ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Hey, everyone.
If you're taking the time to read this, then I wanted to thank you for following Forlorn and being a part of the journey. This work is the first I've ever completed, even if I've been writing stories since the time I learned to write as a child. And I want to start a streak of completed works with this, too.
Some of you were around when Forlorn was first posted online a few years ago, and were probably – and understandably – confused or upset when I took it down, only two chapters away from the end. I wanted to once again apologize for that and reassure you guys that my reasons had nothing to do with negative criticisms. In fact, I welcome any and all comments about my writing! Know that I simply deal with personal struggles in my life, and taking Forlorn off the internet was a result of this. But I couldn't let it stay that way. This story means the world to me and getting rid of it was like erasing a piece of myself. It has helped me figure out and accept my sexuality, and based on some of your own reviews, dear readers, it seems Forlorn has also done the same for you, among other incredible things, too. I cannot begin to describe how heartwarming and humbling it is to learn that my writing could have impacted some of your lives and relationships for the better. So, with the utmost gratitude and sincerity, thank you for being with me on this ride.
And while I am expressing immense appreciation, there is also huge thanks that goes to Cowjump, the writer of RWBY Bumblebee (and White Rose) fanfics Valence and On Kaiser Island, for all his patience and kindness and support during this journey. He is my best friend, a great and funny person, my very own professional editor, and an invaluable sounding board to my ideas. I could never have done this without him – truly – and I encourage you all to give his stories a read and leave him with some nice words.
In more recent news, Warwolf has lent his eye to help me out as my beta reader – he is a self-published author and offers a unique perspective on my writing, and I'm hoping he will aid me in catching possible weaknesses/plot holes in my future works before they are posted.
A big shout-out goes to Moongarm, Reeves3, Nightlocker, Sojamanic, and Private LL Church for all their praising reviews and honest care for what Forlorn represents. To the five of you – you cannot imagine how far reaching your reliability and words were. Your optimism, honesty, and understanding were always what I looked forward to the most.
I also want to thank Flagarach, Writer of Things Here, and RobinxRaven Writer, who gave me some useful input and criticisms, and helped me find ways to address weaknesses in Forlorn's writing. Praise is always wonderful, but I especially appreciate those who give me opportunities to analyze what I've done wrong so that I can either fix it or do better next time – and generally improve as a writer. So, thank you for those opportunities and taking the time to explain your thoughts.
There are some ideas in Forlorn that were never mine, such as the carnival, the aquarium, and Tai's father-to-daughter talk with Yang, among a few others. It was you, dear readers, who commented and wrote Forlorn with me, in a way. You helped make this story what it is, and if I could, I'd give you all a hug! Maybe one day. :)
On a slightly different note, if there are parts of Forlorn that you did not enjoy, all of you awesome readers, then that is completely alright. There are parts of Forlorn that I'm not fond of, either! Let me know if you have any complaints or concerns – it will be my pleasure to read your opinion and do my best to improve for future works. As for me, my greatest regret is chapter three. It's a really dumb chapter in which I made Yang accidentally seem like a huge jerk, and there was no way for me to fix it beyond writing something completely different – which I couldn't do because chapter four relies on chapter three's current content to make sense. I tried to atone by addressing the issue in chapter four, but the truth is that chapter three is just painful. So, to me, it is Forlorn's weakest link, and I can only hope that you who read this story can forgive it and remember the rest with a smile.
This isn't quite the end of the journey, though! I have a sequel pretty much all planned out, so be on the lookout next Sunday for the first chapter! I'm really excited (and nervous) to find out what kind of reception it will get.
Lastly, as a quick mention, if you want to listen to Forlorn's audiobook, subscribe to me on Youtube under the name "A RWBY Fanfic Production" and leave some nice comments for all the hard-working voice actors and actresses on the project!
Yours truly and with love,
Jay