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Hey there anons, it's GnollQM. Long time no see.
What I'm about to announce is probably not going to be well received, especially since I didn't speak up sooner, but if my words provide a sense of closure then I'd rather be honest and deal with your reactions (or lack thereof) than disappear out of thin air and leave everyone, including myself, with false hopes.
First and foremost, the video I was working on was a slideshow of static pictures, similar to the previous one I made. This one has taken far, far longer for a simple reason, yet one that saddens me to admit: I no longer wish to run quests. I've decided it's time for me to move on.
Ever since thread #9, I've been thinking about which direction to take Gnoll Quest in. There are plenty of ideas which I'd love to work out, but the fact is QMing stresses me the hell out and I won't be able to flesh them out properly in this format. I put quite a bit of effort into each update - having to draw pics, come up with a story along the way, remember plot points that grow in number and complexity, all while knowing I must update fast and account for the unpredictable nature of player choices, are sources of pressure that I don't have the strength to bear with anymore. Back when I was a student, I could spare the time and energy (at the cost of my health and forgoing other aspects of life), especially since we were in earlier bits of the quest, but not today. anons. Not today.
QMing, while a fun and exciting hobby, requires far too much engagement, at least in my case. Whenever I run a quest, it's all I can think of 24/7 until the thread falls off the board, which always takes more than a month. It has become a burden, and the fact we're not anywhere close to the finale of GQ fills me with dread, so I figured it'd be less painful to abandon the Titanic while it's still under construction and not wait until the iceberg inevitably destroys it, in case this analogy makes any sense.
Over the last year, I've changed as a person. Things happened. An epiphany was had. In the name of God, for my loved ones and myself, I need - and I want to - develop myself, to acquire more insight about the world and human nature, to leave a positive mark, to be in touch with my surroundings and, overall, to lead a life as real as possible. This is a necessity as I work in a mental health field, and if I want to help those who come in seek of aid then I gotta stay sane myself.
I'm seeking to channel my creative drive in more healthy ways, hence why I've been delving into VNs as of late. Their format fits me just fine - you can write at your own leisure, without a live public eagerly waiting to see what's next; you have full control over how the plot plays out; you can go back to earlier bits to make changes, stuff you cannot do in quests. Maybe I'll remake Gnoll Quest in VN format one of these days, though it's still a long way to go from here.