Sex and Candy!

Yay for surprise holiday gifts! I had an unexpected gift arrive today from my new friend, Rachel Kramer Bussel. You might recall that I mentioned her a few posts ago in reference to her cupcake blog, but she's also an author and sent me a copy of her latest book, "Sex and Candy"!

Thank you Rachel! Looking forward to reading this!

-xopixox

Thank you to Sefris and "Obsession"

Wanted to just send a quick "thank you" to Sefris Wendt and everyone that turned out to hear me at Obsession on Monday night! I had a blast and I hope you all did too.

We'll plan another event in the next few weeks, hopefully earlier in the day so people in other timezones can be there!

Thanks again!

-xopixox

"Virtually Knocked Up' - an update on the SL pregnancy discussion

You all know that I blogged recently about pregnancies in Second Life, but I got an email from a reader a day or two ago that opened up my eyes to a lot more about this than I had even imagined.

The friend that emailed (we'll call her Kelly) really went into a pretty detailed explanation of why people might choose to be 'pregnant' in Second Life. I can honestly say that I really had no idea some of this was going on and although I'm not completely surprised about it, I am intrigued.

She mentions that in addition to the people that 'get pregnant' because they see it as a logical extension of their second lives, there are the fetishists - the people that are excited and aroused sexually by pregnancy and birth. People are having breeding parties, porn-inspired consultations with midwives, and "lots of kinky sex". There are pregnant porn models doing photo shoots that are then sold. Kelly mentions this is "surprisingly lucrative". I was fairly sure there would be pregnancy fetishists in Second Life, but I guess I never thought that it might go as far as selling photos of pregnant porn models having sex with each other.

In Kelly's email she also mentions that many women who are pregnant in Second Life never even bother to buy the prim babies because "the only thing worse than being a soccer mom in RL is being one in SL." Amen to that, sister.

I want to thank Kelly and all my other readers for continuing to open my eyes to things that I blog about or things you're involved with. I find it fascinating, intriguing and unbelievably interesting.

-xopixox

Pixel at Obsession

Tonight, at 6PM SL (9PM EST) I'll be performing at Sefris Wendt's new club, Obsession: Fetish Refined.

If you're in Second Life at that time, please come join us. It should be a really fun, wonderful time. Hope to see you all there!

-xopixox

who doesn't like cupcakes..

In honor of Rachel Kramer Bussel and her cupcake blog, I'm posting a poem I wrote about cupcakes a while ago. Enjoy. :)


Cupcake Anticipation

That creamy, silky goodness
That's swirled all on top
I just can't wait to put my tongue
Inside
And lick it up

So so sweet like candy
And dripping down the sides
One little taste is all it takes
To feel that cupcake high

So hard to keep from tasting it
So close and yet so far
Sitting on that counter
Next to the cookie jar

That zig-zag silver wrapper
Holds all that yum inside
If I peel it back, just a little teeny bit
I'll have to make it mine

I can't just let it sit there
That would just be wrong
Someone else might take it
When I've waited so long

C'mere you little trollop
Our time has come at last
I'm peeling back that silver
But I won't eat you fast

I'll wrap my teeth around you
And sink my teeth in slow
Icing all over my lips
And on the tip of my nose

Dear God it tastes like heaven
Each delicious bite
I think I need a cigarette
And more cupcakes for tonight.

- 8/22/06

Pony Play in SL

One of my favorite sex bloggers, Violet Blue, posted a link today about an article from the Second Life Herald discussing 'pony play' in Second Life. I've done a previous blog post about a ponygirl that I'd talked to and her viewpoints about what she enjoys and why.

What I found most interesting in this article were really the comments. There are times that I really think some people were put on this earth to criticize or judge other people and I just don't get that. There are plenty of things in this world that I just don't "get", but I really make every effort to not judge someone else for liking something that I don't understand. Who am I to think that I know everything there is to know about every fetish in the world? I'd be pretty damned arrogant to think so, or to think that I was in any position to made judgements about the people that are involved in those things.

As a fairly successful woman, I can completely understand why some women enjoy roleplaying these sorts of 'characters'. More and more women are in real-life roles requiring that they make important decisions, multi-task, and take care of any number of responsibilities during the course of any day. If a virtual world gives these women the opportunity to forget about all of those things, let someone else be in control for a while, and let go of everything they have to think about, then I have no trouble seeing how that might be very appealing to some people.

So here's the thing... can we please stop judging everyone for being into something that we don't 'get' or that we might think is wrong. We do *not* know everything (as much as we'd all like to think we do) and we cannot possibly understand how someone else feels or what someone else might need or desire in their life. Second Life is not the only place that these things are taking place, it's happening quite often in real-life too, but we're not in a position to pull up an interface in RL and type 'pony play' in a search field to see what our options might be.

Maybe if we could we'd all be a little bit more tolerant.

-xopixox

my horoscope for today...

Your romantic inclinations turn spiritual or, at least, more altruistic as Venus enters your 12th House of Destiny. The emotional payoff could be worth taking a risk, not that you need much encouragement. Your desires are extending beyond the walls that usually contain them and it's best not to try to put them in a box.

Roleplaying of an entirely different kind..

A friend was telling me today about a girl he knows that's pregnant in Second Life. I've seen pregnant women in Second Life for a long time now, but I've never really looked into the details.. until today. What follows is the notecard I was given at Sweet DreamzZ Maternity Clinic in Second Life:

Sweet DreamzZ Maternity Clinic
Making your sweetest dreams come true!!
Owned by Kaeko Freenote
--> Assistant Manager: Groovyloopylou Aya
--> Clinical Assistants: Mae Burton, Paisley Lancaster

Congratulations on your new addition, and thank you for choosing Sweet DreamzZ Maternity Clinic! We are the affordable alternative that is making the dream of bringing a baby into the world achievable for every family in SecondLife! In SL, having a baby (either with the one you love or all by yourself!) is the fulfillment of a dream. It is an opportunity to experience something dramatic and beautiful, to create a lasting memory, to build upon a relationship or to live out dreams that aren't attainable in your first life. We at Sweet DreamzZ know how important this experience is to you, and will do everything in our power to make your memory a wonderful one.

Sweet DreamzZ is owned and staffed by Midwife Kaeko Freenote. Kaeko is a mother three times over IRL and also a mother in 2nd life, and has delivered SL babies many times over. She is experienced with many varied birth and labor situations. She and our staff are able to provide prenatal care, labor and delivery in a calm, relaxing setting, and recovery care for mommy and baby. You will never be surprised by someone you don't know appearing to deliver your baby, or run your ultrasound. We offer waterbirths, traditional deliveries, c-sections - you call the shots and let us know what you would be comfortable experiencing.

Best of all, all of our services can be purchased a la carte - so there is no costly bundle to purchase. YOU decide which services are important to your experience, and are affordable for your family. We work by appointment only - so please review the services below, and then contact one of the clinical assistants listed above via IM to set up a consultation appointment.

***** PLEASE BE AWARE: We operate on a NO REFUNDS basis. Unless there was something substantially and measurably wrong with your experience, we will not refund your money. If you get divorced, we will support you through your pregnancy, and hope the baby will bring you joy. If you decide to discontinue your pregnancy, we will be happy to consider holding your package as a prepaid package, and let you use it when you're happily settled again. But we will not refund the purchase - that is simply not fair to us, to you, or to your baby. *****

-> Pregnancy Testing Kits -$25L

SweetDreamzZ is proud to announce the addition of an interactive, working pregnancy test! Our Clearblue tests are affordable and easy to use, and you can purchase them at any time. We have a vendor setup in our lobby. :o) For $25L, the vendor will give you a pregnancy test. Simply purchase the test, take it home and open it up. The test will give you either a positive or a negative result. If it's positive, congratulations!! Come on, and we will be happy to set up your SweetDreamzZ maternity package. :o)


-> Prenatal Visits
* Consultation Visit - $100L: The consultation visit will include taking your order for your birth experience, giving you information, scheduling any future visits and setting up your delivery date. At this visit we will also answer any questions you might have, and can discuss what kind of delivery you are looking for.

* Prenatal Care Visit - $175-250L: You may schedule as many prenatal care visits as you are comfortable with. The fee will be charged per visit. We offer three tiers of prenatal care visits.

--> Clinical Exam - $175L: At these visits, we will take your weight, discuss how your pregnancy is developing, do a breast, abdominal and pelvic exam to make sure everyone is healthy. We will listen for baby's heartbeat. We will offer advice on making your SL pregnancy comfortable and rewarding.

--> Sonogram - $175L: At these visits, we will do an abdominal exam, discuss your pregnancy, and take a sonogram image of baby to make sure he or she is growing as expected. A copy of the sonogram picture, personalized with notes from your visit, will be provided free of charge.

--> Combo - $250L: These visits will include a complete clinical exam as well as a sonogram exam and a personalized copy of the picture.

-> Delivery
There will be a flat $500L charge for your delivery. Water birth, stirrup birth and traditional birthing beds will be available for you to choose from, as well as a c-section option if you feel that your pregnancy is in danger. We offer a labor ball for you to rock on if you so choose. You may move around, labor in one way and then later move to another location - you control how you experience your labor. We will, of course, need to do occasional cervix checks to make sure dilation and effacement are appropriate, but when we are not checking the cervix you are free to move about the center to labor however is comfortable for you. After delivery, you will be given the opportunity to relax in our beautiful recovery suite with your baby.

-> Pregnancy Shapes, Physical Baby, HUDs and AOs

* Shapes: Sweet DreamzZ knows that some people are very attached to their shapes, and that some people haven't perfected theirs yet, but that everyone wants their body to change as they progress in their pregnancy! If you are experienced with editing your shape, you can simply modify it week by week, increasing breast size, stomach size, saddlebag size, rear end size, thickness and thighs. If you are not experienced, we would be happy to help you! For $200L, we can provide a set of generic shapes to be used throughout your pregnancy. If your current shape is full permission (meaning that it is modable and transferable) our designer will be happy to modify it for you to create pregnancy shapes for your current look. This service is $350L.

* Babies: We have partnered with a wonderful designer to provide customized babies for our families. We now offer two different levels of baby, and will soon add a third level. :o) We hope to fulfill the economic and aesthetic of every client who wants to use our clinic.

--> Basic - $300L: These babies are our very basic babies, meant for families with lower incomes. They come with an interaction HUD...but they are very cute, relatively low prim, and will look adorable as you carry and place them. Hair and skin are customizable, and we will discuss these options when you place your order. Additionally, the babies wear hats and booties that can be removed, as well as binkies. These babies coo, giggle and cry randomly, just like real babies. As an affordable solution for budget-conscious families, they are a remarkable choice!!

--> Vers. 2 - $600L: These babies are a step up, but still affordable for those watching a tight bottom line. These babies come with prim hair, available in a wide selection of styles and colors. There are four different clothing options to chose from, and a plethora of texture and color options for those clothes. They do not come with a HUD, but cry, coo and giggle randomly, like the basic baby. They come with booties and pacifiers which are removable by chat script.

--> Vers. 3 - TBD: These babies will be released sometime this month. Adorable like the Ver. 2, and with an equally wide choice of hair and skin colors, clothing styles and textures. The big difference here is that these babies come with a HUD. Interactive, you will be able to change colors and textures on their clothing, remove and give them their pacifiers, you can add and remove booties, plus you can give them a bottle and take the bottle away....all by HUD. You will also be able to turn their coos and giggles on and off, and they will whisper in response to actions you take with them. These are going to be very, very cool babies, and we can't wait till they're ready for release!

If you do not wish to purchase one of our babies but prefer to buy your baby elsewhere, that's not a problem.

If you purchase your baby from us, you will be given your child in the recovery room after birth. We need to weigh, examine, and clean up baby before we hand them over. If you purchase your baby elsewhere, we will use one of our birthing babies for the delivery, and will have you hold your baby for the first time once he or she has been cleaned up and checked out. To be clear, you will keep your baby in your inventory throughout the labor and delivery process, bringing it out once we've given the word after labor and delivery. We wish to avoid inventory transfers, because we all know how SL likes to eat things when they are in limbo.

* HUDs: HUDs are the wonderful tummy-talking devices that pregnant women all over SL use to help them role play their pregnancies, and to share the experience. SweetDreamzZ is currently partnered with creator Coal Edge to offer the Interactive Tummy-Talker via a vendor in our lobby. We believe this product to be the absolute best tummy-whispering product on the market, and Coal Edge's assistants to be absolutely fantastic to work with. Not only does the HUD simulate cravings and feelings for the mother, but it is interactive with partner and anyone else you wish to allow to interact. If you don't want anyone intereacting, you can block them from doing so. The most remarkable part of this HUD is the labor simulator, simulating contractions and even your water breaking! We highly, highly recommend this product!

* AOs: AOs are what will make your avatar stand, sit and walk like a pregnant woman. There are a number of affordable maternity AOs on the market, and if you're really clever, you can make your own by buying the poses you like and loading them into a HUD. SweetDreamzZ offers the FixedBit Pregnancy AO via a vendor in our lobby. We very much enjoyed this AO during our pregnancies, and can highly recommend it.

-> Labor and Delivery Photos

If your loved ones just aren't very talented photographers and you would like to have lots of pictures of your blessed event, please let us know. Kaeko is quite talented at capturing beautiful birth moments, and whichever is not assisting you with delivery will be more than happy to take the pictures. We will ask $25L per picture taken. You can let us know how many pictures you would like taken, and if you would like us to decide the shots, or if you would like us to pick what we think will be best.

-> Surprise, Surprise!

You made it this far into the notecard, so we know you're as excited about your impending birth as we are!! At Sweet DreamzZ, we know that what can make a birth even more special is the element of surprise. We're happy to accomodate you with this in roleplaying your prenatal visits (maybe you will have a condition requiring nearly complete bedrest! Maybe you'll be required to drink more milk!), your labor (could baby be breech??), or in picking the color of baby's eyes or hair for you. Just tell us during your consultation: Surpise Me!

Additionally, every so often at Sweet DreamzZ we discover at birth a set of twins where only one baby was expected!! Surprise twins incur no extra charges from the parents, just the necessity for a bigger crib and more diapers, and the ability to share lots more love. :oD

The bottom line is that, at Sweet DreamzZ, you really NEVER know what will happen!

-> Roleplay

What we want you to know about your SL pregnancy is that what makes it the most special is YOU! Get involved, and don't be embarassed to actively role play your pregnancy. Are your ankles swollen? Does your tummy itch where the skin is stretching to accomodate baby? Do you have a sudden hankering for pancakes and mint chocolate chip ice cream? Are you starting to feel some pain in your lower back, or Braxton-Hicks contractions? Don't be shy - say it out loud! Express it!! Buy yourself a mint-chocolate chip ice cream cone, and wear it everywhere! Think you might be going into labor early - IM us and see if we have an appointment time available to take you now! If not, maybe we can give you some medicine to hold labor off a little longer. If you're not afraid of roleplaying, especially if you've got a good partner or support team, you won't even need a HUD to help you make the experience realistic. We assure you, we will not be shy about roleplaying the clinical visits and delivery. That experience is what we're here for!! :o)

If you like what you've read and would like to schedule your consultation, or if you need more information, please IM Kaeko Freenote to set up a consultation time. Sometimes Kaeko will be immediately available, and sometimes she will need to schedule it for later. And sometimes she does sleep, so be patient and we promise, we will get back to you! No customer is ever forgotten or overlooked. We feel honored that you are inviting us to be a part of this experience, and we take that responsibility very seriously.

Thank you for your interest in Sweet DreamzZ! We look forward to making your sweetest dreams come true!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sweet DreamzZ Pricing List:

Consultation Meeting (not optional): $100L
Delivery (not optional): $500L
Prenatal Clinical Visits (optional): $175L per visit
Prenatal Sonogram Visit (optional): $175L per visit (includes personalized picture)
Combo Prenatal Visit (optional): $250L per visit (includes personalized picture)
Custom Pregnancy Shapes (optional): $350L
Generic Pregnancy Shapes (optional): $200L
Sweet DreamzZ Baby (optional): $300-600L per baby
Labor and Delivery Photos: $25L per shot.

Midwife Kaeko Freenote welcomes your inquiries! ;o)

I have so much to say that I don't even know where to begin.

Ok now.. I'm really not being judgemental here, cause I'm an open-minded girl and I honestly *do* want to understand why people get pregnant in Second Life. I also wonder.. how many babies do you think people just keep in their inventory? How many 'perfect relationships' go wrong in Second Life after that baby comes along? I really think it's a lot like when I played Barbies with my sister when we were younger and when Barbie got into a 'boring' situation (typically after she and Ken were married and had a baby) my sister and I would declare a "Do-Over" and start again so Barbie could be single and do whatever she wanted.

I still think there's a market here somewhere for an SL abortion clinic, but I'm seriously considering giving this a whirl just to see what sort of pregnancy fetishists turn up.

-xopixox

Random quote from a movie called "Snowday"

"... and there he was.. giving mouth to mouth.. to my BIRD.. it was... *sigh."


oh I bet it was.

-xopixox

Tagged...again

Ok so.. London Spengler has 'tagged' me. I've been tagged once before, although not in this blog and I recall not being thrilled about it then either. ;) I'm happy to reveal my 'eight random facts', but I kind of draw the line at tagging eight other people.

Eight random facts about me:
1. Not so fond of the 'tagging' thing.
2. I love coconut chip ice cream
3. I hate being told what to do
4. In Second Life, I live in a fantastic penthouse built for me by a real-life friend I've known for 15 years.
5. I'm an incredibly emotional person.
6. I love.. and hate... very deeply
7. I love cupcakes
8. I believe in Karma and I think some people are heading towards some major karmic paybacks.

-xopixox

Obsession is Open for Business!!

Sefris Wendt held the "Grand Opening" of Obsession: Fetish Refined on Friday night. Here's an excerpt from the invitation/announcement:

A new BDSM club is opening in Second Life and you are invited! Obsession has been built to provide a relaxing social atmosphere for patrons who enjoy the BDSM lifestyle. With plenty of things to discover we hope you will come out and enjoy Obsession to its fullest..

Even if you're not into the BDSM scene, you'll be completely at home at Obsession. It's intimate, warm, and classy. I love it, and I guarantee that you'll be seeing me around there quite often.

I must say that I'm so glad to see Sefris opening a new club. I loved B&D before it changed and I'm excited to watch the growth of Obsession.

-xopixox

When will we stop blaming "the internet" for all the bad things?

I was browsing along on the interwebs today, like I do every other day, and came upon a story that I'd read about a few weeks ago, but there are some new developments in the story now that I think are worth discussing and questioning.

The story is about a 12 year old girl that committed suicide after her 'online' MySpace friend told her he didn't like her anymore because she was 'mean to her friends'. The interesting part of this story is that her MySpace friend was actually a neighboring adult who seemingly didn't like the 12 year old girl and decided to 'play around with her'.

Now, the 12 year old had a history of depression and attention deficit disorder, but let's face it.. she was also a 12 year old, pre-teen, pubescent girl. I don't know about you, but at that age I was lucky to get through a day without feeling like I had the most dramatic, horrible life and I would NEVER understand my parents, and how could anything be worse than this, blah blah, etc. My point is that 12 year old girls are a magnet for drama and are easily elated and crushed.. especially if affairs of the heart are involved.

I'm really not sure what part of this story bothers me more: the fact that some adult pretended to be a teenage boy for the sole purpose of toying with this girl's feelings, or the fact that the media.. once again, blames an 'online' relationship for this crime. Every time someone chooses to portray the internet as a place where only murderers, rapists, pedophiles, or 'naughty' people are, they do an incredible disservice to everyone else. I'm not negating that those people are online, but there are many more of those people living in our neighborhoods that we might want to be more concerned about.

I feel terrible for the family that had to go through this, and I feel even worse for the 12-year old girl, Megan, that was so devastated by this that she killed herself. I want to rewind time, sit her down and tell her that her world is not over if some boy is mean to her or says bad things to her. I want to be able to show her all of the things she has to look forward to and dream about. I want to tell her that not everything she reads online is true, and that sometimes people pretend to be something they aren't. I wish I could do that, but it's too late.

I'm about to share something that a lot of people don't know about me, but it's relevant here I think. When I was in elementary school and riding the bus to school, the older kids would block off all of the empty seats on the bus so I couldn't sit in them and they wouldn't let me sit with them either. With the bus driver doing nothing to stop them, and being the shy kid that I was at the time, I just went back to the front of the bus and rode in the stairwell to school. I also recall, in high school being taunted and harassed by some other girls who called me a "dog" in the hallways between classes and spent many weeks barking and yelling at me as loudly as they could to try and humiliate me. At this time, this was incredibly hurtful but I also knew that I was better than that and refused to let them upset me. My point is these sorts of things have gone on for ages, and choosing to say it was a "MySpace" friend doesn't mean that this sort of thing only happens online.

Megan Meier was a 12 year old girl that wanted some friends and had her heart broken by a mean, cruel-hearted adult that lived down the street. There is no excuse for that and I think that woman deserves whatever fate brings down on her. That being said, let's stop thinking that 'mean things' only happen to people that are communicating online when that's just not the case.

-xopixox

What really *is* sex in Second LIfe?

A friend of mine just recently did a podcast about sex in Second Life and she talks about touring a few 'sex' spots inside Second Life and mentions that she doesn't really 'get' it yet.

I started thinking about how people view sex differently and started to wonder what views and opinions other people have about online and virtual sex.

As you've seen me mention before, I've been part of online communities for years and years now, and even in the simple, plain, non-visual world of IRC chatrooms 'cybersex' was prevalent and 'hookups' were many. Now granted, this was all text-based and didn't have the visual element we have now with Second Life, but that didn't make it any less intense or 'real'. In fact, at times, I think the fact that it was text-based served to make it even more real, and I think that's what makes sex real in Second Life as well.

Sex in Second Life isn't about the poseballs. It's not about teleporting into a fetish dungeon and saying 'yes' to the first IM you get and then hopping into a sex animation with that person. That.. in my opinion.. is roleplaying and not 'sex'. The sex you can *see* in Second Life, isn't the real stuff, or the powerful stuff. The real sex in Second Life is happening behind the scenes.. in private homes, and in IM conversations. Just like in text-based chatrooms, the hookups, cybersex, and relationships are happening in a place not visible to the public.

I've had several people ask me, at times in a very condescending way.. if I think online sex is 'real'. I really love being asked that question when you know they already have their mind made up and will chastise you for whatever you say, even though they have no personal experience on which to base their rationale. Hopping on a poseball to have animated or simulated sex is as real as anything else you choose to do. This does mean, however, that I think all 'sex' in Second Life is based on emotional connection. It's not - not by a long shot. So what's real for you might not be real to someone else, and vice versa.

Second Life is a lot of things to a lot of people. There is very real 'sex' happening there, and very real relationships - intense, powerful, heart-breaking relationships. Just because you think it looks 'silly' to see people on poseballs in the middle of a 'free sex' room doesn't mean there aren't other people experiencing some very significant, life-changing relationships the next sim over.

-xopixox

It's *good* to have an Obsession...

For those of you that are fans of BDSM and are familiar with "Bound and Determined" or "B&D" as we like to call it... you likely are familiar with Sefris Wendt, creator of the original B&D club. Sefris had B&D when it was a great hangout, when people felt comfortable there, and when I enjoyed going there.

If you haven't been to B&D recently, you're in for a shock. It's big, it's overwhelming, and it's commercial. I totally understand that the commercial aspect is there to pay for and support the club, but still.. ick. There's no love in that. B&D now is a giant warehouse of dorks and newbies and it's lost the charm for me.

The good news is that my dear friend, Sefris Wendt, is bringin' sexy back with his new club.. (and God bless him for giving me the scoop and letting me announce the name here first...) Obsession.

Sefris took me on a tour of the new place this evening and was kind enough to tell me a bit about his vision (which, by the way, I fully agree with).

According to Sefris, he's trying to, "find a nice fusion between class and BDSM", with the new club. In talking about the new feel and atmosphere, he also mentioned that, some of the things he likes sexually, probably more than anything else.. are "contrast and conflict.. like.. being here and wanting to feel the class,but having so much more right under the surface wanting to get out.".

One of my favorite spots at the old B&D was "Hard Alley", a rough-feeling 'street scene' with poseballs and 'sex graffiti' on the wall. Sefris plans to take this one step further with Obsession. Not only does he plan to have his own version of "hard alley", but his plans include actual construction of an alley behind the club so that you really do need to go downstairs, outside, and behind the club to enjoy this spot. I dig that.

Obsession is not your 'typical' sex club and I think we can all thank our respective higher powers there. Sefris hopes to attract a more 'upscale' or 'classy' clientele for this spot and I hope he succeeds. With shiny wood floors, comfortable furniture, and small rooms off the side, Obsession feels more like a 'home' than a sex club and I think that lends to the intimate, voyeuristic feelings I had while I was visiting.

When you're creating a sex club you really need to consider things like this. Putting in a fireplace and some bookshelves doesn't make a place intimate, nor does it attract intellectuals. It's about space, it's about scale and it's about style. Sefris has it right. He had it right with B&D before it was sold, and he's got another winner on his hands here.

Obsession is planned for opening next week, and keep an eye out for a group dedicated to the space as well. I know that several of you had mentioned to me that you were really looking for a new and classier hangout.. well, it's about to arrive.

You have a great new club in the making here, Mr. Wendt and I must say... I'm obsessed already.

-xopixox

Toxian City - Roleplaying Part #3

After my tour of New Olympus, Petite Pixie offered to show me around Toxia, or "Toxian City". Since I was eager to have a tourguide, I happily took her up on her offer and we were on our way.

The arrival at Toxia is on a pier and the first thing I noticed was the lag. There's some significant lag here so just be prepared for it. Don't think you're going to get yourself in a situation and then just run away really quickly cause that sure as hell won't happen. According to Petite, "Toxia is based on a city that had a major chemical and biohazard accident and people mutated or died. So a lot of creatures and things that go bump came and took over." A lot of the roleplaying areas also allow combat and Petite mentioned that the The DCS2 combat system was made by and for the owners of Toxia and is now available to any sim that would like to use it free of charge. She said it's is the best system in SL because it can be configured by the sim owners and it has a lot of options. I'll take her word for it, but if you're interested in fighting there's a DCS2 store located right near the entrance.



There's a library on the main street and I really liked this spot. It's warm and cozy and seems a lovely place to curl up with a good book. Toxian City also has all of the 'standard' thing that I'm starting to see at all of the roleplaying areas including different 'headquarter' buildings for the different groups and factions that exist. There was also an apartment building for those who want to live here, along with a hospital, church, graveyard and "porn" shop. In my opinion, the porn shop needs to get some more merchandise. If I moved to Toxia I'm afraid I'd go unsatisfied because the selection is fairly sparse.



My favorite place in Toxia, however, is The Haven. Haven is a bar or a 'safe spot' in Toxia where no fighting occurs and you can just dance, relax, and hang out with other people. I spent some time in Haven tonight and even though I'm not a Toxian Citizen and have only visited twice, I felt perfectly at home and completely comfortable. I guess the name is appropriate. It's always been my feeling that any community is only as good as the people and from what I can tell, Toxian City has some pretty fantastic people and seems abundantly tolerant of the different groups that call it home.

Petite mentioned that "the cool thing is all of this is out of pocket and not intended to make profits. You have to love what you're doing to have a roleplay and for profit malls and RP don't mix.". I have to say that I completely agree with her, and we see this over and over and OVER again in Second Life. When we're trying to create spaces and environments where we can interact and escape, and immerse ourselves in these worlds, the last thing we need is commercialism screaming to be heard. I think the mix can really work when it's done right and Toxia does it right.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Toxia and in all honesty, before my trip there this evening I was more nervous about being at Toxia than I was at Midian because it felt much 'darker' and more frightening to me. Luckily, I met some great people and now my viewpoint has changed. Gotta love the human aspect.

-xopixox

New Olympus - Masquerade - Roleplaying Part 2

Now that Lillie's called this a 'series', I'm feeling like I'd better get my sweet ass in gear and do some more exploring!

So, since I'm still waiting for the Midian City #2 tour (if you want to help, let me know!) I decided to IM another person that was recommended to me and see what she could help with.

Petite Pixie was my tourguide this evening and was generous enough to give the grand tour of her new sim, New Olympus - The Masquerade.

This sim is also a roleplaying sim, so it fits in beautifully with my recent thread about roleplaying in SL. The Masquerade is a fairly new roleplaying sim having just opened two weeks ago, and Petite told me that this sim is focused solely on vampire roleplaying and based on the book RPG Vampire the Masquerade.


We started the tour in the Moonlight Cafe.. a diner that's open to humans by day, but vampires by night. Petite also mentioned that it's night 100% of the time in New Olympus, so all you humans might as well stay home. The tour continued with walks through the theatre, Petite's own furniture store, and a store with breakable windows (neat!). There's a bar, a prison that was converted into a dance club (with an amazing lava pit underneath), and a church with "bingo, cards, and bondage" underneath. That's my kind of religion. BINGO!


We continued our tour and saw the construction site, the park where a huge cargo plane had crashed, a garage, a hospital and some bathrooms.

As you know, I'm still very new to the roleplaying scene and I have everything to learn. It's fascinating to me to see these different areas and really start to think about the types of storylines that can develop here. Storylines that don't begin and end with just one person, but are built upon, over time, by an entire community of people dedicated to this project. Love that.

-xopixox

Tour of Apocalypse - Midian Part #1

Thanks to the glorious Camilla Moore, I was able to get a tour of the Apocalypse sim tonight which is part of Midian City (Thank you Zaphod!! ;)). Camilla was incredibly gracious in showing me around and explaining things to me.. I must say.. I had *no* idea that so much was going on in this area. I'm beyond impressed.

All the roleplaying in these areas was something I really had no grasp on and was super intimidated by, but Camilla says everyone is actually very sweet, so that made me feel a bit less scared about it.

We walked all over Apocalypse and I saw the "Four Horsemen Bar" whose owner is apparently a 'very bad man' and a notorious rapist and sadist. Hmmmm. :) Camilla said every bar is ownd by some faction or group in Midian. Who knew!

I also saw the KAOS radio station (SO COOL) and the Legion Bunker and HQ. I was in the base people. IN THE BASE. Camilla said they do experiments down there to "midian victims". I believe her. I saw the autopsy tables.

There are rentals there, and I saw the park (and a secrety spot too!).

There wasn't time to tour the Midian City sim, but what I've seen so far has blown me away. The details of the build itself are just phenomenal and the different groups/factions/storylines happening in this sim are just beyond anything I'd imagined.

I'm incredibly impressed.. and this was just half the tour! Can't wait!

-xopixox

And a hunting we shall go!

Ladies and lovelies, I've gotten myself a tour guide for Toxian City. I'm super excited and thrilled that some folks have offered to show me around. I've been hanging out at Midian City a bit (and by hanging out I mean scampering along the walls praying no one confronts me) and I'm starting to dig it.

I need to work on my roleplaying though and apparently I need to have a pretty good idea of what my 'character's' story is. I'm having tons of fun starting to 'look' the part though. I think I'm lookin' pretty great..


I'd still love a tour guide/introduction to Midian City too so if anyone is willing to show me around, let me know!

-xopixox

I need a tour guide...

If anyone out there hangs out regularly at either Midian City or Toxian City.. I need a tour guide to show me around those areas. Basically, it's because I'm a chicken and I'm scared to go there alone. I know it's ridiculous and I could just 'teleport' out of there if I had to, but I really respect the roleplaying going on in those communities and I don't want to just show up and not know what's going on.

I couldn't even play Quake in the 90's because I was terrified when people would run up behind me or tell me they could hear me breathing.

So! If anyone's willing to help me out and show me around.. I'd greatly appreciate it! :)

-xopixox

Sexstination #16 - The Lady Garden

The Lady Garden might be a gentlemen's club, but this girl was fitting in just fine chatting with the gorgeous escorts working there.

Located in Roosa, The Lady Garden is, in my opinion, one of the best escort clubs I've seen in SL. It's small, intimate and classy and the girls were friendly. The color scheme is refreshingly purple/lavender/browns with great lighting. I know a lot of you think that red and black really define 'sexy', but let me assure you.. they don't. The build itself is really done well, and you have a really defined sense of space. It's cozy and really makes you feel at home. It's a small crowd (at least when I was there) and that meant there was more time and freedom to really interact, flirt, and get to know the girls.

In the words of one of the patrons I met there, The Lady Garden has, "chill downtempo music, no crap like camping or sploder, and FUCKING AMAZING GIRLS.". That about wraps it up.

One of the girls, Terri, was exceptionally friendly and more than willing to talk with me about the club. When I asked her what she'd like people to know, she said that there's "a skybox full of outrageous fun toys, scrumptious threesome activities." I was also lucky enough to meet and speak with the owner, Caira, and she showed me the newest area of the club.



With the gorgeous build, fantastic atmosphere, and incredibly friendly people, I have no doubt that I'll be back to visit and hang out at The Lady Garden.

-xopixox

Advice for the Guys, Girls, and Guys pretending to be Girls

Ok so here's the thing.

I've been hanging around the SL sex spots a lot and I've been doing a lot of observing, and I've come to the conclusion that maybe some guys just need some help.

It's interesting that if you do a search for 'sex' and teleport to the first place you see, you will find a MILLION 'newbies' there using the 'free cock' just walking around praying to God they will find some newbie female willing to click on a poseball and make their online fantasies come true. If they're lucky, she might even be able to spell and will thrill them with some occasional chatter about how good he is, or how close she is to coming.

If you're willing to venture away from just the 'sex' search and you know to search for 'fetish' or 'bondage' or anything a step up from 'sex', then you'll find some spots with a much different clientele. You'll rarely find newbies in these spots - and by newbies I mean people that LOOK very much like a newbie with the default look. You will also, I've noticed, find a lot of people DESPERATE to look like what they think a "Master" should look like. Apparently when most people think "Dom" or "Master" they immediately think long black hair, lots of black leather, bling, and either no shirt at all, or a lovely black leather vest. These men attract women with the same sense of style.

You'll also find the occasional 'businessman' in these areas. Neatly dressed in a suit and likely hoping to attract the 'intelligent' girls. I met one of these men yesterday, and from personal experience, they also seem to have a bit of an attitude and an arrogance that makes them think you'll fall all over yourself to be with them.

From my observations and travels, I've come up with some advice that I'd just like to pass along to everyone wanting to meet someone else in a sex spot in SL.

1. Be different. If you dress like everyone else, you'll never be noticed.

2. Buy some good skin, a good shape, and some great hair. I know it's superficial, and I know that we shouldn't care about those things in a virtual world, but we do.

3. Guys.. if you want to be a "Master" or a "Dom", please.. PLEASE, adjust your shape so that you're at least as tall as we are. Girls just aren't attracted to guys that are shorter than we are. If you're going to want us to look up to you we kind of need to be able to ... you know.. look UP to you.

4. Girls. For the love of God, do not buy a no-mod shape, AND.. if you DO insist on doing that, please.. PLEASE do NOT buy a shape that makes you look like a praying mantis. No tall spindly legs and huge giant breasts with no hips. Come on.

5. Spelling and grammar. Please - make an effort.

6. Do not assume that just because we're standing there looking fantastic that we're waiting to have sex with you.

What have I forgotten?

-xopixox

random conversation

[17:43] Random Dude: *casually walks up to you from behind, grabbing your ass slowly spreading it apart as he reaches down between your legs* >:)
[17:44] Pixel Bailey: *casually spins around and kicks you hard in the groin and tells you to ask before you touch.
[17:44] Random Dude: :D thinks the kick in the face was a fair trade
[17:46] Random Dude: *shrugs* very nice btw

-xopixox

It's not all about you

I was in a discussion group today about "What SL means to/for women" and it took place inside Second Life. Initially I wasn't going to attend because I usually get royally pissed off at discussions like that, but I decided to see what it was about.

I should have listened to my instincts.

You know, I have been involved in online communities for a long time now, and one thing I do not, and will never understand is the apparent constant need for women to continually feel like 'the victim' online. I'm freaking sick of it, actually.

I'm a feminist, and I like that I'm a female. I freaking LOVE being a woman. Love it. This does not mean, however, that I blame men for everything wrong in the world. If someone sends me a private message in SL stating that they like my breasts.. I'm not offended, nor do I feel harassed or stalked. I do not feel terrorized or threatened, and I sure as hell don't feel like I need to 'escape' the situation or report them. My goodness people, get a grip. There are stupid people all over this world and sometimes.. SOMETIMES.. it doesn't f'ing matter if you're a female. Idiots are idiots and sometimes it's not all about you or the fact that you have a vagina for God's sake.

The discussion started with statistics about how many women play WoW and how many women are in SL, and what explains that difference? To me it's pretty damned obvious, but ok I'll play along. Women don't like to go around killing things as much as men might, and so we prefer SL where we can be more social and shop like fiends. This is no mystery.

The discussion quickly turned to defining sex, and how do we really define who is and is not female in online communities. This then logically (*eye roll*) led to the question of whether or not we'd be offended if there was an 'abuser' hiding as a female in our discussion group. Well at that point there was no turning back for me.. I was pissed. Why the hell did/do discussions like this always lead to this sort of stuff? Why could the 'abuser' not just as well have been female and why do we immediately start talking about abuse, stalking, harassment, etc.

Lots of women going on about how they often feel threatened in Second Life. One even mentioned that she went to a GUN SHOP in SL to consider purchasing a gun for protection. COME ON. What the hell!?

This is really not advancing the cause of women here people. Stop being the damn victim, stop pretending everything is about you being a female, and stop whining around and acting as if everyone's out to get you. Do your thing, be strong, and ignore the bullshit.

-xopixox

Oh, and this is for das...

The back alley's back at B&D (Bound and Determined Fetish Club). I'm glad to see it back, but I have to say.. I'm still not digging the new atmosphere. It's too f'ing big.

-xopixox

You know what I'm sick of?

I'm sick to hell of the internet being portrayed as a place where 'bad' or 'dirty' people hang out. I'm sick of the media talking about Second Life as a place where stalkers, murderers, pedophiles, and 'losers' are. I'm sick of reading news articles saying "Girl murdered for answering Craigslist ad". Sick of it.

CSI:NY last week did an episode that featured Second Life. According to the plot, the murderer was a resident of Second Life, so the detectives had to log in and create their own avatar in order to track down the killer. This led to numerous instances of sarcastic remarks or snide little comments about people being involved in online communities, or falling in love online. Although I'm really glad to see Second Life making its way into mainstream media, but making comments like this really don't help the typical person understand that we really aren't all murderers and bad people. Numerous people at work the next day.. knowing how involved I am in Second Life took time to ask me if I'd seen it and it was always followed by, "that's CREEPY." Great. Just what we need.

The very next evening the episode of "The Office" also mentioned Second Life and in the explanation there was a line that went something like "It's not a game, there are no winners or losers" which was, of course, following by the next line of dialogue saying "Oh there are losers, all right.". Once again, fantastic stereotyping.

Now today, someone else shows me this. The discovery of a 'pedophile playground' within Second Life. For those of you not familiar with Second Life, it's a virtual world where you can choose to be whatever the hell you want. Man, woman, animal, alien, fairy, robot, etc. Now.. keep in mind please, that everyone signing up for a Second Life account in the main area has to be over 18. So, in knowing that.. if you 'choose' then to have a 'smaller' avatar that might look like someone younger than 18 and you engage in virtual sex with an adult .. is that a crime? You're both 18. You're both consenting. You're both involved in roleplaying. Is it a crime? I dunno. Not in my mind, but I'm not sure the law is always on my side.

What's the line with roleplaying and age play? How many times during 'normal/offline' sex have you called someone 'baby' or "my sweet girl'? How many times have people engaged in behaviors like spanking with the partner in costume to resemble a 'schoolgirl' or something similar? I'm wondering how exactly that's different than what we're talking about in Second Life. In my mind? It's not different at all.

-xopixox

it's all in the details, darling

B&D (Bound and Determined Fetish Club) in Second Life has recently undergone a 'remodel'. I spoke with Sefris Wendt (the former owner) to tell him that I liked the way things were looking, and he told me that he'd sold the club and it was now under the ownership of Kailani Ling. Kailani also owns the "Twisted Orchid" fetish club and I've blogged about that previously.

I must say that B&D was by far my favorite place to hang out, observe, and chat with people so when I have some time on my hands, you can usually find me there. This remodel is great, and exciting but I do have a couple cents to toss into the bucket on this one.

The previous version of B&D had one big room with several separate areas just off to the side of the main room. It also had a 'back alley' and in my opinion, the best roleplay scenes happened in that area. The new version is .. well.. freaking huge. There are walkways above the 'main room', which as I've said.. is FREAKING HUGE... and then on the upper floor there are several rooms that are more 'private' than in the previous version. There's a bathroom, a few 'dungeon' looking rooms, a few rooms with just bunches of poseballs, one or two with a bed.. and my favorite, the doctor's office.

The lower room now has a really large stage area with dance poles and seats in front, and then just a few 'sitting' areas around the room.

I've been to several 'sex' and 'fetish' clubs in SL and I understand this 'model', but the more I looked around, the more disappointed I became. In my opinion (and really, isn't that all most blogs are anyway?) what made B&D great was that it *wasn't* like every other club in SL. It was bright and open and exciting. The scale of the build in its entirety 'worked' and encouraged communication and interaction. Although I do like the new B&D with its more separate, private and distinct rooms, the overall feel now is 'dark' and 'big' and I'm just not digging that. The 'scale' is off and again.. in my opinion.. the build is just too big. It's too big to feel cozy or to make you feel like you're 'part of something' by being there. Just one glance at the floor tiles can throw off this whole sense of 'place'. I'm also not sure I understand this whole 'dark is sexy' idea that seems prevalent in SL. Why are all these sex clubs so dark and dreary?

When you're trying to build or create in Second Life, it really is about the details. It's the details that keep people coming back, and it's the details that make the difference. I hope B&D understands how important the 'details' are and that they make it a place I want to continue to frequent.

-xopixox

Sexstination #15 - Gotham City XXX

Once again, one of my lovely friends suggested that I review a certain spot in Second Life so here we are at Gotham City.

Billing itself in 'search' as the "Largest FUCK SIM in SL!!" , Gotham City has a little bit of everything and a whole lot of atmosphere. I'm honestly not sure I understand the whole 'largest fuck sim' thing because .. and correct me if I'm wrong here.. aren't all sims the same size? Maybe they're referring to the scale of the build? No idea.

Anyway! Back to our review.. Gotham City has the typical things you'd expect in a sex area.. shopping, clubs and poseballs. One store is selling 'flexi cum' that you can wear to make the experience more 'real' for you, but to me it just looks like a cow's udder went all haywire and sprayed heavy cream all over you. Real cum does not look like this, people.

The difference with Gotham is that is really is 'themed' exceptionally well. You really do feel as though you're in a 'city', and I dig that. Parts of the city are rainy and overall it feels very 'dark' which translates well to 'dirty'. There was even a rat scurrying around my feet at one point.

I did wander into the 'Pink Pussy Cat' club to see what was going on. It was fairly quiet when I was there, but the girls working were really nice and that was pleasant. I tipped one of them and was on my way to explore a bit more.

It seems that Gotham will also have rental apartments available so if you're interested or looking for a place to live that's a little bit different and you're into sexually themed areas, you might want to check that out. No idea what the rates will be, but worth looking into.

I dig Gotham City. I've spent some time there since this review and I'm sure I'll be back to visit again. One thing I do think is worth mentioning though... if you're a super hero av, you should probably leave Gotham off your list of places to visit. There's a huge sign there saying that anyone arriving in a superhero outfit will be ejected without warning.

I guess they were sick of Batman showing up trying to rid Gotham of the 'bad people'.

-xopixox

virtually broken hearts

I've seen more and more couples in SL lately trying to work through 'issues' that arise in spaces like Second Life. All the experiences I observe and hear about seem so similar in some ways, but always unique in others.

I know that some people don't 'get' online communities and just can't grasp how anything in them could be 'real'. I've had people tell me time and time again that 'sex with a cartoon' just doesn't appeal to them and I've gotta say that the idea of having Goofy or Pluto go down on me doesn't really send me to orgasm either, but that's not what SL is about. It's not about the right-clicking and 'sitting' on a poseball to make your avatar go through some pre-planned motion of sexual activity. It's about the private conversations. It's about smiling when you both type the same thing at the same time. It's about making a connection with someone you would have never met in RL, but have now come to have real feelings for because of this virtual space. It's about falling in love.

I've gotta say that over my years of time in online communities, I've fallen in love quite a bit. There are amazing people all over this world and when you think about how borders just fall away in communities like this, isn't amazing that we haven't achieved world peace just from loving each other in virtual worlds.

Inhibitions are lowered, and you're able to be more of 'yourself' in these environments, allowing people to fall in love with who YOU are and not necessarily what you look like, or what job you have, what car you drive, etc. Online communities allow for intense, personal, and extremely real interactions. What this means is that they also allow for intensely real broken hearts at times.

I have been in that situation.. more times than I'd like to think about really. I've thought my world would end, and I've sat in front of the computer glancing at the clock every minute waiting for someone to log on. I've cried myself to sleep over loves that never happened and loves that I wish hadn't happened. I've felt empty when an online lover doesn't sign on, and I've felt the desperation in wanting to take something 'online' into real life. I've felt the nervousness when something does become 'real' for the first time, and I've lived with the pain when it doesn't work out.

For everyone out there that's going through relationship issues with someone you met online, take it from a girl that's been there and listen to me. Work through it, make it happen, do whatever you need to do.. because it's worth it.

I honestly hate that - "Loving and losing is better than never loving at all" - bullshit because sometimes I don't think that's the case. Sometimes I wish I'd never met someone at all instead of meeting them and having them break my heart.. but I do know this. I do know, without a doubt, that I have learned so much about myself through these experiences that I would never give that up in a million years. You change, and grow and become a different person every time and that, my lovelies.. is priceless.

-xopixox

hoppin' down the bunny trail

I realized I'd never posted an update about my Playboy Bunny experience and figured I should, so here it is.

If you recall, I was f'ing focused on getting hired by the Playboy corporation to be a 'virtual' bunny for them, and managed to get the job. If I do say so myself, I made a hell of a bunny. I was sexy, but not the 'model' type.. friendly, helpful and damnit.. just plain fun. I had a blast wearing the 'bunny suit' and representing Playboy in SL.. for about 2 weeks.

You know that whole 'grass is always greener' thing? Well, same thing goes for bunnies. The grass in the Playboy meadow was so f'ing delightful that I *had* to have it. Once I was there, hoppin' around the fields with the other bunnies for a while.. suddenly the grass on the OTHER side of the fence started looking pretty damned tasty. Seems the Playboy corporation really didn't take care of their grass as much as you might think and it started making the bunnies sick. The bunnies tried to tell the farmer how to make the grass better and how to attract more bunnies, but the farmer told the bunnies to shut up and eat the grass they were given.. but only half as much as they were given to start with. Ok enough of this.. it's making my head hurt.

I was hired by Playboy, as was my good friend. We were *psyched*, baby. PSYCHED. This was f'ing fab, working for Playboy. But, turns out.. that not many people came to the Playboy sim, and when they did, they weren't greeted with the 'mansion' like you'd hope for.. they were greeted with a huge-ass store selling overpriced merchandise. The grotto was there.. but not very well done and not the sexy grotto people are used to. So, over time.. it was more and more boring, and we felt more and more used and 'not listened to'.

I'm not one for keeping my mouth shut about things when I'm right so I emailed the guy that brought Playboy into SL and told him *exactly* what he needed to do to make Playboy ROCK in SL. He didn't listen. He's a guy, he's the head of a company, I'm just a stupid insignificant girl working as a bunny... what do I know. Well. I've been in SL for years and I know what works and what doesn't work.

Playboy needed/needs to bomb that build and start over. Build the mansion. With gates. You arrive at the gates and are greeted by a bunny who then escorts you to the mansion itself. With night lighting and a pool with underwater lighting. The grotto is there too.. in all its glory. There are bunnies, with trays of drinks doing the 'bunny dip' and actually conversing with you like they have half a brain in their heads. There's fantastic live music, and an exclusivity and sense of style you can't get anywhere else in SL. The mansion includes many rooms for socializing and perhaps even some for merchandise - but this merchandise is priced competitively and is well crafted. This would work and this would make Playboy something special.

I'm no longer a bunny and frankly, I don't miss it.

Arse Electronica and Fuckzilla - yum.

Arse Electronica - a conference about porn and tech was held recently in San Francisco. I wish I could have gone, but instead I'm going to live vicariously through other people's experiences, blogs, and photos.

Two of the coolest things I've read about from Arse Electronica were 'Moaning Lisa' and 'Fuckzilla'. Moaning Lisa was a mannequin wired so that if you touched her in certain erogenous zones she would moan in response. Cool shit that could perhaps be used as a training tool for men who just don't 'get it', but my guess is that most men visiting Arse Electronica probably 'get it'.

"Fuckzilla" was a robot fucking machine. They asked for volunteers to be fucked by a robot and one lucky girl was placed on a table behind a sheet and had the experience of a lifetime ending in a tremendous orgasm and an ejaculation seen from behind and above the sheet thanks to Fuckzilla.

Sounds like a great conference to me.

Hot new tattoo shop in Stone Hill

Ms. Dorothy Rochefort (a close friend) has just opened an amazingly hot new tattoo shop in the sim of Stone Hill. The shop was designed and built by Micala Lumiere, and Dorothy will be offering custom tattoo work. She does also have a limited selection for purchase, specifically one designed for the sim of "Mill Pond" available for purchase only at "DOT Ink".

Stop by if you get a chance.. it's a hot shop and she's a great artist.

-xopixox

Pixel's Pussy

Calling All Sexy People... I need your help!

I'm putting together a community art project about sex in online communities and part of the project is getting input from people that are actually *having* sex in online communities.. so here's what I need from you, sweeties..

One audio file (mp3) of your voice. I'd prefer to have the audio file be of an orgasm that you've recorded yourself having, but any heavy breathing, sexy noises, or just spoken 'sexy' words will all be used in this project.

The project will be a video of sex in SL, along with captured 'text' conversations (names deleted and/or changed) with the anonymous audio files as the soundtrack for the video project.

This only works if people participate, so help me out here people... email your mp3s to pixelbailey@gmail.com.

-xopixox

Sweet, Sweet Jesus

I think I'm a pretty sexual girl and not afraid of trying new things or being 'disgusted' or 'grossed out' by some things that people might think are 'weird' or 'different'. I'm all about the masturbation and I embrace my sexuality like it was my lifeline to this world. I love erotic art and erotic fiction and I think the sex in Second Life is fantabulous.

All in all, I enjoy sex, I enjoy doing different things and learning about different things. I think that even if a certain aspect of sex isn't your 'thing' there's no reason not to at least respect that some other people have an interest in it and maybe try to understand.

I've read a lot of erotic fiction, and I have watched a *lot* of porn. I love it and sometimes I can't get enough. In my porn watching, I have always been completely fascinated with women that were able to ejaculate, because it was never something I had experienced. I loved watching them, and seeing that release and the look in their faces. I loved the physicality of that gushing liquid and seeing those juices pooled up around them. I wanted that.. if only once, just to experience what that must be like.

I spent years reading about it, watching videos, studying the technique, learning how to accomplish this amazing feat. As the months passed, I became more and more frustrated that my g-spot was not cooperating with me and although I could get wetter than the amazon, I was never able to squirt my own come across the room. I tried and I tried. I did exactly what those books, articles, and advice columns said to do - but no go.

Until today. Today, during a routine and typical masturbatory session, as I neared the point of orgasm, my beautiful, cooperative g-spot loved me like it has never loved me before, and for the first time, Ms. Pixel Bailey gushed her gorgeous juices all over the place. I was so shocked that this had finally happened for me that I laid there on the floor, laughing and laughing, so amazingly proud of myself that I could hardly stand it. After basking in the glow for a few minutes, I collected myself, cleaned up and sighed a very happy sigh.

After about 20 minutes, I started thinking that perhaps this new talent was a one-time deal. A fluke. Never to happen again. I started to worry. I decided that I should probably give it another 'go' just to see - to make sure.

It wasn't a fluke, and Pixel Bailey is a new woman.

-xopixox

Sexstination #14 - House of V

Upon recommendation, I went and visited the House of V today. The jury's still out for me - I can't decide how I feel about this place.

It's really large.. a whole sim, and it's interesting, and different. There are different 'areas' and I like that. There's a large shopping area, a big castle-looking club where I saw people dancing and engaging in BDSM activities. There are also other smaller 'outbuildings' with many rooms and private sex spots which is nice. Another interesting thing is the giant maze they've built with the optional 'prey' and 'predator' armbands you can wear.

All that said, I'm still feeling a little 'eh' about it. Maybe it's that everything didn't all seem to flow into a cohesive 'theme' for me. We had the shopping area, the maze, the castle looking thing, a big 'gothic house' and then these smaller outbuildings. There were also some other larger looking buildings off to the size that looked like some cross between "I Dream of Jeannie" and some science-fiction town.

I think the idea is great, but it seemed a little surreal for me to watch women on their knees in a BDSM pose right beside some couple doing the 'hot salsa'. I'd like to see it more all in theme.

All in all, decent job.. and my new rating system... we'll give House of V:
XXx (2 and a 1/2)

-xopixox

my newest girl crush

I've fallen in love, my lovelies. Her name is Ashley Blue and she's DIRTY, DIRTY, DIRTY. I love that. She's not scared of posting naked photos of herself, she's not scared of talking about her personal life, and damnit she's not scared of chugging mouthfuls of Dave's piss.

Frankly I'm tired of the notion that being sexual is bad, or that if you're a sexual person and not afraid to admit it that you're a 'whore' or somehow not as good as everyone else. I'm tired of people looking down on people that are sexy, sexual and just want to do something that feels amazingly freaking good.

Meet my new girlfriend, Ashley.

-xopixox

Who needs a 'nerd auction' when you have SL?

From CNN today, students in a computer club at Washington State University are planning to auction off their computer skills for 'makeover' help and hopefully a date with a lovely sorority girl.

Listen up nerds... do not ever, EVER change yourself or have a 'makeover' in the hopes that you MIGHT get to date a sorority girl. What are you thinking? *smack upside the head*

Instead my lovely geeky friends, get yourself an account in Second Life, jazz up that avatar and make him *HOT*.. then start marketing your amazing computer skills (girls love guys with skills, even if they aren't bow-hunting skills) and then just watch the girls come your way.

You do not need to change, you do not need a makeover, and you do NOT need a date with a sorority girl to make you feel better about yourselves. Nerdy is beautiful, embrace it.

King (or is that Queen) of the World

Seems the "King of the World" game in China has banned all accounts of men playing as female characters and now requires players to "validate" their gender via webcam in order to play a female, according to an article posted at boingboing.

God, where do I begin.

I'd guess they'd need to see more than just your face to do this. Would breasts be enough? Would they need to be clothed or naked? Would they require 'genital' validation via webcam, and if so.. how are they proving that you are still who you say you are? Flash your photo ID and then drop your pants all in the same frame? No idea. This is wack.

And.. AND.. why only females? Is it ok for women to portray a man in the game? Does he/she need to provide proof that he really is a male?

I think the gamers just want to see how easily they can get the girls to get naked.

I propose that all the women playing the game simply choose to be a male character and then engage in sexual behavior with all the other men in-game. Maybe you can bond together and wear something in-game to identify you as a female without the knowledge of the game creators. FIND A WORK-AROUND PEOPLE. Don't let those idiots FORCE you into proving you're a female! Tell them to kiss your ass and then turn the tables.

Suck my virtual dick, assholes.

-xopixox

Do *you* think it's real?

I've had some people ask me recently if I think that sex in Second Life (or anywhere else that's considered an 'online' environment - chatrooms, etc) is "real". My emphatic answer was immediately 'yes', but now I'm wondering how other people feel.

My 'online' days started years and years and years ago on IRC (DALnet, woo!) in one little chatroom and let me assure you, there was a lot of sex going on there as well. Second Life is not the first time people have had sex online, despite what some articles may have you think (oooo, people are being unfaithful online! It's the devil himself at work!). Second Life brings a 'visual' to it, that's for sure, but the underlying effect is still the same.

I am personally not the kind of person that can separate their online and offline lives. One is part of the other for me, and I also truly believe that my online identity helped shape the person I've become and also gave me the strength to make some amazingly powerful changes in my life. I've met dozens and dozes of 'online' friends in offline meetings, parties, and get-togethers and every single time I've been amazed at how perfectly at ease I've felt with the person when meeting them for the first time in the 'physical' world. You get to know someone online in very different ways than if you met that person offline. It's as though online environments are some sort of microscope into a person's psyche and it's truly amazing (and in my mind, incredibly fantastic) that you can know so much about a person just from watching the mannerisms of their avatar, their punctuation, or their grammar.

I've met people recently that think it's just 'incredibly interesting' that I meet people offline that I met initially online when to me.. this is just part of who I am and what I've done for years. For the life of me I can't grasp why it's so fascinating or 'weird' to people. With all the ways to meet people online these days- IRC, Second Life, message boards, forums, chatrooms, and God knows how many websites are now dedicated to hooking people up - why is it still so 'weird' to some people?

What about you? Are you the kind of person that can separate your online and offline lives? Have you met people in person that you met online first? Have you felt that incredibly strong connection with someone you've just recently met online? Have you taken online sex into the 'real world'? Or are you one of those people that just think it's 'weird'?

-xopixox

Turned on by a fortune cookie....

Had some lovely Chinese food for lunch today and when the meal was over and our fortunes delivered, one of the fortunes at our table was as follows:

"Coming afternoon there will be an important meeting in the south."

That's a erotic fortune right there. Not only is that some sort of mysterious way of saying 'someone's getting sex later today' but.. the delivery mechanism itself (the cookie) is an incredibly 'labial' creation as well.

I need to have Chinese food for lunch more often.

-xopixox

let's hear some sexy pirate talk today, people!

Today's "Talk like a Pirate Day" so when you're out there having sex, roleplaying, or just having fun, bring some 'pirate' into it and let's walk some planks!

-xopixox

Product Review - Guest Post!

One of my loyal readers emailed me with some incredibly detailed and in my mind, pretty freaking impressive, product reviews of sex beds/rugs/etc in Second Life. With her permission, I'm posting her reviews here, in their entirety.

Product review by Tatiana Lytton:

Chantal's - the ones everyone gets in their rental apartments. Feh. Uninspired. By current standards of animation, very lacking. Even the newer models, at about 4500L, with the horrible porny built-in sounds are feh, with unimpressive animations. No experience with customer service.

Devpose. Much better. Limited numbers of animations, and position adjustment stinks, but miles ahead of Chantal. Customer service is spotty, but helpful, when you can get hold of them. Their distinct bias towards BDSM can be off-putting, but the vanilla version at 1900L is lovely as a first sl bed.

Neva Naughty - pretty good! The attachable sexx drive is rather a bomb, and not worth the huge price, but the snuggles are good, and the love poses are nice, if not the most engaging. They replaced a lost, and rather expensive item very readily when it vanished during the "don't rez things" bug period. I bought a hammock with most of their nicest stuff built in recently for 900L. Recommended.

Strokerz Sexgen - why do these cost so damn much? 12000L? Yeah, the do a lot, but the animations seem dated. Between Chantal and Devpose. The menus are very awkward.

Pondlife. Wonderful stuff. Best cuddles and kisses in the biz. The Deluxe Friends and Lover's blanket costs a bomb, about 3500L, but is totally worth it. Wonderful. Adjusting positions on the blankets is a snap, but on the very impressive new Boden bed (7000L!!) seems nearly impossible without real determination. Still wonderful. Very nice Asian versions of their furniture as well. Eladon Galsworthy sets the standard for best customer service - he's replaced items twice now that were lost during service glitches. Friendly, always ready to help with product advice.

Lover's Playground - the current state of the art. Outstanding. Astonishing when first encountered, some of the animations are amazing. The packaging is great, too - the big circular (Gorean?) curtained beds create a lovely atmosphere of decadent luxury, and the rug choices are great. Did they have to kill all those polar bears? There's a sex kitchen, a Love Bug VW - quite creative. Top of the line is 6000L, and for a visual type of sl love person, probably completely justified. Comes equipped with a cute and useful box of toys. Customer service is good, Lionna Dumouriez responds promptly and helpfully.

I'm a fan of at least some of the Xcite toys. I think they add a lot to the visual experience - I usually turn off the silly dialogue though. A pretty, appropriately tinted, adjustable-tilt penis is so much more fun than some crude schlong device that comes out one's back in the throes of virtual passion. Combined with a really nice bed from Lover's Playground - the experience can be wonderful.
:: end review::

Feel free to post your comments here and give us YOUR perspective on the best/worst sex beds in SL, or feel free to IM in-world too!

-xopixox

Where are the virtual abortion clinics?

Search for 'pregnancy' in Second Life and you're presented with dozens of options. Looking for a pregnancy shape? Some baby furniture to outfit your darling one's nursery? Some maternity clothes to keep you looking your best while you're waiting for your bundle of joy to arrive? Well, you can find it and you can find a lot of it.

But, search for abortion.. and you get nothing. There are four people (at last search) with 'abortion' as part of their avatar name, but that's it. Nothing else.

Now, you and I both know that not everyone that 'decides' to get pregnant in Second Life actually goes through with all of it and has that baby and then takes care of it. Seems to me there's a lot of dumpster dumping of babies in Second Life that no one's talking about. Babies can suffocate if they're left in your inventory, you know.

So with all of these pregnancies that didn't manage to end in a 'birth' at one of the many birthing clinics in Second Life it just seems to me that maybe we need to create an abortion clinic where people can go and just 'officially' end the pregnancy .. in the open.. with no regrets .. instead of just tucking that belly or prim baby into your inventory under layers and layers of 'objects' and random clothing articles that you never had time to organize.

Second Life is literally, technically and truly all 'pro-choice'. Everything you do in this world is something you've chosen to do. No one can force you to chat, to listen, or to have sex. No one can 'accidentally' get pregnant or raped without their consent.. so, it only seems reasonable that we give people a pro-choice way to end these virtual pregnancies.

Maybe we need an abortion clinic.

-xopixox

This is what customer service *should* be...

Pay attention Lindens, because you could use some customer service skills.

After my most recent blog post regarding the rude people I encountered at Sensual Stoneworks, I've had several lovely messages offering to give me a tour of the area, apologizing for the rudeness I encountered and really making a concerted effort to discuss my experience.

As a follow-up, I do want to say that the people I encountered there yesterday were not affiliated (as far as I can tell) with Sensual Stoneworks but were just randomly there, spending time and harassing those of us that had our goal set on getting that sweet baby unicorn. I'm very much looking forward to going back to Sensual Stoneworks for the tour and a discussion with the owners, and I'll be sure to blog about my experience.

That's what customer service is all about.

-xopixox

Send baby gifts, I'm the proud parent of a baby unicorn!

Ok so after being told about this article on boingboing, I had to have one.

According to the boingboing article, there was a unicorn at Sensual Stoneworks in Second Life that would give you a baby unicorn, but that catch was that you had to have sex with it to get it.

Sensual Stoneworks is, from what I could tell, quite a bestiality haven (who knew!). I saw some plants, some spiders, and of course unicorns all just waiting to have sex with anyone that wanted to use them.

I will say right up front that the whole 'sex with animals' thing just isn't something that creeps me out, so I was totally up for getting a baby unicorn (it's so freaking cute!). I will also say that the vast majority of people I have ever had occasion to deal with in Second Life are the most open-minded, really kind people you'll ever meet. Today was the exception to that rule.

When I got to Sensual Stoneworks and said hi to everyone. I then asked where this magical unicorn was. The people were mean, rude, and generally obnoxious, truly. I was shocked. I've never met people like that in Second Life and let's face it darlings.. if you're spending your time fucking mutant venus flytrap plants in a stone pit we really needn't be throwing stones, hmm?

Anyway - after telling my lovely friends that they were all assholes, I managed to do a lot of clicking, get the poseball I needed to show up (it's 'checkmate', btw) I got my baby unicorn. You do have to be patient and let the unicorn use you for a couple minutes, but you'll be rewarded in the end.





-xopixox

real dolls vs. avatars

Recently one of my fav bloggers, Violet Blue, blogged about 'real dolls' and I've been hearing a lot about these lovely ladies recently in other arenas. If you're not familiar with real dolls, they're amazingly lifelike silicone sex dolls. Violet blogged that MGM is making a movie about relationships with sex dolls, but what I found most interesting was another post I'd read about an artist using sex dolls in her work.

Because I'm also an artist dealing with sexuality and sexual relationships, I found what Amber Hank Swanson is doing of particular interest. Quoting from an article in the Chicago Reader, "...Swanson began talking to more women and by 2005 she herself was in front of the camera. “Feminism?” consists of ten shorts in which she quotes from interview transcripts while participating in her own objectification. One short, Not a Feminist Way of Thinking: Daddy’s Little Girl, re­creates a scene from Lolita; in it Swanson’s real-life father paints her toenails. Two others, That’s Deep and That’s Deep Again, show Swanson being penetrated from behind—in one video by a man, in the other by a woman—while repeating “That’s deep,” one woman’s answer to her final question. “I was interested in the cultural phenomenon of young women rejecting feminism,” Swanson says. “In some ways I took on the character of a young woman doing so—either rejecting feminism or being naive about it.” ". Swanson's latest project, "... has put Amber Doll to use in a project exploring the interplay between fantasy and reality in sexual relationships. The finished work, which is still untitled, will contrast stills of intimate “partnership” scenes with video reenactments of rape scenes from movies such as Irreversible and The Accused. Unlike “Feminism?” which spoofed sexualized depictions of women in popular culture, Swanson’s latest videos are meant to mimic them as closely as possible—with one main departure. In the rape scene reenactments, both Swanson and Amber Doll will be dressed as the victim in the film. She gets most of her costumes from Forever 21 and H&M, including dresses similar to the one worn by Monica Bellucci in Irreversible. “These places had the majority of the ‘asking for it’ outfits I was looking for,” she explains."

So then I started wondering just how much our avatars in Second Life really function as a 'real doll'. Whether you're into the BDSM scene, or allowing someone to humiliate you, or rape you, or 'use' you in a roleplaying scenario.. how much of that is actually *you* allowing it, or are you in essence doing exactly what Amber has done in her work? Are you using your avatar, as a second 'you' in a sense and allowing him or her to experience those things while giving yourself some 'distance' from the scene, or do you feel a connection to your avatar that negates that distance? Are you able to have these sexual experiences that involve humiliation and torture without logging off with some residual esteem issues?

I think we're all participating and observing in online sex for our own reasons and I think those reasons vary greatly from person to person, but it really is interesting to take a step back once in a while and think about why we do, act, or roleplay certain scenarios and what that means to our 'physical' selves.

poem on the wall

today's poem, taken from my 'artists' version of magnetic poetry - on my magnet board in front of my desk:

who said that when you scream
I'd have to suffer for the song

your instrument is a canvas
on which metaphors are composed

my absurd white masterpiece breaks with raw passion
as she balances more paint on her glorious nude silhouette

i see every smeared stroke and my angel, drunk like water
was deep in psychedelic death

performing her original drug, experimenting with my joy
as I drift away

-xopixox

Today's Random Conversation

[6:03] Random girl on a sawhorse: Pixel hepl me
[6:03] Pixel Bailey: Sweetie. Please.
[6:03] Random dude raping girl on a sawhorse: come on , slut ,lick my huge cock
[6:04] Pixel Bailey: Honey, click on 'stand up'.
[6:04] Random dude raping girl on a sawhorse: clean my dirty cock from your ass
[6:04] Random girl on a sawhorse: u really know how to spoil some fun
[6:04] Pixel Bailey: That's me - the fun spoiler.

Get me excited about 'XCite'

Ok friends, here's your chance to give me some input and advice.

When it comes to sex in online environments, I've always been a bit of a purist. I think in some ways it's also been my way of 'weeding out' the people I'd never want to be involved with. If you can't spell, you're not my kind of partner. Sorry. I know it sounds a bit snooty, but I'm a stickler for spelling and grammar so there you have it.

Anyway. I know that about a blazillion people in SL use the "XCite" products. Scripted clits, cocks, nipples, etc. that allow you to interact with other people without actually having to SPELL anything yourself.

I like to think of myself as a very open-minded girl, but I don't get it. I went to the XCite store the other day to look around and see what I'm missing, but I left the store thinking that I needed some additional advice and input from my readers. I don't understand why I need my clit to speak for me. Am I too busy touching myself to type? Am I not a great speller and this is just easier? Is it because it brings another level of intimacy because they're controlled by your partner? Help me understand - I honestly need to understand why this is so popular in Second Life - what am I missing?

-xopixox