Let It Go

[Aureity 3,055]

Well, the time has come. I’m outta here.

 

There’s your announcement. You can abandon thread right now if you don’t like text walls of doom. If so, keep reading.

 

I'm not sure how many of you actually remember me when I popped in a couple of years ago. For those who have, kudos on your fantastic memory. You're better than me. For the rest, let me describe myself in one word.

 

Hyper.

 

Yeah, hyper. Never touched coffee in my life (or that Red Bull stuff, yuck), and yet I found myself bouncing off the walls. It manifested itself in everything I did, pretty much. Tons of activity, tons of posts. Topics, status updates, whatever. If you’d like a little proof, just mouse over to my “Brohoof” section – 3048 as of this post. See it?

 

Nearly all of those were accumulated in the first couple of months I joined the forum. Yeah, whoa.

 

“But Aureity,” I hear you say. “What about the two years plus since then? What have you done?

”

The truth, sadly, is ‘a whole load of nothing’.

 

I wish I could tell you that it’s because I went on a tour around the world. Or that schoolwork stifled my free time 24 hours a day. Or that I’ve moved halfway across the country and had to adjust. Or whatever, anything, to convince both you guys and myself that eventually, I’d plonk myself back in a chair and start bouncing off of MLP Forum’s virtual walls again.  But then I’d be lying.

 

Truth is, I got bored. Hell, I wouldn’t even be writing this if I didn’t think a bunch of people – at least, whoever’s left that still remembers – deserved an explanation. Ponies, for me, were just a phase, like the dozen or so other fascinations before and the dozens more surely to come. Originally, the concept of friendship drew me in, like it probably did so many others. And of course, because the ponies were just sooo cute. And for a few months or so, I was a superfan. Needed my fix of everything pony. And then, like an hourglass, my interest just sort of…ticked away.

 

I would’ve been done right there, if something else hadn’t caught my eye. The Roleplay section. That looked like fun, right? Imagination, creative writing, story-telling? Sign me up. And just like that, I was hooked into another phase, one that involved walls upon walls of text. (I think the backstory that I made for my OC during that phase, Aurora Flare, turned out to be three or four dozen paragraphs long. For one backstory. Dear god.)

 

Predictably enough, my interest in roleplaying began to fizzle after a couple of months, too. I was ready to move on, but fate seemed to have other ideas. One day, an avid roleplay enthusiast and moderator (who I’ll keep unnamed out of respect) asked for my help in cleaning up the roleplay section a bit. Figuring that I wanted to give back a little to the community, I agreed. That wasn’t exactly the start of another phase, per se, more just a sense of duty. I did the best I could in cleaning up the section for another few months, and ended up getting promoted to a moderator myself by the administration. Which, of course, meant that I had to keep working to validate their faith in me.

 

By this point, the community didn’t really interest me anymore (sorry guys). I had long since grown out of both phases, and the only reason I kept going was because of two reasons.

 

·         It’d look bad if I didn’t.

·         I still figured I owed the forums something for the year or so I’d spent up to that point enjoying myself.

 

That was, what…a year ago? Probably more? I don’t actually remember. It was all I was doing up until late last year – responding to reports, hiding posts, and smiting trolls with the mighty banhammer (okay, maybe not much of that…). I was no longer interested in the pony community. About the only activity I’d be doing upon logging in would be to check the reports section and complete what I could, before logging off to do stuff that I found actually fun. As far as I was concerned, this sort of thing was just another chore. Just another piece of homework to add to the pile.

 

                Not much left to read, guys. Hang on there.

 

By the time 2014 rolled around, I was done. After a year or more of moderation duties, I was convinced that I had given back my share to the community that had accepted me two years ago. Moderation activity dropped to nearly zero. I logged into the forums literally once a week, for three minutes, just to glance uninterestedly at the list of reports. And that’s all I’ve been doing for the past few months.

 

                Which brings me to today. I’ve finally realized that it’s better to bury the corpse here than to drag it along any longer. I’ve done my job. I’ve taken and received. And I’m perfectly happy with the memories I’ve gotten.

 

                To all of you who may have wished some more activity from me, I’m sorry. To those of you who have no clue who I am, kudos for reading this far. But hey – it seems fitting to end my years at MLP Forums with the same quote I used to begin it.

 

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. – Dr Seuss

 

 

 

And for the lazy TL;DRers : No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free! 

Edited June 20, 2014 by Aureity

[KokuraiNoSenshi 3,463]

Well, I wasn't here to miss you but it is always upsetting to lose someone who obviously has been such a big part of this community :/ While I wasn't here to welcome you I still hope my good-bye is alright. I wish you the best in the future my friend

[ghostfacekiller39 23,857]

I read all of that. I bet you didn't think I would because I have absolutely no clue who you are, but I read all of it.

 

Just thought I'd point that out

Anyway, have fun over the hill, man I can't say much because I didn't actually know you, but I hope you have fun wherever you go next, or whatever phase you enter and whatnot. Later, man! May the life bus outside of MLPF be kind to you.

 

 

[Mae Borowski 356]

Well, I wasn't here to miss you but it is always upsetting to lose someone who obviously has been such a big part of this community :/ While I wasn't here to welcome you I still hope my good-bye is alright. I wish you the best in the future my friend

took the words right from my mouth

[Steve 290]

well ok bye

 

i dont have any emotional attachment to you, since i have no clue who you are or never seen you before. buts its always sad to see someone leave the forums

 

best of luck out there in the cold, cruel internet

[SCS 7,443]

I remember you from when I first joined the site. I've never spoken to you a whole lot, but you always seemed like a nice guy. Thank you for all the great work you've done for MLP Forums. I might have joined moderation after the heyday of your activity, but I still saw you in the Report Center a few times and I could tell that you've been around the block with all of this sort of thing. 
 
Moderation is not easy. No one expects you or anyone to have to "pay us back" for all of the fun you've had here, yet you've contributed a ton anyway, and that will always be appreciated. 
 
So, thank you. 
 
I wish you the best. Farewell, Aureity. I hope that you'll come back to visit everyone sometimes.

[mars 4,861]

 

If you were unhappy with your position, I think you made the right decision. I'm sorry to see you leave, but sometimes you do have to let it go. I never really knew you, but I know that you were a big part of the community! Ah well. I hope that whatever you do from now on brings you much more happiness! I know you deserve it. ^o^ Good luck with whatever you do, my friend!

[Scootalove 10,684]

I don't know whether to cry or say goodbye. ''It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.''

 

I've heard of you and I did see the dedication that all of the staff show and take action in their duties, we can all say that you played your part with the excellence of execution. You had a fun time on this wild ride, it's never easy juggling many things at once. To top this off, farewell and good luck.

 

[GreyScholar 1,584]

I came to this thread expecting something completely different then what I found... yet I am glad I did.

 

Expecting Frozen, I instead found a member and moderator of this site saying goodbye.

 

Though I do not know you, I am convinced I would have wanted to get to know you. I wish you well in whatever venture you take, that perhaps in the future you will find an interest that you can hold onto.

Edited June 20, 2014 by EquestrianScholar

[Horsy 193]

Thanks for this text. You have an awesome life. I am kinda jealous . Good luck! 

[~StatesTheOblivious~ 1,794]

Ponies, for me, were just a phase, like the dozen or so other fascinations before and the dozens more surely to come. Originally, the concept of friendship drew me in, like it probably did so many others. And of course, because the ponies were just sooo cute. And for a few months or so, I was a superfan. Needed my fix of everything pony. And then, like an hourglass, my interest just sort of…ticked away.

 

This sounds an awful lot like what I'm experiencing recently. Maybe, in my case, it's just because of that one thing I'm dealing with and which I won't explain any further here, but...

 

I respect people who are able to still handle the responsibility of something like moderation, despite decreasing interest in the, well, um, "subject" itself. And that one cannot go on like that forever is more than just understandable.

 

So, good luck!

Edited June 20, 2014 by ~StatesTheOblivious~

[Shanks 10,811]

I didn't exactly know you but I can relate a bit to what you are saying, I have been to many forums over the years and have left many for various reasons some of them under circumstances that are far less than idea but some of them were simply because I felt it was time to move on. Goodbye and best of luck with everything.

[Nohbdy 4,108]

Walking free, while the rest of us clean the toilets? You lucky bastard.

 

Can't say I didn't see this coming, but I'm glad you've made your decision. If your role was becoming a burden to you, then by all means, let someone else handle it. Nobody can fault you for losing interest. It's entirely natural. Either way, kudos for doing what you believe is right. 

 

Thanks for your service, and good luck in your future endeavors! 

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

Though I did not know ye, it is sad to see ye go. Best of luck to you on all your future endeavors, may the odds be ever in your favor, may the winds guide you, and may you always drop feet first.

[Pastel 7,627]

You have very understandable reasons to leave the forums. I wish I had known you but I'm quite new here.

Farewell.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Blobulle

[Clarity 3,094]

Auriety, I've known you best for being the creator of the Ask Applejack thread, and I very much enjoyed going to that thread every day to check up on your daily responses, back when I was still Clarity. I remember you, and I believe you've done more than your fair share of moderation work here. Dwindling interest happens to all of us—it happened to me, too. Not all things last, especially not a volunteer job that probably seems more like tedious homework to you.

 

Best of luck! We'll miss you.

[Lightwing 12,955]

Personally,i've only coincided with you once,and it was on an "Ask a Pony" thread.

I didn't had the chance to talk with you,but you seemed like a good guy,and I hope that I'm not wrong.

I understand your thoughts,and I hope that this decission ends being good for you...

Farewell,Aureity.We didn't had the chance to meet each other.

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

It's unfortunate that you felt obligated to pay the community back, so to speak, and thus pushed yourself through work you didn't really care for. I don't think anyone here owes the entire community, let alone a single person, much of anything. I'm nonetheless glad we can part on friendly terms.

 

I hope to see you around, Aureity. Nopony does "Ask Rainbow/AJ" quite like you do.

[SilverHeart 741]

This is a mixed bag for me since you were somewhat of a big deal in the RP forums when I first joined. That said I never really had the pleasure of interacting with you and I don't really know the first thing about you. Other then you were a familiar "face" around these forums for me.

 

I wish you the best of luck in life, Aureity.

[Shift 4,271]

It's sad to see that you took up moderation to do work that you didn't like. You didn't owe anything, silly. But hey, see you 'round.

[Applejack Daniels 33]

Even though I'm REALLY new here, that whole story really made me sad, that you went down that road of decline just to "pay" your "dues" to this community, and for that,I commend you. Best of luck to you. c:

[Khaoios 1,970]

@@Aureity, all i can tell you is, its been a pleasure having you here.  Yet, I want you to remember something, b/c your post caught my immediately attention.

 

How you said, "You were bored, on Moderation", let me say something to you, as if I were a close friend.    "Do not put greed over passion".   By that, choose something you are going to "enjoy" and not choose something that you feel it would be "good profit or non-profit", somewhere along the line you noticed you would get bored of it.  

I can only say, good luck, and embrace your true ambitions, friend. 

[Nas 2,863]

Oh, damn...  I haven't posted or visited here much at all lately, but I have to give my two cents here.

 

Auriety, I've known you for nearly as long as I've been a member of this fandom. I remember a lot of my early memories of this place involving you, mostly from the ask Applejack and Rainbow Dash threads. I posted quite a lot in them, and I every much enjoyed your responses. As I see, you are apparently had recently made a post in one of them, which I'm glad to see. Maybe I'll post in there again for ol' times' sake one of these days, but I have pretty much departed from this place for the most part. I had tons of awesome and unforgettable memories, and you are one of the many people I want to thank for it. You always seemed like a great, cool, happy guy, and to me, that's what you'll always be, and a good friend.

 

I don't think I regularly visited here much during the time of your moderation, but I am glad to see that you have been a part of our staff team for a little while. And as I have said, I, too, have almost grown out of ponies completely. My "phase" is actually pretty much around yours, it started and peaked in 2011, then sorta died off around late 2013, after BronyCon. I can not count the unbelievably amazing memories and experiences the fandom and show have given me, and I will never stop loving ponies. I just think, though, that I am simply just not that much into it anymore than I once was. I visited this place every day, followed countless threads, tuned in to the Friday movie nights and episode streams, started using Skype and gained many friends from it. All in all, pony has been one of the best times of my life, and I'll never forget it, or the wonderful people I shared these great times with like you. This place holds a lot of great memories for me, and I'll always be happy that I have them.

 

I thank you both for being such a good friend and doing your part to help the forum community. A great big hug to you, Auriety, and I wish you well on your future adventures. *hugs*

[Espurr 449]

I never knew you, but I'll miss you so much! Bye er... person I've never met!

[King 5,625]

Thank you Auriety, it's been a pleasure to have worked with you this past year. I hope to see you around on the site man, would be nice to catch up from time to time.I wish you success in your future endeavors and truly hope you find a new way to release your hyperness upon the web, lord knows we need another person with ADHD xP

Anyways man, keep safe and I hope to talk to you soon