I Remember When.....

[Devilness Chant]

I Remember When I was a scared little girl, because my father was a drunk with a bad temper and my mother didn't want to deal with him so she would point his anger towards me.

I Remember When the kids in school would pick on me and beat on me because my drunk mother would use the same patterns to sew my clothes and I was quiet.

I Remember When I became an atheist because of all the times I prayed to god to make it all stop and it never did.

I Remember When two older girls were harassing a friend of mine in middle school and I told my friend we should leave. One of them grabbed my hair and something inside me snapped. I pounded the crap out of her. No one bothered me in school anymore and I took up fighting for the underdog even though I was still getting beat at home.

I Remember When I jumped from one verbally, mentally, and physically abuse relationship, marrage. One after the other. Because I desperately wanted to be loved and wanted it to be by a man that thought I was worth changing for. (duh)

I Remember When I stood up to the last man that beat on me. I looked him in the eye and said something that made the color drain from his face. I saw the fear there that had been in my eyes for years. I walked out that door and never dated again.

I Remember When I decided to stay single till I die and learned to love myself.

I Remember When a friend gave me a box and my best friend and I laughed and joked watching it bounce around. The friend that gave me the box talked me into joining KC.

I Remember When I came out of my shell and started typing in KC chat. I thought what a wonderful community of caring people all with the same goal of breeding kitties and having fun. I made some of the best most caring friends I've ever known in this community.

I Remember When I was at an auction and this woman came in and all these people were insulting her in open chat. I was shocked to see the community that I thought was so loving and caring tear into this woman.

I Remember When I wanted to know what she could have done to bring about such a reaction. I wanted to know how these people could turn like that. People said that she was buying up all these new traits and flooding the market with them. Others said that they didn't like her because they imed her and asked her to sell them a kitty cheaper than what she had it priced and she refused. So yes I went to her shop to see what was going on. Her prices were no more or less than the going rates in market. And she wasn't cheapening the going rates by selling for less even when asked to. At one time I had a new fur and she wanted to buy some from me. I found her not to be very talkative but I assumed maybe she wasn't comfortable with english. She was in no way rude. But omg people were openly rude to her.

I Remember When I got the lucky lottery kitty, not once but twice. I won't go into everything like the ims for free kitties and so forth. I will say that my shop sales dropped to nothing afterwards. And the only two wonderful things that came out of the whole nightmare, was that I found out who my truest friends are and I wuv them for all the support and kindness they have shown me. And I made money that bought groceries at a time when I was laid off and broke. And yes people didn't like the fact that I took money out of game and didn't buy up expensive kitties. I guess I almost destroyed the market then.

I Remember When I left KC and had a going out of business sale. I had to practically give all my collectibles and kitties away to sell them. To this day I see an old collectible sitting on a shelf with a really high price on it and wonder to myself if it was one that was bought at my fire sale for practically nothing. The community that I loved had changed, like all things do. Or I just opened my eyes. I honestly don't know.

I Remember When I decided to come back with a whole new outlook and enjoy breeding my kitties with no pressure to be the best and to not expect any sales to help keep my hobby going.

I Remember When I came back and chatted with old friends and picked up right where we left off. They didn't judge me for leaving or pity me for it. And I had to turn down a lot of kitties. haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I Remember When I made the mistake of thinking forums would be a fun place to go again.

I Remember When I decided to open my soul up here. I wanted to show that yes I know what bullying and abuse are. (just like too many others) What I see when I read negative comments about someone by a group of people that are trying to rally the masses against someone, reminds me of the school yards of bullies.

As I said in another post. I can't make people change or be the way I think they should be. But my one wish is that one person reads this and learns from it. That they take a good hard look at themselves and the reasons behind what they're doing. Maybe find a better way to deal with a situation other than attacking them and expecting everyone else to fall in line with them.

Maybe the kid getting beat on is the spawn of satan. But to an outsider all I see is a group of bullies beating on one kid.

I want that wonderful community back. I want to feel safe chatting with people and making new wonderful friends. I don't want to be afraid of a lynch mob turning on me because I underpriced a kitty or did something they didn't like. And end up being blamed for the destruction of the market and all kitty kind.

I can assure you I don't need or want pity. What didn't kill me made me a heck of a lot stronger and I ended up with one heck of a sense of humor. Laughter is the best medicine.

[Zarabeth Langer]

I remember when people didn't put cats up on bid boards then have their alts bid them up.

I remember when I saying something is not right was allowed.

I remember when I could go to my fave kitty sim without it being griefed.

I remember when a sim owner found out a new trait was being sold at another sim they didn't run to the seller and beg them to sell it at their sim instead of the one they had chosen.

I remember when speaking up for oneself was a good thing.

I remember my traumatic childhood and subsequent violent mates.

I remember when I realized that going through all of that did not entitle me to anything. It was what it was and it was part of making me who I am now.

Here is my two cents about all of this. If i want to give my cats away I will. They are mine and I love to make people happy.

Yes, I have seen my best selling cats get sold at far less than they are worth, making it so that ic an't sell minebut so what? However, I've seen friends get hurt recently and that makes me furious.

This will be my only post here in this thread because it seems to me that this is a "let's make a gang to combat that other gang" type of post. There is no 'gang' to start with so this is pointless. I hope Kitten will simply close both threads. It seems to be getting very personal for some participants.

[Lostime Resident]

[Emilia Darkwatch]

Thank you both for writing as you did. The words of both of you actually made me cry with the honesty and emotion of them and I want to thank you for this because it is great to cry this way sometimes and truly feel the power of words beyond the written <3

I just woke up and my mind is bleh so my "I remember when" is a sleepy one and scattered (though it is debatable if, even when in full consciousness, I am capable of NOT being scattered or slightly sleepy lol)

I remember when... a friend of mine who seems no longer in SL asked me for a cute kitty to give to his close friend

I remember when... I gave him this kitty and laughed (in a playful way I may add) when I found out his friend had opened the box instead of using the menu and the poor kitty was white and broken!

I remember when... I remembered just a few days ago that this very person is actually the very person who started this thread... Devilness lol

I remember when... just a few minutes ago, based on what I just mentioned, I thought wowwwwww what a small world it really is and that people are connected to one another in the most weird yet wonderful ways

I remember when, just seconds ago, I just looked at my neighbour's cat who is sleeping near me right now and thought, and not for the first time... "Hmmm, isn't it a bizarre thing that two so totally different species can get along comparatively better together than the vast majority of humans with each other"

And finally... I will put the last thing first as I find it the happiest... I remember when I joined kittycats and why I did. I joined because my best friend then had told me all about them and knew I loved cats, and I was so excited! I had lost my real life cat not long before coming to SL which really had affected me a lot as we had such a close bond. It is honestly a big part of things that made me feel better about it all, to have been able to have cats in SL. For years I felt so guilt about the thought of having another cat of my own in real life... I felt disloyal and even angry to think of another kitty in my home, and I guess was in mourning for my cat who passed away especially as I was so close to her. However, I have gotten used to being around cats again, watching them play, sleep and just be the wonderful little fuzzballs of utter craziness they are... because of KittycatS. It has played a big part in me feeling able... and wanting... to have a cat in RL again and I am really grateful for that experience to be honest. I especially remember waiting for my first cats who were called Eve ( a Domino I) and Dr Fang (a Smokey I) to have their first kitten. I had not a clue what I was doing lol... I had neverrrr had any breedable in my life and in my head it was made way more complicated than a few % for the stats and watching the box pop out, but when it happened it was amazing lol. I can remember my 2 nieces who lived with me at that time and how they were always around the cats waiting and excited too and it really was a magical experience. That baby was odyssey sorbet which at THAT time was veryyy rare and it was at this time that one of my nieces, Trisha... taught me an invaluable thing I have never forgotten lol. I had contemplated selling that first kitten to make money off it, and it would have been quite a bit at that time especially for the first kittens ever born. I told Trisha this and she looked at me and said only... "BAD EMI! No!" hahahaha. And with these few words lol... this kitten was never sold lol and she named him Elif... and from there, many generations were born which would never have happened as they did... if I didn't keep Elif lol. I sometimes wonder if Elif has any relatives to this day and/or it is possible that someone somewhere is just as amazed by a Domino kitty as I am, as it has remained my favourite fur for all these years for the reasons I just shared

[Dimpz Morane]

Very thought provoking words
Thank you Dev

[Nocshadue Balbozar]

I remember when first joining SL I wandered around and was too scared to talk to anyone.

I remember stumbling on an event that had nothing to do with KC, but the topic of cats came up and that got me to actually say something: "I love cats!"

The lady running the event was a breeder and a new addict was born that day.

I remember she left me alone in her cattery and one kitty named Ethiopia kept following me. I bought her and a boy, Satsang, that day and went home thinking I'd let them have a few kittens just for fun.

I remember within a week I had 12 cats and I never looked back.

The early days were extra fun and special. The community was smaller then though never real small. But we were all in the same boat kinda.

I remember doing "box swaps" where one person would announce they were doing one and people would IM them to join in. They would then make a list putting their own name last and sent the list and a box to the first name, who did the same for the second name and so on. OH it was so much fun! There were ground rules for each one, like "at least 2 traits" or "must show a fur" hehe. In time people started making gift boxes and putting other stuff in like cat beds they had made etc.

I remember we used to get together and compare pedigree NOTECARDS too. Yup, we wrote out our own pedigrees on notecards because there was no online pedigree, and that's how we started to figure out recessiveness of traits. We were all pretty much in the dark when I started, other than knowing a gen trait would always be dominant to a non gen trait. So we helped each other. We also sent each other "girl vibes" or "boy vibes" when opening boxes because we didn't know the gender beforehand.

I remember times my cattery seemed to be on a roll and other times I couldn't seem to breed a cat that would sell at all. But I kept making boxes anyway! Then just when everything in both SL and RL seemed to be settling in to a nice happy place, the bottom fell out. My fiance became ill and lost his job, we lived on his severance a while, but things were looking grim. We were facing possible homelessness, but even worse, having to give up our two fur babies Pierre and Scrappy.

I remember when I shared this news with a few people I was close to the support was amazing. A few good friends saw that my pixel cats were re-homed when the internet was shut off. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and humility as a patron auction was organized and so many people came to help. Many of them didn't know the details of the situation, just that someone in the community needed help. It was because of that, I was able to have enough money to stay in our apartment for the time I needed to get us back on our feet again. It's because of that love and support that I still have Pierre and Scrappy with me and I think of that every day. OH, and my fiance is still here too

It's been through KittyCatS that I've formed some really close friendships that have stood the test of time. I too came out of my shell over a little fur ball in a box. Many of us old timers are gone now, and the community has grown and things do change. I'm happy to have gender on boxes and a pedigree page to stick my nose in. We've been through some rough patches and a little bad behavior, but we're good at heart as a whole. In the end, as I look at Pierre sound asleep in the most comfortable chair in the house I realize that nothing can corrupt the spirit of a cat.

Thank you for posting Dev, I felt your words touch my heart.

Blessings and Hugs,
Noc

[Malayaa Resident]

I remember when...

I got my first KittyCat during a birthday hunt (it was orange) and thought "I'll never be like those people that have a gazillion KittyCats". A month later, I was one of those people.

Andre and Noc Farstrider were my neighbors at Nachts Landing and Andre gave me one of his "bred with love" red tabbies, it was my first gift KittyCat from a friend and I will never forget it.

I put my first kitty a black russian up for auction years ago with Nika and her husband Revan bought it (probably to make sure a first timer didn't have a no sale!).

I laughed out loud at a recent post from Wendi about her rolling around in the grass with all her rounded fold eared black bengals...

The KittyCats community was a fun place....full of laughter and cat magic and friendship. And it still is!

Hugs to all my friends and fellow KittyCats lovers

[Devilness Chant]

I just want the public negative attacks on people to stop. Deal with issues in private. It makes a lot of people uncomfortable and scared. A lot of people won't speak out and say ENOUGH because they're afraid of how it will effect their businesses. I personally don't care if I never sell another kitty. I have my two rl furballs, my pixel furballs, and am honored to call some of the nicest people my friends.

Those who are slandering in forums may have a noble cause to defend others who were bullied. But what you are actually doing is bullying others in the process.

Hi again Emilia! I miss Stormy too. He was a lot of fun! And he is the evil so and so that got me hooked on kitties. lol

[Nektuu Wytchwood]

I remember when... I was lost.

I remember when... I moved around the grid with no purpose.

I remember when... my past had run its cycle and I had no direction.

I remember when... I talked to noone nor had any wish to. Cut my ties with every person I knew in SL up to that point.

I remember when... I stood up a mountain in mainland.

I remember when... I looked at the villa below and then... I saw them. They were two. They were monstrous. Huge. The girl below was actually riding one.

I remember when... I went back to watch the next day and the next and the next. Their names were Mickey and Tilly. One was a black huge cat with white streaks and the other a huge creamy color with brown spots all over. They were beautiful. Those kitty eyes, the way they moved like real cats. They wore vests, the one had a hat and the other had glasses. I could not believe creatures like that existed in SL.

I remember when... I went down the mountain at the road that passed next to the villa. The girl wasted no time doing her move, on her motorcycle she came from the other side of the sim on the road to cross my path. I saw her and panicked. I was watching her for days... and she certainly knew it. I instinctively tped out.

I remember when... the following days I went back again and again, silent, watching my neighbor. Me up the mountain her down at the house below. She had awesome decoration skills. An 8k sqm parcel, a house with yard, beautiful plants, her bikes parked tidily. A piano room, pool table, cozy chairs, a fireplace with scotch spilling on top. The girl had taste.

I remember when... I knew I was a stalker and I knew she knew. Those months. I cared for noone and nothing. If I was strange, weird, watching at the girl below with voyeuristic fascination. I was a stalker I knew it and I did not care.

I remember when... Cold. For a time I was cold inside. Hard. Felt like an animal with no speech, no thoughts, no coherence and still...

I remember when... it happened. I went back to the same mountain slope watching down to see her and then I found her. She was on the roof of her building and what was that?

I remember when... that evening she was dressed in a Burlesque outfit, stings attached to her hands and feet. She was a puppet. A sexy woman puppet. And then... she started dancing. I watched speechless. The performance was short but concise a perfect show. With surprise I heard a giggle and then I realized it came from my mouth. A performance just for me, I was laughing like a child... and she ended her little show waving. At me? Was too much... I logged out.

I remember when... a few days later I sent her a notecard while she was offline. Introducing myself. Can you meet people with a notecard? Start a friendship with a notecard? Apparently you can. When I logged in next I had a reply notecard. And so we went. For days we exchanged notecards talking about everything.

She had a few more cats, the cute green frankenkitty too. A casual kittycats member, never paid for a cat more than 10k lindens and probably would freak out if she knew what I was spending in kittycats 1 year later.

I was seduced by her megas as I was seduced by her presence.

I wanted to get a couple of mega cats for myself. 1st I got the firekitty. It was that time. Went to the kittycats shop looking around.

I decided it would be less expensive to breed myself two megas than buy them. Little did I know that choice would define my sl for years to come.

So I started breeding to get a pair of megas, a long time it seemed to wait 2 weeks for a baby but soon my cats were giving babies like rabbits and my cattery skyrocketed. The damage had been done and was irreversible.

That girl had been one of my most pleasant memories in SL, I will never forget her and Mickey and Tilly.

But soon I was visiting auctions meeting new and cool people in the kittycats world and I was absolutely fascinated with every cute virtual cat... There were so many and I wanted them all.

Then one day I went to a place a themed auction different to the others and for the first time I met who would become my two best friends.

... and I was happy.

[Arwen Swordthain]

I remember when... I knew nothing of allthe underlying tensions in the KittyCats! community

I remember when... I just bred my cats and sold my cats or didn't sell my cats and had fun

I wish .... it was still like that for me

I wish....the fun had not been taken away

but most of all I wish...everyone would just take a moment and stop, remember we are all here for the love of KittyCats! some make money some don't, some take it more seriously than others, nothing we do is wrong if its right for us...except...attacking another person for doing whats right for them, we have no right to tell anyone else what they may or may not do.