The end of Galloway?

The Core Media Forum
1

Hello, everyone.

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been a long, LONG time since I updated…anything. There are half-finished chapters for all my stuff on my hard drive, there’s a billion ideas flowing through my head, I even have two retrospectives in pre-production, but… I can’t write anymore. It’s finally happened. I’ve burnt out.

For one thing, I lack the massive quantities of free time and energy I once had. I’m out of school, which means that ugly little thing called “work.” And lately, I’ve been cut back so much I can barely make ends meet. So, between doing eight hours of work in four, and trying to find a better job elsewhere, I’ve pretty much used up all my energy. Throw in regular household duties, my new cat dying at less than a year old (of a blood clot, no less), and my inability to concentrate, and I just don’t have the time and focus.

Also, there’s the site. Really, I just…feel like walking away at times. There’s nobody here, there’s no way to revive the bastard, the wiki is a flop, and things have grown bitter and tense. Gone are the days we were but young, blissful nerds, planning our futures as game designers and world conquerors. Now, we’re a bunch of grown, cynical bastards, crushed and molded by society into passive-aggressive lumps.

So… I might hit my groove again, but I’m note sure of the future right now. I still want to write; I had RPGC Task Force plotted out until at least Issue 50, the Final Saga must end, Absolution is probably my proudest accomplishment so far, and there are so many other things waiting to be put down. Only time will tell.

And now, for your enjoyment, a scene from “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum:”

//youtu.be/082y805mkA8

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Sometimes it’s better to just let go. You’ve got so much in your life right now, Gallo, and you need to think of yourself only. You’ve accomplished an amazing amount of writing, brought lots of laughs and excitement, but right now, it’s probably best you just push the writing aside, if it feels like a chore. It doesn’t mean that you’ll never get back to it. You might never finish the sagas, but you’ll find new things to write about. But that requires that you can find ways out of your current stressful spot, so take the time for yourself. Feeling bitter about the board isn’t something you need either. Look back on the good times with nostalgia instead of focus on the bitterness now.

Aaand hugs

3

Well, there’s always the blaze of glory-(type a forced ending to everything within 24 hours, crack open a whiskey at halfway), semi-glorious (type an ending to everything), this isn’t glorious any more (kill everyone), GLORIOUS~~~(all written worlds turn sexual preferences upside down unless it’s really hilarious with certain characters and they all live happily ever after except said characters who remain the only people aware of what happened) or just plain old glorified post-credits “Where are they now?”-blurbs.

Give it a shot when you can and don’t mind the pause. Writing is not a thing you force down your fingertips. I’ve noticed plenty of times when the creative juices literally run out and a decent break must be had. Of course, I never learned how to quit drawing. Rarely do I draw anything for my gallery specifically, but I’ve done a few student party posters and magazine illustrations… Which then raise the bar for anything I draw casually. I put my writing into technical things these days (becoming an engineer is credit to team!) and it needs some watering down with blog entries. In Finnish too, so I won’t mix and match things too much when I start the diploma work.

4

Man, Gallo, you could have been describing me as well right there! (except for the job part, I’m still utterly broke.) In my case, it may be health-related- I’ve noticed I have problems recalling things, and I get tired quickly when reading. I still get ideas and the desire to write them, but It feels too hard to write long stories. I’m going to have to discuss this with my doctor on my next checkup. Hopefully it’s just a phase that will pass, if not, well I’ll have to deal with it, it’s not the worst thing to ever happen to me.

As for RPGC, I don’t think it’s so much that we’ve gotten more cynical as that the nicer people went away to deal with their own lives and most of those who stayed happened to be the fratboys. (Are Hades or Charlemagne any more cynical than they used to be? If anything they mellowed out.) But then isn’t that to be expected? People come and go in our lives, an online board is no different. I still visit the site regularly because there’s still people I like here. Weiila came back, for example, for which I’m very thankful. :slight_smile: I hope that even if you don’t contribute you’ll still show up occasionally so we can talk.

But most of all, Gallo, your priority should always, ALWAYS, be yourself. Deal with your problems and be as happy as you can, that’s the whole point of Life. If you get the chance to share your gifts again with us, great, but don’t feel too bad about it. You have already given us a LOT through the years… it was your RPGC stories that inspired me to do mine; this was the first online forum where I ever wrote stuff on and it was because of them. In fact one of the highlights of my experiences here was when you gave me permission to use your character for my stories- remember that Evil Saiyan Galloway vs FF Wizard Wil that I wrote? It has always been one of my favorite things I ever wrote. I (and a lot of other people) are grateful for the stuff you did for us all these years, and in their name I want to THANK YOU, and hope that some day, you will return to share them with us again. :slight_smile:

PS: …I don’t get the Miles Gloriousus thing. But whatever, it was funny. :smiley:

P.S.S: In your honor, I offer this PEARLS BEFORE SWINE strip!!

05-11-08-pearls-before-swine.jpg725×366

Catch the damn happiness thing! :slight_smile:

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I’ve always appreciated your writing, and honestly, I can understand why you’d shy away from the fanstuff. However, it would be a shame to let your unique brand of creativity go untapped. You should focus more on your original works, or make some new ones.

6

For what it’s worth, I liked Absolution. I often find that reading something good makes you want to write, though it’s no use pressing yourself, d. Less time and energy, people leaving: they’re all side effects of growing up. Let sleeping fanfics lie until you feel the urge to write again.

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I know how life goes, d. How much it takes, how responsibility gets in the way. But, eventually, it balances out, and you find ways to give yourself time for your hobbies. I am confident, once everything is in order, and you got yourself in a routine, we will be seeing more of your work and yourself. Just take it easy, and relax.