BDSM in SL: An Update- Triskelion Academy and Social Center- Ely Catronis Reporting…

 

 

Triskelion Academy and Social Center are created to offer advice and education to people in the Secondlife BDSM community. Classes and discussions are available for both Dominants and submissives; regardless if you are entirely new to BDSM or if you have been practicing for many years in real life or SL. We hope to give you the tools to develop your knowledge and understanding of the lifestyle in Second Life, allowing you and the people you play with to enjoy more meaningful scenes and relationships. In addition to education, the sim also aims to create a social community and hangout space for people to meet other like-minded individuals.

Over the past 19 years in SL, the lifestyle of BDSM has developed through a variety of styles and kinks to the current lifestyle and community we have today.  In a nutshell, BDSM is about the Dominant and submission lifestyle. People believe that it is safer in SL than in RL and will go through a range of courses, talks, and negotiations to understand exactly what it is and what to do. 

Search around and one can find a variety of centers and communities that represent different educational aspects and fetishes in this lifestyle. It has become common and many people think they know what it is. One place is Triskelion Academy and Social Center.

This is a community that began back in 2020 with the goal to educate and assist in the development and safety of those seeking to explore a BDSM lifestyle in Second-life through continuing educational classes, discussion groups, and mentoring.  The academy has graduated 5 classes since it began and is moving and expanding the academy and social center to the Black Moon Acres BDSM Community beginning in the Later Summer/Fall Session which begins August 8.  They are currently accepting registrations and tailor their academy to accept both sides of the slash (D/s), which offers a unique learning experience for participants. 

The features of this Academy over the others is that although it does have classes and discussions, similar to other locations, Triskelion Academy offers courses that are continually researched and enhanced each session; including assignments for the students to reflect on with non-judgemental, reflective feedback offered, two textbooks for learning at their own pace within the semester, and mentors, and study help available in a non-role play setting. 

When you arrive, you come to the landing zone filled with information to guide your journey. Taking the teleporter on the floor in front of you to the classroom as well as any of the other places for education or mentoring time, discussion, and meetings.  Through the perspective of Adola, a graduate:

“I found the Triskelion Academy shortly after they opened up the sim and found so many lovely people there.  But also it took me a long time to finally sign up, so I signed up for the 5th term at Triskelion Academy.  12 weeks of classes took the students on a journey through almost every aspect of the D/s and BDSM world.  The classes are led by very experienced instructors that are totally open-minded and encourage students to find their own way of BDSM. Still, they are giving great advice but they emphasize finding your own style. “ 

Taking another walk-through (or teleporter) journey through the calming, nature-filled land will bring you to a variety of spaces for entertainment and activities in the community as well.  They offer munches, game time, sub club at the pool, Dominant meetings, and dances so that people can get to know one another and share time with one another socially in a relaxed time outside the academy to get to know one another. “Something important is the relationships and friendships made while here” noted another graduate who became staff.  The staff aims to make each experience an enjoyable experience and something that everyone will remember.  

The sim is open to come through and explore,  relax with their Dominant or submissive in the other areas as long as they are respectful of the community who reside there.  There is a cave of various tunnels which includes a Lagoon and Hall of Wonders with equipment and other surprises to find, an underwater area, library, meditation area, and beautiful picturesque places to enjoy.  

Additional Information:

SLURL: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Black%20Moon%20Acres/137/231/1534

Discord: https://discord.gg/5bypSG7UQf 

Preferred Contact: Faxi (Faxi2016)

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Learning in SecondLife: The Brooklyn Law School enters the metaverse and sparks a change

It is not uncommon for a real-life (RL) academic institution to innovate in education and how education is delivered. In fact, the COVID-19 outbreak that took the world by storm in March 2020 forced schools and other entities that function through face-to-face interactions into a reconfigured space of engagement, peer-to-peer, and business-to-customer. However, before the Pandemic, universities saw potential in Secondlife as the perfect vehicle to disseminate knowledge, even if it were and still is unusual. Look through the list of Secondlife's various destinations under education. You will see universities like Stanford, North Carolina State, and the University of South Florida, to name a few, listed there. However, the one that sticks out the most due to its relative 'newness' is the Brooklyn Law School, which has joined the bandwagon of education leaders at the forefront of digital learning. 

Because of Secondlife's unique nature, many see this multiverse as prime real estate to replica, to some degree, the academic experience schools provide to their students offline. Linden Labs, the entity behind Secondlife, has created a safe space for creatives and others that utilize Intellectual Property (IP) as its currency, thereby making it safe for schools and non-profits to enter the virtual world and establish an extension of their services, according to edutopia.org. 

For this reason, many SecondLife residents are granted access to educational information where there is none available or the opportunity to continue their education uninterrupted through an immersive adventure that allows the user to learn and do so in a unique way that draws their focus. The Brooklyn Law school identified this experience and decided to dive headfirst into the space. 

As with many academic institutions, this started with the emergence of the Pandemic. The students could not come to attend in-person law classes, so Joy, the law professor behind the launch of the virtual campus in late 2020, was struck with a genius idea---bring the experience of the classroom to the virtual world. This move to virtually enhance the learning experience of her law class gave her students and, soon, many others the opportunity to learn in a novel manner and partake in the socialization that SecondLife is renowned for. 

Soon, the virtual iteration of the Brooklyn Law School started to garner media attention from various universities across the globe for the innovative approach to the pedagogy of the law. Joy stated that many schools reached out to learn more about how. The answer is simple: replicate the natural world experience in SecondLife, which, as we all know, is not in the least bit impossible. For the law school, this means inviting professionals in the realm of the law to deliver lectures in-world, foster the space of learning and peer-to-peer engagement, and intently focus on the effects of immersion---a phenomenon frequently mentioned throughout the conversation. 

However, as Joy mentioned, the students were initially apprehensive because learning a subject as intense and involved as the law seemed impossible in a digital space like SecondLife. Nevertheless, students soon learned that his fear was unwarranted. The learning experience in the metaverse can be just as enriching as learning in the physical world, if not more, because of the boundless means of expression and interactivity that Zoom, the original learning vehicle for Joy's students, could not provide. 

When asked if the school is open to general residents, Joy declared that at the moment, no, it is designed for pupils of the Brooklyn Law School only; however, this is only for the moment. 

To learn more about the virtual rendition of the Brooklyn Law School, you can visit: 

https://www.law.com/2022/04/01/foreshadowing-how-law-schools-may-use-the-metaverse-brooklyn-law-created-virtual-campus-using-second-life-technology-at-beginning-of-pandemic 

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Visit www.secondlife.com to create a Second Life account.

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