Hello once again.

Another season has passed, and it is time once again for an update. Despite my hopes at the beginning of summer, progress has not been good, and I have had to rethink some things about my process and accept some difficult truths.

For the beginning of the summer, it was just a matter of distractions getting in the way - things happening that kept me from working on this project. But, by the middle of July, it was already starting to be apparent that it was more than that - it was just overwhelmingly difficult to motivate myself to work on this project, even though I knew I could, and I knew it wouldn't be particularly difficult if I had the motivation.

As it turns out, the issue was my perspective and expectations. Putting this project in the public eye was a great motivator at first, and when I did well it pushed me to continue doing well - even when I faltered I was able to pick it back up and continue making progress. However, after some very personal matters in the last half a year, that motivation has gone out of reach and been replaced by guilt and worry over my lack of progress. Though I have no idea what those of you who follow this project really think or expect of me, the feeling of being in the public eye made me feel like I had particular responsibilities and expectations put upon me. This was addressed somewhat in the last update, with how my strict focus on consistency - a goal I stated publicly - led me to be more harsh on myself when I didn't meet that expectation of myself.

So, I've become burnt out on this project, not by overworking myself, something which I've taken measures against, but by continually worrying.

That doesn't mean I'm giving up on this project, though, but it does mean some things need to change. The question then is, how can I lessen the expectations I'm putting on myself and return to a workflow that is comfortable and supports progress?

My answer is that I need to reassess things and come at this project from a different angle, as a project I'm passionate about and want to work on rather than one I feel I have to work on. This means accepting that I have to take an official break from this and recuperate from burnout and recent personal matters that have disrupted my life and take the time to reassess my feelings about this project from my own point of view.

I don't know when I'll return to work on this project, but I can at least assure that the intervening time will not be spent idly. Dawn of Ragnarok was never a single project to devote everything to, and I have numerous side projects I can devote time to and enjoy doing so, which continue to help me develop skills both in terms of writing, art, and the like, as well as, crucially, successfully maintaining progress on ongoing projects. Whether any of these side projects will ever be available to the public or just personal projects for my own benefit, I cannot say, though I certainly will not be releasing anything in particularly early stages of development going forward, after what I have learnt from this project.

With all good luck, in due time I will be able to return to work on this project, with the drive and mindset to comfortably work at my own pace and the skills to do so effectively.

I apologize that things have turned out this way, and thank you all for your hopeful understanding and patience. I hope you all are doing well through these often tough times, and thank you for continuing to follow this project.

~ Celia