is the long, slow, and painful death of Final Fantasy XI, and with it, my character Laancer. She's been with me since 2003, in one way or another--everyday for four years, and then again in 2016, and sporadically since, just to say hello. It's hard for me to comprehend that Vana'diel, the world of Final Fantasy XI, isn't real. Reliving this game moves me to tears. Not many people play it anymore. The cities that were once full of thousands are empty now. It's a lonely, ghostly world without ghosts. Laancer or anyone else won't leave any traces of themselves once they're gone, and eventually Vana'diel will vanish, too. Entire electronic worlds appear and are loved and forgotten and then disappear. This is Laancer's long goodbye.