Staff Letter to the Community: New Year, New Beginnings

[Faris]

Hello everyone.

We hope you are all doing well. It has been another tough year across the globe unfortunately, with COVID-19 still affecting our lives, the new variant causing a spike in cases. Though hopefully, with vaccination and booster numbers on the rise, the end of the pandemic is hopefully close. The staff hopes that with the new year having already arrived for some, and soon arriving for the rest, that better days are on the horizon for everyone. We sincerely hope that things improve for everyone, which is what Aurora is about, a community that has a medium that brings joy to us.

Much like last year, Aurora has grown, and positively. There are always rough patches in the life of a community, but what is important is that we learn from it and move it. The staff team has had many people join it for the variety of roles, and to those still around along with those that have retired, a thank you for their efforts in making Aurora what it is today. We would also like to thank the contributions of the community as a whole for making Aurora what it is today. This community is the result of the collaborative effort of everyone that is part of it or was part of it.

Another big topic this year is the NBT, an example of the collaborative effort between staff and community members. A project in the making for the last few years, with an announced play testing date set for the 22nd of January. It is our hope that it will be an enjoyable experience. It is also important to note for projects like these, constructive feedback is vital to ensure a positive growth.

 

To copy something we said in the last annual letter.

We appreciate you. Old or new, you have all been a boon to this community, each in their own way contributing, making friends and giving us memories that we cherish. You are all what makes this community special to each of us and we are happy to have you here with us.

We wish you the best. Times have been hard, we have all handled some measure of hardship this year. We truly wish and hope the best for you, and hope this community has been a respite this year. 

Be nice to each other. The community benefits from being friendly and inclusive. So be nice to each other, and even should any of us be rude or crass to another, know that there is nothing wrong with apologizing. Life is too short to hold on to grudges or bad feelings when it can be corrected. Even the people with the best intentions can make mistakes without malice, and it is our belief you all have the best intentions. 

 

Lastly, the staff team would like to take this chance to encourage people to adhere to appropriate safety protocols and precautions as prescribed by medical professionals during this recent resurgence of COVID-19.

Thank you for the good memories, and we hope that more are made as the community continues to grow. Happy New Year!

[Scheveningen]

Wishing you lot a happy holiday and I hope your luck with Aurora continues/improves onto the next year.

[Yaku]

I wish everyone a good new year and i hope Aurora will persist for a very long time! While i have not been as active as of late i still love the community and the mutual respect with which we approach eachother. I still hope that i am sometime able to contribute something aswell i have already fiddled around by making some music or some spriting though im a beginner in these aspects. With so many dedicated coders, sprite artist, ,wiki maintainers and lore gifted people i kind of have an urge to do something aswell! Prehaps sometime i will be able to contriube something!