The Alphaville Herald

Shyayn Lusch — Post 6 Grrrl

by Alphaville Herald on 19/08/08 at 7:07 am

[My first thought when I saw Shyayn was 'OMG, she's so cute. I want to pinch her little cheeks'. There she was, a Barbie en miniature, sexy and innocent looking at the same time. When we started talking, I soon had to realize that there was more about this Shyayn than just a pretty face and a perfect pixel body. A sweet bitch, a smart blonde, a creative beach bum – a walking contradiction and the living proof that beauty is more than pixel deep. – Bunny Brickworks]

A little over a year ago I got an e-mail from a good friend asking if, “[I] had gotten [her] messages regarding Second Life.” Much to my surprise, the porno spam e-mails from one Calista Bing that I’d been deleting without opening were from my friend, albeit her Second Life alter-ego.

She knew how to sell me on Second Life from the start, “It’s great! You get a doll and you can dress her and make her however you want. It’s a little humiliating at first though because you’re born really ugly and without any kind of genitals. I have a beach house and a dolphin.” I laughed, but immediately found the idea of dolls for grown-ups, especially those with oceanfront views and pet dolphins, very appealing. About a week after that phone call, Shyayn Lusch was born. Little did I know, playing digital dolls was the very tip of the Second Life virtual iceberg.

An armchair anthropologist, I am rarely bored or without food for thought in Second Life. I have found that my second life, and the second lives of those that are dear to me, speak volumes about what we cherish, how we think, and our goals, ambitions, and dreams. There are a lot of things this world is short on, but humanity is not one of them.

And as I round out my first year as a second life resident, I am taking a closer look at what my Second Life says about me. Above all, I have found that my cardinal rules for living in atom’s world have translated with full force to the metaverse: be honest and make every effort to treat others the way you want to be treated. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m totally imperfect and would never suggest otherwise.

My second life has definitely had more than its fair share of drama and I know I haven’t always been on the right side of the fence. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I do my best.

Second Life has also been tremendously valuable to me in that it has provided a mechanism for me to explore my very strong interests in music, writing, photography and 3-D building and art. When I’m not tending to Kon Tiki Island Estates and its awesome residents, I DJ, blog, and build “fabulous virtual furniture for fabulous virtual living.” (You can check out said fabulous virtual furniture at my store, Shy Things, on Kon Tiki Island West.)

While all of these things are terribly interesting and fulfilling, sadly they are the sorts of things that I might not have had an opportunity to experience without having a Second Life. Certainly I would have encountered formidable barriers to entry and it is extremely unlikely that I would have had the opportunity to do any of the above on a similar scale.

Of the greatest importance, are the dear friends that I have had the good fortune of meeting in the metaverse. They form such a large part of my Second Life and almost all of my experiences in the metaverse that it would be grossly unfair and misleading not to mention them here. ElGallodeBorrachos Muliaina: the Top Cock that’s as unique as his prim hair, and my partner in both lives. Boot Janus: kind, loving, generous, and good to the core. Alisa Barzane: my favorite hot mess. Trout McDowwll: totally genuine and genuinely humble. (Trout is all you could ever want or need in a landlord; he’s ethical and solvent.) There are, of course, many others who aren’t mentioned here and I love them just as much. But those mentioned are there for me, without fail and share themselves freely. They create a safe place when bad weather is on the horizon and make the little bit of server space known as Kon Tiki Island West a home.

Many thanks and much love to Bunny Brickworks for the flawless pictures and the laughs. Thank you for taking a minute to admire her work and read a little bit about me.