Falcon Update Y25 D95:
Just popping in to say thank you to everyone who sent kind words my way. I'm headed out for the next month and am looking forward to taking a step back forever. You're in great hands with the remaining members of the Asim team (maybe someone try and find Tortle while I'm gone, eh?). In the meantime, you have Modular Factions phases 2.5 and 3 to look forward to, and let me tell ya, it's gonna be great! Thanks again to everyone for your support. I'll see ya never again in a month!

Ninja edit: Room bounty will be open until I get back, I suppose. poor planning on my part haha.
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Hello Galaxy, it is your resident space birb coming back to share some news. This is all gonna mostly be personal so if you don't care, then now is a good time to stop reading, as it probably won't affect you. 
 

As many of you know, I've been an Assistant Sim Master (Asim) for a bit over 3 years now. I have greatly enjoyed my time serving this community and bringing new things to the game. This community has been very rewarding to be a part of and is the main reason I'm around today. I admit I'm not perfect and I've made mistakes, but I value the fact that (most of) you all think highly of me and my willingness to work with you all. 
 

Now before you get all teary-eyed, no I'm not leaving you just yet. That time will come but it is not now(Sorry Noctis). However, around 6 months ago, I noticed I was getting a bit more temperamental and irritable than normal and I wasn't the same person IRL than I am in this community. Something was affecting me but I could not figure out what. Then last month (and really these last few weeks especially), I noticed a pretty sharp decline in my mental state which has started to affect my OOC life and my family. I realized it was coming from the stress and expectations that come with being an Asim. I don't blame anyone in particular in this community for my stress levels, so much as I do my own habits. 
 

So what does this mean? Why should you care? Well, I don't think you should lol. But for me, it means I need to take a step back, reassess things and take a deep breath of fresh air. So for the month of March, I will be stepping back (not down) from things. I won't answer support tickets, I won't monitor the forums, I won't engage in the community for as much as I can help it. I've become addicted to monitoring my phone for pings in the SWC Staff, SWC Teams, and SWC Main Discord Servers. I wake up and the first thing I do is check discord followed by monitoring it every chance I get until I fall asleep. It's just not healthy physically or mentally. I'm taking a break and clearing my head from things. 

I know this is a blow to some of you who reach out to me personally for support issues, etc. and I want you all to know that I hear you. I won't be gone forever, and in my stead Platypus and Chupacabra will pick up the slack. I've coordinated some tasks with SWC Teams and they're working hard to bring you some new features. Most of which, I'm very excited for! I'll be back and in greater numbers too, and I'm looking forward to having a clear head. Platypus is doing a wonderful job stepping up, and I fully trust him and the rest of the staff to make informed and fair decisions, so please do not hesitate to spam him mercilessly with requests reach out to him if you have an issue. 
 

Now I'll ask you the same thing I've asked my fellow teammates and staff members: Please do not ping me unless it's an absolute emergency. I'd rather another Asim ping me for something they can't figure out or handle than have a player do so. Please respect my time away to clear things so that I can come back and continue to serve this community!
 

I'll be around until the end of February to help any transitions for Modular Factions to go smoothly, and to make sure Platypus and Chupa (and the rest of the teams) are set for my absence. 
 

As always, the best way to get support remains to file a support ticket or visit #swc-help in either IRC or Discord. Thanks for your understanding and support!