Honkai: Star Rail - Wait, They're Simulating Too?!
Author: Xu Lin (徐霖)
Update Time: 2024-01-31 15:13:02
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It's over… I spent a whole month writing just to produce this kind of ending. To be honest, looking back at it, I want to slap myself. It feels so formulaic, but this is genuinely the best version I could come up with.
I didn't drag it out. I wrapped up what could be wrapped up and brought the main storyline to a proper conclusion. Honestly, I really did my best.
My own ability is just not quite there… I've never written a novel over a million words before. To put it bluntly, I'm a classic "pigeon" from the Ciweimao platform—an author known for going on hiatus. I have a whole pile of books that surpassed 300,000 words, but not a single one was ever truly, properly finished.
But now, as I typed out the three characters for "The End" for the first time, as I started writing these concluding remarks and changed the novel's status to "Completed," I have to say, I'm overwhelmed with emotion.
The one book in my life that I have poured the most heart and soul into, the one I have earnestly and truly finished, has ended just like this. It has been with me for nearly a year, and for almost this entire year, it has been the most important thing in my life.
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But now that the moment is here, I find myself at a loss for words. I just feel this hollowness in my heart, as if something is missing.
Someone once told me this book was destined to become a "Honkai: Star Rail masterpiece," that it could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with works like "Anna's Frontline" and "Humanity's Sky." That put me on edge, made me feel like I was walking on thin ice, terrified of being crowned with some grand title like the "Flame of Hope" only to be hung on the pillar of shame later. I was constantly afraid of messing it up.
But having written to this point, although I know my writing wasn't that great, an ending like this shouldn't be that bad… At worst, it's a mediocre, uneventful conclusion, right? It's certainly not amazing, not by a long shot. My ability is what it is, and being able to provide a stable landing is something I should be thankful for. But at the very least, it probably hasn't devolved into something worthy of being trashed…
However, if someone truly feels this book is rotten to that degree, then there's nothing I can do. I'll prostrate myself and admit my faults. Who else is to blame when my writing skills are so subpar? It's only natural to be criticized for writing poorly. The problem is mine.
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After all, my heart isn't made of glass. If I'm truly called out, I'll humbly accept the criticism and try to write better next time. I hope that one day, even the readers who think my writing is terrible will find something in my work that seems decent enough.
I'm getting a bit off-topic, just writing whatever comes to mind. I won't make these concluding remarks too elaborate; I think you all can understand.
Anyway, next, I should discuss some actual business—
Although the main plot of the novel is complete, many side stories remain unfinished—for example, elements concerning the romantic arc between the protagonists, as well as the "bad ending" I mentioned before. These plotlines will be released later as free extra chapters. However, the update schedule is uncertain; I can only say that I'll write them when inspiration strikes.
The plot in Honkai: Star Rail is just too sparse. My previous attempts to force the main story forward meant I couldn't cleanly insert these special side stories. I can only use this method of supplementary extras to flesh things out. Honestly, it's an incredibly clumsy approach, but what can you do when your skill is lacking? This is the only way I could manage it.
But since they are free extras, I hope you all can hold your fire, brothers… I'm releasing them for free, so if you still criticize me, then… then…
Then go ahead and criticize me. It doesn't matter. It's my fault.
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Ahem, aside from the extras, as a full-time author, I will definitely be starting a new book. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I expect to launch it after the Lunar New Year—probably around the end of February. I'll take a month to celebrate the holiday and build up a backlog of chapters, then I'll begin.
When the time comes, I hope my brothers will stop by to take a look and give your pal a little bit of support…
If you're not interested, that's okay too. I only hope that this book was able to bring you a moment of joy in your leisure time and accompany you through some otherwise dull and tedious moments.
Alright, looking at the word count, I must be a bit emotional now that it's over, rambling on about so much meaningless stuff. Regardless, I first want to thank all the friends who have read this far. Thank you for putting up with my ramblings, and thank you for finishing my clumsy work. Thank you for cyber-feeding me so many "cat biscuits" to keep me going.
My only hope is that one day, you'll be reading an interesting novel, feel that the writing style is strangely familiar, and upon opening the author's profile, you'll see my name.
I believe that one day, we will be linked by stories once more, sharing a moment of happiness together through virtual data on this vast network.
Even floating duckweed may one day meet; how can it be that people never will?
See you again~
2024/1/31 15:13
——Xu Lin
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TL notes: SEE YOU TO THE NEXT NOVEL!!