Dear Readers, anyone who is left anyway:
I just checked this site now after an absence of four and a half years, and wow- 111,000 readers was pretty good for a short story on an obscure blog somewhere! A lot has changed for me of course and I retired from writing long ago, but I'm truly appreciative to everyone who has read and appreciated my narrative of Sora vs.Toon Link. I grew up with these characters, and they were like brothers to me as I joined their adventures through adolescence. An interesting part to the story is that I wrote these stories strictly in the context of the two games the characters were in, but of course both universes have expanded exponentially in the last twelve years (Kingdom Hearts most of all!) I finally finished KHII Final Mix last semester during my first one at my new college, and had I known what I do now I'd say some plot details would have been altered for sure (like mixing up Kairi and Namine lol).
What I really want to focus on in this piece is the last scene I wrote to conclude the story as it sits now, as I feel that I never fully did so due to my retirement. Looking back now, I'd say that Sora's death scene that ended the story was sort of my subconscious goodbye to a community that I had grown with and loved for over three important years of my life. I had known that the show was about to end, and at the time it looked as if the community of writers would as well. I was in an awful career situation, in community college with no clear vision of my future. I always had the habit of writing in short, passionate spurts, then getting burnt out until my interest returned. I had promised Kyle I'd finish the story, but I didn't in the way I wanted to because I was just ready to move on. In retrospect, though, I did complete it in a certain way by portraying Sora's death and Link's act of forgiveness in the face of his home's impending doom.
If you read the ending, it's apparent that I wanted to portray the randomness and hopelessness of it all- like in real warfare itself, the end doesn't usually come against the dark man in the castle at the end of the hero's quest- it comes suddenly, brought about by the unknown and the last thing you'd ever expect. It was sort of like the way the show ended too, the podcast just disappeared and all of the fans went their own ways. But, the thing is, even when things ended like that there was a silver lining- the memories and appreciation of bygone times. I'm not sure if that (being Link's own memories of his perished friends) was what motivated Link to let Sora survive or something else, but it seems interesting to me now that how I wrote it was reflective of the times and of my own mindset back then. I think the writer community faced a challenge too, whether to let their works survive and continue or not. Luckily for everyone, though, it did! The reception to the ending was mixed back in the day, and even now I'm not sure if I would keep it in or change it because it seems to be an early climax which would take away from events down the line. But, on the other hand, it was an interesting and significant event that I think explored the characters' reasonings in an important way. It was a fitting close to my blogging career, and I don't regret writing the arc back then.
Ayway, a big thanks is due to all who liked this and supported Deadliest Warrior back in the day! I don't know if I'll ever finish this story, but I'd love to know how you guys think it should end. Of course I have my ideas too, and have had them for all these years about what will happen-but I hope that I'll one day be able to convey the resolution in the way that these characters and universes deserve. It's on my bucket list to finish it, and if it ever gets done I will post it here and on DeviantArt. So, how do you think my story will go, and how would you want it to go if you finished it? Who survives, who dies, and who lives happily ever after?
For more epic fictional battles, you can find plenty of them on the DW: Fictional Warfare Facebook group. Many writers who got their start on Blogspot are there, including top writers and friends Kyle Flanders and George Kostaras. I really want you to support them, as they have way more talent than I did and have carried the fan fiction battle torch for all of these years. They are really passionate about their work, and put many hours of their time into creating literature that every fictional battle fan would appreciate.
So, how do you think this will end? Who will win and why, and how does the story go from here?
Thanks for reading everyone,
Jon H. (formerly Vercingetorix, now Chainarmor)
