Second Life Problems

If you've been reading My blog for more than a minute, you've figured out by now that I'm a big nerd. One of My favorite addictions is Second Life, or SL for short. I've been involved in it for years and addiction really is the best way to describe it. I have to force Myself to take breaks from it or I'll get completely sucked in for days and won't get anything else done.

SL is one of My favorite ways to engage in domination online. Yet another way to make you losers grovel for Me. Although I don't have time to devote to membership in a lifestyle BDSM sim, I often work at adult clubs when I'm on the grid. The nice thing about SL is that, despite being a virtual world, it has a real economy. People can and do make a living from selling items or services and then converting the in-world currency for USD via PayPal.

Playing one of My favorite games while draining your wallet? It doesn't get better than this.

However, a couple of years ago the creators of SL, Linden Labs, released something called "mesh." I'm not technologically inclined, so I can't adequately explain how it works, but it allows designers to create clothing, buildings, and even avatar bodies that have more realistic shapes without the blocky, pixelated look of years past without increasing the load on the servers, which creates lag.

I hate mesh. I mean I really HATE mesh.

The problem with mesh is that it doesn't always fit classic avatar bodies. Either body parts show through clothing or else there are big gaps between the clothing and the avatar. Either way, it looks like crap. Then designers started creating mesh bodies and those were even worse. Thank goodness for free demo versions so I didn't end up wasting money on a product that made My avatar look bloated or like she'd been implanted with too much silicone. Don't even get Me started on how shitty the joining points at neck, wrists, and ankles look or how much of a pain in the ass it is to try to match skin tones if you're wearing hands, feet, head or skin by a designer other than the one that created your body.

Unfortunately, mesh has been a thing for long enough that designers have figured out how to make avatar bodies that look like a normal human instead of a deformed cow. That's nice and all, but it also means that adult clubs won't hire Me unless I have a mesh body. They claim customers prefer it, but I call bullshit. The differences are so minute they're barely noticeable, especially if you're wearing a high quality skin.

But I finally had to bite the bullet and invest in a mesh body if I want to get jobs. I've discovered a whole new set of reasons to hate mesh. Mesh clothes made for classic avatar bodies don't necessarily work with mesh bodies. And what fits one mesh body doesn't fit them all. Even if you buy clothes that are advertised as working with the mesh body you own, that's no guarantee they'll actually fit. None of My favorite clothes fit anymore. So now I have to put together an entirely new wardrobe. Which wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to spend triple the amount of time doing it.

This is Me giving whoever it was at Linden Labs that thought mesh was a good idea the finger. Fuck you. Die in a fire.