Shady

I've just attended the in-world memorial service for Shady Fox.

Since his passing a little over a week ago - caused by cancer, diagnosed just last October - I've really wanted to write something about Shady; about his impact on Raglan Shire and its development from its inception, his stature within the Shire community and, on a more personal level, what his friendship and support meant to me - but I've found it almost-maddeningly impossible. Not because I've been racked with grief about his sudden death but because to summarise even parts of his 10+ year odyssey in Second Life in a single blog post (or even several) is virtually impossible. He was known by so many communities across the grid, had touched so many lives in such unique ways and had brought joy to so many more that to try and capture even an essence of what Shady Fox was about would be a disservice to him and would undervalue his real worth.

The only thing I can categorically say - and which was quoted by Raglan magistrate Zayn Till in his memorial speech - was this: whatever he became involved in, Shady Fox was the cherry on top of the cake; he was that one ingredient that made something already rather good so much better.

And with him gone, I fear that nothing will ever quite be as good again.

Rest in peace my friend. I, like so many others, will miss you forever.


A machinima video I made in an afternoon after having spent just a couple of hours with Shady

Yaya Bingyi

Yaya Bingyi (centre) leads a tiny Halloween hop-a-long.

Woke up to some terrible news this morning - Second Life tiny resident Yaya Bingyi passed away last weekend.

Her RL partner sent me a notecard stating that she died on July 5th, "from complications to her long illness."

Yaya was a tiny hippo in-world. She'd had a store on the Shire in the shape of a beehive almost since Raglan came into being. I remember it being there when I first visited the sim and was immediately drawn to it. Even then, it was already well-stocked with a range of beautifully made tiny wares. Most of it was made for females, but that didn't stop me from admiring the workmanship and envying the talent that had gone into making them.

Time zone differences aside, it seemed that for a long time our paths never really crossed in-world - that is until late last year when I was quite randomly teleported to a gathering of tinies on some remote sim where the group already there was inflicting their own brand of silliness onto whoever they could. Yaya was part of that group and welcomed me as though we'd been friends forever. I guessed that as I'd been around the Shire for not much less than her, she'd heard of me through mutual friends or by reputation (unbeknownst to me at the time, I'd already connected with her through Facebook and she followed my ramblings on Twitter, both under her RL name); and from then on, we chatted and chatted. I remember she was using Voice that morning and there was just something so enthusiastic about how she spoke that it made me have to plug my headset in to chat back to her. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but Yaya's energy made me feel as though I wanted to be part of that conversation.

And then she wasn't around so much again. I'd occasionally see her drop a comment or two on statuses on Facebook, so I assumed she was OK. I'd never have known that she was unwell. I don't know what her illness was; I do hope she wasn't in pain. And I do though know that Yaya left behind a good number of friends who will miss her.

Nin's Memorial

Nin's Memorial, originally uploaded by Caleb Kit.

From Nin's profile:

Hey =^.^=

*This iz a great world....
*So many wonderful freinds...
*So many lovely places to explore...
*So much fun ....
*Tiny Life iz da bestest ㋡

*Waves and howlzzzz*

Farvel Nin

Nin's Farewell by Izo Ryba

If anyone was still in any doubt as to the power of the community that Second Life offers - and after this year's SL9B, that must be very few - then take a look at the above picture; it's a snap of just some of the 60 people crammed onto Athen Shire to celebrate the life and contribution to the Raglan Shire family of Nin Maximus, a Danish resident who passed away in real life last week. The tribute was lead by Raglan magistrate Zayn Till and featured the reading of several poems written by friends and neighbours of Nin's. I'm sure I wasn't the only one there who shed tears.

Not pictured though are the dozens of others who couldn't access the sim because it was maxed out. Now, I don't know of any other social network in existence that would elicit such a strong emotional reaction from so many people from across the globe coming together to honour the passing of a friend they may have only ever met online. Second Life is special.

Goodbye Nin. You will be missed by many.

Nin Maximus

Nin Maximus by karmagirl Avro

Absolutely heartbroken to hear of the passing of Nin Maximus, a tiny of the Raglan community. She had suffered with cancer.

Nin was a tiny wolf. She and her partner Korben had been around for a while and wow, she was cool; when we weren't having a themed month, she would often dress in punk clothing accentuated by her tiny nose-ring bling and long black eyelashes; she often had a cool hairstyle or wore cool hats; and, best of all, occasionally wore a cigarette hanging nonchalantly from her tiny lips. She was stylish, seemingly effortlessly so. Among such a vibrant and diverse group of artists as Raglan has, she always stood out. She wasn't on a great deal, but when she was, I'd more often than not bump into her and we'd share some words and a giggle.

And she was a friend. She would always encourage me to do more, to make more, to create more. She complimented me on my machinima, and would tell me what she liked about each. It wasn't just small talk - she cared, or at the very least gave me that impression - and that care was reciprocated. Whenever we lose anyone, we always feel as though we've lost a little part of the care given to us - and every little piece matters. I will miss her for that. And my love goes out to Korben.

To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. Nin, you will not be forgotten.

A tributary blog post is up at the Raglan Shire blog.

Stillpink Sandgrain

A fellow tiny, Stillpink Sandgrain passed away on February 14 2010 after a long battle with cancer.

She was a good buddy. We didn't meet up every time we were both on together, but I took great pleasure knowing that she was online and might (and would!) drop in unannounced at any given moment! Her energy would have you thinking she was a teenager enjoying their first day in SL. And it was infectious.

The last proper adventure me and Stills shared was in November 2009. We spent an hour or so sneaking around the houses on Cirano. Biggy houses, but not just any biggy houses - Linden houses! We got busted by Alexa Linden, but she was nice enough to invite us in, where we both aired our grievances about XStreet.

Then she was gone for a while. I understand she really fell ill towards the end of 2009, with Akay Utu (Tea Gupte's RL partner - Stillpink was Tea's RL mum) telling me that they didn't think Stills would see out the year. To her credit, she did, and then made a few more appearances online just after New Year.

Now, I'm sad, because I won't be able to have the same type of fun I did with Stills for a long time to come. But when I do see her, I hope we're given the chance to go and sneak into someone's house in Heaven! I'd like that. Stills, make sure you go house-hunting up there, but don't go sneaking in without me yet!

The picture above was taken when Stills introduced me to Bryn Oh's sims. I caught her at just the right moment. To me, this image typifies what Stills represented: someone cute, full of light and fire, lighting up every room she ever graced. A blog post has been posted here at Raglanshire.com.