Arch9CivilReactor
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The story that originally made me want to ‘get good at writing stories’. Not my first work (as that one was actually really bad but I loved it for what it was) but definitely a work I cannot stop thinking about. There are mixed feelings here.
Originally, this work… the ‘unedited’ version of the story called Battlefield Restart on RR, was a mix between ideas I got from reading Mushoku Tensei (yes, reading) and a popular hero story I liked reading on Wattpad. It was a complex story.
I know me calling my own story complex sounds like blowing my own horn, but it really was much more than a simple Isekai power fantasy. The story was about an old soldier being reincarnated imperfectly due to advanced age.
His soul and body split into two upon being summoned twice at the same moment. Being old and weakened by age, he died soon after his summoning. The divine swords he was given were also lost due to the nature of their contract.
Originally, a summoned Hero and Demon King would have at least a hundred years of control over their respective Divine Swords. That was because these fantasy residents also knew the summoned wielders would age despite the restorative effects given by the swords. They just made it so the next summoning could be easier.
The main character’s situation itself was special.
Who would’ve expected that an old man on the verge of death would’ve been summoned in both places at once? Both as a Hero and Demon King? They didn’t have time to terminate his contract with the swords tethered to him.
The result? His summoning ended up being the reason for the birth of a pantheon of gods. Their natures and abilities being decided by the specific blend of divine powers. Their names also represented the kind of gods they were.
As the typical Isekai fashion back then, the second chapter he meets the ‘god’ he created.
His name is Enigma.
The god of destruction.
His siblings being the god of creation, Chaos (who was formed from the main character’s residual thoughts from his past life). A mirror image of himself in his prime. Looking exactly how he did when he was the best at what he did.
Later the MC would meet the crafty sword goddess who had yet to attain divinity, who had the mortal name of Sylph and the god name of Void. Her situation the exact opposite of his by having enormous Mana but with no attribute.
Early on Enigma reveals to the reader that the MC is the god of life. Thus having the ability to create it with magic alone. Because of his low magic talent, he never gets to really showcase this power as much as his other powers he had.
The MC of this story was created like Rudeus.
But without the horny. It replaced with paranoia.
His main selling points was being a tortured soul who was kinda cool sometimes.
Examples:
1. calculative instinct (basically the Mind’s Eye (True) that Archer has in Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works, which is instinct based off experience + calculations).
2. Kill Switch (when he turned off his inhibitions and humanity so he can find effective ways to kill an opponent).
Other than that he was written to be a skilled, but weak overdog that surprised people. The story being about him overcoming his paranoia and trying to become a better person (because his little sister got traumatised when he killed an assassin like a monster without any remorse).
An interesting family dynamic early on in the story, fun power system, and side characters with life in them. This might make you wonder how it could fall off so badly… which is mostly due to my own prior lack of skill as a writer.
There were many cons I noticed over time:
1. Outdated tropes.
— There was simply too many of the kind of tropes you’d see in older Isekai novels. It was to the point of boredom from anyone. Like meeting the god before the Isekai, heroes and demon kings with divine swords, and the reincarnation aspect itself into a servant of a noble family.
2. Vague worldbuilding.
— I didn’t have any ideas for the world outside the mansion other than ‘it was very dangerous’ and followed with a classic RPG world with guilds and stuff for simplicity. The powers were cool but the world itself was way too uninspired.
3. Lack of real focus.
— Mushoku Tensei is about a trashy human learning to be a less trashy of a human being. It is more about learning than ‘redemption’. He is still kinda bad in the end but is much more likeable and mature with his three wives/family.
Mine? “He is very paranoid… and that is bad because he is being way too comedically distrustful of people. Which is a bad thing. I’m telling you this as the author. Thus it is true.”
4. Weak enemies.
— Like he goes from fighting his rival(?) to there being blatant telling about Darkness Users being bad people generally. There is also setup that isn’t payed off regarding his mother’s racist hatred for goblins or devas depending on the version you read (apparently the unedited version on RR is the best reading wise).
I feel like a lot of it could be patched up by just starting again from scratch. Which would mean throwing away my original draft entirely and starting fresh. Having the ability to completely alter the events and the order they take place.
I’m not sure if it’s worth going for considering the state of Isekai currently. My own work (despite the praise I give) also has way too many outdated tropes as a backbone. It’s hard to say how things would turn out if I did write it again.
I guess you can say I’m just too attached to my first Webnovel. Unable to make a decision on it.
Felt like sharing these thoughts on a post.
Well, thank you if you read this far and have a wonderful reading experience going forward.
Originally, this work… the ‘unedited’ version of the story called Battlefield Restart on RR, was a mix between ideas I got from reading Mushoku Tensei (yes, reading) and a popular hero story I liked reading on Wattpad. It was a complex story.
I know me calling my own story complex sounds like blowing my own horn, but it really was much more than a simple Isekai power fantasy. The story was about an old soldier being reincarnated imperfectly due to advanced age.
His soul and body split into two upon being summoned twice at the same moment. Being old and weakened by age, he died soon after his summoning. The divine swords he was given were also lost due to the nature of their contract.
Originally, a summoned Hero and Demon King would have at least a hundred years of control over their respective Divine Swords. That was because these fantasy residents also knew the summoned wielders would age despite the restorative effects given by the swords. They just made it so the next summoning could be easier.
The main character’s situation itself was special.
Who would’ve expected that an old man on the verge of death would’ve been summoned in both places at once? Both as a Hero and Demon King? They didn’t have time to terminate his contract with the swords tethered to him.
The result? His summoning ended up being the reason for the birth of a pantheon of gods. Their natures and abilities being decided by the specific blend of divine powers. Their names also represented the kind of gods they were.
As the typical Isekai fashion back then, the second chapter he meets the ‘god’ he created.
His name is Enigma.
The god of destruction.
His siblings being the god of creation, Chaos (who was formed from the main character’s residual thoughts from his past life). A mirror image of himself in his prime. Looking exactly how he did when he was the best at what he did.
Later the MC would meet the crafty sword goddess who had yet to attain divinity, who had the mortal name of Sylph and the god name of Void. Her situation the exact opposite of his by having enormous Mana but with no attribute.
Early on Enigma reveals to the reader that the MC is the god of life. Thus having the ability to create it with magic alone. Because of his low magic talent, he never gets to really showcase this power as much as his other powers he had.
The MC of this story was created like Rudeus.
But without the horny. It replaced with paranoia.
His main selling points was being a tortured soul who was kinda cool sometimes.
Examples:
1. calculative instinct (basically the Mind’s Eye (True) that Archer has in Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works, which is instinct based off experience + calculations).
2. Kill Switch (when he turned off his inhibitions and humanity so he can find effective ways to kill an opponent).
Other than that he was written to be a skilled, but weak overdog that surprised people. The story being about him overcoming his paranoia and trying to become a better person (because his little sister got traumatised when he killed an assassin like a monster without any remorse).
An interesting family dynamic early on in the story, fun power system, and side characters with life in them. This might make you wonder how it could fall off so badly… which is mostly due to my own prior lack of skill as a writer.
There were many cons I noticed over time:
1. Outdated tropes.
— There was simply too many of the kind of tropes you’d see in older Isekai novels. It was to the point of boredom from anyone. Like meeting the god before the Isekai, heroes and demon kings with divine swords, and the reincarnation aspect itself into a servant of a noble family.
2. Vague worldbuilding.
— I didn’t have any ideas for the world outside the mansion other than ‘it was very dangerous’ and followed with a classic RPG world with guilds and stuff for simplicity. The powers were cool but the world itself was way too uninspired.
3. Lack of real focus.
— Mushoku Tensei is about a trashy human learning to be a less trashy of a human being. It is more about learning than ‘redemption’. He is still kinda bad in the end but is much more likeable and mature with his three wives/family.
Mine? “He is very paranoid… and that is bad because he is being way too comedically distrustful of people. Which is a bad thing. I’m telling you this as the author. Thus it is true.”
4. Weak enemies.
— Like he goes from fighting his rival(?) to there being blatant telling about Darkness Users being bad people generally. There is also setup that isn’t payed off regarding his mother’s racist hatred for goblins or devas depending on the version you read (apparently the unedited version on RR is the best reading wise).
I feel like a lot of it could be patched up by just starting again from scratch. Which would mean throwing away my original draft entirely and starting fresh. Having the ability to completely alter the events and the order they take place.
I’m not sure if it’s worth going for considering the state of Isekai currently. My own work (despite the praise I give) also has way too many outdated tropes as a backbone. It’s hard to say how things would turn out if I did write it again.
I guess you can say I’m just too attached to my first Webnovel. Unable to make a decision on it.
Felt like sharing these thoughts on a post.
Well, thank you if you read this far and have a wonderful reading experience going forward.