I genuinely feel blindsided by it, and it's weird to think that someone who I've only ever really interacted with in passing could leave such a mark with their passing. I'm sure there's a para-social aspect to it of them being a pillar of the community and effectively creating all this, but it still *feels* like we all lost someone we knew personally. I remember stumbling onto this side two decades ago and seeing pictures of Sciggles and 'Neer up everywhere. It felt like they were everywhere, and for a time they were. The first time I saw them was at my first ever Furcon, and I didn't even go over and say anything, I was way too nervous, which is a super silly thing to say now. A few years down the line, I remember briefly interacting with 'Neer when they came through a local con and I was volunteering at the time. I recognized his badge and said the usual "hey" before going about what I was doing, but rather than walking on he had said something back. Something infinitely small, but the older I've gotten, the more I've realized that it's the folks that take the time for the small things that are the ones to be around.

I know there's been no scarcity of drama with things behind closed doors with 'Neer and other folks, but this fandom has never had a shortage of drama, and eventually you sort of get a bit numb to it all. Admittedly I've never been very good at following furry drama news, but I hope it all resolved well before the end.

Rest easy, big guy, we'll carry things from here.