there are stains on the floor where the kitchen once stood
The Border House blog pulled this blog post. They even formally retracted it and offered an apology. Why? And why the total shock and bafflement about Gorean sims in Second Life? Or, hells, online BDSM in any medium?
Plus, it makes the author sound terribly sheltered...Goreans have been an online group since the invention of the internet, and they were, while small, a strong subset of sf/fantasy convention culture before that. So what gives? Was it written just for the salacious thrill? Was she that clueless about things?
At one point, a friend offered an in to the Border House blog. I never found out if it was a paid gig or not, but she felt I was a shoo-in: just grab up some of my gaming posts, send them over, and I'd be a columnist.
Then I read some of their columns. And it struck me forcibly that they weren't looking for women who gamed and aired their perspectives. They were looking for women with several collegiate womens' studies degrees, who deliberately took the plunge, brave angels of purity that they were, into the deeply misogynistic virtual patriarchy, fighting the good fight for entitlement everywhere. And...look, I have my own issues, and I know that; I still loathe and despise the term "cisgender" with all of my being, for one. But most of what feminists, these days, get upset about? Is just baffling.
I am a girl, I can be offended, I can even be offended at girl things that guys will roll their eyes at. I am not the most rational being, and I fully fit into Christopher Titus' capsule definition between the sexes: the fact that most men go A, B, C, D, and so on; but most women go A, b, 9, 37, F, tree, cat, star, cupcake, yellow...and that makes sense to us.
But I find things like this funny. I don't find it triggering, I don't think the creators of PA should be burned in effigy--and I find most of the responses to it stultifyingly dull and humorless. I think, not so much to turn the tables, but as honest reaction--they don't get the point of the comic. The point of the comic wasn't about the rape--it could have been anything: "Please, kind sir, every night we are forced to cut off limbs they think we can do without so that they may feast upon them", or "Please, have mercy, they are forcing us to watch Hannah Montana before we may sleep". Anything that was considered socially abhorrent, over-the-top horrible--the kind of funny that provokes embarrassed laughter is what they were going for, not specifically outrage and hurling of brickbats. The point of the comic was not "Hey! Rape is funny!" but "Most quests are really, really stupid."
Anyway. Likely, if news of this filters out, this entry's comments will explode with I-just-don't understand comments, and frankly, have at. You won't change my mind. We may be living in a 'rape culture' but that's all the more reason for women to get trained in martial arts and grow thicker skins. Victim feminism bugs me, I resent it, and I think it's part of the problem, not the solution.
(And part of the reason this is all surfacing again, since--when it happened back in August--it literally wasn't important enough to twitch my radar? Because the guys behind Penny Arcade have put out a t-shirt. Which again people are failing utterly to get the point of the shirt, and the point of the original comment. I swear, some people just live for being offended.)
Bride of Anyway: back to the Unknown Hunt.
(If you're just catching this post, look to part three, part two and part one if you have no idea what I'm talking about.)
Stop #41: Atooly. The clue: Do you like skyboxes?
The prize: A "Haunted Treats" necklace, comprised of a black chain, a soft-serve cone with a black bow, and an oversized candy (?) heart. There's also a Nightmare Before Christmas skybox included (not shown).
Stop #42: Garded Secret. The clue: "I'm Having a Ball!" (This one's tricky. First you have to find the teleport to the ballroom. From there, it's cake, but finding that teleport is HARD.)
The prize: A tattoo saying "This is my costume" across the forehead;
another tattoo with a spider and a cobweb swirl (had to change my hair to show that one off. The hair, btw, is--or used to be--available from Stringer Mausoleum; this is "Trojan Mystic" in Bloodberry.)
Worn: Dream Things' "Aravah" dress; I think gotten at this last Tuesday's 25LT, though they do sell other colors of this in the store.)
Stop #43: izm. The clue: She is with a lot of friends. (I'd put it more as, she's near a lot of friends.)
The prize: Interesting Edwardian short dress--and by "short dress", I mean, knee-length; it is a vintage style--with lace-trimmed gloves, sculpted sleeves and lace petticoat peeking from underneath. Also comes with a hat (not shown).
Plus, it makes the author sound terribly sheltered...Goreans have been an online group since the invention of the internet, and they were, while small, a strong subset of sf/fantasy convention culture before that. So what gives? Was it written just for the salacious thrill? Was she that clueless about things?
At one point, a friend offered an in to the Border House blog. I never found out if it was a paid gig or not, but she felt I was a shoo-in: just grab up some of my gaming posts, send them over, and I'd be a columnist.
Then I read some of their columns. And it struck me forcibly that they weren't looking for women who gamed and aired their perspectives. They were looking for women with several collegiate womens' studies degrees, who deliberately took the plunge, brave angels of purity that they were, into the deeply misogynistic virtual patriarchy, fighting the good fight for entitlement everywhere. And...look, I have my own issues, and I know that; I still loathe and despise the term "cisgender" with all of my being, for one. But most of what feminists, these days, get upset about? Is just baffling.
I am a girl, I can be offended, I can even be offended at girl things that guys will roll their eyes at. I am not the most rational being, and I fully fit into Christopher Titus' capsule definition between the sexes: the fact that most men go A, B, C, D, and so on; but most women go A, b, 9, 37, F, tree, cat, star, cupcake, yellow...and that makes sense to us.
But I find things like this funny. I don't find it triggering, I don't think the creators of PA should be burned in effigy--and I find most of the responses to it stultifyingly dull and humorless. I think, not so much to turn the tables, but as honest reaction--they don't get the point of the comic. The point of the comic wasn't about the rape--it could have been anything: "Please, kind sir, every night we are forced to cut off limbs they think we can do without so that they may feast upon them", or "Please, have mercy, they are forcing us to watch Hannah Montana before we may sleep". Anything that was considered socially abhorrent, over-the-top horrible--the kind of funny that provokes embarrassed laughter is what they were going for, not specifically outrage and hurling of brickbats. The point of the comic was not "Hey! Rape is funny!" but "Most quests are really, really stupid."
Anyway. Likely, if news of this filters out, this entry's comments will explode with I-just-don't understand comments, and frankly, have at. You won't change my mind. We may be living in a 'rape culture' but that's all the more reason for women to get trained in martial arts and grow thicker skins. Victim feminism bugs me, I resent it, and I think it's part of the problem, not the solution.
(And part of the reason this is all surfacing again, since--when it happened back in August--it literally wasn't important enough to twitch my radar? Because the guys behind Penny Arcade have put out a t-shirt. Which again people are failing utterly to get the point of the shirt, and the point of the original comment. I swear, some people just live for being offended.)
Bride of Anyway: back to the Unknown Hunt.
(If you're just catching this post, look to part three, part two and part one if you have no idea what I'm talking about.)
Stop #41: Atooly. The clue: Do you like skyboxes?
The prize: A "Haunted Treats" necklace, comprised of a black chain, a soft-serve cone with a black bow, and an oversized candy (?) heart. There's also a Nightmare Before Christmas skybox included (not shown).
Stop #42: Garded Secret. The clue: "I'm Having a Ball!" (This one's tricky. First you have to find the teleport to the ballroom. From there, it's cake, but finding that teleport is HARD.)
The prize: A tattoo saying "This is my costume" across the forehead;
another tattoo with a spider and a cobweb swirl (had to change my hair to show that one off. The hair, btw, is--or used to be--available from Stringer Mausoleum; this is "Trojan Mystic" in Bloodberry.)
Worn: Dream Things' "Aravah" dress; I think gotten at this last Tuesday's 25LT, though they do sell other colors of this in the store.)
Stop #43: izm. The clue: She is with a lot of friends. (I'd put it more as, she's near a lot of friends.)
The prize: Interesting Edwardian short dress--and by "short dress", I mean, knee-length; it is a vintage style--with lace-trimmed gloves, sculpted sleeves and lace petticoat peeking from underneath. Also comes with a hat (not shown).
Worn: Rag Dollz' Tigger stockings. They went with the last dress, I didn't catch I still had them on until I'd snapped the shot.
Stop #44: . The clue: "Humm I love cakes." (Redefine what "cake" is, and you'll be fine. Small shop, though--it's really not that hard.)
The prize: A little pumpkin that sits on your head and poofs pumpkins;
a shoulder pumpkin that does the same thing;
a pumpkin "backpack" (really, just a pumpkin on a back attachment, there aren't straps);
and a floating pumpkin 'chair'. (I think all of it poofs. Damn. They're cute, though.)
Stop #45: . The clue: "What a bad weather outside!" (This one's also tricky, but just think: where would you watch a storm?)
The prize: Halloween Throne, "Big Size" and "Kidz size" (the child version is not shown). I have to give it to them, the place utterly failed to move me in any way, and I felt sure I would be reviewing their items, snapping pics, and then tossing them out...but this is kind of cool.
Stop #46: K & Z Art. The clue: "Birds and dogs sometimes fight but they also become friends these two took a long trip in a movie called Lassie". (..... It's not hard to find, it's just...wau, a run-on sentence for the clue.)
The prize: Two photographs: one "Ariz Red Boxed"; the other an in-world photo called "EARTH SERIES 12 BREAKING". Not impressed. (In fact, so not impressed I can't even track down where I snapped the pics of these to post here.)
Stop #47. Butterfly Creations. The clue: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. (Yes, that was as written on the blog. It's...another gesture shop. At least it's easy to find.)
The prize: Gestures. What else? And a ton of them. Twenty in all, most badly spelled with missing characters, nearly all ripped from some movie or other, and not a single one that has anything to do with haunting, horror, Halloween, or even the macabre in general. Total fail.
Stop #48: Oddment. The clue: "The raven flies as leaves fall".
The prize: Oddment makes fun plants on occasion. This is what she calls her "candy corn grazz". (Yes, with the two z's. Stop flinching, I'm dealing with it too.)
Stop #49: Fools' Fate. The clue: Not given, but let's just say this crow is shy.
The prize: Three pairs of boots. The Bubblegum Leather Zipper boots in Orange (shown), Purple and Black. (Boots shown from the back to show the zipper detail.)
Worn: the Long Tank dress in Zombie from the ZombiePopcorn fest last year (no idea if Acid & Mala still offer it for sale).
Stop #50: Gothic Demon. The clue: "I seeee you.". (This is a gimme if you think about it.)
The prize: Halloween halter set in orange and black. It looks like someone converted a set of long johns made from a novelty print, but the shading's nice on the top.
Stop #51: kinadra skytower's untamed!. (Yes, her store name is all lowercase.) The clue: "Smelly cat, smelly cat, where are you smelly cat" (This is another reading-product-titles clue.)
The prize: A...spider-on-the-face skin. Oh, joy.
Worn: Olivia hair in Blood Dark from Truth; F'ed up Kiria skin, Lust (Black--at least until the skin shift), gotten through a Midnight Mania offering, I believe, though it may well be for sale still; and SN@TCH Vampire eyes in Red..
Stop #52: H () Photography Poses. (This is not their name; If I use their name as given, I throw coding errors, because they use carets, not brackets.) The clue: "Take a stand for what's right and release your inner vampire into the night". (This one is tricky as HELL. Tips: take bits of this literally, but realize there's nothing about vampires until you find the prize.)
The prize: Vampire poses (not shown, and see what I mean? It only makes sense after you find it).
Stop #53. {*Aglaia*}. The clue: Where the Crows Nest.
The prize: The Antique Frosted Glass costume jewelry set--faceted, glimmering crystal glass set in gold in earrings and necklace.
There's also a ring.
Worn: Sora hair in Red from Kin; House of Ruin Thaumaturge eyes in Orange (no longer available); Exodi's Lily skin in Cedar, 'Death Becomes Her' variant, from the 2009 candy hunt; SteamBound's Falling Leaves corset/mini set; and A-BOMB's Amy Wedges in Orange (lucky chair edition).
Stop #54. Smudge. The clue: This raven is disguised very well. (This from the store's owner, because clicking the hunt sign at the store says "YOUR HINT HERE":
Stop #44: . The clue: "Humm I love cakes." (Redefine what "cake" is, and you'll be fine. Small shop, though--it's really not that hard.)
The prize: A little pumpkin that sits on your head and poofs pumpkins;
a shoulder pumpkin that does the same thing;
a pumpkin "backpack" (really, just a pumpkin on a back attachment, there aren't straps);
and a floating pumpkin 'chair'. (I think all of it poofs. Damn. They're cute, though.)
Stop #45: . The clue: "What a bad weather outside!" (This one's also tricky, but just think: where would you watch a storm?)
The prize: Halloween Throne, "Big Size" and "Kidz size" (the child version is not shown). I have to give it to them, the place utterly failed to move me in any way, and I felt sure I would be reviewing their items, snapping pics, and then tossing them out...but this is kind of cool.
Stop #46: K & Z Art. The clue: "Birds and dogs sometimes fight but they also become friends these two took a long trip in a movie called Lassie". (..... It's not hard to find, it's just...wau, a run-on sentence for the clue.)
The prize: Two photographs: one "Ariz Red Boxed"; the other an in-world photo called "EARTH SERIES 12 BREAKING". Not impressed. (In fact, so not impressed I can't even track down where I snapped the pics of these to post here.)
Stop #47. Butterfly Creations. The clue: Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. (Yes, that was as written on the blog. It's...another gesture shop. At least it's easy to find.)
The prize: Gestures. What else? And a ton of them. Twenty in all, most badly spelled with missing characters, nearly all ripped from some movie or other, and not a single one that has anything to do with haunting, horror, Halloween, or even the macabre in general. Total fail.
Stop #48: Oddment. The clue: "The raven flies as leaves fall".
The prize: Oddment makes fun plants on occasion. This is what she calls her "candy corn grazz". (Yes, with the two z's. Stop flinching, I'm dealing with it too.)
Stop #49: Fools' Fate. The clue: Not given, but let's just say this crow is shy.
The prize: Three pairs of boots. The Bubblegum Leather Zipper boots in Orange (shown), Purple and Black. (Boots shown from the back to show the zipper detail.)
Worn: the Long Tank dress in Zombie from the ZombiePopcorn fest last year (no idea if Acid & Mala still offer it for sale).
Stop #50: Gothic Demon. The clue: "I seeee you.". (This is a gimme if you think about it.)
The prize: Halloween halter set in orange and black. It looks like someone converted a set of long johns made from a novelty print, but the shading's nice on the top.
Stop #51: kinadra skytower's untamed!. (Yes, her store name is all lowercase.) The clue: "Smelly cat, smelly cat, where are you smelly cat" (This is another reading-product-titles clue.)
The prize: A...spider-on-the-face skin. Oh, joy.
Worn: Olivia hair in Blood Dark from Truth; F'ed up Kiria skin, Lust (Black--at least until the skin shift), gotten through a Midnight Mania offering, I believe, though it may well be for sale still; and SN@TCH Vampire eyes in Red..
Stop #52: H () Photography Poses. (This is not their name; If I use their name as given, I throw coding errors, because they use carets, not brackets.) The clue: "Take a stand for what's right and release your inner vampire into the night". (This one is tricky as HELL. Tips: take bits of this literally, but realize there's nothing about vampires until you find the prize.)
The prize: Vampire poses (not shown, and see what I mean? It only makes sense after you find it).
Stop #53. {*Aglaia*}. The clue: Where the Crows Nest.
The prize: The Antique Frosted Glass costume jewelry set--faceted, glimmering crystal glass set in gold in earrings and necklace.
There's also a ring.
Worn: Sora hair in Red from Kin; House of Ruin Thaumaturge eyes in Orange (no longer available); Exodi's Lily skin in Cedar, 'Death Becomes Her' variant, from the 2009 candy hunt; SteamBound's Falling Leaves corset/mini set; and A-BOMB's Amy Wedges in Orange (lucky chair edition).
Stop #54. Smudge. The clue: This raven is disguised very well. (This from the store's owner, because clicking the hunt sign at the store says "YOUR HINT HERE":
[06:16 PM] Myndi Meredith: you dont really need one, its not hidden very well.. heheShe's right. It's a white-paneled, open-air structure, with purely digital art (she draws in Corel), which nonetheless manages to look like panel canvas and watercolors. I won't lie, some of her work seems like art HR would buy to brighten up corporate lobbies, but now and again, there are works that have a deep and quiet power to them.
[06:16 PM] Myndi Meredith: the bird is black, and theres only so much black in this store
It's a beautiful store, you should stop by, and the gift is the Orange Pin fractal painting.
Stop #55. Bella's Design. The clue: "I don't think this raven is very popular (Follow the Midnight Madness signs)". (Yeah, the clue...sort of works.)
The prize: The Back to School tip jar (nice detailing, seventeen prims, auto-sets to your avatar name on rez) and
the Group Picture Frame (seven prims, fairly easy to use, way too much emphasis on bright colors).
No idea what either of them have to do with haunts, haunting or October, but hey. There you go.
(Things to beware of here: it's a pet-breeding nightmare for lag. Plus, both Bella's and Crazy Cakes Toybox are here, and it's a nightmare for layout. Have fun.)
And that's all for this one; one more entry and we're done!
Stop #55. Bella's Design. The clue: "I don't think this raven is very popular (Follow the Midnight Madness signs)". (Yeah, the clue...sort of works.)
The prize: The Back to School tip jar (nice detailing, seventeen prims, auto-sets to your avatar name on rez) and
the Group Picture Frame (seven prims, fairly easy to use, way too much emphasis on bright colors).
No idea what either of them have to do with haunts, haunting or October, but hey. There you go.
(Things to beware of here: it's a pet-breeding nightmare for lag. Plus, both Bella's and Crazy Cakes Toybox are here, and it's a nightmare for layout. Have fun.)
And that's all for this one; one more entry and we're done!
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