На днях мне, как пользователю форумов сайта "The Abh Nation" (
http://www.abhnation.com/ ), пришло сообщение от администратора ресурса. К сожалению, судя по названию темы, вы уже, верно, догадались о его смысле. Нация Ав - самый большой западный фан-ресурс по вселенной "Seikai no Saga" - закрывается. Причина этого, как и обычно в случаях подобного рода, заключается в низкой активности пользователей ресурса. В первую очередь это касается форума. И если для таких проектов, как АниМаг, - это не фатально (уверен, что данную тему едва ли прочитает с десяток человек, а ответа, скорее всего, не будет ни одного), то для фан-сайтов, наподобии "The Abh Nation", фактически означает состояние стазиса. Беда таких ресурсов заключается в слишком большой зависимости от выбранной ими тематики. Если вещь известная, культовая и её создатели постоянно выпускают в свет что-нибудь новое, то фан-сайты живут. Если же пополнения контента не происходит, то сайты рано или поздно, начинают приходить в упадок. По "Seikai no Saga" в последние годы, увы, ничего нового так и не вышло. Остаётся лишь надеяться, что кто-нибудь загорится желанием принять жезл командующего и повести Нацию Ав к новым высотам. Приведу обращение
ACIDSTEALTH'а, администратора ресурса. Оно действительно грустное, но в то же время весьма торжественное:
My fellow citizens of The Abh Nation, I come before you today, the 2,175th day of my administration as your Commander-and-Chief, to bring you grave news. For as long as there has been a series called, "Seikai no Monshou/Senki", there has been a torch with a flame on it. Only a few great leaders have carried this Torch of Seikai. It has been passed down from one generation of fans, to the next. As the torch grows dim, one generation must surrender it to the next to keep the fire burning. 2,175 days ago, a great leader vanished, leaving the torch for anyone who dared to pick it up. On that day, I picked up the torch, and The Abh Nation was born. With your help I grew the tiny flame into a roaring fire. The Abh Nation reached an unprecedented level of prosperity. The light became blinding.
I am afraid however, that that blinding light has long since faded into the burning embers of a once glorious nation. As your Commander-and-Chief, I have held this great Torch of Seikai through its greatest hours, and it's darkest hours. However I have failed to keep the fire burning. I stopped fueling the fire. I stopped adding new content to the nation. I became content to watch the nation grow, rather than help it grow. The nation stopped growing, and now so much work has been undone. The fire is as dim now as it was when I first picked up this Torch of Seikai.
As I ponder the future of The Abh Nation, I've realized that my focus has shifted to the preservation of The Abh Nation, not the success of the Seikai fan community. I built the greatest Abh nation the world has ever seen. The Abh Nation has dominated the Seikai world for ages, like a new Roman Empire. However just as the Roman Empire collapsed, so too shall The Abh Nation. On that day, the Torch of Seikai shall hit the ground with a thud. There it shall lie until another great leader rises to the occasion. I know not who this leader will be, but just as the previous bearer of the torch let go, neither did she know who the new leader would be.
I come before you today, the 2,175th day of my administration as your Commander-and-Chief of the most glorious Abh Nation in the history of the world, to bring you news. Effective 1200 hours (GMT-6), April 20th, 2009, on the 2,200th day of my administration, I shall resign my position as your Commander-and-Chief. In doing so, I shall willingly do what I should have done a long time ago. I will drop the Torch of Seikai so that a new leader can bring the Seikai community into a new era of greatness.
I had deeply hoped to hand pick an individual to lead The Abh Nation into a new era of greatness. I have searched high and low for someone with the qualities I feel are needed to hold such a powerful position. Regrettably, after nearly two and a half years, I have failed to find that person. The Abh Nation will now be without a leader. The empire shall collapse, as all great empires inevitably do. On that day, as I resign my command of the nation, the doors will close. I cannot know what future awaits the Seikai fans that have called this nation home for so long. I offer my deepest sympathies in advance, to all those of whom will be sorrowed by my decision to resign. However I predict a brighter future for Seikai without The Abh Nation. Already, for the first time in many years, I have seen members working to revitalize the community. I have high hopes that from this group of dedicated fans will arise a new leader. This leader will build a new nation of the Abh. This new Abh nation will become ten times greater than The Abh Nation ever was. Eventually however, like the first Abh nation, this new Abh nation will falter, and collapse. It's leader will surrender the torch to yet another generation of fans, who will build an Abh nation ten times greater than the second, and one hundred times greater than the first. After all, together we built an Abh nation ten times greater than anything that came before us.
I cannot know what future awaits you all. I have been privileged to call many of you my friends. It is my hope that this decision will not bring ill will upon me. Two years ago I tried to close the doors if a certain level of activity was not reached. Though the forums never reached that goal, I held out hope and rescinded my decision. Since then, the amount of activity on the site has continued to plummet to fewer than 10 posts per day. The flame of the torch has almost died out now, and I must do what I should have done two years ago. This time my decision is final. The Abh Nation's Forum will close its doors forever. Approximately one week prior to my resignation, I will prepare the nation for a long rest. The main site will remain open to traffic. The, "Contact Me" page will be disabled. The main site will continue to operate under The Abh Nation's National Archives. When users access the site, they will be directed from a splash screen to the archives, where they can then navigate to the main site. The Abh Nation will live on, only as a reference for the new leaders of the Seikai community. And to those leaders I say, "rise now, for the honor of leading the Seikai community has now passed from me to you".
I will begin making the necessary preparations one week prior to my resignation. The forums shall remain open through the last day so that members can make last minute farewells and gather any data stored in their accounts. On my last day serving as your Commander-and-Chief, I shall address the nation again. It will be my last address to the nation, and shall be of a more personal nature.
I hope that in the years to come, a new generation of fans will look to The Abh Nation as the gold standard, and aspire to surpass that standard. The immediate future may seem bleak and difficult, but I have the utmost confidence in your abilities to lead the new generation of fans to greatness. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with you all.
Чтобы хоть как-то утешить тех, кому это не безразлично, спешу сообщить о том, что нашёлся энтузиаст, решивший перевести трилогию "Звездный Герб" на русский язык. Его труд можно найти по следующему адресу:
http://ushwood.narod.ru/cots/cots.html
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