The other
day, as I was strolling along the beach on the Blake Sea, I heard the faint
sounds of music, wafting over the roar of the incoming surf. I was instantly captivated by the Siren song,
urging me forward. I had to know where
this magical sound originated. After a
perilous journey, traversing three whole regions, I finally located the source
of this enchantment. I was in the aptly
named region of “Dark Rose”, and the music issued forth from the massive
structure before me: The Basilica. I beckoned to two persons I assumed to be
acolytes at this Basilica, asking that they share with me the story of this
fantabulously amazing build (and yes, “fantabulously” is a real word. Just ask my 6-year-old). This is their story.
Josh
(Thomas1 Bellic) (JB): So, tell me,
Trynn and Emi? Just what is the Basilica all about?
Trynn.Mildor (TM): It is about feeding the soul -
through music, through connection, through togetherness. It is about the thrill
of the dance, about losing yourself in the beat. Because when we are swept away
by the dance we become united, unified. We belong.
Emilysilkstone (ES):
Why do people
come to SL? To escape from reality for a bit, to chill, to relax, to meet
friends. We want to give them a good time because we think everyone deserves
to have fun here. And a club is just perfect for this: bringing people
together, listening to music, dancing, chatting ... you can do it all at the
Basilica.
JB: What a phenomenal build. Did the two of you do this all yourself, or did you
have help, and what did they do?
TM: Oh no this is the work of Marcus Inkpen -
we are more um ... putterers together of
things. - including ideas and people.
But we are in love with the building - the reflective floors, the high-arched vaults, and the majestic apses. we think are the perfect setting for a
sacred experience like music and human engagement.
ES: Well, I'd say "we threw stuff together
and called it a club". The real artists are the creators of course. I'm
the greatest admirer of all those amazing people creating amazing things in SL.
And it's an honor to use them in our sim. We started with a central theme, a
central story, then handed over to our imagination ... And this is the result.
JB: Why did you choose this setting?
TM: Well, we chose this beautiful building by
Marcus firstly for a selfish reason - we love it. But also, we chose it as a sort
of recognition that it can stand as a sort of metaphor for our devotion to
music. Like faith, music is transcendent in nature. It lifts your spirits, it
reaches the deep recesses of your mind that sometimes stay dormant. It even has the potential to remind us of the
vastness of the universe and how small we are in it.
ES: When I saw this Basilica for the first
time, my jaw dropped. I've never seen such an amazing building. And yeah, my
first thought was ... let's use it for a music club haha. I've seen RL
(techno-)parties in churches and I was at Tomorrowland last summer, so yeah,
this kind of scenery really adds to the experience. And I like it big haha. But
don't put that in your article.
JB: Certainly Emily…no double entendre or
nuanced naughtiness here. So…what kind
of musical genre do you envision here, and what kind of guests are you hoping
to attract?
TM: There isn’t anyone across the Myers-Briggs
personality spectrum that we don’t want to attract! We think everyone deserves human connection.
So, we hope for the passionate, the adventurous, the experimental, and the
spontaneous but ... we hope to add some of those elements to those who do
naturally or currently feel those things. Even those who aren't huge fans of
EDM will find pleasure in the vibe, the awe-inspiring sense of the place, and
the hot AVs dancing or hanging out.
ES: Well, personally I like almost everything!
From techno to classical, from oldies to French stuff. But it will be a
journey, taking off with EDM, techno, house, but also things like a dark wave ...
ok ask Trynn hahahaha. And about our guests, well my doctor once said I have a
big heart, so yes, there's room for everyone.
JB: As you know, there is no shortage of adult
entertainment sims in SL. What is the
“Basilica” difference and why should people come here for entertainment, vice
go elsewhere?
TM: Well The basilica is not only a dance club,
or only a hookup place - it's an amalgamation of the two things. But that just
makes sense if you think about real life. I mean, most of us have fallen in
lust at clubs millions of times over. Because music can be sex ... and sex can be
music. And a tad of lovense in the furniture will only add excitement into the
mix. The Basilica has a certain
energy to it, a pulse. You feel it the moment you look up at those ornate
windows and the apses, and then that first wave of neon brushes over you, and
you feel you are somewhere special. There
are other little things too, like the couple standing poses discreetly placed
around the floors and the exclusive balcony boxes that can be rented out for private parties. But at the
heart of it is our love for music - we are true devotees - it translates into everything, from the DJs
we pick to the themed events we'll be having.
ES: Oh, our unique selling points are many:
first of all, our scenery: the fantastic Basilica, but also the buildings next
to it: we have a cozy coffee house, a warehouse for illegal raves, a nice
square for open-air concerts ... We'll bring the experience to social media,
we'll even live stream to YouTube. We'll have Twitch DJ's in-world. And we'll
implement artificial intelligence, so you can interact with NPC's. Fun Fun FUN!
JB: Did I see some zombies wandering about the
premises? What are they doing here?
ES: Oh, did you spot me on a Monday early
morning here? Guess I didn't have coffee yet.
TM: (Laugh) Those are only for my own stress
relief and amusement. When they are shot, they explode and there is great
satisfaction in that... I sometimes forget them and they spawn across the sim
giving visitors shock. Their days will
be unfortunately numbered once the club is open.
JB: Do you plan any special events here, and if
so, how might people learn about them?
TM: Oh yes!
We will definitely host themed events - both Emily and I are fiends for
fashion and dressing up. The best way to stay abreast of upcoming events is to
join the SL group: the Basilica @ Dark Rose, or to visit Emily's coffee shop -
the hostess there is always up to speed with the latest gossip.
ES: Yes. not only parties, but also fashion
shows, car shows on the square in front of the Basilica, and even chess games
with famous YouTubers. We're aiming for the next Eurovision song contest - ok,
now I’m kidding.
JB: Tell me about the Fire Station? Do you have some ideas for that?
TM: The Basilica for all its grandeur is
situated among some old factories and warehouses, some tenements, and a skanky
hotel. One sees this often in urban
development where a beautiful old building, often with historical value, gets
engulfed by industrial plants and such. however, luckily these buildings are quite beautiful in their own right. They
have a gritty sort of glamor to them. We are hoping to make them available as a venue for hire and to host some parties in them - maybe old-school style raves
could be amazing in there.
ES: Well, we value safety and security, and as
the Basilica is an old building, we rezzed a fire station as well. We had to.
Insurance ordered us to do it. So, we're safe now.
JB: And how about the future? Do you have any improvements or changes in
mind for the weeks and months ahead?
TM: We are very mindful of feedback, sometimes
you have to trial and error things, live with them for a bit to see if they
work or not. So definitely we will be ready to adjust if we must. But we
believe the bigger picture for the sim is quite feasible, and that the bigger
picture slots together like pieces of a puzzle. For example, Emily's is a
dainty little coffee shop with a marvelous view of the ocean; and there are
plans underway for an acoustic lounge on the beach with mismatched beach chairs
and gently crashing waves. Also, down
the line we would like to offer accommodations, those gorgeous old tenements
are just asking to be lived in.
JB: Is there anything else you would like to
share with our readers?
ES: Yessss, Second Life is an amazing world. I
think it's still the best virtual place around. And I hope to see all those
amazing SL-peeps at the Basilica. And not only on Sundays. Well, you know what
I mean. xox
TM: We want everyone to come on
this journey with us. Friends, family, frenemies, future friends … everything
we do is transparent. We want people to share in the milestones, the
successes and the mistakes. And when we fail at some things, we’ll
fail forward. It’s sort of like launching a new tech platform in beta, we’ll
throw all we have at it and make adjustments as we learn until it is the best
possible user experience around.
So, there
you have it folks. The Basilica is a feast
for the eyes AND the ears. Grab the LM
below and hop on over and check it out.
You’ll be glad you did.
Tell ‘em
Josh sent ya.
Be there!
Aloha
SURL: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dark%20Rose/67/18/24
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/groups/14850893@N21/pool/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/1thebasilica
Discord: https://discord.gg/KC6cu4U9
DJ booking: https:appointmentthing.com/thebasilica
SL Group:
The Basilica @ Darkrose
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