Zidaya Zenovka

^This

Grace Potter ftw

No matter how much one treats Second Life as being separate from 'real life' you're still communicating with your fellow human beings. No matter how much of your interaction is roleplay there's still a human being typing at you. If your roleplay gets intense enough and you're not being responsible enough about it you can very much hurt others. Just because 'it's not real' doesn't mean negative interactions can't have a harmful effect on someone's psyche. This is why every D&D group I've been in has had a 'session 0' game where before the actual game begins we discuss our boundaries and expectations. That way no matter how intense things get if people aren't comfortable with certain topics or kinds of interaction there's far less chance of them happening. So while it's fine for everyone to be here for different reasons if those reasons involve behaving in a toxic way towards others using 'SL and RL are separate' as an excuse isn't one. It's not about people taking things too personally. It's about 'some people just take things too personally' not being a valid abdication of your responsibility towards others to behave like a decent human being...even if you aren't one.

Just because someone is an escort does not make them a toy. They are still a human being. You're still required to respect them. That and sexual harassment is against the law. Just because it's imaginary doesn't invalidate that fact. Now if your client asks nicely if it's OK for them to be a little rough that's fine but much like in real life that still means you need to work out what's OK and what's not before you start. That means asking your escort what their boundaries are, how they prefer to be referred to. In general you find out what they're OK with and if they EVER tell you to stop doing something YOU STOP. No means NO, period.

This whole 'sl isn't rl' thing is more farce than fallacy. No. It's not. SL isn't a game it's a glorified chat interface. Without the community aspect this virtual reality platform would have died out the gates. Every time you turn around in SL there's some kind of community. Roleplayers, musicians, artists, support groups-when my ex realized he was trans back in '07 it was because he'd met a bunch of people from SL's trans furry community. A large majority of SL users are LGBTQIA+. Why? Because there's a lot more freedom to be who you are here vs the real world. That kind of community aspect is why downplaying sexual assault via text is so infuriating. It's not just trolling or bullying. This person took advantage of the trust someone had shown them. Someone showed them the benefit of the doubt-whether because of necessity or whatever other perfectly valid reason led them into this circumstance-and that trust as well as their person was violated. Stop downplaying this. If people like the guy OP's friend had to deal with aren't dealt with they absolutely do go on to hurt others. I know because i've had it happen to me, I've seen it happen to friends and whenever I speak up about it or add my voice the same thing happens-the apologists come out and try to blame the victim despite it not being their fault and their not having anything to feel ashamed about.

True, true. It's just a little frustrating to see so few options for male clothing that isn't abnormally oversexualized or cobbled together from the least-oversexualized feminine clothing you can find. It seems like every time I find a decent androgynous-leaning outfit it lacks mod options.

Here's the thing-it doesn't matter if they were getting paid, it doesn't matter that you can log out, report people, whatever. What matters is that it's not OK to disrespect/mistreat people. Abusive behavior is serious whether it's physical or done via chat. Emotional trauma is just as valid as physical. Both have a detrimental effect on the person being abused. Nobody should wave off how this person treated them in any way, shape or form. As far as the 'maybe they like it rough' comment it's attitudes like that that end up normalizing abusive behavior. The number one thing people should ALWAYS remember when engaging in ANY kind of roleplay with others is that CONSENT IS KEY. Respect for consent should be primary when you're roleplaying or doing anything with others, really but especially anything involving sex.

It's unfortunate things like this happen. I'm sorry your friend had to deal with that. Even if you can mute/kick/ban, etc there's always a concern someone creepy enough will track you down via your sl account. Especially if you're like me and have one that's tied to your real-life identity (thanks, Facebook-NOT). The best you can do is talk to the sim owner and try to make sure they don't come back. I don't Erp in sl anymore but even with tame rp I tend to stick to people I know or to communities where I know creepy ***** is less likely to happen. Yeah it might not be as titillating as things were when I first got into sl but at least I've cut down the number of creeps I deal with to nearly nil.

I have the same issue with people who make items copy/no mod/no trans. Even when they do include some kind of hud to change the color I'd at least like an option to tint it a different shade. I was considering buying a mesh leather jacket but it had no permissions allowing me to deviate from the black/red/grey/green texture. You can mod your own clothing when you take it home from the shop. Why shouldn't you be able to do the same with your stuff in SL? Personally if I ever sold anything on the marketplace I'd make it full perms. That's how fed up I am with SL's permissions system. Once you buy something it should be YOURS.

I can't help feeling like certain folks in this thread are casting a lot of judgment towards people who hang out in/use these places. For a lot of folks like me it's fun to watch avatars go at it. I like taking screenshots of my sexy avatars having sex and I don't want to have to go through the trouble of making a second account. If it helps someone get some extra coin more power to them. I get to enjoy myself, someone else gets a bit of spare change. I do see the issue with people coming in for a look-see but I don't get how it's fair to call them incels. Some people are like I was when I first found sl-still figuring themselves out and lacking confidence. It's not a crime nor does it mean you're not a good person. Anyways I still see a few around that seem fairly active. It's like anything else in SL-this isn't a popular platform anymore and hasn't been for well over a decade. There just aren't as many people around.

SL has changed my life dramatically. It's not only helped me discover who I am and helped me make a lot of friends it's save my life. I'm so grateful I joined back in March of 2007. Thank you Linden Labs ❤️

I've always imagined Zid graduating when I did-back in '92 hence why it has that old yearbook photo look. Created in Clip Studio. Laser background from https://laserportraits.tumblr.com/ Grainy overlay by https://www.deviantart.com/fictionchick/art/Grunge-Texture-Overlay-PNG-428805936

I got 20 likes and all I did was take a goofy pic of my avatar standing in front of some amplifiers while holding their guitar. I don't participate in the forum much and until then i'd never posted a photo here. Plus my avatar is furry. If anyone was going to have reason to suspect people were ignoring my avatar it would be the weirdo kangaroo dude. Ultimately likes depend on who's around and whether they dig something or not. Different people are going to dig different stuff. I think you're taking chaotic randomness a little too personally.

Today we gather to mourn Zid. To honor all the things he did. He was a friend who helped us laugh. His kindness was what steered his path. Though he at times screwed up of course to all our lives he was a force of good and cheer and self-love's way. We wish he could be here today. He'd want us all to smile and see the great things he knew we could be. A roo glam rocker. A grateful friend. Though your time with us is at an end we know you're out there in the 'verse. Guitar in hand you now rehearse with all the legends you loved the most. Rock on, dear friend. To you we toast.