u/CarelessAd3809

A reader comment got me thinking. They mentioned that “half the fun of reading was to look stuff up (online)”. Which took me down memory lane.

The first time I looked up “The last Supper” while reading Da Vinci Code or when I went down the Freemasons conspiracy rabbit hole after watching National Treasure.

Litrpgs/progression by the virtue of being set in fantasy worlds don’t lend themselves to google yet concepts in them sure do.

So the question - what was the last thing you googled because of a genre book and what did you learn that you weren’t trying to learn?

A reader comment got me thinking. They mentioned that “half the fun of reading was to look stuff up (online)”. Which took me down memory lane.

The first time I looked up “The last Supper” while reading Da Vinci Code or when I went down the Freemasons conspiracy rabbit hole after watching National Treasure.

Litrpgs/progression by the virtue of being set in fantasy worlds don’t lend themselves to google yet concepts in them sure do.

So the question - what was the last thing you googled because of a genre book and what did you learn that you weren’t trying to learn?

You think you'll feel great when you hit Rising Stars, yeah? Well, you will, but you’ll also feel fear, anxiety, and this weird giddiness, refreshing the rankings every 15 minutes.

When I launched Ether Atlas three weeks ago, I was afraid I’d be writing into the void. That didn’t happen, thankfully!!

The story hit RS, climbed, and now has over 600 followers. And I feel a sense of responsibility I didn’t anticipate. The book is no longer “my book.” Now it’s a community thing, and I can’t just disappear for three weeks on a whim. This feels amazing and terrifying in equal parts.

I don’t really have a big point. Just that I’ve been left humbled and stunned by the reception. The idea that strangers are invested in something I built is hard to fully put into words.

THANK YOU.

https://preview.redd.it/m41vf802y4zg1.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=c10c1060aeb0e7c2e0310dc604c353c17e8895b8

When I launched on royal road I was anxious, thinking I'd be writing into the void. That is not what happened.

Two weeks ago I posted here because a few people had read my story, I got my first review, and it broke my brain a little. Since then, Ether Atlas - The Hidden Grid somehow ended up on Rising Stars, and I'm still not sure I've caught up mentally.

https://preview.redd.it/fg9sm20rbxyg1.png?width=576&format=png&auto=webp&s=5dd0c3d2c63b8a7142e0ed383fbdff9e86a60e17

I don't think I was prepared for strangers to care about something that lived in my head for years. And I was definitely not prepared for the sense of responsibility I now feel. For the longest time this was my book. Now it's a community thing. I can't just disappear for three weeks on a whim anymore.

This whole Rising Stars business makes me equal parts anxious and giddy, which feels like the correct emotional state for whatever this is.

I keep refreshing the page like it's going to correct itself.

So yeah. No big point here. Just a big thank you. For reading, for sticking around, for giving this thing a shot. You guys are the bestest.

I should get back to writing.