It's Not Over Yet

[The Littlest Leaf Dragon]

I just wanted to reach out to all of you in the aftermath of pj's recent announcement on the shutdown of Mortal Mist.  First of all, I wanted to say that it's been a fun six years here!  Second of all, I wanted to announce that it's not over yet.  All of the details have not been worked out just yet, but I will be taking over hosting the forum as of the near future, and we will be continuing with no more than the minimal downtime necessary to make the move.  More details will follow!

Now that that has been said, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank pj for hosting and running such a great forum for as long as he has.  He's had a lot going on in his life lately, and the fact that he's kept things going for as long as he has is a testament to how much he cared for the community.  So, even though he's stepping down, please be sure to thank him for all that he's done for us!

So, in short, don't worry folks, the show must continue.  Keep calm and canter on!

Best Regards,
Wolvendeer

[bluebird]

Wolvendeer, thank you so much. This place means a lot to me and I really appreciate everyone who takes the time out of their days to make this place what it is.

[Shellidfl]

Ditto!

[greg lousy]

Ditt - three?  you know...

[AspirationRealized]

Before I express my thoughts on all this I want to thank Wolvendeer for shouldering the responsibility of operating the forum. He is the obvious best candidate both from a technical standpoint as well as in keeping the spirit of Mortal Mist and the community's best interests at heart. Those of you who know Wolve half as well as I do know you can trust things in his hands; those of you who don't will have to take our word for it.

I didn't anticipate any of this happening when I spoke up about these things. I expected perhaps ruffled feathers, but I was trusting that everything would end amicably and for the better.

As the day progressed after I read the announcement this morning, I couldn't escape the feeling that I had caused a significant loss to Mortal Mist. This is not the threat to the forum that some were afraid of, as I knew that much would be ok. The posts and the forum itself can be moved from one box to another relatively without incident. What I am talking about is the loss of two of our most important members. I say this not because of their imaginary "position" in the community, for your influence here at MM is determined by your contributions. They were important because of what they offered to the forum - not only a staggering amount of effort and activity - but their presence was integral to the identity of this place. They were a part of what makes Mortal Mist what it is, and that is not something that can be replaced.

I still stand behind everything I said, feeling it is right with the same certainty now as I had when I wrote it. I did what I felt was best for the community, and expressed what I believed to be an accurate representation of how most of our members felt. My regret is not in what I did but the outcome. For all my good intentions the practical result was us losing two of our most valuable members. From the perspective of harm and good, my actions certainly caused more harm, and the same can be said of my contributions as a whole.

I don't believe, now, that it was worth it. Had I expected the outcome to be this I wouldn't have done it. I learned an important lesson, that ideals are ideals because they aren't absolute; to trust them as far as I did was as childish as believing in fairy tales.

With a heavy heart I apologize to all of you for the drama this caused.

[iadr]

Three cheers for Wolvendeer!