A Shadow of Evil: Afterthoughts
By Icy Brian (well, who else would it be?)
There were some things I wanted to say before you wander off. First off, a few of you are probably thinking "What the hell kind of ending was that?!" In all truth, I decided it would end like this around Chapter 4, before I even knew where the story was headed. I wrote the final paragraph back then in hopes that it would still fit today. Fortunately for me, it has. Some of you are probably saying this was a screw-job ending, but take a moment to think about it. Why would you call it that? Because the bad guy won? How does that make the ending screwy?
The point of a villain is to pose a threat to the hero(es). If the villain is always defeated, there really isn't any fun or sense of spontaneity to it. I hate seeing someone build the bad guy up to be an all-powerful being, only for them to be beaten *snap* like that. The most important person in a story isn't the hero. It's the villain. People need someone to hate; someone for their hero to conquer. However, the hero shouldn't be able to defeat the villain right away. In that case, the writer's efforts to give the enemy credibility are in vain.
With this in mind, the ending actually makes perfect sense. I received a great deal of positive feedback on Omek's development, and didn't want him to be just another flash in the pan. Why should he lose? Because he's evil incarnate? If you ask me, that's more of a reason for him to succeed. Will he win again in the next story? Or will he be defeated? Hell, I honestly don't know. I doubt I'll make up my mind on that until I reach the end. You'll just have to read and find out.
Another thing I'd like to address regards Magus' role in the story. He really became the main character by accident. Originally I planned for this story to focus on Lucca and Marle. I threw Magus in there, gave him some involvement, and bam, next thing I know he's the main face in it. I didn't realize it until I got an e-mail from Lady Marrah saying she was glad to see someone else writing a story focusing on Magus. I'm glad that it's worked out for the better.
I'm also sure that there's someone wondering who Ravel is. I know, and I've known for a while. I also know that you're going to have to wait and find out. I may be making more of a deal out of this than you'd expect, but he's one of the reasons I wanted to finish this story so I could put him into the sequel. Which brings us to our next point...
Yes, the sequel is in the works. I assume that a few of you have an idea of the direction this is going (Taran took a pretty good guess after chapter 9.) If not, it shouldn't be too long before I have the beginning up. You had better be able to guess what the title is, because I've sure hinted at it enough...
And now some people I'd like to thank:
The entire Legion of Fantasy, not only for being great friends, but also for the feedback, support, and inspiration they provided me. It seems that I'm the last one to finish their story, though I believe that I've got one hell of an excuse! I wish I had more time to work on my story (looking at Nanaki and growling), but like someone else (nodding towards Sam,) I'm just too occupied with other things (the page in particular) to be able to write as often as I'd like. Man, do I need a vacation or what...
I would like to thank another friend of mine, ZealPropht, for the encouragement she gave me while writing this story, and for being one of the most modest people I've ever met. Trust me, you've earned the right to gloat at least a bit.
Tim, Jonathan, and Anthony, for reading over the story and (repeatedly) telling me that it kicks ass. Thanks guys, and see ya on Monday (wait, it'll be Monday by the time you read this...hmm...ah nevermind.) Oh, and tell Matt that he needs to play Chrono Trigger so he can read this too.
Srprsingly, mi techers fur not takin my writins up durin clas, witch is tha onli tyme i rely git a chence to werk on it (I jost hop nun uv them is closit-CT fanz an' end up redin thiz...)
My brother, Mike, for reading the story and letting me know of any minor mistakes, but especially for his help with some of the brainstorming.
Those wonderful guys at Square for making a game we could all love, but hurry up and make a sequel! If you're just planning on waiting for Playstation Next to come out, that's fine. If not, then Enix or Working Designs must have put something in the water over there...
All the authors on the site for making this the largest RPG-Fanfic page on the internet. My only question is this: Why aren't more of you writing Suikoden fanfic!? That game is the greatest!
Everyone who's been reading this. I really appreciate people taking the time to read my work, especially those who sent me their feedback on it.
Pepsi, for the greatest invention of the twentieth century: Mountain Dew.
Even though it's a bit off the topic, Sting and The Rock for being the best damn wrestlers around. As the Iceman writes up the People's Notes for the People's Page on the People's Computer, he's wishing that the jabrones at WCW would come to their senses and bring back the old Sting with the bleached/buzzcut hair. If you aren't a wrestling fan, you probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about, so I'll proceed now.
Hmm...Well, considering there isn't anything else for me to say, I guess I can't proceed. That being the case, I will now take my leave, but I'll hopefully be back by the end of the month with the beginning of the next story. Until then, Peace!!
~ Icy Brian