069: Dancing at The Vault

You've seen me write about The Vault before. I was really interested in what they were doing, when they started out a few months back, because I thought their policy of "No Gestures" was such a nice change. At first it was just two hours a week on Mondays. Lately they've been sufficiently popular that they've been expanding to other nights of the week. Two things happened tonight: one is that

I got an invitation in my feed to yet another new night of partying at The Vault. I thought, "Oh, great, that solves that." Then a little later I got an invitation to a party at another club that said, no kidding, "Gestures ENCOURAGED".
     I didn't think much about it at the time but you know, I think The Vault's policy is actually making a difference; people are reacting to it. And I'm fine with that.

People might think that my dislike of gestures might have something to do with the fact that I've never used them and don't really know much about how they work. You know, I'm prepared to admit it. I have just never seen the point. Like I hear toddlers' moms in the park say, "Use your words, sweetie." A big part of the reason I come to SL is because I like to interact with people,

and I don't find clicking on vaguely relevant gesture files to be a good way of interacting. Your mileage may vary. Anyway, I like this club because it has no gestures and if you like gestures, you have a place to go. Something for everyone.
     So Wednesday evenings 7 to 9 PM SLT is a new night for The Vault. My friends Miss Peaches, Cupid and Russ 

Callahan have brought in a new DJ to anchor the night, DJ Caden Firehawk [catmichaels]. The handsome Basjain Krovac seems to be the usual host but you can usually find one of the founders having a good time and tonight it was Miss Peaches. (See below. Just entirely by accident I managed to take the worst picture EVER of her; I'm going to put it in last below, on the understanding that

Miss Peaches is a gorgeous av with a great sense of humour. She's going to need it because I somehow managed to make her look like a demented Norma Desmond.) I got there early by misreading the invite and took pictures of people as they showed up, then I could dance and have fun. Here's a SLURL for you; hope it works. I've had an old one lying around and if this is it, they've

moved the club a little to accommodate their new play space. But find your way to the dance club -- keep your eyes on your feed most nights of the week these days -- and you'll find a TP to the play space, which is worth checking out and available for your use.
     DJ Caden did a great set of 80s and 90s with kind of a hard rock vibe. He takes requests and mixes them in

smoothly; gotta like that. It's also really, really nice to just relax and actually chat with people, laugh and carry on a grown-up (sometimes VERY grown-up) conversation in the open channel without being interrupted by someone bellowing "Houlalalalalala I love this TUNE!!" No gestures allowed, no contest board for best naked so the host will have something to look at, no sploders, raffles,

yada yada. If you want to actually meet new people and get to talk to them in an easy and comfortable way, this is the place to do it.
     Miss Peaches, I apologize for the picture. Honest! I was trying out a new way of zooming in, and I haven't managed to get it quite right yet ... I guess it will have to be a spanking!

051 ... then Monday night dancing at The Vault!

See my previous post as to where I spent my evening from 5 to 7 SLT; after dancing at Woof Lounge, I went off to dance at The Vault from 7 to 9 SLT, because Monday is their regular (and so far only) party evening.  (You can find it with this SLURL.)

I've written about The Vault before, and its principals DJ Peaches (Apples Adamski), Russ Callahan and Cupid (Cupidity). It's worth saying again -- there's something different about this place. They don't allow gestures; policy of the house.  Oh, I don't think they'd throw you off the balcony for inadvertently using one, but probably someone will speak to you privately.  I don't mind the occasional gesture, but man, it sure is nice to not have any go by.

It's not just the absence of gestures, it's that The Vault tries to get people talking to each other in the public channel. And as I've said before, I think people like it. This is why a lot of us come to Second Life, to meet new people and talk to them, and it's easier to get to know someone if you're not doing it through a confusing channel of somebody yelling WHOO!! in three-foot-wide letters in the public feed.

SL being what it is, the public channel at The Vault is quite naughty and sexualized, which is also fun. Last night the staff ran a competition to name Miss Peaches's boobs with L$500 to the winner. People were just shouting out names as they thought of them, and going off on side trails of conversation -- and for all I know carrying on just as many IM channels as I was, since I've gotten to know the three principals and other people who were there. Personally, I thought the best suggestion was Mary-Kate and Ashley ... but they liked my own suggestion of Pinky and The Brain better.  Go figure!

Peaches has a taste for a harder rock set than most DJs I dance to regularly in SL, but she takes requests and managed to carve in both a piece by Caswell and one by Amanda Lepore. That to me says she has the skills to do the mixing and the ability to respond to her audience's requests.  A good time was had by all.

I'm told that the team is looking into adding DJs and opening up The Vault to another night or two a week of fun. Sounds good to me!

045: Cupid (Cupidity Resident) sits on my deck

I was at a hot new club the other night, The Vault -- my post about it is here, and here's a SLURL if you're not doing anything next Monday 7-9 SLT. I thought their idea of barring gestures was such a good one that I had to find out more about the people who came up with it, so I asked DJ Cupid for an interview and he said yes.  Here's the result!

By the way, I figured if I was going to interview people on my deck I'd better get some decent furniture with some decent poses -- this is the result. Still testing it out, but so far so good.

[21:05] Rusty Redfield: *click*

[21:05] Rusty Redfield: Okay! I'm here with Cupid -- Cupidity Resident, right? -- who has kindly agreed to sit on my deck and be interviewed, thanks Cupid

[21:05] Cupid (cupidity): My pleasure, Rusty

[21:06] Rusty Redfield: We found out the other night that we're both from British Columbia, in Canada -- but about four hours' drive apart, this is a big country here! LOL

[21:07] Cupid (cupidity): LOL It's a small world sometimes. I meet people from Canada all the time, but rarely my corner of it.

[21:07] Rusty Redfield: Nobody from my rural corner, that's for sure!

[21:07] Rusty Redfield: Anyway -- if I may get teh ball rolling ...

[21:07] Rusty Redfield: 1. Why do you stay in Second Life?  What keeps you here?

[21:09] Cupid (cupidity): The people keep me here, mainly. To be honest, I came from another social media platform called Red Light Center. From there, a group of my closest friends decided to check out Second Life, We never looked back. I have met many people since then and have grown my social circle. I like SL and all it has to offer, but it doesn't mean much if you don't have connections and the ability to make new ones.

[21:09] Rusty Redfield: I've heard of Red Light, never been there -- it's all about the sex, right?

[21:11] Cupid (cupidity): It can be it you choose to take it there, which a lot of people do and I certainly did, but just like here, having sex all the time gets old. In the end, it's about friends and true connections to people.

[21:11] Rusty Redfield: I couldn't agree more

[21:11] Rusty Redfield: and that's actually a brilliant segue to question 2 LOL

[21:11] Rusty Redfield: 2. What are the qualities that attract you to people in Second Life?

[21:13] Cupid (cupidity): The main qualities I guess would be different for everyone, but for me one of the best qualities people I like to hang out with to have is the commitment to have fun and staying positive. We all know that drama happens and sometimes it's necessary and unavoidable, but I gravitate towards people who accept who they are, acknowledge their mistakes, and move on quickly.

[21:14] Rusty Redfield: I really like the way you put that

[21:14] Rusty Redfield: Yes, drama occasionally happens ... let's get it over with and put it behind us

[21:15] Cupid (cupidity): Absolutely. Honestly, and kind of bluntly, if you're not having fun here, then you're doing something wrong. And that onus is on you.

[21:15] Rusty Redfield: yep

[21:15] Rusty Redfield: I don't hang out with people who aren't happy unless they aren't happy

[21:16] Rusty Redfield: Well, now question 3 is where I give you the opportunity to do some promotion LOL -- go ahead, toot your horn, everybody does and it's why I set up these interviews

[21:16] Rusty Redfield: 3. What are you working on, as a form of artistic expression or in order to earn money, or both?

[21:19] Cupid (cupidity): There's both a public and a private artistic expression for me. My public expression is as a DJ. People hear my voice and my choice in music, which can be deeply personal. I truly feel that people's taste in music reflect a lot about their personalities. Granted, there a lot of songs that I love that I would never DJ, but all the ones I do I genuinely love. Maybe not all the requests, but the ones I put in my playlist I've screened, listened to, and personally enjoyed.

[21:19] Rusty Redfield: I know you DJ at the Vault, that's where we met -- I blogged about it a few days ago. Are you DJing anywhere else?

[21:20] Rusty Redfield: LOL I just got this new furniture -- I see you're having fun with it!! LOL

[21:21] Cupid (cupidity): LOL :) Yeah. I guess I can't sit still for long. I like trying out different positions on furniture.. and I guess you can interpret that anyway you want:)

[21:21] Rusty Redfield: ROFL

[21:21] Rusty Redfield: THAT's what keeps us in SL

[21:22] Rusty Redfield: I want to hear more about the Vault -- I'm wondering where the idea came from to not allow gestures, which I think is a fantastic idea

[21:25] Cupid (cupidity): The other owners, Miss Peaches and Russ Callahan, and I have been talking about it since before SL. Peaches taught me how to DJ and we both helped Russ out when he was interested. It's been a dream of ours to just open a club where we could hang out with our friends. A place where people can go when they just want to talk and hang out, where there happens to be music playing. We looked and had trouble finding anything else in SL with that same philosophy. I'm sure there are some. SL is a big place, but all the places we knew of had sploders and contests and those trivia balls

[21:25] Cupid (cupidity): We put a lot of thought into that and debated whether we wanted any of that

[21:26] Cupid (cupidity): Then we got to talking about what pissed us off most in a club. In the end, it game down to gesture

[21:26] Rusty Redfield: I admit to a certain fondness for trivia balls, but what I really like -- and what I come here to do -- is talk to other people

[21:26] Rusty Redfield: and you KNOW how I feel about gestures ROFL

[21:27] Rusty Redfield: so I think you guys are definitely on the right track and I hope people find out about it, because I think they'll agree with us

[21:27] Cupid (cupidity): LOL. We totally get it. I don't mind the trivia ball either, but if we do decide to play a game, we have actually just do it ourselves. Peaches is great at that actually.

[21:28] Rusty Redfield: Well, I think it's fantastic and I hope you expand to more nights than Monday.

[21:28] Rusty Redfield: Okay -- on to #4 ...

[21:28] Rusty Redfield: 4. If you could give advice to your earlier self in the first month that you spent in Second Life, what would you say?

[21:28] Cupid (cupidity): Let me just say this about gestures first, we understand that some people use them as communication and forms of expression, but... not us. We want to hear real words that people took the means to type than premade jabber.

[21:29] Rusty Redfield: absolutely!!

[21:29] Rusty Redfield: and, readers, here's a hint -- if you want to talk with someone, telling them they look good is a nice way to break the ice

[21:29] Cupid (cupidity): Flattery never hurts. Ever.

[21:29] Rusty Redfield: there isn't an av on the grid who can resist answering "Who made your hair?" ROFL

[21:30] Cupid (cupidity): LOL People tend to be fond of their shoes as well

[21:30] Rusty Redfield: I know!!

[21:30] Cupid (cupidity): Hee hee :)

[21:30] Rusty Redfield: <grin>

[21:30] Rusty Redfield: I like yours BTW ROFL

[21:30] Rusty Redfield: old fashioned shitkickers

[21:30] Cupid (cupidity): Aww.. you are a peach. I love your hair!

[21:31] Rusty Redfield: LOL just developed a receding hairline

[21:31] Rusty Redfield: anyway -- sorry, mutual admiration society for a minute there ROFL --

[21:31] Rusty Redfield: 4. If you could give advice to your earlier self in the first month that you spent in Second Life, what would you say?

[21:32] Cupid (cupidity): I would probably say take your time, don't spend money on anything unless you absolutely love it as first sight, and for god's sake organize your damn inventory as you buy stuff.

[21:32] Rusty Redfield: hah!! perfect!!

[21:32] Rusty Redfield: yeah, I can't tell you how much money I wasted in my first six months

[21:33] Rusty Redfield: and this is something nobody has said so far -- so my newbie readers thank you!

[21:33] Rusty Redfield: almost done

[21:33] Rusty Redfield: 5. What do you like most about the way that your avatar looks?

[21:35] Cupid (cupidity): To be honest, he's 100% custom made and tailored to fit what I think is attractive. He's not a cookie cutter and I needed that most of all. I change the look up now and then but not the skin itself.

[21:35] Cupid (cupidity): I think everyone should model their avatar after what they think is attractive, not what they think SHOULD be attractive

[21:36] Rusty Redfield: I think you're wise, when you find something that suits you, keep it

[21:36] Rusty Redfield: <grin> very true.  I tell people that perfection is the base state here -- it's the easy way out.  Looking imperfect is way more difficult and attractive.

[21:37] Rusty Redfield: and looking like an individual is the hardest thing of all.

[21:37] Cupid (cupidity): Agreed, plus you can't please everyone, so having an avatar your like and are proud of at least pleases you, which is kinda the main goal.

[21:37] Rusty Redfield: exactly

[21:37] Rusty Redfield: very true, you can't please everyone.

[21:38] Rusty Redfield: okay one last question

[21:38] Cupid (cupidity): Shoot :)

[21:38] Rusty Redfield: I added this one because I wanted suggestions on cool places to go! LOL

[21:38] Rusty Redfield: 6. What’s your favourite place to spend time in Second Life?

[21:39] Cupid (cupidity): It's not necessarily a where, but a with who. Russ and Peaches both brought this point up and I agree, in that we don't care if we don't get numbers into the Vault, so long as we're having a good time and everyone shows up does as well.

[21:40] Rusty Redfield: there you go.  So it's where your friends are?

[21:40] Cupid (cupidity): I could be sandbox with anyone, and have fun. It's all about the people you hang with

[21:40] Rusty Redfield: yep yep

[21:40] Rusty Redfield: there's tons of great things to do here but it's much more fun doing them with someone you like spending time with

[21:41] Cupid (cupidity): But I like to mix the activities up as well. Sometimes I want to dance, sometimes I want to play Greedy or other games. But none of that makes a difference if you're not hanging out with people you trust and care about

[21:41] Rusty Redfield: we're at the end -- but I always offer a chance for people to say anything they want.  Maybe philosophy of Second Life, or advice to newbies, or ... whatever.  Anything I forgot to ask but should have?

[21:44] Cupid (cupidity): We covered a lot of ground. I would just say that this is your second life, not your first. This is a place where we could have anything, do anything, and meet anyone. There are so much possibilities here, so... explore them. Create them. Find what works for you and doesn't. Fine people you connect with and keep them. And never rely on anyone else for your own fun. That's your own responsibility. All we can do is share it with others.

[21:44] Rusty Redfield: Very well put!! Thanks so much for your time Cupid -- I know we'll see each other again.

[21:44] Cupid (cupidity): I hope so, It's been a pleasure :)

[21:45] Cupid (cupidity): Thank you, Rusty
[21:45] Rusty Redfield: I'll just shut off the recorder *click*