The Future of eyesoftheFUTURE

This is where things get personal-

I've been on this writing journey on Wattpad for almost 6 years now, starting all the way back on April 20th, 2018, with 'The Universal  Dragonslayer', a Fairy Tail fan-fiction I still cringe at while reading to this very day. It was a story I decided to write on a whim due to boredom and to explore a, at the time, misunderstood mental quirk I was woefully unaware of. Writing that story and seeing the positive reception to it is what triggered my creative awakening. I've always had a vivid and hyperactive imagination ever since I could remember, capable of seeing, hearing, creating, and feeling all the things I thought up as a young person with nothing better to do. Wattpad gave me a wonderful platform to delve into this gift of mine and set me on the path to figuring out what it was. 

Next came 'The Psychic Hero', a My Hero Accademia fan-fiction and my most popular story as of this writing with over one million reads. One million- that's a number I can't even process- I've never cared about numbers. Follower counts and reading counts are just numbers to me, but because of the wave of love and enthusiasm pouring into my notifications, I began to really love the art of writing. Fan-fiction or not, The Psychic Hero will always be the fundamental piece of myself I'll never let go of. 

While writing The Psychic Hero, I started another fan-fiction book called, 'The Vice-President'. A Kill La Kill fan-fiction that garnered an even more hardcore and dedicated audience than The Psychic Hero. The Vice-President is where I started to understand the gift inside my brain, but that gift turned on me very quickly once the weight of two books bared down on me. This is the same time covid hit, upending the entire world and my mental health. I tried my best to continue the stories while dealing with my own problems. I couldn't do it. I collapsed under their weight and had to step away. Both stories died right then and there. I hated what I had to do- but during my time as a dead account, my eyes were opened to the truth of my gift. What it was. How it worked. How it affected me and why. Then, the flint was struck once more, and I came back to rebuild my community and my stories with an awakened spirit. 

That brings us to today. I'm working on two rewrites of the stories that are integral to my life's journey and two original books not affiliated with this account. I've never been more motivated in my entire life, but the announcement of the removal of the Private Messaging feature petrifies me. I broke my facade just to speak out against it. I take pride in being as kind and as understanding as possible while keeping my personal life out of the picture, but this situation brought the real me into the fray becuase it's setting an uncomfortable precedent where Wattpad can reach the point where six years of effort and work might be erased with the snap of a finger. 

I write these stories for free becuase Wattpad has given me an accessible platform to put them on. They profit off my passions and time, which is part of the deal. I write, people read, advertisers show off their products between paragraphs, Wattpad profits. It's a simple system that benefits everyone. I want to see Wattpad make money and stay as healthy as possible, but when I'm suddenly stripped of a key tool I use to connect with my audience in such a dishonest and corporatized way, I can't help but feel betrayed. My motivation is being challenged by a force outside of my control. Those who relate to my... "gift"... know this sort of thing is unbelievably frustrating and upsets my balance. Wattpad is changing in a bad way. I hope it doesn't continue past the private messages, but the loud cynic in me is saying it won't. 

So, where do things go from here? As for now, I'm rebelling against the negativity in my mind.  I'm listening to it and acknowledging the valid points it brings up while working to fight it off. This account, eyesoftheFUTURE, will live on for as long as I am capable of fighting for its survival. It's a part of who I am, and to give up on it right away is to give up on myself. Things might change and/or slowdown in the following weeks due to the war raging both within and on Wattpad. Expect things coming from me to be more sporatic. 

I ain't done yet-