Wildefire Walcott's Mistressy Musings

Further Thoughts on Desperation Isle Estates

2010-12-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

UPDATE (12/14/2010): We have found the remaining sims a new home!

I’ve been very quiet the past couple of weeks, but now that I’ve personally contacted all affected residents and vendors (and now that it’s actually sort of made the news), I just wanted to officially confirm and explain what’s going on with Desperation Isle Estates.

We are indeed shutting down our public meeting place and mall, New Desperation Isle, and we are exiting the business of managing multi-tenant residential sims. The detailed announcement I delivered to our residents is viewable on our estate blog. I don’t want to repeat what I’ve already said on the blog, but I did want to discuss a few specific things related to the decisions we made, and on Second Life as a whole.

Linden Lab’s Role

I tried to be very careful in constructing my official announcements, because I didn’t want to sound like I was saying, “Boo hoo, Linden Lab made it too hard for me to make money.” Success anywhere (in Second Life or the real one) means work, both to achieve and maintain. Linden Lab did in fact make quite a number of decisions that affected our mall, skybox store, and estate business, but those changes weren’t individual killing blows- they were just speed bumps that would require a lot more time, effort, and money than we’re willing to invest right now to overcome. A number of judgments Linden Lab has made, I might have done myself if I were in their position.

The only policy change Linden Lab made that I absolutely disagree with was the granting of reduced monthly tier to a small number of the very largest estates on the grid. Anyone who doesn’t see this decision as an openly hostile move against all new or small/medium estates on the grid is at risk of Kool-aid-induced diabetes. It is not the same as offering bulk discounts on new sim purchases (it cannot be compared to the Wal-Mart or Best Buy model), and doesn’t make business sense in the short term. Linden Lab realized they were leaving money on the table by allowing grandfathered tier to carry across sim transfers- and they fixed that- but then they secretly blessed a few favored estates with lower maintenance costs even though they would have sold just as many sims had they kept the original tier for themselves. Linden Lab is subsidising the estates who get these breaks and leaving the rest to fend for themselves (apparently most Atlas participants don’t even get this discount). And even this move makes sense in a very clinical, calculating way. I’ve discussed my theories about why I think they’ve done this extensively in other threads, and I believe Linden Lab’s own actions and statements throughout the past year have corroborated my beliefs.

We recently sold two of our islands, with residents, to a fellow estate for almost no money. I wanted to move these two specific sims because each one had a tenant with builds that occupied nearly a fourth of the island that I just couldn’t bear to see go up in smoke. I did try to find homes for all of the other sims- even offering them for free to anyone who promised to take care of the builds and tenants, but anyone looking for islands right now wants unpopulated “blanks” that they can parcel and shape to their desire. I will be deleting the remaining six sims when the time comes. This will be my $21,240USD-a-year protest against Linden Lab’s secret tier breaks. They won’t get the (full price!) tier from my sims anymore.

Anyway, the tier breaks alone were hardly enough to push us out of the multi-tenant sim business. I’ll address that more in a moment.

Success in Second Life is Still an Option

Even though we’ve chosen to leave this particular part of the land market, I still believe it’s possible to run a viable, successful business there. It’s just a lot more work now than it was in the past- and you have to fight on all fronts.

If you compete on price alone, you will fail. Someone will always be able to underbid you, whether they have grandfathered tier, sweetheart discounts, or they’re just that hungry.
If you compete on search placement or classifieds alone, you will fail. Everyone wants top placement and only the person who works hardest (perhaps employing shady means) will get there.
If you compete on marketing alone, you will fail. You can slap banner ads on every SL-related site on the Internet and someone else will be doing that AND optimizing their Google placement AND taking advantage of pricey Linden Lab marketing opportunities, and who knows what else.
If you compete on customer service alone, you will fail. Someone is always going to be better-staffed and in-world more than you are.
If you compete on theme or uniqueness alone, you will fail. There is definite value in having a “themed estate.” It worked for us, and has worked for many of our peers. But if you are successful in your niche, you can and will be copied.
If you compete on name recognition or “SLebrity” status alone, you will fail. The cachet that comes with notability is limited; you deliver a poor service or experience and that tarnishes your brand. You only have fifteen minutes; use them wisely.

If you compete competently in most or all of the above areas you will succeed. If you fail in any of these areas (except for maybe the last one?) you’d better count your blessings that you’re still in business at all.

Game Over

I used to enjoy all of the challenges I just detailed above. I call Second Life a game, and THAT was my game. I obsessed over my placement on the PMLF chart (and was bummed when they removed the economic stats page) and relished my “Business Owner Level 2” LindEx trading status. I actually developed a passion for real-life Economics as a result of analyzing and discussing the fluctuation of the L$ with fellow forumgoers and now daydream about having a chance to do college over again to study it.

But it’s time for me to get off the competitive SL treadmill and onto a real one. (I’ve gained an embarrassing amount of weight ever since Second Life usurped Exercise in my evening activities five years ago.) I love Second Life for what it once was and what it yet can be. I love it for the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had. I may have a grudge over the tier breaks thing, but I could never hate the company who helped me meet so many great people.

The Future of Desperation Isle Estates

For anyone wondering whether our continuing single-tenant sim business might turn out to be as ephemeral as our multi-tenant business, you just need to understand how different those businesses really are. If I lose a customer on a single tenant sim and can’t rent the sim before tier is due, I can delete the island from the grid without affecting anyone but me and The Lab. It’s not like a full-prim, full-tier sim with 20 parcels on it, where you start hemorrhaging money if the sim is any less than 70-80% full.

Also, the amount of work required to keep my customers happy is significantly reduced. A single-tenant sim customer never has to complain that their neighbor has banlines or that someones new rabbit farm is lagging the entire sim. They also have more control over the island and only ever contact me if they’re moving out or if one of Linden Lab’s egregiously frequent maintenance restarts results in a sim boot hang. We can basically maintain this business indefinitely, for as long as we have customers and as long as Linden Lab doesn’t raise our rent beyond what those customers can afford.

Connections

Over the past few days, I have received so many beautiful notecards and IMs from customers and friends, thanking me for giving them a place to live and play and sell. I’ve told a couple of people already that as the stress of maintaining the businesses mounted in the past couple of years, I grew to see myself as just “the landlord” and had kind of become oblivious to all the wonderful times people were having in this community that I built. I will never regret what we had there. I only wish that each day were a few hours longer so I could have the time necessary to keep our little village viable in the years to come. I will miss it, and I will miss the people who called it home. The one bright spot in all of this is that from now on, when I log onto Second Life more often than not it’s going to be for pleasure, not work.

Second Life's Endangered Spaces

2008-11-06T00:47:00.000-08:00

Linden Lab's October announcement that they were planning to significantly raise prices on openspace islands sure caused a stir. Some rental estates evicted their tenants and shut down immediately. Others began deleting their openspaces as they became vacant. After a good week of listening to feedback (AKA "rage") from the community, the Lab came up with a plan to introduce a new land product called Homesteads, which are approved for residential use. These new homesteads will be priced higher than today's openspaces, but for the first six months of 2009, the price will be significantly lower than the outrageous amount they were asking in the October dramabomb.

Even though the new prices are being phased in, and the initial increase isn't that huge, at this time a number of great openspace builds have already been shut down as a result of last week's blog post, and I know of a number of other public builds which were scheduled to be shut down soon, last I heard. Over the weekend I was listening to a song by The Dears, and some of the sentiments it expressed really related to my feelings about the whole openspace controversy. I spent Sunday and Monday teaching myself how to use Sony Vegas Movie Studio, then I traveled around the grid looking for cool openspace sims to photograph. This was a bit of a hassle because Windlight blows my computer up. I crashed 9 or 10 times collecting the snapshots used in the film.

I posted at both the forums I frequent, requesting snaps of other folks' openspace sims, but hardly anyone responded. (Those who did are credited in the video.) Oh- I also want to thank the avatar Detect Surface for letting me use a couple pics of the gorgeous but now defunct Sector 66 build.

Anyway, here's the movie.

Performance Comparison: Openspace Sims versus Regular Sims

2008-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

There has been endless conjecture on the Second Life forums about the true capacity of openspace sims versus their "full sim" counterparts. We know that up to four class 5 openspace sims run on a single core in a four-processor Second Life server, whereas regular sims each have their own dedicated core/processor. This generally means that up to 16 openspace sims will run on a single physical server, versus 4 regular sims. It is assumed (but I don't know whether anyone has confirmed) that regular sims and openspaces run on different servers; that you won't see a mix of openspaces and full sims on the same box. We also know that openspace sims are allocated less physical memory per instance than a full sim. But in terms of actual, tangible data, we don't have much else.

Residents with a lot of experience on both kinds of sims seem to agree that script performance is generally worse on openspaces, and that sometimes openspaces can experience "mystery lag" in the absence of any obvious cause. (It is thought that this is due to the increased number of "server neighbors" that openspaces have.)

I have conducted a series of tests on two class 5 sims, one openspace, and one regular sim. While the tests do not address the differences between how the presence of avatars or intensive physics operations affect sims, they do provide some insight into the script capabilities of the two kinds of servers, and hint at the effects of server neighbors.

Testing Methods

All benchmarks were performed by running the Standard test suite on Mysti's Benchmark Sim Tester v1.1 by Mystical Cookie. The benchmark tester performs a number of specific script-intensive tasks and calculates an overall score based on how quickly the sim performs each task. In all cases, lower times and scores are better. Note that all tests were done under Second Life server version 1.22.4.90499, over the weekend of July 19-20 2008.
To eliminate variance caused by avatars visiting the sim, access to the sim was limited only to my personal group, and I would teleport away after beginning tests.
To keep any attachments from interfering with the tests, I visited the islands in "Test Female" form, which includes no HUDs or other attachments.
Both islands are standalone sims with no other adjacent regions, meaning they weren't sharing any data with other sims, and were not subject to the performance hit of "child agents" from nearby sims.
To account for any variation due to "server neighbors" (other sims sharing the same physical server as a sim undergoing testing), I restarted each sim after performing each test, and I tested each case (empty versus object-populated) three times. Any visible spike in a given test metric could likely be attributed to laggy server neighbors during that particular round of tests.
For the object-populated tests, I placed an identical selection of items in each sim. I chose items that I knew from experience as a landlord use a fair amount of script time. For example, temp rezzers, disco balls, and texture-cycling prims. (I did not want to shame any designers in this post, so I am not publishing my list of specific items. I can provide the list upon request.)
Before choosing which items I'd use for the object-populated tests I visited a random sample of 10 of my own openspace sims to see how many scripts the average occupant was running, and what the average "Script Perf" metric was. The script performance metric indicates how many script instructions per second are being executed on the sim, and is the most important number to watch when trying to determine the general script activity on a given island. I kept placing scripted items on my test openspace sim until I had reached the average Script Perf number. I then duplicated this build on the regular sim.
While it likely doesn't have any bearing on the test results, both sims had identical parcel and estate settings, as well as the same terrain (default island design #2). I also set my client to Low graphics settings so the sim wasn't burdened sending a lot of object data to me like happens when view distance is turned way up.

Summary of Results
You can examine my raw data here. The results I present below are the average scores for each battery of tests. Note that the "Empty" score for a given test is for when the tests were run with no objects other than the tester itself in the sim, and the "With Objects" score is for tests run with objects in placed (the exact same set of objects in each sim).

Regular sim (lower scores are better)

Mysti Score: Empty - 1,600, With Objects - 1,661
Rez Check: Empty - 0:00, With Objects - 0:00
For Loops: Empty - 3:24, With Objects - 3:30
Lists: Empty - 3:56, With Objects - 4:03
Link Msgs A: Empty - 3:43, With Objects - 3:49
Link Msgs B: Empty - 3:42, With Objects - 3:49
Encryption: Empty - 6:12, With Objects - 6:33
Object Chat: Empty - 5:36, With Objects - 5:50
Land Scan: Empty - 0:04, With Objects - 0:04
Total Time: Empty - 0:26:40, With Objects - 0:27:41

Openspace sim (lower scores are better)

Mysti Score: Empty - 1,495, With Objects - 4,397
Rez Check: Empty - 0:00, With Objects - 0:00
For Loops: Empty - 3:00, With Objects - 8:40
Lists: Empty - 3:35, With Objects - 10:42
Link Msgs A: Empty - 3:44, With Objects - 10:37
Link Msgs B: Empty - 3:44, With Objects - 12:09
Encryption: Empty - 5:10, With Objects - 14:49
Object Chat: Empty - 5:36, With Objects - 16:09
Land Scan: Empty - 0:03, With Objects - 0:08
Total Time: Empty - 0:24:54, With Objects - 1:13:16

Observations

After I had set up the duplicate builds on both islands and confirmed that each island had the same number of prims and scripts running, I immediately noticed that the openspace sim had a "Script Perf" rating three times higher than the full sim (14249 to 4590). Since full sims are supposedly more powerful than openspaces, I had expected the regular sim to be the busier one, since it would have more processing power to devote to scripts. But I wonder if this means that openspaces are tweaked to devote more of their resources for script processing than full sims are, since script performance is the most obvios limitation of openspaces? The benchmarking results would seem to corroborate this theory, as the openspace sim actually fared better than the regular sim in the "empty sim" tests.
After every sim restart, I recorded the sim ID and IP address as reported by Help > About Second Life. By doing this I confirmed that after every restart both the sim ID and IP address did change. (There had recently been some conjecture that user-initiated restarts did not move the sim to a different server, but these tests prove that sims do in fact move when restarted by residents.) Note that I did not restart either sim between tests 3 and 4, as indicated by the raw data. This way, when you look at the last empty test results (test 3) and compare them to the first "with objects" results (test 4), you know that any difference in score is due to the object/script placement, not a change in server neighbors.
In one case, my regular sim actually jumped to a different co-location facility! I confirmed this by doing a tracert on the old and new IP addresses. This was very surprising and isn't necessarily good news for estate owners with lots of adjacent sims, as border-crossings between sims in different co-location facilities can be painful.
The regular sim tests did not indicate any major issues related to external factors (server neighbors?), as there is rarely as much as 6 seconds of variation on the score for any individual test. The difference across test passes was more pronounced with the openspace sim (the shortest test pass was almost 17 minutes shorter than the longest one), which may indeed confirm the theory that openspace sims are more likely to suffer the effects of laggy server neighbors.
The additional script load on the full sim during the "with objects" tests had only a trivial impact on the sim. The average total test pass for the full sim was only a minute longer when the sim was populated with objects. This is in stark contrast to the nearly 300% performance hit the openspace sim took under the exact same script load.
Even though the openspace sim scored significantly more poorly on the "with objects" tests than the regular sim, its dilation was generally 0.99-1.0, sim FPS was routinely 44-45, and the sim was easy to navigate with my attachment-less Test Female avatar. This is good because it means that while script performance in a given openspace might be sub-par, the sim itself can still be perfectly usable, so long as script responsiveness is not a major factor in one's enjoyment.

Conclusions
Based on the final results, I believe we can safely conclude the following:

Since an empty openspace sim actually performs a little better than an empty regular sim on the script benchmarks, it appears that openspaces are tweaked to allocate more processing power to scripts to make up for their inadequacies.
When running under a normal script load (based on a sample of currently-in-use openspace sims), script performance of a class 5 openspace sim is nearly 1/3 the performance of a regular sim. (Hey, it could be worse!)
Since the "with objects" tests barely affected the full-sized sim's results, while they profoundly affected the openspace sim's final numbers, it's clear that full-sized sims have a lot more headroom for script processing; these tests didn't even touch a regular sim's threshold.
Unless the large discrepency with test 5 on the openspace sim is attributable to some other factor (running on newer/faster hardware than the other tests?) the influence of server neighbors (other sims residing on the same physical server), seems able to have a non-trivial effect on openspace sims, while the interference appears to be less marked on full sims.
Performing a user-initiated restart on a sim (openspace or full) does land the sim on another physical server most (if not all) of the time, and may even land you in another co-location facility.
Even though the openspace sim scored poorly compared to the regular sim once scripted objects were added to the mix, the fact that sim FPS and time dilation remained admirably high shows that an openspace sim can still be perfectly usable and otherwise "healthy" even as script performance begins to suffer.

Work Remaining
These tests primarily focused on raw script performance and the influence of server neighbors, and did not cover things like intensive physics operations or anything related to avatars. I am not personally equipped (or motivated) to investigate these avenues, but I hope someone else out there is. *winks*

Buying or Upgrading a Computer for Second Life

2008-07-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

It seems like every couple of days someone's posting on one of the Second Life forums asking one of the following questions:

My computer runs SL very poorly. What can I do to speed it up?
I'm planning on buying [a specific model of computer] for playing Second Life. Will it be fast enough?

I hope to answer those very questions here. Before we continue, I would like to note that your overall experience in Second Life is governed by many things, and only some of them are under your purchasing control:

The health of the sim you're connected to. If the sim you're currently in has a bunch of laggy scripts, or is overcrowded with a bunch of avatars, you're going to experience classic "lag:" a delay between what you do in SL and when it actally occurs.
The current load on the Second Life infrastructure. Every time an object or an avatar rezzes, the sim has to contact the asset servers to load any texture, script, and prim information. When Second Life is very busy, all the sims all over the grid are slamming the asset servers constantly, and this can result in laggy, often unbearable performance.
The connection between Second Life's servers. Second Life is a network of computers spread all over the United States (and some parts of Europe). If there are issues on the internet backbone that connects those various locations, there will be crummy performance in-world.
Your ISP and service plan. Broadband service providers offer a number of different plans that determine your top networking speeds and various limitations. Your plan and the overall quality of your ISP's service can affect your experience.
The connection between your computer and the sim you're on. This is often called your "ping time," and can be affected by general network conditions, hardware in your ISP's infrastructure, your own networking hardware (cable modems, routers, wireless cards, etc), and more.
Your computer's configuration. The operating system, drivers, services, and applications running in the background all play a part in how well your computer behaves during gaming sessions.
Your computer's hardware. This has to do with the actual physical components of your PC. This article primarily focuses only on hardware.

Why performance matters
The most obvious benefits of having a fast computer are that it enables you to have a smooth gaming experience at high screen resolutions, with all the fancy graphics effects turned on. There is another, more fundamental benefit, however, that has to do with how games are designed. Most 3D games have a "main loop" which is a constantly repeating piece of code that performs the most important parts of the game many times per second: drawing the screen, checking for mouse and keyboard input, moving your avatar, etc. If your computer gets overburdened performing any one of these tasks (most notably drawing the graphics), the entire game suffers. For example, on a really slow system, even typing in chat can be painful on Second Life because it takes up to a second for any letter you type to even show up on the screen.

Hardware components that affect gaming performance
Here are the basic computer components that have a direct impact on gaming performance:

Display adapter. Also called the "video card" or "graphics adapter," this is the part of your computer that generates graphics on your screen. Most computers in the world have so-called "integrated" or "on-board" graphics, which are not designed for 3D gaming, because they steal memory and processing power from your system, instead of doing it on its own. All true "gaming PCs" (even laptops) have either NVIDIA or ATI graphics with their own video memory.
CPU. Also called the processor, the CPU is the "brains" of your computer. While it was once easy to compare two CPUs by simply looking at their "clock speed" (which is these days measured in gigahertz, or "GHz"), CPUs today come with 1, 2, or 4 "cores" which are kind of like mini-CPUs, so a 4-core CPU can almost do the work of four single-core CPUs at the same clock speed.
Memory. Also called "physical RAM," and measured in gigabytes (GB), this is very fast temporary storage for the code that's currently running on your computer. Every program currently running on your system uses at least a little bit of memory. Different operating systems have different requirements. Windows XP seems to run games wonderfully with 2GB of RAM, while Vista does best with 3GB or more (although you currently won't see much of a boost past 3GB). Modern operating systems do something called "paging" or "swapping," where, if physical RAM gets low, they will automatically start using a portion of your hard disk for "virtual memory" so you can still run your programs, but performance slows down significantly as a result.
Hard disk. This is one of the most overlooked aspects of system performance, even though the hard drive is the single slowest part of any PC- sometimes several hundred times slower than physical RAM. A fast hard drive speeds up things like booting your computer and launching applications, and also speeds up any program, like Second Life, that uses a local cache to store things like textures and prim data. The standard speed for most notebook hard drives is 5400 rotations per minute (RPM), which, frankly, is too damn slow. Many computer dealers offer faster drives as an upgrade, which I really recommend. More on that later.

Components that don't affect gaming performance

Sound card. Most computers come with "on-board" audio, and unlike integrated graphics solutions, audio doesn't require a ton of processing power. You can buy nice, expensive add-on sound cards for your desktop (and even laptop) computer, but you will only see a tiny amount of performance improvement, if you see any at all.
Network card (wired). As with audio, most computers come with built-in Ethernet networking ports for wired connections. There are some so-called "gaming network cards" out these days, which are supposedly optimized for online games. They make two arguments: First, they say the cards free up system resources by offloading tasks to the network card. Second, they prioritize gaming network traffic, treating "gaming packets" with preferential treatment. The end result, supposedly, is reduced ping times. So far, these cards have yet to prove themselves. They don't improve FPS, the ping time difference is sometimes noticeable, but doesn't necessarily boost your gaming experience, and unfortunately, these cards aren't always that reliable.
Network card (wireless). The average broadband connection today is between 512 kilobits to 5 megabits per second. In comparison the absolute slowest WiFi (802.11) card you can buy today is 11Mbps, over twice the speed of the average broadband connection. Any new wireless card today at least supports 802.11g, which is up to 54Mbps. Most, if not all, wireless chipsets are add-on cards or plug-in devices, so they do not use a whole lot of system resources. So long as you have a good router, uncongested air, and you're within a reasonable range of the router, any wireless card is going to perform just fine.

Benchmarks
In order to see how these different components contribute to Second Life's performance, I ran controlled tests on a number of different computers. You can see the full results online, and a description of the tests and my findings follows.

Click the image to see the results.

Testing procedure
In order to get consistent, comparable results across all systems, I picked a low-traffic, high-prim/high-texture location (Fairy's Grove Creations in Aurora), and did not move my avatar at all between logins. I also configured each of the computers to run SL in exactly the same way (you can see some details about this in the Benchmark Test Notes tab of the published results):

All had fresh installs of the 1.19.1 (4) build of the official Second Life viewer.
All were configured to run Second Life at 1024x768 in full-screen (non-windowed) mode. This is because screen resolution has a direct impact on performance. Also, full-screen mode performs a fair amount better than windowed mode (it's just not very convenient for people who build in SL).
My avatar was placed at the landing point of Fairy's Grove Creations, in Aurora, facing the opposite direction from the store. To see my exact position and viewing angle, click here.
The "Aspect Ratio" setting in Second Life (which is only available in full-screen mode) was set to Auto-Detect.
The metric I used to determine performance was "frames per second," or FPS. Just like frames in a movie, a 3D computer game draws the screen you see many times every second, rebuilding the entire scene from scratch. The FPS can fluctuate, depending on how many things the game has to draw and how busy your computer is with other tasks.
I only monitored the FPS when there were no other avatars on the screen, because every avatar causes the computer to work a little bit more to draw. As I said, these results reflect best-case scenarios in terms of performance.
I recorded performance on two graphics quality settings: Low and Ultra. That's what the two "FPS" columns in my results represent- the number of frames drawn per second at the respective quality settings. In my tests, the differences between Low and Ultra were not that obious; the only really noticeable difference was that you could see further off in the distance under Ultra. But as you see from the benchmark results, the difference in performance was profound.
All computers tested were relatively "clean." They didn't have any other programs running in the background, and weren't bloated with a bunch of unnecessary software.
I often had to wait a few of minutes after first logging in with a new computer because it took a long time for all the textures to download. I only recorded the FPS when it appeared that all the textures were fully rezzed.
The only change I made to my interface was to close the minimap, and enable the statistics bar (CTRL+SHIFT+1). (The minimap covered up the statistics bar, otherwise.) I watched the FPS number at the top of the statistics bar. Do not confuse this with the "Sim FPS" metric, which actually talks about the current sim's performance, not your computer.
Finally, it's important to note that while the standing-still FPS ratings here are a good measure of how fast these computers render 3D graphics, they do not reflect the effect of the amount of installed memory or the speed of the installed hard disks, as neither of these things is directly related to your computer's ability to render graphics. They both only become important when you're actively trying to move around and do things in-game. For example, if your computer doesn't have much memory for Second Life, every time you turn a corner it will have to load a bunch of things from your cache, causing noticeable slowdowns in responsiveness and on-screen rezzing, even if your FPS rating doesn't drop.

Understanding the results
While I expected the one computer with the integrated graphics chipset (the Dell D630) to perform badly, I was actually kind of shocked to find that this 3-month old computer performed worse than two computers that were manufactured over four years ago. Even though it had exactly the same CPU and memory as the admirably-performing Dell D830, the lack of a 3rd-party graphics solution caused it to run Second Life at almost 1/4 the speed.

Something I personally found kind of alarming was the fact that our brand-new quad-core Dell desktop didn't perform as well as my 2-year-old dual-core Gateway notebook (with a lower clock speed!) at the Low quality setting, although it did do a fair amount better at Ultra quality. My guess is that some of the computation-heavy operations involved in the high quality graphics settings benefited from the extra CPU cores, while the low-quality settings weren't using all the power the CPU had to offer... but I don't know why the Dell would perform WORSE than the Gateway at any setting. The results were consistent, though. The Dell was simply slower. (I will note that the Dell seems to play World of Warcraft about 15-20 FPS faster than the gateway at comparable resolutions. There's something about SL the Dell just doesn't like, apparently.) The Dell is running Vista, which supposedly doesn't perform as well on games as Windows XP... but I don't think that alone accounts for the discrepancy with Second Life.

The single-core systems all performed worse than the multiple-core systems that had 3rd-party graphics, even though their CPUs all had comparable clock speeds. The single-core systems also tended to have less RAM than the others.

None of the computers in the test had less than 1GB of RAM, so the effects of memory aren't very pronounced in the results. Three of the bottom four computers only had 1GB, but they had slower processors and worse graphics cards than the others, too. I will probably do a future article about getting the best performance out of Second Life, but for now, just know that while Vista requires more RAM than Windows XP, Vista actually makes better use of available memory than any previous version of Windows. There are still a LOT of people out there with 512MB or (gasp) 256MB of RAM, and I feel for those residents. I really do.

Notice that of the three fastest computers in the test, the one with only 128MB video memory did fine at the Low quality settings, but terribly in comparison with the others at Ultra quality. This may be because Ultra increases Second Life's "draw distance," which means the program displays things further off in the distance. While the draw distance was low, the display adapter's video memory was adequate to hold all the textures it needed to display on screen, but once I bumped things up to Ultra and more prims came into view, the display adapter ran out of memory and had to start loading the extra textures from system memory, slowing everything down.

Buying Recommendations

Who makes the best computers?
Every major computer manufacturer makes desktops and laptops capable of playing Second Life just fine. You should base your decisions on things such as reputation, price, features, and aesthetics. There are "boutique" shops like Alienware and Falcon that make super-duper fast computers for super-duper high prices, but when you consider that ANY computer is going to start showing its age within the first year or so of ownership, I just can't justify the expense of some of those places. Of course, if it's a desktop you're after, a savvy techie type can build her own system for less than it would cost to buy an equivalent system from Dell or Gateway, or whatever. Doing it right is harder than most people seem to think, however, and I personally like having 24-hour tech support, which is something I wouldn't have if I built my own.

What about Apple?
The new Intel-based Macs are not the fastest computers in the world, but they're damn nice. It seems that Mac support for Second Life seems to lag behind PC support, so if you're buying a computer mostly to play SL, you're probably better off sticking to a cheaper, faster Windows-based system, even though I have no real problem with Macs. You really should not bother with any of the pre-Intel Macs these days, though. The latest SL client versions don't seem to run very well on them, from what I hear.

Laptop or Desktop?
Unless you're the hardest of the hardcore gamer, a good notebook is going to deliver all the performance you need in a portable, convenient form factor. Anyone who says laptops aren't powerful enough for gaming has never used a powerful laptop.

A notebook with a wireless connection will connect to Second Life from anywhere in your house, or even from Starbucks or the airport. I personally value this flexibility over anything else, and I will never buy a desktop computer for my own personal use again. The fact that all the technology of a laptop is crammed into such a tiny area means that notebooks are not very upgradeable. In fact, the only things you can normally upgrade on your system are memory and hard drive (and wireless card, often, but that's normally not necessary). The small size also results in a higher cost; you can easily spend twice as much money getting a laptop as a desktop that meets or exceeds the same technical specifications.

Get a desktop if you're more concerned about "future-proofing." You can replace any component of a desktop for better parts as they become available, and bigger models have plenty of room for expansion. They also cost less than notebooks, and are usually performance leaders; the fastest desktop at any given time is going to be faster than the best-performing notebook. That's just how it works out.

Laptop Minimum Requirements
When choosing a notebook computer, make sure that the computer you select meets or exceeds these recommendations. Any other options available from the manufacturer are irrelevant to gaming. (Although, I can promise you that a lot of the cruddy software they'll preload on your system is unnecessary and will steal memory and CPU cycles from your games until you clean up your computer a bit.) Remember, these are minimum recommendations. If you can afford better, go for it:

Display: The computer MUST have ATI or NVIDIA graphics with at least 128MB of video RAM. 256MB is recommended, as you won't be able to upgrade your video later on.
CPU: Choose an Intel dual-core CPU with a clock speed of at least 2.0GHz. For the past couple of years, Intel processors have consistently delivered the best performance, power efficiency, and features. If you're really strapped for cash and you find a super-cheap AMD-based system, go for it. It won't be too much worse than an equivalent Intel system.
RAM: For Windows XP, get at least 2GB RAM. For Vista you'll see the best performance with 3GB. Less will be tolerable, so long as you don't run any programs in the background, and more than 3GB won't make a noticeable difference just yet.
Hard disk: If you can afford it, pick at least a 7200RPM hard drive. Faster drives are usually smaller. I wouldn't want to have a hard drive any smaller than 60GB. 80GB or more is better.
Wireless adapter: Pretty much all notebooks include WiFi capability. You want 802.11b/g at a minimum. 802.11a is kind of useless, while the faster 802.11n is growing in popularity. Unless you KNOW you need Bluetooth or WiMAX capability, you can pass on those options.
Operating system: Even though I personally kind of hate Vista, and it still doesn't perform quite as well as Windows XP, any brand-new computer is going to be designed for Vista, and support for it will improve over time. If you can afford it, get Vista Home Ultimate edition, because Ultimate includes all of the Media Center features of the Premium edition, plus Remote Desktop, which is one of the most useful home networking features Microsoft has ever produced. If you don't need Remote Desktop, then Vista Home Premium will suit you just fine.
Extra power supply (optional): In order to conserve battery power, notebooks automatically cut back on performance when they're not plugged in. You will always get the most out of your laptop when it's plugged into A/C, so it's really handy to have an extra power supply for traveling or if you typically use your notebook in different rooms of the house. Your computer will come with one power supply, and an extra one will probably cost about $50 USD more.
Cooling pad (optional): 3D games make computers work hard, and when computers work hard they heat up, and when they heat up, performance starts taking a hit. When my Gateway gets too hot, Second Life performance gets very choppy and big black triangles start appearing all over the screen... and then it locks up. A cooling pad is a little platform that you set your notebook on that cools the bottom of the computer with some extra fans. They draw extra power, so they're another good argument for an extra power supply. Make sure to get one that matches the dimensions of your computer (there are special cooling pads for wide-screen notebooks, for example). These cost $20-50 USD.

Desktop Minimum Requirements

Display: Same as for laptops; no integrated graphics- ATI or NVIDIA only. NVIDIA has been the performance leader, these days, and supposedly has better compatibility with Vista. With desktops, you have a wider range of choices. Some motherboards support technologies like NVIDIA's SLI, which actually lets you link two video cards together, making them act like one super-fast display adapter. All of your options here are out of scope for this article. 256MB video memory minimum.
CPU: Intel Dual Core, 2.2GHz minimum.
RAM: 2GB for XP, 3 for Vista.
Hard Disk: Here's another area where you have tons of options. Some systems have "RAID" configurations which give you a choice of either super-fast or super-reliable storage, while others offer standard "SATA" drives, which are similar to those in notebooks. The standard speed for desktop drives these days is 10,000RPM.
Power Supply: Get the highest-wattage power supply your computer can support. The biggest, fastest video cards use a huge amount of electricity, and getting a heavy-duty power supply from the start will help future-proof your computer a bit.
Cooling Solution: Just like with notebooks, the hotter your computer gets, the worse your gaming experience will be. There are many desktop cooling solutions available these days, some better than others.

Extended Service Plans
Every computer will come with at least 90 days service/repair, but all manufacturers I know of offer extended plans for a wide range of prices. Some plans actually cover in-home support; they will contract a local repairman in your area to come out and fix your problems. Others just offer phone support and parts replacement. Since I'm a notebook user, I expect my notebook to become basically obsolete within 3 or 4 years, so I won't buy a service plan any longer than 3 years. While I typically don't buy service plans for smaller things, like iPods, I have used my warranty plans on my computers several times, so I feel they are a worthwhile (if optional) expense.

Upgrading an Existing System
If you're not happy with your current system's performance, you might be able to do something about it. Your chances are much better with an old desktop than with a notebook, because there's not much you can replace on a notebook. Please keep this in mind, though: The typical "expiration date" on a desktop computer is about 5 years, and for notebooks it's more like 3 or 4. If you're puttering about on a 6-year-old system, you might be better served saving your upgrading dollars for a new or used computer on eBay or CraigsList. It really depends on what you can afford and what your options are.

How do you know what you already have?
A lot of people simply know they have a slow computer; they don't necessarily know anything about the individual components inside the case. Windows includes a useful tool, called dxdiag (the DirectX Diagnostic Tool), which will give you most of the information you need. These instructions were written for Windows XP, but should hold true on Vista.

From your desktop, click Start, and then click Run.
Type dxdiag in the Open box, and then click OK.
The System tab of the tool will tell you about your operating system, how much memory you have, and what kind of CPU you've got, in addition to its clock speed and the number of cores.
The Display tab will tell you what kind of display adapter you've got, in addition to the amount of video memory you have. Please note that some integrated graphics solutions will actually report a positive number here, for "Approx. Total Memory" but it's kind of a lie. Most, if not all, integrated graphics solutions steal memory from your system, they don't have their own.

Hard drive speed is very difficult to determine programmatically. Luckily, most hard drives report their size and speed on a big black-and-white label on the top of the drive itself.

Upgrading a Laptop
The only things you can do to improve performance on a laptop, other than tweak your software and operating system settings (for another article), are to add more memory and replace the hard disk with a faster model. You can do both for about $400 total. Your manufacturer will likely have upgrade parts for you, but they won't have the best prices. For memory, go to Crucial and for hard drives, go to Drive Solutions. (They have those USB hard drive transfer kits there, too!) Both sites let you look up your computer model and make recommendations based on what your system will support.

Upgrading a Desktop
While desktops offer more expandability, they also require a bit more knowledge to upgrade, and aren't always worth the effort. The best single thing you can do to improve graphics performance on a desktop is to replace the display adapter. (Or, to install one to begin with if you were previously running with on-board graphics. If your system is really old it might have PCI or AGP graphics, which is much slower than modern PCI-Express graphics, and also hard to find replacements for. Your best bet for PCI or AGP cards (or any other computer parts, really) would be NewEgg.

Also remember that the biggest and the best video cards require the most electricity. The power supplies that come in most off-the-shelf computers, are usually bare-minimum in terms of what they can support. Make sure your power source can handle all your upgrades.

Memory can be tricky to upgrade, because some motherboards have weird requirements, like, maybe it will only accept 2 DIMMs at a time, or maybe you have to use the DIMM slots in a special order. You also want to make sure you use the right memory for your system (look your computer or motherboard up on Crucial's site), and that the DIMMs you have match in terms of specifications.You can replace your hard drives (or add additional ones), but you'll need to know whether your drive uses IDE, SATA, or some other form of storage bus. But if you currently are running Second Life with anything less than 2GB of RAM, you will see improvements with an upgrade.

It is possible to upgrade CPUs, but every generation of CPU requires a new generation of motherboards. A five-year-old PC simply cannot support a modern-day processor. You will need to find either an old processor that fits your motherboard, or be prepared to get a whole new board and processor (which may mean upgrading other components).

Final thoughts
Second Life is a very demanding application, and if you love it as much as I think you do (considering how much time you've just spent reading this), I think you'll find that it's worth the significant investment in computing power required to make it run best. Some day I may post some tips for squeezing the best possible performance out of Second Life once you've got a computer that meets the minimum requirements.

Island Moves and Profile Picks

2008-04-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

Considering how congested the grid has become, it's no wonder that some estate owners choose to take advantage of Linden Lab's undocumented policy of moving entire estates for free if they are surrounded by other islands or reservations in such a way that expansion is impossible. Unfortunately, while you may not be paying $150 USD per island to relocate your estate if you choose to do this, the move does come at a cost: After the move, any profile picks entries that residents may have had to parcels on your islands will be invalidated- to an extent. What follows is a summary of exactly what breaks and what doesn't, and the potential impact on any businesses that might be located on your islands.

Two Kinds of Profiles
First off, you must understand that at this time, Second Life maintains two profiles for every resident. There is the old-style "Full Profile" that you see when you use Search > Places, and then the newer "HTML Profile" that's used when you use the Search > All feature or conduct Second Life searches from the web. (Here is the HTML profile for the famous builder, Light Waves.)

HTML Profiles only contain information from the 2nd Life and Picks tabs of the Full Profile, and are indexed by Linden Lab's search appliances and factored into search rankings in Search > All and web-based searches. Full Profiles contain a lot more information and changes in them are reflected immediately in Search > People results, whereas it can sometimes take days before the changes are reflected in Search > All.

To business owners, the primary effect of HTML profiles is that any Picks entries that payment-info-on-file residents have to their businesses help boost their rankings in Search > All results, even more than Traffic.

I should also note that in a similar manner to resident profiles, places in Second Life have two listings: The Search > Places listing and the HTML listing. The HTML listing works just the same for places as the HTML profile does for residents.

What Breaks
You will see different results, depending on which search method you use to look at someone's profile:

If you use Search > Places to view a person's profile and look at their Picks tab, the picks to moved locations that were created before the island move will appear to be intact (they won't say "no parcel" like stale picks often do), however when you attempt to teleport to them, you'll be greeted with the following error: "Could not teleport. Unable to find teleport destination. The destination may be temporarily unavailable or no longer exists. Please try again in a few minutes."
If you use Search > All to find the person's profile, and instead of clicking the picks link on the HTML page, you click View Full Profile and look the the Picks tab, you will have the same problem.

What Still Works

If you use Search > All to find the person's profile, and you click the picks link on the HTML page, you will actually be taken to the HTML listing for the place in question. You will successfully be able to teleport from the HTML listing.
Search rankings are not immediately affected. The island move does not cause Second Life to generate a new HTML listing for parcels on the moved island. As evidence of this, see the following:

The roleplaying location, Space Colony Necronom VI is located on an estate which was recently relocated. Here is the HTML Picks link from a resident's profile that was created before the island move:

http://world.secondlife.com/place/7e3ae773-065e-3ddc-6026-9eee462eb4ea

And here is the link from another resident who added the place to her Picks after the move:

http://world.secondlife.com/place/7e3ae773-065e-3ddc-6026-9eee462eb4ea

The links are identical, and take you to the same page. This means that Search > All is oblivious to island moves, which is a good thing.

What This Means to Businesses
Profile Picks can influence your business in a number of ways, some more subtle than others:

Your search rankings will not immediately be affected. You will have some time to get some new residents to update their Picks before the change begins to make an effect on Search > All results. (Picks do not factor into Search > Places results.)
Residents who use Search > All exclusively will not see a difference. If you stick to the HTML profiles when browsing people's picks, you won't even know that anything changed.
Residents who use Search > People or who click View Full Profile from an HTML Profile might think that your business no longer exists. The misleading wording of the error message they get if they attempt to follow a pick to your place could prompt some folks to go elsewhere. Remember that Picks are a great, free "soft advertising" campaign. People might discover your business through other folks' picks, and may not have ever heard about it otherwise.
Residents who discover their own picks are broken will likely remove the malfunctioning pick from their profile, but might forget to add a new one after the move. This may have a gradual negative impact on your Search > All rankings if no one new adds picks to your place.

Advice for Estate Owners
While the effect of island moves on profile picks is mitigated by the fact that HTML profiles still work, it can affect traffic at the businesses on your islands, and the effects might be slow and gradual as residents weed out broken links from their profiles. If other businesses rent land on your islands, you should warn them about the consequences so they can notify their info groups and friends to update their profiles after the move.

I have been in contact with Linden Lab about this topic, and it sounds like they will be documenting this problem as a known side-effect of an island move- but don't expect a fix any time soon.

Openspace Survival Guide

2008-03-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

The concierge team is still very swamped with Openspace orders, and the process for handling these orders is rather clunky and error-prone. Here are some tips for getting your tickets handled as quickly and problem-free as possible. I'm assuming that you already know what an Openspace sim is, and you're familiar with the changes in the program:

PICKING A LOCATION
If you want your island to be placed near one of your existing islands, this is the most frustrating part of the process- for many reasons. First of all, even though you can't yet order Openspaces through the Land Store, you still have to use it to determine where it's safe to put your island. Unfortunately, the Land Store sucks in so many ways that I don't even want to get into it. I'll just tell you what you need to do:

Go to the Land Store and click 'Manage Existing Reservations.' This should bring you to a list of islands that you've previously ordered from the Land Store. (If all your existing islands were bought from other residents, you probably won't see anything here, unfortunately...)
Click the Location entry for one of your islands. This will center the map over the island you picked. Take note of the selected island's coordinates and look for any memorable 'landmarks' in the surrounding area that you can use to find your way back later on.
Now click 'Return to the Land store' and wait a few seconds for all the reservations (the yellow blocks) to load.
Before doing anything else, look for ANY blue (ocean) cell on the grid that isn't touching an existing reservation or island, and wait a few seconds to see whether you get the "This Space is Available" message. You may have to do this many times because the Land Store map is at least 9 months out-of-date, and many of the cells that look empty actually have islands on them now. (I own 12 islands now and only 3 show up on the Land Store map.)
Take note of the coordinates in the "This Space is Available" message and use that as a guide to start navigating toward your desired location. Remember that the grid coordinates increase from Left-to-Right and from Down-to-Up (not Up-to-Down). If you've got really fast eyes, you can sometimes see the coordinates in reserved or already-built cells by watching the status bar at the bottom of your browser when you click on them. Otherwise clicking on those cells won't help, because the Land Store (infuriatingly) only reports coordinates for open cells.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 as you make your way closer to your target coordinates, and keep an eye out for landmarks that might help you find your way. When you finally get to your desired location on the grid, center your map on your island and zoom in/out as needed.
Once all the reservations are loaded, click around in the vicinity of your island(s) until you find an available space. You may be surprised at how many reservations are surrounding your islands today, and even more surprised that LL is still honoring them even though you'd think most would have expired by now if the reservation program were still active.
Once you've found an available space, write the coordinates down. I also recommend that you pick 1 or 2 extra available coordinates to include in your order, because it takes so long for these things to process that someone else could claim your preferred space before the Lindens even look at your ticket.

PICKING AN ISLAND NAME
You won't have the Land Store wizard to help you confirm the validity of your island name. If you pick an island name that's too long or is already taken, the Lindens will stop what they're doing and ask you to think up a new name, and this will delay the delivery of your island by 1 business day. Make sure that the island name you pick follows these guidelines:

No more than 3 words
A total of more than 3, but less than 20 characters, including the spaces
Only alphanumeric characters; no punctuation please
Not already in use
Do not use the names of real-world cities and towns
Cannot use "SL," "Second Life," "Linden Lab" or "LL" or other wording that could give the impression of direct association with Linden Lab
Must be PG

Note that I have noticed a number of brand new islands with names up to 24 characters in length. (The above requirements were quoted to me by Concierge staff.) I have requested clarification from Linden Lab about this, since I had to rename one of my own Openspace orders since the original name was 21 characters.

SUBMITTING A TICKET
1. Go to secondlife.com/support and click 'Submit a Ticket.'
2. Once you're signed in to the support site, fill out your ticket with the following details:
3. SUMMARY: I gave mine descriptive names like: "Openspace order for (island name)"
4. TICKET TYPE: Land and Region Issues
5. REGION REQUEST: Openspace Order (this is new)
6. DETAILS: Be very clear and specific here, and be sure to specify all of the following:

ISLAND NAME.
ESTATE NAME. This can be one of your existing estates or a unique estate just for that island.
DESIRED GRID COORDINATES. I recommend either giving them a list of desired coordinates in order of preference, or giving them explicit instructions about what to do in case the coordinates you requested are taken by the time they get to your order. If you don't do this, they will stop and ask you where to put the island, delaying your order by one day.
DEFAULT TERRAIN TYPE (optional). You can request one of the default island shapes as specified in the Knowledge Base article, 'Default Private Region RAW Files.' If you don't specify an island type, your Openspace will be empty ocean with a flat seafloor. One of my new Openspaces was delivered as empty ocean, despite my request for an island shape. No biggie, as all the RAWs are available for download anyway.

WAITING
It's been taking around 10-11 business days (up to 15 real days) to process island orders lately, assuming you don't make any mistakes in your order ticket. Resist the temptation to submit more tickets inquiring about status, because the time a Linden spends handling those tickets is time they could have spent setting up your islands.

Ignore the ticket status field in your support queue. Lately, peoples' tickets have been showing up as "New" until the day the island is delivered. Also, you won't be charged until the island is delivered either, so don't consider your USD balance an indication of progress either.

I also think it's wise that you keep an eye on your USD balance. I pay for new islands out of my in-world earnings, so I like to make sure that I've got enough USD there to cover both the island orders and my tier for all my existing islands. If your USD funds get drained away on existing tier while you're waiting for the order to be filled, the Lindens will have to submit a manual charge for the remaining balance of the island order fee, and you really don't want your credit card company to pick that day to deny your charge from this shady Linden Lab outfit. I have friends who have been long-standing LL customers for months/years and their credit card companies just arbitrarily decided to deny a SL-related charge out-of-the-blue. This is just one more headache you should try to avoid.

And remember, like all islands, the tier you pay on your Openspace will be monthly, on the date specified in your "Final Resolution" email that you get when your island is delivered.

The Reservation System: Then and Now

2008-03-31T11:13:00.000-07:00

In September of last year, Linden Lab discontinued the ability for residents to order island "reservations." Until that time, it was possible for people who planned to buy an island in the future but weren't ready to do it right away to reserve a spot on the grid for 90 days for a (usually) low fee. The reservation program was at times controversial, because some residents used it for extortion, intentionally bidding on reservations that surrounded existing estates, thereby blocking the estate's expansion until the estate owner paid the reservation holder to sell the reservation. Many of us assumed that when the reservation program ended, all those thousands of reservations currently cluttering up the grid would finally expire, alleviating the expansion headaches of established estate owners.

Unfortunately, six months after the reservation program ended (and three months after all those existing reservations should have expired), this is what you see when you look in the Land Store today (hint: yellow = reserved):

Considering that the Land Store map is grossly out-of-date (it only shows three of my 12 islands, and one of them is in its old location), some of us assumed that maybe all that yellow was just vestiges of long-expired reservations- but we were wrong. Residents are still being extorted by reservation holders, and new sim orders are still being denied due to existing reservations.

It's important to note that a single reserved spot on the grid effectively blocks expansion into any of the cells immediately surrounding it, both adjacent and diagonal, so all those thousands of yellow cells on the grid are actually preventing expansion into many more thousands of cells than it would appear just by glancing on the map.

So what's going on?
Well, despite the fact that all mention of reservations has been wiped from the Second Life Knowledge Base, the reservations program is still alive and well (and making Linden Lab a lot of money). I spoke with someone on the Concierge team today and learned that some of the reservations that show up on the map are indeed expired, and will not be honored if an estate owner wishes to expand in their direction. However, the majority of reservations still registered in the Land Store are actively being maintained by paying residents. You see, once you have a reservation, it's yours as long as you keep renewing your reservation fee every three months. The existing (valid) reservations will only expire once the holder decides to let the "subscription" lapse.

What can estate owners do about it?
First off, if you are an estate owner and someone who owns a reservation near you offers to sell the reservation to you, don't feel compelled to take the offer unless you consider it reasonable. If they're offering the reservation at extortion-level prices, you should Abuse Report the individual and include any IMs or other correspondence with the person in your report. It's one thing to decide you no longer want to keep the reservation and offer to give it up, but another to use it to intentionally extract cash out of established residents.

If you wish to expand and there are reservation slots or built islands that might block your way (remember, reservations block diagonals now, too), contact Concierge or add a note to your support ticket about the reservation in question and ask them to confirm whether it's still valid. They will allow you to expand if the reservation holder's no longer paying for it.

If you determine that all the reservations surrounding you are, in fact, active and valid, you have the option of moving your entire estate- and lucky for you, if your estate is surrounded in such a way that expansion is impossible, Linden Lab will waive the $150 USD per-island move fee and relocate your entire estate somewhere that you'll have more breathing room for free. It's not documented in the Knowledge Base, but it's true, and has been done several times already. The $150 fee is not so much a profit center as it is a disincentive to moving islands around arbitrarily. They want to limit the amount of busywork they have to do on island moves, so they charge a fee to ensure you only move your islands when you really need to. It would be silly for them to charge $150 per island to a resident with 10 islands (who's paying Linden Lab as much as $35,400 a year on island fees), because if that resident simply decided "well, I don't want to pay $1,500 to move, so I guess I just won't buy any more islands," that would hurt Linden Lab in the long run.

So, next time you're in the Land Store and groaning over how hard it is to find anyplace to plant an island, know that you're not completely out of options.

Life After Domming

2008-02-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

Since the announcement of my retirement, I've been contacted by many friends and strangers in-world, asking how I've been doing in the aftermath of my decision. I just read about a friend of mine who's also decided to simplify her Second Life, and that prompted me to post an update of my own.

It's been a bittersweet affair. Some of the pets took it hard, while others weren't much surprised- a few were actually rather supportive. Only two pets formally chose to exit the family (one had already been essentially absent for a while), and the rest opted to remain with us under Kelly's care. They haven't been around as often as they used to be, though, and I have mixed feelings about that- part of me worrying that they're just slowly falling away, and the other part just glad to have more uninterrupted time with Kelly. Oh I've also done a lot of shopping, and I organized all my clothes, hair, and skins!

I recently opened two new residential islands, and I was fantastically busy with those for a while, but now we're all rented out and I can spend most of my time just doing whatever I want. It's liberating, and has made SL pleasant again. Things aren't perfect, though. I'm nursing some ego issues and trying to figure out my role in the world. For nearly my entire Second Life I've been "Mistress Wildefire." It's part of who I was. I still have my domme moments; sometimes I flirt with subs who show up at my mall, and I get a little excited- but at the end of the day I'm happy to have a limited set of in-world commitments.

My real-life commitments, however, are another story- and they are taking a toll on my Second Life. I've had to shave at least a half-hour off of my nightly online times, and I'm still not getting enough sleep. When I'm logged into Second Life these days I'm frequently too tired or sick to focus on building or doing scenes. I've just been hanging out with Kelly and the occasional guests, although soon we're going to embark on a big building project together, if I can ever muster the strength.

I feel a lot of personal pressure to keep this blog going; I certainly have a bunch of things to talk about yet. It's just a matter of finding a way to work it back into my life. Stay tuned. :)

EDIT: I've been thinking about this some more this evening, and I wanted to add that I've also been experiencing a new sort of vulnerability that I never really had here before. Up until now I've always had several pets or playmates on hand- if one went absent the others would take up the slack. In any case, I was never at risk of being truly alone. But now there's just Kelly. She is my Second Life, and I'm sensing myself getting even more protective of her- of what we have together- than before. I just hope she continues to put up with me. ;)

Wanted: Roleplay Event Coordinator for New Desperation Isle and Beyond

2008-02-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

We are looking for someone to help develop lore and set up roleplaying events for New Desperation Isle and an upcoming, not-yet-announced, public RP sim. The goal is to add some depth and direction to roleplay on our islands, especially considering that our busiest hours at New Desperation Isle are times when neither I nor my partner are online. New Desperation Isle is a dark, adults-only island, whereas we have not yet decided the ultimate content rating of the sim we're currently planning. As compensation for your efforts, you will be given 4096 square meters of land on one of my residential islands, rent-free (a monthly value of USD $30), or equivalent cash salary.

IMMEDIATE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Developing and maintaining lore for New Desperation Isle. To some extent, the island itself tells a story, but we hope to formalize it in an official backstory that sets the tone for the RP.
Conducting occasional organized RP events. Ever since I established the original Desperation Isle in 2006 I have gotten requests from visitors to hold events that immersed guests in a meaningful storyline. We are also interested in less serious events, like contests, just for fun.
Assisting and instructing new visitors. A lot of our guests are new to Second Life and new to RP, and would benefit from informal tours and instructions on how to use things such as teleporters and posed furniture.
Keeping the peace. We are lucky enough to have a generally mature fan base, and griefers/disruptive guests are rare. The event coordinator will be granted Deputy status, with the ability to freeze, eject, and ban unwanted visitors.

FUTURE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Helping plan the new island. My partner and I are already coming up with ideas, but we will be open to suggestions that will help shape the sim's identity and suit it for meaningful roleplay.
Coordinating events on the new island. It is hoped that whoever gets the ball rolling on New Desperation Isle will be able to carry out these duties on the new island as well.

REQUIREMENTS/QUALIFICATIONS:

Must be familiar with existing adult SL roleplay communities. The ideal candidate will have experience in some of the better-known roleplay sims, as a basis for how things work and what people are likely to expect. Previous exerience in live-action roleplay (LARP) or text-based RP (MUD, messengers, RP forums) is a big plus.
Must be online during our peak hours. As our core audience is largely European, our busiest hours are between 12pm-3pm PST (whereas my partner and I don't come on until 10pm). We do not expect you to be on our islands every day during those hours, but you must be generally available and spend a reasonable amount of time there helping our guests and conducting events. You must also be able to meet me and my partner occasionally for planning sessions. We are in-world every night from 10pm-12am PST, and I am online in the mornings on Saturday and Sunday.
Must be literate and relatively fluent in English. While we won't necessarily hold your spelling against you, you must be able to communicate clearly (remember, most of our guests are European) and intelligently.
Must be open to adult-themed, erotic roleplay. New Desperation Isle is an erotic playground. While we're still not sure whether the new place will have any overt sexual content or theme, you must be able to respectfully interact with people who move in these circles.
Building skills are desirable, but not required.

To arrange an interview, please contact me in-world or via private message at SLUniverse, Second Survivor, or the official SL forums. To learn more about New Desperation Isle, visit the New Desperation Isle website.

P.S. This is not related to the hardcore RP that I have advertised in my classifieds or elsewhere on this blog. Kelly and I are handling that one. ;)

The Limo Broke Down

2008-02-05T16:46:00.000-08:00

Feel free to shoot me now for quoting Oprah Winfrey, but when I read this a few weeks ago it really rang true:

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down."

Since around November I've been feeling increasingly drained and spread-thin in-world. I've complained here before about my increasing in-world work load, but real-life work has heated up as well (hence the fact that I've not posted in over a month), leaving me with less energy and an earlier self-imposed curfew during my night hours. Pet attendance has been spotty for months. I might go for several days without seeing a single pet, then on Friday night six of them will show up all at once. I took numerous breaks during this period, sending out group notices that while I'd be online, I wouldn't be actively domming for a week or so. These mini vacations helped a bit. I'd resume my domming duties refreshed, and spent quality time with the pets who bothered to show up.

Unfortunately, I found myself unable to remain very motivated to scene or domme for more than a week at a time. The past couple of weeks have been very emotionally difficult, as I kept asking myself: "I've been doing this every night for two years straight- what's different now?" Ultimately, I realized that my question contained the answer: "I've been doing this every night for two years straight."

As skilled as I like to see myself, I swear it feels like I haven't done anything new in many months. This is not to say that familiarity is necessarily a bad thing; married sex can be great, for example. The difference between "married sex" and what I've been doing all this time, however, is that I've been nurturing these relationships with LOTS of women and men, all going through the same stages of discovery and growth, and while it might be new for all of them (at least at first), as conductor I found myself just repeating scenes like some off-broadway actor, and getting repaid for my efforts in shitty attendance or impatience on the part of needy subs. Pets or playmates would come to me with ideas for long-term roleplay, and I'd just think, "Sheesh, I've done that five times already with different people."

It's taken me a long time and a lot of heartache to realize that just like in everyday relationships, it's the quality of the relationship- the strength of the mutual bond between both partners- that matters so much more than the number of acquaintances you have. For the past year, my partner Kelly has been by my side- always there for me to lean on, but at the same time not wanting to get between me and my pets. She's always afraid to be a distraction, preferring to leave me alone with my pets when I'm deep in the middle of things. Although it took me ages to come to this conclusion, I am so glad I finally realized that I needed to honor Kelly's devotion, and prioritize it over the fleeting needs of those who were only with me when they felt I could do something for them.

Well it's taken me a rather long time to get to the point, and I apologize: Last night I retired from domming in Second Life so I could focus on growing in love with Kelly and a select few now-former pets who have chosen to remain in the Walcott family. Kelly is the acting domme now, as she graciously offered to take on my pets who wished to remain connected with us. (If I didn't have her, I'd still be domming, but it would be out of concern for my pets, not because I wanted to.)

I will very briefly summarize what this means for me, my family, my estate, and this blog:

I am still fully involved in Second Life, and have no intention of ever leaving. If you rent land or mall space with me, you're safe. :)
I am still involved in the Second Life BDSM and D/s scene. My new freedom will allow me and Kelly to begin developing some new builds and RPs that we hope will be positive contributions to the community.
I have given my pets the opportunity to stay on with our family with the understanding that Kelly is now sole Mistress. Those who wish to move on have our understanding and blessings.
I am not becoming anyone's pet/slave. I am a very needy and impulsive sub, and simply not fit to wear someone's collar. :) And besides, I'm at least 60% domme anyway.
Desperation Isle Estates is expanding, and will continue to grow for the forseeable future. Expect to see at least one major public build in the coming months.
My problems and recent decisions have nothing to do with the fact that I've not been posting here recently. My absence has purely been the result of too much stuff to do in real life. I assure you, I have a long list of things I plan to discuss here eventually. I just need to pace myself.
This probably isn't permanent. If and when I ever go back to domming, however, I'm going to increase my "probationary" period with prospective pets to a month, and will take things much more slowly.
All of the above only applies to Second Life. I am continuing to practice and enjoy domination in my real life- although this is a rather extreme case of quality over quantity.

Second Life Domination Round Table in Planning

2008-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

As a result of this blog, I frequently get IMs from subs and dommes in SL, asking about a variety of topics. While I do my best to help out, sometimes I don't have enough relevant experience in a given area to authoritatively comment, or other times I think it's a situation where something that may work for me may not work for others. And, you know, sometimes I have questions too! Anyway, it's in the interest of building up the knowledge and skills of the SL domination community that I propose we hold a sort of "Domination Round Table" where SL dommes and doms gather together to discuss common problems and "best practices" in their roles.

I've only spoken to a couple of people so far, and we're only in the earliest stages of planning. We have yet to pick a venue and I've only got a rough list of discussion topics:

Balancing Work and Life: How to effectively run an in-world business and care for your pets.
How Many Is Too Many?: The feasibility of maintaining a large family of pets.
Tasks and Restrictions (SL): Assigning meaningful, ethical tasks to your slaves.
Tasks and Restrictions (RL): Extending the relationship outside of SL.
Multiple Personalities: Dealing with pets who frequently use alts.
When Punishment isn't Play: Distinguishing between roleplayed punishment and real corrective action.
Honoring Your Peers: How to respectfully co-exist with your fellow dominants.
Essential Equipment: Trading notes on the best restraints and toys for SL domination.
Too Many Toys?: When do scripted gadgets become more of a distraction than a roleplay aid?

I have acquired ownership of a FemDom group, which I will be using to distribute information on the round table as things develop. If you have suggestions for topics or events, or you feel you'd like to contribute in some way, please IM me in-world for an invite. I don't have a date set in mind yet; we'll have it when we have something worth presenting.

Seeking Participants for Extreme Humiliation RP

2007-12-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

You'd think I'd have learned my lesson from attempting long-term organized roleplay earlier in the year but I haven't. I have an immediate need for both submissives and dominants in a planned very extreme humilation RP. It will be easier to list what's not allowed than what's allowed:

No roleplay involving minors.
No mutilation.
No cannibalism.
No snuff.

If there's something you will not do and it's not in the above list, this RP probably isn't for you. I'll speak to dominants and switches of any gender or sexual preference, but as far as submissives go, for the time being we're only interested in women.

For the most part, sessions will be conducted in private, although there might be occasional public scenes. We will not be accepting any "observer" queries. Only people interested in actually participating will be invited to our private sessions.

In order to participate, you must be online at two yet-to-be-determined nights of the week during my regular hours of 10pm-12am PST. You must be an experienced erotic roleplayer and must have a non-newbie avatar. We will have several sessions, although the exact number has not yet been determined.

If you are interested, please IM me in-world or send me a private message on one of the forums I frequent (SL Forums, SLUniverse Forums, Second Survivor).

Bouncing Bosoms in Second Life (NSFW)

2007-12-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Not long after flexi prims were officially introduced to Second Life, someone released a line of flexi boobs. It was a great idea; default avatar chests are frighteningly static- but the results were disappointing. They only matched skins produced by the creator, you had to be nude (or at least topless) to wear them, and they looked like weird cones of jelly rather than full, buoyant breasts.

Several fetish designers have released "inflatable" non-flexi breasts since then, but they all lacked that sensual sway of the feminine chest. Well last week I received an IM from a stranger urging me to check out Smashing Prims (note: site doesn't work well in Firefox, and features auto-playing video with music), by Raven Ivanova- a designer who has brought us a couple steps closer to realistically moving prim breasts. (Hey, were they trying to tell me something?)

Raven has released two related products: Bouncing Bosom (BB) Breasts and BB Dresses. The breasts are a standalone product for nude or topless use, while the dresses include a set of BB Breasts textured to match the dress. Both product lines share some common traits:

The breasts are designed to match Raven's line of Realistik Skins. The breasts are moddable (for resizing), so you could probably tint them to match your own skin, although this would not be feasible with the ones that come with dresses, since the textures include fabric from the dress.
Unlike the previous flexi prim attempts at swaying bosoms, these are sculpted "static" prims that are scripted to move under various conditions.
Some of the animations work with your AO; they only bounce when you're walking or running, for example.
You must have a moddable avatar shape, because they require that you set your avatar breasts to size zero.
Second Life applies lighting to prims differently from how it lights avatars. This is part of the reason prim penises never seem to match guys' skin. To address the problem both the dresses and the standalone breasts include a "chest light" which helps smooth out the coloring between avatar and prim. It works.

Despite the above similarities, there are some distinct differences between the dress and breast products as well:

The breasts that come with the dresses feature a pop-up menu where you can select from a variety of animations, from the motion-sensitive bounce and jiggle to the constantly-moving dance animations. The standalone breasts do not have menus, but instead come in packs that include a different set of breasts for each motion-specific animation. Disappointingly, there are no dance options in the standalone breast pack.
The standalone breast packs also include large- almost grotesque- nipples and these nipples are themselves scripted in half of the breast pairs included in the package. Clicking one of the scripted-nipples sets cycles the nipples through normal, erect, and animated states. When erect (or especially when animated) the nipples manage to be even creepier than they appear on first sight.
Even though the bosoms included with the dress sets lack the scripted nipple option they all have a subtle "bump" underneath the fabric, which is nice compared to the featureless mounds our Linden shapes give us.

The standalone breasts (normal nipples):

The standalone breasts (erect nipples):
It's pretty clear that realism isn't the goal here. Both the breasts and their animations are larger than life (at least for most of us), and I think you can have a lot of fun with these when you go into it with a sort of fantasy mindset. Raven also produces a series of "liquid silver" shimmering gowns are another example of interesting work that would be impractical or impossible in real life but unique and interesting in-world.

I have produced a video that compares what my avatar looks like while dancing both with and without the Bouncing Bosoms. I'm wearing the black brocade BB Dress with the tan Realistik skin. I used the most subtle dancing animation for the video, which may not have been a good idea given the tiny resolution of a typical YouTube video, but the shot of me coming up the walkway should leave no doubt that these babies can move. The video at the Smashing Prims website is worth a watch too. (The video is safe for work, by the way.)

The video:

This Woman's Work

2007-12-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

While few of us consider our Second Lives a mere hobby, our in-world hours usually fall within "hobby time." Most SLers have real-life families and jobs that take priority, leaving only a few precious hours a week to spend with one's in-world friends and family. The fast-paced nature of Second Life relationships highlights peoples' desire to make the most out of their limited online hours, but things get complicated for folks who run businesses or have jobs within Second Life.

Boiling Frog Syndrome
For my first year in Second Life I had no business aspirations at all. Even once I had acquired my first island, I merely considered the land use fees a justifiable entertainment expense, and operated at a calculated loss. Some time in February or March of this year I thought it would be nice to set up a little mall at my island so my designer friends could get some free exposure and sales. I slapped together a little mall and let people set up shop, rent-free. It filled up quickly, and before long I had a waiting list of people who wished to sell there. I eventually expanded the mall, but charged this time in order to control quality and to subsidize the island a bit.

Eventually I wondered, "Wouldn't it be nice if I could get my second life to pay for itself?" I then tried my hand at mainland real estate rentals and resales. Although I had some success with rentals, I was disappointed with my inability to protect my tenants from their neighbors' awful taste, so I decided island rentals were the way to go. I divested my mainland holdings and moved my tenants over to my first rental island. The island was full within a few days and I quickly reached my goal of breaking even. It was about this time that my deputy, Vivienne, began producing her first prefab skyboxes. We formed Desperation Isle Productions and went into business together.

My various businesses were paying my subscription and land use fees, but this did not cover my recreational spending. I soon found myself thinking, "Wouldn't it be nice if I never had to purchase Lindens again?" I got more islands, we diversified our product line, and so it grew. Something happened along the way, though. At first I could spend a couple days setting up an island, and then a few minutes a day here and there dealing with customers, but once Desperation East went live I found I was spending a minimum of half an hour of customer service and rental maintenance every day and various projects kept coming up, some of which occupied days or weeks of my focused time.

Like the mythical boiling frog who didn't foresee its fate until it was too late, I found myself overwhelmed by my in-world work, and not spending enough time with my partner or devoted pets; a situation I'm still struggling with today. All I wanted to do was to be self-sufficient. Ironically, I saw financial independence as a key to in-world freedom, but the opposite happened; I became a slave to my work- and my pets, my partner, and I all suffered for it.

Difficult Questions
If you're one of the few individuals who can pretty much be in-world whenever you want, this is less of an issue for you, but if you only have a few hours a week to devote to your second life you should ask yourself whether you can responsibly care for your in-world loved-ones while also maintaining and growing a business. Here are some more specific questions you can ask to assess the situation:

Do I enjoy my work? If you're doing something you love, it's probably worthwhile to devote at least some of your time to it. But if it's not something you really have a heart for, why are you doing it at all?
Do I need the money? If you wouldn't be able to afford your second life without some form of in-world income, and scaling back your expenses isn't an option, a Second Life job or business may be a necessary evil.
Am I available enough to my pets? SL work requires a lot of AFK time, direct customer interaction, or hopping around the grid, depending on what you do. Are there uninterrupted time windows when you are there for your pets?
Am I able to focus my attention on my pets when they're around? It's one thing to be physically near your family. It's another to be mentally available as well. If you're constantly flooded with customer service IMs or preoccupied with projects, you're not going to be able to give your family the attention they deserve.
Are you having fun? Is the business stressing you out? Do you find yourself hoping your pets don't log on because you don't want to be bothered while you work? Are you snappy with your friends when you're trying to get something done? Do you ever get a chance to relax and just enjoy your second life? The longer stress, resentment, and exhaustion mount the more likely it is that you're just going to burn out. Be very honest here; it's important.

I must ashamedly admit that my own answers to the above questions are not good. I really do enjoy the work I do in Second Life- I love building, getting to know designers and residents, and helping tenants with their problems. But I only started doing all this stuff to provide a nice home for my family without having to pay for it. Now I have that and more, but I feel I barely have time or energy to enjoy it all.

Get the Balance Right
If you're so overworked you're neglecting your family and not having fun anymore, you need to find a way to balance your work, family, and personal time. Here are some ideas I'm personally considering or trying to implement now:

Schedule "work-free" nights. If possible, set a day or two every week where you just don't do any business stuff. If your pets are comfortable with it, sign on as an alt that only they know about, so you're not distracted with customer IMs.
Establish regular work hours. Most devoted SLers have a pretty regular online schedule. If you are so lucky, decide on a time window where you focus on your work, and then reserve the rest for family or private time. Although some of my recent projects have made this infeasible, on ordinary days I'm trying hard to get all my work stuff done within the first 15-30 minutes I'm online, then not even think about it for the rest of the session.
Prioritize responsibly. Something I hear from many submissives whose dominants have SL businesses is that their dom/me will just teleport away at the drop of a hat the moment a customer of theirs demands attention. Some customer matters are more important than others, but please consider whether an ad-hoc support call really supersedes the immediate, precious time you have with your pets. If you'd prefer to be with your family, arrange a time when you can work with your customer. You'll find that most reasonable residents understand that you're busy and will accommodate your schedule.
Listen to and observe your pets. Different subs have different levels of neediness. Every minute you spend on your work is a minute that they're without your guidance. Some are more self-sufficient than others, and many of them will not tell you when they're beginning to have a problem with the amount of time you're not spending with them. Read between the lines when they talk to you and watch for changes in behavior and schedule. If they stop logging in very regularly or often, they could be feeling neglected and hopeless.
Look for ways to delegate labor. I'm very much a do-it-yourself kind of person, and sometimes it just doesn't even occur to me to distribute the workload. If you have some trusted, devoted pets, give them responsibilities. Make their roles clear and compensate them for their work, if not with money than with praise and quality time. If this is not a feasible option for you, try looking for a business partner or hiring someone from outside the family to help out.
Downsize. Are you making more than enough money- so much that the effort you're putting in doesn't really justify the additional rewards? Scale back. It's hard to do- for ego reasons as well as logistical ones- but it's an option if you're overwhelmed. You're no good to your family if you're so overworked you can't focus. There's another, much more drastic option that I'd only recommend if you could make the same decision if your work were not a factor: If you have pets who are already not on very often, or whose long-term goals don't really sync up with yours, you might consider freeing them so they can find a better situation, and so that you can focus your remaining free time on the pets who will benefit the most from it. This is a terribly difficult thing to do, and should never be done lightly. Personally I've not come to that step yet, but I have almost completely cut back on entertaining any submissive friends who are not my collared slaves. It just wasn't fair of me to spend time with them when my collared pets were barely seeing me as it was.
Relax!!! I agonize so much over how to split my time between my work and my pets that I frequently end up not just "having fun" at all. I'm serving my customers or serving my pets- who's serving me? Go explore, go dancing, get laid (*blush!*). A happy mistress is a healthy mistress.

A Second Life career can be both fun and rewarding in a number of ways, but just as in real life you must always weigh the personal benefits of your business with the needs of your family. I am personally not through the woods yet on this matter, and I pray my story serves to keep you wary of the potential issues of being a businesswoman domme. I'm also eager to hear any helpful suggestions from my peers.

Playing Favorites

2007-11-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

I have a feeling that in any family with more than one submissive, the matriarch will inevitably have one "favorite;" one sub who merits the most doting, the most time, and the most ready forgiveness in the case of transgressions. I think this is also true for most biological families: Any mother loves all her children, but even if she never says it out loud, even if she's uncomfortable admitting it to herself, there's probably one son or daughter who's even more dear to her than the others.

Through my tenure as a Second Life domme I've almost always had more than one pet, and there has always been a favorite. It was never a conscious decision- it was more of an understanding of how much I appreciated a given submissive on a number of levels, and how that one pet met my needs more fully or consistently than the others. I believe I made a mistake, however- and made this same mistake over again several times- and I think it's time to admit it, explain why it was wrong, and to move on. My mistake? I told every "favorite pet" I ever had that she was my favorite. I did it confidentially, and I was always sincere (there was always only one favorite at any given time), but I told them and it was wrong.

My Mistake
I doubt many people recommend that mothers tell their favorite offspring whom they love the most, primarily because there's the chance that this could slip out during a sibling argument, resulting in bitterness and resentment within the family. But perhaps there's not even a need to put it into words; if you're around each other as much as a mother and child are, the two of you probably just know.

Although I'd never dare tell my real children who my favorite was, I told my pets. Why? While I don't remember all the situations, I know that sometimes I chose to reveal the pets' status to them when they were feeling insecure, or regretting some kind of change in their real-life schedule that affected our time together. It was a reassurance that I wouldn't disown them, an acknowledgment of their devotion. In a blood family, you usually don't have to worry that you'll be disowned if you get a new job, but the Second Life submissive doesn't have the same implicit assurances.

I've had five favorites over the years- and every one of those pets is still with me. It's not that I'm capricious that things changed so much over time, it's just a result of the evolving dynamic with the family, often due to unavoidable changes in peoples' real-life schedules.

It's Not a Title
Each pet can potentially interpret the meaning of her status a different way, possibly ascribing meanings that aren't there. For example, the pet who one day realizes she's not "the one" anymore might think that she's failed Mistress in some way, or is perhaps being punished for some unspoken misdeed, in the same way that the Olympic Comittee revokes titles from athletes who are found to have cheated to gain their medals. But that's the difference: There is no competition for your place in my heart. I don't pull names out of a hat or judge you by a list of strict criteria. My love for you is the result of your devotion to me. If you don't have the time it takes to nurture a meaningful relationship, you can't hope to be the one most dear. But simply "being there" is not enough either.

Keys to My Heart
There is no formula for love, no way to force your way to the top spot in my heart- but I can tell you the things that all of my favorite pets have had in common. If you demonstrate all the traits of The Loyalist or The Angel as spelled out in my catalog of SL submissives, you definitely stand a chance of being my number one. You cannot force it, and if I stay true to my word, you may never really know- but you simply cannot go wrong by living up to those standards.

Moving Forward
I have informed the family that just as I will not tell individuals where I think they fall in my own classification scheme for submissives, I will no longer explicitly bestow private "favorite" status upon anyone. I want my pets focused on enjoying our time together, not fighting over some title. I know this decision can't put an end to all the rivalry that sometimes occurs within the family, but it's one thing I can control.

If you find yourself developing a special fondness for one of your pets that goes beyond what you currently have with the others, I urge you to express that fondness privately with actions, not words. If the bond between you is as strong as you feel it is, you two will both just know.

New Desperation Isle Video Tour

2007-11-10T23:51:00.000-08:00

The pets and I just cooked up a promotional video for our adult playground and fetish mall, New Desperation Isle. You can check out the video at the Desperation Isle Estates blog.

I Am Two

2007-10-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my second rezday, and I am having a hard time accepting that it's only been two years since I first walked around the Waterman welcome area, wondering why other peoples' avatars looked so much nicer than mine, and what the hell I was supposed to do next in this weird place. I stand by my suggestion that SL-time operates at roughly 4x real time, for in the past two years in Second Life, I've done the following:

Served under two masters and two mistresses (if I include my alts), before accepting and assuming my role as full-time domme.
Been made the primary or secondary owner of around 400 Amethyst collars, as evidenced by the 'owner help' notecards that clutter my inventory. *Eek!*
Engaged in two SL partnerships- the first short-lived, the second still going strong- despite going into SL with a personal promise that I'd never fall in love here.
Owned land on five mainland sims and five islands, and set up "home" at least three times.
Turned my Second Life hobby from a significant money sink to a financially self-sustaining enterprise that allows me to fund several free, public areas that I enjoy and believe in.
Met more people whom I truly consider friends than I ever have in my real life.
Discovered and nurtured my latent dominant nature, and allowed those revelations to open up new possibilities and relationships in my real life.
Built a family of devoted pets whom I'm proud to call my own.
Lived through the rise, reign, and fall of the best forum ever. (R.I.P. Second Citizen)
Been inspired by the skill and creativity of many pets, friends, and acquaintances who are constantly working to enrich the Second Life experience.
Watched Second Life grow and evolve from a time when you were lucky to see 1,000 people online after 10:00pm my time, to now where there's at least 30,000 folks in-world 24 hours a day.
Loved and lost, and experienced all the anxiety, jealousy, and uncertainty that entails.
Lost friends and pets to real-life schedule changes, personal situations, and illness.
Mourned the loss of favorite haunts as places move, change, or simply vanish.
Encountered more clearly mentally unstable individuals than I ever hope to in real life.

I don't know who I'd be today if I hadn't discovered the places and people that comprise Second Life. I've always felt blessed to have the real-life friends and family that I do today, and I feel just the same about my SL counterparts. It hasn't always been easy, but it's always been worth it.

I'd like to note here that my real-life work is commanding a lot more time and attention than usual, and will continue this way for at least a couple of weeks. I may not be here, on the message boards, or in-world as much as normal during this period, but I'll be back. And as always I'm working on "something big" for this blog in the relatively near future (well, several somethings, at this point). So keep checking back. =)

Remembering Desperation Isle

2007-10-22T00:30:00.000-07:00

It was just yesterday that I discovered the following series of almost perfectly annual events:

On October 28, 2005 I logged into Second Life for the first time.
A year later, on October 18, 2006, Linden Lab delivered my first island, Desperation Isle.
A year after that, on October 18, 2007, I cleared out the entire island and uploaded a new custom terrain.

Desperation Isle is no more, having been replaced by the more elaborate New Desperation Isle, but countless memories were forged on that island. It seems like it was so much longer than just a year. I shot the following footage the night before I wiped out the island. It is safe for work (all the furniture was already gone and I was the only one on the island at the time). Enjoy.

Those Three Words

2007-10-16T10:49:00.001-07:00

Several times I've tried to write about this subject, but always found myself at a loss. I'm forcing myself to get these thoughts down, even if it's not as coherent as I'd like. I think some of it needs to be said though... and that there will likely be more to say on the subject in the future.

In my very early days of online roleplay I remember stumbling into a room where two naked female avatars- we'll call them Cara and Amber- were making love and shouting ecstatically,

"I love you, Amber!"
"I love you, Cara!"

This was the first time I'd ever heard anyone in this virtual existence utter those three words, and it left a big impression on me. For me, few things deliver the aphrodisiacal rush that the verbal expression of love does during sex- but only if it's genuine. I envied those women their love, and wondered if I'd ever find such a thing online- and also whether I should, considering my real-life commitments.

Behind the Profiles
For reasons I haven't fully sussed out, the 2nd Life profiles of most Second Life dommes (including, admittedly, my own) give the public impression that this is a cruel and ruthless woman whose only interest is to objectify and control her subjects. They are cold and clinical, conveying nothing of what I see as the real glue that holds a D/s family together.

I submit that unless you are truly a "roleplayer" who truly maintains a sort of unbreachable philosophical wall between your first life and your second, it is neither realistic nor feasible to endlessly dole out cruelty and humiliation without ever developing a deeper bond with your subjects. I can be damned nasty and devious when I'm in the mood, but I am not evil. If I do an extreme session with a pet, it's because I care about this person and wish to do something I know he or she will enjoy. If I hated someone so much that I could do nothing but torture her, I'd prefer she wasn't in my life at all; hate takes energy and time to nurse, and it's not as fulfilling as the alternative.

A Different Kind of Love
I can only really speak for myself on this matter, so it may well be different for other dommes- but the love that I develop for my slaves tends to be more motherly than romantic. The forms of its expression may include sex, but that speaks more of our lifestyle and interests than the nurturing, protective love I feel for my slaves.

From what I've learned from my pets, the things that nurse their love for me are when I devote time to them, plan special scenes that cater to their interests, include them in my public and private dealings, and maintain a dialogue with them about their desires and feelings.

The things that endear my pets to me are their sacrifices: When they forego sleep or time with others to be with me, when they wait at my side silently while I take care of business or focus attention on their siblings, when they express sorrow about having to miss opportunities to be with me due to external commitments. I'm also honored when they write or create things in my honor, when they stand up for me if I'm not there to defend myself, and when they rebuff unscrupulous mistresses who'd attempt to make them their own.

Consequences
As love grows between a domme and her slave, the emotional stakes mount. Jealousy peeks in- the mistress grows concerned when her pet spends time around other dominants, and the pet can grow emotionally competitive against his siblings or his mistress's romantic love interests. The prolonged absence of a slave without warning can result in real-life worry accompanied by lack of sleep and appetite. The loss of a beloved slave to another dominant results in a broken heart rather than just a tarnished ego. Just as in real life, love in the Second Life D/s relationship is an emotional liability; but like many priceless things, it's often worth the risk.

Veteran Advice

Don't force it. Love develops naturally, but sometimes it can be one-sided- or sometimes it just takes longer for one partner to "come around." Let love take its time.
Express your love in actions. There are some who are very quick to say, "I love you, Mistress" and some who never will. Words can help, so long as they're well-timed and sincere, but true love takes many forms.
Keep an ear to the ground. Other pets notice when you treat their siblings differently. Be wary of their feelings and reassure them of their value whenever you can.
Take it seriously. Never say "I love you," if you don't really mean it. No one's forcing you to ever say it, so when you do, it should be sincere.

The Big Question
Is Second Life D/s really just a game to you? Are you really capable of spending weeks or months with the same people in-world and not developing some kind of lasting bond? If not, you probably know what I'm talking about. When allowed to blossom, love enhances the D/s relationship, uniting not just the avatars, but the people behind them.

Quick Update

2007-10-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

Wow, I just noticed I haven't posted here in a couple of weeks and wanted to let you know that I've got a stack of topics to cover here, and will definitely be tackling them soon. Real-life work has been rather hectic of late, and I have spent the past two weeks in-world doing nothing but working on the replacement for Desperation Isle, New Desperation Isle.

The new island opened on Monday, and I have been very pleased with people's reactions to it. My slave Clara did a ton of work on the place, as did my partner Kelly and our good friend Vivienne. We have some big and exciting plans for the old island, too, which I'll announce later.

Finally, I'll just note that I've got a couple of lots still open for rent on my residential island, Desperation West, and will soon have some vacancies on Desperation North, as a tenant who's renting 1/4 of the island is moving in with a friend who's letting him have half an island at below-cost. (My prices are among the lowest for island rentals in Second Life, but I can't compete with less-than-cost!) Please contact me if you're looking for a place to call home. :)

The Expletive Acronym Caption Gallery

2007-09-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

In July of 2007, Aimee Weber asked members of the now-defunct Second Citizens forum to visit the vintage advertising repository, plan59.com, and come up with humorous captions for any pictures they found there. One poster, Expletive Acronym, was up to the challenge and delivered nearly 150 surprising, hilarious, and sometimes shocking captions over the next three days. I archived the thread before Second Citizen's administrator took the board offline in hopes that I could preserve Expletive's astounding body of work. Please enjoy! Click the little slideshow down below to view the gallery.

Subspotting: A Mistress's Field Guide

2007-09-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

Whaddyaknow, it's another double-post Monday! The longer you move in D/s circles in Second Life, the more you begin to see patterns in the behavior of submissives. I've identified a number of prevalent behaviors and personality types among the SL submissive community that I hope will aid other dommes in determining how to respond to these pets, and how to minimize the possibility of future problems. Please note that several of these behaviors are unique to- or more pronounced in- Second Life, and also that a mistress should never use these labels when speaking with her pets. These descriptions and suggestions should simply serve as a reference, not as a tool for chastising submissives.

You will probably find that some submissives fall into more than one of the following categories. I will note common overlaps where appropriate, and also describe the impact of certain behaviors on the domme and her family. I've tried to keep this list kink-agnostic; I'm intentionally omitting any classification that involves a specific fetish (for example, restraint subs who wish to be forced in mouselook most of the time), although you will likely find some overlap between those niche types and the more general descriptions below.

Types of Second Life Submissives

The One-kink Wonder
These subs are almost entirely focused on a single, specific fetish or fantasy. It may be something pedestrian, like "I like to wear latex" or "I like to worship boots," but can also be left-of-center, like "I enjoy being eaten whole by giant anthropomorphic squirrels."

Impact: These subs can be fun for certain scenes; they often very excitedly express their gratefulness for a well-conducted RP that suits their tastes. These subs can be exasperating, though, because they don't have the same enthusiasm for anything unrelated to their kink of choice.

Overlaps: One-kink Wonders are often also Roleplayers, Phantoms, and/or Butterflies.

The Onanist
While many subs likely masturbate in real-life during scenes from time to time, the Onanist does it regularly and often gives you updates in IM, and even asks for permission to go AFK for clean-up afterward. Sometimes the Onanist will request permission to release in real-life, and these subs will drag a scene out until they achieve it.

Impact: Some dommes consider this kind of feedback to be Too Much Information (TMI), and while I used to be of this type, I've sometimes found it kind of exciting to know the physiological impact I'm having on my slave. Note that these pets sometimes become reliant on you for their personal sexual release, however, and you may begin to feel obliged to do scenes with them just to help them get off.

Overlap: Onanists are often also Visitors and/or Butterflies.

The Visitor
The Visitor is a collared slave who acts more like a dinner guest. He doesn't keep a regular schedule, only popping in when he feels like it- but demands your full attention on the rare times he graces you with his presence. He's also quick to log off if you choose to focus your time on your more reliable pets.

Impact: Visitors can be fun for individual scenes, but their unpredictable schedules makes it difficult to arrange family events, and their neediness on the few times they do show up can stress the domme and annoy the other pets. Visitors often participate in other roleplaying communities and have alts that they constantly roam between, looking for action.

Overlap: Visitors tend to be Onanists and/or Roleplayers.

The Human Shield
Jealousy drives the Human Shield. She is instantly skeptical of any visiting submissives that you might consider for collaring, and is often seen by other pets as cold or outright rude. She will express disappointment (either directly or indirectly) when you focus time on other pets, and has a tendency to log out without warning if things don't go her way. These pets can be good and valuable in other respects, which can make disciplining them difficult. These subs can be very emotionally manipulative, even if they're not necessarily aware of what they're doing.

Impact: Jealousy has a poisonous effect on the family. It causes stress for the domme (when she's aware of it) and can drive other pets away- which is exactly what the Human Shield wants. Depending on how valuable this sub's other attributes are, the domme must decide how to recognize and care for a Human Shield. If she deserves it, one might honor a Human Shield with special privileges or a title, and when feasible, guarantee occasional 1-on-1 time to the deserving pet. This should not be seen as rewarding the jealous behavior, but to reassure the pet that she's valued and help her to get over her negative feelings.

Overlap: If gone unchecked the Human Shield's jealousy can make her a Phantom.

The Mouse
While jeaousy is often a factor, the Mouse may also just have a natural aversion to crowds. These subs thrive in 1-on-1 sessions, but seem aloof when more subs are around, and are likely to log out early or even stay away for extended periods if the crowd exceeds their comfort level. Their timidity can be an issue because it often prevents them from expressing their feelings, making the domme think it's a problem on her part. Like the Human Shield, these pets can be absolutely darling and beloved otherwise, which makes the issue all the more difficult to address.

Impact: While the Mouse is not as active in her dislike or disconnection from the other pets, his aloofness is usually interpreted as rudeness. The Mouse's tendency to teleport away or log out the very instant Mistress logs out also generates some contempt in the hearts of the other subs.

Overlap: A mouse will often become a Phantom if not cared for properly. Note that while the Mouse's behaviors might sometimes be similar to that of The Visitor, the motivations and circumstances are usually different.

The Roleplayer
From the moment these subs sign on to Second Life they are in-character, frequently emoting during lulls in dialog, and so dedicated to the art that they even surround out-of-character instant messages (which most people consider to be OOC by default) in double-parenthesis. These subs put a lot of work into their avatars, often coming up with very unique and memorable looks. They are skilled at the craft of sensual roleplay, often having a background in text-only or other graphical RP environments. Any Roleplayer more than a couple of months old usually has a few very different looking/acting alts, whether you know about them or not.

Impact: The impact of a Roleplayer on a family really depends on the domme and her pets. If everyone involved is a roleplayer, they can end up having some great times together. If there is a mix of more "serious" or "authentic" players in the family, though, the Roleplayer can seem kind of detached, never really getting too close with family members, and often logging out if too many folks are in "OOC mode." Roleplayers can serve as good RP models to other subs, and can result in some really good scenes, but depending on your needs and your tolerance, they can be a lot of work to maintain. If you're not the type of domme who's "on" 24/7, you might have a difficult time keeping your Roleplayers happy, and you likely won't develop as much of an intimate relationship with them as you would to a more run-of-the-mill sub.

Overlap: Roleplayers are frequently Visitors (often due to their alts or other RP commitments), and may sometimes be Onanists or Back-seat Drivers.

The Back-seat Driver
These are subs that "top from the bottom," constantly sending Mistress instructions during scenes in IM, and basically choreographing the event. The occasional OOC feedback from a sub can be welcome or important, but Back-seat Drivers can make a domme feel more like a marionette than a Mistress. Even if you're not doing a scene with them, these subs will try to pry details from you, repeatedly asking your plans for them in future encounters. If you ever hear me talking about "pushy bottoms," this is what I mean.

Impact: The other pets are usually unaware of the Back-seat Driver's constant controlling of scenes, so their direct impact is normally limited to Mistress. The relentless second-guessing these subs do, and their desire to always know your plans before you get a chance to play them out can sort of suck the fun out of your encounters- and there are only so many "helpful hints" a domme can take during a scene before she gets downright irritated.

Overlap: Back-seat Drivers are frequently Onanists, Butterflies, One-kink Wonders and/or Roleplayers.

The Object
One can often identify an Object simply by taking a peek at their profile. Terms like "no limits," "a thing to be used," or "seeking only the cruelest mistress," membership in groups almost exclusively dealing with pain, humiliation, and degrading fetishes. It is not uncommon for these subs to return filled-out kink checklists where they ascribe the highest interest rating to EVERY KINK ON THE LIST. Objects require lots of (negative) attention and frequently enjoy public scenes, but unlike some of the other needy classes of slave, they are often not much help when you're trying to determine a long-term path in your relationship, because they will (often falsely) claim to not have any specific kinks, and say that the only thing they want is "to be used."

Impact: Objects can alienate their family, as their very extreme roleplay and utter absence of dignity are often unnerving to more balanced slaves. They don't tend to grow very close with their slave brothers or sisters. They frequently request to be punished by their siblings when Mistress is away, which can even result in more discomfort on the part of pets who consider themselves to be 100% submissive. They can also be a problem for a serious domme; how can you remain motivated to treat ANYONE so cruelly? One often has to contrive abusive scenes just to keep the Object happy, which eventually gets rather old.

Overlap: Objects are quite often Butterflies, but they may also be Roleplayers or Visitors.

The Phantom
The Phantom is that mysterious sub who vanishes unannounced for weeks or months at a time, without responding to IMs, emails, or group notices- and then one day logs in as if nothing had happened. Sometimes you even have to ask before they'll even offer an explanation. The reasons one goes Phantom are many, but real-life relational and health issues are commonly-cited factors.

Impact: Phantoms take a bigger toll on a family than they probably understand. A mistress naturally cares for her pets, and when one of them goes missing she starts asking herself a bunch of questions: Is he okay? Did I do something wrong? Has he lost his Internet connection? Is he even still alive? This has an impact on the family as well. If a mistress technically has two submissives but one of them goes Phantom, should she try to recruit another sub to take the first one's place? If so, what happens when the prodigal sub returns? Sometimes, when Phantom subs return, things simply aren't the same. Perhaps it's due to a real-life event they've gone through, but sadly it's often hard to rekindle the relationship after such a long absence. Also, a sub that vanishes for weeks at a time is likely to repeat this behavior throughout his tenure.

Overlap: If real-life factors are at play, almost any kind of sub is at risk of becoming a Phantom, although Companions, Loyalists, and Angels will generally try to warn you so you don't worry after them. The Human Shield might go Phantom to teach you a lesson. The Mouse might do it because he just needs a breather.

The Optimist
The optimist lives twelve time zones away from you, is only 5% kink-compatible, but STILL REALLY WANTS TO BE YOUR SLAVE! If you look at things objectively it seems obvious that a situation like this wouldn't work out, but sometimes these subs can be so enthusiastic and cute and grateful for your time that your judgment lapses. You collar her and enjoy a lovely honeymoon period, and then she comes to the realization that life on 3 hours of sleep a night isn't that great, and you end up only seeing each other on weekends.

Impact: These are really well-meaning subs, but it can drain a domme to take too many of these on. You invest a lot of time and energy into a relationship here that's just not sustainable in the long-term. When the restrictions are purely logistical (time zone or work schedule, for example), it can be a cruel torture when you both finally understand that you just can't make it work without substantive real-life changes.

Overlap: Unfortunately, these pets could possibly grow to be Companions or Angels if given the chance. You may still manage to retain one as a Loyalist, though, although both of you must consider how fair it is for you to keep a slave you hardly ever see.

The Butterfly
The butterfly isn't often content to stay in one place for very long. She hops from mistress to mistress, running away once she's had her fill. Some butterflies only accept collars reluctantly- for example if a mistress she's interested in only spends time with her own collared pets. These slaves are also the least likely to desire or follow restrictions that would prevent them from submitting to others while their owner is offline. These subs are also very impatient; they're the kind who will add you to their collar before you've even decided to take them as your slave.

Impact: Butterflies can be disruptive in that the domme and the other subs put in a certain amount of effort into acclimating new pets, and that effort ends up wasted when the sub runs away. They don't often stay long enough to develop very deep relationships with anyone.

Overlap: It is quite common for butterflies to be Back-seat Drivers. They are frequently Roleplayers, Visitors, or One-kink Wonders as well.

The Wolf
The wolf is a sub who's not really a sub. Sometimes these subs admit their switchiness, other times their dominant nature is gradually made apparent as they attempt to dominate their brothers and sisters with (and sometimes without) your permission. In the case of men, it's typically just a guy who only wants to be a slave to have easy access to some submissive women. With female avatars the sub sometimes appears to want to impress Mistress with her domming abilities, or might be interested in learning from another Mistress first-hand.

Impact: I personally have not had issues with Wolves, but I mention them because I've heard several "horror stories" involving mostly-dominant switches causing unrest within families, ultimately poaching (or trying to poach) slaves for their own stable, or even trying to dominate their own Mistress. As a domme you need to know how you feel about switches in your family, and also understand how your individual pets feel about potentially being dominated by a sibling.

Overlap: This is just a guess, but I imagine there might be overlap here with most of the other classes that aren't purely submissive or perfect.

The Enigma
This is one of the most puzzling subs, and unless the person is new to SL you will often find a history of similar stories involving this person after you've been burned by one. One's relationship with the Enigma starts out pretty normally, leading to a formal collaring and a few days or weeks of relationship building. And then one day something happens: She might "freak out," roleplaying something really bizarre or out-of-character. I once had a pet start crawling around on all fours and biting all of her sisters on the legs, and WOULD NOT STOP. I had another who requested a form of humiliation that was very unexpected for her, and then panicked and teleported away in the middle of the scene that she asked for. Enigmas won't hesitate to sever all ties with you immediately and without explanation: They will port away, quit your group, mute you, defriend you, all in a few seconds- and good luck getting that collar back. Don't expect to ever learn why they left, either.

Impact: While the scenes these pets can cause are often jarring, the impact typically doesn't linger very long, especially because it happens pretty early in the relationship, before anyone really has a chance to get very close to the sub in question. It can drain a domme, however, and cause her to wonder where she went wrong. Trust me on this, though- ask around... every time this has happened to me, I've discovered that the same person (or one of her alts) had done the same kind of thing several times before.

Overlap: These subs are often Objects and/or One-kink Wonders. The behavior of the Enigma is abnormal and may point to some real-life mental health issues, or just a terrible level of immaturity.

The Wallflower
These are the unassuming subs that can often get overlooked and neglected in favor of the more charismatic but less committed classes of slave. Wallflowers never ask for much, and are often reluctant to voice any discontent, even when asked directly for their opinions. They happily engage in scenes and while they may not be as likely to offer unsolicited thanks or feedback as others, are quietly appreciative of your time and attention. Wallflowers can be so unassuming, however, that they might not even IM you to indicate that they're online, for fear that they might be imposing.

Impact: I see every Wallflower as a potential Angel or Loyalist. Generally, these subs should be nurtured and encouraged and involved, in hopes that you can help them grow more confident and active. It can be a little draining or exasperating when you find yourself always having to make the first move with these subs, or when you have to really twist their arms to get honest opinions from them, but it can be worth the effort.

Overlap: I have not noticed much overlap between the wallflower sub and the other types, although I believe they can evolve into more assertive types of subs.

The Untouchable
Sometimes you meet a sub that you're just convinced would accept your collar if it weren't for certain barriers that are beyond your control. Perhaps he's loyal to another mistress, even though she's not online to take care of him very much. Perhaps his in-game Mistress is his real-life partner, or maybe it's a simple matter of your schedules not matching up often enough to make a true D/s relationship feasible.

Impact: These subs tend to show up only when they don't have other obligations, so their attendance cannot be relied upon. Since they're not collared subs, they can also generate some envy within the family if you spend time with these visitors when you could have been taking care of your collared slaves.

Overlap: There's usually not much overlap (although they can sometimes be Loyalists), although these subs would likely be Angels or Companions under different circumstances.

The Companion
The Companion is more than just a sub; she's a friend. This sub is happy to stand around quietly with you on build projects or even just hang out and chat if you're not up for doing a scene. You can go on silly field trips or shopping expeditions, and just be happy for each other's company. What separates a Companion from an Angel is that the Companion might still hold some cards close to the chest- usually regarding real-life matters- and might maintain a sort of emotional distance from you, for reasons that might not be clear. Regardless of how emotionally close you get to your Companions, they're valuable for friendship, camaraderie, and for keeping loneliness at bay.

Impact: Companions are a valuable asset to any domme or slave family. They don't necessarily form close relationships with their siblings, but are always around so long as Mistress is there too.

Overlap: I can't think of much overlap here. These are usually pretty well-balanced slaves.

The Loyalist
The Loyalist is usually a collared slave, but like the Untouchable, might be prevented from accepting your collar for reasons you cannot circumvent. Regardless of their slave status, Loyalists are reliable friends and proponents. If you own land, your Loyalist pets might be known to patrol your premises while you're away, offering assistance to visitors and reporting potential problems to you via offline IMs. These pets frequently offer their time and assistance in building and business matters, and can even act as screeners for potential slaves. The level of trust and respect between domme and Loyalist sub is often high enough that more real-life information is shared, increasing the intimacy and relational involvement.

Impact: These subs are important assets to any slave family. They are models to the other pets, and often offer support and assistance to their siblings when Mistress isn't available.

Overlap: None to speak of.

The Angel
The Angel is the ideal submissive in every way. She is compatible with Mistress in tastes, needs, and attitudes. She shows up regularly and warns Mistress if she's going to be away. She welcomes guests and other siblings, and helps nurture her brothers and sisters when the opportunity comes. Don't be deceived by the title; the Angel's tastes can run very dark- it's the matter of compatibility and shared love and respect that defines her role. An Angel actively participates in scenes, but understands that she can't always be the focus. She also happily accepts occasional "OOC nights" and is just generally a joy to be around. She understands service, and also understands the submissive's responsibility to equip her Mistress with feedback (both positive and negative) that she needs in order to make her best decisions.

Impact: Angels and Loyalists are anchors of any slave family. They're role models, and they help alleviate the stress of dominating less mature or reliable subs. Angels aren't just a "nice-to-have" component of the family, but an essential ingredient for long-term viability. Every domme needs at least one. Sadly, these subs are so rare that you must sometimes make compromises due to time zone or other RL-conflicts. These subs deserve special consideration, and scheduled private time and custom-planned scenes are fitting rewards for their loyal service.

Overlap: Do everything you can to prevent your Angels from becoming anything else.

Final Thoughts
I must re-iterate the need to never use these labels when criticizing your pets. Hopefully seeing this list in black-and-white might give you a better understanding of the kind of slaves you hope to keep, and what your thresholds are for various kinds of behavior. Now please log in to Second Life and give your Angels, Loyalists, Companions, and Wallflowers a huge hug for me... and don't ever let them go.

New Forums for Second Citizen Refugees

2007-09-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

Many of us are still reeling from the closure of the Second Citizen forums. I wrote several novels' worth of text in original threads and follow-up posts there, and made many good friends. I've been floating around examining the alternatives now that SC is no more, and here are the places I've been visiting lately:

DUCHY OF DARKMERE
URL: http://duchyofdarkmere.freeforums.org/index.php
Run by: Lucifer Baphomet and Peasan Kuu
Software: phpBB
Summary: This forum began life a few weeks ago as a place for residents of Caledon, Clearwing, and Neualtenburg to engage in their roleplay involving the fictional Duchy of Darkmere. There is a group of subforums dedicated to this RP, but there are also several subforums related to Second Life, Eve Online, and off-topic/drama. The forum is open to anyone, but moderator approval is required. This is also currently the place to go to discuss drama currently happening on other forums. :)

SECOND SURVIVOR
URL: http://secondsurvivor.com/SecondSurv/
Run by: Fatz Schlefo and Coyote Momiji
Software: vBulletin (same as Second Citizen)
Summary: Fatz and Coyote just set up this forum last week. It's still in its formative stages, and they're actively taking suggestions to help shape the experience for members. This is a general-purpose SL forum, with subforums dedicated to Classifieds, Technical Help, and general chat. (I also expect to see some more kink-specific stuff at this board, eventually.)

ZENCITI SL FORUMS
URL: http://lucidmovement.com/forum/
Run by: Neil and Nephilaine Protagonist
Software: phpBB
Summary: At about a week old, this nascent forum is dedicated to Second Life commerce and technical matters, wish some general chat and fun subforums thrown in.

SLUNIVERSE FORUMS
URL: http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/
Run by: Cristiano Midnight
Software: vBulletin (same as Second Citizen)
Summary: Hey, SLUniverse isn't new!!! Oh, but these forums are! If you haven't visited the SLU forums in the past couple of months you probably don't know that Mr. Midnight has completely revamped them with an all new interface and much better forum software. Even if you had an account at the old forum you'll still have to create a new account at the new one. At this time, the SLU Forums are certainly the most busy 3rd-party SL forum, and you can currently find the biggest concentration of displaced SCers there. A lot of former SC lurkers have finally outed themselves there, so you'll see a lot of new faces too.

You Know Who You Are (NSFW)

2007-09-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Normally I do not share the details of private domination sessions outside of my SL family, but I make an exception today because the subject of this tale- the victim- derives great pleasure from public humiliation. By publishing my account of our night together, I am dominating her still, this story a permanent and obvious record of her fate at my hands. I have changed her name here because it's not important. What matters is that she sees this and remembers that dark night in June. Also, please note that this story is graphic and violent- it is not necessarily representative of a typical "night at Wildefire's" or SL domination at large.

I took some of the girls out for a night drive in the country. My Dominus roared down the Linden roads through unfamilar lands, and after coming around a bend I noticed a young woman standing alone in the dark by the side of the road. The car slowed to a stop and I beckoned her over.

She had been there waiting for a date, but he never showed. Her sister had dropped her off there, but being out of cell phone range, the poor thing had no way to call anyone to pick her back up. She was lucky we'd found her. When I offered to drive her home she reluctantly climbed into the back seat of my car. I made up fake names for me and all my pets and introduced them as my "co-workers," explaining that we had just been out for an after-hours get-together. We learned that our passenger's name was Cindy.

As we sped down the country road I asked Cindy if we could make a little stop by my place. She agreed- how could she protest? Of course she had no idea that even if she'd balked, it was already too late- by accompanying me and my "peers" she had already sealed her fate. Cindy appeared a little apprehensive when I parked outside the remote stone silo I claimed to be my home, but at my friendly insistence she nervously followed us inside. I locked the door behind us and couldn't help grinning at her shock upon seeing a naked, gagged girl chained to my wall, struggling in terror upon our return. I forced Cindy to her knees and the girls stood guard while I dealt with the hanging captive. Knowing the girl would scream and plead I removed her gag so that there was no doubt my prisoner was there unwillingly. I believe as the trembling, bound girl pled for her freedom Cindy understood the dark times now ahead of her.

The hanging girl and I traded words, for some time, but when I tired of the argument I produced my concealed dagger and waved it in her face as Cindy looked on in terror. The prisoner fell silent, and I then turned the blade on Cindy and cut away her clothing. The slaves held her still as I fastened restraints on her and claimed her as my property. Next we placed her on the "bed" and chained her down. It was here that Cindy tasted my cane and whip- and knew true suffering for the very first time. The beating went on for quite a while. Cindy passed out (and was revived) several times, but Princess and I eventually unchained her and carried her out to the trunk and drove down rural roads to our clandestine medical center.

After unloading our naked, bruised cargo at the medical center, I took her for a tour of the facilities, describing the purpose and history of every major piece of equipment in our labs. Near the end of the tour I shoved Cindy into "the shower," which is not unlike an airtight, lockable phonebooth that you can fill with gas or flood with cold water. We showered Cindy down and let the tank fill to her neck before draining the chamber. After Princess toweled our visitor off I introduced Cindy to the fabled Jessica 3000. Princess strapped her in and I described the device's workings in detail as Cindy groggily listened.

I related how the warmth, vibration, and steady movement of the machine's central spike had the unintended side effect of driving its subjects to intense involuntary orgasms, despite the Jessica's macabre purpose. I explained to her the purpose of th narrow stabilizing rod that enters the anus during the procedure, ultimately helping the subject's body to turn properly over an open flame. And then I flipped the switch.

To Cindy. Society may forget her, but we never will.

Remembering the Friend I'll Never Know

2007-09-10T09:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I logged in to Second Life to find the following instant message from one of my tenants waiting for me:

Hello, I am afraid that I must be leaving SL for the final time. To keep my real world relationship strong, I must say goodbye to this world. I have seven days left on my lease and was hoping that it might be possible to transfer ownership of the land with the home to my very good friend Xxxx Xxxxx. I'll still have IMs forwarded to my email, so please contact me if there is anything I can do to allow it to happen. If not, I understand as not all things are possible. Thank you for a very wonderful place to stay, I enjoyed my very short time here and will miss it. Take care.

This tenant had only been with me for a couple of weeks (the island is brand new), but she had always been very polite and responsive. Even though I didn't know my tenant beyond our business relationship, she and I had a number of mutual friends, and I'd been looking forward to getting more acquainted with her. Honoring her request, I contacted her friend and offered to transfer the land and rent responsibility to her. Unfortunately this person was unable to afford the rent, and because many of the items on the land were no-transfer (and she didn't have modify rights anyway), she was unable to claim any of my tenant's possessions.

So it was that I flew down to my tenant's former home, prepared to clear out all her belongings and set the land for resale. Even though I had admired her home from afar, this was my first experience seeing the place up close, and I was immediately breathtaken. I landed on a little dock out on the beach and noticed a trap door which led to an underwater chamber where a tentacled beast awaited victims. Up on the surface, a bloody, filthy mattress rested among a cluster of shipping crates, an ashtray with a still-lit cigarette just nearby, giving one the feeling that something ominous had just happened here.

Up the stairs I found a blood-spattered turret that seemed to serve dark ritualistic purposes and also as a kind of observatory.

A stone walkway- painted in blood- led from the turret to the main house. I followed it in curious trepidation.

I strolled around the perimeter of the house before going inside. Despite the gory trail I'd followed to get there, as I walked beneath the rustling trees and peered inside the windows I got a sense of warmth and welcoming, rather than fear.

I approached the draped entryway, prepared to enter.

Immediately inside I discovered a sort of altar- bathed in blood- lit only by the flames of several torches in the room. Some well-used racks and other restraint devices stood nearby in the shadows.

A discreetly placed black orb teleported me to the bedroom, where I found several shelves of small framed photographs (not shown here), memories my tenant had shared with her friends and lovers. An open-air entry way from the bedroom led to a balcony with a view of endless ocean.

As I sat on the veranda enjoying the night ocean air, two things became clear to me. First, I acknowledged that my tenant and I would have been good friends, had we been given that chance. My second realization was that this was a place too unique, too dark, and too lovely to destroy.

So, in honor of this friend I'll never know, I've decided to leave her estate as she left it. I will rent the property, but I will maintain ownership of the land so that future tenants can only add to- not remove from- this demonic lair on the sea. If you'd like to tour the place for yourself, go to Desperation South (111, 35, 31), and contact me for rental details.

At this point I don't think I've fully conveyed how deeply the loss of this player and her gift of the estate she left behind have affected me. The more I saw of what she'd done, the more I realized how much we had in common. The photographs in her bedroom reminded me of all the wonderful, beautiful moments I've had in Second Life, and I felt privileged to be able to sort of peer into her past and know the kinds of times she cherished. And as one whose own Second Life is largely a secret from her real-life family, I understand the stakes involved when real life conflicts with Second Life. I don't believe I'll ever have to make the same sacrifice she did for love, but there, but for the grace of God, go I.

Wanted: A Few Good Pets

2007-09-04T11:50:00.000-07:00

[Note: For those of you used to me posting only one article a week, don't overlook this post. It's one of the very rare times I've made two posts on the same day. :) ]

For the first time in many months I am actively seeking new pets. The number of pets I take on will be a direct result of schedule compatibility. If I find a promising candidate who's reliably on during my online hours, I'll likely only accept one, as I'm best in 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 situations. A prospective pet will meet the following qualifications:

Must have a compatible schedule. I live on the Pacific West Coast and am online every night from 10pm-12:30am PST/PDT (SL Time). Use the World Clock web site to calculate my online hours if you're in a different time zone. Do not contact me if you know you're not going to be on when I am.
Must be able to roleplay (RP). My family does not use "talking genitals." (Pets may use scripted penises, so long as they don't generate chat spam.) Just saying "Oooooh" and "Aaaaah" is not RP. It's spam. See this article for my personal roleplay guidelines.
Must be able to communicate effectively in English. I do not require you to be a native English speaker (most of my pets over the years have been European), but you must know the language well enough to RP effectively.
Must not have a default newbie avatar. You don't need money to look nice, and a presentable appearance says a lot about your dedication and commitment. Stop by Desperation Isle and pick up my list of high-quality freebies. You can also get some Lindens from my money tree (on the ground just downstairs from my mall) for those freebie shops that charge L$1-L$5 for their 'freebies.'
Building and scripting skills are desirable, but not a must.

Your real-life gender or avatar gender don't matter to me. The only bit of RL info I'll ever require is your time zone, for scheduling reasons. I will ask serious candidates to fill out my own streamlined BDSM checklist- it only covers things I'm interested in, and will give me a good idea about your interests and limits.

What's in it for you
In return for their faithful service, my collared slaves get the following:

Priority time. I sometimes entertain guests who are not full pets, but my collared slaves get my full attention when they're around.
Customized restriction levels. Depending on your needs and desires, we'll decide upon a set of restrictions for you to follow when you're in-world and I'm not around. This can range from near complete freedom to mouselooked/gagged/restrained captivity.
A free place to live on one of my private estates. My family lives in the Southeast quarter of my rental estate, Desperation North. I have a mansion there that is too large for me to furnish alone. We also have sky apartments available for homeless pets.
Free mall space if you are a product designer. I run the successful kink/fetish mall on Desperation Isle and give my designer pets free rent to sell their items there.
Optional real-life restrictions and tasks. Some pets request that the relationship extend to their real lives, and in these cases I can provide some amount of offline domination. This is NOT a requirement, and I only offer it to pets who request it.
My offline contact information. I do not require contact information from my pets, but I offer mine to them so I'm as available as possible, even when not in-world.

Please contact me, Wildefire Walcott, in-world if you are interested. Note that my IMs are often capped, so it's best to send me a notecard.

Weathering the Dry Seasons

2007-09-04T10:28:00.000-07:00

D/s relationships in Second Life involve many challenges that don't apply to real-world D/s. The most obvious one is time zone differences; the fact that partners might be geographically located in different parts of the world with very little waking-time overlap. There is also the matter of real-life commitments outside of Second Life. For most SLers, their online hours are considered 'hobby time,' and those hours are often the first to be sacrificed or changed if the player has to make adjustments for work, school, illness, or family. These sorts of things can be unpredictable and unavoidable, and can ultimately result in dissolution of the relationship.

During my tenure as an SL domme, I've experienced three or four "dry seasons," where real-life scheduling conflicts and other problems- ranging from Internet connection loss to hospitalization to substance abuse- conspired to keep most or all of my pets away from me for days or weeks at a time. Anyone who's been in Second Life knows that life moves faster in-world. A week in SL is like a month of real time in terms of how quickly both the physical and relational landscape can change. For someone used to spending every night in the company of her pets, a few days or weeks of loneliness can be a worrying, depressing experience.

Intuitive readers might have detected that I'm going through one of those periods right now. For the past two weeks I've only seen three of my collared pets, and there have been a number of nights where I was completely alone (and it didn't help that my partner's computer broke). I am not a designer, a business person (I only work to support my family), or a socialite. The only reason I log in every night is to be with my SL family, and when they're not around my Second Life feels hollow and meaningless.

I've listed a number of external factors that can keep pets from logging on, but one must also acknowledge that there might be internal factors as well. Whenever I've gone for a few nights with little or no contact with my pets, I begin asking myself a number of questions:

Have they gotten bored with me? Have I neglected their primary desires?
Have I done something to hurt them or frighten them away?
Have I been too busy with my other in-world responsibilities?
Is jealousy (sibling rivalry) tearing my family apart? Have I been playing favorites?
Have recent changes in the family dynamic (new pets, a partner) caused them to avoid me and the family?

It can be painful to ask these questions, but it is important- especially because many pets will never confess to such feelings without being asked first (and even then they often won't easily admit such things). Most pets in these situations will just quietly disappear, either avoiding SL altogether or logging on as alts that you may or may not know about.

How to Cope
If you find you have entered a dry season of your own, spend some time reflecting and try to identify both the external and internal reasons that pets might not be showing up. Remember that Summer and the Back-to-School periods are often slow either due to vacations or changing schedules, and times around holidays are typically slow as well. If a pet's gone missing without any notification, try to contact her individually. Let her know you're concerned and that you just want to know she's okay. Often that's enough to get a sense of what's happening, but depending on the pet, you might have to read between the lines a bit to get to the real issue.

Sometimes I'll send out a group notice to my private pet group, expressing that I've noticed a lull, and asking them to contact me so I don't have to worry about their whereabouts. You can only do so much, though. If a pet doesn't respond to IMs or group notices (or any out-of-SL channels you might have), that says more about the pet than it does about you. You've done your part, and now it's time to think about the future.

Moving On
You have several choices during these quiet periods. If you're a creative sort, you can take advantage of the time to script or build. If you're more of a social person, spend some time revisiting old haunts or discovering new places while you wait for the pets to return. If you just find yourself lonely, though, it may be time to start recruiting. While I'll leave the actual act of recruiting new pets for another article, I'll just note that if you take on new pets during these downtimes, you may find yourself overwhelmed if the pets that were missing-in-action suddenly decide to resurface (and history indicates that they'll all return on the same day).

With this in mind I recommend that you ask yourself one of the most painful questions a domme can ask: Should you release the pets who haven't contacted you for days or weeks despite your efforts to get in touch with them? Only you can answer this, and it may well be on a case-by-case basis... but if a pet can't be bothered to respond to an offline IM or group notice, how could they possibly expect you to be ready to devote hours every night taking care of them when they feel like returning? Is this someone you want in your service?

My Empire of Dirt

2007-08-27T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my newest island, Desperation South, went online. (See the formal announcement here.) It was a rather hectic weekend for me for a number of reasons, but the work is beginning to cool down a bit, and I should be able to get back to enjoying my in-world friends and family tonight.

Several people have asked me what my plans are, regarding the continued expansion of the estate. I sense that some of my pets are concerned that I'm getting too involved in the business side of things- and while it's a valid concern, I want to assure them that they'll not lose me to business matters.

I'm doing land and mall rentals now for two reasons:

To cover costs. Desperation Isle started out as a non-profit, private venture. It was a home for me and my pets. It wasn't even listed in Places Search for several months- but somehow people discovered it and enjoyed it. The more popular the place became, the more crowded-out I felt, so I sought alternative housing on the mainland. There's just one problem with that: By and large, the mainland sucks. It was time for another island. While I considered a single island to be a worthwhile entertainment expense, it seemed irresponsible of me to pay for the monthly upkeep of two islands without doing something to cover the costs. I expanded my then-not-for-profit mall and began a land rental business, but kept a portion of my new island, Desperation West, for myself. I've continued this trend with each new island. I rent out what I don't need, and keep the rest for me and the family. My Second Life pays for itself now, and that's my only financial concern.
It's fun. I like being a landlord and a mall manager. I discover great new products when vendors set up shop with me, and I've made friends with some designers whose work I'm proud to help promote. Also, I've met a bunch of fun, interesting people through my island rentals. I feel we're really building a distinct community, and it's an honor to be a part of that.

I am NOT going to just grow and grow; I'll expand only as I begin to feel I need more room. Any profit I make goes straight back into the SL community eventually, because I do my best to equip my homes and public areas with the best Second Life has to offer. It will also likely finance new non-profit public areas in the nearish future.

But to my friends, and pets, and my beloved partner- you are all just as important to me as you've ever been. This work I'm doing is for all of us- and I promise to do my best not to let it get out of hand.

P.S. I'm working on an upcoming article that's turning out to be more of an effort than I'd expected. Should turn out to be worthwhile though, so stay tuned.

Sex in Second Life Part 1 (NSFW)

2007-08-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

With the worldwide attention the SexGen lawsuit's been getting, I thought this would be a good time to give readers who are new to (or unfamiliar with) Second Life a taste of what sex and BDSM is like in our little virtual world. In this first chapter we'll take a look at sex beds, including the SexGen series and its competitors. This article is also accompanied by a video that demonstrates the products mentioned.

An Introduction to Sex Beds

A sex bed is a piece of virtual furniture that contains a variety of animated poses that enable one or more avatars to engage in different romantic activities. Almost all of the beds work in a similar manner: You click the bed to bring up a menu and choose a pose that suits what you would like to do on (or near) the bed. After you make a selection, the bed generates the appropriate number of differently-colored "poseballs." Each participant "sits" on a given poseball by right-clicking the ball and picking a command in a little pop-up menu. This moves your avatar into position and triggers the associated animation.

The main thing that distinguishes a sex bed from stand-alone poseballs or a single-use piece of sex furniture is that it is multi-purpose. It's one bed that can easily switch between different animations though a menu-driven interface. This reduces poseball clutter and conserves prims. (For those new to Second Life, a "prim" is the smallest individual piece of an assembled object in Second Life. Each piece of land in the game can only support a maximum number of prims, so furniture that serves more than one purpose- or that looks good without using too many prims- is very desirable.)

SexGen

The famous SexGen line, designed by Briggi Bard and marketed by Stroker Serpentine, is certainly the most common form of sex bed- so much so that "SexGen" has become a generic term in Second Life that refers to any sex bed (likely to the chagrin of Serpentine and company). The thing that sets the SexGen line apart from others is the large number of options in terms of preloaded animations. You can purchase either a fully-assembled SexGen bed or a "base," which is really just a little cube that you link to an existing bed of your choice to provide SexGen functionality. Pose sets are available in different packs- for example you can get a Boy/Girl pack with heterosexual positions, or a Girl/Girl pack for lesbian poses. You add new animation packs to your SexGen bed at any time by setting the pack down next to your bed and running through a simple one-time upgrading procedure. Strokerz (Stroker's store in the Eros sim) also sells fully pre-loaded SexGen bases that contain all available poses. I purchased the SexGen Platinum last year for L$12,000 (around $44 USD at the time), and placed it in a lovely modern bed from Virtual Modern Designs. While SexGen bases and the various pose sets are pricey, they're high quality and generally stable. SexGen is also the only line of beds I know of that includes animation sets for three or more avatars out of the box.

Note that all major sex bed lines are customizable in varying degrees, meaning you can add your own poses purchased from other vendors. While it appears to be possible to add your own poses to a SexGen bed, it's a rather complicated and (to my knowledge) undocumented procedure, requiring a lot more notecard editing than is required for competing products. Unless they've made updates since the SexGen Platinum of last year, SexGen also does not support some common features like facial animations, Xcite/Sensations arousal, or Lockmeister/LockGuard support (all topics to be discussed in future articles). They're just poseballs.

devPose

Riann Maltese's devPose beds are both gorgeous and flexible. She doesn't sell animation packs separately like you can get for SexGen beds, but you can add your own animations for up to six avatars. The devPose line is easily the most customizable of the bunch. You don't have to edit any existing notecards to add your own animations; instead you just drop in the animations and a new notecard based on a provided template, edited to reflect the correct settings for your pose set. devPose beds have full support for LockMeister, Xcite!, Sensations, and facial animations, making them more flexible than SexGen and also more attractive to BDSM enthusiasts.

If you wish to use your own bed, a separate devPose base is available, just like with the SexGen line. You can find devPose products at Riann's store, Deviant.

MLP

Multi-Love-Pose (MLP) is an open-source menu-driven sex bed system developed by Miffy Fluffy. MLP-based beds work the same as devPose and SexGen, but they're limited to a maximum of two avatars, and there is no support for advanced features like you'd find in devPose. The price is right, though- there are many free MLP-based beds floating around out there (I can even give you one if you IM me nicely) preloaded with a few animations, and you can add your own. The customization process for MLP beds is less complicated than for either SexGen or devPose- but this is partly because of MLP's simplicity.

A word of warning: I've seen a number of freebie MLP beds on sale around the grid for L$900 or more. Shop wisely or you might find yourself paying lots of L$ for something you could have gotten for free elsewhere. The following picture is the freebie "Maroon Sex Bed" which I have seen people reselling at different spots:

Sensations

Since Earalia Nolan dissolved her Mistress Knows Best line to join forces with Amethyst Rosencrans's Sensations, the pair have set out to directly compete with Second Life sex juggernauts Xcite! and SexGen. In addition to expanding their selection of scripted genitals, Sensations has made their first step into the realm of multi-pose furniture with the Love Wave. This is a 2-prim scripted device running a version of the MLP scripts modified to support Sensations arousal and facial animations. Adding your own animations is relatively easy, since it's based on the MLP system, but it also has some of MLP's limits: 2-avatar max, no Xcite! or LockMeister support.

The Love Wave, like both devPose and SexGen, includes some cute cuddle poses for intimate downtime:

LockGuard

Lillani Lowell's LockGuard development kit started out as simply an easy way to provide LockMeister-style animated chains and leashes for BDSM products. Well I've heard that the next major release of the development kit, LockGuard 3, will include MLP-style support for poseballs, making it one step closer to an all-in-one solution for designers of erotic furniture. The relative ease of developing LockGuard-based items indicates that LockGuard 3 is going to introduce a lot more players into Second Life's sex bed market.

Recommendations

SexGen is great for people who have a lot of money to spend and aren't interested in supplying their own animations. You can get preloaded SexGen beds that include a ton of poses, including some for 3 and 4 avatars.
devPose is my personal favorite, because the pre-fabricated beds look fantastic, and because it's easy to add my own animations. Also, the Xcite!, facial animations, and LockMeister support help add some realism and additional role-playing flexibility. They're less expensive than SexGen, but come with fewer animations out of the box. Finally, with support for up to 6 simultaneous avatars (when you add your own animations), devPose is an obvious choice for those into group scenes.
At only 2 prims, the Sensations Love Wave is an awesome option for people with very strict prim limitations. It's got more features than the freebie MLP beds, but it's not yet as flexible as devPose. Last time I checked, the Love Wave cost half the price of one of the pre-built devPose beds, so it's a good compromise.
MLP is the way to go for people on a budget. No frills, but customizable to some extent, and you can't beat the price.

The Video YouTube Doesn't Want You To See!!!

To support this article I produced the following film with several of my slaves. It features (in order), a Lap Dance chair by Ilana Debevec (not mentioned in this post), a SexGen Platinum-based bed, the devPose Classic bed, the Sensations Love Wave, and then a series of devPose BDSM pieces that we'll cover in a later article. I uploaded the video to YouTube last week, but after two days and 2,000 views it was removed for adult content. I now have it up on the web site PornoTube, but I don't think they support embedding, so here it is, hosted from my own site. Be warned that it is explicit. Enjoy.

FreeVideoCoding.com

Something's in the Oven

2007-08-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to do at least a post a week here, and intend to continue that trend- however the thing I'm working on right now will take a couple of days to put together. Check back soon; it should be amusing.

Desperation North Now Open For Business

2007-08-09T14:01:00.001-07:00

My newest residential island, Desperation North, is now open and accepting renters. Please see the Desperation Isle Estates blog for full information and rental pricing.

Finding a Mistress in Second Life

2007-08-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

A new submissive's Second Life can be frustrating because there are far fewer dommes on the grid than subs- and not all of them are looking to take on more pets. Finding a dominant is a lot like finding a job- if you want a good one you should be prepared to work for it, and try to make a good first impression. You should also focus on what sets you apart from the teeming submissive masses that patrol the D/s hangouts of the grid.

Go Where the Dommes Are
There are a number of good places to meet dommes- some busier than others. Here are some good spots that come to mind, in no implied order. You can find all of these spots by searching for them in Search > Places:

The Abbey Dance Club: The Abbey is a popular shemale-friendly club on Abbey Island where subs and dommes hang out and dance. There's a distinct group of regulars there, and it can be tough sometimes to just drop into a conversation, but I've met some interesting subs there.
Bondage Ranch: The Bondage Ranch on Damsel is a very high-traffic place where lots of dommes and subs go to chat and hang out around the bonfire. Whenever I or one of my Mistress friends go there wearing a "Mistress" group tag or behaving dominant in any manner we're typically deluged with "Whip me" IMs.
Desperation Isle: This is my own adult playground. You can get a free Desperation Isle titler at the welcome area that you can set up to advertise your D/s status and preferences. Not everyone wears them, but I've actually gotten several IMs from people thanking me for the connections they've made as a result of people noticing their titlers. Recently I've seen subs teleport in and just assume nadu at the teleport location, hoping to be noticed by incoming dominants. We also have a campfire area with stocks and posts where hopeful subs can display themselves. Desperation Isle is busiest during the American workday hours, as most visitors are European (British, French, German, Dutch), but there's always someone up to something at the isle.
Domina Palace: This is a smaller establishment with a loyal following. I frequently find subs waiting to be noticed in the lobby or living room where dommes kick back to chat.
The Forum: The forum is a nice, safe place to meet other people in the lifestyle and discuss D/s topics. Many people who practice D/s in real life hang out there too.
House of X: This is a very cruisy place for subs looking for dommes. I don't think I've ever been there without being IMmed by at least one visiting submissive.
Latexia Space Station Fetish Mall: While it's primarily a mall, there are some couches on the lower level where I often find dommes sitting around talking with the Latex Doll initiates or flirting with curious submissives.
Shemale Sex Palace: The main attraction here is a club where shemales and the dommes/subs who love them congregate to dance. Like the Abbey, the Sex Palace does have a certain "in-crowd" but it's still a productive place to get noticed, particularly if you're a dickgirl.
Wendy LeMay's Forced Feminization and Domination Facility: I feel sorry for straight male submissives in Second Life. Not only are there very few female dominants to begin with (relative to the number of subs), only a fraction of them accept male subs. It seems that sissies and transgendered subs are kind of a compromise though; many dommes who'd never take a boy slave will take a dickgirl, or even a very femme boy with intent to transform him to a female or dickgirl. This is the place to go. Because it's so popular with bisexual dommes, I see many female (non-TG, non-herm) subs wandering the halls there as well.

Make Friends with Other Subs
As it's likely that you'll run into more submissives than dominants anywhere you go during your search, you might as well get to know them. You might find someone who likes you and wishes to introduce you to her mistress, or you might meet a more experienced sub who can warn you about problem dommes, or serve as a reference to domme friends she knows. Connections are just as important here as they are anywhere else.

Advertise
There are many ways that you can advertise yourself and your intentions, some free, some not so much.

SL group titles: Many SL groups exist purely for the titles that members can wear over their names. Do a group search for your tastes and you'll probably find a useful title pretty quickly. (You can even create your own group for L$100, so long as at least one other person joins it.)
Prim titlers: You can get or make a standard FlipTitler (an invisible object that displays configurable floating text over your head) or a more advanced one like the configurable Desperation Isle titler that displays what you're looking for at any given time.
In-game classified ads: You can place a classified ad using the Classified tab of your in-game profile. This incurs a weekly cost, and the more you pay the higher your classified ad appears on search results for certain keywords. I have personally met some of my most beloved slaves by posting classifieds this way. Classifieds will show up both when people to Classifieds searches, and when they look at that tab on your profile.
Free BDSM Classifieds at Sensations: Earalia Nolan has moved her free BDSM Connections service to her new home at Sensations. You fill out a notecard template and add your picture and she'll post your add for you at her kiosk. (It's in the center of the main store on the lower level.) Visitors looking for subs can grab your notecard and contact you if they're interested. I once had an ad there and met several subs this way. Note: At the time of this writing there's a bug in Second Life where you get an error if you try to double-click a notecard that's embedded in another notecard to read it. To get around this problem, open your inventory and drag the embedded card to inventory. You'll be able to read the copy you just dragged.
Use the Forum's online FriendFinder: The folks who run the in-world Forum club have a website that features a rather detailed user profile system that includes your views and experience with kink and BDSM. There were some glitches in the software for a while, but I just created an alt account there to check it out and things seem to work okay now. I really wish more people used this site because the FriendFinder tool could be a really great way to hook up with people with similar interests.
Use SLProfiles: SLProfiles is a sort of "MySpace for Second Life" where you can set up a profile with your real-life and second-life photos and interests. While some people seem oblivious to this, SLProfiles is a PG-rated site, so no public nudity or offensive language are allowed. There are many private groups developing on SLProfiles now though (kind of like mini message boards), where folks are a lot more candid. I belong to a group there called Partners in Kink, run by my friend Rev Eponym.

Use SL Groups
A lot of new Second Life residents question the purpose of Groups. Many groups chastise or ban anyone who "spams" in group chat, but there's more to a group than just chat facilities. Some groups are associated with clubs or hang-outs and will send out group notices to announce events, like slave auctions or other get-togethers. Groups can also be a good way to find interesting people by checking out the "Members & Roles" tab in Group Info. You often won't have complete access to the membership list of a given group until you actually join it (most groups are free). But once you're in you can check Members & Roles to see who's online. If it's a group with special member roles, you can even use the Roles subtab to find out who in the group is a dominant, and which of them are currently online. A LOT of subs who contact me discover my profile through my group associations.

Do Your Homework
Don't approach a domme without reading her profile first (check all tabs, and don't overlook the Picks tab). If she lists her hours, figure out how her schedule syncs up with yours before approaching her. If you are never going to be on when she is, you'll just be wasting her (and your time). If her profile says in big capital letters, "I AM NOT ACCEPTING ANY NEW SUBS," then honor this.

Be Creative
Any reputable domme gets IMs from random submissives several times a week. If you hope to stand a chance against the competition you've got to stand out in some way, and make a good first impression. Just the other day I got the following IMs from a sub boy:

[21:46] Xxxx Xxx: Please command me
[21:46] Xxxx Xxx: And make me humble

No "Hello Mistress," no effort at all. I don't even respond to IMs like that. Something that I really enjoy is when the sub emotes his or her introduction to me in IM, as if they're entering a room and gazing upon me for the first time. (You can do this using /me just like you can in open chat.) This briefly gives me a sense of your RP skills, catches my attention, and- depending on what you say- flatters me enough to wish to hear more. You really can't flatter me enough. Just don't issue commands to me in your first couple of IMs like the above fella did.

Also, proper use of grammar and the ability to type complete words are essential to helping some dommes (like me) take you seriously.

Be Honest
Each domme has different preferences and requirements, and will usually have some questions for you, some SL-related, some RL-related, before deciding to spend any time with you. The only real-life question I ever ask is what time zone you're in, because time differences are the most difficult barrier to maintaining meaningful relationships in Second Life.

Don't just say what you think the mistress wishes to hear. She wouldn't be asking you if she felt the answers were unimportant. I've had numerous potential slaves claim that our timezone differences wouldn't be an issue, for example, only to end up seeing them once a week because of it. Consider your answers seriously and respond truthfully. You're doing both the mistress and yourself a disservice by being overly optimistic.

Be Choosy
The fact that the numbers might not be in your favor is no excuse to settle with a mistress you're not compatible with just because she's the first one who bothered trying to collar you. Accepting a collar is an important step in your life, and you shouldn't take it lightly. If you find a domme you're interested in, ask around to get a feel for her reputation. Share your desires and dislikes with her, and make sure the two of you are on compatible online schedules. Also ask her how big her family is. Numbers of active slaves in the double-digits should be considered a warning sign, unless you're the kind who's content just basking in Mistress' presence. Oh- one final thing: Beware of dominants who try to collar you within hours (or minutes) of meeting you. An experienced, mature domina takes her time getting to know a potential pet, often requiring a trial period before a final decision is made. The dom/sub relationship is a marriage of sorts, and should be treated with the same consideration, commitment, and respect.

Queening in Second Life (NSFW)

2007-07-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

I enjoy few things more than sitting on my partner's face, smothering them in the aromatic damp between my thighs, just a thin layer of silk separating the sub's nose and lips from my most private parts. Many people seem to associate facesitting (called "queening" if a woman is on top) exclusively with oral sex, scat or watersports when in fact it can serve an important role in teasing, breathplay, and orgasm denial. Examples of pure queening (that is, facesitting without scat or asslicking) are rare in Second Life, but they do exist.

Fluidum Flanagan

Fluidum Flanagan makes some animated posesets that really emphasize the smothering aspect of facesitting. The avatar on the bottom writhes and struggles while the top happily looks down upon her subject. The poses include sound effects and come in four combinations (M/f, F/f, M/m, F/m), but the animations are all the same; they're only adjusted for the average heights of male and female avatars. I pulled the animations out of my F/f poseset and added them to my devPose bed, as shown below. You can find these poses at Fluidum's store in-world.

Jacqueline Rau

You can find a 'facesitting chair' at Jacqueline Rau's store for L$250. The included poses are nice, although the chair itself doesn't look that great close-up.

Jacqueline also makes an 'Eat Ass' set for L$250, a pose where the domme is standing. It includes a facial animation so the top smiles now and then as the sub does her or his job. Considering the other items in Jacqueline's store this item is likely meant for scat roleplay more than queening (Dark Delights sells a similar pose as an add-on for one of their devices, called 'Human Toiletpaper') but it can be used for non-toilet purposes in RP.

Nysterious Daligdig

Nysterious Daligdig appears to offer the widest selection of queening options, including two models of queening chair in different styles, and even a standalone facesitting poseball set. The creator of the items is Tengu Yamabushi... I don't know if this is an alt or a business partner. Below is the 3-person queening chair in black. I also own the more traditional 2-person model.

All of Nysterious's products feature static poses; they are not animated. I pulled the standalone poses from Nysterious's set and put them in my devPose bed as well.

Coyote Momiji (Prancing Harlot Designs)

By far the most read post on this blog is my review of the PhD product line. Coyote's queening throne is the best looking such device on the market, and offers a couple different animations. To switch between them, just click the throne while sitting on it.

Although it's even called the 'Watersports Toilet' (and thus not a pure queening piece) I mention this item here because it's a simple RP device- no shitting or pissing, no green text; you can play it however you like.
Wrap-up

If watersports and scat are more your thing Second Life offers a lot more options along those lines. I'm thinking about covering them at some time in the future, so I'll just stop here for now. If you know of any good face-sitting poses, animations, or furniture I missed, please let me know. I'd love to see them.

I'd like to thank the following pets and friends for helping model for this article: Vivienne, Charlotte, Connie, Princess, Stylix, Bobert, and Leana.

FemDom Faire Wrap-up

2007-07-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

Well the FemDom Faire last weekend was a huge success despite all the dreadful problems Second Life was throwing at us. (I was scheduled to do a public scene on Saturday night but teleports were broken so I couldn't enter the sim! Luckily I was able to use the 'Show Start Location on Login Screen' option to log directly into Matron.)

Last I heard, the event raised nearly $900 USD which will buy House of X plenty of land and tier for several months. The Date with a Domme auction accounted for the majority of gathered funds- I don't think a single domme went untaken. I am currently arranging a session with the resident who won time with me. I may post a summary of our encounter here if she agrees to that.

It was a good weekend. I made some new friends and re-connected with some old ones. Here's a picture of the wrap-up, where MsX revealed the financial results. (I'd also like to commend Ariel Erlanger for the fantastic custom builds she did.)

Win a Date with a Domme [Pick Me!]

2007-07-23T10:31:00.001-07:00

[Update for Friday July 27: There is now NO fee to join the FemDom Faire group. Also, the auction itself is an ongoing thing- there is no specific date/time for an in-person auction. When you teleport into Matron, there's a wall with the pictures of me and other participating dommes. You can use those to make your bids.

How to Place a Bid: Teleport to the bid location (Matron 101, 57, 22). Once everything has rezzed you should see 9 posters on the wall, one for each domme in the auction. Touch a poster to get a notecard on a particular domme. To place a bid, you must type a chat command on a different channel for each domme. For example, my channel is 9 (hint, hint). To make a bid on me for L$2500 you'd type: /9 i bid 2500

I imagine you'll be notified if you're outbid or if your initial bid is too low. Not sure about that.]

This weekend the isle of Matron will be hosting a fundraising event for MsX Shackle's House of X. The event is called the FemDom Faire and runs from this Friday (July 27) through Sunday. If you're not familiar with it, the House of X is a "place for FemDoms and those who love them, known for having a laid-back atmosphere where you can hang out with like minds or even meet someone special." The goal of the FemDom Faire is to raise enough funds so that the House of X can move to a faster, better sim, as performance in their current sim can be less than optimal at times.

While there are a ton of fun things planned for this weekend, of particular interest (to me) is the "Date with a Domme" contest, in which I am one of the prizes. *grins* It's an auction where submissive girls and boys can bid to get a one-on-one domination session with one of ten Second Life dominas. Whoever wins time with me will get a very intense 2-hour experience catered to the winner's kinks and tastes.

(Picture above by Drusilla Demar. She is doing the posters for the event.) In order to attend FemDom Faire, you must first join the SL group "FemDom Faire" (just use the Search Groups feature in Second Life) before visiting Matron, as access will be limited to group members. The group is now free to join.

If you have questions about the event you are encouraged to contact the event coordinator, Emmalyn Wei, or MsX Shackle, proprietress of House of X. Charge up your Linden balance, you subs of Second Life, and let the bidding (on me) begin!

Correction: I had initially stated that the event was free to attend, which was misleading. The FemDom Faire group you have to join requires a L$50 sign-up fee.
Un-correction: The fee has been lifted. :)

Where Have all the Good Doms Gone?

2007-07-16T10:03:00.000-07:00

Something I've discussed with people several times in the past is an apparent lack of good male dominants in Second Life. They do exist- and I know some- but everyone I've spoken with about it agrees that there are not enough to go around. In terms of raw numbers, there are far more Mistresses than Masters in the Second Life D/s community at large, although the distribution seems to be more realistically balanced in Gorean communities. But it's not just a matter of quantity; the general level of quality and maturity among SL masters appears to be lower than for that of mistresses. As someone who may never have discovered my own dominant nature if I had found a quality Master during my early, submissive days of Second Life, this is a topic I think about quite a bit.

Given cultural preconceptions about the roles of men and women in society, it seems counter-intuitive that the dominant community in Second Life would be primarily female. I'm not ascribing any value judgments to this- it's just that in general, for right or wrong, people expect men to be dominant and competitive, and women to be submissive and compliant. And from my own limited exposure to the real-world D/s community, this stereotype seems to apply: Most real-world dominants I've encountered have been men, and most subs have been women. This is not at all to say that RL male subs don't exist- they certainly do- but they appear to be a LOT more low-key in real life than in Second Life.

So why would things be so different in Second Life? I think there are two primary reasons:

Many dom men go sub in Second Life. In the same way that many real-life BDSM practitioners use it as a sort of role-reversal therapy (the rich and powerful CEO who's a secret pain sub after hours- and yes, this really happens), I believe many male residents who are dominant in real life see Second Life as a temporary reprieve where they can submit and let someone else hold the reins for a while.
Many SL mistresses are RL men. It is much more common for a RL male to play an SL female than the other way around. This results in a population imbalance across the grid, but I think it's especially acute in D/s circles. Virtual gender switching is a very big and complicated topic that I don't want to analyze fully here- but I will cover how I think it relates specifically to the SL D/s community.

The Gender Imbalance
Why would a man who's in some sense fulfilling his culturally-ascribed dominant role choose to perform in-world domination as the opposite sex? I believe this phenomenon is the result of a growing conflict between traditional societal norms and political correctness. It's no longer acceptable to assume that certain roles are the exclusive domain of a particular gender. Men who assume a dominant role over women are demonized as reactionary, chauvinistic, and lecherous. I truly believe that many competent, thoughtful, real-life dominant men are afraid to indulge their natural tendencies and desires in-world due to real-world confusion over what a man should and shouldn't be, so they choose to play female avatars because many things now taboo for dominant men to do are not only acceptable but admired in women.

If my feelings are correct, this may also contribute to the apparent lack of quality of SL male doms: If the majority of the thoughtful, responsible doms are choosing to roll female avatars, that leaves the clueless, oblivious ones to play men. Please don't misunderstand: I know several completely competent dominant men in Second Life- the devotion of their subs is a measure of their skill. I also know quite a number of shitty SL mistresses (played by both men and women) but in general I believe there's an unfortunate but undeniable in-world gender imbalance that our own real-life prejudices have created.

There are other reasons, too. While it took me a while to understand this, it does indeed appear that some guys roll female domme avatars to take advantage of women- sort of making themselves wolves in sheep's clothing. These folks are easy enough to spot, though: Their profiles always say "NO MEN," and they're often needlessly rude to male doms and subs in-world, apparently trying to act how they think a real lesbian would behave. Real-life lesbians do play Second Life, but they are way overrepresented in the SL D/s community (and poorly so). Most real-life lesbians do not HATE men- in fact, I know two of them in Second Life who knowingly partnered with female avatars played by real life men.

My Plea to Dominant Men
If you're a bright, authoritative guy with a dominant streak who's sitting on the fence about whether to become a SL Master, Second Life needs you now. There are a lot of lonely subs in SL serving crappy masters who neglect and take them for granted, only because it's so hard to find a man who'll dominate them with fairness, respect, and love. Please don't let the prejudices of the real world compromise who you become in Second Life.

Show Sub Respect!

2007-07-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

I used to think my pets were exaggerating when they complained about how rude dominant visitors to my island were. I didn't believe it could be that common for total strangers to approach random submissives and treat them with such disrespect: Calling them names, demanding sex, "correcting" them for having opinions of their own. Well after seeing a few ugly examples of this behavior first-hand, I don't doubt my slaves any longer.

You've got to understand something: Addressing some girl you've just met as "slut" or "whore" just because she's wearing cuffs and a collar does not make you a D/s master; it just makes you an asshole. Submissives have their own thoughts, feelings, and desires, and they deserve your respect. We dominants would be nothing without our subjects; we'd be irrelevant. It is both presumptious and rude to think that you can treat those around you like shit just because of your own self-appointed dominant status.

Rules of Engagement

While there may be no established protocol for this sort of thing, simply insulting the sub and brandishing your whip before even exchanging hellos is a piss-poor way to break the ice- even with so-called humiliation subs. I can, however, offer the following guidelines for opening discourse with a submissive:

Pay attention to the circumstances. If the submissive approaches you and says, "Please whip me," then by all means feel free to oblige him if you're in the mood for it; he's made it clear what he's looking for. This isn't always going to happen though (and to be honest, for all the times I have been approached by such direct submissives, I've rarely gotten any fulfilling experiences or relationships as a result), as many subs are very shy and will use much more subtle ways to get your attention. Just keep in mind what you'd do if this were a real life person you were interested in getting to know better.
Read the sub's profile. If you see someone who looks interesting, take a thoughtful look at their profile- not just the 2nd Life tab but the Picks and Web tabs as well. A lot of the more experienced subs will provide you plenty of information: Whether they're owned, kinks and desires, whether it's okay to IM them out of the blue, etc.
Look for invitations. Some subs wear titlers when they're in the mood for a certain kind of play. These can be helpful in helping you set the tone for your first conversation. Many subs are more understated, though, even if they're interested in speaking with you. Often they'll hover within chat range and sort of follow you around if you're shopping or doing scenes- sometimes they'll even walk within a couple meters and kneel at your feet. Frequently they'll do some emotes about how they noticed an attractive, powerful dominant (in other words, YOU) and felt compelled to admire from a safe distance. This last attention-getter is one of my favorites, and I've ended up with several full-time slaves as a result of encounters that began that way, with a simple, flattering emote from the sub.
Speak in character, and in open chat. Many folks consider it rude to send an IM to someone who's standing right in front of you. It's the virtual equivalent to sidling up next to a stanger in real life and whispering personal questions in their ear. If what you wish to say to this person you don't know requires such secrecy, consider whether it's appropriate to say at all. Also, if you wish to make a good impression, start a normal conversation like you would with someone in the real world- but don't ask RL-related questions until you know the person better. It normally doesn't take long for both parties to know whether you're going to 'click.' Sometimes small talk is hard, but just remember that few worthwhile things are easy.
Respect the sub's owner. Before proposing any intimate activities, inquire whether the sub is owned if you don't already know, and if so, whether the sub is under any restrictions.
When in doubt, request clarification out-of-character. If you wish to engage in a scene, but you're not sure whether it's 'safe' to proceed- especially if your plans involve physically or emotionally abusing your new acquaintence, just ask- in open chat and in double parenthesis to indicate that you're speaking out-of-character: "((So, would you like to find a dungeon and do a scene?))" Also, it's also generally wise to learn the sub's hard limits and favorite kinks before beginning the scene. If you get to this point, it's generally safe to ask in IM, with the assumption that what's being said is out-of-character (and thus doesn't have to be wrapped in parenthesis).

Do not assume that "submissive" is synonomous with "worthless" or "stupid." The very best subs are bright, productive, devoted people and they deserve courtesy like anyone else does. Even if it appears that the given submissive is open to various forms of humiliating play, your caution and common sense when interacting with that sub for the first time will almost always serve you better than overt and unjustified cruelty.

First Class Skyboxes at Desperation Isle

2007-07-04T17:20:00.000-07:00

My friend, deputy, and business partner, Vivienne Schell, has spent the past few months honing her building talents, and has produced a handsome series of low-prim skyboxes for small-to-medium sized lots. Aside from looking damned good, the boxes (depending on the model) feature professionally scripted doors, windows, and teleporter systems. Each skybox is Rez Faux-packaged for easy positioning, and all models are copy/mod so you can tweak them to your liking and start fresh if you mess things up. (Don't you just HATE non-copyable prefabs? I certainly do!)

These sky homes are sold under the Desperation Isle Productions label and meet all of my personal standards for Second Life residential structures.

You can browse and purchase all current models at SLExchange right now (lots of good pics of each structure there), or you can see them all in person at our shop on Desperation Isle. To get there, just follow these simple steps: Teleport to the isle (you can find us by searching the world map or Places Search for Desperation Isle- just make sure you have the Mature checkbox enabled for Places Search). At the welcome area, you'll find an ad and teleporter for the skybox shop to the left of the freebie givers and Desperation Isle slideshow.

To use the teleporter, click the round base under the sign and click 1 in the dialog box that appears. This will rez a blue transport beam. Touch or sit on the transport beam to be teleported to the store. Inside the store (it's the small building in the center) you will find vendor boxes where you can purchase the homes. You'll also find another teleporter which can take you to display models of each house.

All of my proceeds from sales of First Class Skyboxes go directly into the upkeep and further development of the Desperation Isle estates.

Post-Mortem: Alt Orgy 4.0

2007-07-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday night's Alt Orgy was a successful, well-received event, despite the fact that the spirit of the orgy has changed since the concept of an "All Alt Orgy" was first described. While not everything went like I had planned, the event has given me some ideas that will help me shape the future of Desperation Isle.

What Went Right

The orgy was well-attended. In order to accommodate residents in disparate time zones, the orgy is a six-hour-long event, running from 7pm-1am, PDT/SLT. I've always feared that having such a lengthy event would result in front-loaded attendance, but even when I logged in at 10:00pm, there were 33 people in the sim, scattered all over the isle. The event accounted for a traffic increase of 4,000 for Saturday. In terms of advertising, I used only free resources- setting up events listings on SL Profiles, putting up signs and a non-invasive greeter at the Desperation Isle welcome area, and mentioning the event and contests at my blogs and on Second Citizen. I also must credit Alexa Lioncourt from Phreak Radio for her enthusiasm and help in getting the word out to our friends.
People had fun. I received many positive comments, both in IM and on the orgy-related threads at Second Citizen. I'm happy to be able to provide a comfortable environment for my friends and acquaintances to enjoy each other's company. A lot of people seemed content to just hang out by the bonfire, which is fine with me so long as they're enjoying themselves.
The sim held up. In the weeks leading up to the event, Desperation Isle had been suffering some severe lag and stability issues. With a lot of investigation, pruning, and dumb luck, I was able to get the sim running normally again, despite the fact that when I was there, the 33 avatars currently in the sim were wearing attachments which accounted for an additional 1500-3000 extra scripts running in the sim at a given moment.
The Bonometer HUD worked. I commissioned a special HUD for guests to use for a couple of contests I held this time. While it wasn't without its annoyances (discussed later), it did its job, and performed all required functions as designed. This also marked the first time I had ever commissioned a build of any kind in SL (or real life, for that matter), and found the collaboration process to be a positive one.
It was a source of inspiration for future events and promotional efforts. One of the orgy attendees was the alt of a merchant who sells at the Desperation Isle mall. She chastised me for not letting my merchants know about the event because it could have been a good promotional tool for them and the mall (and would have saved me a few thousand L$ in prizes). The discussion that ensued helped me form some plans that should serve for some fun and rewarding future experiences on The Isle.

What Went Wrong

People didn't have sex. There appears to be an inverse relationship between the size of the event and peoples' willingness to have sex. Even though the island was pretty much packed for the entire orgy event, only a relative handful of people actually engaged in sexual play. My efforts to encourage shaggin' by introducing not one but TWO contests directly related to sexual promiscuity clearly failed.
Few people participated in the contests. I did select winners for my three contests at the end of the event, but the numbers the winners turned in were disappointingly low. Not everyone who attended wore the Bonometer HUD, and it is possible that some people took their HUDs off to avoid some llOwnerSay spam it was generating. (Basically, if the HUD detected a message that was intended for someone else's HUD it would output a note to you that it was ignoring the message. This was useless information, and it happened to everyone on the island who was wearing the HUD other than the intended recipient. I actually made a quick update to the HUD to comment out that line, but the contest was nearly over by then, and replacing your HUD meant losing your tallies for the night.) I think there are several reasons for the poor contest acceptance: A) I'm not sure everyone knew about them. I did my best to provide signage and forewarning in my blogs and forum posts, but it really seems like I didn't do enough to get the word out. B) Some folks didn't seem to understand the Bonometer HUD. The giver did IM you with the web page where I wrote instructions for it, but I think most people ignored that. C) Two of the three contests involved sex, and since most attendees didn't have sex, well, they couldn't qualify.
A lot of people did not use alts. With every subsequent "Alt Orgy," fewer people have bothered to attend with alt accounts. I really don't understand why, but that's how it's been. Some of it might be due to newer folk not understanding the genesis of the alt orgy. Basically, the whole idea was an attempt to manifest that old cliche that people spout when folks get into impassioned arguments with one another: "Why don't you two just fuck and get it over with?" It was a symbolic effort to get people to put down their weapons and just enjoy each other's company. The alt requirement allowed you to let your hair down and relax while still managing to save face once you got back to the forums. In fact, to add a bit of mystery to it all, Mulch even suggested that attendees never reveal their true identity, even after the event. With each alt orgy since the original, I admit to loosening the restrictions, finally even encouraging folks to reveal their identities after the party- so I take partial blame for guests not really understanding the purpose of the event.
A guest orbited me. I attended the event with my partner and a couple of my slaves, all as alts. At one point we wandered into a side room to do a semi-private scene, but were followed by an orgy guest who did not attend as an alt- and who rents a fair amount of land from me. I did not really acknowledge the guest, instead focusing on my slaves. For some reason she turned on this crazy particle generator that made a big, distracting ball of white lightning around her avatar. She also began sending IMs to one of my slaves, telling her not to spend time with me and calling me some pretty disrespectful things. The next thing I knew, I was orbited and landed underwater in the far corner of my sim. There is debate as to whether this guest knew that my alt was actually me, but one thing is certain: She both tried to turn other guests of my own event against me in IM and griefed me when I had done nothing AT ALL to her. The fact that she and one of her friends rent land from me, and that she's friends with one of my slaves, has complicated matters. At this point I'm just hoping to forget about it, but doing so is proving difficult.
My plans for a special RP fell through. After the orbiting incident I tried to pull things back together by gathering my slaves and partner at my other island so we could continue our private scene. This proved infeasible for several reasons: A) I was still pretty upset about the orbiting situation. B) The slave who had received the initial IMs had taken things into her own hands and began IMming threats to the renter who griefed me. C) I was getting a lot of minor RL interruptions that were distracting me and slowing my in-world response time. D) I ended up in 3-4 IM conversations with everyone involved, which always slows things down. E) One of my slaves became frustrated and upset that she didn't know the real identity of the other two and that she was uncomfortable with me domming her as an alt... felt it just wasn't the same. She left, rather upset and regretting having attended, which killed any chance I might have had for enjoying the rest of the evening. I had told my family ahead of time who my alt would be so we could RP that night, partly because based on alt orgy history I figured no one else would be having any sex, and also because even though I was hosting my event, I wanted to make it clear that my partner and slaves are still my top SL priority. I couldn't have helped the orbiting situation, but there's nothing I can do about the fact that playing an alt is just "not the same" as playing your main. I don't think I'll attempt such a thing during future events again.

I've said before, perhaps even on this blog, that I kind of view the Alt Orgy as something special, an annual or semi-annual thing at most- and yet we've had four of them in nine months! I've only done the last three as a direct response to folks asking me to do so- and I'm happy to deliver, but I'm a little sad that the event has never really met its original goal: to be a place where enemies can briefly, anonymously, unite as friends and lovers. That said, what really matters is that people who attend have a good time, and I think the orgies have at least been successful in that regard. I consider this most recent orgy a kind of turning point for Desperation Isle. I have spent nine months building that sim and developing an audience, and I think it's time to begin rewarding my visitors (not just my friends from Second Citizen) with memorable occasions and experiences.

Alt Orgy 4.0 on Desperation Isle

2007-06-25T10:25:00.000-07:00

Desperation Isle will once again be hosting an Alt Orgy this coming Saturday. See the official announcement on the Desperation Isle Estates blog for details.

Also, I have a couple of topics brewing for the blog here. Hope to get them fleshed out within the week.

Embracing Your Sub Side

2007-06-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

While there appear to be a lot of subs in the world who are 100% submissive, I rarely encounter dommes who are exclusively dominant. (The number of mistresses I know who maintain submissive alts is well into the double digits.) More women than men claim to be entirely submissive, and the doms who adamantly maintain that they haven't a sub bone in their bodies are almost always men. Having come from a submissive background, I can attest that there are benefits to knowing what it's like at the other end of the leash- but I can also warn any dominant with submissive leanings that you must carefully consider how and when to indulge your subby cravings.

I've heard it said that practicing submission helps you be a better dominant, and I have to agree. This is not to say that you can't be a good master or mistress without having submitted- but one can't deny the advantages of experiencing the attention of a dominant first-hand: By experiencing things that "touch your subby buttons" you can add to your own domination repertoire. By experiencing inter-slave "sibling rivalry" you can learn how to be more balanced in treatment of your pets. By experiencing neglect from an easily-distracted domme you can learn how it feels to be overlooked; how a slave can feel she's at fault even if she's done nothing wrong.

Taking the occasional submissive turn can be like a little vacation; it's nice to be the one not calling the shots all the time. I can personally vouch for submitting as a way to bring some balance to your life and avoid domination burn-out. While all of these things are true, anyone who has ever submitted (and enjoyed it) knows there are more visceral benefits as well.

Short summary so far: Submitting = Good. But what about your pets? To some pets, even the thought of their master or mistress submitting to another is alien and painful. Even if you're careful to never submit to another in front of your pets, sometimes even the knowledge that it happens (or can happen) can cause your subs real-life discomfort, and result in them pulling back or even leaving you to avoid the awkwardness. And the sad thing is, unless you know your pets very well, the topic might not even come up before it's too late. With this in mind it's incredibly important that you take several precautions before submitting to another. Here are some guidelines you can follow:

Know your subs. Remember, many subs will tell you what they think you want to hear, not what they really feel. Just asking your pets, "Is it okay with you if I sub to so-and-so once in a while?" is NOT enough. Keep a close eye on your pets' behavior and plan to make changes if they begin behaving differently.
Don't involve your subs. If you really know a pet well and he or she steadfastly claims not to be bothered by your submission, you may consider having them present as an observer during sessions- but if there's any doubt at all, just don't do it. And really, I can think of almost no justification for having your subs participate in your submission. A pet of mine told me that a former mistress forced her slaves to walk Mistress out in public naked and on a leash. It traumatized my pet so badly that she created an alt to escape the situation, eventually formally separating from the mistress.
Keep communication open. A sub might think he/she can handle a situation at first but start to get a change of heart as different feelings begin to set in. Check your family's 'pulse' regularly and prepare to change what you're doing, or cease entirely if it's sounding like your submissive exploits are hurting your pets.
Don't dodge your subs. If you're going to take a night off for subbing, let your pets know. You don't have to tell them WHY you need some personal time, but just inform them so they can plan their day.
Use an alt. Setting up an alt for submissive activities is a common and wise choice. You can keep a more selective friends list, and your pets won't ever have to know what you're up to. Whether you keep the alt's identity a secret is up to you- just make it an all or nothing thing. (Don't tell one pet, but not the others. If you're going to reveal the info, reveal to all.)
Declare "off nights" where you can go do your thing. By establishing a schedule, your slaves know when to expect you, and can be confident that on your regular nights you'll be there for them.
Experiment with an organized RP. Sometimes setting up an isolated RP where you get dominated can work. I did an extended RP that involved my own enslavement, and doing it this way made the idea more palatable for my subs; a couple still chose not to participate, but some others said the limited nature of the RP helped them not only accept but enjoy the scenes, because it was all pretend to them, and we only did it at specific times, so they knew when things would be back to normal.
Keep it private. Some subs get the most gratification out of public displays of submission; walking or crawling at the end of Mistress' leash for all passers-by to see, being left chained and gagged in clubs for abuse or humiliation. While I fuly acknowledge and understand the appeal of such things for some submissives, I discourage such behavior (unless done as a secret alt), because it might not only affect how your pets see you, but cause them to worry about how their peers see you as well. If you submit to another dominant using your main (dominant) avatar, do it in private, and only with people you trust to keep your confidence.

While I do allow my slaves to keep pets of their own (so long as my pets are with ME when we're both online together), I don't get into the "My mistress is also a slave to a mistress who is also a slave…" chains. My line ends with me, because not all my pets are comfortable with me submitting. I also want them to have a very clear understanding where their allegiances lie and that they are my top priority.

Domination in SL does not give me sexual arousal. It's mentally stimulating and emotionally rewarding, but it's more like stern motherhood than anything else. Submission, on the other hand, is to me a purely erotic experience, and plays a part in literally all of my personal sexual fantasies. And personally, submitting to another woman really doesn't do anything for me. Only a man can give me the treatment I desire, which is quite unfortunate given the dearth of capable male dominants in Second Life. The lack of good BDSM masters in SL is almost certainly going to be a topic I explore in the future. (Oh, and if you're a male dom on my Friends list, rest assured that I'm not talking about you here!)

I do not use alts to sub because I have "domme-breaker" fantasies which involve me being stripped of my rank as mistress and forced into submission. It's just not as fun if it's not Wildefire doing the submitting. This makes it very hard for me to find time to do it, and presents issues and awkwardness around when and where to do scenes. My pets are my top priority though, so I willingly, happily forego my submissive longings to preserve the wellbeing of my family.

Clinging to the Fringe

2007-06-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you've probably already read the destined-for-infamy Linden blog post that basically declares open season on any Second Lifers whose prurient tastes veer outside the norm. Recent developments regarding sexual ageplay and child pornography in Second Life prompted Linden Lab's first official policies regarding what consenting adult residents can do on the grid, and this most recent proclamation makes the Lab's intentions clear: They don't need us anymore, and they want us to make room for the mainstream masses.

The change in tide began last year, when many wealthy and influential residents were scratching their heads over Linden Lab's apparent apathy over the fact that people were shutting down their businesses due to CopyBot fears. "Why won't Linden Lab listen to us? We're the reason people come here!" Well I'm not going to re-hash my feelings on that other than to say, the Lab only cares about numbers now. There aren't very many bright, imaginative, picky people out there- and most of Second Life's pre-2006 residents fall into that category. There are 67 times more residents now, though, and most of them have much more pedestrian interests than the pioneering few.

What I always loved about Second Life was that I didn't have to hide my tastes, my desires. I could walk the streets with a slave at the end of my leash with pride and joy rather than apprehension. I could find kindred souls and developed a hundred friendships as a result. I could build a home and a business that not only tolerated but embraced- no, celebrated- the very things that I work hard to hide in my real-life existence. And now, for a variety of reasons, I and my kind may have to slink back into the shadows and get out of the way for the teeming millions who are only interested in RL-corporate-backed content, MySpace-mentality social heirarchies, and disappointing soft-core relations.

Some residents are interpreting the blog announcement to mean that Linden Lab intends to ban ALL mature content from the grid. This simply won't happen. You can fully expect fit-for-HBO violent and sexual content in Second Life. The thriving MMORPG industry is built on violence, and although SL's not technically an MMO, it can exist by allowing the same content that other established, successful games allow. Regarding the adult content, there are a number of online 2D and 3D services that allow "regular" adult hetero and homosexual activities. These businesses are multiplying and some are doing well, so that kind of erotic material is going to remain safe in SL. The stuff that's at risk here is the edgeplay; any erotic play that involves non-consensual activities (even though all real-life participants are of course consenting) or simulates acts that are illegal in real-life, at least in some parts of the world.

Many people have already asked me what I'll do now, considering I've got several thousand dollars currently invested in SL real estate- to say nothing of the thousands represented in my inventory and and account balance- and I now stand to lose it all in an instant if the wrong person happens to see me engaging in my day-to-day activities with my friends and family in my own virtual home. My current plan is to do a sweep of my properties, get some opinions as to what counts as TOS-violating and what's okay, and then go with the Adult flow when the Lab rolls that out soon. It will mean a loss in business and some friends, and that breaks my heart- but I will be there, being ME for as long as Linden Lab will let me.

If you're worrying what your future in Second Life is going to be like several weeks or months from now, I've got some advice for you:

Share contact information NOW. Folks flooded me with messenger accounts and email addresses last night, and most of my friends already know how to reach me outside of SL. (I'm often available via web-based live chat, just so you know.)
Consider making your land group-only. This is tough for me and others who run public places. It WILL mean a loss in business and new visitors. But it may also mean survival.
Clean up your land. Unless you own an estate, people can still cam onto your land even if they're not allowed on. Do not leave any obscene materials out. What's obscene, you ask? Search me- I'm hoping LL provides a sanitation service; a LL employee to drop by and identify which things violate TOS. (Haha, that'll happen.)
Do scenes in private. This really hurts, because I love doing public scenes for the right audience and in appropriate circumstances. (I loves me an audience.) But this is just the kind of thing that will put you at risk; it only takes one stranger to take offense for you to risk losing everything.
Conduct RP in IM. You can do conferences by selecting multiple people in your friends list and clicking the IM button. Again, this will make public scenes an impossibility, but IMs can't be logged by scripts or overheard outside parties.
Investigate SL alternatives. Personally I've done this a bit and always came up dry, but everyone has different tastes. I've tried There.com, ActiveWorlds, Sociolotron, IMVU, and Red Light Center. None of them offer all of what SL currently does (and There.com is strictly PG-only.) There are other adult online communities out there- just lower your expectations please. One interesting possibility though are the rumors that Linden Lab might open source the SL server code. What this means is some enterprising folks could acquire the code and set up an adults-only private SL-style service. It will never be as big or varied as Second Life is today, but it might be our only real hope for some time.
Diversify. The blog entry's not clear on whether they'll be issuing hardware/IP bans or just closing individual accounts. You might consider moving some non-fringe inventory to a squeaky-clean alt and spreading your Linden balance across alts as well. I'm not sure whether I'm going to do this personally, but it's something I'm considering. Definitely make sure you've got an alt in owner or officer role of any groups you own. Land- particularly islands- is really damn tricky. There's only one owner associated with an island. I don't know how we can protect those.

I'm a natural pessimist, and I've always felt I was sort running on borrowed time in Second Life. Walmartization is a fact of existence these days, and devoted mere individuals are virtually helpless to stop it. That said, I'm not going anywhere until the Lab shows me the door. I may not be as visible, but I'll be there with my pets in my own dark little corner of the grid, living the Second Life we've built together on passion, dedication, and love.

Back

2007-05-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

I have returned from vacation and have resumed my normal hours. My residential island, Desperation West, is nearly full (just one 2048m lot and one 1024m lot remain unclaimed) and Desperation Isle seems to have found a new audience (just drop by the barn at any given time of day and you'll see).

I've enjoyed the companionship of some new submissives in recent days and weeks, but am growing increasingly concerned about a couple of slaves whom I haven't seen in some time.

I've got at least one meaty topic lined up for the blog, and hope to address it soon. Until then, be good, shop at Desperation Isle, and have a fruitful Second/First life.

Why I Stay in Second Life

2007-05-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Someone at Second Citizen posted a thread asking why we complainers stay in Second Life despite the lag, the bugs, the new policies, and the uncertain future of our virtual lives and businesses. My answer was simple. My family:

My apologies to the pets of whom I lack good close-ups, your absence here says nothing of your importance to me. Also, I wanted to add my beloved partner Kelly to the mix, but just discovered that all the pics I have of her are no-copy! This is about to change!

Another Casualty of Vague Obscenity Policies in SL

2007-05-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Any of you in the Second Life BDSM scene are well familiar with Coventina Mendicant's Faded Lotus adult playground. The FL has been a pioneer in SL kink, often the first to introduce certain fetishes to the SL public- even producing new items for residents to get their various kinks on. Well after many remodels and expansions, the Faded Lotus crew are shutting their doors for good.

This is a particular shame because despite the very dark and twisted material these ladies have brought to the grid, they've always approached it in a refreshing, light-hearted manner. I mean seriously, they've held "cook-offs" and "snuff-a-thons" as if they were company picnics. It really is sad to see this happen, because few people in the scene are as dedicated as these folks to ensuring their guests have a fun, memorable time. I'll let Coventina speak for herself regarding the reasons behind the closure:

To the Faded Lotus Residents:

It is with a sad and heavy heart that I have to make a decision to close Faded Lotus permanently. There are many circumstances that have contributed to this decision. There are still not a lot of hard details on the new Age Verification and it is something that I personally refuse to do. With that in Mind it would be virtually impossible to run any adult sim with the new restrictions in place. I also believe this is only the first Attack on fringe kinks and fetishes so I find it hard to sink over $125 USD monthly into a platform that could be destroyed in seconds and have possible RL ramifications. This decision was not made quickly or rashly, it was discussed with my RL family, and for our own peace of mind it is the only choice left to us.

I have not decided on what will become of the Land. We regrettably need to remove everyone from KNL since it is tied to the land , but will open a new and separate group if we hear enough people wish to keep in touch thru a group. Also if we open any land it will serve as a way to pass the word quickly, it however will not be a dungeon. I will miss seeing many of you as often as we did, and will always remember the great times we had in Faded Lotus together. I am sorry it has had to end his way and hope to continue to have contact with all our friends new and old from this sometimes crazy land.

P.S. We are also sorry to announce that the membership fees that were paid to us were used to pay tier and provide new things when we could. In saying that , there will be no refunds in the membership fees. We appreciate your support from the last year, this Land would not have survived without you all. Thank you for your understanding in this matter and I’m sure we will all be very sad to see it go.

Your Governor,
Coventina Mendicant

(Someone also told me there's a possibility that some countries might pursue prosecution of a variety of extreme forms of sexual roleplay- in other words, not just sexual ageplay- as criminal acts, and this played a role as well.)

Original Transgender Transformation Art in SL (NSFW)

2007-05-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last night I was doing a public scene on the isle, when a curious avatar with a sexy female body, long black hair, and a gruff male skin with 5-o'clock shadow wandered into the room announcing that she had a TF/Tg art gallery in SL and said she'd pass out landmarks to anyone interested. My curiosity piqued, I requested an LM. I had a chance to visit the gallery this morning, and was impressed by the odd, imaginative artworks I found.

The artist, known as Siren Sturm in Second Life (although she signs her work with the moniker 'TfMaster'), composes gender-blurring images that combine pieces of pre-existing erotic photographs to make odd, often jarring portraits. Many images feature male heads on female bodies, mundane body parts replaced with breasts or genitals, or images where the model's lower half is facing the wrong way. Some of the works are subtle, requiring close examination to discover what's been done to the source material.

Overall, the works are quite well done- and this should be no surprise considering that Siren has been doing this for ten years, having amassed a personal portfolio of 1,500 images. Despite her skill and massive body of work, Siren has only very rarely shared her pictures with the public before coming to Second Life. Her gallery, called Siren's TF/Tg Weird Art, only has a tiny sampling of her art (copies available for L$30 apiece), but there are many empty rooms, implying she's going to be uploading more soon.

Siren (shown below, sans beard, in her gallery) kindly emailed me some pieces I said I liked, which I have marked-up here to prevent image theft. You can obtain the originals in-world at her gallery.

Real-life Constraints on Second-Life D/s

2007-05-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

I've frequently observed that had I known 15 years ago what I now know, I'd be living in Germany today, with a couple of house slaves (a boy and a girl), single, no children, and fantastically rich with all my Microsoft and Google stocks I would have been so prescient to buy. But like many of my Second Life acquaintances, it was only through Second Life that I discovered my true nature- long after certain life-changing real-world commitments had been made. While I am lucky enough to have benefited in real life from the experience I've gained in-world, D/s is only a small and very private aspect of my day-to-day existence, and my Second Life activities are likewise restricted by my personal schedule and responsibilities.

Size Matters
Prospective or newly-collared submissives frequently ask how many slaves I own. It's a question I'm often embarrassed to answer, but rather than wait until they peek at the Pet roster in my private group, I answer honestly- but with certain qualifications. "It's quite a lot, " I explain before revealing the number, "but you must understand that some of the slaves are rarely on anymore, due to changes in their real-life schedules or circumstances. It's quite rare for more than two to be with me at any one time, and in-fact, one-on-one situations are quite common." And it's all true. I have slaves who've lost their broadband connections, slaves who've fallen terribly ill, slaves whose work schedules changed, and more.

I have and do criticize certain dominants for being "collectors." They collar anyone who will submit, and don't end up spending any quality time with anyone. I've always been wary of having too many to handle- and have worked hard to ensure that no matter how big the total number of pets goes, that the number of slaves who are likely to show up regularly doesn't exceed 3.

Every few months I do a pruning; I attempt to contact slaves who've simply disappeared, and release them if I don't hear from them. I sit down with the ones I'm able to get ahold of and give them the chance to walk away. They hardly ever do.

For the most part, my system works. There are some regrettable disadvantages, though.

Even if I typically have 0-2 slaves with me at any given moment, there are occasional periods where 5 or more will all happen to sign on at once. More than 3 are really too many to handle, and it can be very stressful for me, trying to ensure that each pet gets the attention she deserves.
Some slaves are jealous for my time, while others are just happy to be with me. If I'm not careful this can lead me to neglect the "happy to be here" ones for the slaves I know would rather they had me all to themselves.
I'm able to develop stories for my regular slaves, plan scenes for them. I can't do that for the ones who show up randomly once a month or so. Typically I'll already be in the middle of some planned event for the regular pets when slave X happens to log on and wants to see me. I port them in, but typically they just have to sit in the background and watch what's already happened. It doesn't seem fair to me to drop whatever I'm doing to spend time on the occasional visitors, so they end up not only just seeing me for a few minutes at a time here or there, but never really interacting with me either.

Now, if I were able to dictate these things I would have only 1-3 slaves who lived in my time zone and followed the same basic online hours that I do. But the reality is that I don't have ANY slaves who live on my time, and our schedules rarely sync up, so I've had to pad the family to ensure that I'm simply not alone most of the time. Understand, I love EVERY ONE of my pets; I don't accept sub-standard slaves just to fill the roster... but I would prefer to be able to concentrate on and develop a small number of relationships than try to manage a small army.

Geographical Woes
It is a curse of mine that I get along with Europeans better than anyone, and Americans on the East coast after that. As a resident of the American west coast, over 90% of my pets live between 3 and 9 hours away from me. I will NOT collar a slave without clearly explaining my schedule, and making sure the slave is comfortable with it. But I think sometimes the pet's eagerness before collaring obscures the otherwise obvious problems with only seeing one's mistress from 1:00-3:30am (East Coast) or 7:00-10:30am (Central Europe). I am so thankful for the ones who try.

If you are a dominant courting a submissive in a time zone significantly different from your own, you MUST be honest about your time zone, even if that's the only bit of real-life information you share, and your submissive should do the same. You must both also make your online schedules very clear, and prepare to adjust your expectations as a result. Finally, this is just one of several reasons that you and the submissive should engage in a "trial period" before a formal collaring. Give yourselves a couple of weeks to see how your times match up, determine whether you're both rested enough to properly engage with one another. Of course the first two or three weeks aren't the best indicator as to the long-term viability of a relationship, due to the "honeymooning" stage- but it will quickly filter out the truly infeasible situations.

Also, for me, the "trial period" is different from a formal collaring in several ways: I will not add the sub to my group, make any clothing or accessories purchases, enforce any of my 'permanent slave' restrictions on the sub, or perform any collaring ritual until we mutually agree, after the established waiting period, that we should continue with the relationship. I typically DO hand the slave a collar during the trial, just to facilitate RP during that time. Potentials are required to return the collar if we decide not to move forward.

Schedule Changes
Sometimes a submissive's real-life schedule will change, due to work or school. (This is much more common in younger, single slaves.) Generally when this happens, I'll give things a few weeks to see how it's working out. If we go for more than 3 weeks or so without any real contact, I will sit down with the slave and discuss the possibility of dissolving the relationship. While I've had this talk several times, there have only been two occasions where the slave agreed it was time to call it quits. (I do leave the door open, in most cases, in case their situation changes later on.) The others all wished to continue being mine, but honestly, none of them ever really "came back." I end up releasing them over time- a heartbreaking task.

Real-life Interference
I and my submissives are generally careful about the real-life information we share with one another. I tend to learn the most about the players behind the avatars when a slave returns from an unexplained absence, and it's rarely good. I've had slaves go missing for weeks due to depression, substance abuse, relational problems, and dire medical conditions. These are the toughest cases for me. I want to be there for these pets, but I'm helpless to console them if they're not with me. I usually don't have any way to communicate with them other than Second Life, so if one of them drops out for a while, I'm sometimes left wondering if they're even still alive. Also, even though I do tend to release slaves I haven't seen or heard from in some time, how can I release a slave who's dying? How can I turn my back on someone who's alone and depressed? That number you see by the Pet role in my group represents many sad stories; many souls I wish to keep near to my heart despite my inability to draw them any closer.

It is in these cases that I often ask the slave to take another step. I will request that the pet choose a real-life confidante to trust with my contact info (I provide all slaves with my Yahoo and email addresses) and have that person notify me of any important news. It's not something that everyone can do, given the relative secrecy of their Second Lives. But if you are my pet, rest assured that you will know if anything unexpected happens to me. I strongly urge you to do the same. We may never have met in flesh and blood, but our souls have mingled- and waiting in worry is a cruel torture.

Now Accepting Vendors

2007-05-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of being at 100% capacity, the Mall at Desperation Isle has finally expanded to three times its original size. We carry apparel, furniture, and other items with a strong emphasis on BDSM, latex, and the veritable gamut of Kink. Traffic has grown steadily since the mall first opened a couple months ago, and the isle has a strong base of regular guests.

Desperation Isle is a privately owned adult roleplaying area with a largely European following. We have no gambling or camping- just sincere, real visitors. We offer competitive rates to merchants in a low-lag, attractive, mature environment. Please stop by and check us out.

Contact me in-world or grab a notecard from an open rental box in the mall for pricing and rules.

Postcards From the Isle (NSFW)

2007-04-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

New visitors to Desperation Isle frequently ask me, "So what is there to do here?" upon teleporting in. There's no concise way to describe all the kinks represented on the island, so I decided to put together a little slide show that greets visitors at the telehub. I humbly present the slides below. They hardly demonstrate everything you can do there, but really what would be the fun in that? (NOTE: The post continues after the pics.)

The scavenger hunt was something I came up with while talking to Alexa, as a way to get people to actually explore a little at last weekend's Second Citizen Alt Orgy... you see the previous two orgies had been great, however on both occasions folks tended to just congregate in a single area and never saw any of the other possibilities the environment offered.

So I solicited for donations at Second Citizen and actually got a number of great things from 5 or 6 different people. I built a cute little treasure chest (shown above), and packed 12 of them with items from the contributors, along with a special play kit I had built several months ago. I was actually working on a couple of other fun things for the hunt, but I couldn't figure out a really serious problem with rotations in LSL, so I had to scrap those plans. I hid the chests all over the item, mentioned the hunt in my initial announcement about the orgy; included details in the card that my giver hands out at the telehub... and ONE ORGY ATTENDEE FOUND ONE CHEST. And he was one of the contributors!!!

I guess I just didn't promote that right. Plus, I wasn't able to be at the orgy until it was half over (they go for six hours)- and by that time most people were done exploring and screwing, and were just hanging out.

The chests are all still out there, though, waiting to be discovered. I want to thank Siobhan, Tabby, Zorena, Alexa, and Nebulosius for contributing their lovely wares to the hunt. And also Bobert, Bethany, Rayne, Stephanie, Duane, and Whinter for modeling for my 'postcards.'

See the following threads for more pics and info about the latest orgy:

I was pretty worried about doing the last alt orgy (note, I don't call it the 'All Alt Orgy' anymore because half the people who come use their mains), because I was afraid people were starting to get Second Citizen overload. We had the in-world SL conference recently, then Phreak started the SC bonfires... I was actually thinking of just letting the orgy die. (It's really a lot of work, believe it or not.)

But Alexa (who's one of the people arranging the bonfires) convinced me that people still looked forward to and enjoyed the orgies, and even offered to split the day of the first bonfire with me. I didn't think it was going to work... and actually that night when I was finally able to log on and things were really slow I figured the orgy had been a wash. But the picture threads above showed that folks certainly did come and have some crazy fun.

*sigh* So I guess the orgy will live on, but I want to spread them out. Maybe only once or twice a year. And perhaps change the venue sometimes. We'll see...

More on the way. I promise.

2007-04-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I haven't abandonned this blog. I think about it every day. I've got a few topics brewing, but have been incredibly busy (in RL and SL the past two weeks). I hope to resume publishing next week.

The Forniphilia Lounge

2007-03-31T00:47:00.000-07:00

So Princess helped me set up a nice little forniphilia lounge on the second floor of the tiki hut in the southwest corner of the isle last week, but it's struck me that none of the furniture is really obviously forniphilia gear; I mean it looks good without anyone on it. So I decided to take a couple pictures showing people using it as it was mean to be used. I invited some strangers and friends over to model. We had fun.

Rev, I, and Silky having a chat:
Vivienne tending bar while Heinie waits to serve:
The whole gang:
Burke and Coyote, and Winter on the floor back there:
Another view of the crowd:
Squeedo makes a great lamp:
Coyote and I chat it up while I look for a place to leave my ashes...

Best SL Business Name Ever (NSFW)

2007-03-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

Eva Wyler's White Honey is a new shop that sells bukkake accessories. The center of the store springs eternal with a lovely fountain of sticky man-goo. While the pearly font is certainly attractive, it does unfortunately smell like old tennis shoes. :(

The product line features some pretty nice combo sets that include couples poseballs and tattoo layers for the receptive partner (as in, receptive of the torrent of ejaculate) that represent progressively messy states of "coverage."

A good friend of mine has done some scripting there and more products are on the way. The shop also offers a small selection of women's clothing.

"I went to White Honey and all I got was this lousy t-shirt (and the rest of their product line)."

Hey, what's that on the corner of my mouth? OMG SO EMBARRASSING! * runs to find a tissue *

(On a semi-related note, for some reason my spellchecker doesn't recognize 'bukkake.')

D/s Rules and Restrictions in SL

2007-03-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

Like any other healthy relationship, the D/s bond is one of devotion, understanding, commitment, sacrifice, and trust. While the roles each partner fulfils are quite apparent during active domination, how do you highlight the differences between the dominant and submissive in day-to-day tasks, or when the two are apart from one another? The answer lies in a set of agreed-upon rules. Real-life D/s relationships frequently involve contracts where both partners promise to observe certain restrictions and responsibilities. Such contracts can be equally valid and meaningful in your Second Life.

When drafting a ruleset, a dominant should first consider the contract's ultimate goal. Is it simply to establish a code of conduct, or will the rules serve to reinforce the roles of your submissives? If you are in the humiliation/abuse camp, are the rules really traps to give you an excuse to punish your slaves? (I shamefacedly admit that my first ruleset was intentionally devised to be just that; a set of rules no slave could easily keep, guaranteeing that discipline would be frequent and severe. Let's just say I do not any longer recommend this sort of thing unless you're really just here to play, because players are all you'll attract/retain.)

One must also consider the needs and desires of one's slaves. Each submissive is different and has a unique schedule and goals for your relationship. Some subs want extremely strict boundaries to protect and guide them while you are apart, while others will prefer nearly complete freedom in your absence. I have a somewhat large and diverse slave family, and it eventually became apparent that no one set of guidelines would be sufficient to address all of my slaves. To fix this I devised a set of increasingly strict "Restriction Levels" that limit what the slave can do both when we're together and apart. I work with the individual slave to determine which restriction level works best for her or him.

Another dimension to the Second Life D/s relationship is that some submissives will request additional restrictions or tasks outside of their second lives. I respect my slaves' anonymity, so I never broach the topic of RL restrictions, however I DO honor my slaves' requests when they make them. Whether you do this in an instant messaging client, over voice chat, webcam, or email is up to you and the slave. But in order to give such assignments responsibly, you will need to know a few real-life details about your subs that are otherwise irrelevant to Second Life. You'll need to know the real life gender of the sub, whether the sub has a significant other, whether she/he lives alone, and what his/her real life hard limits are. It may also help to know what RL BDSM gear they already own and whether they're capable of acquiring more. I'll do another topic specifically on real-life restrictions, as it can be a challenging subject.

When interviewing a prospective submissive, I always hand them a notecard that explains what they can expect from me. This card includes the rules that all of my slaves are expected to follow (with a less restrictive ruleset for visiting submissives, whom I refer to as 'part-timers'), as well as information on the new restriction levels. The following is excerpted from my card:

NOTE: These are the default rules that apply to full and part-time slaves (as noted below). There are ADDITIONAL rules for the higher restriction levels, covered in the following section. Punishments for disobeying these rules range from warnings, to public humiliation, to isolation, and even to releasing in the most severe cases or eggregiously repeated offenses.
(full-timers only) Your 2nd Life profile MUST BEGIN with the following line or some appropriate variant: "Beloved property of Mistress Wildefire Walcott."
(full-timers only) There are no safe words. Mistress does and will ask what her slaves' preferences and limits are, but it's always up to her how far to take things. She can be cruel in the dungeon, but she loves all her subjects. Also, Mistress has all her slaves fill out a 'pet checklist' (linked below). She does take the scores on this chart into account when choosing how to treat individuals. ((NOTE: If something mistress does upsets you in a real-life manner, you MUST inform her immediately! She is NOT interested in torturing you in RL.))
(full-timers only) Allow Mistress to see where you are on the map. In your Friends list, select Wildefire Walcott and check the option that will allow her to see your location. Understand that Mistress will never teleport to your location without warning, and will not attempt to "spy" on you. She merely likes to know where her property is.
Fill out and return this pet checklist. This will guide Mistress in her plans for you. [Embedded Checklist Notecard here]
While on the island, all full and part-time slaves are required to wear nothing but cuffs and collar unless explicitly instructed to dress differently.
No sexual ageplay involving minors. This is about the only thing that is completely off the table in Mistress' domain. Mistress is not judgemental about what adults do in their privacy, but she is not personally comfortable with it. You may do it when Mistress is not around if it's something you enjoy, but please not on her island.
Do not let another use your collar. Mistress issues all her full- and part-time slaves with Amethyst collars that are always to be worn in her presence. Her only other requirement regarding these collars is that no other domme/dom is to use them to control you for any reason. They are Mistress's property, just as you are. You ARE allowed to take the collar off when Mistress isn't present, and you ARE allowed to let others use other collars with you.
Be alert when in Mistress' presence. If you are being flooded with IMs, have RL distractions, or are so tired you can barely respond, please alert Mistress of the situation so she can decide how to proceed. Do not waste her time and that of her slaves/guests because you are not 'all there.' Putting yourself in busy mode is a good idea if IMs are a problem. Do this at your discretion.

*** RESTRICTION LEVELS FOR FULL-TIME SLAVES ***
The level of discipline a given slave needs or desires varies from one individual to another. To cater to these various needs, Mistress has established new Restriction Levels which add additional rules for slaves to follow. All slaves start out at the lowest restriction level (basically just the rules stated in the Rules section above). Mistress will work with slaves who desire or require more discipline to agree on the appropriate restriction level for that slave. The levels are as follows:
LEVEL 1: This is the default restriction level, and simply entails following the rules listed in the Rules section above.
LEVEL 2: In addition to following all rules/restrictions of Level 1, slaves under Restriction Level 2 are forbidden from engaging in any D/s or sex play with another player without Mistress' explicit approval. Mistress provides her slaves several ways to contact her if she is not in-world. Use them.
LEVEL 3: Everything from level 2 plus the additional requirement that the slave is forbidden from leaving Desperation Isle without Mistress' approval.
LEVEL 4: This is captive slave status. Everything from level 3 plus the requirement that the slave remain chained or caged to his or her permanent location unless Mistress or another authorized party temporarily release the slave. Slaves at Level 4 are to be escorted at all times when not in their cages or locked in place.
OPTIONAL REAL-LIFE RESTRICTIONS: If the slave wishes to have real-life restrictions and tasks, Mistress will assign them at her discretion. Inform Mistress if this is something you wish to pursue. She will not bring it up otherwise.

The punishments you devise for various transgressions should be contingent upon the kind of D/s you intend to carry out. If you just consider yourself a "roleplayer" then your punishments can be gruesome and exciting, if that's what you and the slaves enjoy. However, if they're intended to serve a correctional or deterrent purpose, you should NOT "punish" a slave by giving her what she desires! I no longer dole out whippings or dildo penetration as punishment since the girls and boys simply liked that too much. Instead I offer denial, isolation, and ultimately permanent abandonment if they break the rules.

I know that some SL dominants make their subs remove everyone but members of their slave family from their Friends list (I even met a sub who was forced by her mistress to personally inform everyone she was deleting from her list. I still don't know what purpose that was to serve. Of course I knew another girl who was forced to defriend me under similar circumstances, so she just gave me her Yahoo address instead!) Personally, I consider that too invasive. But who knows, it may work for you and your brood.

D/s in Second Life

2007-03-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

The second part of Princess' post deals with D/s relationships in general in Second Life, specifically the roles and boundaries of the submissive, as compared with real-life D/s. When discussing these matters we must first recognize the distinctions between RL and SL, regarding this topic:

The more extreme the play, the less say the sub has. In Second Life there are varying degrees of BDSM and D/s play, ranging from realistic (light bondage, chastity, light service, verbal humiliation) to the extreme (forced capture, brainwashing, mutilation, snuff). In most cases, the amount of control that the submissive has in these situations is inversely proportional to the severity of the play. In the lower-intensity relationships, things like safewords and respect of personal boundaries are a simple artifact of mutual respect, but when you get into situations where the submissive becomes an unwilling victim it actually becomes somewhat artificial and unrealitstic to observe such limitations. The whole point of extreme play is that the sub has no control; Second Life extreme play is like a roller coaster ride. It can give the sub the terror and thrill of being helpless without resulting in any real-life harm. (Note that I'm only talking about 'virtual' boundaries here. Any outside-SL restrictions or activities require the same amount of mutual back-and-forth that you'd find in real life.)
Many submissives are alts. In a sense, your Second Life avatar is an alt for your real-life self. You come to Second Life to indulge in things that may be risky in real life. Likewise, many Second Life players create alts solely to play submissive roles, even if their "main" avatars are dominant, or perhaps not involved in D/s at all. When you go into D/s with this mindset, that it's an escape from your real life or other virtual ones, you're not as likely to care about safe words and what kind of influence you'll have in the relationship. A lot of "moonlighting subs" just like to kick back and see where their dominant takes them. They can always log off when they've had their fill. This is something that just doesn't compare to real life. Most real-world D/s relationships are monogamous and happen between significant others; people who either live with or spend a significant amount of time with one another. It is a full-time lifestyle, not a fleeting diversion. Since the stakes are much higher in real life, it's very important that the sub has a say, and has some sense of confidence that her/his limits and goals are observed.

There are many more differences, but they aren't necessarily relevant to the submissive's role in the relationship. One thing that is important in both RL and SL is mutual understanding of the up-front expectations, and that both dominant and sub agree what their roles will be. Part of this understanding is how seriously you take the play. If it's just a diversion to both of you, you'll be fine. If you're both serious in developing a long-running relationship, you're in good shape too. But if one party is prepared for a serious relationship and the other's just there to play, it will only result in frustration for both. For people who are just in Second Life to play (and this is perfectly okay), I think it's fine to just do what you think is fun and move on when the fun fades away (and please make your intentions clear from the start). But if you're trying to build something significant- something worth fighting for- then a healthy, constant dialog is required.

So, to specifically answer my slave's questions: The sub and dominant need to agree at the start what the restrictions and boundaries are going to be, and whether this is to be a real relationship or just a bunch of fun scenes. If it's the latter, then the sub (or the dominant) can just call it quits once the novelty wears off. But if there's more to the relationship than that, then each of you need to voice your concerns as soon as you start feeling uncomfortable.

Gor in Second Life

2007-03-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

My slave Princess made a nice, if multi-faceted post about Gor and D/s in general that I would like to address here, in a couple separate entries.

Since Second Life occupies all recreational time that I otherwise would have had for reading, I haven't and likely never will read the Gor books; everything I know about it I learned from people in Second Life- so that's all I can comment on.

My general opinion is that the Goreans have some beautiful sims and an interesting mythology to form the backdrop to their roleplay. I experimented as a slave in Gor before my days as a domme and found it to be a rather lonely existence. More often than not I encountered Panthers and city dwellers totally out of character, dancing and doing crazy gestures and emotes. Most of the Gorean Masters I met seemed not to distinguish between RP and real life. I actually lost two Second Life friends who got tangled up with such Masters in Gor, and were manipulated into doing things for their masters in real life, including doing things on webcam, which- as far as I know- has nothing to do with Gor.

I have met some very nice Gorean submissives, both male and female, who were good roleplayers, and good subs. (And I'm sure there are some good dominants in the community; I just didn't know where to find them.) But during my time hanging out with the really dedicated Gorean submissives, I realized two things: First, I was not interested in the "hardcore" Gor submissive chores of writing elaborate emotes for serves (where you serve your master food and drink) or bellydances. Second, I was looking for D/s relationships that were more two-sided than what I saw in Gor- and I also felt (even if I couldn't put it into words at the time) that I wasn't really looking for RP at all. I wanted a real D/s relationship, and I didn't see that there.

This is the main reason I'm not part of any real roleplaying community in Second Life. Even if some of the things we do on Desparation Isle are fantastic or "extreme" the love I have for my slaves is real. Our friendships, our cycle of trust are real and any pre-established RP scenario kind of gets in the way of that for me. And yes, I'm in the middle of an extended RP right now that really is just for fun and excitement, but 5 days out of the week it's just me and the slaves growing together as a family.

In short, I think Gor is a good idea with good potential for memorable D/s RP, but it's too much work for what I personally consider just roleplay (versus real D/s), and there are a number of confused individuals who dilute the Gorean experience. (They do have some damned lovely builds though.)

How to Roleplay in Style

2007-03-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

The following guidelines cover Mistress Wildefire's preferred roleplaying style. Mistress thanks Winter Eldrich for sharing her own roleplaying primer; most of her suggestions are echoed here. Also thanks to Krazzora Zaftig and Rev Eponym for reading and reviewing this.

IN-CHARACTER (IC) BEHAVIORS

Adhere to the rules of your universe.
Any substantial roleplaying effort happens in a sort of pocket universe that is governed by its own set of cosmic rules. If each player comes to the RP with a different idea of what's allowed or reasonable, a lot of frustration and wasted effort can result. It generally helps to have a written set of boundaries and guidelines (For example, is magic allowed? How about combat?) It can also be very helpful to have someone to serve as a mediator. This person can be the tie-breaker in disputes. Whether this person does this mediation in-character, out-of-character, or both is up to the organizers.

Observe the limits of your partners.
All though roleplaying by definition is make-believe everyone has different tastes, and some subject matter (especially in sexual roleplay) can cause some real-life discomfort or anxiety in different players. Many players in BDSM circles keep checklists of their "dos and don'ts." In the absence of such a list, check with other players in IM before involving them in activities that might go beyond their personal comfort levels.

Arrange significant events ahead of time.
If you're planning to do something that will require a lot of coordination, or involves an action that will drastically alter the storyline (for example, a murder), it's best to coordinate efforts and get some buy-in before you actually get down to roleplaying it. Use OOC communication methods to contact the relevant parties and work things out.

Act and speak for yourself.
When interacting with other players, limit your actions and descriptions to things that only you would control in real life. In other words, don't impose emotions or reactions on other players.

Bad example:

Steve injects the syringe into Amy's neck and depresses the plunger, causing her to struggle and fear for her life as the unknown chemical enters her body.

Better example:

Steve injects the syringe into Amy's neck and depresses the plunger. A cold, tingling pain stings Amy briefly, but then subsides as an ominous numbness begins to radiate from the wound.

Amy doesn't bother to fight, finally accepting that she's not getting out of this one. She almost welcomes the numbness, only hoping that she remains unfeeling through the horrors that await her.

In the first passage, Steve dictates Amy's thoughts and reaction for her, whereas in the second, he sets her up to react on her own, but also gives her a hint as to what he's up to. Amy uses that information to form her response, which may differ from what Steve was initially expecting.

Avoid chatspeak.
It's very common for people online to type things like, "LOL U R 2 funneh!" This kind of writing is not appropriate for roleplaying and can keep other players from taking you too seriously. Capitalization's not always necessary, but do try to type as if you were writing a letter to your grandmother instead of a text message to a friend.

OUT-OF-CHARACTER (OOC) BEHAVIORS

Alert people when you have limited time.
If you know you're only going to have a few minutes to participate- or even if you think there's a reasonable possibility that your time might be cut short- let the other players know so they can decide how deep they want to go for the current session. In these cases, it's also helpful to give folks a ten-minute warning before you actually leave so they can wrap things up for the day if you're in the middle of something serious.

Separate OOC discussion from IC roleplaying.
Once the roleplay has formally begun, it can be quite distracting when players interleave out-of-character text with in-character roleplaying. If you need to speak to another player individially for something OOC, simply IM the individual. If you need to speak to 2 or 3 people when others are in the room, you can CTRL-select those individuals in your Friends list and IM them to start up an OOC conference. If you need to announce something OOC to everyone in the room, surround the text with double-parens.

For example:

Steve: ((Hey folks, I have to get back to work in ten minutes!))

Honor your fellow roleplayers.
If you're a part of an organized RP (as opposed to a spur-of-the-moment scene), you probably have a distinct role, and the longer you're involved in it the more likely it is that other players will begin to form storylines around and involving you. As such it's important to attend scheduled events regularly, and if you're unable to, please try to give organizers some warning so they don't waste time waiting for you if you're not going to show up, and so they can come up with alternative plans if they'd been expecting you to be available for something specific.

MECHANICS

Use /me for emotes.
An "emote" is a line of text where you're simply describing something and not actually speaking. By prefacing your description with /me, SL removes the colon after your name, allowing you to write a natural-looking sentence.

It's the difference between this:

Amy: unbuttons her blouse.

And this:

Amy unbuttons her blouse.

Indicate when your turn is over.
Online roleplay is a dance of sorts, each player taking a cue from the player who wrote before. Once you hit Enter, other players are likely to start composing their responses, so if you've got a lot to say, it's important you indicate when it's safe for them to continue. There are a couple ways you can do this:

If you intend to mix emotes with spoken text, you can combine it into one line, instead of breaking it up into several. For example:

Instead of doing this:

Amy: Wait right there!
Amy slowly approaches Steve, grabbing him by his shirt collar.
Amy: What the hell is this?
Amy angrily points to an apparent lipstick smudge on the collar.

Do this:

Amy: Wait right there! *slowly approaches Steve and grabs his collar* What the hell is this? *pointing angrily at what looks like lipstick on the collar*

Or this:

Amy notices Steve trying to creep upstairs. "Wait right there!" She slowly approaches him and grabs his collar. "What the hell is this?" she says, angrily pointing at the lipsticky smudge on his collar.

If you simply have a lot to say (there is a limit to the number of characters you can type in any one block of text), let people know you're not finished by adding >>> to the end of the line. Then begin your next line with <<<, indicating that you're continuing the thought.

Use scripted items wisely.
Second Life's 3D visuals and scripted objects can really enhance a scene, but if used improperly they can not only prove annoying but can even limit your ability to roleplay effectively. Given the vast array of toys, attachments, and furniture in-world, there is no single rule to follow here, but here are some general guidelines:

Get supplies ahead of time. If you know you're going to do something involving props make sure you and the relevant players have what you need before you start. Often prim attachments need resizing and repositioning. It's really best to do this stuff before you're in the middle of a scene.
Don't waste time looking for the perfect pose or animation. Some devices, like SexGen beds, might have dozens of different poses. If you're not familiar with all the options, don't kill a scene by continually flipping through different poses. Just pick something adequate and talk through the rest.
Avoid green text. A lot of attachments (most notably Xcite genitals) generate green chat text as a generic sort of roleplay description. This text can clog up area chat, and gets pretty repetitive and distracting, so when possible it's best to disable the text when there's an option to do it, or to just avoid using the chatty object when possible. Sometimes a little green text is unavoidable. Just be judicious in your use of it.
Use hidden chat channels for object commands when possible. Some attachments allow the setting of an alternate listening channel for spoken commands. For example, Amethyst collars have the "channel" command, which adds an additional listener on the channel of your choice. This way you can issue your commands to the objects without spamming area chat. Not only does this result in less overall text for people to sift through, but can give you the benefit of surprise in some situations.
Know your equipment. It's generally unwise to use a brand new scripted device for the first time in a scene. If it doesn't work as expected, or is unusually complicated, the time you spend just trying to make it work can really kill the mood of a scene. Read your notecards and experiment with the item before you need to use it.
Control your genitals. Some scripted genitals let you specify when your bits can be manipulated by others, and even have access lists so you can grant or deny access on an individual basis. The Xcite system, when used with the Xcite HUD is particularly useful, not only for limiting what people can do, but for letting you choose your own arousal levels and events. Some people actually permanently numb their Xcite genitals to anyone else but themselves, so they can have complete orgasmic control while using their HUDs.

Don't let your props (or lack of them) limit your RP
The fact that you may not have the perfect prop for a scene should not limit your ability to RP it. People were RPing in chatrooms and MUDs that didn't even have 2D graphics, much less lush 3D environments. Remember: The props are there to enhance your experience, not to restrict it!

Disable distracting group titles.
In Second Life, players can pick titles to display over their heads to identify their role in a Second Life group. Often these titles are irrelevant to the RP at hand or just plain silly. It's thoughtful to either pick an appropriate one or select 'none' in your group title selection during a given roleplay session. The same goes for extra 'flip titles' (invisible attachments that display additional floating text) that many people like to wear. Always disable or detach flip titles.

SPECIAL RULES FOR DESPERATION ISLE
These rules only apply to organized RP conducted on Mistress Wildefire's island.

Keep it realistic.
The domme-breaker RP happens in the real world in the relatively near future. There are no demons or furries or hermaphrodites or magical powers. There are only people and conventional (if slightly futuristic) weapons and technology.

Honor the boundaries.
When she's not participating in organized RP, Mistress Wildefire maintains a family of slaves, under conditions quite different from those in effect during the RP. In order to guarantee her family a secure and consistent existence, she requires that the alternate rules in effect during RP sessions only apply during those scheduled hours of the scheduled days. Wildefire's slaves, and those of other dominants in the RP, are under no obligation to serve anyone but their own non-RP owners when the RP is not underway.

Keep it on the island.
As a further safeguard to Mistress Wildefire's family, she requests that all RP during the scheduled times happen on the island, unless arranged and agreed upon by the group ahead of time. In the event that parties from the RP must go off the island (for example, to pick up supplies), that time is to be considered OOC, and RP participants may dress and speak however they like at those times.

Alert Mistress Wildefire of upcoming absences.
If you're not going to be able to attend, at least make a token effort to notify her via in-world IM or Yahoo when you think you can't be there for a given session. If a dominant does not show up his or her slaves will be temporarily assigned to someone else for a session. If a slave is missing, and his or her dominant is left without any slaves, that dominant may either borrow a slave from someone who has more than one or opt to either observe or help out another dom.

Still Seeking Players for Extended RP

2007-02-28T14:29:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I placed the sign you see at the end of this post on my island, and ran a classified, advertising primarily for male dominants to partake in an extended RP with me and my slaves. I got a lot of responses, however most people weren't able to be on during my normal hours (late night, Pacific Time). We began the RP in earnest last week and it's been very exciting, and while we now have enough male dominants and female slaves, I would really like to get at least one more mistress- preferably bi- and some male slaves for some scenes I have planned for the near future. If you are a domme or a slave (ideally male, but females considered) and you're interested in intense, brutal domme-breaking RP (note to mistresses: you would not be the one being broken), please contact me. You can IM me in-world, or catch me on live chat if you open the Web tab of my in-world profile in your favorite browser.

Prancing Harlot (NSFW)

2007-02-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

[Update for facesitting fans: Be sure to check out my article on Queening in Second Life.]
[Looking for info on SexGen beds? Don't miss our review of sex beds in Sex in Second Life Part 1.]

For many months, when shopping for sex/BDSM furniture, I always ended up returning to the same places:

For general-purpose restraint devices that look good in almost any setting, go to Deviant, by Riann Maltese. (The devPose line.) All of her things come with a number of good poses and top-notch scripting. She also makes perhaps the best-looking pre-loaded sex beds in Second Life.
Dark Delights (Ishtara Rothschild) and Mistress Knows Best (Earalia Nolan) are both good for kink-specific fantasy/industrial/sci-fi goodies of all kinds.
The higher-end SexGen setups include some good 3-person and 4-person animations, although their BDSM poses are awkwardly implemented. SexGen setups are rather pricey (the Platinum base goes for $12,000L these days, which is $44.44 USD at this moment), and require that you have a modifiable bed of the appropriate dimensions to link to. (Most pre-loaded SexGen beds are blocky-looking and generally hideous.)
Finally, for locking steel cages, Dictatorshop (Lillani Lowell), typically fits the bill.

Most other vendors in this space (and I won't name names... today at least) commit at least one of the following offenses:

Awful poses/animations.
Confusing, non-intuitive designs.
Generic, or just plain ugly textures.
Annoying chat spam or sound effects that you can't disable.
Non-standard technologies where suitable standards exist (LockMeister, LockGuard, Xcite!, Sensations).
Poorly thought-out builds that trap you between prims when you unsit.

I have a THiNC inventory organizer labeled 'Shitty Sex Toys' where I keep the worst offenders. When I was little I used to bring out my dad's collection of awful ties, and in the same spirit I sometimes regale my friends with my terrible toys.
Anyway, after plunking down a non-trivial amount of Linden for my fourth complete set of devPose furniture last week, I began asking anyone who would listen what other designers were currently making good-looking, functional BDSM furniture. My friend Coyote Momiji passed me a delightful little piece of furniture named the PhD Queening Stool. I rezzed it and was immediately struck by its clean, handsome design. I checked the properties- Coyote was the creator! I was rather embarrassed, as I had known Coyo for several months, and had no idea she made such delightful little toys. After thanking her for the gift I ported directly to the shop that she runs with her business partner, Alyssa Jessop. The shop's name: Prancing Harlot Designs (PhD).

Similar to Dark Delights and Mistress Knows Best, the PhD line caters to a number of different kinks. Their current line-up features some standard BDSM restraint designs, as well as items for pony, doggy, and kitty play- plus some brand new watersports toys. PhD's designs are attractive and realistic, more similar in design to Deviant than DD or MKB.

The Prancing Harlot Designs BDSM restraint furniture has a consistent look that is marked by the following:

Good-looking textures with artistic detailing.
They make good use of the 'Shiny' property, giving the items a lacquered appearance. Since the items are textured, this results in furniture that looks good on low-end computers that have Shiny turned off, but look great on systems with Shiny enabled. Far too many designers use Shiny as a substitute for a texture, rather than an enhancement- resulting in builds that look gross and amateurish unless you've got the feature turned on.
No poseballs! All the PhD devices I've purchased use 'sit targets' instead of poseballs for their poses and animations, reducing the amount of visual clutter in your home or dungeon when you're not using them.

They're also affordably priced. At least one item I've tried (the Queening Stool) has different animation sets which you can toggle by clicking the stool. I very much prefer this over what many designers seem to be doing these days, which is to override your movement keys to switch animations. The problem with the key overrides is that it also messes with your camera angle, requiring you to re-adjust the picture every time you change animations.

Now here's where I make another embarrassing admission. A few weeks ago, Coyote passed me this lovely portrait, which she said reminded her of me. I was thankful, and thought it was a great picture- but I had no idea that it was an original artwork she had done! It's a lovely work entitled The Dark Queen, and is now both on display and on sale for a limited time at Prancing Harlot's main location. And while you're there check the object description of the portrait. I'm so flattered. *blush*

The PhD restraint devices are LockGuard 2-compliant. If you don't have LockGuard cuffs, you can pick some nice ones up for free in the store (my model in the photos here is wearing them), or you can upgrade your existsing non-LG cuffs with the free LockGuard Compatibility Kit (should be free at Lillani Lowell's Dictatorshop). Basically, it's a set of scripts that you drag into your cuffs that make them serve as LockGuard attachment points. You need modifiable cuffs (like Amethyst's) in order to do this.

Also, if you're stuck at work right now, you can browse the PhD line at SLExchange by checking for all items listed by Alyssa Jessop.

Realistic Police Restraints for Second Life

2007-02-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

My slave Adina and I were about to call it a night a few days ago when we detected movement on the second floor of the BDSM Council Hall. We skipped upstairs to investigate and were both surprised and delighted to find a handsome young woman wriggling across the floor like a worm, her hands cuffed behind her back, and her ankles bound as well. I drew my whip and chased her down the hall- and while my lawyer has asked me not to say any more about what happened that night, I can tell you about those lovely cuffs she was wearing.

Some friends had mentioned them to me before, but this was my first time seeing them in action, and they were rather impressive. Our victim- er- visitor was wearing the Police Handcuffs and Prisoner Belt from Marine Kelley's new RealRestraint line of products. These items use the new "Lockable" system (also developed by Marine Kelley) to simulate the locking of a restraint onto an avatar by restricting their movements (and in some cases, their vision), by providing the victim limited chances to escape from their bonds, and by offering various kinds of alerts and punishments for avatars that attempt to skirt the system.

By default, anyone (even the owner) can lock and unlock an avatar's Lockable devices. The person who actually turns the key, however, has the option to "take the keys" leaving the wearer stuck until either a set time limit expires, the victim manages to wriggle free, or the keyholder decides to show some mercy. The act of struggling free from Lockable-enabled items is actually a minigame, where the avatar must properly execute a randomly generated combination of three "struggle" moves. There is a limit to the number of times you can attempt to escape the devices before you are considered permanently stuck. There's a lot more to the Lockable system, and to RealRestraint products in general. Make sure you check out the notecards available at Marine's Little Shop.

First-time use of any of the items is a little unorthodox, but it's easy enough to do. After wearing the item for the first time, you click it, then use the Reset function in the dialog box that appears. After resetting, you must un-wear and then re-wear the item. If you don't follow these steps, it can't be guaranteed to work properly.

I purchased two of each of the following items: Police Handcuffs, Police Elbows, Prisoner Belt, and Police Legirons. The Elbows and belt are actually add-ons to the handcuffs, while the Legirons are a standalone product. To install the handcuff add-ons, you need to drag the right wrist cuff to the ground and drag the new animations that come with the add-on devices into it. Then you wear the items and (I believe) do the reset/re-wear step that all of the RealRestraint devices require on first use.

Marine's items all look great, and have nice, satisfying sound effects, but what really sets these things apart, in my estimation, are the fantastic animations. Here's a video I did that covers the six poses and movement animations included with the Police Legirons. The video does not show the handcuffs or their add-ons, and does not demonstrate the struggling animations. The two screenshots in this post do show me wearing all four items.

Enjoy (my first-ever YouTube submission, by the way):

Amethyst Cuffs Updates Part 1 (NSFW)

2007-02-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

So, Amethyst Rosencrans upgraded her standard cuffs a few weeks ago. There are lots of differences, but they're not really well documented. I've spent the past couple of days experimenting with them, and I still have some learning to do.

The most obvious difference is that when you go to Amethyst's shop in Aurora, you'll find the cuffs box now costs $400L instead of $200L. The box now includes six cuffs total- 2 ankle, 2 wrist, and 2 arm cuffs (new). If you have a set of old cuffs (the 4-cuff set released pre-January 2007), you can upgrade them for free- and while you will get the armcuffs and some new poses in the upgrade, you won't be getting all the functionality that come in a brand new set. Specifically, the free upgrade to the old cuffs will not give you then new 'suspend anywhere' feature, which is something we'll discuss in another article. (There is supposedly a $200L add-on to give old cuffs the suspend feature, however I went to Amethyst's shop last night and couldn't find it.)

The upgrade process for the cuffs is a little involved, by the way. Be sure you closely read the instructions that you'll get during the process. To kick off the upgrade, head to Amethyst's shop in Aurora, put on your cuffs, and click a cuff to bring up the menu. Next, click Update. You'll receive an object in inventory and (I think) a notecard that explains what to do next. At the end, you should have five new cuffs (you keep your old right wrist cuff), and you can discard the three extra old cuffs you had before the upgrade.

Here are the features that everyone who either upgrades their old cuffs or buys new ones will get:

More color customizability. There is a 'sphere' or 'orb' feature that rezzes an object that helps you set a custom color for your cuffs.
Ability to change the texture used for the chain particles so you can bind the cuffs together with either chains or rope.
A 'ties' menu with a number of new poses.
A 'bind' menu with some new poses and the ability to selectively unbind chains on specific parts of the body.

As with the old cuffs, many of the poses restrict movement altogether. A couple allow limited mobility with a funny shuffle animation.

There are so many poses in these cuffs now, that I'd decided to make this article a sort of visual reference guide, so you can see what a pose looks like before experimenting on-the-fly during a scene.

The standard (top-menu) poses:

Main Menu

On Side

Sitting

On Back

No Escape

Bondage

Bracelets

The Ties menu poses:

Ties Menu

Flat Spread

On Belly

Kneeling

Tight Tie

Arched

Ball

Hogtie

Legs Back

Sit Cross

The Bind menu poses:

Bind Menu

Chain All

Bind Ankles
(no pic, sorry!)

Tip Toes

Spread Legs

Behind Head

Wrist Cross

Bind Wrists

Behind Back

Front Up

Front Down

A future article will cover the new suspend feature.

BDSM Valentine (NSFW)

2007-02-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I realized I still hadn't done anything Valentine-y for my slaves, so I decided to make them a V-Day card. I ported a friend in to model for the shot, because I didn't want any hint of favoritism that might arise had I used one of the slaves for the card. The photo shoot went well, and after about 10 minutes in Photoshop I had a viable texture for my card, which I quickly uploaded, slapped on a fresh prim, and sent to all my slaves.

A couple recipients were online at the time and thanked me immediately. Of course neither of them mentioned the typo I'd made, which led to 'yours' being spelled 'yous.' I didn't discover it until after logging out of SL and saw the error glaring at me from my Photoshop original.

This is a problem with submissives: they're reluctant to point out Mistress's mistakes. I was too tired to do anything about it last night, but I fixed it this morning and re-sent, albeit a day late. Here is the corrected version:

Several Gifts (NSFW)

2007-02-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while my friends who are much more talented than I am pass me gifts they've made or picked up along the way. Here are some I've received in the past couple days:

Coyote Momiji sent me the cute little devil duck in this shot. He swims around! I'm going to be dropping him in the pond outside my council hall. Sort of a harbinger, if you will. In this same photo you can see the adorable binky gag that Tess Whitcroft gave me. She says it's one of her best selling items!
Here's a close-up of the binky:

And last night, Earalia Nolan dropped something on me that I didn't have a chance to check out until this morning- but it is spectacular indeed. It's a complete avatar kit called the Extreme Newbie 3000. It actually includes two avatars: Generic newbie and griefer newbie. The box art says it all (make sure to read the descriptions):

The avatar includes a camping chair with the requisite obnoxious floating text. The great thing is when you sit down on it, you get a perpetual $L count of 0.

Human Furniture (NSFW)

2007-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

In the year-plus that I've been in Second Life, I've seen many fetish fads sweep the BDSM community. Every fetish has a core group of followers, but generally the introduction of fetish-specific toys causes a flurry of activity in that area for a few weeks before people move on to something else. I've seen people jump from Gor to Dolcett to Hermaphrodite Horses to Latex Dolls to Human Dolls to Hermaphrodite Cows, wherever the hot new accessories are. Well this month's big thing is Forniphilia; making furniture out of people.

Dark Delights is one of Second Life's most fun places to shop for erotic playthings. They are often early to provide accessories to cater to particular fetishes. While some SL designers have produced Forniphilia furniture on a small scale, Dark Delights is the first to introduce such an extensive line targeted at this fetish. They offer a large number of furniture items (all bundled with both male and female configurations), and some great skin sets that give an avatar a completely marbleized look, and are available separately in male and female packages. (The female skin even includes a prim penis for shemale/hermaphrodite
avatars.) At this time you have a choice of four different colors for all furniture and skins (sold separately), although the white appears to be the most popular.

Of course I had to get some for myself. My slaves Charlotte and Ryuune (a hermaphrodite) model below:

Tables:

Fountains:

Potted plants:

A chair:

Evolution of an Avatar

2007-02-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

My friend Winter did this great post at the official SL forums where she described how her avatar has evolved from an approximation of her real-life form to what she looks like in-world today. It inspired me to do a similar look back, and while I haven't changed nearly as often or as drastically as she has, it was still fun to see my gradual morphing from an off-the-shelf avatar to the Wildefire that I am today.

Early in this exercise, I discovered that I had actually deleted my original, Linden avatar form. I also couldn't find any screenshots (I'm not sure I knew how to take them back then). This is probably for the best, as I looked pretty hideous. (Ever try to make Linden pigtails?) Anyway, I didn't look that way for long. (Note, there is also a high-resolution version of the picture linked below.)

The picture on the left is my first non-Linden avatar. It was a complete avatar called 'Rowan' that I bought on SLExchange. Some guy who happened to be at the SLExchange headquarters when I was walked me through opening the box and copying the contents to my inventory. I only looked like this for a couple of days.
I looked like the next picture for about a month. The shape is 'Full Figured' by Colette Meiji, the hair is 'Faye Pigtails' by Kin Keiko, and the skin is 'Gothic Darkness' by Maximillian Grant. Even though I loved my petite, curvy figure, I looked really bad in skirts. I was also treated rudely in-world by several people because of my size. Even a friend of mine hurt my feelings when she told me to wear a different shape around her and 'Why wouldn't you want to look beautiful in Second Life?' But I thought I did!
Out of peer pressure and a desire to look better in skirts and dresses, I adopted a taller, thinner shape (Amazon, also by Colette Meiji), and got some more traditional looking pigtails. These are the 'Unconditional' pigtails by Lost Thereian.
It's worth noting that I started out in Second Life as a submissive, and had a non-Gorean Master for several weeks. By the time I had sort of found my calling as a domme, I opted for a harder, more dignified look. I moved from Maxx's cute goth skin to Katanablade Anubis's 'Vamp' skin. I also dropped the pigtails, and after going through several hairdos, I settled on 'Purr,' by Six Kennedy. Eyes are a green cat-like design by E's Handpainted.
It was in June, I think, that I was inducted into the sisterhood of The Latex Dolls. As a doll I was required to wear the MistressDoll uniform, which includes a custom shape and skin. The picture shown is of our second-generation MistressDoll uniform which uses a special flexi hair that was produced only for our use. The majority of the clothes are bits and pieces of various KDC outfits. The complete avatar cost around $4000L to assemble. The current-generation Doll uniform is a little bit cheaper, and some of the more subtle components are now obtained from different sources.

So that was then. And this is now.

My friend Earalia turned me into a succubus, and I now sport horns, wings, and a tail. I've also moved to the black-and-white 'Eclipse' skin by Katabablade Anubis, and a demon-red version of the E's Handpainted eyes.

Recently I've kind of been moving back and forth between my human look (in the first picture, before the MistressDoll avatar) and the succubus, since I've been planning this extended 'domme-breaker' RP that requires all participants to be human. I have no immediate desire to change my looks. I use my alts for dress-up whenever I feel like experimenting with different avatars.

Starting Over

2007-01-31T10:12:00.000-08:00

This blog was originally supposed to be a sort of Second Life builder's how-to. My real-life schedule at the time allowed me the freedom to begin learning to script and build in Second Life, and I had many grandiose plans. Things changed though, due to my work schedule, and I no longer had any time to create; I only had time enough to dote on my SL family. The blog suffered as a result.

I love my slaves, and I love what I do, but the past few weeks in-world have been so emotionally tumultuous that it's beginning to affect my wellbeing. I'm hoping that by pounding out some of my thoughts I'll be able to unravel this mess of feelings swirling around in my chest and regain some of the perfect clarity I had in my earliest days as a virtual (and ultimately, real life) dominatrix.

For nearly the past year, the Second Citizen Forums (and to some extent, the official Second Life forums) have been where I spent my online time. It served as my blog, essentially, when I had something funny or strange to discuss. Since the things I wish to talk about these days are rather personal, I've chosen to limit the discussions to my personal blog (that no one but I will ever read!), but to kick things off, here's a chronological list of threads I started there that summarize my Second Life (with some real life stuff thrown in).

Mature Sims Inhabited After Hours? - My very first thread about Second Life. I recount the loneliness of being a player who's only on after 11pm Pacific time (this was back when only about 1,000 residents would ever be in-world at that hour). The thread also turned into a discussion of furry/human relations. (NOTE: Yep... I certainly didn't start my Second Life as a domme. Quite the opposite in fact.)
The Sound and the Furry - My very first illustrated SL story. It covers my return to make peace at a furry club where the guests had previously treated me poorly.
Smile demmit!!! - An analysis of the bizarre grammatical quirks of some Second Lifers.
Second Citizen Forums Hacked - Panic strikes as my true forum home is defaced by a sociopath.
Defriended - Reasons I've removed people from my friends list.
Human vs. Furry - Transcript of an absurd fight between a human and a furry.
Things That Make You Go Waaaah! - A list of things that bring tears to my eyes.
Suspected Alts - The Evidence - I detail several cases of deceptive alt use.
Your iPod Doth Betray You - The iPod's shuffle mode outs peoples' musical tastes.
The Worst Club in Second Life - (possibly NSFW) An illustrated account of a trip I took to a shitty casino that was lagging up my sim.
The Strangest Story Yet - A three-part story in which I detail my unusual relationship with a loveable but disturbed young woman.
RL abuse of an SL friend - I request help in how to deal with a Second Life friend who's a victim of real life physical abuse.
Being 'There' Episode 1 - This illustrated account details my journey into the PG world of There.com. The fact that this is the only episode should indicate how things went.
Equine Boobie Herms - (NSFW) A short pictorial covering the then-recent Second Life phenomenon of anthropomorphic hermaphroditic horses with insanely huge breasts.
The Problem with Photorealistic Skins - (NSFW) I make an unsightly discovery in one of Second Life's busier sex clubs.
The Other Problem with Photorealistic Skins - A has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed example about why a little artistic freedom (and skill) is generally desirable when designing SL skins.
All Alt Orgy: Summary with Pics - (NSFW) A pictorial summary of the first ever All Alt Orgy.
I Blew Up My Sim - A demonstration of what happens when I'm bored and left with a whole island to play with.
Oops I Did It Again - (slightly NSFW) Sometimes I just don't know when to stop.
People, do you really STILL not get it? - My attempt to explain Linden Lab's new commercial-focused direction.
Why Second Life Is Important - My most personally revealing post that describe what Second Life means to me and many of my closest friends.
Too Hot for Snapzilla - (NSFW) Pictures of beautiful and strange people I've seen around the grid.
Alt Orgy: Get Your Avatars Ready - (possibly NSFW) Preparation and subsequent summary for the second All Alt Orgy.

Facial Animation - Open Mouth

2006-08-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

I have a need to make an avatar's mouth open wide, and stay open. After a little bit of research, it sounds like it's not possible to create new facial animations for Second Life, but there are a number of built-in face animations that you can access via LSL. This thread discusses the matter. It also features the following LSL example (courtesy of Gattz Gilman), which does exactly what I need it to do:

default
{
 attach(key on)
 {
     if (on != NULL_KEY)
     {
         integer perm = llGetPermissions();
         if (!(perm & PERMISSION_TRIGGER_ANIMATION))
         {
             llRequestPermissions(on, PERMISSION_TRIGGER_ANIMATION);
         }
         else
         {
             llSetTimerEvent(0.5);
         }    
     }
 }

 run_time_permissions(integer perm)
 {
     if (perm & PERMISSION_TRIGGER_ANIMATION)
     {
         llSetTimerEvent(0.5);
     }
 }

 timer()
 {
     llStopAnimation("express_open_mouth");
     llStartAnimation("express_open_mouth");
 }
}

The attach method is an event handler that is triggered when the scripted item is attached to or detached from an avatar. The key parameter is the key of the avatar during attachment, or NULL_KEY on detachment.

As a complete aside, I had to use the <pre> and </pre> HTML tags in order to get the code sample up there to show up properly indented. I'm a bit of an HTML newbie as well...

Current Project

2006-08-04T15:14:00.000-07:00

I am working on some jewelry that will use Lillani Lowell's LockGuard system. I have some very specific and personal needs for some things at the moment, but if they turn out well, I may pursue a licensing agreement with Lillani. This is not a very substantive post. In fact, I'm only doing it to confirm my BlogSpot URL. :P