Crucible final notes:

The final update was delayed for a specific reason, because I missed this last year.

February 8th is the anniversary of the Shatterpoint verse! Technically, I could make the argument that a nebulous point in August 2012 is the anniversary because that was when I started brainstorming and actively writing. It's debatable if six false starts could an anniversary make. I initially started with Batman, but getting into the groove was weirdly difficult. At the time, I wasn't sure where the beginning was. Funny enough, four of the false starts have found their way back into the general plot, mostly because they concern Jim Gordon and his first impressions of Gotham.

For some reason, though, everything fell into place on Feb 8 2013 and I had 25 chapters on Batman by May (current count sits close to 80, averaging 4500 words apiece, for context). Then I shifted gears and started working on the Flash story (number 4) that summer. 21 chapters there, all of which have survived to the current ititeration of the story in, more or less, the same form. Currently 26 chapters. I'm only at the halfway point. Story 4 is going to be long af, I tell you what.

I didn't actually get around to writing Crucible (then titled Steel) until either very late 2013 or very early 2014. Crucible was actually finished by the end of 2014 and I got 8 chapters into the sequel until my dark inner editor went "...the fuck is this?". 2015 was a blitz of revision and world-building. Crucible definitely shows the growing pains of this world-building blitz. One day, I might get around to grinding down some of the rough patches that are still there, but after two years I don't want to do more than poke it every once in a while.

So what comes next? It's called "Architects" and it's centered around the Metropolis P.D. Special Crimes Unit and their stop-start adaption to this strange new Metropolis they've found themselves in. Lois and Clark/Superman have minor appearances. It was originally conceived as a side-story, so it's much shorter, but I found that it worked better as part of the main line-up. Reading it is, of course, enthusiastically recommended. It will start to build on the foundation that Crucible established.

Architects will begin with chapter 1 on March 10th. See you then!

-0-