Nocturne Fashion Feed

In opening, I’d like to refer to a comment I recall when some older drama arose in SL in the last few months. This is paraphrased because, frankly, I don’t remember it word for word-

“I understand some people are upset, but some people are getting extreme. Like, they say they’ll never shop at XYZ again.”

…Upfront, I don’t shop at Wal*Mart because I think it’s an epic disaster of a company. Many other people feel the same way, and we choose not to go there and put our money into its dirty piggy-bank. I don’t consider myself an extreme protester and I doubt others would see me as such. Thus, I don’t think it’s utterly insane for SL residents to not shop at a place because they do not agree with actions of the creator(s). In example, I don’t shop at Armidi, and now I’m not going to become terribly involved – if at all – with the Best of SL chain. In my eyes, the latest instance of manipulation and greed by the company lead stinks worse than a fresh cow-chip* out in the field.

The first major issue that I am aware of was the resignation of Babyhoney Bailey as Miss SL Universe 2008. Essentially, Frolic Mills promised a hefty load of prizes to the winner (including 30k in linden), but over a course of two to three months, the original promises were swapped, substituted and revoked. In addition, Mills made a pointed note that Bailey was the greedy one, for her original response if he ‘took the money and ran’ would be that the title was worth more than the prizes. However, her crown only netted her a few interviews and a plethora of headaches. You can read a detailed interview, unedited and freely published, here on the Aspire Model Management blog. You can also read more about the press release here, or a snipet about Mills’s self-polishing interview on C.AT.S.

Unfortunately, the karmic hand he was dealt by the Trump organization enforcing their copyright on anything Miss Universe wasn’t strong enough to humble Mills, as not only was there a backlash against the impartial blogging of Twisted and Tawdry, but he turned over a whole new level of depravity:

Recently, RUNWAY Magazine announced it’s closure, due to the owners Maggie Mahoney and Ocean Bates permanently retiring from SL to focus on their RL, such as Mahoney’s recovery from breast cancer. The original plan was for the rest of the RUNWAY staff to make a decision about carrying onward with the publication or let it reset. Sickeningly, Mills saw this as an opportunity to fatten his cash cow and moved in to wrangle up the staff and herd the remnants of the organization into the BoSL farm. He stated that everything of RUNWAY had been turned over to him, including the server, and coerced staff to join groups her had control over. I guess he muscled his way to overshadow the original press release statement that said “RUNWAY will not be sold.” Due to this debacle, Mahoney posted another release officially maintaining her and her partner’s rights to the RUNWAY name and related aspects and that it will completely close down.

These actions by Mills are just utterly disgraceful, and while I do not hold the brands that have been connected to the BoSL Boulevard, I do hope they seriously reconsider their positions in lieu of this disaster. This was not merely a private act in his own home, nor an incensing blurb on a blog- this was a hostile, unethical take-over that, in RL, I can foresee going to court over. I have mused participating in the new ‘Miss SL Virtual World’ event just for shits and giggles – and perhaps a nice elbow in the gut – but now I am not going near that failed joke with a jousting lance. To each their own opinion, but I hope people make it wisely.

*I didn’t feel like swearing in the opening, but still wanted to say something less polished than manure. And hey, linky to cookies that do not stink like poo!