So, here I am – back to where I was when I began this blogging adventure almost two years ago. A pigtailed innkeeper, managing her own little corner of the WoW blogosphere. Alone.
I woke up one morning to find that Elnia, our highly appreciated bartender, has decided to quit blogging. To be honest it didn’t come as a complete surprise; it was evident that the game had lost its magic to him and he was planning to take an extended break from it. However I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. He didn’t even write a farewell note to inform our guests. So that’s what I’m doing in this post.
The work of the bartender
Elnia started to write for the PPI in May last year. He was actually one of the regular readers, who one day approached me, offering me some posts. And so he was hired.
Even if I didn’t always agree on Elnia’s views (we had very different interests in the game, me a dedicated raider, he a much more casual player), I liked his creative style, energy and ideas.
I think I can say that I’m not the only one who will miss Elnia. During his stay here he wrote 36 posts on his own and contributed to a bunch of Tickled Pink Posts that we made in cooperation.
More than once has the bartender's posts stirred up some controversy in the blogosphere or made its way into wow.com. He has even managed to get readers to rage-quit, unsubscribing, as a reaction to his sometimes rather adult language and approach. However the post that will stay longest in my memory isn’t one of the controversial ones, but Landscapes of Heart, one of the most beautiful and poetic posts about WoW I’ve ever read.
The future
So what will happen now? Not very much. There’s one voice less to listen to here at the inn, but apart from that it’s business as usual.
Will there be any new bartender? Well I'm not going to advertise, but who knows - maybe one day someone will walk in through the door starting to hand out pints to the guests as if that was what he always had been doing. And if this won't happen - no big deal. In the end, running a blog is a lonely business for most of us, with a few exceptions.
I woke up one morning to find that Elnia, our highly appreciated bartender, has decided to quit blogging. To be honest it didn’t come as a complete surprise; it was evident that the game had lost its magic to him and he was planning to take an extended break from it. However I hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. He didn’t even write a farewell note to inform our guests. So that’s what I’m doing in this post.
The work of the bartender
Elnia started to write for the PPI in May last year. He was actually one of the regular readers, who one day approached me, offering me some posts. And so he was hired.
Even if I didn’t always agree on Elnia’s views (we had very different interests in the game, me a dedicated raider, he a much more casual player), I liked his creative style, energy and ideas.
I think I can say that I’m not the only one who will miss Elnia. During his stay here he wrote 36 posts on his own and contributed to a bunch of Tickled Pink Posts that we made in cooperation.
More than once has the bartender's posts stirred up some controversy in the blogosphere or made its way into wow.com. He has even managed to get readers to rage-quit, unsubscribing, as a reaction to his sometimes rather adult language and approach. However the post that will stay longest in my memory isn’t one of the controversial ones, but Landscapes of Heart, one of the most beautiful and poetic posts about WoW I’ve ever read.
The future
So what will happen now? Not very much. There’s one voice less to listen to here at the inn, but apart from that it’s business as usual.
Will there be any new bartender? Well I'm not going to advertise, but who knows - maybe one day someone will walk in through the door starting to hand out pints to the guests as if that was what he always had been doing. And if this won't happen - no big deal. In the end, running a blog is a lonely business for most of us, with a few exceptions.
The frequency in posting will probably decrease slightly from now on, partly as a result of the decreased staff, partly because my own lack of time. I don’t expect to post more than maybe two or three times a week on average. And if this will mean fewer visitors – so be it. It was never about the numbers anyway. Blogging is my guilty pleasure, something I’m doing for enjoyment and as a let-out for some of the thoughts and emotions that are swirling in my mind. Not for money. Not performing a duty. Just having fun.
So here’s a final toast for Elnia. Even though he’s absent now – I don’t know if he’s even reading this – I just wanted to express my gratitude for all you did for the inn.
Good luck on whatever will be your next creative project.
Cheers from your former landlady!
So here’s a final toast for Elnia. Even though he’s absent now – I don’t know if he’s even reading this – I just wanted to express my gratitude for all you did for the inn.
Good luck on whatever will be your next creative project.
Cheers from your former landlady!
30 comments:
I'm sorry to hear you're alone again. Alas, I can offer no inns to stay in, but I can visit. No pints either, hence the ever-popular troll drinking song.
99 bottles of troll sweat on the wall
99 bottles in all
take one down
pass it around
99 bottles of troll sweat on the wall.
No one likes our drinks.
But don't be all gloomy! We might get the idea that you're going to quit blogging (remember the gloomy WoW posts and their aftermath?) and that would be very saddening.
I'll miss sublime posts like "The Wild Heart", possibly one of my favorite blog posts of all time.
OF ALL TIME.
Fair wind and following seas, Elnia.
For some reason this doesn't surprise me. Elnia struck me as someone who put everything into his writing and his hobby, maybe too much. I suspect that's why the casual playerbase continues to grow because those people don't burn themselves out while some hardcore raiders come and go because they do. Or in American football terms, Elnia was the Urban Meyer of the bar. He came in a flurry, he left in a flurry, and it was indeed better to burn out than fade away.
I raise a glass to Elnia and thank him for the last few months. I come here for Larisa though, so I'll continue to troll your comment board :-)
@Fitz - OK, that takes me back to college, when our obligatory Philiosophy major opined: "It is better to burn out, because rust never sleeps." Then he faceplanted on the RISK board.
Actually the reason readers come here is your posts, not his or someone elses. You don't need any bartender. Just write your own posts and the readers will stay/come
Cheers to you both and the Inn.
It will stay one of my favorite places to hang out when I'm feeling like reading wow blogs.
: Cheers Klepsacovic. I appreciate your visits and trolls are highly appreciated guests at this place. I assure you I have no plans on quitting blogging!
: Yep, that one was great too.
@Fitz: yeah, that's a way to put it. I'm not quite as much of a whirlwind, but I stick around. I've seen many bloggers coming and go during my stay here. The more burnish kinds.
@Gevlon: thanks. I know I can count on you. You've been with me almost since the start so we know each other pretty well by now. :) Or at least our online-personas. You never know, do you?
: thanks!
Ill drink to that!
For me, the strongest posts from Elnia was always the "controversial" ones. I never found them offensive. When people write about some things that they just cannot shut up about, that is usually when they write their best work.
Not when they write in order to get as many readers or followers, or pander to the public with "this is how i trick people on the AH" ect ect.
For me the PPI will still be my favorite watering hole, but that doesn't mean that the bartender won't be missed (he always did throw a little extra booze in my drinks when the gnome wasn't looking)
Oh and, just a suggestion, but I think that a change in the title would do wonders: "Here I go, again on my own"
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3HzAi0Bxbw)
:)
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*ahem*
+N
/pulls up a pew
/looks for bartender
/reaches over bar, pours two drinks
/hands one to Larisa
/one shots drink
Another?
I think we'll be here a long time...
Bye Elina, you will be missed!
Hi Larisa.. great to have you all to myself again...
Ohh come on you guys.. turn your heads!
I liked Elnia's post, he appoached wow in a very intellectual way and took it up to other levels in most eloquent ways. his viewpoint was often strong and critical which contrasted well with Larisa's more down-to-earth and positive/cheerful writing on wow.
he was definitely a writer and maybe he did indeed pour too much of himself into all of this. i still find it a bit lousy that he would disappear in such an abrupt way without even a proper goodbye to his blog host. somehow not a satisfying way to end things, but oh well.
Keep the happy blogging up Larisa, in the end PPI is your baby anyway.
Larísa, I love your blog. I love the way you see things, the mature language and looks over all things. I'm a raider at heart, if not in the game anymore (lack of time, really). But Landscapes of Heart got to be my best WoW article ever. I'll never forget the smile it brought upon my face when I first saw it.
Elnia, farewell. Good luck, and don't stop writing such beautiful things, please!
BTW, I was reading your blog (I just discovered it a month ago), and I saw how you came to the name "Larísa". It's weird because Larisa is a russian name who became very popular here in Brazil (weird how this things happen, but hey, it's Brazil, we are used to diversity down here ^^). That's one of the reasons I come back here often. =)
Larisa, this round is on me.
*Raises Glass*
Here is to Elnia, may he find the path that his heart is leading him to.
As long as the great Larísa is here to stay, the PPI will always be in business. That's something well worth raising a glass for.
Cheers! Here's to a long lasting run at the inn!
Even though I disagreed with Elnia half the time, I still enjoyed his posts. Farewell to him, he will be missed!
I can't get "Piano Man" out of my head. Must be because that's my strongest experience with bars. *shrug*
Fair winds, Elnia. Have fun out there!
Bye Elnia, if you're reading this. I enjoyed your writing immensely and hope you find a way to keep writing, even if it's not game related :)
And Gevlon is right, Larisa. People come because they love the way you write, and think, and play. Here's to many more years, and maybe even more bartenders too.
Well I just come for the booze, and hawt gnome chicks.
I wish Elenia the best of luck, I did like his posts.
Larisa I'm sure you'll do fine. I guess the other people come here for the nicely crafted posts.
Oh Larisa... hopefully all of your repeat customers help the blogging seem a little less lonely.
As a side note (and a cultural thing) I was thrown off for a few minutes when you described yourself as the "landlady". Then it occurred to me that I think in Europe, landlord or landlady is a reference to someone who owns or runs a bar?
Here in the states, it means the person to whom you pay the rent on your apartment. Completely unimportant, but one of the things I love about blogging about WoW is that people from so many countries do it - and I keep learning lots of new phrases!
@Dw-redux: good idea! And I go around humming ”I will survive” as well. It’s a bit disappointing, but, I’ll get over it.
@Gnome: Thanks! Yeah, give me another one please! It’s friday night after all, right!
@ Voigorless Fragmentary: It was the first time he tried creative writing and obviously he was good at it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll keep on writing somehow somewhere, although not wow-related.
@Felipe: oh the name, yeah… Not my brightest moments when I picked that one tbh. I blame my noobishness. I picked it from an atlas, as you’ve read, and it happens that Greek players address me because of that… I don’t know much about Russian names tbh. My prejudices tells me that they’re all called things like “Katinka” and “Babushka”. Yeah, I know, I’m silly.
: cheers!
: cheers again! (I think I’m starting to get drunk).
: cheers! (hic!)
@River: You’re here for the booze.? Here’s another one of the best draft of the house. Cheers!
@Miss Medicina: oh, you’re probably right about the word. Mind you, I’m drabbling around in a foreign language I don’t quite master… (I’ve even included my nationality in my about page, in the hope to be forgiven for the multitude of errors.) Hopefully people understand most of my ramblings anyway.
@Larisa - honestly, if you didn't point it out, I wouldn't be able to tell. You do a better job with the language than many who were raised speaking it.
Bye Elnia. I'm glad your path ran through the PPI. Your posts were always a great read, whether I agreed or not; the fun is in the aftermath. Good fortune be yours, whatever you do.
@Larisa: you are the PPI. Others come and go but I show up because you do.
I went to re-read Landscapes, and yes, I wasn't mistaken - it does make me tear up something awful.
Thank you, Elnia. And thank you Larisa for giving us the Inn in which such voices - like yours and his - can be heard.
/cheers
Larisa, your mastery of the English language is far superior to... well, most of my American friends >.>
*raises a glass*
Farewell to Elnia - and that was, indeed, one of his most splendid and memorable posts, among many.
But it's still your inn and at whatever pace you post I'll be here for my pink fluffy cocktail with a cherry on a stick...
*farewell to Elnia, cheers for Larisa*
I'm a little late but I raise my glass to Elnia. I wish him the best. He was always a pleasure to read and will be missed!
It makes me wonder how one might come to decide to not write a farewell note when they were so well received by the audience that supported them.
Something drastic must have happened, externally or internally, to simply up and leave without a farewell post, at least I imagine.
Regardless, I felt I owed at least a comment, to thank for the very thought provoking posts that you put up Elnia, if you in fact read these- though I suspect you might not, if the rapid seperation from the community was any indicator.
Hopefully you'll strum your hands over your keyboard again and find it's keys still in tune, and compose something again for us--- even if under another persona, about different topics.
Farewell good sir, the poetic flair you added to some of your posts will be missed.
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