frons posted and so I must as well
I joined sometime during high school, and over the years, I slowly realized that I was no longer a newbie. I had achieved
unc status. Not
grand-unc status, that's of course reserved for the likes of solus, frons, elz, wake, baron (both of them), etc etc... but still, it was funny that I'd been here so long that I could actually say
"back in my day.." and look back on how things were pre-map-change, the old spawn area, the old magic system, the old alchemy "system" (very generous use of the word)... all of that shit. My time here has had ups and downs, but honestly, it was overall pretty good.
My time with my first ever OC, Althalos, is all but wiped from my memory for good reason. This was the first real RP server I'd joined, and I didn't even play DnD. I had no clue how any of this worked, I made an edgy character, I probably engaged in a lot of melodrama, and
I styled all my early posts on the forums like this, idk why. But then again I was just a teen, so give me a break!
My second OC, Asero, is my magnum opus for sure. In terms of his story arc, accomplishments, and the bonds he made in my time playing him, I'm so happy with my RP here, and so glad I interacted with all the people/characters that I did. I truly ENJOYED playing Asero and experiencing Altera through him, so much so that since January 4, 2017, this was the only character I played. All the fights with bandits and monsters, the ongoing trophy-collecting, the many, many (messy) romances, and the pyromancy journey - it was also so damn fun.
I played him consistently until I took a break for about a year or such (college and irl). But I eventually found myself interested to come back, and honestly, the final year-ish that I came back for was the best time I've had on HW (recency bias). I owe that all to
Fronslin . As soon as I came back, he extended an invite to join Frostlight, that witchy, peaceful, no-PvP-allowed (especially not if you're TPing over half the map for it c: ) wintery village up north. Frons had been my friend for a while, Asero knew Fronslin and they had plenty history. But I think joining the village, learning about what was new, and really immersing myself in the Frostlight project made me appreciate him much more: he was super generous, almost to a fault, pretty level-headed, and just fun to shoot the shit with. Through Frostlight, I came to know and RP with so many sick folks:
Ruu Darling with Isabelle, the one that got away.
The_VALKYRIE with Valtae, the motherly, always-reliable healer.
AbsentUser with Arvyth, the loveable, everyman smith.
hayhaiya with Eirlys, the toxic lover. The list honestly goes on forever, which is a testament to what a welcoming and open community Frons fostered.
I also had two stints as staff in lore department (i really loved doing lore). The second time around was rather lackluster, I mainly just formatted forum posts and contributed to minor releases. The first time around was a banger though, I gave y'all motherfuckers
ALCHEMY. A whole ass document of potions, each thought out with in-universe uses and weaknesses, a set of rules to their usage, and even extensive lore surrounding the craft itself to help people RP it like smithing. Of course, it wasn't just me: I have to thank Magic Intern, Solus, and Jasper for the early potion brainstorming sessions. And I must also thank the team for letting me pursue this, as it was my passion project, and for finalizing and releasing it as I left the server.
I ended up losing interest, log-ins became more infrequent, and eventually I decided to exit quietly - no goodbye post or fanfare. In that time, I've graduated with my degree, found a passion for playing shows, and turned 22. I actually had the bug to RP again a month ago - but when I logged onto the forums, I saw pure chaos and constant drama. I could tell the community was on its deathbed. Which, imo, is okay: all good things must end, and HW had a damn long run of being good. But HW was always about the community, and it's been neat to see people of all eras come back to post their goodbye messages. I add mine to that
here i give a shoutout to their family to special people
Edouard2000 for being the homie, I knew him since early Asero days. He played Edger, Asero's best friend and favorite smith. I had so much fun wasting hooooours brainstorming crazy ideas that would
never get approved by lore... nonetheless, we tried a shitton of them, to varying results. The clear metal idea. The evisral steel idea. The "what if eating the magic puss cures the disease?" idea. Or all our discussions about Evisicsm, or the most OP HollowCrafting combinations. Also this is the man that sparked Asero's ass. love ya brother
Lovelyninja567 for being my bestie frfr. I still remember that one day out of the blue she reached out to RP, and we started RPing more and more from there. She eventually invited me to her cursed server where I made more friends, and then a long time later, she joined Frostlight and we got to continue terrorizing each other in discord. I have her saved as "Ratscallion" on my phone and I get her with deez nuts jokes on a daily basis.
Fronslin already glazed him in the post but obligatory. Gotta shoutout the man for making my final year on HW the most enjoyable, for being a glue that brought so many cool folks together, and for being one of Asero's best friends as Frost.
I am Wake for being the coolest librarian/archivist. Lana and Wake's knowledge of the world/server was extensive and enlightening. More than that though, I loved Lana as a character and thought she had such cool energy. Of course, I am biased. I felt like Lana seemed to acknowledge Asero and his achievements in a way that felt so genuine - I always appreciated that.
yes there are more but this is a long post. sucks to suck !!