Story Night Sky - A Starbound Story - *Discontinued*

I actually can't see that image anymore. : / Not sure why.

 

Added another if it stays broken.

I see it perfectly. 2nd time Google Images does this within a week. imgur is savior

 

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Whoa, you really are stepping up production here .

As for your angst. Perhaps it is simply an anxiety for what your vision of the story in the future is making it difficult to actually get through the "not as awesome" parts to get there in the first place?
(If that made sense...)

 

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Would I ever say anything negative to you?
...Don't answer that.

Happens to the best and worst of us.

That was to imply any parts that you feel are dwarfed in comparison to how awesome you precieve parts you have yet to write will be.

 

i shouldn't reply to comments while its past midnight and im high on sugar lel

I wasn't really expecting replies to my angst-post. Thanks for responding anyways.

 

You hit the nail on the head right there. As someone who has written for a hobby and an occupation at different points, there are certainly ups and downs to everything you create. Writing is an excellent outlet for creativity, but producing for other people can put pressure on you to deliver, whether you intended to feel that pressure or not. In my free time, I currently write three different things- a sci-fi novel, a fantasy thing/experiment/not sure entirely yet, and Substellar Vagary. I've had people ask me why I work on more than one project at a time. My answer is always the same:
The works I create on my own time are for my own enjoyment first and foremost, and I swap between ideas depending on my mood and what I feel like creating. I suppose my answer to you is that yes, there are lots of ups and downs with sharing the work you create, and you should truly thing about who you're writing for. If you're writing for the audience's sake, that's just as valid as writing for yourself or any other reason. Just make sure that you are receiving satisfaction from what you do, or else there's little point to going through the motions of writing. Of course, I don't mean to imply that one should ever cease writing or creating outright; I only wish to say that if you aren't happy with what you're doing, turn it around into a form that you can connect with.

...Is this a ramble? Yeah, it's a ramble. Hope it makes some sense, at least.

 

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Hopy ship that's pretty long, remind me to read it later.

 

In comparison to some previous chapters, not at all long. Actually pretty short.

 

Yeah, but I didn't have time to read it before. He reminds me of someone...

 

Okay, you've been wanting comments for a while now and I didn't want to throw my two bits in until I had completely caught up, so here goes.

Night Sky. If I'm not mistaken, currently the longest and longest-running active story on the forums. This puppy already spans the length of a small novel, has a large cast of main characters that it switches focus throughout, and follows an act-based storyline with several arcs contained within. You obviously have a passion for writing, and if I had to guess why you get the views but not the comments, here's my theory: This story is intimidating. The length and complexity is by no means a bad thing for those who are looking for an expansive adventure, but it's much less accessible than, say, an art thread, or even an episodic story where you could theoretically jump in at the latest episode. You're with this one for the long haul. I hope this don't come off as critical, because I don't mean it like that. I love this story, and I just don't want you to feel discouraged from writing it. We're here, and we eagerly await each new chapter.

Now, on to discussion of the story itself!

Main Characters: The main heroic cast of characters in Night Sky follows the archetypical Starbound line-up of one for each major species, minus one. While this could be construed as overdone, I think this gives an opportunity to explore situations from a different, alien viewpoint for each perspective in the world you've constructed. This method also provides the problem of having the relatively large central cast of six characters. The story mostly overcomes this by being long enough that no character is overlooked or overshadowed, and by giving each character a well-developed backstory and diverse personality. Indeed, through the chapter-by-chapter switching of perspectives, the reader grows equally attached to each character, a sure sign of good development. I suppose my one criticism in this area would be the way you introduce the cast early on. The way they just say,"Welp. Let's each, in order, give detailed and wholly accurate accounts of our backstories now," is a little jarring, and I feel as if the characters could be introduced more organically as the story flows on.

Secondary Characters: There are a lot of these guys. One thing you I think you accomplish very well is giving each character a personality. There's never a "background character number four" in the entirety of the story, which is a huge pro in my book. I do think that you sometimes went a little too exposition-mode for minor characters we never see again in the earlier portions, but you get better at that as you go on. I'm also including your villains in the secondary characters portion. Our heroes seem to accrue quite the rogues gallery in their travels. From your slimy corporate tycoons to your evil Miniknog despots, you've got them all. I particularly enjoy the Miniknog portions because the Big Bad's minions aren't all actually super evil, instead just "doing their jobs." It lends a bit of humanity to the villainous organization.

The Story: Now, I'm reluctant to give a full review on the story because it's obviously not finished yet, but I will tell you that I'm thoroughly enjoying the ride so far. The sub-arcs and character progression so far has been very fulfilling, and I'm looking forward to seeing how some of the character arcs pan out. (Looking at you, Thornrose) I'll get back to you on the story portion later, as all I can give right now are loose opinions.

Worldbuilding: Each of the settings the story has explored has been distinct, imaginative, and described in vivid detail. I've never grown bored with any of your settings so far. I do, however, would like to see more universe-wide worldbuilding. I want to see how all these settings interact and coexist (or fail to, if it's the case) in the massive universe you've written. Each setting feels sort of self-contained right now, and I'd like to see more connectivity.

Style: Night Sky has been a fascinating read, because such an ongoing project really displays how your style and abilities have grown and developed as a writer. The earlier chapters that you've rewritten are dramatically improved. Grammar-wise, you're fairly impeccable, which, at least for me, has a rather large effect on my enjoyment of the story, so props to you. Your literary flow transitions rollicking, light, adventure and dark, serious tones nicely. I think that your biggest issue right now is that you tend to struggle with drifting in exposition, aka "What you want to say vs what your characters would want to say." I can relate to you in that aspect. It's very challenging to keep exposition to a minimum, but I feel that in sci-fi especially, writing is half what you say, and half what you leave to the reader's imagination.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed Night Sky since the day I discovered it. Its mix of sci-fi, alien settings, memorable characters, and gripping plot leave readers wanting more. Thanks for writing, Mr. Zebe. I have the outmost respect for you and what you've done. I hope I can say, on the behalf of the forums, that we appreciate you immensely, and the fic subforum just wouldn't be the same without Night Sky. I can't wait to see where Act Two takes the intrepid gang of adventurers next.