Brent Stinebaker
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Volume 2 Retrospective and Near-Term Forecast
🕑 Added 2023-05-18 20:10:14 +0000 UTCI have been writing Godclads for 7 months by this point. The story currently numbers 524k words or so. A hefty number and we're only about 20-24% of the way through.
With the posting 11-2, we are shifting from volume 2 to volume 3 of the story, but before going forward, I would like to make some additional quality changes and developmental improvements.
For volume 2, my general self-rating is presently a 6/10.
The best aspects are the characters, the conceptualization of the Heavens and abilities, distilling more lore, and some of the fight scenes (I think Avo versus Draus and the lightrail fight are probably superior than the others, but the engagement between Sovereignty response, Avo and co., and the remainder of Abrel's cadre was pretty good as well.)
The worst, however, were probably the beginning (Starting just after the Exhalation chapter; not including Lucille's section) and the ending. The ending is something I need to make special note of, as there are parts that definitely need developmental upgrades. Zein's machinations at the end get a little annoying and make the plot a mess. The Low Masters pop in and out a bit. The Nu-Scarrowbur-upper tier escape gets a bit messy. Abrel might annoy some people by not being real-deathed (though the mind-compromise is pretty good in my opinion), and Naeko's involvement followed by the leadup to the ending could us some major strengthening.
These are just a few things I've been considering while writing the story, and I'll probably think about this some more as it comes time to make more revision. Presently, I'm thinking of making some larger-scale updates to the Fallout chapters over the weekend. Additionally, I might want to add a more dynamic struggle between Avo's group, Zein, and the pursuing enemy Godclads to give more a "fighting fate" vibe.
The forecast for now will be the opening for Volume 3 followed by the Broken Weaveress (finally-sorry for the extremely long delay). Revisions will not occupy the time of new chapters, but I will announce and go over potential story based patch notes when more chapters come out.
Well, that's all for now. If you have any feedback or suggestions, please leave them in the comments. I thank you all for reading and hope to continue delivering a unique experience for your leisure.
OM
Comments
Brent Stinebaker
Got it. I'm going to try do a bit more grounding for fight goals and narrative progression. At the very least, that will give something concrete for people to gauge the scenes.
Deathly_God
I really enjoyed the Low Masters honestly. What a cool concept, and the fact that they offered... What I assume is a different path towards a different form of divinity. I also like that Abrel is still technically around, and could theoretically return to the story as another recurring character. That, and the Gods descriptions are great. Some of the latest chapters have been somewhat difficult to visualize, but taking my time I believe I'm able to put it all together. Honestly, the image of 80 tons of blood zipping around at near-light-speed was difficult for me to parse only because I wasn't sure if Avo was becoming lightning while moving like that, or if the blob of blood was simply moving at that insane speed. Other than that nitpicky but, the quality of story and the originality of cast, story, and scope is truly enjoyable. I said this in the previous chapter, but this is easily top 3 stories for me. Apparatus of Change and The Last Orellen being the other two contenders. Thank you for the chapters, and I sincerely look forward to what comes next!
Blah64
tbh, I've just been skipping the fight scenes now. God fights are impossible for me to visualize. Definitely my least favorite part of the story.
