Well, what an exchange. Glad to see it's settled though (Of course, I always miss it initially 'cause I gotta sleep). For my part, I'll say that I echo Rockette's sentiment on the lone aspect of availability. Considering my own situations, I know exactly how it feels to need to disappear for a long while with little explanation, but I'd also appreciate it if those who take part in this recognize the importance of not just staying around if you decide to commit, but communicating thoroughly. We're switching from a rather large group to a smaller, more tight-knit kind of experience and the steadiness of player participation is one of the goals we hope to achieve with that switch. That's pretty much all I have to say on the matter though as Rockette hit on these subjects and more pretty well. 

With all that said, hope to see everyone involved enjoy themselves and enjoy their characters. Our combined efforts will create an awesome experience. 

EDIT - My second character is up, just to let everyone know.