You should put the important stuff first in your article. Don't wait for it, just let it out. Give the reader a hook or you'll lose them.
That's what they taught me when I studied to become a journalist, and God knows I've happily ignored this advice many a time here at the inn, including in this post. That's the freedom of blogging as a non-professional. You can just not give a crap about how it "should" be done and do it your way, and there's no one that will hold anything against you for doing it. Your blog. Your kingdom. Your call.
But I won't keep you hanging any longer because it doesn't change anything. I see that you've all got a pint of our finest draught, the one I saved for this very occasion. So here we go, it's time to pop the news.
This is the final post at The Pink Pigtail Inn. My days as a WoW blogger have come to an end.
So, I said it.
I didn't hesitate about the decision; it came way easier to me than I imagined it would. However I hesitated on how to put it. Somehow it didn't feel right to write: "I'm closing the inn". Because how could you ever close an imaginary place? Regardless of what happens in the future to the blog, it will always remain open in my mind, as a spot and a hideout where I can recover when the world out there feels dark and lonely and threatening. A fire to warm my feet, an armchair where I can snuggle. The mumble of friendly voices in the background. Stories are shared, songs are sung, food is enjoyed. This doesn't change. The inn remains open for me. It's just that I'm not blogging anymore.
The reasons
You may wonder about the reasons for this change of mind. Why did I stop blogging now and not a year ago or a year into the future? And I honestly can't come up with one particular. I just woke up one morning and knew that this was it, that the day had come. It was over. I had said what I had to say about WoW.
I blogged for over three years. This is quite long in comparison to most other WoW centric blogs. Over the years there have been about 700 posts published at the PPI, of which I've written the vast majority. So I guess it's no wonder that I eventually feel that I'm done with it. To be honest I would have expected it way earlier. I could never ever imagine what PPI would become and how long it would last when I started to blog once upon a time.
I have no idea how many hours I've put into this blog. It must be thousands, and I'm not exaggerating. But exactly as in the case of the game itself, I don't regret a single one of them. Sure, it took a lot of effort, but there was also so much in it that I enjoyed.
I enjoyed stretching my writing muscles, taking up the challenge to write in English, seeing how it became easier over time after the initial struggles. I enjoyed the perspectives blogging gave me on WoW. All those thoughts, all those insights that were brought to me - from my own writing process as well as from commenters and from the discussions with other members of the blogosphere - have helped me to understand and experience the game in a way I wouldn't have otherwise.
If you're a blogger you notice things and it adds depth and meaning to everything you do. You associate to blog posts you've read or you get inspiration to new posts of your own. With the mindset of a blogger, even such a trivial thing as killing ten rats, can be turned into something interesting.
The thanks
And this is the point when I should give away the big thanks. But to be honest, I've never been a big fan of acknowledgement chapters in books. It's normally just endless lists of names that mean nothing to the reader, where the only variation is if they have put the credits to the supporting wife first or last. I won't make a list of names, not only because it would become too long, but also because I'd be terrified to miss to include someone that was important to me.
But you know who you are - readers, commenters and other bloggers. You cheered me up when I needed it desperately, you gave me solid advice when I was clueless, you believed in me when I just couldn't. You gave me giggles, resistance and food for thought. Without your support, your love and your inspiration, this place wouldn't exist. You made this happen.
The future
So, what's next? Well, as far as it comes to the blog, I'll keep it up for now. I pay a little fee for the rights to the domain name, but it doesn't cost me much, so there's no rush about anything. Once I see that there are absolutely none visitors whatsoever, I'll silently close it, but at that point it doesn't really matter to anyone.
And Larísa? What will happen to the pink pigtailed gnome when she has left the bar disk and walked out of that door?
For now being I'm still playing and raiding as usual (even though I'm honestly playing very little outside of the raids these days - like so many others). I haven't left WoW and I still don't know for sure when it will happen. But I know one thing: it will be a lot easier to do it, now that I'm not blogging about it anymore.
I can already give you a glimpse from how it will end. It's all planned. After giving away my gold I'll take Larísa to a green meadow in Elwynn Forest. Her feet will be bare and she'll wear nothing but a simple cloth robe, just like she did when she entered the world four years ago. Closing the circle.
And what will happen to me then, the player, that middle-aged woman who stumbled upon WoW more or less by accident and unexpectedly turned into a die-hard raider? Will I keep playing games, will I keep playing MMOs, will I start blogging again, under a different name?
I'm pretty sure I'll play other games. It took me very long, but eventually I realized that my visit in Azeroth was more than a tourist trip. Like it or not, I've become a gamer myself.
However I doubt that I'll ever go this deep into an MMO again. It becomes very time consuming ever so easily. And while I - as I've said before - don't regret the time I've spent on WoW, life isn't unlimited and there are other things I want to do with it, apart from exploring virtual worlds. I would think twice before committing myself to a game again the way I have with WoW. Been there, done that.
When it comes to blogging, I definitely want to keep writing for pleasure rather than for work, but I'm not so sure I'll do it in this form. I might try to find a different outlet for my creativity.
The final toast
I see that you're close to finishing your pints and the fire has turned into a faint glow. It's time to let go. Normally I'd probably find a suitable quote from LOTR as so many times before, but Tamarind beat me to it as he let Bilbo have the last word as Righteous Orbs closed down a while ago.
Instead I'm going to finish this final post at the PPI with the words of Richard Adams, from the ending of Watership Down.
He expresses my thoughts and emotions way better than I could myself. I'm leaving now because it was time for me to do so. But life goes on in the blogosphere and you'll be just fine.
I bid you all farewell. This is the final toast at The Pink Pigtail Inn.
Cheers!
That's what they taught me when I studied to become a journalist, and God knows I've happily ignored this advice many a time here at the inn, including in this post. That's the freedom of blogging as a non-professional. You can just not give a crap about how it "should" be done and do it your way, and there's no one that will hold anything against you for doing it. Your blog. Your kingdom. Your call.
But I won't keep you hanging any longer because it doesn't change anything. I see that you've all got a pint of our finest draught, the one I saved for this very occasion. So here we go, it's time to pop the news.
This is the final post at The Pink Pigtail Inn. My days as a WoW blogger have come to an end.
So, I said it.
I didn't hesitate about the decision; it came way easier to me than I imagined it would. However I hesitated on how to put it. Somehow it didn't feel right to write: "I'm closing the inn". Because how could you ever close an imaginary place? Regardless of what happens in the future to the blog, it will always remain open in my mind, as a spot and a hideout where I can recover when the world out there feels dark and lonely and threatening. A fire to warm my feet, an armchair where I can snuggle. The mumble of friendly voices in the background. Stories are shared, songs are sung, food is enjoyed. This doesn't change. The inn remains open for me. It's just that I'm not blogging anymore.
The reasons
You may wonder about the reasons for this change of mind. Why did I stop blogging now and not a year ago or a year into the future? And I honestly can't come up with one particular. I just woke up one morning and knew that this was it, that the day had come. It was over. I had said what I had to say about WoW.
I blogged for over three years. This is quite long in comparison to most other WoW centric blogs. Over the years there have been about 700 posts published at the PPI, of which I've written the vast majority. So I guess it's no wonder that I eventually feel that I'm done with it. To be honest I would have expected it way earlier. I could never ever imagine what PPI would become and how long it would last when I started to blog once upon a time.
I have no idea how many hours I've put into this blog. It must be thousands, and I'm not exaggerating. But exactly as in the case of the game itself, I don't regret a single one of them. Sure, it took a lot of effort, but there was also so much in it that I enjoyed.
I enjoyed stretching my writing muscles, taking up the challenge to write in English, seeing how it became easier over time after the initial struggles. I enjoyed the perspectives blogging gave me on WoW. All those thoughts, all those insights that were brought to me - from my own writing process as well as from commenters and from the discussions with other members of the blogosphere - have helped me to understand and experience the game in a way I wouldn't have otherwise.
If you're a blogger you notice things and it adds depth and meaning to everything you do. You associate to blog posts you've read or you get inspiration to new posts of your own. With the mindset of a blogger, even such a trivial thing as killing ten rats, can be turned into something interesting.
The thanks
And this is the point when I should give away the big thanks. But to be honest, I've never been a big fan of acknowledgement chapters in books. It's normally just endless lists of names that mean nothing to the reader, where the only variation is if they have put the credits to the supporting wife first or last. I won't make a list of names, not only because it would become too long, but also because I'd be terrified to miss to include someone that was important to me.
But you know who you are - readers, commenters and other bloggers. You cheered me up when I needed it desperately, you gave me solid advice when I was clueless, you believed in me when I just couldn't. You gave me giggles, resistance and food for thought. Without your support, your love and your inspiration, this place wouldn't exist. You made this happen.
The future
So, what's next? Well, as far as it comes to the blog, I'll keep it up for now. I pay a little fee for the rights to the domain name, but it doesn't cost me much, so there's no rush about anything. Once I see that there are absolutely none visitors whatsoever, I'll silently close it, but at that point it doesn't really matter to anyone.
And Larísa? What will happen to the pink pigtailed gnome when she has left the bar disk and walked out of that door?
For now being I'm still playing and raiding as usual (even though I'm honestly playing very little outside of the raids these days - like so many others). I haven't left WoW and I still don't know for sure when it will happen. But I know one thing: it will be a lot easier to do it, now that I'm not blogging about it anymore.
I can already give you a glimpse from how it will end. It's all planned. After giving away my gold I'll take Larísa to a green meadow in Elwynn Forest. Her feet will be bare and she'll wear nothing but a simple cloth robe, just like she did when she entered the world four years ago. Closing the circle.
And what will happen to me then, the player, that middle-aged woman who stumbled upon WoW more or less by accident and unexpectedly turned into a die-hard raider? Will I keep playing games, will I keep playing MMOs, will I start blogging again, under a different name?
I'm pretty sure I'll play other games. It took me very long, but eventually I realized that my visit in Azeroth was more than a tourist trip. Like it or not, I've become a gamer myself.
However I doubt that I'll ever go this deep into an MMO again. It becomes very time consuming ever so easily. And while I - as I've said before - don't regret the time I've spent on WoW, life isn't unlimited and there are other things I want to do with it, apart from exploring virtual worlds. I would think twice before committing myself to a game again the way I have with WoW. Been there, done that.
When it comes to blogging, I definitely want to keep writing for pleasure rather than for work, but I'm not so sure I'll do it in this form. I might try to find a different outlet for my creativity.
The final toast
I see that you're close to finishing your pints and the fire has turned into a faint glow. It's time to let go. Normally I'd probably find a suitable quote from LOTR as so many times before, but Tamarind beat me to it as he let Bilbo have the last word as Righteous Orbs closed down a while ago.
Instead I'm going to finish this final post at the PPI with the words of Richard Adams, from the ending of Watership Down.
He expresses my thoughts and emotions way better than I could myself. I'm leaving now because it was time for me to do so. But life goes on in the blogosphere and you'll be just fine.
I bid you all farewell. This is the final toast at The Pink Pigtail Inn.
Cheers!
"One chilly, blustery morning in March, I cannot tell exactly how many springs later, Hazel was dozing and waking in his burrow. He had spent a good deal of time there lately, for he felt the cold and could not seem to smell or run so well as in days gone by. He had been dreaming in a confused way -- something about rain and elder bloom -- when he woke to realize that there was a rabbit lying quietly beside him -- no doubt some young buck who had come to ask his advice. The sentry in the run outside should not really have let him in without asking first. Never mind, thought Hazel. He raised his head and said, "Do you want to talk to me?"
"Yes, that's what I've come for", replied the other. "You know me, don't you?".
"Yes, of course," said Hazel, hoping he would be able to remember his name in a moment. Then he saw that in the darkness of the burrow the stranger's ears were shining with a faint silver light.
"Yes, my lord," he said. "Yes, I know you".
"You've been feeling tired," said the stranger, "but I can do something about that. I've come to ask whether you'd care to join my Owsla. We shall be glad to have you and you'll enjoy it. If you're ready, we might go along now".
They went out past the young sentry, who paid the visitor no attention. The sun was shining and in spite of the cold there were a few bucks and does at silflay, keeping out of the wind as they nibbled the shoots of spring grass. It seemed to Hazel that he would not be needing his body any more, so he left it lying on the edge of the ditch, but stopped for a moment to watch his rabbits and to try to get used to the extraordinary feeling that strength and speed were flowing inexhaustibly out of him into their sleek young bodies and healthy senses.
"You needn't worry about them," said his companion. "They'll be all right-and thousands like them. If you'll come along, I'll show you what I mean."
He reached the top of the bank in a single, powerful leap. Hazel followed; and together they slipped away, running easily down through the wood, where the first primroses were beginning to bloom. "
167 comments:
Oh.. how sad. I'll miss this blog so much.
Much love.
Larisa,
I'll miss you and your blog a great deal. Even though I understand your motives, and it doesn't come as much of a surprise, I still kind of hope that one day in the future you'll feel the urge to write in this space again.
Thanks for your quiet wisdom and your unfailing support of other bloggers.
regards,
Adam.
Thank you Larisa for continual entertainment, thought-provoking reads and educated, well-informed thinkpieces on the game, blogging, raiding, etc.
Farewell Pink Pigtail Inn, you had many fans.
~Rio
(Also, thanks for lots of hits!)
Goodbye Larisa. You've been an inspiration.
*tearing up* The end of that book always gets me, no matter how many times I read it.
*raises a pint*
You've been a leading light in the blogging community for so long, and a perfect counter-balance to bloggers like Gevlon and Tobold, I will truly miss your voice in my reader.
Even though I've already done my part in disappearing from the blogosphere save for twitter, words don't even describe how much I'm going to miss you, or perhaps, how much I already miss you.
I don't know which one at the moment, but all that comes to mind is everything that our blogs had going on, and the potential that came from the humble first steps that we took together all those years ago.
I definitely felt a nice connection between you, me, and good ol' gnomey, who I reckon will definitely post here. I kinda feel bad for the guy, knowing he's the last one of the three gnome mage blogs. I find it remarkable the way we all branched out into different things, yet never really forgot our roots. I'll always value that, and I'll always value your contribution towards enriching everyone's lives, especially mine.
I bid you adieu, ma'am, and raise one last frosty mug (pun only half-intended) for the closure of your wonderful pink pigtail inn. Love ya babe, cheers.
Although I will miss your wonderful writing, I wish you the best where ever you go, whatever you do.
To reference one of your earlier posts; I feel like I just lost a soul shard.
You brought very thoughtful conversations to a game I very much enjoy. Your voice will be missed.
PPI always felt very much like a hub in the WoW blogsphere for me.
No doubt the wheels will keep on turning, but it does have that end of an era feel.
*Raises glass*
Very best wishes for all your future endeavours :)
Felt this coming for a while, even if you hadn't yourself. I've always enjoyed my stay at the PPI -secretively wishing you'd one day open one in real life.
You'll be missed, your blog was always the starting point when I wanted to read wow-blogs.
Good luck with your ninja-lessons ( :P) and hopefully the writing blog-bug will grab you again.
with love.
/Dwism
I'll miss you, Larísa.
You've always been a breath of fresh air in the Warcraft blogging community. You've been helpful but never arrogant. Insightful but never patronising. Cheerful but never sickly-sweet.
To see both you and Krizz walk into the sunset is saddening, and I fear that Gnomer won't be far behind you.
Thanks for everything. From encouraging me to start blogging through to encouraging me on the podcast, I owe you. Best of luck wherever your road leads you.
Gaz
"I know that even if we'll lose contact, I will always have fond memories and a special spot in my heart for those people I met through my blogging."
And I know that whenever I heard those giggles laughter or short girl with pink hair, I'll have a smile on my face. For the wise Inn keeper we have met in Azeorth.
You inspired our lifes with your positive energy, Larisa. Thanks for everything. If you ever planned to blog in English, please let us know, we'll be glad to have those warmth shinny sparkles cheer us up.
With Love,
Zekta Chan
Larisa,
I always think of you as a kindred spirit even though we've never met. I know you were one of the first people to comment on my blog when I started it up and I've always admired your writing style and honesty. I'll miss the blog, but hope you can keep us updated if you do decide to keep writing about gaming or anything to do with celebrating the geeky side of your life.
"May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks..."
I admit it, my eyes teared up a bit. I'll miss your posts.
Farewell Larísa. Your blog has been truly wonderful, much like its proprietor. Both will be most sorely missed.
Larisa,
I've never posted before (I normally read through Google Reader, as almost all WOW blogs are blocked at work), but I just wanted to say:
This makes me so sad -- yours was my favorite WOW blog, and it always made me happy when PPI had a new post.
Thanks so much for the enjoyment, and best wishes for all the future!
This is a sad day.
The PPI was one of the first blogs I started reading. It was one of the blogs that inspired me to start writing and the one blog that taught me there were no hard rules to blogging, that, as long as I enjoyed myself and expressed my thoughts sincerely, I was doing it right.
Sitting in my little corner at the Inn, listening to the innkeeper's stories, reflecting on her wisdom, I made a number of discoveries about myself. I'd like to think the Inn had a positive impact on me as a person, video game blog or no video game blog. I love this corner of the blogosphere and will miss it dearly.
So you'll have to forgive me my sadness at seeing you close up shop.
I wish you the best. I hope you occasionally leave us updates on how things are going for you. And if you turn your creative outlet towards a larger project such as novel writing, please let me know so I can be first in line to buy your book.
Cheers!
This has always been one of the nicest and friendliest places in the WoW (or general MMO) blogoshere. I appreciated that. You will be missed. Thanks for all the work you've done in the last 3 years.
I've enjoyed reading your thoughts, thank you.
*order one last pint before closing time*
You will be missed.
Like the campfires in a forest winking out one by one as silence slowly descends across a camp, all the blogs I have followed for so long are going away.
Winking out one by one.
Yours was a bonfire holding the gloom at bay, and it shall be greatly missed.
Fare thee well Friend.
One day I hope our paths cross again.
Larisa,
This move doesn't come as much of a surprise, to be honest. But, even so, it's sad to see you closing your doors.
It's been such a pleasure to read your blog throughout the years. Thank you for all the time and effort and love that you've shown.
I hope you find another grand adventure to pass your time and wish you luck and happiness.
Janyaa
Thank you for excellent writing and a good-hearted commentary on gaming! The blogging community will be worse off without you, and would be much better off with ten more like you out there!
Larisa, I never left many comments, but I was a loyal reader. Your ability to write so well is something I aspire to do one day.
You will be missed. Best of luck to you.
I will miss you greatly Larisa - Even though I stopped playing WoW a while ago, I kept on returning to your blog - and even though it has been obvious for a while now this day would come, I am still shocked and greatly saddened.
You will be truly missed,
Regards,
Michael
The closing of your blog is indeed a loss. You had original voice and a unique perspective. I was one of your first readers and have followed you all the time. I hoped that this will continue. But everything that has a beginning, must have an end.
Farewell!
Farewell, Larisa. I`ve never been much of a commenter here, but I`ve been a faithful reader for a while. I hope find another creative outlet for your writing.
My first reaction is to scream, "Noooo!" But you've made up your mind, so let me be less selfish and express my gratitude.
I have quite a few blogs in my RSS feeder. Yours is at the top among my favorites along with only one other (Tobold's), yet yours I've always left for last to read. I usually leave the best things for last. You have been my favorite WoW blogger, and you will be sorely, sorely missed.
I never knew you in real life, but I feel like I'm losing a soul shard now. :(
Take care, Larisa.
Larisa, thank you for sharing your thoughts, your feelings, and your experiences.
I know that I have learned many things from you over the years, and you have often helped me understand perspectives that I never would have thought on my own.
You've been an inspiration to me for years, one of the brightest and best shining lights, and I will always cherish the part of your life you shared with me.
God bless you and keep you and your family safe and well.
Goodbye Larísa. I'll miss you a lot even though I rarely commented. Best of luck in your endeavors!
Thanks for everything.
/sad
Don't speak too loud about about the seagulls or I might hear them myself in my dreams...
What's that faint noise in the background?
I'll miss you, but eventually we'll meet in the Grey Havens!
Farewell and all the best!
Inspired....creative...intellectual...thought provoking....deep....meaningful writing....all these things are contained within these hallowed e-pages.
It shall be missed, but lo, lets us not forget the times we have enjoyed here, the discourse on all things WoW related. The friends (or enemies) we have made shall live on in these pages....a memorial to our imaginations.
Good luck fair barkeep, in what ever you aspire to, may the weather be fair and all the roads be smooth in your journey!!
Cacknoob
So sad you are leaving. The PPI is always the place I come to for ration intelligent Polite conversation. You will be missed.
I'm sorry to see you go but I understand. Still, I'll miss coming by here and visiting. Even when I'm not playing WoW, I still come by because the voice that you showed the world was kind, and gentle, and held a lot of what it is that made WoW so magical in the first place. Thank you for all of your effort, Larisa. It's truly enriched the game for many people and you will be sorely missed. Where one journey ends, another begins. Best of luck!
What Gaz said. I have enjoyed this space very much, and I will miss it. I'm *very* sad to see yet another Mage stepping aside, especially when there's precious few Mage bloggers out there. I always savored your thoughtful, interesting, thought-provoking posts. you are leaving a void, but you must do what you must do, and I understand your reasons and it's clear that it is time for you to do this. it's been coming for quite awhile. I raise my glass to you. /cheers
Aw. :( I hope you pick up blogging again. I love your writing, and you're the only WoW-focused blog I keep in my reader.
But, you still never did write about your LotRO experiences for me. ;P
Keep us update, at least, on what you play in the future.
I swear I went to look the date to see if this could be by any chance an aprils fool joke.
It is not.
:-(
Luck to ya Lass. Here is to wherever your roads take you *Hoists some brandy*. I have posted on my own blog that your pages are insightful and worth reading. So even after the Inn is closed down, I hope others can read from your writing and gain a different point of view. In the short time I've gotten the chance to get to know you through your blog persona, I've come to have a great respect for you. I don't say goodbyes because I figure we'cross paths again. The Rusty Blade Salutes you for your fine penmanship and wonderful posts!!!
It's been a while coming. Your final few posts have been rather indicative.
It's sad that so many long-time, cornerstone blogs and bloggers have been shutting down recently. Hopefully the cycle will renew itself and more will step up to take the stage.
Good luck in whatever you choose to do next, Larisa.
This was one of my favorite blogs, you will be missed.
Good luck and best wishes Larisa. I'll miss your inn, where all were welcome and the fire was always toasty! (And how dare you make me tear up with the Watership Down reference :P)
Larisa, thank you for writing everything that you did, and thank you for being such an important part of the community for so long. I kept meaning to write and thank you for adding me to your blogroll. I know it's a small thing but it meant a lot to me. I've enjoyed your work.
I also wrote a post that I hope you won't take as anything other than a passionate tribute to the community you've been such an important part of. I worry about people not recognizing that we have such a great community. We're diminished by your loss, but I don't want to stand idle and simply mourn your leaving. I think you'd rather see a blogging community strong and resilient. Perhaps as Hazel knew that when he moved on, he left behind a group of rabbits that would be happy and thrive.
Again, thank you. I hope we all make you proud, and I wish you the best in everything that you do! I hope we haven't seen the last of your pigtails around, even if it's just in blog comments or even a guest post if you ever get the urge! Your words would always be welcome over at my space, that's for certain.
Ahh Larisa. I hoped against hope that this day was not coming as soon as I feared it might.
If this is truly the end, I shall miss you along with all the others. I do hope though -- hopefully not against hope, this time! -- that you may decide to take up the electronic pen again sometime in the near future (after a suitable break, of course) and perhaps grace us with your tales of discovery in IF or whatever other recreation you've found to take up your time.
Whether yes or no, don't be a stranger! *Hug*
" After giving away my gold I'll take Larísa to a green meadow in Elwynn Forest. Her feet will be bare and she'll wear nothing but a simple cloth robe, just like she did when she entered the world four years ago. Closing the circle."
This made me well up. I hope, when the time comes, you'll be happy. And, as many others have said, you'll be missed.
Well, I can't add anything to what's been said already. I'll miss this blog - and I know I should've been maybe just *a little* more active in replying, even if only to say "Good, inspiring post".
Farewell.
From the Thousand Needles to here has been a long strange trip Larisa.
I've enjoyed your writing, both as a commentary on WOW and as a fresh bright positive voice in my day.
Like so many others I'll miss it.
When you decide what path your writing will take, you WILL pin a note to the door of the Pink Pigtail Inn won't you?
Thank you for inspiring me to make a wowblog of my own. Seeing your style of post made me feel that I could write one too.
Thank you. You'll be missed.
We'll miss having you around, Larisa.
If you ever feel the urge to post something, just ping me.
Thank you very much for your beautiful writing, your warm-hearted approach to the blogger community and your wonderful sense of fun.
All the best on your future gaming travels.
Awww Larisa... you will be sorely missed. Thanks for everything you've put into this blog and the community, as well as hosting such a warm, cozy, and welcoming inn.
Much <3
I am richer for having found your inn. Best of luck in the future!
I'll miss visiting the Pink Pigtail Inn. Thank you for all the wonderful posts.
Cheers!
Will miss reading this! Hope you have fun in whatever you decide to do in your new free time :)
I hope you come back eventually. Either blogging about another MMO, or better, blogging about MMORPGs in general.
Until then you will be missed. ;(
Thank you Larisa, you will be missed.
Raises his glass.
Best WOW blog. Period.
Best-kept blogroll, too! Your page has always been my starting point for browsing WOW blogs.
I remember three years ago when I started a blog called Alt Fanatic that I kept up for a bit more than a year. I started that because of you. I wasn't able to keep up with it in the end, but I remember how you inspired me to blog and share my thoughts, and it was a very worthwhile experience (while not as illustrious as yours!)
Thank you for PPI!
It's been a pleasure to visit, and I wish you good fortune it whatever comes next.
After all, it takes an end to create new beginnings.
I wish you the best, Larisa. May you find new and exciting adventures elsewhere!
While I never got the chance to know you better I always enjoyed reading your blog :)
Much luck to you and I hope you find a happy place, another hobby or game whatever it may be, I wish you much happiness.
I haven't read Watership Down for many, many years now, but I still cannot listen to "Bright Eyes" without getting tears eyes.
I loved reading your Blog, and I wish you all the best, where ever your travels may take you.
Larisa,
Thank you never quite seems to be sufficient, for my part it doesn't convey the deep gratitude that I have nearly enough. I'm not sure anything will. You were literally the first one there in support of me in this virtual world, and that is something I shall never forget.
You were always a joy to read and to connect with. Go with my best wishes for health, happiness and fun gaming always!
Goodbye Larisa. I only recently discovered your blog but since then, I had enjoyed reading all of your posts as well as older ones (yep, I went through the archives).
I hope life finds you well and that you enjoy your final days playing WoW, as well.
Cheers, and /hug.
I shall miss this blog. Larisa gave me encouragement when I authored my own blog and support when I decided enough was enough.
I think in many ways we are seeing the decline of not only the game we have all called home for years, but the hobby in general.
So I raise my Tankard to a friend, colleague, and advisor.
Thank you for this Blog, thank you for making the game a bit more fun for all of us.
The ultimate purpose of an MMO, the things that keeps players playing, is making its players feel good about themselves. With Cataclysm, for many players WoW no longer does that. It's right and proper to walk away from the game when that happens. Good luck in your activities beyond this game.
Happy Trails Ms. Larisa!
*hugs*
I hope you find happiness and joy in all your future endeavors :)
I think everyone will miss your little corner of the WoW blogging world and the unique perspectives you brought on a wide variety of topics! (Even if they were only knee-high...) I'd like to once again say a big thanks for the great run and community togetherness of the PPI Awards, which were always a blast, and a great way to learn of blogs or posts you had missed.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your raiding time and adventures in Azeroth!
A bit ironic to read that your also quitting blogging about WoW and maybe eventually leaving as well and closing the lamp light at the Inn soon.
After you've given away all your gold and stop blogging, play time goes down as well if your still playing.
I can understand how you feel tough, because the reality of things is that I was right there in similar shoes. It wasn't long ago when I too woke up one day and clearly knew it was the end for me and decided that day to call it quits, decided to move on and close my blog as well. We never expect to be here writing as long as anyone of us are apart of the community, yet we never quite also know how it would also end. But the end does come eventually and we decide to call it and move on. I can clearly say i understand that and have been there not long ago myself.
Though I wasn't a frequent commenter of your blog, I was a frequent reader as one apart of the community of blog and remembered way back when you started. I'll also like to say thanks for the times you also stopped my blog as well. At least when it was still there.
If i still wore my sword and shield I'd raise my sword for a good by salute and the comfort the inn provided to the community from the early days. But since I don't i'll just say It was great for you being part of the community as long as you were at the inn and wish you well into the future onward to other things. I'm sure you will be greatly missed just like when a prominent blogging member of the WoW community finally decides to call it quits. It will happen for everyone eventually, though never quite looking forward to it.
Wish you well.
All the best in your WoW and RL adventures, Larisa. :)
Thank you for your words, thank you for the patience and insight. Please, tell us you will continue blogging about life, universe and everything, since your voice will be missed.
Thanks for the memories, Larísa. It has been a pleasure meeting a fellow blogger like you. I really wish I could say more, but I think our conversations over the years have conveyed my admiration for your creative thoughts.
Like Dwism stated earlier, this was a long time coming even though you hadn't noticed it yourself. If you ask me, it was a bit too long time, as it seemed to cause some troubled mind in the end.
Sad to see yet another great blogger close doors, but then again, when one closes, another opens.
C out
...crap... my three years is closing fast...
Damn. That Watership Down quote had me in tears the first time I read it as a child. It just got me again.
Larisa, thank you for all the time and love and energy you've put into this blog. You have been an inspiration. I've loved it since I started reading it, and I will miss you and your words of wisdom greatly. And at the same time I shall drink a toast to your future endeavours and that good things come your way in abundance.
Ah, Larisa. I suppose this day had to come. It's hard not to be selfishly sad, because I know how much I'll miss your thoughts and insights (even though I suspect you're in exactly the same place we were when we closed our doors). Your blog - and you - have always been an inspiration to me, and thank you for writing it, and treating everyone with such kindness, fairness and compassion. I'm not really very good at these sort of comments but be sure always of my gratitude, my respect and my friendship, whether you're writing or not.
Wishing you all the best, Larisa. It is perfectly understandable to me why you would close your doors. Thanks for all your time contributing to one of the most positive, upbeat WoW blogs. It was your genuine love and joy of playing WoW that made this blog special.
It is my hope, as others have mentioned, that maybe the urge to blog will come back, if not about WoW, then about other games, like your ventures into single-player RPGs or even other MMOs. A girl can dream, right?
Wishing you all the best, Larisa.
Thanks for all you wrote, Larisa, and good luck with whatever that next writing challenge turns out to be.
That makes me genuinely sad - I've loved your blog for ages, and I'll miss reading your posts. Best of luck, and selfishly I hope that (regardless of what you play) you don't stop writing. So here's hoping that you take up this blog again, or start a new one...all your readers will very much welcome you back.
Yours was one of the first blogs I added to my reader when I first began reading them. Your posts were often insightful, entertaining and thought-provoking.
Thanks for everything, you will definitely be sorely missed.
/hugs
Sarriss
Ha!
Proof that I am the silliest of Gnome Mages.
I am very happy for you Larísa, which many may feel strange.
You were my inspiration to start blogging, like so many others I am sure, but the inspiration quickly turned to companionship. In turn many other bloggers have come into my life and I too will always remember our threesome of Mages fondly, with a smirk on my face... I know I won that Mage war, but I won it with you and Krizz, not against.
I have now read many farewell posts, but the comments in yours strike me as something completely different. The respect your readers have shown you throughout your time at PPI is reflected in these comments... not one "come back" comment, all respecting your choice.
Respect.
You have respected all of us, all this time, in so many ways.
You have respected our intelligence with thoughtful, witty, insightful, even banal (err joke) posts.
You are probably the most respected blogger in the WoWblogsphere.
Where other justly respected bloggers have had their niche, you have just had your power to take us on a journey with words alone, no strings attached.
You will go down in memory as the the greatest Mage blog that never was a Mage blog.
I will continue to wear my Piggie with pride.
I will not forget you, as I will poke you every now and then, and you know that I am always at the other end of the earth... ohhh and email as well.
Finally, an apology for all my readers... I swear my quitting post is a coincidence... but although it may spoil my post, fear not, I am still hanging on and will carry the flame for Larísa just a little longer.
Gnomer and Out!
Will miss reading your blog.
Good luck with life the universe and everything :)
Together with RO yours was one of the first "big" blogs I found - and I've thoroughly enjoyed stopping by the Inn for a pint and read the discussions every week.
While I understand your decision, and it sounds like it was the right one for you, it's also sad to see a good blogger stop.
I will miss the interesting thoughts and conversations here.
If you see a random warlock (or one of her alts) /wave at you on Stormrage, it's probably me ;)
All the best to you.
I love you Larísa. Thanks for letting us join you in your adventures and giving us a place to rest our tired feet. Best wishes my sweet friend.
Thank you for so many nice moments spent reading your blog. There are many well educated blogs, and there are many written from the heart, but to me your mastery over intellect together with feeling made PPI my favourite blog.
I am hoping to get to read other things you write in the future, even if your heart might then be somewhere else than in WoW. If your great novel is in Swedish when it comes out you'll still let us know, right? Please?
Also thanks for the WD quote, even if it made me cry (it does that every time).
"I'll take Larísa to a green meadow in Elwynn Forest. Her feet will be bare and she'll wear nothing but a simple cloth robe"
Elysium...
Thank you, Larisa, you'll be missed.
PPI was one of the better blogs out there and very well written. A benchmark of a good writer is how deep they can engage their readers on an emotional level. Judging by the goodbye-posts you are an excellent writer. Well done and Farewell!
Larísa; thank you, best of luck and cheers.
~Reala
Goodness, that was a sad quote! Thankyou for sharing your love of and insights into the game for so long. I wish you the very best of luck in whatever comes next! You'll be missed, that's for sure.
I've read your blog for a long time, and occasionally posted replies on it. I don't have anything to say that other people haven't already said, other than thanks for making my lunch breaks more interesting, and giving me another perspective on a game that has been a focus of my life for the last 5 years.
Best wishes for a happy life! Farewell.
Thank you for blog, it has been great to see and read someone who can keep her positive thinking. I always enjoyed the reading.
...and may you have fun wherever your life takes you.
Wow. You're right: the blogosphere will go on. But this, more than any so far, feels like quite a blow.
And just after I interviewed you too! You and Tam both closing down after we interview you, maybe the Melting Pot has a blog-death curse =P
Seriously though, I'm going to miss reading your posts. I wish you the very best of luck - and fun - with whatever you go on to do. I think a lot of people would be happy to read your musings whatever they're about, regardless of WoW, if you ever continued to post here about 'other' things. But no pressure: I hope you enjoy moving on.
If you ever fancy a place to guest post, just poke us at the Pot.
Cheers for the special brew. Safe travels, friend.
As many others before me have said, you will be sorely missed :(
Apart from being a regular visitor (if not a regular commenter), my most abiding memories are of you, not as the gnome Mage with pink pigtails, but as a Tauren, tanking through RFC and Deadmines, hoping that you were doing ok when SAN first formed.
It was an honour and a pleasure to run those dungeons with you, and now that there are no queues on Argent Dawn it would be great if you would pop back and visit us some time
Tahliana (the belf Mage!)
Good bye, Larisa. Your inn will always keep a special place in my heart.
Fond farewell Larisa, I enjoyed your blog. You deserve a longer goodbye than this but I don't write as well as you!
I wish I had found your blog much earlier as I've only come to the Inn in the last year. Thank you for sharing with us, the blogging community and entire World of Warcraft is losing a wonderful character.
Sad news :( First Tam and Chas and now you. Losing two great WoW blogs is not that good.
But I understand the reasons. So farewell little gnome, thanks for all the time and effort you put in the PPI, where we all had a great place to chill out and have a beer while discussing our favourite game.
Larísa - I've always had a huge respect for how you kept blogging for so long, relentlessly from the very beginning, with such consistent quality, always personal and always willing to consider different perspectives. you've been an inspiration to many others and you've given support and counsel readily to anyone who approached you - thanks for all of that! I know I don't have to worry about you writing on in some other shape or form, even if the inn might become a quieter place in the future.
and yay for more games after wow; am pretty sure there's plenty of games to catch your fancy (maybe also offline rpgs sometime), once you have more free time again. once you caught the 'bug' there's really no other choice, hehe. ;)
all the best in and out of wow!
~Syl
Being a people watcher at heart, there has not been a better place to do so than at PPI. This lone patron that has sat in the corner of the Inn watching the countless people pass through is much saddened. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of your posts, as well as the countless comments they have received.
Although I have been playing WoW for over three years now, I have only been a small part of the blogosphere (as a reader and sometimes commenter) for less than a year. Yours will be truly missed.
I didn't comment on many of your posts, but would check every day to see if there was a new one from you. On days that there was, I felt like a small child on Christmas morning. All excited and giddy to find your words wrapped so beautifully and eloquent in thought and intellect.
On days when I would walk into the Inn and see no new posts I would turn and walk out with my head hung low. Not having your words to read and enjoy with my morning coffee would leave me wanting.
You will sorely be missed by this PPI patron. I wish you all the best in all you do. Hopefully, in time, you will bring your thoughts and words back to us in one form or another. Until then, I salute you and bow deeply with respect and admiration.
Best regards,
Thela
You will be missed. Though I didn't agree with everything you wrote about, it was always great reading it.
*Closes his tab, pays the bill, leaves something for the bartender*
I always looked forward to reading your posts. You will be missed. Take care, Larisa. Farewell.
Fare thee well, Larisa.
I have always admired you hugely for writing in a second language, and you do it marvelously.
Here's to all the great times that have been, and all the great times yet to be in the paths that lie ahead of you!
Sorry to see you go your blog was a hub to me for alot of the blogs I follow from you blog roll.Also it inspired me like I think a lot of others to have a crack at writing a blog of my own
Like a lot of other are saying I could tell from the way you were writing that this was coming.
Fare thee well moving forward and thank you for keeping me entertained at work over the past three years while toiling over huge lists of chemicals!
Zetter
Even though we had our differences, I still have loads of respect for you. I wish you nothing but the best. Take care, and ever want to do a guest post on High Latency, you are always welcome. Your blog will always remain on blogroll in honor of your contributions to this community
Fare the well, wherever though fares.
River
I have not always agreed with the things you said, the opinions you held, or the way you did things. But I've also found a lot on this blog that I did connect with, and you've often brought a smile to my face.
And ending with Watership Down is lovely. :)
Thanks for all your work. Some of my guild mates are leaving WOW for Rift. The engine just seems much better. I didn't try conan, warhammer, or any of the others, but with so many of my WOW friends heading over there I probably will as well. WOW has been great, but I think it's just gotten a little to old. All great things must end.
You've always beena perfect example of class, decorum, and excellence that us second rate bloggers strive to be.
I never commented here much but have always enjoyed the brief respiteand refreshing views you offered.
I do hope you'll keep writing and allow us to enjoy your words.
Thank you again for sharing your journey with us.
In the words of the great George Burns, Good night Gracie.
It's sad to read you decided to close the inn, but completely understandable. The WoW blogosphere will not be the same. Your posts were always well-written, mostly objective, and covered most the wide range of topics that make up the game.
I wish you the best in whatever endeavors you embark on in the future!
As someone who never really got into blogging (I set up some blogs, wrote some posts here and there, but never really felt the urge to write more about my thoughts, musings, or just adventures), I will probably never really stand where you are standing now, looking at what you have created, seeing the people that you have touched... but as a silent reader of your blog for a long time now, I will miss your long, thoughtful, thought provoking posts!
I can see though that when the time comes, it comes, and I raise my Specialized Bio-Optic Killshades in salute! It takes courage to not only recognize the feeling you had, but to actually act on it and not simply feel worse every time you write here. So, wishing you farewell with a quote from another favorite universe of mine: "May you always find water and shade, Larísa!"
Your kind and thoughtful posts will be much missed, Larisa. I wish you all the best in WoW, in gaming, and in life in general.
Take care.
I think the WoW blogosphere is experiencing the same type of contraction as the player base. Thanks, Cataclysm! Sad to see you go ... best of luck.
You will be missed.
Life happens - make it a good one, wherever you're going! I've only taken half the plunge (gone fishing, not moved out...), though I too can feel the pull to stop.
But do write to us if you feel the urge; I don't think many of us care whether it's about WoW or the care and feeding of the filigreed Siberian hamster. ;)
I recently started blogging, and its really sad to see you go.
I decided to create my own guild, when I read a post about how yours made a wonderful event.
Your is one of the blogs I first read, and one of the reasons I started blogging.
Take care, and if you truly became a gamer, Have Fun, wherever your steps take you.
Thank you for your efforts, and your honesty. You are the first WoW blogger that I ever contacted directly, and I was just delighted that you responded and gave me encouragement.
It gives me such comfort to know that quality people like you are playing the game.
Enjoy the extra free time you will have in your days!
***Spiritus slowly enters the Inn. Brushing off the last vestiges of the outdoors, he notes the Inn is unusually quiet and chilly - lacking it's usual warmth and heartiness. Glancing about, he nods to the familiar faces of friends and foes alike. The returning acknowledgments lack any humor or mirth and instead direct him to a note posted on the bar. Expecting, but dreading, what the note will say, Spiritus stops at his seat by the fire, now bare except for a few forlorn embers, and takes off his well-worn overgear. Stoking the fire half-heartedly, he glances at the wee-lady's normal chair and sees that it is vacant. “Pfft,” he thinks to himself, “nothing new there. It's not like the Innkeeper ever had much time to sit in it while serving all those who came to Her Inn to visit.” Easing his way to the bar and reading the note, his fears are confirmed - the Innkeeper has left for good.
Although it's not his usual elven wine, he instead grabs the dwarven swill that's been set aside with care by the Innkeeper herself. Slowly, as if in a fog, he makes his way back to his chair. Looking around the room at the people he once knew as strangers, but now calls friends, he marvels at the ability, the skill, the shear FORCE of the Innkeeper's personality to draw such disparate people together in harmony and wonders, with more than a little envy, truth be told, how a person has such magnetism. For every lively debate had at the Inn, and there had been many, he does not recall one, NOT ONE, where the discussion devolved to the petty name-calling so common at other locations scattered about Azeroth. Perhaps this, more than anything else, was indicative of how much even the hardest of souls respected her.
Finishing his last courtesy pint, Spiritus returns his glass to the bar. To see it set there with all the others already placed (and surely more yet to come), speaks testament to the greatness of the gnome mage. Walking back to his chair, Spiritus dons his overgear. He reflects to himself that his gear, once a source of pride - too much pride at times - now seems more like a yoke that chafes at his old and tired bones, perhaps eroding his soul itself. Mayhaps it’s time to finally quit chasing dragons he thinks to himself, knowing full well that he doesn’t chase dragons for the sport or even to protect others, but, instead, does it for the unique friendships he makes on his adventures. Although selfish, he doesn’t think he’ll ever want that to end so he’ll continue to trudge on.
Walking to the door, Spiritus takes a last look back into the Lady’s comfortable little Inn and sighs heavily. Glancing about, his eyes finds the picture behind the bar of the spritely, little pig-tailed gnome Innkeeper, and he is reminded of past times well spent to be forever remembered and made part of his life. Acknowledging his sadness of a friend now gone by the shedding of a tear, Spiritus nonetheless knows his life has been made more complete by their friendship. Secure in his knowledge that Larisa has followed her heart and will continue to make all those whom she encounters better, Spiritus softly closes the door behind him and quietly exits the Inn.***
Larisa, my friend, thank you for the memories. May your life and your family be blessed.
SpiritusRex
Best wishes to you, Larísa! The blogosphere will certainly be less formidable without your presence.
I'm sad to see the PPI close it's doors but I can understand and appreciate your decision, Larisa. All the best for the future and I wish you every ounce of happiness and good fortune possible for you and all your family.
Good luck and fair winds to you, Larisa. It's been good fun. Here's hoping life treats you well. You deserve it.
-Tesh
I'm sad to see you go. You've been a big part of my blogging career, and I will miss your insight and support. Best wishes on wherever your road takes you!
A couple years back I stumbled upon your blog while I was supposed to be working. At the time I didn't really read blogs, but needed something to occupy the time. However, after reading a few posts of yours I found myself coming back again and again. You were the truly engaged and engaging blogger, and while I will miss your posts, I do want to raise a glass in your honour.
While your journey at the PPI may be ending, that really just means a new journey is beginning, even if you're not sure where that journey may take you. So to you, Larisa, I raise a glass and wish you well on your way!
It is said that all good things come to an end. I hope that what you have done here will be reflected in your future endeavors. I have only been reading the blog for a short time, but it has made me smile often.
Great closing BTW, Watership Down is probably one of my favorite books.
Larisa - you will definitely be missed a great deal. I've thoroughly enjoyed your posts over the years, but everything must come to an end I suppose. My only concern now is where to go to get a decent pint. I suppose Ratshag's place is good for the atmosphere and the company, but I'm never entirely sure what he's got in those kegs...
We will miss you, Larisa ! That's why you have to come back here, from time to time to let us know how you are.
Sparkles and hugs to you !
Thanks for all the lovely posts I've read here - may you find inspiration somewehere else and keep giving your love and support and peaceful thoughts to the world!
Hugs!
Good luck on your future journeys, you will be missed.
I need to get a copy of Watership Down and spend some time by the fire reading.
Larisa,
I'm not surprised by this due to the hints you've been leaving but I'm still saddened by it. I don't wish to make you feel bad by saying that, I don't feel that you owe us readers anything. We've been entertained and enlightened by your words for a few years now. It must feel great to know that you touched so many people.
Your posts were always from the heart, and so well written. You are a unique voice in the community.
Yours was one of the few WoW blogs I still read even though I haven't played the game in a very long time. Now with you and RO gone, and Ixobelle doesn't post that much any more the WoW section of my reader is very bare. Gevlon will be the only one left!
I wish you the best in your remaining journey. I know you will be just fine.
Ah, Larisa. The call of the gulls on the shore could not be denied.
*Still reeling, still aching, Kia wraps her still-dripping cape around her shoulders and pulls on her boots, still muddy from the long trudge to the Inn. She stares out into the dark, watching the lights of the houses in this enormous little town flicker out, one by one. The lights of the Inn join them, fading to dark. There are still some twinkles on the horizon, and Kia sets off towards them with heavy heart, hoping in time to find another new home.*
Here at last, on the beach in Darkshore comes the end of our fellowship. Go in peace! I will not say: do not weep, for not all tears are an evil.
It's selfish, but I am very sorry to see you go. I have always admired your personality, the ability to present opinions and accept disagreements with grace and charm, and your unique insight into many of the human aspects surrounding the game and its community. I'm only sad I couldn't have read you from an earlier time it's hard to be relatively new and find a great blog, only to have it shut down before you have been involved with it for very long!
Good luck in everything you do, and I hope you continue to brighten every inn you pass through.
Take care, best wishes and thanks for being here!
In a way I'm wondering if you burned yourself out just by trying to do what you have always been doing?
This came to me when I wrote the latest Gnomore post, as I felt a different kind of - very nice - tinge last time I played Gnomore, knowing I had given up on all other rather serious aims in the game.
Just a thought. Hope to see you blog someday, you know. As there is other things to do than sit at the level cap and work for the next raid.
A lot more
C out
Where am i going to get my honeydew now during working hours >.< It's a sad event that will echo thorugh the blogoshpere :(
Cheers and a merry life to you! i will miss you beyond words.
Wah! I will miss you Larisa! sad to see you end here. you had fans for sure! Sorry I was probably the last person to know the news, You take care hon. and God Bless you always! <3
Larisa,
I only started reading your blog a few months ago, but I was instantly drawn in by your insight, wit, engaging prose, and above all your spunky gnomish personality. I am saddened and will miss you and this blog very much. *teary* May your days be long and your mug always full.
I too, feel I lost a soul shard today.
Here's my final toast to one of the finest blogwriters that I had the previlege to read and love!
As the Tauren say:
May the winds be at your back friend.
I just started reading your blog about 2 months ago and it quickly became a daily habit. I will miss your writing and charm. May all go well for you....and BTW I absolutely love how you ended your last post.
/respect.
Hello Larisa,
I was late to the Inn, but I am so glad I stumbled in on the cold, blustery day that I did. Reading your posts has been a wonderful experience, and I thank you so much for sharing not only the good times, but the bittersweet ones as well. You have been a most gracious host, and I raise my pint to you.
Hello, Larisa -
This is my first time speaking up from my little chair in the back. I was a late comer to the Inn, but I am so glad I stumbled in on that cold, blistery day. Reading your writings has been a wonderful experience for me, and I appreciate all the stories you have shared. You have been a wonderful host, and I raise my pint to you.
Larisa,
I will certainly miss your kind, gentle and wise voice. You have always been an excellent example of the goodness that can be found in Azeroth. It is with sadness, a selfish sadness, that I raise my mug to toast you.
"To Larisa! May she find all that she seeks, and may all that she finds please her, as she has done for so many. To Larisa!"
I down my last ale and smash my stein on the ground. (I'll clean it up before I go.)
She just stood there. And hugged herself. It was that emptiness again and it always bewildered her and by now she thought she should have been used to it.
The shadows that cast across the twilight shore were all in deep dark tones; crisscrossing the soft gray sands beneath a sky of forgotten dreams. Had it been so long, since they had walked these dark shores, since their passing had been witnessed by the stars? If she becme really, really quiet she could almost, just almost, hear again the soft native Kaldorei, the sound of a crackling fire, the raising of a gentle voice offering a toast to the night.
Still and seductive eyes closed.
Had it been that long?
Had it truly been so long?
Is that why the beach was now empty,even the scuttling crabs and the slow moving snails gone? Only the silent roll of thesurf in and out, the barest hint of rippling aroundstone and the ancient gray memories of piers that were.
Behind her, like a dream slipping in and out of the waking world, the forest of this dark shore were painted in sepia, drifting in and out like an evening mist. The shadows held its rememberances like a precious secret, that once pink pig tails looked out across the sea as she did now, just ... just to watch the moonlight shimmer across the forever sea.
Beside her, the great felhunter stirred. So sensitive the crimson demon was to even the littlest hints of what barest mana remained, and even more so to disturbances, to something out of balance.
"Shhhhhhhhhh Zhaatom ..."
She reached out her hand, to rest it on the great beasts head, calming, quiet. Sometimes she was jealous, her curse to be the smartest, the sharpest of her small family. Sometimes, sometimes she had to admit, she wished she could live life as her little sister. But now, now was a time for quiet. Even Pizyap knew that, all it took was a purple eyed glance to cease his complaining. It was Mezzy ... Mezznuz ... that she worried for. They had been together so long, served together, and even now, even now she could not fathom what he thought, what he felt. But she knew, she knew, that all it would take is a hand upon his bracers, to remind him of who they were.
And more importantly, who they once belonged to.
"For a brief while, do you remember?
"Kind words."
Even the wind had vanished, by now, upon this forsaken place.
"Why we are here ...
"On this shore ...
"On this empty shore ...
"It's not important.
"It never was."
Her curse.
For a long while she was quiet. All relative. But even for her, it was a long time.
"It is not the place you are. It is not even the getting there that is important.
"It is who you share that journey with."
A second moment of stillness.
"Mistress always believed that."
She just stood there. And hugged herself. It was that emptiness again and it always bewildered her and by now she thought she should have been used to it.
But then Disneri the succubus hugged herself tighter. Eyes still closed. She had to keep them closed. Closed tight.
Because demons don't cry.
"For a short while we shared our journey with Larisa too.
"And we are so much the better for it."
@Joar -
Is always Uncle Bonechomper's Day Old Piss in the kegs. Helps yerself.
May You Find Peace, Larisa. Happy thoughts overflow from all of us to you. You have made me a believer in more than you can possibly imagine. Through time and space, may we meet again.
Wilt thou change the world, or wilt thou change Thyself?
Can I ask that you keep writing please Larisa ? Not a blog about wow but whatever it is you choose.
Your writing is worth reading.
I have only one thing to say Larisa... thank you for many, many posts of intelligent, balanced, heartwarming, thought-provoking and just plain awesome discourse. You made WoW better simply by writing about it.
It says something that even your final sign-off was thoughtful, decisive, finely crafted and just a little bit sad. I think the word I'm looking for here is 'classy'.
The Pink Pigtail Inn will remain in the gone-but-never-forgotten section of my feedreader - so that, even if nothing is ever posted here again, there's a reminder that there once was a place where a pink haired Inkeeper told tales of slaying internet dragons.
Here's wishing you all the best in whatever you choose to do next! Cheers!
Larisa,
I am sad to see you go. Yours was the blog that showed me how WoW blogging could be more than just theorycrafting. You have always had a way of articulating things that sparked life into even the most mundane of topics.
While I may wish it weren't so, I understand how you might be feeling and I wish you and yours the best. As one of my favorite shows once said: we have to let go of the people we loose. Forcing yesterday's generation to linger will only get in the way of the next generation.
I know it sounds cliche, but maybe the door your closing will open the door of another. Without the inn casting its far reaching shadow, there is little doubt that new blogs will come into the limelight. And as we can see from the 140+ comments on this post, your patrons still thirst. They will find new ways to wet the pallet.
Larisa... I can only thank you for the adventure. Now go have a new one!
I haven't been reading you for very long, Larisa, but I'll definitely miss your writings. This is a new experience for me: I hadn't realized that, as I became more and more immersed into the MMO blogosphere, I had actually become so attached to someone that their leaving would really impact me.
Again, I'll miss you. And I wish you all the best. Thank you for all the wonderful posts.
:< I'll miss you
I'm full of so many emotions reading your last post. Wow... But the most important is...
1. You will be dearly missed
2. Thank you so much for what you have given us.
While sad, and I like the excerpt. In my mind I can't help but think of Larissa at a big happy going away bash full of brightly colored balloons, silly giggling bouncing gnomes, drunk dwarves (of which I would be one), dancing elves and lots and lots of cake and pie and cookies for everyone.
BEST WISHES TO YOU WITH WHATEVER YOU DO!!
With deepest regards and love,
Azurae
I see I'm a bit behind the times, but my own entry about my hiatus from blogging and potential future endeavors just went up on my blog.
Thank you Larisa for being a leading voice in the community and hosting a great place to discuss issues and raise a pint. I will certainly miss your writing and your yearly awards!
And finally, thank you for inspiring me to be a wow blogger myself. You may not have known it, but Healer Trek never exists if it weren't for you. I wish you the best in your future endeavors and know that you made the wow world a better place with your three years of service to the community. See you in the next gaming phenomenon Larisa. Cheers.
This isn't about me bugging you about you not liking eggs is it? :-) Thank you for all you have given us and good luck, you will be missed.
Your blog was always the first I read when I made the rounds. I have to admit, the closing of the circle made me tear up...though our characters are mere pixels, we fill them will life, and saying goodbye is never an easy thing.
May the road rise up to meet you...
Cheers. you will be missed.
I just wanted to say thanks for your blog. I know you're closing it off, and you've done it in a respectable way. I wasn't an every day reader, but I did enjoy the occasional musings.
So, thank you and take care of yourself. :)
I really enjoyed your post, I never commented before becuase I read it at work through my email. It was blocked to go to the site.
I wish you the best of luck!!!
90% of my toons are all loveable gnomes!!!
I'm sorry to hear this but I truly do understand. It has been a pleasure to read your posts over the years. Thank you for the time you spent carefully crafting them.
Good luck in your endeavors!
Been a long ride.
Thanks for all the years of blog posts. I've spent quite a few hours reading your blog posts.
And you might have put thousands of hours into it but people have spent hundreds times more reading it.
Have fun in whatever you'll be doing next :)
You made this old worgen cry. I hope you are satisfied. You will be missed and all of my best.
***SpiritusRex slowly walks up to the dusty window, cleans off a spot and looks into the Inn. Seeing nothing but dust motes and memories, he sighs and walks away.
I've enjoyed reading your posts over the years. Thank you, and I'm sorry to see you go, but I imagine like Hazel you've done what you set out to do here, we're all better for it, and now you're off to new adventures. But I came back here, weeks after reading your post, to say thanks for getting me to read Watership Down. I re-read your post and your closing quote just now and, with it still so fresh in my mind having just finished it last night, it's hard not to tear up. What a magnificent story. Thank you.
I still check this blog regularly, and every time I am sad when I feel the cold emptiness settling in the inn now that you are gone. I miss your kind-natured posts :(
/hug
Your blog was one of the few I’ve read over years when I once played WOW & continued to read on even when I stopped.
It was a pleasure reading your blog…your posts…your thoughts.
Thank you.
Take it easy...
I first want to apologize for not having read this last post sooner. The second thing I would like to say is thank you. Thank you for all the wonderful posts that you have made over the years. You brought a great attitude to your blog and it brightened many a day for me. I shall miss that so very much.
I wish you the best of luck in the things that you will be doing and I hope that some day, we see the pink pigtails around the inn again.
/hug
I pop back here now and again to see if the Bar is open and theres free peanuts....but the spiders have come and set up shop in the glasses, the pickled eggs look like old eyeballs and the once roaring hearth is cold to the touch.
Cacknoob the Sad
You are missed.
I keep checking the bar from time to time for a possible announcement of any kind, just in case. It was so nice to see a small visit in the Kill Ten Rats-comment field recently from the beloved (ex-)bartender! It is good to know you're still out there, pink pigtailed one. /hug (didn't dare turn that KTR thread into a woot, look who's here! ^^ )
@Syrien: I'm touched you're still popping in here. I'm afraid Larísa, the pink pigtailed gnome is still enjoying her retirement, sitting in her apprentice robe, barefeet in Elwynn Forest, just the way I wanted her to end her days in WoW.
However I do play with the thought of starting to blog again, but if I do, it won't be related to games at all; it will be a movie-centered blog - from my very personal perspective, as always.
If I open this place (I've actually grabbed a blog address, just as a start), I will inform you either in a comment here or as an extra, additional post.
I don't expect many readers of PPI to be interested, since the topic is completely different. But who knows, there might be a handful of film enthusiasts among the former guests, so I could as well mention it, in case someone's up for a different kind of drink.
cheers!
/cry
A movie blog sounds like fun :) Now you got me curious about what kind of movies.
Thinking of Larísa sitting there at the grass in Elwyn makes me want to go outside and be barefoot on the grass. But I'll pop by here again, and I suspect I am not the only one :)
Larisa: we readers come for the topic but stay for the blogger.
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