Like a newborn deer, I staggered around the Welcome Hub barely in control of my unfamiliar, virtual limbs. I walked into the wall. A lot. And into a small pond. Another avatar walked past and glanced over at me. Did I imagine that look of disdain which I thought had played across his face?
Not an auspicious start, but gradually I began to get the hang of my basic functions, I even learned how to move the camera around. The heady rush of success which accompanied learning a new (if somewhat basic) skill was quickly doused by the cold water of realisation. I could now see what I looked like. Ah. Oh dear. Something had to be done.
I think it was at about this point that I also realised I was now stuck with the Avatar name which I'd rushed into selecting in order to get moving along to the more interesting stuff. Hmmm. Aramos Darkfury? Not sure I looked much like an Aramos Darkfury. Maybe I'd get used to it. Maybe Aramos Darkfury would make more sense if he had some decent clothes. And some better hair. Definitely some better hair.
As a penniless (sorry, Linden-less) noob I was inevitably going to be restricted to free stuff when it came to shopping for clothes. This probably meant I'd end up wearing things you might have got away with back in 2008 but which would no doubt get you laughed out of all the most happening SL joints here in shiny, modern 2010. But you've got to start somewhere, right?
In my case (or in Aramos Darkfury's case, I wasn't sure about the first or third person yet) I started at The Yard, Honie Island - although to this day I couldn't tell you how I actually got there. The phrase "more by luck than judgement" was never more appropriate than when applied to my first day or two here in Second Life.
So, I picked up a few freebies here and there (once I figured out how to shop, which would no doubt have been an excruciating thing to observe for anyone more than a couple of days old in SL terms) and tried to see if I couldn't improve the appearance of this Aramos Darkfury bloke. My first thought? "Oh No - I've made it worse, haven't I?"
My second thought? Well, the items on sale behind me were……let's say a surprise. And for any readers who might be wondering, I decided against it.
Still, at least I had "interesting" hair so I could always claim to be expressing my individuality or something, right? Yeah, that sounded plausible. I could get by on that for a couple of weeks, and by then I should have figured out how to look a bit less like a complete tool.
Oh, and as further proof of the difference between the male and female genders (or yet more proof of my short attention span, I'll let you be the judge), I failed to spot that I'd forgotten to wear any shoes. This was an oversight that continued for a good few days before it was finally brought to my attention.
So……now that I had new clothes, new hair and an apparent disregard for the convention of footwear, where should I go next?
At this juncture in my story and for the benefit of my future self (who, like the muppet he is, has by now probably forgotten all this) I'd like to pause for just a second to identify this very moment, this one seemingly random decision, as the exact point at which my Second Life experience was to change from being a quirky little thing I was trying out into something that would very quickly go way beyond my expectations. Something frankly kind of wonderful.
This was the moment I teleported into a little Indie club which had caught my eye on the SL Destination Guide.
This was my first visit to AAI.
It's actually kinda difficult to put into words what AAI means to me at this early stage of my young Second Life. As I said, it's so far beyond anything I was expecting that it'd be easy for me to get all gushing and ridiculous - I'll try to keep a lid on it though to maintain some modicum of British restraint. I was looking for somewhere that might be playing cool music - I found that and a whole lot more besides.
My initial reaction upon arrival however was that everyone in here looked waaaaay cooler than me and had waaaaay better animations going on. Not to mention infinitely better hair. Uh-Oh, I was gonna stick out like the proverbial sore thumb. I would quite rightly be mocked and derided until I ran home crying. Of this, I was convinced.
To my surprise however, I wasn't shunned as a noob but was warmly welcomed by AAI's co-owners Meri & Thom and the rest of the gang already dancing away their evening in this perfectly formed, atmospheric little place. I received a number of welcoming IMs from people, most kicking off with a variant on the "wow, are you really only 1 day old or just an alt?" theme. My evident confusion around their use of the term "alt" was enough to convince everyone that yes, I really was that new.
So the AAI guys 'n gals kindly took it upon themselves to show me the SL ropes. Some of the gals taught me a rather fetching dance, indeed the "pointy-bottom" dance is still my groove of choice, though I maintain that I give it a somewhat more manly edge than in its original form. I received some much needed fashion tips delivered in a kindly manner. People suggested places I might like to visit. Everyone made me feel like one of the gang within moments.
Meri in particular must get a special mention for making me feel incredibly welcome into what was clearly a group that already knew each other well. I can only presume that in RL she is the type of person who brings in injured kittens and puppies off the street and nurses them back to health. Bless her for taking in a poor noob on his first night out in Second Life and, if she's reading this, I will be taking you up on that offer of some much-needed supervised shopping!
So whenever I'm online these days I tend to check out whoever's DJing at AAI and I've had a fantastic night every time. The images of sharing the dancefloor with a dalek, or of Graz Firecaster hosting Jukebox Fury whilst furiously bounding around the club on a pogo stick will I'm sure live long even in a memory as unreliable as mine.
There are still plenty of in-jokes which I'm sure are flying over my head and I certainly have a lot of catching up to do on the gesturing front, but AAI already feels like a second home here in my Second Life and I would encourage anyone reading this to come join the party. You'll probably see me in there so do say "Hi" and tell me how awesome you think my blog is or how great my hair looks ;)
AAI - All Awesome Individuals!
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