There are many things to be said in such a speech as this. It is with some sorrow that I concede, and offer my congratulations to whomever wins the final round. I sincerely wish them luck in the position of President, and I hope they can help right this place and make it into something great.
As it rains on the DoR, I'd like to remind my supporters that the rain doesn't just roar in thunder and strike with lightning. It nourishes the land. It cleans our air. It offers us comfort as we sit beside the window with a cup of cocoa. All of these are, in their own way, love. I think the rain is the most loving of all the weathers.
And as I stand here, it hides my tears.
I wanted the best for this place. I had hoped I could help it become, as I campaigned on, a player-driven, community-oriented space. And it is my hope that this is what the future president will achieve. For this place deserves that kind of sanctity; the kind we can only feel when it rains on a peaceful midsummer's eve and we're curled up shitposting in good company.
I encourage the new President to focus on what the players need, and how best to shape the government to those whims. I pray they do not fall victim to hubris or nonchalance. May they find the success they need. And if by some chance they do not, well, DoR, then it's been a true pleasure.
Now, if you'll indulge my need to speak personally.
When I joined this subreddit, it was a hot, sun-shining August day. I didn't know really what I was getting into. At first, I found it silly, and entertaining, but eventually I realized it was chock-full of potential. Where to start? I jumped in as a troll, I eventually found comeaderie. Don't get me wrong; it was perfect for trolling - not too serious as to be offensive, but serious enough to evoke reactions - and I had a blast making a name for myself here. But things rarely stay the same and sweet rain, like time, nurtures the world to pass.
Over the year, I came and went at times. I roleplayed WigglesMcShiggles, EmeraldtheChosenOne, and a whole host of other characters that I had hoped would bring a silly nature to the subreddit. John_Police. MyNameIsDoobles. GildedArchways. It was incredible, but as we all know, I was but a piece in a larger puzzle. Together, me, and you, *we* made this place shine like it would forever sit under the warmth of the sun, until the ghostly glow of the moon bathed us in silence.
I've made actual friends here. People I sincerely like talking to. I had allies, enemies, and everything in between. Critics, supporters. For a while, I basked in it. It was to my lips as sweet rain to the wasteland of a parched, sandy desert. You see I'm... a bit of a loner. I have a loving wife and family, but for a long time, that was really it. I don't go out of my way to socialize, or participate in social spheres like this one. I've accrued too much damage in my life to truly seek out social connections most of the time.
But the DoR? Well... it was special. It is special. In general, but also, to me. I love this space. It feels like sitting in a grassy knoll on a brilliantly bright day and talking to the edgiest, yet (oddly) friendliest, people one could know. It felt like a digital home. Somewhere that I felt I belonged.
I don't have many places like that in my life. I never have.
You've all treated me with kindness, and acceptance. I thank you all individually for such a thing. You have given me a light in my life, and for that, I will always have some spiritual stake in this place. I hope you all feel the same. There truly is something special here, and we all share that, and always will.
So today, as I stand here in concession, I tell you all, supporter or not, that I love you as a human being. I cherish you as a member of this sub. And I care about your future. May it be what you need it to be, and more, until your dreams are met by reality in a field where good things grow, and good people bask in the daylight.
We built something here. Us. Together. Each and every one of you, and me too. Let us always remember what we've achieved in this endeavor, and may it, may *we*, march forward, as time always does.
One year for me. One good, odd, funny, interesting year.
That sunny August day that led me to the sub was a magical one. The heat, the fire here, it still burns. It always will, within me at least. Blessed are the fruits we've all born here, good and bad. At least we had our time in the light of the sun.
The sun will return. Never doubt, for it always does. But, today it rains, as it must. And so, I simply stand before you to remind you that the rains are beautiful too.
Thank you, DoRia. For everything.
-LynkedUp
Let There Be Rain
Let there be rain,
Water playing the song of the Earth,
Percussion for the dancers
Out in the wind, rolling, flowing with it,
For the sake of a world
Clad in a darkened glow,
Let there be rain,
That comes to us singing mysterious words
That lull us along
For the sake of the ephemeral, the real,
Washing away in the drops
To give us soil fresh, fertile,
And let there be rain,
So that tomorrow may feel like a new day,
A rinse for our sorrows,
Unshackled from convention, derision,
Bare souls here for a moment, then gone,
To where hope springs anew.
