Sunday, June 15th, 2008
Issue: 78   Editor: SupaDupaNyxxie


Farewell Air! JamesDean
On Tuesday afternoon, most of us were surprised to see a thread in the game forum titled “My Resignation.” Leading up to this day, a lot of players seemed to think that a member of the Elite Guard might be leaving. We were all a little surprised when the thread appeared not because of it’s creation in the game forum, but more so because of the author listed beside it. Air was officially announcing that he was the Moderator who would be leaving the EG.

I can still remember the day he was promoted to Moderator, back during the week of April 22nd, 2007. It was this same day that he welcomed me to the Bootleggers Buzz team. Air had been a member of the Help Desk for well over a year, and served as the Editor of the Buzz since the closing weeks of the last round. With his knowledge of the game and willingness to help others, he seemed like a great choice for the new Moderator duties which would be required of him. Within the first two days, Air played a major part in lowering the amount of open tickets from 2,053 to 1,424 in the Help Desk. We as players knew he was going to do great things as a Moderator.

It was also during this first two days that he took a few moments to speak to us for a Buzz article written by Nyxxie. The biggest difference for him would be having “very few limitations now. When I was HDO I wanted to just jump in and get dupes banned, where as I can now do that," he told us. He admitted that he would have less time to speak to friends as he wanted to focus on his duties, but would still make time to do both. Air would prove this statement to be correct, showing us that he wasn’t just a Moderator, but also a friend to many of us. In terms of his role on the Buzz team, he advised us that “I didn't use the Buzz to get me to this point so I don't plan to forget it and ditch the writers who've put a lot of effort into the Buzz. They deserve something back. I'll continue to edit the Buzz along with Nyxxie, as the only thing that will stop me from doing so is if real-life and Mod'ship get a bit too crowded together for me to handle the job as editor of the Buzz.”

Again, he showed us that loyalty and friendship were very important traits he possessed by continuing to help the Buzz team for 6 more months up until issue 46, published on October 28th, 2007. It was at that point that he turned the reigns over to Nyxxie to focus on his role as a Senior Moderator. Over these last seven and a half months, Air continued to work hard for the players, never compromising his integrity, or turning his back on friends. It was these traits that made him such a great staff member and an even better friend. It’s also a reason that ninety-nine percent of the comments in his resignation thread were very kind ones. He leaves us with a final ticket count of 7,768 tickets closed, which doesn’t even begin to show the hard work he put into being a Moderator or even a small percent of the things he accomplished.

Air, on behalf of the Buzz team and the large majority of players on Bootleggers, we want to thank you for being honest, loyal, hard working, dedicated, and most importantly, a friend to all of us. You made a difference in this game and won’t be forgotten. We wish you the best of luck and hope you have fun in everything that you do on this game from this day forward.

In closing out this article, I would also like to do something different and take a moment to make a personal statement to thank you for being my friend. You helped me join the Buzz team, achieve the role of head writer, and even thought enough of me to help make my goal of joining the Help Desk become a reality. It’s been a fun four years on this game and I have met a lot of interesting people on here. You are one of the few that I will always consider as a close friend outside of the game. Thanks for everything!

Below is the statement made by Air in his resignation thread:


Quote:
Sorry to say everyone but I’m off. I was originally going to make a long thread but I’ve discussed things with Sabin instead.

I’ve enjoyed every moment of my time as a Mod and wouldn’t change it for the world. I’ve learned a lot, gained a lot of experience and new friends.

Thanks to everyone who’s helped me out along the way, just don’t dislike a Mod because of how they ban someone. Judge them on their time in the Elite Guard and their ability to fulfill their job professionally. Keep playing, keep killing and keep the game going.

I’m going to suicide this account. Any future plans on BL instead of quitting? There’s always something.