Hey everyone! JadedBanana here. Just a quick update to let you guys know what's been going on in terms of writing. No doubt you've noticed that there hasn't been a chapter in... what? three months now? Yeah, I'm REALLY, REALLY sorry about that. It's pretty pathetic, seeing as how I used to be able to publish as many as two or three per week. I promise I'm not quitting or putting this on hiatus, it's just that this chapter is so goddamn hard to write.
In case you're wondering, it's called 'The Braid'. Junko braids Saki's hair this chapter. Sounds pretty simple, right? Yeah, well, there's a whole lot of other stuff that also happens that deals with Saki's mental state and her relationship with Takeo and whatever. Believe me when I say this, but writing mental illness is, in my experience, the single hardest subject one can tackle. Chapters about Saki's abuse have always been extra challenging, right from the one where I revealed her childhood for the first time. I'm such a perfectionist, I have to make it all make sense AND seem realistic AND be pleasing to read all at the same time - much easier said than done. In the past, I've been able to miraculously squeeze these chapters out within a reasonable time frame, but this one in particular is the hardest one yet. Mapping out a route to recovery is really hard, and I found myself jumping from one to another for an entire month and a half, essentially keeping me from writing entirely. Thankfully, now I have it all figured out, but finding the right words to say what I want to say is still a chore in its own right.
At the same time, life has really been making me its bitch. Last year I was in my third semester of college, which was not easy. It ended with me changing my major, which was a whole different endeavor, plus finals really ate up a lot of my time. I had to go home for Christmas (yay (kill me)) so I didn't have much time to write there. (I also may or may not have gotten addicted to Celeste. Whoops.) Now, I'm back in school, and now that the first few weeks of the semester are over, it's business as usual and I have a lot more free time to write. So things have gotten better in that regard.
Anyways, the chapter is around 70 to 80% done, but I'm moving along much faster now than I was a few months ago now that I have the plot figured out from start to finish and my time is a lot more freed up. I'd like to say that it should be out within a week or so, but that's what I've been telling myself for over three months, so really I'd just appreciate it if you kept your eyes open for when it drops. I hope it'll be done soon!
I'm sorry about not giving an update sooner; I really kept thinking, "Oh, it'll be just one more week!" "Oh, it'll be just one more week!" "Oh, it'll be just one more week!" Yeah, no. Sorry, Jade, but your readers deserve to know. Shame on you for keeping them waiting for so long. In all seriousness, I really am sorry for making you worry. I put a note at the bottom of the first chapter of my side fic (I started writing another one just for when I've got writer's block. It's called 'You Got the Wrong Guy', please check it out if you haven't already.) but I realize not all of you might have seen it. I truly am sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long. (Also, thanks to the anonymous review that made me get off my ass and finally write this thing. It means a lot.)
With that said, please look forward to the release of 'The Braid'! Once I have it finished, I'll replace this with that, and you'll get notified if you're following the story!
Sincerely,
JadedBanana
P.S. I also noticed that we passed the one year anniversary of this fic! It was pretty bittersweet, because while it made me happy that it had been so long, it also made me a little upset that I'd spent ~80% of the time on 148 chapters and the remaining ~20% on just one. It's weird to think about. Also, that means that I've literally spent 1/20th of my life writing a single fanfiction about biker zombies, so :AiCrisis:.