Chapter Text
STATUS UPDATE
(will make a new update on par to November's update once MoaSC is published)
January 24th, 2026, on Saturday: I'm so sorry for the one-month delay! I'm doing alright physically, and mentally too, but just overwhelmed; more context in the update. The first chapter has been finished already in September 2025, and I'll publish it on Wednesday. More context to this in the update as well. This update's text will have a part in the next major status update, once MoaSC is published.
This prelim term of mine this January, combined by caring too much about the first chapter of my exit project Meaning of a Second Chance... and wanting balance in my life: over the last few days, I began to feel overwhelmed mentally.
I just wasn't satisfied with its first chapter yet; the feeling that there's more that I can do for its writing, paired with the doubts that even what I've learned to better attract readers who are attracted to the premise of the work - would matter.
I'm proud of what I've written so far, but I feel like even the highest quality of my writing yet wouldn't even be enough to garner some comments and feedback, despite implementations such as: accurate tags, a section to clarify tags, call-to-action prompts, and a mid-chapter reminder. See TBtC-R for example, the difference being that TBtC-R was quite mistagged, and lacked the properties such as what I've mentioned.
I don't expect much, so once MoaSC is finally finished, I'll be exiting from OMORI fan-fiction as a whole and move on from this username "spatsso". I at least am an author who wants things to be finished as opposed to giving up when things become mentally difficult; I've pushed through that again and again in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
OMORI is little over five years old at this point, and it is NOT like 2021 where there are many more readers for OMORI fan-fics. In truth, it's just that I feel incomplete with TBtC being rushed, then going through some hard parts of my late teens in 2021 to early 2023, and TBtC-R was rushed as well in the fourth chapter, feeling like I've had enough afterward...
Then I decided to return (in September 2025) to actually finish TBtC's story, being far more experienced. Initially, I wasn't enthusiastic, but I became so in November. One could only imagine the numbers MoaSC could do if it was published in 2021...
I enjoyed the writing process throughout, and I've improved when it comes to story cohesion and coming up with ideas to write within stories. But now, I'm just stretching the first chapter's publish date too long for my remaining readers to bear, and I'm sorry for that.
As for why I'd still publish it on Wednesday (Jan. 28th) despite what I've written... I think the best example to describe my current thought process would be this image below lol
Even if I'm "just polishing" the first chapter, though, it still takes me as much time as free-writing or second-draft writing since I'm actually adding new things, adjusting existing text, and carefully refining text.
I also do have prelim exams in early February, and I'm preparing for it in advance, like I always have.
This'll be it for the status update! I'm going to stop putting too much time into the first chapter of MoaSC, and publish it strictly on Wednesday.
Thank you for your patience, and I'm sorry for the delay again. I hope you have a wonderful day, though! 🥰
Setting Things Up! Update on January 9th, 2026, on Friday: I've decided to work on MoaSC this morning, and I'm getting things set up for it to publish within the next few days! What I mean: I'm enhancing the fic's summary, beginning notes, and the introduction for readers. I'm also looking into styling my work, as well as deeper into tagging and how I should tag my work.
Hello again! What I wrote for the summary of this status update should explain this update enough. I just wanted to make a quick update to let you update-checkers know that things ARE in motion. And here's a few things as a sneak-peek to MoaSC!
The summary of the fic, with some parts of the snippet being redacted. The summary can still change, but I'm proud and satisfied with it.
The beginning notes of the first chapter, with me redacting the resources... for some reason I can't really explain myself, but it felt right to do.
Anyway, I have visible abs and obliques now. That'll be all for this status update, thank you for checking in! LOL
Update to Clear Things Up on Jan. 4th, 2026, on Sunday: Sorry for the huge delay on MoaSC's release 😭 and I know I wrote previously that the next update was when I finally publish MoaSC's first chapter, but I want to make some things clear before I continue.
Happy new year, by the way! I had a lot of fun celebrating the new year with family and friends — ending on the end of Jan. 2nd, pretty lengthy celebrations — despite being in my recovery phase previously. I had a bad headache yesterday, though.
I just jogged this morning (hadn't been able to exercise since Dec. 23) and only now am I actually able to proceed with polishing the first chapter of MoaSC, including changes I'll have to make in the following chapters as the polishing goes.
Meaning of a Second Chance will be my exit project (my last work, a complete — and "modernized", so to say — version of Turn Back the Clock) most likely, and I really want to have a strong first chapter.
While I'm proud of what I've written so far (it's still nine chapters completed out of twelve planned) I'm still not satisfied enough to publish MoaSC just yet, and I'm sorry about that being the cause of the delay.
And again, once the second chapter is released, MoaSC will have its following chapters be published weekly. The irregularity of the second chapter is a "just in case" thing; if I need more time, or if I don't.
Lastly, when do I think I can publish MoaSC? Around January 8th – 10th.
I've written this in older (now erased) status updates, but: it's absolutely essential for me to lead my life in a balanced way, given that I want to progress in life, and I'm keeping up with both friends and family. Of course, I'm also an undergrad student, and classes are starting again soon.
I can't just spend all of my time in the next few or several days just polishing MoaSC; I have to do other things as well. And even when I've laid all my ideas and plans out: how I write — don't mean to sound braggy, but: the quality of it — means I can't exactly be speedy, still.
I've tried being speedy with my writing before, and have done so, but the quality of my writing has always progressed, and with that, I write slower again due to decision fatigue.
Regardless of everything that I just wrote, though: I'm very excited to publish MoaSC! I'll have a lighter workload when writing the tenth chapter and so on since MoaSC's story has already been set due to it being published.
That, and once I'm done with MoaSC... GOODNESS I can finally quit with purely text-based creative writing, and with that, this old username of mine "spatsso". See the Nov. 30th update for more information on that (I believe it's there.)
And that'll be all for today. Thank you for checking in, and I'm really sorry again for the delay! 😭
[] Nov. 30, 2025, on Sunday [] Sorry for the long wait from the last update! This Nov. 29 update mixes with Oct. 21's status update to save time, and maintain some important reminders while adding new info.
This update contains important reminders and info: my change of directions online, and where MoaSC (TBtC-R) is headed. This update will likely stick around even after my exit project, Meaning of a Second Chance, is done.
I've also deleted all the previous status updates mainly for privacy reasons, but also to simplify my status update page with just one, long-term status update, as I'm about to retire this online handle after MoaSC is finished and fully published.
No TL;DR, but a summary of the important info — more details are written below; in the main body of this update's text.
- When MoaSC is finished, I'll move on from this old online handle of mine ("spatsso", I've had this for six or five years) since there is history behind it from my mid to late teen years, which simply was some normal cringe from looking back at things I did when I was younger. It's important to me as someone who wants to be more than just a creative writer. For complete privacy reasons — I'm not taking any chances — I'm selective with words on this bullet, and won't write too many reasons why. Sorry if it's vague to you, but it has to be.
- But who knows? I may come back to do a final rewrite of Do Without Them, the name of which I'll also change if this happens.
- To be clear, I'm now in my early 20s.
- I'm only writing MoaSC primarily to: give TBtC's story proper treatment, writing it in full from start to finish, with my best ideas non-rushed, of ideas from back in the original TBtC, mixed in with ideas for MoaSC, today's TBtC.
- And primarily to learn more as well — despite the amount of experience and knowledge I already have in creative writing — and as it so happened, I wanted to improve my English vocabulary again.
- Keep in mind, I've already been fed up with only text-based writing ever since early 2024, which also stems from me wanting to transition to doing comics and original works.
- Secondary reasons why are because of fatigue from that, and decision fatigue in writing itself, regardless of how much I plan my chapters (and the entire written work) out.
Anyway, what about the progress on Meaning of a Second Chance, you may ask?
Also known previously as Turn Back the Clock... firstly, let me recall the purpose of a new and final rewrite:
- from bullet #2 earlier, "to: give TBtC's story proper treatment, writing it in full from start to finish, with my best ideas non-rushed, of ideas from back in the original TBtC, mixed in with ideas for MoaSC, today's TBtC.".
With that out of the way, here's the progress in summary: eight chapters are finished, out of 12 planned chapters; the ninth chapter is currently in the works, and I'm planning to publish these chapters weekly starting later this December 24th.
If you've been a regular on checking my status updates, maybe since the pause of TBtC-R, then you at least deserve to have bits of the upcoming content of a full-power TBtC since you've been waiting for so long!
- Chapter 1 is still named as "Sunny's Dawning Sun", and has been significantly rewritten to set you up nicely for the later story.
- Chapter 2, a new chapter named "Revelations" is where Basil and Sunny eventually agree to admit what they've done in the past to their friends; this concept is further expanded on, and is also referenced later in the story.
- Chapter 3, named "A New Path", is when Sunny finally having to leave Faraway Town with his mother, fully moving into their new home in Nearby City. Sunny's time here is written to be more meaningful and impactful for later in the story.
- Chapter 4, named as "Second Chance"... you know what happens here if you've read TBtC-R. Safe to say, I'm feeling really good about the great amount of adjustments I've made to this chapter.
- Chapter 5, named as "Back on Stage", is when Mari and Sunny come back to school for the first time, and for Faraway High's Annual Student Plays. This chapter has become an important set-up to what happens in the middle of TBtC's story.
- Chapter 6, 7, and 8 don't have a final chapter name yet, despite their finished status, since I'm still conflicted with some really good ideas. The title of these chapters, for me, reflect what will be in the chapters, so I'm still giving these time.
- However, the bits of the time period they contain: Halloween and Thanksgiving. And that's right, Christmas and New Year's Eve will come later, as opposed to just having it all be in one chapter.
- in TBtC-R, the pacing in Chapter 4 was... I mean, being self-rushed, I can say I managed it well, but I can feel that it still sucked.
- The finishing of TBtC's full story, mixed with the ideas from the original — as I still remember some — will happen when Mari and Sunny solve most of the problems within their new beginning together, especially of their friends.
- The four main OCs I created for expanding TBtC's world and story — Gabriel, Lily, Ashley, and Anna — also have been fully ideated behind the scenes, and have their own backstories and small arcs within the story.
- They've also been adjusted to have a more meaningful space in the story... especially Anna. 👀
- TF2 cameos are reintroduced and expanded! Other such references from other such media have been reintroduced as well! All in the spirit of the original TBtC. You'd know if you're an OG who's read it.
- Character conflicts that typically arise from canon, written into most OMORI fan fiction: I've created my own and adjusted all existing (canon) ones that I use in the story to fit within the framework of TBtC's story.
- I will write my Author's Notes much like in the spirit of the original TBtC's Author's Notes: helpful information, friendly words, reminders to Kudos the fic, and to "please comment and give feedback if you can; constructive criticism is welcome!"
- TBtC was my very first piece of fan fiction, and it shall be the last. I had so many ideas going into this — my interest being resparked REALLY helped — and I still do today.
But again, MoaSC is still in the works and these are still subject to changes, especially as it gets closer to December 24th, the release date. Relevantly, I'm confident I won't delay this release date, either.
I'm also not going to write whether or not I'm proud and satisfied with my writing just yet: but in fully honesty, so far... I likely am going to be, and given the self-rushed nature of all my previous works, that's actually saying something.
Oh, by the way: I'll need to study for the majority of this week, it's final exams week for me. I don't think I can continue working on MoaSC until Saturday.
That'll be all for Nov. 29's update. Thank you so much for caring to read these updates. I'm excited to finish these exams, continue writing, and eventually publish MoaSC! Please have a great day, and take care of yourself! 🥰
the Oct. 21, 2025 status update, some parts deleted, but not mixed with Nov. 29's:
hiii! switching from that to casual lower-case typing. firstly, i'd like to write my explanation for the infrequency of status updates concisely.
two reasons: because of the amount of academic load i have in college this trimester: eight classes, with five of these classes having laboratory classes for hands-on learning... all as an engineering student.
and this is my first time having this many classes in college. why would you do this to yourself, you may ask?
well... i wanted to try. though it's not like i can't take breaks or that i'm drowning more in sleep debt — it felt more like a challenge to me, and even now, it is, but next trimester i'm definitely only taking the usual six classes LOL this is too much
one good thing about that is i'll graduate college a bit earlier. i'd rather be independent with my time as soon as i can this early in my life so i can make more progress towards making a living in ethical ways i know how and am passionate in.
given the economic and job uncertainty in 2025... goodness gracious, i could be in for a bit of a rough ride, but i do have plans and ideas that i strongly believe, after fruition, would genuinely resonate with many people.
lastly, something irrelevant: when i returned home from my college dorm earlier this Sunday (it's a uni, but i prefer to call it a college anyway) i educated myself about homelabbing.
i also switched the OS of my old laptop to a Linux distro; my home desktop I dual-boot with Windows 11 and a different distro. i will not specify what distros, though.
the reason why i still keep windows is for software compatibility and to keep myself familiar with Windows architecture. i know i can use Wine (compatibility layer) for this, but still.
i think that'll be all about the infrequency of updates. i'm writing this a bit late in the evening, and all this yawning (waahhh) along with just having recovered from a seasonal flu... my sleep is gonna be good tonight!
since i'm better now, i'll have to return to classes soon. oh lord, have mercy..
that'll be all for now. i'll most likely add more to this update tomorrow. i want sleep. thank you, and good night!