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Yes! Votes: 1 50.0%
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No! Votes: 1 50.0%
So, couple of "housekeeping" I thought I'd get in touch with you guys, but I also feel bad using this way so my B,
Anyways new chapter out either tonight or early tomorrow morning (like around 6 am est, don’t question the sleep schedule you will hurt your brain).
I had decided earlier that I would do at minimum of one chapter a week, but I have decided I might have gone easy on myself, so I have decided to make it two chapters a week (revolutionary know). I also wanted to know what you guys thought of the interlude. The way I want to structure this story is to have the "main" portion of it follow Amos move through this world, with the interludes exploring the rest of the world, as I want this story to flow like a waterfall, and it always weirded me out how one person was able to "change the world". I wanted it to seem that Amos was more of a matchstick and less of a powder keg. I was also debating whether to start a YouTube channel, and I plan to structure the content around semi-daily "vlogs". Basically, when I write stories like this I like to think aloud, and to talk it through with myself. I thought it would be funny, to record it and to see what it looks like, since my style of writing is basically vomit something onto the page and go back and try and make it coherent. So, expect something of a post chapter announcement later, if I ever decide to do that. I plan on making this the last time I do a full "chapter" announcement like this, so follow my twitter if you don't want to miss an announcement (@sothethingis or go to my profile and the link should be there if you’re reading this on RoyalRoad).
The rest I'm going to mark in spoilers, it’s not directly spoilers unless you have not read the interlude, in which case go and read it! It's good I pinky promise!
So, what did you think of the writing style of the interlude? Did you enjoy the shifting perspectives? Was it confusing? I plan on following a similar formula for the rest of the book. I'm not sure if anyone has picked up on this, but I enjoy the style of Warhammer campaigns, with their otherworldly entities and their deep dive, long dive and over explanation of events. I also liked the story and clinical nature of the SCP wiki, so I knew I wanted to incorporate something similar, to its clinical nature. It also frustrated me in that other fantasy novels that with ever abundant magic they still lived in the dark ages, which always confused the living daylights out of me. So, I want this setting of this world to still feel like a fantasy world, but problems (such as long-distance communication) to be solved not with modern means, but an almost magical shoe in, in this case the "netway". Also, I decided that I was bored of the generic vaguely French/English style of western fantasy, so I decided to model this empire around the Byzantine Empire, which was decidedly still western, but still different enough I could feel special. As a side not I hope it was clear that the "Droungarios" wasn't the name of the person, but the rank of the person. And so, the Uurak Empire was formed, a byzantine-esque empire that would also include some aspects of the occult and the cold calculating nature of the SCP Foundation. It should be an interesting ride. Final note, I noticed that I tend to want to info dump things that are semi-important to know, but I'm not sure how to communicate it outside an info dump. So, I have decided that at the end of the chapter there would be like a "fun fact" of the chapter where I would explain some information that I thought would be fun to know, but not really fit to be woven into the chapter.
Okay final final note I pinky promise I swear, if you have any feedback for me, please leave a comment letting me know, or you can DM on the platform you are reading this on, or you can DM on twitter. I consider myself a proficient school writer, in other words I write a sick report, but creative writing is incredibly different and arguably more difficult than that, and I hope to get better at it. I would love feedback, even if it means telling me you just hate everything. I'm a firm believer in the idea of "Fail now so you can succeed sooner" so please let me know if you have any biting comments for me. Also, if you want to leave feedback in the comments, that is okay, but please either mark spoilers or keep it spoiler free! Thanks <3
Okay fun fact of the "chapter" (I know this was an announcement chapter, but I wanted to try it out, sue me)
The official religion of the Uurak Empire worships the Fallen Deity of his saving Grace, where they believe that their God (big g) lost a significant amount of his power to empower the original revolt that led to the founding of the Uurak Empire. They believe that through their continued worship he will be arisen once again, and there will be a second coming. The official name of this deity is unknown but is simply referred to as "God" to his worshippers or the "Fallen Deity" to those who don't. There is no such thing as forced conversion, instead those who willingly submit have a chance of joining the empire and entering the "elite" tier where they can become a sainted and even possibly a seer. Nobles who follow their own patron gods (little g) are taxed heavier but outside of that aren't officially sanctioned any further than that, but it becomes harder and harder to move up the ranks or to get better postings (as all nobles are forced to take on some form of military command). As such, many noble families with a strong enough patron choose not to convert. But it is common enough to basically be a tradition, for the third or fourth child of each noble family to be disowned and sent to the imperial family to be converted and added to the ranks of the empire’s army (usually starting off as Droungarios after graduating from the military academy).
The biggest sanction against civilians who do not follow the imperial religion, is that they are not allowed to worship any other religion. Instead, they are allowed to worship other deities, but their organizations will be referred to as "cults" and their deities are called by name, or if referred to generally, god or goddess with a little g.
