The results of the ‘Femdom in Second Life survey (oh goodie, a graph! You know how I love graphs!!) were surprising to me, with a pretty even spread:
I actually expected many more votes for ‘Not’ (shows what I know!). Thank you to all who participated and particularly for your comments.
For those of you who have never heard of this Second Life (SL) thing, it is a virtual world made up of themed areas and special interest groups where like minded people gather to chat, build relationships, make connections. It is used in the mainstream for education and many real life commercial interests have a presence there. Like a lot of these technologies, though, I’d wager it’s primarily used for sex.
This stuff is big business, SL has it’s own economy worth some $567 million US dollars coming from about 769,000 unique users per month. It has a currency (the Linden) and a currency exchange where you can buy them. People pay real money for imaginary things (ok, well you are paying for graphics, and scripts, and server space etc, but still!).
Every kind of subculture can be found there, doesn’t really matter what you are interested in. Want to race motorbikes? Go buy one (yes, really) and join the group who races them. Are you a furry? Don your human-animal furry avatar and go growl with your friends. Want to have a baby (oh yes, I’m going there), you can make your female avatar look appropriately pregnant and then you can buy a little baby avatar to love and cherish…!!! Want to be the opposite gender, different species, a child, a robot, a fuzzy toy? Huzzah!
I want to set a bit of context for the survey question. I heard about SL a few years ago when there was an article about a woman who became a millionaire by selling property in this virtual world. It blew my mind, so I did a bit of research to figure out what on earth it was. As a concept, it was fascinating to me, but I was not really interested in joining it (a quick try, a slow computer, and I was done).
However, I recently discovered that a man who I respect as a dominant, who is married to his slave, who has a wonderful relationship and who is madly in love with his wife, also has a slave in Second life… WTF??! Surely it’s primarily an option for people who don’t have any way to get D/s in Real Life (TM)? The married, the shy, the isolated, the socially inept, the fantasists etc etc…? Why would you go there if you had it in real life?
So, with my curiosity piqued, time on my hands and my lovely shiny new laptop (which I have dubbed ‘Simon’), I logged on about two weeks ago, created a virtual version of me (she is better looking, but not as funny or smart) and went exploring the femdommery to be found in SL.
Let me introduce you to virtual Ferns first (and yes, her name is Ferns, and yes I really do look exactly like this in Real Life (TM), truly!).
ETA (26 Jan 2013): I came back to this post to replace the single avatar picture with ones showing the evolution of my avatar from the day I started in SL to the day I stopped (about 12 months). Fun!
And this is how Ferns sometimes dresses for day and evening activities (I know, darling, isn’t she fabulous?):
And this is the house Ferns shares with the lovely Australian submissive boy who has adopted her as his housemate (wow, right?!):
So what I was interested in was the femdom communities (duh!), understanding what they were about, how they worked, what the people were like, what they got out of it etc… what I wanted, really, was to ‘get it’, so I put on my best virtual duds and off I went…
Here endeth the intro.
… to be cont… (oh, come on…isn’t this post long enough already?! It has a graph! And pictures!!)…
13 comments
There is another virtual community called Red Light Center (RLC). It is similar to SL (i think)but devoted to sex and sexual activity. There is a lively BSDM scene and it is a place for many vanillas and would be D/s people to virtually experience BSDM and other sexual activities. The virtual BSDM and sex is a bit silly for me but meeting and getting to “know” people from around the world in a no holds barred sexual forum is interesting for me.
robert
robert: “There is another virtual community called Red Light Center (RLC). It is similar to SL (i think)but devoted to sex and sexual activity.”
I have never heard of it! *trots off to look it up*
“The virtual BSDM and sex is a bit silly for me…”
I'll have more on this in my next post.
Ferns
I'm still unsure of what you were asking in your poll but this post made me laugh none the less. =)
You need more funny posts and less heart breakingly sad ones.
Brids: “…this post made me laugh none the less… You need more funny posts and less heart breakingly sad ones.”
I'm working on it, Brids!
Ferns
robert: I looked up some information on Red Light Center, and yes it does look like very much the same kind of technology targetted at a much more specific audience. Interesting.
Ferns
I just have never been able to get into that sorta thing. Way too much of a real life girl anyway.
Now i know why i keep coming back to your blog Ms Ferns the joy of Your writing and photos of Your foot wear and the pain of trying to understand the graphs You post.
ID
“…a virtual version of me (she is better looking, but not as funny or smart)”
Well, she may be better looking, but I'll bet she isn't magnificent. Electrons simply can't handle magnificent, certainly not your kind.
Still, magnificent plus those outfits would be pretty sweet, wouldn't it?
Maggie: “I just have never been able to get into that sorta thing. Way too much of a real life girl anyway.”
I can understand that. I know what I am like, though, and give me people who are good with words, who can communicate well, who are smart and funny, and I am a little spellbound!
Ferns
ID: “Now i know why i keep coming back to your blog Ms Ferns the joy of Your writing and photos of Your foot wear and the pain of trying to understand the graphs You post.”
*smile* It's a well constructed web of multi-layered reader-candy… the graphs, though, are the clincher aren't they? I know, I know… they make even the strongest will all swoony…
Welcome back, by the way.
Ferns
Yardbird: “Well, she may be better looking, but I'll bet she isn't magnificent. Electrons simply can't handle magnificent, certainly not your kind.”
Are you shamelessly flirting with me, Yardbird? I think I am liking it. You can do that some more.
“Still, magnificent plus those outfits would be pretty sweet, wouldn't it?”
I have resisted, so far, the impulse to do a post *just* on the shoes you can get there… must resist… must resist… they are NOT real… they are NOT worth a blog post… NOT!
Ferns
Why am I not surprised to see you in a pair of Bax boots? *grins*
Heh. I’m so impressed you recognised the boots!! Only the best dahling!
Ferns