And as we say in the industry, that's a wrap for me, on ~5 years in STFC. Started in December of 2020, during the height of the dark times, during the Covid crisis.
STFC got me through those times, and while the journey has been turbulent, I am truly grateful to have had made it.
But it also had an unintended side effect - it spearheaded my jump into the Star Trek, and Twitch social media fandoms, something I never expected.
From the early days of my European travels in 2023, when I decided it would be hilarious to echo Travelocity's "Traveling Gnome" campaign at the Dublin and Barcelona Scopely STFC HQ's with the "Travelling Poop Emoji Pillow", that somehow made it into the STFC 5th anniversary video in Culver City [Thanks Ripper!] and found its final resting place in the arms of a young child, who needed it more.
To the early days of 2024, and the first MajorSamo "House Party", where @DrJubi and I welcomed Ripper to Canada, and helped him get settled. Never thought I'd have my avatar's name on a t-shirt, but that happened.
To the days of Nashville in late 2024, and my first real "Star Trek" convention, where I met numerous STFC CC's, and Scopely STFC staff, IRL, for the first time.
To the days of early 2025, my first Scopely STFC meet-up in Miami, and my first "Star Trek: The Cruise" experience, of which, I'm proud to be a member of the admin team, in that community's unofficial discord.
To now, the bittersweet realization, that this is the right time, to archive, and move on.
I'm of Irish descent, and poetry is in our blood, so I leave you with these parting words [re-mixed- in the style of William Butler Yeats' "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" and merging in my love of DS9]:
I will arise and go now, to a celestial temple amongst the stars.
For this is a tough decision to make, I know it truly is the best one, by far.
As Q said to Picard, All Good Things Must Come to an End:
The lamentable fate of STFC, like Dukat falling for eternity in the fire caves, into a future which they cannot comprehend.
But most damning thing of all, I think I can live with it. And if I had to do it all over again, I would.
Because I can live with it.
I CAN live with it.
Computer, end program.