Looking Back: The Shikaverse
Entry posted by TNTOS
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As most of my readers know, I am in the process of writing a sequel to my most recent epic, Dawn of the New Century. It is currently titled In the End and will be released early or mid 2014. It will also be my final epic in the Shikaverse and my final epic on BZP in general.
For those of you who don't know, the Shikaverse is my Bionicle fanfiction universe. Nearly every epic and short story I have written and posted on BZP is set in the Shikaverse, starting from my earliest works all the way to my newest. I've been writing in the Shikaverse for a little over five years, I believe, which is a pretty long time when you think about it. Only my comedies do not take place within the Shikaverse, although I did write a comedy parodying one of my Shikaverse works once.
The name "Shikaverse" comes from the name of the very first story set in that universe, my first epic called The Tales of Shika Nui (which you can't read on BZP anymore due to the deletion of the Archives). The island of Shika Nui is a defining feature of the Shikaverse, even though it does not appear in every story. As a result, I can think of no other name more appropriate for that universe than the Shikaverse.
When I started writing The Tales of Shika Nui, I had no idea that it would grow into this sprawling, complicated, and (I'll be honest) sometimes contradictory universe. I have had no other collaborators to help me keep the facts straight or write my stories. Aside from showing a few of my works to friends and family for feedback before posting, the entire Shikaverse has been written, edited, and posted by me. So I take full responsibility for every word I have written: the good, the bad, and the just plain strange. And I honestly would not have it any other way.
As much as I love the Shikaverse, I've known for some time now that I can't write in it forever. In order to pursue my dream of being a professional writer, I have to stop writing fanfiction. While I am currently juggling fanfiction and original fiction, I know that only one will get me published, only one will make me money, only one will help me build my platform, and only one will help me grow in ways that the other cannot. And that one is original fiction.
Because I knew this, I am determined to end the Shikaverse on my own terms. I will not simply abandon it to rot in the darkest corners of BZP. I love it too much to simply abandon it. I have to give it a good ending. More than anything else, I need a sense of closure, which I cannot get if I do not write and finish the Dawn Duology.
I planned Dawn specifically with this in mind. I had hoped for Dawn itself to be the Shikaverse's ending, but the story ended up being too big for a single epic, so I have made it into a duology. I was aware that could happen, as I tend to write organically, but it does make ending the thing a bit more complicated than I had thought it would be. I am convinced it won't become a trilogy, however, so don't worry about that 
.
I have no idea if anyone else really cares about the Shikaverse. My works have never been very popular. I have certainly built a reputation here (I think?), but I don't consider myself one of the big time BZP writers like, say, GaliGee, for example. As I said above, I am writing this to give myself a sense of closure more than anything. If there are any readers who have been following my works from the beginning, then they, too, shall receive closure.
Over the next few months, leading up to In the End's release, I will be talking more about the Shikaverse. I will be talking about favorite characters, favorite stories, favorite moments, and lessons I have learned from the Shikaverse. It won't be all sunshine and rainbows, though. I will probably also talk about my least favorite moments, stories I wish I could have rewritten, characters I felt I should have developed more, and even stories I regret writing at all (all writers have works they regret writing and I am no different). Consider this post an introduction to a series of posts about the Shikaverse.
There will be no regular schedule. I will try to get it all posted before the release of In the End, but there is no guarantee for that. I have no planned number of posts to put up, although if I had to guess I'd say it will consist of seven or eight. But again, no guarantees.
I doubt this will appeal to many people and I don't expect a lot of people to follow this little series of blog posts. Certainly I would be happy if people read and commented on this series, but ultimately I am writing this for my own benefit and enjoyment. If anyone else enjoys it, well, that's a bonus.
Posts in the "Looking Back" series:
Looking Back: Top 10 Favorite Characters from the Shikaverse, Part 1
Looking Back Top 10 Favorite Characters from the Shikaverse, Part 2
Looking Back: Top Four Favorite Stories from the Shikaverse
That's all for now, so see ya,
-TNTOS-
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