My Final Countdown

This post might hurt.

Me more than you, I mean.  By writing this post, I am going to be putting a lot of memories, good and bad, in the past.
Yes, this means I am quitting WoW.  I am putting the World of Azeroth, the lore, the game, behind me.

Apparently, this is a big deal.

After I explained to the Peon why I was leaving, his situation seemed to get worse.

But it pains me to say it.  As you may or may not know, I do love this game.  Or loved.  I mean, I loved every part of it! PvP, PvE, exploring, the lore, the achievements, the look, the feel… every inch of this game was something I’ve been waiting for as a kid.  I’ve always wanted to be the hero, to defeat my enemies, and to stand proud and tall when people give me praise.

Today, I’m typing this to you with shoulders slumped and head bowed, for I have lost my feel.  The game no longer inspires the same feeling it once did.  Not from burnout, no.  I never suffer burnout; but I do feel like I’ve been playing this game for so long, and it’s been affecting me adversely.

For starters, my job hunt did not go well this year.  I believe that if I had spent less time working for WoW than I had, I would be happily sitting on a pile of money right now.

If I was sitting happily on a pile of money, then I wouldn’t have the arduous choice of picking another year of school and therefore being successful, or work for a year; my course is clear though, and I know what I’m picking because I have something else I don’t want to leave behind.  Not again, not for a long time, not ever.  Some people measure success by money, some by fame.

Mrs. Klin is the most precious thing to me in my life.  I had to go to school for a year, seeing her over Skype and talking to ehr every day of every week of every month.  I came home to visit once a month without fail… and yet it wasn’t enough.  It never was.  Once I got home, Mrs. Klin and I have spent so much time together that I never want to let her go again, ever.

Mrs. Klin, I love you, and I want to stay close to you forever.  To do that, I’m going to have to work hard for you, but I’m prepared to do anything it takes to stay by you for as long as I live.

Some people measure success by money, some by fame.  I want to measure my success by you.

It’s weird, to know that your time with something you love is limited, to wonder if you’ll ever go back and see the things you’ve accomplished.

Klinderas is my finest achievement in a game.  Smart, efficient, and able to beat the odds when it really counts.  Klinderas is likely a name I will never forget, and a character I will continue to use throughout my life as an example of a good person, even if he was a little full of himself.

When I made Klinderas, I was modeling him after me.  Tall, not too bad looking, and a little frail but good with a bow.  After I made him, I began to realize he was becoming a different character than when he started: noble, active, just.  A man who wouldn’t put up with bullshit if he saw it, who would help out those in need, who would hold the right people accountable for their actions and persecute them for what they did wrong.

I’d like to think I grew up with my character, and my avatar on the fields of Azeroth.  I’d like to think I’m a little more Klin than I used to be.

Before I go, there’s a few people I want to thank for my time here in Azeroth.

To Eldadres: my man, you and I have been playing together for long enough that I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to play without a friend.  Where my friends were busy raiding BT or quitting, you were playing right alongside me.  We’ve earned our glory in arenas, mopped the field with our enemies in BG’s, and made the Bosses in raids and heroics piss their pants when they see us coming.  We were a %$#&ing awesome team, dude.

To Dan “BRK” Howell: for inspiring me to become the hunter I became, and then reminding us what’s really important… hopefully before it’s too late.  I think I’ve managed to do that okay, for once.

To all the friends I made in game: It was a pleasure playing with all of you, raid leading you, or otherwise just dickin’ around with you.  I hope my old guild leaders have successful new guilds, that Gradii enjoys his new writing career and tanks his way to Arthas, that Hannah gets some shoulders to match her new chest piece, that Connected gets his Protodrake, and that the many, many people I’ve met lead happy lives.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the people I’ve met through this blog.  Everyone I’ve read, who’s read what I had to write, and everything else that involves this blog… none of it would have happened without you guys.

Yes Link, we're staying here boy. We're retired, see? Means "no more quests".

Link and Radix together again at last.

/bye

Now Mikey, there aren't any fresh corpses where I'm going. You sure you want to come?

Mikey stays.

Now, let's see what's over that horizon.

Klinderas: You know, Colemand? We had a good run.  We got pretty damn far, and did a whole damn lot here in Azeroth.
Colemand: Indeed.
Klinderas: I’m going to miss this place.
Colemand: Agreed.  So where are we going next?
Klinderas: … No idea.  I have an option though: let’s walk that way until we find someplace nice to stay.  An ocean, some sand, maybe some game for me to hunt once in awhile.
Colemand: Can there be gnomes? I’m going to miss them… they make funny popping noises when they die.
Klinderas: We’ll see, Cole.  We’ll see.
Colemand: Will we ever come back?
Klinderas: Maybe; but it’s going to be a long time from now if we do, so don’t pack lightly.  We’re going to be gone awhile.

QUICK NOTE: I’m not done blogging, just done blogging about WoW and playing WoW.  If you want to keep reading what i have to say about stuff in general, you can find me at Phil, Meet World.