Note: This will not be deleted later. This is a subject that needs input, so I don't want to turn off people that want to review on future chapters.
Hey there, guys! Remember me? It's alright if you don't, I wouldn't either D:
Right now, I've plotted out a good deal of what's left of Before (The Rewrite). That means that I now have an actual plot! Woohoo! And that also means faster/more quality uploads. But there's something I'd like to bring up first.
A lot has changed since I last updated Before (The Rewrite). I have experienced joys and losses, and I have grown to understand things better. Be it life or writing, I see things now that I didn't see before. I see flaws, plot-holes, and inconsistencies. I see unnecessary scenes and long, droning dialogue about nothing in particular. I thought I could work with what I had already, make it end stronger than it began, but then I realized something.
The story about what happened one hundred years before Breath of the Wild is not an uncommon one, at least not on the internet. There are hundreds of stories out there detailing these memories, stringing them together in a comprehensible yet artful manner. Like bladeofthebookworm's Rifts Between Us, or WrittenInBold's What Lies in the Heart of a Hero, or others that I have long since forgotten the names of.
Now, this is where I ask you what a good story is. Perhaps a good story isn't necessarily original, like JK Rowling's Harry Potter. Perhaps it draws from mythology, or other worlds crafted by other artists (because writing is an art, just as much as music or painting is). But there's something that every good story does.
It teaches. It brings something new to the table. It leaves the reader captivated by something far away, yet something that they can hold close to their heart. And as I considered this, I realized that Before (The Rewrite) doesn't have much of that to offer.
Before (The Rewrite) is a retelling of a story we caught glimpses of, but in an alternate universe with hastily crafted OCs, loosely stitched environments, and backstories created solely to provide angst. It is a haphazardly mixed dough of tropes and cliches, and I don't think there's anything in here that hasn't been done. Heck, there are scenes based off of scenes in other memory fics!
That's not even mentioning the psychological damages. I obsessively check for reviews, even to this day, to receive some validation of "hey, you don't suck." I was constantly comparing myself to other writers and other stories, and that isn't healthy. I became prideful. Pride, as you may know, has led to the downfall of many good people and many powerful civilizations. The success of the story went to my head, and I kept expecting more and more popularity, more compliments. I needed a break to remember why I was doing this in the first place.
I did it because I wanted to make other people smile, and I did it because I love being able to say "I wrote that."
To be honest, I don't want to continue Before (The Rewrite). I want to leave it as it is and move on to other projects. I have so many ideas, so many works in progress, and so many other fandoms I've been too anxious to branch out to.
I have created a poll. This poll will be used to decide the fate of this story. Maybe you agree with me, and you think that this story isn't original enough to continue. Maybe you don't, and there's something you see in this story that makes you want to see what happens next. If there's some subplot that you'd like to see the resolution of, some concept you'd like to see continued, then I suggest that you leave a review so that I don't remove it from the plot altogether.
Note that things will change. Unnecessary plots will be removed because right now we're looking at around fifteen more chapters (maybe more) until the end. That's roughly six months of writing as it is, and I do want to move on to other projects. Some unresolved conflicts/subplots that aren't included at this point:
The kitten (might get a cameo, but it won't be very important
Fi (Liari will no longer be able to hear her, and she won't be nearly as important)
Sheikah mind-reading (that's just op, okay? Sheikah don't need mind-reading, they can already tell what you're thinking 0_0)
That weird subplot I had where Link had nightmares caused by Yiga spells or something (that was kind of weird)
The whole last chapter (that whole thing was weird, I don't know what I thought I was doing)
Link's backstory (it won't be nearly as much of an angst fest. I mean, yeah, there will still be some angst, but like... there was some weird crap in there, I dunno)
Some other stuff I can't think of off the top of my head
So even if you guys do want the story to continue, there will be changes from what I had before. This is essentially a rewrite, but only from chapter 42 on, so it's kind of weird? The poll will last about a week, so if you want to be counted, then vote by next Monday. If you're a guest reader, then you can vote via review and I will take account of it. If the story ends up continuing, I will take into account what you want to see resolved/continued/etc.
I hope y'all have a wonderful day. Until we meet next, be it the next chapter of Before (The Rewrite), or something completely new.
Sincerely,
Ari~