at West Heimer in Zindra by Zada Bury. Last month it was mentioned Zindra would soon be expanded. Looks like it's started. 

Commercial District Sims Open in Bellisseria's Ridgewood Area

 

 At one of the Meet the Lindens events at the SL22B, Patch Linden stated that there were plans for "a foray into the commercial" for Bellisseria. Today, the Commercial District sims in Bellisseria's Ridgewood community area were open.

The Ridgewood Enclave Commercial Districts are places to shop for clothing, home furnishings, plants, decor items for your patio and yard … you name it.

Are you a merchant? Any Premium Plus member can claim a 1024 sq m parcel and use its permanent building for a shop. Use simple controls to choose a style and color scheme, then add your own lighting, displays, and signage. There’s no purchase price and no monthly fee.

While the announcement was Tuesday, when yours truly dropped by then, the sims were not yet open. Checking the Bellisseria group today, it had been announced they finally were.

 

The commercial sims are:  Scherzo, Highlight, Yellow Brick, Brubeck, Big Toque, Greenbush Hill, Broadstreet, West Martinet, Fortune Hills, Sidewall, and Downbeat. Readers might remember when the Ridgewood sims were first on the map in September 2025, Scherzo was among them, but was closed. 

 

There are seven styles of shops:  Bridgecrest, Cityview, Edgeworks, Gridline, Overlook, Seamstone, and Vault.  They come in either long, 16 x 64, or 32 x 32. They are arranged around a central square, with roads passing through north and south, east and west, with a decorative island with trees in the middle. Around there are signs one can click with information on the sims, as well as a map of Bellisseria and benches to sit on. The tops of the stores are green with grass, and have decorative vents poking through. 

 

Oh, and you need to have a Premium-Plus account to claim one, not just Premium.  

 

No shop that had been claimed was yet complete in the sim I looked at, but were in various states of setup. Some had only a single sign. One had a few vendors. There was one place that wasn't a store to buy something, but an arcade people could play games for free with a tip jar for those feeling generous.  

 

There is a thread in the official Second Life forums about the commercial districts (I admit I haven't read very far). 

 

There may be more on the topic later if details warrant. For now, those who love to shop have several more places to go to.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Copperfield Heights Linden Home Area Adds More Sims

 

 The Copperfield Heights homes that first became available to the residents a week ago and had more available a few days later, have continued to grow in numbers. They have gone from 27 sims to 44. Many have amusing names such as Spit Take and Trollbridge. The Winter look the first ones had is now gone, the snow melted and replaced with greenery. 

 

Demand for the homes seems to have been outstripping supply, at least early in the week. On Tuesday evening when I dropped by, I noticed several sins on the west were empty of people and people were gathered at the edge on the other side of the boundary. Going over, I found those sims were closed to regular residents. In Bellisseria chat, a Linden stated they wouldn't be open until later. And this left the residents grumbling a little, the ones near me frustrated with unoccupied new Linden Homes so tantalizingly close, but out of reach until presumably some unknown time tomorrow, with no guarantee by the time they logged on any would be available. 

 

With this kind of demand, there will likely be more Copperfield Heights sims later on. There is plenty of room to the west for further expansion.  How soon is not known.

 

Stay tuned for details.

 

Bixyl Shufan

 

More on The Copperfield Heights Linden Homes

 

 

As reported earlier, on Thursday February 26 Linden Lab announced their latest model of Linden Homes: the Copperfield Heights homes, both in the official blog, and the forums. 

Copperfield Heights - Traditional Craftsman homes with spacious living areas and signature architectural design.

The newest in the line of Linden Homes has arrived. These warm craftsman styled homes feature wooden beams, custom wood elements and minimalist Craftsman interiors.

Copperfield Heights is open to all Plus, Premium and Premium Plus Residents. This collection of Craftsman style homes creates communities featuring natural elements and earth tones designed to create an authentic Arts & Crafts neighborhood in Second Life.

 * * * * *

 

 Copperfield Heights brings traditional Craftsman design with spacious living areas and signature architectural details inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement. Warm wood tones, exposed beams, natural stone elements, and multi-paned windows create a neighborhood that feels timeless and welcoming.

Open to Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus members, this collection expands the Linden Homes lineup with a focus on craftsmanship and comfort.

 

Dropping in myself for a look, the place looked like a nice suburb in the middle of winter. As it turns out the neighborhood is designed to change with the seasons, with greenery appearing in the spring, and in the fall the leaves turn brown and red. I would read, "Like Aspen Ridge, Copperfield Heights regions transform automatically throughout the year. ... There is nothing to manage. The seasons shift on their own."

 

But what sets this neighborhood apart from previous Linden Home areas is it's not just Premium homes, not just Premium Plus homes, but both! Among the 512 and 1024 square-meter lots one would expect to find in a Premium Linden Home area are some 2048 sm lots that were previously only in their own spacious neighborhoods. 

 

And in terms of variety of house design, this is the most diverse Linden Home area to date with a total of twelve models. There are four homes with 512 square meter lots, Glenwood, Laurel, Maple Grove, and Prairie. There are four with 1024 sm lots, Cedarwood, Meadowbrook, Millbrook, and Sunnydale. And there are four with 2024 sm lots, Maplecrest, Oakridge, Pinecrest, and Woodland. 

 

If you want to jump right in to look around, this spot is as good as any: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Winesap%20Ridge/128/128/25 

 

Update: The Copperfield Heights area has been expanded to 27 sims, including Copperfield Crossing which connects it to Bellissera. The shore has a boat rezzing area, near All Hours (169,150,23),  so you can sail across. The sims I saw at the edge looked green, so this being March, the change of seasons may have already happened. 

 

There may be further expansions, so those who are interested in a home here, keep an eye here for more sims later. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

New Sims Off Bellisseria Coast

 

Listening in on Bellisseria chat the other day, it was pointed out there were some new sims on the map. Checking it out, there was a new group of eighteen off it's west coast, next to the "dragon in a boot eating a pickle." They're separated from the rest by a one sim wide gap, and cannot be seen from outside, other than the map, or tped to. 

 

 Hard to say what theme these sims will be. While "Smeagol Brook" sounds like something out of "Lord of The Rings," "Trampoline Man" certainly doesn't.

 

I heard that the sims first appeared on Monday, and at first there were just a few, then more appeared. So by the time this is posted and read, there may be more. 

 

Stay tune for further developments,

 

Update: The sims on the map have changed color, looking wintry, though are still off-limits.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

New SSP Sims on Map

 

There's some new sims in development by Linden Lab. On the map, far north of the mainlands and Belissaria, One can see a number of light blue squares with the front part of the name being "SSP" followed by a number. There is also a group of ten whitish sims, looking like winter landscapes from above, named "QT 1" to "QT 10."

 

"SSP" has been a common temporary name for sims in development. It's short for "Super Secret Project" according to the Lindens and Moles. 

 

As of now, there's no official word on what these sims are for. But no doubt people will have fun speculating just what their purpose will be.

 

Time will tell.

 

Hat Tip: Zada Bury

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

EOTB: New Valentine-Themed Last Names

 

Several days ago, Linden Lab would announce on the official Second Life blog a list of new options for account last names. With the month being February, they were Valentines Day themed.

 

 ... we have just released new last names for the season! The following Valentine-themed names are only available for a limited time:

 

 The list of names are as follows: Tender, Velvetpaw, Lovebug, Pookie, Lust, Amorous, Heartsy, Cuddleclaw, Latido, Luvmore, Sweetums, Snacc, Huggles, and Cherub. 

Dropping in some personal comments, "Latido" I had to look up, and it's Spanish for "beat" or "regular beat." It might be alluding to a heartbeat. "Cuddleclaw" and "Velvetpaw" sound like something for a female furry or dragon. Having "Snacc" for a surname, one might want to be careful around larger dragon avatars.

 

The Lab would say the names are "seasonal and may return around this time next year." It would also invite people to make suggestions for new surnames (on this Google doc). 

 

As a reminder, changing your account name is not free, but costs from $49.99 to $14.99 USD (FAQ).

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Nineteen Years Ago ...

 

 It was nineteen years ago yesterday, December 17, 2006, in which I went to a place online one of my Internet friends had been bragging about. For some time, she had been talking about the fun she had on Second Life, showing some pictures of her appearance there. So when I finally got high-speed Internet, I would check out two places online, World of Warcraft and Second Life. 

 

These days, I hardly ever go about Warcraft. But after nineteen years I still get on almost every day. Much has changed. It's owner Linden Lab has gone through a number of CEOs and being bought up. It's gone through a number of developments such as mesh and PBR. It's long past what's considered it's golden age when it was shiny and new. A whole generation has passed, people leaving from losing interest or dying, and new people getting on. But Second Life is still here and continuing to thrive. 

 

It's become my main audience as a writer. But I still continue enjoying the places I see, the events I come across, and of course there's the people I meet.  There really isn't a reason to stop. 

 

So baring some unforseen disaster, I'll still be coming on, and writing about, this wacky but wonderful virtual world.  

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.  

EOTB: New Last Names

 

In the official Second Life blog last week, Linden Lab announced they had released a list of Christmas and winter-themed last names for accounts. 

 

To celebrate the winter holiday season, we have released some festive new last names! 

 

The list of names goes as follows :

 

Nutmeg, Krampus, Solstice, Twinkle, Snowveil, Everfrost, Winterpelt, Glacia, Nuzzle, Polar, and Gingerpaw 

 

These seasonal names will be around "for a limited time," saying some *might* be available again in a future Christmas season. 

 

As a reminder, changing one's account name is not free. There's a fee of $49.99 for basic and Plus accounts, less for higher ones, more details here. And special seasonal names aside, once a name is dropped from the list, it's gone for good. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Firestorm Viewer Updates

 

With our focus on Veterans Day and the passing of Baron Wulfenbach/Melanippe of Themiscyra , it slipped our minds to write about Firestorm getting updated on November 11. The new version is labeled Firestorm 7.2.2. 

The new version fixes some bugs, including some that could cause you to crash. There are also some changes such as offering the Avatar Starter Pack in place of the Avatar Chooser (the old avatars should still be in the library).  One can also mark items, and outfits, as favorites. There's other details such as chat moderation,additional emojis, voice fixes, and more. 

 

For additional details, check out the Firestorm blog (here). 

 

New Halloween-Themed Last Names

 

For those waiting for new last names, good news. A few days ago, Linden Lab announced in the official blog they had some new options for those wanting to change their account name. And for those who are fans of the spooky season, more good news, these are Halloween themed. 

 

Thank you to everyone who continues to submit ideas through our Last Name Suggestion Form. For this special update, we’ve chosen the most highly requested names that also capture the spirit of Halloween. If you’ve ever suggested something haunting, eerie, or just plain spooky, you may now see it on the list!  

 

The new account last names are Potion, Misery, Strange, Goblin, Zombie, Monster, Ghoul, Spooky, and Nightfang. 

 

"Potion" could be an interesting name for someone who fancies themself a chemist or mad scientist. "Strange" could be useful for someone who wants an aura of mystery around them. "Nightfang" might see some use among residents in wolf avatars.  

 

Expect the names to change soon after Halloween.  

 

As a reminder, changing last names is not free, but costs from $49.99 to $14.99 USD, depending on the resident's account. Check the FAQ page for more information. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

EOTB: New Linden Home Theme: Ridgewood Conclave

 

 At the Second Life Birthday in June, Patch Linden would announce the next Linden Home theme would be soon, and called "The Ridgewood Conclave." Yesterday on September 11, the Lab announced the first sims with these homes were now open. 

A brand new Linden Homes theme has arrived, bringing a fresh sense of style and calm living to Bellisseria.

Ridgewood Enclave blends contemporary design with lush landscaping, offering Premium Plus Residents a neighborhood that feels both modern and connected to nature. Set among palm trees and winding sidewalks, this community balances clean architectural lines with soft greenery, creating a warm and breezy retreat.

Patch Linden would announce the news in the forums:

A new Linden Homes theme has arrived, bringing clean lines, modern living, and a peaceful suburban feel.

Ridgewood Enclave is now open to Premium Plus Residents. This warm and breezy neighborhood blends contemporary design with soft landscaping, giving each street a fresh and refined look. Set among palm trees, curving sidewalks, and layered greenery, it feels connected to nature without losing its sense of structure and style.

There are six varieties of Ridgewave homes: Brackenrock, Crestline, Claystone, Duskieedge, Shadowline, and Vellstone. These are made to look like they're built with brick or stone walls. Most are two stories, some with a small tower. Two models had car garage areas. The neighborhood was full of subtropical greenery, much like what one could find in Florida. 

As of the writing of this article, some of the homes were already claimed, but some looked like they were still available, at least for now. 

 

The 22 sims are in a group just off the southwest corner of Bellisseria. As of now, there is no direct connection to the rest of the Linden Home continent, but given the history of Linden Home development this will almost certainly change. 

 

For more information, check the Linden Blog.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

EOTB: New Linden Viewer - 2025.06 "Inventory Favorites"

 

In the official Second Life blog a few days ago, Linden Lab announced a new official Second Life viewer had been released, one with some features as a result of inventory feedback.

 

The newest Second Life Viewer release is here, and this one is extra special because so many of its features come directly from community feedback. Thanks to the requests and contributions shared on GitHub and through our feedback portal, this update delivers improvements you’ve been asking for.

 

Second Life Viewer 2025.06 adds an Inventory Favorites system, improves avatar behavior, restores full mouselook pitch, enhances chat and mesh upload tools, and refines environment controls. It includes various bug and crash fixes. Read on for more details! 

 

Named 2025.06, the viewer promises new features, including "Inventory Favorites," hiding the Linden Dollar balance (intended for video streamers), a "zoom in to self" option, improved privacy options, the option to timestamp photos, mesh inspection tools, chat and voice enhancements, fixes to allow avatars to move more smoothly, environment and rendering options, and more. 

 

As a reminder, these changes to not yet affect the Firestorm viewer, which is the preferred viewer by the majority of residents.

 

To read more, Click Here.

 

New Last Names Available

 

 About a month after Linden Lab offered some new options for last names in theme with the Second Life Birthday, a few days, they delivered a "New batch of (the) most wanted last names."

Thank you again to everyone who continues to submit ideas through our Last Name Suggestion Form. For this update, we once again gave extra attention to the names that have been requested most frequently. If you’ve shared your favorite last name with us, there’s a good chance it’s now available!

Several older options have been removed, and we’ve added the following highly requested new ones:

The new last names are Belmonte, Rascal, Baby, Sakura, Lit, Bly, Neon, Goat, Bubbles, and Aurora.

 

Sakura is a Japanese name, meaning "cherry blossom." While "goat" has meant a farm animal that gives small amounts of milk, to call someone "the goat," is to say they're the best they're is at what they do, the "greatest of all time."

 

As a reminder, changing last names is not free, but costs from $49.99 to $14.99 USD, depending on the resident's account. Check the FAQ page for more information. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Firestorm Viewer Update Soon

 

For those who haven't kept up with the Firestorm blog, on https://www.firestormviewer.org/, they say "The wait is nearly over" for their next viewer update. 

 

On May 21, the team leader explained they delayed a new update, "This was initially a deliberate choice as we were seeking stability rather than just cranking out another update, having had three updates in the 6 months prior," and there were complaints  "I wanted to ensure that this next update was not just bug fixes and tweaks; it wasn’t all about PBR but offered real, tangible benefits for people." 

 

In Part One, they talked about AO enhancments, iintegration with the Primfeed social network, ("Firestorm has no affiliation with Primfeed beyond our technical collaboration"), Phototools V2, Avatar and Animesh Poser, "photo goodies" in the form of Faming & Composition helpers and Depth of Field for Hi Res photos, and water and sky Legacy environment rendering improvements. 

 

In Part Two,  they discussed "Digintally signed builds for Windows, an anti-phishing measure that allows you to see the full adress of a URL before clicking on it, Inventory management, SLAPPS "a special kind of SLURL that perform a special function," VRAM control, Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing, Subpixel Morphological Anti-Aliasing, Contrast Adaptive Sharpening, a tonemapper option, ambient lighting re-aligned, and some features for builders and creators, as well as qiality of life. 

No date has been given for the new update. It may be today, tomorrow, or next week.

 

For more information, check the Firestorm blog.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

EOTB: "The Most Requested" New Last Names Announced

 

Yesterday on Thursday May 15, Linden Lab announced their new last names for the month of May. But this was a list of 23 names instead of the usual several changed. 

 

Thank you to everyone who has submitted ideas through our Last Name Suggestion Form. While we always choose names from your suggestions, this time we gave special priority to those that were requested most often by many Residents. So if you’ve ever submitted your favorite name, you might see it on the list!

Today, we’re doing another big refresh by removing some of the older options and adding the following new ones.

The new names are: Burney, Rabbit, Zen, Rune, Doll, Sirensong, Pixels, Stanwyck, Seraphim, Puppy, Possum, Dust, Cheeks, Lagmore, Clover, Moonchild, Dreamer, Sunny, Nightfall, Windsor, Pawto, Boop, and Waggletail. 

Which means about half of the current list are new names. 

As a reminder, changing one's account name isn't done for free, but costs $49.99 USD for Basic and Plus accounts, $34.99 for Premium Accounts, and $14.99 for Premium Plus. People are also free to offer suggestions for last names (here). 

 

To read the blog post in full, Click Here. 

 

More On The Aspen Ridge Linden Homes, And News On Legacy Homes

 

Last week on Tuesday April 15, Linden Lab introduced the latest Linden Home, the Aspen Ridge. This is the third type of Linden Home introduced this year, and available to both Premium and Premium-Plus residents. 

 

What sets these homes apart is that the land they're on can change with the seasons, advertised by the Lab as "our first seasonal home." Going to the demo homes, one could switch between winter and spring. If there's an autumn phase, it wasn't shown.

The houses are wooden walls on a foundation of stone, and are in six varieties: Peakstone, Ridgeway, Highpoint, Summitview, Elkridge, and Crestwood.

 

These Linden homes are located in a new part of Bellisseria, just east of the Sakura home area in it's north-central area. Originally a five sim area not connected to the Bell mainland, in the past several days it's grown to a 31 sim landmass connected to the rest of Bellisseria by a single mostly water sim. 

Going about, already people were decorating those in the areas I saw with furniture and yard decor. It's a safe bet like other Linden Homes, they're a popular hit that will soon be almost all taken up, if they haven't already. 

But with the Linden's announcement, there was a warning to those still in the older Linden Homes, also known as legacy Linden Homes. The Lab announced they're starting the closing of the legacy Home sims.

With the release of Aspen Ridge and other recent Linden Homes, we’re entering a new era. As previously announced, we’re beginning the phased retirement of all legacy Linden Homes. If you’re still living in one of those original styles, it’s time to start thinking about your next chapter.

 

It's unknown how many are still in these older Linen Home regions. 

For more information, Click Here. 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

New Tiki And Groto Linden Home Sims On Map

 

 When the first Tiki and Groto Linden Home sims went online earlier this month on Monday February 2, the homes in the eighteen sim area were all quickly snapped up in a matter of hours. Fortunately, the Moles have been continuing to work on more, adding sims with the new kind of Linden home around the original area (outlined in red above) and to it's south and southeast along the southern coast of the central part of Bellisseria. 

Figures on how many houses are left available are unknown, but the sims are open for anyone wishing to boat from Bellisseria to them (or swim underwater for any merfolk).

 

Bixyl Shuftan