Friday Focus: Saying Goodbye to Crimson Shadow.

Lokum Shilova:"Ready to delete "

I saw this plurk yesterday morning, and my plans of blogging half the store  I bought out the night before vanished.

I want to focus today on the closing of another great Rezzable sim, Crimson Shadow.  I knew it was coming,  but the actual delete and removal ticket were an odd shock, a sad moment. 

Crimson Shadow was a big part of my earlier impressions of exploration in Second Life.  The fantastic architecture, the fashion,  the pure stunning visuals of this creation came to represent the dark and mysterious, the edgy and and secret side of Second Life that appealed to me. (Machinima of the Killer Designers event available here)

Created in fall of 2007 by the incredibly talented Jimmy Thomson, it became an icon of mystery, dark desire, entertainment, fashion and fun, a meeting place and a lifestyle.  Winter Jefferson summed it up so well in his farewell blog: Crimson Memories.  I encourage you to go read it, he says so much better than I what it meant to those who spent so much time there.  For more info, pics and some words from Lokum Shilova, please continue after the break.

As Lokum said to me:

"These random places in SL don’t mean anything to some people, but for some it becomes a home, work or family. I don’t see this as deleting a Sim, I see it as ending many relationships which on a personal level really affected me. We move on with our memories in our hearts, also hoping that we will meet them somewhere in our new ventures.  I have endless amounts of special memories in Crimson Shadow. So thank you , Jimmy for building a wonderful castle and everyone who worked there to make it a very special place for many."

It has been over a year since the Rezzable sims started closing down, and many have felt the loss.  Cannery, The Dump, Surfline , Greenies Lawn, Stratos, Toxic gardens, Tunnel of Light, Carnival of Doom, and Crimson Shadow.  More about this here.

Greenies will stay as long as Rezzable is in SL.  I think they need Greenies to be there as much as the rest of Second Life does.

The last on this sad role call of departures will be Black Swan.  I think out of all the closures, this one will affect me personally the most.  I have been there for the fashion events many times regardless of my internet connection, and just enjoy wandering, looking at the art in the shop (drooling over the ballerina) and hopping from stone to stone over the lava.

As you may be able to tell from the outfit, I took this picture over a year ago.. maybe more, and it is still one of my favorites.

The final event, the Swan Song of Black Swan will be a wonderful yet bittersweet event.  A celebration and a goodbye to an incredible sim. 

It will kick off on the 27th of July, and  will be a month of celebration of fashion, with many of the best fashion designers in SL participating.  For a full list of participants, please go here. This is an incredible lineup, and also includes several latecomers,  Elizabeth Tinsley of Frippery Jewellery, Neferia Abel of Ivalde and AvaGardner Kungler of Kunglers Couture.  This is a not-to-be missed final Swan Song of one of the best sims I have ever been to.

Prad Prathivi, blogger and architect/designer extraordinaire has been roped in to do the runway work, and as Lokum said: If his name is in print over it, well then the pressure will be on.. So Hi Prad! *waves* Looking forward to seeing that runway!

This the reality picture.  My main reason for writing this is for the people involved who are feeling a loss, and a goodbye for the removal of Crimson Shadow, Carnival of Doom, and all the other Rezzable sims.  For the builders, the managers, DJ’s, designers, employees, visitors and enthusiasts, as well as casual visitors and all those who have had memories and experiences in these sims.

"Our main focus is now to grow Heritage Key, and we will have many exciting opportunities for the SL community in the Rezzable grid… so keep following us at www.rezzable.com . This is definitely not the end :)"

For more information about Heritage Key,  The King Tut Exhibition, and Open Sim access,  go here.

Today Lokum Shilova pressed the delete button.  I love this picture of Lokum, and it does say a thousand words…but the picture I don’t have, and the one that would have said it far more eloquently would have been the one of Lokum Shilova, in RL, at her desk, pressing that button.  It isn’t just a game. 

Cheers and a toast to the crew at Rezzable, and best of luck in your future endeavours.  Thanks for the enjoyment and experiences you gave all of us with your sims. 

Isle Lunasea.

*thanks to Lokum Shilova, for taking the time to chat with me, and for the great pictures.  All but the first and 3rd are Lokum’s work.*