A Tale of Heroes (WIP) - 218k words. Updated 12/17/2023 with Chapter 6: Part One!

Better chalk up my fingers and start climbing then :joy:

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thatā€™s a shame. It would have been awesome to get more of the MCā€™s backstory from the horses mouth (sorry for the slang, didnā€™t know what else to put). Also starting to have the craziest idea that (if you chose the orphan route) you are related somehow to The Broken King. As i said, CRAZY :zipper_mouth_face: but would also be quite a twist :joy:

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Well, while Iā€™m not going to say one way or the other whether the theory of ā€œyouā€™re related to the Broken Kingā€, or ā€œyouā€™re a reincarnationā€ or what have you is right or wrong, I am gonna say this is not one way for it to happen.

The King and Queen never had children. The reason for it is a matter of debate, though the accepted (and quite obviously very sexist) assumption is that the Queen was barren. Whatever the reason though, no small Prince(ss) running around.

And the King has not bedded anyone else since his Queen died. No romances, no paramours, no lost glances, nothing. In one thousand years, the King had never grown interested in anyone but the Queen of Crete.

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Well, youā€™ve definitely given me (and the other readers) something to think about :thinking:

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Iā€™m not sure what you mean by that. Could/Will you elaborate?

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I mean that, Iā€™m not gonna comment on whether the theory about the MC having some connection to the King is possible or not, but I am confirming that it cannot be a blood relation, as the King has no sons, and had no other partners.

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If there is a connection at all it is likely through our alien bodysnatcherā€¦if the King also has an alien inside then maybe the relationship, if there is indeed any, as I am far less convinced there is or even needs to be a personal relationship to this mythological figure for the mc, is between the bodysnatching aliens and not between whoever the (human) body of the King used to be and the mc. :thinking: :alien:

Or maybe the energy aliens of the mc and Lat are enemies of whatever species/faction the ancient astronauts were, assuming they did interbreeding/uplifting with early humanity and this impending clash between mc, lat and friends and whatever the King is might just be a tiny part of some alien on alien conflict we do not comprehend. :man_shrugging:

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Iā€™m pretty sure I saw that episode of Ancient Aliens.

:space_invader:

perhaps they arenā€™t aliens maybe they are ancient advanced civilization like in AC lol the King and Queen are just reincarnations of two of those ancients

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@Jjcb I was wondering if you are going to introduce new characters/Roā€™s in the second book or this one

Not in this book, no. I havenā€™t gone too deep into the planning stage of Book 2 yet, beyond knowing what the main conflict and climax of it will be at least, so I canā€™t confirm one way or the other, but Iā€™ve been messing with the idea of making Novaā€™s sister a RO (and before any of you ask, no, she is not a minor, and even then itā€™d still happen post-Book 1 timeskip, which means sheā€™ll likely be anywhere from 19 to just 20, instead of a fresh-faced 18 year old).

Thereā€™s alsoā€¦ someone else, whoā€™s a walking spoiler, but I dunno if I would call that a relationship, or if itā€™s even something smart for the player to get tangled up into.*

*No, it is not the King. I haveā€¦ plans there. Read between the lines and you might begin to catch on.

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since my Mc was romancing Ignis and he is going to end up alone (Iā€™m totally fine with it). Thatā€™s why I was wondering

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Yey I have the Varus so I will be here a lot with my stupid little questions xD like:
You are a writer that has a plan and a story already mapped and clear or you let the story and characters develop by demselfs and flow freely (as G.R.R Martin put an architect or a gardener?)

Oh, donā€™t worry, donā€™t worry, theyā€™re not stupid at all. If anything, Iā€™m thankful. I like babbling a lot, and about my creations even more so, which means Iā€™m elated whenever anyone comes over and shares their thoughts on AToH.

I actually kind of answered that question on a Tumblr Post a while back, but to summarize it a bit, I do very little planning.

I know how a chapter starts and how I want it to end. The in-between to that is a wild ride from start to finish, because I just let my fingers go crazy on the keyboard and type what they wish. Itā€™s messy, I think, but it also allows me to give the story a rather genuine air, because most of it develops in the moment itā€™s being written, instead of being pre-planned or prepared.

Soā€¦ I guess Iā€™m with G.R.R.M on the Gardener side. :smile:

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So i realized I havenā€™t actually shared my thoughts on the characters yet and have only asked questions regarding the world of ATOH so for a nice change of pace Iā€™ve decided to share my thoughts on the main cast!

Forlorn: a bit overprotective but as an older brother myself, I have a soft spot for his actions and I have a feeling that he has a reason on why heā€™s so wary about anyone who approaches Aki. It might not be a good reason or justification, but it will be a reason nonetheless.

Lat: Almost forgot about her, honestly. Sheā€™s great and she hits a lot of my boxes but for some reason Lat is a lot better as a friend than someone you should RO imo.

Aki: Extremely cute and precious, thereā€™s been hints though that thereā€™s more to her background than meets the eye. Something Forlornā€™s protectiveness reinforces.

Ignis: Best girl. Her romance path may have been doomed but I donā€™t see it as any reason to rank her any less. I am extremely sympathetic to her circumstances of a family she hates pressuring her and burdening her with a legacy she did not ask for though. The Coltellos has me worried tbh.

Nova: Good guy, really nothing much more I could say about him other than the fact that heā€™s just a nice guy overall and sometimes thatā€™s enough.

Seeker: Very mysterious, probably has a mutual interest with Ignis but the existence of V has casted some doubts regarding that little bit of theory. I like him though since he hasnā€™t really done the PC anything wrong and he seems chill based on his hangout interactions.

Mars: Very dutiful and very workaholic, I wish I have his work ethic.

Stratton: Sometimes the noose is too good and a bullet too expensive for some people to be worth.

Gloria: Picture perfect candidate, heā€™ll probably backstab us but that doesnā€™t mean I cannot appreciate his competence.

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Hmm, this will be a trilogy if Iā€™m correct, right? If so, do you have any idea when the first book will end?

Iā€™m not sure I understand your question, do you mean chronologically? Or around what part of the plot?

If itā€™s the former, we still have a couple months left to go, with the game ending somewhere around September or October. If you meant the latter, we still have quite a decent bit of the story to go through. Iā€™d say weā€™re somewhere around 30-35% done.

You will figure out all the mysteries set up in this book, though. I haveā€¦ a different hook set up for the next game.

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I have mixed feelings about how the bonding moment for the team is being squeezed up into one chapter, at chapter 4. I enjoy every single scene with each characters, but the entire thing seems like a chore to me. Bonding with characters A and B done BOOM onto characters C, D, E, and so forth.

It would be better if it act as a choice, to spent moments together either between the big three or the rookies. Then the side thatā€™s being left out would mention your absence at the dinner scene and create a banter more like a conversation between the team and MC. So it would make this whole holiday feels more immersive and not just a filler episode, a break, to adjust its story pacing to enter the next conflict.

Thatā€™s a for chapter 4, the entire WIP so far is very good, definitely 10/10, 5 Stars, A+ from me. Ignis best girl, and if you disagree, then you deserved a sheath sword smack in the back head from Mr.D himself. Peace.

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Hello, sorry it took me a bit to answer!

Thank you for the compliments! Iā€™m very glad that youā€™ve enjoyed the story, and Iā€™m happy to see another Ignis fan join the fray. Her and Aki have been dominating a bit for a while now. :sweat_smile:

As for your comment, while I think itā€™s more than fair, I kind of did the whole ā€œmeet everyoneā€ thing on purpose. Partly because I want the player to be able to build a rapport with everyone, since, yā€™know, main cast, but mostly because Iā€™m very much not a fan of the whole ā€œpick who youā€™re hanging out withā€ and ā€œask a limited number of thingsā€ system that some games have taken to adding in the past while. I do allow for a chance for the player to justā€¦ decide they donā€™t want to keep hanging out with people after you meetā€¦ I think, like, 3 or 4 people, counting your RO? Itā€™s optional, of course, but if the player is done with socializing, theyā€™re free to just leave. Thereā€™s definitely no penalty or loss because of it.

That saidā€¦

This is a pretty dope idea. Retroactivity based on the MCā€™s actions is something I always think makes the world and characters feel more alive, so Iā€™d like to implement it. The dinner scene does feel a bit lacking in the MC department, I think (you only get two choices right now on how you feel about coming to Japan, iirc?), so adding some extra chatting there about where the MC went and what they saw is something Iā€™d like to give a try to.

ā€¦ Of course, Iā€™m, uh, rather bad at the coding aspect of things, so it might have some pains while I figure it out, but I can promise to try my best.

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I have to say Iā€™m really glad you took the route you did. Itā€™s one thing if the choices affect game stats or clues to solve a mystery plot, but hanging out with people should be free-for-all.

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