Second Life is full of fabulous, immersive experiences, creativity, friendships, and… utterly mortifying moments. Yes, I have them. Plenty. And while most are the kind you try to forget while keeping a low profile for a while, there are a few that are so absurd they’ve become funny. Eventually.

So here is my Top 3 Most Embarrassing Moments in Second Life. May they bring you joy, schadenfreude, or at the very least, make you feel a little less alone when you trip over your own AO.

The Tracker Incident (aka: Instant Regret)

Once upon a time, I was persuaded to try one of those shady little tracking tools. You know, the kind that lets you check if someone is online without having to friend them? (I know—I’ve already judged myself, don’t worry.)

There was this person who had been… around. A lot. Stalking-like. I decided to add their name to the tracker notecard. What could possibly go wrong?

Well. Instead of pasting their name into the notecard, I pasted it, wait for it, into a group chat. A group they were also in.

Cue the world’s fastest log-out and me crawling under my desk IRL, whispering “no no no no no” on repeat. I didn’t log back in for two days and briefly considered applying for Witness Protection.

Note: Years after this incident, I learned this kind of mistake is called a “fatal crosspost”, when you post something in the wrong chat window with horrifying consequences. Huckleberry Hax wrote a brilliant article about it. If you’ve been in Second Life long enough, you’ll recognise a lot… and possibly feel slightly better about your own disasters. Go read it!

Riverdance Katana Warrior

Back in my katana-fighting days (yes, I had a phase, and yes, I was quite good), I entered a rather formal tournament. Think martial arts etiquette: bow before the match, honour your opponent, all that good stuff. The fight was intense, and I actually won!
As tradition dictates, I reached for my respectful post-fight gesture — a simple bow and “Thank you for the match.” But my gestures were… disorganised.

Instead of a bow, I activated… “TIME TO RIVERDANCE.”

For two full minutes, my avatar performed a full-blown Riverdance routine,  stomping, flailing arms, Irish folk music blaring, in the middle of the dojo, while everyone stared at me.

All I could do was type, “I’m so, so sorry” over and over again. I think someone actually applauded. Still not sure if it was sarcastic.

 Espresso, Anyone?

I love shopping events. Who doesn’t? So I TP’d into one that had just opened. It was pitch black on my screen, but I assumed it was just slow texture loading. So, being me, I confidently walked around, trying to find the booths.

Then came the IM.

“Hi, just curious… why are you wearing a bar, with stools, drinks, and an espresso machine…?”

Yes. I was wearing a bar. The full setup I used for photos for this blog post.
Apparently, it had accidentally attached to my pelvis and came with me. I had no idea. I thought the lag was just bad; it wasn’t lag. It was a bar on my bum. Needless to say, I logged out and questioned all of my life choices.

So there you have it,  just a few gems from the treasure chest of my Second Life bloopers. And I know I’m not alone. Second Life has a funny way of keeping us humble, even when we’re trying to be cool, mysterious, or deadly with a katana.

Got any stories of your own?