A Heartfelt Goodbye

I know many of you were at Court this past weekend and others have already heard the news, but for those who have not, I wanted to share it here in a way that is easier to read than the Princess Court transcript. If you wish, you can still read the full transcript here:
https://realmofrosehaven.com/2025/08/24/princess-court-august-2025/

After nineteen wonderful years, I have made the difficult decision to close Rosehaven. This was not an easy choice, but one that came after much reflection and soul-searching. Some may try to place blame or point to individuals, but the truth is simpler: for many years this decision has weighed on my heart. With the loving support of those closest to me, I have spent the last five years coming to terms with the fact that it is time to simplify my life, follow my heart, and answer the siren call of what lies beyond the horizon.

I know this news may come as a shock, and I know many of you will grieve the loss of our beloved Rosehaven. Grief is not only natural, it is a sign of love, for the memories we’ve built together, for the friendships we have created here, and for the sense of home this place has provided. I grieve too, in my own way. There are moments when I feel the weight of all the years pressing on me all at once, and moments when I ache for what will no longer be.

Yet grief is also a companion to gratitude. To grieve Rosehaven is to honor how much it has meant to us. It is to carry forward the joy, laughter, and kinship we have shared. And while we will miss this place, we need not lose each other.

So, alongside the sorrow, I feel a current of optimism and excitement for what is to come. The Mists take one form from us, but they also reveal another. My hope is that we will weave the threads of our past into a new beginning. different, yes, but still bound by community, beauty, and belonging.

On November 1st, 2025, we will gather to celebrate Rosehaven’s 19th Anniversary with a farewell ball. Shortly after, on November 10th, Rosehaven will fade into the Mists, and a new journey will begin—a journey to a place called Lunamere.

Rosehaven Information

Timeline for Closing

Rosehaven’s official last day will be November 1st, 2025. On that day, we’ll gather at noon for a Celebration of Rosehaven’s 19th Anniversary, which will also serve as our farewell party. At the close of that day, I’ll submit requests to Linden Lab to relocate our regions, allowing me to begin the design work for Lunamere on November 10th.

From November 2nd through 9th, I’ll be away on a short vacation. I’ll still be available via email, Second Life IM, and Discord, but please know responses may be slower.

Staying Until the End

You’re most welcome to stay in Rosehaven right up until November 1st, as long as your tier is up to date. Please ensure you don’t overpay your meter, as I can’t issue refunds. For homestead regions, please take special care. If any parcels go unpaid, the entire region will need to be closed earlier than planned.

Leaving Before the Last Day

If you choose to leave before the final curtain, I’ll be sad to see you go, but I understand. Whether you’ve been here for years or just a short while, you’ve helped make Rosehaven what it is, and I thank you with all my heart. Please know that I can’t offer refunds on the unused tier. If you decide to leave, simply touch your rental meter and choose not to renew. If you wish, you can also send me a quick IM or email to let me know.

Autumn & Trick or Treat

Autumn will arrive in Rosehaven on August 31st, with all parcels asked to transition to fall foliage by September 7th. Our final Trick or Treat will take place on October 26th at noon SLT.

The Anniversary Ball & Farewell Celebration

On Saturday, November 1st at 1 PM SLT, we’ll gather for the Anniversary Ball, our last grand celebration in Rosehaven. Attire will be formal—anywhere from Medieval to Victorian in style. I feel this year we shouldn’t wear masks, but rather let ourselves be seen, as we bid farewell to this beloved realm.

Groups & Social Media

The Rosehaven in-world group will be locked after closing.

Our Flickr group will also be locked in late November; please add your photos before then so they can be part of our archive.

The Discord server will be locked in late November. Posting and new memberships will end, but the full archive will remain. I have also created a Memories channel where you are warmly invited to share your photos and stories.

https://realmofrosehaven.com/ will remain online for as long as WordPress continues to host it.

What Is Lunamere?

Lunamere will be a future echo of Rosehaven. Still, it will be a smaller, more intimate estate of moonlit cliffs, charming little towns, lantern-lit paths, pebbled beaches, and cozy homes nestled in a wooded landscape.

Lunamere is a place where ancient twilight magic and technological artistry entwine. It will be home to wanderers, dreamers, artists, healers, and coders of spells and scripts. It will continue to be a safe and welcoming space for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. A place where you can arrive as you are and be wholly seen.

Because I love lore and storytelling, Lunamere will carry threads of Seelie and Unseelie tales and themes.  I will begin to publish stories of Lady Serra, Princess Selena, and Lord Tobias. These are not obligations for roleplay, but invitations and seeds for those who might like to add their own chapters to Lunamere’s unfolding story.

Lunamere Information

Region Types and Maturity Ratings
Lunamere will consist of 3–5 regions. At its heart will be a homestead region of open waters with small islands, perfect for sailing. Around this center will be full regions.

Lunamere is a realm created for adults. While the estate is whimsical and magical, it is also a place where conversation may drift into mature or complex themes, and where our ethos does not include child characters. For these reasons, child avatars are not permitted within Lunamere. This helps preserve the intended atmosphere of the estate as a sanctuary for kinship, artistry, and community among adult residents.

When Are We in Time?
Lunamere is set in the present day, our today. A version of today that is touched by magic and the Mists. The Mists still hold sway in these lands, and anything that passes through the Mists may be changed, sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically, often our true selves.

Building Styles
Two main styles will guide the estate:

• Rustic: These are the homes and cottages most like our present world, featuring farmhouse, craftsman, and woodland-inspired places that blend glass, wood, stone, and metal. They represent what travelers bring with them today as they cross through the Mist.
• Storybook: These are dwellings that remained tied to the land when the Mists worked their mischievous magic. Softened into fairy-tale charm, echoing medieval villages and the whimsical character of what came before, holding space for the memories of Rosehaven. Their irregular roofs and textured facades whisper of a time and place not quite our own.

Below, at the bottom of this page, are two photo sheets of buildings that have already been pre approved for Lunamere. A clickable list will be on our website with links to the Market Place for easy shopping. This list will be ever-growing, and you can be part of its creation. If you have something in mind, please bring it to Selena Moonchild or Tobias Moonchild for consideration. We are happy to work with you to find a building that both fits the theme and fulfils your needs. Truly unique designs may be marked as “One of a Kind,” so that they appear only once within the estate.

Millennial gray and albino buildings have been popular in SL recently. Many of these buildings have marvelous style and may be used; however, they must be tinted and retextured to incorporate deeper, more natural materials and colors. We are here to help in any way necessary for you to retexture the building if needed. Additionally, we would be happy to supply you with a building from our extensive collection.

Landscaping
Lunamere will be lush and heavily forested. Manicured lawns will be rare; most land will have an overgrown, mossy, or woodland feel. Even the towns will blend seamlessly with the surrounding greenery.

Complimentary landscaping is available when you set up your parcel, with occasional adjustments made as needed. Extensive alterations can also be made for a fee, depending on the extent of your request.

Seasons
Lunamere itself will not shift seasons, but individual parcels may. Autumn landscaping is welcome from October 1st to November 30th, and winter landscapes from December 1st to January 31st. The estate landscaping team will blend these seasonal changes into the surrounding foliage, creating bubbles of seasonal magic.

Parcel Sizes & Tier

• Parcels will use a prim multiplier, so parcels will support higher prim counts.
• Tier will be set at L$1.5 per prim per week.
• Custom parcel sizes will be available.

Reserving Land
To inquire about reserving a parcel, please reach out to Selena Moonchild or Tobias Moonchild, via the contact information below.

The Journey Ahead

Rosehaven is closing, but our story is not ending. Like the Mists themselves, it is shifting form, changing shape, moving forward into a new chapter, as all good stories do. Lunamere will rise as a place of story and sanctuary, kinship and community. There, new memories will be woven, even as we carry Rosehaven’s legacy within our hearts. I hope you will walk with me into this next chapter.

Contact Information:

Owners: Selena Moonchild and Tobias Moonchild

Email: LunamereDreams@gmail.com

Website, Discord, and In-World group will be shared in the coming weeks

Pre-Approved Storybook Builds

Pre-Approved Modern Builds

Recently I posted a preliminary poll on our Discord server asking what kind of interest there would be if I were to open an adult-rated Rosehaven region.  I will be sharing a wider-reaching poll later.  

Since publishing the poll, I have had a few conversations with people who had some questions about what the region will be, where it will be, and why do we need an Adult-rated region at all?

To explain my thoughts on why it makes sense to add an Adult region a little history is in order.    

When I first wanted to start an estate, my original concept was for a dark Victorian vampire/Lovecraftian horror-themed town named Elysian.  Elysian is a word used in the Tabletop Role Play Game “Vampire the Masquerade” to describe a safe neutral space for people to meet and exist.  But when Linden Lab contacted me telling me that Elysian was not available as a name and I had to pick a new one.  So instead of picking a new name, I ditched that concept completely and moved over to another genre that I was really into at the time: Game of Thrones.  I imagined a mid-fantasy medieval place with lots of castles and men running around in furs and ladies in pretty dresses. 

This is what was the starting point for Winterfell.  Underneath the mid-fantasy medieval theme, there was an undercurrent of BDSM, and as some of our oldest Denizens will share; there was even a public dungeon under the main castle where we could hear the noobs messing around with the bondage furniture.  It was a chaotic wild first year and in hindsight, if region ratings were a thing at the time, Winterfell would have been an Adult estate. 

Looking past the outward aesthetic of the Estate and its many changes over the years, the true core of Rosehaven (nee Winterfell) has been and always will be to create a safe place for all to live together and share life without bias or judgment, regardless of race, gender, sexuality or ability… and should include demeanor.  Demeanor is your outward presentation or personality.  We have people with varying personalities in our community: shy, grumpy, silly, extroverted, bright, dark, optimistic, etc.  This can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and unfounded biases between people.  I maintain that is it important to recognize that each of us is unique and I hope that everyone remembers that we ALL bring something needed and wanted to the Rosehaven community and it is the mix of these different people that makes Rosehaven a truly special place.

Recently it was brought to attention that there is interest in a space within Rosehaven that would accommodate people who enjoy a less restrictive lifestyle than what is typically assumed to be “the Rosehaven way”.   Please note the emphasis on typically assumed, it is important, and I ask that you remember the origins of Winterfell that I shared above.  An Adult region is not out of the question, and it is not atypical or outlandish to want one.

An Adult region would fulfill the desire for a space where people don’t always need to follow the rule of “keep the bits and bobs covered”.  It would also grant the ability for those who wish to live a lifestyle that does not hide behind doors and invisibility settings.  It would also open up a place where people can have conversations without having to censor themselves.  

This censorship is sometimes out of necessity if there are children avatars around or out of respect for those who may not wish to be part of conversations that can be more playful, flirtatious, risqué, or even sometimes simply more emotionally raw or real.  For this freedom to fully exist, there needs to be an Adult-rated region.

I am still looking into whether an Adult region with residential and commercial areas would have enough interest to support itself financially.  If I do move forward with an Adult region, it will be on the outskirts of the Estate to ensure that visitors and Denizens do not “stumble” upon the region without warning or intent to go there.  There would also be measures to use available tools to help ensure that underage appearing avatars are removed from the region.

I hope my 18 years of running Rosehaven grants me some level of trust – if I do anything I do it with intention and love of Rosehaven.  Any changes I have made in the past have been to support and expand the community.  I think there is plenty of room for those who would like to live in an adult region and those who want to continue living as they do now.  I welcome additional questions and am very willing to have more conversations regarding this topic.

Yours; as always,

Selena