The end....

I have tried to think of what more there is to say after my resurrection, and returning as a child of Illustree. I wasn't of the "light", and my character took on more a neutral role. I spent the last months of EW focusing on the guild and training.

Everwind went though a lot in its final months. Grace and Slip broke up and suddenly Everwind was turned upside down. Slip was taking up his sim "Woods" and suddenly Minions, Elves, and Fae were losing thier homes...that is pretty much the whole Realm suddenly packed into the main village, nipping at each other's heels in their small confined space.

Grace's third sim had been set up for months now, and everyone had avoided it pretty much due to the fact that a line was drawn at the sim boundary, no combat and people were renting the land for private living...or at least as private as you can get next to two full RP sims. Grace was quick to rebuild, but even as things were changing we were slightly saved not a week later when Grace and Slip made up. But things had already changed, and it was a little late to just flip things back to the way their were.

Trainers in the guild drew closer together as we adjusted the training to the new realm. We were overwhelmed by the growing number of recruits and constant demand of training and testing. Towards the end of Everwind, it seemed to some that we did less and less RP and spend more time teaching one or more recruits with the hours we had online. Recruits were happy to take on the challenge of becoming a ranger, but giving up chance to roleplay and teach others took a special few people...but towards the end, it was almost sad as we got less time enjoy Everwind's last breath.

During the last months in Everwind I had also been drawn to Triskele, helping to start up my own Ranger Guild there. As one event after another seemed to lead to the end of Everwind I was debating my place in Everwind, if I should remain or not. But my choice seemed to be made for me as Grace announced plans to make Everwind an "age verified" only sim. Now I didn't think anything of it at the time...I had take on a challenge to build a float for the Ranger Guild with the help of Jacko, Maya, and Samo. At the time my building skill was limited at best, and it took the month we were given to complete the master piece. But it was a bitter sweet win, as I realized that not only wasn't I verified in SL, that I would never do such a thing either.

Now I understood the whole "covering one's *ss" with applying age verification to a sim, but the whole process as easy as it was for me to do being in Canada, was against my personal boundaries. I was not about to dish out more personal information to make things more "safe" for Grace and Slip, it was also useless, as any kid with any sense to get this far on getting on SL could just as easily steal their parent's ID and Identity to verify age on SL. Now people could argue one way or another till they are blue in the face, but simply put, I made a choice.

As things got heated more and more over those that picked one side or another on this issue things seems to go downhill fast, and as much as I have respect for Grace as a sim owner and all she gives to those that play in her sims, it was a dark side of plain and simple disrespect for those that put their hearts and souls into HER playground that did it in for me. Fine, it was her money, she can do and say what she wants, but I am not stupid and being slapped in the face is about the last thing anyone in their right mind would stand to turn back and let that person do it again.

As my last days in Everwind counted down, I made myself at home in Triskele as I knew come New Years it would be my only home. I had looked forward to celebrating a year in Everwind and more of its adventures, but I came to accept that all good things come to an end. And more so, as Everwind has come into history as THE best Medieval Roleplay sim to have come to life in SL, I can look back and smile and say "I was there...I was apart of it".

Since Everwind close, and its sad attempt at rebirth in the new year, there is rarely a day that doesn't go by that I think back on the first realm I called home. Through all the ups and downs, the pain and heartaches, to the joys and love I have come to feel for so many I met in that precious part of SL...I have no regrets other then wishing I had more then my few memories to relive.

~I posted this towards the beginning of my blog~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQM93l4J2Iw

Note: The Elf in the cage and on the sacrifice table in the Underworld, that is Park, my sis *smiles*....no, it wasn't even IC, it was just for the video! And if anyone knows the WHOLE soundtrack to it, can you tell me? Especially the part that picks up as the Knights run out of the Castle.