Hey MLPForums, it's been a while since my last login in early April. Season five of MLP:FiM is airing, the site continues to get new users, and many interesting developments have occurred in real life, both positive and negative!

Understandably, my last departure was quite abrupt. At the time of my last login on April 6, I was participating in two roleplays (MLP Nations and Equestria Forward), had profiles for several OCs on this site, and had more developments in the pipeline. Unfortunately, life has an uncanny tendency to throw stuff at you when you're least prepared, and even when you feel you're ready, you're really not. College, internships, and projects do that.

That's not to mention another change that has been building up more slowly, but is a problem: disillusionment with MLP in general. It's not that I hate the show or the fandom, but I just don't feel quite as enamored with the MLP subculture as I was when I first joined the site last year (and further back, when I became a brony in 2011). In fact, even as my issues and challenges in real life have died down a bit, I was strongly considering leaving this site - and the fandom in general - for good. In the end, I opted not to; at worst, I just won't be watching new episodes on time anymore.

Understandably, my sudden departure led to some concern regarding my presence in some site roleplays, as well as the status of my OCs on this site. Hence, I decided to write this blog post to outline what I plan to do with them.

EQUESTRIA FORWARD
My original roleplay is called Equestria Forward, a roleplay examining life in a cyberpunk, technologically advanced Equestria. The roleplay began in December 2014, and has been maintained ever since. However, with my sudden departure in April, the roleplay ground to a halt, probably leaving some of the active participants incredibly frustrated...especially considering where it left off.

Assuming I'm not left as the sole roleplayer, I tentatively plan on continuing that roleplay from where it left off; I don't feel that it would make sense to permanently abandon an RP that has had so much work put into it. I will make a preemptive post in the OOC thread (linked above) by the end of the day; the post will include a link to this blog post explaining the current situation. Also, the slow pacing of the RP will be rectified....somehow. If the original participants left, I plan on "rebooting" the roleplay itself, but the existing treasure trove of information in the OOC thread will stay.

I apologize wholeheartedly to the users who participate(d) in the RP before my long absence. If you no longer wish to RP, either out of concern that I'll suddenly leave again or something else, I will not stop you.

MLP NATIONS
Yes, it is technically discouraged to do so ("users who participate must be committed to the roleplay",) but I will be leaving MLP Nations. I feel that the roleplay has advanced too far for me to reliably participate anymore.

OCs (updated on August 2, 2015)
As of this writing, I have four OCs on this site, two for each roleplay I'm in, with more previously forthcoming. I actually plan on "repurposing" my OCs in MLP Nations, as I plan on leaving that roleplay. My Equestria Forward OCs, Compass Meridian and High Voltage, will not be touched.

That said, after further deliberation, I've decided that my two MLP Nations OCs will be repurposed for use in Equestria Forward. Their backstories and personalities are interchangeable enough to be adapted for the more advanced world in Equestria Forward. I'll work them in somehow.

Further updates are forthcoming! Thank you!

- skbl17