SW: Dylan, you've been in SL a really long time - Cate, too, but 2007 is really long. What brought you both into SL?
Cate: I came to find Dylan.
Dylan: I signed up to wait for Cate. It was a really long wait.
SW: How did you meet? Everyone loves a love story (laughs)?
Cate: We were an arranged marriage.
Dylan: That's right. She arranged to marry me.
SW: How and when did you discover surfing?
Dylan: I'd tried surfing in Second Life (SL) a couple of times back when I was an SL baby. I thought it was fun but I was more interested in learning how to build houses and make poses, etc. so I never really got into the surfing scene. I rediscovered it when I met Cate, and I'm enjoying it more now that it's vastly improved from how it was back then.
Cate: Almost as soon I started SL, I saw someone surfing at Kona. I thought it was the coolest thing ever and knew I had to be out there. That next day I rezzed a board and have not looked back since.
SW: What made you decide to open a surf sim?
Cate: We decided to build our own sim after being inspired to create something that reflected the Philippines. We always knew we wanted to make our sim public because we wanted others to enjoy the space, too, and to give us a chance to meet like minded people. The surf portion was really an afterthought after we realized we still had the space.
Dylan: Even though it was an afterthought, adding waves was an idea that just came over both of us instantly; kind of like that first magical kiss between two people where neither one can tell who started it (laughs).
SW: What were some of your biggest challenges in starting a surf sim?
Cate: Being that this was both of our first time building a sim, we ran into a few hurdles along the way. The biggest was perhaps the vision we had for Maoz. Dylan is actually from the Philippine Islands. I, however, had only seen photos and video clips. We each had different key elements in mind and were focusing on different things. We built a completely different sim before this one, which got dozed to the ground. We had our moments of frustration for sure. At some point we received great advice from the lovely [dirty.pretty] ladies who said, "Don't forget about each other." So, we stayed with it for a couple of more months - being more mindful of each other. And now we have Maoz....whew!
Dylan: Neither of us expected it to be a stressful experience. We had started it thinking it would be a fun project for us to work on together. Yet, because of our RL jobs, we each had to work on the sim separately - on our own available times - and our visions ended up clashing. The d.p ladies said it best. When we took that advice to heart and started building from scratch together, we found that the island started to build itself organically. It was almost like it had a mind of its own, telling us what to put and where. With that synergy, this iteration of Maoz came to life much faster than its predecessor did.
SW: What's special about your sim that you want others to know about?
Cate and Dylan: We want people to know that THEY are what makes Maoz special. They are the ones who bring it to life. You can build a sim to perfection, but that doesn't matter if no one comes to enjoy it.
SW: What waves are you running and why did you pick those?
Cate and Dylan: We are running Tahiti, The Swell, and Florida Fluff. We thought the combination of those three would make the waves seem more natural.
SW: What are your favorite boards to surf on?
Cate: There are a lot of great boards out there, but the ones I use the most are C3, Flow, and LSD. I switch up between those three depending on my mood.
Dylan: Same here.
SW: What other things are you involved in in SL?
Cate and Dylan: Both of us enjoy photography and supporting other artists. Now that Maoz is built, that leaves us with more time to explore and find more interests.
SW: Is there anything else you'd like readers to know?
Cate and Dylan: We've met and befriended a lot of amazing people that have come to our island, and it makes us happy to see them enjoying the place. "Remember each other" is the most important thing that we've learned from this whole experience. We hope that the vibe of our sim embodies that.
Read more about Maoz at Inara Pey's post:
Inara Pey's Road Trip to Maoz
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