There comes a time.

I thought I might have to do this at some point, so instead of making a thread to say goodbye, I'll just make a post in my blog and hope the people I talk about read it. This is going to take a while. Pull up a chair. Crack open a bottle of champagne.

I'm leaving Magic, and as such am leaving Salvation. I might stick it out until Regionals, but even if I do I won't be returning to this site. I will be staying as Block mod until the end of the season, unless something drastic comes up.

It's been a Hell of a ride, but this is my stop.

There's an obligatory section of every one of these posts, where I talk about the people who've impacted me in some way during my stay here. This is in no particular order (there's a lot of people, so I'm just going to bring up names as I think of them), and I may have forgotten some people. Don't feel too bad if I don't mention you. So it goes.

CharlieD: I tend to feel that, in most cases, you were my best friend on Salvation. We may not have always talked, but we always got along, and we've worked together on a few things, too. You're a great friend, and you're fun to talk to. You're an extremely talented and special person. You're going to be greater than most any of us can imagine. You've got it, kid. Take it places.

Morwen: I remember talking to you basically every day for a stretch of a few weeks. I remember telling you all about my romantic woes, and listening to you go on about Fish and costumes and parties and whatnot. That was a really special time for me, because everything was falling apart. It helped to have a friend I could talk to that let me forget about my troubles and become a small part of a society half a world away. You've also been a great and loyal clanswoman. Thank you for everything.

ButteBlues: ironically, you'll never read this. I have to write this anyway. Will, you and I disagreed on almost everything. Quite literally. And yet we still got along. How that worked, I'll never understand. Our relationship has impacted me on many different levels, the most dramatic of which, at this point, is the fact that I'm running Ubuntu right now. It's always important to have someone that disagrees with you, I think, and more often than not that person was you. So thank you for being my "no"-man. Keep in touch (I need your help with Ubuntu >.>).

votan: I remember the first time I saw you post, although I don't remember what you said. All I remember is that, in your signature, it said, "Project Mayhem is looking for a new member!" I don't think you've put a similar advertisement in since. It inspired me to become a better poster, and to make a good impression on the clan, so that you'd accept me as a member. And I was - although Diggy made it in anyway when another member quit. After I was accepted, I never left the clan. I disappeared for a while, but I never left the clan. I even got suspended one time for flaming a splinter clan. Project Mayhem, when I first made it in, was my life on MTGS. I was so proud to be a member. I never stopped being proud of being a member of Mayhem - and I know you never stopped, either. I didn't intend for this to be about the clan, but I guess that's unavoidable.
You were a great friend, a mentor, and my leader. The first rule of Project Mayhem is...

Mr Bloody Minded: y'know, Steve, we never really got acquainted. I always looked up to you as a senior member, probably because of your post count. I also respected you for being a web designer, something I've aspired to become since freshman year (although now I've switched that to being an author...). Thanks for being a clanmate. Be seein' ya.

Lord Rahl: I will never call you StormBlind. You will always be Rahl.
I really don't know what to say to you, Ken. I think we commiserated on far too many occasions, though. And I do remember when I first got into Forum Domination (could that have ever succeeded?). Remember ManaTap? The good old days. Peace, dog.

Lesurgo: you've always been one of my favorite members, and I respect you for more things than you know. I trust that you'll have nice, long run as Administrator, and that the site will benefit heavily for it. It's been a pleasure serving under you. Good luck on all your future endeavors.
(There better be a Pro Player card soon.)

Belgareth: I can't imagine not including you, but I don't know why. I can't think of anything to say. But rest assured that you've made an impact.

The Fallen Evincar: okay, he really won't read this one. Meh. TFE, you had a huge influence on me for a long time. In everything. Your presence was astounding. I even remember declaring myself the "Clean & Sober TFE." Which, at the time, was probably true. We had long discussions that consisted of nothing more than inane banter. HOHOHOHOHO FISHWIVE ^______^
Exactly.
The good days of the Gutter.
Now you keep whoring out Coloholics Anonymous, so y'know it's whatever. Slant

kingcobweb: it takes all kinds. Die in a fire. Never change.

Goblinboy: see kingcobweb. Except, for a very, very long time, I had nothing but the utmost respect for you. Then you went bat***** to follow kcw into the Gutter. So it goes.

FStranieri: your logic is laughable at times, and your card choices have been terrible. But every man needs someone to disagree with them. In Block Constructed, you are/were that "no"-man. I respect that. Maybe I don't respect you, but I respect the role that you play.

SorryGuy: I don't like you very much. I had to say something to you, but that's all I had to say.

Alacar Leoricar: our relationship is basically entirely based upon this Blog thing. You've got the best, and I'm in second. Live long and prosper, Design Zone.

Mark Rosewater: you are one cool cat. I know you've seen troubles greater than any of mine, and with those I wish you luck. Thanks for being a loyal clanmate. Be good.

Feyd_Ruin: I respect you for like a thousand things. Best of luck with everything.

{mikeyG}: haha, BFF. You're easily my favorite coworker on the staff here. I have confidence you'll continue to inspire awesomeness in generations of users to come. See you around.

I think that's all I can remember.

I'd also like to say that being on Salvation has been a transformational experience for me. I've come a very long way since I joined this site. In fact, I've been in a somewhat constant state of flux, which has now compelled me to move away from this site and community and focus upon other things.

What follows is an account of my IRL experience, to parallel what you can see on these boards.

When I first came here, I was as n00bish as n00bs generally get. The difference is that I had a bit of common sense about me, as well as an open mind to change. I've taken advice from many members, and always tried to be a better poster. This site became my everything for a while. I would stay up until late at night, looking for threads which required my attention. That period of time was my summer vacation in 2005. I had a setup in my room that consisted of a broken chair, a normal chair, a large pillow, a smaller pillow, a computer desk, a box, a mousepad, and a wireless keyboad/mouse. I'd sit on the pillows, which were on the normal chair, lean back against my room's window, and stare at the computer screen. The mousepad was on top of the box, which was on top of the broken chair, which was to the right of the chair I sat on. My keyboard was on my lap. I'd maintain that position for hours at a time. I had nothing better to do. That's the story of my first three months here.

After school started, I continued the ritual. The difference is that I would also log on during school hours. Senior year was such bull*****, academically speaking. Thank God for it.
It was during that school year that my girlfriend of a year or so broke up with me. It was two days before Valentine's Day. I had planned my future around her. It devastated me. I talked to Morwen during school some times at around this time, which explains my blurb about her.

In the summer of 2006, I got a job, so I disappeared. Not much else to say. It was a terrible job. Muvico Theaters. Work, come home, watch late-night programming, sleep, work, rinse, repeat. Never felt like logging in.

I started going to college, and I found free time. I started posting again. I hung out with a cute girl named Caitlin between classes, and posted on this site while talking to her. How I managed to keep her as a friend while simultaneously being a huge dork, I'll never know. I would have pursued her with more intent, but she got a boyfriend like a week after I met her. So it goes.

That leads me to here, I guess. These days the girl's name is Emily, and she's a dork just like me, so it doesn't surprise me that we're close friends. Although, with Emily, I stay up late at night on AIM instead of hang out between classes. Such are things you, the reader, care not about. I won't bother you with details about a girl.

I've gone from total rogue purist to shameless Spike in my tenure here. I've become the player who's above caring about the deck, and who instead cares about the game. I see a bigger picture. I'm a good Magic player, now. I win games.
I'm also an intelligent poster. I make sure I contribute something to every post, and if I don't, I bite my tongue. I've gained a fair bit of humility here. I've gained a fair bit of confidence. I've been popular, and I've been a tool. I've come a long way. It's thanks to you. The community. The barns. My people. My friends.

It was worth every minute, every post. I've benefited as a person by being a member of this website. I don't intend to return once I've quit. I may still, but I'm a man of my word: I'm going to try not to ever return. Don't take offense.

It's been a very long, very fun experience, posting on this website. I'll miss you all, and I'll miss the game. We all die some time. So it goes.
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