Men's Second Style

He saw himself as Bodhi.

No, not a bodhisattva—he wouldn’t go that far.   He made no extravagant, self-congratulatory claims to living a life of any particular enlightenment.   He simply, clearly, unquestioningly saw himself as Bodhi—Bodhi, the tousle-haired, über-masculine, kick-boxing hero of Kathryn Bigelow’s cinematic masterpiece of surfing Zen, “Point Break.” (Magnificently portrayed, of course, by none other than that great unsung hero of 20th-century American cinema, Patrick Swayze.  Two words: “Road House.”)   That’s right—the hero.  Forget Johnny Utah!   Utah was vacant, a poser, a useless waste of self-awareness.  There was nothing contemplative or spiritual about him.   Bodhi was the true human being in the story, the only real hero in the drama.  He yearned!  He felt!   He understood the adrenaline rush.  What was more important?

Johnny Utah was worse than a poser.  He was a thief.   Sure, Bodhi and his gang of mostly stoned semi-losers were the ones robbing banks, and Utah was the nominal “good guy” out to catch the bad guys and bring justice to the world, blah blah blah.   But actions shout far louder than words, and what did Utah actually do?  He stole.   First he stole Bodhi’s girlfriend (okay, ex), and that was bad enough.   But then he tried to steal Bodhi’s worldview, his deeply held philosophy, his center.   And, worst of all, he tried to steal Bodhi’s physical excellence, the physical expression that bound Bodhi to nature, to the ocean, to the Earth itself…surfing.   This wasn’t just petty theft—it was a crime against the cosmos.

And anyway, in the end it had been easy to convince strong, upstanding Johnny Utah of the Eff Bee Eye to join in the fun of liberating a few bills from the institutionalized economic machine.  Almost too easy, in fact.  True colors really do come shining through.

It disturbed him deeply that everyone thought of Utah as the hero.   He knew beyond doubt that was not what Bigelow (or Swayze, for that matter, may he rest) had intended.  He had caught a local production of “Point Break Live!” and they had almost got it right.  Almost. But not quite.   The free-wheeling exuberance, the seemingly transgressive philosophy that actually reflected deep understanding of the true nature of reality, the profusion of coconut-scented sunscreen—all of these were dead on.   And throughout there had been an undercurrent of respect for Bodhi’s character that suggested at least a conceptual grasp of Bodhi’s heroic nature.   But, although he had agree that there was a certain brilliance to the idea, the live, on-site casting of Johnny Utah with an eager, amateur audience member simply made Utah too important.   There was no way around it.   (Although in fairness it was one perfect way to achieve Utah’s vapid, simple-minded naïveté, which for some reason most insisted on reading as stalwart integrity.)   Obviously it should have been Bodhi’s character that was cast from the audience.   Oh, for the opportunity to be Bodhi for others, to share his passion with the masses!   He himself would almost have killed for the chance.

Alas, that was not to be.  But really, that hardly mattered.   Fame was not for him to seek; life, enlightened to whatever extent he could manage, was for him to live.   There was always the next sunrise, the next beach campfire, the next starry night…the next wave.

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In his quest for the perfect endless summer, our Bodhi wannabe is wearing:

Sheer Tank and Cropped Jeans by JohnnyD Posthorn.   For some reason, although I’ve picked up more than my share of items here and there, I’ve only ever featured a few of JohnnyD’s designs here on the blog.   Everything I’ve tried on has been nicely textured—I especially like the skin-tight “wet look” of the tank here—and reasonably priced.   These were sold in combo as a weekend sale item a little while back; you can choose from a variety of other styles, colors and designs.  Available at Juice (Jet Lag 77, 12, 21).

MenFas Sandals in Blue by risey Arai.   These almost gladiatorial sandals are built around a full sculpted foot—no more pathetically fused toes!   They’re different in approach from my much-loved JB’s Men’s Belt Sandals, which add sculpted toes to your avie’s own feet.   They’re scripted for automatic resize, and you can customize skin and nail color via the included HUD.   I found the HUD powerful but a bit of a mixed bag in terms of use.   I do wish it provided finer control—the pre-defined color selector is limited but simple, while the “free-form” color chooser is flexible but much more challenging.   Two versions of the sandals are included: one that uses an invisiprim to keep your avatar’s feet from showing through the foot/sandal sculpts, another (for Viewer 2.0 only) that uses an alpha-channel texture on the new tattoo layer to make your feet invisible.  The sandals include an “ankle lock” pose intended to keep AO or other poses from “breaking” the sandals.  This is a thoughtful touch, as otherwise many poses that work just fine with lower-rise shoes would push the straps of these sandals into your ankles and make them look just wrong.   I had picked up a freebie ankle-lock attachment some time back and found that it came in handy with two-part boots and certain other shoes, but I won’t be needing it for these.   Be sure to check out risey’s selection of new sandal styles and colors.  Available at :sey (GREED 158, 166, 25).

Carat sunglasses by Nibb Tardis.  Nibb is one of my favorite designers of SL eyewear.  His creations are always full prim construction (no 2-D alpha-channel textures with peek-a-boo edges), and always highly configurable, so you can easily create a look that’s just right for you and not the same as everyone (or anyone) else.   These are gorgeously retro yet completely up to date.   Choose from a variety of lens treatments and Miami Vice pastel colors via touch menu.  Available at primOptic (Terra Toulouse 120, 139, 27).

Brave Heart celtic knot necklace by Di Yifu.   I first fell in love with Di’s jewelry designs when I discovered her Deus Ex Machina steampunk necklace.   Like that piece, this necklace is beautifully, insanely detailed—the intricacy of the construction boggles the mind.   As an interesting bonus, it’s scripted (via private chat command) to throw hammers at loved ones or innocent bystanders.  Heads up!   Available at Inca Temple (Beggars Bowl 166, 57, 21).

“Adam” skin by MiaSnow Myriam.   Those of you who have been playing along at home will have realized pretty quickly (and may in fact already be thinking to yourselves) that this is not the type of skin I usually prefer.   It’s rather more literally photo-real than I tend to favor, with brighter, almost shiny highlights.   But I find myself really liking this redhead version, with its pale base color, realistically pink overtones, scattering of freckles and musculature that’s nicely defined yet not overly developed.   You may or may not find the face to be model material, but it’s distinctively handsome and interesting.   Don’t forget your SPF 70!  Available at MIASNOW (Mirrordeep 20, 192, 115).

“Mark” hair by Mina Nakamura.   I mentioned this style earlier as a grand-opening dollarbie, but it’s too full of fab shaggy goodness not to actually wear and show off.   The casually messy style feels perfect for my slacker surfer dude, and the vivid reds in the red pack are just what I was looking for to coordinate with MiaSnow’s redhead skin.   I’m really loving the wavy, drifty tendrils on the sides and in back.   Available at MINA Hairfashion (Koh Mina Beach 139, 114, 29).

Most of the poses used here are by JohnnyD Posthorn and available for purchase at Juice.