So Long, and Thanks For All The Flesh

[Yvl9921]

You answered one of my letters not long ago, and while it didn't really answer my situation (due mostly to me not providing enough information, as it woulda gotten extremely cumbersome and complicated if I hadn't left a certain issue out) I still appreciated that you answered it nonetheless.

This last article has probably been the most insightful, though. All my time in trying to woo over my long-standing crush I've done nothing but formulate brilliant master plans and tried to perfect my timing to reach her the most efficiently. Maybe it's time I just stopped holding back my feelings for her and showed her how I really think of her.

 

[Lara Crigger]

Can no one admit it? The Love FAQ got shit ratings, pure and simple! I mean, only three-hundred-and-fifty letters? Just look at the comments; they were just barely stretching out to a second page. And it's not like this should be surprising; it was a column about relationships at a gaming/media/entertainment website. I commend what The Escapist did here: they tried something new, it didn't work, and so then they simply discontinue it. Very nice.

My only minor concern is that they (or at least Laura) don't want people to know why they're cancelling the column. I don't know why, maybe it'd piss the community off; maybe it'd make them look like failures? I don't think either would happen, but all I know is they decided to not bring it up and leave the ballsier users by themselves to get ripped apart by the community for telling the truth. It's okay I know it hurts.

Let me put this to rest right here and now: Nothing nefarious is going on behind the scenes here. Love FAQ wasn't "cancelled", and no one on the editorial team is hiding any "failures" from you the readers. It really is as I said in the column: I decided that now was the right time to move on. Plain and simple. I will miss writing it, to be sure, but no goodbye is completely painless.

As an aside: 10-20 letters a week for a specialty advice column isn't exactly small potatoes, at least from the management side of things.

 

[Fanta Grape]

Only articles I read regularly, surprisingly enough. I wish you well and I enjoyed reading your stuff.

 

[hexFrank202]

Let me put this to rest right here and now: Nothing nefarious is going on behind the scenes here. Love FAQ wasn't "cancelled", and no one on the editorial team is hiding any "failures" from you the readers. It really is as I said in the column: I decided that now was the right time to move on. Plain and simple. I will miss writing it, to be sure, but no goodbye is completely painless.

As an aside: 10-20 letters a week for a specialty advice column isn't exactly small potatoes, at least from the management side of things.

Okay then, cool. I see.

 

[RaphaelsRedemption]

Can the Escapist keep no women writers?! I'm going to miss you Lara. Thanks for the articles.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Oh. You're leaving us. Well, best of luck in your new endeavors. Loved these articles. They were always great in their openness, their poignancy, their ability to cross the normal threshold found with such sites, of not wanting to touch the relationship problems/benefits lines. You've helped me a little bit, and I'd just like you to know, it was nice having these here to read. I'll always have your broken pieces metaphor in my mind.

Thanks for everything, Lara.

[small]Though, I might still like sticking it in crazy. Some things are hard to change. [/small]

 

[MasochisticAvenger]

I can't say I am surprised. Most columns barely pulled in more than one page of comments, and most of them were people strongly disagreeing with Lara's advice. Since the explanation is quite vague, I have no idea what prompted this sudden departure from the column. Usually when people leave it's usually for a reason: either they got something better, they've run out of ideas, or something else. But here, Lara states that she still have unanswered letters and wishes she could have answered them. Something just seems fishy to me about the lack of any explanation behind the decision to stop.

Still, I am sad to see the colum go. Despite the fact I am not big into love myself, it was still amusing to read week to week.

 

[pluizig]

Bold concept, brilliant execution. Sad to see you go, Lara.

 

[Comieman]

Aw, I really enjoyed this column. I will miss it greatly :<

 

[PlasticTree]

Did...did Lara just break up with us?

Quick! Someone! Counsel us! Tell us again about why scary, hurtful feelings fade over time! And put in some game references while you're at it, so we feel totally comforted and all!


..Anyway, I literally whispered a long, drawn-out 'noooooooo' when I read this. I didn't always agree with the articles, like most of us, but it definitely was a fun and interesting read. Thanks for the articles, and good luck to you Lara!

 

[Trucken]

Well, fuck. The only column on the Escapist that I read every week shuts down. Ain't that a B.

Thanks for the Love FAQ Lara. It was always an interesting read. Also thanks to those who wrote to her with their questions and problems.

 

[Carnagath]

Greetings. I usually found your column of little substance, sometimes immature and in all cases really unfitting in the context of this website. Also some of the issues that you chose to deal with were really serious and should not be addressed in a handful lines of text by a non-professional, especially in the form of non-dialectic articles. I am glad that we will have no more of this and wish you the best of luck with your future projects.

 

[trollnystan]

I for one will miss your columns Lara. They were an interesting and fun read and brightened my Fridays considerably. Hope your future looks bright though and that we'll see you around the Escapist in some other shape or form!

 

[Xman490]

With a title like this, I thought this was going to be just another part in the series. After all, you did go over a similar problem, Lara. So long indeed.

 

[Best of the 3]

That's a shame, I really did enjoy reading these, and reading the advice you'd give. I'll miss the conversations you'd create with these articles.

Good luck for the future, and I hope things work out the way you intend.

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

GOD DAMMIT!!! another good colume bites the dust. I can't say that many of the letters answered applied to my personal situation but they were always nice to read and generally agreed with what was said.

*sigh* well i wish you well in what ever it is you do next...nice Hitchhickers reference by the way.

 

[Count Lieberkuhn]

Not really a great loss if I'm honest. While some of the advice was good, just as much of it was really bad and as previously mentioned, often rudely delivered unnecessarily. See the 'nice guys finish last' article for a good example. It wrongly assumed that all guys wanted to be banging chicks left and right as soon as possible, and didn't seem to consider it was perfectly okay to wait for someone who's really good for you.

I like the idea and I don't think relationship advice in a gaming editorial is a bad idea (most of us aren't really basement-dwelling neckbeards), but its just that the article was geared towards people who weren't gamers at all. And while I'm sure I don't speak for everyone here, but in my experience a lot of gamers are just nice guys who really want a girl who will share their hobbies and they can be comfortable with, rather than some really hot bimbo who'll jump ship at the first sign of interest from somebody else.

 

[Count Lieberkuhn]

Edit: Sorry double post

 

[PatrickXD]

A fitting end to a fantastic series!
Happy New Year, and good luck to you in all your future ventures!
(Make sure you tell us what they are)