Here's to You, Alleara Snoodle

 

It was four years ago this month on December 2, 2021 in which the Newser reported on the death of Alleara Snoodle. A longtime member of the Sunweaver community, she was gifted with both brains and a good heart. She was able to build many things, including the seeming impossible. But she would also take time for many friends, including myself. So who was she? Like much about our beloved gypsy, the answer is both simple and complicated. 

 

Read more in People.  

 

Luna Lunaria Has Died

 

The Newser has been informed that Luna Lunaria (apelles.luna) has passed away. She was known as a builder and writer. 

 

From her profile: 

 

find each of you to be so beautiful in so many ways, it is beyond words. Thank you for making virtual so rich. Much love to you all :-)

Spiritual seeker, writer, and creator / merchant on Wolf Territories Grid, Kitely Grid, Utopia Skye, Digiworldz, and Second Life, with smaller presences on Mobius Grid, Friends Grid, OSGrid, and others. Creator of Lunaria Emporium and Luxor, among others.

I am currently involved in projects outside of SL, but I do try to come in once or twice a week. If you leave a message I will see it and respond the next time I'm on. All my new work is being done in opensim on a grid called Wolf territories and is much better and larger than anything I can make here. Here is their website: https://www.wolf-grid.com/. My regions there are Lunaria Emporium and Luxor.

Luna had also written a story, which can be read here - https://www.wattpad.com/story/176823549-eos-renascent 

 

No word yet on when any services will be held.

 

Rest in peace

 

Breaking News: Crim Mip Has Died

 

The Newser has been informed resident Crim Mip has passed away. His partner Kari (KariaKae Karu) stated he was found deceased yesterday, Thursday September 11. The exact time and cause is still unknown. He was 62 in real life. 

 

Crim has been in Second Life since January 2007.  He was the real life and SL partner of Lacy Musketeer until her passing in July 2019. In October 2023, he would marry Kari. He was a resident of the Roshaven community, and more recently Wooburn. In the past, he was a DJ at the Sunweaver's Club Cutlass. 

 

Stay tuned for more information.

 

*Correction:* Earlier it wasn't known Crim had recently gotten a place at Wooburn. or his RL age.  

Sylys Sable (Sylys Weezles) Has Died.

 

Some sad news for the Angels community, the Happy Vixen, and a number of other clubs. Sylys Sable (account name Sylys Weezles), has passed away. He died in late February of liver cancer. 

Sylys came to Second Life in May 2008.  His profile listed his main appearance as an anthro pine martin, but had multiple avatars, "sometimes I'm a phoenix, sometimes I'm a gryphon." He appeared at the Happy Vixen a number of times, standing out in his avian avatars. He described himself as a "club hopper," and was in the groups of a number of others, such as Club Furzona and The Ark. 

In real life, he was Mark Merlino. His wikifur entry describes him as a founding member of the furry fandom, cofounder of one of the first furry cons, Confurence, in 1989. In early February this year, during a hospital exam it was discovered he had Stage Four liver cancer. He died a few weeks later. He was 71 years old. 

 

Sylys had a Flickr page , and was known on Furaffinity as Sysable

Rest in peace,

Bixyl Shuftan

Addition: A recording was done of a memorial service to Sylys (click here)

Xzavia Yifu's Memorial Service

 

On February 1, Xzavia Yifu passed away, the news not reaching Second Life until two weeks later. On Saturday March 11, there was a memorial service in her honor. There was much spoken about the content creator who had a following in Mieville, Raglan, and other places, people coming to pay their respects. 

 

Read the story in People.

Bree Himmel Has Died

 

There was some sad news late last week in Raglan Shire. Bree Himmel had passed away. She had gone to the hospital in late December and was held after being diagnosed with a blood clot. 

At 5:15 pm (Thursday January 5), our friend Bree was reunited with her beloved pug Charlie across the Rainbow Bridge. Her death was completely unnecessary and is a direct result of the spectacular failure .... to value ppl with disabilities by fully funding Home and Community Based Services so they can get support for activities of daily living-of which Bree was in desperate need. Many of our Tiny friends and others have disabilities and for some, like Bree, SL is the most contact they get with the outside world. That’s what makes Raglan Shire and the ppl in it so special-it is a safe and friendly virtual space for ppl with disabilities to make friends and receive desperately needed social support. I know The Shire gave Bree a lot of happiness in an otherwise bleak existence filled with the “benign neglect” that so many ppl with disabilities experience. Over the years, we’ve lost a lot of Tiny friends for whom The Shire has been a Real Life Sanctuary filled with emotional safety and happiness. Perhaps, one day, the RL world will catch up. Until then, thank you Tiny community, all your many kindnesses are never forgotten. Rest Easy Basement 🐈‍⬛—Lyra Snowpaw, BKOD

Besides at Raglan as one of the "Basement Kitties of Doom," Bree could also be seen at Caledon. In real life, she was Diane Hazel Delaney of Texas.

Source: Facebook, Discord

Bisyl Shuftan

People of The Year Runner-Up: The Departed

 
Sadly, among the things 2021 will be the most known for by the Newser is how many people who passed away. A number of residents, and one noteable Linden, would have their last goodbye this past year, leaving behind various records of accomplishments and sad friends and admirers.

The most prominent of these people was Ebbe Altberg, aka Ebbe Linden, Linden Lab's CEO. Never before had someone at the top of the Lab died while at the helm, and the news was a big shock to everyone. While he hadn't appeared inworld for a while and was making fewer statements, few if anyone thought much of it until the announcement. His death just before the SL18B cast a cloud over the celebration, and with the statue of him at the event, his memory was never far away. Under his watch, Second Life would halt it's long slow decline and start to grow again, in addition to numerous technical improvements. Linden Lab never did announce the cause of death, but it was confirmed to have been cancer, a disease Ebbe helped the effort against with his support of the Relay for Life.

Another whom had an impact on Second Life as a whole was Avi Arrow. She ran the Ivory Tower of Prims, where residents could learn how to build and script at their own pace. She passed in October, leaving the Ivory Tower in the hands of Marcov Carter and Kenny Luckless. Robin Sojourner (Robin Wood) , whom had connections with both Bay City and the Ivory Tower, died in April from cancer. Delightful Doowangle, known in real life as Barbara Truman, whom was with the Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education and a winner of the Thinkerer Award, passed in July. Dahlea Milena was one of the volunteers at Veterans Isle, which hosted a community of vets and held monthly benefit concerts to raise money to help wounded veterans keep roofs over their heads. She died in December, possibly from cancer.

The Sunweaver community would say goodbye to two noted women. Jessicabelle Dayafter, years ago noted for being a crack pilot in a combat RP who rose through the ranks, as well as designing her own aircraft, later on would pose for pictures and appear in music videos, died of Covid-19 on late August/early September. Alleara Snoodle was a woman of many talents whom had connections to both the Sunweaver and Chilbo community, earlier in SL history appearing on the Metanomics show was also known as a brilliant builder and scriptor. As time went on, she preferred to work more behind the scenes, and like Jessicabelle appearing in Nydia Tungsten's music videos. Her passing in late November is also believed to be from Covid. Curzan Markn was an occasional visitor to the beach clubs, but he had a devoted following of friends and family. He died in December from a heart attack.

The retirement of two Lindens from the Lab, Oz Linden and April Linden, was greeted with sadness by some. But they could always still reappear as regular residents. Sadly for people like Robin and Alleara, there will be no return.

Rest in peace.

Nominated by readers was Aeonix Aeon (Will Burns), and the Relay for Life volunteers.

Bixyl Shuftan
Editor, SL Newser
 

Alleara Snoodle Is Gone

 
It has been confirned by a reliable source that Alleara Snoodle has passed on. To those not familiar with her, she was a highly skilled builder and scriptor whom was with the Sunweaver and Chilbo communities. She was also part of the Relay for Life in Second Life.

Alleara. or "Allie" to her friends, was from Germany, though talking to her she told me she was born in Romania and later she and her parents would emigrate from there. She first logged on in July 2008. She soon became part of the Metanomics group, as well as becoming established in the Chilbo and Sunweaver communities. She's known for having taken part in the building of some Passionate Redhead camps, and the Chilbo community held at least one Relay fundraiser, in July 2010, that the Redheads were a part of. But she also worked behind the scenes on a number of things from clothing to avatars. She was a longtime helper of one brand named Allissandrea. More recently, a few years ago she helped get the Yinglet avatar up and ready on time for it's release event. Just how many projects she helped may never be known.

Besides her skills as a builder, Alleara was also an artist. The picture of the editor at the Newser office was done by her. She is known to have done some singing. She's also taken part in a number of Nydia Tungsten's music videos.

Sadly, Alleara was physically disabled, having suffered injuries from a fall some years before coming to Second Life. She would also end up in an automobile accident in later 2010. She would have to stop singing and drawing, and stepped down from her position in Chilbo though continued to keep in touch with the artistic community. Down but not out, she eventually went back to scripting and building in Second Life, though usually behind the scenes on the projects of others. She would find some work as a consultant to a major real-life business a few years ago. While she spent less time online, she never did stop coming to Second Life.

It should be noted Alleara and I were friends, having met around 2009, and meeting up regularly for a time. I found her to be brilliantly smart, but she also very compassionate. She had a way of sensing something was wrong with a friend, and would listen for a while as to what the problem was. She had many friends and admirers. She had several avatars, but was best known as a winged white vixen with red hair.

When we last met inworld in early June 2021, she was thinking of a couple things. Long knowing I was writing a sci-fi tale, she told me of an interesting story written by another beginning writer. She also wanted to show me the grounds of the Chilbo community, which after so many years had less territory but was still active.

A friend of Alleara's would say in her final days, she was increasingly ill. She was showing signs of Coronavirus, and planned to have herself checked at a clinic. But would pass away the night before a friend was to take her there.

Not just the Sunweavers and Chilbo, but Second Life has lost a great woman, with both brains and a good heart.

Bixyl Shuftan

Update: Shockwave Yareach of the Sunweavers/Sunbeamer team, would have this to say:

She was my equal in building, though she had lots more time than I did early on. She was one of the first people I met inworld (Lusk if I recall.) We spent ten years trying to outbuild each other and finally just settled on mutual showmanship rather than competetion. She was horribly crippled from a car wreck, and got around the physical deformities by living in SL instead. 

 

May God grant you ALL the answers, dear lady. Your suffering is ended at last, and your wings will free you from your prison.

 

Avi Arrow, Owner of The Ivory Tower, Has Died

 

Sad news for fans of the Ivory Tower of Primitives. Avi Arrow, the owner of the noted longtime location in Second Life, has died. The news was announced in the Ivory Tower Library Group.

We are very sad to inform everyone that our beloved friend Avi Arrow passed away at home Saturday, October 23, 2021 surrounded by her family.

She will be deeply missed.

I had a few words with Marcov Carter, one of four officers in the group. "She will be deeply missed," he spoke of her, "she had a lot of good friends, she did a lot for the comunity, very sad." He stated an inworld memorial service was being planned and "we will rez two statues, in Zoe, as she wanted, close to (the) Lumiere Noir memorial." Of the Ivory Tower area, "Kennylex Luckless and I, will do our best to keep this place as it is, as Avi asked to us."

For those wishing to pay their respects now, "as a lot of friends started to rez objects for Avi near the table, where she used to stand, we made a temporary memorial." Taking a look for myself, there were candles, a rose, and a screen showing a slide-show of pictures of Avi.

Avi Arrow helped the founder of the Ivory Tower of Primitives, Lumiere Noir, run the place until he passed away in 2015. The Tower was created early in Second Life history to be a place of learning how to build and script.

Avi would present the Newser with an improved sign for it's office as a tenth anniversary present last year.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Natoma/74/172/26

Rest in Peace

Hat Tip: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan
 

SL Video: "Second Life Destinations - Angels Rest"

 

 

From Draxtor Despress on November 10, the video for this week's "Second Life Destinations" by Linden Lab, "Angels Rest, a uniquely timeless memorial garden for Residents to visit loved ones who are no longer with us.

 "Creators Fae and Mr. N greet visitors warmly with their group’s message: “Angels Rest is a memorial garden offering space for you to create a focal point for remembrance. The aim is to offer a chance for quiet contemplation and reflection away from daily distractions.” The environment invites one to be vulnerable among the serenity of nature, with an occasional wild animal hopping about to remind you that you’re not alone.

"Assembling a sacred virtual space that is accessible 24/7, rain or shine, was an enormously thoughtful endeavor. It is hard enough losing a loved one, and during the added strain of coronavirus tumult, many survivors were not able to honor traditional funeral practices for safety reasons. Fae says, “I have lost people in my life who I wanted a way of memorialising. It seemed to me that there was such a huge need for this, especially this year with the COVID pandemic. I met a couple who had a similar kind of garden but they were not able to maintain it, and it had to close, so I decided I wanted to fill the gap that had been left behind.”

"Fae, elaborating further on her vision for Angels Rest, says, “I have seen and felt firsthand the effects that social isolation has had on both myself and my nearest and dearest… We wanted to create a place that people can spend time and have peace and reflection in the virtual ways that we are able to right now. It was very important to us that we be able to provide this free of charge as so many are struggling right now, and so we came up with the idea of the refunded rental.”

"The rental options include candles and plots that can be decorated with pictures, messages, flowers, or other meaningful mementos. Many people commemorate their pets as well, as is visible from the glass display case showing a four-legged friend in a perfect slumber. The space makes its inclusive atmosphere clear with its centerpiece, the Ecunemical Chapel bearing objects that represent all major world relations.

"For visitors who are struggling with grief, a notecard offers important information such as phone numbers and email addresses of both Bereavement and Mental Health Services. We hope that all those who visit Angels Rest are provided with joyful reminders of loved ones and the strength to carry on."

 To see the blog post, Click Here.

Autopilotpatty Poppy Memorial Dance

It's been a few weeks since word got around that Autopilotpatty Poppy had passed away. A little more than a week ago, a memorial dance was held in her honor. The Newser sent someone to the event at Roshaven Laudanum, and it was quite an occasion with much praise for the departed.

Read the story in Events.

Linden Lab Lays Off Twelve, VP of Product Leaves

Linden Lab is a little smaller as a small number of employees have been dismissed. Also, one of the people higher up has left to accept a new position elsewhere.

Hamlet Au recently stated in New World Notes that, "A highly reliable source tells me Linden Lab recently made workforce staff reductions. ... this most recent layoff impacted about a dozen employees: 'It was like one person from each department, totaling 12 ... mostly shared staff ...' "

There were also two recent former employee reviews of the Lab on Glassdoor, which may or may not be two of the twelve. One who called himself a software engineer remarked, "Massive layoffs, but got rid of the wrong people." While he felt, "Some of the people I worked with were smart, passionate and really wanted to create something amazing." He had a mediocre view as a whole of the company, "Leadership has no vision and don't have the skills to run something as ambitious as Sansar. ... The same old people have been there for the longest time. (They) keep hiring the wrong people and putting the wrong people in positions of power."

The other review from an anonymous employee, "Make LL Great Again" was less critical. But he still had a negative outlook, "Company is too focused on its new product; those who work on the mainstay feel set aside and taken for granted. HR is nearly non-existent; most team members are remote or barely in the office. Too many org changes lately have left folks feeling insecure, morale is low and sinking. I hope they can turn it around." His advice to the Lab's leaders, "You have some really awesome people there; get out of their way."

In June 2010, Linden Lab had a massive layoff, or "restructuring" as they called it, in which about a third of their staff was given pink slips. Followed by the CEO then stepping down, it was a sign of a company in trouble. This news following the Lab's decision to raise fees for it's users a few months ago can be considered a sign the company is more pessimistic about it's long-term profitability. Part of the reason may be Sansar having a small base of regular users, despite Linden Lab's large investment in the next-generation virtual world.

One Linden whom left the company recently did so on his own. Bjørn Laurin, who was the "Vice President of Product, turned in his resignation. Joining Linden Lab in March 2015, Laurin was most associated with Sansar. Inara Pey described him as "one of the popular Lab reps (alongside Ebbe Altberg and Jason Gholston (Widely Linden) ) for his willingness to offer broad-ranging views and comments on Sansar’s direction, upcoming releases and ideas being discussed for the platform back at the Lab." Laurin left to pursue a job at HTC Vive.

Sources: New World Notes, Modem World, Glassdoor

Bixyl Shuftan

Remembering the Pearl Harbor Memorial

For several years, Second Life had a replica of the USS Arizona Memorial, which stands over the wreck of the USS Arizona, which exploded and sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, taking with it nearly 1200 lives, about half of those killed in the battle. Located in the Oahu sim, there would be a few events there on anniversaries at the virtual memorial, such as the one on the 70th anniversary of the attack. While the memorial was up last year, sometime between last December and Memorial Day 2016, the sim went offline, taking the memorial with it.

With two sims recently brought back from the virtual nether, how likely is it the memorial will be back? In my opinion, iffy as unlike the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Oahu wasn't a memorial sim, but a residential sim with a memorial. It is possible Linden Lab might contact the owner and find a place for the memorial without having to bring back a whole sim. But then again, Mont Saint Michael was looking like it was lost for good a few months ago.

Time will tell.

Bixyl Shuftan

Pearl Harbor Memorial Offline

This Memorial Day, while there are a number of places to visit to reflect on those whom died in service to the American military, the USS Arizona Memorial is not among them. The Oahu sim where it was located was offline, and while it's still listed in Search, recent traffic registers as zero. The sim has been taken offline. Unless the sim owner can bring the place back online, it seems the memorial to the famous battleship sunk at Pearl Harbor joins the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which went offline sometime in 2011, among those noted places in Second Life now visible only through past records.

The USS Arizona Memorial, a replica of the real-life memorial in Honolulu Hawaii, has been in Second Life for several years. On December 7, 2011, there was a memorial service to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Japanese Empire's attack, which resulted in America's entry into the Second World War. The remainder of the sim was a Pacific island themed residential area in which visitors were free to relax on the beach.

Peace Valley Pet Cemetery

Deaflegacy Darkbloom recently stopped by the Peace Valley Pet Cemetery. A place for residents to set up memorials for their pets in real life which have passed away, Deaflegacy was impressed with how well the place was well done, from the placement of the trees to the church setting.

Read Deaflegacy's article in Extra.

Memorial Event For Zaphara Cazalet

All good things must come to an end. Sadly, the same applies to good people. Last week, it was discovered Zaphara Cazalet had passed away, and a memorial service was planned for that Friday. As Zaphara had been a fan of poems, poetry readings would be a feature of the service. And so a number of Relayers and other friends of hers came to pay their respects.

Read the story in People.

Shady Fox's Memorial Events

On Sunday January 24, friends of Shady Fox, a resident known in several places in Second Life, paid their respects to him at Raglan Shire. Following the dedication of a permanent memorial to the departed resident, a tribute music concert was held in his honor.

Read the story in Events.

In Memory of Eilis Pessoa

Gemma Cleanslate and Qwark recently lost a friend. Eilis Pessoa was someone they met one day, and became friends with inworld. But the good times did not last forever. Gemma writes a little about Ellis' Second Life, and how it came to a close.

Read Gemma's article in People.