Hi, everyone. This author's note is really important, and I know it's going to be tedious to read, but I'd really appreciate it if you did. Thanks.

Okay. So. I started this story back in high school, when I was young and just starting to love Star Trek. To be completely honest, I didn't know that much about it. My knowledge was from the 2009 movie, from YouTube vids, fanfictions, and from whatever my Trekkie uncle had taught me. Being the naïve young writer I was, I wanted to write my own story. It was a pretty bad decision on my part, and I know now that I can never, and will never again, write a fanfic for something that I know very little about. Other fandoms I've written for, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Glee, and Harry Potter, are far better, because I know the fandom, and I've delved into every part of it. But this story? It was a figment of my imagination, a hopeful chance at becoming a better writer, and it quickly flubbed. Before it was too late, I'd sunk into it and realized that I didn't know enough to push me forward, and so I'd stopped.

Years later, now I'm in college and I still haven't forgotten my love of Star Trek (can you say excitement about the new movie?!) And yet, I feel as though I still don't know enough of it for this story to be good enough. Have I researched more into ST and watched more and gained more information? Of course. But where I left off at the story doesn't leave much room for improvement. Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of being an author, of seeing my book on the big shelf at Barnes and Noble. But I've struggled foryears with the inability to finish things. Why do you think my entire page is full of oneshots? It's because I literally cannot finish a multi-chapter story. I'm always stuck in plot holes and character confusion. With Paper Hearts, I was determined. I've pored over this story for months, looking at all my notes and my previous chapters, and I so badly wanted to finish it. But it's about four years later. I can't go back. My writing has matured so much since then, and I realize that this goofy little story didn't really have any true purpose (or a decent ending, for that matter!). But I've come to the point where I realized that sometimes, it's better to give up and move on rather than linger on the past, and that's why Paper Hearts will now and forever remain unfinished.

The only reason I'm leaving it up on FanFiction is because it's a sample of my writing. It's a display of my growth as a writer since my very first Avatar story (goodness gracious, I try not to think about that) up till now. And I'm proud of Paper Hearts. Does it suck? Yeah, of course it does. But it proves to me that I had the guts to try something new, and regardless of the piece of poo that this story was, I put effort into it. And to me, that's what counts. Maybe I'll write more Trek in the future. Maybe not. I'm writing every single day this summer, something I haven't done in a very long time, and I'm stepping out of my comfort zone in more ways than one. So, we will see where this goes. If you have any feedback, support, or suggestions for me, I'd love to hear it. All I ask is that you be respectful. I can tolerate constructive criticism, but I absolutely do NOT tolerate cruelty or meanness.

For those of you who have stuck with me to the very end, I can't thank you enough. I love you to the end of the world and back.

Thanks again,

ForeverMartyr