A CHRISTMAS CAROL REVISITED

They had been a great couple; everybody said so. And then what happened? Hadn’t Mandy been involved in their breakup? Yes, in a way, remembered Candy. Brian was a great partner but… She had to admit that after the first few weeks, the excitement and thrill of their encounter had all but vanished. Their relation had reached a plateau where the romance and the passion of the first days could not survive, and she was eager to find something new. Someone new. That was how Mandy came to her life, as an alt who allowed her to explore different venues, to meet new people, to live torrid romances with strangers. An evergrowing roster of friends, boyfriends, and simple acquaintances had paraded through Mandy’s life, while Candy played the devoted goody-two-shoes girlfriend to Brian.

“Everything has an end— except for the sausages, which have two,” her Grampa used to say. And in the case of her relationship with Brian, the end came in the most unexpected way, as it usually happens. One day, Brian logged in at a time he never did, only to find Mandy using the sex bed he had worked so hard to buy. There was some furry character with her, but one of which you’d need an advanced degree in Zoology to tell his genus or species. Anyway, he disappeared as soon as Brian materialized from the orange cloud.

But Mandy wasn’t as quick, mainly because her typist happened to be in the kitchen when Brian barged in the room. Oh, and by the way, it must be said that both Candy and Mandy looked exactly the same. No wonder: they both went to the same stores (especially those who offered group gifts) and had the same taste in clothes, shoes, and hair. They also were in the same groups, as he could confirm by checking Mandy’s profile, and thus, Brian could easily put one and one together and determine that his ‘loving girlfriend’ was two-timing him via an alt.

When Mandy’s typist came back from the kitchen, ready to continue her passionate romance with her furry friend, she was aghast at the sight of Brian, who was furiously IMing her, reproaching her despicable conduct. All she could do was log out and give him time to calm down. That sex bed was brand new, and they hadn’t used it yet. Candy was confident that a good session of makeup sex would convince Brian to stay.

But a few days later, when Candy logged in again hoping to see him, to have an explanation and reconciliation, she found the apartment they had rented together empty. Brian had disappeared from her contact list, and all the IMs she sent him went unanswered. It goes without saying she was furious, fuming against Mandy, “that [expletive deleted]!”

“She has to go!” Candy decided with an evil grin, as she saw on the screen an “Account Deleted” message. There was something bugging her, though. “What if in the future, for some reason I can’t imagine now, I do need an alt? Everybody has at least one. You never know what kind of predicament you may find yourself in, and an alt may be the best solution, right?”

She opened her browser and navigated to the Create Account page. “What would be a good name for it? Oh! Of course!” And then she carefully typed, “Sandy4Fun”.

CompE Lockwood

In the contest of avatar parts, body shop, Nirma Designs and Moonlay Designs (ND/MD) have skin in the game. Literally. And you should, too.

For nothing screams “Second Life newbie” faster than poorly designed dermatology. Though beauty is only skin deep, nobody compliments your gallbladder. Therefore, good skin is of the essence. And in Second Life, poor skin does not have to be.

Alea Lamont and partner Moonlay Laval own ND/MD, founded last August. They are crafters of fine skins— designers, creators, and applicators of avatar exteriors.

In addition, they create little avatars less than half the average size and nano avatars the size of hummingbirds. They’re perfect look to think big from small packages.

Alea started the business and is an SL self-taught designer / artist. Months later she met Moonlay, an RL professional graphic designer. The two joined forces to create great, beautiful products— skins, eyes, and more.

“Moonlay found it very easy,” recalls Alea. Moonlay notes, “I am a 2D and 3D artist in RL, with 25 years of experience. It made the SL transition easier.” Moonlay is also a professional graphic designer.

Soon after they met and opened shop, Alea started making skins, too. “When I met Moonlay, we got to talking, and I was told about the skin making abilities. We started the process. I also taught myself how to do shaping,” she explains as we tour her shop where the magic happens. The rest is history. When asked ‘what do people want in skins?’, her answer is simple: “I have no idea.” Alea laughs. “I always try to be versatile, and I make whatever I like and what I would want to look like.”

ND/MD is a one-stop shop for avatar outer surfaces. Male, female, human, animals, space age people, miniatures, and more. “We started back then with Neko and Fantasy skins,” Alea noted. Much has been added, including skins for various ethnic groups. Today, they concentrate on stunning skins for women of the virtual world.

“Our new VIP group is over here,” Alea says as we explore her world and business. Walls of skins are displayed from cutting edge to the good old days. “We were one of the first to make tiny mesh avatars,” she says. “They are a bit outdated but still sell.”

And then we move to the little avatars— tiny people of virtue, living in a virtual world. Once purchased, you can assume their identity. “This is the original size,” she adds, pointing at the model that would stand about knee high to a human avatar. ‘Little Dolly’ perches on a pedestal, waiting to greet visitors. Itsy bitsy clothing and accessories surround her.

The small figures are available as animal avatars, too, or in costume. Little Me’s have directional signs which describe them and list what accessories are available. Little figures are big at ND/MD. “They come with heads, but I make them whatever I want them to look like,” says Alea.

They come in many versions, but if that isn’t small enough, think smaller— nano smaller. “In here, you see my Nano avatars,” Alea as tour guide proceeds. “They are very tiny.” I’ll say. Watch your step.

One room leads to the next. Click and select skins and eyes, as typically displayed in galleries with a unicorn meandering about. On with the tour.

“This is our Fantasy Shop,” Alea points out. “The Sci-fi suits are all from Moonlay, and I made the lions. I don’t really have a plan. We create what we feel like at the moment.”

She said that Lions and other cats take longer to make, but human shapes and skins just require a few days. New releases are always in store, and so are sales. On today’s visit, some products were 50 percent off for a limited time for group members. The moral of this story? Be a group member. Sign up.

From new skins for a new you, to new avatars for a much smaller you, ND/MD has the look you want. Alea and Moonlay cover one’s avatar, big or small. For size does matter, and so does skin.