By Prokofy Neva, Virtualtor
This was a job for a low-load alt who wouldn't crash out of a teleport or a ban, so Telehub Ross (last seen fishing in Gone Fishin) was sent out to cover the story.
There's a back story here I had last night when I landed on this prospective auction bid and fell into conversation with a lovely lady named "Wolf" who was a scripter, rentals agent, and very knowledgeable about SL history despite her age. (She knew about Hank Ramos' rental script; she might have been Hank Ramos, things being as they are in Second Life).
It was a useful and valuable exchange in which she sent me her forked version of Hank's open-source script -- and I'll send her soon our forked version of Hank's script, which is All Part of Our Glorious Past.
She noted for the draw-distance-and-visually-challenged in RL (me) that across from this Mainland island -- a rare bird, even in General -- there was what we might call an "art lot" that was going to "help the rare Mainland island not get bids."
The glow was so strong that I literally couldn't see it at first when I put up my draw to 256.
The land claim date was like...yesterday lol. The art objects were...older. The group land owner was called Always Watching, founder Orion Starchild sytem name, display name more elaborate.
Again, for those watching at home: The glow value of the "art show" was to help people "not bid on the auction" so that these people could win it.
You can't see past auctions after a day or week, they go away. So I pasted this bit of history into the forums.
Oh, there was also a "family hold back" donut hole on this island that could factor in later from the person who either abandoned it, or had it seized by the Lindens for non-payment, and here I have a possible name, living in the area as I do, but I'll be merciful here.
There were no bids on this auction until approximately 2:30 pm SLT, moments before it closed. LOL. Then there was a frenzy. Of land barons who always bid up every auction they have no intention of taking just to keep prices up, and the ultimate winner. A frenzy -- but you know, not THAT much of a frenzy.
There were no bids from me or my alts -- that would be stupid. I like art, but not that much.
Who are these guys? Siths? Land baron stand ins? There are some peculiar aspects to this story, as you can see from our dialogue. Pictures later, have to run to a RL work meeting now.
12:12] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): ay
[12:13] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): So are you kids artists?
[12:14] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): do you mind
[12:14] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): we're standing here
[12:14] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): Do you think you'll be happy in General?
[12:14] Mercurial Amethyst: generally happy, yeah
[12:14] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): I grew up on the teen grid and this land has sentimental value to me
[12:14] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): I'll bet!
[12:15] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): My son was on the Teen Grid, he's 30 now : )
[12:15] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): 60k and the sim is yours
At this juncture, gun begins pushing me to the edge of the sim, so I abuse-report him for "bumps, pushes" etc.
This is a tell-tale sign that the group members assembled there do NOT control their control and the land they just purchased.
Their willingness to resell their auction win for 3 times what they paid after they strong-armed everyone else off the auction also suggests, shall we say, "a higher power" here or possibly a "Sugar Daddy".
[12:16] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): Is there a reason you can't eject me, sir?
[12:16] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): perhaps you don't control the land?
[12:16] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): because i aint in the land group
[12:16] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): So Mr. Orion Starchild, group owner, can't use eject either? My, my
[12:17] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): or maybe he doesnt want to.
[12:17] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): Wait where's that art build you had right across from your auction win?
[12:17] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): the one tht ensured no bids except from you?
[12:17] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): did you take that down?
[12:17] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross) raises my draw distance
It was gone.
This:
[12:18] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): So tell me kids, er....grown men of 30+
[12:19] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): are you the same people who do those glowy spires?
[12:19] Mercurial Amethyst: glowy spires?
[12:19] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): The ASR towers? No
[12:19] Mercurial Amethyst: Oh, no, that's Shawn Hutchinson
[12:19] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): well he's your neighbour! you should befriend him!
[12:19] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): you can all devalue land together
[12:20] Mercurial Amethyst: lmao
[12:20] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): oh you care about land prices.
[12:20] Toast™ (egg.sausage): You win yet?
[12:20] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): Nice
[12:20] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): So why are grown men of 30 able to come inworld in the middle of the day? Do you have jobs, families?
[12:20] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): or how does that work
[12:20] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): I do, I have a job I enjoy very much that permitted me to purchase this island today
[12:20] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): Imagine thinking Everyone is in US timezones
I don't. I do like to see if people will tell me they are from, oh, Germany or Russia or something lol.
[12:20] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): I have a boyfriend I love very much who I spend lots of time with
[12:20] Keller Sanchez (nenenxi): It's Friday, it's my weekend.
[12:21] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): For approximately...US 480 lol
[12:21] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): er $80 [it sold for $2.71/m
| L$24,787 (2.71 L$ per m²) |
2024-07-26 | 11:59:58 SLT
|
The amount is actually closer to US $95, plus fees and tax at the current cashout rate.
[12:21] Toast™ (egg.sausage): I'm a professional network pentester and I work from literally anywhere. But also my job starts next week
Why-are-we-not-surprised.
[12:21] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): "a song"
[12:21] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): I wonder why my island sold for US $500, to be sure, it was in Mature
[12:21] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): are you Mature even if in General? or what
[12:21] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): What are you upset about, exactly?
[12:21] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): Oh, I'm just a reporter, I'm not upset, you are lol
[12:22] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): I'm just gathering facts here
[12:22] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten): Guy is just sore he didnt win.
[12:22] Gundersuitten Ω Ashguard Man (gun.stratten) whispers: :)
[12:22] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): so are you Trump or Harris?
[12:22] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): no I didn't bid
[12:22] Toast™ (egg.sausage): You smell like a gay bachelor's closet on a hot summer day, I love it
[12:22] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): THE ONLY WAY TO WIN IS NOT TO PLAY THE GAME
[12:22] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): Take it down the road
[12:22] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): I'm your Mom actually, but ok
[12:22] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): Orion, do you not control your group land?
[12:22] Toast™ (egg.sausage): If you're my mother, does that make you female?
[12:23] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): or the land baron is going to get it and flip it now? or what
[12:23] O'Ryan Reynolds (orion.starchild): I've just been courteous up to this point
[12:23] Toast™ (egg.sausage): I'm from Alabama, wanna get together later?
[12:23] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): I've given birth to three children so no, I'm not a pregnant people lol
[12:23] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): so Vance it is then? or
[12:23] M. Carter Blanc of (telehub.ross): do you have guns in real life too Orion?
[12:23] Toast™ (egg.sausage): Why is Saturn so far away
[12:24] Second Life: You are no longer allowed here and have been ejected.
But see that's just the room chat. The script chat informed me that a security device warned me, then ejected me "home" -- but actually only a few meters away.
That lets me know -- again -- these people did not control the group land they just bought with their group. Their art group called "Always Watching".
That remains a mystery because they would have had to deed a security device to the group in order to cause it to warn and eject me.
Why would they do all that instead of just right-clicking and ejecting me? They've been in SL since their teenage years (15 years ago or more) so they know how to do this.
SL abounds with mysteries like this.
Hypothesis: the group founder of record is not the group tier-giver and group controller and owner and these people are all members without powers. Not being a member of said group, I can't be sure who is fulfilling that role.
Pictures tk.
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