[Loelya]

hello everyone ;u; to all of you who have been playing my game, I wanted to drop in and give an explanation about what's going on. to start with, I want to assure everyone as earnestly as I can that this was not a planned delay in the slightest - I am Very Dismayed about the standstill we've reached. x'D <3 I'm not abandoning anything though, I can promise that.

I'm usually really private about my personal life, and there's not really anyone here on CS who knows many details about me. but I have no idea how to give context about what's going on other than to just be up front with what's sort of going on in my real life? like "I'm busy with work" just doesn't feel like it covers it. so here's as much as I think I can give without oversharing to the extreme.

when I started the game/project for trickster treats, I came into this having already done *most* of the prep work, and had planned to basically dedicate 1-2 hours a night to do daily update stuff for as long as it lasted. c: but the past couple weeks of work I have not even had those 1-2 hours to spare, and it's completely ground everything to a halt. ;u; i am so sorry for this.

I work at a company that sort of combines both biotechnology and large-scale industry, and I principally work in the R&D (research and development) branch, and I wear a lot of hats to this end. xD the hat I have on right now is that I am troubleshooting a brand new process in a laboratory setting using a machine that the company is interested in buying for use, but right now, we have it on "rent." which means we have a very limited window of time in which to run the necessary experiments needed to determine if it is "worth" buying an on-site model, and I have been the one primarily responsible for running these experiments.

the experiments, at best, take 10 hours of time. at worst, they take 14 hours of time. xD they cannot be broken up into smaller increments. I've been given an "intern" as a set of extra hands for some of the days that I'm running these experiments, to help reduce the workload (and the number of consecutive hours I'm on my feet), but the decrease in overall time is minimal. I've been waking up earlier than usual, getting to work, running experiments & working with heavy machinery for 10-14 hours straight, eating quick meals and feeding my cat, and then just passing back out until the next day when I need to start it all over again. I'm so exhausted at the end of these days I haven't even been able to hold my stylus, let alone keep focus long enough to finish up the cute little critters and pretty scenes I want so much to give to all of you. c':

this will not be forever; we are legit just in an insane crunch time because of needing to get a set amount of data back before the "rent" period ends on this machine and when we have to make a purchase decision. In fact I think we're nearing the end; based on some of the results I got back tonight, we may only need to do this for the rest of this week and some of next week before it's done. I promise that as soon as Im freed from these shackles, I will be jumping back into the role of "game host" with immense enthusiasm.

I do want to apologize again for the lack of consistency and responsibility I've taken with this game. I had such big dreams for it haha x'D and I am not at all unaware of the fact that I am incredibly lucky that those of you who have joined in have been willing to play with me. ;u; I am always incredibly grateful and happy to receive such positive responses from the oekaki community here on cs when I start something up like this. I appreciate it dearly, with all my heart, I do not think lightly of that at all -- it really means the world to me.

I know it might end up being a little strange to have a halloween game that stretches into the month of December and maybe even into the new year but I hope so much that it will still be fun whenever we can kick things back into gear. c': thank you for being around and thank you for your patience with me. I hope no one feels strung along or unappreciated, but if you do, please also feel free to mention this or talk things out with me. I will be coming back as soon as I am physically able to. <3 I hope everyone had a good last couple weeks of November.

[SunstonePhoenix]

I'm not opposed to a Nightmare Before Christmas

Take your time, Loelya! I'm always happy to see your art whenever it's ready <3

[DachasaurusZen]

This sounds so exhausting, so sorry you have to do that for so long :c
Take as long as you need, we'll all be happy to see the game return whenever you have the time to do so!

[Taxidea]

I'm sorry you're having such a rough time with work expectations, but I hope using the new equipment is fun and that all your time and effort is respected and acknowledged by your coworkers and company. This game is a fun treat for all of us, and the season, month, or even year doesn't matter! Be kind to yourself and know that we support you.

[ChristainAnimalLover]

🫂🫂🫂
Dang. You're dealing with so much.

I agree completely with Taxidea. I hope your coworkers and company recognize and respect all the time and effort you're putting in. Take care of yourself and remember to rest and decompress 💖

I always have a blast with any of the events you run or even just have a hand in!
While themed events are super fun and I love the extra layer of realism, I also love to use my imagination and your games are so immersive, I often don't even register that it might be "out of season" XD
I appreciate all the time and work you put into every single game and event!! I for one, will be here whenever you can get back to hosting, be it December, January or even next summer. I am honestly having such a blast and may be a little bit obsessed with your Ragamoffs. I would love to get my paws on at least one and will wait as long as I need to ^^
I am also very excited and curious about what else you have in store 👀👀 !

The update is much appreciated but please don't stress. Take care!! <3

[LA's DarkFireWolf]

Woah! I'm sorry you have so much weight on your shoulders!! My goodness to see your art I never would have guessed you work in the industry you do!!

Man now I wished I could understand more of what this machine is and the experiments and what actually happens to take so long. *is curious on such things* I don't always understand everything but xD

And hey NO WORRIES we're all good and can totally understand life and then trying to do something all on your own! @.@

[COOLDOGOOO]

OMG LO huge agree with everyone here omg,, please dont worry !! i think on behalf of everyone- we love ur stuff and will love it no matter the season/month, and TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST!! whenever u feel you have more time (after making sure youre well rested ofc) if you want to come we'll be waitng w open arms c:

(also dang this sounds off but not tryna pressure u or anything AGH im bad at this. but i uh hope my point comes acrosS)

[Raptocidic]

Agreeing with what others have said here, that sounds like a lot to handle. What you described doesn't sound healthy. Please take some time to rest if you're able to, speaking from experience overworking yourself even half as much can do a number to your health

Games can be paused and resumed at any time, so please take as long as is needed! I wouldn't mind if the event continued into January, or even later! Halloween themes are fun any time of the year (imo). I'm sure everyone will enjoy and appreciate it regardless of the time of year. ^^