feels like we're dreaming, we're tripping and reeling

You ever talk with someone, and you're pretty sure you're both speaking the same language, but there's a translation failure on at least one side? Or at least a failure to comprehend?

[10:26] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hi. i bought some [store name] skins some time last year for 100L. are those still available? if so, where? im at the mainstore now, and im looking for the [specific] skin, but cant seem to find it here. if its not here, is it still available to get somewhere?

So the lynchpin of this whole conversation is, it's Aprille now. Back in January, this skin store had a huge retirement sale, because they were rebranding. So everything under the old name was deeply discounted, and not moved over when the store changed names, store styles, and sims. (To that end, yeah, I'm wondering what store she's standing in, too, because...the designer DID change sims, too.)

[10:27] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: the [store name] skins were retired
[10:27] Ixxxxx Bxxxxxx: Nope, they were all put away when the [new store name] build moved on Jan 1st, if super lucky and polite, if you leave [the skin maker] a Notecard she might be able to help
[10:27] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: what? how long time ago is that?
[10:28] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oh... i havent been able to be online due to private issues :/
[10:30] Emilly Orr: Which is a shame, but yeah, sale's long over. So your best bet is to ask the maker. She might still have them in inventory.

Because she seemed to have blown right by the first suggestion to ask the maker directly.

[10:32] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: they retired around Feb I think or Jan
[10:32] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i do hope that. because [specific skin name] is too light and [specific other skin name] is too dark. and since i need to save my lil over 8.300L for 2 months.. well i need to cheap but yet good looking skins for my catwa/belleza

Right, but...does she not get we're not the people to ask?

[10:34] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: cheap = below 400L for head/body appliers and with no-brows option incl with the price

And while it's definitely tricky to find skins with appliers for L$400 or below, it's not impossible.

[10:40] Emilly Orr: Right...and...while that's a great budgeting measure, the skins are still not in the store. Notecard. [The designer].
[10:41] Sxxxxx Mxxxxxxxx: Ya, she sent out multiple notices about skins retiring, and left the store up for a few months.

She did. It was a several-month-long sale, which started, I believe, around October and went until the end of January.

[10:46] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yesterday it was the 1st time i was able to come online in 2020 due to private life
[10:46] jxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: so i really had no clues about anything in sl since dec 2019 :/
[10:46] Emilly Orr: We get it. It's hard. Pull the group profile up, you'll see [the designer]'s name, click that, write out a notecard with what you'd like, send it to her.

I mean, am I not being clear?

[10:46] Ixxxxx Bxxxxxx: [The designer] helped someone get an old matching [store name] skin for her alt last week, she's a pretty nice person if you ask nicely and explain
[10:47] Emilly Orr: Exactly.

I think she finally got it after that, because chat turned to more normal things for a skin store, and life went on. But sheesh.

we've tried the goodbye so many days

I...I can't even.



First line on her profile?

I am a redeemed child of the one and only living God and driven by my Christian faith.

I just can't.

From another random profile:

- I started putting in the same effort reaching out to you that you have to me. This is why we don't talk anymore.

That's fair in a lot of cases. I know people who unfriend when those friends stop initiating contact. For me, there are scores of people on my friendslist that are there because I used to talk to them. I'm the one not good at reaching out in many cases.

- Always beware of the fox being in charge of the hen house.

I get what they mean, but in a lot of ways, this is needlessly obscure. Just state it outright.

- If your presence can't add value to my life, your absence will make no difference.

See first point.

- When someone shows interest and passion for you and it suddenly disappears, they've already moved to their next victim.

A reference to the fox again.

- Someone's true colors will come out when you need them most and have nothing to offer in return.

Oh, always. A very old bumper from MTV once said, "If you truly want to know someone, and you don't have a lot of time, throw a glass of milk in their face." Because by doing that, you'll figure out how they deal with anger, hurt and shock all at once. It's valuable information in under a minute, if you really need it.

- Someone who has to be owned and controlled by another will never be loved.

Again, I know what they mean, but...obviously, I don't always agree. On the other hand, it's my choice to be owned. I know the parameters of that ownership. I accept the good--and the bad--within those parameters. And if I ever choose to walk away, I can do that too.

Not that I'd want to, but I am still an adult with choices. Choices I take responsibility for, choices I share responsibility for with another person. D/s, in this sense, is very symbiotic--both partners in the arrangement supporting each other.

Or at least, it should be. If one is owned in this sense, and it's only one way, that's not chosen, that's not submission under domination, that's just abuse.

- Love always takes time. You can't learn about somoene in an hour.

"Someone", and of course we can't. Second Life at large, though, falls into this trap quite often. I've told people in the past that SL is life in the spin cycle. People fall in love in an hour, marry over a weekend, divorce after two weeks. Every experience is more intense, more emotionally vital, and more emotionally devastating when it ends.

And I don't think, largely, that will change, because I see the same patterns of behavior in people who've been on the grid for a decade, that I see in people that just joined the grid. It's easy to be attracted to someone. It's easy to experience that first rush of infatuation. So of course it's as easy to get married, move in together, and, when something occurs that explodes that perceived level of connection and understanding, to storm off, unpartner, and move out.



In other news, running the advents again, I came across this lass. And I swear, when I first saw her, all I could think of was The Handmaid's Tale. I thought it was a scarily bold move to walk around in that particular attire. What a statement she was making.


That's when I realized no, it's just a holiday-red cloak and a white bonnet. Oh. I thought it made a bigger impact when I viewed it as political protest, but there you go. It's just fashion.

on the rooftops they dance, Valentino-type tangos

There is good and bad news in this.

After meeting someone with an Altamura head (which I mistook for Akeruka), I joined the Akeruka group. I demoed a few heads with my usual tragic failure rate. Then I drifted over to Valentina.

This is Valentina after the base shape tweaking:



This is my normal system look:



That's...really close. Like, the closest I've come with any mesh head in three years of searching. And it's on sale...for another day.

The bad news? Akeruka only accepts Omega appliers, I believe. But that's not the big problem. The big problem? I don't have L$1,750 to buy it.

In the end, honestly, I don't care how much I pay for a mesh head--honestly, I'll put things aside and save for it, even though I'm tragically inept with personal finances. I care about how much it looks like the me in my head--the system me. So while yes, the price tag is a sticking point, it is something to keep in mind.

But that price tag. So, the search goes on.

In the meantime, Schadenfreude is showing this off at the SaNaRae event:



I showed this to an actually Jewish friend. I didn't think it was amazingly accurate, but I was amused about holiday tentacles. He said he would have wanted a better place for the shamash, and I agree--it's pretty much just plunked on top of the creature's noggin.

But come on, nine different metals, sixteen different candle color options, all for L$175? I think a little historical inaccuracy can be allowed.

fat bottomed girls, you make the rockin' world go 'round

There is no way I'm getting out of this one without accusations of fat shaming, or difference shaming.

But.



The whole reason I do these things is not specifically to poke fun at other people. I am a very judgmental person by nature, I accept this. And I have been trying to work on it. I like to think I've gotten (a little) better, which is saying something considering where I started.

However.

At some point expansion renders the human form meaningless. From the rear? This lass is all bum and thighs. You can see arms; you can see what seems to be a very small back in comparison. It takes you several seconds, if not minutes, to realize her feet are visible, and they seem the size of Twinkies, if not smaller things. You CAN see breasts, though, and again, from the rear, which generally should be impossible, people.



And let me be VERY clear, here: She is not uncute in any way. Even with the censor bar in place, she is not uncute. This is not a case of a troll who came in, deliberately distorted an avatar shape, and ran around trying to hassle people because they're mentally five. She is not that. This is the look she wanted to have. Her profile makes that very clear.

But from the front? The distortion's actually worse. Again, there are feet--barely--but what she doesn't have when viewed from the front? ARMS. My gods, she barely has shoulders from the front. Torso? Forget about it. She's all breasts and hips and thighs.

She looks like someone's put a Bratz doll head on a Cabbage Patch kid. It's so disproportional. So many of her animations clipped through her everything.



In fact, have an abomination in comparison, because I had some free time:



That is exactly what she reminds me of. There's just too much inflation. Yes, it's a virtual world, yes, live your dreams, yes, be who you want in the skin you want that best expresses who you really are...but if that's who Ms. Overfilled is, well...I mean, enjoy throwing off all animations for the rest of your SL existence.

I heard it's so sharp, but I had to just go on

No. This is a direct game rip from the second Alice game. Stop it.

For anyone who might be looking for free or discounted male skins, Ryan Schultz lists two offers on his blog that might still be available. Go see if they still are!

This one is yet another case of, "Is it Em, or are they really naked?" To wit:



I'd gone to the store in question on a hunt. They had an obscure hint, so I'd been there for a while before I finally decided, in total frustration, that maybe they meant something sparkling outside. So I cammed out, and saw...her.



And I won't lie, I got distracted. So there I am, standing motionless in the store. My "vision" via cam is focused outside on the snow. Watching her. Watching her not rez anything in.

No hair. No accessories. No shoes. No outfit. Nothing. Just...what looked for all the world like a bare system body in system lingerie. And not even all that much of that, as can be seen by the censoring.

And yet, her avatar listed things I could not see. Earrings. Necklace. Hair. Heels. Outfit. I was so confused. I actually had to look it up, because it really seemed like there was no way she was in a mesh body. But apparently she was, the eBody Classic, to be specific. Baffling, but there it was.

Fifteen minutes of the two of us standing in place while I waited for anything, even one single thing, to rez in, before I gave up on seeing anything magically appear on her, and the hunt item I was searching for, and left. Just odd.

In the meantime, I ran into a cartoon avatar in Second Life. No, wait, hear me out, I'm not using the term as an insult.



This is Ms. G. From the hair to the heels, she's perfect, if we're talking animated characters. Her eyes (which, alas, censoring prevents me from showing you, but they are a very pretty intense green) are overlarge, her hairstyle is vintage, her legs are thin, her hands are tiny. But taken as a total package, it works.



She's very Daphne. Seriously, check it:



See? Or for a more 'lifelike' look, try Daphne Clamel, a pinup model from the 1960s. (Some of her images are NSFW, that one is SFW.)

However one interprets it, though, this is definitely a tightly planned look. She is the avatar she wants to be. This is the body she wants to live in. I admire people who commit totally to their representations.

slipping through someone's fingers, falling under someone's wheels

Various sights along the way.



I can't make these things up. This was in a hair store.



I said this to a friend:

[12:05 PM] Emilly: This is...this is a lot.
[12:06 PM] Emilly: So I realize the first 'name' I saw was from one of her groups, but it says " BXXXXXX "
[12:06 PM] Emilly: That's followed by her display name, "Pxxxxx Txxxxx".
[12:07 PM] Emilly: Which is followed by her legacy name, "pxxxxxx", and you know me and My Little Pony references.
[12:07 PM] Emilly: I can't even make out the SL bio pic, it's just...something...wrapped in a quilt.
[12:07 PM] Emilly: The SL bio? "fun free and love to chat with all kinds of people. Let loose have fun and just loving my life first and second. love to draw, read, cook, and bake and also love my daddy dom and sub partner . "
[12:08 PM] Emilly: it's not the BDSM angle that disturbs, it's everything before that PLUS the lack of punctuation.
[12:08 PM] Emilly: She's got a titler that says "pat my noggin, I've been headpatted 581 times "
[12:08 PM] Emilly: Not on your life.
[12:10 PM] Emilly: She has no picks, no FL info, she's wearing a bunch of jump ropes with pink handles wrapped around all her joints in sequence, and her expression--because yes, I had to get pictures of this--is the expression of someone repeatedly struck with a mallet.
[12:13 PM] Emilly: See what I mean?

I mean, yes, technically the chicklet is entirely covered between the flowers and the ropes, but...to me, it's still shopping naked. And it's not even a skin store. It's hair by all that's holy. NO ONE needs to be nude to shop for hair.



Then there was this girl. I was again shopping, running down stops of a sales list. I am assuming that the head distortion is due to a mesh head? Even though with most mesh head wearers, I usually just see the avatar as headless with a floating brain, or floating eyes, before the head rezzes in?



That is some serious booty, though. More angular than rounded, but still.



But I freely admit, I stood and watched, hoping she'd rez in before I had to leave. And note, the jelly girl behind her rezzed in clothing before she ever did. I grant you, I need a new graphics card, so I am having rez issues right and left, but even with that I could visibly see stockings, clothing, heels on the other girl, and...nothing on the maiden with the squared jaw. Bizarre.

Finally, on yet another shopping excursions, this lass.


The tiara's a bit extra, but hey, if it makes her happy.



That wasn't my main question though. Question one: with just the tiniest bit of effort, she could have normal-sized human hands. They're so close to not being tiny little baby hands. Why doesn't she see that? Question two: why is the front of her dress and the back of her dress such drastically different shades?



And of course, the third question, and the most important one in my opinion: she has her physics cranked up so high that every time she moves, her breasts move in opposite directions, which is unnerving. Why does she do that? Again, just a small adjustment, and they'd bounce together like real breasts do. Why doesn't she fix that?

unfolded fire blows with the words, straight from within

[09:11] mxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Can someone send me link to the internet with all the items?

Yes. First, turn on your computer...

Imgur, one of the biggest image-sharing sites on the web, is dropping support for NSFW subreddits, 'citing business risks'. Riiiight. A quote from the end of the article:

"It will be interesting to see how Redditors will respond to these changes, but going by their initial reactions, not many are happy about the development."

I know I'm not happy, hearing about this change. Even though only one of my albums on Imgur, maybe, might fall under this ban, it's still a ridiculous restriction that they don't need to impose.

On the other hand, this seems like a useful tip for the coming winter. While I routinely save coffee grounds and egg shells for mixing into peat for the planting season, it never occurred to me to save coffee grounds to scatter for traction on icy sidewalks. Neat.

Meanwhile, here we go again. This gets SO tiresome. This is from sometime in August, haunting coverage took over for the last two months.

[13:43] Axxxxxx Rxxx: what you said we can share the screeshot now here?
[13:44] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes you can share a screenshot of the MM board and include that in your post :)
[13:44] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That is the only time screenshots are allowed

A lot of groups, for several years now, have banned external links because of the prevalence of phishing links. It's like like a link containing "seccondlife" or "altervista" (both of which I've seen) is really going to get people with half a brain to click, but sadly, we have learned that people just don't read, whether they're online or off. And thus, the groups banning external links.

So this was a fairly recent change, a month to two months at best, with this group allowing Gyazo image links to be posted specifically so people could see the actual item on offer for Midnight Mania boards.

[13:45] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and [Rxxx] said oncer per store to prevent clogging of chat
[13:45] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx kicks chat
[13:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Thank You [Mxxx]!
[13:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: most welcome :)
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: oof chat hates me

Chat hates all of us, it's not just you. The persistent SL memory leak hates all of us too, and it's been over a decade unfixed.

[13:46] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: what did [Dxxxxx] say?
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: think she would agree :)
[13:46] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: because if you post same store same picture every 30 minutes it could get cloggy
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: buttttttttt i shall ask :F
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: :D
[13:47] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you dont have to correct me [Mxxx] thank you!

Now, it honestly doesn't look this way, but this is where this chat starts going sideways. Honestly, all of us in this moment just thought this was a comment and we were perfectly ready to move on with the rest of the chat.

[13:47] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i was not correcting you i was asking...
[13:47] Axxxxxx Rxxx: so gyazo link is now ok if its MM board?
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: excuse me for typing
[13:47] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im gone bye

Which, for me at least, but also some others, was right out of left field. Why such an extreme overreaction?

[13:48] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I see the effects of the full moon from last week are in this group all weekend

Yeah, apparently.

[13:48] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: remind me not to help in future

To note: while I no longer remember if she was still a mod at the time of this chat capture, I know she's not now, and this was one of the incidents that made her step down from moderation of this group.

[13:49] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Myst you are a big help
[13:49] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: everyone should be nice tho
[13:49] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: well i wont ill shut up from now on as you would like

Additional note: watch the back and forth. Could Ms. G (Ms. t, legacy name) have phrased it better than "correcting" her? Probably. Did Ms. M (Ms. x, legacy name) take it WAAAAAAY too seriously? Oh, all the yes.

[13:49] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: This is a group for newbies as well as 14 year old avas
[13:51] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: We encourage everyone to post stores and freebies please!
[13:51] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Most events are not allowed due to adult poses on furniture
[13:51] Axxxxx Kxxx: and avi's that dont know what they truly wanna be
[13:53] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Truem we have lots of furries and nekos here
[13:54] Axxxxx Rxxxxxxx: pretty sure most furries and nekos have a VERY good idea what they want to be, lol
[13:54] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeh we do
[13:55] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i ware different tails and ears but yes we know what we are
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and dragons, the jomo type, and demons, angels, littles..this is second life, please leave first life prejudices at the log on screen. thank you.

And this seemed another out-of-left-field reference. No one was expressing prejudice, just disagreement.

[13:55] Axxxxxx Rxxx: I´m bit scared to post here what happen yesterday with [Dxxxxx] and others in here. Someone asked lm to adn and then hell started after it, sadly
[13:55] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: pfft
[13:55] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: fairies and mermaids here ;D
[13:56] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nah we over that
[13:56] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: XD
[13:56] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I would assume the ADN is not allowed because the mainstore is attached to a mall... Which is one of the rules. No malls. Glad I missed that fiasco though!
[13:57] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeh im glad you did too vixen it was horrible

There was some back and forth posts on what is and isn't allowed; I'm trimming that out because it's just restating of the rules for this group.

[14:00] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im confused imma just sit watch chat for amoment
[14:00] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Try to keep posts to 3 lines
[14:00] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: please IM me, lets gt this out of chat.
[14:00] Rxxxxxx Bxxxxxxxxx: well, lack of quality control for starters. not sure how template meshes can have holes and odd gaps in the rig, but there they are

Another comment out of left field.

[14:00] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ^
[14:00] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: demo for what ? [store name]?
[14:00] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Angela you can post the numbers for MM boards
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i dont post because i dontknow whats *safe* i just watch for freebies/slaps
[14:01] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: the dance ?
[14:01] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [Mxxx] you are welkies to post stores!
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: no thanks :)
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im cool

Of further note: she's back to posting frequently in this group now, but at the time, she did take some days off to get over whatever slight she'd taken in the first place.

[14:01] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I know you find lots of good ones :)
[14:01] Rxxx Bxxx: Yes but really thats a function of the group quality control, I have seen many cases where that wasnt enforced in other cases and in fact if something is said negative about an item it is shushed
[14:01] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ^
[14:02] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i just watch and look for my familyon here
[14:02] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Thank you [jxxxx] for showing what a correct post is like
[14:02] Rxxx Bxxx: Mind you i have no dog in the fight so i am gonna hush, I just dont care for the secrecy behind things here sometimes
[14:02] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ^
[14:02] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And now you know why I don't participate that much.

Not really.

[14:02] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nods
[14:03] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: most of mine i would be banned anywho
[14:03] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I don't even really do freebies or MMs or chairs anymore. I do, however, do like looking at some of the notices that go out here.
[14:03] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: same :)
[14:03] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and i enjoy the folks i met
[14:04] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: grown to love a few myself
[14:04] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: This is more of a store posting group now tho

It was always a store posting group, interspersed with chat on fashion, discussion of events with gifts and cheapies (not posting the SLUrls, but mentioning the names), group gifts for free-to-join groups, and mesh bodies. That was true before this, it was true when this was captured, it's true now.

[14:05] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: like i dont know most events/stores taht are cool so i rather be safe ya know?

Okay, admittedly, that's always been a hitch for this particular group. They do not release their ban list to the public. How'ver, there's generally always a mod on, so if a group member thinks there's an issue, they can always ask for a mod's help or just ask if X store is safe before posting. It's an extra step, not an arduous one, and it keeps things moving.

The general things--for this group, at least--that will get a ban: Adult furniture, a shop that's located within a larger mall where other stores may have Adult furniture, a store that's within a club, stores that sell vehicles of any type, stores that sell AOs (though stores that sell individual poses they've made seem to be fine), and anything that's on an Adult sim where sex furniture--in or outside the store--is visible from inside the store. Seems simple enough.

[14:05] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Here is the thing: Groups like this help large numbers of people, new and old alike. Like any group, it has rules, clearly posted on the group profile, no secrecy. Now, shoukld someone find it necessary to argue or question a MOD, (They would have the bold type), it can ge4t messy. Just. Don't. Do. It.
[14:05] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [jxxxx] whos questioning?
[14:05] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true that!!
[14:05] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: That is what sparks 99% of the arguments here, [Mxxx].
[14:05] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Especially those who are questioning [Rxxx], that is making my blood boil atm :/
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: only time i question something is if i see something fishy

Something fishy, or if I want clarification on a point. And to her credit, I don't think those are bad reasons to question mods.

[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i always ask [rxxx] or [gxxxx] or [dxxxxx] first
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: respectful thing to do honestly
[14:06] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: We have a lot of mods
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true cant keep track lol
[14:06] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i just named the ones i know XD
[14:07] txxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Most are behind the scenes so rest assured someone is always around :)
[14:07] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: always :D
[14:07] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Well, with the notion that this is a store posting group only, I'm really surprised you guys haven't turned off the chat yet.

I give up.

the sky is trembling and I must leave

I went to scope out the Spookzilla event--it's not like I have the funds now to buy a bunch of L$25 ghosts even if I find them, but I wanted to know about about the layout. And now...I rather wish I hadn't.



Case in point. I have become accustomed to porting to a high-traffic event, and dealing with nude people just wandering around. I only get concerned when it seems like the nudity persists for more than ten minutes--which, in these shots, it had.



Okay, but it's just nudity, right? Nothing that out of the ordinary. The mesh will rez, the clothes will come...right?



Well...not exactly. This was a bit more unnerving, seeing naked and headless people wandering around. Usually if it's just the mesh not rezzed in yet, I'll see the head floating nearby, in those rare cases where head and body are detached. In this case? No. Ten minutes of headlessness.



And it had been so long since I'd seen non-mesh feet on any avatar that I was almost disturbed by how distorted and...well, just plain wrong some of the feet looked.



And the hair never draped itself across scalps and shoulders. The bodies never got random items of clothing hovering near them, or suddenly snapping into place. Shoes never appeared next to ankles, or attached to right hands. Minutes of just...waiting...for attire, and never seeing it.



FINALLY, I found someone with an outfit! I was so overjoyed until I realized everyone behind her was still naked. And headless at that! What was going on?!



And then, a head rezzed in. But...just a head. No body. No hair. NO EYES. And, if you look closely, you can see that in the distance, in the tunnel leading to Spookzilla, are a pair of floating eyes.

Hers? Someone else's? I didn't know, I didn't care, I just left.

I just want to be your pretty girl, when you want it

I found someone else with butt wings!

And this time, I managed to scan the avatar to figure out where they come from. Turns out the wings--at least, this pair--were made by Zexen Alecto of Murder of Ravens fame. I believe they're these ones.



The other thing I was astounded by--and the thing that didn't come up on the scan--was the floating ethereal encoffined lasses. Who made those? That's a fascinating effect.



They did have a fairly high avatar complexity, I'm assuming because of the coffins and some other accessories. Possibly also the wings.

(Upon closer inspection of this shot, I'm not sure they're true butt wings--they might actually attach along the spine, but much lower than wings usually attach. Most wings in SL, mesh or flexi, attach on either side of the spine between the shoulder blades, and these honestly seem to be attached on either side of the spine behind the lowest rib.



All through the series of carefully captured shots, also, I was misgendering this avatar. I thought "she" looked lovely, but I was just looking at the back of "her". Turns out she is a he.

Still lovely, though. Very unique look.



Every single aspect of this avatar has been well considered. There's a lot of thought and detail that went into this. This is definitely an example of a very bishy lad who is living in the exact skin and shape of his choosing.

With, apparently, translucent coffin companions.

Also...



Yet again, another logout screen, another removal of most of me. This time it left hair and, strangley, underthings--though not the stockings I was wearing with them--and left some of the prims that surround the home cabin. But mostly, it's just me, in a suddenly shadowed empty plain of green. Bizarre.

aail on, sail on, little girl, sail on

I won't say this was fun--it was not--but it was puzzling:

[10:28] Exxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Hello
[10:29] Emilly Orr: Hello?

Now, anyone not a new reader knows this by now: unless I know the person, just IMing me with "hello" immediately puts me on the defensive. I'm trying to be better about it, but in a text-based environment, all I have to go on is text. In RL, I can see eye position, body language, any small movements, the muscles under the skin controlling faces. On phone calls, if I have nothing but "hello", I will at least have the sound of the voice, any emotional inflections given by that voice, to get a read on what the rest of the conversation might lead to.

In SL? I have the words. And that's not a bad thing, but give me something more to work with than just "hello". It's not that hard.

[10:40] Emilly Orr: Fascinating conversation. Okay, enjoy the rest of your day.

Seriously, I ask you, how was I supposed to respond? One "hello", then he leaves me hanging for ten minutes. Seriously.

In the intervening time, I pulled his profile. Four years old. No FL bio, no FL pic, no picks at all. Most of his groups are sex-based, ranging from extreme bondage to pregnancy to...let's say "interracial dating", again. I dub him boring not due to his groups, but due to the utter lack of other information on his profile. He apparently is the profile equivalent of "hello".

[10:41] Exxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yeah I would not expect a dimwit like you to take hi as a means of showing courtesy so i label your kind as pathetic

Ooh. So edgy. What is my "kind", pray tell? Do let me know.

And again, what was I supposed to do, carry the conversation? It's not my job to figure out why someone is saying "hello" and nothing else, it's their job to convince me they're worth the attention. If I contact someone first, it's my job to convince them I'm worth their attention. This is basic social interaction.

[10:41] Emilly Orr laughs
[10:41] Emilly Orr: Thank you for the instant judgement.
[10:42] Exxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: anytime [a**wipe]

And yeah, I should have left it there, but I figured I'd at least toss him the courtesy of the polite reply he didn't bother with me:

[10:42] Emilly Orr: But, for your information, "Hello" tells me nothing. Ask a question. Tell me why you're contacting me, since I don't know you. Let me know something beyond just 'hi' or 'hello'.

Because again, it's not hard. "Hi, I wanted to know [X]". "Hi, I want to know if you're into [Y]". Or even "hi ur really pretty"--I get a lot of those. Whatever, just add something to the opening single word.

Obviously, he didn't reply back. Not sure why I was even surprised by that.



So we move on. First, this is a really great white hart. Moves very naturally, it's long enough that the loop seems random and not really that artificial. The problem? When I snapped this picture, he was idly grazing on air, while standing partially on air.

Sure, it's a simple error in the wander cycle, but it did amuse me.



I am being absolutely honest here: this is the creepiest avatar I have seen all year. It's so inventive, though. Perfect mesh doll head on a black stick body. That's just...disturbing.



And she had the prettiest porcelain face, too. And this is very creative, I give full points to living her dream here. It just made my skin crawl.

And finally...



Usually I don't bother to snap logging-out photos. Sometimes there's a good shot in there, but it happens maybe once every fifteen months or so? But this was too weird not to capture.

Standard logout screen: it's whatever I was doing at the time, only desaturated. But this was on a whole other level. I hit exit, and the walls of the cabin disappeared, the other furnishings disappeared, most of the flora outside (but the pine trees) disappeared, and most of me disappeared. But not everything--my stockings and my hair remained. How does this even happen??

so much for taking this too far

First, a baffling bit of chat:

[21:24] qxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Okay...... I KNOW I just can't be the only 45 year old who enjoys pooping their dress in RL, Can I ?
[21:24] Ixxxxxx Cxxxxxx: yes, yes you can.
[21:24] Emilly Orr: whut
[21:26] Ixxxxx Jxxx: Absolutely ... you can be
[21:27] Axxxxxxx Mxxxxxx: Didi I read that correctly? She just told everyone she pooped her dress???

She did. Just came right out and said that in public, yep.

[21:28] fxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: And enjoyed it.
[21:28] mxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Yeah
[21:28] Mxxx Mxxxxxxxx: I think we can keep that topic in the bathroom
[21:28] Emilly Orr: So yes. Not safe for this chat.
[21:29] Lxxxx Hxxxxxxxx: LOL my husband just said, "That is just stupid"

I had to pull this twidget's profile. She's two years old, more than old enough not to be this dim, because this was not a fetish group, it was a store group. Interspersed between the other store groups she's a member of, are several fetish groups, most for non-consensual kidnapping and being pregnant constantly. But strangely, none for humiliation, which I would think would be RIGHT up her alley considering the general reaction of everyone else in this group to her statement.

[21:30] Axxxxxxx Mxxxxxx: lol
[21:30] dxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Sooooo what's everyone's favorite thing at [store group]?
[21:30] bxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: lol
[21:30] Emilly Orr: Not that.
[21:31] lxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Everything
[21:31] txxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i second that! everything
[21:31] rxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: not brown dresses...LMAO

Nope. Definitely not. Nope nope nope.

Call me judgmental if you want, but if your kink is messing your drawers at home, or in the company of people who appreciate that, go for it. Knock yourself out. Whatever you're into, fine--in private. Or if you're an adult baby, and you want the whole changing diapers experience with a Mommy, say, again--go wild, embrace your inner infant if it makes you happy.

But if you're clearly an adult--and the age was given, so she clearly considers herself an adult--and you want to soil your dresses in public? No. Do that at home, you are gross, you are a public health hazard, get the hell out of public spaces.

Let's move on to oddities seen while shopping.



I swear, she'd be more modestly covered if she were stark naked. This was just bizarre. This was at a hair store, she didn't even have the excuse of "Oh, I need to try on the skin demos to see how they look". Why. Just why.



A friend of mine on Tumblr started the phrase "pointless panties". It was basically for any photograph she took where the panties were either completely transparent, or mostly off. Hence the pointlessness. This? This is a pretty perfect example of a pointless bikini.



And oh, this avatar. I guess if your goal is to be a fetish doll 24/7, she's got the look down. She's got the perfect sex kitten walk, she's got a perfect street girl pout, her makeup is hellishly overdone, which, to be fair, is part of it for some folks...I'm not even going to bring up more than just a bare mention of the fact that she'd cranked her body physics up to 'barely solidified Jell-O' levels...



The only thing I don't believe: her profile says she's six months old. No. You are not this targeted, and this well put-together for this specific targeted look, without help, or without being an alt of an avatar far older.



All of her picks are either stores or..."interracial dating" groups, shall we say. Well, there are a couple that are just general "come by and we'll screw you through a wall" places. Same with her groups--some are shopping, most are no-holds-barred sex dungeons.



What really got me, though--while her RL pic is more attractive, it's pretty much the exact same look. The heavy black mascara, the fake lashes, the dark lipstick, the tousled blonde hair. Bizarre.

And of course I had to be pretty careful with these shots--not only was her top loose enough to expose every bit of her nipples, but she wasn't wearing underwear. And even with that care, I still ended up with several shots of her that exposed pretty much everything, hence all the censor bars.

So yeah, it's become a trope at this point on the blog: I don't get why people want to shop naked. Hang out on sex sims naked, or nearly so? Great. I can even buy the increasingly tenuous excuses of trying on skin demos or mesh bits demos on to see how they look in public. But seriously. If you're shopping for anything else, and it doesn't cross your mind you might want to put on at least a dress, if not underthings? You're just too tacky to deal with.