Location: UR Island (and no one around, thank God)

Once, when I logged on Second Life, I appeared in my previous location—a busy store—in the form of “Ruth,” a default female avatar with unlikely plain looks that mock SL’s commonplace babe-and-stud-itude.

The phenomenon is called “being Ruthed,” and it’s the odd practical joke by Linden Lab on us residents. I panicked the first time I appeared in-world as Ruth—as my photos show, it’s not a pretty sight.  For a while one has body and hair of Ruth, then as the rest of the avatar’s possessions “rez,” one is left with just her hourglass figure but, in my case, a man’s head! Eventually, all is well…as well as one can be in a virtual world.

When I first got Ruthed,  I contacted Dianna right away, who had a good laugh at my then-newbie’s expense.  In fact, she wanted to see!  Luckily, by the time she found me, I was once again my “normal” self.

There’s some Linden inside joke at play here—Ruth may have been a nay-sayer who ticked off Philip Rosedale or made fun of the idea of a virtual world.  She has the worst hair ever seen in SL—a true insult in a world where hair can determine status. 

For weeks, I have been waiting for this to happen again so I could get a snapshot. Having a slow connection really helps Ruth appear.  I know it’s sick, but even some SL veterans call me a nut when I go on a tear in-world.  But being free to be a surrealist nut is a lot of the fun in SL.

At least I’m not sharing with you the snapshot that Pappy Enoch sent me of him being Ruthed.  I was blind for days afterward. Since I know all of you are wondering, here is Pappy Enoch’s take on the topic (written from the Tombstone Jail):

Dear Wiggly n’ my gentul reeders:

I dun bin Roofed a cuppil o’ times, n’ so what? What cood I do wif myself as a gal (an’ tu to honest, as I always are, a plane-lookin’ gal)?

I luvs wimmin, but Roof ain’t no good tu me. I ain’t intu no auto-erratic sin-sashuns.

Be sure to check the “In a Strange Land” Archive for old posts

No comments have been posted.

Post Your Comments:

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.