RadZakpak

Chapter 23: "Alone" is now up! https://www.callofdutyzombies.com/story/book1ch23/ 

After a long wait, here is Chapter 22: "Watched"! This is from the view of Doctor Maxis as he presents the first milestone in the project to control the undead to General Lehmkuhl. I hope it was worth the wait. The next chapter is certainly going to be a departure from the norm as well, hopefully in a good way! Thanks!

Chapter 21: Departure is up! https://www.callofdutyzombies.com/story/book1ch21/

Chapter 20: "Uniform" is up!

Times are changing! (Literally...)

Chapter 19: Sacrifice is here! https://www.callofdutyzombies.com/story/book1ch19/

This is a spicy one, for more than one reason. Also if you are squeamish about blood/dismemberment, maybe you can skip a few lines near the end of the chapter.

Howdy! I have added Chapters 17: "Semper Fi" and 18: "Pressure" to the site! Chapter 17 follows Peter, now invited to be a member of the American intelligence-gathering organization, the OSS. Chapter 18 follows Doctor Schuster as he and Doctor Groph discover something incredible regarding the MPD.

We're getting into the really gritty, fun bits of the story coming soon. I am really looking forward to it! I also added the names of upcoming chapters to the side bar mostly as a sort of code name system for me to keep up with what chapters are coming. They may or may not stay the same when I eventually write the chapters.

11 hours ago, anonymous said:

I remember some prior story-arc ideas (like the one about Mason in Vietnam) and felt they all had great potential. The best of those, however, I am of the opinion are Honor's Suffering and the one about the mysterious blacksmith in Nevada...

 

I once started writing a fan-made Storybook arc (of three chapters) about a CDC agent trapped in a neverending Grief loop, though I quickly stopped due to realizing I cannot write properly a book as well as my vocabulary is limited. But it might be an idea.

I think Honor's Suffering has a lot of potential and I may start writing it soon. Zetsubou has such a great atmosphere and the story I had planned would tie in so well to Primis' arrival to the island in Book 4. As for Jeb Brown, I really look forward to writing that one because its connections with the rest of the story are minimal and I did have some chapters planned out, I just needed to iron out a satisfying ending. With the Vietnam story I've debated placing some of that story as chapters in Book 2, I just have to work out some kinks with the timeline and how I will want that book to be structured.

Definitely something Grief-related would be very interesting. I have something similar planned for Book 3 with the Victis crew proving themselves against another group of survivors to win Richtofen's favor, but with completely unknown characters could prove interesting, and maybe set up some of the backstory behind Green Run before Victis' arrival. I would certainly like to see some of the ideas you had for your creation.

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I was never really a fan of the over-the-top, brutal, simple-minded type of hero soldier Dempsey is, but McCain is kinda the opposite. He is softer, yet brave, funny (in a way better way than Dempsey) and has emphaty. I think it is a character alot of readers can relate to, as he seems one of the most 'normal' persons so far (not in a boring way, though). However, as with all characters, I like to see him having a soft spot/flaw or something. Perhaps one time he chooses for his own life above someone else, as it is the nature of human survival (however I absolutely dont see him as an egoist. Perhaps something else is better fitting). Eventually, Peter will die, as only a few main characters do. I hope that at that time, readers really live in him and are really saddened by the fact he dies. If you succeed in that, you are a pro-writer.

Peter is certainly intended to keep the reader grounded in reality with someone far more relatable than Richtofen, who while he starts with good intentions, he is a genius and you can't quite predict what he will do next. A problem I don't want to run into with Peter, however, is having his chapters just be about him finding out information we, the reader, already know and only by the end will he be caught up before he dies. People tend to dislike stories where the main character just goes through everything they already went through when learning about the world. So it is important that I find a way to have Peter learn things that Richtofen, nor the reader knows to keep things interesting. I also do not want to detract from the Richtofen story, as his and Peter's only intersect at one point near the end. Peter's story should have an impact on the entire series to justify him standing on the same level as Richtofen, Schuster, and Maxis as main characters in this story.

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Another thing: A lot of the lore about Broken Arrow, CIA, Cold War, etc, happens on the background (not in a map). Perhaps some of them are fitting in parts of Book 2. Alot of it can be discovered in the early chapters of Book 3, at least.

I definitely have a lot of that planned for Book 2 and portions of 3. In Book 2 we will follow, along with Ultimis, Cornellius Pernell as he tries to create Broken Arrow, the threat of Samantha is realized, and as he heads Broken Arrow early in the Cold War. Portions of Book 3 involving Russman will be interspersed with flashbacks to his missions as an agent of Broken Arrow (Think Men In Black). For this reason alone I have thought of Russman as my favorite member of the Victis crew. So many years behind him he barely ever mentions...

Just want to update that I have been working on the next chapter of Book 1, not up yet. I think I'm going to try and wait until I have a couple of chapters done before uploading. Because I tend to finish one, upload, then just wait a while before beginning the next one because of the satisfaction of posting about a new one. Also I'm a bit anxious as we get further in to the real meat of the story because so much could change with the next two DLC's lore wise. Summer is almost here so I should have a good amount of time to get a good portion of Book 1 done.

In the meantime, I want to ask, what are some side stories that you guys want explored that I can work on when I'm not really feeling like working on the main story? I'd like to revisit the Attack on the Pentagon and Whispers of Morg City to update them with new lore, but there may be more stories I am not thinking of that would make for a good short story to tie into everything else. I think if the Marvel Cinematic Universe has taught me anything it is that if you want a big interconnected universe with branching paths and teams of characters, you need to start with small and personal stories, which is what I hope to do with Richtofen's story in Book 1 before he becomes as important as he is.

Also, what do you think of Peter? I know I haven't written much of him yet, and the next chapter is about him, but what more do you want to know about him? How do you relate/not relate to him? Is he boring or intriguing? What situations can you see him in as a spy in the OSS?

5 hours ago, Lenne said:

I really hope that will be the case, cause you really deserve the closure. 

 

You and me both. I just get this sneaking suspicion as I spend hours working on these chapters that I'm going to have to make a major rewrite after these new maps release... I'm sticking to Pre-World at War content for now in the hopes not much of that is revealed, but any question could be answered at any moment or any existing character completely ruined. I got really lucky with Classified that it seemed to fit with my plans very well to develop Pernell more, and Schuster's character in radios is still consistent with my work. I just hope Treyarch can hold off on answering SOME questions so there is room to speculate even when it is all over.

3 hours ago, Didact said:

Whoa..really good work dude, keep it up!

I have a little question...and I really hope the answer will be yes.

 

Have you any form of plan to make the Chaos StoryBook?

I would kill to read it!

Let me (us) know !

 

It's certainly possible years down the road! For now I want to focus on Aether since the story is coming to an end, and it will take a long time before it is complete. But if by then I really enjoy where the Chaos story is headed I would write one for it.

Chapter 16: "... I Will Build My Church" is now up! It's got everything I love: character development, a little action, world building, and of course, monologues!! Also, Edward Richtofen!

In all seriousness, I hope people like this chapter. Elements of it have been brewing in my head for a while and I can't wait to see where these characters go.

1 hour ago, anonymous said:

 

As a side question: Was writing a chapter in which was fighted against living soldiers much different than writing about fighting against undead ones?

Definitely! Living people are much more interesting in some ways because there are many responses one can have to being attacked, while a zombie just keeps going until it has nothing left. On the other hand, zombies allow for more brutal and creative deaths without the question of morality. It really comes down to a chapter’s tone and the character we are focusing on. I am sure Tank Dempsey takes much more pleasure in killing the undead.

Greetings! Here is Chapter 15: "Hard Landing". Peter McCain must now enact the daring escape plan with stolen documents that could change the tide of the entire war.

I must say, I was not looking forward to writing this chapter after Little Resistance, because I didn't really have any idea how I wanted it to play out. I just knew I needed Peter to escape and get to Corregidor. But I actually quite enjoyed this one, and it felt like writing an Indiana Jones adventure in a way. I'm hoping Peter's character pans out well, as he is my first attempt at a main character who did not already have a personality established in the lore. I have big ideas for his future.

NOTE: There is a minor scene of brutality in the beginning, not quite as bad as the last chapter, but might still be too much for some. Again, the Bataan Death March was a real event and the severity of the war crimes should be remembered. This is a work of pure fiction, and in no way is meant to downplay to reality of the situation. These characters are not based on real people.

Also, in other news, I have updated Chapter 1: "Danke Schoen" of Book 2. The story is pretty much the same, but I have tweaked a few minor things, as well as completely overhauling the dialogue with Richtofen and the voices in his head. I spent some time recently outlining where Book 2 is headed, and while it is not final until the Aether story is complete (Damn you and your new deep lore, Treyarch!), I know that I want the voices to serve as an antagonist in Book 2 rather than assisting Richtofen. I think the new version is much better.

2 hours ago, anonymous said:

Not sure what you mean here. I mean, it is totally normal for a book to have not-equal chapters, right? If you would produce a physical version (which would be, for real, AWESOME and I would definately buy it), why couldn't it have non equal chapters?

 

I should explain better, I don’t necessarily mean that they should all be equal, but a majority of my chapters are about 3000 words, which is normal as for novels the are between 2500-5000. But novels like that tend to be 22-25 chapters, and cutting out stuff I deemed uneccesary, my current outline has Book 1 being 50 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue. With an average of 3000, that is 156,000 words. According to articles I have read, a majority of first sci-fi novels in a series are around 100,000. Any more than that and you lose interest in any publishers reading through it.

That’s not to say a novel can’t be that long. One Harry Potter novel is 257,045 words, and The Fellowship of the Ring is 187,790, but those books were written by already established authors.

Anyway, don’t worry, I won’t be holding back on gory details and encompassing the whole story as I will not be concerning myself about word count. But if I ever did want to adapt this into an original story and publish it, it would require heavy editing.

Here is the next chapter, Little Resistance. It follows Peter McCain in his earlier missions as a Marine in the Pacific front. https://www.callofdutyzombies.com/story/book1ch14/

WARNING: This chapter takes place during an event known as the Bataan Death March. It was a war crime by the Japanese in which thousands of American and Filipino forces were forced to endure six days of walking to a train station in San Fernando, where they were then packed into trains and shipped to cruel internment camps. This chapter has some brutal death based on real life atrocities committed by the Japanese during the march, so if you are faint of heart, read carefully, and I understand if you cannot read any further. I will put up a disclaimer for chapters like this. There is humor in this chapter, as Peter is meant to be a man who uses humor to cope with pain and stress, but this is not meant to downplay to importance of this real life event.

As another note, this chapter is a bit shorter than some previous chapters, and while writing it I was doing a lot of reformatting of my plans for each chapter in this book. I kept trying to cut out chapters to have an average page length more like that of a real novel, as if I keep the chapters as long as they have been the book would be much too big. But then I thought, I really shouldn't be doing a disservice to this story by omitting so much, especially since I am posting it here where there is no limit. From now on I am going to ignore any thoughts about a chapter being too short/too long or being unnecessary to the overall book because if I try to think too far ahead I will end up stifling what I can do with this story. Of course, if I ever did release a physical version of this book, I would change a ton, and write a whole second draft that is more concise, or I would split it up into two books. But for now, I'm going to remain somewhat unpredictable.

Say hello to Chapter 13: "Upon This Rock..." 

The next chapter will be a departure from the Richtofen-centric story so far, so look forward to that when it does come. School really slows things down.

You may also notice I have added some chapter names for upcoming chapters, and I have updated the mobile menu for switching between chapters, and it should actually work now and is updated! Let me know if there are any more problems with it.

Chapter 12 of Book 1, "Faithful Servant" is now on the site!

I have also gone back and made slight changes to previous chapters. I recently realized the Wunderwaffe DG-2 did not have its first prototype created until 1942, so previous references to the DG-2 are changed to be about the first version of the project.

It’s my first week back from break and things look bleak in my math class but we will see.

New chapter for a new year! And plans for the future are still looking good. I hope this school year does not kill me. In the mean time...

Book 1 Chapter 11: "Expansion"

From the perspective of Doctor Maxis, we learn of Group 935's great integration into the Third Reich and expansion to new facilities around the world, from the perspective of Doctor Maxis. This one has a lot of fun little nods for the well-versed zombies, and real-life historians!

Behind the Scenes: Originally, the next chapter was going to be "Funding", which was a chapter in the original Storybook that was grandfathered into the plans for the new Storybook with the timeline's help. But, my process for writing these chapters involves me thinking about the upcoming chapter for days trying to imagine how the entire chapter will play out, scene by scene, to best utilize the setting for world building, develop the characters, create interesting dialogue and interactions, and generally be entertaining while adhering to the canon. Will how ambitious it has gotten, I could not think of a good reason to keep the "Funding" chapter. The original was very lackluster, in my opinion. It was just Maxis telling Sophia to write a letter, and then there was a response to it to build the world a little. But I think this chapter accomplishes that, and much much more. So that is why the chapter was cut and its story woven into this one.

So, since I've changed the fifth book in the series to be part of the main story, I've restructured the side bar a bit, and have decided to have a non-canon section for all of my old writings that I hid away after they were deemed non-canon by the release of the timeline.

You can find the entirety of the old version of book 1, the incomplete first sixteen chapters of old book 2, and all seven chapters of "Whispers of Morg City".

I plan on revisiting a lot of the the same writing from this work in the future when I get to that point. The storybook has become a much more complex project than I ever anticipated when I started years ago, and I hate to see all this writing go to waste. Someday I hope to re-integrate all of these stories back into the official book, but for now, enjoy them in all their non-canon, incomplete goodness!

20 hours ago, anonymous said:

I like it! Dont fully understand the ending, though. I assume he is Illuminati, but is he also known in the CoDZ story? Love the mentions of those Illuminati facilities.

 

Oh, and one time you say Sophia but you mean Samantha

The man is not meant to be someone you know. The implication is he is an undercover Illuminati member who is there to watch Richtofen and make sure he doesn’t tell any secrets. The voices guided Edward to him and he knew that meant he was in the Illuminati. To send a message he did not want to be watched, Edward told him to report back with that message.

And what part do you mean about Sophia?

Edit: I see what part you mean, thanks!

Well, it's not three or even two chapters, but here is Book 1 Chapter 10: Facade. It is a followup to Richtofen's return to Earth after the MTD experiments sent him to the Moon. I think this chapter is a neat little way to establish where I want Richtofen and Maxis' characters to go in this book and there's some neat little nods here and there if you look closely.

Good news everyone! I have two new chapters for you all, and in Book 2 no less!

Prologue: "Undone"

Chapter 1: "Danke Schoen"

I realize I promised three chapters by the end of the month, and I still may deliver on that, but as I was writing Danke Schoen, it panned out to be a very long chapter, much more like the length of a chapter in a real novel. It took about double the amount of work that would go into any other chapter, and hopefully that paid off in the end.

I am curious though, after reading, do you guys prefer the shorter, more concise chapters like I have always done, or do you like the longer, more detailed ones like Danke Schoen? If not, I think the chapter could be split in two to go with other chapters going forward.

And let me know of any continuity errors in these chapters or if you think I've gotten something wrong about the story. On one hand writing Book 2 without finishing Book 1 can be risky and sometimes difficult, but I feel it makes the book able to stand out more on its own rather than being tethered to the story before. My goal here is for this book to be a proper introduction into the world if you already have some knowledge of the storyline or have not read Book 1 in a while. So let me know if some element is confusing that I did not spot. Thanks, everyone!

12 hours ago, anonymous said:

Some fan-creation:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZcezWbaNfl-Cz7XnZd273CXmRnwaJJNV3DSv52srx2s/edit#heading=h.bz7znaknjssv

 

Your story really must be printed out in real life...or downloadable on a Ereader. 

Awesome! I would love to have a physical version of my book, when I complete one that is... One of these days.

So it's been a while, and with BO4 now in full swing, I want to take this opportunity to revive the project for those interested. I will update the OP with the new description as well.

Link to the Storybook: https://www.callofdutyzombies.com/story/prologue-nacht  (NOTE: Attack on the Pentagon is now non-canon and I will have to rewrite it a second time after what we've learned in Classified.

If you do not know, the CoDz storybook is an undertaking to interpret the narrative of CoD zombies (The Aether Storyline) into a book format for a more linear experience, as to say the storyline is confusing for new players is an understatement. Also I think it will give an opportunity to see these beloved characters in a new light at the forefront of a story not always about shooting guns and killing zombies.

For those already initiated, you may remember I just sort of stopped in the middle of rewriting Book 1 following the release of the timeline, and I never really kept anyone updated. I would like to apologize, and state that the project is not dead. The story is expanding all the time through the games as the community discover new secrets, and so it is a little daunting to keep up with. Not to mention real life and the struggles of school.

So, here's the plan going forward. With Classified and Blood of the Dead blowing back open the storyline, I've given a lot of thought to how I want to structure the storybook to accommodate those maps as well as future maps in the Aether story, which are bound to happen. Now, I've heard leaked audio and kept up with the story developments of Blood and Classified. Without spoiling anything, I can kind of see the direction Craig and Blundell are going with this story, and I think it would be foolish of Treyarch and Activision to NOT end the Aether storyline with Black Ops 4, allowing the Chaos story to take its place in the future. With the pieces seeming to come together through Classified and Blood of the Dead, I am led to believe we will see some spectacular finale to tie everything back together and end the story. This is a good point for me to start structuring how I want to lay out each “Book” in the Storybook, and I will share that here.

Book 1: Told from a variety of perspectives, Book 1 chronicles the exploitation of Element 115 by Group 935 during the Second World War, which ultimately lead to the chaos pervading the entire story. Book 1 introduces Doctor Edward Richtofen, his superior and rival Doctor Ludvig Maxis, as well as Maxis' daughter Samantha. It also shows the war and experiments taking place behind the curtain from the perspective of American spy Peter McCain, as well as soldiers across the front, “Tank” Dempsey, Nikolai Belinski, and Takeo Masaki. Book 1 will see the rise and fall into madness of the brilliant Richtofen, as he sets a plan in motion that will alter time and space permenantly, and have him come to meet his three infamous test subjects for the first time.

Book 2: Set back and desiring power, Edward Richtofen enlists the help of Dempsey, Nikolai, and Takeo to complete his plan to enter the Aether. Through all the blood and gore from legions of undead controlled by Samantha, the group, together known as Ultimis, finds themselves sent jumping through time in search of key components to Richtofen's plan. As we follow Ultimis, we see the ramifications of Richtofen's actions on the world during the era of the Cold War, where Group 935 scientists are used between the United States and Soviet Union in a technology race. The unholy experiments perpetuated by Group 935 and Samantha's influence create chaos in the modernizing world as major powers meet in order to keep the peace. Ultimis fights for Richtofen's agenda, only to find they have permenantly damaged the Earth and created a rift between dimensions.

Book 3: Following Richtofen's entering of the Aether, the world in 2025 is plunged into chaos from the fallout of the missiles impacting major countries of the Earth. Broken Arrow, the organizational successor to Group 935 in the United States created during the Cold War, is in part responsible for the post-missile civilization's falling apart. Former agent of Broken Arrow, known only now as “Russman”, wanders America, his memories inconsistent from the 115 exposure. Along his travels he meets Samuel Stuhlinger, a disgraced reporter with former connections to a flesh-devouring cult. Utilizing Broken Arrow's technology and wary of zombies and other survivors, they travel in search of solace in Hell on Earth. Marlton Johnson, an engineer contracted to work with Broken Arrow, who has only survived through his intelligence and knack for technology, meets Abigail “Misty” Briarton, a farm girl who lost everything and searches for somewhere better. As the four would come together at a zombie-infested bus station, they would be known as Victis. The world has plunged into a war between those on the side of Ludvig Maxis, his voice now a part of technology across the globe, those listening to Edward Richtofen's voice in their head, and the undead. Caught in this conflict, Victis must choose a side and find purpose as the world literally crumbles beneath them.

Book 4: When Edward Richtofen began to meddle with Element 115, he inadvertantly split the universe into several different multiverses, with elements of each travelling and passing through one another. One Dimension 63 was home to alternate versions of Group 935, Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, Nikolai, and Ludvig Maxis, now present during the first World War. Lost without her father, Samantha calls to the Ludvig of this dimension, enlisting his help as well as Richtofen and the three soldiers sent to capture him, in order to free her from the Aether. Together, Richtofen and his unconventional allies would become Primis, following Samantha's freedom, Richtofen would come to learn of his true importance to the state of the multiverse. Driven to put an end to the chaos ensnaring it, and to redeem the actions of his other selves, Richtofen comes together with the rest of Primis to collect their eternal souls and put an end to the reign of the Apothicons, an ancient evil responsible for Richtofen's corruption and the spread of Element 115 throughout the dimensions. Book 4 follows the cycle that Primis is trapped in, spanning throughout centuries and fractured timelines.

Book 5: Stuck in an infinite loop, Primis Richtofen decides the only way to break this cycle and stop the evil truly perpetuating it is to betray a version of himself, and allow him to die. Moving forward, he allows the rest of Primis to view the Kronorium, and as Nikolai gazes on all the versions of the future and past they have been fighting through together, he now sees the multiverse as it truly is. Book 5 follows the culmination of every element from Books 1-4 as they come together to truly put an end to the evil that has allowed chaos the cloud every dimension.

I'm hoping to have more chapters up when I have the time. My goal is to start small, and aim for 3 chapters in the month of November, and ramp up from there as I go on Winter Break. So be looking for that!