Emmersons Release Party Speech

((Here is an edited version of my speech. When I delivered it live last night it ran almost a half an hour. That is becase it was so tremendously interactive. I thought of keeping those elements in because they were both fun – and funny, but it would have been way too long so I’ve opted for just the bare bones.))

Clink your glasses I am going to say a few words and I will try to get through them without falling off this bar.

The first thing I want to say is thank you to everyone who came to The Gangplank tonight to join in this celebration.

I came to New Babbage two years ago – a day after I rezzed in Second Life. It was largely a random jump after I’d seen mention of the city in the SL destination guide.  For months, I used the alley behind Loki Eliot’s abandoned opium den as a default landing point before moving into one of the old Brownstones Byron Wexhome used to own in The Wheatstone Waterways.

In those early months of wandering the streets and trying to find my voice, I saw through group chat dozens upon dozens of names, the names of strangers that over time have become my friends. Through the Steampunks chat and through wandering the streets, I gradually began to absorb the sense of the character of this city and develop an appreciation for the diversity of the community.

Come for the builds – that’s what they say. It is the truth. The builds are fantastic. Yet I saw the creative force that envisions such spectacular structures was manifest in so many other ways beyond the amazing buildings.

Role play, for example, is one of those creative art forms that flourishes here. It was new to me. I had never been involved in this type of role play before New Babbage. The Black Heart Mystery was in full swing when I arrived and during that November and December I saw, and even took part, in many interactions, bits of dialogue, that amazed me – little ad lib and spontaneous plays of imagination.

I love writing, and truthfully, it really has been the New Babbage BAR that has provided me with the drive to and opportunity to put what I write in a place where others may see it. There are so many fun stories posted on that site.  I wanted to try my hand at it.

During the first annual Air Kraken Festival I entered the Bold Tales and Black Ink writing contest. Both Ceejay Writer’s and Sky Melnik’s positive feedback on my entry did so much to encourage me to keep writing that I started to put something together for AE’s Tales of New Babbage project.

Suddenly I saw how the creativity we all participate in ‘in here’ can make the jump outside of our digital world. I encourage everyone who writes stories for the BAR to submit something for Tales 2. It is a worthy project – something we should all support as a community. And something to be proud of.

There are a few people I want to thank for encouraging me. First of all Junie has been an incredible support and source of inspiration. She has read everything I have written many many times.

Ceejay has also been, and continues to be, a great support.

I would also like to thank my Squire, Malus, who took a chance coming along with me for these adventures over a year ago and has stuck with me ever since. He has read most of what I’ve put on the BAR –  before I post – and he’s never been shy about telling me what doesn’t work. I appreciate that. I think anyone who really wants put their writing out there needs people honest enough to tell them where it falls short.

I look around the room and I am grateful. You have all given me the chance to put Emerson’s adventures out there and last winter they caught the interest of Penny Gaff Publications who offered me the opportunity to write this story – A Drop of the Venom – to be published in their Clockhaven Chronicles.

The story has a connection to New Babbage because I have a connection to New Babbage – but it is not strictly speaking about New Babbage. I put a lot of hours into writing this story and then rewriting it many times over. The work has paid off. I am very proud of it. I am not kidding myself though. It would not exist without everyone here. It would not exist today without New Babbage. I wrote it with the people in this room in mind. This is an amazing city and a very real community. I see a lot of friends here. I am proud to call this Emerson’s home town.

I just want my final words while I’ve got this chance to stand on the bar to be: Thank you one and all.