Over on Primfeed, where Sian has been hanging out recently, the algorithm gave — Generated? Regurgitated? Exuded? — a link to a YouTube video about being authentic in Second Life. Sian thought, Ooh, discourse, and clicked, because authenticity is on Sian’s mind a lot. Maybe we’ll have a mention of Kierkegaard, even, she thought, maybe even some affirming and inspiring stuff about gender, truth, self-discovery…
Yeah, no. What it was was a five minute rant about trans people not being clear enough about their identity and suggesting, helpfully-but-not-really, that we should just stay in queer spaces and not bother the rest of you by daring to exist in the general community. Because that apparently is authentic. Anyway, turns out the majority of us do tend to stick with our own anyway, because it is too exhausting to deal with this sort of nonsense.
Sian isn’t linking it. Sure, she could leave a comment, but what would that achieve? At best, no one would read it. At worst, the internet monkeys would descend, snarling, biting, trying to give you rabies and masturbating vigorously in your personal space (why yes, RL!Sian has spent a little time in a space where there were real wild monkeys. Why do you ask?) And anyway, the fact is, she doesn’t need to, because even describing it as is doesn’t narrow it down. She’s just described half the Internet. Being trans online means having to accept an algorithm designed to make entirely sure you know you are despised. You cannot curate it. You cannot escape it. The dogged disbelief of cis people you know who cannot accept that this is a thing is just the bonus feature. Fact is, we are not narrowing it down. There are hundreds of videos like that posted every day. If you’re here, imaginary reader, you don’t want to read that nonsense anyway. Sian was just suckered in by this one because it had a title suggesting it would be about authenticity, when it turned out to be a particularly idiotic tirade against it.
Getting bombarded with bullshit like this daily is a fraction of the price of authentic living. But only a small fraction. Sometimes living according to your principles carries a brutal cost. Sian hopes you never have to undergo that test. Sian has a lot of thoughts on authenticity.
The inevitable outfit pictures have some sort of authenticity metaphor. You’re clever, metaphorical reader. You’ll work it out.
Featured Outfit:
epoxy Ocula set (squish/juicy rolls version)
CryBunBun Censor Doll Boots (black); Censor Doll Thighs (black)
KROVA Cad Hat; BUCKLE UP! belt
ToxicTreats Tummy Zipper Piercing
:::SOLE::: SA – Headset VHA (Black, hacked); SA – SACH Speaker (EX Black)
Makeup, avatar:
alaskametro “Touch of Gold” lipstick (variant 03); “Impressionist” eyeshadow (variant 03)
Shiny Stuffs EvoX Modular Liner; EvoX Wistful Shadow (variant 20)
S H I M M CYBER XII eyes (Set II, variant 9)
MILA Ominous Eyebrows [BOM] Red
UA BOM Cellulite + Stretch Marks + Acne (variant 01)
Notes:
OK, we don’t know who reads this but, the main thing to note here is that you can’t do this outfit with anything other than the Reborn body, which has the best mods, as long as the creators of clothes know what to do with them. Here, Epoxy’s bikini/sweater set has one of the best squish mods Sian has seen on the bra area. Squish mods are fun, but sometimes they at best look like they’d really interfacing chafe, and at worst look impossible and grotesque, more Yuzna than Cronenberg (and given that Sian’s avatar rocks a visible brain window, she hopes you realise what it takes for that to be a thing even she considers a step too far). The press on the bra here though is visible enough to be striking, but subtle enough to be realistic, while the panties work with eBody’s Juicy Rolls stomach/hips mod really nicely. Meanwhile, the strappy stocking things from CryBunBun make the Maze thighs make sense. The whole ensemble gives a realistic impression of the intersection between flesh, fabric and leather. It’s gender goals, basically.
