take i.

The first "take" of infinit8ion was published from 2021 to 2022 as three chapters: partyhaus ?, dr{0}wn, and ;nterlude. While I expected it to continue on, I realized in the process of writing that the largely spectacle-driven scenes of chapters past didn't lend well to the deeper themes and arcs I was starting to develop. There were foundations that hadn't been laid, and rather than build on what was already there, I decided to reboot the story in 2023. The general premise of the reb∞t is the same, except now I've taken the time to figure out what the House is meant to do, what it symbolizes, and how it will transform its guests and inhabitants over the course of this tale. 

Originally, I'd just wanted to tell a haunted house story about a party gone horribly awry. take i. didn't take the time to introduce Jesse as thoroughly as the reb∞t does, and Jesse himself is in a very different time/headspace at the start of that story than he is here.

One main reason for starting anew was my disatisfaction with the aforementioned spectacle, which tended to lean into bloody imagery to drive home a symbolic point. It was all done in the context of a dreamlike setting, and while never graphically described, it really bothered me as time went on. Even if the injury was reversible and not literally occurring, I knew that wouldn't come across to readers the same way it did for me as this story's author. I brought this concern to friends and readers at the time, and while no one seemed to have any issue with it, I knew I was capable of writing something better, and exponentially less reckless. 

The reb∞t by comparison has taken about three years to plan the beginning and general outline of. That's moreso a testament to my desire to see this story fully realized than it is the quality of what will come of all that planning. It's ultimately on you as the reader to determine whether I stuck the landing, and this time, if I don't, I'm not afraid to make changes along the way.

Regardless of whether you decide to stick around for this next chapter of infinit8ion's life, I wanted to thank everyone who believed in this story. For all its flaws, I wouldn't be who I am today without it, and I'm willing to make new mistakes if it means I get to continue to grow in good company.

convivium numquam moritur

nemo