6 Years

So, obviously, today (April 15th) marks 6 years since I first created this profile, and it's obvious by my output over the last, like, 4 hasn't been too much. Got a bit done in 2023, which I'm going to go over through the course of this post, but I have a few things I want to say first. I'm just writing these words as they come to me so sorry if this feels a bit disconnected.

But okay, I was talking about my output over the last few years. Before now, I blamed my decline of posting stuff on just a lack of motivation, comparing things to the number of stories I got out between since I started in April 2018 to around mid 2019. That's kind of true, given the fact I started when I was 14. Now I'm a big ol' adult payin' bills, so because of that I look back on my teenage years and think... man, what a shitshow that was, thank god I survived that.

Writing little one shots way back when was a good output for me, to let my creativity run wild, but back then I hadn't a clue how to really write a story, hence the cancellation of my first story, 'Growing Sun,' so as time went on and I started to slow down near the end of my first big story that actually SAW to the end, 'As the Moon Rises,' I think the blame really goes to the fact that I was getting better. And by getting better, I cared more about what I was putting out. And by caring, I realised that a lot of the stories that were prepped to be written were kind of a bit of poo.

Time to start talking about more recent stories. And by recent, I mean as far back as July 2022, cus I've only uploaded 6 new stories since then. By caring more, I wanted my content to deliver on as many fronts as possible, maybe even speak in some way. On July 8th, 2022, I posted a story called 'Tomorrow.' I wrote it within a couple of days, and even now, I read it again and marvel at how I managed to get something just so... right. It appears simple, being a story going over Sunset Shimmer's wardrobe change between Rainbow Rocks and Friendship Games. I could write an English paper on this, that's how proud I am of it, and I think this story marked a new era of how I approached stories. I used to have a quota to just put a story out near once a month, no other questions about it, but 'Tomorrow' taught me that how great of an art writing can be, and even I can create art. So, going forward, I would give my work more love than ever.

In October 2022, I released one of the hardest things I've ever written, 'Sunset's Hellish Adventure' chapter 13; incredibly proud of it. At the end of 2022, I posted 'What Lurks in the Dark;' okay, I just think this one's alright, could've been longer. At the start of 2023, I posted 'Sunset Plays UNO;' probably the funniest story I've ever written. March 2023, I finished 'Sunset's Hellish Adventure' Volume 1 with a bang!

And in September 2023, I released 'Defect: Rewired,' a much needed remake to probably my greatest missed potential. The original 'Defect,' released in February 2019, I think I wrote it in not even 2 weeks. I remember being so proud of it back then, but nowadays I can't even look at it. It was too great of a story for someone like me to write not even a year in, leaving nothing to the imagination, ends with a major contradiction to a character's development. I hate it now. But this remake, I think it is exactly what this concept needed. It is so much better in every way, the ending was changed, and it even leaves the door open for more after. Thanks to the remake, the name 'Defect' could become more than a one-shot, and I'm so happy about that. If I had to show my progress as a writer, I would just show both versions of this story and go over everything the original fails at which the remake fixes. Probably one of my greatest accomplishments, and I've been continuously writing 'Sunset's Hellish Adventure' since August 2020.

Speaking of that, time for 2024! As of writing write now, it's looking good and I'm very excited! So far, I have major plans in store for 'Sunset's Hellish Adventure' Volume 2 which is underway right now, along with two one-shots being released! Starting the year off is 'Read Receipts;' just a cute and funny romance based on my favourite anime Kaguya-Sama: Love is War. Probably took longer to complete than it should have, but y'know what, I will not complain, because it released, and that's all that matters. Following not even 2 weeks after, 'Where Has the Magic Gone?;' a successor to 'Tomorrow.'

For a while, I've wanted to take 'Tomorrow' and make a kind of series out of it based on self reflections on other characters. I have others planned, but I have a bit of a process with these stories that make it a bit difficult to figure out. 'Where Has the Magic Gone?' is the second story in the newly dubbed 'Behind Closed Hearts' series, following Adagio as she writes the song Find the Magic from the special, Sunset's Backstage Pass, connecting the story to the canon again. Writing this story was quite an experience, because it's based on imposter syndrome, something I have suffered throughout the majority of 2023, and even now a couple months into 2024. I'm not gonna go too deep cus this is a happy post and I am feeling fuggin' good right now! I'll just say that I am happy with this story and I feel such a connection to it.

There's so much more I could say, but I've kept you here long enough. We're now 1000 words into this, so I gotta wrap this up!

So what's the plan? Big things! Got stuff cooking up from one-shots to other bigger stories alongside 'Sunset's Hellish Adventure' Volume 2, to even an additional chapter to an older story... more on that another time. I'm working on a sequel to 'Read Receipts,' surprisingly. It's something that wasn't originally considered as a sequel, but it just works, so I might as well call it as such. And as for 'Sunset's Hellish Adventure', Volume 2 will see more chapters. My goal is to get at least halfway through Volume 2 by the end of the year, but only time will tell. The volume's story is pretty much done, just some tweaks and additions I gotta still make. Aside from that, it's in a pretty good place to just smoothly write on.

Things are good right now. Stuff is still gonna release when it's ready, but I don't plan on stopping. I love writing, and I love my stories, except for a few. Long after the show ended, the MLP community has continued to stay strong, and I'll always love this community because of how it let me grow. If I didn't just start on a whim, who knows if I'd ever take up writing. So, thank you! Especially who read through all this. Sorry it's a lot, but there's just too much to say.

I'm gonna be getting back to work. Chef's gotta cook, so I'll see you all again when dinner is ready.

But before I go, there is one more announcement I'd like to share... I am working on a sequel to another story. It's still pretty early in the planning phase, but it's something I'm very excited to start working on soon! In a world unknown, a soulless shell with no name must know their place...

Defect: Know Your Place, coming soon!

Peace out!