So, some have heard, some don't, some didn't even know about anything related at all...I am, correction, I WAS a mentor, in service for the Almighty Lindens.
I got fired for a reason I'll explain below.
But I wanted to write my whole history. Show how my Second Life has developed in merely one year.
It started out with a testing account. I bet he's rotting somewhere in a lonely corner, soulless. =P
After testing out, I made an account with the name 'RJ' in. Nobody knows what it stands for, even I don't. Its just a cool name.
I met up with this good friend, he became inactive for a longer time than I can remember.
God knows if he really went on with it...
but he did introduce me to Amsterdam, Babydollz club...
What a wonderful time there...
First off, I sat there for a whole week, on the same couch.
The sploder was broken, so it not only payed out your bet, but also the profit you made.
When this was made, I started using dance pads, a.k.a the current Camping Chairs, but they made you dance, fitting for a club like that.
After I got some money, I made a group, Matrix Hacker Ship: The Second Saint.
I was a huge matrix fan by then, and still am.
This group has got around ~50 members now. Free of charge. Louisia Acropolis is now the main supervisor of it. Even if she doesn't know squat about The Matrix.
Anyhow, with this made, I kept on camping, then I had a load of cash...
Well, a big load for a newling. (Give 150 lindens to a newling and they WILL cherish it! )
Well, I explored, I found a shooting range that, for a 1L fee, let you do some target practice.
The pistol was free, and open source. I had the script in hands for my first creation.
In those times SL still couldn't cope with my imagination.
I built a badly shaped gun, shaped after the Black Desert Eagle, like the Agents in the Matrix Films did.
It was ugly, but in my imagination it was beautiful...(its now for sale as a 1L freebie in shop onrez and SLX.)
I started griefing out of boredom. YES, I ADMIT. I got punished by the fellow residents with their high-tech stuff...justice? I guess so.
I started selling my freshly made stuff on a sandbox.
The Matrix fever struck me and I made a trench coat outfit, and sold it in a sandbox.
Next day I got the shock of my life. Someone told me it wasn't allowed.
What would he do? Ban me? Hurt me? Report me?
He didn't, just reminded me and said I had potential, and that I should get serious on the subject. Work on it, and find a spot to sell it somewhere...
I kinda did, found a free vending spot. Tried to sell there, didn't work too well...
I was mad, I needed money for...stuff. I didn't really know.
Money was power, I guessed...
I MMORPG'd around the nets, then came back to SL.
I found a Dutch stripster in Amsterdam, who was gonna make her own club. I tagged along.
The events that took place are...too private for the involved parties to be published.
Lets just say a difficult divorce had something to do with it.
Then comes a black hole in my mind. I'm sure Louisia is in this part, but I can't remember when, how nor where..
Eventually I found lolsbs. (Lance Of Longius Shield Breaking System, made by Auron Prefect).
I built pro weaponry from now one.
Downloaded images from Google from famous weaponry, then designed it in SL.
All I did was build, build and build. It was in times of Ginko. (they still owe me money)
So, I stocked my money there. And illegally built on a bunny-furry club house when no one was there.
Upon finishing my MP5, I got busted. Didn't matter, he was friendly, he asked me to leave, I did.
During the progress, I set up accounts in slboutique, Apez and SLeXchange.
Apez allowed me to use a vendor system.
But, I needed to vend somewhere? Well, I searched and searched...and found an ideal sim that allowed free usage of 21 prims for a one time fee.
I went around and asked if I could place a vendor. I started to succeed..
At the same time, I threw myself in the job market.
There I met one of my greatest friends and supporters, JamesT Juno...
He looked for reporters. I replied on the forum of the jobmarket. He allowed me in.
I was set, after awhile I got an office...oh well, life was good.
I focused on my sales and the paper mostly. Then our dearest co-CEO and fellow friend, Dana Vanmoer, joined the paper. Things got in high speed. Before I knew (although its not such a big trick to hide stuff from me, haha), Dana and James were a couple, got married and...well. Yeah, they still are, I guess.
I do remember a friend needing a bodyguard. Her house was being spammed by unwanted visitors. She later helped me with a better look. The problem got resolved, I got fired...
Well, my payment was plain and simple: I slept on the couch, and at least had a home.
I yet again focused on my sales and Louisia, who became a good friend and student.
Out of respect, I won't go into details.
One thing, I spread out the rumor we were brother and sister. This isn't true.
It was a rumor so she would have the same benefits as I'd have. Sneaky, uh?
Life was good, I had put out a perfect example of behaviour for a good and long enough time...
Then I my request for Mentorship was accepted.
What came over me? Finally I am getting the respect and reward I deserved for my good behaviour? Well, yes. It kinda did something to me...
The first days were excellent, I got my own office on the Volunteer Islands (I still need to figure out a way to return all that stuff.)
The 6 volunteer sims were there for the freedom of all Volunteers/Mentors. They serve as gigantic Sandboxes-turned-to-be-populated grounds. You could build where ever you want, even next to pro-offices.
Life was good. A fellow mentor met me, we served in Help Island for few minutes, then they found out I hadn't done the Orientation yet.
She brought me there, and followed me ALL the way. It sure has changed since I started out...
Life was good. But then...Mentors were forced to take Orientation lessons, which I practically already had. A friendly Linden, who will be referred to as 'miss Linden' throughout the rest of the story, asked me about my hours and why I didn't attend yet. After explaining my wickety hours, she asked for a date for a personal tutoring, which isn't unusual for those with difficult hours.
Life was good. Not on purpose,but the personal tutoring got delayed and delayed and...well, two busy people. =)
Then came that one day...I was visiting this very beautiful arctic sim
A magnificent snowy mountain.
I had the habit of keeping wearing my Mentor tag above my head.
Not to express power, but to express I'm a helper. Someone hired to help. (you don't get payed, its just cooler to say 'hired' then 'volunteered')
Some pink furry comes up, and persistently, used a gadget to keep standing on my head.
My dopestyle hud protected me from this, and I started asking why he did this.
No reply. I kept asking, still no reply.
He escaped my holding cages (so I could finally talk with him NORMALLY), by using his moderating powers of the sim. He was a staff member. I needed other measures.
I IM'd several related bosses.
Out of desperation, I "toss"-ed him (push him around the sim with a gadget for half a minute, best used as an escape trick to get away from an annoying avatar, for example).
THEN he started talking. Blaming me saying 'I'm using my Mentor status to get a Carte Blanche on griefing or whatever'. I don't know about you, but I say I committed Justice to him, and it wasn't even an attack. Just forcing him to stop annoying me.
The big boss replied, he has demoted and punished him. Whilst the two other, lower-ranked bosses started nagging that "a Mentor can't commit justice to anyone he wants".
The nagging started. And then at one moment I just couldn't take it any more, used my Mentorship as an argument to silence him, and he reported the chatlogs.
Two days later, I got banished, and I have come to realise it could've only ended up this way.
I realise "maybe its time for a change." Ive enjoyed the best parts of my mental life in SL.
I have matured, grown, and learned a lot about myself and others. Hellish viciousness and heavenly sweetness...
So this is it, the end. I am not completely abandoning SL.
I'll be active to put my funds to good use, for someone else.
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Epilogue:
What I'm trying to say in (presumably) my last article, this one, is that your Second Life is very fragile. You never are really safe. A big shard of people can either make or break you.
And if you think it through, that's how the real life actually is.
For that I'd like to congratulate Linden Labs. You guys truly have created a chance for a Second Life...
I will come back to Second Life. My account will remain active, as I come to check. But that's it. If you IM me in time, you might drag me in longer than I thought I would.
Thing is, I'm trying to release myself from SL's liabilities. And doing this is the solution.
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I would like to thank:
JamesT Juno
Without you, there's no article, and I'd miss out on a big chunk of self-expression.
Thank you, my friend. I'll never forget you.
Dana Vanmoer
Gosh, the many chats we had in the short time we've known each other. Its amazing.
Never change, Dana, NEVER change. ;)
The rest of SL paper crew
I could sum up forever, but the fact remains that you were all a great bunch of friends.
One more than the other, but all darn good people, to the bottom of their hearts.
Thanks for accepting me in the first place.
Fellas, I'll never forget you all.
The Box
This was one of the dance clubs I had my first experiences at. I won't name the people as I don't know if they'd like that. I just wanna say, thanks for all those good times.
Linden Labs
Without them, there is no real SL out there.
[miss] Linden
You know who you are =)
If you are reading this, I just want to let you know I've had a great time chatting with you.
Thanks for all the support, and for not chewing me up/spitting me out after being banished from the Mentors.
I hope that I haven't lost all of your respect. You make a worthy Linden.
Anyone else I forgot
IF you are reading this, don't be shy to say hi. My IMs are always connected to my Inbox.
I'll ALWAYS reply to everyone. Don't be shy, I'm not dead yet!
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Side note, all names are not being mentioned on purpose, except for Louisia Acropolis, who has given permission for her name to be used.
All opinions expressed in this article are solely of their creator, RJ Dumart, and are not the opinion of the community of SecondLife, Linden Labs, The SL Newspaper or any other organisation other then what RJ Dumart is owner of. Being solely himself. At no time will the named organisations take responsibility nor vouch for what is said in this article.
This article is open for grammatical and privacy corrections.
