Monday, February 1, 2010

Where Do We Go But Nowhere?

I'm sure everyone has heard the news by now - I'm nothing if not slow in reporting - that Dame Ordinal Malaprop has pulled her shops from Second Life. She explains here. Others have commented here, here, here, and here, and no doubt I've missed still others.

(below: What used to be Ordinal Enterprises in Caledon Prime - now only water.)




People come, people find enjoyment and stay, people lose that joy and leave. Others come and the cycle starts again. No one should stay if recreation becomes a chore. As Miz Dio said, "it's the fuckin' circle of life." Except. Except that some losses are more important than others. From the Caledon trolley system (ripped off countless times in other lands), to the amusing weapons, such as the Bee Cannon or the Clock-Winding Pistol, to her Aether Salon appearance on Weapons (and a later appearance on Whimsy), to her Journal entries (particularly her correspondence with brother Cardinal), Dame Ordinal is one of the signature members of the Steamlands generally, and Caledon in particular.

I can't say I was entirely surprised, as her appearances in ISC chat and elsewhere had become less frequent and less tolerant to the technological and business shortcomings of the Lab That Dare Not Speak Its Name. Still, I hope that some period of reflection will cause the good lady to reconsider her decision. As the above-linked message in her aetheric Journal noted, she has pulled up stakes, but not yet sold the homestead, so reversing her decision is not yet too painful. If this is it, however, one can but wish her well.

(title ripped off from Nick Cave)

3 comments:

Breezy Carver said...

Dear Miss Rhianon
I was going to blog on this myself but decided not to ..
But I shall post here ..(( my very own humble thoughts and words somehow always feel safe with YOU *and to be read by others who tolerate them here*!!))
For many of Us Dear Dame Ordinal is a Mentor !
She came to this world for the thrill and adventure and shared and gave and showed so many of us so very much !!
She was not here to make a living or have to work or not have time !!
Some how an Im to her is always replied to and a smile given ..
I was so flattered she even came and had time to stay when I did my Salon for Miss Viv ..

I asked her two years ago for gift certs to her shop for a Christmas ball I was giving @ MY Piermont Landing..Imagine ..

(( she said Oh gift cards I have always wanted to tend to them hummm .. ))

Point she did ..

I never knew this woman to be rude or cold

She never said no !
She has More Passion for a cause in her eye lash then many do in a life time .. and we all just might have lost her .. Yes this makes me sad ..

She never made me or anyone feel inferior

((lord knows she could *smile*))

She is with out a doubt a class act .

I went by her parcels yesterday am ((early sunday mornings always a peaceful time for breezy on grid))

Breezy has not been well in real life the past week and really has been been spending less and less time on the grid , but this news broke her heart .

Why ? It causes some of us to have ((as others have said in different wording ))

perhaps more of " whats it all about Alfie" moments.

Right now Breezy is wondering about her own second life

What happen to the laughter?

What happen to the fun ?

Where did the friendships go ?

What did she do wrong ?

*sigh*

I think many of us are .. wondering such things .. right about now ..

Domino effects perhaps .. I do not know .. But when we loose true icons and mentors , When we loose the people we look up to and respect .. sigh

it is very unsettling inside ones heart and in one's thoughts .. sure I have acquaintances and some very special close bonds on the grid .

But something is changing and its very very dark and unsettling and its not spoken of ..

Yet I know it is there and others feel it .. Indeed change is good but heart break .. shakes my head that's a ruff one !!

Look Breezy in the real world is a bright woman (( complete with spell check and real life good caring proof readers as back up !! *smiles*))

A tad lonely in her evenings at times but all in all has a good life .. On grid she tries so hard and when any of the characters she respects and so admires get disgusted and decide to just split !!! Yes it is upsetting .. acceptance .. of course after all Breezy is not some stalker .. Just a silly sensitive type .. shudders oh the horrors .. not the feelings thing !!!

I think Dame Ordinal got hurt and felt burnt and most of all just didn't feel like fighting another cause for us all !!!!!

I hope she returns and knows how loved and cared for and most important how respected she really is ..

I must say this has sparked a great deal of thought in my own mind about the grid .. Indeed life in any world goes on ..

So what if a rabbit calls me a drama whore .. sigh .. or a dwarf doesn't like my ideas .. truth be told none of that bothered me as much as Ordinal closing her factory one of the oldest and still standing original builds in New Babbage .. In second life a one of kind wonderful gal she be .. A real life Brilliant creative gal tenfold In all worlds !!

Thank YOU Rhianon for giving me a place to vent my own thoughts ..

*Hugs*
note (( my sign word is untill grins. fingers and heart felt wishes Ordinal returns ))

Rhianon Jameson said...

I think we all feel the loss of a giant in the Steamlands. (Well, not that she's that tall, but you know what I mean.)

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that when some people leave, for whatever reason, it's up to the rest of us to step up and provide what we can - mentoring, leadership, scripting, building, and, uh, whatever it is I do.

A few weeks ago, Miss Malaprop popped into an ISC chat where she twisted what someone had said and (jokingly) claimed the remark was a slur about her father. She kept this going (egged on by others including, I'm afraid, me) for about fifteen minutes, with people just logging in having no idea what was going on. Quite funny.

(Write your own spell check joke here.)

Breezy Carver said...

*big smile*