Get Out the Eye Bleach...

I respect the right of other SL citizens to be able to be and look like anything and I've shown some skin before at a themed party...but damn. I'd love to say that these are all dudes pretending to be women, but I've met way too many women who like the "ho-chic" look in here. A guilty pleasure of mine is the SL site "What the Fug?" Looking through my pics, I realized I actually had enough to do a homage post of sorts. Can't say I didn't warn you...

While out shopping a while ago, Lunar tried to shield my eyes from the one on the right, I couldn't help but notice the one on the left too..
I'm all for curves and think voluptuous women are gorgeous, but this old pic I took is like "Attack of the Blinging Oiled Badonkadonks"...Saw these two last night. The one on the left speaks for herself, but what you can't really see from the woman on the right (who I actually thought was pretty) is that you can see her prim nipples under her prim top because it doesn't fit close enough. For the love of God, WHY? OK, we get it. You are neko BDSM twins and like to spank or be spanked. We get it...Now I'm going to need some eye bleach...And yes, Tensai clicked on this pricelessness below...

Elle's RL Across the Pond: Paris

Now that I'm all settled in again, I thought I'd share some pics from my recent trip overseas. The first time I went to Paris, I swore I wouldn't return. This time though, I came away loving it. I took a deep breath and went up into the Eiffel Tower. For me, mercifully, the very top level was closed. This is a view of the Champ de Mars...I think I enjoyed the overall collection at the Musée d'Orsay better than the Louvre's (*gasp*)...We got off at the Abbesses stop, which is one of only two Hector Guimard-designed Art Nouveau Metro stops with their original glass roofs. We also found out the hard way (and 285 steps later) that we had walked up the deepest stop in Paris...After wandering through the narrow streets of Montmartre with visions of artists dancing in my head, we made our way down the hill to Pigalle to see the famous Moulin Rouge. Given where we were, we all visited the Musee de l'Erotisme, which was actually really interesting...Not as ultra-exciting, but interesting in its own way, was the Grande Arche of La Défense, which was near our hotel. I had a great time in Paris, and yes, I did try escargot...

Victorian Gorean aka "Why It Doesn't Work"

One thing about exploring SL a lot is that you get to a point where you realize you really do get around and it takes a whole lot more to get your shock meter going. Tonight, I found myself visiting the sim of Londinium, a mature strict RP sim that seems like its theme could best be described as Gorean-Victorian, for lack of a better explanation. My exploring companion joked that I should have walked around with the "Prey" titler on instead of "Observer". Yeah, right.

I don't know. I had a been-there, done-that before feeling about it, and not in a good way, as it reminded me of the sim of Solarya, which folded quite some time ago now. While Solarya had beautiful architecture, its Gorean-Victorian feel and RP just didn't attract folks. I know that as a merchant there, it was definitely "interesting" to have my Victorian Steampunk clothes next to half-naked slave silks. A friend of mine was actually rather put off by the mix and Solarya itself once he realized what it was truly about and pulled his shop.

Sure, plenty of Vic/Steampunk types that I know have kinks and I know some who also RP as Goreans, but in my experience, that kind of a mix like what Londinium is doing and Solarya did hasn't blended well as its own sim. Like my friend, many folks I know who RP as Victorians--despite those kinks I mentioned--can actually be Victorian-minded sometimes. For instance, sex-related places like brothels--which would have most certainly been found in the RL 19th c.--have not done well in the historic-themed sims. Combine that with the fact that the women in most of the historic sims are forces to be reckoned with and to me, the main ones attracted to Vic RP, you can see why RP where they are denigrated as sex slaves wouldn't bring the green dots.

My firm belief however, is that a true dark RP Victorian-themed sim could work. Its requisite pickpockets, gangs, whores, villains and opportunists all mingling together in grimy, narrow, dark-alleyed slums allowing all vices could do well as it has not been done in SL yet. A CoLA/Toxia/Midian-style Victorian dark RP sim. Not a Gorean sim with a Vic veneer. Gritty and dangerous as many places in that time period would've truly been and where the wealthy lord and lady types would take their chances walking through, if they dared to at all? Wow. History itself (want to read about rookeries in England...pick up some Dickens, or for the US, read about NYC's Five Points ) provides fodder for ideas--for evil or good--that one can't even believe, yet could reproduce in SL.

But you know, in the end...to each their own, right?

And um, yes...that's a pink flamingo on top of a whipping post that I came across.

And So It Begins...

So LiLa's finally making steps towards their crackdown on adult content on the Grid. They've decided to "geographically separate" adult content on the mainland, filter Search, and pay attention...require verification for those who wish to access/see Adult content period. Estate owners are still free to be Mature or PG, but will have to flag their content.

Now, I'm sure there are some adults who are of delicate sensibility and wish all of the sex and violence in SL would just go away. To me this means more than that. We've been watching a systematic "cleaning up" of SL going on for a while now (SL5B anyone?) Between the whole ageplay and "SL Destroyed My Marriage" scandals, I'm sure LiLa has been in their SanFran offices cringing like "CRAP!" After all...how are you supposed to attract corporations or a much younger demographic in (like the rumors of a Teen Grid merger) if you aren't sure that a half-naked, latex-clad, blinger speaking in multiline gestures or a griefer with flying freenises isn't going to just pop in and disrupt things or make the newly assimilated young 'uns need to be led away with hands over their eyes?

LiLa says they wish to reflect RL, but actually in SL it's pretty easy to not be "subjected" to questionable things. TP, leave. One thing about being an adult is being able to make that choice. No one's forcing you to watch. One of the things I've always enjoyed about SL is not having to take kids into account. A grown-ups grid. Whoo!

Will this create a Sin Continent? Maybe. But like it or not, SL's sex industry did help to fuel its economy, much like gambling. And let's see LiLa try to keep enterprising unverified folks from visiting. That will be interesting. And who knows? It might create a private estate boom.

Will people roll out in droves from SL screaming about sexual repression and the verification? Probably not. For every whiner, there's an opportunist. And besides...where are they going to go? The other grids just aren't there yet. I've spent time in them. Not there yet. For all of our hair-pulling, SL's still the best thing going for what it is, and LiLa knows it.

And um...that half-naked, latex, blinging wonder I mentioned earlier? How are you going to keep them restricted to the Adult area? Just a thought. Some of the most questionable folks I've seen have actually been in places not necessarily questionable.

Haa...does Coco Linden's Linden Bear need me to be age verified before looking at it? Oh, my eyes!

Also make sure you read this as well for more info as I think the definition of what is adult (and that could cover a lot) will truly be important:
Adult-Oriented Content Controls FAQ
Maturity Ratings FAQ