Update, review, and feedback. · 3:40am May 25th, 2020
Update:
So... in real life, shit sucks. I travel a lot for my job. Currently, I'm stuck in place and won't be returning home... probably at all this year. What's fantastic about that? Well, that would be the amazing news I received that my house was flooded. We're talking over 6 feet of contaminated water, in an area that isn't even in a flood zone.
Will I survive this? Yes. Was my house covered by insurance? No. Will I rebuild? ... I have no idea. I'll probably take up another contract in the meantime and figure out what I can do from there.
I'm only bringing this up to keep things real and keep it all in perspective. I've lost so fucking much over the last few years that this hasn't destroyed me. I've lost good friends, coworkers, and a lot of family members. People are so far more important than things, even expensive things that come with a mortgage.
If that seems strange that I'm not freaking out over this, keep in mind, if you've been reading my story, it has a big focus on dealing with tragedies. Dwelling on this lousy hand I've been dealt won't help me. Feeling bad about it, throwing a fit, scream out "WHY," or just collapsing and crying it out won't help me.
As I told a supervisor,
Things could be worse. I'd rather be stuck with the debt than have to deal with another funeral.
Moving on...
Review:
58 chapters have been published, 663,375 words published, and even some art to go along with some of the chapters. It's gone from seven lost humans struggling to understand why they were in Equestria, to discovering how well they can work together and how important they are to each other. For some, the discovery of how much more than friends they can be or might want to be. Not only that, but many of them are also finding avenues to better lives with their pony counterparts.
Even my writing has evolved and grown. Fewer errors, better editing, and a rotating list of editors. I still need to go back and correct some of the formattings I did in earlier chapters.
Feedback:
I love getting it. What you like, things you want to know, questions, concerns, and even those of you who notice the errors I made so I can correct them.
Also, I'm impressed by all of you who have been following along. This story is huge (as noted above), and has largely become much more of a slice of life than I intended. But that has helped create a nice slow burn for some of the relationships being developed.
Note:
I was going to throw in a sneak peek for the next chapter, but I don't want to give anything away. You've earned it. However... be forewarned, this next chapter might hurt a little bit. I've literally been punched by a friend I had read over it. You're going to see a side of this world that might seem cruel. However, don't assume I inject misery into this story without a reason or without it taking you somewhere better.
However, I balance out the harshness of one scene in particular with something I'm sure many of you have been waiting for... why does Wednesday have to be so far away? Oh yeah, because it gives me time to have this chapter properly edited.
Sorry to hear about the flooding, but you are absolutely right with what you said to your supervisor. I've never lost a home to flooding, never really lost that much all at once before actually, but I certainly can sympathize with the loss of friends, family, coworkers, etc. If you can get up in the morning, if you can make it through to the next day, and if you can do the same the next day, that's a victory in and of itself.
I know it's 'the thing' to offer condolences and all that, but I've always found it better that others were able to see where I was coming from than to simply hear the platitudes.
It's not an easy road you walk, but as long as you ~do~ walk it, it is a road that will lead you from where you are now into someplace else. And if you're already laid low, there's little option than to find that someplace to be better.
Good luck.
5268911
I appreciate the comment and kind words. Things will get better in time.
Or, as I wrote before:
Getting over it is easy. It's getting past it that the hard part.