Date: 03/04/2020
Memorial of Honor. The place where Mebius Warrior of Lights rest, a place which marks The End and new beginning. But to me, is in different level of perspective.
It was my family trip for coming Chinese New Year celebration in Hong Kong, right before panics of COVID-19 or it was called as Wuhan Virus. Many things could happen within flash of light. Even “End of Service” announcement from SQEX for MobiusFF.
It happened on 16th January 2020, right after we landed from airport to our usual hotel in Nathan Road, and i got connected with WiFi Internet. And the announcement news appeared right on top of my usual News list of MFF.
I was speechless, neither happy nor furious. I just accepted it, just not completely yet. I didn’t want to let my parents be anxious of MFF again (due to previous quarrels closely related to its community and addictions), so I tried my best to pretend nothing is going on. Surely, sometimes i was about to leak that news when we have little conflicts, but i did not.
After scrolling through Twitter’s timeline, full with gratitude posts of MFF players who enjoyed the game, so did i replied on MFF’s Twitter post with my gratitude. But that’s not enough, in my opinion. Seeing many players including newer ones will be fallen into nothingness, not even a mark that proves their existence in Palamecia. Nor even a proper sendoff graveyard…that sparked my light as an idea.
I wanted to figure the reactions of players what if i create that site that commemorates the players in Palamecia, so i posted a tweet. There were many reactions and some retweeted to share more news about it before it even released. In the same time, i begin to design the project: the MFF_MEMORIAL
File: Index.html (for Landing Site) UI design libraries: Bootstrap and self-written CSS Javascript Libraries: Firebase SDK, AngularFire (former), VueJS (current) Firebase Console (for applying real-time database(RtDB), configuring Database security and monitoring) Administration Page (localhost-ed, CRUD Operations), otherwise i will be crazy to read and update according after 100 lines of names.
It took me one night to finish build the prototype site, and i pushed it to be live within 2 days. And so the tweet of official release is published. After that was done, so was my body. I had a long sigh, my fingers felt exhausted, never felt that quite a while since i was involved in high paced IT projects (i probably getting older physically haha). Then i went outside with family, had a dinner, had a walk around the streets. I didn’t purchase any oversea simcard for travelling, so i only can reach internet access once i back to hotel room.
The moment when i opened my Twitter, i saw more than 50 notifications within 2 hours. That was first time i encountered, yet i read the Retweet Replies slowly, one by one. Every message was filled with gratitude, hope and warmness. I held myself back from shedding tears (I’m an adult man damn !), but it did leaked abit from my eyes, and i smiled. That feeling was nostalgic just like when we seen Mog fades away in Chapter 2. It was unforgettable.
Every hour, i checked the memorial site (don’t have to refresh the page because it’s real time connected with database, so it will reconnect once detected internet connection). Of course, there were some little trouble makers by submitting non-sense / unsafe names to the site. Mostly from global server (Of course i could place tracker, but i rather not), but it was short time, probably treated the site as way to express their anger/sadness. I wasn’t furious, but i being rational, adding validation methods (duplicate names, banned foul keywords etc.) as security to make sure everyone is treated and respected equally, as Warrior of Light who fought in world of Palamecia. I hope every visitor of the site can respect the place just like how we treat a proper grave ceremony.
The entire process of making stability, took about 7 days or more precisely every 2 hours per day. My parents didn’t aware what i was building, so i told them it’s just a commemorate site, otherwise we’re going to have a long debate (not quarel at least (smile)). But this meant a lot to me. Not just as WFang in MFF, nor as a programmer who wanted to finish what he have started, but also a regular person, who wanted send his gratitude properly for amazing world that MFF given to us all, and build his graveyard in advance.
Along the period of 3 months, i have been chatting and collaborating with Payu-san, a talented MFF illustrator to make an illustration with The End theme. He/She agreed to help, and did for FREE. I’m really touched and grateful not just for the work dedications despite busy schedule with other illustrations, but also his/her passions towards MFF that we loved.
You didn’t read it wrongly, it is my graveyard. In this modern world era of technologies, yes there are many ways of doing such. But i have seen many life and deaths in my life, so i being optimistic and be prepared. I will tell my dearest ones, to replace my name (WFang) with real name beside it, to convey that’s a place where i was belonged to:
The End
And also,
None shall remember those who doesn’t fight. 戦わない者は、誰も覚えない
Done with today’s writing.
MEBIUS LOVE
WFang