Five Years in Second Life

By Kimiko Kanagowa (FoxytheJamie Resident)

I started my Second Life over five years ago. In that time, I have seen many sims come and go, and I have tried many things as well. From roleplay to clubs, I have seen a lot here.

    My Second Life started on March 13, 2013. The very first place I ever went to will always hold a special place in my heart, a club named Tiki Paradise. It was there that I first became a host. From there I frequented many clubs, including Wylies, Rock N’ Rustic, Toxxic Haven, Whiskey Barrel, and Castle Dark Haven, among others. After a while, I had a want for more from my second life, so I started looking at places to earn lindens from. Thus my short hosting career started. Eventually I found gambling sims, and spent a lot of time at these. It was also during this time, that I was introduced to the SL Newser.

    Starting in my second year of Second Life, I went from clubs and games, to roleplay sims. I originally started roleplaying at medieval sims, and viking sims. From there I briefly joined a Star Trek roleplay, but shortly after graduating from the academy, that went into my back pocket. I stayed with medieval sims for nearly a year and a half, going from dragons, to furries, to humans, back to furries, to kemonos. I soon traded my stone walls and horses, for brick walls and cars, as I went to city roleplays. I started at Fair Haven, as a fire fighter. I stuck with Fair Haven until it became Cedar Creek, and I left shortly after, looking for new roleplays.

    I soon ended up at a beautiful, sim, named The Tellus Sector. It was a science fiction sim, based on a distant planet. I started a small faction there, The Hunters, but only one person joined. That person then invited me to his military sim, ADI. I went there, fell in love, and soon, I was in the SLMC, flying planes, and shooting guns, for the Atlas Defense Industries. Pretty soon, I traded up and joined T’Koi, became their acting second, for their aerospace division. After a while, SLMC became a bit tiring, so I joined a group named Megiddo, from there I got back into it, and joined Coercion. Soon after, I helped found and stabilize All Hallows. At this point in time, I am on an indefinite hiatus from the SLMC.

    Shortly after joining ADI, I joined a city roleplay named Pine Leaf. This sim will forever be in my memory, because it started my four years of roleplay as a police officer, for the same sim. The sim’s name changed over the years, but the people, and roleplay did not. That sim soon became Leominster Valley. In my honest opinion, Leominster Valley has, and always will be, my very favorite city sim. Alongside Pine Leaf’s change to Leominster, I joined another roleplay as well. The Starfleet Galactic sim. Starfleet Galactic has become a sort of fourth home I would say, considering I went from a cadet, to Captain of two vessels of my own.

    I have found other sims between then and now, some good, some bad. You never really know what a sim is like until you try it out. However, one thing that is for sure at this point in time. I am always looking for my next adventure, and I hope it’s a good one.

Kimiko

Tranquility Health Care

By Kimiko Kanagowa (FoxytheJamie Resident)


In my travels, trying to find more about Second Life and Mental Health, I stumbled onto a place called Tranquility Health Care in the Sorens sim. The facility is owned by a Steffi Sugabum (QueenBSwag Resident). I had the opportunity of speaking with her, and this is what she had to say.

Kimiko: How long has this establishment been running?

Steffi: Since the start of January really. We're still quite a new business.

Kimiko: What was the original purpose for the creation of the establishment?

Steffi: Originally it was a roleplay before we set up on this land. It had therapy service still as well, but we also had a roleplay aspect to it as well. So it didn't have to be real-life relations. However, without breaking confidence of course, I found more coming to me wanting help with Therapy services due to their experiences. I had a meeting with staff and spoke about my ideas of helping more towards mental health awareness/general mental health - the therapists have real-life experience. So we just went for it and created a safe place for people to come to learn and seek help with mental health. (smile)

Kimiko: How many people have sought help here?

Steffi: It could range from 10 or something so far. I'll have to check properly later.

Kimiko: Can you describe the process of how people are helped?

Steffi: During their session? It can really vary, we offer talking therapy, in aid of support just being there for the client, seeing what they need from us, any advice we can give in aid towards them feeling better. We also may specialize in certain areas, such as one of our Therapists has a lot of experience towards helping with relationships. We offer a basic CBT as well. They also have experience with this too. This wont include homework or any diagnosis though. Just finding out what someone enjoys, helping them get back into what they enjoy in aid of helping with levels of depression or anxiety.

We do hold a test for Depression and Anxiety as well per client, just to make sure if they need real-life help more and provide advice towards that - say if someones in danger or risk of harm to themselves/anyone else. We'll still continue to support them though as well if they wish. Another thing - sorry if this ends up really long (laughter), we have set up a learning area as well, for free discussions/events in aid of awareness for mental health, self help advice and support. (smile)

Kimiko: What sort of conditions have you seen here?

Steffi: Mainly trauma and anxiety

Kimiko: Anything to add?

Steffi: Nothing really. Thanks, and I hope the best with your news letter too its a really great topic you're talking about. (smile)


This is the just the next chapter in the story about the constant struggle of mental health, everywhere, not just on Second Life. There is more to come, soon.

Sorens (87/120/21)

Kimiko Kanagowa

Commentary: The Interstellar Alliance Roleplay

By Foxythejamie

A group with simple beginnings, as the Interstellar Alliance (ISA), the fleet has a lot to live up to. However in most categories, it fell short of that goal, quite a bit. From bad administrators, to not so good role plays, among others.

The story starts quite a bit ago, with the ISA 1.0. In ISA 1.0, if you could fit a back story to your character, it was approved. The group was small, but amazing. The sim design was something to stare in awe at as well. However things started going south after a bit of trouble.

After a few griefer attacks which left the sim completely empty, and void of items, the group's owner decided to move sims. However, little did everyone know, his plan was to also move away from ISA 1.0. He turned it into a Star Trek roleplay, with 3 ships. Thus, the ISA 2.0 was born.

That is where most of the problems had started. To start off, the group owner removed his second in command, and replaced her with someone else, who proved to be a bad choice of an administrator. He then started liquidating whole groups within his now growing group, which pretty much ended up with quite a few people leaving the role plays. After a few more weeks the groups were made entirely up of people who had never even heard of the ISA 1.0.

Well then after he and his XO (Executive Officer, or second in command) scrapped that roleplay as well. They started a new roleplay, named The 12th Expeditionary Fleet. The name might suggest that everyone on the ship will be exploring far off places, and getting into loads of trouble. Well the second of that is true. There is loads of trouble. However the trouble doesn't lie within the storyline. The trouble lies within the roleplay itself.

Let's start with my first roleplay on the sim. It started out less than well. With me being a marine, trying to keep the culture of ISA 1.0 alive, there was no seat for me. So I had asked the Captain where he wanted me to be, and he responded by simply saying "I do not care." Well that got me a bit perturbed, however I stayed for the roleplay. I am now wishing I hadn't. For in the time of 1 hr and 30 minutes, we endured a Captain who thought meta gaming, god modding, and power playing were a great way to run a story line.

For non role players, meta gaming means you use things you found out, out of character, in an in character story line. For example, if someone IMs you information, and you use that information in a roleplay. Power playing means you are not letting anyone else respond to what you are doing. This means if you just walk over to someone, punch them, and walk away. God modding is the worst one yet. This one means you are role playing with someone else's character using an rp tool.

Well the meta gaming we had to endure through that first roleplay was the Captain seeming to know exactly where the asteroids were, even when they were not on screen. He seemed to know that a ship, which had not been heard from in over 50 years, was floating in the middle of space, as well as knowing exactly where the ship was. Also seeming to know exactly which way a planet, which was over 200 Light years away, was from the abandoned ship.

The power playing we endured was the captain getting mad at a lot of characters and biting their tails, or slapping them. Then he would simply return to his seat without even waiting for a response. Of course that could have been easily overlooked.

However the worst thing being done by the captain, was an rp tool being used by him, to roleplay as other characters. He role played as my character as well as a few other, prompting some to leave mid rp.

The second roleplay I was in, was with a different Captain, this one being the owner of the group, but had pretty much the same outcome. This captain was also role playing as if he had never even seen a full episode of the great series. During the roleplay we encountered a ship with a weapon that was apparently powerful enough to pierce the shields, and then burn a hole straight through our saucer section. Yet somehow, this extremely powerful ship took one hit from a Quantum Torpedo, and was not only destroyed, it was vaporized. I am no expert in the show, but for one, I know for a fact that if something were to pierce the shields, then we'd have no shields left. Also, if something really was that powerful, it would be able to withstand an entire barrage of torpedoes. In Star Trek, ships with powerful guns are themselves powerful, and able to withstand a multitude of attacks.

All in all, I was pretty disappointed with this roleplay. In my mind they took a great theme and just soiled it.

Jamie