Hi. I initially wasn't going to write anything like this because it involves more personal admission than I'm used to writing in any author's notes, but then I considered how much I, as a reader, hate seeing things linger without any updates. So, to the 10 or so people that are likely to see this message, I wanted to reach out to you.

This series became the centerpiece of a negative mental health spiral for me early last year as I continued to chip away at it, despite very clear plans and a very consistent work pace. I rarely have issues with writer's block or really doubt my ability to write, so it has no thing to do with confidence. Instead, it all really comes down to one simple thing:

I can't work on things that don't matter.

I mentioned that this message is going to reach maybe 10 people, and I'm not kidding. I've seen my engagement stats.

Despite my continual work on it, despite consistent updates, despite multiple attempts to reach a wider audience, despite numerous attempts to advertise my stories in new communities, the simple truth is that the numbers keep falling and falling. So much so that my stories can go months, or even years, without any visible engagement aside from a handful of silent views each chapter.

All of it really came to head about September last year, where I decided to take a hiatus for the sake of my mental health, and I basically realized that… nothing changed. My life was not substantially different not working on the story. The story wasn't going anywhere, no one was waiting for me to come back, and I had no force pushing me to continue writing on it other than my own personal attachment to it.

'Why not just write for you?' That's usually the question I get from people who try to cheer me up about it.

And the truth is, I have. For four years. I've written characters I wanted, tropes I liked, and a world I was interested in, all of it built on this grand multi-story plan that I originally made alongside some friends. Since the beginning, I've written for no one but myself, and it turns out that doing so hurts me even more than the alternative.

I'd keep working, keep throwing myself at it, keep trying new and interesting ways to reinvent, but the engagement never budged. I never felt like anything I did made any impact one way or another, and it starts to feel like a horrible reflection back on me. It got to the point that working on this series at all felt like a constant reinforcement that my interest don't really matter to anyone.

To the quiet reader who tuned into my stories and enjoyed each update, this isn't a criticism of you. I'm not saying 'This is your fault! You should have engaged more!" As a reader, I also tend to lurk and stay quiet, and it's a respectful choice to engage with media as you see fit. I'm fully aware that the reasons for my failing engagement and validation from this story aren't any single fault or opposition, but just bad luck that my tastes don't align with the platform and I couldn't drum up the support I needed to feel like it was worthwhile.

In short, I'm not working on this series anymore.

I won't say I'm never coming back, because I am still in love with this series and, as stated, I hate leaving things unfinished. But simply put, working on this is currently much worse for my mental health than not doing so.

I'm not stopping writing. This project really kicked me into shape as a writer and shaped some good productivity habits that have carried over into other aspects of my life. I'm planning on working on some other stuff for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and maybe RWBY. So there's other stuff to look forward to if you liked my work and want to see more.

It's been a lot of fun. Thanks.

See you someday.