I’m rabid when it comes to reading webtoons. I discovered the Line WebToon app back in 2017 and I haven’t looked back since. I’ve discovered some of my favorite stories there, after all. And I still follow so many of them, including classics like Lore Olympus and Let’s Play. So, it makes me really sad when a favorite of mine goes on an unplanned Hiatus, which is what happened with Midnight Poppyland.
Now, hiatuses aren’t anything new. There are a ton of reasons why a webtoon might go on a break in the middle of the season, though usually these hiatuses are reserved for in-between seasons to give the creator some breathing room. But there have been rare incidents where a webtoon doesn’t release a new chapter for a week or two due to unforeseen circumstances.
Since Midnight Poppyland, by artist and writer LilyDusk, is a WebToon Original, it has been running for over 3 years. So, there’s bound to be some break in between chapters, or the artist could face burnout or worse. Especially since it’s so popular, with over 200+ Million views and a 9.8 rating on the app. Like, that’s a lot of pressure to maintain for anyone!
So, when the webtoon went on an undefined hiatus a couple of weeks ago, fans were left confused because usually, LilyDusk gives a warning about stuff like this. And it’s concerning when there is no update on when it’ll come back, like how WebToon usually lets people know with a banner. But we finally have some info, so let’s discuss!
Midnight Poppyland: Where We Got Left Off
Nothing comes easy to Poppylan Wilkes. She’s short, overworked, and moved to a new city to escape all the romance drama in her life – and ends up in the plot of a mafia thriller instead! Sure, she wanted to make new connections but becoming besties with the heir to the Balthuman Clan and potential love interest to his handsome bodyguard wasn’t exactly on her Bingo card for the year.
After a host of events where Poppy bumps into Tora on her way to Narin City and all his clan mess, she realizes that she, along with her publishing friends Erdene and Jacob, are in real trouble. The editor for their publishing firm has run off with a notebook that is worth millions in mafia secrets and yet, she’s the one being targeted. Luckily, her new client is Quincey Balthuman, a great romance writer and, conveniently enough, Vincent Balthuman’s son. Also, besties with Tora, because why the hell not?
Tora realizes that he’s being unfair by keeping Poppy in the dark about what’s going on. Especially when you consider that there’s the whole budding romance thing between them. That kind of goes through the wringer when you realize how much Tora has to hide, being the literal left hand of a ruthless mafia lord in love with a cute hamster of a girl, who is now being hunted by rival gangs. And he needs to have open communication with her if they are going to get through this.
So, as of the recent chapters, he’s taken her out of Narin City and towards Felicia Bay, a clan-neutral zone, where he opens up to her, properly. He’s finally treating Poppylan like an equal and letting her come to her own decisions, but how long will that peace last?
Why Is Midnight Poppyland On Hiatus?
Around chapter 99, it was announced that Midnight Poppyland was going for a midseason hiatus around chapter 103. Again, hiatuses in-between seasons aren’t really rare so people weren’t worried. But there were calls of concern about the lack of social media engagement from LilyDusk, who is always very open and engaging on her social media handles.
But on 14th May 2022, LilyDusk put up a post on her Instagram that explained that there had been a death in her family and that’s why she’ll be taking time off. She estimated a 2-week break but that it could go on for longer, depending on what she’s able to work out with her editor.
But that was then, and she did come back for more episodes. However, since then she hasn’t really engaged with anyone outside of Patreon. And now that we’ve already come to the mid-season finale, it’s likely that she’s going to be on a more substantial break.
This would be a neater way for her to both take a break from work and spend some time with her family while also not leaving Midnight Poppyland on an impasse. And as we’ve discussed before, manga and webtoon artists deserve breaks. They have a right to take their time with things because the update schedule for weekly content is extremely strict.
Regardless, we’ll be waiting for the hiatus to end whenever LilyDusk feels comfortable so that we can meet our lovable couple once again!
