Mean Girls Guide to SL

Sayonara betches! (no, really... for realsies)

2008-09-12T19:19:00.015-01:00

Jell: Hi there I'm JellyBean Madison from the popular web blog MGG2SL...
Rosie: even though she hasn't blogged here in over 6 months.
Jell: Here at MGG2SL we're always looking to improve your SL experience...
Rosie: Does that mean people are actually following our suggestions?
Jell: *sigh* No... they're sheep.
Rosie: I hate blingtard sheep. But sheep in general are cute?
Jell: As you may know it's been slow over here...
Rosie: and talent is lacking.
Jell: So we're finally ready to say sayonara betches and pack our bags.
Rosie: Bet ya thought that would never happen? Am I right?
Jell: The time has more than come, for us to go
Rosie: We *know* this.
Jell: It's been swell but the swelling's gone down
Rosie: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Jell: oh like when we saw Lala the skank changing right in Last Call like it was Walmart or something
Rosie: We're gonna make like a banana and split... this blog is over
Jell: Just like the careers over at Brutal Honesty
Rosie: Thanks for the memories
Jell: Don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out
Rosie: Last one out's a rotten egg!
Jell: with badly-adjusted prim hair!
Rosie: and bling!
Jell: Do not fret though because we have somewhere else to herd you sheep. Consider us your shepherds as we lead you over to the Revolution!
Rosie: What is *that*, you say? Well, it is the ever so slightly popular AWNM blog combining with us - the ever so popular POP-U-LAR blog, MGG2SL. Plus the viewpoints and ramblings of other creative forces who will share with you too!
Jell: Bringing the best of the best in one place. If you want the truth...
Rosie: You can't handle the TRUTH! (oh god just what we've all been missing... more truth innuendo)
Jell: Then follow us over there & let us enlighten you. :)

In case you missed it: viva la REVOLUTION!

With lots love, hugs, kisses & snorts...
JellyBean Madison & Rosie Shark

ZOMGWTFBBQLOL

2008-08-11T18:48:00.003-01:00

Rosie says-
We are by no means bringing up a new subject. Just review the fashion feed, if you don’t know what I mean. Phoenix has offered her two cents, and many other people (Tenshi, Melanie Kidd, Jhuzen Ketsugo) also weighed in.

Although I feel the plight of the devastated fashionista who is now facing the virtual black list for showing off items that may allegedly be stolen, I have to ask, what’s with the self-importance? Although I don’t have any factual statistics, I would suspect that a very small percentage of the actual sl users follow the fashion feed. Most of those users, are bloggers. Maybe this is why so many are worried about their values being questioned as a result of reviewing what turns out later to be stolen content. Let’s face it, we all blog in a forum of our peers.

Kitty says-
"Second Life fashion bloggers are valued and sought after" umm nope, sorry. Second Life fashion bloggers are only valued by their peers and sought after by those hyping their own celebrity. Maybe once upon a time, fashion bloggers were, indeed, the dogs testes. Now however they're a pox on the internet, clammering and bitching to be heard above the vast sea of bitching clammerers. Imagine, if you will, a herd of wildebeasts (or gnu's if you prefer) crossing the treacherous river. Now imagine the designers as crocodiles. They'll pick a few tasty morsels to lavish their attention on, whilst leaving the rest to carry on with their beligerent faces well and truly slapped. Fact is, there are too many bloggers out there for anyone to be keeping count and lumping them all together and describing them as 'valued' and 'sought after' is like desperately needing every single blade of grass in your garden.

Rosie says-
I find that suggesting that designers look out for you presumptuous as well as slightly hypocritical. Look at how people are all looking out for certain designers right now. Notice how everyone is quick to jump on the bandwagon when the accusations start flying. How’s that for supporting someone? Why not let people figure stuff out first?

Fashion bloggers definitely have their place in the economy of SL, for sure! I, for one, shop almost entirely from the feed.

Kitty says-
At the end of the day you are not providing a service.., binmen, the police and the guy who cleans the shit out of the bottom of the coffee vending machine are providing a service, you are doing something for yourself. For whatever reason that may be, the fame, the freebies, the sick to deathness of people walking around looking like twats.. Whatever! At best it's a hobby, at worst an obsession. You could pack up and run and be forgotten in a week. You're not vital so get over it and carry on doing what you do.

Rosie says-
Why would a designer make a blanket announcement to over 60+ individual fashion bloggers about a private DMCA matter? Ask the people who are most active in working to protect intellectual copyrights, and they will tell you that the best way to handle a DMCA, or cases like these is privately. But instead, this letter suggests that the “victim” inform the entire fashion community, basically. Because, in essence, that is exactly what you suggest when you say privately let bloggers know. Which bloggers? Is there a hierarchy? Do some deserve to know more than others?

And we all know that fashion bloggers are tooootally discreet, totally tight-lipped. Some said as much in comments on all these blogs.

Kitty says-
How is being told of a DMCA filing going to help anyone, I'm going to DMCA Rosie cos she totally copied my arse, she may not have 'copied' it, but it looks like my arse, it has two cheeks and is deliciously pert and lovely. So I'll file my DMCA and tell ALLLLLL the bloggers to NOT post pictures of, or even look at Rosies arse, cos she "totalleh copied meh".... Right.. Okay then..

The point is your going to be changing your opinion every five seconds because someone has beef with someone else, leaving the poor lil blogger looking more fickle than ever.

Rosie says-
I don’t blog fashion much, but recently I was faced with a situation where I questioned the originality of a new release that I’d been given. All I could do was evaluate what I had and what I know. Some of us have longer experience in seeing what’s offered and what’s out there and some are newer and will have a harder time finding what’s real. But in the end, I believe that most people wake up and think: I’m gonna do my best today.

That some can be interpreted as ‘not caring’ whether they are blogging stolen content or not could be just a matter of not having all the facts, yet, or just not siding with the witch hunt side. What a perfect opportunity to hurt your competition… quietly IM the well-known fashion bloggers and let them know that so and so is selling stolen content.

I totally echo the sentiment that no one will fault you for unknowingly reviewing stolen content… it’s because the DMCA issues are so private that you prolly wouldn’t even know. And because I believe that no one can be everywhere all of the time, I would think that if a newer blogger does indeed blog stolen content, then it’s the responsibility of anyone who can, to let the person know what has transpired… Let me clarify that: let them know when there are actual facts to base if off of. He Said, She Said, isn’t helping matters.

Birthday Beefcake: Sylar Boyd

2008-08-06T00:38:00.003-01:00

Ok, a couple of notes about this beefcake:

1. Today is Sylar's Birthday, so you all need to IM him and wish him a very Happy Bday!
S-Y-L-A-R B-O-Y-D
2. He wouldn't tell us how old he is today, so you get to pick how many spankings he gets :O
3. All around nice guy full of charm...

and....

hbbilusfm

not sure what it means but it's for him :)

*Favorite Color:
Blood-orange/Tangerine.

*SL Rezzday:
Dec. 22, 2006

*Favorite animal and why?
The Dung Beetle. They eat shit yet they were worshipped by the ancient egyptians. Also... they are super strong. The balls of shit they can roll are many times their weight.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
Idiosyncrasies, realism, and duffel-bag numbers.

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?
I let a prim baby elephant ass-rape me just to impress this one girl/furry.

*What's the last book you read?
Beauty's Punishment by A. N. Roquelaure

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?
Snatch or Fight Club (Brad Pitt's presence in both is purely coincidental.)

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)
...has two front teeth missing.

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?
I would do a service to the SL community by trading slives with Vasean Talamasca and doing inappropriate activities with all of the people who lust for him but can't have him.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?
Catero Revolution because he is the equivalent of Pharell Williams in SL.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?
Buying pretty stuff and dicking around.

Adios, Bitches

2008-08-05T18:28:00.004-01:00

I can't remember when I began reading the Mean Girls Guide to Second Life, but I distinctly recall the very first moment of spew they caused me, which happened over coffee as I read this particular episode of Oh Snap:

It is a classic in the Mean Girls tradition of poking a red hot spoon at those who let their asses hang out, so to speak. It's the kind of writing that made this blog what it was at its peak: the best that bitchiness has to offer. It's a painful truth telling with an enormous dose of snark. It's the kind of meanness you can let yourself indulge in because it's got a purpose - it's pointing out, from one point of view - what kind of stupidity will get the shit teased out of you.

Second Life is full of assholes. I should know. Without the Mean Girls, a lot of us would have felt fairly adrift in a sea of clueless social clods. While in the virtual world there's a lot of room for interpretation of what's cool, what's acceptable, what's forgivable and what's punishable by public humiliation, there are definite lines to be drawn. The cast of Mean Girls here did us all a public service by drawing them in each post. We could cross the lines or not as we saw fit.

I was honored to be recruited to the Mean Girls, and I have to say, sorry for not being a more productive contributor. I point to this Valentine's Day post as probably my favorite of my Mean Girls career.
But not all that long after, I found myself unable to keep up with any blogging or any kind of Second Life at all. It's just now, as the girls are closing up shop, I find myself back in pixel town but sadly without my trusty Second Life guide to etiquette.

Truth is, I am still not sure why they decided to call it quits. Now that they're killing the thing, the beefcakes are beefier than ever. But I suppose that sometimes you've got to kill your darlings before they become boring old hags. While I think MGG2SL was far from that point, it's still better to go while you're peaking.

So that said, good luck girls. Thanks for the entertainment and enlightenment! I'm sure that Second Life is going to be worse off without your guidance.

Beefcake: Elexor Matador (Regurgitated)

2008-08-05T17:47:00.004-01:00

This is one of my most memorable photos submitted for a Beefcake. This is one of two beefcakes today with a very special second one later on.

When we received this photo for the original beefcake post, I thought this a very clever and witty way to present yourself as a beefcake! Still works in my opinion :D

Reintroducing the beef behind the jewels, TE, and various mysteries floating through the sluniverse:

Elexor Matador

*Favorite Color:
I believe it's still Blue, but I'll have to have my people look into that. I may take a poll. Or a Survey.

*SL Rezzday:
March 17, 2005

*Favorite animal and why?
My dog died since my previous Beefcake entry *tear*. However, I got a new dog, so all is good. Except this dog is not at all interested in potty training. If anyone has advice on breaking in a Yorkshire, let me know. I mean cute dog, but I'm not a fan of poop duty. Heh...I said 'duty'. Poop duty. That's funny.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
It's still the same shape as before. If you'll recall, I created my own back in early '05 to fit in with the only scene there was. Club. More specifically, it was "Club-Man™" shape. Tall, huge, muscular, and apparently steroid enduced, because I had severe shrinkage. I figured out to make myself proportionate, I would basically kill any female avatar. Nothing like being Disco goliath. Anywho...I smalled myself down, and since my last feature here, my eyebrows had some work done. I thought they were fine before...but apparently someone told me I looked...evil.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?
Hmm. I've tried to avoid embarrassing. Tried. However, I heard someone say that a large group of people I know think I am a female typist. Not that that's particularly embarrassing, but if that's the case, I've been lied to a lot in my life. Didn't some kid in Kindergarten Cop say "Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina". That is still the case, yes? Please? Oh, and I still don't know any furries.

*What's the last book you read?
"The Secret Language of Leadership" by Stephen Denning

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?
Still Office Space. Best movie evar. :) and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)
..was unintelligent, boring, listened to Joni Mitchell, believes 9-11 was some sort of government conspiracy, smelled funny, and just wanted my jewels. Outside of that, I'm pretty flexible. hehe

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?
Phillip Linden. Even though he isn't CEO anymore, I think it would be cool to go around and talk to people as him. I hear he's a chick magnet.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?
It's been a while, but I'd still like to work with a few clothing designers. Blaze, Nicki, Sachi....I'm still waiting!

*Favorite thing to do in SL?
*sigh* Well, I don't really *do* that much in SL. I drive my friends crazy, and that's by doing nothing! I'm bored easily in SL lately, so there is that. Now accepting applications on favorite things. Please apply within.

Dawg Girls by MiaSnow Myriam

2008-08-04T21:43:00.004-01:00

If you have been living under a rock, like me, you might of missed the Dog Girl arrival in SL. It caught my eye when I came across some Flickr photos one day, then again when Torley blogged Doggirls in Second Life: are they upon us? Then it seemed like every where I turned I was seeing more & more of these oddities popping up in pics. I have to admit that my very first reaction was "OMG! No way! I don't like that, at all."

I figured I must dig deeper and posed the question on Plurk "What do you know of Dog Girls in SecondLife?" That led me to MiaSnow Myriam of miaSofia, the creator of said skins.

As with anything, human nature is confused & scared by what they don't understand so I sent her an offline IM. I'm not sure what I expected exactly but what I got was really well written responses and a lot of insight.

What was your motivation for the skins?

Everything I make starts out with the motivation to create something visually interesting, and fun to use... for me first of all^^ and for all the people who give me feedback about what they'd like to see. no one asked about dogGirl skins though. i just thought it would be cute^^ and a nice change of pace since i hadn't seen any before. it was also the result of a personal exercise to improve my PhotoShop skills. i wanted to push what i could do with making a more realistic, sexy skin.... without devoting completely to a full flesh skin. the hair and spots allowed me some creative freedom in that way. the individual faces were inspired by some of my friends... 1 is for Case Tommorrow, artist extraordinare 2 is for SakuraDawn Lei, designer at Lazy Places 3 is for Sofia London of lurveBite 4 is for ColeMarie Soliel, rockerfaerie, creator 5 is for me 6 is for Akasha Wachmann of Catnip
Is there RP involved?

I am (as of yet) not an RP'er. but, I noticed immediately when I first started wearing it in SL (while i was working on it) that it inspired unexpected emotive RP in me. and when i passed them out to friends, suddenly there was alot of yipping, chasing and general bad dogGirl behaviour :) i do hope that as i release more dogGirl types, that ppl do feel inspired to use them for RP. i've had requests for wolves specifically for RP use. i think even for non RP'ers, SL offers a chance to explore different aspects of yourself... some you had no idea you posessed! so that's where i'm at with creating the skins. i want them to inspire ppl to explore themselves and interact in different ways with one another, for an overall different experience than RL. but an experience that adds to RL, with perhaps some confidence and playfulness carried over.
Do you consider this the new sl fad like nekos were for a time?

the Dalmation Dames skins response has definately surprised me. i suppose it is a fad in the sense that it's being well-received and the interest seems to keep growing. but IMO (speaking as a non-neko) i don't think neko is a fad, it has lasting appeal. the ppl into neko seem to seriously relate to the persona. and it creates so many possibilities for accessories, home decor, AO's, etc. so perhaps later on, we'll see dogGirls become more prevalant. i'm all over the place creating different stuff, but i do have more dog skins planned, including men. and i think as i release them, there will be continued interest. because the different dog types can be used for different alter egos... like a poodle and a pit bull would incite totally different personas.

She went on to supply additional info... "alot of the interest began on my flickr stream, when i was posting preview pics. This one in particular caught alot of interest:

It even caught the attention of Torley Linden. It turns out, he had twittered a month before, "There are so many catgirls (neko), but where are the doggirls?""

This blog post clearly was a great example of me changing my mind on one of those rare occasions. Hah! Mia not only dropped the notecard of responses on me but also a folder of *mia* DALMATION DAMES skins and *mia* DALMATION Ears & Tail. I was leary at first, still undecided on how I felt about the whole dog girl invasion.

Within minutes of finding the cute heart-shaped spotted skin and attaching my ears I IM'd her again...

JellyBean Madison: I was uncertain about the skins at first but jeepers I WANNA PET ME! I'm adorable! MiaSnow Myriam: hehe

I'm positive that I won't want to be a full-time dog girl but for now, I kinda like it. If you get a chance, def visit her store and check out her plethora of skins that she offers aside from the Dalmation Dames. Unique skins such as junkie, zombie hunter, drow, blue, purple, realistic, pale, red lips, bloody, scraped, bruised, & bright colors.

Psych!!

2008-08-04T15:53:00.004-01:00

Ha you thought we were gone, huh? Well, unfortunately for some who would wish "just end it. Don't let it drag on for weeks", it is... being dragged on.

Here's the thing. You know how time is condensed in SL?? Well here at MGs we've celebrated a long history of procrastination and questionable content. There were rules? 'kay.

I think it's unfortunate, but I blame myself for putting an end date on it. I'm still giving folks a chance to say their piece/peace, wtfever. And that includes myself. Hope you can all cope with that.

And as for professionalism, or communication, how's about an IM in response? Hmmm? One little one maybe? Apparently that's asking too much. And as for time? Two weeks was sufficient enough to come up with an Oh Snap for the shoe expo... how could coming up with a goodbye take all that much longer?

Beefcake: Catero Revolution (Regurgitated a.k.a. Hairball)

2008-08-02T12:26:00.000-01:00

Apparently when the beefcake in question is Canadian (or French or British) you can expect them to teach you the proper spelling of certain words. That or they just have a never-ending love of the letter U. As is the case with Catero Revolution.

Difficult, as I imagine all good talent is, he was not very forthcoming. I think he was hiding behind a false modest image when he sent me back his answers entitled '/me is not beefcake-worthy'. In addition, Phoenix was kind enough to fork over a couple more pics because Cat was miserly and only sent one. But he was more than generous with words, so we forgive him :)

The man, the myth, the legend... Catero Revolution...

*Favorite Color:
I can't pick just one. My favourite COLOURS are blue and black.

*SL Rezzday:
11/13/2006

*Favorite animal and why?
I love monkeys because they are very comical (though sometimes mean to each other).

I'm not trying to be philosophical with my response, AT ALL.

They throw poo at each other when mad, trade bananas and other fruit for sexual favours, swing from trees, make amusing noises and funny faces, and tease each other - and tons of other entertaining antics. When you go to the zoo, 9 times out of 10 the monkeys are having sex … and they aren't disturbed in the least that you're watching. Bonobos even greet each other with oral sex and dick fencing (can I say dick on your blog?). I mean, c'mon. You can't get any better than that. We can learn a lot from monkeys!

They kind of remind us of our lost selves – before we became civilized with our Stabucks venti frappucinos and low-rise-boot-cut-five pocket-signature stitched-zip fly jeans we used to fling feces, cat-call through the forest and have community-wide sex orgies.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
I took a couple things into consideration.

Realistic proportions. I didn't want my avatar to have an imposing "ent" height and I wanted the figure, overall, to be balanced - like the Vitruvian Man. Just an average build; he doesn't look like an over-muscled creatine fiend and he's not gaunt and underfed. You won't find Catero working out at the gym. He likes eating out, maybe engages in the occasional long walk around his neighbourhood. And likes drinking rum (hence the little paunch). Ordinary, general attractiveness.

Adaptability. As someone who comes from a mixed heritage it was important to me to have a shape that looked good with a variety of skins (and hairs) and was able to achieve a different ethnic/cultural look without too much tweaking.

Attire: As for how I dress my av, he tends to be casual - jeans and a tee. Relaxed and urban. I'm not sophisticated.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

The most embarrassing thing? I don't have many embarrassing. I'm goofy anyways, so, what's possibly embarrassing for others is just every day for me. I hope that's not disappointing to your readers.

*What's the last book you read?

The last book I read was called 'The Inheritance of Loss' - the second book of one of my favourite authors, Kiran Desai. It's set in 1980s India in a small village and focuses on an anti-social and curmudgeonly judge living out his mundane retirement. He lives with his orphaned grand-daughter and a cook – all of them undergoing highs and lows, struggling with their place in life, coming to terms with their pasts and who they are, who their society wants them to be and who they themselves want to be mixed in with all that. Death, loss, love - all common themes. Their lives are also disrupted by civil unrest in the midst of it. It has it's funny moments. But is really insightful as well. Desai has a way of holistically developing her characters.

I would encourage everyone to read her first book, 'Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard'. Totally hilarious.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

I am a film-o-phile. I love movies and there's no way I could pick just one.

If you allow a short list, I can say: 300, A Christmas Story, Dead Presidents, The Fifth Element, Fire in the Sky, Hellboy, Monsoon Wedding, Muriel's Wedding, O Brother Where Art Thou, Rushmore, Signs, Sin City, The Birds, The Color Purple, The Dark Knight, The Matrix (only the first one), The Pursuit of Happyness, The Rundown, The Shining, The Truman Show, Trading Places ... to name a few. There's many more.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank).

Was stupid. Hands down. No negotiating.

*If you could trade SLives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

I don't think I'd trade places with anyone - as much as I admire certain individuals and what they do in-world. And that's my final answer.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in SL?

Naming names would just be limiting myself. I'd just like to collab with encouraging/supportive/chill people in further developing opportunities to continue writing and project consultation. Product development and avatar styling. I've worked on a few projects of that nature in the past, and it was fun.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

My favourite thing to do in SL used to be running around in my underwear. Now, its spending time with friends and writing (although, my writing has kind of fallen off as of late).

And oooh he has stipulations:

Catero Revolution: I am not going to look all oil-slicked and fabio-esque like some of your beefcakes
Rosie Shark frowns
Rosie Shark: pffft
Rosie Shark: notice they went downhill when jelly started picking them :P
Catero Revolution: HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Beefcake: Broder Kubrick (Regurgitated)

2008-07-31T16:22:00.000-01:00

I have to say that the Beefcake questions have not changed much since we started asking them, and frankly... we know they are dumb :P I guess that's the point. Some of our beef was kind enough to point out the dumbness too and for that, we thank you, as always :) Sexy and Helpful!

Like... Broder

*Favorite Color:
Black, Grey. And Brown :3

*SL Rezzday:
21/1/2007

*Favorite animal and why?
Pornstars.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
Not a 7'4 meathead. Something unique and charming.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?
That'd be telling ;]

*What's the last book you read?
The emergency instruction pamphlet on my recent flight home.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?
Death Proof

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)
Had tentacles...?

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?
I wouldn't want to, they'd probably just mess with mine :P

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?
Tonktastic. For sure.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?
Build and act like a nuisance.

Beefcake: Ben Vanguard (Regurgitated)

2008-07-31T05:58:00.000-01:00

Some of these recalled beefcakes were never given the opportunity to introduce themselves properly with a meat n' greet, but we're trying to rectify that now! Haha! I was wondering why they're names didn't just pop up when I started typing labels... well it's cuz they were only sidebarred before!

Here in all his SL Men glory... Ben Vanguard... we proclaim him "Geek for a Day"!

*Favorite Color:
Orange, and black, and white, and purple. Oh, wait! Red too!

*SL Rezzday:
10.18.2006 I'm not so old, but I feel old sometimes.

*Favorite animal and why?
Minks. For the contrast between their brutality and aggressiveness, and the softness of their fur.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
Keep human proportions -- fantasy ones, but still human. Then I tried to work my shape to fit male clothing's textures without stretching (or shrinking) them too much, to show the best that I can on my blog (slmen.com) the wonderful content that designers offer us!

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?
Well, nothing I could remember!

*What's the last book you read?
I read many books at the same time, jumping from one to another. For now, I have: "The French Revolution, a very short introduction," in English, to improve my language skills (god knows i need it!), and because a dear friend asked my advice for such a book, "Okinawa" a book about the healthy diet that inhabitants of a Japanese island have followed for centuries, full of recipes (I love to cook), and "Funky Business" by two Swedish management gurus, explaining why "human" has to be placed at the center of every business in order to have success ;-)

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?
"The Unbelievable Truth" by Hal Hartley; "Psycho" by, well, you know; and the whole filmography of François Truffaut.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)
opens his mouth just to show what a smartass he is!

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?
A great builder! One who can create a whole universe with terraforming tools, prims and textures. I admire them so much, and I wish I had more sltime to actually learn to build, I mean it! Oh, I'm blown away by scripters as well. I'm such a non-geek. I would like to be a geek for a day!

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?
With anyone on any project for which I have a passion. I love team work! What is funny is I'm more of a loner in SL than in real life!

*Favorite thing to do in SL?
Chatting with my friends, I'm still in SL for them. Running my blog, which is more than time consuming but still cool after all this time!

So we meet again, Grasshoppa!

2008-07-30T21:10:00.000-01:00

Feels weird being back here on MGG2SL after almost a 6 month hiatus... but nevertheless I'm back betches - well, for the final week.

When Rosie & I gave birth to this dirty little bastard we had high hopes, expectations, ideas and dreams. Awww that *almost* sounds sugar coated. Hah! Little did we know that we'd have the cult-like following that we did in a year's time.

I can still remmy the first time I walked into a store, shopped and was almost instantly IM'd by the creator, "Don't be Mean Girling my shit!" Even now that tickles me. I honestly don't think I've ever come off as threatening, okay, mayhaps that ONE time. Geez!

In this post I was going to talk about what a bitch Rosie is or how big of a whore Laylah is, or even how Kitty is all about self-twat promotion... but decided why? Ya'll know this already, right?

I stopped writing for MGG2SL back in February sometime, I think. Mostly because my SL sweetheart & I became a RL couple (it's time consuming) and I pretty much thought I'd covered everything that needed to be said - But in case ya'll missed it, let me recap:

The definition and usage of "spoon carrying"
Secrets of a Mantourage
How to Spot a Slut - An Oh Snap original
Dufflebagging - Enough said!
SL Cliques - Stop hatin'
Fashion Feed Over-Saturation - Please Say it Ain't So, Fashion Puppeteering and a sweet Letter to Fashion Bloggers
The ever so controversial Quadgate 07'
Truth Hawks - gah!
The popularity contest known as 12 Avatars
Oh yes and Brutality in Lemmings, Starfuckers, or Attention Whores?
Peeping Toms & Stalkers - Where do people get off?
EX PhileZ - Letting Go & Moving On -
How to use the X Button in The X Button and You!
Not so Stellar Reviews - Clothes, Hair, and Capt Obvious moments
PRIM CHILDREN! FTW! Congrats!
Do's and of course... Don'ts - Part 2 even and the Thong song, really?
Wooage 101 - How do you snare a male? Wooage 101- How do you get to tap that ass?
Where Are They No w?

Whew! If you had done your homework, those wouldn't be new to you. Though it's always good to take a refresher course anyways. That's just my contribution. Orchid took on caLLie cLine with Advertising Diarrhea among other posts. Laylah did her whoring while posting Oh Snaps & other worthwhile reads. Rosie kept us all together & took on the role of therapist with Dear Rosie's. There has been many mean girls that have graced this blog over the past year and each bringing their own bit of zest. I am happy to have had the opportunity to call them my friends, even though really they are quite the bitches.

Though we are saying good-bye to MGG2SL this week - I'm glad to say I was a part of it and I hope to see new blogs that aren't afraid to be honest, don't always sugar-coat and say what everyone is thinkin anyways arise from our ashes. Cheers!

Beefcake: Jonny Dusk (Regurgitated)

2008-07-29T03:07:00.000-01:00

Meangirls has been one of those blogs that was very much if it was your idea, then you were responsible for it :P It's with that philosophy in mind that I became somewhat of a Beefcake Wrangler, constantly looking for beefworthy pixels in order to appease the hungry mases ( I Joke!).

At times, Beefcake was the only thing that kept this blog having current posts, haha, we know! I wanted to re-introduce some of our favorites of all time so I'll be posting 1-2 of these a day! Spamming the Fashion Feed with Beefcake! I know! Just try to think of these as tasty lil meat commercials to break up the monotony of fabulous fashun :D

Without further adieu, I present to you Jonny Dusk ~Regurgitated~

*Favorite Color:
- Black ~Khan~

*SL Rezzday:
- 09/29/2004

*Favorite animal and why?
- Kyon (Greek for dog). Dogs live in the present without anxiety, and have no use for the pretensions of abstract philosophy. In addition to these virtues, dogs are thought to know instinctively who is friend and who is foe. Unlike human beings who either dupe others or are duped, dogs will give an honest bark at the truth. - Diogenes of Sinope

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
- What I think looks cool

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?
- Huh?? Normaly oblivious enough to forego the whole embarrassment thing I guess?

*What's the last book you read?
- Currency Trading For Dummies

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?
- Anything with entertainment or educational value. Like?.. Scarface or Half-Baked. Movie fan so I'll watch stuff till my eyes bleed.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)
- asked me to fill in the blanks.

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?
- The ones you would think, of admiration and such, probably get the same hassles as I do, so probably one of the lowliest nooblets, to once again enjoy the wonder and amazement of discovery and what not, before reality of functionality sets in.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?
- Anyone of likemindedness and interest in creating kickassery (honestly there's too many hotass designers and scipters to name)

*Favorite thing to do in SL?
- Logoff?

ROFLMAO uhh ok, probably building stuff >:)P
Dog out ~1!

Jonny Dusk: lol aight I'll get you a better shot, yeah that's my civilized look, normally have some face wrap and a cage on my head roflmao

Pop Goes the Weezel

2008-07-28T09:36:00.000-01:00

Ok.. yeah I admit it.. Imma Mean Girl.. Always was and always will be. Come on People, we ALL have that streak in us somewhere, but its not the mean streak thats a problem, its how you use it. Some of us use it with finesse to enlighten others. Some use it to open the door for a well needed change. But there's those that use it for their own personal gain with no regard for anything or anyone outside their own twisted head So with that thought in mind I have decided to get a lil mean for enlightment purposes and expose those who abuse their meaness at the expense of others :P As a long time resident of SL I think I have enough experience in this area to warn fellow residents to this type of predator and my only hope is that these words can spare someone the agony of experiencing and dealing with them. First of all there are "real people" in here who are genuine and find places in our hearts..They are our True Friends and relationships we have with them are endless and boundless. We can talk about our RL's and share bad times as well as good times. Then there's those who use this place and the people in it for amusement at the expense of others. You WILL run into them and lets make sure you're well armed and can run them over when you do:P Let's analyse this a little deeper in case study form using a person we'll call Tiny Toon.. Tiny Toon is a desperate little man that honestly thinks he's all that and presents himself as such. He will start a convo with his usual charm making you feel like this is the 1st time he's ever done this. He may even tell you this IS the "1st time" hes met anyone as wonderful as you. He will take great pics of your avatar and make you feel like you are the sexiest and most desirable girl in here ( all the while hes doing this to 2 or 3 other chicks too.. and more prolly than not.. your good friends. ) He will play songs on his stream and say they remind him of you. Yes, Ladies the "woo'ing" is intense. In some weird way Tiny Toon has a hard time understanding friendships and the loyalties they possess. Valuing friendships seems to elude him and therefore he has no respect for any one else's friendship. He will use one friend against another, whispering half truths and his own point of view in your friends ears and when he does this to the gullible and lovelorn he succeeds and the result is the loss of a friend for YOU and a new victim for him. Tiny Toon lacks the maturity and masculinity to befriend another man, instead he finds fault in ALL men around him. He doesn't seem to have the emotional ego to share this place with other males. On the other hand Tiny Toon is VERY egotistical, when he's not telling you how sexy and beautiful you are, he's telling you how talented and wonderful he is. He sorta fills the whole conversation with his thoughts, words and opinions. He also hates hearing about your RL, especially the happy parts.. If you mention the nice dinner you had with your rl hubby or boyfriend you are accused of being insensitive to his feelings and asked not to do that again. Tiny Toon will however pass you notecards from other women he's currently flirting with in here as "proof" of how lucky you are that he's with you. In the beginning you are in awe of his prowess and intellect but after a while you open your eyes and start thinking "Am I ever right? Do I have any worthwhile thoughts? Why am I feeling hostility towards my friends? and Why cant I talk about my RL?:( This is when the problem starts. This is when you realize that the world he's created for the both of you is only meeting his needs. For a while you try and find what went wrong and you're told it's all your fault cause your not understanding or you take things out of context. In the beginning you 2nd guess yourself and even walk on eggshells around him, trying to be perfect so he will tell you those sweet, romantic things he used to tell you. What you havent realized or dont want to realize is ..He IS saying them.. only to someone else LOL. So Girls Arm Yourself before he strikes.. He moves from friend to friend like locust,, bad-mouthing everyone who even gets an inkling to his true motives. Stay close to your real friends.. Never let a piece of pixel cock come between you and them. I know SL is a playground for this preditor but the more people that are educated and aware of him the better off we all are.. This is PetMe signing off and remember.. Never be afraid to say whats on your mind.. even if its Mean :P. Those who love you won't be suprised and the rest.. well they'll get over it eventually :P

>>-PetMe->

The Final Days

2008-07-28T04:13:00.000-01:00

So, after staying wayyyyy too long at the party, it's time to wrap this blog up MG-style and move on and out. It's been a long time since the first blog post on MGG2SL. Since then we've had our ups and downs, seen people come and go. Blah Blah Blah... there will be plenty of time to wax emo at the end of the week :D

So, stay tuned this week for some great posts, insights, and best ofs from the gang at MGG2SL... We've got alot planned! But you never know, at the very least it will be a slew of tasty pixels as we roundup the best of beefcake. Just like it always was, right? Beefcakes + polls!

Buckle up tight and enjoy!

Oh Snap! The Shoe Expo Edition

2008-07-19T15:43:00.000-01:00

Okay most of you by now (ESPECIALLY if you're female) have heard that there's this little thing called the SL Shoe Expo going on right now. If you haven't been there... GO!!!!! If you've already been or want to go later, stick around and read.

The event was put together by Phoenix Chapman (whom we actually ran into while we were there) and it's for an extremely good cause. It's also a great chance for bigger brands and smaller brands alike to interact and get noticed by patrons. I know we ran into a bunch that we'd never heard of so it was great to see all the incredible talent.

On the other hand, we also saw some things that should probably have been left in the respective designer's inventories. If I put all of them into this post it would take up 3 pages, so Kaedy and I managed to narrow it down to the weirdest of the weird.

The Whole Frikkin Store?

Guen: We get it, you're proud of your work. But at an Expo you only put up a small selection of your stuff for us to see. If folks like the selection you show off there, they'll be more curious to browse your things at your main store. No point in clicking on the landmark tack in the middle 'cause all the product is RIGHT HERE.

Rainbow Garden Weasel

Kaedy: "Guen! C’mere! You have got to see these! LMAO!" Footwear Fashion meets the Garden Weasel. All I can say is I have got to get me a pair of these! These will make my job of planting my spring bulbs 1000% easier.

Stolen from Grandma's Closet

Kaedy: Over the hills and through the woods, to grandmother's house we go. Yes that’s right... the latest in fashion footwear! Quilts on your feet! For those of you interested in recycling, here is a great at home craft project for you. Just cover those old worn out stilettos with your grammies old quilt, throw on some plastic jewels and you're ready to go. Go to what? I haven’t got a friggin clue. All I do know is that I wouldn't be caught dead there, and since I’m already dead...

Um... Where's the Shoes?

Guen: Okay... the booth itself is great showing off beautiful landscaping (most of it by Botanical) but... where's the product??? You may have to squint and hold your tongue just right to look, but there -is- actually 2 sets of boots in there. I'd suggest next time not using your entire prim limit on presentation.

New Level of Blingtard

Kaedy: As if bling wasn't bad enough, what would have been a really nice pair of sculpty pumps has been ruined by the addition of a "sparking particle" emitter! Not Sparkle.. Sparking! OMG every bimbo in SL is going to be wearing these. We’re going to need a new gesture...

Guen: The photo doesn't do this pair justice. You just have to see them for yourself. Yes they really do sparkle... a lot. Bling is annoying. Particles are annoying. Put the two together on a pearlesque pump and you got... SUPER ANNOYING.

Kitteh Wedges

Guen: Okay I understand these were made solely to give proceeds to the ASPCA charity, but I have the suspicion that if these weren't for charity they'd never be purchased. I'm sorry but this is a whole new level of FUGLY. Making them Transfer Only is ironic, since after buying them you'll be trying like hell to give them away.

Kaedy: And what better way to support the ASPCA than to stuff your foot up some poor unsuspecting cat's ass. Poor kitty.

I will say that these examples are only a small portion of the shoes you'll find at the Expo. Many more designers have brought incredible footwear to this event that's worthy of being purchased. I know Kaedy, Rosie B and I are much lighter on Lindens after going to this thing (and we're all probably going back for a second trip) so please do check it out!

An MG Blawg Post Series. Views on fashion, faces, and unfortunates combined into one general consensus.

If you see something you'd like us to Oh Snap! Please send the pic(s) with full perms to Guenevere DeCuir or Kaedy Ferraris in world.

No Kaedy... you can't take the big shiny shoe home with you...

The Internet Badass

2008-07-17T05:01:00.001-01:00

You know what, I might be new around here, but I am not new to the intarwebs. I'm not new to virtual communities of all types, and I'm not new to the very old idea of the internet badass.

Since we've got a couple that lurk around here leaving superduper intellectually stimulating comments as "anonymous" because their secret internet celebrity identities are TOP SECRET, I thought I'd make a comment of my own.

The funny thing is, since I am a contributor here I get to have my comment on the front page, and since I'm not a chickenshit, I won't sign mine "anonymous."

The opinion of someone who needs to troll along to a blog and post a comment without an identifier of who they are, virtually or realistically, matters to me about as much as whether or not my neighbor's dog has a pimple on its ass.

The problem with the unfortunates who delude themselves into a position of superiority from the comfort of their adjustable desk chair and 19" monitor, is they think everyone else is going to think they are SO. COOL. AND. SMART. AND. ULTRA. HOT. AND. AWESOME.

Not really.

Only about as relevant as a pimple on a dog's ass.

Now then, on with the highly intellectual discussion! Be sure to bring up the nazis, whether or not I misspelled something, critiques on my use of punctuation, short sentences (for emphasis), degrade me, belittle me, and throw in something completely unrelated but derrogatory and fictional about me in order to further discredit me.

So mote it be!

PS: If you're an internet badass in SL this probably applies to you, too. Hugs and kisses.

SL Lunchtime Poll Results: Flickr

2008-07-15T12:40:00.000-01:00

You find the weirdest stuff at Yard Sales

2008-07-08T00:11:00.000-01:00

I've been racking my brains for a couple of days now trying to think of something interesting and thought provoking to write about and while walking around a yard sale today it suddenly hit me. Well maybe actually I hit it. I walked head first into a fighter plane. Ok... nobody ever said I was graceful. Anyhoo.. it got me thinking, a dangerous proposition, not only can you find some really cool stuff, but there is some weird ass shit in yard sales.

The first yard sale I went to is AJ Industries Resale Outlet. This is a really cool, full sim yardsale where they buy items from people either individually or in lots and as the name says "resell" it. They have a lot of fantastic items at really great prices there, but also... some stuff that just makes you say "huh???" Here is a list of just a few that caught my eye.

Modern living room sofa and matching chair in chrome and the hottest pink I have ever seen in my life... The kind of pink that makes you see funny colors even after you look away. I'm dyin' to know what the designer was thinkin here.

A bedroom set complete with sex animation bed, blanket trunk, 5 drawer dresser and wall art all covered the aforementioned pink. But not just plain old pink, nuuuu. Friggin PINK BUNNY HEADS!!! This ensemble would make even Heff cringe. A word to the wise, a setup like this and you will be destined to be single forevah!

A totem pole. Ok if you don't have one of these, now is your chance.

Tons of baby furniture including a matching set of his and hers cribs and changing tables... Um, ok... first of all SL babies don't ummmm poopoo... so why the changing tables? Second of all, SL babies don't grow, so they couldn't have outgrown their beds. What happened to the kids? Inquiring minds wanna know. Did they crawl away from home or did Mom and Dad just lose interest now that they don't have that annoying tummy talker squalking to everyone within shouting distance "Hey Lookie Me! Im Preggers!"?

A Not So Fresh baked cherry pie! Who cares how long its been sitting around! Its pie for cryin out loud! Gimme a fork! What no forks??? Well there was a copper spatula sitting right next to it.. when you're in a pinch...

A Kitchen sink. Yes this place has so much stuff that they even have the kitchen sink

And finally... this is one I couldn't believe when I saw it. A bridge! Not a cute little oriental decoration type bridge, you know the ones with the rock garden and banzai trees... but a Sir Lancelot riding his horse over the moat big damn bridge! Just exactly does something like this end up in a yard sale??? And where the frig is the castle?

My second outing led me to Fehlzgud Shopping mall. A yard sale dedicated to SL designers. Some of the items here on the pricier side, but if you're looking for a unique piece of art for your house, its definitely a place to check out. There is some awesomely cool stuff here and some stuff that had me laughing so hard I nearly wet myself.

The first things I stumbled across were the largest grasshopper and scorpion I have ever seen in my life.. what you would do with these I dunno.. maybe hide one in your bed to scare the crap out of your significant other?

I also found a good old fashioned flying saucer type spaceship that you can actually ride in. Not to pricey, but I have no clue where to go flying saucer flying. Is there an SL club for that? And right next to it, a hot air balloon. Now I thought that looked like fun, just for bopping around my island in, but I'm sure my tenant who has a sky box at 600 feet wouldn't appreciate me hovering around outside his windows. O.O

And the strangest thing I found...

Yes this is a toilet with an aquarium in the tank. Complete with fish.

I nearly died when I saw this and thought it was so hilarious I had to show my hubby stupidly thinking he would think it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever seen.

It wasn't. He thought it was WAY COOL!?!?!?!

We now own a toilet with an aquarium in the tank... that will teach me.

Have some fun and check these yard sales out. You may find something your SL life just wouldn't be complete without!

AJ Industries: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Yard%20Sale/130/132/502
Fehlzgud Mall: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sammamish/243/111/148

SL Lunchtime Poll Results: SL5B

2008-07-07T23:00:00.001-01:00

Meat 'N Greet: Mopsa Soon

2008-07-07T01:02:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

green

*SL Rezzday:

12/7/06

*Favorite animal and why?

I've got a crazy fascination with birds of prey. (I know you said animal and I come back with bird. But its a cool bird.) The peregrine falcon is probably my favorite. They are travelers. Survivors. Wanderers. Powerful. Fast. Cunning. They mate for life and take care of their own. At all costs. That sort of resonates with me.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your Av?

I took into consideration that my friend Tara Tagore (of Melino Style) believed my (former) av looked like shit. She taunted me religiously until I let her give me a makeover. I took her creative direction a bit further. I wanted an edge. I didn't want to be your typical muscleheaded av. But I also didn't want to look like the sole survivor of the apocalypse. I hope I achieved that balance.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

I don't need anyone to embarrass myself, that's for sure. So I've never embarrassed myself FOR anyone. But when I was a (relative) n00b I did have an incident with a girl. I'd never used any prim attachments. This girl was taking her clothes off so I decided to join her and without realizing it I threw my junk on the floor. And then instead of picking it up, in my panic I turned it blue. There I stood, staring at her, nekkid with no parts and a blue peen on the floor. She logged.

Between that and the backflip I did the first time I was with my (current) partner, I've had (at least) a couple of shining moments.

*What's the last book you read?

A Wolf At The Table by Augusten Borroughs. It ripped me open. As a long-time fan of his stuff, I expected a completely different experience. But it was still brilliant.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

There are many. Probably Blade Runner.

*You could never date someone who___________

took herself or her av too seriously. Or didn't have a wicked sense of humor.

*If you could trade SLives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

no one. I am pretty happy with my slife. I mean maybe there's a builder or a rich perv-maker like the strokerz guy who out-do me in the accomplishments department. But my low-key, low drama, simple existence is full of great friends, fecking hilarious banter, music, laughter, and real connections. I'm not interested in trading.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in SL?

hmmm Probably my girlfriend Noirran Marx. I like the way her head works so much, she makes me feel more creative just by osmosis.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Hang with Noirran. She's pretty amazing. I'm a lucky kat.

Oh Snap! Don't People Ever Learn?

2008-06-30T21:58:00.000-01:00

Yus! A Mean Girl favorite is back! Despite various examples of what NOT to do with your Avatar in previous Oh Snaps! and other blogs such as SL Fashion Police, folks are still taking individuality to a level that is not what we call... tasteful.

Kaedy and I have a few opinions on these new additions to the Oh Snap! Hall of Shame... so sit up and listen so you know not to make the same mistakes.

The Skank

Guen: Yeah... I tend to find many of my photos at Sanctuary Rock, and this... thing is no exception. Not only does she have BOTH prim hair and system hair, but her body is sorely out of proportion. This is supposed to be sexy? For who? Big Bird? Her Group Tag saying 'Slut for Free' certainly didn't get her any offers from what I saw.

Kaedy: Even Skeletor has more meat on his bones than this... this... OMG what the F is it?

Business Suit Larry

Guen: Okay I know that new players have to get used to the sliders, but this guy decided to take a few of them a bit too far. He looks like Bill Clinton's long lost cousin... who never left Arkansas.

Kaedy: O.O
Holy Smokes!
1. Eyes to big
2. Suit to small. Showing your abs is a great thing but not if you're wearing a suit for crying out loud.
3. Shoes would be nice.
4. Throw in some socks too. They're free
5. And the hair... Hun too much dippidy doo is a bad thing.

The Tattooed Lady

Kaedy: OK... how do you even put something this horrific together, let alone say to yourself.. "oh yeah.. this is hot.. this works". Honey if you were going for the Fashion Don't of the year awards... well here ya go!

Guen: I -think- that's an outfit, but it looked to me like a giant tattoo covering her naughty bits. Shame on the designer for creating it, but shame on this gal for buying it and wearing it in public. O.O Oh and of course the blingy heels just add that extra zest of cheese, don't they?

Pinky Bling

Guen: Yeah I -think- she was going for 'cute but badass' with this look, but once you're blinded with the bling... it's no longer cute nor badass.

Kaedy: Ok.. exactly what direction is she going with this outfit? Rocker/Punk/Teeniebopper/Bratzdoll/Blingtard? ???

Twiggy II

Guen: Not only does this girl need about 10 Baconators, she needs to realize that this isn't Teen Second Life®. Anorexia is just as horrible a disease in SL® as it is in RL, apparently.

Kaedy: Turn her sideways, make her stick out her tongue and voila! A Zipper!

An MG Blawg Post Series. Views on fashion, faces, and unfortunates combined into one general consensus.

If you see something you'd like us to Oh Snap! Please send the pic(s) with full perms to Guenevere DeCuir or Kaedy Ferraris in world.

Meat 'N Greet: Kandr Newall

2008-06-29T13:54:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

Claret, especially my claret waistcoat.

*SL Rezzday:

11/24/2006

*Favorite animal and why?

Bear. Among some native peoples, Bear is a healer and a teacher. In the wild, a bear is often the master of his domain. Also, I like naps and honey. :-)

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your AV?

I mixed equal parts alter ego and macho fantasy. I created what I thought was a hot Master. I've since learned and grown a lot, and I would probably find my newbie self laughable.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

I do outlandish things all the time, and I'm seldom embarrassed. Maybe you'd like to know I bought a centaur avatar to fulfill a friend's fantasy?

*What's the last book you read?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 (Ain't that a TV show?)

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Serenity. Kaylee: "Been more'n a year since I had anything twixt my nethers didn't run on batteries!" Mal: "I don't want to hear that!" Jayne: "I could stand to hear a little more." I'm a cross between Jayne and Mal.

*You could never date someone who _____________

Someone who was too serious. I come here to relax and have fun, and sometimes I get too serious or stressed. Yikes! I need playmates who will laugh with me and laugh at me.

*If you could trade SLives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

The owner of an art gallery. I like browsing and buying original art here. Maybe someday I'll open a gallery. That's got to be a rush: discovering and publicizing fresh talent.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in SL?

A Master or Mistress who can teach me things I don't know. I don't want to plateau.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Hanging out with my circle of friends, when we're feeling both playful and naughty. Witty is sexy.

For god's sake, the numbers!

2008-06-26T11:48:00.000-01:00

Let's talk names. I'll keep this short.

I've always wondered about people who have numbers in their names. I mean, if their name is like John6 Smith or something, maybe that means they had a hard time getting the name they really wanted.

But what about, like, AOL IM chat names? SexxyGirl69 Somelastname. How many of those have I seen? Or you know, DarkWolf3789 Somelastname or something insane.

It's a name. PICK A NAME. Just choose a NAME. It doesn't have to have numbers in it. Make it a fun name! A cool name, a sexy name, SOME KIND OF NAME. But please, please do not use your IM or chatroom profile name with your date of birth or your zipcode or the last four digits of your phone number or whatever. Just pick a name.

I don't know, maybe it's just me. But when I'm in-world, I am suspending a little bit of reality. So as soon as someone shows up with a name filled with numbers, unless it's REALLY an excellent play on something-or-other, I suddenly start to feel like I'm sitting in a Yahoo chat room somewhere and halfway start to expect webcam requests.

What made me think of this?

I was at SL5B the other day hanging out at a DJ set of a friend of mine, and it ended up being an excellent place to peoplewatch. So beyond the folks with boob sliders at 100 and body fat at zero, the gal with the face/body light that BURNED WITH THE LIGHT OF A THOUSAND SUNS, and a blingtard or two, I also saw some names with numbers. One in particular sticks out, and I will change the name to protect the innocent, but I have friends who were with me who can back me up on how absurd this name truly was.

It was along the lines of:

SuperAwesomeJohnathan1991

That's right. It was that long. And it had numbers in it. A YEAR, to be precise. And multiple words. *facepalm*

I tried to imagine what it would be like to emote to SuperAwesomeJohnathan1991. Or if he just asks people to call him John. Or Awesome. Or Super.

"Hey, baby. You can just call me 1991. All my friends do."

Diversity, Part II

2008-06-24T21:58:00.001-01:00

I also have had some thought about Diversity in SL®, and since they're celebrating said subject this week for the 5th birthday dealio, I will slide in another few words on the matter.

This train of thought initially started many weeks before the events going on now. I came across a post from Chestnut Rau wondering why do many think that the only way to be recognized and accepted is to be a human avatar?

I know there's many many other Avatar types out there (robots, demons, furries, elves, transgenders, etc) because in truth the sky -is- the limit in this virtual world. I am not attempting to exclude any other avatars by any means. If we are meant to truly celebrate how diverse we are in both RL and SL®, then we have to recognize the creativity of everyone (yus even the Blingtards and 'Oh Snap!' candidates).

Still, I decided to ask 5 folks with their own unique outlook on avatars to see what they think:

Beatrix Noel: A purple fairy with a style that's as diverse as SL® itself
Rosie B: One of our favorite plus-sized ladies
Kaedy: A vampire who's more than just goth clothing and curves
Mirari Cheney: A Neko who will scratch ya as soon as smootch ya
Pangtera Nakamura: The ultimate anti-human

I first asked each of them their true influences for creating a unique Avatar:

Mirari: Mir as she is was a off shoot from a lyv tyler avi. I made her tall which I'm not lol better endowed than i am. So she is ... a fantasy? but then isnt that what SL is supposed to be?

Rosie B: When I logged in for the very first time to meet up with my best friend, I wasn't aware that there were standards. So, when I got to the spot on orientation island and they told me to customize it, I just ... went with whatever I felt like doing. Which was making her on the short and round side. It wasn't until I got TP'd into a busy club and people started commenting about my shape that I realized I had done something out of the ordinary.

Pangtera: My natural curiosity in physically being something that I couldn't in real life. Everywhere i go i see humans, and everyone expects others to be human, and it makes the SL® experience limiting in my opinion. It seems many are afraid to try new things.

So it comes down to seeing beyond the limits of a normal 'human' (and yus -I- think Liv Tyler is beyond human, k?) However... just because you are a cat, or dragon, or alien... does that mean you're not sexy? Who decides what is sexy and what isn't? Vogue? Cosmo? Nah. What about Second Life® fashion blogs like Second Style Fashionista or Linden Lifestyles? Does it really matter?

Mirari: sadly... I do think people put too much into looks here as in rl. People take themselves too seriously here sometimes.

Kaedy: Well some [vampire Av's] are definitely over the top about it.

Pangtera: I personally never bought avatars to feel sexy, but if others think it's sexy or not sexy, it's fine. A lot of people doll themselves up for others, but I dress up for me and only me.

Beatrix: I have to be honest and say I don't see myself as being that unusual. Obviously I am but I'm just me, I have the same shape from when I was wearing regular skin.

With all that being said, then sexy is merely a state of mind... and in the end we're all people behind the screens portraying our own personification of ourselves through our vast imaginations.

Finally, is there any advice to offer for those who wish to step outside the box?

Beatrix: Go for it! or if you are worried try something out. There are plenty of low cost options plus this is SL® and nothing is permanent. When I first started wearing purple skin people asked me why, and I said, "It makes me happy!" and my friend were cool with that.

Kaedy: I guess go with whatever makes you comfortable. After all is a game and the sky is the limit, so be whatever you want to be. But also remember that there are real people behind these avatars. Some people can be so rude just because they can hide behind their keyboards. It ruins it for everyone.

Rosie B: One good thing about SL® is, it's not permanent. But if you're going to pick a nonstandard avatar, and you think you want to be in one nonstandard avie style, own it. Really love it. Make it a part of you, whether it's an avenue for personal growth, or just a hell of a lot of fun, or because you like how you look, have some reason to really make it your own. That'll make your experience as rewarding as it can be. In a world where you can be anything you want to be, there's no reason why you should be something you aren't totally in love with. SL is what you make of it, whether you're "standard," "nonstandard," classic, unique. Just adore yourself.

And so... enjoy diversity whether you're a purple lover, zombie, or a shining ball of light, there's bound to be other folks out there who will accept you for who you really are...

Diversity, y'all.

2008-06-23T22:14:00.001-01:00

Diversity. You know, you'd figure that SL was a big enough place that we could all get around and get along, but sometimes that doesn't work out.

Does it in general? Sure.

Does it always? No.

Now, this time I'm not talking about me. Or, okay, I'm not talking about only me. I have been fortunate that through changing my perspective a little and changing my surroundings a little and just being more confident, I've seen fewer and fewer people who criticize my choice of avie.

But what about others?

I have furry friends who can't go some places, or show up places and get immediately banned. I have neko friends who get looked at funny depending on just how neko they are (ears and tails? That's okay, but you have a neko skin? Wow, you're HARDCORE!). Friends who, behind their avatars, are of different ethnic backgrounds who are inadvertently subjected to racial "jokes" and epithets by folks who assume that just because your avatar is young and white, you too are young and white.

What about the transgendered, the "shemale," or those who are one gender in RL but play another in SL? How about people who are one race in RL and play a completely different one in SL?

And don't even get me started on homophobia. Through Guen, On a friend's flickr stream the other day I actually saw a picture of an advertisement, in a store, of a T-shirt for the "sexually challenged," meaning those who were homosexual.

I don't know if I've seen or noticed it more than other people, because I used to get funny looks myself or because I had a hard time finding a spot to fit in the mesh of this world, but holy crap, people. What the hell with all the ignorance? What the hell with people who screech about avatars speaking languages other than their own (I assume many of them don't realize that a great many of the avatars who DO speak English are doing so as a courtesy to the rest of us, since it isn't their first language), who exclude others who in SL or in RL are different than they are, just because they think that's the safer thing to do.

What. The. Hell.

Even LL is getting in the act in its own way, and its own time, but many of you have already blogged about that or read about it so I won't beat the horse here.

I'm pretty much over it. I have a diverse, completely amazing SL family, made up of occasional-furs, nekos, white people, black people, tan people, purple people, faeries, puppies, kitties, tops, bottoms, gays, straights, bi's, transgenders, crossdressers, and one person who is occasionally a wedge of cheese.

So, if you're among the people who are the tolerant, thanks for enriching our experience. If you are among the intolerant, do us all a favor and pull your head squarely out of your ass.

THAT BEING SAID, it's diversity week at Lounge of Dreams, and all of you are invited to come hang out with us no matter what you look like, sound like, feel like, in RL, in SL. We're restricted by LL to adult avatars only, but for everything else, anything goes.

I swear, instead of Diversity Week we should have Kick Someone Intolerant In The Teeth week.

Is that counterproductive?

OMG I'm A Mean Girl!!!

2008-06-21T15:20:00.000-01:00

What can I say? I am so incredibly honored to be asked to join the ranks of the Mean Girls! I just hope I can live up to the name :)

So I'll tell you a little about my evil, wicked mean and nasty self and how I came to be...

I drag my sorry carcass out of bed one morning and decide I want to be a cartoon vampire….Hmmmm… no I don’t think that’s how it happened. Well the dragging my sorry carcass part is probably accurate as that is a common daily event, but actually I’m not quite sure how I got here. I do seem to remember it involved my hubby saying something like “hey check this out” which usually involves trouble, or money, or both. And true to form… it did.

I was such a sweet and innocent noob. I know I know... me??? Sweet and innocent? Trust me, it only lasted about a week. Prim skirts and blue hair just aren’t my thing, but being a vampire??? Well it started off as a joke. See hubby is going to school to be a blood sucking lawyer and we decided to play the part. Little did I know it would stick. I’ve been a member of the legions of undead for just under a year now, and prim skirts are a thing of the past. Now I have a wardrobe that would turn any Hollywood Boulevard Ho green with envy. Amazing what you can wear when gravity isn’t an issue. Not to mention the fact that I don’t have to breathe being dead and all. And thank god for SPF 5000 sunblock.

So here I am living out my wildest fantasies via my computer. When you say it out loud it doesn’t sound so bad. Riiiight? Who would have thought my wildest fantasies would be to own my own island with tier fees that rival my RL house payment? I have a huge house that never requires cleaning, god I need one of these in RL, I never gain a pound, and bad hair days are a thing of the past. Unless you consider not being able to attach it a bad thing. And now that my rear end has recovered from repeatedly having my shoes take up residence there, it really couldn’t be better!

So effective immediately I’m canceling my subscription to RL and moving in to SL permanently. I wonder if I can bring my dog?

Holy crap! Another Rosie?

2008-06-18T16:29:00.001-01:00

My name is Rosie, and I'm a big ol' meanie!

Okay, not really.

Well, maybe.

I've been sharing my thoughts and opinions on SL, good and bad, for about a year now. During that time, I've been quite the fan of the MGSL blog.

So imagine my surprise when I was asked to c'mon over and hang a shingle?

Woohoo!

I guess they figured since I'm pretty good at giving out my opinion whether or not it's being asked for, I'd fit in just fine. That and, just between you and me -- Rosie Shark and I have founded the Highly Extra Super Supreme Society Of Rosies, and we are launching our plan for world domination. It was only natural that the blog be used as a method of promoting the benefits of our regime, in which we will rule with blatant disarray.

Be good to the Rosies, and you will be assured a comfortable spot in the New Rosie Order.

... wait, was that my outside voice?

Look out MGSL, here I come!

Club Etiquette: The DJ

2008-06-17T00:10:00.000-01:00

Ah yes we've reached the 3rd and final installment in the MGG2SL chronicles for Club Etiquette. Now we shall sit and explain in further detail what the DJ does for club on Second Life®.

For this article, it was very difficult to pick just ONE DJ to consult since as an SL® DJ myself I know quite a few. I decided to ask Rosie Barthlemess, the DJ Manager of Lounge of Dreams since she's been as much of an influence on me as I have upon her.

So let's talk DJing...

The first, and most obvious job for any DJ is to play live music for a location. To play that music you need 4 basic items:

1) Music
2) Microphone
3) Digital Player
4) Stream

Music is the easy part since most aspiring DJs already have a decent library to start with. As far as getting new songs? Most folks use Limewire since it's fast and has a very broad network, though you don't have to be limited to using that. Also, be willing to expand your musical genres. Rosie suggests, "There's a lot to be said for versatility. I think it will open some doors for you as a DJ if you're able to accommodate not only the venue in which you're playing, but the varied tastes of a crowd if you're somewhere with no specific format. And, by paying attention to different genres -- even if they aren't your favorite kind of music -- you can increase your knowledge of those other genres, and sort of keep track of what's popular." You should also have your download program open during your sets if possible so that you can get patrons' requests played as quickly as possible.

Quick requests = better tips

Oh and before I move onto the next topic...

BACK UP YOUR MUSIC!!! I've seen too many DJs who've had their hard drives crash and their hard earned libraries deleted. I hate to be a hardass about this, but you don't back up your music then you're just asking for trouble.

A microphone is also a must since you have to talk to your audience. You don't have to spend a fortune on one, however. A decent $15-30 mic should do fine as long as your voice is crystal clear when you talk. Most lower priced gaming headsets are perfect for this... and if you already are using Voice Chat, then you have a double benefit.

Now here comes the tough one... the music player. Unless you plan to be serious about it... there's no reason spend a bunch of money on a digital player, right? If you want to just 'try it out' and deal with the basics, then Winamp is your bag. In fact some DJs still use Winamp because it's just much easier to manage. If you do want to take the next step, you can download SAM (Spacial Audio MediaCast) which has many more options to make your DJ show unique. You can download a free copy to try out and tweak, but Spacial Audio did the sneaky thing of throwing in an automated voiceover every 5 minutes that "reminds" you buy the full version.. and yes it -can- be heard by everyone else hearing your stream. You're better off paying for it in the long run or *cough*finding a crack code*cough* to use instead. Be warned, though... there's a BIG difference between SAM Broadcaster... and SAM Party DJ. Learn more about SAM here.

Finally... you gotta have a stream to play your stuff on, right? Now in -most- cases a club will provide a stream for the DJ already. In some rare occasions (like for store openings or private parties) the DJ will have to provide his or her own. Which is the best? Well most folks I know use SHOUTcast, but there's dozens of stream providers out there to choose from. Prices and payment plans vary, but do shop around and look for things like bandwidth and internet security. If you plan to DJ for established clubs, then you probably don't have to worry about getting your own stream. If you're a more freelance DJ, then mentioning that you have your own stream will be a big boost to getting you gigs.

Now beyond those four things, there is some other details you should keep in mind.

Just like with Hosting and Dancing, NEVER beg for tips. You can kindly remind folks where your tipjar is ('cause tipjars on SL® can be anything from teddy bears to coffins & so often patrons get confused) "...but as soon as people feel like they're being pressured for their money, they'll leave. I think begging for tips is unbecoming, definitely," sez Rosie.

Last but certainly not least, you need to learn how to feel the crowd. Rosie suggests on the topic of how often to speak on the microphone, "...if you ask five DJs, you'll get five different answers. I vary, anywhere between every 3-5 songs, to once an hour, to every 30 minutes or so. I really find it depends on the crowd, how many 'announcements' you have to make, things like that. If I'm with a group of 3-5 people and I've just spoken on the mic, and then suddenly 10 people come in, I might break back in after one or two songs just to introduce myself and offer requests, if I don't do it in chat. But, if it's a core group of people and the dynamic of the group hasn't changed much, I won't talk as much. But I think talking on the mic adds a personal element, and I think letting people know you're live and paying attention to what they want is a benefit." Also don't forget that dressing up for the event you're DJing at shows that you care not only about the club and all the other staff members' hard work, but also helps the patrons get a better idea what the event is. After the host and the dancers, they look to YOU for information from how you look to how to talk on the microphone.

Okay this ended up being the longest of the three posts, but in truth there's a LOT to DJing that goes on behind the scenes which makes it just as tough as Hosting and Dancing. I give a great deal of thanks to Rosie B for her input and hope that this 3-part series has given you all a bigger view of what club employees on Second Life® do to keep YOU entertained.

Club Etiquette: The Dancer

2008-05-26T23:41:00.000-01:00

Finally, my post about club dancers and what role they have in the the SL® world. To start with, you must remember that there are two distinct types of dancer: Erotic and Non-Erotic. I decided to interview one of each so that you all have a better idea of the differences and similarities. I also decided to interview two MALE dancers since they have a unique perspective on the subject matter.

Let me introduce you to Camthan Hax (Owner and Erotic Dancer at Lounge of Dreams) and Damian Furse (Non-Erotic Dancer at Sanctuary Rock). Yup I have 2 consecutive posts about Damian and I'm sure he's gonna have a swelled head after reading these. ;-)

Anyways, the first thing to address is what exactly a Dancer does in both erotic and non-erotic environments. The most common duties include making sure people are having fun, welcoming all guests who wander into the club, and of course acting as 'eye candy' for all guests who stay for the course of the event. Having an attractive Avatar certainly helps, but don't think you have to be a human Avatar to accomplish this. There's a lot of Neko, Furry, and other types of Avatars that make wonderful dancers. Damian said, "Anyone has his place and especially in SL and a rock club... its all about the music and the fun... anything else would be racism."

Now, besides the obvious factor that Erotic dancers eventually end up naked and Non-Erotic do not, there is one other distinct difference between the two. At Erotic clubs, the Host is support for the Dancers while at Non-Erotic the Dancer is support for the Host. This doesn't make Non-Erotic dancers any less important, mind you. The more on-duty staff that greet and making guests feel welcome the better. "Notice your guests, notice your colleagues, and read the atmosphere," Damian suggests.

Erotic dancers also have to perfect the art of emoting. Camthan suggests, "The main thing to remember is that you are there for the guest, they are not there for you. You need to treat everyone the same, and they will treat you good. Anyone can get a nice looking Av, but interaction is the key. Dancing is not camping. Someone tips you $5L and you treat them good, they will be more inclined to buy more money to spend on you, and it'll be more than $5L." Don't beg for tips and don't make your emote something like 10 lines long, either. You're trying to please the guests, not annoy them.

Many non-dancers still think that being a dancer is one of the easiest jobs to do in SL®. Far from it. Not only do you have to make sure that you're not just standing there, but you also have to keep track of all the current guests, welcoming all new guests, answer any questions about the club, and also be on your toes to respond when a guest tips you. Erotic dancers add on knowing what pieces of clothes to take off at certain times and attaching "parts" properly. In reality it's one of the most difficult jobs in SL® to do and do well.

The last part of my interview with both Damian & Camthan, I asked them if they could suggest things an aspiring dancer should purchase. They both suggest investing in a good shape, skin, and a selection of clothing to wear for event themes. The first two are critical while the last you can build up over time. You should also eventually purchase a good Chim to put dances in. You can start with the provided dance machines, cages, and poles the club already provides but buying a Chim from Owenimations and dances from places like Sine Wave or Animazoo so that you have a more distinctive overall 'look'. Finally, Camthan says, "If you're going to get nude, you need to get a real penis from Dark Delights, or a Lotus penis. Xcite won't do for dancing."

So I hope this gives all guests of clubs, dancers, and aspiring dancers a more in-depth perspective on club dancers and their purpose in both Non-Erotic and Erotic environments. Thank you to Damian & Camthan as well for offering their insight.

Next Club Etiquette... DJs

Meat 'N Greet: Damian Furse

2008-05-26T21:12:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

To surprise you it's bordeaux-red and black ;) I like also combinations of black and purple, black and green or black and red.

*SL Rezzday:

2/13/07 and it was a sunny day... oh wait, here it's always sunny, hm.

*Favorite animal and why?

Cats. Simply animals with character. A phrase explains it very well... "Cats are the only animals, where human giving everything for it like food and toys, but don't expect anything in return and don't mind".

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your Av?

Hm, I actually had some "cool" guys in mind as I created my Avi. Peter Steele and Danny Filth, but sshhh ;P

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

Nothing that could hurt anybody. Only stuff that was funny and more embarrassing for me, like showing up as a girl with chesthair and beard on a birthday party ;)

** BTW Guen has pics of that. ;-) **

*What's the last book you read?

Ugh, thats a while back, I used to read much but had not enough time the last year. It was "Eragon" (both parts) and "Der Schwarm" (the school).

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Oh a couple like: The Blues Brothers, The Big Lebowsky, Monty Python Movies (too much to name all), and some more...

*You could never date someone who...

is not a redheaded, hotblooded girl with a tongue sharp as razors. ;P

*If you could trade SLives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

I guess a n00b. Sometimes it's nice to think back how we all started here and don't forget that "we all" had to start here as n00bs.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in SL?

Thats a hard question. Never really thought about that sorry.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Being there for my wife and friends and of course designing tattoos. All that is for what SL should be: Fun ;)

Got Nerd?

2008-05-07T22:28:00.000-01:00

Remember 733t sp34k? Well folks have gotten completely past that and now moved into nerd tech speak (or 'Nerdic' as it's not being called) and actually considered it as an official language. Finally after decades of wedgies and 'kick me' signs, us nerds no longer need a series of bad movies to prove that we have worth!!!

Who woulda thought 5 years ago that terms such as 'Google', 'MySpace', 'Blog' 'YouTube' would become so ingrained into our very social make-up? At this point if you haven't heard any of these terms before, you are totally living under a rock... in a mirror dimension...

It'll only be a matter of time before other tidbits of our linguistic lexicon become ingrained into everyone's Nerdic vocabulary. But... the question is, what should the New Oxford dictionary consider next?

LOLspeak

A growing phenomenon (especially on Second Life®) started by the internet phenomenon of LOLcats.

Admit it... fluffy animals in silly poses are like crack. Not to mention the implement of such phrases as as 'Yus!' and 'I haz it' that have become staple phrases on SL®. This will no doubt continue to spread across our screens and suck more into its whimsical cuteness. You will be assimilated! Come on... you know you want to.

Jive

Cab Calloway made it into an art form with his songs... and you gotta admit that watching June Cleaver talking Jive is one of the most hilarious moments in film history. Here's a dictionary if you're not up on your jivin' lingo. Be sho' man t'check it out! Right on!

Swedish Chef

Okay you're probably like 'that's a dialect?' Apparently this Muppet lingo is on some video games (I personally found the language option on Guild Wars). If ya wanna sound drunk on purpose, this is the one to use. BORK!

Jellyisms

Oh yes, the Jelly has her own language to spread to the masses! Who hasn't heard the words, 'kkthnxbai' or 'Mayhapsibly' and not thought of the Pink Wonder? Even though she is not around SL as she once was, many of us have been touched by her catchphrases and all around spunky attitude. Before too long we all caught ourselves saying 'I know, right?' among other goodies. It's easy to say that she's definitely left her mark.

Know other ignored dialects? Tell us so we can confuse multitudes of folks who are not 'in the know'. ;-)

Meat 'N Greet: Winter Jefferson

2008-05-06T18:57:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

White. The absence of all colour, the prism bereft of light, the symbol of death. The very essence of Winter. Not something I wear that often, however - the bloodstains are hard to remove.

*SL Rezzday:

1/12/2008. Don't let the recent date fool you, this isn't my first incarnation on the Grid.

*Favorite animal and why?

I'll risk the wrath of my Bat familiars, and go with Lemurs. Orange eyes, black and white stripes. Style itself, wrapped up in a fluffy blanket. What's not to love?

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?
I studiously avoided the steroid jock 100% slider approach. I'm built for speed and stealth, not brute power. I like to be able to harken back to the year of my Turning, 1787 - and yet still able to work it 21st century style.

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

As a doe eyed, innocent newbie I was dragged out of a club by a girl celebrating her 30th birthday, and had my throat cut in a sacrificial ceremony to appease the Dark Linden Gods in the hope they would reduce lag. It doesn't appear to have kicked in yet.

*What's the last book you read?
"Dr Neruda's Cure For Evil" by Rafael Yglesias. A fascinating psychiatric drama. No, really.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Donnie Darko. The melancholy music, the bleak outlook and the evil 6 foot bunny rabbit haunt my dreams. And The Little Mermaid, for the same reason.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

Doesn't swal - *cough* I mean, know how to laugh at themselves. Not at me though - I'd have to kill her.

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

June Dion. I'd run around and double the prices on all the Bare Rose goodness, as she certainly deserves it. But then I would have to find a way to slobber all over myself in hero worship. Hmmm....

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

Leatherchest Cortes. A friend of mine who is on the point of opening a live comedy club - LMAO - here in SL. With all of your favourite real life comedians converted to pixellated form.

You can make that cheque out to cash, Taz

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Meet people, charm them, change their lives, and then disappear into the night, leaving no trace... except for the odd discarded Juicyfruit wrapper.

GEORGEH!!!!

2008-04-23T08:56:00.000-01:00

As you may or may not know, today is St. George's Day, St George being dragon slaying, holy helping, all round good egg. He is the patron saint of pretty much everywhere you care to go and is loved by all. He was also incredibly clever to not only create a clever red on white cross for the english to use as a flag, but also to die on our national day! Nice one Georgeh!

Unlike the green madness of a month ago, when every other post on the fashion feed contained something green, leprechauny or guiness. St Georges day is quietly ignored, briefly nodded at before everyone goes back to their daily business. It wasn't always like this though.

Back in the good old 15th century, St. George's day was the best excuse to have a piss up since Free Whore day, but these days celebrating the old lizard killer is a VERY BAD THING! Apparently times have changed. Back in the day when the smartly dressed troops marched along under the flag wearing their very nicest sunday armour, quaffing tea and trying not to get scone crumbs in their chainmail. But in these stereotypical times you're likely to find it painted on the face of the angry man rearranging your facial features with a cricket bat. And that's the problem.

English pride is now english desperation, a country that not only lost its empire but has had most of its achievements undermined by other bigger countries who steal its lunch money and call it names. I'm english, I'm quite cheerful about the fact but I can't help feeling I belong to a race that was once the favourite grandparent, handing out worthers and making wooden boats (although apparently some people think we were complete bastards), but now old, senile, incontinent and a huge embarrassment to all around. It often feels we're indulged for our royal family, excitable heritage and ability to produce decent music.

At the end of the day I say fuck it, I like england, I like the fact that my accent elevates me to Liz Hurley sexy on voice, I like that we have insane roundabouts, stupid customs, evil dentists, a class system, fucked up usage of imperial and metric measurements, football rugby cricket and a complete inability to win anything, strange and slightly barbaric foods and the NHS.
I love it all.

So happy St Georges day everyone!

Quiz time (again...)

2008-04-15T16:17:00.000-01:00

It's amazing how these things get started. Actually no, it's a MIRACLE how these things get started but nevermind. This post however has a tale behind it. The rather wonderful (if slightly evil with long held grudges about cats and stuff) Willow Caldera asked me this on twitter today "Should I go for vixen diva or trailer trash ho? Which is more fitting?" and so in my time honoured tradition of taking the piss out of those I love and making them hate me its....

Are you foxier than a bagful of vixens or skankier than a used condom floating in a public urinal?
Are you a tantalising temptress or just turning tricks?

Or perhaps you're just boring? Who knows? Take this quizzy quiz (fiendishly designed by Tie) and find out.

You're all out of snacks again and need to run to the shops, do you...
a) Get driven by Benson the chauffeur
b) Walk, it's healthy
c) Wait for the number 29 bus with the winos

When you come home from a hard day at work do you...
a) Sling off your shoes and sink into your luxurious white leather sofa
b) Tidy your house
c) Go hunting varmints with Bobby Joe

At school were you...
a) Interested in art
b) More inclined towards maths and languages
c) Likely to be found on your knees in the boys toilet

Do you prefer...
a) Persian cats, they're so soft and fluffy
b) Fish, they have so much personality
c) Armadillos, they'm good eatin'

At a bar with your friends, you purchase...
a) A vodka martini with a small dish of pickled quail's eggs
b) Half a pint of shandy with ice and lemon
c) Nothing, your drinks are free as you're sleeping with the barman

Taking a well earned break, your dream holiday destination is...
a) San Tropez, all your friends are there for the season
b) In the Cotswolds with your grandparents
c) Disneyland

A visit to the dentists is necessary, you get...
a) Teeth straightening AND whitening, for that hollywood smile
b) A filling
c) Your toothpick back

While bored at work you mostly use the net to browse...
a) The Vogue website
b) The British Parliament website
c) Myspace

It's your uncle Berty's birthday, do you give him...
a) A case of Cristal and a diamond studded poodle
b) A card and some nose hair clippers
c) Your knickers and a discount coupon for an evening of your time

Answers

Mostly a's

I'd just like to take a moment to thank you on behalf of the Mean Girls for bestowing your radiant presence on our blog. It is, indeed, an honour Your Majesty.

Mostly b's

You really enjoyed this quiz didn't you? The naughty little words gave you a small thrill in your normally boring and unimaginative life. Pfft.

Mostly c's

Welcome to our world, you are the trashiest of all the ho's on the park. You know it's a good day when you wake up with a condom on your face cos at least you remembered to use one. So pull up a pile of bricks and sup your moonshine, you're one of us.

Kitty 'Ten dollar ho with a two dollar haircut' Lalonde
Tiernan 'Gee mister, my daddy's is bigger'n that' Serpentine

Club Etiquette: The Host

2008-04-14T22:09:00.000-01:00

Many of you saw before where I posted a general summary of the various jobs many SL® clubs use in order to offer you the most enjoyable experience possible. After reading the responses to that post, I felt it was also appropriate to offer further education for each position separately so that both club employees and patrons understand all the more what goes into them.

The first position we shall discuss is often an overlooked one... that of the Host or Hostess. As I am a novice on the subject, I asked Sanctuary Rock's Host Manager, m0xi Caldwell to offer her own insight as well.

The most noticeable duty that a Host performs is to greet patrons who first step into the club. This first greeting of "Hello ! Welcome to !" helps to ease the nerves of n00bs and seasoned patrons alike. If you don't feel comfortable there then you won't want to spend time there, right? Its just a nice touch that people appreciate. Its nice to know that people notice you and make you feel much more welcome. This can be difficult (especially at busier SL® clubs) to meet and greet -everyone- who walks in. Sometimes using a MystiTool or Radar will help. Having dancers working on your shift with you often helps as well in case you do get bombarded.

Another often overlooked aspect of the Host is to be the "mother hen" as the go-between for the working staff and patrons.

To accomplish this, Hosts often...

1) Send out Group Notices/IMs about events & reminds patrons what the event theme is during the event.
2) Remind patrons who the DJ and Dancers are during the event.
3) Point out other aspects of the club (Sploder, Mall, Tip Jars, Donation Boxes, etc)
4) Control the Voting Boards and/or take Votes in IM for contests.
5) Announce and hand out prizes to the winners of the contest.
6) Remind patrons what the next event (if any) will be along with the next DJ & Host.
7) Keep track of any possible 'problem patrons' whom may be at the club.

A hefty load of responsibilities, no? m0xi even mentioned, "I have trained a lot of people to become hosts and most of them say to me at one point during the training that they had no idea how much was really involved..." It's definitely not something you can pick up overnight. It takes a great deal of training (and patience), just like with any RL job. The trick is to do everything so effortlessly that patrons and most other staff have no idea what is going on behind the scenes.

If there's one thing that I find absolutely ridiculous, it's staff who personally ask for tips. DJ's are more likely to do it than Hosts, but I've seen a few Hosts who've slipped a little 'Hey, slide some Lindens® in my tip jar too!' into their mantra. m0xi offers this suggestion: "Being obnoxious or seeming desperate about it is NOT attractive. People really do appreciate being able to go to a club and having fun here in SL®. Sometimes they don't know how to tip, its amazing how many people ask that. "How do I tip staff?" Once they know, a few reminders here and there to show appreciation to the staff is all thats really needed. You are going to have great days, good days, and maybe some horrible days. It happens to everyone, and you just have to realize that its not all about you and to not take it personally."

Also there will be times when all the staff on your shift will not cooperate. It's bound to happen since not everyone is going to like everyone else. As the previously mentioned "mother hen" of the shift, it becomes the Host's responsibility to make sure that this drama is not noticed by patrons. Staff are there to enjoy themselves as much as everyone else, so you sometimes will need to step in and remind them that acting like a whiny bitch throwing a tantrum is not only childish, but also ruins everyone else's fun.

Last, but certainly not least, being a Host should be FUN. Fun is what keeps people coming back time and time again, and thats what we all want... for people to enjoy themselves enough so that they come back, invite friends to come and join them.

So are we all on the same page on what an SL® club Host does? A big cuddly thanks to m0xi for giving her input and an even bigger thanks to all Hosts whom do this incredibly under appreciated job!

Next Club Etiquette.... Dancers

How Does Your Friend's List Rate?

2008-04-13T07:44:00.000-01:00

Just like the real world, status symbols are popular in Second Life, but in the virtual world they are so much more attainable. Any three week old muppet can shed the bling and scamper about the grid with a stack of Lindens and purchase their way into being a desirable object. The real indicator of SL status however is one that only you can see, I'm talking about the friends list. Tucked away in the button carrying the innocuous name of Communicate is your rung on the ladder. As they say, it's not who you are, but who you know. Whether you got that SLebrity clothing designer through manipulation, persuasion or by actually being the sparkly shining light of their lives doesn't matter. What does matter is they are on the list.

Try to look at it like pokemon (I find many things look better if you look at them in this way but that's beside the point) or any other addiction starting trading card game. It's not what it looks like but what it does. Mew looked like a melted jellybaby but still opened up a whole chapter on pwnage when.. But I digress.

My point is that often in the Calling Card Trading Game™ you'll find that it's QUALITY, not quantity. You may have 324 names on your list but if Bertie McGertison has only one friend going by the name of Starley Thereian, then it's game over love. But please don't pass over the little people. You'll be pleasantly surprised if Mikey69 Cumalot who you met in the free sex s.. Maitreya, turns out to be the hottest cock merchant since Stroker himself.

So how does your list measure up? Well rather that write up the 'Who's Who?' of Second Life, Rosie went with the easy option and created this feindish little quiz for y'all to enjoy/hate/bicker over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just what kind of friend are you? Are people beating down doors to get you on their list? Just how far does your scope spread across the grid? Do you have the friend's list to die for?
Take our short quiz and find out!

You know what they say... it's not what you know, it's WHO you know. And more importantly, how many of the who's you know. Give yourself 1 point for each "friend" on your friend's list. Do not include people you consider contacts only. Give yourself 1 extra point if you appear in their profile picks. When *who* you know has more personalities than a soap opera diva, this can detract from the brilliance of your list. Take 1 point away for every alt on your list. (any names other than the main account for this person).
There are a few ungettable-gets you won't find on most lists. We aren't certain of all the reasons why someone might not commit to the trading of friendship markers. Elusive? Shy? Eccentric?Give yourself 10 points each if you have either of the following people on your list:
Anshe Chung
Philip Linden
There are alot of reasons why people become friends. Some people you've known forever... back when they loitered in sand boxes, wore default hair, or twirled their non-flexi titty tassels while grinding on a pre-SineWave dance pole in some strip joint just to earn enough to pay for their next Xcite! update . And who would know that they would become the sought after, SLebrity they are today? Give yourself 5 points for each person on your list who's lived the rags to riches slife. *note: you must still talk to them occasionally beyond you stalking them to qualify for these points. Though it is honorable that these people mean alot to you, you might not be the best judge of their SLebrity status. Subtract 3 points if you have to explain who they are when you're busy name-dropping.
One of the most important credos of friendship is special privileges. Sure you may have a whole lotta names of productive, successful content creators on your list, but if they aren't kicking down the new releases to you before the general public, well you might not mean squat to them. Give yourself 3 points for each friend on your list who gives you stuff before they release it in their store. Quality does count, however, so just go on and subtract the 3 points if what you've been given is crap (no pun intended). But! Add 7 points if they've named any of their creations after you.
Bloggers are the scribes of our today and tomorrow. In order to secure your rightful place in society on the grid, it's important that your name is a household commodity to these ehistorians. Give yourself 3 points for each ~consistent~ blogger on your list. Give yourself a bonus of 4 points for each one that's blogged you.
Give yourself 1 point for everyone on your list that you've cybered. Subtract 4 if any of them turned out to be the opposite gender of what they claimed. Add 9 points if you've done two of them at the exact same time. Subtract the 1 point for each one that disappeared off the face of the grid after their encounter with you.

-9 - 100 pts:
You are new to secondlife and/or you are realizing that it's not your cup of tea. You are a selective friend who cherishes the few close friends you have.
OR
You're a shut-in who makes people feel awkward enough to accept your offer of friendship initially only to cut the card later when you're not online.
101- 200 pts:
You're a social butterfly who knows the meaning of what it is to be a friend. You value friendship above status quo and you look to find the wonderful things about the people you keep close.
OR
You've been around too long to have this few points. Your grid-etiquette may be in serious need of a makeover or else it's time to slack at work and spend more time in sl cultivating beneficial relationships.
200- 400 pts:
You are well-respected and widely recognized as the best friend anyone could ever have. You have a happy, likable disposition and generally make those around you feel they are important and special in your presence.
OR
You are a relentless card-dropping whore who manipulates the staying power of those on your list by a timely IM to say "hi" or other superficial gestures intended to make the other person rethink obliterating you the next time they consider doing some spring cleaning on their list.
401+ points:
Congratulations! You are untouchable and have mastered the Calling Card Trading Game™. Your list and the names on it are the most valuable of your sl assets and your name is one sought after by many others with lists to build.

An Old Dog with Old Tricks

2008-03-29T16:15:00.000-01:00

Often while scanning other SL blogs, you no doubt get curious about those who leave comments on posts and what they may have to say. I happened upon a recent addition to the blogging pool just the other day when I caught a few comments on Shenandoah Saintlouis' blog about both her product and mine that amount to 'I hate your stuff' but done with more useless words.

The culprit is a personage going by the SL name of Enid Trenchcoat.

Of course my first instinct is to click on the name and see the blogger profile. I'm not going to show it here, nor will I link to it as no doubt the person behind this name will advertise him or herself with their own snide comments later. I will say that it has WAY more info than most SL folks typically put on there, which leads me instantly to believe that this is an Alt and meant to grab attention.

My next step in the process... was to see Enid's blog which is of course listed at the bottom of the profile. Not only does the blog only have 1 entry on it so far, but it's all about 'Hey I found crappy stuff to photograph in SL so I gonna blog it.' Yanno what? Already been done. The four most notable are Crap Mariner's SL is full of Crap, TheDiva Rockin's SL Fashion Police, Wrath Paine's Wrath Paine vs Second Life, and of course... HERE!

Ah so my next bit of research led me to see this person's Profile on SL. This... is what I found:

Do you wanna see her blog? Do you wanna see her blog? No I don't, actually... and I've already seen it. Also the very recent Rez Date affirms that this is an alt who can't be bothered to use their original Avatar to do this. Also at only a month old you would hardly know enough about SL to be an authority to bitch about it.

Hey Enid? Leave the Bitching to the Professionals, k?

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-28T11:01:00.001-01:00

Run for teh hills! Stock pile your prims! Hoard all your cash under your mattress and sit tight, holding your cager and wait for apocalypse because THE END IS NIGH!

What the fuck am I talking about? Well DUH! It's the all consuming end of the world that is the Linden labs™®©♥♣◙∟ putting a many little squiggles™®©♥♣◙∟ after their name! Oh NOES! As you can well imagine the residents of Second Life™®©♥♣◙∟ are terrified beyond all belief, bloggers shall be prosecuted and sent to the furthest reaches of hell to serve out their 100 year sentences picking the boils of the bottoms of wildebeasts. Flickr™®©♥♣◙∟ arty types are stuffing their pictures into suitcases and heading for the border.

This huge crushing blow adds to the already traumatised public, their belief in the Lindens™®©♥♣◙∟ shaken beyond all shakability. Few can forget the Broadly Offensive ruling not so long ago when EVERY SINGLE GOREAN™®©♥♣◙∟ WAS BANISHED TO A BIG PIT OF SNAKES, prior to that even was the dreadful monetary crash where thousands were left desolate, forced to sell themselves on the mean streets of cities. You'll all remember the concerts put on by Bob Geldof and his team of gerbils™®©♥♣◙∟ for SLaid™®©♥♣◙∟.

Will we ever survive this apocalypse? Well this Mean Girl™®©♥♣◙∟ doesn't know. But if you want me, I'll be in my bunker.

So yeah, it's another guide

2008-03-20T22:40:00.001-01:00

Hopefully now having followed my guide to fame, you shall find yourself at the very epicentre of everyone else's tiny world. However, maintaining your state as most beloved person ever isn't all that easy is it? If only there was some way to get all your adoring fans flocking to your IM box with messages of love and support. Well lucky for you there is, and so without further ado I present Kitty's guide to making an exit.

Preparation

Now you can't just up sticks and leave, cos that's all a bit crap. For one, no one will IM you with "Oh noes please stay" if they didn't know you were leaving. So first off you need to let everyone know of your impending desertion. However, you must be aware that some people won't just 'understand' your reasons for leaving without some sort of explaination. Reasons for leaving vary wildly. Stupid reasons to cite would be boredom, frustration with glitches or a messy inventory. Better reasons are stalkers, the unhappy end to a love affair or someone being mean to you. Now you have your sob story set up it's time to get the story out. IMing your friends list is all well and good, but we need the world to know about it. It's a good idea to display some of your utter dispair with whatever has gone on with you before hand, through emo blog posts. However try to keep this to a minimum, people don't like whingers and at the crucial time to jump you may find people are more happy to push you. Once the general impression of fragility has been made it's time to make your move.

The Good Bye

It's generally a safe bet to make the announcement on your own blog, although it will be only your fans and friends who will read it. A better idea is to go on someone elses blog, and leave an inflamatory comment. Then when someone responds with unkind words you can pounce. Your final comment must be eloquent, well thought out and moving. Simply putting "You're all cunts... BYE!" will be most likely read as humourous. However swearing is something to consider, as foul language is well known to portray strong emotion when used sparingly.

DO NOT use quotes, song lyrics or poetry. You're leaving Second Life, not committing suicide.

Now is the time to put on your air of dignity. DO NOT RESPOND TO ANY COMMENTS AFTER YOU HAVE SIGNIFIED YOU'RE LEAVING. Head to your own blog and create a long, heart felt post citing all your reasons and saying good bye to those you cherish. Perhaps invite those close to you (publically on the blog, your fans will want to catch one last glimpse of you after all) to a small gathering where you can say goodbye properly. Perhaps earmark a few of your less favoured transferable items of inventory to pass on to friends so 'they have something to remember you buy'. Be certain to send all offline IMs to your email and hide your online status from everyone (also don't forget to leave all of your groups and check the box that hides online status in search) and then.. Log off.

The After Life

Now you have left it's time to sit back and bask in the glow of all your desolated fans. If you have to return in your week long 'away' time, make sure to open a new account or use an old unknown alt. Although you will be able to log on with your main account it's best to keep these to a minimum and DO NOT accept any items, it's a sure fire giveaway you still exist.

Once your week is over you may return stating you missed everyone so much and people will be so happy to see your return that they will be completely unaware of your subterfuge.

Congratulations, your mission has been a success.

Meat 'N Greet: Crocodile Jewell

2008-03-06T18:37:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

That would be blue.

*SL Rezzday:

2/19/2007

*Favorite animal and why?

hmm..cats and dogs can't choose!

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

I didn't want to look like a noob or like everyone else.

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

Dress up in a thong, no comments..

*What's the last book you read?

Boring I know but Research method and methodology in finance and accounting by Bob Ryan and others.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Lots of them, name one!

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

has cheated before!

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

Maybe a Linden, to fix somethings in sl.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

Lots of good people in sl but I´d say Mesusah Musytari

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Hang with friends, to shop and play tringo!

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Born on Date)

2008-03-05T23:21:00.001-01:00

Click to Enlarge

Club Etiquette in SL

2008-02-28T01:47:00.000-01:00

You've all heard me mention a few times that I DJ at some clubs on Second Life. Even some of our fellow Mean Girls have been (or still are) DJ's at a few spots on SL. Along with DJ's, many clubs also offer Hosts and Dancers (exotic and non-exotic) to help broaden your overall experience.

Let's take each role one by one to further explain what they do.

Dancers

As I said, some clubs have exotic dancers while others do not. Exotic dancers are self-explanatory. They provide exquisite eye-candy for patrons and remove items of clothing (often with lusciously written text to follow) in response to how many and often they receive tips.

Okay so then what is the purpose of non-exotic dancers? More often than not they still dress very sexy to get your attention, but their clothes do come off (unless they choose to). They still serve a purpose of greeting new guests as they arrive, mingling... and in general providing a fun atmosphere for everyone.

Seems like an easy job being a dancer, right? Not necessarily. Male dancers, on average, earn less than female dancers. Also, if a dancer doesn't respond to patrons or are generally not enthusiastic he or she could miss out on tips.

Hosts

If you prefer to do a little more than shakin' your groove thang, then you may want to be a Host at a club. Dancers often assist the Host in greeting arriving patrons and making them feel welcome, though hosts have many other responsibilities as well. Hosts also...

- Keep guests informed of the current contest/party event
- Remind patrons who the DJ and Dancers are during the event
- Tell guests about certain vendors in the mall areas
- Keep track of contest boards and/or votes in IMs during the event
- Overall keep a watchful eye on the floor and any patrons who may become troublesome over the course of the event
- Hand out prize money at the end of an event (if the contest board doesn't do so already).

In reality, a Host is the 'Mother Hen' of the floor. It's not an easy job by any means... but can be very rewarding to those who master this fine art.

DJ's

Unless you plan to have a radio playing 24/7 at your club, you're gonna need DJ's. Being a DJ is a bit more than just playing a bunch of songs for 2 hours.

There's a few simple rules for DJing:

1) Respect the club's musical preferences
2) If a guest asks for a request (and it doesn't break Rule #1) you try to get it for him or her as quickly as possible.
3) If you cannot find the requested song, ask the guest if he or she has an alternative choice.
4) You have the right to say no to a request if it is either offensive or breaks Rule #1.
5) Be enthusiastic on the microphone! If you're having fun, then it'll inspire everyone else to have fun.
6) Assist the Host in giving out information about the club and event in-between songs.

Now some clubs are bit more lenient than others as far as music, requests, and using a mic, but these rules give you a general idea.

-----------------------------------------

Now I didn't just type all this out to remind club employees about things they already know. I've typed all this out so that guests can understand how much hard work truly goes into providing the perfect club atmosphere.

Respect is a two-way thing...

If your DJ gets your request on the very next song without question. If your host greets you within seconds of entering the front door. If your dancer swerves, sways, and generally makes all the right moves. If they all work together in harmony to give you a thoroughly enjoyable experience...

PLEASE show them the same respect and TIP! Don't be a Schmuck.

Meat 'N Greet: Druss Mandala

2008-02-26T08:19:00.001-01:00

Rosie Shark:

It's a great privilege to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you and we here at the mgg2sl have been eagerly anticipating grabbing a few minutes of your valuable time.

Druss Mandala:

Oh that's alright, I wasn't doing anything special. And I enjoyed answering your fun and informative questions. The opportunity to shop for beefcake body oil was also too exciting to pass up.

Rosie Shark:

Mmmmm, yes I do love a man in body oil.

Druss Mandala:

You know, I'm free for a bit after the interview if you want to go somewhere sunny and oil up together.

Rosie Shark: **edited for sordid indecency**

*Favorite Color:

Generally orange, although pink does have its uses.

*SL Rezzday:

Sometime back in the murky past when the system skirt and the blinging shoe buckle were the stuff of science fiction. More specifically the 12th of June, 2003.

*Favorite animal and why?

I have a great fondness for marsupials, especially the pig footed bandicoot and the hairy nosed wombat. Cats are nice too because if you ruffle their fur up the wrong way and squint a bit they could be largish marsupials.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

I can't remember taking any factors into account at the start, and I was quite pleased with my generic skin, lovely glossy system hair and attractively teal chainmail shirt. It's gradually evolved over time though and the main factor would be my arse. I can't get enough of my arse.

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

I once fellated a furry in front of a crowd of guys, while these three girls beat me with scripted dogs. But I wasn't a bit embarrassed.

*What's the last book you read?

I'd like to say Ulysses or something equally erudite and challenging but it was actually just some crappy novel. Oh, interspersed with a bit of Beauty's Punishment late at night.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Watching films over and over gets a bit boring, but I could happily watch the Big Lebowski from time to time. Or maybe Cannibal Holocaust.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

Someone who didn't play SL for an absurd amount of hours everyday because then we'd have to think of other topics of conversation.

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

I'd trade slives with someone who can script, then I'd make every single script I could think of and send it back to myself and save a ton of money in the long run.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

Oh, I'd love to collaborate with mgg2sl on a collaborative project, perhaps a modern interpretative dance piece with like a prog rock sound track maybe.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Make deckchairs.

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Content Theft)

2008-02-25T21:32:00.001-01:00

Click to Enlarge!

The Price of Pride?

2008-02-20T22:02:00.000-01:00

One of the greatest pleasures I get from SL is spending obscene amounts of lindens on complete and total crap. It's true! I don't earn any money in SL, but the way I see it is that my £20 goes a lot further in here, than it does out there *shudders*. However one thing I've always found interesting is the vast difference in the value people place on the items they've lovingly created to sell. Prices vary hugely, where you're roughly paying Leezu Baxter a grand for an outfit. All very nice and wonderful but consider Bare Rose. High quality, enough options to cloth a small army and with some pretty innovative shit going down. All for around 140L$.

It's the same with skins, when the skin thief picketing kicked off I duly trotted along to have a look (I'm a nosy bitch). The thing that struck me was that the majority of the stolen skins on sale at most of these places were RaC. Now before y'all start thinking this is me slagging off RaC for being ridiculously overpriced, it's not. I've forked out me 4k to own some of Mallory's skins and the ones that I like are gorgeous. But I can't help feeling that paying that much money for six different lipsticks is a bit, well, crap. It's no surprise that people aim for her skins to rip over other skins, they don't see a difference in quality or popularity like most of the fashion community. What they see is cash, and 4k a skin set is a pretty sum of money. It's also no surprise that people buy these 'ripped' skins if they feel they're being unfairly charged for the real thing. Even with all the theft that abounds it doesn't seem to effect the creators. You only need to take a peek at the prices paid for the classifieds. If Mallory Cowen gave me the money she pays for her weekly classified for one week, it'd pay for my sim for three months. Minnu is the same, up until recently she was paying much the same for her ads. Now however the only classified you'll find for her store is for 50L$ and belongs to Aradia Dielli.

It really makes you wonder why these prices are so high? I mean people must be paying them but why? You're not necessarily paying for quality, and taste is a personal thing. Is it that we're buying into the hype? Is there some personal kudos to be had in swanning around in an outfit that cost much much more than other peoples? Who decides that the skin from Minnu is better than the one from Celestial Studios and why are you paying 200L$ more for only one skin from the former? Who says that the 500L$ jeans from Redgrave are more deserving of you money than the 145L$ ones from Armidi? Oh, and what the fuck is the point of these classifieds anyway?

I'm not expecting to change anything with this post, shit it'd be nice if people dropped some of their prices of course, but it's very unlikely to happen. Which is a shame really. If RaC skins were available in single skin packs for 1000L$ I'd probably have spent a lot more than 4k there. If Leezu Baxter dropped one of the numbers in her four digit sets I would have actually bought something from her store.

But my linden contribution is a small drop in the ocean, but I'm pretty certain I'm not the only one who feels this way. Who knows, maybe there's a small fortune these high end creators are missing out because they are alienating people with their prices and maybe one day they might just realise this.

Meat 'N Greet: Raver Bellow

2008-02-19T06:15:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

I would have to say my favorite color would be Black

*SL Rezzday:

10-22-2005

*Favorite animal and why?

I like dogs, I like to teach and train them.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

To not look like everyone else. That was my main goal. To many square shoulder guys running around second life.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

Well, I lost a bet playing greedy one time so I had to run laps around a public race sim naked.

*What's the last book you read?

The Nine- By Jeffrey Toobin

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Anything with Adam Sandler in it. The guy just cracks me up.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

Very tough question. Lots of variables in this. But my biggest thing would be I could never date someone who cheated in their past relationships. For obvious reasons.

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

I would have to say Phillip Linden. Then I could finally TAKE OVER THE WORLD

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

Well I like to do things on my own. That is how I have always been. But if I had to pick someone it would be Francis Chung.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Build, Build, Build. I love building new things and trying new things out in Second Life. That and having them blow up on me when they don't work. Just a great place to express your self. Oh, and BANNING people!

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Blog Preference)

2008-02-18T17:12:00.001-01:00

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Happy Valentines!

2008-02-15T00:37:00.000-01:00

Yeah I couldn't be left out of the MG V-Day goodness, now could I?

Besides what all the other ladies have said, keep in mind that love comes in many forms. This includes friendship and loving yourself. Don't forget to pamper yourself and others who love you, no matter how deep those feelings may be. :-)

** PS: This is the Mean Girls' 200th post!!! OMG!!! **

She Said (She Said) - Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T00:44:00.000-01:00

Hate Valentine's Day as much as I do?

I know you do! It's a trumped up holiday. In fact I recently ran a poll on my personal blog. 39% of women polled were looking forward to it, while the other 61% were ready to make it stop!

"But, hey, aren't you with the most fantastic guy in all of SL Jelly?" Um... well... Yes, yes I am, but that doesn't mean that I haven't always hated Vday.

You're missing the point... love isn't a one-day a year event, sponsored by Hallmark, Hershey's Kisses, and the American Florists Association! If you can't show someone you love them the other 364, then what's the point?

And why should everyone who doesn't feel like being all lovey-dovey have to deal with your big mushy red hearts, kissy fishy faces, "I love you" shoutage from highest hilltops, and gaggy sweet-talk for an entire day - in February, no less! Are you trying to increase America's suicide rate?

Steak & Blow-job day. It's a day for him to buy flowers that'll die in 3 days and dinner...and you spend the evening on your knees giving head. "Nay," I say. Nay to this year being spent in the same "assume position".

Here's a JellyBean quick guide to surviving Feb. 14 without shooting *everyone* in your path with your badass glocks.

-Wear black, and lots of it. In fact there are so many anti-Valentine's day shirts, some are even 1L, go buy one of those.

-If someone else in the same sim has received flowers, chocolate, singing telegrams, and other forms of dating expressions, glare at them. Snarling and grunting optional.

-Same goes for anyone wearing excessive amounts of red. Especially if they are wearing heart-shaped items like pins, head bobbers, bling, etc.

-Later in the day, pretend to eat the chocolate, run the flowers through a food processor, and for realsies beat the crap out of and/or shoot the singing telegram people. (Most people will thank you for this, anyway).

-For the rest of the day, pout over the fact that you really want chocolate now.

-Return to your home and destroy at least one item given to you by an ex from your inventory (ya know you kept something). Delete it, purge your trash bin. Feel guilty. IM the ex. Make up story about having a hot date.

-Log out. Watch TV. Turn off TV after noticing every channel is airing a clone of "While You Were Sleeping," "Titanic," or, worse yet, a "Friends" Valentine's Day.

-Realize how lame not having a hot date is. Log back in. Go to the nearest "free-sex" area.

-Boink a random someone - male or female - with way too much facial hair... or Ruth'd for that matter.

-Delete their card if you were actually stupid enough to trade with them. Remember (and regret) this incident for the next 364 days. Complain about never having a good V-Day.

-Wait until some bizarre calendar date Hallmark has labeled "Sweetest Day." Rinse, lather, repeat to get in practice for next V-Day.

As for Cupid... I mean really, a naked baby with wings shooting arrows at people? More creative things have been created by bad acid!

To sum it up, Valentine's Day is yearly added stress that takes an additional 3 to 4 years off your life expectancy, as if re'ships, virtual or otherwise weren't tough enough to begin with.

Note: If "Titanic" is on, it can be therapeutic. But only if you only watch the part where Leonardo DiCaprio sinks like a big, wet, adorable, lead anvil to the bottom of the North Atlantic! Same goes for the end of "Romeo + Juliet."

I think that says it all. :)

Sheer Cupidity

Giving much thought to the words of a well-known close friend and all-around wise pixel, I decided this year that I would embrace Valentine's Day. I had a sort of epiphany about many year's of hating, dreading, or attempting to ignore this day and what it has gotten me in the past. Not much. No matter how much you decree it as just another day, or stupid commercial holiday, blah blah blah... I swear by the end of the day you end up feeling let down or pissed off at some imaginary slight. Doesn't matter if you have reason to have expectations or not... at the end of the day, SOMEONE will have disappointed you. Why? Well because it exists. Recognize that the day is coming and that it won't EVER EVER go away... there's too much money to be made. And though that might sound cynical, really it just takes a teensy flip in attitude to make this black holiday just a lil more pink and red :) That being said, here are some of my tips to help you embrace the day and let out your inner cupid (or at the very least, make the most of a day that has planted itself and won't ever die)...

-Cupid is not to be feared. If you have issues with him and what he represents, try instead to see him as the future prim child you and your soulmate will lovingly bring into the world.. Awww

-At night before you go to bed, ask Cupid to bring you sex, or chocolate

-Pass an object labeled as "Be My Valentine from [insert your name here]" that when rezzed turns out to be a gazillion wiggling pink and green HUGE prims with physics on... to your friends when they are, say, shopping in a crowded sim or playing Tringo

-IM every hawt guy on your friend's list and ask them where you can find a diaper... like pulling out a hair when you've banged up your elbow distracts you from the pain, the mortal embarrassment of this will distract you from your bleeding heart

-WEAR red! I recommend that always anyhow, but just go with it. And by all means, be fashionable about it! Dammit!

-Cheese it up... get poofers and hearts and barfy stuff in general and just plaster wherever you are with them... if they're laughing, chances are they won't be all boofriggenhoo'ing

-Wear hearts. Yup, goofy stockings, prims on your face, specialty vday skins... if you got it wear it. Then you can blame your lack of 'someone special' on the fact that you look like a complete nerd... wait, I'm supposed to be pro-vday, I forget. Plus, you can get some use out of all those freebies you've been scavenging for... don't lie, we're all freebie whores.

-Teach your children while they're young that Romeo & Juliet has been celebrated as the great romantic love story for long enough. It's time to reveal the truth which is that it is a wordy tale about a couple of emo kids with too much time on their hands.

-Open up an IM and send a heart to everyone one your friends list. (Tip: right-click your Calling Cards folder in your inventory and click on Start Conference...) No need to personalize this.

-Get on with teh secks. Expecting spectacular sex on Valentines day is a roadmap for disaster. I have to agree with Jelly here. Get an alt if you have to... get to a "free sex" sim STAT and just dive in. The groups and missing image n00bs are only intimidating for the first few minutes (or so I've heard). Will it be spectacular? No. The real question is... Will it live up to your expectations? MOST LIKELY! Prolly won't wind you up all that much but pointing and laughing is a better use of your time than pouting.

-February 14th a.k.a Valentines Day is a real live day on the official calendar and all. Pretending it's like Feb. 13th or 15th is just... well... kinda delusional. No amount of "it's just another day" or "a thursday that's all" is going to magically make Vday like the 13th floor of a high rise that just doesn't exist.

-Start a holiday tradition. Make a game of sorting all the inappropriate candy hearts from the rest of them. These days you could earn a stalker from hell or the hate of all the kids' parents at school because you allowed little Sally Sue to give out hearts that say "I want you", "Lick Me", or "Be My Soulmate".

-364 days a year you do your best. This one day, focus on making it count. Just in case you slip up during the year, this is a fail safe way to remind those close to you that they matter... Today at the very least if not everyday.

It's the little things. Don't just make it just about that one and only person you care about. Reach out to those around you and try to surround yourself with people you'd do anything for... like dropping a happy face on them. You might find that this dreaded day is not so bad and that in the end you can smile or laugh creating better memories of the day that always comes. Wrap your arms around it and give it a big, wet, sugary kiss! Trust me, you'll thank me for it :D

Quick and dirty

2008-02-13T22:21:00.001-01:00

On the eve of rumpy pumpy day, I made a lil video for y'all showing the dangers of bad pose balls

How to ruin valentines day in Second Life from Kitty Lalonde on Vimeo.

The face of regret

2008-02-13T17:12:00.001-01:00

Just a little St. Valentine's Day reminder, ladies. Don't let this happen to you!

I understand. Nobody wants to spend that pink candy hearts, Shakespeare in Love, red wine and sex toys day
crying into their paperback Harlequin. But don't be driven to such acts of desperation!

The dude must - at a minimum - take OFF the shades before boinkage, ok? If he finds your ass so unnatractive he's got to dull the shine with a pair of aviators, it's just not worth it.

That is all. Enjoy your day!

Fashion Taboo

2008-02-12T22:16:00.000-01:00

The best way to start this post is with a little story. It was a lovely sunny day and the birds were singing, when a friend of mine decided to map me. Nothing wrong with that, they're a friend who had been given the right to use it when they feel to. So they ended up very close by as I was going about my business, I spotted them (yay mystitool) and waved hello. But they tp'd away at the speed of light. Sound rude? Possibly. The thing was I was in a sim called Broceliande and my business was putting Tie, dressed as a ponygirl, through her paces.

It's not just ponygirls either. I'm fully supportive of the "Your world, your imagination" that gets bandied around from time to time. I also see SL as a (sexually) consequence free landscape to try the many multitude of things that aren't possible in RL (or at least they look more glossy and atttractive in SL). Apparently I'm in the minority though. Amongst the fashion community there're a wealth of morals and tabboos that would make the 1940's look like a scene from Caligula. I'm not convinced however, what with the wealth of alts around I'm not surprised if the kajira whose skin you admired in Le Zoo is actually a fashionista getting her secretive rocks off.

The problem is that SL is, has been and always will be a sex playground, but nowadays it seems that people on the blogging circuits and the socialites are becoming more and more prissy about it. It's as if even mentioning the 'darker underbelly' of Second Life might burst the cocoon of self-importance and remind us that SL is after all just an online game and not some sort of Milanese fashion show extravaganza. Maybe the sex is more hidden now, kept away from all the boardwalks, boulevards and high class shopping districts, and if you don't dwell too long on it you might just forget it even exists. And maybe the the leading fashion designer who never used to wear underwear with her skirts now does, or the top SL business person who used to bestow their presence on the bdsm community no longer does, but their alts probably do.

I write here today as a person who refuses to alt. If I want to spank my pony I will, if I want to crawl around Armidi on all fours carrying a dog bone. I will. However I will not hide things that I happen to find fun because a small part of our society deems it wrong. It is a part of who I am, and always will be, and I am not ashamed of myself.

Anyone want to be my pony?

Meat 'N Greet: Lawless McBride

2008-02-11T22:26:00.001-01:00

*Favorite Color:

Black! I always bet on black.

*SL Rezzday:

8/7/2007

*Favorite animal and why?

Wolf. Bravely (or stupidly), I went into a pen with a friend's 3/4 pure Timber wolf and it placed it's paws on my shoulders with it's muzzle inches away from my face. I don't know what I remember the most, it's piercing gaze or the feeling of relief when I realized my bladder was gratefully empty at that moment.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

I wanted a taller avatar with darker features in order to reflect who I am in RL I slimmed my torso down until I could rock a BareRose outfit without twenty minutes of modding.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

For a birthday party, I dressed up as a pregnant, trailer-trash woman, lap danced for a guy and simulated oral sex with him. If anything was going to embarrass me I suppose that should have....maybe I'm shameless?

*What's the last book you read?

John Grisham - The Innocent Man

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

The Fifth Element. It's sci-fi greatness, stars Bruce Willis, and Milla Jovovich wearing an ACE bandage outfit....these three things added together are enough to make you forget Chris Tucker is also in it!

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

Couldn't keep up with me, took their self too serious...and had man hands (under size 50, please ladies).

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

How about SL musician Digby Smalls? First of all, I sing all day anyways, but with his voice, I could get paid to do it. Second, I could play a guitar that wasn't hooked up to an xbox. Third, groupies....nuff said?

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

At the end of the war, everyone knows they round up the collaborators and shoot them, so I'm good thanks.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Shopping is great, the jeans always fit first try. I like the live music scene, it's very personal and chill. Mostly just flirting and taking the piss with friends and random people - and more recently, blogging!

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (V-Day)

2008-02-11T21:44:00.000-01:00

Click to Enlarge

Glam sl Magazine Launch: An Offer I Couldn't Refuse

2008-02-10T08:12:00.000-01:00

It's a rare case that I get invited to an SL event of huge interest to me that I can actually attend without rl or time zones interferring. I was lucky that today's Glam sl Magazine launch was one of those times. I could portray myself as a jet-setting, worldly fashion diva who sees these events as everyday and 'routine', but that'd be a lie. Truth be told, I was thrilled to be included and totally in a state of panic about what attire would be best... "I have nothing to wear!" And when you are requested to limit the number of prims that you wear, does that mean you go bald and wear default shoes? Ewww. Thankfully, vanity won out over conservation, because as it turns out, there was hair and shoes a'plenty.

Arriving early, I wasn't sure what to expect. The invite stated 'Launch Party and Fashion Show' and I guess I was expecting more of a press release for the new mag with events centered around that. We were given a very brief, one paragraph typed introduction to the new magazine.

Welcome everyone to the launch of GLAM sl Magazine, we would like to extend our appreciation in your interest. The team has worked for many weeks to present to Second Life a new form in publication. Under the direction of Minnu, Thora, Onyx, and Beau, this publication is focused on introducing high quality and high end fashion to Second Life. We would like to thank the designers for contributing and making the event possible. We would like to open the floor up to questions. To reduce chat spam, we ask that you please take turns and ask maximum of three questions each.

Immediately, I felt like I'd missed something. Was there homework that I'd not realized was assigned? I hadn't even had the opportunity to flip open the cover of the magazine yet. Unfortunately, though I'm sure there were hours and hours dedicated to the creation and launch of this new publication, it seemed at first that this launch was less about christening the new collaborative effort and more about creating hype for the fashion show that was to come. Questions requiring more details about the purpose of the magazine and what would make it stand out next to other publications were answered with a mysterious 'you'll have to wait and read it to find out' at first, before the team assembled before us warmed more to the idea and began to illustrate some of their passion for the magazine. Striving to mirror rl fashion magazines, Glam sl aims to publish a monthly magazine that will:

Educate and challenge the fashion groups within SL
Focus more on style than on the current fashion trends
Bring great designers together to raise the bar
Illustrate the difference between designers and GREAT designers
Encourage the efforts of great up and coming designers
Not try keep up with the fashion trends, but to set them

Following the press conference was the fantastic, absolutely beautifully-executed fashion show featuring Ghost, Artilleri, Muism, Lookr, Maitreya, Serene Sensations, MM skins, Nicky Ree, le Cubic Effect, LeeZu Baxter, Veschi, and the debut of Paper Couture's spring line. And I know it was beauuuuutiful, not because I could rezz and take pictures of it myself (puter sucks as it turns out), but because I can look at other people's Flickr sites... haha. Clearly well-produced and pulled off by true professionals, the fashion show exceeded all my expectations. From the set itself... the stark white of the stairs and mystical sheer backdrop where you could see the silhouettes of the models coming and going... to the timing and grace of the models (despite the lag of 80+ people in the sim). In addition to the the musical ambiance provided by dj duckyfresh Watanabe. Striking... bold... utterly mouth-watering. For me, it was an honor to have been able to be there.

It was after all the glitz and gawking (omg I sat next to Ava Lu!) that I was able to pull the magazine out and take a long look at it. I'm a sucker for a good picture and sleek ads and Glam has those... similar in style to Homme Magazine. Noteworthy articles and interviews piqued my interest and kept me turning the page. Glam sl Magazine has set some lofty goals for themselves. It will be interesting to see how they measure up to their ideals and how diverse the publication will be when it comes to design and fashion in SL.

See more pictures from the show at:

Group Limits: A Mean Girls' Perspective

2008-02-09T17:07:00.000-01:00

Remember when the Group Limit was 10?

A little before my time but it changed not shortly before I joined Second Life. It’s been 25 for a while, but since the Group Limit was raised, there’s been thousands and thousands of new Groups created for everything from establishments (stores, clubs etc) to fan clubs/friends lists for various individuals.

I doubt Linden Labs realized just how much Groups were going to explode when they raised the limit, but now it’s elevated to the point that most people (myself included) have no room left to add any more Groups without sacrificing others.

There’s been a few Notecard petitions going around asking LL to raise the Group limit, two most notably from Kiana Writer and Sirhc Martinek. So far they’ve both gain a few hundred signatures as well as many other folks passing the notecards around. I’ve personally gotten a copy of Kiana’s and it’s actually very well written. Mano Nevadan started the issue on JIRA and it continues to harvest votes from various residents.

But why all the hype?

Well I can speak from personal experience as a DJ on Second Life that MOST venues need at least 2 groups (1 for patrons and 1 for staff) to run efficiently. Sanctuary Rock, by itself, has 7 just to handle all the different aspects of the Sim. Retail stores that do any sort of satellite mall locations often have to join a Vendor Group in order to have certain permissions on the land. On top of that, many have a Group to send out updates on. That knocks out a lot of Group slots right there. I know that there’s the relatively new Subscribe-o-Matic system used by a lot of businesses now, but it can cost as much as L$5990 a month to maintain as opposed to Groups which are still free.

On top of that, most Residential Sims ask that you create (or join) a Group so that more than one person who lives on the land can access/change things on the property. Others often use Groups to keep in touch with friends or promote contests and other special events.

Linden Labs insists that the reason why they haven’t raised Group Limits already is due to the fact that, “...the current infrastructure barely supports the 25 limit (group chat lag, issues with notices, server load)...” Translation: Group Chats and Notices already drive the SL bandwidth almost to capacity even with the 25 group limit. This is why with the introduction of 1.19.0.1 (already out on the Release Candidate Viewer) you’ll have the option to turn off Group Chat (though I think it turns off ALL Chat instead of individual Groups). Will this solve the bandwidth problem? That remains to be seen.

I personally think that even raising the Group Limit to 50 or 100 still won’t be enough. Hundreds of new Groups are started every day, and the L$100 fee doesn’t seem to deter anyone from creating them. There has to be some sort of compromise made so that residents are happy and Linden Labs can cut down on server problems.

Only time will tell...

Meat 'N Greet: Ajay Giano

2008-02-05T03:44:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

Black

*SL Rezzday:

- 12/13/2007
- I had an older avatar but i had 10 baby mamas and i had to get away, i hate paying
childsupport for prim babies..

*Favorite animal and why?

Dogs, They are always willing to play and support you when you feel down.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

- I didn't want to create a muscle freak and i tried to stay away from the
"broad" shoulders every guy in SL has..

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

- Nothing special, but i did have an argument with a lesbian woman about penis in SL
which was kinda disturbing.

*What's the last book you read?

It was a photoshop book, i forgot the name.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Halloween (love all of them, never gets boring).

*You could never date someone who...

Ignores me and think they are better then everyone else.
Respect cannot be learned, purchased or acquired - it can only be earned.

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

Anshe Chung, Duh.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

Anyone who is creative and have the desire to improve and do better, gotta have that drive to succeed.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

- I really enjoy listening to live music in SL, my favorite SL musician is NOMA FALTA! please check her out if you like Rock/blues.
- I also like exploring SL :)

*Whats your music style?

Rock, dance, r&b, some pop, some rap (very few)

* Status?

S-I-N-G-L-E

*Dislikes?

- Dr.Pepper, Lag, seafood, Oprah, Dr.Phil

**Ajay gets extra points for adding his own Q&As at the end! <3>

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Partners?)

2008-02-04T22:15:00.001-01:00

Click to Enlarge

Where Are They Now?

2008-01-30T16:24:00.000-01:00

SLebrity Nooz...
Here it is the end of January 2008. No better time to start with some new feature article, right? Introducing this one, by me! Yay!
Ever wonder what happened to your favorite SLebrities, blogs, pawp-u-lar stuffs? Some had long careers before fading into oblivion, while others seemed like they didn't get their full 15 minutes. But we still loved them. I went on a quest to find out 'Where Are They Now?'

*Light Waves (Starax Statosky)*
The creator of the infamous Starax Magic Wand returned to SL a while back under a new name, Light Waves. Even keeping a low profile, people could not sit back & gaze upon his work without figuring out who he really was. He is still doing stuff for SL and currently working on a Rezzable project. It's all sculpties these days and so he doesn't really need to log into SL to build until he is working his magic putting his art up for us to "awww" at.

*Willow Zander (Fashion Blogger)*
Most know that Willow took an SL hiatus to hang out in RL for a bit finding out how awesome it can be. She recently gave birth in RL to a beautiful baby & has slowly but surely worked her way back into SL on occasion. I asked her if she would continue her WTF Is Willis Wearing series and she says, "Part of me reaaally misses blogging, but part of me doesn't. The drama was not fun, and soooo many people are "fashion bloggers" now." I couldn't agree more.

*Brutal Honesty (SL Blog)*
Last year we saw this blog come & shortly there after... GO. Though many are completely happy that it's gone (including me), it leaves us with questions. It appears that the sole purpose of it's creation was to be a public pot stirring, spoon carrying, SL rag that grabbed a lot of attention for awhile. In fact there was a huge anon following. Just as well. After the huge scandal of the alt cover up, it went dormant. You would think that in order to maintain the "story" of not being alts and their innocence, that they would have continued 'business as usual'. Just sayin.

*turk DaSilva (Notorious Bad Boy/Player)*
Depending on the circles you ran with, you may remmy good ole' turk. The outspoken, hard ass, uber flirtacious, female pawp-u-lar bad boy. So where is he now? Well, in his own words... "I disappeared because my real life became to overwhelming. Moved states, impregnated 2 women neither of which was the one I'm dating. I don't know if I'll ever be back. Sl is not conducive to me making money. I fucking MISS tringo. And, next for me will probably be some random woman killing me because I told her "I love you" followed by the wrong name. Name tags should be mandatory."

More to come on our favorite & some not so favorite, but pawp-u-lar spotlight absentees... Stay tuned.

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Anon Comments)

2008-01-28T17:50:00.001-01:00

Click To Enlarge!

Meet 'N Greet: Kere Delcon

2008-01-28T14:45:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

Red - most days.

*SL Rezzday:

11/21/2006 - omg, I'm so old!

*Favorite animal and why?

Tiger - I like everything about them, their colour, their power, and mystery. I've always wanted to have a tiger cub as a pet, they have all the appeal a grown tiger has - with cuteness to boot. Shame it would grow up and likely maul me. They'd be expensive to feed.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

I wanted it to reflect me, so it could be an extension of my personality that I could identify with and feel comfortable playing. I'm 6'5" in RL, so he had to be tall - rugged and dark, but soft enough to fit my gentler side. He does have a better tan than I do right now, and nicer tattoos - well any actually.

*What's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

I have never done anything embarrassing for somebody - although, I was helping a vendor with his store once, when he politely let me know that "dude, your junk is hanging out".

*What's the last book you read?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (sorry)

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Muriel's Wedding

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

Had no sense of humour

*If you could trade SLives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

I'd never trade my life with anyone. It would be dangerous in the wrong hands!

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in SL?

I am lucky to be able to collaborate in SL with the people I love and admire the most.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

I dance and build.

*** Side note: Kere's a Kiwi RL, so along with that hawt pixelated bod he has a luscious voice to match! *faints*

We have teh pr0n (Or Kitty's utter shame)

2008-01-26T15:05:00.000-01:00

**DISCLAIMER**
The following post has been rated 'NC17' and is totally NSFW or any situation where people may see you and think you "Look like a saddo" Danke

Those evil miscreants at Are We Not Men? have been up to their nasty little games again. Upon hearing that a Mean Girl had starred in a porn film they've been working their naughty little arses off trying to uncover it. Well sorry boys, you have been scooped.

Rather than sit back and let you bray yourselves silly at your own cleverness I've decided to out myself and post the video here.

Ironic it may seem after my previous post (indeed the line "Old porn film surfaced on some bitching blog, laugh it off" seems to be almost Nostradamus like in it's predictive nature) but it's all so sadly true.

I'll trot out all the excuses of being young and reckless, but fuck it, 500L$ was a lot of money and I may be deep, but I'm materialistic.

So without further ado, I present my moment of shame.

Allowing Comments: A Mean Girls Policy

2008-01-25T06:57:00.001-01:00

Some time back we turned off anonymous commenting for our blog posts. Though there was a specific post and reason for the decision at the time, we had conveniently decided to leave it off and just “forget” to turn it back on. There were many reasons for this decision. Anyone anywhere reading any blog has seen the drama trapeze act that comes a lot of times from anonymous commenting. I follow some of them too, sometimes with my mouth agape at the faux confidence and self-righteousness of people who are clearly so sure of themselves, and the importance of their message, that they feel no need to cloud the issue by stating who they are. Many times watching some blog post or other (an opinion stated or shared) turn into something truly ugly or seeing that the drivel in the comments section becomes the main show while the post itself is deferred to merely background noise.

Just as I feel that it is the right of anyone to write a blog stating their opinions or views whether or not they are the correct ones, I also feel that it is the right of anyone to be able to argue your point, defend yourself… discuss, debate. I’ve seen posts come and go… everything truly outrageous that’s gotten your feathers ruffled is usually a forgotten event within a couple of months, weeks even. I’ve watched publicly the confusion and anxiety caused over a post gone wrong in the comments section. I’ve seen policies implemented in some fashion blogs that require a blogger to disclose their personal knowledge of the content creator being reviewed at the end of their post just so that no one else gets their panties in a wad over any “alleged” favortism. Someone reviewing something a friend made? OMG, the outrage! Is that nepotism? Please. If you’ll notice, even some of the blogs content creators themselves maintain to let people know about their new releases no longer accept comments. Period. Why? Well, because there are disgruntled, angsty people everywhere. Some with an axe to grind or latent emotional issues due to not being breast-fed who are still looking for attention… no matter how they come by it. And thanks to them, you can no longer tell your favorite designer in a comment how much you love their latest release.

I’ve had several discussions with my cohorts regarding comments. Although we don’t all like the idea of anonymous commenting (myself included!), for the most part we agree that we’d like to go back to a more open format for anyone to share their views. Because Sharing is Caring! That being said, we are not therapists and comment section content that requires serious mental evaluation will not be allowed. Quite simply, only one of us is a trained professional and it would be irresponsible to allow you to put your care in our hands :)Think of us as the Dr. Phils of SL, doing what we can for the Brittany’s out there without making a single linden in the process.

Besides, everyone already knows that I’m a 68 year-old man who weighs 550lbs and lives in his mother’s basement. So there won’t be any need for you to point that out ~anonymously~ in a comment when you disagree with my stated opinion in a post.

To simplify, we are allowing anonymous comments until we decide not to either for a single post or indefinitely. Inappropriate, deranged, misogynistic comments that cross a line, will not be allowed. Try Gor for that. So choose your words wisely. If you’d like to share, discuss, or debate… you are welcome! Now, Bring it!

Oh Baby, Baby How was I Supposed to Know?

2008-01-22T00:12:00.000-01:00

Picture it...

You've gotten hitched to the perfect spouse in SL, and you both decide to have a cute little prim baby to hug, and pet and squeeze and call George (or Georgina). So you go and pick out a "belly" to wear and enjoy the beautiful process of your little junior growing inside your pixelated womb.

While wearing your little bundle of joy in public, suddenly you see some green text on your screen:

Your babies are unsettled. Please rub your belly.

WHAT?!?!?!

Why do you need to be reminded on not only your screen but everyone else's screen in the immediate vicinity that your belly needs to be rubbed? Minutes go by and you'll be told you need to take your vitamins, that your nails are healthy from taking them, and that you're happy to have the babies inside.

That's great for your wellbeing and all, but everyone else in the fashion boutique you're in (and most likely has clothes that won't fit your glowing self anyways) shouldn't have to hear that your babies are hungry and need you to eat something.

I haven't checked into who originally wrote this script to spam our screens with this prenatal babble. Probably a man since any woman who's ever been pregnant in RL would have text about morning sickness, swelled ankles, and peeing all the darn time.

Please keep in mind that I have nothing against the miracle of conception and feeling a life growing slowly inside of you. In fact it can be a very enlightening (and life changing) experience for most if not all women. I also understand that some women cannot have children in RL so have chosen to experience it in SL. That's perfectly your business and your right.

The rest of us just don't need to experience it with you.

Meat 'N Greet: Wrath Paine

2008-01-21T21:09:00.002-01:00

*Favorite Color:

Green because it the idea of a banana, so ready and yet forbidden until it rushes headlong into the heady days of it's maturity and can be devoured

*SL Rezzday:

2/25/07

*Favorite animal and why?

Okay, sure, if you know me, then you know that wildlife often roams onto my property and decides to stay. Vint finds it perfectly acceptable to climb aboard wild animals and hope not to get thrown.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

I'm the official greeter at Clockwork and as such I wanted to go for a smiths look without trying to look like a cheap knockoff. : "I put special care into each individually hand crafted greeting to help customers feel personally welcome"

*What's the last book you read?

the bible

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

All Angels of Light should be required to watch Boondock Saints for all eternity. You as well.

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

... was interested... NAH!!! Someone who doesn't love the Smiths.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?
meet the ladies, and shop, when I'm not hearing confession or working with the guys

****Disclaimer (cuz the lawyers said I hafta). This is provided as an artistic interpretation of a beefcake. Any similarities to real or pixel people are unintended and should not be blamed on us! i.e, we made this shit up.. k?

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (ETD & Last Call Sales)

2008-01-21T19:47:00.000-01:00

Click to enlarge

You blog it!

2008-01-20T19:46:00.000-01:00

Rosie & I are kinda dicking around with the similar subject of annoyance.

Anyone remmy the 1920's Antique Headress last week from Chapeau tres Mignon? How could you forget it? It was saturated all over the fashion feed. Every fashion blogger that it was given to blogged it from what I can tell.

I was given it too. By the way, have you noticed that I really don't have a personal review policy anymore, nor does MGG2SL? It's because everyday there is a new fashion twat blog etc for SL that does all the work for me/us. Why work harder when you can work smarter? The big differences between me & most, see I said most, other fashion blogs is that:

This is not a fashion blog per se
I have an opinion
It has to meet *my* standards of happifications to end up blogged by me

What does that mean Jelly? Well it means that if a designer gives me something they don't know if I'll blog it or not. Unlike some fash bloggers like AnaLu. Don't get me wrong, Ana is a great person & she is great with Photoshop, but she rarely, and I mean like almost never gives an opinion. Do you like that ensemble? Hate it? Why? What do you like/hate about it? Is it detailed?

I know I sound hypocritical here because every once in a while I do a Jelly's Closet on my personal blog and I don't feel I need to post an opinion. The reason for that is because if I am wearing it, that means I love it. Period. Also I never call it a review. If that doesn't clue you in that I "like &/or love" what I am blogging, seek professional help from Capt Obvious. kkthnx

Don't most designers have their own blogs? What about the What's New in SecondLife blog? Is there really a reason why the fashion feed has to be saturated with the same item on different avatars? 900 copies of the Antique headdress were given out? Okay mayhaps it wasn't 900 but jeepers! Who is buying it when it was given out to so many people? Do I really need to see how it looks on Ana, Sai, Gillian, and a handful of others?

So this post ends up with more questions than answers. Mayhaps it's just me on a ventage cycle but my gawd people if you want to call yourself a fashionista, a fashion blog, or person with good taste, at least have a fucking opinion.

Oh yes, opinions. That really gets me. If you are going to call your post a review, actually say something. Really. If you're just doing a fashion post, kay then... but a review you would think would require you to have an opinion! Don't be afraid to have a little credibility, okay so a designer could pass you up next time if you actually give an honest less than savory review, but imagine that you could actually be known as an honest blogger with some kind of credit. Not just the blogger that blogs EVERYTHING!

Remmy the good ole'days where fashionistas would find us things that weren't ALL new releases? I do! I do!

Discuss (i.e Slam me here....)

Fashionista Test

2008-01-18T21:51:00.001-01:00

The term fashionista gets bandied around a lot. Apparently even I am meant to be one. But what does it mean? Well... Don't ask me, I haven't got a bloody clue. My guess would be they are people that transcend from the mere excitable shopper, to be omniscient beings, knowledgeable in all that is fashion, light shining from their elegantly clad bottoms.

I don't believe them though. I reckon that most of the 'fashionistas' couldn't tell their arse from Armidi. Oh and now I'm going to try and prove it!

It's a simple little quiz, tiz all. Look at all the purty pictures and answer the questions. Easy huh?
Well sort of, I'd like to point out that aside from (more) fame and glory there is no prize. Although I should mention we're the second most read blog after the Linden one (which has less nudity so why read it?). There will be a lovely leaderboard posting after the closing date. It would be oh so tragic to not have your name on it, no? Unless it's at the bottom *snickers*

In the above photo, from left to right obviously, tell me what shop they came from

The two black dresses, the green dress (don't worry about the tights or boots) and the two outfits made up from two separate items from two separate shops (Am I making this difficult?)

Simple one, name the boots from left to right.

Skins next, there are FAR too many on the grid here is a umm selection. Simply jot down the shop again BUT.. Extra clever person bonus points if you name the exact name and shade (Ooooo)

Hair now, we only want the shop here.

And you're done. Those are all the important questions out the way. Too easy? Don't worry, cos we dreamed up a couple of bonus rounds for you. These are a bonus part of the quiz, you don't have to answer them. But muchos kudos to those that do.

In the first picture we have clothing from yesteryear. These are items from the very mists of time. From the time when people would scream and cry and berate you for wearing prim hair (which on the whole looked shit) and bling was actually quite exciting and sexy. Quick note you only need to name the boots in the right hand picture.

And finally we have the 'we know you're all sluts with kajira alts who crawl around on the floor licking boot heels' section. BDSM and slutting done in style. But can you name them?
You have one week from this post (Friday 25th for those too lazy to count) to get your answers in, send them in a notecard named with your name to Kitty Lalonde c/o The Freak Factory, Essex.

G'luck y'all!

Meat N' Greet: UCBlack Legion

2008-01-14T23:30:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

Tie-Dye...Is that a color?

*SL Rezzday:

Oct 29, 2006

*Favorite animal and why?

Cats. I always wanted a cat the size of a large dog so I could take it for a walk around the neighborhood and scare all the dogs. Cats are easy to deal with and they make great foot/head/neck warmers when it's cold outside.

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

How often have I seen other avatars with a certain attribute or style, and the big one, is it fun.

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

Honestly, I don't get embarrassed by much in SL. I have almost no shame when it comes to wearing things or tags if it gets a good laugh. The closest I can think of was when a friend beat me three times in a row in a catfight and I had to wear a tag saying "LS's Bitchboy" while at a busy nightclub.

*What's the last book you read?

Catch a fire, the Bob Marley biography.

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

5th Element. Just a great story, and it has a bit of everything a guy could want in a flick.

*I could never date someone who ________ (Fill in the Blank)

...was a part of "Two Girls, One Cup."

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

Slobie Bolero, just so I could clean up all those damn crabs.

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in SL?

Chavez Darrow and Veronica Harford. If/when I do my own club, there are no two other people in all SL I would want to be my partners in the venture. Chavez has killer design/building skills and V knows just the right touches to bring success.

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

DJ. If I could pay my RL way doing nothing but SL DJing, I would in heaven. I've been DJing in SL for almost a year now, 3 or more sets a week, and I still get excited each time, it's a rush.

Cover your ears!

2008-01-14T20:30:00.000-01:00

Okay, granted I may be in the minority here, but I've got a fucking problem with the blogosphere right now. Music.

That's right, music.

See, some of us have sensitive earses, and should we happen upon your blog but then suddenly have goddamn Santana or Cheryl fucking Crow blasted into our unsuspecting faces, we, or I rather, might be driven to beat myself to death with my laptop. Do you really want that blood on your hands? Well, maybe you do. But I don't.

It's not you, it's me. I love music to death, but I don't necessarily love the music you love. I admittedly have a narrow spectrum when it comes to shit I like. The shit I like, I like intensely. The stuff I don't like, I loathe. Call me overly sensitive (you won't be wrong, nor the first). I could never listen to music and do my homework as a kid and I regularly walk out of retail establishments that play soft rock. Because if I don't, I might assault someone, and I can't have that on my record.

I'm just saying, why not move the player to a sidebar and use a play button, rather than an auto playback? Oh god, please? That way when I'm sneaking a peak at work, Seal won't suddenly blast through my speakers as my boss is walking by, causing me to inadvertently stab myself in the neck with a ballpoint and cursing you to the high heavens.

Just consider it. Thanks!

Poll Results: Designer Personality

2008-01-14T17:22:00.000-01:00

Click To Enlarge

Blingtards: Stop the Insanity!!!

2008-01-12T02:01:00.000-01:00

Yeah, I know... this phenomenon is nothing new.

In fact we have a whole Flickr folder devoted to these misguided individuals. (Scroll down if ya wanna see some of the newer additions). The reason I'm writing this post is because apparently this is more widespread than originally thought. Just this evening, I happened to run into Three blingtards who managed to congregate where I was DJing at. Even more ironic, each fit into three separate categories of blingtardom, which I will explain here:

Hip Hop Bling

Yes we've all seen it. The bigass chains that IRL would make your whole body fall over with their weight. Whether necklaces or bracelets, these things are often seen on rapper wannabes and newbies who think that all that sparkle is bitchin' and supah fly. Well I'm here to set it to ya straight, folks. It's not cool... it's -tacky-, trust me. When we can't see your face past the incandescence of your accessories, we got a problem.

Armor Bling

There's nothing wrong with blowing up things. In fact we encourage it on video games to relieve stress. We do not encourage, however, having on armor that makes you burn like a Roman candle on the battle field. Isn't part of the point that you're supposed to blend in with your surroundings? No chance of that here. Lest we forget that he not only has the bling, but also the BFG's hanging from his arms that are bigger than his entire body and a pair of hunting daggers that would make Crocodile Dundee shit his breeches. Do us all a favor and go play Halo 3, k?

Girly Bling

Blingtards are not only a male problem, oh no! We have plenty of ladies who seem to have fallen under the same affliction.

This tends to constitute various articles of jewelry and shoes that female avatars wear to get attention, but wearing too much will garner the wrong kind of attention. Nothing says cheap whore like 1000 points of light... on your personage. If you -have- to wear blingy stuff, wear only one type at a time, and make sure the intensity isn't so bad that folks have to wear SPF 50 to come near you.

And remember ladies & gentleman... 'bling off' isn't just an option, it's a public service.

"Deception" & Friends :)

2008-01-11T05:35:00.000-01:00

Rosie Shark: afk
JellyBean Madison: kk
(few minutes later... )
JellyBean Madison: pssst
JellyBean Madison: Rosie
JellyBean Madison: pssst Rosie
Rosie Shark: lol hmm?
JellyBean Madison: look at my feet

So I did what any rational, totally normal, totally justified friend would do (I can only take so much ya know). I knocked her down! And ripped those totally gorgeous-just-had-to-have boots off her snide lil feet! Yeahhhh she may look tough, but I whoop'd her ass!

Then I gave them back cuz she pulled my hair and I like broke a nail. Ok, so my face is a little messed up, but you should see the other guy!

Boots: "Deception" Sinistyle (released now!)
Skin: "Busted Ho" 1313 Mocking Bird Lane (release coming soon?)
Hair: "Angel II" Armidi
Dress: "Jersey Pullover Set" Cake
Photosphere: Kyoot Army HQ

Beware the tux!

2008-01-10T12:42:00.001-01:00

Ladies, back me up here, please.

What's the first thing you think when you're out shopping and you see a dude in a tuxedo?

If you're like me, your very first thought is "pervert." Then, nine times out of ten, you check the dude's groups and sure enough there are about 15 VIP Escort groups listed, probably a bukkake group or even three or four, maybe a BDSM group, and back in the day you were almost guaranteed to see an age-play group listed too. Next thing you know, he turns to you and says, "hi."

What I want to know is, why the tux? Is the perv trying to mask his pervness with threads he thinks will help him pass as a classy,good guy? Does he think he's going to actually pick up real women sporting the tux? Does he not realize that at least 50% of those high-styling bitches hanging out at Phat's are really dudes in drag? Or maybe he doesn't care about that. Probably not, actually.

If you ask me, given the misuse of tuxedos by pervs trying to score, the only acceptable time for a dude to wear a tux in SL is if he's in a wedding. "Oh dear, what to wear at Phat Cats then?" If this is your dilemma, you're def reading the wrong blogger, because that place plays fucking Barry Manilow. And not ironically, either.

Are We Not Catty Women?

2008-01-09T20:11:00.000-01:00

Seems as though the gauntlet has been thrown down and it’s time for a little clarity. Recent discussion has put forth theories that attempt to help individuals on either side of the gender line define what it is that make up either their Y or X chromosomes. After much flailing and a whole lot of hype, it’s clear that this is where we must step in. Opinions – I’m sure we’ll all be knee deep in them, but remember, ladies, are they not men? It is our solemn duty to lead these poor inept creatures to the troughs of fashion, excellence, and substance.

In an attempt to further illustrate what it is that makes you blue or pink, we’ve come up with a short list…

Real Men Don’t

Wear Cherries
Say ‘hehe’
Fondle the breast size slider in appearance mode (that we agree on)
Own a lot of skins. Let’s face it, simplicity is the name of the game and any more than 3-4 skins creates a variety that just confuses them.
Organize their inventory. It’s all in the details, and let’s face it… the words ‘details’ and ‘men’ are completely unharmonious
Don’t carry big spoons… or do they? Hmmmm…
Know how to dress and accessorize… they require a woman for that. Unless, of course, they want to appeal only to the other loner guys at the sandbox who are so busy “blowing shit up” that they wouldn’t know a decent pair of trousers if it bit them in the ass.
Really know the names of at least 3 Nascar drivers… If someone you know actually does, the question of virility comes up. Is this macho rawr heavy machinery idolatry or the simple cover up of a man in the throes of understanding which team he’s really playing for?
Need to wax on and on and ON about what real men are and what they do. They’re too busy keeping up with their high-maintenance gfs. And are secure enough in their manliness that they don’t need to take such a combative stand.
Worry about a demographic “typical males” that isn’t being provided for. Seriously? How did you find the time with all of your nail-biting, fashion-blog skimming, and shopping?
Knock others with true style simply because they are too un-evolved to make their own look and instead use the pages of comic books to get their dastardly and unimaginative style. Don’t be hater, y0, Malibu Ken is hawt. Sorry you weren’t born with those genes.
Come up with great blog titles... This is where you guys shine like the true men that you claim to be :D

**posted by JellyBean Madison, who’s so busy doing the devil’s bidding that she used ghostwriter, Rosie Shark, and added a few of her own thoughts. Hey, so what if this is like the bathroom and we go in pairs… we’re girls, sue us. /us watch to see if we learned how to do the ‘cut’ on feeds.

The SL to RL Dilemma.

2008-01-08T16:03:00.000-01:00

It's easy, in this game that is not really a game, to get caught up in the whirlwind of emotion that comes along with getting to know someone. SL allows us to reach out and touch people we would not have met before. Now your search for love can span the entire globe.

Practically every taboo fetish has a group you can join to find people of the same mindset. Your every desire can be sought out, ordered up like some dial-a-date personal mate builder. All you have to do is find the right place for what you're looking for and then sleep your way through the various and sundry applicants.

You may just find “The One.” People make up and break up by the thousands every day in SL and it's been said that a relationship's longevity in SL is at least half compared to a RL relationship. My SL husband and I have been together, technically, since October of 06. We did not marry in game till much later and had been seeing each other many months before the engagement.

We took our relationship as far RL as we could relatively quickly. We talked on the phone for days at a time, saw each other on web cam quite often... It all happened so fast that I don't even know how one thing led to another. I met him and suddenly we clicked and I knew this was going to be “it” for me.

We met for the first time in RL in 06, before we were married in SL. I was so nervous. I knew him, heart and soul, before we planned this but there is definitely a different dynamic face to face. I spotted him as I was coming down the stairs... It was like a scene from any sappy romance movie. I ran to him! As I threw my arms around him.. I tripped over my own feet. He caught me and I pressed my lips to his in our very first kiss.

To this day I am still falling for him.

I know, I know, this doesn't sound like a Mean Girl's article! I assure you that I have not been body-snatched by some sappy sloot. Relationships are a huge part of SL. Finding, keeping, leaving, hiding, day in and day out on a much grander scale than you could have in RL.

The Mean Girls strive to be honest about things in SL. If your ass is fat, we tell you. Your Bling too Blingin? Expect to be made fun of (It's for your own good!). I've been thinking about SL to RL relationships a great deal lately and I know some of you have been there, done that, and not had it go to well. Some have had the same experience that I did.

Share your stories, Readers! Spurned by an ex-lover? Call him out! Sleeping with a partnered man? Please, do tell. Met the man of your dreams in RL and been completely disappointed or completely head-over-heels? This MG wants to know what goes on behind your closed doors.

Meat 'N Greet: Adec Alexandria

2008-01-07T17:36:00.000-01:00

*Favorite Color:

I feel like I should be saying Blue .. hair and all that .... but actually its Orange..

*SL Rezzday:

10/20/2006

*Favorite animal and why?

I've always wanted a dog because you can create a great bond with them, but never lived anywhere that its been feasible.... but atm .. my fave animal has to be a horse ...a beautiful French horse whose prolly too busy eating and rolling around to be reading this :)

*What factors did you take into consideration when creating your av?

Not a lot really, I haven't really changed since the 2nd day in SL - except skin / hair etc. It was only a few weeks later that I realised I was half the size of most males around me! .. and then too late .... oh and the name.. have used Adec on the web since I can remmy..

*what's the most embarrassing thing you've done for a girl/guy/furry?

Seriously can't think of anything .... i'll email you i come up with something...

*What's the last book you read?

It was actually Snow Crash .. but just about to finish My 'Dam Life by Sean Condon - great book if you have ever been to Amsterdam!

*What's a movie you could watch over and over?

Easy .. The Matrix ... and Cruel Intentions ... oh and Four Weddings of course.. and mayhaps Love Actually at this time of year!

*You could never date someone who _____________ (fill in the blank)

..wasn't Gillian Waldman ? :)

*If you could trade slives with one other avatar for a day, who would it be?

Can I pick Torley ? ..just to see how he manages to fit so much into one day! Plus I'd love to be paid to 'play' in SL all day !

*Who would you most like to collaborate with in sl?

Not sure how much I'm gonna be adding to this collaboration .. but Debbie Trilling. She's an amazing installation artist. She's just been asked to join CARP at the Art Gallery Diabolus .. ..and you can should go see her Particle Garden now @ http://slurl.com/secondlife/SploLand/90/139/26/ !

*Favorite thing to do in SL?

Taking photos has been an interest for a while, great way to explore SL .... oh and building structures that end up being far too big for my land ....and more than anything else, spending quiet time on Pillow Talk pillows with Gillian ;)

**Edited to correct Slurl

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (New Year Ringage)

2008-01-07T16:47:00.000-01:00

Click to Enlarge!

Where Oh Where Has Our Dear Orchid Gone?

2008-01-06T19:04:00.000-01:00

I'm wearing purple in mourning because our beloved Orchid seems to have vanished without a trace. Even on her own blog her posts have become less frequent. Should we send out a search party?

Come back to us, Orchid!!! WE MISS YOU!!!

Portraits of SL Assholes, Special MGG2SL Edition

2008-01-05T21:53:00.001-01:00

Apparently I'm inspired to get off my ass and write since my induction to MGG2SL. And I must say, It brings me great pleasure to introduce you to one of my favorite-to-produce blogging features, Portraits of SL Assholes. Today's topic? Asshole Ghettopreneurs Who Spam Designer Groups in order to Promote Their Very Low Quality Garbage. It's a mouthful, I know. But here's the deal.

I recently got hooked on freebie surfing, and joined a number of my favorite designers' groups so I could score some holiday cheer. And wow what a haul this season - especially in the skins category. I know you're following the free skin frenzy, I won't blog it here. But it never fails, does it? Some asshole must capitalize on the attention of the good guys who are giving away quality stuff. So, today SL Asshole of the Moment spams a designer group with the following:

[13:28] Asshole: beautifull skin + 4 make-up + 1 shape to 499 L here http://slurl.com/secondlife/Asshole Island/..... and skins from 50 L (only creation not fullperm !)

Now, given the quality of the text alone you knew it was a scam. I can smell an SL asshole from 10 sims away, so of course I opportunistically TP'd to the scene immediately and found bedlam.

All kindsa pissed off folks standing around, not rezzing, hair up the ass, every manner of catastrophe known to vanity. That and the fact, of course, that the store is filled with tacky garbage that even the newest noobs should steer clear of.

The group IMs continued in a flurry (all chat transcripts edited for conciseness and humor, read at your own risk:)
[13:31] Random Av: Is that [designer's name here] skin?????
[13:35] Designer Group Rep: No it is not and that person has now been ejected.
[13:37] Another Random Av: what is it ?
[13:38] And Another Random Av: I think its a spam
[13:39] Random French-speaking Av: mdr les skins sont horribles
[13:40] Random Av: ow ok:)
[13:41] Random French-speaking Av: beurkkkkkk

I couldn't agree more. Meanwhile, at the shop in question, the following ensues:

[13:35] Myg: this store sickens me
[13:35] Different Random Av: what is this?
[13:35] Myg: it's shit, that's what
[13:35] Another Different Random Av: this shop is crqp
[13:35] Another Different Random Av:: crap
[13:36] Myg: way to abuse another designers group to promote your own low quality shit
[13:37] Myg: say cheese
[13:37] Designer Group Rep: Well you have been ejected from the group, you don't go around spamming your products on other peoples groups. It's unethical.
[13:39] Myg: can everybody pose here close to [SL Asshole in question's name] like we're about to group stone her please?
[13:39] Totally Different Av: lol
[13:42] Totally Different Av: place is a train wreck
[13:42] Totally Different Av: ;/
[13:42] Myg: sheesh old enough to know better - your in SL almost a year and pulling that kinda bullshit?
[13:42] Myg: for shame

Mind you, the asshole in question didn't respond, not a word, gesture, tp out, nothing at all, not to any of us. She was doing stuff, but ignoring the whole scene. Smarter than I would normally give credit for, I am sure. But that doesn't make her (him, most likely - see AWNM, type 3 would be my guess) any less an Asshole for trolling the designer's group in such a way.

Myg out.

M is for Mean Myg

2008-01-02T20:21:00.000-01:00

Hullo, Mean Girl fans. I'm Mygdala March.

Some of you may recognize me from M is for Myg, or perhaps from my half-baked SL-based graphic blog serial, Met a Stranger. Better odds are that you have no idea who the hell I am. Yet.

You may not realize it now, but out there lurks the potential for wanton, reckless maleness to run rampant through the SL blogosphere. That's right. Beer drinking, truck admiring, fight watching, cussing, poor sock matching, bad laundry folding dudes have banded together, and god help us, *socially coordinated* over at Are We Not Men.

It just so happens that one of those dudes recently proposed to me. With an impending SL partnership, I had to do something to preserve the sexual tension in our SLives - for both our sakes.

So I became a Mean Girl.

Here's hoping I've got attitude enough to cut it here, even if the posts may be a little sporadic. In all seriousness, I have been a huge fan of this blog since nearly my original rezz date and SL obsession began a year ago, and I am honored to have the MG title. Here's to us, bitches.

Now let the boys beware.

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (New Year's Resolutions)

2008-01-02T02:07:00.000-01:00

Click to enlarge!

MGs: A Year in Review!

2007-12-31T22:19:00.000-01:00

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.

What's To Come in '08

2007-12-29T05:27:00.000-01:00

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?

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Santa's List)

2007-12-27T14:38:00.001-01:00

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.:-CATNIP-:. Asshats & Other Oddities

2007-12-21T01:11:00.000-01:00

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]?"

What's Wrong with the SL Clique?

2007-12-20T19:19:00.000-01:00

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?

Kitty's Fate in Your Hands

2007-12-17T20:56:00.000-01:00

*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

2007-12-17T17:25:00.001-01:00

*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)

2007-12-17T17:17:00.000-01:00

Reflection on a Linden...

2007-12-15T23:45:00.000-01:00

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.

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

2007-12-13T08:06:00.000-01:00

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!

Rip offs..

2007-12-12T17:01:00.000-01:00

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.

SLunchtime Poll Results - Last Week (Christmas in SL)

2007-12-11T19:34:00.000-01:00

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A question of priorities

2007-12-07T11:28:00.001-01:00

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.

Can you handle the truth?

2007-12-05T16:58:00.000-01:00

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.