Sunday 24 January 2016

Shady

I've just attended the in-world memorial service for Shady Fox.

Since his passing a little over a week ago - caused by cancer, diagnosed just last October - I've really wanted to write something about Shady; about his impact on Raglan Shire and its development from its inception, his stature within the Shire community and, on a more personal level, what his friendship and support meant to me - but I've found it almost-maddeningly impossible. Not because I've been racked with grief about his sudden death but because to summarise even parts of his 10+ year odyssey in Second Life in a single blog post (or even several) is virtually impossible. He was known by so many communities across the grid, had touched so many lives in such unique ways and had brought joy to so many more that to try and capture even an essence of what Shady Fox was about would be a disservice to him and would undervalue his real worth.

The only thing I can categorically say - and which was quoted by Raglan magistrate Zayn Till in his memorial speech - was this: whatever he became involved in, Shady Fox was the cherry on top of the cake; he was that one ingredient that made something already rather good so much better.

And with him gone, I fear that nothing will ever quite be as good again.

Rest in peace my friend. I, like so many others, will miss you forever.


A machinima video I made in an afternoon after having spent just a couple of hours with Shady