By Bixyl Shuftan
It was March 21st when I got the news.
Dreamers Cove was gone, and with it my old home, Woodlin. The other sim
in the area had vanished a couple weeks before.
Woodlin was created almost a year ago, and when I first saw it in Summer
2008, it was mostly the form I had known it. Dreamers Cove was the main
of the two sims in Woodlin. Most of the residents lived there, either
in treehouses or apartments built onto the larger trees that stood a few
hundred meters high. There was also a shopping mall where people could
get new clothes, accessories, avatars, etc. Dreamers was also where the
Margaritavile beach club was located. The sim also boasted a movie
theater (for a time, people could see movies in their own homes as
well). All was built in a sim with a natural look to it, where one could
explore the trees, hills, and streams, occasionally finding some hidden
caves. The largest one was a temple where one could meditate.
Hopeful
Shores was the second sim of Woodlin, only occasionally ever have
anyone living there, and fewer trees. But it had two good clubs. 6th
Circle was the hell-club there, inspired by another one that had gone
out of business. Later on came Star Tails, the highly-colorful space
club that regularly hosted parties to the end. Late in 2008, a space
station was built and Star Tails attached to it.
The Woodlin area
was built and managed until recently by Dax Loon. Staticminded Waco
became co-manager in January, and full manager in February.
I
made a number of friends there. There was Bubbles, whose lighthearted
manner and bubbly friendliness were always a cheery sight. There was
Aiko, whom was a bit of a prankster, but always wanting everyone to have
fun. There was Maria, whom was often seen with Aiko and her partner in
crime" in mischief, though the more I knew her the more I saw of her
sweet and tender side. There was Mega, whom liked firing her guns and
causing explosions (away from peoples houses). There was Miki, the
self-described lil imp, whom was known for her line of clothes and
webcomic. There was Galvanized, whose movie voice made him popular with
others and one of the best DJs. There was Rory, who proved to be a great
event organizer and club owner. There was Aikos partner Foxy, whom also
made a name for himself DJing. There was Isegrim, the big but not so
bad wolf as I called him, whom was known for eyeing the ladies, but so
big-hearted none of the girls minded. There was Jessica, whom was a bit
of a tease. There was Danikia, whom was an up and coming DJ this year.
There was Ekedo, the quirky little DJ whom is best described as young at
heart. And there are many others whom I lack the time to mention.
The
times we had. Where to begin? We saw movies together, laughing at humor
and cheering at the action. We played games of Una in the space
stations lounge, cracking jokes over voice and laughing harder than we
had in weeks. And of course all the parties we had, and not just in the
clubs. We would have a dance party out on the deck of one of the
apartment trees. This included a few beach parties with the landlady
dancing around in a bikini and guitar.
Although this may be the
end of the Dreamers sim, it is not the end of the community that for
months called it their home in Second Life. Foxy acquired another sim:
Foxworthy, also known as Willows Thicket. Running the location with help
from Aiko, he has offered a number of houses for rent, some housing
other old neighbors of his. With the close of Dreamers Cove, he plans to
eventually offer more residential places for them. In the meantime, the
residents of Willows are continuing to keep in touch with old friends.
The land may be gone, but the happy memories remain, and friendships forged over time between neighbors in SL continue.
Bixyl Shuftan
