Shift Comments Thread

[Andromeda]

The next chapter is now up, chapter 226! With the fighting over, I got back to what I was talking about, focusing on the characters. The most important things were the dialogue between Seiji and Chiharu. Their relationship has continued to grow and evolve over the course of the arc and this was the next important step for them. I did do a little with Yumi, which I plan to have follow ups on, but it is early to address the new problems that have popped up for her.

The part of Chiharu that was exposed was already seen before when Saki confronted it. However, from a character growth side it was needed. It was part of her opening up and trusting someone. She trusts Saki to some extent, but she's been stuck with Seiji for a while and they've butted heads a lot. So they needed to improve their relationship. Seiji needed to understand a little more about how she works. Because now as a result, she'll be able to open up to him again in the future and more things will come out about her.

Seiji on the other hand you finally understand what's been bothering him. The implication leads to one direction, but it is actually a little different. I intentionally made it seem like he was bothered by killing, while it easily be something else after you know the truth. He brought up a while ago with Fumiko, but never went into details about it. Now that it is out he'll be able to grow beyond it, but it's still something that he has to overcome. But it is important for them all since they do come from a life where killing and survival are not as common.

Enjoy!

[Andromeda]

Yeah, I'm late on this one. Weekend work and getting a little stumped delayed the work. But I have it done now, chapter 227 is finished. The reason I got stumped was mostly an order thing more than anything. I had most of written and then I wanted to do something, but didn't know how I wanted to insert it. I finally figured it out and finished it tonight. Now what's probably going to be a bit of a surprise is that I'm jumping back to the Titans. It's important to see them again for number of reasons.

The one thing I didn't get to do when I introduced them was get into their characters. They were pretty flat when I showed them. It was supposed to be something of a tease of things to come. Show off the characters show you that something big and important was coming. However, I didn't really get to show how they were personality wise or their lives. They are the important figures for the second half of the arc and so I want to give some time to really give them build up and development before they face down the heroes. They have deep backgrounds and motivations. Part of what makes them a little scary is that they don't have a unified motive, they are all do things for their own reasons and it is only Rheia holding all of them together through sheer power.

The return to them also gave me more of a chance really showcase them. The first time you saw them Demosthenes pretty much showed them up putting down their strongest member. It was important to show how powerful Demosthenes truly was, since there was not much of a measurement for him. Now that I'm getting more into the Titans it shows off how powerful they are, but it also reinforces how truly frighteningly powerful Demosthenes is as well. Rheia as I explain is well beyond everyone else in Omega, yet Demosthenes still dealt with her in seconds.

So I'm able to really start building them up and talking them up. By the time the heroes show up, I want the reader really feel like this is going to be a major fight and going to seem impossible to confront. A lot of it is going to more of a comparison in knowing they are at the top and even now they're struggling with those that are just normal elites, not the super elites.

Enjoy!

[Andromeda]

A bit on the late side, but still Sunday. Chapter 228 is now available. This chapter also focuses on the Titans as only two of them were looked at in the last chapter. The remaining three known Titans get their attention in this chapter. I continued to provide mystery and a little more depth to their chapters.

The newbie from last chapter is not around to introduce the Titans, but things were already in place for them. The way they played out did not really need such a device to show them off. Unlike the other Titans, Rheia and Glykeria, the remaining three I actually teased what their powers could be. It is not directly stated and Teris has the least on what his power is, but there was a taste of it. The other two Nereus and Ourias gave a small showing of their power. I did end up hinting at something for Glykeria, but Rheia is the one that I've left as the biggest unknown. You only know she is very powerful and can keep control over all of the wild personalities of the Titans.

Like before, a lot of this is about showing the Titans in their nature environment. It lets me show off their beliefs and ways of thought, which is important the how they fight and how they'll be dealing with Yuki's friends. Since they'll be facing them later and they'll be butting heads in more than just a physical means. Some of the Titans are very opinionated and stuck in their lines of thought. They will bring that to the battle, making it a more complex fight for them.

Enjoy!

[Andromeda]

Chapter 229 is now available. Things have switched back to Yuki and friends, though things are looking more and more grim for all involved. The mystery of Ayumi deepens as her true motives become more of a question and the focus of the arc. It is less about the fighting right now and more about setting the stage for the climax. Everyone needs to be in their place right now and they are almost there. Things seem to be moving pretty fast now. Days are passing by, where before it was a hundred chapters for only a single night. But the climax is going to be lengthy. The setup is fairly quick in comparison.

Most of the importance on the chapter is getting things in their needed positions with Yuki's group. The last thing I needed to with them was in this chapter. Haruo staying behind was the last step for that. The parting words I have with him on the cliffhanger says a lot of it. Everything Ayumi's been doing starts to have some reason, even if the core of the mystery is still hidden. It is clear that things are not what they seem.

Despite the serious things happening, I did manage to inject some comedy into things. It is going to only be getting worse and the darker tones and mood to come. It is one of the last lighter moments for the arc. So I'm doing what I can before everything gets too serious for any comedy to really happen.

Enjoy!

[Andromeda]

A little slower this week, but still up in good time, chapter 230 is available now. Yes, I switched back to the Titans as soon as leaving them. It felt awkward for me as while, but in the sense of time it made sense, though from a storytelling point of view it felt a little awkward. Though I also wanting some space between the cliffhanger with Haruo before I get back to him. So I had to order things like this. I didn't have anymore flashbacks I wanted to do with Ayumi or any other material to cover that would space things out. Things are steamrolling pretty fast to their collision course. So a lot of people moving in different places all at the same time and it is the only way to really fit everything together. As a result, the first major fight of the third sub-arc is only a couple of chapters away. The result to be the chain of effect that leads into the climax along with everyone getting into their own final battle for the arc. Sounds like things are wrapping up fast, but the reality is that since I still have nine big fights to get through, things will not be over for at least a year most likely, but the second arc is closer to being over than starting now.

That's a lot of opening setup on chapter, most of which is not even about the chapter. Unlike the other Titan chapters, this one focused solely on one, Ourias. The rest of the thing I wanted to explore with him was too big for the chapters being done with the other Titans. So it only made sense to really focus on him. He is actually the most human of the Titans, so he is actually pretty relate-able, unlike most of the Titans which have very extreme personalities and in many ways so detached from their humanity it makes them difficult to connect with the character. Ourias is different since he only recently became a MP or even a Titan. So he's life was shaped by different circumstances. The chapter though is more than just being about his character. It really helps to look deeper into the reality of how different the two groups of people are and how society treats the MPs.

I did manage to get a little of Rheia into the scene. There is something really interesting about her character. She's wild and likely very insane, but she is actually pretty rational and is not blind. She ends up being impulsive and childish, but she has other sides to her. And I could look a little more into the way she thinks. She is going to be a lot of fun in the future.

Athene managed to get in some more time as well. I continue use her as a progress tracker and a way to clean up lose ends. She's on their trail. So she gets to see what the aftermath is, cluing in the reader on what happened that I did not explain. As you already saw, I don't explain everything immediately and sometimes it takes a while to get there, even though I'll imply something. But each scene with Athene, she's becoming more unhinged and the line between sanity and insanity is blurring more with her. She's become consumed with her hunt and everything she finds just makes things worse for her.

Enjoy!

[Andromeda]

Chapter 231 is now up! Haruo's return is pretty quick, but as I said before the fights there were more for reasons of getting the players in their position rather than just having a fight. The fight itself wasn't important. If it's not that important I'm not going to spend time on it. But it is the last of the minor fights. The next one that occurs is significant and very important for the character involve. You can expect to know who the first fight is in the next chapter.

There is a little bit of a retread with the subject of figuring out Ayumi, but Haruo did bring new pieces to the discussion and they talked about some things I had left out for the time being. The answers to what is going on are getting closer. It will still be a while before everything is out in the opening. But the first trigger has already been pulled and now I'm pushing everything forward.

The first battle will start everything. Though there is going to be a little bit of a lull afterward before the major showdown. The big showdown coming up with the Titans is going to be interesting though. I'm having to do a lot of planning for this in advance since unlike with past fights I can't actually have them run chronologically at the same time, but still write them as whole mini-arcs. The way things will be happening is that there is going to be an impact by events that will affect everyone. So the big battle is going to be more chaotic then what you're probably going to be used to for the fights I've done up to now. There will be a lot more blending going on which focuses shifting.

Enjoy!

[Andromeda]

Chapter 232 is now up. It ran a little longer than I expected, but still within margins. It was the conversation with Yori and Fumiko that ran deeper than I thought it would and I still did not get to cover everything that I wanted. It's been implied enough so I left it alone while I focused on the bigger problem.

I've still kept the thing Yumi said to Fumiko to motivate her and pull her out of her despair as secret. I believe I said it before that not knowing makes it more powerful than actually knowing. You know the results and I can talk about what it caused and how she felt. Considering how emotionally charged Fumiko is right now, it hit in a place that was deeply personal. Which is made clear before with the hints. It all actually ties into the core of Fumiko's development and a lot of her motivation to start with. I just never clearly exposed it, it is still pretty hidden what her real motivation is, but I've given enough hints in this arc that people should be able to get a good sense of what her secret motivation is.

The important thing with the fighting between Fumiko and Yumi is that it's got Fumiko back into the game. Something that's been difficult with her. She's gone through various cycles of being willing to fight and losing her will to fight. She needed to be stabilized for the end, even if it is a temporary thing. Everything that happened in the arc is going to come back later for her to have to confront. The rift between the two will also be something that will take a lot of time to repair.

And then as promised, the fighting is back. I don't know if anyone knew who it was, but it is pretty clear now. The grudge match of the arc is about to begin, though Yuki and Demosthenes might be one as well, though it's a little more of a revenge match. This is more of grudge, but as I brought up in earlier chapters, there is a problem that Seiji has. The appearance of Cosmas is certainly no coincidence. As though there were coincidences in a story like this.

Enjoy!