Post 6 Grrrl — Marx Dudek
by Alphaville Herald on 13/11/08 at 8:00 am
[It's a bunneh! The first time I met Marx in world, she was all human and kind enough to pose for one of my picture projects. I knew she spent a large proportion of her online time in fur but would have never dreamt she might actually want to do her Post 6 as her bunny self. There we were – the kitty Bunny and the fluffy bunny standing in the back alleys of Kowloon discussing the deeper meaning of Godard movies while snapping away happily. I hope you enjoy reading about her life as much as I enjoyed our photo shoot. Ladies and gentlemen, blogger and bunny extraordinaire – Marx Dudek! – Bunny Brickworks]
When Bunny asked me where I wanted to be photographed, I immediately replied “Kowloon!” In my opinion, there are few sims as immersing and exotic (to my American mind, at least) as the Kowloon sim, which attempts to recreate the look and feel of the old Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong. Tall and deep, cramped and expansive, dark and bright, ancient and futuristic, it embodies so much of what maintains my fascination with Second Life. It’s a place I can disappear into, a place where the virtual feels almost tangible.
I suppose that’s what Second Life is to most of us – an escape from our everyday lives. In some ways, though, it can be an almost transcendental, spiritual experience – a waking dream in which the laws of space and time and gravity and nature need not apply. What appeals to me most of all about Second Life is that it’s not “about” anything. I refuse to define it as a game as there are no goals, no points, no rules, and no strategy. Everyone’s experience is different and, more often than not, we end up in places we never expected to find ourselves. I began my Second Life as a trash-talking tomboy with a fiercely independent streak, an aversion to makeup of any kind, and no interest in responsibility whatsoever. My, how things change! I had no idea that I would own and manage two residential sims, create skyboxes and furniture, be a successful club DJ, and (gasp!) tie the SL-knot with a plucky, beautiful, inspirational visual artist who lives in the UK and who rocks my virtual world.
I also had no idea that half of my Second Life would be lived as a bunny. But it has, and this has proven to be a surprising and joyful discovery along my SL journey.
I’ve never felt comfortable being pigeonholed. I am who I am, and that’s the best anyone can hope to be in either world. I feel comfortable and welcomed in the fur communities, just as I’ve felt welcomed in most communities in Second Life. Does this make me a “furry”? I suppose it doesn’t matter. I’m fine with it either way.
However, I suppose my decision to appear in fur is somewhat of a political statement. I have a cherished (and stunningly beautiful) friend whose avatar is plus-sized. She was invited to appear in Post 6 but ultimately chose not to subject herself to ridicule from the usual social misfits – the ones who take great joy in kicking the legs out from under anyone who doesn’t meet their criteria for what is “normal”, “acceptable” or “attractive”.
We co-exist in a virtual world with limitless possibilities and infinite opportunities for self-discovery and self-expression. However, for some, the fight for acceptance – even in Second Life – is a constant battle. It would have been very easy for me to appear in Post 6 in “normal” human form. I’ve never done things the easy way, though, and I’m not about to start now.
When Bunny informed me I was the first Post 6 model to pose “full fur”, I was honored but also a little bit sad. There are some breathtakingly spectacular anthromorph avatars in our world, and I hope that my appearance here may embolden a few of them to share this spotlight.
So for my plus-sized friends, my fuzzy friends, for all of my friends who deviate from the norm – for the inspiration, friendship and acceptance you have shown me in my first year in Second Life – this is for you. To everyone, I encourage you to be who you want to be, celebrating who you are, and live boldly and without regret.
No matter what anyone may say.
Sigmund Leominster
Nov 30th, 2008
Almost three weeks post-posting and the discussion here rambles on. I have to admit to being something of a furry agnostic – close to being on the “don’t care” side of that “How do you feel about furries in Second Life?” scale. Anyone who thinks that there are limits to human sexual deviation isn’t really exercising his or her imagination. And I have, of course, leapt into the issue of Furridom and sexuality within three sentences simply because at the root of all the discussion is the sordid fact that sex is so central to the human condition. Anything that threatens a sexual viewpoint causes visceral responses in an individual that seem almost disproportionate to the actual sexual practice being described.
One of the wonderful/terrible things about a virtual world that gives us the power to create and build is that it doesn’t take long for folks to realize their fantasies. I’ve said on a number of occasions that Second Life is more like a book than a game because people “write” their own stories, “develop” their own characters, and encourage their “readers” to interact. Each role-play sim is a different book with its own genre, plot, characters, and style. And every one of you reading this can choose to enter the SL library and pick up any tome you want. You are also free, of course, to hand it back and say “No thanks!” and pick another.
But unlike real world books, you, dear reader, also have the opportunity to add your own paragraphs. By taking part in a role-play sim, you become a content creator – you ARE a joint-author in a story with no conclusion; a literary soap opera.
And some sims, like certain books in the real world, are so outrageous that a number of the members of the library would like to ban them. The Marquis de Sade wrote particularly objectionable books that dealt with incest, pedophilia, sexual mutilation, and a range of rather nasty behaviors. Yet you can go get a copy from the library – or buy one at Borders if it’s already booked out
Brett Easton Ellis’ wonderful “American Psycho” was pilloried as a violent, misogynist text by both left- and right-wing pundits, with cries for its removal from the literary canon.
The whole Furry/Gorean/S&M thing is the same; objectionable texts subject to censure by readers. As I said, I’m on the “don’t care” end of the spectrum as regards furry fantasy but on the “fight against it” end of the “How Do You Feel About Censoring Expression” scale.
And a final “Jerry Springer” thought: @Baron: “The downfall of the Herald continues, with the posting of bestialist trollops in order to try to boost ratings among fetish-filled furries.” Has it ever occurred to you that the posting of “bestialist trollops” is PRECISELY why the Herald continues? And after all, isn’t the Herald itself an on-going novel to which you, and every other poster, contributes?
Think about THAT one!
mootykips
Nov 30th, 2008
hahahahah you used the word “sheeple” unironically
hilarious how you hide behind some veneer of legitimacy like some sort of gilbert and sullivan mafia skit, as if there was some hidden secret nobody was investigating and you DON’T WANT TO FUCK ANIMALS ALL ALONG! sorry, no, that doesn’t work, you are not the puppetmaster manipulating the strings of the $$$$$$$$$$$$$heeple, in fact you’re even more pissed off because your numerous “OH WE’RE NOT IN IT FOR THE SEX” arguments have been thoroughly bypassed and now you’re defending it on its real terms
you are complete and total human garbage, unfit for even the comments section of a website devoted to discussing a game where people have sex online. all media expressing the sentiment that everyone has something valid to bring to human society should have a asterisk there in the future just for you. save your pixel breath and stop posting.
p.s: i’m not a PN-esque rabid bandwagon HEH BURN THEM ALL faggot. i don’t give a fuck what you do in private as long as you keep it private. that’s why even if your false equivalency of furries being the same thing as nekos was valid, I don’t care. HOPE THIS HELPS
p.p.s: griefing saves lives
Plain Furry
Dec 1st, 2008
“hilarious how you hide behind some veneer of legitimacy like some sort of gilbert and sullivan mafia skit, as if there was some hidden secret nobody was investigating and you DON’T WANT TO FUCK ANIMALS ALL ALONG! sorry, no, that doesn’t work, you are not the puppetmaster manipulating the strings of the $$$$$$$$$$$$$heeple, in fact you’re even more pissed off because your numerous “OH WE’RE NOT IN IT FOR THE SEX” arguments have been thoroughly bypassed and now you’re defending it on its real terms”
Allright, prove me wrong then. If all your claims about furries hold any truth to them whatsoever, you should have very little trouble providing with at least some proof. Prove that each and every furry fan is in it just for the sex, that every one of us is into bestiality and has had sex with an animal at least once in their life. Prove that all furries ever do, is get together to fuck in their fursuits. Give your words some value.
Prove I’m wrong, and that you are right. I’m waiting.
Untill you do, I’m just going to stand by my point that all your bullshit is, in fact, bullshit.
(PS I’m really not trying to convince you, I’m just hoping to get others to not take your words and those of your ilk at face value but think for themselves. So I’m not going to ‘save my pixel breath’ untill you and your buddies stop making up bullshit.)
mootykips
Dec 1st, 2008
at first i was just going to tell you to fuck off because you don’t know how to read
then i came up with a simple syllogism
statement a: you identify yourselves as furries
statement b: normal people don’t feel the need to self-identify by their sexual fetish
conclusion c: THEREFORE you and all your furfag friends are immature manchildren obviously in it to go fuck each other hth
Plain Furry
Dec 8th, 2008
I’m still standing by my point that your bullshit, is indeed, bullshit.
Since you’ve done so very little trouble to try and prove your points right and me wrong.
Good day now.
mootykips
Dec 8th, 2008
oh god i have been beaten in argument…well…you’re bullshit is bullshit!!! heh!!! owned.
Perri Prinz
Jan 9th, 2009
Hi. I’m the bunny who posed before. I just wanted to slide a comment in here about all these anti-furry sentiments that have been expressed.
I still agree with what I wrote in my own Post 6. With the exception of a few period sims where furries would seem incongruous, furries are accepted just like everyone else in world, a normal part of SL life. This bigotry you see displayed on the outside internet just doesn’t fly in world.
SL is a beautiful place, and most of the furries you meet there are beautiful people. And I don’t think very much of those that remain out here trying to find ways to hurt them. But that is actually why I pretty much gave up the outside internet after discovering SL. There are just way to many people out here who thrive on being nasty.
But that is the truly wonderful thing about SL. If ever one of these hate spreaders was to come in amongst us, we could all just mute that person, and they would have no choice but to sit there in silence watching us all live happily together, regardless of what type of avatar we choose.
I also want to say that I feel sorry for Marx and any other furries who pose for Post 6 and have to watch the comments degenerate into anti-furry BS, distracting everyone from the real subject of the article, which is a really beautiful bunny person who goes out of her way to make the SL experience of her acquaintances more attractive and interesting.
Alyx Stoklitsky
Jan 9th, 2009
NO I’M THE REAL ALYX
FUCKING POSERS
Noirran
Mar 13th, 2009
yay nice to see you as a Post 6 grrrrl Marx! Hatin on furries is so 2007, find something new kids!