we didn’t hear from her, and the world is going to hell. Do we need more?
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Some places are going to hell more than others - for example, the author of Sword of Rhivenia has also not said anything in a while and they’re from Azerbaijan. I was wondering if this could be a similar situation or something along those lines.
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Well, it’s kind of like the author of the Sword of Rhivenia. We don’t know if either of them are just taking a break, are sick, or worse. A lot of people (not everyone) wouldn’t mind the author taking a break, if the authors told us. But not knowing what’s going on makes me wonder which of those options it is
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Yes absolutely agree. I really enjoyed the story & RO 
plus lately sooooo many great WIPs get abandoned & it’s just heart breaking…
I really hope everything is ok with the author 
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I know right? This one I really like hasn’t been updated around the same time as this one. Which sucks.
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Hey everyone! This is a copy-pasted update from my Tumblr.
This post is long overdue, I know. I’m really sorry to those who have been worried about my wellbeing, as well as those who have been waiting around for an update for so long.
I’ve put off writing here because this “update” is something I’ve been wrestling with for a long time. But I can’t keep going back and forth on it forever, which is why I’m now letting you all know that the Shadow Society is officially discontinued.
I know that this might not come as much of a surprise to anyone at this point. I’ve tried to salvage the story by remaking it into something I’m happy with through a rewrite. But I’ve rewritten the rewrite itself more than once, and no matter what I do, I’m just not happy with the result. Rewriting something that’s already published with all the coding it involves is a lot more tricky than I initially thought it would be.
This is not a case of me being needlessly harsh on myself, however; it’s simply a truth I’ve come to realize after struggling to find a way to keep going with the story. I’ll never be fully content with it, or even content enough, unless I’d be able to completely remake and rewrite everything from scratch – and consequentially, I will never find enough motivation to continue because of how unhappy I am with it.
I’ve seen some speculation about my reason for rewriting the story and my long absence, and that they’ve had to do with comparisons to other IFs (well, you know which one). This isn’t entirely the case. While the comparisons did happen and probably still do, and while they were discouraging in the beginning, I can definitely understand where people have been coming from when making them. I talked about this more in-depth in the forums right after the release of TSS.
The main reason for why I can’t continue is that it’s not a series I feel passionate enough about to work on. My tastes have changed, and so has my writing to some degree. I’ve tried to convince myself that I am passionate about it. It’s hard to admit that you’re not when it’s been in your head for so long, when you’ve tried for so long to make this work and when you know that one part is published and that some people are anticipating a continuation. But it had to be done sooner or later.
Other reasons:
-While I don’t think that my writing style has changed drastically, I feel like it is somewhat different from how I wrote back in 2018 (which is a GOOD thing). Whenever I tried working on the rewrite or second book and attempted to emulate the writing of TSS, it just didn’t sound right anymore, and that took a lot of fun out of it.
-With everything that has happened with CoG over the past few years, they are no longer a company I want to write for.
Please know that none of this has discouraged me from writing in general. I still love doing it. If anything, this has taught me a lot about what I actually want to write and the writing process in general. Whether I end up publishing anything else in the future or will simply do so for my own enjoyment we’ll just have to see, though.
I still have the idea of a shadow-like world in my head, and maybe it’s one I will revisit at some point. Maybe there will be another version of TSS someday, albeit very different from the original one.
But for now, I can only thank you all for the overwhelming love and support over the years, and apologize for any disappointment this has caused. If people are interested, I’d be happy to share parts of the rewrite and unused ideas.
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I’m sorry to hear that TSS is getting discontinued, but at least it’s for reasons that AREN’T you being in danger or something bad happening to you, so at least there’s that. 
Take care, Carawen.
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I’m sad to hear that. I can only imagine how hard this must be for you, letting go of a project you put so much time and effort into. Thanks for letting us know.
I’ll be cheering for you. 
Let us know of your future projects!
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I want to say thank you for sharing this - I’m sure it can’t have been easy to post. Best of luck with any future writing you do whether published or for your own enjoyment. I don’t envy you rewriting something from such a long time ago and it’s very understandable that passion for a project might wane over time. The Shadow Society was a massive achievement in itself and I’m glad that you still get enjoyment from writing in other ways!
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Tremendously disappointed, but please only take that as a credit to how much I enjoyed your story because I also understand. I’ve been where you are a few times, and honestly one of the reasons that I’ve never ventured a ChoiceScript game myself is for one of the reasons you discussed: a fear of realizing that I needed to rework chunks of the game which also meant the Gordian Knot of code reworking (without Alexander’s expeditious option).
Wishing you the best and looking forward to seeing what you get up to next.
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This is the biggest thing about “feeling” your writing style evolve, and easily one of the most frustrating. I’m happy to hear that you aren’t letting it stop you though, and wish you all the best with and in your new projects.
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TSS is still on my Top 10 Fav. IF’s of all time list, as is. <3 I never thought it needed a rewrite, but totally understand the nagging frustration that comes with creating something and not having it turn out exactly the way you wanted. I’ll still follow any project you produce, I really enjoy your creativity and writing style. Is Tumblr the best place to follow you? Also, I’d love to see any writing you’ve done, if it’s easy for you to share! Love yoooooou -glad you’re ok xoxoxo
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I agree wholeheartedly; your storytelling and writing style are true inspirations, and I’m very glad I found your work. I hope you get the much-needed rest you deserve. < 3
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I hope the future offers you many opportunities ! Good luck!
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Love this story.
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As sad as it is that TSS won’t be continued, I’m happy to know you’ll still be writing. There were so many ways to (role)play the game and if you ever decide to make another one, I’d be just as happy to buy it.
Best wishes to you. I hope there’s joy in your future.
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Thank you for sharing this update. I wish you much success in your future endeavors. And thanks for writing.
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Glad you’re doing okay, sorry TSS won’t continue, but looking forward to any future works! Will your Tumblr be the best place to keep up with future projects?
Also, since you offered, I’d love to see any new bits that you wrote for A because I’m still a 
for them. (Not if it will be irritating to share though.)
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I’m sad that TSS won’t be continuing. Like @Jender, it’s in my top ten IFs of all time (I’ll miss A and R so much!). But I’m glad you’re okay and that you’ve made a decision that works for you. I’d love to see anything you do in the future.
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Thank you for updating us on TSS. I also loved the original, didn’t think it needed a re-write- but I completely understand tastes changing and what it’s like when a project doesn’t quite match up or align with your vision anymore.
I’m glad to hear you will keep up writing and hope you will take a stab at IF again someday- maybe on another platform. But for now, thanks for giving us TSS! 
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