by 
I’m not one for grand speeches, but today I’m finding it difficult to find the right words. After many years, two seasons and 18 episodes, the time will soon come to say goodbye to Alenwen and Skaldiv. I am proud to have brought their story to a close, but at the same time this farewell fills me with melancholy.
The project was originally intended as background music for my music, but over time it became more and more. Alenwen was born, and the little pixel characters grew on me. I was able to tell my stories with my own music. In the beginning, I had to do everything myself – the movements, the emotes in the game. But gradually, AI systems came into use that made my work easier. With Alenwen and Skaldiv, however, I wanted to preserve the old charm, so I only used very few AI options there. Even now!
But now Alenwen’s journey will soon be over, and while I embark on new adventures, a part of me will stay with them. I will never forget them.
It’s different with Patsy Wackelwitz – you can tell from the lip sync, where AI is fully utilised. And that’s exactly where I can let off steam with utter silliness to make you happy.
I’m going to concentrate fully on Patsy Wackelwitz. I’m currently enjoying it and I have so many crazy ideas that I can realise there. I would like to thank you all. Even if the Alenwen project never reached the masses – I don’t care. You, the loyal fans and teams, were always there, no matter when, no matter how. That means family. It’s a wonderful feeling. I didn’t give up so as not to disappoint you, and I really wanted to finish the project. I always want to finish everything.
I would also like to thank my wonderful wife, who went through all of this, who gave up time together so that I could realise my vision. She supported me, had my back, encouraged me when I had doubts. None of this would have been possible without her. I’ve cried a lot – probably more than all of you put together – because my stories have grown so close to my heart. And also certain special situations in the series.
And then there’s another person you all know. Someone who won’t be around for a year. You know that you are meant. Thank you for everything. From the bottom of our hearts. We miss you!
What happens next? Patsy Wackelwitz is already well known and many people have already taken her to their hearts, while others are turning away from her – which I can understand. She’s a completely different character, far too wild and too quick in her manner. My idea was speed, clumsiness and wild humour, but with a deep story behind it, which – as you know me – is only revealed at the end of a season. Give me a chance. Give Patsy a chance. You know I’m always good for surprises. But I was also amazed that the first episode had such a high number of views – an incredible boost to the ego. Höhö.
I’ll be 51 on Monday, and the last episode of Alenwen will be on at the same time. It’s basically my birthday present to myself – and a little celebration for you, where we can all get together one last time. I look forward to seeing everyone who has time to join me and my wonderful wife and enjoy these last few minutes.
As for the future: I won’t be telling any more LotRO stories for the time being. Mainly because the lags and broken emotes are getting on my nerves. You don’t know how many times I cursed. The crowning glory was the elven update, which brought even more chaos. That was the point at which I decided to turn my back on the game. At the same time, Patsy was born – and with it a new project in the Elder Scrolls universe. This time with just a team of me and my wife, Skaldiv/Kerstin.
I had long considered whether I wanted to continue with LotRO. I even had an idea to tell a story with you in the Hobbit universe, together with Pando. I had already asked her, but that has now been cancelled due to all the problems with the game. Sure, we could still do something, but I no longer trust SSG when it comes to consistency. Who knows, maybe in six months they’ll change the whole look of the hobbits again and everything will be broken again. The disappointment would be huge.
That’s why the time has come for me to put LotRO on pause as a platform for moving images. Maybe I’ll produce a few more music videos from time to time, but that’s it for now.
You guys are great. Thank you for experiencing my stories with me. For laughing and crying with me. That you showed me that it doesn’t matter how many people follow you, but which people they are.
That was it. Thank you. Take care of yourselves. Maybe we’ll meet again – in another story, in another world.
Bye with Ö
Darkbats Christian
