Monday 8 December 2014

Being Alice in Wonderland

“Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late.” The white rabbit ran past Alice, down into the hole. His pink eyes glistened while holding a watch in his hand. Alice was curious and followed Mr. Rabbit down the hole. Have you ever wondered what would you have done if you were given the same place and the same situation?


Enchanted Alice is a wonderful place with a mad house, a library, a caterpillar lounge, a cavern, a maze, a tea pot, a raining room and a rope swing. Rex and Angel Havoc have created a truly enchanted place with lots of things to do. They say, “Explore a twisted adventure in a new take on Alice! Crawl through the Looking Glass, explore various levels, use our anywhere doors, check out our animations. We are still a little twisted and a little mad but we are always enchanted!”

Photograph Credits: Rex Havoc

I had the privilege of interviewing one of the creators, Rex Havoc.
Debby Sharma: Please tell us something about yourself and your life in Second Life.
Rex Havoc: I've been in world in one form or another since 2007. I am a husband, a father, an uncle, a cook and the chief bottle washer here on our parcel. I also dj on certain occasions; I love to build, design and explore. I am not a fan of shopping though; despite what my wife and kids might think. 

Photograph Credits: Rex Havoc

Debby Sharma: How did the idea of Enchanted Alice happen? Why an Alice in Wonderland theme among all the fables?

Rex Havoc: It happened by accident. I Dj, my host and wife suggested a theme for the evening, the main idea was 'Your Favorite Fairy Tale'; I asked her to elaborate, the suggestion was Alice in Wonderland. I built a set for that event and well, the rest is history! It grew and blossomed from there. I originally built it for her, she was my Alice and I was the Mad Hatter, we had fun with it, building and tweaking the set, it grew from there. Angel started showing it off to friends and eventually we decided to share it with the masses. Our virtual world had grown. A few parcels later, we have grown into what you see today, an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland combined with The Madness a twisted spin off of American McGee as interpreted by me. 

Photograph Credits: Melanie von Prague

Debby Sharma: There are some very unique scenes like the rain room. Have you been shot listing the themes for long time or are they something you always wished for?

Archer Mactavish: There are indeed a few different twists and turns here on our parcel. I haven't followed a storyboard per-say, other than Alice falls down a rabbit hole and then her twisted adventure begins in the library. Here she interacts with various items, reads a book, swings from a chandelier is memorized by a cat chasing a gold fish in a bowl. She crawls through our looking glass into a strange and dark hall. She sees aspects of herself from the days she spent in the asylum (from the Madness Returns). She interacts with the Cheshire cat and again falls further into the depths of Enchanted Alice. There are various rooms here on many different levels, the 'Rain Room' is just one of these areas, it's near the end of Alice's journey. It's her retreat, a place to chill, relax and enjoy the sounds of raindrops falling. On occasion she has been caught dancing to the sounds emanating from our club, 'The Mad House'.
At our entrance there is a sign that reads, 'The most amazing gift you can receive is the gift of Adventures. Enchanted Alice is an adventure. It is meant to be explored; it's a parcel built for fun and it's very detailed. You may have to explore to find though, for instance we have an old crow aptly named Edgar Allen Crow. You can eat cake with the Mad Hatter and his entourage from Happy Days! and so much more. For instance my wife Angel penned the perfect poem on what you will experience here, it reads.

Cheshire cats and rabbits in hats
A mushroom house, a scurrying mouse
Little doors and lopsided floors
Pictures to take and memories to make
The Mad Hatter, awake for hours, just to find the perfect flowers
A March hare, a floating chair
Poses, roses, waterfalls
In her madness, Alice roams the halls
A thought began, all such a long time ago
Zip the line, watch the river flow
A wish here , a dream there, twisted madness everywhere
We're all mad! (or so they say)
Be amazing and have an ENCHANTED DAY


Photograph Credits: Melanie von Prague

Debby Sharma: Since when did you start working on them and what or who were your inspirations?

Rex Havoc: Each build has combined various attributes from Alice in her many different forms, whether it be Alice in Wonderland, American McGee or The Madness Returns. My inspirations have come from within and through many conversations with my wife. I like to refer to these as 'Brain Farts'. Laughs. I take it from there, give it some thought, build a prim and let my mind interact with my surroundings. I create and build. After all it is my twisted interpretation of all things, Alice. 

Debby Sharma: What would we see in the future? Any further projects related to Enchanted Alice? 

Rex Havoc: Talking about that 'Rain Room' has given me a few more idea's indeed. Only the Cheshire cat knows for sure what the Mad Hatter is brewing underneath his Hat! (Gawd! what have you done.) Yes indeed the parcel is always changing, whether it be minor or major items. Make sure to join Enchanted Alice and keep abreast of all our happenings, whether it be the songs our Minstrels spin in our club, The Madhouse to the live singers in our Caterpillar Lounge, there is always something happening here for sure! Have an Enchanted Day!
Contact:
Second Life Legacy names: Archer Mactavish and Angellace Resident


*Note:The article was originally written for SL Enquirer.

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