The Cockroach Metamorphosis is the second novel written by DJay32 — the sequel to OH GOD THE RAPTURE IS BURNING, making it the second story in the Rapture cycle. It's a story with multiple narrators and multiple styles: Eric Taylor, blind by eldritch means, keeps a book of names as he comes to terms with the fact that he's a god now (his style being traditional prose). Jordan Dooling, arbitrarily chosen one for the apocalypse that had devastated the world so long ago, keeps a journal as he wrestles with the inferno of the human mind (his style being the experimental poetic prose established by the previous story).. Building in the background of these mostly separate narratives, larger and larger threats come the universe's way: From Lovecraftian monsters to beings who exist outside the Totality of existence and perhaps even to Rapture itself. The story is a part of The Fear Mythos.
The Cockroach Metamorphosis can be found here.
So far, it's not shaping up to be nearly as long as its predecessor, though it's certainly getting as much quality art which can be found here if you scroll down and look for "Abon art."
Tropes present in the story include:
- Alternate History: A present-day in a world where an apocalypse hit us in 2011, scaring gods out of hiding and getting people used to strange things like spidercats and Legsteps.
- Arc Words:
- "did you miss me" appears at the start of certain Jordan logs. Whose handwriting it is and what it refers to, who can say?
- Towards the end of Part 2, characters start frequently mentioning the "Members of Parliament," and always in very serious contexts.
- Author Avatar: Jordan is DJay, a caricatured DJay who learns to deal with his mental problems brought on by trauma.
- Bears Are Bad News: Nyarlathotep likes to appear as a bear. The first time he appears as one in the story, he and Eric have a ferocious battle.
- Down the Rabbit Hole: Eric escapes into the past to get away from the depressing present. Jordan escapes into his own mind.
- Eldritch Location: Tons of them. The Utnapishtim (an ethereal speakeasy where the present-day gods gather for their things), Ukhu Pacha (a forsaken universe said to be the origin of the myth of an underworld), the night-thoughts of Azathoth (demented creatures littering a landscape of desert, mountain, and dream), and sure to be many more.
- Enemy Mine: Eric and Nyarlathotep are mid-fight when suddenly they realize they're both standing in a sleeping Rapture and might risk waking it up. They immediately become best friends hoping to get the hell out of there.
- Fate Worse than Death: The Sempiternity cannot die. They sure can suffer, though, only for their wounds to heal completely after a while. They just want to die.
- I Have Many Names: All the characters are known by at least two monikers, many of them getting more than several. There's a reason this story was originally titled A Book of Names.
- For that matter, the story itself has many names. It could be referred to as A Book of Names, PUT THE SUN DOWN, A Book of Names or PUT THE SUN DOWN as a double-title, The Cockroach Metamorphosis, or just "the Rapture sequel."
- Oh, Crap!: The moment Eric and Nyarlathotep saw those two blue eyes looking their way...
- Shout-Out: So far, there's been blatant shout-outs to Lovecraft, Fear Mythos concepts, classic mythological epics, and even to James Joyce.
