I’ve pulled Flowers entirely from the site and ceased all work on it. A new story has been posted to replace it. I hate to seem fickle about my enthusiasm — there are few things that annoy me, personally, more than someone who can’t stick to one idea and plan. But in this case it was necessary.
Work on Flowers caused some disagreement between me and Hachi that ballooned out of all proportions. I won’t get into the drama, nor do I want to criticize another party because I know I’m at fault too. There is no such thing as an argument where only one side is composed and logical — and if you think you’re the righteous one, chance are you’re actually more at fault. But suffice to say the project has been ruined because of it. Losing a friend (or someone you thought was a friend) is never easy, and now Flowers is associated with that loss. For a creative, not-for-profit project that relies on personal inspiration and motivation to keep going, that is a death sentence.
The new story uses a recycled setting from Flowers, as well as some similar concepts, but with a completely different cast and premise. I’ve also learned my lesson on what happened when I plan ‘too much too early’. Beta feedback on this story has run much smoother, so at least from my growth as a writer, I can appreciate my brief period with Flowers for the lessons it gave me.
~ Aorii
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Thank you \(•ᴗ•)/
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I have read the first two chapters of the new project and I look forward to more, so while I must be sounding melancholy know that I fully support the new direction you have chosen to take.
It is just that it hurts to have to see… or rather it haunts to know that we will never see how Lydia’s story ends. Lydia was a great character… in my eyes at least, that I am so attached to her after such a short run is testament to that. Repurposing bits of her story into the new narrative was disheartening for me, not because the new project is in any way lesser than flowers but because it almost guarantees that her character will never be done justice.
For me that setting existed to bring out Lydia’s character and propel her story forward, so to see it all again without her feels hollow knowing it holds a story we will never know. She was too central to her story to be easily repurposed into the new narrative and now that the new project is so similar any hope of her story being revived at any point in the future is all but done for.
I seem to remember once complimenting your ability to write an enjoyable story to which you questioned my sincerity perhaps mistaking it for sarcasm (the comments are now lost with the chapters of flowers under which they were said) So I will try to make it quite clear this time:
You wield a terrible power to breath life into characters such that they capture my heart and take a little piece with them in their passing, and to write compelling narratives that make even a realm of fantasy feel as real as our own. Do not underestimate your power and have more faith in your creations, for your stories reach farther than you know.
I will miss Lydia; the samaran who suffered much for the sake of her family, the widow who marched to war with those who once saw her as weak, the warrior who cast herself from the cycle of reincarnation for the love she had lost, the war hero whose sacrifice saved none of those she wished to protect and the major who did what she could in a situation completely out of her depth. But while it is sad to see Lydia go so soon, I look forward to the story that will succeed hers… and may it last a little while longer this time!
Just whatever you do, dont stop writing~
I really appreciate the support TT_TT
Yeah, it had hurt to abandon Flowers myself, especially after how much work I put into it trying to correct its faults. But after everything that happened I was left with two options, either be stuck because I found it too painful to write anything more, or to bury the past and build a new project.
Luna did inherit a lot of my notes from Lydia’s character design (I didn’t want all my research to go to waste). But obviously, her background is very different. I can only hope you’ll like the new one as much.
(I can still see old comments; sorry that I questioned your sincerity; I’m one of those people who start doubting anytime praise gets blatant.)
I’m sorry to hear about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the creation of Flowers.
On a happier note, I’m glad to see that you’ve decided to keep writing. Thank you for that.
I was wondering what was going on with the series after those Development Diaries and the long delay. Sad to hear about the personal troubles, and hope things work out in some way.
I will be looking forward to the new series and how it progressing. Hope you end up happier with the way this one progresses vs the old stories.
Yeah I was pretty down and out of it for a while. One could call it a writer’s block. Glad you’re still hanging around and hope the wait was worthwhile o/