I first met Elliot in 2015 when he joined our community. As writers both so intoxicated by the turn-of-the-century internet, we fell quickly into relaxed conversation. We stayed online friends for three years. Though never meeting offline, his became a screen name I always scanned chat for when I joined each day. From Elliot (to us, abraxas), we could expect engaging conversation, encouragement, support, and the occasional beautiful turn of phrase. He inspired us all both artistically and as a human being. I remember feeling really nervous about submitting a piece to an online journal; when I brought it up in chat it was Elliot who turned my nerves into excitement. I remember when he joined chat from a modded dreamcast; it made my imagination go wild. I had recently started thinking of him every time I saw a Mazda; I didn't even know what a Miata was before getting to know Elliot. When I talk about our community, people often don't understand why it's compelling. They might not consider online friends as "real," or somehow not as substantive as their offline friends. When justifying our community to new people, it's friendships like the one I had with Elliot that I talk about. Elliot's last word in chat was "inexorable." It fits; we will forever feel an ache to see the name abraxas appear in chat again. Nothing can make up for his loss. Rest in peace, my friend. _. //\\ //\ | |\\ // \\ trove of memories \V//| | more circuitous the route || inexorable ||/ . , _ . ., || _ ., _ . ^ ' ` '