Sarah—Dani in this world—was never one to waste time.
The moment Mack disappeared, she immediately searched for Skatz Tweet, the legendary coder Mack had mentioned. If she wanted to get ahead in Another Life, she needed the right tools, and Skatz’s Skatz Partz shop seemed to be everywhere.
His advertisements flooded the Destinations Viewer, glowing with bold neon graphics and over-the-top taglines like:
"SKATZ PARTZ: Build BIGGER, CODE FASTER, and WIN MORE!"
His store was a hotspot in the ALVR Marketplace, with thousands of reviews. Clearly, he was a big deal. Dani opened her Destinations Viewer and clicked on the Map. Another Life VR was vast, far bigger than she had anticipated.
How does anyone keep track of where everything is?
As she zoomed out, scanning through the floating islands, cyberpunk cities, medieval kingdoms, and sprawling player-owned territories, she had a fleeting thought.
I wonder where Mack lives?
Did he own one of those massive private islands she saw on the map? Did he live on his island, or was it just for business? Her mind drifted, imagining his ridiculously well-designed avatar lounging in some futuristic penthouse, sipping digital whiskey, casually coding up entire game systems.
She shook her head.
No. Focus.
But her brain had other plans. Mack wasn’t just some experienced player. He was smooth, smart, and—though she would never admit it out loud—kind of fun to be around.
And that was dangerous.
Dani prided herself on being focused and driven. She didn’t have time to get distracted by someone—especially not some ridiculously good-looking programmer with a perfect smirk.
And yet, she was distracted.
Rolling her eyes at herself, she scrolled through the YT Viewer inside the game. She needed to focus on learning. She found a Skatz Tweet commercial and clicked play. The video blasted onto her screen with a flashy intro.
"HEY THERE, CODE WARRIORS!
Are you tired of basic, outdated tools? Do you want to build FASTER, SMARTER, and LIKE A PRO?"
A cartoon version of Skatz Tweet appeared—clearly his avatar but exaggerated for marketing, bouncing around like a hyperactive game show host.
"Then you need SKATZ PRIMZ! The ultimate toolkit for builders, scripters, and terraformers! Whether you're a beginner or a veteran, we've got PRIMZ for every level!"
The screen shifted, showcasing massive city builds, intricate NPC scripting, and mind-blowing animations. Dani was impressed.
This guy really knows how to market himself.
The commercial ended with a link to his marketplace store and classroom schedule, where he hosted free weekly coding lessons. Dani leaned back, contemplating.
I could use a few of these tools… but more importantly, I could probably learn a lot from this guy.
She opened the Marketplace and started browsing his products, already forming ideas for things she could build. Then—a friend request popped up.
Alert - Friend Request: Sleezy Barton
She frowned.
Sleezy Barton?
That… did not sound like the kind of person she wanted on her friends list. She hesitated for a moment before clicking Accept.
I should be careful about who I add…
She looked around but didn’t see anyone nearby. Using her third-person camera, she zoomed out, scanning the area. No Sleezy Barton in sight. That’s when she remembered something from the Skatz commercial.
Oh wait—Skatz has a Prim for this!
She chuckled at herself as she pulled up the ALVR Marketplace and bought the Skatz Advanced Border Scanner, a Heads-Up Display add-on that let her detect nearby players and even track who was watching her through their cameras. She attached the HUD to her interface, and a small radar appeared, displaying a list of avatars within range.
Sleezy Barton was there—but far away. Curious, Dani zoomed in using the scanner’s camera-tracking feature. Her eyes widened.
Oh, wow.
Sleezy Barton was standing half-dressed inside a virtual strip club, watching a female avatar spin around a pole. Dani burst out laughing.
"Yeah… glad I didn't accept."
She clicked Block and watched his name disappear from her list.
Why do people like that even send friend requests?
Shaking off the weirdness, she turned her attention back to Skatz Partz. Opening the Destinations Viewer, she located Skatz’s Partz store, which was massive on the map.
This guy really built an empire.
Then she noticed a notification—Skatz was hosting a live class in his store in just a few minutes. Dani’s eyes lit up.
Perfect timing.
If she could learn from him directly, she’d have a huge advantage when she started designing her own in-game products. And maybe—just maybe—she could impress Mack.
Wait. Her brain caught up with her thoughts a second too late.
Why am I thinking about impressing him?
Her fingers hesitated over the teleport button. Because, deep down, she knew. Mack wasn’t just
a random guide. He was skilled, ambitious, and—despite the smugness—fun to talk to. She had spent years pushing herself in a male-dominated field, fighting to be taken seriously as a coder, a designer, and a builder.
And now, for the first time, she had met someone who spoke her language. Who got it.
Who lived in this world the way she wanted to. Dani swallowed hard.
Nope. Not going there.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
She clicked on Skatz Partz and selected Teleport.
"Alright, time to work."
As the screen dimmed, signaling her transition to the new location, one last thought slipped through her defenses.
But I do wonder when I'll see Mack again…
And that realization? It terrified her.
SKATZ PARTZ COMMUNITY
When Dani arrived at Skatz’s classroom area, she had to take a moment to absorb the sheer beauty of the setting. The open-air amphitheater was built into the side of a mountain, crafted from smooth digital stone with tiered bleacher-style seating that overlooked a breathtaking landscape. The entire SIM was seamlessly integrated into nature—lush forests, towering peaks, and a serene beach in the distance.
The Greek-inspired architecture mixed with high-tech design felt like a place where ancient philosophy met futuristic innovation.
Skatz really went all out.
Beyond the amphitheater, she could see another SIM attached to this one, where the Skatz Partz Store was located. It was clear—this place was his playground, his empire. Dani scanned the players around her.
Are all the guys in this world ridiculously attractive?
She hadn’t expected to notice things like that when she joined Another Life VR, but after meeting Mack and now seeing Skatz, she was starting to wonder if every top-tier coder also made sure their avatar looked like it belonged on the cover of a romance novel.
I guess people create themselves the way they want to be seen.
Dani sighed and shook her head.
Focus.
She wasn’t here to daydream—she was here to learn. Still, she had a few minutes before class started. Determined to make the most of her time, she decided to mingle with some of the other coders gathering around the amphitheater. She typed into local chat as she approached a small group:
Dani: Hey everyone, I’m new to Another Life. First time taking one of Skatz’s classes. Any advice?
One of the avatars, a sleek-looking cybernetic woman named Hexa Shaw, responded instantly.
Hexa: Oh, you’re in for a treat! Skatz is a genius. He doesn’t just teach coding—he teaches how to think like a creator in this world.
Dani nodded, intrigued.
Dani: That’s exactly what I need. I want to build and sell products.
A tall, armored figure named Byte Knight joined the conversation.
Byte: Then you’re in the right place. Skatz is one of the best at coding for both usability and efficiency. He teaches how to optimize scripts so they don’t lag out the server.
Hexa: Yeah, and if you’re serious about building, get into the contests. Winning one will get you noticed fast.
Dani: That’s my plan.
Another player, a fox-eared avatar named Shiro Bitters, chuckled.
Shiro: Well, better bring your A-game. The last contest winner landed a sponsorship.
Dani felt her motivation surge.
I need to win one of these contests.
Before she could ask more, the atmosphere shifted—a faint shimmer of pixels rippled in the air as a figure rezzed into existence at the center of the amphitheater. An alert flashed on everyone’s HUD with the land notification.
Alert - Skatz Tweet has arrived.
Skatz was every bit as meticulous and polished as she had expected. His avatar was clean-cut but casual, dressed in black jeans and a fitted navy shirt, with sharp tech-augmented glasses resting on his face. His digital persona radiated expertise, and Dani could tell instantly that this guy was at the top of his game.
Alright, so maybe I was a little curious if he was single.
But that fleeting thought was instantly shattered when he typed into world chat:
Skatz: Thank you for coming, everyone. Apologies for my tardiness—we had a coding emergency with one of our HoloDeck programs.
He sighed, shaking his head.
Skatz: A user was getting ejected from their home after rezzing it. Had to fix that immediately.
Dani smirked.
This guy is literally debugging real estate issues in a virtual world. What a time to be alive.
He rubbed his temples before continuing.
Skatz: Which brings us to today’s class—we’re going to write a basic security script from scratch.
Dani sat up straighter.
Skatz: We’ll start with the eject-avatar command, the same one used in HoloDeck security systems to keep unwanted visitors off your property.
He paused for a second, a nostalgic grin forming.
Skatz: I remember when we didn’t have security scripts. People used to wander onto private land and move all your stuff around… or worse, leave junk floating in the air forever.
The chat exploded with laughter.
Hexa: Oh god, I remember that! People used to "gift" random junk and just leave it on your property.
Byte: Or griefers would push objects through walls and crash SIMs.
Skatz chuckled.
Skatz: Yeah. That’s why we build better tools. Now, let’s begin.
A floating code editor appeared in front of everyone as Skatz began explaining.
Skatz: First, we need a way to detect unwanted avatars. We use GetAvatarList() to pull nearby names.
A few lines of Lua code appeared in the shared workspace:
lua
CopyEdit
function GetAvatarList()
local avatars = GetNearbyAvatars()
return avatars
end
Skatz: Then we create a pop-up alert for the landowner when someone unfamiliar enters.
lua
CopyEdit
function AlertOwner(avatar)
ShowHUDMessage("Unknown Avatar Detected: " .. avatar)
end
Dani read along, taking notes in her head.
This is exactly what I need for future projects.
But just as she was getting absorbed in the lesson, her brain betrayed her.
Instead of focusing on code, her thoughts drifted.
Skatz is really impressive. He built all of this. Owns an entire business in the game. Is he single?
Before she could chastise herself, Skatz’s next words shattered the fantasy.
Skatz: Cindle, could you come up for a moment?
Dani’s gaze snapped forward as a stunning blonde avatar stood from a few rows ahead and walked toward Skatz. She was flawless—long golden hair, piercing green eyes, and a sleek business-casual outfit.
As she approached, Skatz rezzed an object into his hand—a small box, glowing faintly. Dani watched as Cindle’s avatar reached for it, and the box disappeared—vanishing into her inventory.
Then, without a word, Cindle teleported away.
What just happened?
Skatz turned back to the audience.
Skatz: For those of you who don’t know, my partner and RL wife, Cindle, is the COO of our company.
Dani’s stomach sank.
Of course, he’s married.
She had no reason to be disappointed. None at all. And yet…
She swallowed her emotions as Skatz continued.
Skatz: Cindle had an idea—if you’re all willing, we’d love for you to beta-test our newest product.
He gestured toward the space beside him. A flat, sleek panel rezzed into existence—a Skatz Partz Vendor.
Skatz: This will give you a special tool—The Skatz Builder. It’s designed to help coders shape, modify, and script prims faster than ever before.
Dani sat up.
Skatz: This will be a game-changer.
There was a ripple of excitement in the chat. Dani’s disappointment over Cindle faded as anticipation took over.
What exactly is this tool? How does it work?
And more importantly…
How will this change everything?