I cannot give enough of my appreciation to my readers and especially those who have taken time to give feedback and praise, in whatever form that may be: written reviews, private messages, fic rec lists, vlogs, blog posts, fan art. Thank you, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much. That support has pushed me to keep writing and not abandon a story that so deserves its ending and deserves to be complete.

A Magnificent Depravity started with a large ambition and a simple premise. I wanted to write the Sebaciel fanfic I wanted to read. I wanted it to be the Sebaciel fanfic to end all Sebaciel fanfics. Did I accomplish that? Who can say? But having lofty goals that are not entirely definable or feasibly attainable is what you do to make anything astounding in this world. I never set out do something that's just okay.

All good stories start with a single shift that sets all other events into motion. I look back to the first chapters and think "it was so small back then," as if Mag Deprav has been this growing child, evolving and changing in ways I never expected. It starts with one of the most common tropes in this genre; "Ciel is not a little boy anymore." You can name me another fanfic for this ship that starts with a similar premise, I know you can.

I set out to write a very different story, one that involved Ciel becoming something truly corrupted and heinous and how that would lead him to wrecking his entire life and eventually being eaten. And that didn't happen. Yes, while Ciel was brought to ruin and he gets eaten in the end, what started with a premise of corruption became a story about salvation.

That is entirely Sebastian's fault. I blame him, I blame him for everything, the bastard lied to me.

Writing this story from Sebastian's perspective presented many interesting challenges, the largest of which was writing a character that is indeed very sneaky. He plopped this conflict into my lap, the notion that it is not in a demon's nature to love and I set to work on a story that was to determine the effects of Ciel discovering this sobering fact. I get about half-way through and Sebastian whispers in my ear, "Ah, well, perhaps I lied when I said I cannot, and it may be more accurate for me to say that I ought not to."

I was under this misconception that Sebastian was supposed to be this immutable character, and that the story was to focus around the effects Sebastian was having on Ciel. But as the story progressed and events started affecting Sebastian, as in, he started to change, I realized that I was way in over my head with this fic. A story that was about sexual perversion leading to corruption and eventual ruin would have only been half this length. But no, it became a story about how sex can be transformative, and how that would be used to compel these characters to grow and seek something of greater meaning. Mag Deprav became a means to deconstruct the dynamic of Sebastian and Ciel's relationship by challenging these assumptions of Sebastian's demonic nature, the purpose of their contract, how they can feel towards each other, and their roles in their society.

I stuck to Sebastian's motivations through this story in a way that I don't think people have picked up on. Yana-sensei has spoken about how Sebastian is seasoning his meal, and this is a reoccurring theme of the manga. I did stay true to that in Mag Deprav, but it plays itself out in a rather esoteric way. All I'll say on the matter is I have the story sectioned out to seven parts, with each part having a sort of theme concerning how Ciel changes in each one. I do not want to spell it out for you, but if you can figure it out, I think it adds a deeper dimension to the end of this story. Yes, here be a Mystery.

I thought I would be terribly sad with the conclusion of this story, but surprisingly, I'm very happy with it. I feel I did exceedingly well, considering this is my first real honest story. Yeah, I cut my teeth with Mag Deprav. I do not recommend this tactic in becoming a writer because it hurts. But anyone who's willing to endure the pain of a project that forces them to develop the skill as they're doing the job should go the distance and write a great story. You will not be disappointed with yourself.

So now what? I suppose many are anticipating some grand new story. No, I'm putting down the writing for a little while to focus on other projects. I have first and foremost been an artist before all else. I opened a painting studio two months ago and I need to give attention to my art. But that doesn't mean I'm done with Mag Deprav. I have more planned for it.

For the next month I'm giving myself a break, but I'm hoping by the end of the year I'll have this story available for you to download in e-book format. So you can read on your Kindle, or your phone app, or however you please. Copy, share, go crazy, give it to your friends, tell people to read it. I will also be publishing this story over on Ao3 because I have friends who tell me I should (ahem). In order to be happy with both of those things, I'll have to run the manuscript through another phase of editing, just to get rid of typos and perhaps some minor, minor polishing.

There will be a podfic for this story. The script will be abridged and adapted for an audio drama. I think once you become acquainted with my Sebastian for this project, you'll be excited for it too. He is my greatest inspiration for Mag Deprav and I get the feeling he is going to want to make this into a very sophisticated and successful project. I think I'll start rolling out episodes for that early next year.

Finally, I will be making an artbook. I have little idea what this looks like right now or how I will accomplish it, but it's going to be every bit as lovely as my story. This might take me a while. You know me, I don't do anything half-assed.

So if you are interested in any of those things, I will be active on my tumblr blog and I encourage you to follow me. And you also know I'm very accessible by private message.

Thank you again for your enthusiasm, your positivity, your passion for my work, and most of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to inspire you. I have grown with this story, and writing it has taught me a great many things, most importantly that I can put something amazing into the world. I will continue to do so. And I want to encourage everyone out there to find their bliss and make something amazing as well, even if it's "just a fan fic." And who knows? I might have another great story in me.

I love you. Stay fabulous.