It happens, from time to time,
that rivers join, only to part again;
this lessens in no way those days and nights
when they flowed as one river.
Part now as waters do; part quietly,
in loving kindness,
without doing harm;
move on serenely into newer days,
and newer nights,
and newer ways
of flowing.
Amen.
(SEPARATION, by Suzette Haden Elgin)
Since this blog, when I decided what to do with it after having started it by mistake, was first dedicated to roleplaying games- related musings, here is my parting letter to the beloved crew of the site I have led during three volumes (or, rather, in three sequel-incarnations).
Who can forget the ten years passed since that Transfiguration holiday chosen as the official opening date of “Before the Mast”? Three years and a half spent on Invisionfree, in the story year 1719, four years and a half spent on jcink, in the second year of our story, 1720, and about two years on our third volume, CARIBBEAN DAWN. Ten years of pouring our love for the Age of Sail and my knowledge about the era into a coherent story to be written with others have passed, and the story has built up to an epic Caribbean saga. Thank you, all of you very much for keeping faithful to us! None of our achievements would have been possible without your constant help and contribution – all of you, those present now and those present a while ago.
I can’t list here all the writing partners that have imprinted their mark on our story but left the site during our eight years BEFORE THE MAST and two under a new CARIBBEAN DAWN. They and their contribution to our story is cherished. Most characters got a meaningful departure and will be remembered by the other characters and writing partners.
I think we don’t need anymore a list of active writers and characters, since these are who we have been, not receiving fresh blood for a while. Just a shout-out to JOELLE and JOUKO, who had been the first to complete their stories. Congratulations!
I am offering my warmest thanks, indiscriminately, to all the crew of “Caribbean Dawn”, who had been sticking with us until the end and to all those that have sailed with us BEFORE THE MAST through the good and bad, holding on the rigging, for all that you have done to make our story an interesting one, because only your continued and dedicated participation in writing our story has allowed our writing community to flourish. I consider you all to be my friends, and you all, even those who have left, mean a lot to me. My door, my heart and my e-mail are always open to you all. Thank you very much for keeping with us till the end! Don’t forget that, now and later, anytime, for you my e-mail and my FB are always open for you. (The Discord too, until I get bored of it and give it up, because I won’t open a new site, ever…. and I doubt that I’d ever roleplay again too, even if this might have a 5% chance if I really love the story and I feel inspired).
During these ten years, we have witnessed writing partners graduating high school and Uni, getting their first work place, getting married or having children, rejoicing for their milestones. We have witnessed character growth, story growth and brainstorming. I think all of us have learnt something from this site which wasn’t exactly like the many others around them, and we are richer in soul and mind due to our international exchanges of opinions and knowledge. We have grown, each of us, both together and apart, and now that it is time to leave behind a completed story, we are ready to fly and soar for new goals in life. Good luck! We have built together memories which I hope would stand the passing of the time.
We have been productive – up to 6-th of August 2020, the cut-off date for any statistics, in ten years BEFORE THE MAST and under the CARIBBEAN DAWN, after having deleted the ballast – OOC posts, unfinished bios, advertisements, etc. -we have written over 30,200 posts in 1,402 threads, on 3 sites, out of which only 54 abandoned threads (3.9%) – a good score, given that in most RPGs, unfinished threads are more common than finished ones. [i]We do finish the stories we start, unless exceptional circumstances!
The statistics are as follows: For Before the Mast 1719 we wrote over 16,500 posts in 705 threads, out of which 31 (i.e. 4.4%) abandoned threads. For Before the Mast 1720 we wrote over 11,500 posts in 552 threads, out of which 535 completed and only 17 (3.1 %) archived threads. For Caribbean Dawn we wrote over 2,200 posts in 145 threads, out of which 139 completed and only 6 (3.8%) archived threads.
That is a success! Also, it is a success that our story is complete. Only one epilogue was started and not finished, going under the unfinished stories. A few others remained untold, but the fate of some characters is meant to remain forever a mystery. THIS IS THE SUMMARY of our ten years BEFORE THE MAST and under the CARIBBEAN DAWN. And this is a damn good work, I might say – and a Fleet Admiral is usually reserved with praise…
And now, after having counted our blessings, I wish you a nice summertime – or, well, what’s left of it, and as nice as this strange year affected by a very annoying pandemic can be – and lots of success in all your further endeavours. Mine are counted in books and literary prizes…
I am offering my warmest thanks, indiscriminately, to all the crew of “Caribbean Dawn”, who had been sticking with us until the end and to all those that have sailed with us BEFORE THE MAST through the good and bad, holding on the rigging, for all that you have done to make our story an interesting one, because only your continued and dedicated participation in writing our story has allowed our writing community to flourish. I consider you all to be my friends, and you all, even those who have left, mean a lot to me. My door, my heart and my e-mail are always open to you all. Thank you very much for keeping with us till the end! Don’t forget that, now and later, anytime, for you my e-mail and my FB are always open for you. (The Discord too, until I get bored of it and give it up, because I won’t open a new site, ever…. and I doubt that I’d ever roleplay again too, even if this might have a 5% chance if I really love the story and I feel inspired).
During these ten years, we have witnessed writing partners graduating high school and Uni, getting their first work place, getting married or having children, rejoicing for their milestones. We have witnessed character growth, story growth and brainstorming. I think all of us have learnt something from this site which wasn’t exactly like the many others around them, and we are richer in soul and mind due to our international exchanges of opinions and knowledge. We have grown, each of us, both together and apart, and now that it is time to leave behind a completed story, we are ready to fly and soar for new goals in life. Good luck! We have built together memories which I hope would stand the passing of the time.
Of course, we can leave only with the TRADITIONAL SEA SHANTY appropriate for a ship being paid off – her being, in our case, our beloved site:
Oh, the times were hard and the wages are low,
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her!)
I guess it’s time for us to go,
(And it’s time for us to leave her!)
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is done, and the winds don’t blow
and it’s time for us to leave her.
Oh the wind was foul an the sea ran high
Leave her, johnny, leave her
She shipped it green an’ none went by
An’ it’s time for us to leave her.
She would not wear and she would not stay
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her!)
She shipped great seas both night and day
(And it’s time for us to leave her!)
Now I thought I hear the old man say
leave her Johnny, leave her
Just one more pull and then belay
and it’s time for us to leave her.
The sails all furled, our work is done,
(Leave her, Johnny, leave her!)
and now ashore we’ll take our rum
and it’s time for us to leave her.
Melissa Jones (Christopher Newport University)
