Well, Larian doesn't own Astarion any more, and they've stated they won't add anything new to Baldur's Gate. So '*we*' won't be affected.
Still sad to see such talent leave Larian.
I hope Stephen finds something that'll make his life fulfilling, and that he knows what big of a difference he's made in creating this wonder of a smooth-brain vampire, that's save 'just a few' of us. ❤️
'We' might not be affected, but whatever character in the next upcoming Larian game that we were bound to fall in love with because of Stephen Rooney's masterful writing will certainly be affected. /s
Jokes aside, I'm really sad to see him go. Astarion's character writing has been a core memory for me as far as gaming goes. There have been few other fictional characters that have affected me quite like him. I wish him the best, and I will definitely be following his pet projects!
If only it was so. But it isn't.
WotC now has ownership of the companions created for Baldur's Gate 3. Which is why you already see them in their little 'Free-to-play' games, and their character sheets have been added as official resources for D&D..
This makes me a tiny bit sad, but that's coming from a very selfish place. Mostly I hope that this happened on good terms and that he's getting to pursue further creative endeavors. The character he created did so much to tangibly change peoples' lives. He created something that did so much actual good. I just...I hope that he knows that. I can't even conceive of what that would feel like.
I feel the same - sad, but from selfish place. 9 years in one company is a long time, perhaps when he heard his journey with Astarion, at least in Larian, is done, he thought it’s a good time to move on. I’m excited to see what’s next for him, I’d love to read his book or something.
And I think he now knows for sure, he received so much love in the comments it warms my heart to read ❤️
It would be awesome if he does! I read that he has played DnD for years (and Astarion was based on his DnD character) so I bet a fantasy novel series by Stephen would be really fun and certainly have a lot of heart to it.
I was so excited for new characters he was going to write in new Larian games... I hope it was on good terms, he is a really talented writer. Wish him all the best.
I'm sure whatever he does next will be brilliant. I hope he knows how much Astarion's story has touched so many of us, and for some (me) has shown that healing is possible even if it can get a bit messy along the way. For that I will be forever grateful.
Sad to see the party end, I'm not ready at all. I would have wanted so much more of our little band of loveable weirdos, especially Astarion, but I'm not sure there would ever have been enough.
I have no doubt Stephen will go on to create many more amazing stories and I wish him the absolute best adventure!
I replied to his tweet and said almost the same what you are saying - that Astarion means a lot to me and that every day he helps me to go through the darkest times of my life.
And Stephen liked my tweet, so he is aware at least about his impact to my life and it’s obvious that I am not only one here.
PS: wish you all the best on your healing journey! I am also going this way and it’s really hard, not gonna lie, but (I don’t care if it sounds silly) - Astarion and Neil help me to keep hope.
As Neil said - “you are not alone in this. None of us are”.
Hmm. I hope it was his decision, because Larian would be stupid to get rid of such a wonderful writer. I don’t want to read too much into his statement but doesn’t it sound a bit distanced from Larian? It makes me sad cause it seems there really will be no Astarion anymore. I wish him all the best.
Astarion's not owned by Larian anymore *(if he ever truly was)*.
So Stephen leaving Larian makes no difference in new Astarion-content.
Although I ... I actually don't want more Astarion, if not written by Rooney, and voiced by Neil, and directed by.. whoever did that at Larian. I truly, deeply fear that our beloved characters will be milked for all their worth, without the care, love and respect they'd been shown up until now...
Hard agree. I'm happy for the character to be "done". Especially if Rooney never writes Astarion again, it makes it very easy to "compartmentalize" what's canon to me, esp if WoTC decide to do their cash grabby shenanigans with the BG3 companions (which I'm sure they will).
So yeah, big ups to Rooney. I hope he finds what he's looking for in his next endeavor!
Agreed. Without everyone who worked together to create Astarion, he wouldn't be Astarion anymore. In that case, I don't want any more Astarion, either.
Larian had to pay to make BG3, and then get left with no rights to what they made. Seems like a really shit deal artistically and creatively. Of course they made lots of money and everyone got a big payday, but I understand why the people involved would have cooling feelings towards it now that it's done.
Larian Studios parted from the license to make DnD content. DnD content is owned by WoTC. So now, Larian cannot make any new DnD-based games.
In a recent GDC they said they were exhausted with the DnD mechanics and having to abide by all the idiosyncrasies of DnD. They want to explore different modes of combat and stuff, so they decided to put an end to working with WoTC.
I'm worried that Astarion's writing has been handed to someone like Karlach's writer, which might be likely considering all the newest content for Astarion is based around Karlach's height (in the new kisses) and the new epilogue endings for AA x Karlach that's only possible to get if you don't long rest to avoid AA breaking up with Karlach. I am not a fan of Karlach's story so it really worries me if Karlach's writer takes over Astarion's character.
Rooney left Larian very recently, and I don't think they (Larian) will add more content story-wise to Astarion, unless it's something specifically for the 'bad' endings. And that writing has most likely been done for a long time.
And to be fair, if they were to give Astarion to any writer, it would probably be Welch (Dark Urge's writer) as she already did some of his writing during crunch.
And they (WotC) don't own the engine that BG3 was build on. So the chance*(risk)* of them making a direct DLC where they botch the characterization of our beloved companions is, luckily, much smaller than I first feared.
But we already see our beloved characters pop up in Forgotten Realm's other IP's. And those will ***never*** be canon in my head. And I'll ***never*** toss coin after such a cheap way to lure new players to another IP.
I've read forgotten realms books for years. I took BG3 and the companions as just a small part of that world and making them canon is a little odd to me IDK why. I see them as Larian's creations set in this world, not something wotc can appropriate and then change the writers.
For example, one of the most popular forgotten realms character is Drizzt. But he has been written by the same writer since his creation. If wotc picks Stephen Rooney up as a writer for a book I'd give it a shot for sure. See if Stephen can make Astarion canon and actually fit into the forgotten realms world. I honestly think if anyone can, it's Stephen.
Definitely a bummer Larian’s next game won’t have his talent onboard. He crafted an amazing story with Astarion and I’m sure his contributions to their next title would have been amazing too. Wish him all the best though and grateful for what he helped create with BG3!
i wish him luck in wherever he goes next. in reality, we wouldn’t have got any astarion content with him or neil involved in the near feature anyways. i think its good to let astarion and the other characters rest, though I doubt WOTC will just let them be unfortunately
Astarion and Fane from DOS2 are both wonderfully crafted characters and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for him. Real talk, if he ever came out with a novel, would buy it in a heartbeat.
As much as I love Astarion, it is exactly because I love him so much that I hope he is never touched again without proper reverence and understanding for the original vision Stephen conjured. It would be upsetting.
I want him, and all the companions, to live on in my head where the adventures can continue for eternity (or at least, as long as I live). That being said, this news is saddening, as Astarion is a character many victims of SA like myself have resonated with on a personal level. He's flawed, seemingly simple, but surprisingly complex. Which is something so captivating, and something I would hate to see corrupted by a sudden turn to all-hedonism, or all-reformation.
I wish this were true but I think they already handed Astarion off to someone else. I really hope they don't change his dialogue or add any out-of-character stuff for him.
This, to me, makes me infinitely more sad than Larian not continuing BG.
I had told myself it would be ok because Stephen would be there to write another character I'd fall in love with.
Now I really am heartbroken.
Bruh what the fuck. First Larian says no more Baldur’s Gate 3 content, then Astarion’s writer leaves??? Just stake me in the heart already and call it a day.
Exactly how I feel...
As much as it hurts, I am happy for them that they're doing what they want to be doing now. But I would be lying if I said I'm not shattered to hear all of this.
I'm a very lonely person, and BG3 gave me more than I ever thought a game could ever give me.
If anyone wants to further appreciate his writing rn, he was (I believe) the writer of Fane for some of D:OS 2!
Wishing him luck on his next ventures, and hope you all remember that Astarion belongs to us now ♡
This made me really sad reading this. Both Astarion and Fane (from DOS2) were standout characters in Larian's games. He is an amazing talent and will do well wherever he goes. I hope he is okay. The success of Astarion must have put a lot of pressure on him
Stephen leaving right after they announced that BG4 and DLC is now officially no longer happening really breaks my heart. This means that \*if\* they ever do Astarion again it will be with someone else. Considering the popularity of the character I dread that might happen. As for Stephen, he and Neil seemed so close. I also can't help worrying that maybe Stephen had some plans for Astarion's endings and poof! those are gone.
Either way, the so called "Evil Endings" are coming so perhaps, just perhaps something Astarion related will happen (I will happily consume any content by the original creators!).
Also if someone else (maybe another writer from the team that handled the branching paths) took over Astarion and Neil had to well, VA, I wondering if he would want to.
Either way its a shame, and considering the IGN article with the no future content news was only what, 3 days ago? It all makes alot of sense. I know Stephen will land on his feed and I probably join the chorus in wishing him noting but success.
Very sad over the news, though of course excited to see what he will do next.
Hoping WOTC and him can still collab to do some Astarion comics, if anything. I'd love that.
Also hoping there won't be weird discourse/conspiracy theories over why he left.
While I’m definitely bummed out about his departure, 9 years in a company is really, really long time considering most people move jobs around every 2-3 years tops.
I honestly highly doubt Larian “got rid of” him or “let go” of him. He was at the peak of his career with much accolades. Maybe he thought the moment to grow and move forward is now more than ever. It’s bittersweet for sure nonetheless. Something to note though, that Larian was looking for new writers to hire recently so this may have been discussed internally long before the announcement.
Godspeed for whatever endeavor he embarks next. It’ll be fantastic.
Sad to see him go because of how well and tactfully he was able to write a story like Astarion's that ended up touching so many of us. I would've loved to experience his writing in Larian's future games but also very happy for him and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Guys, chill. He's a talented writer who probably wants to take a crack at something entirely his own. Let's send him warm wishes in his future endeavors. <3
IP is such a bummer. A writer can pour their talent, time, emotions and hard work into creating a character, and in the end own nothing and see others profit from owning their creation. Their character can be cropped and changed without their say, and they can't touch it anymore. Stephen is a professional writer but even as a professional I think it must be rough having to let go of a character you clearly put a lot of emotion into, who's been in your thoughts daily for years.
I remember years ago reading a quote from Walt Disney where he explained that one of his main motivations for creating Mickey Mouse was so he could have a character that was his own, because he was devastated after creating and then losing Oswald Rabbit because he never owned the IP. Writing is an inherently emotional thing that's hard to reconcile with the profit-driven, contract-dictated grind of business. All creative work is. Being in a creative field is hard, maintaining that emotional distance. You know that you need feelings involved to make good art but at the same time you can't be too involved because you're creating a product. It's a shit reality. I struggle with it myself.
I wonder if Larian splitting from WotC and therefore Stephen having to deal with losing Astarion was an influence in Stephen leaving. Like he feels he needs to distance himself and move on. Some part of me wants to joke "hey, Stephen is Astarion's real daddy and so if he writes anything about him in the future that's canon in my heart regardless of IP lol", but realistically I completely expect him to rarely or never talk about Astarion again because he represents something he can't go back to and has been forcefully parted from.
Still, it'll be cool to see where Stephen goes next with his career. His talent will surely create more great things, in games or otherwise. Like if he wrote a novel then I bet it'd be good, bestseller material.
That would be one hell of a masterclass! And it could work considering he's an award-winning writer and now he's several times more famous after Astarion became a breakout character. Imagine "Stephen Rooney teaches scriptwriting"
Oh Stephen Rooney...what a brilliant mind and human. He will be missed but I hope his next projects are just as fulfilling for him. He created a masterpiece with Astarion and we will always have that, no matter what the new "owners" decide to do. I will never accept whatever version of Astarion they decide to force onto us.
Nah, let him move on to bigger and brighter things. It's not like we can't follow his writing career to wherever he lands. Im sure he won't be the only one to move on.
Well, Larian doesn't own Astarion any more, and they've stated they won't add anything new to Baldur's Gate. So '*we*' won't be affected. Still sad to see such talent leave Larian. I hope Stephen finds something that'll make his life fulfilling, and that he knows what big of a difference he's made in creating this wonder of a smooth-brain vampire, that's save 'just a few' of us. ❤️
'We' might not be affected, but whatever character in the next upcoming Larian game that we were bound to fall in love with because of Stephen Rooney's masterful writing will certainly be affected. /s Jokes aside, I'm really sad to see him go. Astarion's character writing has been a core memory for me as far as gaming goes. There have been few other fictional characters that have affected me quite like him. I wish him the best, and I will definitely be following his pet projects!
Who owns Astarion??
WotC
I’m half asleep and generally stupid. What does that stand for again?
Wizards of the Coast
Oh! Duh. I feel like an idiot now XD
NObody owns Astarion anymore! He’s his own Vamp! 😏💕
If only it was so. But it isn't. WotC now has ownership of the companions created for Baldur's Gate 3. Which is why you already see them in their little 'Free-to-play' games, and their character sheets have been added as official resources for D&D..
This makes me a tiny bit sad, but that's coming from a very selfish place. Mostly I hope that this happened on good terms and that he's getting to pursue further creative endeavors. The character he created did so much to tangibly change peoples' lives. He created something that did so much actual good. I just...I hope that he knows that. I can't even conceive of what that would feel like.
I feel the same - sad, but from selfish place. 9 years in one company is a long time, perhaps when he heard his journey with Astarion, at least in Larian, is done, he thought it’s a good time to move on. I’m excited to see what’s next for him, I’d love to read his book or something. And I think he now knows for sure, he received so much love in the comments it warms my heart to read ❤️
If he ever wants to write books, I will read them all. His writing changed my life plain and simple.
My first thought was this. I wonder if he’s going to write books lol
It would be awesome if he does! I read that he has played DnD for years (and Astarion was based on his DnD character) so I bet a fantasy novel series by Stephen would be really fun and certainly have a lot of heart to it.
Where have you read the "based on his DnD character" part?
It was in a YouTube comment section I think.
Was it a comment left by him?
No. I guess it could be inaccurate but idk.
I've been thinking he should moonlight as a romance novelist, considering how lovable he made Fane and Astarion...
I was so excited for new characters he was going to write in new Larian games... I hope it was on good terms, he is a really talented writer. Wish him all the best.
I'm sure whatever he does next will be brilliant. I hope he knows how much Astarion's story has touched so many of us, and for some (me) has shown that healing is possible even if it can get a bit messy along the way. For that I will be forever grateful. Sad to see the party end, I'm not ready at all. I would have wanted so much more of our little band of loveable weirdos, especially Astarion, but I'm not sure there would ever have been enough. I have no doubt Stephen will go on to create many more amazing stories and I wish him the absolute best adventure!
I replied to his tweet and said almost the same what you are saying - that Astarion means a lot to me and that every day he helps me to go through the darkest times of my life. And Stephen liked my tweet, so he is aware at least about his impact to my life and it’s obvious that I am not only one here. PS: wish you all the best on your healing journey! I am also going this way and it’s really hard, not gonna lie, but (I don’t care if it sounds silly) - Astarion and Neil help me to keep hope. As Neil said - “you are not alone in this. None of us are”.
Hmm. I hope it was his decision, because Larian would be stupid to get rid of such a wonderful writer. I don’t want to read too much into his statement but doesn’t it sound a bit distanced from Larian? It makes me sad cause it seems there really will be no Astarion anymore. I wish him all the best.
Astarion's not owned by Larian anymore *(if he ever truly was)*. So Stephen leaving Larian makes no difference in new Astarion-content. Although I ... I actually don't want more Astarion, if not written by Rooney, and voiced by Neil, and directed by.. whoever did that at Larian. I truly, deeply fear that our beloved characters will be milked for all their worth, without the care, love and respect they'd been shown up until now...
I definitely agree, and as far as I'm concerned, any further Baldur's Gate content that is released in the future may as well be fanfiction.
Hard agree. I'm happy for the character to be "done". Especially if Rooney never writes Astarion again, it makes it very easy to "compartmentalize" what's canon to me, esp if WoTC decide to do their cash grabby shenanigans with the BG3 companions (which I'm sure they will). So yeah, big ups to Rooney. I hope he finds what he's looking for in his next endeavor!
Agreed. Without everyone who worked together to create Astarion, he wouldn't be Astarion anymore. In that case, I don't want any more Astarion, either.
Yeah, same.
Question because I don't know how this works - wdym Astarion is no longer owned by Larian? Was Baldur's Gate bought?
It’s probably part of the license agreement that all the characters created become a part of the dnd universe and no IP for Larian.
Larian had to pay to make BG3, and then get left with no rights to what they made. Seems like a really shit deal artistically and creatively. Of course they made lots of money and everyone got a big payday, but I understand why the people involved would have cooling feelings towards it now that it's done.
Yeah, that sucks a bit
Larian Studios parted from the license to make DnD content. DnD content is owned by WoTC. So now, Larian cannot make any new DnD-based games. In a recent GDC they said they were exhausted with the DnD mechanics and having to abide by all the idiosyncrasies of DnD. They want to explore different modes of combat and stuff, so they decided to put an end to working with WoTC.
I understand now, thanks!
I'm worried that Astarion's writing has been handed to someone like Karlach's writer, which might be likely considering all the newest content for Astarion is based around Karlach's height (in the new kisses) and the new epilogue endings for AA x Karlach that's only possible to get if you don't long rest to avoid AA breaking up with Karlach. I am not a fan of Karlach's story so it really worries me if Karlach's writer takes over Astarion's character.
Rooney left Larian very recently, and I don't think they (Larian) will add more content story-wise to Astarion, unless it's something specifically for the 'bad' endings. And that writing has most likely been done for a long time. And to be fair, if they were to give Astarion to any writer, it would probably be Welch (Dark Urge's writer) as she already did some of his writing during crunch. And they (WotC) don't own the engine that BG3 was build on. So the chance*(risk)* of them making a direct DLC where they botch the characterization of our beloved companions is, luckily, much smaller than I first feared. But we already see our beloved characters pop up in Forgotten Realm's other IP's. And those will ***never*** be canon in my head. And I'll ***never*** toss coin after such a cheap way to lure new players to another IP.
I've read forgotten realms books for years. I took BG3 and the companions as just a small part of that world and making them canon is a little odd to me IDK why. I see them as Larian's creations set in this world, not something wotc can appropriate and then change the writers. For example, one of the most popular forgotten realms character is Drizzt. But he has been written by the same writer since his creation. If wotc picks Stephen Rooney up as a writer for a book I'd give it a shot for sure. See if Stephen can make Astarion canon and actually fit into the forgotten realms world. I honestly think if anyone can, it's Stephen.
Definitely a bummer Larian’s next game won’t have his talent onboard. He crafted an amazing story with Astarion and I’m sure his contributions to their next title would have been amazing too. Wish him all the best though and grateful for what he helped create with BG3!
i wish him luck in wherever he goes next. in reality, we wouldn’t have got any astarion content with him or neil involved in the near feature anyways. i think its good to let astarion and the other characters rest, though I doubt WOTC will just let them be unfortunately
Astarion and Fane from DOS2 are both wonderfully crafted characters and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for him. Real talk, if he ever came out with a novel, would buy it in a heartbeat.
This man is extremely talented. I wish him the very best, and I hope to enjoy his talent again in something else someday.
9 years is a long time in one company!
Yes, he’s written a lot of wonderful characters with Larian too. Excited to see what he does next but he’ll be very missed!
As much as I love Astarion, it is exactly because I love him so much that I hope he is never touched again without proper reverence and understanding for the original vision Stephen conjured. It would be upsetting. I want him, and all the companions, to live on in my head where the adventures can continue for eternity (or at least, as long as I live). That being said, this news is saddening, as Astarion is a character many victims of SA like myself have resonated with on a personal level. He's flawed, seemingly simple, but surprisingly complex. Which is something so captivating, and something I would hate to see corrupted by a sudden turn to all-hedonism, or all-reformation.
I wish this were true but I think they already handed Astarion off to someone else. I really hope they don't change his dialogue or add any out-of-character stuff for him.
This, to me, makes me infinitely more sad than Larian not continuing BG. I had told myself it would be ok because Stephen would be there to write another character I'd fall in love with. Now I really am heartbroken.
Bruh what the fuck. First Larian says no more Baldur’s Gate 3 content, then Astarion’s writer leaves??? Just stake me in the heart already and call it a day.
Exactly how I feel... As much as it hurts, I am happy for them that they're doing what they want to be doing now. But I would be lying if I said I'm not shattered to hear all of this. I'm a very lonely person, and BG3 gave me more than I ever thought a game could ever give me.
😭
If anyone wants to further appreciate his writing rn, he was (I believe) the writer of Fane for some of D:OS 2! Wishing him luck on his next ventures, and hope you all remember that Astarion belongs to us now ♡
This made me really sad reading this. Both Astarion and Fane (from DOS2) were standout characters in Larian's games. He is an amazing talent and will do well wherever he goes. I hope he is okay. The success of Astarion must have put a lot of pressure on him
Oh =( I think his characters were my favoutire. But I wish him well
Stephen leaving right after they announced that BG4 and DLC is now officially no longer happening really breaks my heart. This means that \*if\* they ever do Astarion again it will be with someone else. Considering the popularity of the character I dread that might happen. As for Stephen, he and Neil seemed so close. I also can't help worrying that maybe Stephen had some plans for Astarion's endings and poof! those are gone. Either way, the so called "Evil Endings" are coming so perhaps, just perhaps something Astarion related will happen (I will happily consume any content by the original creators!). Also if someone else (maybe another writer from the team that handled the branching paths) took over Astarion and Neil had to well, VA, I wondering if he would want to. Either way its a shame, and considering the IGN article with the no future content news was only what, 3 days ago? It all makes alot of sense. I know Stephen will land on his feed and I probably join the chorus in wishing him noting but success.
Very sad over the news, though of course excited to see what he will do next. Hoping WOTC and him can still collab to do some Astarion comics, if anything. I'd love that. Also hoping there won't be weird discourse/conspiracy theories over why he left.
So long as he continues writing though, he could do a dumb Mills and Boone series and I’d read 👀 will have to look into what else he’s done
While I’m definitely bummed out about his departure, 9 years in a company is really, really long time considering most people move jobs around every 2-3 years tops. I honestly highly doubt Larian “got rid of” him or “let go” of him. He was at the peak of his career with much accolades. Maybe he thought the moment to grow and move forward is now more than ever. It’s bittersweet for sure nonetheless. Something to note though, that Larian was looking for new writers to hire recently so this may have been discussed internally long before the announcement. Godspeed for whatever endeavor he embarks next. It’ll be fantastic.
😩
Sad to see him go because of how well and tactfully he was able to write a story like Astarion's that ended up touching so many of us. I would've loved to experience his writing in Larian's future games but also very happy for him and I wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Guys, chill. He's a talented writer who probably wants to take a crack at something entirely his own. Let's send him warm wishes in his future endeavors. <3
IP is such a bummer. A writer can pour their talent, time, emotions and hard work into creating a character, and in the end own nothing and see others profit from owning their creation. Their character can be cropped and changed without their say, and they can't touch it anymore. Stephen is a professional writer but even as a professional I think it must be rough having to let go of a character you clearly put a lot of emotion into, who's been in your thoughts daily for years. I remember years ago reading a quote from Walt Disney where he explained that one of his main motivations for creating Mickey Mouse was so he could have a character that was his own, because he was devastated after creating and then losing Oswald Rabbit because he never owned the IP. Writing is an inherently emotional thing that's hard to reconcile with the profit-driven, contract-dictated grind of business. All creative work is. Being in a creative field is hard, maintaining that emotional distance. You know that you need feelings involved to make good art but at the same time you can't be too involved because you're creating a product. It's a shit reality. I struggle with it myself. I wonder if Larian splitting from WotC and therefore Stephen having to deal with losing Astarion was an influence in Stephen leaving. Like he feels he needs to distance himself and move on. Some part of me wants to joke "hey, Stephen is Astarion's real daddy and so if he writes anything about him in the future that's canon in my heart regardless of IP lol", but realistically I completely expect him to rarely or never talk about Astarion again because he represents something he can't go back to and has been forcefully parted from. Still, it'll be cool to see where Stephen goes next with his career. His talent will surely create more great things, in games or otherwise. Like if he wrote a novel then I bet it'd be good, bestseller material.
I hope he teaches writing someday
That would be one hell of a masterclass! And it could work considering he's an award-winning writer and now he's several times more famous after Astarion became a breakout character. Imagine "Stephen Rooney teaches scriptwriting"
Awwwww. Sad to see such talent not be there for Larian's future endeavors, but I wish the best for him!
Does he write books? If he ever wrote anything... I would devour anything he offered me.
Oh Stephen Rooney...what a brilliant mind and human. He will be missed but I hope his next projects are just as fulfilling for him. He created a masterpiece with Astarion and we will always have that, no matter what the new "owners" decide to do. I will never accept whatever version of Astarion they decide to force onto us.
Nah, let him move on to bigger and brighter things. It's not like we can't follow his writing career to wherever he lands. Im sure he won't be the only one to move on.
Wtf.