Into exile I must go

Question

"Ahch-To". No, you did not need to say "Gesundheit". However, if you didn't, you're getting off light according to Loki.

I have grown intensely jealous of a certain elusive Jedi who had taken several years of relaxing and staring at rocks while everyone in the Galaxy was doing actual work. Apparently, he learned all the right things from Yoda.

So the Force is guiding me to follow his example (what, why are Jedi the only ones allowed to blame the Will of the Force for everything?)

So, into exile I must go.

I would like to thank the Academy, my parents, and my coke dealer sorry, wrong speech.

I would like to thank the people who have made my time on the site good, better, great.

• Those who welcomed me as a brand new user and were kind enough not to close all of my newbie questions.

• Those who posted awsome answers that provided information about fictional universes I loved (or introduced me to ones I wasn't familiar with).

• Those who posted great or simply thought provoking questions, forcing me to dig deeper into the works I love and learn more about them than I ever thought possible.

• Those who expressed their appreciation of (what I hope was, to an extent, largely quality) content offered for other's benefit in my posts.

• I would also like to thank those who have had kind or encouraging words for me in the last couple of days. The only reason I won't name anyone is because I'm sure to forget someone and that wouldn't be fair to them.

  • I would like to single out @randalthor, for the last formal thank you, for a wide variety of reasons, not all of them recent.

Just like Yoda, my exile won't start the moment this is posted. I still have to deal with Padme's birth owe several people some answers, so most likely I will stop in about a week.

status-exiled

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To avoid idle rumours in chat interspersed with the hushed "are we allowed to talk about this?" neuroses, I'd like to clarify a few things I anticipate will be hypothecized, aloud or not:

• No, I'm not ragequitting. I might return, although when that happens is... I'm'akjustgonnablametheForce again. What do you mean "The Force Doesn't Work Like That"?

• There are numerous varied reasons for me to suspend my activities on the site. Not all of the reasons having to do with the site in the first place.

• No, the moderators/CMs did not ask me to quit "or else" :) Or just asked me to quit. Or even suggested it to me directly.

  The only person i'm aware of who explicitly asked me to do this is the voice in my head.

  The fact that there is a voice in my head clearly should have been one of the reasons contributing to my decision.

• Having said that, some of the moderation patterns and actions by individual moderators, both recent and not, definitely contributed to my decision.

• This was not directly caused by the activity of a specific user that 90+% of those reading this post would suspect as the main reason.

  While the recent happenings helped crystallize my decision, the specific words uttered by a specific user were NOT in any way the direct cause.

  • To prove that the symmetry of the Universe is a mysterious thing, ironically, my decision was strongly contributed to by a specific user; that an overwhelming majority of those reading this would not ever suspect. I was among that majority :)

• No, the chat suspension wasn't a factor at all.

  I honestly do NOT object to the suspension itself, at all (I do object to who got suspended vs. not suspended, but that's water under the bridge and not worth my time to expound on or anyone else's to read).

  _{Incidentally, to kill the rumour I saw going around and frankly, am a bit offended by, my recently increased posting activity had nothing to do with suspension EXCEPT that it freed up even more of my free time (on top of year end vacation days off) to enjoy researching and posting.}

• I currently have no idea how long I'll be gone, and how complete my "gone-ness" will be.

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• _{I'm not sure if this will affect official chat policy in any way, but in case it matters: people have my 100% permission to discuss myself or anything pertaining to myself as a user in chat, by name. No exceptions. No objections. "Be nice" rule would hopefully still would apply :)}

• _{If anyone wishes to contact me, you can @-ping me on the site; or if in private, my email address is in my SFF user profile.}

Answer 1

Thanks for introducing me to a world of science fiction I couldn't imagine

I just joined this specific StackExchange about a month ago. I don't think there is a single post by you that I haven't read. Your posts really (and I mean really) made me enjoy this site. I didn't realize how in-depth Star Wars really is, and to be honest, you turned me into a complete geek. EVERY QUESTION I had was answered by you in a way that made Star Wars seem fun and amazing. Although there are a lot of great posters here, you specifically stood out to me when I joined this site.

I used to read your awesome posts during class, and I still laugh about escaping in a Victory Oil Truck. It's a shame you're going, but I hope this isn't the last I see you!

Just be careful out in the world! Remember, “It’s a trap!”

Answer 2

May the Force be with you, DVK.

Answer 3

I shall assume this is au revoir rather than goodbye.

Answer 4

You gave thanks to a lot of people in your farewell post,¹ but the biggest one of all should be to you rather than from you.

Thank you, DVK

• for your generally very high-quality questions and answers over more than 4 years on this site (recently I mentioned several of these among my nominations for best posts of the quarter)

• for your friendliness and good spirit (not everyone will agree with me on this, but I don't ever remember seeing you treating anyone on this site in a way I'd condemn)

  • You've been called 'abrasive' on this site, and (I think) even agreed with that assessment. But frankly, I like a bit of blunt honesty from someone who has strong opinions and doesn't suffer fools gladly - it's better than false sincerity, at any rate.

• for sticking around for so long, continuing to provide great posts to the community, in spite of everything you've been through (sometimes people seem to think having plenty of rep deprives one of human emotions, to judge from the amount of flack a lot of top users get - it's tough at the top).

Looking to the future ...

Although you'll certainly be missed, and your absence will be keenly felt - especially by the many askers of Star Wars and Harry Potter questions (as well as the not-quite-so-many askers of Ender's Game and Hunger Games questions), and also by those who've come to know you and enjoy interacting with you here - at the end of the day, you have to put your own life first. I'm sure you have much better and more useful things to do than spend time on a Q&A site answering questions about imaginary people in imaginary worlds :-)

Hanging out on Stack Exchange is all well and good as long as you enjoy it. When life is no longer a joy, a new perspective is a requirement. If you aren't finding this site fun any more, then (much as it pains me to say it) you're making the right decision.

And after all, it's not goodbye for ever. You'll still come back (hopefully more often rather than less, and sooner rather than later) and still provide awesome content. When you do, we'll be waiting for you, armed with smiles and upvotes!

One thing is sure: you will NEVER be forgotten.

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¹ _{On a more personal note, I'm flattered that you singled me out for a special mention in your thanks, over plenty of people who've been on this site and known to you for much longer. It's a tough game to win your respect, and I'm honoured to have done so.}

Answer 5

I'm sorry to see you leave. I regret the fact that we butted heads, but I have enjoyed the times when we got along. You're a great guy, and you have been an enormous asset to the site.

I hope you come back, and sooner than later. SF&F owes you a debt of gratitude.

May the Force be with you.

Answer 6

Awww.

The internet is a strange place. I really don't know you, or anything about you. And yet I'm quite sad about this. You're contributions to the Harry Potter tag have been outstanding and I have learnt a lot. Certainly, when I joined, it was clear I was in the company of a profoundly knowledgeable individual and whenever I saw DVK at the end of an answer (which was quite a lot in the Harry Potter tag), I knew it would be trustworthy and valuable.

*Thinks of Lupin at the end of PoA*

Answer 7

I am sad to see you go, and I hope you won't be gone long. I have enjoyed learning from your many answers on this site (especially Star Wars). Thank you for your contributions -- your site reputation is well deserved.

_{On the bright side, your exile means you won't beat me to answering Star Wars questions like you have a tendency to do. Your answers have slowed my progress on the gold Star Wars tag badge since I need to post 200 answers for it. Now if I could only get @Richard to go into exile, too, I'd get there even faster...}

Answer 8

The saying goes...

...and so they must

May I say THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING @DVK!

You've contributed so very much to this site and made it a much more knowledgeable place.

So, for now I say

and remember to

In the mean time, we shall all await the

Answer 9

I hope you find what you're looking for and wish you the best.

Answer 10

Unfortunately I have been off the SF grid for a while, only answering questions in other sites, so I am really unpleasantly surprised now after reading your goodbye.

To prove that the symmetry of the Universe is a mysterious thing, ironically, my decision was strongly contributed to by a specific user; that an overwhelming majority of those reading this would not ever suspect. I was among that majority :)

Strangely I must admit I feel a bit addressed. Unbeknowst to the others we had a small number of run-ins on other sites and at least for me it was pretty clear from the onset that while we share a certain trait of directness our convictions and personal views are vastly different.

Given our differences perhaps you can accept something which can be easier dismissed from a more friendly side: It is also pretty clear for me that you were (and still are) an integral part and a building block of Sci-Fi Stackexchange. I do not know if you really acknowledged it; well, you have it now from me.

There is an idiom in German: You can only appreciate what you had if you have lost it. The Great Suspension was really bad news, it teared a very large and conspicous hole in Mos Eisley. I think one reason was that you really liked this site and this love was reciprocated. Therefore whatever you do, do not think lightly of your presence in SFF, it had a strong positive impact which will last a very long time.

Gesundheit !

Answer 11

Safe travels. Watch out for any filthy mudbloods.

Answer 12

Oh no! You will be missed, Sir.

Answer 13

There will always be some disingenuousness by officials, both by volunteer officials and by paid Company Men (CMs), on a site that works only when profiteers can sell advertisers the right to slap adverts on other people's freely donated material.

Those who don't want to be corrupted, who are here above all because they enjoy really getting into science fiction and fantasy, and mixing with others who have similar interests, should take an "enjoy it while it lasts" approach.

Thanks for all your contributions, DVK. Your enthusiasm has been contagious. That you're getting out or scaling down now, though it means a loss to many of us, speaks greatly in your favour.