Map of the Problematique
The Future of the Story

Hey, anyone still reading this. It's been a wild ride these last 12 years (it's still hard to believe it's been that long) and I just wanted to thank anyone still reading for sticking with me through everything. I'm not writing this to say that the story is being discontinued, actually, quite the contrary.

I started writing Endless Possibilities (and it was just that, Endless Possibilities, not Map of the Problematique) when I was 19 and in my first year of college. It was a gift to a friend who introduced me to the AkuBlossom pairing, and it was supposed to be a self-contained story that ended around what would become chapter 18. Bubbles and Buttercup, along with the Rowdyruff Boys would defeat Mojo, and Blossom and Aku would come to a realization that they couldn't destroy each other, and couldn't bear to be apart either. It was going to end on an uncertain, yet uplifting note.

Then I got a review talking about Blossom as a disciple of Aku, and the friend for whom I was writing the story did the first doodle of Devil Blossom. What happened afterward was a 100 chapter story that quickly got away from me as my own life went through drastic changes.

Map has gone through countless iterations in my head over the years. I've made no fewer than 3 or 4 "True Ending" outlines for how the story would end, but never found myself satisfied with them. That, combined with my struggles with bipolar disorder, and the challenges that come with being an adult, caused Map to go through a number of hiatuses over the years. Every time I came back, I had new ideas that quickly ran out of steam because, in spite all of that, I still didn't know how the story would end.

That is, until about a year ago, when I posted the last chapter.

I finally know where this story is going and how it's going to end. And it's an ending that I am SO excited to share with y'all because I feel there are twists, turns, and moments coming up that will blindside even the friend for whom the story was written. In knowing how the story ends, I also finally know what this story is about.

Map of the Problematique is a story about expectations, and how failure to meet those expectations can be devastating. It's a story of a gifted child, who encounters failure and internalizes part of her. She can't face her failure, so it festers, becoming resentment, and eventually hate. And that hate, not at the world, but at the self, is what lies at the heart of this story. Blossom isolates herself in a continued effort to run away from her flaws and failures, instead lashing out at everyone else.

The story will end, and the only spoiler I'll give is that, where I am now in my life at 32 years old, I don't believe in grimdark tragedies anymore. I believe in happy endings, even if the road to get to them is paved in hardship.

This story will be completed, that I can assure you. But, to be able to get to the ending I have envisioned for the story, I have to go back to the very beginning.

I won't be removing this version of Map. I expect that, even if I do accomplish what I'm setting out to, this version will always be my most viewed, favorited, and reviewed story. But, still...for anyone still reading, I want to invite you to join me on this adventure.

I've gone back to the very beginning, and begun rewriting the story. It will follow the same chapters, and roughly the same story beats, but I am taking this opportunity to do a number of things:

1. Reimagine the parts of the story that are among the weakest.

2. Clean up loose ends, dropped plotlines, and remove elements that only existed because they were written by an edgy college student.

3. Establish a clear, consistent plot from beginning to end.

4. Make this story match the version that's in my head

I understand that anyone who has made it this far may feel cheated, and I accept that it may end up being just me and the friend from before who reads this new Map of the Problematique. But, that's a risk I'm willing to take, because I think this story is worth that effort.

I've begun posting the new chapters to Archive of Our Own, under my new penname "BoobeamTrap". The first 3 chapters have been completed, and I personally believe, with all my heart, that they are some of the best writing I have ever done.

If you're interested, you can find the first chapter on AO3: archive of our own dot org /works/35200648/chapters/87711175

Remove the spaces, replace the dot with a period. My apologies, doesn't like links.

I'm working at a breakneck pace compared to how I've written for the last few years, so new chapters will be forthcoming. But, as I mentioned before, I'm 32 now, with a wife, a daughter, and demanding, yet rewarding full-time job. Understand there may be dips, but nothing like what you've already experienced with Map over this past decade.

If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me. I hope you'll join me because I cam so excited for the story I have to tell. If this is where we part ways, thank you again. This story and everyone who has read it means the world to me and I can never find the words to say how much I appreciate you all.