The Long Farewell
Hey, folks,
Sorry about all the site problems lately. That really took a lot out of me, especially when I’m trying not to screw up the end of Delve’s longest-running story arc.
I’m in a strange place, mentally right now, and I just thought y’all deserved to know a little more about what was going on behind the scenes.
Honestly, I feel simultaneously great and awful at the same time which is very confusing for me. I feel like I’m caught up in the whirlwind of this story and it’s taken on a life of its own and become something more than I ever felt like I put into it. At the same time, I feel very small and insignificant. There have been plenty of times along the road when I ignored perfectly good advice because I knew that wasn’t what the story wanted, and I’ve been following wherever it led, and now a part of me is terrified that this story is finally gonna get what it wanted and I don’t know what I’m going to do then.
I also know that I can’t afford to think about that right now. I have to see this through.
Anyway, I hadn’t even planned on writing this. I was just going to post my usual snarky caption and let the art speak for itself, but… yeah, I don’t know. I guess I’ve just been climbing this mountain so long, I’m scared of finally reaching the summit.
I don’t think that could happen to a better guy.
Yeah, that feeling of a mix of joy and fear coming towards the end of something (in this case this arc of the story) is natural. Not sure where it leads next, but will still follow.
Also maybe now Sephni can start to come away from the horrors she’s been through.
And maybe not just this Arc, maybe it’s getting close to the end of Delve as we know it
That day will come, and will be sad when it happens, but will also have the memories found along the way
Will there be more Delve stories? Will there be something completely different? Who knows, but as long as Mr Hunter releases it on the webs, he will have one follower along for the ride 🙂
There’s actually a term for this: “Paralysis at Apogee”. Which I hesitate to mention lest I trigger it.
Hm, is this week Vote incentives really supposed to be so small?
Prequel? Wouldn’t mind seeing how the original adventuer group ended up there, became gods and the Dracomage imprisoned all the dragons, etc.
Honestly though I think there’s lots of opportunity for other adventuers that link, however loosely through Lausten’s Found, etc.
With roleplaying as an inspiration and source there’s a lot of stories I’m sure you’ve told and had in your mind overtime.
But ultimately, follow what you feel passionate for.
Agree. This is huge world which can fit lot of stories, happening after, at the same time or before this story arc. Even if this will somehow end Bree’s story (which it doesn’t look like yet, see @doublegee2022), there are plenty of leads to other related stories.
Problem with prequels is, you have a set time limit you can write (before it reaches the time of the original story), and there is a huge risk of continuity-errors
Just look at “Star Trek: Brave New Worlds”: it’s the story of what happened to Captain Pike before Kirk took over the Enterprise, and they have already shown a med-bay far more advanced than the one Bones had in TOS, and they used the freaking Crabhead Klingons from TNG instead of the Space Porto Rican’s in gold lame, not to forget turning the Gorn into Xenomorphs from Aliens
The end of the long Sephni arc, yes perhaps, but there a plenty of loose ends still to follow, from Bree and Imugi, our mystery Orc Markho, Sark and his sister, Teal (and Phawkes and Prancy), Bree’s promise to Betrys, will the sword girls be reunited with Bree? Even, will Brian go through the door? We’ve had arc endings before, with the first defeat of the Devourer, Paige delivering the crown to Bree, slaying the Big Bad dragon.
Wherever you go now, you have created something vast and magnificent, easily equal to any other alternative world – much more fun to inhabit than Middle Earth, greater depth than Morris or Eddison or Dunsany, equal only perhaps (in my personal opinion) to James Branch Cabell’s Poictesme stories. No one can take away your saga, its amazing continuity, the world-building, your wonderful characters.
Having followed you since episode 1, here we are about to see episode 700 next week. May we look forward to eventually reaching episode 800!!
Thank you.
Middle Earth used to be lot of fun … before the fourth age.
Brian gets all the girlies….Jen, Teal, now a naked Sephni to cuddle….
Girls makes passes at guys who wear glasses.
Wormius, you are a very good writter. This comes from another writter, one that has actually quoted you at a point in the last book that has published (OBVIOUSLYwith full credit of the quote’s origin, and if you find it, you just learned my IRL name).
Know what? That “quote Andrew Hunter” thing came when, with the book already 75% done, one of the characters just decided, against my will, that the story HAD to take an unexpceted direction chnge that needed actually retconing the very first chapter of the book to include a quote of yours, by mouth of Thess, that the character would spend the last fourth of the book living up to.
So yeah, I bet not just me, but most of the regulars around here, fully understand you when you say that the story is telling YOU how it wants to be told.
Keep rocking, mate.
Over 20 years ago I started a saga, originally to try and imagine a utopian society that actually might be nice to live in (most so-called utopias, by their very nature, are ultimately authoritarian). Out of that original idea, I then took the same character, but from a near-identical time-stream, and threw her into an Iron Age Amazon society (they called themselves the Femyny). I remember starting chapter 3 with absolutely no idea what was going to happen next, and that, pretty much, was how the rest of Book 1 went. Eventually, last year, after a hiatus due to personal circumstances, I completed Book 8 of what had now became “The Anne-Marie Chronicles”, my main character having experienced all sort of crazy unpredictable adventures. Basically it was just escapism, creating my world (actually a series of parallel history worlds) and – as with Andy – predominately female characters. Book 8 ended on a bit of cliffhanger, leaving me no clue as to what possibly path might follow. Unfortunately, eye problems have inhibited writing, and Book 9 is just a collection of notes, and one opening chapter. But the point I make was how – as with Delve – the characters evolved and started to take over the plot. Even I never knew what was always coming next! I found that a great way to write. It give me incentive. Had I already planned out the complete story, I don’t think I would have had the same enthusiasm.
Killing the Devourer is what your karma wants to do. It’s all for the better good.
What to do after the story is over? Well, first finish it, then write a long epilogue (not so long but enough to gradually detach from the story and not all at once). Then write a sequel.
Or try gardening. I did 25 years ago, it’s quite rewarding… but hard to make money out of it.
Famous Hispano-Roman poet Marcial, after trying to get a living in Rome and mostly failing (there was not even copyright then, hard times for a creator) finally got a marriage offer from a wealthy widow or heir from his post-Celtiberian homeland. He never wrote a line again, he was probably happy that last leg of his life.
That’s at least what I read at “Infinity in a Rreed” (Irene Vallejo), which is an entertaining essay on the history of writing, plagued by endless destructive fires and that annoying mold, let alone Christian monks erasing Archimedes to write psalms atop of the recycled parchment… Entropy is a bitch!
If you write a squel, please include more fire. Ultimately this story feels a bit too damp for my taste. At least some magma pumps manned by evil dwarves or whatever.
Enjoy.
Dracomage seems to be having a minor revelation.
I suspect the next arc is most likely to see her going to Delwyn. Betrys Ven (the rabbit-kin girl who’s species I don’t qknow the name of) asked Bree to help them deal with another dragon which has taken over the gold mine and Bree seems to be going through all the dragons.
Of note is that this would also likely be for Kel (dagger of the mind ripper) who seems to be rabbit-kin as well. Bree promised to restore her home to its beautiful hills and meadows from her childhood memories. Kelathuzak (mind ripper) noted the hills were now smoking pits and the meadows cleared for brothels where gold miners visited.
Not sure where the Beast-kin are from but if it’s nearby then Miko might tag along and we’ll get to find out why she and Momoko abandoned their academy.
Hey man. You should look into the faults/failings with the “thisis.” subdomain. For some reason, that’s where my bookmark was pointing to: thisis.delvecomic.com.
Thankfully I’m not an idiot & found the comic anyway.
on unrelated matters, good to see Seph’s injury WAS a slash and not a stab
There’s always a risk in making something! “Will it be good enough? Will people like it? Will it live up to my vision?” Regardless of how it goes, I’m thankful you took the risk, put in the effort, and brought us along for the ride =)
Hey, i edited my bookmark twice. First I took the THISIS out of the link: htt ps://THISIS.delvecomic . com/netwworks.
Then when I got onto the site with the first edit, I got a page not found search page. So I removed the NEWWORKS, and that got me to the current page. I may be late to the fixed party, but I didn’t get any of those banned splash pages since last Wednesday. Just a domain error.
So.. yeah, that was today.
Welcome back, wishing you the best. Both for the website and your mental and emotional well being. Sounds like things are getting a little rough for you. Don’t feel like you have to force yourself too hard. The community was here before, we’ll be here after. Even if we have to wait a spell. Don’t neglect yourself.
Well, it’d be nice if the hole traps him for the rest of eternity, but I have a feeling that we’re going to see him again. And he’s got a gun now.
Wormius;as a fellow writer (and one who could not draw her way out of a paper bag), I understand the terror that comes with following what the story demanded instead of what I wanted for it. You have spent years putting yourself out here, on the internet, for us. I cannot express the depths of my appreciation and respect for you in this regard. I wish I had more money, such that I could better support the creatives I follow.
To end a long story takes a depth of courage that many do not realize. It IS scary! I completely get that.
I am here, until the end, or until a new direction, whatever form that takes.
I also suffer from a bevy of mental health trouble, and that is a hell I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Truly, I wish you the best.
In respect and love,
-MxtEri
When you reach the top of the mountain, you trigger the explosive bolts holding you to the booster sled and fire full engines to orbit. (Wasn’t Delve originally supposed to be a science fiction adventure? 😉 )
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/YWW0KY1t24Ok6vEksPTdDIBAsHCP9t5HfZnbRSLOEtqjmBl8vrAeC4eeeeVGgA5xTwvw5JsO6pnZLPHtTMWFefqIIPxn
Truthfully, I’ve been along for the ride for over a decade at this point, and I’ll be along for the ride going forward.
Was there a proto-Delve posted somewhere? Don’t recall this ever being said to have originally been meant to be science fiction
There wasn’t any comic posted. I believe it was mentioned in passing in the text below a comic or vote incentive if I remember correctly.