You guys probably saw this coming. If you didn't, sorry. But I'm cancelling Holocaust again. This time, for good.
This decision was difficult, just as it was the first time. However, unlike that time, I'm not cancelling it because of depression or lack of motivation. I'm doing it because FABT has become a raging inferno that I can no longer keep heads or tails of due to my busier schedule, my studies and other commitments.
You guys probably know that fiction isn't as easy as it sounds. I'm not going to pretend fanfiction is a daunting task, but when you get to the level that FABT is at (which is pretty big), the issues begin to unravel. Its no longer passionate drabbles that you do to satisfy your love for a franchise. It becomes a pretty big commitment. FABT, ever since Holocaust started, became a world-building epic that, while incredibly enjoying and fun to write, quickly became mentally exhausting and difficult to maintain. This is made worse when you have to juggle such a gargantuan story with university studies, social life, video games, and other hobbies.
I tried to convince myself I could eventually finish this story if I just cancelled Ultimatum. I believed that for quite a time...and then I realized the problem was far more acute. The problem wasn't just the grandiosity dragging me down, it was my desire to expand beyond FABT. As you've probably seen with Flashpoint and now with Equilibrium, I'm looking to expand my horizons. There have been a bunch of new ideas I wanted to explore, but never could, because FABT was absorbing my time. A single FABT chapter is so large that I could write four Flashpoint prompts for a single chapter of Holocaust. It got that ridiculous.
This is not a cancellation of me as a writer. This is not me declaring my retirement from fanfiction. I'm doing this because I want to write other fiction. Other stories. Shorter stories, but with new ideas. This largely comes about from the relative famine of MShep/Tali stories on this site. The ones that are still going (at least the ones I've found) I find are just too unimaginative, or are yet another novelization or take on the games. Rob Sears, at this point, seems to be the only one to be taking the romance into unique and interesting areas, expanding upon concepts few other authors are willing to partake.
This is something I want to share in. I enjoyed writing Holocaust. Hell, if writing fanfiction was a job, you bet your ass I'd continue writing it, along with Ultimatum. But ultimately, its not, and in order to explore these other ideas, I must lay my old ones to rest.
Again, as last time, I will be posting the Holocaust outline so that you know where I was going with this story. I will be posting the original outline, not the one I revised when I cancelled Ultimatum, as I've decided to post the Ultimatum outline as well, because I feel I put too much effort into it to allow it to disappear into disuse. If you wish to use elements of my story outlines for your own stories, you may, but I'd prefer that you ask first.
I hope you stick around, as I will be continuing Flashpoint for the foreseeable future (as long as I keep getting prompts), and I can't wait for the ball to get rolling on Equilibrium: Crusader. And, of course, I have many more stories in the line up as well.
I thank you for understanding, and look forward to seeing your support in my future endeavours. Thank you for sticking around. :)
Keelah se'lai.
