Nrom Normandy
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Posts posted by Nrom Normandy
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I really do appreciate this and everything that has been said.
All I can say is that I joined the Ordo Imperialis with goals. They were simple goals: get involved with Curia, find a position to teach with, learn to love combat again, make new friends, and do something useful. I can say I have achieved all of my goals and it is through the efforts and assistance of many in this organization. Even though these initial goals are accomplished, I have set higher and harder goals for myself and in the future for some of you as well. I look forward to continuing to work with all of you, just as we did yesterday and the day before that. Nothing has changed in that respect; I am here to serve you.
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[18:19:00] Nrom Normandy: you? I'm figuring a canadian version of Arokh
[18:19:08] Eriksson Foxtrot: Noooo.
[18:19:27] Eriksson Foxtrot: Let me share something with you,
[18:19:41] Eriksson Foxtrot: People, in words, are a lot more clear, than through talking verbally.
[18:20:19] Eriksson Foxtrot: If you hear somebody talk before you see their writing capabilities; and they sound goofy, you'd expect their writing skill to be as such, or similar
[18:21:04] Eriksson Foxtrot: If you see somebody's writing skill, before you hear them, and they have that firm, proper grammar. Then you'd expect them to be quite firm, and proper through voice? Right?
[18:21:16] Eriksson Foxtrot: That's generally what most thing.
[18:21:18] Eriksson Foxtrot: Think~
[18:21:24] Nrom Normandy: I'm expecting you to be a french girl
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I agree that the fishing game can become a distraction. I hope that we can all be responsible and mature enough to not abuse this new feature to our daily lives in Titan. If it becomes a problem, I can definitely see that policy may need to be established for potential abuse.
My proposal to everyone is to keep in mind some of these things.
- Don't put music objects on the ground. This is pretty much the same thing as gesture spam, and it's not tolerated or allowed via our handbook.
- Don't leave your chairs of sitting objects laying around. We have policy on building and littering. I already see that there are many objects laying around. We are still working on a sim build and these prims need to remain free. Aside from the docks and the vendor, we don't need anything permanent on the ground. Pick up your things if you haven't already, please.
- The text spam in this area is pretty high with all the messages from the fishing rods and people typing on channel 1 to cast. Check the manual, and make sure you enable the quiet catch option. There are many other options that will decrease the amount of spam as well. This is mainly a consideration of others in your area.
- Try to keep the fishing to the area around the lava pond. I've seen a few people fishing away from it -- such as the armory and underneath the base. If you go too far the fishing system doesn't even work since it is restricted to certain areas dictated by Aryte in the system.
- Don't AFK fish. You're technically on the line, and therefore you should be aware of what is going on around you. If a hostile arrives in the sim, you need to immediately switch out of your fishing gear and back into combat gear to defend the base. You are also going to miss out on important information from the current OIC and potential raid leaders.
Hopefully this will be of some help to you all. While this is a new and exciting addition to our daily activities, please don't abuse it to the point that restrictions must be placed on it. Do the right thing and moderate yourselves rather than forcing the Administratio staff or the Imperator to create policy surrounding it.
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Jeremiah, I respect that you recognized this. There are a number of individuals who would not, and either leave in silence while we were expecting things from them, or make the entire group miserable to have them around.
I'm sorry that you didn't find what you were looking for in our group, and I'm happy to see you decided to take a look at both our combat divisions before making your decision. Good luck to you in whatever you plan to do.
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Happy birthday wishes go here. It's her birthday, she can cry if she wants to but the idea is there shouldn't be any tears except tears of joy at how awesome this post is.
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Mickel, I'm really happy you came here. Excellent post, and I appreciate that you pointed out this fact to everyone.
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Battlefield Vietnam was the best of the franchise in my opinion. It was immersive, the aircraft were a lot of fun to fly, and where else could you run some charlies over while blaring Fortunate Son? I look forward to this expansion, but I probably won't be able to play it until after Christmas with all the things I have to do around then.
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Congratulations everyone!
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In matters of style, swim with the current;
In matters of principle, stand like a rock.
- Thomas Jefferson
My first experience as a leader was training and overseeing interns in an Information Technology department that I worked in. I had been an intern myself a few years before that and I graduated from the same school that these students were recruited from. It was a rewarding experience for me since I was able to see the relationship from both sides. My interest in the concept of leadership and management was sparked at that point, and I've utilized and expanded upon these skills nearly every day since. This has included various professional gaming avenues with teams, guilds for many different MMORPGs, and at least in Second Life, with team-oriented scripting projects and my service in the Alliance Navy.
It wasn't until my time in the Alliance Navy that I really started to put my own thoughts down about leadership and the various skills that we learn and develop in our experiences as noncommissioned and commissioned officers in the military community. I also learned that leadership isn't restricted only to these ranks and positions; leadership is both required and expected of you once you attain a similar position in any military. This led me to believe that it is important that everyone understands the behaviors, qualities and activities that are involved in the practice of leadership. This will not only improve our effectiveness in our duties in the Ordo Imperialis, but this environment exists as a sandbox to test new strategies and practice skills with little to no penalty or cost to do so. Consider Second Life your training wheels, where you have the opportunity to test new 'soft' or social skills and encounter fewer consequences as the result of poor choices and mistakes.
Now we get to the main topic. What is leadership? Leadership is a concept that can be defined in multiple ways, and each one is correct when you take it in the appropriate context. Leadership can be defined as a process of social influence where one person can call on the support and aid of others in order to accomplish a common task. Another definition of leadership describes it as a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. A rather weak definition is that leadership is the activity of leading or the ability to lead. Ultimately you can identify that leadership is something that is done, that it is a social interaction with others, and that it ultimately has a goal that each individual involved in this interaction are trying to accomplish. By describing it this way, we can identify that leaders do things, they have goals, and their job is to try to get others to work together and complete these goals. This perspective may create the impression that the whole process is manipulation, but the truth is that successful leaders serve both their interests and the interests of others. As I continue along in this article, that truth will become more apparent.
Now that we have the definition out of the way, it's time to try and grasp at an understanding of the concept. In order to understand leadership, we must begin with what leadership is not. Leadership has nothing to do with hierarchy. This means it has nothing to do with your rank, authority, power and position. It is very likely you have seen effective commanders practice good leadership, and you've seen effective leaders possess command skills; leadership is not a part of the concept of command or even a principle to that concept. A leader will observe that there are personnel in Titan who are bored and they will decide to act on it. This leader will gather the bored individuals together and run a combat scenario either on the ground or in the kill house. Notice that I did not mention anything about this leader's rank, position, or authority. Anyone from E-1 and up can become the leader in this situation. It takes initiative and the integrity to follow through on plans.
Often when we think about leadership, the images and examples of great individuals in history will come to mind. We admire and appreciate these individuals, but often a common observation can be made when people describe them: we discuss their accomplishments. Once again this falls back to what I have said about leadership being an action. To truly understand leadership, you need to understand the essential nature of it: successful examples of the process of leadership involve the leader and their followers engaging in a reciprocal influence relationship in order to achieve shared goals and purpose. Leadership is really all about getting individuals to work together to get things done that may not have otherwise been completed, or they prevent things from happening that would have happened without their intervention.
You should continue to think about the historical leaders that appear in your mind. Not only will their accomplishments serve to guide you in making your own decisions, you will also find similarities in their actions when you consider many leaders at once. A deeper examination will yield many qualities, traits and skills which contributed to their success. The rest of this article will continue with many of the important ones that you should think about and incorporate into your leadership style.
You will find that all leaders are focused on accomplishing their mission. The first responsibility of every leader is to accomplish the task at hand. If a leader exhibits competent skills in all other categories, but they fail to accomplish the mission, they are a failure as a leader. This is especially important in the Ordo Imperialis. The individuals that we see as successful leaders are the ones who get things done. Any task they are given becomes a priority and as time moves on, there is no doubt that it will be completed. Leaders will do everything they can to direct focus to the mission and making sure that mission is accomplished.
A leader is loyal. They are loyal to their superiors and they are loyal to their subordinates. Often loyalty is thought of in terms of the subordinate being loyal to their superior, but true loyalty must be equal. When a superior officer is not loyal to their subordinates, the balance of their relationship is skewed. They will demand loyalty from their subordinates, but those subordinates will follow them only out of obligation, which creates in poor performance and will result in failure to successfully accomplish the overall mission objectives. It is especially important to recognize this since we are a volunteer force. Loyalty to our subordinates is important as it encourages them to participate and maintain activity. If our subordinates do not feel that we are here to serve them, they will not bother showing up.
Leaders are good listeners. Any leader who tells you they have all the insight into a situation that they need to make decisions is not being honest and may actually be deceiving you. We are human, and it is impossible for us to know everything which surrounds us. Successful leaders listen to their subordinates, both for concerns and counsel to make decisions. Not only will the leader receive more valuable information to make a more informed decision, they will also encourage subordinates to get involved and contribute more to the organization and accomplishing the mission.
Some leaders are excellent listeners, but listening is only effective if the leader acts on what they are told. Once a leader has listened to their subordinates, they must act quickly in response. An indecisive leader will quickly lose the confidence of their subordinates in their leadership. This confidence is important and it can lead to a vicious cycle. Subordinates will seek others to discuss their problems with and have decisions made if it is perceived that a leader is indecisive.
Often a leader will have to make tough decisions, and there will be a perception that someone will be the loser or suffer as a result of it. The losing party will only find these types of decisions acceptable if they are given the impression that the action was decided on with a sense of fairness. Ensure that all parties involved, especially the guilty party, understand the conditions which led to a decision.
I said before that it is impossible for a leader to know everything, but it is still important for leaders to know as much as possible about their position and all of the other positions in the Ordo Imperialis. Take the time to study and learn about your position and the essentials in performing your duties. If you diligently seek knowledge, you will be able to apply that knowledge to improve the Ordo Imperialis and its personnel. Part of that quest for knowledge is reading this article, so you are definitely on the right path!
Your subordinates will expect you to embody the essential traits and ethics required of Ordo personnel as dictated in our handbook and policies. However, meeting the standards is not sufficient for a leader. Leaders are expected to exceed all of these standards. They are expected to lead by example. Your subordinates will look at you as an example in how they interact with other personnel. If you are consistently failing to lead as an example, they will fail right behind you just as a lemming would. You will also have subordinates who recognize your failure and lose respect and esteem for you as a leader. Why should subordinates respect and follow the orders of someone who refuses to follow basic protocol?
You will find at times that a situation isn’t described in the handbook or you weren’t taught how to approach a problem and the only guide in making a decision is your moral compass. A leader's moral compass is their sense of honor. A compromise of your honor and integrity will lead the Ordo Imperialis and your credibility as a leader astray. You must learn that you not only do things correctly, but that you are doing the right thing. You will find that the people around you fall in one of two categories in regards to honor: honest and dishonest. Never take shortcuts and allow yourself to be perceived as dishonest, as you will never recover the full confidence and respect of your subordinates.
A leader does not seek credit or glory for their accomplishments. Your subordinates will be watching those who take credit for successful actions. Everyone has seen people who are the first to take credit and yet they are the quickest to avoid responsibility. Perception is important, and having humility will affect the loyalty of your subordinates. Promote the accomplishments of others, and accept responsibility for failure whenever you can and it is appropriate.
It is very important that you understand this last piece of advice, as it will have a great deal of influence on your subordinates. Always give praise to others in public, and criticize or discipline in private. You will find that those who berate in public will lose esteem just as much as the people that they are disciplining. You will also find that the leader who is quick to scream and shout while providing discipline will quickly lose credibility and respect. Handle discipline in a calm and collected manner, and make sure it is constructive. Ensuring that a subordinate is aware of your disappointment can have more of an impact than any amount of profanity or shouting could ever accomplish.
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Welcome back to Ordo, Andri.
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Okay, you guys are getting seriously off topic with that. It was a joke, please drop it.
Bump to remind people. I've seen folks using those swords from Corsi while using assault rifles. That is a violation of this policy. Please correct it, before I have to send you an IM to correct it.
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Thank you, Zerowinged. I've been sending offlines and forum PM's to people who haven't remained consistent with the format. Remember, folks, a lot of people will look at your report and copy it to fill out their own (they shouldn't be, though, instead they should use a standard form), so if your formats are wrong, bad habits are going to spread quickly! Consistency in following the standard time and report formats is important, so please make sure you read through the thread Zerowinged linked to and update your reports to follow it. I'll continue messaging those of you failing to do so in the mean time.
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WOW, POSTED ON A SATURDAY AND BEFORE A MEETING!!!
Thanks sir, and congratulations to everyone.
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Pre-builds can be had for SUPER cheap without a graphics card, while still including all the minimum necessary parts like the latest Windows, Intel Core i7, etc. Like I had suggested to my dad, buy a super cheap Dell or HP that at least has the PCIe slot for graphics, upgrade some parts that would be cheap while you're at it (Windows 7 Pro, faster CPU, RAM) and purchase a graphics card elsewhere to get the best deal.
Newegg carries a "Builder's Edition" Windows which is an OEM copy like is supplied with Dells, Gateways, and other prebuilds, and costs somewhere over $100 I think for a full version, rather than an upgrade.
This.
You can also buy barebones systems that include basically a power supply or not, with a motherboard, cpu and ram.
The system you linked to was okay but remember it is refurbished. Getting refurbished systems from Dell was always a good deal, but I don't know the company selling that computer.
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I will do 0 cans, because dipping is gross and mouth cancer isn't cool.
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Half went in one, the other half went in the other, then they all came out along with two terrorists from the other one? I am confused, I didn't think porta potties were connected together like that? What is this trickery?
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The only problem is that when problems come up, they'll more than likely want you to ship the case to them, and it'll probably be at your cost to do so. Therefore you'll be the one fixing your problems.
Specs look good, and not a bad price considering you're getting it from someone who builds them and you're getting that warranty with it as well.
So does this mean you'll be on base more often and we can get your flight training done for Astra?
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I remember joining Second Life when it was this weird new semi-MMORPG and it was beta testing. I showed up in the original grid and there were Lindens scattered about. Schedule boards showed different types of events in-world in real time. Everyone was a newbie, and everything was new! There were no LSL wiki's. Copybot wasn't a concern. Unfortunately, it didn't interest me enough to subscribe, but I returned once again in 2005 to see a world much different than the one I first encountered in beta.
I share this with you today because I am thinking of a sentence that I sometimes hear people utter when they are on base: "I am bored." This is something I don't understand, simply because of the amazement I encountered when I first rezzed on the grid and still encounter daily. The things we do with scripts were simply not even considered back then. Sculpties didn't exist. Physics was simply objects being affected by gravity or pushing them around. Awesome avatars were covered with multi-colored prims! We are so spoiled now by our content creators, and I find it uncomfortable to stay on the ground and avoid zooming into the air with my aircraft.
Enough about me, let's talk about the topic of this letter: boredom. I'm sure this is a feeling that many of us have felt before in our lives, and I myself have used the word to describe my mood in the past as well. I find it is helpful to define words that I use, as it helps me to understand the meaning that is actually attributed to it, rather than the one I thought belonged to it. The word bored, when used as a verb, means to weary by dullness, tedious repetition or unwelcome attentions. Boredom is described as an emotional state experienced during periods lacking activity or when individuals are uninterested in their surroundings. Is this what you are thinking when you use this word? Is the Ordo boring, or is it the lack of activity that causes you to be bored?
I realize that when people use this word they are not trying to imply that the Ordo Imperialis or its members are boring. There are a great number of interesting and active individuals that participate in this organization. I think that this word is employed most when we are not being entertained. Everyone in Ordo is a volunteer, and ultimately each one of us comes here to entertain ourselves and have fun. When the base is busy and we're taking part in activities, this gives us something to do. When we perceive there's nothing for us to do, this is when we start to feel bored. Some people go and play other games, others may leave Titan to discover other things to do in Second Life. There are many options available to you when you feel this way, and I'm going to cover some of them.
I have a hard time feeling bored when I'm in Titan. I often think back to when I was a Schola cadet and I was learning about the values of brotherhood. I was taught that I should place the group above my own self-esteem, and that by focusing on the group and working in the group, we would accomplish more than I would alone. This is why I put my focus into joining secondary branches, such as the Officium Curia, Tactica, and IEA. When I log in, I know I have things that I can be doing. As an NCO, I often check soldiers uniforms to make sure they are meeting regulation standards. I check on soldiers I see on base to see how they are doing. I look through my groups to find Schola cadets or Armatura students who need lessons and either teach them myself or I arrange it for them. These are just a sample of some of the activities I participate in, and sometimes I feel like there's so much that I want to do and so little time to do it! This would bring me to discuss time management, but that's too far off topic for this post.
If you put your focus in this group on others instead of on your own entertainment, you will find that you will establish stronger bonds with your brothers and sisters and also you will find no end to your personal entertainment. The more you put forth into this group, the more you will get back. It may seem like the immediate rewards are not what you expect, they may even be disappointing, but you must maintain focus on others and in the end you will reap personal rewards. By that time, however, it shouldn't matter as helping others is a reward in itself and will never leave you without entertainment whenever you log in.
So when you're bored, what can you do? If you haven't already done so, take advantage of those many opportunities in the secondary branches of the group. There are obstacles before being eligible for these opportunities, the first is that you need to complete your Armatura training! Armatura training is required in order to advance through the ranks in Ordo, so find magisters and get it done! The second obstacle is the minimum rank required for various positions, which is usually E-3. In addition to Armatura, you must also complete the E-3 preparation exam which is located in the database link on the website. Tactica is exempt from a rank requirement, so apply there on the forums if you are interested as that group is a huge asset for all of our offensive encounters with hostile organizations.
Did you have the desire to join an alpha squad? You need to complete Armatura and get E-3 to get considered for this! Let squad leaders know of your interest, and take every opportunity to train with the members of squads you wish to join. The things you need to learn can't always be taught in a classroom or through training exercises. You need to get out there and use your equipment and practice, and the best way to do that is against some of our elite fighters in alpha units. Astra pilots, take every opportunity to dogfight with other members of your division, as this is the only way to improve. If you take accountability for your own improvement, you will notice it and others will acknowledge you for it too.
You may have heard about the Ordo Imperialis' Ludi organization. This group is intended to develop ongoing training programs beyond what Schola and Armatura can provide. Do you have ideas for advanced training? Put it together in a structured format, and work with the Ludi to get it implemented! You will often find that if you take initiative with this and develop a quality program, you and the participants will receive a reward in quality points for participation. Everyone will win and there is already incentive there for you to do a great job and actively develop new ideas.
There have been many articles and letters written to Ordo personnel that have indirectly addressed the topic of boredom. These documents should have instilled in you the values of brotherhood, that rank isn't required to enact change, that promotions shouldn't be your only goal, and that you should exercise humility in your daily interactions with your brothers and sisters in the Ordo Imperialis. Rank requirements are not a shackle to hinder you, there are a great many things you can do to participate and you can find yourself with so much to do you won't notice the time pass by while you're on base. Your contributions and experiences will help us grow as an organization. With all of this in mind, boredom has more to do with an emphasis on individual entertainment than a perceived lack of activities on base. If you turn your thoughts towards others and put your focus on them rather than yourself, you will never find a lack of things to do on base and you'll never have to say "I am bored" again.
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I often will hear people ask for volunteers to take this position. This is absolutely the wrong way to handle it.
Finding a replacement for the position should begin by looking at who is on base and sorting the list of people by highest rank to lowest rank. You go down the list from there, see if they can take the position for 30 minutes, and if they can't, move to the next person in the line.
Officers > Praetorians > NCOs
Officers and other people of higher rank are often busy with other matters, this is true and it has been addressed above and in other documents in the past. Therefore, when you advertise over coms or over ventrilo for a replacement, you are not going to get their attention. I often find myself in another channel in ventrilo when the advertisement is made and I should have been asked before an E-3 took it instead.
I don't think E-3 through E-1 is a valid option at all. I would check to find people off base who can take the reigns for a while first. Why? As it has been said, they are new to the group despite what their previous experiences may be. They may have been completely qualified as a Merczateer or as an Alliance Navy member to take this position of command, but in the Ordo they are new and they have much to learn still. This is why we don't have an Enlisted In Command position, it's NCOIC/OIC and SoG.
I have also seen people simply hit transfer and leave or others suggest that they do so. Big mistake, folks, that's not how you handle it. If you knew that something may come up to distract you and you would have to leave immediately, you should have assigned an SoG (who could have taken up NCOIC/OIC after you left) or you shouldn't take the position.
I know that from this point forward, I am going to make better use of the SoG when I am in command of the base. I will also make sure they are aware of what their authority is in that position if I don't respond quick enough to a request of theirs. It'd be good practice if everyone does the same, and also heeds Trevor's article about the position as well: http://forums.ordoim...he-oic-and-sog/
*** as an addendum that I forgot to mention, the NCOIC/OIC should also be aware of who enters the base, so if someone of higher rank than yourself shows up, you should ask them as soon as they are settled in whether they wish to take the position. The major exclusion is Aryte, of course, he'll make it known whether he wishes to assume that role or not.
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Great job everyone! Keep up the good work!
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Yeah, it's late posted but that's fine. I wasn't in the division at the time of the posting.
One thing I saw in here that I haven't seen a turn around with:
[2010/08/11 17:20] Heavy666 Bolden I would like to see some kind of motivational poster draw up for astra. At some point in time, consisting of astra paragon flight members in planes possibly.
[2010/08/11 17:20] Aryte Vesperia: Already in progress.
[2010/08/11 17:20] Aryte Vesperia: I commissioned Waffle to create a series of photo/propoaganda stuff.
[2010/08/11 17:20] Aryte Vesperia: Astra will be featured.
We mentioned in the recruitment thread about propaganda, or at least I did. What's the status of Mr. Wafflehead's project? Could we incorporate this into some of the things that Sebris could potentially do?
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I used to play Everquest 2 with a guy who drummed for Wasp for a while. I was jealous of his comic book collection.
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my buildings take off and go to a hidden part of the map that you'll never find me in then I'll put a debug error in the chat window which will confuse you enough that you'll quit the game and give me a default victor.
Also... uhh, Tsume is waiting on the wrist crossbow thing Zrazor. THEY'RE WAITING ON YOU!!
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Congratulations FireFox.
Thank you, and good luck with school, Lestat.
Generic OpFor Dude Uniform
in General Discussion
Posted
Op For Fred should have tattoos, an obnoxiously long cigar, gold jewelry splayed across his chest on top of his combat armor, and of course sunglasses. He should have a dark tan, a neck larger than his head, and biceps larger than an NFL center's thighs.
I think you can find most of that free, or for relative cost. Op For Fred doesn't want to spend a lot of money on SL, so most of his stuff is freebies.