UPDATE (Patreon)

Hey everyone,

I've got a bit of an update for you. I wasn't totally happy with how the last chapter turned out, so I've decided to spend an extra day or two polishing the next one to make sure it's just right. This might mess with my usual—or unusual—schedule a bit, but as long as I can put out two chapters, each around or over 4K words, within a week, I'm happy. There are some big things on the horizon for Blake, but I've realized I've been rushing through things a bit too fast. It's something I tend to do, but I really want to take the time to do justice to Blake's next arc.

I'm thinking of cannibalizing parts of the first draft, but I'm still figuring out how much. Outlining has yet to be my strong suit, though I've been trying. Despite this, I'm really pumped for the next part and want to give it the time it deserves.

I’ve also seen a slight increase in new followers and wanted to welcome all of you with open arms! I truly appreciate your patronage.

Patreon has rolled out some cool new features, and I've been experimenting with them. One of these is the Collections tab. I've compiled and re-edited all of Book 1's chapters into a single Collection for easier reading (I saw that some of you newcomers were going through the older, separated chapters from Book 1). There's also this group chat feature in the Patreon phone app. I initially thought it would be like Discord, but it turns out it's quite different. I’m not a fan, but I’ll still use it if you want.

SPOILER ALERT / RANDOM BABBLE AND THOUGHTS:

We're about to delve deeper into the stories of other characters, leading up to three major conflicts: the Slaethian War, skirmishes with Demons, and battles against Ascended Gods (Levelers). Alongside this, I plan to sprinkle in clues hinting at the Eldritch’s return, setting the stage for a new series centered after Life's reincarnation in "Re:Life". Before that, though, I'm working on a more extensive spin-off set on Earth, titled "Birthright". This plot will run concurrently with the second convergence around Völuspá, while the first convergence, the Demonic one, plays out in Blake's story. I'm particularly excited to develop Niamh’s role more substantially in this part of the saga, probably in Book 3 or 4.

Interestingly, "Birthright" and "Re:Life" were concepts I toyed with even before I started "Blake Pudding". I'm keen to return to these stories, but I intend to keep their development more secretive until they're more fleshed out. My goal is to avoid the continuous cycle of rewrites that "Blake Pudding" has experienced and will continue to experience. Joys of being a novice author. Sigh*

In the meantime, "Blake" will be instrumental in enriching the lore of Völuspá and in setting up a collaborative series to confront the Eldritch. In this alliance, Blake will take on the role of the party's DPS. "Birthright" will introduce the Tank character, and "Re: Life" will feature the Healer. I'm also contemplating a shorter spin-off to introduce a second DPS character, for whom I already have an idea.

As for "Cyberization", I'm determined to complete its first draft before temporarily shelving it. The challenge has been finding the time to devote to it recently. This is also happening all while I'm struggling to get back into animation, something I haven't done in quite a while. I'm a bit out of practice. 

As always, THANK YOU so much for your support! 

Sincerely and Forevermore, 

Hereafter