Argonath RPG - A World of its own
Argonath RPG Community => Speakerbox => Welcome! => Topic started by: JDC on October 20, 2013, 02:19:01 pm
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This message was originally posted a couple of months prior.
With the passage of time comes change. For those who do not know me, I am JDC. Law enforcer, moderator, administrator, manager, debater, and Argonath player of five years. For now, I must take my leave.
But more important than that, I am here to tell you my story. At least, some of it. I therefore ask that this topic be considered more of a thanksgiving than a "goodbye", as I shall be back; just after some time.
In the past several months, I have clashed with my University studies, my schedule, my health, and the changes of life itself. After everything that has transpired, I conclude that I cannot stay in this community any longer, at least not for the time being.
Effective last August, I resigned from all my positions in the Argonath community, effective immediately. I leave the management of MTA:VC FBI to the ARPD Commissioner, and desire Legend to choose the best of my agents to replace me as Director in the VC:MP FBI.
As one of the Owners once stated, it is good to be committed who the community, but it is even better to know how to prioritize correctly and put their academics / real life before anything Argonath-related. Real life is something that needs my energy more than any games, communities, sites, blogs, and et cetera. I leave this community as a University student and administrator, and intend to return as a developer once I finish my computer studies at the premier national university, to give back to a community which I have gained so much from.
However, you cannot plan properly for the future without looking back on the past. Therefore, I would like to recount my experience in this community.
Early 2008, the last days of MTA:VC's golden age. I was a young teenager about to enter high school, my latest pastime being tinkering with GTA mods. Specifically, Vice City mods such as new cars, missions, storylines, cow bikes, maps, and islands in the sky. The turning point came when I came across Multi Theft Auto: Vice City. After trying out several deathmatch servers, I ended up in an RPG server where my first two roleplays were being a police officer in a bank robbery and an employee at a convenience store, both roles paid by =AV=Grzesiek.
More fun and games, random topics (such as our discussion with [R*]RON/Aragorn, who was the AFK person of the time, about if sex should be banned in China because of the overflowing population, and other things), fending off hackers and turning them into target practice (unlike running away scared from them as is common today), and plain old Vice City fun. Eventually, as per the trend at the time, I discovered SA:MP.
Five years, two clans, two police departments, three FBI divisions, three servers and six administrative positions, and countless harassed SA:MP Ideas later, I find myself as a student programmer in the national university, a member of the debate varsity, an officer in a regional political organization, a former graduate instructor of a program similar to the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and someone active in campus politics in a campus known to be a hotbed of activism and critical thinking.
While Argonath was not the key factor behind all the aforementioned real life accomplishments, it certainly provided me with a lot of lessons that helped me along the way, and opened a motivation for me to engage into some of them. The two most invaluable things that I gained from my journey were the reinforcement of my leadership abilities and social interaction. (contrary to what some people say, that those sitting in front of the computer for many hours have no life...)
To all those perceptions and opinions that Argonath is some kind of crashing plane or devolving shadow of its former self where injustice rules, I say bullshit. Despite the need to preserve some of the values that made it great, Argonath changes with the passage of time. As new generations of players come and older ones leave, it grows and ever changes. While we veterans need to pass on "what it means to be an Argonathian" to the younger players (and in some cases, unfortunately, fail to do), it is they who continue to make Argonath grow even as we leave.
Argonath continues to remain a second home for players, stress relief from those who need to get away from the real world even if just for a while, and a fountain of knowledge for those who know how to find it. Those who see only more harm in this venture than benefit are the ones who do not know how to look properly, so it is best to explore this community with an open mind, and you shall not regret...
As I said in an earlier topic, the community can be a lot of things for a lot of people. For me, it was (is, rather) not just a community. It was also a family, a workplace, an avenue for learning about social interaction, a microcosm of sorts of the real world, and a place that enriched my social understanding by exposing me to different types of people from all over the world. No single paragraph or topic is enough to express my thanks for this community and to the people who were instrumental in making it last all these years, yet I try.
The Owners: Sauron for being the Eye in the Sky and the host whom no DoS or DDoS attacks can bring down, Gandalf for being a kind father to this community (and patient to a fault at times) as well as someone who knows how to solve a great variety of problems, and Aragorn for being my primary inspiration as an Administrator and the person who would take absolutely no shit from anyone who tries to shit this community. Without the three of you and Legolas (where have you gone?), there is no Argonath.
The Administration Teams: For being my first true colleagues. I had a great experience working with all of you and becoming a better leader myself, and I hope you never stop passing on to players the essence of what it means to be in Argonath. Even if you give your time, energy, and patience for a thankless job with no compensation, you are responsible for the thousands of players in this community, and the impact that you leave on some of them is worth it, as I have seen for myself.
The Sforza Mafia: For being my first police (yes, back then the heads of the mafia were also exemplary police leaders) mentors and organized adversaries. In all my years in this community, never has there been for me a criminal group that could match you in terms of the quality of roleplay and the honor of reputation.
The Argonath Veterans (=AV=): For being the first (and only) clan I joined, outside [AK] (which I founded). Your name itself has become an institution within Argonath, and I hope you continue in future, as you have in the past, to bring the Argonath way to new generations of players.
[R*]Fernando: For being one of my mentors in the SA:MP FBI despite our eventual emnity and heated arguments in the end. Even if you have yet failed to pull SA:MP FBI out of the continuous, ever-present cycle of activity and stagnation, I know you are a good leader once dedicated. I wish you a long and fulfilling career once you complete your studies in criminology/law(?, correct me if I'm wrong).
Jaaskaa: Even if I failed you in the end, you were one of the best mentors I had in this community. I wish you a life full of happiness and alcohol, and happiness for you and your wife, and awesome kids.
Legend: For introducing me to VC:MP and the less-attended-to side of the community. You, Marcus, and our colleagues have taught me the importance of being the minority in a sector where most of the odds, even that of the administration, are against you.
Caion: For introducing me to the Argonath Stunt journey. Being one of those behind the resurgence in Stunt's activity was for me an experience like no other. Even if it is unlikely, I hope you can find someone with enough strength and vision as I gave for you, who can complement and complete you as a team and fill in the role I have left.
Kent, Phil, and Paul: For being my partners in the Management and concept formation, as well as friends with whom I have shared countless thoughts as well. Sadly, some of the best that we have shared, I cannot put here because of how personal they were. I hope you'd still be around and doing better.
Gird3r: You, for me, have been an exemplary model of redemption and the school of thought that Argonath needs more than ever. I hope to see you again.
All other friends who I have not named above: One of the good(?) things that came to me over the years is that I have gained so many of you, to the point where I cannot name all of you. But you know who you are, and what experiences we have shared. Many of you are no longer here, but you more than anyone else are what makes a player's stay in this community unforgettable. After all, what's a home if you don't have friends...
My enemies: Because of your continued criticism, I learned how to be unaffected by destructive remarks, a skill much needed in my current profession (as a politically active student). Likewise, for being a grindstone upon which my debating abilities were sharpened. Despite the shit that many of you (such as the shitters and traitors, the case of which I leave to history) brought upon this community, you have also made it (and me) stronger.
When I return, I expect to see this community standing strong, and stronger than even before. Just as Argonath now is far different from how I first entered it, the Argonath that I return to will be different from the one of today, and I hope that the things that kept me glued to this community all these years will still be there to motivate and inspire future generations of Argonathians. I shall visit every now and then, in the meantime.
Long live Argonath RPG, a world of its own!
Thank you.
/me takes one final look at the community, for now.
/me smiles.
/me is gone.
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:app:
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Fascinating speech, goodbye JDC! Good luck out there!
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I always enjoy reading stories like this one, seeing community from other perspective and at the end learning more about people who grew up in this community.
I'm not exactly a big fan of yours, and I've been among those against the "RP it" idea, but neverthless I wish you good luck and a fast comeback in our community.
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I like how you keep stressing the "for now" part to not have your topic locked.
Cheater..