Interview With DJ Khyra Ares

By Deaflegacy

Khyra Ares is a DJ in Second Life.  In the past, she's DJed at places such as the Heart of Gold club. The Newser best knows her for her DJing Monday nights at the Happy Vixen beach club. There, she's best known for her "EDM" style music, and her unique "dazzle" pattern of stripes, which has given her the nickname the "Dazzlecat DJ." She and I recently had an interview.

I met Khyra on Discord instead of on Second Life for the interview. It seemed like a good idea. My first question for her was how long has she been Dj-ing for the Happy Vixen Club? “Close to if not just over a year now,” said Khyra. When I asked her if she is also a DJ in real life, Khyra replied, “Actually yes. Some of the people I have known in Second Life have gotten me a few gigs here and there, mainly at conventions.”

I asked Khyra how she found Second Life. She answered, “Back in September of 2006 I was engaged to a guy that I had been dating for about seven years. On the second of September, he took me to his house and confessed how much he loved me and how it hurt when I wasn't there with him. He told me he would always be there for me. The last words he said were 'I'm sorry.' I had looked down for a moment when something hit the floor, and the next sound I heard was the gun as he took his own life."

"I was devastated,” said Khyra, “I shut down completely and wouldn't talk to anyone, I hardly ate, I didn't sleep. I retreated to the only safe place I knew of: my computer. I found myself searching the internet randomly, not really for anything in particular. But then an advertisement on a random webpage caught my eye. It was an ad for Second Life. I downloaded the viewer and retreated into the virtual world, trying to keep myself as far away from reality as I could. I made friends, lived my life there, and after a week or so, it became more of a grief therapy than a game. I wasn't able to sleep for almost a month, just spent that time in world. Second Life helped me more than anyone will ever know.”

The question after that was how she came to have that particular avatar that she has now. Khyra replied, “I always had a vision of how I wanted my avatar to look. It took a few years and saving lots of tips from dancing and DJing to be able to get an avatar creator to do a tribal stripe design for my tigress avatar and purchase all the other parts I needed.” replied Khyra, “The avatar mimics my real-life fursona.”

I wanted to know if Khyra was planning on staying as a DJ at Happy Vixen Club for a long time. “I am indeed. As long as they will have me,” said Khyra with a smile. The last question I had for her was what are her future plans. Khyra replied,  “I think this question deserves one of my favorite movie quotes. 'The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves' - John Connor, Terminator 2. Allow me to explain. My schedule in the real world is very hectic. One month I could have nothing to do at all other than my two day a week job. The next month I could be working 24/7 for three months straight. I live day to day, making my future as I go along."

"Aside from Djing in Second Life as well as room parties at real-life conventions," Khyra explained,  "my main job is as a Field Technician for Talton Communications, a company that provides equipment for telephones for detainees at multiple I.C.E. (immigration) detention centers across the country. I go to the facilities that I service once a week and do any repairs that are needed. My hobby, which other folks call a second job is I have a small, one person mobile computer repair business. I build computers, repair them, upgrade them, install home networks for wired and wireless internet, and install camera systems for residences. I am unsure of whether or not I will be able to DJ sometimes, but some how, I always pull it off in the end, one way or another.”

Khyra DJs at the Happy Vixen each Monday (baring real-life interruptions) from 6 to 9 SL time.
Purrfection Estates (236/219/24).

Deaflegacy