Chapter 3: Arc 2 Notes - The Academy
Arc Two: The Academy
Chapters 14 - 40
I didn't actually plan for this arc to happen at all, to be perfectly honest. I originally wanted the two of them to start grinding out their cash. Just like in any MMO, where you go out and kill 10,000 boars or rats or crabs or something like that, I wanted them to go clean up little things to start building themselves.
But then realized just how boring that would be.
No-one actually wants to kill millions of boars just to hit a level, and no-one wants to read about someone killing millions of boars just to achieve something.
There's nothing compelling about that in the slightest. I mean - how does that challenge the characters? How does that help them grow?
So instead, I put Eva through boot camp.
Since I had no idea how it was really like, I had to do a lot of research, haha. The only thing I knew about boot camp was what they showed in movies. And clearly, those things are heavily dramatized.
I certainly wanted to add some drama, but wanted to present things differently. Perhaps more realistically. Although this is a space opera about high-flying pilots, I felt grounding it with realism was the best way to connect with everyone.
So realism not just emotional and technological standpoints, but procedurally as well. Obviously, I'm going to take a lot of shortcuts, mostly for the sake of drama. But I want to retain that grounded feel.
Ultimately, this book is about self-growth, self-empowerment, and self-realization. And I wanted to start out the characters with those themes in mind. It was absolutely necessary to get Eva to physically and mentally begin the process of defining herself in this arc.
And although this book is also a political drama, I didn't want to be too heavy-handed about that from the beginning. I wanted things to slowly come to the surface. I basically wanted to give you, the reader, more time to absorb and contemplate.
Besides, just like how character conflicts need time to ramp up, so do political.
So keep an eye out for the allusions and foreshadowing peppered all throughout. Not just in this arc, of course. =)
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
CeritusOrbis
CeritusOrbis These are just some notes about Ravens of Eternity. A bit about how or why I do some of the things I do. Kind of like a behind-the-scenes sort of thing. And if there's something you want to know about in particular, feel free to ask in the comments.
Ravens of Eternity can be read here: linktr.ee/CeritusOrbis
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