Hey guys, quick update on both the story and your worries or criticism you have showed me these past few days. There will be a tl;dr at the end if you don't feel like reading everything. Before I dwell into this, let me just phrase, that the timing of your bringing it up is ironic, for you were just a chapter away from seeing your issues with my writing resolved, but I love all of you and would rather explain things quicker, than make you wait God knows how long for the next chapter.
I appreciate your reviews and read them all, however I really do wish you let me know just how irritating my OCs are earlier. I have been writing this arc for over a year and, truth to be told, this is the first time I received such backlash regarding them. I often fail to see mistakes if they are not pointed out by others, and this is one of those moments. I failed to notice until you pointed it out for me, and for that I apologize. I suspect it may have something to do with me scraping the Dragon Slayer fight in sake of FT vs RT, which inevitably made me rob you of some sweet main character kick-ass time. Which brings me to point one.
One of the main criticisms I've received is that I've made Natsu a side-side character in this arc. And I agree. In fact, both the main protagonist and antagonist(that's Natsu and Ivan respectively) have been sidelined for the sake of other characters, awaiting their time in the finale. OC's aside, I wanted to expand more on people from other guilds and their own issues, and in my attempt to do that I have temporarily forsaken the main cast. This was both intentional and poorly planned. Natsu and Ivan were meant to be sidelined until their time came, but I have given them even less exposition than I intended. Natsu's character was, like you guys noticed, all over the place, and this is not me being purposely inconsistent. I meant to write him as uncertain who to be and how to behave in certain situations, unable to see the line. He's come to realise when to rely on violence to its utmost, and when to not take things too far. Now he has to learn how to behave and feel like himself. This is why one moment he's fully focused on obliterating everyone in his path during the event in Day 2, and another moment he's having a chill chat with Gray on the balcony. You have to realize, that this character is severely hinged and unstable. I have put him on the sidelines, so that he could observe others and draw his own conclusions and subdue his inner fears - I have simply not written it yet. His conclusions and decisions will be written very soon.
The Raven Tail OC's, in my opinion, are so jarring, because they overshadowed the main cast. This was, in fact, not meant to happen as badly as it did and I promise you, that Svenar was the last cause of sobby, boohoo backstories. Although he hasn't said everything to Mira yet, so please don't kill me if you see him mention it again in the next chapter. The remaining two will be relatively easier to digest(especially Albert's deal with Laxus), and one of them will help Natsu get his shit together, which might just make him interesting(the OC). The main roles of those OC's end on the latest chapter, and from that point they will simply exist and be an obstacle in the Games, just like any other guild. Some of the reasons they received so much screen time include me trying to flesh them out a little bit more to feel like competition for Fairy Tail, as well as villains, since I have always felt I failed to make the Seven Commandments feel that way, but also because they are one-arc characters you will not see ever again. I wanted to write characters that could actually be liked and remembered, and not just lowest of tiers antagonists like Avatar from canon, or the turban dude from Alvarez Natsu yeeted into a ship. I failed to do that in an interesting way, and for that I apologize.
The long breaks between updates may have played a part in your frustration, too. If I were to write faster these issues may not have been as jarring as they are, because they would be concluded fast enough not to dwell on them. Again, my fault.
Your reviews have helped me see things better and more clearly. They have also made me feel more confident in Tartaros, which is relatively safe from what you find frustrating in this arc. And you can trust me on that, because I've had Grand Magic Games written down a year before I started publishing it, and Tartaros has been done since May 2019. I do those things in advance, you know!
Thank you for reading my story and I hope you will give me another chance!
TL;DR:
- Natsu was sidelined and inconsistent in character for a reason and those reasons will be revealed soon
- The OC's have seen their last chapter as main focus with Chapter 44, after that it's already established characters time
- The next arc will not relay on OC's as much as this one has
- Some of the ideas have not been fleshed out as well as they should have
- The next chapter will address and fix most of your complaints about the current state of the story
- I take too long to write and therefore make everything feel insufferably long
- The OC's are not OP, each of them has a weakness that can be easily exploited, as well as counters, but I do understand it may seem like it for you guys. I do go overboard with the strength of my original characters and perhaps a few of them could be weaker
