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It's been over ten years since I decided to blog under the name of FibroJedi, and over nine since I wrote my first LOTRO post, which was about Huorns. It seems crazy now, but in almost exactly that time my daughter reached age nine too. The two things were linked, as we had had to close our small business shortly after her birth due to my health. But I needed something to focus on, despite no longer being well enough to hold down a job.
Now, the cycle has come round again, but as a content creator.
Worse Health
A decade later and I'm in a situation of needing a medication review because my Fibromyalgia pain is rarely controlled, despite the cocktail of meds in on. On top of that, for over three months, I've stumbled from one additional illness to another.
Unable to Play
Recently, I've developed over-sensitivity to large screens. I hope this isn't a long term problem. But it has meant I've used my screen time for my blog, without getting time to just play LOTRO & FFXIV, you know, for fun.
I got into both to enhance my rest time, but I'd hit a point where my health wasn't allowing even that after I'd updated the blog.
LOTRO Events
Most of the last few years, I've been focusing on events in The Lord of the Rings Online, instead of trying to generally do LOTRO guides. There are two aspects to this that have made my role more challenging: deadlines, and the increased number of events in LOTRO.
Deadlines
What some of you may not be aware of is that deadlines cause me stress, and stress causes pain.
Festivals have start dates, which basically become deadlines. Day one of any event means to load the latest rewards on my guides ASAP.
In the past, I was able to balance the excitement of informing you all of the latest shinies with the anxiety of not messing it up. I can't seem to do that any more. I need time to "pre-rest" ahead of a festival starting, then need time after the work is done to recover. And the day itself usually involves high pain levels. None of this reaction is a choice, nor anyone's fault.
More LOTRO Events
In the same few years, it has been great to see SSG bring more Events into LOTRO, such as the Forester crafting event. Other, longer- standing events have seen additions.
The fact that these happen demonstrates how active the LOTRO community is, and that not everything revolves around endgame zones or combat.
When I decided a few years ago to stop writing non-event content there were fewer things for me to do. I can't keep up mentally anymore, even if I look forward to the events themselves.
What's Happening to the Content?
I was initially just going to shut up shop and let the site gradually fade away. But a few people suggested find somewhere to put it.
LOTRO Guides
I will shortly be redirecting all my LOTRO guides and tools to a new URL on the Wiki. They've been kind enough to host a copy of my site as an archive or historical record.
Whether they update it, or Wikify it, is their choice now, and I trust them because they serve the LOTRO community so well.
FYI I created a static version for the Wiki, so they didn't have a CMS or Database to manage. However, this also means that dynamic elements may not work, the search box being one of these. I will not be fixing these issues.
FFXIV Guides
I have not yet decided where to put my FFXIV Content. My Hunting Logs and enemies database were more popular than I thought they would be.
I have about a month to make a decision. Thankfully, the Hunting Logs are evergreen content, so I just need to find a free blogging platform I can easily import these into.
Everything Else
All other content - that is to say, SWTOR and Fibromyalgia posts, will just disappear. Much of the stuff for SWTOR is out of date anyway.
When Will Content Move?
- LOTRO: later this week. I need to put redirects in place so that the Wiki gets the search traffic. Eventually, search engines will de-list my domain and should relist the URLs on the Wiki's site.
- I have a bit of a technical issue in getting the site exported in the right format, but still functional. I'll update this - and add automatic redirects, as soon as possible.
- FFXIV: if I'm up to doing it, the Hunting Log guides will move in February, before my hosting shuts off. FFXIV Event guides will not be moved over. They are unique each year, so there's no value to anyone in retaining those.
What Am I Going to Do Now?
Slow Down
Take life slower, for a start, and work out what my body is actually like without blogging in the mix.
I'm having massive restlessness just typing this up.
And book a medication review. I'm still not well and, some days, housework is all I can do.
Writing & Drawing
I'll be trying to give my fiction writing more time. While I have Patreon for that
, because I'm unpublished, I have no external deadlines or pressure.
I also do my own illustration, which is generally relaxing.
I also stay connected to game by drawing pictures relating to them. Recently, I drew a simple social media-style version of my main FFXIV character. I have done LOTRO ones in the past and will probably return to those more in the future.
Woodworking
To anyone who follows me on Mastodon, you'll also know of my foray into Pyrography and small woodwork. While tricky with my hand pain, there's minimal screen time, and pushes my drawing skills in directions I wouldn't have otherwise gone.
Gaming (But Differently)
And yes, I'll be gaming. But, as gaming should be, for enjoyment. I have no need "grind" anything, I'm not "missing out" on anything and I don't have to play something because of content.
Due to my health, I've had to add mobile games to the mix, and it's been refreshing. It took me a while to find ones which had no ads and minimal in-your-face sales popups.
The FibroJedi Name
This is a bit multi-faced:
- Domain Name: doesn't expire until later this year, and I'm not sure yet whether to let it lapse, or to repurpose it.
- Social Media: I will maintain the handles on social platforms I keep, but may well have my writer alias FJ Brodie as the display name.
- xTwit: I may well close my xTwit account completely, for personal, but "hot potato", reasons.
- Email: to those that know my email, I'll be moving things over to Proton Mail regardless of what happens to my domain.
Thank Yous
As always, I suck at being concise. But I've not suddenly made this decision, nor is there only one reason for it. But I have quite a few thank yous.
To Everyone
Well, that's me done! No, seriously, to the many of you who have used and recommended my site over the years, thank you. Creating content is pointless if no one uses or reads it. Having this site gave me a focus when I didn't have one, and a project when I felt a failure due to another project having to end.
Knowing people wanted to be here - yes it was a pressure, but it was also an honour.
Thank You Patreon/Ko-Fi
To those who have been Patreon or Ko-Fi supporters, a huge thank you. I am grateful whether you were around for a month or a few years. And the moral support you've given me through those platforms has been a lifesaver.
I wrote to Patreon and Ko-Fi folk last week. If you're a current subscriber, please take a look at your member-only version ASAP (Patreon|Ko-Fi)
Thank You SWTOR
For many of you, you may not even know the first game I wrote content about was Star Wars: The Old Republic. But had it not been for that MMO - my first ever MMO - I would not have had the confidence to venture into writing about the others.
That game also sparked fanfiction, "head canon" etc which led into the creation of my own written world. So thank you SWTOR, but also SWTOR content creators - all of whom were better than I - because I never felt inferior or an annoyance. Community - or feeling a part of something - is the thing that remains consistent for me across MMOs.
Thank You LOTRO
To Cordovan and the Lord of the Rings Online/SSG, thank you for your support, encouragement and continued development of the game.
For promoting community events. For pushing LOTRO's system beyond what you thought and continuing to make our characters and Middle-earth look amazing.
For letting me contribute despite engagement trends leaning towards video, streams and over-busy Discord servers!
I'm not leaving LOTRO. It's been a digital home for a long time. But to be able to play, without considering content, or even sharing to social media. It will be to go back to what drew me to the game in the first place: journeying in Middle-earth, enjoying the expansive landscapes and just existing.
Thank You FFXIV Gamers
If I thought getting into LOTRO content was a big barrier, FFXIV was another step again. So I found a niche, as I did with LOTRO, and stuck to it. Thank you for your use of my tools and for the occasional Ko-Fi drop too. But the fact people found, and engaged with, the content I made meant a lot.
I'm also not leaving FFXIV. Though whether I can continue on my main account depends on what happens to our family finances. I may need to start over on a Free Trial account. That's fine, if so.
Every Adventure Comes to An End Some Day
That quote comes from Bingo Boffin in LOTRO. This Hobbit has gone through so much, travelled alongside you, further than many a Hobbit (no, he didn't go into Mordor). And, although he thinks it's a pity the journeying is over, he accepts that all adventures have to have an end.
And so this one is mine. It's weird, when you've been part of something for so long. When you've based your calendar, breaks and family trips around events, it's odd for it not to be there. But it is right.
So it's time to sign off. It's 2026 and the real world is in such chaos. If you play games, be respectful to people you chat with. Other players might be escaping stress, tension, conflict, maybe even war. Make sure you use games to bring people together, not force them apart.
So, as I've often said, yet I mean it no less.
Stay Safe. Be Kind.
FJ Brodie
Find Me
I'm not leaving the planet just yet, despite the temptation. You can find me on the following platforms:
- 🦣 Mastodon: @[email protected] (this is my primary Social platform now)
- 🦋 Bluesky: I am currently on Bluesky, but I may or may not stay. I have limited "Social Energy" so have to spend it carefully.
- Artfol: to see random drawings etc, here's my Artfol URL: https://artfol.app/@FJ_Brodie
