Sincerely..

I assume this post will be far longer than it needs to be. It is not easy for me to put into words all that has been going through my mind the past few months. There is no way to sugarcoat it, I am no longer playing Guild Wars. I've always said that I'd never go, but I'm eating those words tonight. I'm not bored with the game, it is nobody elses fault, it is not my time to go...but I am. I've slipped into the background and become a stranger in my own guild. My own fault perhaps. I've had a far better time being an alliance leader than I thought possible. I had enough vision early on to pull things together for the long-haul. I didnt do it alone, nobody could.

I'm very grateful to have met and played with the majority of you. Unfortunately the new(er) generation of recruits did not get to know the real me. I simply dont have the drive to find guilds anymore or keep others motivated to find great recruits. Over the years I estimate that I have found over forty guilds. That means I have gone through over 120 inspiration speaches with guilds, not counting my own, and atleast eighty effective recruiting tutorials. Too many good people have come and gone, but there is nothing anybody can do about it.

Over the years I have become bitter and very miserable. I'm not happy to close the door on Guild Wars. I'm grateful for everything I've experienced, yet I feel that I've been taken for granted. Sadly, I will not be returning either. I could say so much more, but will get long winded, so I will cut myself short. I have no regrets and wish you all the very best. Please continue down the same path that I have in terms of Guild Wars 2. There is no sense in losing out on such quality friendships.

Sincerely,

Akroma

Akroma bud i know we've had our spats and agruements but you have to come back at least for a formal retirement, you represent so much of this guild and so much of this alliance. You were always a great leader...you embody the spirit of adventure and community here and you wont ever be forgotten...i remember back in the beginning when we were only a small guild part of an alliance then how quickly we became our own alliance. I was then in the beginning and I've been here since...iam so glad that we got to share that time becoming best of friends, we've had our falling outs and though arguments have clouded the air between us for so long, I'll miss you more then words can express...

Good luck bud with everything, school and life- dont be a stranger pop back on and please if you have a change of heart your welcome back aboard!

For what isnt worth you'll always have a friend in me!

-Mighty

I wish you all the best Akroma, school and otherwise. If you ever get on GW's or here don't be a stranger.

And I agree with Mighty about the formal retirement. It doesn't seem right for you to just leave out of the blue without a goodbye. You've done great things for this alliance in recruiting and keeping it alive. I thank you for that and the ability to be an officer in the greatest guild ever. For all the time and effort you've given, let us give you a formal retirement.

-Altair

Best of the lucks to you Akroma. KOLD really appreciates your help in our dark hours. We'll miss you Akroma. Whatever your endeavors may be in the future, I wish the best of luck to you.
Mizune

I mean what can I say that hasnt been said? I'm gonna miss you a lot. I mean look how far I came thanks to your help. I'm sure all agree that you are more than welcome to come back should you decide to. Best of wishes to your future endeavors.

Logan

GL to u m8 i wish the new AoL gl much of luck since they have some heavy shoes to fill but maybe u will enjoy a more background possition in the guild or we will see u in GW2. Anyway GL and HF

I am so bummed I cannot really describe it . Take care of yourself Akroma, you're already missed...

-Flynx.

Hey Man

All i can say is try playing magic again, maybe that will cheer you up.

Im sad that you are leaving we did play together a few times. But never really got to know you that well.

Good bye and Good luck on whatever you Decide to do.

Akroma,

cant say i got to know you too well but you did get a ranger who was about to give up Guild wars a new look on the game. with may i add some of the best people i have encountered in my travels. I agree with what has been said you have done tons and saying thanks a billion times wont even cover the tab. I wish you save travels and good luck

Wow, Akroma. We'll really miss you. I'll miss you too definitely. I never thought I'd see the day. Never really got to know you as well as I would have liked to but I know you're a great guy and I also understand the feeling you have because I too have been slipping from the guildwars boat. I no longer am leading my guild at this moment but I think this is just temporarily. Bye Akroma! We did have good times. Thanks for helping me with that fire monster quest! It was super fun.

/heavy sigh

Im standing at my toolbox ready to breakdown. I'm shaking, and feel heavy in the chest. I suffer from some serious mental depression. I need some friends once again. For a year or so I've felt neglected, ignored, replaced, insecure, and a few other emotions that I really shouldn't. Naturally I regret what I've done and don't expect forgiveness from anyone. The only logical answer that I can come up with is that its a cry for help. I'm going through a rough time. I want nothing more than to come back home. I'm too alone, and I don't mean in game. Well, in game too, but I don't play. I log on and just feel overwhelmed. Nobody really talks to me anymore. They just pass me by. I have taken the game too personal in the past. Good guilds have left, and it saddens me. Try as I might...replacing guilds is almost impossible these days. Motivating a guild leader or group of people is tough for me these days as well. I'm straying off topic. I need help, and want to come home..but need support.

<3 I will be home from the gym around 8 tonight so you better be where I can find you otherwise I will hunt you down*bunni_roar* (and if you ever do this to me again I will kick your ass all over the east coast)

I'll be on after soccer practice at about 7 so when I see you i'll drop you a line

But bud if you ever dealing with an issue you can come to us. Even though your a leader and part of being a leader is being strong part of being a family and part of being a community is being vulnerable at times and seeking the aid and comfort of your peers to get you through those hard times! We'll always be here, and we're always here for one another and we'll always be with you

Yeah man. Whenever I feel down or something I almost always come online to talk about it. To loosely paraphrase a movie, you have a friend in us. We got your back

That's just it, its tough for me to remain online. I don't want to be the bad apple. Nothing constructive comes from negativity, so I log. Whenever I say I have stuff to do, I usually don't. I use it as an excuse to leave because I don't want to just moap around. I needed to collapse. I had the world at my fingertips, and it faded over time. Took a toll on me and I didn't/don't know how to handle it.

The good news is that I believe I needed to take a heavy fall in order to surpass my glory days. There were signs of this in the past few months. I've even claimed I was ready to jump back in the saddle, but I was not ready and the timing was not right.

And the both of you should understand that nobody wants to stand up and admit their faults or ask for help.

Even though I haven't had many chances to speak with you seeing as how I'm relatively new to the alliance, what I've seen so far based on the forum posts I read and the shape of the alliance overall, leaves me with a strong impression that this living, breathing community has had many extremely competent architects; one of the key ones being the alliance leader, naturally.

Being a former guild leader, I can empathize with how you feel about being a stranger in your own creation when bonds external to yourself begin to develop among your members. Though it may not be completely explicit, your presence and efforts are well known, well endowed, and well appreciated. The quality of your leadership is self evident and expressed through the quality of this alliance you have played such a vital role in building. I do hope that you stay.

Regardless of the outcome of your final decision, I would like to express that I am humbled to have had you as my alliance leader, Akroma.

I hear all to often, "even though I have yet to really meet and get to know you". I've been well aware that I've become alienated amongst the very people that I've worked so hard to bring together. I have arranged to come back tonight. I just needed to have a meltdown. I always strive to be better and am able to do just that now that I've got the load off of my chest. Its funny how I fell victim to what I encourage other to avoid; being quiet and not mixing in amongst the crowd. I can gladly say that I've learned an awful lot in my years of guild wars because I've seen it from many different levels.

I started out as a recruit in February of 07..if memory serves me. I wanted to stand out. Make a difference. Bring people together. I aspired to be an officer to better the guild's atmosphere. I was so driven that I had taken on the role of the current guild leader, and was pulling all the strings behind the scenes. Naturally, I was the best suited candidate when Vogo needed to step down. The past eight months or so have built up to the most recent events because somebody followed too close in my footsteps. I felt I was no longer adequate and replaced. Life's a bitch eh? Lol

Fact of the matter is that I'm lucky to have such a great alliance and have always stated that I want nothing but the best gaming atmosphere, especially for the long-haul...even if it meant removing myself from the picture. Just a bad combination of factors...led to the inevitable outburst. I am in need of some additional quality officers, and more eyes for guilds.

Lets face it, I can't do it alone. So who's in?

Im going to have to say you can count me in for anything you need help with and my bet is the whole guild and alliance at that can agree with this. I may not be the best at the game or the richest or the smartest but when it comes to support you cant really get better iv gone threw alot and i know almost every emotion there is to feel.

(in short 100% support from me )

I will be more than eager to help scout out quality guilds if you so desire. You can count on me .

Akroma. You can count me in for anything and everything necessary. You let me know what needs to happen and I will try my absolute hardest to make it happen. I am here to help.

You pulled this plucky ranger out of a near quitting rut and gave him a chance to meet/do things with some really fantastic people ...I am in to give a hand to my new home so to speak

Obviously I have personal standards as to where I'd like to see the alliance. We've been better in my opinion. I can't complain, but would still like to see a full alliance roster once again. I've interviewed a dozen or so guilds recently, but none of them are on the same page. I'm not being picky or anything. I have no problem helping smaller guilds and teach/giving them a chance to do well. However, it takes the right person and crew of people. Their mentality towards the game is the most important. Quite a few ppl can attest to the kind of people I bring in and what I'm looking for. We are lucky to stumble on the right people, and even luckier to have them around for the long-term. Long story short, I don't always have the time to dedicate to hunting guilds like I used to. Open eyes and ears for candidates for me to meet/greet/interview would be a tremendous help.

Well you know I'm in for helping out. Hell that's kinda what pushed me to take over Nubz. I'm here for the long haul too and you know damn well that I will help you out how I can.

Hey Akroma,

Anything you need from me or IE you got it, we've got a real good spirit in this alliance and our guild has grown stronger thanks to everyone's support and your encouragement.

Happy to donate any time you need to make the alliance the best it can be.

KOLD is behind you too Akroma. We are willing to help in any way possible.

Okay, hmmm. Lots to ponder. Several points that sprouted for me. Number one is that this is a game and it should be fun, and if it every stops being fun, I won't do it anymore. That being said, we all burn out sometimes. We've all been there, I think. Periodically, I just need to walk away from it for a couple days and do something else. And there's nothing wrong with that in my opinion. I got frustrated the other day and just had to take a break.

Second, there's no reason why you should feel that you have to do everything. That's what the rest of us are here for. Wouldn't be a bad idea to pick some of the key members of your guild or other guilds to help you out with whatever you need, whether its recruiting or whatever.

I think I speak for most when I say that we all love you dearly, and would hate to see you go. That being said, again, don't feel guilty if you need to take a break for a few weeks now and again. Just appoint someone else to drive the train while you're gone in case something critical comes up. Otherwise, most guild leaders and officers are perfectly capable of handling the reins as far as watching alliance chat and that sort of thing.

I think that you, along with other guild leaders can get caught up in "arranging and running" things and forget that you have a right to just play the damn game and have a good time yourself. Put yourself in AWAY and go PLAY. It doesn't have to be all work, work, work.

On another note, I consider you a friend. You've always been very supportive of me and I would love to return the favor. You gave me my first lessons in recruiting and lots of other things as well. So you do what you have to do, but it would be a shame to see you go. But please don't feel like you don't deserve a break sometimes. Nobody would begrudge you that at all.

And I think we do sometimes forget to express to others that we enjoy their company and presence. We take it for granted sometimes, the friendships we've made here. They are a big part of why I play. Jeff, Logan, Richard, Brett, we've stuck together a long time through different guild leaders and even different guilds. Why? Because we like each other and we value the friendships. I do anyway.

On a personal note, feel free to talk to me about absolutely anything your little heart desires. I'm always here for you.

Woot! LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!!!

Had another thought. I've always liked this alliance because of the caliber of people and the way we are all here to have fun, etc. I don't think it matters that we always have 9 other guilds in the alliance. I think its more important to have guilds that are polite and participate, rather than worry about the numbers. If we get another guild, great. If not, I think that's okay too.

Hey Waz up Mang,

I am a bit late responding to this as I am late to everything. Akorma its been almost 1 year since I have been in this alliance. I will be the first to admit I didn't know you well before, but over the past few months we have chatted here and there about the future direction. All in all mang, you are a stand up guy from the moment I joined this alliance. Initially RAiD had very few active members and even fewer who participated in alliance stuff. I didn't know anything when I first joined, hell I was selling white dyes at merchant for 1gold, . The alliance helped me develop my understanding of the game. I can't stress enough how much this alliance is more than something that exists in a digital realm, a lot of us on here have developed friendships and bonds that extend beyond pixels. The alliance make up has been a evolutionary one and the core group of people that have been here are the reasons why this alliance will continue to blossom. You have some of the best personalities in this alliance, not based on just their skills in gaming but based on their attitudes and willingness to help others.

I mention all this because this alliance wouldn't exist had you not been at the helm. I think you have done a excellent job in forming/maintaining this alliance and I would always welcome your advice. I am glad that you have changed your mind and I look forward to seeing you online.

Cya around Mang.

If you're sincerely leaving us, Akroma, you will be missed dearly. Some of us didn't know you that well, to others, you were a great friend.
I remember one of the first times I got on vent with you. You played requests directly from me. (:
My only regret is that I didn't really get to know you that well. Just know, either way, from those you knew in the alliance and those you didn't know that well, we're here if you'd ever want to talk. Heh, I'm on GW all the time. So if and when you do return, you'll always have us as friends. ^.^



Wow, I've *really* got to learn to read the whole thread before putting my two cents in.
Welcome back, Akroma.

Over the years I have become bitter and very miserable<---quote

I've only spoke to you a few times, you don't fit the bitter and miserable category, you always seemed a little unhappy, but all in all you've put together one of the best guilds/alliances I've been in (and I've been in a lot), granted Kiera has a lot to do with it, but the meetings, shows you care. You know who you remind me of....Cloud from ff7

Interesting choice, and ty for the kind words. It is nice to hear it once in a while. I dont take credit though because there are a lot of people behind the scenes, I just find them.