Hello! It's me, the Master of Disillusionment and the creator of this series! Before we proceed to Act Two, I would like to share with you some of the original artwork that, unfortunately, was either omitted or replaced.
I started writing this series nearly five years ago, undergoing numerous revisions before feeling ready to present my work to the world. A significant change during this period was the evolution of the header artwork.
I initially collaborated with a different artist who created over ten illustrations (yes, ten!) for me. These illustrations were exclusively in black and white, but color was subsequently added. However, due to reasons I prefer not to discuss, there ensued a series of complications that led me to hire a new artist. It was a pity, as many of these earlier illustrations were quite good.
Instead of discarding them, I’d like to use this bonus chapter to showcase the original art, allowing the world a glimpse of what ‘might’ve been’.
Since much of this art dates back to an earlier time, there are some discrepancies between the imagery in the original art and what ultimately appeared in the final draft of the manuscript. Furthermore, the original chapter order was slightly different when these images were created, so the header numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Some of the later ones even include content that won’t appear until Act Two, which isn’t out yet, but despite this, I don’t consider them spoilers.
In addition to the illustrations, there were plans to include manga pages. The concept entailed each chapter featuring one or two manga-style pages illustrating key moments. However, this was ultimately discontinued for cost-saving reasons, though three manga pages had been produced before the decision. Instead of discarding them, I'll be sharing these pages here as well. Please note that the dialogue in the manga pages might differ slightly from the final story.
I won’t claim that the older versions look better or worse than the newer ones; both possess their own strengths and weaknesses. Generally speaking, I believe the original artist excelled in depicting environments, while the current artist shows greater proficiency in character design and shading.
In any case, here are the images!
image [https://i.imgur.com/dFqFn0F.jpg]
Kaz and Agozi greet each other at a spaceport. This scene was the original opening of the story but was removed for pacing reasons.
image [https://i.imgur.com/QhPByIz.jpg]
The encounter with Snikers on the bridge. Contrary to the new version, this one includes the Cisians operating various control equipment.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
image [https://i.imgur.com/LEefGyC.jpg]
The moment Master-Engineer Kesto and his Prol team discover the human body. In this depiction, the Prol are green, boar-esque creatures, whereas in the final version, they resemble moles. This change was made because it seemed more logical to me, and retrospectively, the concept of green pig-like aliens appeared somewhat absurd.
image [https://i.imgur.com/edR5TbD.jpg]
Xeno-Biologist Okens, along with Agozi and Kaz, examines the human body in the medical morgue.
image [https://i.imgur.com/H3hRJSB.jpg]
Agozi seeks a mating encounter with Kaz in the storage room. Humorously, the original sketch portrayed Agozi as even more aggressive! Unfortunately, I no longer have that early sketch.
image [https://i.imgur.com/w5voazM.jpg]
Agozi & Co are astonished upon exiting slipspace and being greeted by the sight of Earth.
image [https://i.imgur.com/4zFBX9L.jpg]
Ross loads the secret cargo while Andreas and the general observe from an elevated position.
image [https://i.imgur.com/XIcUuG2.jpg]
Andreas is astonished at the sight of aliens outside his ship. This illustration exemplifies the original artist's superior skill in environments but inferior ability in character expressions. The ship's cockpit is rendered with greater detail and intricacy compared to the new version, which was based on this original.
image [https://i.imgur.com/1WXe97W.jpg]
Andreas and Ross are examined by Okens and Zelana in the medical bay, an event that will occur in Act 2. Noticeably, Zelana has a darker fur design here. Although the original version featured no images of genitals, I have added black boxes as a precautionary measure to ensure consistency with RR's rules on nudity.
image [https://i.imgur.com/lxuPF7n.jpg]
Zelana cowers in fear in her chair. I'll refrain from detailing the reasons to avoid spoilers.
image [https://i.imgur.com/jPTtRog.jpg]
Kaz's awkward first encounter with Zelana in her office during Chapter 1
image [https://i.imgur.com/W3jOkLg.jpg]
Kaz and Agozi intervene with an armed Mevik patrol en route to their ship.
image [https://i.imgur.com/Q2YvfMi.jpg]
Ditto.
That is all! I hope you enjoyed this cut content. Act 2 will probably come out March or April.