Interview with Pelton Darkstone

DD: What made you decide to be an non human in sl?

PD: Well, actually I still believe I'm human in SL.... after all, I made myself to resemble my RL me.. !
Only my hair grew into ears and my back spine grew out of my body... I can't help that... blame the Lindens... lol !
But to be honest... Nekos fits the Grunge/Urban style (which I believe resembles RL the most) very nicely and I feel pleased with that...
It happens to be the style I like to develop for or dance around in for that matter.

DD: What is the difference between Furries and Nekos?

PD: I can't really tell... I heard they say Furries stand for gay men and Nekos for lesbians, but I believe that is made up by some adolescent kid, with a not so good feel for aesthetics... Because if you pay real close attention, you will notice that very many good developers are either Neko or Furrie. And I just happen to like cats very much.... but if I liked wolves, I would probably resemble one of those and I would be in the Furry camp....

DD: How have you found people to treat you as a Neko?

PD: I found that people are sorta scared or confused by Nekos or Furries... Maybe intimidated... Because clearly their appearance is a display of design... I know I was when I first came to SL... although not very intimidated, but more intrigued. And u know what they say... 'curiosity killed the cat' :)

DD: If given the chance to start over would you and if so would you pick the same type of avatar again?

PD: I guess so... I have an alt... which I made into a Furry first, but now it's a Neko too. I just find them a little more cute and leave more place to design clothes and accessories that go nicely with 'normal' people ! And besides the fact I just like cats... I feel Nemuri-neko and what is noted on wikipedia...: ... is explaining what Neko stands for to me =^^=

DD: Extra Thoughts?

PD: I believe the best designers are very often dragons, who custom build their own sculpties for their appearance... But I wonder in which camp they are... Clearly they aren't Neko... and they are not very Furry either... I guess there is something like the Draggies too ?!


Hhmmm. This kind of got me interested in his point of view so I decided to spend a day myself as a Neko. Let me tell you, it was not as easy to find something I was comfortable in. My Neko experience took me into places I don't normally go, and my look was more animalistic then just most Neko's. I ended up being something of a Hybrid (not really Neko not really Furry )














Photos by reporter Dashwood Dayafter

9 Questions to ... HexxKitten Soleil

... asked by Pelton Darkstone

Pelton: First I want to thank you for letting me ask you these 9 questions! I'll just start right away!

1. Why did you choose THAT name for your avatar? And can you enclose a Newbee pic of yourself?

I got this name for a VERY old reason. It's my name on the net, I use it everywhere ! It was also a nickname I picked up at school. Well that is, the HexxKitten bit... The Soleil came because I am very very pale in RL so to anyone who knows me smile at the irony...

I dont think I have a noobie pic to be honest, I probably have something old though... I felt like a total noob for ages. Felt like I stood out as one too.

It took me FOREVER it seemed to find the right skin for me - I had a few scary disasters. I liked that skin until my RL partner informed me I looked like Pete Burns. I thought I liked that skin until then ... lol.

2. How long were you in SL before you felt you could function and enjoy SL to its full (at least the basics)?

A couple of months - thats when I suddenly twigged that prims were not really that scary and they would behave if you yelled at the screen loud enough ;)

3. What was the most embarassing moment in SL to date?

Wardrobe malfunctions are usually the worst I have had. I wore an entire prim outfit that didn't rez when I arrived, and it left me naked for ages... I now make sure I wear something under those. Or clicking the wrong button and taking off or putting on your entire inventory...

4. Do you have a picture or screenshot of the first place you hung out in SL?

The first place I hung out is gone now :(
I used to be a lot at club 101... it used to be a cool club. The owners sold it and the name changed. So did the whole vibe... I never really went back to it.

Pelton: I guess that happens a lot in SL... high tiers and all...?

Oh no, this one went because of owner dramas :( It was a real shame... It was a great place. But nowadays I am usually either working or I hang out at Candy Rose.

5. 70% or more of your time in SL is used for ...?

Mostly I work... I'm working on new stuff, taking the pics of them, packaging them, sticking them in store and then listing them on SLX/OnRez. The latter is waaaay tedious but worth it.

6. Whats the best item you ever built? Did you sell it? And do you have a picture of it?

I made a cooking station (fire) and candle stand that I am VERY proud of...
I am a medieval reenactor in RL and my group (Wars of the Roses) have these items... to recreate historical scenes. I don't tend to go medieval in SL though.

Pelton: Why not? There's lots of Castles around here (in SL)!?

It's not super accurate and the geek in me spends all night spotting the 'errors'...

7. Are you happy with your avatar, or is there something you still want to change but havent done, or is impossible?


I LOVE how my avatar looks now... although I tend to change my hair when I'm bored with it.

8. What was the most you ever paid for an item/object in SL? And what was it?

Most I ever paid for one item ... crikey, thats a tough one!
I have a horse, I probably paid the most for that!

Pelton: I have a filming HUD that was very expensive... 5000L$!

I do have my photostudio, that was about 5000 too!

9. If you could sum up your SL in one sentence what would it be? Or if there is a oneliner you want to share with our readers what would it be? Maybe 'Hexx the Kitten'?

LOL... but, no! Probably just that my avie looks as it does thanks to 'extensive pixel surgery'...

I was once complimented by a guy and I replied with 'it's all thanks to my pixel surgeon'! So that would be my onliner I recon.

Pelton: Okay... thank you very very much for the interview and answering the 9 questions. I'm sure the readers will love to read about you sharing these experiences.