Update: April 2019 (April Fools)

Greetings friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I come to you all today... this may be the hardest thing I've ever had to write.

On this, the 1st of April, 2019, I, YamatoSFX, am tendering my resignation from SWE, effective immediately. This was not an easy decision, but in all honesty, this has been a long time coming. It's just the best thing for not just my mental health, but also physically. The stress of putting out each episode and constantly having to outdo the previous one have taken a heavy toll, and I've lost so much weight over the years that my doctors have told me I should have quit ages ago. My personal relationships have also suffered greatly. At one point, I was so deep in my editing hole that I missed my grandfather's funeral. 

Sadly, this departure also means that I shall be abdicating my role as Kirito, in addition to my writing and editing duties. SAOA is my baby, and it's been impossibly hard to choose my replacements, but after a lengthy search and interview process, I believe these are the very best people for the jobs.

So, without further ado, the role of Kirito will now be played by the immensely talented BlazingAzureCrow (https://twitter.com/TheAzureCrow). While this may seem like a strange choice, as his voice differs quite significantly from my own, we truly believe that he can embody the spirit of the character.

Editing will be handled by the legendary KaiserNeko (https://twitter.com/KaiserNeko). Kaiser has always been an inspiration for my own editing, so it goes without saying that there's no one I'd trust more to take up the mantle. We are unbelievably grateful and humbled that he would agree to do this, especially given his own busy schedule.

My writing duties will in turn be ably taken up by the incomparable Grimmjack69 (https://twitter.com/Grimmjack69). One need only look to the layered, nuanced, character study that is FoodMENT to get a glimpse of the bold new direction the series with surely take.

Finally, Chase has already begun grooming MrBuddyVA (https://twitter.com/MrBuddyVA) to become the new CEO of SWE. He has shown remarkable poise and business acumen, and I have high hopes that he will take SWE to new heights that I never could.

I know this is sudden, and for that, I am so very sorry. This channel has been a huge part of my life, and it hurts me greatly to say goodbye; like a piece of my soul is being left behind.  However, I honestly believe this is the best thing for not just myself, but for all of SWE. Carrie and Mack have been incredibly supportive of my decision, and have been a great help during this transition. Hopefully, one day, I'll find a career path that can fulfill me creative, but still offer a more stable, healthy lifestyle. I shall miss all of you terribly, be you SWEeaboos, SWEople, Witty Kitties, or SWEethearts. Thank you all for your years of patience and support.  You leave a void in my heart that shall not be easily filled.

With that, I leave you with one final dick joke to remember me by. Suck a dick, my dudes. Suck a dick forever.

Love,
Izzy aka YamatoSFX