My next item on my list in my de-n00bification process was replacement of my current plastic skin that comes as the default from Linden Labs. This skin looks like it came right out of the injection mold machine. Nice, smooth, and completely lifeless. It has to go.

I teleport to a place called X2:Exotica. An interesting looking place, I go inside.

Once inside this looks like a familiar theme. And I also see naked people, as before on the walls. This time, instead of the skeleton, it’s the skin for sale. I wander over to the female skin section… okay I’ll admit to peeking a look over on the guy’s side. Then I wander up to the walls and begin shopping for skins… Hmmm…. look at those skins, they look much better, oh you can buy a demo. I buy a demo skin for L$1 and try it out.

I’m amazed, so much better. I’m like a new me. I’m in love. Queue narcissistic idolization. Now to buy the real skin I want without this demo tattooed all over it.

*GASP*

This skin is kind of expensive. This seems to be beyond what I was planning on spending on Second Life, but it is very nice I start to rationalize. And I spent what seemed like a lot on that last shape and I got a high quality item. My hand hovers over the buy button, and with a mystical motion, I hit buy. The first of many mystical motions to be sure….

Ahh, immediate gratification. I put the new skin on and complete the enrapture with myself. I start to hear melodious music in the background….

Then like a record screeching, I realize my skin is too light. How can I go out like this? I look way too pasty. I look like a geek stuck inside all of the time. I’m going to need a darker shade. Now this skin is really nice, but I should get a darker skin to go with it. I start internally justifying that I should get another shade of skin to have more fashion flexibility. Yeah, that’s it. I’ll buy another shade. I quickly slide over to another shade of skin and hit buy.

*BING* - what? Not enough cash? How could that be? The Visa card starts to tremble again. I smile at it. It will be okay, just a few more dollars will do….

Ahhh, once again, immediate gratification. The music starts up again….

Then that screech hits again…. I look at my head and I notice I have hair that looks like a wet sheep dog. Gotta fix that now. Nearly perfect now. I am close to having all that I need.

I go back to the list and start going over hair places. Next up, hair therapy….

-Veyron

Having a list to work with for de-n00bification was going to give me a big head start. I really could not go around for a long time with this paper bag over my head. Already it was becoming too much looking like the rest of the clones, and an ugly clone to boot. The list from my friend looked pretty complete, and there were some odd things listed in there that I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. Anyway, I had worked up a mental list of things I needed to fix. It went something like this:

• Shape - I felt I was not an expert at working how I should look, and I was in a hurry to get a better shape.
• Skin - something that didn’t look like I came right out an injection mold machine.
• Hair - the wet sheep dog look went out style some time ago (was it ever in style?).
• Clothes - ummm, maybe something not off the rack from skid row.
• Accessories - of course.
• New Walk - only a male programmer could come up with a default female walk like this.
• Window shop for other things - you know - get into trouble…..

So, the shape is first up on the list. The SLURL location is to a place called Flesh Inc. Sounds interesting. So, I teleport over to Flesh. As the location starts to rez in I see the path into the store. Walking up the path I start to see what I would consider my first shock to the system in Second Life. As Cole from The Sixth Sense might say, “I see naked people”. Now, I’ve seen my share of naked people, but the way they are being presented was rather surprising, a modern day meat market.

Maybe it was more like a market for flesh. But, what would you expect from a place called Flesh, Inc. Then I spotted the “model”. He was big, strong, cute, and naked with a rather nice tush on a rotating dais. As he orbited around, I noticed he was missing some rather key male components. I found this to be rather disturbing, in an odd sort of way. Well, I thought to myself, maybe he’s like a store mannequin. They lack those sorts of features, so that must be it.

Internally I started to have my doubts about this place as I was entering a modern Sodom and Gomorrah called Second Life. But then as I rationalized it, well, this all makes sense, you have to see what you are buying, and you’re buying a shape. It’s like the vendor being honest. That made me felt much better. This was not pornographic or anything naughty here. The vendor was just being honest and fully displaying what was being sold. That must be it….

Now I started gawking around at the female shapes and reading the notecards on their “specifications”. Wow, this is amazing, I can decide what to look like at the near push of a button. I am now in a near state of buying paralysis over what to look like. Decisions, decisions….

After about 30 minutes of evaluation, I settle on buying two shapes. One shape is not too expensive and another is twice that. Then I have a quandary, where to change and look and my shape? I can’t do that here, and in public. I am not that kind of girl, and I have modesty…. What to do…. Then I have an idea, I’ll go hide underwater where no one can see me….

I put on the first, less expensive shape. Well, it looks nice. Much better than Miss Clone. But I look like a bit too much like some teenage boy’s wet dream. Boobs are too much, hips are too wide and I also detest bootilicious. No, this will not do. Because I’m not that kind of girl. I know that for sure. Time to try the next one.

Mmmm, this one is different. Much more elegant and refined. Less exaggerated body features, but still quite “inspiring”. This shape is much more appropriate for a good, wholesome girl like me. True, I now look like Helen and I could start the Trojan War all over again, but I’m not that kind of girl, at least that’s what I told myself.

Now I have what I need as far as a shape goes. But I still have this injected molded skin, but I can almost take off the paper bag. So I look on my list and see my next stop. A place called X2? Hmm…. Strange name, but, time to move on.

Next stop on the list…. Flesh on the bones.

-Veyron