Second Life, Second Day, not the essay I turned in

Starlog Day 2, 4 hours

Second Day, Second Life, “Charlie’s” First Lesbian Experience?

            I decided to learn more about the Second Life culture, and see if I couldn’t better equip myself to maneuver this foreign world.  I searched and watched a few Youtube videos so I could learn more about the basics.  My goal for this next attempt, I needed to learn how to communicate.

            For whatever reason, when I logged into Second Life, there were plenty of people walking around and several were helpful.  I was excited, I was communicating with people in Second Life!!  I asked for help.  I changed my shape (apparently, to do some of these things you need to upgrade to “advanced” mode, which does NOT cost anything!).  I had a Miss Sweetwater ask why I was so short.  I changed the view to see the front of me.  I had morphed into some half woman, half quad-dog form, really short, with spindly limbs and a deformed foot.  Half bald, half of my head had a few, brown wisps of hair.  I asked for help to change my appearance back.

            I asked for directions on purchasing the free items, and I walked over to the shop where some were located.  I looked for items on the list, and couldn’t find a superhero costume (an item on my class list) or other items on my list.  I picked a plaid outfit I thought was cute.  I had a box that kind of morphed around my avatar body, but for the (Second) life of me, I couldn’t figure out how to get it out of the box.  I asked Miss Sweetwater, who had accompanied me to the shop, for help.  She helped me into a changing room and told me how to open the box.  After several attempts and failing to open my box, Miss Sweetwater warned I was attempting over and over to open up someone else’s box.  I was now a (Second Life) second-rate thief….

            I maneuvered what I believed opened my box and added the outfit to my “inventory”, but when I tried to “access my inventory” I couldn’t be sure.  Miss Sweetwater tried to help me, but eventually she gave me a copy of the outfit she had on.  I spent a large amount of time trying to get the outfit on, to move the item in my “inventory folder” to my avatar body.

Miss Sweetwater gave me another outfit.  Again, when I attempted to move the folder she had made by clicking and dragging it over to my avatar, it read “loading” for a long period of time but my avatar appearance never actually changed.

Finally, frustrated, I started adding the second outfit from Miss Sweetwater piece by piece.

            I was feeling pretty good about this accomplishment until Miss Sweetwater told me, “You have put on the new outfit over your original one.”  At this point, in the real world, I felt like saying, “Who gives a crap, I’ve changed my stupid outfit.”  I would not have changed it either, except for the gentle prodding to do so from Miss Sweetwater.  She told me how to take off the original outfit.

            I accessed the inventory and started taking off the pieces of my original outfit.  Eager to move on to something else, I managed what I thought was an interesting outfit and exited the inventory.

            Miss Sweetwater asked me if I had changed my “skin”.  Now, when I entered Second Life, I picked what looked like an avatar with a very dark complexion.  And indeed, my avatar did look a bit like I had some “skin” that was darker, and some that was lighter.  (Did I mention that I was now eager to move on??).

            Miss Sweetwater told me how to check my skin.  I accessed my appearance and changed my skin to a lighter color per her directions.  Upon exiting, I told her I thought I changed it all.

            She asked me if I had taken off the original underwear from my first outfit.  I paused.  Why would she ask me that?  And how in the world would I know??  I asked Miss Sweetwater how I would know.

            Miss Sweetwater asked, “Do you have nipples?”

            There was a long pause, or perhaps just to me it seemed like a long pause, or perhaps in the Second Life virtual world it wasn’t long at all…but for me, in the real world sitting on the couch with a laptop watching my avatar stand there in the virtual changing room, I could not force myself to say what the next logical question would be, ”How do I see if I have nipples?”

            Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I now noticed that the other avatars in the changing room had left, and only the two of us remained.  Or maybe it was the fact that this question seemed awkward, even in a virtual world.  Coupled by the fact that Miss Sweetwater seemed over-concerned with my appearance, and our matching outfits.

            Finally, eager to move on and break the awkward silence I just said, “I don’t know.”

            Miss Sweetwater explained that when you first pick an avatar, they are clothed in an outfit that has undergarments that you can’t take off, so you cannot accidentally walk around nude.  Then she said she would show me.

            I stood there as she changed her appearance, until there she stood, in the under garments of the outfit I arrived in.  The two of us stood there in silence, with the virtual wind blowing our virtual hair, the two of us alone in the changing room as the virtual world darkened outside.

            Then I realized I had no idea how to leave the changing room.  I mentioned the (virtual) darkening skies.  Miss Sweetwater told me how to change the time of day.  I immediately made it mid-day. 

            Miss Sweetwater started changing her appearance, then told me for some reason she could no longer access the outfit she gave me. I was somewhat relieved.

            She changed into a black outfit, and then suggested we go to Fisherman’s Cove.  Relieved to move past the tension and teleport to a more inhabited location, I agreed.  She said she would go there, and then send me the teleport link.

            While I was alone in the changing room, I found the “camera” feature and learned how to take a photo and send myself a postcard (if only I had learned this while I was a morphed half dog!!).  Even though I felt a slight hesitation, I decided to send Miss Sweetwater a friend request in the virtual world.

            After a few minutes she did not return, nor did I receive some kind of teleport signal to go to the Cove.  I yawned (in the real world).  I decided it was time for me to move on.  I exited Second Life.

            However, I am concerned that when I return to Second Life, the posters proclaiming me as a crazed lunatic avatar named “charlietown” will be replaced with posters saying I am a lesbian…and I found out that I can’t change my username.  I am stuck with that name with that email address forever…but, I can change the appearance of my avatar…