Long time, no see. · 10:11am Feb 21st, 2018
Old friends, new subscribers who never had the curse of getting to know me, and anyone foolish enough to read this blog that doesn't fit into either of those categories...
Dispensing with the melodrama, I am here after months... years....? Time eludes me, being immortal is hard.
No, I am not back writing fanfiction on FimFic. Alas, all ye olde lovers of Legendary will never see it rebooted, and please do understand that you have my sincere regret for not finishing that one. I really liked it.
Do note the rambling. You're all familiar with it: I had a bit to drink. If you know me, then you're already buckling your seat belt. If you don't, you should.
What the hell could I possibly say that would appease you all? Retired, out of touch, but not washed-up, here I am. I left FimFic (read: stopped writing on) insisting I could do more with original content. It's years later, and I still assert that that is true. In fact, these many years later, I am prepared to prove it.
My plans have not changed. Visionary, reborn as a trilogy that addresses all of the concerns of the before, and adds true content and storytelling, is still planned. Empire of Sand, as it is to be called, is underway. However, I have had to apply brakes to it slightly as I focus more broadly on the total story: River of Souls. If you know the name, then it's been a long time and I can't blame you for losing faith.
If you're new and don't know it, then maybe you're better off with a pleasant surprise in the future... I tease of course, I like talking about things too much to withhold information.
If you read Visionary, then even if you enjoyed it you need to admit (because the author is admitting) that it was a hot mess. Lord was it fun to write, but it wasn't well done by any means. That is to say that, frankly, I could do immensely better. River of Souls is a project to redo Visionary, amongst other things, as true original fiction. Obviously, since it was originally a fanfiction, that has meant complete re-imaginings of the entire universe I would use. Naturally, one man couldn't possibly do it, so I teamed up with Chris Bowling. We have a past-present type epic narration thoroughly (no, really) planned for this epic universe overhaul. If you don't know the name, you might recognize Socratic Brony. If not, just play along.
I understand that if you've been a long time fan of mine (god have mercy on your soul), then River of Souls, and naturally Empire of Sand, are the bait on the hook. I announced these a long time ago, but those projects are simply so massive that I confess: I'm not done yet. I assert, though, my usual promise: I will be.
I haven't written jack-shit publicly since 2013. 2013. Good lord, do I know how terrible that sounds... but don't make the mistake of assuming I've declined. In private, I have been in practice. I'm not every bit the author I used to be: I'm way better than that. There's something to be said for keeping your old ideas and stories close to heart, but improving by leaps and bounds as an author.
Tooting my own horn? Hardly. I want you to understand that I'm confessing to improvement because it took me five years to do so. Liked Razorbeam then? Good, you'll love Aaron Marquart-Pavlak now.
In case you didn't know, that's me, by the way.
Some of you who have been strung along since way before 2013 have every reason to doubt me. I've said I was continuing things, said I was rewriting things, said I was doing things. Some of those promises got broken along the way, and some of those things never happened. I'm not blogging for the first time since 2015 (seriously, what the *^$%, me) to make excuses: I definitely let folks down. I know that I didn't deliver on what was expected.
So what's the point, right? Why blog in 2018 about crap I promised in 2015, that still isn't done?
Because that's not what this blog is really about. Naturally, I want those things kept in mind, I'm still asserting that River of Souls and Empire of Sand are coming, and they're going to be big shit.
What I'm blogging about today is Patreon, and I waited this far into the post to mention it because I know my real readers get this far: the people who want to read what I come up with, not the people attached to Pony.
I have every intention of starting a Patreon, and I already have three full chapters of a story outside of River of Souls completed. River of Souls will not be a Patreon project: that is a life work for me, and I want it completed book by book, not chapter by chapter, so bear with me.
Instead, Patreon is there to deliver what I had once delivered: just stories. Stories that exist to show you that not only am I still there, but that I can show you the improvement I'm claiming to have made. I'll only do one at a time, but Patreon also affords me the ability to release shorts, which I have never done before.
I haven't launched yet, but it will be very, very soon. Another blog will come out at that point, for certain. This one is to gauge interest, to find out who's still here, and get an idea of what I'm still working with from the good old days. Bear in mind that the Patreon decision was made with this in mind: I am prepared to start from scratch as an original fiction creator with no name.
Frankly, however, I miss you guys. So, if you're still here, kicking around, let me know what you think, say hi, whatever hits on your wavelength. Change is on the horizon, I promise, and it's for the better.
Regards,
Aaron/Razor.
You know, I actually had to look to see what made me follow you and Visionary it was. I don't have much time to post my thoughts but I can say... I'm not sure what I can say but I can say I got to go.
Welcome back if for a moment.
We now have initials. I don’t know about the rest of you, but after reading this, I am AMP’d.
Don’t shove! I know where the door is.
It took my brain a hot minute to realize who it was, glad to hear from you.
Well that was a random surprise. How 'bout that.
Lovely to hear about you, it's nice that you still update us on things because this is still the only place where I'm absolutely sure I can find and get updates from you, even if after two years.
Good stuff.
Good to see you're still alive, man.
Greetings and salutations old comrade!
It is... good to see you again, old friend. Welcome home, it's been long journey I take it? That's good.
That's very good...
Hellopaca!
I revisited this site to look up Tinkermane and read it again. Can't wait to see 2.0!
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But you will.