What surprises you most in-world?

Ahh, but there's no mystery when it comes to me. I'm always out in the open whether anyone agrees or disagrees. This is the difference between me and many here. Let's just say I don't believe in being "Politically correct" just for the sake of others. What I say is what I believe and I wouldn't have it any other way.

You just don't know me...yet.

I change way too often to be considered any kind of version of my RL self
the only thing my avatar and I have in common is we are both human (most of the time) and the RL person who controls both

Amen Kalderi, well said.

FaTeke

"So shines a good deed in a weary world."
Willy Wonka

Actually I treat people as they present themselves unless they're wanting to get intimate - but then I take a LONG time to get to that stage. It comes with lying in my book, I guess, when you tell someone something and it starts to lead to genuine feelings. Just my own thoughts.

Thing is, I wouldn't be getting intimate with someone who hadn't opened up at least a little about who they were (and without a 20 Questions session, just naturally opening up over time).

You're saying it's ok for guys to be fooled into thinking it's really a female behind the gorgeous av when in fact it's another male. Since the one doing the fooling has "the tools to use it," then it don't matter its another male like you, let's do it. What the hell, it's pleasure men are looking for, right? So it doesn't matter that they're being lied and deceived.

Then you wonder why some like to check first to see if it's really a female back there.

Then you wonder why prejudice exists.

In rl people have lost their lives trying to pull this off.

You're not letting them get that Cherry, right?

I would say that it's not only okay, but, it's best to take an avatar at the avatar's face value for everything that occurs inworld until the person behind that avatar volunteers anything beyond that experience. (=_=)

</character>
As some are aware, Immy has grown up a bit lately and is involved with a number of people in various levels. Including being infatuated with one and partnered with another.

In some cases, Immy is still Immy as she is on the surface.

In others we have used voice chat to communicate. And yet in others, we have traded Email addresses and RL pictures.

None the less, Immy is and will always be the me that's more "me" than me. I'm strongly attached to her as an identity and an extension of my self. And anyone unwilling to accept that would please me most by simply going on with their own life (Second or otherwise) without me in it.
<character>

(^_^)y

This is sorta similar to some stuff I've said before., about how one's avatar is "the person who want to display," and is therefore not always the being behind the computer. I mean, for Mitch Kapor an others, there is no difference. For me, I'm a lot younger inworld that in my first life, albeit my avatar is A pretty good representation of the first-life me of that age (did I mention I was always underfoot at the fireworks stand as a kid, and one of the best sellers of "Safe and Sane" 'works during the 4th of July times?). You actually get a lot more "me" inworld, say, a bit lower in the onion than the person you'll likely meet "out there."

...and maybe this is the most surprising thing about Second Life after all. Here we can see a true diversity of being. We aren't limited by age, or race, or shape, or gender, or ability. We can show what we want, what we desire, what we are, what we wish to be. We can show you ourselves at layers unseen in reality.

It is not deception to be a different _____ than what you are in reality -- and I'll leave the blank to fill in with whatewver words you wish -- but it may well be a greater honesty.

Out of the mouths of babes...

Beautifully said.

send them my way....

Really it varies from group to group, some clubs want *only* lesbians and even if you say your Bi you get sideways glances. others are open to all SL females no matter what thier RL Sex is. Many T-girls are very open about thier RL gender and as an aside many are *way* more female that I am. If someone gets "outed" these it creates a bit of a titter and maybe a red face or two, but other than that as long as they "act" female most people will happily welocme them.

For me I really don't care one way or the other, as a RL bisexual Female wether its a Male or Female on the other end I win.

Im cybering with thier personality, not thier body.

No, I'm saying I don't know why you care. I don't know why you invest so much energy in worrying about it. I have my suspicions, but that is another thread.

Yes, my gay friends have told me as much, but I am still sorry to hear it. It must be a double whammy when your own community indulges in it.

Why do you care? You're the one who came with both barrels blasting calling people, mainly guys homophobes because they didn't play along. You did it with such conviction I thought you were a guy yourself. Me, I'm responding to your "phobia" post.

You know what they say about suspicions, just like -------- everyone has one.

I'm not sure I agree that wanting to know the RL gender of a partner before you cyber is an indicaton of homophobia. I'm hetero, I have gay, bi, and TG friends and acquaintances, but I prefer to keep MY sex life strictly hetero, even in SL. I just don't get how that makes me homophobic. I'm just acting in accordance with how I'm wired, which is straight.

Now, if I discriminated, or teased, or otherwise treated gay, bi, and TG people differently than straight people, I would be a homophobe.

Just my $L2.

Second Life's ability to suspend my disbeleif and take things at face value in spite of what my higher brain tells me is another thing that surprises me.

A few days ago I (or rather my alt) was invited to go to the opening of a set of sims based on the Pern books of Anne McCaffrey. While there I came face to face with a full grown dragon. I have to say, this magnificent creature made me a little uncomfortable. The dragons in these stories are very nice creatures, but my own lizard brain still reacted to this presence as though it were a big predator that could eat me in two gulps. No matter how much my higher brain told me the person on the other end of the keyboard was just a geek like me, I gave it a wide berth and eventually left the area.

I think for this same reason I take all females, males, furries, fairies, anteaters, females posing as gay males, straight males posing as tiny badgers, or whatever, strictly at face value. I am totally immersed. It is none of my business what the person on the other end of the connection is in real life. I do not consider it a lie. This is a world of illusions. I want it to stay that way. Don't break the fourth wall with the intrusion of reality.

3 months on the grid and these things suprise me:

* Campers willing to spend countless hours sitting, standing, dancing or scrubbing for what would be $.0001 USD/hr
* Avatar shapes - Male with the big shoulders and little heads, females with the "Ant" bodies (Rediculously skinny waste)
* Emotional ups and downs
* Low prim level allotments
* Greediness of ppl
* Helpfulness of ppl
* How quickly ppl expect to "Hop in the sack"
* How easy it would be to get into an online relationship

I also don't care if the other person RL is gay, old, beautiful, ugly, sharp, dull or alien monster from mars.

Just don't tell me and I'll be fine.

And that is the one thing that suprises me most.

-Zerock

I care because some of my dearest friends are gay, and suffer bitterly from the homophobia rampant in SL. They are harassed constantly by fools and morons who are so blinded by prejudice they cannot see my friends as the wonderful people they are.

Call me any name you want, Ricardo. Make any excuse you want. Homophobia is wrong, and it should not be allowed.

It's that simple.

Actually, in a roundabout way, this is exactly why I want to know beforehand so I can make that decision. Shrugs. I just like to know. And I do realise I have a bias here cos when asked if it might be a WOMAN pretending to be a man earlier I have thought about it and I'd be quite happy with a woman exploring her sexuality that way (I'd still like to know). In fact I find that interesting ... not least of which that I am thinking "well that's statistically rare".

It's a different angle to approach from.

I also know more than a few "girls" who for sure are not girls and my approach to them is different too. Knowing they are exploring then I can respond differently and in JUST the right way to push buttons - not necessarily sexually.

Baseline for me is that the way I am is also the way I am and that is also just fine - consider, the "girl" who is a boy and knows someone cares for them but has the uneasy feeling that something doesn't hang right - that the person they are developing feelings for doesn't quite gel - and that you can end up feeling very stupid for ignoring the nagging voices and going with the flow only to end up with a slapped face.

@Ricardo - not give them what, hon?

I get called fat. In fact, I've had people come up and make a point of telling me how fat I am.

Prejudice and idiots are rife in all worlds, however sometimes we are more on the alert for things than other people deserve us to be. In the meanwhile, my av is staying dumpily pear shaped and if anyone doesn't like it they can go whistle.

There are a lot of things wrong in the world but it keeps on spinning.

As far as this, you just veered off-course. Where are you getting me calling you anything? As for excuses, trust me, I need none. As far as you being a champion for your friends cause, well, that's your prerogative.

'nuff said.

There are lots of men who play females as well as the other way around. There's nothing anyone can say or do because that's their right in doing so.

You don't go around asking a female if she's really female or not. That's not the right approach and it shouldn't be. Let every person be who they like. Doesn't mean you need to like it but it's up to them to be who they want.

Now, with that said, you also can't stand on a soapbox yelling out "homophobia" if someone doesn't agree with their schemes. Males trying to pass themselves off as females just to entice other unsuspecting males, actually, to fool them into having sex simply because the person in drag has the tools and it may be fun?

You can't have it both ways. If you don't want to burn then don't play with fire. In other words, if you don't want to be ridiculed then don't go around trying to [sex] play what you're not with unsuspecting people simply because you decide it's ok.

Like I said before, people have lost their lives doing this sort of things in rl.

Is that what they do? Where are all these people? I've never had a female, faux or otherwise, try to entice me or fool me into having sex (ahem -- in SL that is). Not anywhere. Not ever.

Of course, I'm currently a dog, but . . .

There's some sims where you probably shouldn't go then...

I bet you have Weston. I know for sure I've been approached - truth will out. Guys act like guys because they are guys. Whether women act like women is a moot point, I dunno - the bitchiest most jealous person I ever knew looked like a gay biker's dream bear complete with a full beard, and rampant homophobia which I put down to being in the closet.