a hot rod decaying in the thorns and the weeds

Because sooner or later, this had to come up in a group chat, right?

[13:47] Fxxxx ღ Lxxxxxx (lxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): this is a random question

I bet it is. For once, I am leaving in the random-character display names, to make this point.

[13:47] Fxxxx ღ Lxxxxxx (lxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): hey all
[13:48] Fxxxx ღ Lxxxxxx (lxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): what is a good site to customize your SL name ??

And here we go again. I must get in trouble over this issue at least twice a month, easily. I figure, I'm as polite as I can be when someone comes by work with an unpronounceable name. I will either apologize because I don't know how to pronounce their name, while not pronouncing their stupid name full of unpronounceable characters, or use their legacy name instead. Problem solved.

[13:48] Kxxx (kxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): there is a random name generator
[13:48] Kxxx (kxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): does fantasy names and all kinds

Yeah, that's not the kind of thing she's talking about. She's talking about "cool" generators like this one and this one. You know, the things that spit out malformed text strings to copy as your 'cool new name'. Might as well be Zalgo text for all the readability they have.

[13:48] Mxxxxxxxx Wxxxxxxxx (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): yeh thats whati thought
[13:49] Fxxxx ღ Lxxxxxx (lxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): i have a name but i keep seeing people with hearts and starts etc
[13:49] Fxxxx ღ Lxxxxxx (lxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): stars *

That's an asterisk.

(Yes, I know what she meant. Shush.)

[13:49] ᴋxxxxxxxxx (mxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): You can't customize it: the name you have is usually handed down through generations that came before you
[13:49] ᴋxxxxxxxxx (mxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): No but seriously anything with "cool name generator" will work i think; at least it did for me X°D
[13:49] Mxxxxxxxx Wxxxxxxxx (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): ahhh
[13:50] ᴋxxxxxxxxx (mxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): Some specific characters aren't allowed by LL yet though

True, and the 'cool' name generators add those in, and people consistently see squares for those characters. What does a square sound like? How does one pronounce a blank square? "Hhhh"? How do you even translate that into understandable language?

[13:53] Emilly Orr: Well, if it helps you decide at all, [Fxxxx], if I cannot parse out a name in the mess of alternate characters, you get called by your legacy name if I see you in person. I refuse to apologize for that.
[13:54] ɱxxx Âxxxxx-Lxxxxxxx-Ðxx-Đxxxxx (mxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): I have no regrets with my name
[13:55] Emilly Orr: Yeah, but your name can be basically understood.

"Basically".

[13:55] Emilly Orr: People who toss in Hebrew and Thai random characters bug the crap out of me.

This came up once, actually, in a conversation I had with friends on another chat server.

[3:31 PM] Emilly: So, fellow dropped by the club, he's been around before. I've been calling him by his legacy name because--and I've pointed this out more than once--I cannot pronounce his display name.
[3:32 PM] Emilly: It's "ςђเשคร".
[3:33 PM] Emilly: So, to me--and understand, this took a bit, because this is partially Thai, partially Hebrew, among others--I translate that as "Sah-dje-eu-shin-dh-er".

He says? "Chivas".

Or more recently:

12:14 PM] Emilly: [12:07] Second Life: Ã× Å”ÅÃŸÃŸÄ¨Ä– BŔĄVĨŤŻ ([Rxxxxx Bxxxxxx]) is now known as ĎĴ [Ŕxxxxx Bxxxxxx].
[12:14 PM] Emilly: I mean, I guess we're all glad [Rxxxxx] went for something more or less identifiable as language? But geesh.

I'm all for readable names, is my main point here.

[13:56] Yxxx Hxxxxx Wxxxxxxxxx (yxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): hunny and me, we are oldie birdies... we prefer plain text names =)
[13:56] Mxxxxxxxx Wxxxxxxxx (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx): lol i dont care as long a si can read it

That's my point exactly. If I can't read it, I'm no longer bothering.



In other news...yes, I know it's called the Whore Couture Fair. I know it's the tackiest thing that's ever tackied, year after year. But please, for the love of all things, can you not come to the Fair covered in male ejaculate when you're going to the event to SHOP FOR THINGS?!??

Thaaaank you.



And that's not a skirt, it's a belt. And Jesus Christ, WEAR UNDERWEAR.



And your friend is pretty tacky, too. I'm actually completely happy she never wholly rezzed in, because I did not want to kill brain cells seeing what she thought was appropriate for shopping. Plus, she looks fourteen.