Hello after some time and consideration, rejoice, readers of Emblem Apocalypse. It has been a while. After almost 2000 pages and a much-needed pause, because I couldn't think of anything better, this story is returning in one form. It is a rewrite. I know, I know; that's not the greatest return possible, but I consider it the best return I could make.
Here are some reasons and explanations below.
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But why?
Frankly, I think the rewrite is overdue because this novel has been my second writing attempt and I want it to be good. The beginning is defective and glaring stupidly as I've read through many chapters through my rewriting. I started this process in March of 2024, and have been on many words since then. I think I could've released the rewrite much sooner, but I always had second thoughts. Editor or not? Later or not? Bigger backlog, or just go at it raw? It ended up as something something. No editor, unfortunately.
As I read through this novel, I counted many instances of utterly stupid reasonings, and even... well, a lot of missed areas, nonsense, wrong names, and other mistakes. Some plot points didn't make sense at all.
Examples: How the fuck did that helicopter [in chapters 6-7 old version] go to Canada and to the Federation while going over New York City? What's the deal with William's parents and what's even the point in kidnapping him to the Federation? Some readers pointed out stuff about William's parents more than 23 months ago. What's the point of the camps? What about the library? System? What the fuck is Kaufman thinking? What happened in Chapter 125?
Considering it is my second written work ever, it's understandably filled with problems, hence the rewrite.
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Ok. What is changing?
1: Technical stuff.
Change from the present tense to the past tense. A minor change. I decided to focus on the past tense since that's how I've been writing for millions of words at this point, and experimenting with the present tense wasn't clever back then when I was starting. I thought it was a good change of pace. Now, the change of pace is actually working and switching attention across two novels. Not two novels, and two writing styles. I hope the grammar and reading experience will be a night and day difference. Judgment is up to the readers.
2: How extensive is the rewrite?
So far, I've re-written this novel's chapters up until Chapter 86, which means a good chunk of the story, as well as enormous additions and a lot of modifications. in the rewrite, there are new characters and some new plot lines. Old Version Chapter 68 is The Awakening and further is some post-awakening stuff, so it is important to take those steps seriously, as the story shifts significantly with the Awakening.
However, that's where some difficulty comes in. Since I am adding and changing stuff, some core feelings of the novel are changing. One is the length. There are hundreds of thousands of words of changes that will broaden this novel and distance some ideas, such as Litrpg, or some power-progression. I don't want to focus on it early on. Instead, it will be like a mixture of fantasy and discovery, or like a start from the bottom with staying there for a while.
3: Tags.
I am changing some expectations. It is still an Apocalypse-style novel set in an Urban Fantasy setting with big attention to characters and world. LitRPG tag will not be part of the rewrite for a long time, as it won't be the center until I re-publish the old Chapters 68+, which might take hundreds of new chapters. This novel is very soft on the Litrpg genre anyway. Some chapters will be slice-of-life and slow-paced, but some progression elements will still happen.
This points to some problems: pacing, Emblems, power systems, plot, and length. This will be a long novel about humans getting their Earth back and the setting is the year 2125+ without sci-fi or some big leaps of technology. A large portion of the pre-awakening plot lines is about the world and characters. This might be an issue for some readers who want some OP power-hungry fantasy with some OP kid who is suddenly like a god. It isn't like that, and that is ok, I hope.
A large work might not be for everyone. Rewrite will go into some interesting events and give Progresion Fantasy and LitRPG some engagement further down the line. Patience is key.
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That means the pacing is altered from the Old Version, and the story will be longer. I made some messed up issues due to improper planning years ago and plan to redeem it with this rewrite and better plot lines.
4: Word count = webnovel.
Initially, this novel had various chapter lengths and I wasn't even sure if I was working with books, or not. Now, I am not doing that and will focus on general long-term web-novel-sized work. This might hurt the pacing a little bit, but the story will get progressively more interesting. I will be publishing shorter chapters across the board. 1700 words is the bare goal, so that might result in thousands of chapters.
The second big change is I won't be naming each chapter. There will be numbers. It is something I haven't done in my writing so far, and I kind of like how it works in Webnovel Overgeared. Due to some infrequent changes in POV, there will be something like this behind the non-MC chapters' POV--Example: Chapter 170 [Celeste]
5: Plot.
A lot of plot lines will be completely new and establish some word-building elements, settings, and characters.
Example: 1: Celeste will arrive much earlier with her mini-arc. Her personality and plot are different and follow a main plot that involves her issues and links to the main storyline. As a whole, she will get her own POV for dozens of chapters before fusing into the main storyline.
More examples: Assembly Island, Mi-Yung, and Ellie will get some attention that has been wrong a lot. They were kind of weak as I've read through this novel. System and Rank 0 will be crucial points in the story, and some overreaching plots will be scattered around the early chapters. This might turn the tides from the former beginning which is very weak. Walkers and their power systems will broaden.
I am also considering publishing side stories of some stuff for the Federation Library while making use of epigraphs. Let me know if that's something that you would be interested in.
6: Enemies and worldbuilding
Formerly known as the Dark beings, the enemies that crashed the Earth will be known as Darks. There have been some changes in their definition and history in this rewrite. I hope you will like the changes I am making about these monstrosities that destroyed the Earth.
Examples: Introduction of the Corruption, spreaders, and Families, followed by the Dawn itself, the very beginning of the apocalypse that occurred in 2014. Some history will be different in the rewrite like the establishment of Walkers and humanity, or the destruction of the nations after 2014. Due to this change, there will be many cultures around the world that think of Darks and Walkers differently because I've broadened the world.
7: Chapter 1
The 10-year time skip in Chapter 1 in the old version was a difficult choice, yet crucial and necessary. Chapter 0 went through most changes, and Chapter 1's 10-year time skip stays in the new version. I couldn't do much about it, otherwise, this rewrite would be even longer if I wanted to reveal more about this gap. But fret not! I plan for some things to matter and William's history in this gap will have some consequences and developments.
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Alright. What is not changing as much?
1: Main Plot.
In the old version, there are five points of interest/arcs: William going to the Federation, then learning in the library, awakening, training, and then doing the Academy Trial. Those points won't change too much but most of them will get a lot more details and payoffs. The first two are going to get bulky, while the rest should go much more into the Litrpg and fantasy elements.
2: Main character.
William will be the same, if not a bit better overall. Some of his actions and personality will get some attention, and his past, upbringing, and Emblem will present some personality and wonder if he is really stable or fine.
3: Emblem Power System.
I like the three variants of Walkers in this novel, so they will get even bigger and stronger. As for the System, it will have some changes that touch things I want to accomplish but it stays largely the same.
4: Darks and Walker Rankings.
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9? You get the point, albeit the power system in these simple numbers isn't as simple. I will be using some cultivation systems from Xianxia stories I've read mixed with some Litrpg aspects.
5: Romance:
Ok!? This is my concern and I don't think writing about romance is my strong point, but it serves its purpose, so it stays, even though I had a lot of internal misgivings about leaving it out entirely. After changing some things around some characters, it won't be bad, but it is definitely one of the few concerns I have.
6: Post-Awakening plot lines.
Sure, I have yet to touch them in the rewrite too much, but I like the whole schtick with Forced Awakening, so it will stay and get even more interesting and filled with character. Then, the training arc will prevail and get better. Academy trial is where I think the old version got a lot better so I am not so sure how far it will change or not. Since I am planning to stay where I've left off, it might have fewer changes than the other arcs.
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That is about it. The most changes will be in the pre-awakening arcs. I hope you will like the rewrite and won't be mad about not continuing from where I've left off in Area 51. The rate of releasing new chapters will be quick because working with shorter chapters is substantially easier than doing something enormous.
Thanks for sticking with me and if you are interested in this comeback, leave some feedback in the rewrite, rate it, help it, and enjoy this return.