Chapter 324 - Afterword
First and foremost, to all readers new and old, THANK YOU and we've made it! Volume 3: Myriad Monarch Astral Territory has been completed, and it was my longest volume yet by far. Over 170 chapters! It encapsulated the arrival of Wei Wuyin to the greater world and his rise to prominence within that very world. A wild ride, imho, but one I genuinely enjoyed writing from start to finish.
But lets start with the elephant in the room. Shortly after November 2020, I had essentially vanished. I owe an explanation, to all my readers who are still here, and for those who(hopefully) will return. So, what happened?
That's a series of complex emotional developments that led to a shut down. My brain had essentially reached a crescendo, figuratively and literally, in both the creative sense and rational one. I shut myself off from everyone and every form of communication, such as discord. This didn't simply include this platform, but every platform online and real life.
I couldn't write words without experiencing a massive full-stop or full-send of thoughts that just plunged me further into a despairing abyss. It took sometime before I clawed my way out of it. To clarify, there wasn't a single cause. Pandemic? Frustration? Death in a family? Other things! It just never ended, bulldozing until I wanted to simply cease being.
Now, I've suffered depressive episodes before, dark thoughts of ending it all, but this wasn't exactly that. It was more complicated, silent, hard to really become self-aware of. These were things I never really wanted to share with anyone outside of my closest friends and family, so when I had to deal with those, I focused entirely on that. I went on hiatus a few times on this novel and my last one because of it.
It felt like I just needed to avoid anything and everything that life wanted to deal me, the good and the bad, just so I can relax and feel unrestrained. So I did. And writing has and will always be a very good aspect of my life, and that includes all my readers. Especially those supportive and caring ones, who did everything to contact me. I've read and sincerely love you all, more than you'll ever know.
Before I inappropriately spill every little thing, I'll stop. I have and had my struggles, and I can never PROMISE to not have them again to you or those in my life. I'm improving as an individual, or at least I'm trying like everyone else, in everything I do. From writing, to my relationships, to my decisions as a person, and my ever-evolving emotional being.
I'm trying.
So, I hope those who've read up to this point, be it those who experienced that eight or so months vanishing period or those who are simply curious about the releases that should've been in at least chapter 500-600 by now, will take this insight into my mind. Whether you accept it or scoff at it, it's okay, because you're here and we're still on this journey of a new world together.
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Back to official business! Volume 3, thoughts and words on its ending. While it did take longer than my two previous volumes, that was because I expanded on it in several areas, as most of you are familiar with.
I think I accomplished several of my goals with this volume, and have a few lingering thoughts that I wish I had done. But overall, I'm very satisfied. We started with our unearthly handsome MC entering a new world on the ticket of alchemy, where the Blessed from his continent had similarly left. We have Long Chen! Who, by the way, has been given the best feedback on! I mean, Long Chen truly worked.
He is supposed to be that frustrating foil in the background, and that individual you want all sorts of horrible things to happen to. He takes away the focus and you simply want to rip it out of him! Its him and the characters around them, how they're linked to Wei Wuyin. Because remember, Long Chen 'originally' kills our MC! I love it, and he will have his day(coughs).
When? Next volume? End of novel? Will it be horrific? Quick? Peaceful and redeeming? Well, you'll have to continue to find out.
Furthermore, we have so much more detail about the Heavenly Daos, Blessed, and all sorts of mysterious forces and existences in this volume that sets up for several volumes to come! For the even greater world to explore!
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Volume 4! The title! I was deliberating on this for a while, but it'll be named the Desolate Dragnet Region! To keep the trend of its focus! What does it mean? Well, we've focused on Wei Wuyin, Myriad Yore Continent, and Myriad Monarch Astral Territory. You can get some guesses on why the title is the way it is.
One of my goals that I'll be making known for this title is Wei Wuyin's cultivation, spirit of adventure, and discovery! Which will have elements of the first volume, more than the others! I've listened. I've heard.
Also, a little bit of a spoiler, it will be where Wei Wuyin starts to experience his Calamities! Oh boy! As for the volume's ending, with the direct foreshadowing of the last chapter, one will slowly be able to see it as the story unfolds.
I'm rather, no, extremely excited about this, because there are some extremely unexpected moments, developments of characters, and events that will happen, and just thinking about it is causing my heart to beat a little faster! I can't wait.
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Scheduling! Releases?!
You all have questions, I'm sure. For now, we'll have a 1/day chapter release for the rest of June. As for July, I'm aiming(no promises) for 10/Week. I also want to expand on advanced chapters, bonus releases based on Power Stone Ranking(Let's get back up there!) and more in the coming months. But for now, a general goal of 10/Week.
No specific day releases, simply 10/Week. For now!
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With all that having been said, alluded to, and more, we come to the end of our Afterword of this volume. Let's get right on this next volume. ^_^
Oh, before that, love you all and thank you so very much! My discord! I'll be slowly rebuilding it, being present on it, and hopefully once again allowing those who want to be spoiled a little, have questions, or simply want to chat it out with the good ol' author of this amazing series! I welcome you all!
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Here's some famous literary book quotes because of Word Count...You can skip this if you want.
"Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that.
You forget some things, dont you?
Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget." – Cormac McCarthy, The Road
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." – Frank Herbert, Dune
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind." – Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
"…I think we are well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind's door at 4 a.m. of a bad night and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends. We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget. We forget the loves and the betrayals alike, forget what we whispered and what we screamed, forget who we were." ― Joan Didion, Slouching Towards Bethlehem
"The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart." – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
"We believe that we can change the things around us in accordance with our desires—we believe it because otherwise we can see no favourable outcome. We do not think of the outcome which generally comes to pass and is also favourable: we do not succeed in changing things in accordance with our desires, but gradually our desires change. The situation that we hoped to change because it was intolerable becomes unimportant to us. We have failed to surmount the obstacle, as we were absolutely determined to do, but life has taken us round it, led us beyond it, and then if we turn round to gaze into the distance of the past, we can barely see it, so imperceptible has it become." – Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time