All in The SL Family: A Close Look At Second Life Families- Rere Sandalwood Reporting…

One might think they are seeing double upon looking at DOUBLE TROUBLE Elliott Lafeyette and Rockford Ewing on the Stinger Night Club Dance floor.

But blink again, and upon a closer look, you will realize that what you see is not a hallucination…because what you are really seeing are identical SL Twins!

According to Daph Wallace, a hostess that not only works at Stingers, but at an array of clubs and venue, this trio is actually part of a set of triplets. “They are [not only] triplets, they have a brother too,” she continues as she kindly greets Stinger patrons, “…and they are fine as hell...”

Yet physical looks aside, seeing this part of a family trio can potentially make an SL patron ponder on the importance of family, especially in SL.  In fact, if one digs deep enough, one can find more than triplets and siblings in SL.  After all, there are families in SL that not only consist of husbands and wives, but can include prim babies, SL children, aunts, uncles and even college age children.  Further, these family member may not only function as family in SL, but may extend on into real life as well.

Blood Related

For instance, MrsStormLove, manager of Seduction Estates, has successfully joined forces with her brother, Seduction Estate owner Mr. Jazzy Melody in the creation of a SIM dedicated to providing merchandising opportunities to creators, as well as a venue for clubbing and other adult-oriented fun. MrsStormLove contends, “In SL you don’t ever know who you can trust, and you may meet people who you can call family…but the truth is can you?”

MrsStormLove in a sense, answers her own question by aligning herself with individuals who are also related to her in real life.  As Mr. Jazzy Melody explains, “I was invited to SL by my [real life] brother and my sister-in-law MrsStormLove.” RL relationships withstanding, the relationship between MrsStormLove and Mr. Jazzy Melody is a testament to the power intrinsic in SL because they not only love one another enough to hang out in SL, but they have expanded upon that love by creating a SIM that is a reflection of their sensual taste and family-oriented style. To affirm this, MrsStormLove states, “There is a show of respect and love in knowing that you have someone you can count on that is true family and  who will do the same for you….someone who values your opinion, and who sees the person behind the avi.”

To echo MrsStormLove’s sentiment, Mr. Jazzy Melody says, “I have love for my family on different levels...My r/l Bro is my blood and my sister-in-law…I love her like she is my blood sister...and we run my business together.”

  Solely SL Family

While there are RL families that also function as SL Family, there are other families who not only met on SL, but have decided to align themselves as family within the game.  One such family is the Akan Tribe.  Though PilarGomez acts as the tribe’s matriarch, the true behind the scenes leader is KWAME ANNAN ℭαℜţεŁŁ (maxwellsamson).  In fact, ℭαℜţεŁŁ is keenly responsible for the creation of the Akan Tribe, and has dedicated himself to adding even more SL Family to his fold by recently partnering with RAINY Cheri.  ℭαℜţεŁŁ explains that the creation of his SL family started from bonding with another person from the same country as he is from.  He continues, ”[Specifically, I was] reading a profile of a woman...I then talked with her [and found that] she was from Africa too and after a week of talking, she asked me if I would like to be her brother. I agreed because I thought it would be great to have a sister in-world.”

With the start of that one sister, ℭαℜţεŁŁ now has a huge family that consist of a partner, three sisters that include Mâɱâsiтà (pilargomez), Pòsh Quèèn LIU.JO (dinnate), and ƈɦǟɨ'ռǟ աɦɨȶɛ ℭαℜţεŁŁ (nettaboo711), Aunt Şℌε ℬαd Ѡitℌ Iէ ℭαℜţεŁŁ (toomuch4u2), daughter Ameyo  ANNAN  ℭαℜţεŁŁ, and nieces Lisette qorchess Gomez (lisette.seranno), Qᴜᴇᴇɴ LIU.JO Dᴀᴜɢʜᴛᴇʀ (ttrane) and Яazzyвoo ℭαℜţεŁŁ ɦɛǟȶ ℒůςιαηợ (crazzyb3lla). 

Though KWAME ANNAN ℭαℜţεŁŁ’s family is growing by leaps and bounds every day, ℭαℜţεŁŁ affirms that he not only has great family and great friends, but that “it is all about da lovin that God gave us to share ay.”

 Sharing the love in SL, Husband and Wife Style

Like it is possible to create an SL Family, it is also possible to find real love in SL…a love that can lead to the creation of an SL family that extends into RL. This possibility is a reality for partners Cinn Hansome and JA Hansome, who function as both a RL and SL couple. In SL, the couple runs Ocean Pointe, a family role play SIM that includes a clinic and family-based housing.  As Cinn Hansome explains, “I am a nurse in rl [but am] off of work on disability and thought it would be fun and challenging to open a realisitc clinic in sl...I find so many people here want a real pregnancy experience [and] for a myriad of reasons...I do my best to help...[consequently] the family evolved from there…”

This family evolution has led to not only love with JA Hansome, but has led to a real life comradery with Cinn’s SL sister, Toni Stickfigure. “I have known Toni Stickfigure for two years,” Cinn Hansome states, ”…and I met my SL sister in rl and we went on vacation together and plan on it again…”

Yet with the building of these family-based SL relationships, the biggest challenge can, according to Cinn Hansome can be “Time and Distance.” She continues, “Waiting on someone to come online [can be hard]…wanting to be together but having a computer between you [can be hard too].

JA Hansome adds, “Misunderstanding is always a huge threat in SL because of the lack of real physical interaction. Without seeing body language, hearing voice inflection and the constant threat of gossip, "drama" can always be a huge problem.”

Though this is the case, it is always best to rely on RL understanding and tolerance, as echoed by Mr. Jazz Melody.  He goes on, “Family don’t always agree...we all have different opinions but we sit and work it out together…In R/L i have 12 siblings not including myself...and we have learned its ok to agree to disagree. We are mature and love each other enough to sit and talk about until we come up with a solution. We have a bond that cannot and will not be broken...people have tested us on many levels but we always come out loving each other that much more.”

With a bond that extends from SL to RL, it seems as if a stronger bond is created across the board, and what a blessing that is!