Laura was the only CM here that I ever honestly felt like talking to past the bans and complaints. She was personable, and approachable with anything. And somehow she was able to see past the asshole I normally present to the forums, and talk to me as an equal in gaming and in general, never "looking down" at me from her staff pedestal.

We had many communications through PM, chat, and on the boards; from discussions of bannings/warnings I received ( God bless her for being able to find logic in some of my tirades ) to just good ol' banter about whatever games we were playing. Including convincing me that a daffodil-picking dwarf by the name of Sir Ladyflower Ironforge was just as viable and valid as any traditional axe-wielding dwarf.

I cannot, unfortunately, have the audacity to call her my friend as our relations never reached that personal of a level; also, I would not tarnish her image by claiming her to be friends with an ol' sourpuss such as myself without her being here and able to defend herself against such an atrocious accusation.

But honestly, I wish we had reached that level known as  friendship; for there would have been no higher honor that I could think of.

May she find a golden gaming table in Heaven so that she may continue to enjoy her passion unabated.

Rest in peace, Laura.

Jon,

Very nice memorial, Jon. Being a close friend of Laura undoubtedly made the task harder on you than normal perhaps, but you pulled it off smashingly. Kudos to you.

Rest in peace Laura.

R.I.P Laura,Taken much too young..

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uyKb_zu5dOE

Rest in Peace Laura,we miss you.

R.I.P

I only spoke to her twice via email last year. It was for a position here on mmorpg. I am not always a fan of the articles written here on MMORPG but I must say, this one is very touching and nicely written.

Awch, very sorry to hear that... She looked quite young, I suppose that made the shock even bigger. She sure has written some fine previews/reviews, and it's obvious she loved her job.

RIP

Rest in peace sweet heart.

How did she died? Had health complications? No offense, but it just bothers me.

R.I.P

My condolences to her family and friends.

I remember how let down I was finding out she was leaving MMORPG to go to CCP.  At the same time happy for her.

The name Taera was sorely missed on this site, and I noticed the change of forum personality after she left. 

So young, she was a keystone to this community and gaming communities as a whole. 

I will miss ya Taera (Laura)

On to the next great adventure Laura!!!

Do not mourn the dead but celebrate that such people have lived amongst us.

May the Heaven's welcome you and teach you about the world which is hidden from our eyes. Good luck Laura in your after-life! Cheers! You could've sticked around for a few more decades tough...

I am truelly sorry for the ones who knew you on our plane of existence.

PS : Put up a good word for us while you are up there !

Teara was awesome at putting me in my place when I'd go off on a tangent. When she'd see me getting a little excited on a thread she'd send me a quick reminder that I was taking things a little to far and it was time to pull back and grow up a tad.

Most of the time it worked, a few times it didn't.

She handed me my first temp ban ever on mmorpg.com (I'm sure I've deserved more) and I threw my little hissyfit. She just wrote: "I'm going to cut and paste what you had written and I had deleted, you tell me whether what I did was fair or not".

She was right and it burned my ass big time but what an awesome way to put it.

I wish I had gotten a chance to meet  her in person, she was one of those people you really wanted a chance to get to meet and talk with. I'm sure she'll be missed by all her friends, family and anyone who's ever met her, I know I'll think on her for a very long time.

G'night Laura, you were awesome.

Best wishes to all her family.

Warm Regards,

I had several IRC conversations with this young lady while she was at mmorpg.com, she was a gem :) Always upbeat and positive.

Will miss her, a sad loss for the MMORPG community.

Truely a sad day for the MMO community.  She will be missed greatly.

Condolences to family and friends.

RIP Laura..You will be forever missed!!

Hi guys,

I've been reading these responses and I know that laura would have loved to see what many of you had to say about her.

Laura's parents have requested that anyone in our community who feels like they want to should compose a short letter or story about Laura that can be sent to them through us here at MMORPG.com. You can email those to me at editor@mmorpg.com. Thanks.

R.I.P Laura

My condolences to her family,  friends and everyone who loved her.

Wow, I did not see this happening...

I wish the best to her family, and I hope they know how much we'll all miss her.

Maybe the day of her passing, the boards and website could stop for that day. Make it her day permanently, I think she deserves that and I don't think it would be too much of a strain on the site.

Throught the years I'm sure I was affected by something she did in someway whether it was lurking on the forums or going through articles. I was a big Tabula Rasa fan so I'm sure I read some of her works there.

I can't help but feel somewhat amazed and a little bit ashamed. She is my age and we've probably been in the MMO community the same time and she has accomplished so much more than myself. I can't help but feel I wish I was more like her. She is a prime example of what a great mmo-er is.

GG Taera

/salute

Best wishes to her friends and family.

May God cradle you in his loving arms. You will be missed, dear Laura. My deepest condolences to your family.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTsw4g-cxgQ&feature=related

DB

R.I.P. godspeed.

Very sad news indeed...RIP