This ask has also been a year in the waiting. I apologize and deeply miss you @thekorrasamipunk . Let’s keep connect!

So thus far, here’s a quick, 5:34 a.m. rundown of my life: I moved to Japan, became lost the first night, became lost a week later, called the police a few times, made new friends, came to love my job, fell into strong like with a girl, am now sure I really genuinely want to kiss this girl, made her chocolate on Valentine’s Day, got sick a lot before then, went to an onsen, celebrated Christmas, accidentally asked said girl I wanna kiss out on Christmas Eve which is Date Night in Japan, started a new year listening to shrine bells, started a new school year after crying at my student’s graduation, and now... well, we’re here with me about to go on vacation.

My writing has suffered: I thought that was shameful of me to admit, but it’s true. I haven’t done much writing in almost a year. But I’m back, and I feel vigor again: I feel like I can and that I will. It’s different than any other time, perhaps because I’m really feeling myself: for once, I feel that yeah, I’m worth it, and have a right to write as good as I already can, if not better.

I’m hoping to get back to a schedule this year by the end of May. I think that’ll be healthy, and give me something to do: I need my creative outlet and work back. 

Lousy friend you are not! Great friend you are indeed!

I’ve only recently been talking about Tiger & Bunny -I’ve been back in a place where I can gorge on anime- so you haven’t missed much. 

So, I actually watched Tiger & Bunny back when it was first getting released in weekly episodes in my undergrad anime club. I never got to finish it though, and while I’m not sure what prompted me to come back to it -I think it was some doujin I found in my bedroom while cleaning of Kotetsu and Bunny in very compromising positions- but I’m enjoying my rewatch. The English dub is hilarious and pretty good, the sub cracks me up and really showcases the show, and it’s such a great show overall that everyone should sit down with a snack and watch it. 

Also, it’ll be wonderful to have a new fandom (well, renewed fandom) to write fic about too. Plus, I get to write about male identified persons, which is always a challenge I’m ready to take on.

(Send in some prompts guys.)

I really, really, really love the Spice and Wolf novels. It expands on the anime and manga with a rich, European-esque world that -though this may sound cliche- is really different.

It’s very beautiful story telling, and in the novels, Holo is even more charming, devious and hilarious than in the anime. We see, just like in the show, the mature, heartbroken side of her too, and as you travel through the novels, you find yourself sinking into the world more too.

Also, there’s a neat intersection of Japanese culture within a European world. Holo’s speech patterns are much like Oiran, and you can see a strong resemblance to both Inari Ōkami and the kitsune, despite being a wolf diety. She has a lot of those qualities, especially enjoy a good drink. There’s lot more little things like that that I enjoyed in all the media the story is presented in. (These things are more visible in the original Japaese version, as Holo’s speech is more accented to be like an Oiran, and that doesn’t necessarily translate into English very well.)

Even though the light novel is up to seventeen collected volumes -the final, 17th volume will be released in English on 4/19/2016- it’s a world to fall into and in love with. I’ve very far behind on them, and actually may snag some of the copies this weekend and read it again. (I’m sensing my Autumn reading has been chosen...)

Oh gosh, you’re not the only one at all. 

This is such a common thing for me, especially when I write my own worlds. I’m always trying to keep continuity, and that can become a bit of a pain, especially when you work in word docs and have to guess what you wrote thousands of words ago and haven’t touch in even longer.

One thing I suggest is using Yarny. It’s really good -and free- and once you understand how to use it, at helping writers organize things and compartmentalize things to make it easier to avoid stuff like that. Plus, it’s on the cloud so you can log in anywhere. (Just always remember kids: save, save, save extra copies of everything you write.) This may be a possible solution to help you, especially if you step away for a while. You can jump back in, see what you were doing, and pick up where you left off.

To get back to the question though: yes, I done that a lot. When I step away from any story for a while, I forget how to write it, and so I have to restart and re-reference in order to follow it. It’s worse when I stop writing at all: everything feels a bit foreign. But don’t worry: practice and time will get you back in tip-top shape.