if you are at all a regular user of second life, you will probably be at least aware of rlv – restrained love viewer protocols – which, simply, allow for a large variety of limitations of movement and perception to be placed upon an avatar. although not supported by linden labs, it is a feature of most third party viewers, and it is normally used for kink.
sian understands the appeal of handcuffs, blindfolds, ball gags, leashes and chains, but, although they use rlv, they are not really into those things. instead, theirs are more outré restrictions. sian cannot for example refuse a teleport summon from certain individuals, sometimes being whooshed without notice anywhere inworld, landing breathless and dysregulated. and sian is implanted with a device that autocorrects their speech, forcing them to work around that in a stilted way that, weirdly, focusses and calms them. other limits to their control of themself are in place. you don’t need to know them all. but the common theme, sian thinks, is that they all aid immersion in the virtual world. they encourage sian to become enveloped in their digital identity.
the most significant constraint sian experiences is the removal of instant messages. sian needs to be in the same virtual space as you to speak to you or hear you. although sian was initially sceptical, the friend who locked them into this explained with no small amount of passion that the virtual world deserves better than to be another form of text messaging. with three chat windows open at a time, sian, victim to a neurodiverse inability to regulate concentration, will inevitably neglect someone, and almost certainly neglects open chat first.
sian has been to too many inworld venues packed with avatars, where no one is talking, and finds it eerie and a little sad, as if they are surrounded by ghosts without shells, or shells without ghosts. being limited to talking face to virtual face has had the odd effect of revitalising sian’s interactions, for now sian is required to be entirely present.
(featured clothing sole grpe headset / a&y opiliones heels, dress, legwarmers / vtech scorpion gloves / sisu pauldrons)
