Xero!!!!!

You were my fearless raid leader. You were my partner in snark. You were one of the only people in the world who could bring up Pathologic in the middle of P6S. You always knew just what buttons you could push to get me to argue but without making me actually mad, because you were ultimately empathetic and understanding and trying to look out for everyone. You were (often) my melee partner, so when one of us inevitably goofed up a mechanic, we’d go together (unless I used my invuln). I’ll never forget how many times you killed me with poison puddles during Pinax–because you knew you could Ingress/Egress to get to a spot quickly, so you wanted to save people time running. I remember realizing in P3S while we were trying to explain mechanics that we understood the mechanic in the same way while the other half of the raid was thinking of it in a totally different way. There are so many little precious memories I have of you because I had the honor of raiding with you.

I think I only played one set of Strive with you, and I wanted to play more but I was afraid to bother you by asking, so I guess I’ll sorely regret that forever. You played more often with Star, and I always loved to hear about it. I wish we could have had an Asuka mirror match. I’m sad I’ll never know how you played him from one shadow wizard money gang enthusiast to another.

You were our dungeon master for Exandria and let me and my boyfriend be absolute gremlins even though you had no obligation to. You gave me some of the best, most self-indulgent plot hooks. We still talk about Exandria, you know! Thank you so much for all of those wonderful memories and storylines. You were the perfect kind of DM: the kind that cares more about whether the players are having fun than anything else.

Thank you for not just including me but actively inviting me to share in your life and hobbies. Thank you for all of the good vibes and fun stories you brought to everyone around you. Thank you for Dragoon Dark Dome and screaming when you fell off the P7S platform. Thank you for all the shit you gave me because you realized I’m one step removed from a debatebro and actually, being a little argumentative can be fun.  Thank you for all the times you showed up in my DMs just to chill or ask questions or link me something you thought I’d like.

I never realized how much joy you brought to the world until you were gone. I can’t believe how much I miss you.