Alts

It will be Nya's first rez day on Feb 14th, 2009.

The population number of Second Life has increased dramatically over the past eighteen months. When I first became a resident in 2006, there was as little as 20,000 other residents online at the highest peak of a Second Life day, which is at roughly 1pm SLT. Now on logging in at the same time, it has peaked to an incredible 68,000 residents – although there are well over a million players altogether, maybe more!

This may seem like a huge amount of different players to be on the grid at any one time, but the question is – how many of those people are actually experienced Second Life residents but playing an alternative account? The number of ‘alts’ within SL have also increased dramatically since Linden Lab decided that residents would not have to pay for a new account, but could make up to *five* new avatars for free if they wished. Since then I’ve known a number of residents to suddenly spurge an army of alts, so much so that it’s now customary for me when I meet someone new to say “Okay, let’s get this out of the way first – who’re you an alt of?”

I’m also guilty of being drawn into the addiction of creating new and different characters to play with, with my main alt account becoming just as well known as my main Aribeth account. I created Nya Nightfire earlier this year on Valentine’s Day and she has been primarily a roleplay avatar. Although the person, me, behind both accounts is the same – it’s fun to be able to display different aspects of my personality through another avatar. Being Nya and having her home in a dangerous, post apocalyptic grunged out city means I get to display emotions and feelings that I wouldn’t usually do so either on my Aribeth avatar, or in RL for that matter. Nya is very assertive and agressive when she wants to be in order to survive and get along in a harsh SL environment. And because she has been around for nearly a year, she has developed her own group of friends and activities – making my Second Life a busy one indeed!

Nya's home, Midian City.

Of course you may ask why can’t I RP (roleplay), build up my social network and display these other personality aspects on my main Aribeth account. But I suppose one of the biggest appeals to creating an alternative account is that you get a fresh start with everything. A clean inventory, an empty friends list and a shiny new avatar that you get to dress up how you wish to suit whatever that avatar is going to be. Having said that, my friends on my Aribeth account know about Nya – and likewise for friends on my Nya account… they know that I have Aribeth and have actually been a resident in Second Life for two years now. You may say this defeats the point of having a fresh start, but hey – it’s just a bit of fun!

I know people that can’t get on with alternative accounts. They have them, just to see what it’s like – but they don’t go beyond the welcome area. I know people that don’t see the point in them, which is fine. That’s their choice. In some respects it makes sense. They could be asking themselves “Why should I be a noob all over again when I don’t have to be?” and other such questions. I know it’s not for everyone. But back to my original point, there are a lot of advantages and appeals to creating new avatars, which is why I think the Big Alt Boom has really took off this year.

Happy 2nd Rez Day

Contemplating the last two years of Second Life

Yes, happy 2nd SL birthday to me. I’ve made it two years in world without owning a prim penis or being convicted of murder. I think that’s pretty good going for me =P

So some people have asked already this morning ‘what’re you doing for the day? Enjoying yourself?’ And in all honesty, I think it’s going to be a quiet one. Unfortunately although it’s meant to be a relatively special day it feels somewhat clouded by one or two issues I have with Second Life right now, and some people in it.

But I have a pretty dress that I bought specifically. It’s not often I wear formal wear or *SHOCK HORROR* heels! And I’m going to try and enjoy myself no matter what =)

Today is also a day of contemplation for me, and what Second Life has brought to my life in general over the past two years. Which is an awful lot to be honest! I wouldn’t have my second daughter if it wasn’t for SL, and for that I’m eternally happy about and thankful for.  She is so amazing and beautiful, and I couldn’t have my life without her for sure. And alongside her I’ve contemplated all of the wonderful people I have met in world, some of which have become very close and whom I have to see on a daily basis to know they’re okay.

Bailey Longcloth: My oldest and dearest friend, and one whom has been there since the beginning. Thank you for everything hon.

Bailey Dazy & MJ Massey: The most fantastical SL + RL couple there ever was! You guys have been awesome throughout the times I have known you, you listen, you make me laugh and generally brighten up my SL world.

Prad Prathivi: I will never forget and will always appreciate your teachings in Second Life. Without which I doubt I would have the skills I have today. You have always been a brilliant ear to blab into, and a gullable target for taking the mick out of =P And I had an awesome time being flicked in the head during our RL meet – we shall have to do that again one day!

Me as a purple haired noob during my first few weeks in SL.

Landsend Korobase: Although I feel my friendship with you is one that has only recently budded, I still count you to be one of those I hold close to me. You listen and laugh, you understand a lot of the time and hold a lot of patience. Just remember you’re much stronger than you think you are x

Ayami Imako: It’s nearly coming close to a year of knowing you, and I wouldn’t be without you around today. From the ‘hello’ first thing in the morning to the ‘goodnight’ before I go sleep, you have been there through my thick and thin as of recent – I hope I’ve been just as good a friend to you!

This is just to name only a small handful. There have been plenty of people within my SL world that have made it special and enjoyable, and most of you should know who you are. I wouldn’t be able to handle the bad without knowing that you guys are the good.

So here’s to the next two years! *clinks her glass* May it be just as entertaining, educational and downright silly =P

Cheating whore

When you’re angry, at what lengths do you go to display it?

I suppose I could answer that it depended on the situation. But would resorting to name calling and throwing insults when they’re not needed between two adults count? I know it sometimes can’t be helped. Anger is an irrational emotion that tends to make us do and say things that we regret, and I guess some people are better at controlling it than others.

I’ve been very angry recently, and very hurt. But my way of dealing with such things is to actually think about what’s been said and done before I retaliate usually. If someone has hurled abuse at me, I don’t throw it back. I simply cut them off, block, delete, mute… etc. That way I get to deal with the hurt and then not have to speak to them ever again if I choose not to, and not give them anymore ammunition to behave disrespectfully. This I feel is the more adult way of dealing with anger, I do realise however that not everyone is capable of behaving like an adult.

I have been called a ’slut’ and a ‘cheating whore’ over the past few days, because I chose to find happiness with someone that wasn’t my partner. For three days I met and got to know somebody whom took an interest in me and could see me for the good I have in me, something that has been missing from my life in terms of a relationship for quite awhile. But rather than the offender giving me any time whatsoever to come clean to them and tell them that I’d met someone else, they chose to spy on my conversation instead from across a sim, and has since dubbed me as a ‘cheating whore’, a ’slut’, and a ‘prostitute’.

What would you do in that situation? In an ideal world if you were committed to someone already and were happy doing so, then none of the above should matter. But what happens if you’ve been deprived of any real respect, trust and love for so long that you’ve just had enough? You would still love, or at least care for your ex spouse, sure. But if they’re not making you happy and hadn’t been for a long time despite giving them numerous chances – is it worth sticking around? Perhaps ending things before persuing happinness elsewhere is the right way to go. Infact, there’s no perhaps about it, it IS the right way to go. But what if you weren’t actually persuing anything… it just came about? This is what happened to me, I was practically shoved into talking to somebody else and things just went from there. I was given no time at all to explain anything to anyone, not even my best friends whom I usually confide everything to straight away.

So I don’t think being dubbed a ‘cheating whore’ and all the rest to be entirely accurate or even justified. The only way of justifying calling somebody such horrible names is anger, but even then can someone use such an emotion to justify their actions when they should have more control over themselves and what they say and do? Usually when someone says things in anger people are hurt for awhile, but then realise that it’s not entirely true and that things were said in the heat of the moment – it wasn’t an intentional comment.

But what I sometimes have trouble working out is whether being called a ’slut’ was something that was said in anger, or whether they actually meant it, giving my personal situation. If it’s the latter, then it’s a sad day indeed.

Naked

So I’ll keep this short and sweet…

Nakedness within Second Life. Offensive or not? Wrong? Embarrassing?

Personally being naked and seeing others naked in Second Life does not bother me. If anything I can find certain aspects of being naked, i.e prim penis’, to be rather amusing.

I also enjoy naked Second Life photography, just because there are so many stunning photo ops if you’re able to brush the naked avatar in question up quite nicely in your photo editting software of choice. At the end of the day, if I had a body in RL like my SL avatar has, I would have a naked photoshoot done in RL too! I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed of.

I’ve heard of people that have stood naked and Linden meetings, and have been deemed offensive and inappropriate. Inappropriate maybe… but honestly, something like that wouldn’t bother me.

The Second Life avatar is just a bunch of pixels at the end of the day. A lot of people see their av as a representation of themselves. This maybe true mentally, but how many people can say that their avatar is a physical representation of themselves too?