Monday, December 31, 2007

MGs: A Year in Review!















The Mean Girls - Easily the most popular SLeberities in the history of ever, but being in the limelight can bring out the worst in us.

When you're in the eye of publicity all the time, it's easy to be caught at the worst of times. The Mean Girls have taken this to new heights this year. I've taken it upon myself to come out of hiding and list the various and sundry discretions and train wrecks of 2007. Let the stirring begin!



















Rosie - The good girl, the shy girl... Or so we thought. After hitting it big on the scene with "Dear Rosie" threads she reverted back to her trailer-trash upbringing. Her rehab, babies, drunk driving, hair-shearing, media-seeking ways have landed her on the train wrecks list. Not even a schoolgirl skirt and pigtails can save you now!














Kitty Lalonde - Famously Filthy. The news lately has been filled with her haute couture prim scandal but we can't forget the many times she has flashed her peekachu at the cameras. For Christmas I sent her a pound of irregular granny panties. What - The Mean Girls don't pay that well! She has led us fearlessly through the dark underbelly of escorting but she didn't return unscathed.
















Jelly has really settled down this year. It was rocky at first, to tell the TRUTH... But she finally found the man for her. She has resisted the lure of the train, keeping most of her naughty business to herself. It's hard to catch her out of the lap of Hawks long enough to talk to her but when we caught up with her last week on the beach she was nice enough to say "No comment!" before slapping the camera out of her face and pushing me down in the sand... She's really mean. ;-;


Orchid has escaped the eye of the public for some time now, on account of she's in fat camp with Guen trying to work off the post holiday weight gain. We're sad to say we could not catch pictures of her 'before' as it has all been very secretive, but we've heard that it is in excess of 60 pounds and they are considering slider surgery.

Guen, having spent some time as a SLfatchick already understands the stigma that is fat sliders and is still trying to work off the weight she gained for her role as an undercover fatty.

The MGs wish you much success with your weight loss and ask that you bring some fat back so that we can make soap to send out as gifts next Christmas.

<3 L.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

What's To Come in '08

In our continuing pursuit to provide you with the best know how for your slives, we are sharing our secret insights into the year ahead...

Guen predicts...
  • We'll learn that the Lindens are all really aliens and Second Life is their master plan to brainwash us all. All your bases are belong to us!!!
  • "Detachable Penis" by King Missle will be the new intro music heard while logging into SL.
  • More popular TV shows will see the potential in using Second Life in their plotlines. Eventually real life actors and sets will be replaced with Second Life Avatars and sims when TV studios see just how many production costs they save by doing this.
  • Following in the footsteps of such names as U2, Duran Duran, & Suzanne Vega... the next big music artist to break their way into the Second Life scene will be...... YANNI!
Kitty's predictions:
  • In July a 32 year old woman from Connecticut unknowingly bumps into her own alt whilst shopping in Maitreya. They partner at the end of august and the relationship seems to be going well
  • Rolling restarts are banned after one residents dies 'restart surfing'
  • In March the first 'direct connect' between a human brain and the second life grid occurs. Unfortunately, James Underwood crashes during tp testing and loses half his memory
  • In October Billy Johnson will become the first human to be born in Second Life
  • After the dive in television viewers during the 'black spring'. Soap opera writers look to the metaverse for inspiration. Eastenders gets record viewers after it airs an episode when Phil Mitchell gets orbited to 120 million meters and finds his brother Grant
  • Pop eats itself sometime around easter.
Jelly: predickshuns... i haz em
  • Sculpted prims will become flexi. Someone will invent flexi sculpted flacid penis and sine wave will animate the first cockman dance for the new sculpted flexi flacid penis!
  • bits & bobs will invent ppl to have sex for you on their balls. The male will be shiny blue, the female shiny pink
  • Jellybean will run for president, but end up winning govenor by default on account of the real governor linden being caught in a comprosing position with phil linden and a child av in a casino. And i'm sure there was candy & an elvis costume involved - the child was wearing a lolita dress & has been alledged to be Gorgeous Yongo a.k.a Gogo Lolita
Rosie Predicts...
  • By April all new clothing releases will be made entirely of sculpties... the expression 'frostied' will be born of the countless moments of waiting for people to rezz around you
  • By December there will be 235431287924 additional fashion blogs on the Fashion Feed. Each new one will be added to the feed approximately 7 weeks after the blog author's request. Many 'reviews' of new releases will be blogged before they are on the feed... but fortunately every existing site on the feed will have already covered them.
  • By April CNN will figure out what *is* news in SL
  • My magic 8 ball.. uh I mean my 'vision'... is kind of cloudy about this one but it looks like "review copies" will actually be used for reviews
  • In September, after an unfortunate Linden run-in with a furry waving around his ginormous pelty tool, Yiffing will be banned gridwide
  • I predict that Laylah and Orchid will return shortly with more slife-altering predictions for you :P
What do you forsee for 2008?

Friday, December 21, 2007

.:-CATNIP-:. Asshats & Other Oddities

Yeah you read that right... I said ASSHAT!


One of just a few items you can find at a little store on SL called CATNIP.

I actually happened upon this gleeful little joint on a recommendation from the General Manager of Sanctuary Rock (hi, Mirari!!!) who owns every damn item sold at this store. The place is actually part of the Hysteria Sim with a focus on Nekos, but even if you're not a Neko the schtuff sold here is hilarious.

Started by Akasha Wachmann & Kisten Bailey, this joint started with just a few silly ideas in their silly little minds. Now most Nekos, Furries and other fluffy folk on SL know about this place.

When you walk in you're greeted by a vast assortment of accessories that all pretty much have a 'tongue-n'-cheek' feel.

In one corner of the front is a selection of whimsical belts such as the Cereal Killer, Pride, and the EMO.


My favorite so far is the Vandal with toilet paper, spray paint, egg carton, and even some firecrackers.


Yeah I have to do insets on these things because they're all so incredibly detailed. Even each decal and label is worth zooming in your camera for.

In the newly expanded back room there's a few furniture items for kitties such as a tire swing, cuddle furniture & a milk martini glass. The thing that really caught my attention is the array of IVs on the far back wall.


Did I mention the attention to detail on these things? Check out the Coffee IV...


You can't tell in the picture but the liquid inside does move and the Coffee one comes with a steaming and non-steaming version. Also up on the wall are beverages such as Red Bull, Pimp Juice, and of course... the DEW. For the holiday season there's even Egg Nog.

So hop on down to CATNIP and grab some crazy goodies for you or for a wacky holiday gift. You're sure to get a laugh and a few people asking "Where in the world did you get that cool [insert silly CATNIP accessory here]?"

Thursday, December 20, 2007

What's Wrong with the SL Clique?

What is it? That you don't belong to one? Is that what you're busy whining about? To all the naysayers, that will say "I don't have a clique, I have friends." You're so full of crap. Haha! Even pathetic losers have their own clique... it just sucks and no one wants in... that doesn't mean you are an individual or unable to be classified within a 'clique'. it just means you're sad and most likely emo. Everyone has a core group of people that they hang with, hence a clique.

Let's start with the definition of a Clique...
A clique is a coalition whose members associate regularly with each other on the basis of affection and common interest, such as listening to music and blogging for fun, and possess a marked sense of common identity. All members of a clique interact with one another, though there may be core members, primary members, and secondary members.

Ohhhh and let's use it in a sentence or two...
Yo!? That clique that listens to music and blogs for fun is off the heezy fo sheezy! Who is that longer haired neanderthal girl who is always hanging with the JellyBean Madison Clique?

I'm personally all for SL cliques. For one they make SL seem smaller & more cozy. Who doesn't love to have a few or 10 close friends that you can share stuffage with? Then again, I'm part of a clique so I really have few negatives about it. A clique is sort of like a sorority, but not as evil.

The problem with cliques is that hearing the word conjures up all kinds of ideas about being excluded through the use of common techniques such as:
  • code language or another type of communication that excludes everyone not in the fic
  • "inside joke"... Oh don't we all love using that expression when explaining what we're talking about to someone not quite in the know? Though the use of this expression reaffirms the sense of belonging to those who have already secured their place within the clique, using this popular refrain can make others feel totally excluded.
These things naturally occur among friends or any group of people who have 'history'. Capitalizing on using these things for the sole purpose of excluding others does not make your 'group' a clique. It just makes your 'group' a band of merry assholes.

What kind of clique are you in?

Monday, December 17, 2007

Kitty's Fate in Your Hands

*Updated*


Well it seems I may have overreacted and said a hasty goodbye to Miss Kitty Lalonde. I have read her apology and honestly, she had me at "teh lolcat..." ::tear:: But, to ensure I make the right decision, I've decided to ask you, the loyal reader, if Kitty should indeed be welcomed back into the MG fold. Is her apology enough? Will she really live up to her promises to be less... evil?

Poll will only be up for one day. Please vote wisely. The future of the sl blogosphere depends on it.

*Edit* Your wish is our command.

Click to Enlarge

Meat 'N Greet: Alexx Markova


*Favorite Color:
although I don't have a favorite color, the one I prefer is black, since it goes with everything. Except in decoration...
*SL Rezzday:
28/10/2007 but I've actually been here for over a year on a previous avie that died in a horrible, horrible accident
*Favorite animal and why?
The rhinoceros because it is a pacific creature but when angry it becomes a force to be reckoned with
*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
I went for realism, I also tried to have my avie look like me as close as possible so that I can try different styles on him and see what would look good on me in rl
*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?well the first time I had sex in sl was quite embarassing

*What's the last book you read?
photoshop for dummies!
*What's a movie you could watch over and over?
I'm not a big movie fan but I cant get enough of the "who's line is it anyway" episodes
*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)
isn't able to hold an interesting and captivating conversation.
*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?
I would love to be Helyanwe Vindaloo for a day so I can find out how she makes all that awesome hair
*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?
I'd love to work with Shiva DeVaux. She makes awesome furniture. I also would love to work with everybody I have in my flickr list.
*Favorite thing to do in SL?
I love making poses, most of them are very random model poses but they are fun to do and I love it when I see them used in pictures.

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Acceptable Alts)

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Reflection on a Linden...

Okay for those who haven't already heard, it was announced this past week that Cory Linden (Ondrejka) will soon be leaving Linden Labs for greener pastures. Being the Chief Technological Officer and the 4th personage ever to be involved with Linden Labs is quite a feat on its own. According to his bio (oddly still up on Linden’s company site) he’s one of the primary distributors into things like Avatar design, 3D streaming, and in-world editors. To put it mildly, Second Life would not exist as it does today without Cory’s supervision and know-how.

Many other news and blog articles thus far have been trying to sort out whether he is being fired or leaving on his own. Official responses from both Cory and Philip Rosedale have been very vague on the whole matter except that both parties had reached “irreconcilable differences”. In layman’s terms that means “we refuse to budge on both of our ideals and so we’re going to part ways”. The details of said differences can only be speculated at this point, but as of the end of December does it really matter?

Second Life has its share of bugs which is to be expected when it’s constantly changing and updating. Despite as much as we all bitch about the lag, the inventory mishaps, the hair & shoes up our butts... we continue to logon for everything from running a business to simply going to various club parties every night. I know I haven’t had the same experiences with SL as folks who’ve been logging in since 2006 on back, but even with innovations such as Sculpties and Windlight in recent months I can certainly appreciate how it has grown.

Now to hear that one of the biggest innovators of SL is leaving sort of feels like having an uncle who’s watched over you from afar suddenly vanish. You’re sure that there will be a void from his departure, but not quite sure how much that absence will impact you and those around you. We can only hope that this rift will not impact Second Life too much.

A toast to Cory on behalf of Mean Girls. Here’s to hoping that his future endeavors are as fruitful as his past ones.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Rip Off Fraud Exposed! as... as a Bigger Rip Off!

It's with a heavy heart that I make this post. Something has happened that has forced me to leave my seclusion and deal with the goings on of the new additions to the Mean Girls bloggers. Each one of us at Meangirls has always done our own thing, with no censure or judgement. The trust and camaraderie among us has allowed us to create a blog that is as individual as it's contributors. It's a sad day when I have to put an end to all that.

It's clear to me now that Jelly and I made a mistake when we invited Kitty Lalonde to join us at the Mean Girls. Her recent allegations of wrong-doing by resident Zennor Cornwall caught my eye and piqued my interest. What was even more interesting was the discovery that this was much more of a mess than it first seemed to be.

Upon my visit to this so-called store, I found some very unsettling facts. For starters, Zennor is a member of Tiny Empires. What could this mean?! But that was only the beginning! I hate to admit that I spent my 200L to buy said prim (I chose a cube), but I had to in order to get to the bottom of this! It seems not only that this business was created in SL to defraud the new, and otherwise inexperienced players, but it was not created by some noob who maybe could have been explained as not knowing any better. To my horror, Zennor Cornwall's prims were made by none other than Kitty Lalonde herself! (proof provided)




Not only has Kitty created an alt to do her dastardly deeds, but she's also used this blog to promote her nefarious ways and turn a quick linden. And I cannot let that go unnoticed or unpunished.

Normally, I would not openly promote drama on this blog, but I feel I have no choice but to cut all of Kitty's ties with the blog and out her for the underhanded shyster that she is. On the flip side, GO ME... I so scooped this story!



Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Rip offs..


I'm writing today, not in my usual middle of the road stance, but in utter disgust at the unscrupulous nature of some residents in SL. They are here to rip other residents off, pure and simple.

The store itself is called Primacy, owned by one Zennor Cornwall. I leave the SLurl here so you can all go and voice your complaints directly to the vile perpetrator.

In the store which claims to be "Haute Couture Prim Design for discerning admirers of art and culture" he only sells four things. A cube, a pyramid, a sphere and a cylinder. So what's the problem you ask? Well these are the basic SL prims, that anyone can rez for free, and this diabolical creature is selling them for 200L$ EACH! Not only that but he has the gall to put permissions on his wares of copy/mod/no trans. The shop is situated on a Linden road a mere stones throw from an infohub. So that Zennor may prey upon hapless newbies, who have no idea about SL.

Hiding behind a businesslike nature and, admittedly, beautifully designed store. Lurks an evil monster who needs to be stopped, and hopefully. Getting this message out will help.



Friday, December 7, 2007

A question of priorities


Yesterday I spied on the forums an outfit called Jihad Joe. Made by Fedor Mcnally, and advertised as

"So Gi-Joe has been getting too comfortable with Barbie and has no competition, so He has began to pimp Barbie out. Gi-Joe's technology and weapons is too great for ken, because Ken is a hippy and vegan.

BUT NOW OUT IS JIHAD-JOE. Jihad-Joe comes with a shemagh (head rag), in 2 colors, but is modifiable if you wish to customize your shemagh. it also comes with a pipe bomb vest that explodes via a grille igniter that is located on the HUD, the explosion both pushes, and kills.

4 gestures are included to shout at gi-joe to encourage him to repent and take into consideration what he is doing to Barbie is WRONG.

But don't worry, this isn't only for men, there is also a jihad-jane for Barbies who wish to convert and rebel against their rulers."



Obviously I decided that would be a riot and scampered off to purchase it. The problem comes when I have a few friends who have decided that 'jihad joe' is wrong. They didn't necessarily say it was sick and wrong. But wrong nevertheless. This got me thinking.

Yes. It's symbolic of murder and destruction. But so is a gun, which I've previously blogged as fashion accessories on the grid and no one batted an eyelid.

So why do we have different priorities? Second Life is all about dressing up in costumes and outfits, body shapes, genders, races and species that are different from the real life ones sitting at the computer. And just about everyone has opinions on which guises are tasteful and which are at the other end of the scale descending from mildly annoying to downright offensive. Dressing up like a pirate or viking is fine, humourous even, despite the fact that historically both these groups spent much of their time raping and pillaging and generally being bastardy. But dressing up like a nazi is 'in bad taste'. When does something stop being a 'sacred cow'?


Time is definitely a big factor in making distasteful subjects more acceptable - not many people cringe when the Spanish Inquisition is mentioned, but moving forward into the 20th century, into living memory, Naziism is still a highly emotive topic. Humour is a good measure of when past events become socially acceptable. It's okay to mock and laugh at the Nazis, but to do the same with the Holocaust would undoubtedly be considered in deeply bad taste. There's also a good helping of historical manipulation when it comes to uncomfortable events from the past. I doubt many people would recoil in horror at seeing an avatar dressed up as Columbus, despite his extermination policies that saw the death of millions of Native Americans, ranking as one of the worst genocides in human history.

In 2001 a british satirical show, Brass Eye, aired an hour long special regarding paedophilia and the moral panic drummed up by various media outlets at the time, leading to a witch hunt in which many innocent members of the public had their lives upended. The show inevitably recieved a slew of complaints. Despite the absurdity of the jokes (internet paedophiles can make computer keyboards emit noxious fumes in order to subdue children), many of these complaints were from politicians who later admitted that they hadn't actually seen the show. Many people were left questioning why it was wrong to take the piss out of paedophiles.

Maybe it's just human nature. People feel normal and accepted when they have something definite to fear, a shared enemy to loathe. And maybe that's a good thing.


Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Can you handle the truth?


Everyone has a flaw. Some trait that they detest in themselves. I have at least thirty, but my worst one is jealousy. I'm the first to admit to being a slave to the green eyed monster. Anyone speaks to my wife and a lil' radar pops out of my head and whirls around frantically beeping out the psycho tune, and I'm not the only one.

Whilst fairly popular in RL, detective agencies are to be found in SL. They offer to catch your cheating spouse, check up on employees and get the lowdown on what your friends are saying about you behind your back. I thought for my usual piss taking post that I should get one to track Tie for a few days just to see what they did. But then I thought about it.


Second Life is an online world (duh). Lies are as easily typed as truths with no facial expression to give the game away. Your favourite fashionista might spend her evenings, bent over a pool table, bound and gagged, with a ponytail butt plug protruding from her arse. The female friend who's fashion sense and shape you envy might be a 35 year old bloke from Woking. Called Derek. Oh and your boyfriend? He's a closet RL furry with three eyes. Okay, okay, I ran away with that. But you get the gist. Nothing in SL is exactly as it seems, and it's the same in relationships.

So you've partnered, exchanged RL pics, spoken on the phone and spent the entire evening attempting to outdo each other with lavish declarations of adoration whilst snuggling under the straylight tree. But you still don't know that person. Having an alt is practically a necessity these days, and there's a bucket load of people out there with more than one alt. Even if you get to the situation where you have account details, email log in, messenger passwords.. Hell, you can have their whole computer to poke around in and you'll STILL have odd moments of doubt, believe me.


So what's my point? Ummmm... Oh yeah. Like the X-files, the truth is out there. But unless you’re hardcore you're unlikely to find it, and why the fuck should you? Enjoy people for the time you spend together, rather than get worked up about what they didn't tell you. If they took the time to tell you then it was probably a well mulled over decision and you should be honoured to have been told. Rather than dwell on the time when you didn’t know.


As for partners, well it’s the same as RL relationships. You don’t know how long it’ll last, and how it’ll turn out. Generally speaking even the most intense and loving relationships have a shelf life and when that time is up you can expect an explosion of mould and rotting waste. So just chill out, enjoy the moment. And if you can’t then you can always go here.








Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Blog Drama and You

Its no secret that blogs are filled with drama. Not only SL fashion blogs, but personal ones as well. My husband finds it hilarious that I find such amusement in 'blog trolling'. I'm a silent observer - so I have to remind him that I'm not an actual troll. Its all the same to him, though.

Most days, Second Life is like a soap opera to me. My monitor is like a television while I sit and watch these plots and story lines unfold. I try to pick the villains from the heroes while the verbal abuse spews from commenter's fingers with marksman-like accuracy. There are times I imagine funny images of "POW" "Zip!" and "BANG" flash across the screen in the equivalent of the early 1990s 'Your Momma' jokes. Its hysterical!

Then I have to ask myself - who is taking this seriously? Who is actually trying to inflict some sort of real pain and who's just in it for the lulz. The folks who's first few words are "I hate drama" are usually the ones that I watch more closely than the ones that make no mention of that naughty five letter word. Do I have drama? Of course I do! I think everyone does in some shape or form.

People come to Second Life for different reasons. For some its a creative outlet - though the definition of 'creative' is often distorted to whatever the 'creator' wants it to mean. Some folks venture into SL to experience things they can't be part of in real life - and in such an exploration they are rewarded with drama. Stop fighting it! Drama just happens, and it only gets worse with the more acclaim, fame, or infamy that you acquire in SL. It isn't any different IRL. The more famous you are IRL - the more scandal you're surrounded with. The more money you have, the more people want from you. Its just this hard-knock fact of not only life, but Second Life.

Many think that because you live your life (or second life) in the public limelight that everything becomes public domain. Is this true? To an extent. If you're going to make a complete ass of yourself, expect to be labeled an ass and definitely expect for that occasion to not go forgotten for a decent period of time (and sometimes never!)

I've thought all this time that maybe just my twisted sense of humor hasn't allowed me to fully appreciate some bloggers as humans. Well okay, that's true. There are some blogs I'll read just because they are so hideously filled with the most stupid sense of drama that it reminds me of Dallas or Knotts Landing. Its so ridiculous that you just have to sit and watch. It's also highly possible that I take the written word far too literally and find just as much amusement in the mental images projected from what some bloggers say/write.

Its also funny to me how defensive people get against such small, trivial things. If I were to stand on a blog soapbox and proclaim something which doesn't even matter like .. "I hate apple juice and I don't care what you say!" that someone would be completely appalled by my statement and feel the need for rebuttal. Does that mean I should indulge them by stating every single reason why I hate apple juice - or does that give me any kind of blogging right to tell everyone who DOES like apple juice that they are wrong? No, but that doesn't mean that the apple juice lovers won't unite against me in blind rage of their love of the fruity drink.

There are, of course, different levels of drama. Some SL drama is just that - SL drama. Its shit that goes on in world that really shouldn't involve other people, but someone has felt the need (urge?) to proclaim their emotions publicly which then makes it everyone's drama. The problem with big communities like SL is that there is such a wide range of emotions, ideals, interests and social standards that you can always bet that no matter what you think/say/do that there will be someone right behind you with a lynch mob ready to take you down. Should there be? No, but it is entertaining!

I do find it hilarious that in a community that was formed on the ideas of sharing that so many people are so selfish with their knowledge. 99% of designers don't do any form of tutorial to say - this is the basis on which you should start. Instead everyone is left to fend for themselves and do things trial-and-error and in the meantime get their asses kicked on fashion blogs about how bad they fucking suck. This then leads to drama - and there are fewer dramas more entertaining than designer drama.

Some designers are so quick to cry "thief" that they forget that their very own SL logo is VERY heavily borrowed from a very famous RL brand. Is this not theft? Or is it called inspiration? If I were to make a wig which was almost identical to one of Six Kennedy's .. but I made my own texture - would I be lynched as a thief or would I be able to pull that 'inspiration' card? Its hard to say. It would depend on who you are, who your friends are, and which blogger gets a hold of your weave.

Should bloggers be able to publicly maim other human beings? I don't know. I honestly don't care - unless it came down to insulting them on a RL basis. RL drama is probably the most touchy of all the dramas, but its no less entertaining. At least in my eyes.

I have my share of RL drama - and I'm sure the rest of SL does too. But if you 'hate' drama, why do you even talk about it? Its because you can't avoid it - and you can say you hate it all day long but in all reality drama is what makes the world go round ... even virtual ones. There are the drama mongers which will start it, the drama stirrers which will read deeper into it to keep it going, then there are the drama referees who will sit on the sidelines with their popcorn and just dream of the day that they get to sit in and hear a drama fight on voice (I've yet to sit in on one of these events).

So if some blogger is all up in your KoolAid and talking shit about you - why not just switch to another fruity drink? Like apple juice.