Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Death and Consequences

Over the past month I have had several friends bury their SecondLife avatar alive. There two different reasons for their desire to die. Interestingly half of them fit one of the reasons and the other half the other reason.

I only have one avatar. Well, in December of last year I was lonely and I created another avatar JW Clip got him through Orientation island which was a bitch and finally to some helpful depot where he looked around and wondered why his clothes looked so bad

I'll get back to the others, but JW Clip has meaning to this blog as well. So, like most women, I had to give JW some spending money for clothes. He managed to get a pair of jeans and a decent haircut and returned to his friendly depot where no one talked to him. I was sort of hoping he'd take me out since all my friends were wedding in SecondLife. But no, he never IM'd me and thus I left him shirtless and alone in his standard issued skin and ragged toenails. Since that day I have not seen or heard from him but he still has 500 Lindens left from what I fronted him on that cold December day unless he's taken some other woman out and spent my money on her.

So, I've had 8 friends during the past month say they were either leaving SL for good or creating a new alt. The reasons fell into just a two categories. Those leaving for good were pressing forward with first life which meant they had found a warm body. Those changing avies were because of griefers. These were the only two reasons.

As to the 4 who left for good two have returned at times with insights into the fragility of firstlife love. One came back because she missed her friends in SL and now remains. The fourth flutters back and forth as a nymph with wings. Unsure which flower has the most nectar.

Of those who created Alts two of them have settled into a quiet life with a partner sifting through the sands on SecondLife looking for shells and lost Lindens. The other two have been found sneaking back lately in their old selves. One of whom says he is going to come back as his avatar and stand firm against the griefer who followed him around. He had not been confronted with his griefer yet but time will tell how strong he'll stand.

Consequences: Well of course there is a problem with all the items that are NO TRANSFER. And then there is the inescapable loneliness an informed noobie can find since he/she doesn't frequent old haunts. There is also the loss of self recognition when looking in the mirror for those like myself who have found that what they look like is who they are regardless of other peoples reality checks. And then of course there are always the tears of finding a part of yourself gone.

If any of you come across JW say hello in chat since he never gets IM's. I am a strong woman but it would have been funny to have partnered with JW Clip. What laughter that would have created with my friends when they checked his profile out. Sadly there are no pictures of JW. He just sits motionless on his bench with a small cardboard sign by his leg that says, "Will LOVE for LIFE...take me home."

No comments: