The Kiwi Co.

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    New Year

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Skins, Uncategorized
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    New Year

    Happy New Year! I think the future of Second Life skins is leaning into more textured looks, which adds to realism. I don’t usually love textured skins, but they do look so much more realistic than the smooth, flat skin we’re used to. That shift is really obvious with this new Madeline skin from Glam Affair. It’s very textured and very freckled, and while that isn’t normally my preference, I ended up loving it. I did tone it down a little with a few of Izzie’s tattoo fixes, which helped balance everything out.

    That move toward texture feels closely tied to PBR, which is now being added not just to environments but to avatars as well. Because of that, I expect skins to keep changing in 2026, adding more depth in ways that make our avatars look more real and less flat. Even though PBR has some interesting moments, I still think it’s unfortunately a turn off for a lot of current residents. Change is difficult, especially when you’ve been around long enough to remember how things looked before. Maybe newer residents, who don’t have that comparison, will like it more.

    All of this ties into the bigger picture of where Second Life is right now. When I decided to close my region at the end of 2024, I had a strong feeling that 2025 was going to be a difficult year in real life, and that it made sense to pull back spending in Second Life. I’m glad I stuck to that decision all year and didn’t bring the region back, even though I wanted to at least a dozen times. I also won’t be bringing it back in 2026 because of the economy, both in Second Life and in real life. There isn’t a lot of growth yet, and it feels like the Lindens are panicking.

    I recently watched a snippet of an interview with Brett Linden on MetaRealities’ YouTube channel, and what really stood out to me was how much growth is needed for survival. Needed. Not just for Second Life as a company, but for the creators who make a living here. You can only get so much out of the current residents, which is why attracting new people feels so urgent right now.

    So I’m ending one year and starting the next in a much calmer mindset. I rang in the New Year in this cozy Eboshi pajamas set from Aurun at Anthology. Comfort and chill is the vibe I’m going for this holiday season, so I paired them with the Not Tired Bow Slips from The Kiwi Co.

    New Year
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    Happy New Year

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized, What I think
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    Happy New Year

    Aren’t these Gigi Balloons from Legna the best? I love that these numbers come with two really nice poses for each hand. Even though the balloons state they are no modify, it actually allowed me to modify one, and I tinted it a light shade of blue. You can also rez these numbers for any occasion.

    This is meant to be an early Happy New Year post, but I also wanted to share my reflections on last year. Overall, I feel I had a good year in Second Life! I upgraded from Lifetime Premium to Lifetime Premium Plus, which cost a significant amount, and at first, I was genuinely excited. However, as the year progressed, I began to worry about the longevity of Second Life.

    I was enthusiastic about the mobile app when I tried it early this year as part of the alpha program; however, I now think it’s completely hopeless. This Open Letter to Linden Lab clearly outlines why I don’t believe we will ever see a usable mobile app.

    I had a lot of fun in the Aurelias region with my friend Sparkle. Still, I ultimately decided to pull the plug when I recognized that the economy and the state of Second Life might be uncertain in 2025. It was actually an easy decision; when faced with uncertainty, it is prudent to eliminate an unnecessary expense. As much as I enjoy having a whole region, I also appreciate the freedom that comes with not having to maintain one. I told Sparkle not to let me bring the region back next year, even if I have new ideas and want another one. 2025 is not the year for significant land projects.

    What am I looking forward to in Second Life in 2025? I am looking forward to Philip Linden changing his outfit. Additionally, I am eager for the next Linden Home theme, although Linden Lab has gone silent on that topic! Will it ever come? Who knows. It has been so long since the next theme was chosen via a poll that I almost forgot we were promised Alpine and Tiki as the next two themes. I am also looking forward to cleaning my inventory; right now it stands at 77k, but I know I can reduce it to 50k if I put in some effort.

    What are you looking forward to next year? Let me know in the comments!

    Happy New Year
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    From Blueberry to Kiwi

    Bygogo Fashion, iheartslFeed, JuicyBomb, Second Life, Uncategorized
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    The Kiwi Co.

    I want to clarify that I don’t know the creator of Blueberry (Blueberryxx) personally. Everything I’m sharing here is based on public information and my own observations.

    If you’ve been a resident of Second Life for a while, you’re probably familiar with the brand Blueberry. From my understanding, Blueberry is comprised of a team of creators and customer service representatives (CSRs) and has been consistently releasing content since 2012. This brand has been quite successful. In January 2023, it was announced that Blueberry raised $6 million in seed funding, which means they got investors. As you may know, when investors come on board, they take partial ownership in exchange for their capital.

    A little over a year later, in April 2024, Blueberry informally announced the closure of the brand on Facebook. This news shocked their fans in Second Life, who refused to believe that the closure was permanent, thinking it might just be a break. The announcement remained inconsistent over several weeks, causing confusion about whether Blueberry was taking a break or closing for good. The CSRs in Second Life eventually announced that there were no staff members available, and they were effectively just volunteering while the brand was winding down.

    Residents had several months to spend their store credit and come to terms with Blueberry’s closure. Then, in August, the creator of Blueberry announced a comeback under a new brand called “The Kiwi Co.” under a new avatar (Kiwi Blossom). Side note: did you know that a kiwi is also a type of berry?

    Here’s what we know: Blueberry’s investors decided to close the portion of the business operating in Second Life. Blueberry the brand is still active on other platform, such as Roblox. While the Blueberry brand remains closed in Second Life, all of the products are still available on the Marketplace. The creator of Blueberry decided to reopen without the investors, taking her former Second Life team back with her and launching The Kiwi Co.

    I’m not certain why the creator chose to return to Second Life under a new brand, but I do know that it’s a savvy business move to leave the old brand behind. With the introduction of Physically Based Rendering (PBR) and several new avatar bodies since Blueberry’s launch in 2012, why not rebrand and start fresh? Very few brands in Second Life tend to update old content with PBR or new bodies; they prefer to move forward and create new products. Supporting new products is simpler than managing a vast catalog of old ones.

    So, if you loved the Blueberry aesthetic, you’ll be pleased with The Kiwi Co. The launch includes a dress and a pair of shoes as a gift to customers. Offering a generous free gift during a brand launch or re-launch is a smart strategy. The Grace Dress and shoes are both fatpacks, available in PBR and non-PBR versions.

    Transferring Blueberry credit to The Kiwi Co

    If you have Blueberry credit that you want to transfer to The Kiwi Co, please contact Blueberryxx resident in Second Life to facilitate the transfer.

    The Kiwi Co.

    I’ll show you the difference between the PBR (Physically Based Rendering) version of the dress and the non-PBR (Blinn–Phong) version. I photographed both with the same lighting in a PBR viewer. My EEP is optimized for PBR, which makes the non-PBR version appear a bit flat. Both versions look great, but if you know how to adjust your lighting, PBR will always stand out more. This dress features very subtle PBR effects, as it’s not a shiny fabric. I experimented with extra light sources to highlight the fabric, but most users probably won’t notice this while wearing it in-world.

    The Kiwi Co.

    I won’t endorse any specific PBR viewer, but if you’re still using a non-PBR viewer, consider upgrading (if possible). Second Life is evolving, and many brands might stop providing fallback textures, focusing solely on PBR optimization.

    If you want to check out this dress, visit The Kiwi Co. in SL!

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