This section is a good way for me to explain my reasons for writing this huge story. It might be boring to read this, because it only really explains why I put what I did in the story. Even though I'm posting this up while I only had a few chapters up, you'll see what I mean in here after I get it all up. I may reveal some of the storyline in what I say, so if you don't want to ruin anything, you may want to skip reading this until later on.
I started the story at around the same I started on making that little "About Kushana" tribute. But, I am a very lazy person. I don't have the patience usually to keep writing. So, like a lot of people, I had a good idea of what to write about, but I wasn't able to finish it. All I had on my notebook for a long time was just one page.
Eventually, the whole missing Kushana thing got much more important to me. So, first I finished the "About Kushana" section. Then, I set to work on writing on the story. I only had a few pages done, so I wrote a lot now, to recover for lost time.
Strangely enough, I didn't feel like stopping. I didn't get tired of writing as easily as I did with other stories. I was being patient enough to work through this and get it done. Writing about Kushana, well it gave me enough strength to be patient enough to write words down.
The original point of the story was like this: I remember Kushana while I look through my signature book. Eventually, I become so absorbed in memories that I go looking for her, even though I don't know where she is. I find her, but she is a fetch (Necromancer's undead). So, I go and fight the necromancer who took her over and free her from the living death.
But, the story I wrote was far from that. In the beginning, I started off like that. However, my mind make up stuff as I wrote. I'm not ashamed to admit that most of what I have written was made up on the spot. I didn't really overly plan what I was going to write. For example, I never originally meant to encounter KSki in Chapter 3, or Caryn in Chapter 4. And the whole broken crossbow and fish thing wasn't never meant at all (but it plays a really big part in the conclusion of the first part).
However, this was my first story about AA. So, if your gonna do it, make sure it hits with a big bang. I tried to keep going on with my original plot line of the story, but again, I kept branching off into other areas. A good example of my branching out was the part where I write about XaMayCa and Oaxaca. It was probably a part I could have not put in, and the story would still would have run smoothly.
The separation of XaMayCa and Oaxaca as two different people is really only for the story's purposes. It would be hard to explain them as one person.
In order to make the whole XaMayCa/Oaxaca part feel worthwhile to the story's plotline, I put in what I call "false memories". The "false memories" show Kushana doing some really bad things, but what I wrote never happened. In order to balance out the bad and good, I added a dream sequence which shows me coming to save Kushana. That still wasn't enough for me, so I added the character that would be known in the story as "Demon Kushana".
I made up Demon Kushana to show how Kushana had affected me negatively. She's a good person, but being left alone with no explanations for a long time also shows how she can be bad influence as well. Demon Kushana has a big effect on me in the story, as you'll see when you read it. This is no way signifies Kushana as a bad person, I have never seen Kushana's bad side. And, as you read on in the story, you'll find out Demon Kushana is not really Kushana at all.
Also, another big point I probably could have done without was the character known as the "betrayer". The story again could have done without that character, but I put him in anyways, so I could add to the story's development. At the time I was writing this story, the Knights guild recieved many betrayals. Defarge, Badguy, Dragonburp (and later on Limunious, Oblique, and KSki). So, it seemed right to put in the whole betrayer concept. I never in the whole story give a certain name to the betrayer, since I don't want to alienate any one person. To add to the importance to the betrayer, I make him a recurring villain in the story.
Around this time, I felt I needed to finish up the story. I wasn't thinking about a second part, so I thought the story was coming to end. I decided to have the conclusion take place in an abandoned church. Introducing the scroll that lead to it only made it look more plausible. However, I made myself look like a criminal so it would add to the excitement of the story.
At the church, I encounter a wolf. Now, I was thinking about a second part, so I put in the wolf scene because later on I would see the same wolf in the second part (as Nausicaa's familiar). It's never directly showed in the story, but my character gave the familiar to Nausicaa. Also, the whole part about all the people I've liked in the Choir Room was just put in because I got it off a commericial. There was another part, but I decided to cut it out.
Finally in the church, you get to see the necromancer. I place him as an evil type of guy. No remorse. In the flashbacks he describes, he seems to gloat about taking Kushana's life for fetch use. This was all character development. I also introduce the fact that Kushana's spirit is still around. That way, it doesn't seem like Kushana is really dead, just separated from her body.
Kushana's spirit is shown as an angel. Because well, that was what is truly is. An angel on earth. I wasn't able to talk too much about the real Kushana, so this was a good way to introduce it. Angel Kushana saves me from death and does battle with the demon Kushana. I also fight the demon Kushana, but my weakness because of love shows that I cannot bring myself to fight against her.
The crossbow (as well as the cross I got before) comes into play here. I use it to break the bottle. Really, I just wanted to get rid of it, because I was neglecting using it in the story all along.
During my fight with the necromancer, I introduce him as "Real-Life". I'm probably gonna change that name later on (it sounds stupid), but that's what he was originally called. It was a good way to explaing that reality is the reason of Kushana's dissappearance. She wasn't really fighting some evil orcs, or taken away by orcs, she was really too occupied with real life.
I use the holy water after the battle to reunite angel Kushana (her spirit) with demon Kushana (her body). Again, I wanted to get rid of the holy water because it was being ignored. When she comes back, I introduce the unique smile of hers. It would be a big part of the second part.
I could have ended the story there. But it wasn't true to life. Kushana wasn't back. So I decided to something very drastic. I killed off Kushana. I brought in the betrayer, and had him (and his Scythe friends) kill Kushana. It was mostly to add to the dramatic quality of the story, but it was truer to life. When I come close to seeing Kushana, she goes away.
I describe rebooting in the story as a shockwave which goes through the land. Any players who get caught in it are never seen again. So, in my character's desperation, I let him take on the reboot shockwave in full force. Kushana keeps him from leaving the world though. That's true to life too, Kushana is probably the reason I was playing AA so long. If she wasn't around, I probably would have quit by now.
I feel that the whole part about robbing the bank was pretty stupid, and not really needed for the story development. But after that, I bury Kushana. The question of how the shovel got right next to her (remember, no one is around after reboot, and Kushana is dead) is placed, but never answered. The taking of the hair ribbon is put in, because that's what she in her farewell post on the message board (*gives KnightRC a hair ribbon in rememberance*).
Kushana's resurrection is an example of reality. Just when I think Kushana is not going to come back, and I'm about to move on, she logges back on. I make it seem plausible with the silvery extra healing potion (that was leaking from a tree near her grave). I also added the part with Gimli in order to easily introduce the second part with Nausicaa.
I put the part about the rebuilding of the church because that is something I'd like to code if I ever get to wizardhood. Right after that, I introduce the part where I first meet Nausicaa. In the game, I never talked to met Nausicaa. So, most (if not all) of the second part is pure fiction. But then a lot of the first part was fiction too. I use the unique smile of Kushana to help my character follow Nausicaa. I added a part about Silverfish because if your were really perceptive in the "About Kushana" section, her alt Ree was the one I first had my eyes on.
I introduce Nausicaa saving me from yet another betrayer attack. How I thought of Nausicaa in story was as a strong person. However, she also has a big heart for those she loves. And, I also slowly put in the fact (but later clearly state) that Nausicaa also begins to like my character as well. Nausicaa is also very willing to help out, and does so by taking me to the Bear Guild camp.
Also, I talk about how Nausicaa acts similar to Kushana (the main thing being the unique smile). My character never really knows that Nausicaa and Kushana are alts. I put SeaWitch into the story because she is the mud mother of Nausicaa (and frankly, it would be kinda hard without SeaWitch in the story, Nausicaa/Kushana really talks about her family on her page).
The whole part where I look at the starry night, allows me to talk about what my character is feeling. He's confused about what's going on, how Nausicaa is like Kushana. He reflects on what's been going on, and even talks about the Valley of the Wind and other couples. What I put there is mostly what I felt.
I put in more similar things between Nausicaa and Kushana in order to develop the story more. I was also getting lazier and wanted to finish off the story. I placed Nausicaa's journal as a parallel to the real life page of Nausicaa. Later on, I have Nausicaa have a flashback to when I fell asleep in the bear head (the same place where I looked at the starry night). In it, it's hinted that Nausicaa dislikes Kushana. That's because in the Valley of the Wind anime, I think Kushana and Nausicaa are enemies (not too sure though, never really saw the anime).
I killed myself off, so that would force Nausicaa out of the story and to go back to the Valley of the Wind. That was added only for dramatic quality. It shows that when I get so close...I lose it again. Of course, I brought myself back to life (I wouldn't permanently kill myself in my own story).
This was getting near the end of the story. I put in the whole part with the Monks guild in order to explain my feelings further (note the telescope scene) and to introduce Kasumi (the lesser known alt of Kushana/Nausicaa).
In the final real chapter (before Dblood's chapter), I hit on various points. The first was the Scythe raid, which was only put in to talk about Oaxaca. Oaxaca had joined the Scythe in AA, so I placed in her in there so my character could reflect about her ignoring of tells. I never really said the cleric was Oaxaca, but it is implied. KSki's betrayal was also another big thing for me. It was the one that led me to almost suicide, and my character almost those the same thing as well. The hair ribbon I had long ago saved me from death. It meant that Kushana had saved me from dying. Although not as true to life (really, the support of others had kept me from suiciding my character), I felt as Kushana was with me, telling me not to go.
The addition of Dblood's chapter and KSki's chapter were just additions so I could dedicate chapter entirely to two of my best friends. The bad thing is that just very recently is that Dblood suicided. But what I wrote about is true. Dblood had did the same thing to me once.
KSki's chapter talks about the talks we had before. KSki and I had good talks about what was going on. I probably couldn't have been able to go as long as I did without his help.
And the epilogue...Well, that's self-explantory.
Now read the story!
Chapter Menu
This story this dedicated to Kushana, thanks for giving me the inspiration to write, even in your absence.
Roland (Knightrc)
