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CandleJakk

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Thank You, Ryan Davis.

Today, we as a global community united through games, journalism and where these trades meet we shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of Ryan. I don't know that I can say anything that hasn't already been expressed by anyone. Firstly though, I'm sorry for what those closest to him have had to endure this last week. Hearing the news is bad enough first time around, but to sit on it for it almost a full week, knowing you'll have to write about it, announce it on the site, thinking through the right words to say. That must be truly devastating. You're stronger than I would have been, if faced with that task.

It almost feels ridiculous writing an obituary of sorts for a man I never met, yet after following Giant Bomb for a good six years now, hearing his voice almost every day, I feel like a know him. He always spoke with conviction and passion, never without the cajones to say something controversial, or without the means to back it up.

He was one of those rare people; a very busy man who found time in the day for anyone and everyone. My major interaction with Ryan was when I asked him to check out some writing I'd done on my (now defunct) website. It was a review for Just Cause 2. I'd written it not too long before the subscription feature was introduced, so I knew afterwards how busy he'd have been at the time. I was not expecting an email back just a couple of hours later, with quotes of what he liked about my writing, and a few snippets of advice on what I could improve. One sentence stuck out particularly for me.

"Your flow's all over the place. Fix that first"

Ryan Davis

That simple line of constructive criticism has stuck the longest, and it's still the first thing I address with anything I do.

That's the sort of fellow Ryan was. Helpful, considerate and never not happy. Many a time I've led in bed with the bombcast ringing through my headphones, knowing that at some point, something would tickle him, and he'd laugh that infectious, childlike, glee-filled giggle of his. That laugh always brought a smile to my, and I'm sure many others' faces.

We're all hurting today. We've lost an icon, someone who impacted our lives in some way, no matter how big or small. A man with a heart as big as his personality, radiating a constant warmth.

Look at that, my flow's all over the place.

Thank you, Ryan, for everything you did for everyone. Rest in peace.

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