Rejected by Adoption Agency

I came across this forum by accident while trying to gain some SL knowledge, and to my surprise saw that someone posted a thread related to my experience.

I tried to adopt a Bot child to role play being a mother in a Western sim (I have two kids in RL - grown now, but they were too much work and I wonder why am I doing this again in the virtual world - addicted maybe). The agency refused my adoption because I was told that I was trying to adopt the same bot child for which someone was rejected, and I am a member of the same group - you join this group when you buy a horse. The rejection was later recanted and they informed me that I would receive the Bot in two days after they changed the skin on all the bots to prevent people from doing bad things to them.

Wow! Are there so many deviants in SL?

No, but there sure is a chill setting in . . .

Ok they changed the skins to prevent people from doing bad things to them.....? What is the "bot" going to give the baddie, herpes?

Does this sound like nonsense to anyone else?

At one time I would have agreed with you. But my eyes are not so virgin anymore and it's hard to surprise me with what people will do in SL.

Oh by no means are my eyes virginal. I certainly understand the concerns are the same with the "bot" as it would be a child avie.

But, why even bother to sell the product if you are going to deny the purchase for reasons the OP stated.

I think perhaps the skin may have been too anatomically correct. Someone was caught getting pervy with the bots or LL got a complaint and now the creators are being ultra careful.

WAS someone caught? Or is this just excessive caution as a result of the SL Herald article?

(BTW, I actually do find these bots a bit creepy, and rather wish they weren't all named "Naughty" . . . which seems to me just a tiny bit suggestive.)

"Naughty"? Really? OK, you just turned the "Surreal" knob up to 11.

To the point where I suspect the person renting the bots is at least partly in it for the lulz.

I think what it is, the folks behind this have clearly put a fair amount of time, effort and money into developing their product and must live in a state of constant fear -- not wholly unjustified -- that Linden Labs may well pull the plug on them at any minute because of worries at LL -- whether justified or not -- about bad publicity over these bots' potential for age play. Then that's their investment gone for a ball of chalk and they're left with nothing but a load of irate customers wanting their money back.

I find these bots a bit creepy, too; anyone remember that dystopian sci-fi movie, ZPG? Now, if someone started making evil killer dolls like the ones in Barbarella, we might be in business http://tinyurl.com/l2ad8h

And here I thought the chickens were stupid...

Well, can't say that I've visited the place in question, but all the pics and text I've seen suggests that they are ALL named just that.

Oh god yes! My parents took me to see it at a revue theatre when I was something like 5 . . . and the dolls gave me the WORST nightmares.

If that was my kidzbot I'd make her wash that make-up off!

'prosti-bots'?

Yeah. I agree to some extent with Innula, and I am SURE that the vast majority of those interested in these have an entirely legitimate purpose for them . . . but I can't help thinking that these were (rather stupidly, as it now transpires) marketed with a rather different crowd SOMEWHAT in mind . . .

You know, you can just make your own alt account for the child, make them look however you want, and then log them in with your own text-only client. It's actually very easy to do. Then you don't have to pay anyone or contend with their bullshit.

Ya, that. Or heck, go find a real (that is, non-bot) kid to RP with in that sim.

...but then you have to worry about your child having to leave to go to their office job (in rl). Haha....

I wanted to buy this Bot to find out how well it works in a sort of experimental way, and they're definite advantages which meet my needs. For one, I don't have much time to stay on SL, and I'm on periodically for short stretches. Also, dealing with a real person would involve a lot more realistic role playing all the time, rather than just when I want. Also, I would have to be around the real child avatar and not go off on my own when I want. So in a way, a child bot gives me my cake and lets me eat it. Role playing the mother role when convenient and doing other things when I want.

Oh, you want to role-play being a *grandmother*.

Okay, here's the part of this whole thing I don't get. These bots cost a ton, and then you get soaked for a monthly(weekly?) maintenance bill?

I mean people, please, please for the love of Grace Hopper, running the OpenMetaverse bots is not that hard to do, really and truly, and they are FREE. And you can load one whenever you like. And boot them out whenever you like.

Sorry for slipping off the ewwwy topic, but this whole pay-for-a-bot thing has just gotten too crazy.

I was thinking that - why on earth is a kid wearing heavy eye makeup and called Naughty?

Yeah. Well . . .

As I understand the creator is replacing the skin with skin that has painted on underwear.


I think it was just the instore, or one of the bots that carried that name.

Someone mentioned make-up, I guess a poor choice in "kid-like" skin was made, so maybe that'll have changed after the bots get new skins. Surely that much paint can't be good for youngsters!

I can see how the bots could be fun for a while, like them "walks and talks"-dolls, but how is a bot gonna be able to find the hidden stash of cookies or draw on the walls? Not that I ever would, but.. >_>

No, I think I've seen at least two ads for bots that carried that name.

The point is, I guess, that some rather poor initial thinking has brought down something of a firestorm on this entrepeneur.