SPOTLIGHT ON SULLY VONSWAG: THE MYTH OF THE SL/RL DIVIDE – JOSH (THOMAS1 BELLIC) REPORTING ~ The SL Enquirer

SecondLife offers an entire virtual world of new activities for residents Sailing, Shopping, building, Musical events, and all manner of Adult Entrainment venues. One of the more commonly embraced hobbies here is that of Profile Perving. A vast majority of those profiles will include a line to the effect of how the writer says something like. “Let’s Keep SL and RL separate, shall we? But that is not a universally held position. In fact, for Sully VonSwag (sultansullyvonswag, there is no SL versus RL dividing line. For Sully, SL IS an extension of his First Life.

In a world where the news is often dominated by stories of crime, or accidents, or examples of man’s inhumanity to man, we rarely hear about the good things that happen, often right before us.

Josh (Thomas1 Bellic) (JB): Greetings Sully. Thanks for agreeing to chat with me. I understand you have a pretty incredible story to tell about how your friends raised money for your recovery from surgery? Please share this with our SL Readers.

Sully VonSwag (sultansullyvonswag) (SV): I've only been in SL steady since early 2016, and I have been performing live in SL since 2019. It is my personal experience in SL which has led me to never say RL anymore

JB: You NEVER say RL, huh? Interesting idea. What is it that brought you to that conclusion?

SV: Prior to Sl I was part of a couple different live stream sites. On one of the live stream sites a fellow musician was much like me - self-employed and had no health insurance. He had a health issue and several of us got together and held a 24 hr online benefit for him. I hosted it. Using Skype I would bring the musicians onto the live-stream site. And because of this we also started the “Be Kind Project”

So, fast forward

I had not been feeling well at all the entire week of Christmas. I ended up going to the emergency room They put me on good meds for the pain I was in - back and abdomen pain. They did some tests. The ER doc came back and said that “I had a Triple A”.

https://www.facebook.com/SultanSullyVonSwag/videos/979598366070186

JB: And what exactly is that?

SV: That was MY thought exactly. That sounds like a mouthful, I thought. What’s it mean? I threw my hands up and asked him to put it in plain English. He said you have an abdominal aortic aneurysm. “In your abdomen, there was a big bubble in the aorta like a bloated garden hose in one section.” He then explained if it were 2 to 3 cm they would put me on meds and send me home. Mine was 5 to 6 cm which means I was ready to burst. Then he said if it burst you die in about 10 min from internal bleeding. Yeah. THAT part I understood.

EDITORS NOTE: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) were responsible for around 9,000-10,000 deaths each year in the United States alone. According to the World Health Organization, AAA is responsible annually for worldwide deaths of 165,000.

JB: Wow, Not good, Not good at all. I bet that was a scary thought. Good thing they caught it in time

SV: Yeah. After he told me and explained it, I asked him “What’s next?” And he explained that I would have to have an operation. And I kind of hoped the people from the live stream site would get together and help me out as we did for our other friend, but they didn’t.

Finally, it was my SL lil sister and 2 other venue owners. They got 12 sl artists together, most of whom did not know me from Adam, and they and did a 12 hr benefit for me in SL. Some of them also offered up special shows that were bid on. Between the lindens they raised and Pay Pal donations, I was able to survive the 3 months I could not work while I was recuperating

JB: Can you share the names and positions of the main organizers of the fundraising effort?

SV: The only 3 names I know for sure are my lil sister, Velvetrose Blossom (also a singer in SL), Brindimere Laroway, and Laya Sugarplum from Café Musique. I'm sure each of them had their contacts as well.

JB: So then, just how much money did your friends raise for you?

SV: All totaled it was nearly 3 grand

JB: They raised 3,000 Lindens?

SV: Nope. It was Dollars. They raised nearly $3,000 USD

JB: They raised almost $3,000 for you? That’s incredibly generous!

SV: It was about 250,000 Lindens or about $1,000 USD, and an additional $2,000 came in Pay Pal donations. There were dual kiosks set up - one for Linden donations and one that would take them to an external Pay Pal site. I think that was about it. I never really did the math on it. I was just blown away by the outpouring of love from mostly strangers.

JB: WOW!

SV: And that’s what everyone says after that story. So, yeah. SL doesn’t get any more "real" than that

JB: I can't even imagine.

SV: That word "real " is really only a concept. What may be real to one is not to another. All senses can be fooled or tricked. I once met a woman in sl who used to love to go out dancing in her actual life. She got in a car accident and lost the use of her legs. SL allowed her to continue to go out and dance. For her that was REAL.

SL is simply an extension of my 1st life. People are always doing amazing things here that blur the lines between SecondLife and their actual lives. For example, there was a woman whose mother had Parkinson’s Disease. In order to support her daughter, she started a Parkinson’s Disease Sim. The daughter showed her mother the sim. The mother stated that she saw her avi walk without a cane so often that she convinced herself she did not need the cane in her actual life and she did learn how to walk without it

There is even a video about how people with disabilities can really live better, more fulfilling lives through SecondLife. Check it out at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQw02-me0W4

JB: What kind of work do you do? when not performing in SL?

SV: In 1st life I do remodeling and home repair

JB: Sooo….If you don't work, you don't get paid, and you were out of work for three months?

SV: I don’t know what I would have done if it were not for their generosity. I really needed those funds to survive during my recovery from surgery. I have no remaining complications. I get a CT scan every year…to make sure everything is ok. But with age comes many health things

JB: So then...with all this kindness that was shown to you, have you done anything to "Pay it Forward?" Maybe by organizing a benefit concert for others?

SV: Well, I’ve always helped out others whenever and where ever I can, and yes when asked to play for Relay for Life, I do. My mom died as a result of breast cancer so I'm all for it. The band that I used to play in did a breast cancer benefit every year. Also, when I see new people, I help them.

I play Mondays at 8PM SLT at Cafe Musique. I also play Zoffee's Midnight Blues 8 pm SLT. I guess this guitar on the back of my avi gave it away that I am a musician? I play electric. Mostly bluesy or blues-based stuff. I do a combination of backtracks and me Soloing along and singing

I'm just grateful this platform exists and it lets me continue doing something I love. I'll never be one of the egotistical types that feel I MUST get paid for what I do in SL. I know I am not everyone’s cup of tea.

I played in a band for many years, so I know what it takes, and the fact I can sit here in my undies If I so chose, and play to live people is a piece of cake

JB: Now THAT is a visual I can do without!

SV: Hahaha. But in all seriousness, I want outsiders to see the good that SL can hold and that SL is not just about sex or old people trying to cheat on spouses. There is a lot of good here, and I want people to know that, and would hate to think people are taking advantage of others as a result of my story.

DISCORD: Sully #3108

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013450362240&fre FB

So there you have it, folks. Next time you get to feeling that no one seems to care, remember Sully here…and the many caring and supportive people- friends and strangers - who helped him through a difficult time in his life. And THAT is the reason he says there in no difference between SL and RL

For more information about Sully, here is an interview with him by Olly Esel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NccR7gNLgaU&t=142s

https://soundcloud.com/sullyvonswag/sets/originals

You can catch Sully at Café Musique Mondays at 8:00 PM SLT, or at Zoffee's Midnight Blues 8 pm SLT. Give him a shout inworld and find out where he is performing next. You’ll be glad you did.

Tell him Josh sent you.