The Re:Apotheosis update and news thread

RobertBMarks 2022-11-23 15:40:00 UTC #41

A preview of Friday's chapters:

“Do we have the casualty figures yet?” Stella asked.

“Over six hundred dead,” Atria said. She started limping back, Stella following. “According to Jenny Calhoun, Jack Death was killed the day before the attack on Samurai Filmworks. They’re looking for his body now, but nothing yet. About all Calhoun can tell us about where they were was that it was a warehouse in the industrial side of town.”

“Tokyo’s a big city,” Stella said.

“That it is,” Atria said.

“What about Alice and Daiki Yamato?”

“Alice should be out of the hospital in a couple of days,” Atria said, wincing. The medics told her that she had sprained her leg when Volandpanzer crashed, and the swelling was getting bad again. “Same with Daiki. He lost a lot of blood, but he apparently heals very fast. Maybe it’s that magic sword of his.”

“And what about you?”

“I’ve had worse.”

“I’m not just talking about that.”

Atria stopped. “You mean, am I going back when he opens the portal?”

Stella nodded.

“I don’t know,” Atria said. “I just don’t know.”

RobertBMarks 2022-11-25 15:24:48 UTC #42

The final chapter and epilogue are live! The war is over and the creators have been saved, but both sides have suffered heavy losses. As the survivors pick up the pieces, an uncertain future opens up before them.

And thank you, everybody, for reading Re:Apotheosis!

But this is not the end – a brand new story in the Re:Apotheosis multiverse starts next week:

In the story worlds, isekai protagonist Daiki Yamato makes his long way home to his beloved Athena. But Daiki’s author is dead, and it is up to him to figure out how to give his story a happy ending.

Coming next Friday, Chapter I of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato.

RobertBMarks 2022-11-25 19:05:11 UTC #43

The first review of Re:Apotheosis - Aftermath has come in, and it is glowing!

RobertBMarks 2022-11-30 22:56:57 UTC #44

A preview from the first chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato, which goes live on Friday:

“You said that you’re a second year biology student at Osaka University,” Natsuki said. “And aside from your name, I think that is the only true thing you have told me since you got here.”

Daiki stiffened.

“No more lies,” Natsuki demanded. “Why are you here?”

“I told you, I was in town for a cosplay event, and I lost my belongings,” Daiki said.

“A cosplay event hosted by the Japanese army?” Natsuki said. “I thought they were more into guns and tanks.”

“You’d be surprised,” Daiki said.

“I think I would,” Natsuki said. “And having come from Osaka for this cosplay event, and discovering that the only thing you had to your name was your costume, you walked all the way across Tokyo to a private school.”

“I was having a bad day.”

“At which point you borrowed my phone and discovered that the Japanese army had never heard of you or this Major Atria Silversword person. And then, you spent the entire day hanging out with us, without once trying to borrow so much as a single Yen to get home, despite my repeatedly mentioning that you had lost your wallet. And then you spent the night here.”

“I know what this looks like, and–”

Natsuki frowned. “It looks like you’re a terrible liar. I was calling myself ‘Detective Natsuki’ in front of you all day yesterday. Did you really think I wasn’t on to you, or trying to tell you as much?”

Daiki sat up. He regretted what came out of his mouth as soon as he said it. “Maybe I’m just secretly a lolicon.”

Natsuki grinned. “Really!” she said, unbuttoning her top to reveal the swell of her breasts underneath. Daiki looked away.

“Either ‘lolicon’ doesn’t mean what you think it means, or you’re the most incompetent lolicon in history,” Natsuki stated. “Don’t worry, I’ve put the big bad breasts away.”

RobertBMarks 2022-12-02 14:40:40 UTC #45

Chapter I of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Daiki Yamato is in the wrong place. He was supposed to step through the portal between worlds into the arms of his half-wolf fiancee, Athena, in the fantasy realm they have been protecting from the devil king. Instead, he finds himself on the grounds of Blue Lotus Academy in Tokyo, where a schoolgirl calling herself Detective Natsuki is taking an intense interest in him...

It's a brand new story, so please comment, like, and subscribe!

RobertBMarks 2022-12-07 15:03:06 UTC #46

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

He was reaching for the wad of bills Natsuki had given him when the world exploded around him.

Daiki found himself on his knees, his ears ringing. The floor-length glass windows and door to the street had shattered from the blast. From outside, he could hear the screams of the crowd, followed by a deep, deafening laughter. A beam of energy raked the sidewalk outside.

Crouching, Daiki made his way towards the entry, careful not to touch any shards of glass. He made what he hoped were soothing motions to the customers as he passed, and then he looked out at the street.

A giant of a man, at least twelve feet tall, sauntered down the street. He was clad in a bright red body suit with a radiation warning sign blazoned in yellow across his chest. What appeared to be a laser cannon was mounted on his head.

The cannon on the giant’s head fired, blasting a nearby car into flames and smoke. The giant laughed and made a lengthy declaration in English with the tone of a challenge. Daiki only understood two words.

“Captain Infinite.”

A lump rose in Daiki’s throat. He was in Captain Infinite’s story world. But Captain Infinite – who had returned to calling himself Matthew Markham in that final battle in which he fought at Daiki’s side – was dead. He had died saving the Tokyo of their creators from being destroyed by a failing power source from another story world.

There was no help coming.

RobertBMarks 2022-12-09 15:46:00 UTC #47

Chapter II of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Desperate to return home to his fiancee and lost deep in the story worlds, Daiki Yamato finds himself on the streets of New York City in the middle of an attack by a supervillain challenging Captain Infinite. But as Daiki knows all too well, Captain Infinite is dead, killed in battle in the world of their creators...

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RobertBMarks 2022-12-14 15:09:30 UTC #48

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

Daiki opened the cathedral door and ventured inside. Sunlight flooded the nave from the tall stained glass windows. Other than the pillars, high vaulted ceiling, and geometric decorations on the floor, the building was empty.

“Shouldn’t there be altars or something?” Cap asked behind him. “Confessionals, chairs, monuments, that sort of thing?”

“As far as I know,” Daiki said. “But, I’m a Shintoist. I don’t spend much time in churches.”

“By the looks of it, neither did whoever built this,” Cap remarked.

Daiki glanced up at the stained glass windows. Some had random patterns, others geometric shapes. Others still depicted flowers or animals. Not a single one had an image of a human being.

Daiki and Cap walked out of the cathedral and back into the field. A gentle breeze caressed the tall grass around them.

“Somebody has clearly been here,” Cap said. “Those buildings wouldn’t exist if they hadn’t. So, I’m going to get a bit of air time and see if there’s anything in sight.”

Daiki nodded, and then watched as Cap rose into the air. He took a deep breath. This world was peaceful to the point of unsettling. If a powerful god had decided to create a world to tinker with in their retirement, this is what that world would look like. That being the case, Daiki wondered, how would such a god react to interlopers?

RobertBMarks 2022-12-16 15:15:45 UTC #49

Chapter III of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Daiki Yamato and Captain Infinite find themselves in a strange, half built world, the sort of world that a god would retire to...but how would such a god react to a pair of interlopers?

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RobertBMarks 2022-12-19 20:42:11 UTC #50

A personal update here.

As I've hinted at on occasion in other topics in this forum, I have had a very bad run of colds and flus (probably related to my daughter attending her first year of kindergarten during a very bad year for colds and flus), that has left me more or less perpetually sick since the end of June. This has put a number of professional obligations rather farther behind where they should be, and left me teaching my university course at times propped up on a literal stick (and I am not making that up - teaching a class the day after two days of probable food poisoning is not an experience I can recommend to anybody).

Now that my teaching obligations are done, I have a lot of catch-up to do in what is effectively hard mode. And while participating in this forum has (mostly) helped make the time when I'm not able to do the work I love bearable, I need to start catching up. I wanted to be at least 30,000 words into Re:Apotheosis book 3 by now, and I'm only about 13,000 words in - and I haven't added a sentence to the book in weeks. I've got a major publicity push for Re:Apotheosis book 2 to carry out. I've got a typeset for a major tentpole project that I spent months acquiring the rights to that should have been done two months ago. I've got a translation of the second volume of Joffre's Memoirs to do. And, I've got limited energy with all these damned colds and fevers.

So, I'm going to be getting rather scarce for at least a couple of months, and start limiting myself here to just the publicity posts for new chapters. This is a great community filled with talented people, and I've enjoyed being a part of it immensely. But, I need to get this work done. So, if you need to reach me, just send me a PM - I do have email notifications active, and I will receive it.

And otherwise, please enjoy The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato, and have a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year!

RobertBMarks 2022-12-21 14:51:24 UTC #51

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

Daiki heard a sharp intake of breath from Aquila.

“What’s wrong?” Kasumi asked.

“I think I recognize it,” Aquila said. “But it can’t be here. That makes no sense.”

Daiki turned to look at her.

Kasumi put her hand on Aquila’s shoulder. “It’s from your war?”

Aquila nodded. “It was flown by this kid on the other side. But he wasn’t from a story world anything like this. And surely the Sage of Eternal Wisdom would have sent him home after the war if he wanted to go back – she wouldn’t have sent him here.”

“Sage of Eternal Wisdom?” Cap asked.

“She was a mage leading the other side,” Aquila replied. “Had this thing about braids – her hair was full of them. I’m pretty sure she had the power to send people home – that’s one of the reasons I only came back to the hub world once, to mail Kasumi’s letter. I thought the Sage would handle getting people home once the war ended. She was the sort of person who would do that.”

“We can just turn back now,” Kasumi said. “We’ll find a place to camp and wait until morning.”

Aquila shook her head. “I need to know.” She strode forward.

RobertBMarks 2022-12-23 15:10:39 UTC #52

Chapter IV of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Daiki Yamato, Captain Infinite, Aquila and her creator Kasumi arrive in a post-apocalyptic landscape, a giant robot towering over it. As they explore, Aquila faces a final reckoning for the war she waged against the world of her creator.

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RobertBMarks 2022-12-28 14:25:08 UTC #53

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

Daiki blinked. It was silent. The only things making any sounds since they had arrived had been them.

“The silence is actually pretty creepy,” Kasumi said.

“Maybe we’re just far away from the action,” Daiki said, “and the buildings are absorbing any noise...”

Cap descended to the street in front of them. “We’re in trouble,” he declared. “We’re in a lot of trouble.”

“What’s wrong?” Aquila asked.

“We need to figure out how to hide ourselves and lay low until Daiki’s sword recharges,” Cap stated. “And we need to do it as quickly as possible.”

“Cap,” Aquila said, “I know you have this instinct to protect us, but whoever used to live here is long gone. This place is empty.”

Cap closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Aquila, Daiki, Kasumi, you need to listen to me. Nobody has ever lived in this place.”

RobertBMarks 2022-12-30 14:51:10 UTC #54

Chapter V of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Daiki Yamato, Captain Infinite, Aquila and her creator Kasumi arrive in a ruined and bombed out city. But nothing is as it appears, and before long they find themselves in a desperate struggle for survival.

RobertBMarks 2023-01-04 15:35:57 UTC #55

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

Cap stared up at the information stream, flowing down from the heavens. “It’s like the finger of God.”

“Maybe that’s exactly what it is,” Kasumi mused.

“We may be the only people in the entire multiverse who have ever seen this, or ever will,” Aquila said, smiling, her eyes glistening.

“It will be one hell of a show while we wait out Daiki’s sword,” Cap said.

Aquila took a deep breath, her face falling. “Yes, it would be. Daiki, are you sure your sword can’t recharge faster?”

Daiki blinked. “I can try. Give me a moment.” He opened the interface and started sifting through options. Nothing seemed to be able to speed up cooldown times. “Sorry, doesn’t look like it.”

Aquila sighed. “Well, that’s a problem.”

“What’s wrong?” Cap asked.

Aquila turned to face them all. “I wish I could tell you that we can stay here and relax as we just watch the power of creation unfold for hours. I wish I could. But, I’m sorry. We are all in more danger than any of us have ever been in our lives – and that includes you, Cap.”

RobertBMarks 2023-01-06 15:03:46 UTC #56

Chapter VI of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Daiki Yamato, Captain Infinite, Aquila and her creator Kasumi find themselves on a story world in the middle of being created...and in more danger than they have ever faced in their lives.

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RobertBMarks 2023-01-06 19:24:39 UTC #57

One very quick update: the manuscript for Re:Apotheosis - Metamorphosis has just broken 50,000 words. So, progress is going well, and catching up on things is happening...

RobertBMarks 2023-01-11 14:26:20 UTC #58

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

Daiki blinked as he opened his eyes. He was lying on a bed in a small room, faint orange light streaming in through a tiny window. The room was cluttered with lockers and shelving, as though every single space needed to be used.

An unfamiliar voice said something in English.

Daiki turned. A tall, brown haired Caucasian man was sitting on a chair beside him, wearing coveralls. On the breast pocket was a blue circle filled with stars and the word “NASA.”

The man said something else in English.

Daiki shook his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand you. Do you speak Japanese?”

The man blinked. “Japanese?” he said with terrible pronunciation. “I took Japanese in college! My hallucination is handsome and Japanese!”

“I’m not a hallucination,” Daiki said. “I’m quite real. Where am I?”

“You’ve got to be a hallucination,” the man said. “This is Armstrong Base on Titan. Last I checked, the moons of Saturn weren’t easy to get to.”

RobertBMarks 2023-01-13 14:49:03 UTC #59

Chapter VII of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato is live! Daiki Yamato is once again alone, his companions blasted into the multiverse. He finds himself stranded in a base on one of Saturn’s moons, where a lonely astronaut awaits a rescue that may never come.

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RobertBMarks 2023-01-18 04:54:35 UTC #60

A preview of Friday's chapter of The Odyssey of Daiki Yamato:

Aquila’s eyes widened. That couldn’t be! Her information stream had to be there! The only possible reason that she wouldn’t be able to find it was–

A girl with light blue hair in an open long flowing military coat with a popped collar turned the corner and began walking towards her, eyes downcast and muttering under her breath.

Aquila stared. There could be no doubt – she was staring at herself. The girl walked towards her, lost in her own world. Aquila stepped back and looked at her as she passed. She was wearing her usual grey trousers and riding boots, but her shirt was light blue to match her hair, a cartoon kitty drawn on the front.

This is my past, Aquila realized. I’m inside my own information stream.

“Maybe just ‘Hi, I’m Aquila!’” the girl muttered. “No, that’s not right.”

Aquila smiled faintly as she looked at the shirt. She remembered that shirt. She used to wear it all the time – she had picked it because she knew her creator loved those kinds of cute animated cats. She’d stopped wearing it after–

Her eyes widened. No, not this! Show me anything but this!