First TG to MG transfer

Armath!! great to see you here!

being the first to cross over from the "New Mutants" is quite an origin, eh? it seems like something to come right from those pages of yeasteryear.. from unsure birth, to a foundation of friends, to re-birth and the hardships you're now experiencing.

(quick side note: long posts aren't "windy", they're the norm around here.. lol)

Armath, i can only imagine what this must be like for you.. and no, it doesn't sound like you've been whining. it's simply.. well, it's damn frustrating for you. but on the other hand, we're lucky that it is you. you have the wherewithal to withstand this transfer. it's going to be hard for awhile, but the pain will ease.

you will make new friends (heck, you already have a couple), you will naturally become a part of a social circle of some sort and eventually.. that circle will grow with old familiar faces. not only will the rebirth of some others make your MG existance easier to bear, but it will be easier for them to cross-over as well.

each generation will be easier and easier for the other TGers (Seltaggians?), as they will have more and more familiar faces to greet them as they become MGers (Selmaggians?). you, being the first, have an unknown wilderness in front of you.. a place that is currently cold and lonely.

i'm sure you'll find things to grab your attention, avenues for your creativity. yes, many things have already been done on the MG, but many things have not. it's this very difficulty that leads to the creativity and wonders of our future.

i'll be looking you up in-world within the day.

oh yeah.. and welcome to the forums as well! you've done a good job of jumping right in and articulately done, as well. (i'm just as bad with them.. i've spent more time here than in-world on a daily basis for months now)

i'm proud to have met you already (SecondSpace.. oh yeah, i have to invite you to the group here) and look forward to helping you in any way i can.

Welcome Armath, you also hold the title Youngest Official SLer (for now).

I don't think so at all actually. I think that you are far more advanced than a very large portion of the MG SL residents 'kiddo'. I'm very sorry to hear about the trouble this has been for you, and I had been afraid for it to happen. You've got so much promise here on the Main Grid, and I promise you that there really are some really amazing things to discover. I would love to show you around sometime myself if you like, at the many jewels I have fond. Also, I'm willing to bet there are numerous others wishing to do the very same. I'm a mentor and one of the greatest struggles is assuring new members that SL takes time to get used to. Most are not truely happy for two weeks to even a month or more. But, eventually we all find something that catches our fasination and then we grow off that to find so much more.

Most importantly - If you don't like what you see, Change it!

LL has given us as much complete control as they can legally allow. It is up to us as the individual to rise above those who cannot. =)

Welcome to the MG Armath

Of course you are missing the friends who you have had to leave behind but they will eventually be following you here and in the meantime you will have a whole new bunch of friends here too.

It must be a culture shock but from what I read on your blog, I think you will settle in just fine. There are masses of new things for you to see and hopefully in time you will find your place in the world.

If you ever need anything, please IM me.

Alexa

Welcome aboard Armath. Give us hell!

Oh as for the rumors going around about me, I am fully aware of them. In fact *I* started them.

Well first off...Welcome to the Main Grid. I can only imagine how much of a culture shock it has been to switch over. Especially having to leave your friends and what not. There are a lot of Mature things that you mentioned around the MG, There are also a lot of nice people who aren't into av sex, gambling, and clubs. I prefer hanging with friends, building, fixing up my land, and of course shopping...woot heh.

It's all in what kind of people you want to hang out with...what your interests are. Don't let the things you mentioned turn you away from SL. You will miss out on meeting some nice people. You control what kind of people and places you like. No one here will force anything on you that I am aware of. There are PG areas where you won't see Mature things. Once you get over the initial shock of the change from the TG...you will find a nice niche and have fun. I am not into the sexual aspects of SL at all...it's not something I have ever been interested in. I have friends that are but I don't judge anyone...to each his/her own ya know? I prefer to be the innocent one of my friends hehe. The strong Mature aspects that are in SL are why it is restricted to 18 and over so I guess I just expected to see the things I saw when I first came to SL. I can have fun without the 'Mature' part.

Just give it a chance and I am sure your views will change...

The gambling, violence and pornography is only the obvious aspect of Second Life cuz it seems to have a louder voice..*shrugs*
I can offer you a free apartment on a bluff overlooking an ocean until you get your feet planted. It is in a PG zone so there is no pornography on my land.
In fact....the apartment was occupied by a teen who left to go to the teen grid when it went up. Shhhhh....he told me his age just before they opened. He was lamenting the fact that he would be leaving all his friends from here. Ironic isn't it?
As for your hot stuff...and all of it being created already here? There is tons of more room for creativity than you can imagine...remember...YOUR world!! your IMAGINATION.
If you would like some tips on building or would like to take me up on the offer of the apartment...just IM me inworld.

Weclome the Main Grid, Armath, and happy birthday!

I've read through this thread and your blog site, and it's clear you are a very thoughtful, intelligent, articulate person. I'm glad someone like you was the first to migrate from the teen grid. None of us knew what to expect when the teen grid was announced, and if you're at all representative of what's to come, I can't wait for more TG'ers to turn 18. People like you are a real asset to SL.

That having been said, I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble adjusting. I know what it's like to be ripped away from your community. When I was about your age, my father changed jobs, and I ended up having to spend my senior year of high school in a brand new city in a brand new state. Needless to say, all I wanted to do at first was to go back, but it did get better for me, as I'm sure you realize it will for you here. Of course, way back then in the stone age, we didn't have this newfangled internet thing, let alone anything as cool as SL, but I think the principle is the same. It's hard to leave behind what you know, and enter a new life, even a new second life.

I noticed a picture of Indigo in your blog. I'm sure you're doing a lot of exploring, and our sim is just one of hundreds you've visitied, but on behalf of Indigo Crew, I'd like to extend you an invitation to come on back any time. I'd love to meet you, and I'm sure the rest of our little family would as well. Just so you know, Indigo is a privately owned sim, and everyone who lives there are people you seem like you'd enjoy talking to. Come on up and see us.

Hello, Armath.

As difficult as it is, there are others out there that are more than willing to be supportive. I'm up for chitchat at any time I'm on. I seem to get drawn into lots of being a shoulder to lean on, so I'm used to it and don't mind it at all if people need someone to rant to.

Hard to miss me, I'm pretty much always wearing feathers of some variety.

PS: Don't let the 'hot chick' comment be confusing, I'm a male phoenix. But some jokingly call me a 'hot chick'

Welcome, armath!

I know that it might seem that all the main grid is covered in sin and aravice, but its mostly the fact that the people in those businesses have more money to advertise.

There are alot of cool communities out there, and many people interested in more than sex and gambling. You'll learn to ignore the ads and neon soon enough.

and I can attest to psyra's hottness

ARGH!!!! I had a post typed out and due to a browser error, I lost the thing >_<

I will short-hand it:

Don't get me wrong, sin and vice have their place.
I can deal with (and occasionaly enjoy) slots, sex, and six-shooters

Populating Mature areas isn't the problem. It's the fact that the PG areas were desolate and I had to fly through 15 Mature slum-like regions to find one.

"It's a damned shame there so much here and not a damned person around to appritiate it."

In my 16 hours in-world yesterday, I saw about 8 people. One was a Linden, one was a greeter, and 3 were from this thread. The rest were all facelss avatars standing in front of a video poker machine, or marveling at a 1000L nude avi preset.

"The pupulation/land ration is disgustingly skewed."

I did enjoy Indigo's style. I forgot to metion that in the blog. It seemed purposly desolate, with fire and ruins.

I had more to say, but I forgot it. It was a rough night; up late trying to make sense of the Main Grid.

Welcome Armath,

Welcome to the MG .Dont know if you know Y2 Jarrico, on the teen grid, that is my son but he is fairly new there.

I want to point out to you that Mature does not really mean porn in SL. There are alot of Mature areas that are not all about sex. I hope you find comfort here on the MG. I agree with you that LL needs to think of a better way to phase people into the MG. Put you in a state of limbo for a while or something. Maybe consider allowing people to access both grids for a 6 to a year or something.

Hi Armath.

I think a part of what your experiencing is just due to the vast size of the main Second Life grid - I say this not to be condescending, but because your words echo some of my own thoughts I've had, and that's the reason I have found for my own feelings. There is plenty of wonder, warmth, and fun in the main grid, but the main grid is so huge that it's often difficult to know where to begin.

I'd take you on a whirlwind tour or something, but unfortunatly my desktop blew a hard drive and my laptop is barely up to logging in.

Armath --

Just keep talking to us, and you'll be fine. Don't worry about longer posts either, it's no bad thing to be intelligent, thoughtful, and talkative. I didn't take what you said to be whiny at all -- if anything, it's very important feedback that LL needs to get!

Do you think it would have helped if you had met up with a guide you'd already been introduced to when you first hit the Main Grid? Somebody you'd perhaps met in an isolated sim, maybe a corner of Orientation Island, and gone over some stuff in advance. Then they could hang with you for an hour or two and show you around some places they thought you might like on the MG? Or, of course, you could choose not to be guided, but at least you'd have that sense of transition from the Q&A session, and someone to call up if you had questions later.

Just a thought. I'm sure we'd have a bunch of volunteers for such intros.

I too read your blog...echoing other's statements, I found its intelligent, witty, and I for one am glad you're mature enough to make the change. Hell, you're far mature (from what I've seen) then most of the MG as it is. I myself am usually a recluse, scripting and building in private, coming out for fresh air daily (the partner makes me O_O).

Don't be so harsh on the MG, and though it is polluted by those who would steal your money, blast you across 9 sims, and lure you to a club for traffic, there are some beautiful things within. I know the sexual undertone of, well, just about everything must be stark in comparison to the TG, but don't judge it too quickly. Besides this, there are alot of beautiful places to visit though a great deal of them are situated on Private Islands. I have to agree though, alot of land is quite the waste

Losing friends is hard...I've had to do it as they moved away, or I did, having to create new bonds, new friendships. However being the first to cross over, you'll be able to prepare them, to guide them through these new experiences, and they'll see a friendly face they had known before. If you ever want to talk, just drop me an IM, I'm usually inworld.

A proposal for Armath and those who will follow him.

Create a sim that is a waystation between Teen Grid and Mature Grid. This sim can be visited by both Teens and Adults and would be like one big park owned wholly by the lindens with typical linden land rules.

I'm sure rules like no objects exchanged, etc, can be made, but this would give Armath a way to see all his friends from the Teen Grid without being ripped away. The way things are now is just cruel.

Please consider this.

The grid is what you make it I guess.. theres porn and gambling and thongo dwell sexi av contests and crapfactories.....

But theres a lot of other stuff there is you look.. theres enough space for just about everything...

I guess having watched a lot of it spring up I kinda tune a lot of it out.... Find your niche, your place, settle in and do whatever makes you happy....

If you want to see some of the things that SL has to offer, go to taber and the sims around it for nice comfortable builds, seacliffe too.. or if your mind is a lil on the stream of conscience like mine is - go to the trailer park in Chaos and just see what happens (it lives up to its namesake -- random things going on all the damn time)..

Have a look and see whats really there - not just what it seems on the surface..

Siggy.

Agree 100%. Sex and Vice are pervasive in the Metaverse just like the regular internet. But it's so much more than just that.

Think of it this way: on the Teen Grid, the Lindens seperated the wheat from the Chaff for you. Here, you have to do it yourself. And once you do - wow

And with that...

My fifteen minutes are over.

Thank you for your support.

The spectacle is no more.

Keep an eye out for my blog, and keep an eye out for me In-game.

---

I'm working on a team to help welcome/assimilate the next wave of transfers.
If you care, or think you'd be interested in donating time, resources, or funds, IM me.

Not at all! Makes me want to be on the teen grid

Main grid has been sprawling and losing a sense of community.

Armath it was great to have met you last night when you popped into the dance being held in my undersea garden in Darkwood. Thank you for bringing up your blog it was an interesting and thoughtful read. It indeed must be daunting to seem between two worlds. Give the mature grid some time, there are some amazingly beautiful places and some really great people to be discovered along your journies here.

And as you saw last night, even though sex and gambling can be prevalant in areas, there are sims and people who enjoy the creative aspects, beauty, community and social connection aspects of SL. I know these are the reasons I continue to play.

I look forward to future conversations. Take care in this brave new world my friend.

Rhia

FRESH MEAT... DID SOMEONE SAY FRESH MEAT???

Scuze me there... got a lil carried away... hehe

I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt--that your tone is one of jest, but I think that this statement is inappropriate here--especially here.Though you are well within your rights to make any statement you wish, I would ask that you reconsider this particular statement.

If you care to impugn another's actions or motives, you had best start with mine.

It was not totally unexpected that others might think that helping new people, in SL and in RL, stems from a self-serving vanity or a twisted sense of self-importance. You have just typed it out so eloquently and so plainly for all to read, thereby confirming my suspicions.

Thanks, Euterpe ^_^ xcelent defense.

Maybe you should chill out a little... Yes, it's true that Billy Grace is the ONLY person so far that had something useless to say... No kind words, no advice, no eperienced wisdom, nor even intelligence...

Again, I digress, I've posted useless things like Billy Grace has in my day, and I'm sure I will do it in the future...

But first of all Euterpe Roo, I will never be the FIRST to destroy a perfectly civil, helpfull, and generous thread; like BILLY GRACE has...

But second, and most importantly Euterpe Roo... I WILL NOT HAVE A PERSONAL FLAME WAR BREAK OUT ON MY THREAD, TOOTS!

hehe. ^.^ Kidding, of course. Don't worry you two.

Ok... I just needed a reason to post.

I've met some wonderful people on the MG so far, Euterpe included. Many people have welcomed me and shown me many great places. I've put some of the gaudier bits out of the picture, it's a shame that I just have to filter it out. Several SL radio DJs have said my name on the air... Great Publicity.

But in general, people have been so nice I'm not sure LL isn't paying them off @_@

Regardless, I've done some more buisness with the Lindens, And soon I'll be setting up a Welcome Center for the future Teen Transfers.

I havn't updated the blog in a week or so, besides a VERY accidental e-mailed post that contained some account information for a site I'm part of @_@ Yikes. If I get hacked I'll know why. Anyway, we can pretend that post never existed. And I'd probably be smater not to have mentioned it here... but, moving along.

I havn't posted because I need to "buy" myself a new copy of Photoshop. Just kidding. OR AM I!?!?!! O_o.

Anyway, check back in a few days. I'll have a new post up by Thursday, at the very latest. Expect one for Tuesday. I don't like deadlines, so just hang in there.

Night guys.