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Scylla Rhiadra

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Everything posted by Scylla Rhiadra

  1. Scylla Rhiadra
    Fair enough. Let me think about it! (Can I find a pose of someone licking my legs, though?)
  2. Scylla Rhiadra
    This is a really good point, that hadn't occurred to me. Just the affirmation of her name at the end of the song, regardless of the phrasing used, is a kind of defiance at least. And why not? The guitar is a nice touch too, because it reinforces the sense that she can create something from this out of her own experience -- a kind of affirmation through art. Ok, I'm sold!
  3. Scylla Rhiadra
    These are beautiful -- and, especially the last one, poignant! (You see optimism in the song?) The vast majority of us aren't sex workers, but I think most of us have had that sense of what, or who, we're looking for imagined far away somewhere else -- and not visible through a window. I didn't know there was a video! It's a pretty good one -- the transformations of her appearance (and mood, and meaning) are kinda well done.
  4. Scylla Rhiadra
    Oh, so very much. Seriously. Information about what's happening in SL Amusement and, occasionally, outrage (I am working hard to control my expression of the latter, because who cares if I'm "outraged"?) Insights into other perspectives. I've said this before, but I learned a very great deal about D/s and BDSM here in my early days of posting. It was a very real, and very valuable, education. People, people, people. I have made so many friends here. Like, scores, including a former BF and the majority of my best friends in SL. And not just people as individuals, but the sense of community here, which IS very real. (And yes, like any community, it includes people I don't get along with. That's actually not an entirely bad thing either.) I could wax more eloquent about the last couple of points, I'm sure, but I am also trying not to be boring. I'm very active in-world, and (excepting only my two major hiatus(es) from the platform) always have been, but the forums here have been a HUGE part of my experience of SL since late 2008. And that's almost all of my 15 years here. I dunno. I like you guys? (Go figure!)
  5. Scylla Rhiadra
    Sure, but I don't know of an alternative, really. There are no certainties possible, really: all we can really do, ever, in any situation, is employ our critical thinking skills as best we can. And personally, I'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt and assume they are being genuine -- even if it means I end up with egg on my face later -- than approach everyone as a potential con artist. If there is evidence that they are trying to deceive me consciously, I'll protect myself of course. But I'm not going to begin from that assumption.
  6. Scylla Rhiadra
    Oh, there will always be people who are liars, of course. What I'm suggesting is that we not define how someone represents themselves here as a "deception." That doesn't mean that they can't use that representation for deception. But I suspect you'd probably agree with that.
  7. Scylla Rhiadra
    I'm sure Anubis agrees.
  8. Scylla Rhiadra
    Hmmm! I haven't been to today's party, and ain't going, but one problem I discerned on previous visits that I hope they've fixed is that there is no way for two people dancing to listen to the same music, because you have to use those HUD things for sound, and there's no way to synchronize them. So, you can be dancing with someone to completely different songs. Dumb.
  9. Scylla Rhiadra
    One of the assumptions being made here is that "representing who one is" in RL means replicating biological sex. Someone who is AMAB in RL, and retains the physical sexual characteristics of a male of the species may, in fact, be expressing a truth about themselves if they represent as a biological woman in SL. That's most obviously true of those who are trans, but I think it's likely true of cis people who represent in SL as a different biological sex as well: a man or woman who is representing here as the opposite sex may well -- in fact, I'd argue almost certainly is -- articulating something very real about themselves through that representation even if they are cishet. I'm sure there are exceptions (e.g., straight RL men who enjoy lesbian porn), but I work under the assumption that everyone here is expressing something authentic about themselves in SL, if only because they are doing so because there is something about that representation that appeals to them at some level or another. I think all of this talk about "deception" is not merely a red herring, but actually somewhat worrisome. If you need to know that the SL woman you're having sex with is possesses female genitalia in RL, then you simply have a particular requirement or preference in your partners (like "I only like red heads" or "my partners need to be literate and articulate"). And yes, you should articulate that, and even require that of potential partners. And they should equally have the right to say "Sorry, I'm not going to prove that" without being crapped on for declining. People represent as they do here for reasons that need have nothing to do with "deception." We need to accept that everyone here is being authentic to who they are in some way or another. Someone whose approach to SL doesn't mesh with yours isn't be "deceptive" -- they're just doing their own thing, as they have every right to.
  10. Scylla Rhiadra
    This. This is cool, though. I myself much much prefer subtle and quiet facial animations. Curious thing: I have used the LeLutka Axis head poser for years, and use it in pretty much every pic I take: it's brilliant and sooo easy to use. It doesn't work "as well," I suppose one might say, on my Genus, in that the adjustments aren't as dramatic on that head as they are on a LeLutka. And I actually like that: I can get a more subtle change in expression using it on my Genus than on a LeLutka. When I contemplated switching over completely to LeLutka a year ago, one of the disincentives was how dramatically adjustments on the Axis HUD affected LeLutka heads. I thought I'd have to start using the BD poser instead to get the more subtle looks I prefer!
  11. Scylla Rhiadra
    I think this is very much a "YMMV" thing. I've had very few issues with my old Genus heads. I worked out how to get rid of the eye problem literally years ago, and I don't use the animations because I find nearly all facial animations in SL (I'm talking about Genus, Catwa, LeLutka, and the ones in my Vista AO) too fast and fidgety. The neck thing was seldom an issue for me, except occasionally under certain EEPs on my Legacy. And I like the look of Genus, better than I like LeLutka. There are things I wish I could fix about it, most notably bulgy high foreheards, but It's just a nicer look -- for me. I tried converting to LeLutka about a year ago, when it really seemed as though there was never going to be a Genus update, and, although they are indisputably nice heads, I could never get the look I wanted from any of them (I demo'ed about a dozen, and own about 6 LeLutka women's heads). They're fine for photograph alts, but they weren't me. (And I hate the mouths.) The length of wait for an update is a thing, I guess, although I know that there are also RL issues (the DMCA, a child, I think, and the creators are based in Russia?). And it's not like the old Legacy, which was left almost literally broken by their disappearance. If you like the look of Genus, you'll like this update. If you prefer LeLutka -- and it appears a LOT of people do -- then this is all irrelevant anyway. It is good that there continue to be other options available in SL than just LeLutka, because monopolies aren't a good thing, ever. Genus isn't going to dethrone LeLutka, but this update should keep them viable for a while to come -- and everyone, even if you don't like or trust Genus, should applaud that, because we have got dangerously near the point where there is only one really viable mesh head available, and one that uses a proprietary UV system. Choice is always good.
  12. Scylla Rhiadra
    Takeaways from this: 1) You need to post more regularly in the forums again. 2) You need to start taking pics again. Even with a crappy computer. 3) Your cheque is in the mail. No really. I mean it this time!
  13. Scylla Rhiadra
    There is a new UV for HD skins, but it's optional, just as you can choose between LeLutka Evo and EvoX.
  14. Scylla Rhiadra
    I actually had very few problems with my old head! The neck join was fine, except when wearing Legacy in certain conditions, and I had the eye issue fixed (by fiddling with something in the debug menu, I think?). I also very rarely used the animation HUD anyway. I've spent the evening playing with the new one, and the animations are MUCH nicer. HOWEVER, I now have a more visible neck join for some reason: a really lovely Genus CSR spent about a half hour in person with me trying to fix it (with no luck). It may be an issue with Session. At this stage, given that I was pretty happy with the older head anyway, I'm querying whether I should even bother switching over. (I couldn't care less about the new HD mapping.) In terms of the broader picture: I'm glad they've finally done this, because it was absolutely necessary if they want to keep Genus afloat. One new male head and some glitch fixes isn't exactly going to challenge the juggernaut that is LeLutka, but it will keep some Genus users who might have wandered off because of the lack of update in the fold. And so long as they continue to offer than one free head, which I've seen used by a fair number of people, there should be enough Genus users out there that they won't be entirely abandoned by skin and cosmetics creators. And really, that's all I ask.
  15. Scylla Rhiadra
    Hey, I'm not kink shaming! Whom you choose to share your ears with is your business!
  16. Scylla Rhiadra
    Or, what if they were actually aliens, and it turned out that they had tentacles. And they wrapped you in them and abducted you to their spaceship, which was piloted by intelligent talking rhododendron bushes, and they performed weird and far-out experiments on your ears, because in their strange culture, those were actually the sex organs? Or what if we chose not to produce ridiculously hypothetical scenarios intended to provoke a reaction?
  17. Scylla Rhiadra
    Good news: AT LAST I received the new updates for two of my Genus heads today, including my "everyday" one!!! Peeve: I'll likely end up spending tonight updating my outfits and look as a result, not to mention figuring out and learning how to manage any changes!
  18. Scylla Rhiadra
    Damaged
  19. Scylla Rhiadra
    I do, but only when my graphics card is already under stress because of the number of avatars nearby. I think that many people don't realize that you can have ALM without also enabling shadows and ambient occlusion. I may be wrong, but I suspect that the graphics pre-sets in most viewers link them, so when you go to "High" or "Ultra," they're all enabled at the same time.
  20. Scylla Rhiadra
    The other term for these euphemisms and get-arounds is "dog whistle." I see them being used all the time to harass people -- even here, sometimes.
  21. Scylla Rhiadra
    It's a good question, given that it seems as though ALM is going to cease to be optional once PBR comes in. But I agree with Fiona: it's complicated. I use it when I can without impacting on poorly on FPS (which, if you have shadows turned off, it doesn't hit too badly, in fairness). But I'll often have turned it off, and forget to put it back on. It really does, however, make an enormous difference in how things look.
  22. Scylla Rhiadra
    Oh jeez. I missed that! Yes!
  23. Scylla Rhiadra
    Or one could just throw him into a volcano?
  24. Scylla Rhiadra
    Still from the hit comedy movie, "Cats in Black"?
  25. Scylla Rhiadra
    @Orwar -- comments, off the record?
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