#deactivated users

i scrolled through an author's works earlier on a whim, someone who has been on ao3 for almost 11 years and written their fair share of works and stories in that time. for no reason other than curiosity, i clicked on their final work from december 2021, a completed 300k epic for a fandom i'd never heard of. and ending the last chapter's opening notes were the words "and with these final words, i bid you adieu."

the author has responded to comments and the like since then, but the force and placement of those words was like a 10-ton wrecking ball on my ribcage.