Club Carnage: Through Thick and Thin- LilyaLuv Reporting...

Club Carnage today

They’ve seen it all. Club Carnage has been around for 11 years and owner, Caemlyn Witherspoon, tells us her story about how she came to be the owner the club after an emotional struggle - and that time pensis and vaginas kept dropping on the floor.

Caemlyn Witherspoon

Caemlyn shares the genesis story and evolution of Club Carnage in a notecard to all guests. As the story goes: Club Carnage was originally founded by Klayton Vaughan who sold the club and the sim it was on to Angela Glitter. After Angela Glitter suddenly sold the sim while Carnage staff were having a party, Carnage was left without a home. Since Carnage’s staff cared deeply about the club, they put their money together to rent land to house the club. As the Club got more popular, nearby residents complained that they couldn’t get into their own homes because Carnage had filled up the sim, so the club had 24 hours to leave the land they were on. Caemlyn came to be the current owner of Club Carnage after the other owners backed out, leaving Caemlyn in charge. As Caemlyn recalls, “I remember tears running down my cheeks as I tore down the walls of the old place, wondering how I was going to do this when I had never run a club before!”

What inspires you to keep Club Carnage running after all these years?

Carnage is more than a club to a lot of SL avatars. It became home to them. Even when it is slow I still want a place for people to come home to if they want. I want people to know we will always be here.

When was the most satisfying moment for you during Club Carnage’s 10 years on SL?

Carnage satisfies me many many times but the most satisfying moment had to be in 2007 when we had 108 guests here along with 2 Security, 2 Dancers, a Host and a DJ and I looked out over all that and saw how much fun everyone was having.

If there was one thing you would change about Club Carnage, what would it be?

You know, I honestly don't think I would change one thing about it. Each thing that happened has made it what it is today.

Club-goers

What is the weirdest thing you’ve seen happen at Club Carnage?

Two instances come to mind. A woman was here dancing and obviously AFK. Suddenly her water broke and her baby fell out of her unto the floor. It bounced across the floor a few times. She grabbed it up and left.

The second time was when attachments would fall off of you randomly. There were penises and vagina's laying all over the dance floor. I got an IM the next day that "Avatar567 has returned your ass to you from XXX Sim. Your ass can be found in your lost and found folder." Got my ass handed to me!

What do you think it is about Club Carnage that attracts visitors?

I like to think it's the fact that we welcome everyone. We don't care if your avatar is a cardboard box or the most sophisticated avatar marketplace sells - we welcome all the same.

Club Carnage’s VIPs

What is your vision for Club Carnage in the future?

I would love to see SL flourish like it did back in 2007-2008 and for the Club to be filled with people laughing, talking, dancing and having fun. Club Carnage will strive to keep up with the times and demands of our customers.

What would you like your visitors to know about Club Carnage?

I want them aware of our age and that all are welcome.

Visit Club Carnage’s Facebook page for upcoming events.

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Interview with Rysan Fall: From Machinima to Reality- LilyaLuv Reporting...

Rysan Fall is a machinima expert in Second Life. He has been making machinima since February 2008 and has since won awards and accolades for his work. We speak with Rysan Fall about the challenges of creating machinima on Second Life, his continued success, and his proudest project.

Would you mind telling us a bit about yourself and your work with machinima?

Machinima has been very good to me, and I am very grateful for everything it’s given me. I’ve been interviewed countless times, I’ve spoken at many lectures, events and universities. I’ve had the opportunity to work for Tufts University, University of Florida, and the University of Central Missouri. I’ve even been honored with filming the first Virtual College Graduation ceremony for Bryant Stratton College in Second Life featured on FOX National News.

One thing I was really excited about: I was contacted by U2's Principle Management to inform me that my U2inSL video was selected to be played on the big screen at the Glastonbury Festival in the U.K. as the REAL U2 perform their song, "Even Better Than the Real Thing". My visuals went through the approval processes from Linden Labs to me and finally approved by U2's Principle Management. That was really exciting for me.

(Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTMN_lmkJLM)

U2 in SL

I’ve been interviewed for the book, “Machinima: The Art and Practice of Virtual Filmmaking.”  

A few of my videos have been seen by a company called How2Connect.com (now called Acute Care Triage), which specializes in providing online therapy and EAP solutions for subscribers. They were in the process of creating their own virtual world at the time, and wanted someone to make their machinima for them. They flew me to California for a week and asked me to become a part of their team, and I accepted. After 4 years I, now edit all of their “Real Life” department  videos.

Along with all of this, I do voiceover work, also. I have also done some radio. I used to have a weekly hip hop news segment on an underground hip hop show called “The Fireset” on 90.7 WTCC. I've done voiceover work for CPTV Sports (Connecticut Public Broadcasting).  I won an award for best male voice over in an animated film in 2011 at the Los Angeles Media Awards for my role as “Sebastian,” a supercomputer from the future in “Time Travelers Series” Produced by Pooky Amsterdamn and Dr. James Canton.

Like I said machinima has been very good to me...it got me into the Institute for Advanced Media in Hartford, Connecticut; a year long internship at CPTV; I also won an emmy award for one of my productions in 2013 and was nominated for one the year after. I’ve just started working in the creative services department for FOX News in Connecticut.

What inspired you to create machinima?

This initially was intended to be practice for real life film making. When I started I had no idea there was a whole genre of filmmaking dedicated to filming in a virtual environment. But at first I thought that I could pick up some good editing tips using machinima.

Which machinima project are you most proud of?

I guess the one machinima I’m most proud of would be the “Invisible City”. Its an older video, a contest entry that dealt with the topic of homelessness. The submissions were shown live during a simul broadcast in Australia. I am proud of it because it came first place in the machinima competition and second place in the real life film competition. It was a great surprise because I kinda had to put it together last minute and I felt the quality wasn't as good as it could've been. I don't usually enter contests but I wanted to be involved with this one because of seriousness of the topic.

(Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-shidH2FEE)

The Invisible City

What do you enjoy most about creating machinima in Second Life?

Creating films in Second Life is enjoyable because it gives the filmmaker the opportunity to make great special effects easily and inexpensively. I did mostly customer work in Second Life, so another enjoyable aspect of it for me was that I got to meet people from many different places around the world.

What has been the weirdest thing to happen to you while recording a machinima video?

Well, there's been so many strange instances during this amazing journey of second life machinima. But I guess the one of the weirdest times is when I got paid in advance for a video and the customer just disappeared when the time came to start filming. Still don't know what happened to them.

What is the most challenging aspect of creating machinima on SL?

In Second Life, the most challenging aspect is dealing with the limitation of the animations available. Its getting better. But when I when I stated, there wasn't a lot of good animations. People who have the money will pay to have custom animations.

What is your favorite type of machinima project that you like to work on?

I like working on projects that allow me to be creative as possible. There was a period of time where I did mostly wedding videos. Although I do appreciate my wedding customers very much, the weddings didn't allow me to really get creative due to the fact they all followed the same format.  The projects I like doing the most, are my own personal projects. Because I don't have any limits or have to answer to anyone when doing them.

What would you like to say to anybody who wants to create their own machinima movies?

I would tell the to take advantage of the great opportunity to able to do anything their minds come up with. The only thing that limits them is their imagination.

Checkout Rysan Fall’s videos on Youtube.

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Seven Years and Still Running: London City Celebrates its 7th Anniversary All September By Lilya Luv

London City’s 7th anniversary celebrations all this month

London City is celebrating its 7th anniversary this month with events every day. As one of the longest running and popular communities, London City is mainstay in Second Life. Just under a year ago London City collaborated with Linden Lab to launch London City Gateway as a way for newbies to learn the ropes. We speak with Torric Rodas, founder of London City, about the community, why he thinks London City is an attraction in Second Life, and we find out the weirdest thing that happened to him.

What do you enjoy most about the London City community?

Diversity. The huge variety of different people popping through every day. London City receives about 3,000 unique visitors each day, all with different perspectives on life.

What do you think it is about London City that attracts people?

The estate hopefully covers most bases of a self contained city. It has over a hundred stores all in London Streets. Five clubs for different lifestyles including a dedicated LGBT venue, Madame Lala's. We also have a large hangout area, a comprehensive freebie shop, a park, residential regions, and a landscaped region--many people live and work here.

In December 2015 London City Gateway opened. It is an official Community Gateway run under the guidance of Linden Lab and welcomes many hundreds of brand new users each and every day.

Trafalgar Square in London City

What are some weird things you have seen happen here over the years or while you were a moderator?

All sorts every day. Someone landed a 40 meter zeppelin next to me as I am writing this.

What would you recommend newbies do when they come to London City?

We encourage new users to begin with the New User Tutorial in the London City Gateway first.  It has a basic walk-through tutorial, where at the end they can elect to either enter the community immediately, or take a left turn and go on to the more in depth lessons. Once in London City, there is a huge freebie store for those who want to customize their look, or they can hang out and make friends in the hub area.

You can take a ride in London City’s double-decker bus

What are some upcoming events related to the 7-year celebration?

Events are run 7 days a week, with a weekend concert every Saturday at 12:00PM SLT.

For example, more recently we had a very tongue in cheek tribute to Televangelism with a full show starring Vestal Virgin. On Saturday September 17, we will have a special party on the mainland region, Mephilo Tor. There is a small parcel there that we still own. It is where we first started London City, but we ran out of room within 6 months and moved to private islands.

We have a tribute act every Saturday produced and choreographed  by our own team, The London Players.

The parcel in Mephilo Tor where it all began in 2009 for London City

Is there anything else you would like to say about the London City community?

We recognise the differences that exist between people beyond age and experience, such as gender, race, ethnicity, mental and physical ability, creed, colour, caste, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, education, marital, financial and other statuses.  We believe that the differences and varied perspectives of life that people bring with them, has a positive impact on the community and is a strength to be embraced.  

And on a personal note, I would like to thank the cast and crew of London City, the admins, support agents, merchants, visitors and our patrons. Without them, London City would never have become the most popular destination in Second Life.

To check out London City’s latest events and celebration, visit http://mainlandlondon.blogspot.co.uk/ or teleport to London City.

Additional Information:
SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/London%20City/92/221/24
URL: http://mainlandlondon.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LondonSecondLife
Preferred contact: Torric Rodas

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Never Forget: Second Life Residents Honor the Victims and Commemorate the 15th Anniversary of 9/11 by Lilya Luv

9/11 Memorial - Always Remember, Never Forget

Today marks the 15th anniversary of  9/11 and Second Life’s residents are honoring and the victims throughout the grid. Memorial services and tributes of remembrance honoring the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pa., and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing in February 1993 will happen today.

We speak with three organizers to find out why these memorial services mean to them and why it should be important to us: Bryston Vanvleck, founder of 9/11 Memorial - Always Remember, Never Forget; Ethan MacAlpin, owner of Highlands of Scotland; and Geena Zackerly-Magic of 911 Memorial on Stagg Island.

What is your motivation for creating this memorial?

Bryston: Back in 2008 I decided to hold a small memorial in my NYC Loft & Apartment store and was surprised by the number of visitors and the outpouring of emotions that day. Each year I added a few more items until finally I created a stand alone memorial. Today I am proud to be hosting this event for the 8th year. My hope is to make sure no one ever forgets the people who lost their lives on 9/11 and to always remember the heroes who displayed extraordinary acts of courage. It's why I named my 9/11 Memorial Always Remember, Never Forget.

Ethan: I originally created the memorial in 2011 for the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The town I helped manage had a town square and we thought it would be a nice thing to have to contribute our own [a virtual memorial] memorial to all those going on in the real world. The two towers, encircled by a pentagon seemed to be appropriate.

Geena: This memorial is the second rendition of Stagg Island's 911 Memorial. It was modernized to imitate the grounds in Manhattan. Fazio Magic, the creator wanted to make it look more like the footprints with the waterfalls that now sit where the buildings once stood.

Effigy at 9/11 Memorial - Always Remember, Never Forget

What can we expect tomorrow at your event tomorrow?

Bryston: Tears... lots of tears and stories from people who lost loved ones on 9/11. Others like to discuss what they were doing that day and how those horrible events affected them. I have many that come and just stare out the window at the Twin Towers, dreaming about what used to be. It's an emotional day for all of us.

Always Remember, Never Forget is an all day event with moment of silences being observed at the following EST times:

8:46 a.m. (5:46 am SLT): Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower (1 World Trade Center.)

9:03 a.m. (6:03 am SLT): Flight 175 crashes into the South Tower (2 World Trade Center)

9:37 a.m. (6:37 am SLT): Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, near Washington, D.C.

9:59 a.m. (6:59 am SLT): The South Tower (2 World Trade Center) collapses.

10:03 a.m. (7:03 am SLT): Flight 93 crashes into an empty field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

10:28 a.m. (7:28 am SLT): The North Tower (1 World Trade Center) collapses.

Ethan: We have weekly church services in the Highlands of Scotland with a different speaker each week. Since it was my Sunday and it fell on the anniversary of the event, I felt I should include a memorial part of the service. It will be a regular church service but during that time we will have a brief remembrance of those who perished and mark the 15th anniversary of the event.

The memorial service will start at 9:30 am SLT.

Geena: We will have at least 3 services today. The services are very moving with many parts. We will also have the military represented in uniform standing guard.

8:00 a.m. SLT

2:00 p.m. SLT

6:00 p.m. SLT

9/11 Memorial statue at Highlands of Scotland

What would be the main take away for your visitors?

Bryston: Remembrance and reflection. Never forgetting how that day changed the world forever.

Ethan: To remember those who lost their lives that day and to pray for a world where peace and love for our fellow human beings will triumph over war and hatred.

Geena: The 911 Memorial is dedicated to all Second life residents. I want them to know this will always be here for them to come visit and reflect. Many will come here tomorrow and talk amongst themselves about where they were that day. Many have come looking for their loved ones name on our wall.  It's a very emotionally moving day.

The 9/11 memorial on Stagg Island was created to be like a replica of the grounds in Manhanttan

What is the importance of this event to you?

Bryston: Always Remember, Never Forget is an extremely important event to me. I wanted to create a space where people could come and reflect upon the events of 9/11. Make them feel an array of emotions from sadness to anger. It is important to never forget the precious lives that were lost and the families that were torn apart forever, but also to recognize the evil that caused it and to always remain vigilant. Terrorism plagues the world of today and we must all come together to fight and destroy this evil.

Ethan: As a former firefighter, I, like many others, were deeply affected by the losses that day, especially from so many servants of the public who bravely ran toward the buildings when others ran from them. If my memorial monument and my words can honour them in any way I am very glad to play a small part in making sure they are not forgotten.

Geena: It is very moving and I strongly encourage all Second Life residents to come to one of the services. This memorial means everything to me and Faz. It was his vision and it will stand as long as we can leave it up.

You can visit each of the follow memorials tomorrow at the following locations:

• 9/11 Memorial - Always Remember, Never Forget
• Highlands of Scotland
• 911 Memorial on Stagg Island

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