Meet The Residents' Choice for Hottest Second Life Male Avatar of 2009: Daniel Luchador!

Exclusive to NWN, Iris Ophelia's ongoing showcase of all things stylish in SL

Daniel Luchador has the distinction of being one of the most unique avatars and personalities on the Hottest Avatar list. While many readers may not quite be able to wrap their heads around his charms, the vast majority of voters certainly could, and Daniel was catapulted to the top of the People's Choice polls. He now takes the mantle from 2008's winner, Bone Mosten.

Keep reading to find out just why this innovative and impish contributor to the famed Tableau shopping sim is such a favorite among male ogling Residents.

While I chose to shoot Daniel at the Primtings museum (SLURL) to highlight the surreality of his avatar, it turned out be be a better choice than I'd planned.

"What I like most in Second Life are the builds and the art, the interactivity of everything," he told to me as I rotated him in various directions on a flight of Escherian stairs.

Daniel's been a resident of Second Life for nearly 6 years, being enticed to join in 2004. The biggest appeal to him was the building possibilities, and fairly soon after joining he started to pick up scripting with the help of friends. Through his time scripting in SL, Daniel found a focus for his studies at college.

" I've been at computer science for a few years now," Daniel told me, "And might not have if I hadn't been introduced to coding through SL, which I think shows that SL can be a great place to learn about new things, even if it has lots of flaws."

Daniel's first store, Mittens for Kittens, was near Tableau (SLURL here, which at the time was the Deimos Boardwalk). When Deimos became the Tableau we know and love, he picked up sculpting and opened Odds and Ends (one of his claims to fame being SL's first sculpted eggplant), and more recently changed the name of his store to Root Beer. He's also worked as a sim developer, helped build the Hotel Dare, extended the men's clothing section of the Albero mall, and even now is being hired to design stores for fellow content creators in Second Life. He's always been a very eclectic creator, offering everything from accessories to skyboxes, so it's pretty hard to pin Daniel down in any one category.

The same can be said for Daniel's sense of personal style. I had to ask the obvious question when I interviewed him -- why a two-dimensional tentacled clown rabbit? (Though he didn't have tentacles when I saw him last.)

"It evolved slowly. At some point I got bored of being human. I think I was a robot briefly, and then a plant person, and a zombie kangaroo, then a clown, and I got a rabbit avatar from a gift card, threw away the other parts and just kept the ears. I then added tentacles because, I don't know, I find them fascinating and hilarious... As you can tell, I like bright colors, also any sort of repeating pattern. They just make me happy. I get bored if I don't change it often." Daniel confessed that he's "more comfortable in a strange avatar then a human- looking one."

I would say that this is what really makes Daniel a "hot" avatar. The fact that he knows exactly what he wants his avatar to be, and he executes it with confidence, skill, and vision, like everything else that he does in SL. This is something I think everyone invested in their avatar can aspire towards, and admire him for doing in such a unique way.

Iris Ophelia has been featured in the New York Times and has spoken about SL-based design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.

Comments

[ColeMarie]

I said it once... I'll say it again...

YAY DANIEL! :D

[Lili B.]

Though I didn't bare believe people would make it, Daniel's the best choice for the hottest male avatar that could ever have been made, and I don't know if anyone will be able to surpass him in future years.

[Pappy Enoch]

I aims to try, Miss Lili. Miss Ofeelya ain't heared the last of this po' boy.

I just needs more pretty gals in my fan klub to stuff them ballot boxes next time.

But for this year, that rascal Daniel deserves it!

[kanomi]

Umm, hello? He's a clown.

[nox]

...someone gets the Obvious Award.

That's awesome. Nice to see someone "out of the box" getting lauded. Congrats Daniel!

[Horrid Twine]

Yay! Daniel, you know we all love you and we think you are sexy, hot and just an amazing avatar. No other could have been a better choice.

You need a party for this one!

[Inoh]

I agree with @Pappy Enoch.
Yes he is 'cute' but hot? How? He looks like a clown to me. I don't even find him sexy, he's thin. Nor he's handsome, he's normal. He's just like any normal avatar in Second life. I almost died of laughing when I read Lili Bi's comment. No guy would ever surpass him in the future years? COME ON. This is supposed to be second life, so please don't be ridiculous like yourself in real life!