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dracoqueen22Here I am, trying to get back on track with my fic reviews. This time it's another original fiction. Semi-complete, Aftermath was my entry for the NaNoWriMo 2008. I was supposed to reach 50K by the end of the month of November. Instead, I reached 65K by the 15th. I'm pretty proud of that. To me, the plot behind Aftermath is one of the best I have ever come up with, and I plan to enter it into a contest once I go back and edit and rewrite several chapters of it. Including adding new scenes.
Whether or not the concept behind Aftermath has been done before, I am not certain. Either way, I am certain that it is unique in its own way. Rather than take the traditional fantasy path of a hero fighting against a evil, finding victory, and ending, I've chosen to pick up at the end of their victory, six months later, and show the fates of the heroes. I barely touch on their fight before, only where it is relevant, in pointed flashbacks, dreams, and inner musings. I focus more on character development and interaction, rather than action. As well as the effect the battle had on the country's politics and people.
The story is told through the eyes of S'raiya, or Rai as he is more often called by those closest to him. He is not the main hero or leader of their group, but the best friend of Haiden, who was their original leader and the main hero .Through Rai, the reader learns about the original eight heroes, and the seven who survived, if surviving is even what you want to call their existence.
There is Haiden, the main hero. The Squall, the Cloud, the Tidus, the Fei, the Solid Snake if you will, of the group. He was their leader. He made the choices. He fought for what he believed in. He threw the final blow against the main antagonist. He is Rai's best friend from childhood, though eight or so years separated them, and when the story begins, he is engaged to marry Rynneth, another of the heroes, and set to take the position as captain of the guard for the new king.
As mentioned, Ryn was a latecomer to their group. A high aristocrat, Rynneth -- or Ryn as they usually called her -- never really understood the danger they were in. To her it was like a game of a sorts, and when her attentions for Rai failed, she turned her eyes to the hero. Ryn is the Rinoa, the Aeris/Tifa, the Dagger, the Elly, the Kairi of the storyline.
Loka was their resident mage, who took on a burden none of them understood to ensure she had the strength to survive the final battle. Her reasons for fighting were her own and she never explained them. Even more confusing was Gaelin, the youth she had adopted who never left her side during the entire battle. Gaelin had been abandoned by his parents because he was mute, and Loka has cared for him since she found him.
Trahern was a blacksmith, married to a wonderful woman, but fighting because the invading demons had taken something precious from him. Something that could not be regained. He didn't want to see his world fall apart. And in the end, he paid for his courage by the loss of one eye. Still, he maintained his optimism. As the oldest member of their group, they often looked to him for wisdom.
There was Suerte, a member of the palace guard though that information was only discovered belatedly. He was the most determined to save the world, arguing at every moment that they had to do it because no one else would. He wanted to save everyone and everything. And in the end, his altruism cost him his life. Of course, one might argue that he was simply trying to make up for his earlier cowardice, when he had turned his back on his fellow guardsmen and ran for his life from the invading demons.
Maro was the token non-human. A member of the unique bonelords and rather young for her kind, revenge burned in her eyes. Someone special to her was stolen as well, and in that, she and Trahern were quite friendly. She bonded with Rai as well, though she treated the others with disdain as well. She fought with the humans, but in the end, returned to her people.
And finally, there is Rai. The Riku, the Zack, the Seifer, the Luigi, the Sturm... the token runner-up leader who made all the hard decisions when Haiden couldn't. The one who never wanted to be a hero, but did it because Haiden asked him to, and he'd never been able to tell Haiden no, except for that one time. And he'd always regretted it.
Rai is our eye into these eight characters whose lives were forever ruined by their struggle against evil. Suerte gave his life. Trahern lost an eye and numerous scars. Ryn's innocence was shattered. Loka was swallowed by her magick and Gaelin was left orphaned once again. Maro was abandoned by her people. Haiden can't abandon the hero he's become, and is haunted by the life he didn't save -- Suerte's. And Rai would never sleep without nightmares again, dreaming of the lives he had taken and wishing he'd had the strength not to fight.
There are elements of some shounen-ai in here, though nothing explicit. The relationships between the characters are too complex to be explained simply. Rai and Haiden are closer than brothers, than friends. There is evidence that Rai loves Haiden, possibly more than platonic, but neither recognize it. And they need each other in a way that neither can verbalize. Rai is also close to Maro, who admires Rai's pessimism towards life, and Trahern has made himself a father for the two men. Haiden eventually breaks off his relationship with Ryn, realizing that it's not what he wants, but what he thought he was supposed to do.
All in all, I think it is one of the best concepts that I have ever designed. And I can't wait to get back to work on it, so I can polish it for the masses.
Whether or not the concept behind Aftermath has been done before, I am not certain. Either way, I am certain that it is unique in its own way. Rather than take the traditional fantasy path of a hero fighting against a evil, finding victory, and ending, I've chosen to pick up at the end of their victory, six months later, and show the fates of the heroes. I barely touch on their fight before, only where it is relevant, in pointed flashbacks, dreams, and inner musings. I focus more on character development and interaction, rather than action. As well as the effect the battle had on the country's politics and people.
The story is told through the eyes of S'raiya, or Rai as he is more often called by those closest to him. He is not the main hero or leader of their group, but the best friend of Haiden, who was their original leader and the main hero .Through Rai, the reader learns about the original eight heroes, and the seven who survived, if surviving is even what you want to call their existence.
There is Haiden, the main hero. The Squall, the Cloud, the Tidus, the Fei, the Solid Snake if you will, of the group. He was their leader. He made the choices. He fought for what he believed in. He threw the final blow against the main antagonist. He is Rai's best friend from childhood, though eight or so years separated them, and when the story begins, he is engaged to marry Rynneth, another of the heroes, and set to take the position as captain of the guard for the new king.
As mentioned, Ryn was a latecomer to their group. A high aristocrat, Rynneth -- or Ryn as they usually called her -- never really understood the danger they were in. To her it was like a game of a sorts, and when her attentions for Rai failed, she turned her eyes to the hero. Ryn is the Rinoa, the Aeris/Tifa, the Dagger, the Elly, the Kairi of the storyline.
Loka was their resident mage, who took on a burden none of them understood to ensure she had the strength to survive the final battle. Her reasons for fighting were her own and she never explained them. Even more confusing was Gaelin, the youth she had adopted who never left her side during the entire battle. Gaelin had been abandoned by his parents because he was mute, and Loka has cared for him since she found him.
Trahern was a blacksmith, married to a wonderful woman, but fighting because the invading demons had taken something precious from him. Something that could not be regained. He didn't want to see his world fall apart. And in the end, he paid for his courage by the loss of one eye. Still, he maintained his optimism. As the oldest member of their group, they often looked to him for wisdom.
There was Suerte, a member of the palace guard though that information was only discovered belatedly. He was the most determined to save the world, arguing at every moment that they had to do it because no one else would. He wanted to save everyone and everything. And in the end, his altruism cost him his life. Of course, one might argue that he was simply trying to make up for his earlier cowardice, when he had turned his back on his fellow guardsmen and ran for his life from the invading demons.
Maro was the token non-human. A member of the unique bonelords and rather young for her kind, revenge burned in her eyes. Someone special to her was stolen as well, and in that, she and Trahern were quite friendly. She bonded with Rai as well, though she treated the others with disdain as well. She fought with the humans, but in the end, returned to her people.
And finally, there is Rai. The Riku, the Zack, the Seifer, the Luigi, the Sturm... the token runner-up leader who made all the hard decisions when Haiden couldn't. The one who never wanted to be a hero, but did it because Haiden asked him to, and he'd never been able to tell Haiden no, except for that one time. And he'd always regretted it.
Rai is our eye into these eight characters whose lives were forever ruined by their struggle against evil. Suerte gave his life. Trahern lost an eye and numerous scars. Ryn's innocence was shattered. Loka was swallowed by her magick and Gaelin was left orphaned once again. Maro was abandoned by her people. Haiden can't abandon the hero he's become, and is haunted by the life he didn't save -- Suerte's. And Rai would never sleep without nightmares again, dreaming of the lives he had taken and wishing he'd had the strength not to fight.
There are elements of some shounen-ai in here, though nothing explicit. The relationships between the characters are too complex to be explained simply. Rai and Haiden are closer than brothers, than friends. There is evidence that Rai loves Haiden, possibly more than platonic, but neither recognize it. And they need each other in a way that neither can verbalize. Rai is also close to Maro, who admires Rai's pessimism towards life, and Trahern has made himself a father for the two men. Haiden eventually breaks off his relationship with Ryn, realizing that it's not what he wants, but what he thought he was supposed to do.
All in all, I think it is one of the best concepts that I have ever designed. And I can't wait to get back to work on it, so I can polish it for the masses.
