scams, scams, scams

There are many days that I really think Bloodlines is a bunch of bull shit...

I want to believe and be a good vamp who sits with her mouth shut. I want to, when asked to jump, say "How high?". But I can't...

I love the experience of being in a clan and having a family to turn to. If Bloodlines is worth anything, thats what it is. That is what keeps me mixed up in this mad mad world.

But Second Life is infected with con artists. (not just vamps...I've heard one in four people are not actually what sex their avi is...) They glorify themselves and their clans by bedazzling themselves with all sorts of titles and fancy illustrations of grandeur. Oh, and then comes the "oh so sneaky" use of alts to up their or their clans soul count.

I confess, I was slain by this beast. At one point (about a year ago) as a noob and a noobie vamp I was convinced to create alts for the clan, which are now forever lost in the SL universe and barely a blip on Mars Bracken's radar screen...I was new and naive. Believe that if I came across a clan member of mine using this dirty tactic, I would do something about it. (not quite sure what...yet.)

But the thing that really kills me, is the lack of education. The few people I have had liege to me have been highly educated and what to do and what NOT to do by myself. I go out of my way to make sure I am not responsible for leeching and annoying vampires. But some liege's dont give a shit what their minions do. They don't even tell them to read the T.O.S. or rules given to each vampire/lycan/hybrid with purchase of the system! THOSE people are the ones responsible for the bad name Bloodlines gets. The lazy liege's who don't take the time to properly inform their minions about the game.

Here is an example: Recently I was with a few friends at Bloodlines East. There I ran into an annoying male avi with an obnoxiously huge mohawk who proceeded to try to bite every person around them, including myself. 1st, how stupid can you be to go hunting at Bloodlines East?! Those people already are, or are planning to be vamps. 2nd why in the hell would you think it is ok to go around asking every person around you for a bite? (sign one that they have not read the TOS) It's called leeching and its is highly frowned upon. After this went down, I promptly scanned the brain dead wannabe and sent a lengthy note card to his liege, explaining the situation and what action he needed to take. He responded well, and I hope he gave his mohawked little nut hoarder a scolding.

I could go on forever people...next time: smooth talking hot Avi's who want your soul...and their big bag of flaming shit tricks.

What do you say to taking chances?

I was still pretty new when I was first approached about joining Bloodlines. I had no idea what it was, nor was a very interested at that point. I was pretty lucky to have been approached by a nice young woman about it, rather than bitten unknowingly by a random leech lurking about. She found me in one of those "freebie" worlds noobs and veterans alike often venture to. She wasn't shy about why she was IM'ing me, very straight forward. Which I like. I prefer not to deal with a bunch of B.S. with people, just cut to the chase. Anyway, the initial introduction to the Bloodlines RP didn't interest me too much, as she really didn't tell me any of the benefits. But then she told me that if I joined, I would be able to recruit too, and make money per person I brought in. (At the time, I didn't realize how "blind recruiting" is frowned upon. I'll talk about that later.) That is what hooked me. I was a noob and I had no Lindens to count, so the promise of money for bringing people in was quite promising. I left with her right away to meet my then first Liege (who is still a good friend of mine, and I respect greatly, so I will not mention her name), who would pay for the Bloodlines HUD for me, and in return I would bring in more people. It was simple. Buy the HUD, wear all the little gadgets, and have your soul turned. I was not advised to go and bite, but rather to bring people in. It was easy. I am confident to say that in my first month, I probably recruited 6 to 7 people to the clan. Whether or not they stayed active player, I do not know, but thats not the point of Bloodlines...is it?

It wasn't until I left for college last fall, and was unable to go in world, that I realized how wrong I was about my approach to Bloodlines. I thought, at that time, that it was purely a numbers game. One I was losing. Even if I cared now about "Soul Count" I would be out all those people I recruited, but we're unable to cash in on. But is that really how we should view the people we potentially want to bring into our clans? Bloodlines is a tricky thing. A tricky thing that I love. There is something so exciting about bringing in a person who actually wants to enter this world, and have them liege to you. (I have had this happen a few times, only to go back to school and become "destroyed" myself. Thus losing any souls I once acquired.) But that is how it should be. Too many clans see this as a purely a numbers game. The more we have in the clan, the better. No matter how many of them get lost in the cracks and not taken care of. The tricky thing is though, that many vamps see their clan as their sense of respect from others. I am sure many people in Blood Evolutions or the Crimson Republic feel like they deserve a lot of respect based on their choice of clan. But look at the numbers: as of 5/21/10 Blood Evolutions has 552 active souls. Thats pretty impressive. But they have a total of 4566 souls, meaning that only 12% of their souls are active in the game. Is that really something to be proud of? That almost 90% of the people you bring in eventually quit? Some of the numbers on slbloondlines.com are just insane! To think that so many people join Bloodlines and are essentially neglected by their lieges and clans.

I could easily be called a clan jumper. But hey, let me remind you that my first clan disbanded, ok? Anyway, I recently left the clan I've been with the last 5 months or so. They were experiencing some trouble, and I began gaining a lot of friends and confidants in a different clan. Eventually, the drama in my clan really started effect me, and I began to feel like a number. I barely knew anyone but my liege (whom, I must say i was very sad to leave! He is one of the greatest people I know on SL, a true leader!) but something needed to be done. I spent about a week complicating my choice to switch. I realized that I can count on one hand the people I knew in my clan, and could count probably 3x as many for the clan I was considering joining, including their queen. Last night I made the switch, and was officially taken into the Champions of Death clan. I am pretty excited about the possibilities available here.

There is so much I could say about Bloodlines, and this is definitely not the last post on the subject. But I thought it would be best to give a brief history of my experience with it before I touch any other subjects. I would just like to make clear that I do not intend to offend any clan or its members in this post. whether they are members of any clan I was in formerly, or if I mentioned you in my example of numbers. I respect every vampire and clan until I have reason to do otherwise. (....a good subject for a blog pot? maybe....)

It's a big big world out there in SL land. Watch out for foolish vamps.

First Time for Everything

It is creeping up on my 1 year birthday on Second Life. What a year of experiences it has been. Learning to adapt to the virtual world of Second Life has been an amazing yet, confusing experience.

When I first created my Avi (Micah Kalinakov) in London's Hyde Park greeting area, I had no clue what I was doing. The avi choices Linden Lab had at the time were incredibly ugly and just plain cheap looking. (though, at the time you are shocked at how great they look, until you see some hot avi with long flowing hair and a great, non plastic body, looking at you.) I recall that pink house dress with white polka dots like it was just yesterday. As soon as I finished all of the avi appearence options, I ran into who would be my first "Friend" on SL. His name was Chuck and he was a noob just like me. Right of the bat he proposed (I don't think he saw the good looking avi's around) to me. I laughed at that, and we ran off to find the Australia sim. From there we tried out our flight skills and ended up at a club with some really nice Australians.

That was my first night in SL. I will say that I really wasn't impressed. A few weeks later I decided to give it another shot, and thats when I really got hooked.

Somehow I found my way to Help People Island (which is a great place to go if you're a noob!) and met Jameson Brodesian. There, he brought me and another noob to the Gnubie Store at Powder Mill, and I had my first SL shopping experience. If shopping didn't feel complicated enough, I had my try at changing clothes that day as well, and I was pretty defeated. A very nice lady helped me out and gave me a shape and a few skins to try out. At that point, anything was better than that newbie skin I was wearing! She taught me how to change, use a pose stand, and how to open boxes.

Needless to say, once I got those few things down, I was ready to take the SL world by storm.

and I am pretty sure I did...