Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Abaracadabara

"Abaracadabara". No word strikes more fear into a wizard of Our Spiral. It is the word of deletion, of endings, of finality. It is a word for The Graveyard.

After much consideration, I have decided to permanently retire HiaG. This is a measured decision, not a "rage quit", or some declaratory statement, simply the end of a cycle. HiaG shall , henceforth, become a static Historical Archive.

"All good things must come to an end...even the not-so-good things". Barring some unforeseen circumstance, this will be the final post for HiaG. Do not mourn it, celebrate it. We've had an excellent run. And hey, I got to go out with a "bang". (see what I did, there?)

First, and foremost, I want to thank KingsIsle, (and specifically Professor Greyrose) for the Honor and opportunity to represent Wizard 101. It has been a privileged to watch Our Spiral grow from a cottage 'indie' title to a "20 million + " shining beacon of kid-friendly gaming. It is a growth I fully expect to continue.

Secondly, I want to thank my Mentor and Inspiration, my peers, and my siblings. Friends old and new. I cannot possibly hope to "name names" without missing someone. You all know who you are. Our Spiral is better for having you in it. I am better for having met you.

Unlike some of my peer's sites, HiaG never expanded beyond being a critical eye, scrutinizing the developments of Our Spiral, as we have known it, then and now. It holds no intrinsic value to the modern player, except for expose and critique. We, as a Community, and KingsIsle, as a Company, have long outgrown the "need" for a grassroots site like HiaG. So, with dignity, and a sense of nostalgic pride, I dutifully step down, and rescind my "Official" status. I shall be just another wizard. Autumn Duskhunter transcends the Graveyard. I shall still be a presence, in Our Spiral, but not as a "name" or a "rank". Just as myself.

There is nothing more I can say, that has not been said before, therefore, this Opus finds it's restful conclusion. But with this ending, I charge upon you, My Community, a final request: Rob the Graveyard. Dissect it, search it, use it as a compost for the next generation of growth. Everybody knows that a single dandelion, left unchecked, can pave the way for hundreds, if not thousands more.Take whatever seeds of inspiration you can glean from "Homework", and make it your own. This is the cycle of life. Build upon what's already gone before, refine it, strengthen it. You, as a Community, have this ability in spades.


Don't be sad at HiaG's conclusion. Revel in it's time in Our Spiral. Put the "Fun" in "Funeral". You don't need a leader to see, you need to see the leader in yourself. To paraphrase Ghandi "Be the change you want to see in Our Spiral". I seek no eulogy or ritual of passage, however (knowing the symbolic nature of some of our wizards), should you feel compelled to Memorialize "Homework", in-game, a simple unharvested Elder/Ghost Dandelion is sufficient.

Remember, the strength of Our Spiral comes not from a server, or an artist's concept, or a patch. WE are the force that keeps Our Spiral spinning. It has been an awe-inspiring privileged to watch you all grow.

Be excellent to each other. Your Homework, here, is complete. You all get an A+, by me.
And, as always, my final wish:
Be Well.

13 comments:

Talon Thunderblade said...

We will miss HiaG dearly, but in way of celebration. Thanks for all the unforgetable times, fun, rants, comments, posts, contests, and experiences you have shared to us readers and friends. A great blog will be shined and not ever forgotten. The spiral will continue spinning onwards and frontwards with this grand end of a fantastic blog. All songs must end.-Thunderblade

Anonymous said...

We'll miss you very much, Autumnal! I hope you don't forget that. I honestly loved your blog and the time that you spent on it but you (and Heroic) phrased it right. Thank you very much for your time spent in the community, and please ~ Be Well.

Unknown said...

Reading your blog has been so fun. I will miss reading your post's.

But I will make sure to do the Dandelion memory...and for some reason, the myth house is made prefect for it with that little island inside. :)

"Many happy returns of the day"
-(don't remember who said that XD)

Your fellow wizard and blogger,
Morgrim Trollfriend

The Fabulous K said...

Wow, am surprised by this decision that you have made. However, you will be sorely missed. I hope you will also be well. Hope to see you in the spiral sometimes soon.

Kevin BattleBlood said...

History is always important...the "what was" and "what used to" all pave a safer (or better) direction for our future. We all need the "other" perspective...something that pulls us back and says, "Wait a minute..." Critique keeps the tree straight, instead of bending in one direction (darn leaning palm trees *shakes fist* that's not my point!). I will certainly miss your posts that inspire, educate, remind, and explore what many of us miss or take for granted.

We'll see you in the Spiral, comrade...

Prof. Captain Nightstone said...

Your Website was one of my best, and i am sad to see it go, but since this is what you want, we cant blame you. Even a Grave needs to go. So if you ever change your mind, plz plz plz come back.

~rest in peace~

Heather Raven said...

HiaG will always be a guiding light in the spiral. You have provided us with your unique insight and to that we shall always be grateful.

Much love and best of wishes in all your future endeavors Basil.

Heather

Abhiram Reddy said...

Thanks for all you've done for the community. The posts that have risen here have helped me through not only the spiral but life. Autumnal, you made me a better wizard and a better person. Thanks again for all the memories of this blog. Each one I will cherish for the rest of my life.

-Connor Mistblade

witchwarrior said...

I'm heart broken you're leaving this behind you.
Good luck with what you do.
*hugs*

-Cass

Duncan Daystone said...

Wow. We will all miss you and Homework in a Graveyard dearly, Autumn. For its earthly, philosophical point of view, yours has always been my favorite blog, and, like a classic piece of literature, will continue to be in it's afterlife. I thank you not only for your fantastic contributions to the best Community on the Internet, but for the inspiration you provided for me and for others to contribute to that Community as well. I am honored to consider myself one of your dandelion seeds. Here is to the continued healthy growth of the Spiral. Have fun in the game; maybe we'll see each other there someday :)
-Au Revoir

Kestrel Shadowthistle said...

I figured this was a bit long for a comment - http://shadowthistleschool.blogspot.com/2011/08/moving-on.html

Thank you so much for everything - all your crazy theorycrafting and nice comments and just everything in general. There will always be a place in my heart for this blog, and I'll try my best to be a dandelion seed.

The unicorns wish you luck in all your endeavors.

-Kestrel

Calamity Swiftsword said...

Quoth the raven NEVERMORE :(
I'm sure we'll all miss your blog (especially me)and as soon as I log in I'm planting that dandelion! It provided me with light, fun reading while doing not-so-fun stuff. The amount of 'deathness' was just right to be amusing, even to an in-game pyromancer like me! I LOVED HIAG!!!!!!!

P.S. I hope you have time to start another blog before you actually have to do your homework in a real graveyard :D

Drake McNew said...

I'll miss this blog, and hey you did what i said about the going out with a BANG! I hope you return to blogging someday, if not for Wizard101 then for a different game. Thank you for spreading your love and knowledge of Wizard101 to wizards everywhere across the Spiral, and never stop fighting the fight! :) I'll miss you Autumn!!