Afterwords: Minuet Edition
Afterwords are a relatively new thing I've started doing with my writing. I use them for elaboration to let you, the reader, get a little bit deeper into the tale I've just woven for you. So I hope you stick around for this one last 'chapter' as I give some behind the scenes details and world elaboration. I'll also give some meatier details on Soul of a Smasher Volume II and what to expect from the overall series in the future.
Birth of a Saga - I actually came up with the idea for this story in 2008 and did a brief bit of outlining for everything: characters, world structure, individual volumes, etc. I ended up shelving the idea because I was writing a lot of other stuff at the time, and actually forgot about it. In 2010, I got really inspired to write it again, and wrestled with the idea of devoting writing time to making it a reality...my choice is needless to say.
Deleted scenes - I was originally going to have Link meet up with Lucario the next day after the first chapter. I was also going to give him a scene with his parents early in chapter 1, but I ultimately felt these things were padding so I didn't write them. Because of that, the beginning has a faster pace than most of my other stories. Did you notice that Link had no scenes with his parents throughout the entire story? That may be remedied in a future volume...
In a reverse situation, Kneph's flashback in chapter 23 wasn't originally planned, but when I split ch22 into two chapters, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to expand a bit on the mystery that was the demons.
Defining the elements - I've always had a thing for the idea of elements working in harmony to compose the Earth, life, and reality. I especially love when it's worked into video games because it makes it more tangible. The elements were a major part of the story from conception. It wasn't explicitly mentioned yet in the series but the elements have a direct opposition instead of circular. So fire & water, wind & earth, nature & thunder, and light & darkness are opposite elements that are hard to mix. Spirit tends to stand alone as the 9th element, and seems to have its own unique interaction with each of the other elements.
The Structure of Centropolis
Centropolis is a central part of the story (lololol puns!) but the structure of the city and its many districts wasn't something that I could work into Minuet of Link as part of the story, but I don't want readers going forward with a big blank when it comes to everything outside of Volesdale. So here is a quick rundown of the districts in the city and what they are like.
Centro – At the very center and heart of the city. Most of the government complexes and rich communities are here.
Volesdale - Southeast, Link's home district. This district treasures natural beauty, so there are plenty of forests and the likes, including Lucent Gardens.
Deelburg – Southwest. This is a bustling business district. Usually you can find the biggest malls, banks, etc. here.
Sharya - West, 'water district' with plenty of beaches and canals. There is a large aquatic area for Zoras. The Crystal Cove is located off of the coast.
Moore – Northwest. This is the least developed district, so it's quieter and considered unremarkable by most. Plenty of farmlands.
Ruffleton – North. The further north you go, the more mountainous the region becomes. Gorons and such like this district.
Detton Rae - Northeast, named after one of the city's founders. Has a lot museums, ruins, and other historical sites.
Leffeld - East, 'air district,' home of the Centropolis Air Force. What do they need with an air force? Ask the military!
The Future of Soul of a Smasher
So here are the plans for the future of this saga. Including Minuet of Link, I expect it to last about 6-8 volumes (leaning towards 7), and each one will have a different main character. There is only one rule in place for who can be a headlining character: they have to be canon, so no OCs are going to take over the storyline. There will be new characters, but it can also be a character that's already been introduced in this story, and every character may not necessarily go through the path Link did to get to where he is. That's sort of vague so I'm just going to reveal the second story now, which will be called Soul of a Smasher: Nocturne of Samus. It shouldn't have been hard to guess who Lucario was talking about in the epilogue.
This volume will pick up two weeks after Minuet of Link. Samus is a cop in Centropolis with a haunting feeling that she should be out doing a lot more - fleeting remnants of her past life. She will receive the call of the Brotherhood, but someone will interfere with Lucario's plans. It's time to bring in some fresh blood and more Smash Brothers from the games, but everyone from Minuet of Link will still be around, as their stories have not concluded. As we saw in the epilogue, Hyrule's problems aren't quite over yet.
As the series goes on, I'm going to implement as many characters from all the SSB games as I feel I can give proper characterization to without bloating the core cast. So I'm not guaranteeing that everyone will make it (the extra Links are already out, for now), and I think some of the more outlandish characters like Mr. Game & Watch and ROB are going to have a hard time making it too, though I can slip them in if I come up with a very good idea for them. I'm also considering assist trophy characters like Lyn and Isaac, but they will always be secondary choices to the playable characters.
Keep your eyes peeled for Soul of a Smasher Vol. II: Nocturne of Samus. It should be coming soon!
© 2011-2012 ClaudeLv250