The unique nature of Noir invites this question to be asked... and I think to all who have spent any time here, it becomes obvious that there are many answers, as we all look at Noir from different standpoints. I view it as .... I cringe EVERY time I write this.... a male member. No, I am not peekiog out from behind a zipper, thank you for not mentioning that! Simoni will see it from her perspective, managers and staff will have their own, as will members other than myself.
Is Noir a business? Obviously, the answer is yes. It was founded as a business, it generates revenue, staff gets compensated, ownership pays bills, reaps profits and reinvests some of them.
Is Noir a club... in the sense of, is Noir an organization of people who choose to associate with each other for mutual benefit, supported by the dues of its members? Obviously, yes. Noir does not have customers. Noir, to my knowledge, does not directly engage in retail operations. It does provide location and structure for exchange... and at this point the words "staff" and "member" are better served as "one person" and "another person". With ideas like Noir Buddies, Noir Ambassadors, and an Advisory Committee floating about, the traditional roles of "staff" and "member" are evolving... to what extent, only the fuiture can say.
Noir reminds me a lot of social clubs and fraternal organizations I have been involved with. People with similair interests... being that it IS RLC and Noir, one of the common interests is sex in general and cyber in particular... pay dues, meet in a clubhouse, drink, have parties and social events, and are in general supportive of each other.
Is Noir a family? Yes. We see each other quite often, regularly, semi-regularly, or on occaison.... we have sisters, brothers, Daddys and at least, as of this writing one Mommy, a couple of Grandpas, some distant realtives, and may I say, two kittens and one dog! We laugh, we cry, we argue, and we love. Sometimes we move away and rarely come bck, sometimes we move away and never comeback. Sometimes we pass away. That's what families do.
Is Noir a fantasy? Of course, all of RLC is. In the case of Noir in particular, the answer is Yes, a very pleasant dream and we are blessed to be able to participate in it together. Would it be nice in reality? It would be impossible in 2020 reality. No worries, I for one am quite happy with alternate reality I get to muck about in. In this alternate reality, RLC is a mirror of RL in as many ways as it is an escape from it. I'm far better in the role of being a healthy, fit, and oversexed man in his 40s than as a Hobbit, Dwarf, Elf, or Troll.
We all have Real Life to go back to. RLC in general and Noir particular is our pleasant escape. We pay or work for our VIP to escape for time the insanity of the analog world. Noir is where we have come together to make that escape better.
Now, back to reality, the dogs want to come back in.
Impressive, indeed. In my case, the business side brought me to Noir, but it's the family (all genders) that keeps me here.
Impressive point of view by the eyes of a member which we would like to encounter into our forthcoming magazine (PlayNoir issue 32) ! ... Thanks Phil.