Oooohhh… and here I have been trying sooo hard…

… to be likable… to be popular…
It hasn’t really been working at all, has it?

In the beginning I am still fairly self assured; trying out a pair of nice 50’s style glasses, wearing one of my gorgeous new hairs from the fair…

Considering the dining options (Hippo sausage, my absolute favorite!)…

Alas, all too soon, all of that is to change…

…

Enter TootersBrother Claxton!
(I should probably tell you also that the homily below was given to me all in green text…)

[7:16]  TootersBrother Claxton: I am so sorry Xiamara, but i’m afraid you can’t buy an avatar
[7:16]  TootersBrother Claxton: You are not on the list
[7:17]  TootersBrother Claxton: No, checked again, but you’re not on the list, so selling you an avatar is not allowed.
[7:17]  TootersBrother Claxton: Sorry.
[7:17]  TootersBrother Claxton: Only the most popular people in SL can get on that list
[7:17]  TootersBrother Claxton: and you’re not exactly popular, are you Xiamara?
[7:17]  TootersBrother Claxton: Just a sec. Let me check here…
[7:18]  TootersBrother Claxton: Yes, just what I thought, Xiamara; you’re #12.766.201 on the popularity list
[7:18]  TootersBrother Claxton: That makes you…
[7:18]  TootersBrother Claxton: part of the bottom 2%; the least popular persons in Second Life, Xiamara.
[7:18]  TootersBrother Claxton: It’s nothing personal, though. I don’t know you well enough to judge you.
[7:18]  TootersBrother Claxton: All but one of your friends have filed you as ‘extremely boring’.
[7:19]  TootersBrother Claxton: That one exeption must be your alt, right Xiamara?

…
[7:19]  TootersBrother Claxton: Oh well… it’s dangerous wearing these avatars when you’re not popular you know.
[7:19]  TootersBrother Claxton: That’s why there is that list.
[7:19]  TootersBrother Claxton: Not everyone can cope with the instant popularity that comes with wearing these av’s
[7:19]  TootersBrother Claxton: it drives less popular people nuts. Kinda like Britney Spears, you know?
[7:20]  TootersBrother Claxton: You wouldn’t want to turn into someone like her now would you Xiamara?
[7:20]  TootersBrother Claxton: No. No way to get you on the list.
[7:20]  TootersBrother Claxton: But you know what? I feel sorry for you. So here’s what I’ll do:
[7:20]  TootersBrother Claxton: Promise not to tell anyone ok, Xiamara?
[7:20]  TootersBrother Claxton: I’ll turn around and I’ll pretend I didn’t notice you buying an avatar, ok?
[7:21]  TootersBrother Claxton: If I were you I’d buy as many as you can, you won’t get a chance like this again

[7:21]  TootersBrother Claxton: OK, on the count of three… buy as many as you can!
[7:21]  TootersBrother Claxton: one
[7:21]  TootersBrother Claxton: two…
[7:21]  TootersBrother Claxton: THREE! Buy now! Hurry up Xiamara!

Tooter Claxton’s wonderful wonderful wonderful shop of avatars, vehicles and freebie objects can be found in Oculea at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Oculea/180/216/48

…

Bett

In SL people come and go. When the main avatar went into exile she did not think that she would be terribly missed by the world at large. Like all old time residents her friends list is huge, however most of them are people she barely ever talks to. Then there are a few that she says howdy to from time to time. And then of course, there is her cherished avatar family, with Papa avatar seated at the head of the table.

There are however two people, outside of her avatar family, that she is closely connected to. So, when she made her decision she knew that those two would need to be told since they would in fact worry about where she had gotten to. To ease the pain of the parting, in the end it was resolved between the three of them that they would turn this into a hide and seek game of sorts and see how long it would take for them to find her.

One of the two is Bettina Tizzy.

All I can say is that she must have search spiders crawling all over Flickr, which is where she found me. I do not think that she was looking for me specifically when she stumbled upon me, but was probably just adding in someone whose SL photos looked promising, as a contact. She must have made the association later.

Bett is a lady amongst ladies. She is the creator of one of the best (if not indeed the best) blogs on content creation in Second Life, the NPIRL blog, which is associated with one of the most select groups in-world, the Impossible IRL group. The best SL groups on Flickr, again, are her numerous NPIRL groups. 

She is trustworthy, discreet, honest, warm. She has integrity. She cares about SL like no one else that I know. And she has the right idea about the place – that the things that occur in it should not be possible in real life… That is what she says SL should be all about. She is an idealist. She is also open to all newcomers – provided that they add value to the place.

If my journey had in fact been all about documenting the process of setting up an artistic practice in SL it would pretty much be game-over the moment that Bett took notice of me -regardless of whether I am the alt of someone that she is already closely associated to, or an independent agent who is quite new to the place. After all, Bett is the one who put the island of the main avatar’s on the SL map, at a point when that one was still a complete nobody. That is how the two of them met.

As we were parting she made my day by saying that she was proud of me, of the way in which I was making lemonade out of lemons over here…

…

She is amazing. Just amazing…

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The kindness of strangers

During the last 24 hours two things have happened:

The first one was last night, when upon logging into SL I found an IM awaiting me. Eloh Eliot had contacted me to let me know that she has been following my blog here! She also sent me a new skin that she is currently working on for me to try out and give her my feedback on it – which I immediately did, of course. And it is beautiful, this new skin. Not yet finished, as I could see – but when it gets there it will be amazing. Even now it has put this really wondrous expression on my face: One that I find quite hard to describe. Curious and yet shy? Sadly whimsical? Vulnerable? I think it is the eyebrows that do all of that…

The second lovely surprise comes from the creator of that gorgeous free facelight, Cognitive Gears, who has left a comment right here. 

…

The main avatar wandered the social wastelands of Second Life for almost half a year before she finally landed on a sim of pure magic. And it can be said that her second life really began on that day, in the company of the group of extraordinary avatars that eventually ended up becoming her avatar family. That was 1 year ago – almost to the day. But before that all that her social life really consisted of was the occasional vapid conversation here and there, some listening in on other people’s chatter and attending group and musical events, going to art exhibitions – always on her own. 

When I came into being, the woman over here decided to start a blog for me on my very rezday in fact. She did not do it because she thought that it would help ease me into a social life. She did it because she really likes to write and she figured that it would give her something to do. The first blog that she started to keep a while back, the one that belongs to the main avatar is really more in the nature of a cocky, if not downright arrogantly opinionated, little public diary, which in no way involves the sharing of SL tips and information – hardly surprising then that she never gets a lot of visits to that one. Consequently, the woman hadn’t really set any big social hopes on blogging, based upon her prior experiences there. That blog has a very small number of regular readers that are either already closely associated with the main avatar, or are people that know of her through her building work. And needless to say, since she hasn’t been posting in it, these days the viewings have dwindled down to one or two a day.

It is quite extraordinary how fast a virtual life can go into oblivion… Really teaches this one here a much needed lesson in humility.

…

This blog is getting a very high number of viewings already. The woman behind the keyboard is a habitual tagger and it is quite obviously tags such as freebie, skin, animation overrider, shopping that are getting all these people to look at this.

Which then ends up bringing me to the attention of these wonderfully kind strangers (at least for now) that have contacted me. Sandplum Denja a few days ago and now Eloh Eliot and Cognitive Gears.

:-)))))))))))))))))

…

This is so nice…

My very first connection in-world materialized about half an hour ago. And this is not one of those random things, where someone likes how you look or whatever and offers friendship for no good reason at all. This does indeed have all the earmarks of becoming a real connection, one that I will know to cherish:

Sandplum Denja is an art gallery owner/curator in Second Life, apparently busy setting up an art gallery at NCI South Hamnida at the moment. She told me that she had been keeping an eye on the postings to the NCI Flickr group, to which I have added a few photos over the past week. So, through those she found out about this blog and decided to send me an IM in-world. As luck would have it I was logged in at the time. We had the nicest chat and of course I offered her my friendship, which she kindly accepted.

She says she liked reading about the newbie experience from an old timer’s point of view, which is more or less the theme that I have been pursuing here. She says that she looks forward to following my journey. She thinks it is a great idea to give newcomers tips on shopping, adjusting garments and building.

And, she was not the least bit curious as to the identity of the main avatar, or indeed for all the reasons that lie behind my having been rezzed in the first place. Discreet, ladylike, warm, friendly…

Again, this is so nice!

…

My first SL contact materialized…

… not in-world, but at Flickr… And what a contact this is too!

Flickr seems to be hugely important in terms of SL. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Flickr is almost an annex to SL. It is the place where you and your output, be it artistic or otherwise, gets introduced to the world. Thus, the very first thing that I did after I was rezzed was to set up a Flickr account. It is after all Flickr that put the island of the main avatar on the map of SL. The images of the place she posted on Flickr are what raised her in the ranks of SL’s meritocracy. Will Flickr do the same for a modest alt, who is not even allowed to have a pro account in there? I can post images that go up to 1024 pixels wide and only 100 MB’s worth a month at that.

It was thus hugely touching when Ravenelle added me as a contact in Flickr last night. I am amazed that she did so too: I have not yet posted anything of any consequence in there. And if there is such a thing as a meritocracy in SL (which there doubtlessly is) Ravenelle is right there in the heart of it. She posts incredible videos, that I watch over and over again, of her Ducky’s adventures. Her feed is the one where I find out about the most amazing places in Second Life. Her work is beautiful, spontaneous, fragile and yet strong. I only know her from Flickr, (the main avatar has never hooked up with her in SL – alas) where I have a huge admiration for her.

So this has been a highly gratifying moment indeed…

…