Semy Says… The Blacklist Bunker.

The best bunker.

Ok… I’m going to start this blog by saying sorry but I seem to have forgotten how wordpress tools work and formatting this has been a nightmare so I hope it doesn’t look too terrible :(. That’s one bad thing out of the way now so the rest of this blog is all awesome stuff.

If you’ve stumbled across my blog you’ll hopefully have worked out that my image is that of my Second Life avatar and that I spend a great deal of my time in that virtual world. I could talk for a long time about what Second Life is (and I may do in the future) but there are much better options out there if you want to know more. Although there are also a lot of very outdated articles that really only seem to know what Second Life was a decade or more ago (like in that episode of CSI New York… seriously google it if you want to see old Second Life) so I suggest checking out Daniel Voyager’s wonderful blog.

https://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/about/

https://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/sl-history/

He’s a twitter mutual – although I suspect all my dildo retweets and likes aren’t quite his thing – and has been writing about Second Life since 2007. You’ll find info, history, and news about the now often mentioned alternative to the “Metaverse” there so check him out. Plus his avatar looks like Bugs Bunny which is always a bonus.

One day I’ll write about my last few years in Second Life, more about what the virtual world means to me, the wonderful people I’ve met, and places (sims) where I spent my time in my first days wandering the virtual landscape but I wanted my first Second Life themed blog entry to be about a place that is now (and has been for several years) supremely close to my heart. I’ll tell you exactly why in my final thoughts but I’d like to start by giving you some information on what the Blacklist Bunker is, who goes there and why, and most importantly I want to share the words of those people because honestly they can tell you how special a place it is much better than I ever can. I also promise to stop saying Second Life quite so much from now on…

As you can probably guess by the party flyer above the Blacklist is in the adult region of the virtual world. It’s an LGBTQA+ venue that welcomes everyone but it’s safe to say that trans girls, femboys, and people who are non-binary make up a huge section of the crowd. There really is a varied group who come by however so you’ll see plenty of cis people there too, asexual people, even the odd furry (google it). What really sets the bunker aside from other venues is that it truly is a place for everyone; you can be there and be yourself which you’d think would be easy in an online world but that isn’t always the case. It’s a hangout, a nightclub (with regular nightly DJs and weekly themed parties), a scenic spot to explore, and overall wonderful place to visit. The main club is situated independently of the world landmass (built on a sky platform) plus it has undergone multiple visual changes/updates over the years as the owners have a real flair for creating not only a fun venue but also beautiful spaces to wander around and take pictures.

That’s not all though as on the ground landmass there’s now a beach hangout area which is also connected to the beaches of the Blacklist’s sibling sims (I think that term works 😛 ) of Sheboys and Mady’s Playground. Whilst in general most neighbouring Second Life places are completely unconnected – even having invisible barriers between them – you can freely wander from each beach section to the other and back again. You won’t need to search for an inworld landmark (used to teleport from place to place) or ask someone else to send you a request to join them. Plus if you visit the main club area there’s a clever set of doors which will also teleport you to the neighbouring places so you can explore those hangouts.

I’ll add the map landmark links for them all here though so if you are already used to Second Life or just started you can copy/paste these in a browser and be in any of those spots before you know it.

The Blacklist Bunker: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/53/89/1524

Sheboys:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/160/84/4002

Mady’s Playground:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/31/196/2753

The bunker is at the most busy during the different DJ sets; usually 5 nights a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) starting at what actually happens to be midday on the Second Life clock (SLT). Normally every second week there is a themed party on a Saturday either at the Blacklist or sometimes “on the run” at a specially selected/created second venue (often the awesome Trouble sim) which might well be decorated to fit the theme. All the different DJs have distinct styles so one night you could be listening to hip-hop and funk, another could be pumping dance tunes, shoegaze (ask Kalli it’s a new term to me), chilled out trance, or once in a very blue moon a William Shatner song or three (blame Emma).

Speaking of themes there have been full themed weeks for Pride and Halloween (with parties every night) and even events themed after the TV show Pose where partygoers have worn a collection of different outfits and been judged by an eclectic panel of experts – I won the swimsuit round last time!! – which is always a blast to take part in. I’ll add some event shots…

OK enough of my words for a little while. To really know how special the Blacklist Bunker is to those who go there I think what they say is way more important so here’s what they said when I asked them: “What does the Blacklist mean to you/how important is it as part of your Second Life?”

Sandra: “Well. To me, Blacklist is both “home” – a safe place and shelter, the center of attention and social life, where I always come by default; and it’s also the “friend crew” similar to what I could have had in high school or college. 99% of my social interactions are there; 99% of my friends are there; and it’s a place where I find comfort, support, intellectual stimulation, cultural opening, etc. Weren’t it for my SL partner, my SL would be rather empty without Blacklist – apart for a few mindless wanderings here and there. Or maybe i would fill up the space with something, but that would be a huge space. I can go from discovering new music, learning about new cultures, getting/giving moral support, wild sex, and sometimes all at once.”

Emma: “For me Blacklist IS Second Life. In a world where people and places can be transient and shallow The Blacklist is a constant, beating heart with a warm community of smart, sassy, fun personalities. If Second Life has a soul, it’s Blacklist, and without it I’d have drifted away long ago.”

London: “To me, The Blacklist is one of the most important things that exists to me in SL. It’s a thriving, vibrant hub for our Blacklist ‘family’, a melting pot of all kinds of people brought together under one roof to celebrate life and happiness. It also gives me the chance to express myself creatively by giving me a platform to DJ and entertain with the themed parties we have. I am fiercely passionate about the place, having formed some amazing bonds and friendships through my involvement with the place over the many years I have been a part of it and am immensely proud to be one of the owners of what I strongly feel is SL’s best venue.”

Mady: “Blacklist came into my life when I was looking for a place to belong.  The Whole Shebang was falling apart and the owner had stopped logging in.  The Blacklist Bunker I heard about from a friend, I don’t recall who.  I started showing up.  I remember there was one Blacklist on the Run at Heffa.  I plopped in Daxia’s lap on the sofa and said.  “Hi” and just hung out for a while.  Getting to know people.  Now I’m an addict.  I can’t get enough of the fun of The Blacklist Bunker and Second Life.  I started Mady’s Playground to be a sibling club and have some events at times when everyone in Blacklist is sleeping cause you know, time zones.”

Lupe: “Oh, that’s easy, Blacklist and the Blacklist people and Daxia are what keep me coming back to SL.”

Latte (formally known as Sugar): “It’s where I do party at noon :)”

Kalli: “When I was first asked to say what The Blacklist meant to me I recoiled because my initial reaction was I don’t really belong. Anything I write here would come across in the wrong light. I feel, within myself, that I’m a bit different… I don’t regularly contribute to the chat because it can be a little lewd, or I feel out of my depth, or I don’t read or type fast enough to keep up. But these are not shortcomings of the club…

The regulars are open, expressive and unashamed of who they are…  They’re outgoing, gregarious and friendly… but most of all accepting. It doesn’t matter that I may not have the confidence to really interact. People see me… say hi… and when I do open up they listen. I have the support of the people there when I do feel I can add to things. The club is home to a broad spectrum blend of music lovers, hedonists and perverts ( 😛 ) from all over the world – from Alaska to New Zealand and practically every timezone in between – who still have time for a prude like me.

The Blacklist may seem imposing at first because the community is so tight knit, but you soon get recognised, and with recognition comes comradeship. I’ve been a part of the furniture… no… part of the family for five years. I had my arm twisted to try DJing and now not only do I play every other Friday, I was asked to co-own the place last year.”

Daxia: “The Blacklist means the Second Life World to me. It grown to this amazing place not just for me but a lot of people. In SL terms, that is not a huge number, as we aren’t a club that pulls in hundreds of people per day. But I do believe the Blacklist, and mostly the community, has touched many people in the way I would want to be touched. I can’t really think of a SL without my precious baby, it would be so less meaningful and a lot more boring. Now I can think up events with the Blacklist Crew, create the club and venues with Lupe. But the most I would miss all those amazing people I now get to meet, it’s just wonderful.”

I think their words say it all really; the Blacklist Bunker isn’t just a place it’s so much more. There are so many people I could have asked to comment about that and I’m sorry that I didn’t get to ask everyone but this blog would be crazy long if I did 🙂 Also before I give you my thoughts I should add that all the pictures here have either been suggested to me by those who visit the club or taken from Daxia’s Flickr account. She also has a fantastic blog full of photos from the special themed events so I’ll link both below; go check them out as they are filled with amazing people expressing themselves in all sorts of inventive and wonderful outfits (even me :P).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/daxiadarkbyrd/page1

https://theblacklistsl.home.blog/

Semy Says…

I’m going to struggle to put this into words especially ones as wonderful as what others have said above… I’ve always found my time in Second Life has centered around a particular place; over the years there have been a few different spots but sadly they have shut down, changed ownership, or vanished but the Blacklist has been a constant since I discovered it. The in world location has changed once or twice plus how it looks has changed many times yet it’s still there; something which honestly isn’t always easy in a virtual world. The Bunker is where I go to party and socialise, discover new music, meet new people, and even learn more about who I really am. It’s my wild Saturday night out on the town and the warm blanket I can wrap around myself to feel safe.

Since I started my time existing online I’ve played many games and met many people online and the consistent thing about those experiences has been that whether it was because I was ill and unable to be online for a long period or because the game simply ran its course that eventually you lose touch with the friends you make along the way. Not here though… I mean for a start Second Life isn’t a game (that’s a long topic for another day) but most importantly because the people I’ve met at the Blacklist are still there and they care. I could turn up every day or vanish for six months and I’ll still be greeted like part of a family the next time I turn up; I always know they’d worry about me and ask after me if I didn’t keep in touch.

So that’s it really it’s an amazing place to be in but it’s so much more; it’s a community, a family. One that I love with all of my heart.

If my musings here have made you wonder about Second Life why not check it out; creating an account/avatar is free (although if you want to look really good have some money to spend). I’ll add the links to the website and where to download a third party viewer (an application to run Second Life in) called Firestorm. Also don’t forget to check out Daniel’s blog that I mentioned earlier.

https://secondlife.com/

https://www.firestormviewer.org/

Oh and finally… if you make your way into Second Life and intend to build a femboy or trans girl avatar please check out my (and my friend Mady’s!!) new project Femboy Style Guide (or FSG for short) :). We’ve got a little beach side office/hangout which you can visit to get information and help with creating the look that is perfect for you. We’re also one of the Blacklist Bunker’s beach neighbours so you can find our location that way too! But more on all of that next time 😛

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Desire%20Island/28/145/28

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Flickr and Twitter 🙂

Tweets by SMeridoc

https://www.flickr.com/photos/117250345@N07/51681501723/in/dateposted/