All good things...

[Iaera]

Ever since this community coalesced, I have wanted what's best for it. But I think, for me, that priority has changed, and that means I have to go. There has been a shift in the culture here, and I haven't felt like I fit into it for a little while now. It isn't the same, and I'm no longer capable of giving it my best. I also don't want to burn it down around me or be a source of negativity for those here, so it's only appropriate if I depart, this time very much for good.

There are a lot of people I RPed with over the years that I want to thank.

@recoveringgeek @blingdenston @Niarra , you are all amazing, incredible RPers who I've been flattered and humbled to share adventures with. You craft such intricate and fascinating characters who I envy for their depth and creativity.

@Lolermelon , for being such a high-energy font of creativity and enjoyable wackiness for this server.

@livia and @Semah , I never got to know either of you as well as I would have liked. Thank you for being who you are and adding a unique character to this community.

@Dassalya , you are a wonderful and lovely person, and I hope you know that.

@Esk , for being an incredible RP partner and a selfless administrator without peer.

And the many many others I've RPed with over the years -- @Orell @Wymarc @Seraphie @Hawking @Cordae just to name a few, and plenty more beyond that.

If I've ever hurt you or been a negative presence in your life, some small apology here cannot suffice, but you have it all the same. The last thing I want to do is hurt anyone here. For what it's worth, I am sorry to everyone for my part in recent drama. I said I would stand on principle and eat the consequences for it whatever they end up being, and after giving it some thought, I think this is the only appropriate answer.

I'm transferring control of Jedi Custodum to blingdenston as an interim GM until everyone figures out what to do long term.

I wish you all the very best, and I hope very much to be in the wrong about the past few weeks. I'm turning my attention back to a very neglected RL now, and I will very likely not be back to check PMs or responses.

Farewell!
Iaera

[Toasty McGrath]

You will always be welcome back if you change your mind, Iaera!

[recoveringgeek]

It isn't the same, and I'm no longer capable of giving it my best. I also don't want to burn it down around me or be a source of negativity for those here, so it's only appropriate if I depart, this time very much for good.

@Iaera, I've felt as you feel now, twice.

I've departed, twice! Once to pursue what I had hoped were professional writing opportunities that didn't materialize, and once for a well-deserved damn break. I cannot express enough how important it will be for you to take some time and recharge. See friends, focus on adulting, and play some new games. I couldn't predict that I would come back, as I felt I had exhausted all the stories I had to tell.

That said, I am writing this here to give you permission to come back if and when you feel ready. Not that you need my permission, rather, that there may come a time in the not too distant future that you want to play Big. Damn Hero. and swing a laser sword one last time. What you feel today won't always be what you feel tomorrow.

When that time comes, if we're all still here, you know we'll be ready, and waiting.

This isn't Exile, Jedi, just an exit. 

[Karmic]

As one of the "oldies" left around here - you will be hugely missed Iaera.  You're presence (either partial or fully involved) has been a wonderful thing for our RP community and certainly for the Jedi faction as a whole.  And I do hate that its been drama that has made your final decision for you; even if I totally get it and am not at all surprised.

I 100% understand your post and had come to some similar conclusions about this community in the last year myself and find myself now evaluating my own presence in it and what I want (if anything) from this place next.  I quite understand the need to re-prioritize this place and deciding that its time to move on.

I wish you all the best in all the things.  I hope you con't to enjoy roleplay in your life as a stress RELIEF in some form or fashion as it serves you best.  And I hope one day our paths will cross again.

And if you choose to try again in the future I know you'll be welcomed back.  And if I'm still here then Karmic would love to buy Iaera a round of tea for her return - one of the very few Jedi Karmic actually respects.

Be good to yourself.  Live long and Prosper.  May the winds ever be at your back.  <3

[Miller]

I came to this community when I was way too young to be competent - I was still telling incoherent stories (things a lot of the older members still rightfully tease me about!), and generally just schluming around trying to find my place in this universe that I thought was insanely badass. The lectures you'd lead back at front of the temple on Tython are some of my earliest memories, and I was absolutely awe-struck by how immersive and organic you made roleplaying. It really felt like Master Iaera Farworlder was leading a casual forum to get young and old Jedi alike into an activity or discussion that would always interesting and engaging.

Despite how horrid I'd consider my presence to be back when I was fourteen, fifteen-ish, I was never turned away. To you and many other players here I owe a debt of gratitude. I likely should've thanked you earlier, but now seems as fitting a time as ever. You gave me an opportunity to not only grow my characters, but to grow into a decent enough role-player. Beyond that, you gave myself and the community at large many fantastic arcs and storylines - all of which were cohesive and just a pleasure to be apart of.

Both Miller and myself will always only have one true teacher.

I wish you the best the luck in whatever you do next, but if you're as good at space puppets as you are at everything else, I know you'll do great. Take care, Iaera. There'll always be a place for you here.

And naturally,

May the Force be with you.

Always.

[Wymarc]

It's been a long time since an embarrassingly different Telline met Iaera during a layover on Carrick. First time I saw real RP in an mmo.

Since then, you have always been at the top of the list of people on this server I respected, and I've always sought to aid you and be a friend as much as I could. That doesn't end here, and if you see the name Wymarc in another world, I hope you won't hesitate to say hi.



This place has driven away too many friends.

[Cyone]

So long and happy trails, then. Sorry to see you go, but perhaps we'll meet again the next time you're in town.

[Elaeis]

As a fringe member of this small community I generally keep to myself and only occasionally comment on a few things whenever I have the time to articulate what I want to say.  I'm a slow writer and rather than toil all afternoon to craft a thoughtful and eloquent farewell I'd like to just lay it out, warts and all.

Iaera, I like you.  We may just be GSF acquaintances but I'm still disappointed to hear you are leaving because some recent turmoil has soured your enthusiasm to stay.  I would rather see you stick around than vanish into the sunset. 

Most of us understand role playing is a fragile hobby.  I equate an RP community to a saltwater aquarium.  When things are going well you have this beautiful, vibrant world teeming with all sorts of incredible, wonderful things to admire and explore.  Of course, maintaining a saltwater aquarium takes a lot of effort, patience and dedication. The slightest imbalance can put the entire ecosystem in jeopardy.  It is work, but it is rewarding work so long as you have the help of like-minded people who share the responsibility.

So, I gather somebody took a shit in the tank.

Or perhaps it was a flashflood of diarrhea from multiple people?  It's not my business to know. What I do know is that whenever something like that happens it's inevitable that THE FEELING takes hold:  In our minds the tank is now polluted. The world we once cared for and spent so much time and energy nurturing has now become toxic and murky.  We no longer feel welcome in our happy place. Fuck this noise. I'm out. Time to pull up stakes and head to greener pastures.

If I were in your shoes I would probably be feeling alienated in my own online culture as well.  This is probably when a little time and perspective come in to play.  A major upset of any kind leaves us feeling like our wellspring of creative happiness has been irreparably poisoned. Unfortunately, that feeling is so strong that it completely trivializes everything else that is still genuinely good.

I've no doubt that as a long-standing GM you've been tempered by all manner of in-game strife over the years.  Considering that role-players in particular have a penchant for melodrama I can well imagine how frustrating and draining it can be to simply maintain for the sake of keeping the peace.  I've read enough of your posts and heard enough about your guild's exploits over the years to appreciate both your levity and your passion for Star Wars.  I respect you for having been a pillar for this community and I say this with the full understanding and appreciation that it is not easy being a pillar.  More often than not pillars tend to be taken for granted. 

Iaera, all I ask is that you don't let a turd in the tank completely kill the love for what you've helped cultivate here.  Judging by how many people here you've bid farewell and by how many others have responded with a degree of respect and gratitude at your departure it seems to me my proverbial fish tank may not be as polluted as it may seem.


You will be missed.  I hope to see you around again.  Yes, all good things come to an end.  Maybe the same can be said for all bad things as well.  A wise man (i.e. homeless wino) once grabbed me by the shoulder and said, "May your inspiration take you wherever the fuck it needs to go!", so I will leave you with that.     

[recoveringgeek]

Iaera, all I ask is that you don't let a turd in the tank completely kill the love for what you've helped cultivate here.

Well, @Elaeis, there's a nugget of wisdom in that statement, gross pun intended.

Even if @Iaera doesn't read our replies right away - if at all - I feel like you just summed up the Star Wars: The Old Republic experience for many of us over the years...

[Cyone]

Damn, @Elaeis. I feel like "well said" really doesn't cover it here. You have my personal thanks for taking the time and effort to write out in thoughtful detail what I am sure I'm not alone in essentially wanting to say myself.

Probably wouldn't have gone with "turd in the tank" either, but I'm all about good and liberal use of metaphor so...

[Seraphie]

Iaera, you have been a pillar of this community for as long as I've been around. Even in your absences, your hiatuses, it always felt like the presence of Master Farworlder, wherever she was, was a light that always guided the community. I have always had the greatest respect for the rp you brought to the community and for the way you guided Jedi Custodum.

I am sorry that it has come to this for you, but I understand. I've been feeling very much the same way as you and Karmic about this community for a while now as well and am doing a similar re-evaluation of what I want to give here.

I hope, someday, you will come and see how valued you were here in these replies, you will decide you want to swing a cool laser sword again, and by then, hopefully, you will find the aquarium is cleaner, and hopefully, there are still fish in the tank.

Until then, I wish you the best in all your endeavors and may the Force be with you!

[Hawking]

I'm not sure I could ever hope to articulate my feelings as well as @Elaeis has, that's legitimate poetry.

You've been an unfathomable bedrock of this community for a long, long, long time Iaera. Thank you for being an awesome person and a fantastic e-buddy for all these years. You've not only set the benchmark for Master RP for years, you also cultivated an RP space that's lived for longer than many real world institutions. I've loved being part of that community, it's been a hell of a lot of fun.

I know how you feel, and I wish you all the best. Take care, boss.

[Semah]

I logged in after 2+ years away just to post that you'll be missed. Hope that means something. 

[Imazi]

I'm afraid I never could quite figure out what to do with Imazi enough to dig deep into Jedi RP around here. However, I do recognize the effort you've put in and the positive impact you've had for your fellow RPers. It's very difficult to be a major driver for RP and often very frustrating.

Just know, if you happen to look back, that you did have a strong and positive influence on the community here and that's something you can be proud of. It's not an easy thing to do nor is it easy to do in more than one instance. I hope whatever has been going on around here will sort itself out, and I wish you well in your future endeavors.

May the Force be with you, Master Farworlder.

[Stygus]

I haven't been active on the site for some time now and I'm definitely late to the party but I was informed of this development and even if you never see it, Iaera, from one old fossil to another you truly were the shining image of what a jedi master should be.

This darth will miss having such a well rounded counterpart on the other side, good luck out there in the wild world.