Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, Furry Fashion, and Club Scorn

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver, Montecito Bay, Furry Fashion, and Scorn clubs.

Club Cutlass: 70's VS 80's, Workin' for a Living, TBA

Happy Vixen: DJ Arooo, DJ Scratch, DJ Malit, TBA, DJ Khyra

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowy  - TBA

 

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club:  DJ Snowy - TBA

Xanadu: DJ Jesse 

Club Squeaks: DJ Squeaks

 

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Club Scorn: W 4-6, Th 4-6, 7-11, Sat 2-12

 

Furry Fashion: Halloween, Cats and Rabbits, Spots and Stripes, Predators vs Prey

 

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'

Steam Gaming Service Removes A Number Of Adult Games Following Pressure By Credit Card Companies, Paypal Blocks Steam In Much Of The World

 

If you're a fan of game with mature themes, there's been a development on Steam that will likely leave you worried and/or upset. It seems following pressure from credit card companies, Steam has taken a number of adult-rated games off it's list for sale. 

 

In a PC Gamer article, Value, which owns Steam, was reported as saying, "We were recently notified that certain games on Steam may violate the rules and standards set forth by our payment processors and their related card networks and banks. As a result, we are retiring those games from being sold on the Steam Store."

 

Earlier, Steam had enacted a new, and vague, rule about banning "Content that may violate the rules and standards set forth by Steam’s payment processors and related card networks and banks, or internet network providers."

 

An article in The Guardian stated the pressure by the credit card companies was due to pressure on them by "Collective Shout," a group seeking to ban adult content from Australian Internet access, saying the corporations were "facilitating and profiting from rape, incest and child sexual abuse game sales."

 

The result has been a backlash. On change.org, a petition was started protesting the censorship of the games, "not because they're illegal, but because they offend the personal values of executives or activist groups," going on to say, "These same payment processors allowed platforms like OnlyFans to operate with minimal oversight, despite multiple credible reports and lawsuits alleging the presence of real sexual abuse content involving real-life minors. That is a criminal failure of responsibility. Yet, when it comes to entirely fictional depictions, these same companies act swiftly — shutting down creators, restricting access, and acting as global censors." 

 

So far, the petition has gotten over a quarter million signatures. One who left a comment identified himself as a member of the LGBTQ community, "Banning sexual content never stops there, it always include non-sexual things. As such the fight to protect people’s right to sexual expression is vital for protecting my right to exist." 

 

Mastercard eventually responded, but denied making any pressure on Steam, "Mastercard has not evaluated any game or required restrictions of any activity on game creator sites and platforms, contrary to media reports and allegations."

 

To add to Steam's troubles, Paypal became unusable in most of the world as an option to pay for Steam purchases. It was reported in The Gamer only users in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, and countries which use the Euro can still do so. At first, Valve offered no reason as to why, but later would explain, "In this case, one of PayPal’s acquiring banks decided to stop processing any Steam transactions, which cut off PayPal on Steam for a number of currencies"

 

As of now, it is unclear when the delisted games will be restored, or when Paypal will be fully useable again. 

 

Sources: PC Gamer, The Guardian, The Gamer, Rock Paper Shotgun 

 

Bixyl Shutan 

 

Wind Phones in Second Life

 

Have you ever heard of a "Wind Phone?" For those who don't know, it's a way for those with lost loved ones and close friends to speak to the departed over a phone that's not connected to others, but presumably the words would be "carried by the wind" to the spirit they're aimed at. The idea started in Japan, and eventually spread to other places. And eventually, it came here to Second Life.  Klaus Bereznyak went to take a look at the phones here, and talk to one of the people behind them.

 

Read Klaus' story in Design. 

 

Applications Open For Halloween Shop And Hop (Until Aug 24)

 

It's only August, but already Linden Lab is making plans for the spooky season.  On Friday August 15, Linden Lab announced they were accepting applications from merchants interested in taking part in the 2025 Halloween Shop and Hop. 

 

The Halloween season is creeping up on us once again, and so is one of Second Life’s biggest shopping events! If you’re a Content Creator, now’s your chance to conjure up your best items and reach thousands of shoppers across multiple regions.  

 

The shopping event is scheduled to take place Friday October 3 to Sunday November 2. Those interested in taking part need to fill out a form on Google docs (here). Those signing up will need to agree to their items at the store being offered with at least a 20 percent discount, and one free gift to anyone regardless of whether they're in the store's group or not. The gift must be a new one as well. If a gift card is offered instead, it must be at least 300L. 

 

No items rated adult can be offered, and nothing with political themes, or politicians, is permitted. The store cannot also be used to promote items at other events. And for those wanting to take part, signing up does not guarantee a spot.

 

The deadline for signing up is Sunday August 24.

 

For more information, check the Linden blog post (here). 

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

"Wootstock" In Raglan Shire

 

 From Friday  August 15 to Sunday August 17, the "Wookstock" music festival, Raglan Shire's musical tribute to Woodstock, took place. A number of DJs, and live performers, played music on stage, and attendance was well over 50 frequently.

 

 One of the first up was Nivor The Singing Chicken. When he was singing Weird Al's "Eat It," the foxes had a good laugh after the line, "have some more chicken." 

 

 Later on Friday evening was Merryjest Starchild, who sang a variety of songs, including "Nessun Dorma." 

 

 Among Saturday's performers were Jaycatt Nico and Frogg Marlowe, or "Effinjay." They did the show in their own tiny avatars. 

 

 A great time was had by all.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Cartoon of The Day: Bar Nun

 

 Taken at the Club Cutlass "Good or Bad" dance. The punch line came from Liska herself.

 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

Return To VR Chat

 

 It's been a while since I was last on VR Chat, and several days ago, I finally went there and joined a couple friends who have come to spend more time there than Second Life. Some things haven't changed, such as avatars not able to be dressed like they can be in our virtual world and any attachments need to be constantly held in your hand, dropping if you take your finger off the button. But some things have such as the potential size of some regions. One was so huge, my friend told me over a hundred kilometers across, you needed a car to go across, and it took a while. 

 

So I may write more about VRChat in the months ahead. I say may as I have my hands on a few projects. Time will tell.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Video: "Liminal Music Video"

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

 From I Am Ava on April 27, "Liminal explores the spaces between worlds — where reality blurs, memories fade, and something new begins. Written and envisioned by Ana DuBois, this original song blends human emotion with AI-crafted music and vocals. The video was filmed entirely in Second Life, using its haunting landscapes to capture the feeling of drifting between moments, identities, and realities."

 

SL Burner Gets Her Build To Be Made At Burning Man

 

Burn2's summer event may be over. But the Burners haven't stopped their activities, far from it. There was an announcement about the Black Rock City Honoraria Program. As it turns out, one SL Burner would get this honorarium, and her build for the summer burn here would be planned to be constructed at the real life Burning Man. 

 

Read Gemma's story in People. 

 

Linden Lab Announces New Gifts For Plus, Premium, And Premium Plus Residents

 

 A few days ago in the official blog, Linden Lab announced that Seraphim, a leading shopping group and website, had released their next quarterly set of gifts for residents with paid accounts, Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus. 

 

The wait is over! The newest round of SeraPlus Quarterly Gifts is here, packed with exciting virtual gifts from some of Second Life’s most celebrated creators — and available exclusively to Plus, Premium, and Premium Plus members.

 

 
The items include skin fatpacks, footwear, clothing, accessories, hair, Home and Garden items, and a "full interactive item." To get them, if you have a paid account, head over to the SeraphimSL sim at (122/154/34) and get them at the display area. You can get this set from now to October 26. After that it will no longer be available. 

 

To read more, Click Here to check out the blog page.

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

SL Video: "Drivers of SL Grid Drive 2025-06-07b - Old Linden Homes Special"

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

 From Zada Bury on August 9, of the old Linden Home regions, a continuation of her tour of the pre-Bellisseria ones, before they would be closed down.

 

Classic SLN Cartoons: Mice in Black

 

 

 From Sept 2008. The MiB is Anne Droid Lilly, who was a regular around Luskwood at the time. I would see her time to time, then one day she stopped coming. Sadly I recently learned why. I learned today that it's believed she passed away in 2012.

 

Link by Zorrin Froboz 

 

Cartoon by Bixyl Shuftan

 

Announcement: Wootstock At Ragland Shire, Friday to Sunday

 

 Raglan Shire, Second Life's most notable tiny community, is hosting it's annual Woodstock tribute, "Wootstock." From Friday August 15 to Sunday August 17, there will be "three days of waffles and music" with a number of noted SL live musicians, plus some local DJs.

 

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Raglan%20Shire/88/185/3007

 

Zooby To Discontinue Support For Prim "Legacy" Babies, Pets

 

Most every longtime resident of Second Life has probably heard the expression "prim baby." These are not child avatars, but virtual babies made to look and act much like real ones. They are not new, but have been around since 2006 when Zooby (Carrie Tatsu) began offering them for anyone wanting to pay the fee. A 2013 article by the Second Life Enquirer explains them in some detail. 

 

When animesh became available, Zooby began developing new babies with this technology and began offering them around 2019. No more of the prim, or "Legacy" babies as they were being called officially were made, the focus now being on newer babies and pets, as her Spotlight interview in 2024 shows. But Zooby continued to support them, as well as the pre-mesh pets made by her. 

 

But a few days ago, there was an announcement from Zooby that the support for the older babies and pets would soon end 

 

We will be phasing out our sculpted legacy products by the end of 2025. This includes:

• Legacy Babies
• Curious Cats and Curious Canines
• Breedable Lemurs
• Trainapet Monkeys

This means you cannot rez them and they will no longer work by 2026.

We will be removing the Breedable Lemurs and Trainapet Monkeys from Market Place and the legacy sim by the end August. We will be removing all other supplies from the legacy sim and Market Place by the end of September.

All legacy sculpted products will be taken offline by January 2026.

Zooby has spent over $13,000 USD just to keep the legacy babies alive even though we stopped selling them in 2019. 

We did this for the community. We kept paying even though we earned barely enough profit to pay for the servers.

Illegal adoption agencies continued to sell the babies even though we stopped.

We believe 6 yrs of support for a product we stopped selling and over $13,000 USD was generous and it is time now to retire these.

Zooby has always done our best to support the community and we are sending out this notice now so there are no surprises next year when we take old sculpted legacy products offline.

Zooby will continue to focus, support, maintain and develop all Zooby Animesh related products. We will keep all Animesh products online until Second Life no longer exists.

We hope you understand that it is time now to move on and look to the future and keep our brand fresh and new.

 

There was nothing in the message of any kind of compensation for the owners of legacy babies and pets. 

 

One owner of a Legacy Zooby baby, wanting to remain anonymous, came to me  She was naturally unhappy about this, "It's not quite as bad to most people as the ABC horse situation but I don't know, to some it may be worse as they are their kids. I have not spent as much as some but I did spend probably 200 USD on clothes, furniture, consumables, and the babies and pets over the years. And I do have sentimental attachment to them. They are not even offering a discount or credit towards any of the animesh, even though they are still selling products related to items will cease function by their choice shortly."

 

What do you the readers think? Do any of you have an older Zooby baby or pet? Feel free to leave comments below.

 

Image Credit: SL Enquirer  

 

Bixyl Shuftan 

 

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, Furry Fashion, and Club Scorn

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver, Montecito Bay, Furry Fashion, and Scorn clubs.

Club Cutlass: B and W (Black and White?), Good and Bad, Irish Night

Happy Vixen: DJ Arooo, DJ Scratch, DJ Malit, TBA, DJ Khyra

Club Zero Gravity: DJ Snowy  - Deer, Bunnies, and Skunks

 

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club:  DJ Snowy - Oceanic

Xanadu: DJ Jesse 

Club Squeaks: DJ Squeaks

 

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Club Scorn: W 4-6, Th 4-6, 7-11, Sat 2-12

 

Furry Fashion: TBA

 

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'

 

Tripp Foxtail and The Travelers Station

 

Last week, Tripp Foxtail announced he was closing his several locations in Second Life, including the main one, the Traveler's Station. This was soon followed by him saying the Traveler's Station would be staying. I ended up having a conversation with Tripp, and he would show me a few things.  

 

Read Bixyl's story in Extra.  

A Kids Toy With A Glow About It

 

 While at the Traveler's Station (the article should be finished tomorrow), I saw this interesting gadget at the book store. You've probably seen those home science labs for kids. But what about getting your little scientist in training his or her own Atomic Energy Lab? Marketed in 1950, this educational toy including it's own cloud chamber for measuring radioactive particles. It would later be listed as among the top ten dangerous toys. The educational lab was discontinued after about a year, not because of safety concerns, but low sales due to the $50 price tag, which with 75 years inflation would be over $600 today. 

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Raglan Shire Event Coming Soon

 

 Taken at Raglan Shire. There's going to be a festival here soon, one that takes place every year. Some might get an idea from the picture. For the rest, details to come. 

 

SL Video: "Zada's Visits - old Linden Homes: Cape Ekim, Secret Caves (Drive 25-06-07)"

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 

 From Zada Bury on July 20. Here, she visits some of the old Linden Home regions, the pre-Bellisseria ones, before they would be closed down. She uncovers some hidden secrets.

 

Cartoon of The Day: Dance Pet

 

 Taken at Club Zero Gravity. Gil Otaared is often seen with her "Mini Me." But besides a small cuddly companion, another reason comes to mind.

 

By Bixyl Shuftan