Are Prewritten Scripts Dangerous?

I’ve always found that studying other people’s source code to be an excellent way to understand a new programming language, and this holds true for LSL (Linden Scripting Language) scripting as well.

But it helps to know your source (in this case, source means where you got the script in the first place). As an example, I recently found a collection of 91 scripts, and it was free for the taking. Not wanting to add 91 new objects to my inventory (which would make it slower to display), I decided I’d create a prim in which to store them. This was easily accomplished with the Build tool, but when I selected the scripts and added them en masse, most (if not all of them) started executing. And the real problem was several of them wanted permission to access my $Lindens!

Fortunately, I was able to prevent any damage (or theft of my $Lindens!), and delete the prim. There is a safe way to add a script to a prim for storage, but that involves first adding the script, then editing it and unchecking the Running box in the edit window. Unfortunately, this has to be done with each script, one at a time, as you add them.

My solution? If you double-click on a script, it will open inside SL’s own script editor. This is a built-in feature that allows you to create and test scripts in-world. All you have to do is click on the Edit button to edit the script.

However, you can also configure your SL viewer to open the script in an external editor when you click the Edit button. And by doing so, I was able to open each script in my external editor and save it off-line to my computer. Once I’d done that, I then deleted all 91 scripts from my inventory.

Now it’s just a matter of examining the scripts while I’m offline, and deleting the ones that cause harmful actions.

My Script Editing Preferences

If you’re at all interested in scripting, I would encourage you to download and install the Firestorm viewer. I do this for a couple of reasons:

1. It’s faster and uses fewer resources than the official SL viewer
2. It’s easier to customize to use other resources than is the SL viewer

My off-line editor of choice is Notepad++, a free (as in “free speech” and also as in “free beer”) source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.

Sorry, but I’m not familiar enough with MacOS to make any recommendations, but you can find out more information directly from Second Life. You can also learn how to configure Notepad++ to handle LSL.

Olivia’s Recommended Script Resources

And who, you ask, is Olivia? She’s my alter identity for building and scripting without interruptions. This is where she shops:

• Script Collectors/Spiders Design
• Builder’s Brewery
• College of Scripting, Music, and Science
• Stay Close for Bundled Scripts

As SL is constantly changing, and vendors come and go, you should periodically do a Search for “free scripts” and “scripting.”

What’s Next?

Building resources. Until then,

Love,

Building and Scripting in Second Life

If you haven’t figured it out by now, everything in Second Life was built (and is still being built) by the residents. From simple furniture to flying machines, everything depends on two basic skillsets: building and scripting.

Building

Building covers objects, the most basic of which are called primitives, or prims, for short. Everything you see in SL is made up of one or more prims. Building is an easy skill to learn, and there are frequent in-world classes that will teach you how to do it. Two of my favorites are Caledon Oxbridge Gateway and Builder’s Brewery.

If you prefer a less-structured environment, where you can learn at your own pace, I recommend the Ivory Tower of Primitives.

There are also excellent tutorials to be found on the Internet.

Scripting

Scripting covers everything that happens in SL. Do you have an AO that allows you to hug other people? Well, inside it, there’s a script that makes it happen. If you sit on a chair, a script controls your posture and position. Maybe you have a shirt that came with a HUD that you can use to change its colors. Right: there’s a script inside the HUD.

Scripting isn’t too difficult to learn—although it’s more complicated than building. Again, there are many in-world resources to help you learn, as well as many tutorials on the Internet.

To be honest, “scripting” is another word for programming. But don’t let that put you off learning—as with everything else in life, it just takes time to learn, and there’s no deadline. And like building, there are free classes in-world to help you.

That’s one of the nice things about Second Life: people are always willing to help you learn, and to share their knowledge and experience.

A Word of Warning

And that brings me to where I’m going to share with you my own knowledge about building and scripting: create an alternate identity to use strictly for those purposes. Otherwise, as you gain more friends and rise in popularity, you’ll find it increasingly difficult to deal with the interruptions.

But if you take the time and make the effort to learn, not only can you save money by building the things you need, but you can also earn it by selling your creations in SL. Remember, everything that you buy in SL or from the Marketplace was made by someone. They’re making money, and you can, too!

Further Thoughts on Gender-Bending in Second Life

This is my friend Liana. She’s a teacher and counselor at Emasculata Academy, Second Life’s Finishing School for Full Feminization.

Emasculata Academy (EA) describes itself this way:

Emasculata Academy is dedicated to preparing new women to take their rightful place in their workplaces, families and communities. We pursue this goal through rigorous behavioral conditioning and mental programming to establish a fully realized and fully feminine identity; integration of an outcomes-based curriculum demonstrated through personal research and presentations; active, collaborative, applied studies and immersive real life experiences–in an environment that celebrates traditional feminine values and dedication to pleasing and serving.

While this is still role-play, and not meant to have any influence on anyone’s real life, the classes and lessons are based on staff’s real-world experiences. A list of real-world gender resources will also be available in-world from Liana. IM her (LianaAlharizi) for a copy.

Or you could just as easily hop on over to her blog!

Changing Gender in Second Life

Just as in real life, some people in Second Life are Transgender. Some are male-to-female, and others are female-to-male.

Some players transition before they even enter SL; that is, they pick avatars corresponding to their true genders when they first create their accounts. Others may have not known of the option when they started, and still others may have been playing as their assigned-at-birth (AAB) gender, only to come to the realization—often in conjunction with their real lives (RL)—that they are not really of that gender.

In real life, transitioning, that is, becoming y0ur true self, is often a long process involving psychological counselling, hormone treatments, alienation of friends and family. For many of us, it is a painful process, often causing us to lose friends and family.

In SL, however, it can be easier—although it may also cost you your SL friends and family. But physically, it’s a lot easier.

The Case of Geoffrey St. Clair (geoffreystclair_resident)

When Geoff first started in SL, he played his RL self: a young, gay man. But as time went by, he realized that he wasn’t truly comfortable in the role, in either SL or RL. There was always the option of deleting his account and starting over—which is always a viable option—but he had accumulated (read: purchased) too much inventory, and he didn’t want to waste his money. Now there are two easy ways to make such a change: simply buy a new avatar, or look around for a decent shape and skin combination for free.

And that’s where places like New Resident Island come in. That’s where Geoff was able to pick from a wide variety of pre-made avatars, each coming with shape, skin, hair, and clothing. In short, everything he needed to become his new self. But since the avatars in the kits can’t be modified, he wanted something with more flexibility.

Instead, he picked a modifiable shape and skin combination.

And here are the before and after results:

Quite simple, really. Now all she has to do is settle on a new name. Hmm…I think she looks like a Gwen, don’t you?

A More Difficult Way to Accomplish the Same Thing

You can also use the appearance editor in SL to change both your gender and your appearance. The ways of doing this can be found in the following articles:

• Controlling your avatar’s appearance
• Second Life Quickstart
• How To Customize Your Second Life Avatar For Free

A Word of Warning

If your avatar  permissions include Copy, make a backup of it before you start modifying it. That way you’ll be able to undo any mistakes you might have made.

My recommendation? If you’re going to do it manually, i.e. with the sliders, etc., wait until you’ve had some experience building. There are also lots of free classes in SL that you can also take.

Until next time,

Potential Problems with BDSM and D/s in Second Life

The biggest problem with power relationships is Second Life is that anyone can give themselves the title of Dom/Domme, Master/Mistress or anything similar. And don’t think that just because someone’s a member of a group with a similar title that they’re qualified, either.

Read the character’s profile. You might find that someone makes either of these kind of relationships a real-life practice.

Don’t just assume that someone calling themselves “Mistress So and So” has any actual idea of what they’re doing. To them, it may all be about control and manipulation, as opposed to mutual trust and respect.

Look for someone who embodies the ideals of a Master/Mistress. Pay particular attention to what I’ve highlighted in bold text:

I am a dominant woman. I am just that. I am not dominant because of any superiority on my part, nor because I feel more intelligent or wiser. I am not dominant because of the strength or the mass of my body.

I am not, nor would I want to be, dominant with all women, yet to you I am Mistress.

I am your Mistress only after earning your trust and I embrace your submissiveness. I have looked into your heart and mind, and clearly see your desires and passions. You have thrown away your desires and passions. You have thrown away your fears and inhibitions. You tell me of the needs of your heart and body. You have given me total access to your soul, and I accept the responsibility and honor. You are a woman. You are not weak or inferior because of it. You are a treasure to be cherished. We are not equal. I have the strength of body and mind and the instinctive need to protect, possess, defend, and provide for you. You are a woman and instinctively stronger of will and heart. Your belief in me gives me courage and direction. Your strength disperses my doubt.

Your needs and desires encourage and give purpose to my efforts. We are not equal. We are halves of a whole. We complement each other and make each other complete. My desire to dominate you is instinctive. It is not to degrade you nor is it degrading to you because you are secure in being totally feminine. We each recognize and accept our worth, and our need for someone to trust and fulfill our needs.

You are sure, strong, and proud in your womanhood. You do not submit as acceptance of inferiority, but from strength and passion. You expect a Mistress to stand strong and be a Woman. You desire and flourish in the strength and control of a Mistress. In return you present control of your body, unqualified trust and honesty, and the faithfulness of your heart. You submit because I have earned your trust. Because I have opened my heart and soul to you. Because I have listened to your word with my ears and heart and have learned to anticipate your needs and emotions. And because I have proven worthy in your eyes, you have given me the only true treasure of life: you have given me dominance over you. What you give is not abnormal, but pure, natural, and the rarest gift a woman can give another woman. You have given me complete and unshakable assurance of your commitment to be. Your submissiveness is a magnificent gift and sacred responsibility. I accept this from you with humility and joy. I understand the rarity and purity of this gift.

I recognize it is your body, mind, and soul. I dominate you only because you have allowed me to, and when I see your body kneel before me in my mind and heart, you are raised above all other women and all the treasures of the earth.

Within the bounds of our relationship…it is my duty to protect you, and that you will know, that under my care; NO harm will come to you as a result of actions taken by Me…or you. That is my responsibility, to protect you..from yourself if necessary. What you give freely cannot in reality be bought.

These are my beliefs, and my code as a Domme. It all comes down to trust and mutual respect.

On Relationships in Second Life

Sooner or later—and probably sooner—you’ll encounter someone who wants to have a relationship with you. This can be something as simple as a basic friendship, or as many variations as you can imagine right up to and including marriage. Well, Second Life marriage, not real-world marriage. Interestingly enough, Second Life was the first place to recognize same-sex marriages.

Sadly, the most frequent friendship request is for cybersex (see my definition below). These encounters can be very intense, or they can be as simple as “Wanna fuck?” Also—and just as sadly—is the request for cybersex by other women (assuming your avatar is female) who are in reality men hiding behind a female avatar. Fortunately, most users have no problem in learning to spot these phonies. “Hi, honey! Love your hair/shoes/dress/purse. Want to fuck?”

(Cybersex: A 14-year-old boy pretending to be a lesbian in order to have online sex with another 14-year-old boy who is also pretending to be a lesbian.)

BDSM and D/s Relationships

Second Life being what it is, You’ll also run into practitioners of “alternate lifestyles;” specifically, BDSM (bondage and discipline, sado-masochism) and D/s (Domination and submission). And like everything else in SL, some people carry those relationships into real life.

Remember Giselle? She’s involved in the D/s scene. Here she explains it:

I Am A Submissive Woman 

I find pleasure, joy, and fulfillment from being submissive to another in a loving relationship. I am not weak, or stupid. I am a strong woman, with firm views and a clear concept of what I want out of my life. I do not serve out of shame or weakness, but out of pride and strength. I look to my loving Mistress for guidance and protection, for never am I more complete than when She is with me. I know that She will protect my body, my mind, and my soul with Her strength and wisdom.

She is everything to me, as I am everything to Her. Her touch awakens me and Her thoughts free me. Only in serving Her do I find complete freedom and joy. Her punishments are harsh, but I accept them thankfully, knowing that She has my best interests always foremost in Her mind. If She desires my body for pleasure, I shall joyfully give it to Her, and take pleasure myself from knowing that I have brought Her happiness. However, the pleasure of the flesh is but one facet of any relationship. The love, the trust and sharing, the words spoken and felt, those are all parts of this relationship.

My body is Hers, and if She says I am beautiful, then I am. No matter what I look like to others, I am beautiful in Her eyes, and because of that I hold my head high…for who can tell me that my Mistress is wrong in seeing the beauty in me? If She says I am Her princess, then I am that…regal and graceful, and if I see laughter at me in the eyes of others, I do not recognize it, for who are they to call my Mistress wrong? If She says I am Her toy, Her slut, Her tramp, then I am that…as wanton and dirty as She wants me to be, and if others do not see this, then it is they who are blind, not my Mistress.

My mind is Hers, to expand, to explore, to know as only She can. I have no secrets from Her…for secrets are a thing that would keep me from being more perfectly Her. Secrets would put a wall up between my Mistress and myself…and I do not want walls. Her lessons are not always ones I would seek on my own, but they are lessons She has decided I need, and so I learn from Her. My soul is Her, as bare to Her touch as ever my skin could be when I kneel naked at Her feet. Never a moment goes by when I do not feel Her presence, be She miles away or standing over me.

If I were to ever displease Her, Her displeasure would be a blow to my soul, worse punishment than any physical pain could be. The anguish of my soul that I feel when I disappoint Her is harder to bear than the physical anguish. I spend my days knowing that the energy and thought She puts into our relationship is as much for my benefit as for Hers, and look forward to each lovingly crafted scene that we do together.

Her part is much harder than mine, and I know this and am grateful that She cares enough about me to spend Her time and energy so freely on me. I have the easier job: to feel, to experience, to let myself go and abandon everything to Her.  I am Her pleasure and Her responsibility, and She takes both seriously.

I am a submissive woman. I am proud to call myself that. My submission is a gift that I do not give lightly, and can only be given to one who can appreciate that gift and return it tenfold. Only to She who has that strength will I give myself fully, because I am strong and proud. I am a submissive woman.

And again:

The Submissive’s Creed

I will communicate with complete honesty my needs, desires, limits and experience. I realize that failing to do so will not only prevent my Dominant and I from having the best experience possible, but it can also lead to physical and emotional harm.

I will try not to manipulate my Dominant. I will not push to make a scene go the way I feel it should. In other words, I will not Top from the bottom.

I will keep an open mind about trying things that I am not comfortable with and on expanding my limits. I will continue to grow as a submissive and as a human being.

I will accept the responsibility for discovering what pleases my Dominant and will do my best to fulfil Their wishes and desires.

I will not allow myself to be harmed or abused. I know that being a submissive does not mean being a doormat. I will be courteous and helpful to my fellow submissives. I will share my knowledge and experience with others in the hope that they will learn and benefit from where I have been. I will take time to help those new to the scene start out on the correct path.

I will be responsive to my Dominant. I will not try to hide what my mind and both are feeling so that I may assist Them in their responsibilities as my Authority. I know Dominants are not telepaths and I will not expect my Dominant to know thoughts or feelings which I do not share.

I will accept in the responsibility of a scene or relationship gone bad. I will not place total blame on my Dominant when it is not warranted simply because They are the Dominant. I realize things may not work out as they should at time and will try my best to put it behind me and move on.

I will give my submission only to those who can responsibly accept it and desire to receive it. I will not place anyone in the position of Dominating me non-consensually, nor will I give my respect to someone who has not earned it.

I will be obedient to my Dominant even if I disagree with what They are requesting. I realize They have my best interests at heart and often know better than I what I need in a particular situation.

I know that my actions reflect upon my Dominant, and will do my best to help others to see Them in a positive way. I will not intentionally embarrass or displease my Dominant.

Above all, I will wear my title of submissive with honor. I will never cause others to think that being submissive means to be weak or sub-human. I will take pride in who I am and will never show myself in a negative way.

id you see the key here? It’s primarily trust, and secondarily love. Yes, it’s true: friendships in SL can and do develop into real feelings for your friends. Just be sure from the start how far you want the relationship to go.

And above all, be honest.

My next post will cover some of the negative issues of a D/s relationship in Second Life.

Until then…

To Mesh, or Not To Mesh…

There lies the dilemma. You’ve taken the plunge and are wearing a mesh body. Now where do you find clothes to wear?

There are two kinds of mesh clothing: static mesh, and fitted—or skinned—mesh. Static mesh means that you have no control over fitting it to your body. In other words, if none of the 3 or 4 or 5 sizes of the item that usually come with the purchase fits, you’ll have to edit your shape to fit. Fitted mesh adapts itself to your body. If you change your avatar to make your breasts larger, for example, the dress you’re wearing will automagically adapt itself to the new dimensions of your body. Here’s an example:

This is part of my inventory. Notice I’ve customized it so that I keep all of my Maitreya-specific clothes together. See the item !Rebel Hope – Libby Mesh Heels_Maitreya? These shoes are fitted mesh specifically for the Maitreya body.

Compare them with this:

This is an example of static mesh. It requires you to add an Alpha layer (which may or may not work with your avatar) and comes in 5 sizes—none of which is specifically designed to fit your avatar. That means you may need to edit your appearance in order to wear them and have them fit correctly.

The bottom line for me? I only ever purchase clothes that are specifically designed for the Maitreya mesh body.

For Further Reading

For more details on mesh, see these sources:

• Mesh Bodies 101: Mesh Bodies for Beginners
• What is mesh, and how will it affect SL? FAQ
• Mesh: a resource for designers

And that’s it for now. None of the above are hard and fast rules; like everything else in SL, experiment and try things for yourself.

My next post will cover where to find mesh clothing, especially for the Maitreya mesh body.

A New Avatar for a New Project

The latest improvement to Second Life is an enhanced skeleton (Project Bento). I won’t go into a lot of technical detail here (mostly because I don’t understand a lot of it), but you can follow the link for a detailed explanation. Suffice it to say that it’s a way to give your avatar (avi) a more realistic appearance. And to demonstrate, I’ve created a new character, GiselleLaPointe.

This is Giselle prior to any modification:

Pretty ordinary, right? Nothing special about her.

But with the addition of a Bento modification, now we have the new, improved Giselle:

Much curvier and much more realistic.

So how did I do it?

Enter Maitreya

Maitreya: Creators of the Lara mesh body. High Quality Mesh Clothing and Footwear. I did a lot of research (mainly asking other SL’ers) and am convinced that the Lara mesh body kit is the best option available if you’re looking for a mesh body. It’s not cheap: I paid $L2750 for mine (roughly $11 USD), but it comes with everything you need to give yourself an outstanding appearance.

There are 5 different Lara bodies to choose from (they’re all included), and you can modify each one to your preference. It also comes with a HUD that allows you to fine-tune various aspects of your body. And be sure to grab the freebies while you’re there.

The only downside (beside the high cost) is that you’ll only be able to wear mesh clothes. But that’s not really a problem, given the large number of designers and creators who have taken to mesh. Log on to the Marketplace and search under Apparel for Maitreya. Plus the Maitreya store itself has a huge collection of fashions and accessories.

My skin came from New Resident Island, a great place to pick up quality freebies. You can also find a few good freebies at NCI Kuula (New Citizens Incorporated Help/Classes/Freebies), but they haven’t quite made the switch to mesh yet.

And That’s It For Today!

I’ll be back soon with further fashion tips and ideas.

Dealing With Trolls

If you spend much time at all in Second Life, you’re eventually going to have to deal with trolls. And no, I don’t mean the kind of characters you’ll run into in fantasy sims.

I’m talking about Internet trolls:

“In Internet slang, a troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting quarrels or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community (such as a newsgroup, forum, chat room, or blog) with the intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal, on-topic discussion, often for the troll’s amusement.” (Wikipedia)

Sadly, these bottom-feeders also exist in SL. And if you run into one of them, the best way to deal with it is by ignoring it: TP to a different location, or log off completely. SL itself has posted several articles on how to deal with trolls (or griefers, in SL slang):

• How to deal with abuse and harassment
• Blocking
• Filing an abuse report

Above all, stay cool.

Until next time, love and kisses!

A Few More Places to Explore

I’ve discovered some new places to explore, but after this, you’re on your own. You need to learn how to use Second Life’s Search function if you expect to find your way around on your own.

Baelnorn

Baelnorn advertises itself this way: “Eternal medieval & magic land! Enchanted, forest, role play, seekers, guardians, rent house & clan homes.
Elven, Fae, Fairy, Elf, Drow, Witch, Wizard, Vampire, Dwarf, Furry, Horse, Dragon, Fantasy avis. RP sim with castle, caves, roleplay,  rides, combat.”

As always, remember that some of the buildings are occupied, so please don’t enter them uninvited.

Forest Of Mystical Dreams

The Forest Of Mystical Dreams is “Open for ALL magical and mystical, human(no child avis). Mermaid,Elf,Elven,Furry,Fae,Lycan,Pixie. Adult,BDSM,RLV,Private,Hidden,Beach,Caves,Floating islands,Wedding,Forest,Romantic,Ballroom,Meet,Cuddle,Love,RP,role play,fantasy,Dance”

It is an adult-themed area, so be advised accordingly.

And that brings us to:

Aldarion

“Aldarion welcomes all types, elf, fae, tiny, dolly, dragon, maids, sissy, trans, furry and more. We also have a Combat sim, houses to rent, Dragonmyst club, for dancing and live music, sex play areas. There are many many places to explore in Aldarion.”

Getting into Aldarion is a bit tricky. When you first arrive, you’re greeted with a book and a door:

Both methods will get you to the same place, but they work differently. To use the book, click on it, and select Aldarion. Or you can walk to the door, click on it, and be whisked away.

Either way, you’ll end up in the same place:

As always, be sure to wear appropriate dress.