With regards to the last two updates…
So you guys have seen that so far bonus stories are essentially one-shots taken from an Eikasia character’s past. Up until last week, nothing I had written really affected the main storyline. Just added another facet of complexity to a character. The last two updates were a change to that.
Clearly, there’s alot of potential in adding another layer to the main story if I can deepen a character’s past life–especially with something that could be brought up later in the current story time. Now most of you probably still look at Eikasia as a typical bit of fiction, just posted online in serial format. You should tweak this a bit. Eikasia is a fantasy experience, posted online in serial format. The difference there being that one can then remove the idea that somehow, whatever it is I write and post, is meant to sit still and remain unchanged. I do my share of outlining, but because I write-as-I-go, the story tends to take on new ideas. These ideas aren’t a bad thing, but they have a great effect on the long run. Think of it like American comic books–in fact, I’ll use my most favorite series of all time, the X-Men as an example:
The Uncanny X-Men is a comic book series that has been running for literally decades. Because of the size and the number of the events that took place, and later due to the number of new writers that came on board, the series saw what is called RETCONS. Retcon is short for “retroactive continuity”. Often, something would happen in the new story arc that would “go back” and change what was otherwise established. This would sometimes turn the whole storyline on its head. I didn’t necessarily do that with Eikasia, but here’s some examples of what I’ve already done:
For Tooth and Nail, the story of Nyx’s childhood, I changed the time when Thaddeus had died. Previously, I had stated that it was when Nyx was very young–eight or nine in fact. I moved this time up to when she was fourteen instead. Even before that, back in Sons and Daughters, I had decided that Nyx had two special friends despite her general unpopularity. That’s how I created Ampelos and Taila. Previously, I had stated that Nyx was utterly friendless and hated by all.
The real doozy comes from this last update, The Lizard’s Toll, in which Nyx hits rock bottom and goes through a spiritual trial that sees her stand up again. She’s aided by a wayward elf that sees her salvation as a personal act of redemption for himself, and a mysterious animal guide that appears at the most critical moments to steer her away from certain destruction. Winnamer, who had only been mentioned once in passing when Quincy was speaking with Hakeem, is also inserted into the story. Previously, Nyx had NOT attempted suicide, had been completely alone between the time she received her Mark to meeting Elmiryn, and of course, hadn’t narrowly escaped death at the hands of a paladin. But I added these things because I thought they were good for her character. The only issue is that it acts as a retcon–because clearly, those of you who have read since Chapter One know that Nyx would’ve atleast mentioned Marquis once since meeting Elmiryn.
The only thing I can say is: I’ll make sure to change the story to include these important events in my next round of edits. For now, onward and forward!
Till next time!
