Book one is complete!

After listening to "Superhero" by ILLENIUM, what started as an idea became an enjoyable journey in writing a superhero story. I want to preface that I haven't consumed a lot of content for that genre (aside from watching Marvel films and the older superhero cartoons), so if my depiction of said genre isn't quite up to scratch...I apologize.

While writing, I ended up building a world and characters to explore different themes from a different setting. The choice of a dystopian cyberpunk theme and setting helped me to convey the social themes and metaphors I wanted to address in this piece. It was a process that challenged my writing and forced me to think critically about what I was putting down on paper and in what format I could tell that story.

This was something I found important for my personal development; the ideas and worldbuilding became more than what I intended from the beginning, and that was the challenge I set for myself.

If you're familiar with anime and cyberpunk settings, you'll find many parallels here. I'm certain I borrowed tropes and elements here and there, although hopefully not overused and overplayed conventions. I hope I was able to weave them in and present new angles and interpretations of what have become familiar motifs across many pieces of media. I don't believe I've strayed too far from the familiar path...at most, it was an alternate route that leads to the same destination in the end.

The choice of having the setting based on the slums instead of the metropolis wasn't arbitrary. I wanted to explore the challenges of being a superhero in a lawless place rather than an orderly and lawful environment. No jail, no prison, no system to report to for justice; everything becomes subjective.

Not to say that there are not aspects here for which I am less proud; there are certainly parts of this story that didn't quite end the way I wanted them to be—or could have been better conveyed. This is a result of both having to make compromises for the sake of a story that wouldn't drag on indefinitely, and my own inexperience with this genre and style. That said, I feel like I accomplished enough in terms of what I initially envisioned and hoped to achieve.

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That doesn't mean I'm done with this world...far from it. There are a lot of things left untouched or undeveloped in the setting: the major gangs that I've briefly introduced, the Outlands (mentioned in Chapter 67), Fii's interactions with the other characters like Lyria and Rao, and even encounters with more supernatural elements. I'll likely explore them in later installments or one-shots. The world is still ripe for development and exploration.

Speaking of Fii...writing the superhero origin story of a young protagonist like her was quite a fun experiment for me. There was a challenge to balance her growth from naive and idealistic into someone who had to come to grips with doing what she believed in and what might be right...even though the reality she lived in was quite unfair and cruel.

There were many things about her I wish I could have done better or developed more. I'm not entirely pleased with certain developments and motivations, and I do wish I had taken more time to polish certain plot points a bit more. However, overall I am satisfied with her character growth and the direction her arc took me.

The dynamic between Fii and her supporting cast gave me an outlet to play with character relationships while keeping them grounded and relatable. It's a style that suits my current skill level in writing. This approach also helped me to stay focused on the story I wanted to tell above other storytelling devices and styles.

As for why I chose gravikinesis as her superpower...well...let's just say that the concept appealed to a geeky side of me that loves sci-fi and physics. I did try to keep the limitations for such an ability in mind and tried to be consistent. However, I may have missed a few in my haste. Feel free to point out any inconsistencies I have overlooked in my enthusiasm...I'll be happy to iron them out. I'm sure there'll be a couple of typos here and there too.

If this story managed to stir something within you...then my goal has been achieved! What did you like or dislike about it? What did you take away from these pages? What might you seek out from my next venture? I hope that you'll share your thoughts and feedback.

So...what comes next?

For now...I intend to take a breather from this piece and focus my attention on my other stories while I plan out the framework for what will be the story of Book 2.

There is much to explore and expand on; from how I want the narrative to progress, where I want to introduce new characters or explore existing ones, which style or tone will suit best, what themes I want to explore...and so much more. These are all factors I'll take into account before moving forward with a second draft of this work.

Thank you for reading Slumdog Hero! This has been a most enjoyable journey. Until our paths cross again—stay safe and have a good one!

Zanafar