My Readers,

It's May 31, 2021 and it has officially been a year since the last time I updated this fic. I promise I'm not abandoning Archie's story, but I feel like you all deserve an update and an explanation regarding my writing and update schedule. I want to be honest with all of you. And honestly? I haven't written a single word for this fic in the last year, except a few lines of timeline planning.

I know from several of the wonderful reviews some of you have posted that this isn't the first time-jumping OC insert fic you've all read (though you've said some unbelievably kind things about Archie, so thank you!), and with that you know the sheer volume of writing and planning that needs to go into creating something of this magnitude. And I love doing the writing and the planning for this fic, the Archiver is one of my absolute favorite characters I've ever played with and I have at least a dozen files dedicated to crafting the timeline, drafting the different Archiver regenerations, and weaving her into the story in a way that I feel is fluid, natural, and constructive to the story. I don't want her to just steal other characters' dialogue. I don't want every episode to be exactly the same as the show with her standing in the background. I need to plan how it's all going to change with her influence, but frankly I haven't had the time, energy, or motivation to dive into those intricacies in months.

But it's not because I've lost a love for her story or the desire to share it with you all! I want to get it out there for anyone who's interested in reading about her. And I want to get it out there for myself as well, both as a creator and as a fan of the story and what it could be.

This last year has been infinitely challenging for everybody, and I don't want to minimize anyone's struggles that they have faced, but I want to take some time to explain some of my year and why I haven't been writing. I am in my final year of university, actually due to graduate in a couple of weeks, and the last few terms of class have been near impossible to feel proud of throughout this pandemic. I live 1,500 miles from any family and the only support system I have is a group of friends I'm not even sure like me all that much. I was nearly kicked from my apartment for missing rent after losing work and by the end of June I'll be more than $100,000 in student loan debt. I haven't been able to find a new job and can barely manage groceries at the moment. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, I still have a roof over my head, food on my plate, nice roommates, a decent family, and I live in a wonderful little town. I am blessed in so many ways, and I don't want to take away from those blessings with complaints, but I have struggled a lot with my mental health these last few months (well, actually the last several years but it's gone largely unacknowledged until now). I recently started seeing a therapist, that is blessedly covered by my health insurance, and we've been mostly focused on resolving some past repressed trauma. I'm not going to get into the details, those are still mine, but I want to express that I've been extremely depressed, anxious, and vulnerable throughout these changes in my life (that I have no idea what I'm going to do with btw). It's been the main reason I haven't been writing, on top of the fact that my schooling is entirely reading and writing and I've had some burnout there as well.

The Archiver is a very powerful character, I think about her all the time. I plan out episodes in my head late at night and make stupid little notes all over my other notes all over other notes - really my files are Noteception and I'm definitely due for some organization. She is the one story I keep coming back to, and I will continue it, I just need to find that spark of inspiration again. You've all been amazing and patient readers, and I'm honestly shocked this story is still getting new visitors and followers when it's been so long since an update - it makes me proud as a writer and guilty because you deserve more of the story you love. So the big question is, what happens next?

Revision. I've started rereading the past 7 chapters of The Archives Dismantled and I have officially decided to revise them. Not a lot is going to change, but there are some significant inconsistencies in the story I need to fix for future plot purposes, and I really want to take some time to flush out the POV. I switch a lot between characters and I think it would be better to focus more on just the Doctor and the Archiver with more intentional blockings of perspective - though I will include the occasional companion perspective, we all know how important the perspective of the human is in Doctor Who. The point here is to get reinvested in the beginning so that I can move forward with the story. Once I've finished rewriting a chapter, I will replace the original and the title will have the caption (Revised) so that you know it's been changed and updated. Keep in mind, it will still be a couple weeks before there are any changes made, and likely a while before any new content comes out because my first priority right now is getting a job and taking care of myself. We knew this was going to be a long one, and I know it's going to take a lot of work and dedication on my end. I'm working really hard to create a productive schedule so that I can actually write consistently for once.

I really appreciate all of your support and patience. Thank you so much for being interested in the Archiver and her stories. I hope I can make all of you proud.

Write soon,

Zbeewritingz