I put this off for a long time, since I wanted to continue the story, but it's not happening.

Life kind of kicked me in the crotch a while back, and I'm still wearing the metaphorical icepack. Being a bit thin-skinned about the critiques is also another reason as well.

But the biggest reason I'm having trouble continuing is because this story isn't the one I started out writing.

HVITBAN started out as effectively one and a half stories. The first was one where the main character took the path less traveled, shunning the idea of helping the world by punching criminals, and helping them instead. The second was a half-conceived wish-fulfillment hero fantasy.

I wanted a scene where Norm debated with Riddler about the true purpose of riddles, and eventually getting him to start designing puzzles and riddles for video games (again? I hadn't figured out which backstory this Riddler had.)

I wanted Norm constantly hiring assassins and saboteurs to help make the world a better place, one african warlord or human trafficker at a time.

Of course, I also didn't want this to get super dark and Injustice-ish, so I made Norm a hero as well and focused too heavily on that aspect. Also, the entire thing with the Cube could have been built into its own story and was kind of unnecessary in some ways. It was cool, and I liked it, but getting rid of it was a huge mistake, no matter how interesting it might have been storywise.

Anyway, I can't bring myself to fix, rewrite, or even just continue this story. Writing anything at all has been hard lately, so I thought I'd just sum up my plan for the loose plot threads:

We cut to Norm and Ivy talking. Harley just cried herself to sleep. She's been switching between being overjoyed at being free and inconsolable for a while now.

Ivy confronts Norm, having guessed that he was the one who killed Joker. Norm tells her about his backup plans, including bribing the nurses at Arkham and preparing roadblocks to intercept any ambulances leaving the asylum. He also made sure that the newspapers had Jack Napier's story when the news of Joker's death went out.

The conversation shifts to 'what's next'. Harley needs help that neither of them can give. Frankly, no one in Gotham can help her, but Norm knows that one of the reasons Themiscrya was founded was as a sanctuary for abused women.

Of course, there's no way Wonder Woman or the people at the embassy would let Harley onto their precious island, so Norm decides to go over Wonder Woman's head and ask Athena and Artemis directly. He donates several million dollars to several different libraries and organizations for protecting abused women and does a quick little ritual for each goddess.

Norm gets a positive answer but also a test. They don't give him directions to Themiscrya. He has to find a way there on his own. Since only amazons can get to the island on purpose, that normally would mean that Norm would be forced to ask Wonder Woman like he'd been avoiding.

However, he'd figured a way around the protections a couple of chapters ago, and just brings Harley and Ivy to the island directly. Artemis approves of his ability to hunt down a location but dislikes him for being male. Athena is very impressed with the way he locates the island but thinks he violated the spirit of the test.

They decide that he gets to live, but that the guards should give him a good thrashing for being a smartass.

I don't know what happens from that point on, though there's the whole Cube/Batgirl mess I got myself in. I had a few different ideas, and I hated all of them.

I had a few more ideas that could have been fleshed out, like Martian Manhunter checking Norm's mind and running into his mental defenses...

I didn't have a clue how to end it, and the ideas I came up with were cracky, preachy, or unsatisfying.

So yeah, I'm sorry to anyone who was looking forward to more. If anyone wants to take this story and use it as inspiration, they are welcome to it.

I'mma try to write some other stuff, but no promises as to release dates or quality.