The Lady Vanishes

Whenever a long-term resident retreats from Second Life, it shakes our confidence a bit.

When Ordinal Malaprop does this, I question what any of us are doing here.

http://ordinalmalaprop.com/engine/2010/01/31/explanation

I was suprised by that too and will miss her. I had not been following blogs/tweets this past weekend but needed something from her store yesterday .... and was completely puzzled when I got there at all of the signs left for her.

Wow- I have never met her but have appreciated her works and visited her shop on occasion. I hate it when people leave-especially people like this that have made an indelible mark on our world.

I've never heard of her, or her work, but the second paragraph of that blog post was interesting. Does she mean that she's removed buildings form Caledon? If so, will Des be affected by it?

A shame.

I just looked at one of her scripts for ideas this last week. The inspiration goes on and on.

Worse than her departure is her sadness and sense of stagnation that seems to have preceded it. I hope she finds a place where the air seems fresher.

I have been returning lately to freebie warehouse stuff that I picked up in 2006, noticing how wonderfully original in concept many of them are - even the clothes.

A huge part of SL's charm is the sense of newness, of tabula rasa. How does one preserve that, as a virtual world matures?

Went through the blog a bit and we should have seen it coming here:

http://ordinalmalaprop.com/engine/2009/05/08/self-examination-or-not-protest-preservation

With all respect to Ordinal, I find this an extreme overstatement.

Many people who have been in SL for a long time have not enjoyed adapting to the changes that have occurred in its culture over the years. Moreover, it's very common for people's interest in some endeavor or another to fade and ebb over time. So there are a lot of reasons why people leave communities. In the case of SL, new people have made significant contributions even as older residents have moved on to other pursuits.

I understand if people feel a personal sense of loss at Ordinal's withdrawing her contributions to the community. And, I understand if people take her reasons for leaving into consideration, and do some introspection about them.

But to make a statement like the above skirts the edge of belittling the contributions of everyone who is still contributing to SL, everyone who still finds it a vital and fascinating place to be despite the fact that it's not the same place it was in the past. I think you can praise and respect Ordinal without doing that.

Ordinal is a superbly witty, creative and intelligent resident whose departure will be a loss to the platform as a whole.

I'm sad to hear this. I'll miss her.

And I'm afraid I know how she feels, too, and what it means..

I loved her postings here, they were always entertaining.

I can understand the feelings... BTDT... Her leaving takes a bit out of this world... I'll miss her

Afraid I don't know who this person is...but does sound like they are a thoughtful person and would've been a good addition to the community while they were in it.

I've had those moments where for some 'straw that broke the camel's back' reason or other I've been close to just deleting and disappearing. In SL, that is. But, I also always know it's momentary and things will look better in the morning.

Sorry that this person apparently ran out of brighter mornings.

Best of luck to Ordinal. The lights are always on for those who leave.

Well said.

Those who take joy in virtual worlds are, by their nature, explorative creatures. With exploration comes evolution -- how we all adapt is up to each one of us. It's a personal journey, and when one shining star flickers for an indeterminate time, others will wink into view.

The beauty of virtual worlds is that we are never truly alone, nor left uninspired. I am ever grateful to all the amazing creators, past, present and future, of SL.

I have few words to say how I feel about this, other than: deep sadness. I've tried to stay away from saying much about it while I was still upset.

Best I don't make it worse.

Just prior to her suddenly leaving, we were having a discussion about some things and she gave me a copy of her latest script -- an object delivery system. Very elegant and works perfectly. I gave her one of my very minor efforts and she was gracious enough to comment positively on it. Two days later, I was just stunned to see her Twitter post announcing the shutdown of her SL efforts.

A lot of folks (including me) have been leaving comments on her blog. Very sorry to see her go. I only hope she finds something new and wonderful to do.