Lux in Tenebris - Cynosure Review

[Cederak]

Cynosure was written as a standalone piece and I cannot stress that enough. As a reward to those who read through Cenotaphs, however, this is also a continuation of that epic. Any necessary callbacks are properly explained, so new readers will not feel out of the loop. I hope you enjoy the story, and please share your thoughts if you have a moment. Thanks!

 

-Ced

 

 

Episode 01: Soldier On

Episode 02: Beauty in Ashes

Episode 03: Direction

Episode 04: A Point of Contention

Episode 05: Reunion in Radiance

Episode 06: Ancient Menagerie

Episode 07: Reclamation

Episode 08: The Alchemist

Episode 09: The Marriage of Celvey the Ilisian

Episode 10: Majestic Eclipse

Episode 11: Corruption, Part 1

Episode 12: Corruption, Part 2

Episode 13: Resonance

Episode 14: Catharsis

Episode 15: Irrevocable Overture

Episode 16: Lawless

Episode 17: Past Transgressions

Episode 18: Forerunner

Episode 19: Destral after Dark

Episode 20: My Shadow

Episode 21: Halcyon

Episode 22: Affirmation

 

 

Update: I have left some parting notes after you finish reading Cynosure. It definitely spoils the ending, so...fair warning.

 

I really wanted to write another epic after Cenotaphs was finished in 2012, and it was in early 2013 when I decided that story was going to be a continuation for Adrinor. I think that after exploring a sidelined view of a critical event in the Matoran Universe's history, I wanted to expand upon that and really find a way to raise the stakes the next time. So I decided to pick up at the end of the Metru Nui Civil War, which is when a lot of things happen all at once. All the books and podcasts made reference to this time period, but there was nothing set about a lot of the particulars. Those blank spaces gave me a lot of room to play around with and give Adrinor a very personal antagonist.

 

The serious conversation beneath the surface of Cynosure, however, is that Drelinok is not the main thing that Adrinor is struggling with. We know in the first story that he has not been home in a long time, that he carries a lot of regret and a lot of guilt. It starts to manifest in the sequel and sort of guides his decision-making. And that, to me, was the tragedy of Adrinor's story. He's suffering from depression. I still wanted to write an action-adventure story though, and without something real and tangible to fight against, Adrinor's anxiety about the future just comes off too sad. There is nothing redeeming in his humor at that point, because his emotions are center stage. Drelinok was a way to channel those feelings into an individual, which makes the ending to Cynosure so important.

 

I have rewritten the last paragraph to this epic about twenty times. With every iteration, I don't know what to make of it. It's always powerful and disturbing, but Adrinor is finally whole at the end. Drelinok was the embodiment of his negative feelings, his symbolic conflict. The ending, in my mind, seems to say that Adrinor is literally living, coping, with depression. He's going to have it for the rest of his life, but it's also an entirely separate entity. Adrinor is not his mental illness. Cenotaphs danced around invisible illness with Rovaius and the others displaying varying degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder, but Cynosure dropped the pretense and I didn't want to shy away from it. I have none to speak of myself, but I have befriended people in my life who were not so fortunate. Thinking of them, I thought that downplaying it (despite the source material) would be disingenuous to their own internal battles.

 

If there is nothing else you walk away from reading this epic with, it's so important to be emotionally supportive to the people in your life, whether they suffer from a chronic illness or not. In one form or another, we all have our own Drelinok. I know that might sound cheap or cliché, but I think it's true.

 

Moving forward, the next point I want to shed some light on is the characters in Cynosure. There is so much that occurs during this epic that dialogue stays important, but not everyone has a chance to speak at every turn. There are definitely some scenes, looking back, where I felt some of the group was too silent in their reactions. Together, Adrinor and his friends make up a large enough spectrum to feel like a whole individual, while having their own unique traits. Hadliek is sarcastic. Kyrhus is thoughtful. Celvey is empathetic. Elendra is harsh. Beneath those single dimensions, in this story, they all have their moments where something deeper shines through, and that was why I really wanted to do an episode from each of their perspectives.

 

As much as I would like to delve into the particulars of each episode and how the opening lyrics play into them, I am going to leave a little mystery there. Some feel overt after you finish the episode, some take a little thinking. It's a lot of music, but if you take the time to listen to each song, they all tell the parts of Cynosure for me, and I went through a lot of second thoughts before landing on each lyrical decision.

 

The roadmap of the epic was built before the episodes came into play, but I needed a viable way of spacing out the events. That in mind, some felt more interesting and more eventful than others. And some just felt like pulling teeth in terms of trying to sit down and write them. I really loved writing 2, 9, 15, and 17. My least favorite to write were 4, 10, 13, and 19. They all stand out in their own way, but some managed to appeal to me stronger than others. I think my interest in them is, to some extent, reflected in their quality, with 10 feeling like the weakest of them all. 17 felt like the strongest. It's almost entirely dialogue and Adrinor finally catches Drelinok off guard. And that alone is enough to make Adrinor feel like he can really take him on somehow.

 

One of my last points that I am sure some people would demand to see writers put to death for is the resolution to the ending. Adrinor has been carrying around the tool to overpower Drelinok since Episode 2 and doesn't activate it until Episode 20. If he had, it would be a wildly different story to tell. I needed to give Adrinor a way to win, but I didn't want this to be a story about a winner. It is about someone who struggles and fights and loses and, against the odds, on the ropes, he stays true to himself and overcomes the adversity of the world. That sounds like a story worth telling and it was the one I wanted to tell.

 

From a speculative view, I could see how to move forward with another epic. Adrinor is awake again, getting used to his newfound power, and the Order of Mata Nui comes back into his life asking him to help with the Time Slip. Even loosely working within canon, you can have a lot of fun with a six-month period that everyone forgets later. The trouble with it is that I don't know if I can give Adrinor anything more profound to figure out about himself with another epic. I've killed off some of his friends, he's reunited with some. He's left home, he's come back, he's fought his first friend, he's even seen two separate shadowy conspiracies take place. Maybe it's just that my creativity for this universe has run out, but I don't feel like I have any stories left worth telling that would be impactful enough to get me writing Bionicle fanfiction again.

 

So that's it. Once more, thanks again for reading!

Edited June 2, 2016 by Cederak

[TNTOS]

I forgot you were writing a sequel to Cenotaphs. So I was a bit surprised when I saw this on the forums this morning, but it was a pleasant surprise.

 

So far, this epic is off to a great start. I like how you're writing about Jovan and his team. I don't know of a lot of fics that do that, so this should be interesting to read.

 

The only issue I really have so far is how you fail to capitalize the name of the element in the titles of Toa. For example, you write "Toa of water," even though the correct capitalization is "Toa of Water." A small problem with an easy fix, but it really stands out to me and I don't see any reason why you'd write it that way (although if you do have a reason for it, then ignore this).

 

Anyway, I'll definitely be following this epic. Are you going to have a regular release schedule for each chapter, like a chapter a week or something? Just curious.

 

-TNTOS-

[Cederak]

It's weird actually, posting a sequel to a story that was written a couple years ago. That's the average wait time between movie sequels these days, while words should be easier to type up and place online. In any event, the promise was that Cynosure would arrive in summer of 2014. My calendar says that autumn is in a few weeks, so I'm barely making good on my word, at least to those of us in the northern hemisphere.

 

Thanks for reading and reviewing, by the way! Jovan's team was a lot of "fill in the blanks" work, but BS01 is an amazing resource, and the Great Disruption is one of those pieces of the storyline I wanted to explore further in my own way. And that led to these non-canon characters who impact/experience canon events, a lot like Forrest Gump (if Forrest Gump were a biomechanical entity living inside a giant robot).

 

I think it's funny that you brought up the element capitalization bit, especially because I did the same thing in Cenotaphs and no one mentioned it. Or maybe someone did, and I just forgot during the past couple years. Anyway, I had to actively remember to capitalize elements for Matoran/Toa/Turaga in my work, and I decided to stop around 2009. Fanfiction exists as something that every writer takes stylistic liberties with, and I guess you could call that one of mine (in addition to my frequent use of the word 'biomech').

 

Great to hear I already have a reader along for the ride! There's no set schedule right now, and that's mostly because several episodes are still being drafted. Since I posted the full title listing, I can safely say that the overall structure is done, I just need to go back and make the details look pretty now.

 

-Ced

[Akavakaku]

Very cool so far! I haven't read the previous story, but now I think I will. One thing stood out to me as a little odd, though: the frequent use of "biomech." Given that the narrator is from the Matoran Universe, it seems odd that he'd use the word, since I doubt he's ever met any other kind of person.

[Cederak]

Thanks for reading! I really didn't plan on this story sparking any interest in Cenotaphs, but sharing more of my work as a side-effect is awesome to hear.

 

I doubt he's ever met any other kind of person.

 

Person/people felt too human, but I wanted a word that I could use in their place that was appropriate. There have been examples of AI in their universe that appear to be fully mechanical, like Fire Drones in Ta-Metru and the Vahki, which add a little credence to the distinguishing term. But ultimately, I guess it just worked for me.

 

-Ced

Edited September 7, 2014 by Cederak

[fishers64]

Good to see you back, Ced. And this one is starting to look like a good one - Elendara is back, and Celvey's secret has already got me interested. 

 

Overall, you've done a good job of balencing darkness (biomechs murdered, universe ending) with a fair amount of wit. Look forward to seeing more. 

Edited September 7, 2014 by fishers64

[ZOMBI3S]

Ah this is exciting! I didn't read Cenotaphs after it was finished, but I guess I will have to wait for each chapter this time around. I think the first chapter is a little heavy on back story, but that's necessary to to set up the world and get the introductions out of the way. Knowing your writing style, I bet the pace will pick up very soon.

 

Its definitely good to see that Trylac is back; he was always my favorite!

[Cederak]

Thanks for the early reviews, fishers64 and ZOMBI3S! I know it can be difficult to jump into an epic when the initial chapter is so dedicated to exposition like this one, but the action really gets turned up during Episode 02. Hopefully that will be online sometime tomorrow.

 

-Ced

[Akavakaku]

Wow, just read all the story that was added since my last comment. Didn't expect the conflict to go from the Great Disruption to the new villain like that, but I'm really excited to see what happens!

[fishers64]

I just got back from reading the latest chapter. I think it was pretty obvious from the get-go that this story was going to be about Drelinok. I like the mysterious atmosphere you've built around him - what are his powers? What are his plans?

 

But it seems that Adrinor might know about that than he lets on.

 

One of the things I like about your writing is how simple it is, and this is definately the case here. The mysterious teleporting city could have been something entirely new - but it's Destral. (I had to wonder why Destral would look like a bright glowing city from the water, though - seems almost out of character for beings of shadow. Love the apparent symbolism as well, though.)

 

Adrinor's and Miserix's reactions feel genuine, but Teridax...eh, he seems more like the type to suppress his emotions and scheme than to vent off like that. Perhaps these are his younger days?

[Akavakaku]

Well, my memory of the early chapters is a bit hazy.

[Cederak]

@Akavakaku: I think you’re right to say that the focus drops from the Great Disruption a bit suddenly. It made sense going in, because that’s Jovan’s story. The reader glimpses it, sees it from Adrinor’s perspective, but rescuing Mata Nui’s life is up to Toa Jovan’s team. In fact, it’s their destiny to confront that. The Great Disruption has a lot of ripple effect throughout the rest of the story, however, and I will say no more on the matter. Best not to spoil anything for you!

 

@fishers64: I wonder as I’m going along if new readers will think the history between Drelinok and Adrinor is a major topic in Cenotaphs, because in reality, I hadn’t even written him into existence when that story was done! Drelinok is very mysterious, and as I wrote him, it was interesting to learn what qualities really felt right with that character.

 

The same goes with the model of the Matoran Universe that Cynosure builds. Like you said, it’s simple. There are powers, and elements, but the magic is faded. It’s mature, in a cynical way, to look at everything that could be spectacular and say, “That’s just things, that’s how they are.” The marvel of inhaling a balloon full of helium and trying to talk, or finding a small animal in your backyard – it doesn’t translate to Adrinor. It’s not that he’s too old to be fascinated, but I had to really step back and ask myself, “How would you feel walking around with regret for 900 years?” So there is this “silent suffering” aspect to Adrinor, because I think a part of him wants to be like Jovan. He wants the weight of the world on his shoulders, but he doesn’t know how to be optimistic enough to rise to that occasion right now.

 

Regarding Makuta Teridax, he really scares me. Miserix is based on how I looked up to my dad when I was a kid. He’s this larger-than-life, tough but fair sort of character that, if you don’t do what he’s asking, yeah, he’ll probably be upset. But I recall anytime I would do something like that, my dad would say, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.” And that’s the Miserix I wanted to portray. He’s not afraid to laugh, but he knows when it’s time to be serious. The reason Teridax scares me so much is because he can be multi-dimensional and one-dimensional in the same breath. Capturing that Teridax, the one we met in 2004, he was sharp as a tack. But this is an earlier time. Miserix is still in charge, the Makuta have not shut out their inner light yet, and Teridax is still incomplete in a way. The story arc “Legends of Metru Nui” is thousands and thousands of years down the road from the Great Disruption, and Teridax is still like this “tempestuous youth” that knows he wants something, he just isn’t quite sure how he’s going to get it.

 

 

 

To everyone: Thanks for reading, as always. More to come soon!

 

-Ced

[Cederak]

Episode 09 is live!

 

I do not anticipate the next few episodes to reach the length of this one, but there was really just so much to cover. I have never written a wedding for a character, and never attended one in real life, so a lot of my setup is based on watching movies and television. Even so, this episode topped out just over 6,500 words – which is atypical when I look at the rest of the story I have planned. It also has the longest title, but that's incidental.

 

I am not sure how readers are going to respond to this episode, and I am looking forward to any criticisms of my take on letting Kyrhus tell the story for a change. After letting Celvey be the focus a couple episodes back, I will say right now that Hadliek and Elendra will eventually have their own moments to shine as storytellers before the end.

 

I hope you enjoy this latest installment of Cynosure. I am planning to start writing Episode 10 later this week, and I am quickly approaching the epic's halfway point. Exciting stuff!

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

-Ced

Edited May 25, 2015 by Cederak

[Aderia]

So, two of my biggest takeaways so far are 1) appreciation for how expansive, diverse, detailed, and well-thought-out your version of the Matoran Universe is, and 2) growing to resentment for the word “smirk” or any of its derivatives. Throughout all of Cenotaphs and Cynosure, you’ve managed to use the word “smirk(ed) about 70 times. 66, if I’m right.  At first I thought it was just an Adrinor thing, like his signature smirk, but no. Everyone smirks. Rovaius, Elendra, Trylac, Axonn, Celvey, and so on and so on.  Maybe it’s just a personal, writer’s choice, but it’s just the kind of word that made me stop paying attention to the story and roll my eyes a bit, like, “Oh, look, there goes somebody else, smirking away!” I guess what I’m trying to say is I think you overused the word. But hey, if that’s the worst thing I can complain about it, it’s not so bad in the grand scheme of things, right?

 

Now, this next point isn’t so much of a “problem”, more of a, “I personally need clarification because I’m a bit skeptical”. I don’t understand why a team of Toa would need to hire any protection at all. I thought maybe, like, since they’re Toa and they can’t kill, just in case they run into an enemy who might be better off dead? But then, like, all they were planning to go to Metru Nui, full of Matoran (albeit warring Matoran). Would Toa even be in danger from a Matoran war? And the one scene, where the gang picked off a few Matoran on the way back to the crashed airship, the Toa were simply “dismayed”? I didn’t really buy that. I feel like Jovan should have laid down some ground rules, like, not letting the biomechs he hired kill those he is sworn to protect.

 

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember you saying you were working to make this seem a bit like a tv show, with your episodes and so on. I think you’re doing a great job with that. Each chapter clearly has its own story arc, and could probably be a short story, but there’s also an overarching plot and elements running throughout. Great work there.

 

Just an offhanded question, isn’t Valixia a character from one of your old Epics? I know it was your name change from a little while ago.

 

I’m also stuck trying to figure out if we’re through with Drelinok. You know how some tv show seasons are split into basically two seasons, split by that long interim in between? Usually from December until February or something? There’s usually a midseason finale? And then the second part of the season is basically a whole new plotline? Part of me wants to think that Drelinok was just one of the villains from part one, maybe even the mid season finale villain. Then the other part of me (the part that can count and realized that demise in chapter 8 of 22 does not constitute, mathematically, halftime) feels like Drelinok’s actions thus far have just been his auditions. There was a lot of build up, and it was, as Adrinor commented, anticlimactic. My writer instinct tells me that wasn’t for no reason.

 

A bit related, I would have liked, (or perhaps in future appearances), a more specific explanation of Drelinok’s powers? Despite having a god-complex, he wasn’t stupid, and only a stupid person would think themselves above the Makuta, powerwise. Elendra even put a nice number on the number of Makuta powers, about 35. So, Drelinok displayed his light-warrior creating, telepathy, telekinesis, long-distance mind control, and maybe a few others? Either his god-complex is something glacial in size, or he was holding out on us.

 

Also a bit related, with explanations of powers and such, perhaps a bit more about the Ilisians? Maybe it was foreshadowed a bit and I missed it, but Celvey’s having telekinetic powers kind of hit me from left field. I really liked that last chapter (9), by the way, it felt nearly fantasy-genre’d, which I have a soft spot for. And who doesn’t love a good wedding-crashing scene. Celvey herself took me a little while to get used to. I think she was “smirking innocently” when she was introduced. At first, I got hung up on the smirking part again, and didn’t think it went with “innocent”, kind of contradictory, but as she developed, it’s kind of an appropriate metaphor for her character.

 

Elendra, you mentioned she’s mellowed out a bit since Rovaius’ death, and yeah, it definitely shows. At one point, you mentioned that she reacted in a very stand-offish manner to stressful situations, and I thought that was a great way to characterize her.

 

You asked in the post above this about reactions to Khyrus' perspective. It was suitable for the telling of this episode, yes, and it was well done. This may be just me, and I know that he's not the most outspoken individual, but I feel that we didn't really know him well enough as a character to give the episode his individual voice, if that makes any sense? We got the story from his perspective, but at the same time, didn't really learn much about him as a character. For juxtaposition, Celvey's chapter was chock full of background, her feelings, and so on (great job there!). 

 

Trylac is still cool, and still one of my favorite characters, I do hope to see more of him.

 

Adrinor, and his unraveling, and that bit about planning to be taken by the Dark Hunters, now that was interesting, and definitely something to be expounded upon. Or not. I just like seeing deeper into the inner mental workings of characters.

 

This read has been well worth my time, and I find myself becoming quite invested in these characters. I really like it, in case persnicketing in my review left you thinking that I think otherwise. As per usual, keep up the great work! 

[Cederak]

Thank you for the insanely detailed review! I have never bothered to go through and Ctrl+F how many instances my characters are smirking across these last couple epics, but I will definitely be consciously drawing back as I finish Cynosure. Throw a little variety of expressions in there.

 

I want to address Toa Jovan for you. Trylac and the Order are basically liaisons for Mata Nui. He has stuff that needs to happen, the Order is told in dreams or visions or whatever. Mata Nui wanted the Ignika-finding Toa team to have backup. Trylac had them look up Adrinor, because he trusts his skills. After filling Metru Nui with war machines, even Toa would have a hard time standing up against a naval fleet or squadrons of drone jets. I will give you the "dismayed" comment though. The truth is that I felt the episode was really drawing out and I did not want to add a scene about Jovan and Adrinor arguing the ethics of murder. I will keep it in mind though, if I go back through and edit in certain episodes as a "director's cut" thing when Cynosure is finished.

 

Glad to hear you think the TV show aspect is working. Truth be told, my intention was to link the song that has a lyric snippet posted at the start of each episode, but the way copyright with songs works with YouTube videos, it is hard to say which links would last and which videos would eventually be taken down. If you want the "true" Cynosure experience, go look up the song quoted in an episode's intro when you finish reading. I was very selective in picking songs that not only had a sound that matched the tones of their assigned episodes, but lyrically played into the story at hand.

 

Offhanded answer: Valixia is from a very old epic trilogy. 2007 or so. With the archive virtually destroyed, I felt I had some freedom to rework some of those characters. Zanteox is a character from the third chapter of that trilogy too, by the way. But it was Valixia, and her sisters Kylios and Cylaia who merged to create Toa Kaita Vylaos. This was my nod to that in my own way, and I am surprised anyone remembered, honestly.

 

Regarding Drelinok, I would say to follow that writer instinct you have.

 

It is funny you mention Episode 09 as feeling "fantasy," because I got that feeling when I had to edit it over before posting. I am much more partial to science fiction, but I have never been to a wedding before, so I decided to use all my experience of watching TV and film and seeing where that would take me. I drop a couple hints early on about Celvey having some kind of special power, and she really has grown on me the more I write about her. Having her stand out in Episode 07 was fun, and if nothing else, an acquaintance of mine read it over and said it satisfies the conditions of the Bechdel test. I had to look up what that is, but I guess several of my favorite movies have failed it. So…woot?

 

Sadly, Kyrhus does not helm another episode. It's hard to get into his head without giving him another since he is so quiet, but I'll remember that as I continue on. Elendra has an episode to lead soon, as does Hadliek. I have not begun writing either one yet, but I am hopeful about the plotlines I have in mind. Trylac will show up throughout, just because I don't want to leave him out of the action.

 

If you have enjoyed seeing Adrinor fall apart so far, strap in. I throw a lot at his character in this story, and he is going to get worse as things move along. Basing him so heavily on my brother, I had to ask him how he would react to certain things and then adapt that into my work. Adrinor has high moments and low, and I think this early on, it should be clear that I can still ruin his day with a lot of the events yet to come. Where he will end up at the end though? Time will tell…

 

Once again, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy what is still yet to come in Cynosure!

 

-Ced

[Cederak]

Episode 10 is live!

 

…And far overdue on the release date. I apologize to my readers on this one, but the middle of Cynosure has been a serious hurdle to jump with a lot of other more pressing matters in my life.

 

Anyway, excuses, excuses. I promise there will definitely be less of a gap before Episode 11 is up. That's not saying much, but if I hold myself to it publicly, I can focus on keeping myself honest versus trying to self-motivate on busy weekends and such.

 

This episode is…different, I guess. I removed an element from the team and was inspired by stories of hidden and stolen gold in the American Civil War. The story definitely takes on a life of its own, and the mid-season two-part episode is up next. Hope you enjoy this lead in!

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

-Ced

[Cederak]

Episode 11 and Episode 12 are both live!

 

After taking most of the summer off from posting, I thought a double post on episodes would be in order this time around.

 

The inspiration on this mid-season two-parter was primary looking at the culture of hackers in the cyber community. Knowing that the Matoran Universe is all inside a giant robot, functioning as a colossal computer, I wondered how others might "hack" their way around the rules set in place.

 

From a more personal perspective, there's a real desperation to Adrinor in the two-parter. I won't spoil it here, but the deeper effects of the previously hinted depression he's coping with are definitely coming to the surface more and more. Corruption, as a two-parter, is not all downers and sad stuff, and it was a fun opportunity to toy around with a fun science fiction concept in the Matoran Universe.

 

There are several more adventures left as we head into the second half of Cynosure, and I think there's something for everyone to enjoy along the way. Always looking for criticisms though, so share a reply on your thoughts so far.

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

-Ced

[Cederak]

Episode 13 never got a post of its own, but Episode 14 is now up as well!

 

The latest episodes really speak for themselves, but this is the end of the second act. I have not gotten a review here in a while, but on the off-chance I still have readers who have nothing to add to the comments here, I can provide a snapshot of what is left for me.

 

Episode 15: Half written

Episode 16: Half written

Episode 17: Finished

Episode 18: Barely written

Episode 19: Not started

Episode 20: Finished

Episode 21: Finished

Episode 22: Finished

 

I will not make any promises to what schedule I can finish writing those unfinished four episodes in, and I feel I owe an apology to my readers who were probably expecting this story to be finished some time ago. If you are still reading along, I really appreciate you for sticking around. We are almost done here, and I am trying to put a dent in Episode 15 today. Stay tuned.

 

And as always, thanks for reading!

 

-Ced

 

 

EDIT: Episode 15 is now live! Working my way through the last 3 to be written!

Edited March 9, 2016 by Cederak

[Cederak]

So, it has been roughly a year since this epic has seen any reviews, and Episode 19 was the last to be written. Given that much inactivity, I have no idea if anyone is even reading Cynosure at this point, I just feel very compelled to finish it after all this time. 20, 21, and 22 were all finished last year, and will be posted throughout the coming week. I think I have apologized a few times now for how long this has taken, but there will be at least one last post after the epilogue is up to wrap up my thoughts on this story and everything. Anyway, I can get into the details about that next week.

 

Thanks again for reading!

 

-Ced

[Cederak]

And now, Episode 22, the epilogue, is posted. The top post in this review topic will also be updated with a spoiler-filled sort of "director's commentary" on Cynosure. I would strongly recommend finishing the epic before opening it.

 

So where do we go from here? That's a fair question.

 

I said it a few times before, but including the long-deleted archives, I have completed 12 epics and about 20-some short stories. That's it for me. I'm finished.

 

It has a been a long road to the end here, and Cynosure alone took 3 years. I wish everyone who walked this path at different segments with me were here to see this post. I cannot thank you all enough for the sense of community I have found in this library and I have learned a lot during my time here. It doesn't mean I'm leaving BZPower forever, but this was the one major thing keeping me with any activity outside of the occasional log-in for old time's sake. Perhaps I'll take up reading the stories of others again, albeit less critic club style and more casual interest.

 

To my readers, you have been amazing. I think some of my works have been more self-indulgent than others, but at the end of the day, my focus has always been to give my readers something worth their while. I'm glad you enjoyed this last journey into the Matoran Universe with me. Thank you so much.

 

-Ced