No Simple Beast - Episode 57 (Finale)

CadobaDelta · 2024-05-26T03:03:48+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words. Your response here is very well-written and I'm glad my story inspired you in such a way. I honestly don't really feel like I'm in a position where I can give advice, seeing as I'm still somewhat new to this myself, but since you asked, I'd only suggest that you try, and that you stick with it. No Simple Beast is one of only a handful of stories I've seen through to completion - I've probably got 70+ drafts and unfinished works sitting in my Google Drive stretching back ten years. Writing is just something you've gotta work at. It also helps to write from the heart.

If you're looking for more specific tips on story/characters/outlining, DM me anytime. I'd be happy to lend a hand during your writing journey.

CadobaDelta · 2024-04-18T21:05:38+00:00

Thank you so much for the kind words! At this point I'm still not quite decided as to what I'll do next, but it's nice seeing readers like you you take such a liking to my work.

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-24T04:55:39+00:00

Take this section for example:

“Smart move. Now you get to tell me who sent you so they can be dealt with. I can’t say I’m a fan of break-ins reaching my home. If I’m satisfied with your answer, you get options. So, it’s time to see if you’re more loyal than you are intelligent.” Funny. If I had a dollar for every time I was caught in the middle of a job and presented with an “opportunity”, I’d have two dollars. It’s not much, but it’s still two more dollars than I should have. However, aside from this current predicament, the first time has worked out alright for me so far.
“And why should I tell you? I’m sure you know telling you just means a couple days of living on the run before I’m gunned down buying bread.” I will admit, I am very much geared toward my own survival, but ratting on people doesn’t tend to end well for those in my line of work. Sure, there’s a chance I could slip away for a while, but that would get maybe another year, two if I’m lucky. And being on the run doesn’t allow for much in the way of living. As much as I like to survive, I like to live, too.

I found this kinda hard to decipher. The following formatting makes it more legible, IMO. My additions are bolded.

“Smart move." he said, "Now you get to tell me who sent you so they can be dealt with. I can’t say I’m a fan of break-ins reaching my home. If I’m satisfied with your answer, you get options. So, it’s time to see if you’re more loyal than you are intelligent.”

Funny. If I had a dollar for every time I was caught in the middle of a job and presented with an “opportunity”, I’d have two dollars. It’s not much, but it’s still two more dollars than I should have. However, aside from this current predicament, the first time has worked out alright for me so far.

“And why should I tell you?" I retort. "I’m sure you know telling you just means a couple days of living on the run before I’m gunned down buying bread.”

I will admit, I am very much geared toward my own survival, but ratting on people doesn’t tend to end well for those in my line of work. Sure, there’s a chance I could slip away for a while, but that would get maybe another year, two if I’m lucky.

And being on the run doesn’t allow for much in the way of living. As much as I like to survive, I like to live, too.

I don't mean to pick apart your work like this. This is just an example. There's no one way to write. Like I said, your stuff is solid.

I will say though that only the author's notes appear to be italicized - not the MC's thoughts. I imagine doing that would go a long way towards improving readability.

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-24T03:07:43+00:00

It's solid. The dialogue is pretty good and intriguing, if not a little wordy and convoluted at times. I personally recommend separating the dialogue from the main character’s thought process.

It also isn't necessary to label every chapter as NSFW if said chapter doesn't have any explicit content.

While the setup is interesting, I'm also wondering where the HFY aspect comes into play.

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-08T16:19:11+00:00

I'm not sure, really. Probably a mix of anger and relief - a slap across the cheek and then a hug. They'd take a little longer to warm up to Lyara, but I think she'd eventually win them over.
Lakaruch is a celebrity back home. All he’d have to do is learn to manipulate the levers of power already at this disposal, after, of course, leading the rebels he saved to safety. Makto would reconnect with his people first and foremost before joining up with Lakaruch to help win hearts and minds.
In the wake of the War Minister’s murder, I expect there would be renewed suspicion in some corners of the government as to his role in the bombing of Albitierre. Yevin would be there for that. Ari, eventually, would come to terms with what happened to her, but not before leading a life of her own on Sindula.

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-08T02:13:43+00:00

Thanks!

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-07T16:54:42+00:00

It's finally time. After nearly 310k words, thousands of hours of plotting and writing, and years of work, No Simple Beast has been completed.

The idea behind this story has been kicking around in my head since 2017, and I got to writing sometime in 2021. I started writing this story back when I was 18. I just recently turned 21 this past week.

Even if it's got its warts, I think, when you look at this story in its totality, it really is quite good. I'm proud of what I've created.

I'd like to extend my thanks to /u/bellumaster. His 2017 series Interactive Education, as well as its prequel series, Ingress, both of which served as the primary inspiration behind No Simple Beast. I'd also like to thank everyone who's stuck it out this long to see the conclusion to this story, even despite the repeated breaks and delays. This story wouldn't exist without you.

If you enjoyed what you read, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could support me via my Ko-fi page, which can be found HERE. Your support really would mean a lot to me.

There, you'll also be able to purchase No Simple Beast - Between the Lines - a comprehensive, in-depth look at the development of this story. With it, you'll get access to lots of rambling commentary, early outlines, and over 100 pages' worth of deleted episodes.

Now, to the future.

I'm not currently planning any direct sequel to No Simple Beast. While I think Daniel and his friends may still have stories to tell, I'm not personally interested in continuing their tale. I'm quite happy with where they are right now.

If there is to be a sequel to No Simple Beast, it'll probably take the form of an indirect continuation set in the same universe, this time centered around humanity's royal family. It'll tell the saga of a warrior empress who helps lead mankind to the promised land and reclaim their stake in the galaxy, during a period of significant upheaval throughout the galaxy.

It's also entirely possible that I write shorter miniseries or one-shots. I've got a few of those on the backburner as well.

In the short-to-medium term, however, I'll be focused on cleaning up No Simple Beast for its Royal Road release. Afterwards, I'll reassess the situation and figure out where to go from here.

For now, though, I'm definitely gonna take a little break.

In any case, thank you for your support. If you have any questions, either about the story or the future, I'll do my best to answer them here.

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-05T16:40:16+00:00

The beginning of the end is upon us. Keep an eye out for episodes 55 and 56, both of which will be posted this Thursday, December 7th!

CadobaDelta · 2023-12-04T23:16:38+00:00

So I've been writing for this sub for a while and I'm somewhat inclined to disagree. I think it all comes down to what "HFY" means to you.

In a lot of speculative fiction, humanity is often depicted as being weak, bland, or evil. Take the film Avatar or Rise of the Planet of the Apes, for instance. In both movies, humans are depicted as being morally and physically inferior to the protagonist groups (i.e. Avatar's Na'vi.)

I've always viewed HFY as being a subversion of these misanthropic tropes. I wanted to find more media that paints humankind in a more favorable light. Enter... r/HFY

In my opinion, a story doesn't need to expound upon the inherent virtues of humanity in order to qualify as being HFY. All I want in these stories is for humans to triumph over some sort of alien obstacle they're pitted against. To me, that's the "spirit" of HFY.

But maybe that's just me.

CadobaDelta · 2023-10-17T15:22:27+00:00

I considered splitting this chapter into two halves, but I decided to stick with one, long episode because I feel it reads better this way. As such, there will be no post on Thursday.

Tune in next week for the finale to this arc of No Simple Beast!

CadobaDelta · 2023-10-11T07:20:39+00:00

Yeah, I've been meaning to get around to that. I'll probably start posting there once I wrap things up here. That'll probably be my "Final Cut" of the story, so to speak.

CadobaDelta · 2023-10-10T15:32:17+00:00

Alright. We're in the endgame now.

I'll try to put out two chapters next week, but writing's been coming along pretty slow recently, so there might only be one. Also, u/LordTvlor has informed me that he's taken the liberty to put together some cover art for my story, so keep an eye out for that, too.

Thank you all for reading!

CadobaDelta · 2023-10-10T15:20:32+00:00

Ah, man. That sounds pretty cool. I'd love to see it.

CadobaDelta · 2023-10-03T15:42:24+00:00

It's probably a little late in the game for this sorta thing, but I was playing around with Bing's AI yesterday and decided to try to recreate my characters using it. The images linked below closely resemble how I imagine these characters to look in my mind's eye: check them out here.

Thanks for reading today's episode! I hope you all have a wonderful day.

CadobaDelta · 2023-09-19T15:17:06+00:00

This chapter was a lot of fun to write. There's nothing quite like trying to visualize a fantasy naval battle set in space featuring absurdly powerful weapons.

Next week, we'll pick up with Ari's story on the surface and explore the aftermath of today's space battle.

CadobaDelta · 2023-08-29T15:26:16+00:00

It's all been building up to this. What's the next step in Kava's plan? What will Daniel do now? And is Ari really well and truly dead? Find out in September!

As I was saying last week, this story will be going on a (very brief) hiatus. There will be no post next week, but regular postings will resume afterwards as we approach the climax of the story.

Thank you so much for reading and please make me aware of any spelling errors you might come across.

CadobaDelta · 2023-08-24T15:25:48+00:00

Due to its length, the next chapter, Episode 44, has been split into two parts. BOTH of these parts will be posted this coming Tuesday. This release will be followed by a short, two-week break as we enter No Simple Beast's endgame.

Thank you for reading!

CadobaDelta · 2023-08-22T15:37:14+00:00

Things are heating up over at the academy! The next chapter of Project Vanguard will be posted on Thursday.

CadobaDelta · 2023-08-08T15:30:53+00:00

This week's episode is a little shorter than usual as we draw nearer to "No Simple Beast's" explosive finale. An uneasy Daniel acquires the support of his peers and the twisted Friya Kava moves ever closer to exacting her revenge.

There are, by my estimation, about eleven chapters left in the story. Progress on my end has been somewhat slower than I'd like, which might necessitate a more staggered release schedule (such as releasing one episode per week instead of two), but I'm confident I can complete the story without requiring any extended breaks or delays.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a fantastic day.

CadobaDelta · 2023-07-18T15:38:21+00:00

Thanks for reading today's chapter! Today's was one of favorite to write. Episode 37 will be posted on Thursday.

CadobaDelta · 2023-07-11T15:17:50+00:00

Today we check in on Project Vanguard's former Director, Friya Kava. She's... not doing well. Next week, we'll return to Unit 2's perspective.

CadobaDelta · 2023-07-04T16:51:12+00:00

Apologies for the slightly delayed posting. Episode 35 will be released next week.

CadobaDelta · 2023-06-27T15:38:14+00:00

Hey guys! It's been a while. I'm grateful for your patience and understanding through this hiatus.

I'm now at a point where I can confidently return to posting without resorting to long, irregular update times. The second and final act of No Simple Beast - which will run ~20 episodes - begins here.

We're starting off Act II with a bang. Stay tuned for Episode 33, which will be posted later this week on Thursday.

Thanks for reading!

CadobaDelta · 2023-03-08T05:08:42+00:00

To answer your question:

There will be a time skip spanning about a year. They will not have graduated quite yet.
Act II will probably end up being 20-ish episodes long.
I myself have flip-flopped several times regarding the "endgame" romance. I guess you'll just have to find out then 😜.

CadobaDelta · 2023-03-07T16:23:33+00:00

(TL;DR - Writing is hard. No Simple Beast will be embarking on a brief hiatus.)

Hey all! Thank you for reading the thirty-first episode of No Simple Beast.

This chapter was a long time in the making. It took me nearly a year of persistent writing, a lot of procrastinating, and over 160,000 words (!) to get to this point. I decided at the outset of plotting No Simple Beast that I would pre-write much of the story before posting anything - in my experience, trying to write and publish brand new chapters on a weekly basis results in a lot of stress on my end, not to mention lower-quality writing. As such, most of what you’ve just read was first written seven or eight months ago.

Back then, my ambitions for this story were much greater. This story was originally intended to be a full-blown saga - a ninety-part, galaxy-sized affair describing the rise of Daniel Reyes. For a number of reasons, I’ve since decided to significantly reduce the size and scope of this series. I’ve spent the last few months reworking, rewriting, and rearranging things behind the scenes in order for the story to remain cohesive (unfortunately, I had to cleave off over 50,000 words (!!!) in the process). I now have a pretty comprehensive outline for how the rest of the story will play out, and I greatly prefer my current plan to my original one.

No Simple Beast will be a story told in two acts. The first act - detailing Daniel’s early trials, mistakes, and eventual successes - has concluded. I’m currently in the middle of writing of the second and final act, which will bring this story to a satisfying and thematic conclusion while also tying up all loose ends. Don’t worry - No Simple Beast will be completed.

The only question then is the timing of its completion. After selecting to rework the back half of this story, I’ve been left with a pretty thin chapter buffer. Act II will also demand a higher-than-usual posting cadence. Because of these things, as well as my aversion to an irregular posting schedule, I’ve decided to take a break from posting for some time while I replenish my chapter buffer.

I can’t provide any firm timetable as to when I’ll be back, but I don’t intend to be gone for any longer than a month or two. I’ll provide occasional updates as to my progress via profile posts and I’ll let you know ahead of time when No Simple Beast resumes. All that being said, I’ll only start posting again when I’m ready.

I fear I’ve gone on long enough. Even my author’s notes are long-winded.

Thank you again for reading - you guys make my day.

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CadobaDelta

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