Mix n Match challenge

I took part in the 'Mix and Match' blog challenge, and am pleased to host Otenth Paderborn on the subject of 'True Mentoring'.
His blog: http://otenth.homefries.org/
Thanks to ArminasX Saiman and Vint Falken for the idea - looking forward to reading some of the entries
My own entry "RL or SL - separated at birth or art imitating life" should appear on http://freefindsformen.blogspot.com/ today.

Again, thanks Otenth.

Photo: Otenth Paderborn and nox Pinion in one of her current builds.

True Mentoring
by Otenth Paderborn


In February 2007, while hanging out at my home in Pruni (this was before I left the mainland for more congenial climes), I got an IM from someone named nox Pinion.


The IM said something like, "Hello, can you help me?"I was feeling unusually mellow, so instead of replying "Who is this?" I asked what the problem was. (All the while checking nox's profile: Yep, a total noob.)


It seems nox was in an unsavory location and couldn't figure out how to get out. So I offered a TP, telling her that a blue window would pop up and that she should accept the teleport offer.


The avatar who appeared before me had already managed to modify her appearance from the hirajuku which was at the time one of the default avatars.


We began a conversation about how she was liking Second Life, and after a bit, she asked, "Do you know who I am?"It is truly funny that in a virtual world where we can be anything we wish to be, I took a moment to cam around and take a good look at nox.


Of course, the number of people who knew my name in Second Life was relatively small, and of those, even fewer were likely to be trying it out themselves. I guessed on my first try. nox was my first "RL" friend to come into Second Life.


True to her motivating spirit, nox had become bored with the Linden orientation islands and had teleported out in the faith that she could figure it out on her own.


And except for that early trouble with being unable to figure out how to leave a confusing location, nox's faith in herself has been justified.I gave nox the use of a room in my house, and introduced her to a few of my friends.


Within a short while, she was introducing me to some of her friends. And she certainly took to Second Life like a duck to water. But I think it probably made a significant difference to nox's experience of Second Life that I simply shared a bit of what I had: a place to call home in the virtual world, a modicum of privacy, and a modest number of unused prims.


About a year later, Radio Riel founder Gabrielle Riel was looking around for someone to create a float for the Caledon Mardi Gras parade. I got Gabi and nox in touch with one another, and thereby mentored nox in stretching her abilities!


nox had an ambitious vision of a float in the form of a large dress. Scripts! Vehicle prim limits! Animations! Not enough time! Heh. Did nox ever learn a lot out of that experience.


I'm glad to say that nox has only continued to learn and to stretch. Having rented land of her own for a while, nox is currently renting land from me in Orcadia, an island estate, where she has the main store for her business, Tea & Strychnine: Neo-Victorian, Gothic-revivial, steampunk, warped Alice-in-Wonderland furnishings, accessories and eccentricities.