Scylla Rhiadra

Conflating cycles of personal abuse with toxic and oppressive behaviours that target one, not as an individual, but as a class of person, is an even worse form of false equivalence than Paul offered up. Are you suggesting that victims of racism, for instance, are guilty of attracting racists? How? By not being white? This is so vague, Paul, that I don't even know how to address it. I think I've said all I need or want to say on this subject. You get it, or you don't. Time to move on, and back on subject perhaps?

She personally gave me easily a half hour of her time once when I was having problems with the asymmetry harness. Yes, she is a sweetheart.

I should do the same. I'm sure mine is out of date. Thanks!

Wow. Yes. Not a whole lot of warning there.

I'm very sorry to hear that. I liked Slink a lot, still wear Physique when I can, and found their customer service simply superb. It's too bad she stumbled so badly with the new bodies. This is our loss.

One of my regular dance partners has what he calls his "Scylla shape," which is maybe a foot shorter that he wears when dancing with me. Not, needless to say, an option available in RL. Interestingly, I DO have a taller shape that I use when riding my horse, Boudica. Shows my priorities I guess that I'll change my height for my horse but not my human partner . . . 😕

As Love notes, you've provided a series of false equivalencies, Paul. False, because they refer to actions -- to decisions that you may or may not make. Someone who is being bullied or harassed in SL because they are trans, or gay, or black, or a furry, or a woman, is not being attacked for what they are doing: they are being targeted because of who they are. Being trans isn't a "thing one does": it's who one is. You can hide it, I suppose, but the point is that they are not being attacked because of their actions, but because someone doesn't think they should exist at all, or that they should be defined in a different, and invariably oppressive, way. Your example of your troll forum avatar is a particularly poor example, because it is almost literally a "mask": it's something you choose to represent yourself with, presumably, a half joking intent. Remove it, and you don't change who you are in any way: you merely remove the outward expression. When people are attacked for who they are, they have no such choice. Unless, of course, you are suggesting that black people shouldn't represent as black, that women shouldn't represent as women, that gay people should just "not be gay" in-world, etc? I don't think that is what you are suggesting, but those are the implications of your analogy.

Or be thankful that the parcel or region owner has made their ugly views so obvious that you know right away what they are, and go elsewhere. Everyone has their own standards of course, and I wouldn't try to impose mine on anyone else . . . but personally, I don't patronize places that embody racist, sexist, or homophobic principles. ETA: I just want to make it clear, Ingrid, that that's not a criticism leveled at you. I have no idea whether you would visit such places, but I'm not suggesting that you would, or that I think less of you if you do.

Respectfully, Paul . . . Coffee has a point. I can't speak with much if any personal experience of the interactions that someone representing as a relatively "realistic" cis white male experiences in SL, but if you are professedly or obviously trans, a furry, or represent as any number of other non-normative identities, you DO get uninvited harassment, even just shopping. I think it's a little easier for gays than maybe it was, but I've had friends who've experienced homophobia here -- and not because they went to an "all-straights" night club. Even just being a cis white woman means that you're going to get unsolicited and generally unwanted IMs. SL is actually not as bad as social media (such as Twitter). Anyone taking an even mildly political stance on Twitter can suddenly find themselves the target of a pile-on, generally led by week-old bots with followers in the single digits. And as someone who is "political" in her SL in-world profile, I can attest that I will occasionally get mugged because of that too (although only by individuals). You don't have to look for trouble if a significant proportion of the population has decided that you violate their sense of what is "right" or "normal." It will generally find you.

Dresden . . . Dresden . . . Why does that name ring a . . . OH!

"No, I swear to god I wasn't looking at you! I'll just, um, continue on my way now . . ." Lots of attitude in this pic! Great setup!

I have a suspicion that it hasn't -- or at any rate has been VERY rare. So, it's either hooey or paranoia from the landowner.

Yeah, this is a relatively recent change: you used to be able to change it from your web profile. I think it may have something to do with what I've heard -- that they're planning to deprecate the web profiles?

No, sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant has it ever happened that a landowner has been disciplined for allowing shorter avatars into their region or parcel?

Peeve: People who stand silently behind you while holding two fingers up behind your head and making bunny ears. /me glares with narrowed eyes at @Ceka Cianci

The usual justification for kicking short avatars out of parcels and regions is that the landowner is afraid of being shut down and/or banned by LL for permitting age pl*y. Does anyone know of even a single instance where this has happened, based not on the activities or RP of those in the place, but merely upon the size of their avatar?

Depends on what you're advertising, maybe. And where. Years ago I had a friend who advertised her phone sex business on her profile. I think she did quite well with it . . . Using your profile for that purpose is, I think, fine -- and may actually be more effective, assuming that you get out and about to where people are.

@Rowan Amore and @Cinnamon Mistwood: I'm so sorry that it's been a crappy end of year for you both. I'm not REALLY a hugger much in RL, but . . . hugs.

You come in . . . second.

I'm not sure why we even need to ask this question? Quite clearly, the most attractive female avatar is . . . MEEEEEEEEEEEE. Duh.

Yeah. I'm exactly the same height as the OP -- 1.81 m, which is also my RL height -- and, honestly, I literally don't think I've ever been questioned, challenged, or called a minor. My boobs are pretty smallish too -- I generally use Lara Petite or Legacy Perky, so it's not that I look "curvy" or obviously sexually mature. I am going to guess that it's because, while I do go frequently to Adult rated sims (and in fact live in one) and clubs that double as pick-up joints, I don't (intentionally) go to sex sims. Is it only in such places that people get uptight? I'm not doubting people's experiences -- but it's just never happened to me. My chief problems with my height have been oversized buildings and furniture in places I want to take a pic, and animations and poses (particularly couples dances).

While we're on the subject of "ideological blinkers" . . . how do you imagine this working, exactly? What kind of "help" will the merchants be motivated to provide noobs? How to find cool places to visit? How to communicate with IMs or group chat? How to interact with their environment, use animations, activate media? Yeah, no, I think not. What I foresee is a situation where new residents who have barely learned how not to bounce off walls are funneled to high-end stores where they are immediately confronted with the substantial RL costs of updating their avatars to mesh without having yet been given the slightest indication that there is anything in SL worth paying for. Or, they end up at a clothing store selling garments sized for bodies that they don't own, and described in an arcane language -- "Maitreya? Legacy? LeLutka? What are those?" -- that they don't yet understand. "Why, after dropping real money using my RL credit card, are parts of my body sticking out of this dress?" Actually, forget for a moment the substantial costs -- head + body + skin + hair + add-ons -- and consider the learning curve -- no, sheer cliff side -- that you are throwing them at. We have people who have been here a decade or more who still don't quite understand the intricacies of mesh, BoM, and attachments -- but you want noobs to master these, again, before they have even had a chance to explore SL and discover what makes that curve worthwhile? I can't even imagine what this will do to retention. You worry about favouritism and cliquishness, but seem to think that substituting a plutocracy in its place is the answer. The only merchants with the resources to throw at something like this will be the high end ones -- and they aren't producing goods that are of any use to noobs. And in the meantime, you'll be showcasing precisely those stores that don't need your help, and leaving the smaller merchants who don't have the staff, time, or money to get involved high and dry. Yes, sometimes the private sector does do a better job at things than the public one. But this is a recipe for chaos and disaster.

So far as I know, the new starter avatars -- "NUX" as LL seems to refer to them -- are not yet available. They will have, we've been told, mesh bodies and heads. The currently available crop of starter avis are old system avatars, with mesh clothing and attachments. The NUX avatars will supposedly become available at some point in the new year. A lot of people do this, but it's worth noting that it's actually against the ToS to share an account (i.e., share a password) in this way.