Tags

, , , , ,

I’ve been mostly out of Second Life for two or three months now, and most of that time I’ve only come in-world to take care of things, for instance to drop off objects to people or to sell land (we were so thrilled when our friends Ferretherder Kitsune and Mailia Medby took over our former home! We don’t need it to stay the same, a mausoleum to the Sylphs, but for it to still exist and be “in the family” just makes me sleep happier at night).

(By the way, I’m going to veer a little into fashion in this entry, but it’s not important if you haven’t fallen in love with your own wardrobe, so do skip paragraphs however you like!)

This past week, I’ve been in three times. I’d wondered if Second Life would start feeling a little silly and thin if I were away for a while, but that certainly hasn’t happened, which strengthens my belief that people who think virtual worlds are games don’t have any relationships to speak of in them, and that people who do have meaningful virtual relationships-friends especially!-aren’t going to “grow out of them.”

Kit had this little black dress (“Ginny” from Last Call), and I had to run out and get it, which is shameful in that it’s stealing my friend’s fashion sense, but really, I only have about 4 LBD’s (Kit actually had to actually explain that abbreviation to me, but I think it’s because I don’t care much about First Life fashion and never watch TV!), and this one is (if you ask me) a minimalist masterpiece. It comes with a very nice trench coat that I’m sure I’ll wear over the dress some day, but isn’t the whole point of a Little Black Dress that it just sort of aesthetically vanishes and leads eyes to you? A trench coat does the opposite!

I have to admit, the timing for my coming back in-world a little more, even though I still only expect to be in once in a while, probably isn’t random. My First Life significant other and I decided to part ways, amicably, and so all of a sudden my social time no longer necessarily had to involve putting on a nice dress and going out. Actually, my Second Life wardrobe mania was, I realized, in full swing, and practically the first thing I did when I came in world was further cram my already ridiculously huge virtual closet with a few coveted items from old favorite spots like Last Call and Nicky Ree. Last Call’s clothing is gorgeous, by the way, and all on sale for L$100 again, which is a fashion miracle matched only by the similar thing that happened at Dazzle eighteen months ago, as the other old ladies on Second Life might recall. I have to admit, much of Last Call doesn’t exactly fit my style (I’ve used the phrase “Republican debutante” to describe it), but I gleefully snatch up anything that does. Nicky Ree, on the other hand, is full of things that suit my eclectic little preferences marvelously, but buying things there costs something approaching actual money, so I have to pace myself. šŸ™‚

This is “Divine Sisi Empire Gown Emerald” from Nicky Ree, “Sisi” I think being a reference to a Bavarian princess whose nickname that was. Anyway, wow. Most of my wings fight for attachments with this, but I conveniently have my mini golden eagle wings from Seraphina Pinion, which I like having another excuse to wear.

Anyway, it seems all too easy to fall into staying up late talking with friends and going on wild shopping sprees. Of course, both the friends (for the human contact with people I love) and the shopping (for feeling pretty and having tiny little new experiences) are probably compensations in part for walking away from what was really, in most ways, a very nice relationship. And in the end, I suppose that’s not surprising at all: after all, if I had the option, I’d gladly spend time with my Second Life friends in the First Life world, with whatever First Life bodies and outfits they come in. I’m sure we’d all look less glamorous and wouldn’t dance as well, but we’d be able to put our arms around each other instead of the air next to each other (Second Life: lurch left, lurch right, end up mostly facing each other…there!), and no one would freeze and vanish unexpectedly. Anyway, what I mean to say is that I’m incredibly grateful for my Second Life friends, and I miss them when I’m off in my First Life, and I’m glad to spend time with them any way I can.

^^^\ Kate /^^^