Parasite: Prologue Notes
By Glarryg
Putting Notes in before introducing the main story may sound a little strange, but I wanted to put these down before starting the big part. It always helps me to know how other writers go about planning their stories. Maybe some budding author out there will point him/herself in the right direction and become a renowned professional after receiving my advice. And maybe Ill grow a third nostril; I suppose anything is possible.
Originally, the Prologue was going to be a story in and of itself. I meant for it to be a short, simple tale that would help me get used to writing the characters. As you already know, it takes place in the part of the game after Crono is revived; it was to be a sort of extra subplot that occurs after all of the other subplots (Fionas Forest, etc.). This way, I could write something short that wouldnt interfere too much with the original plotline.
Obviously, the go kill a monster idea is pretty basic, but I added the part about Magus testing his allies in order to give it (and Magus' choice to join the Crono group) a little more meaning.
I wanted to eventually write an epic that would occur at the end of the games storyline and have nothing to do with Parasite. But, as I wrote it out, I began thinking of more things I could do with the main idea. What used to be a short story is now the prologue to a longer tale, which will feature new characters and situations, and which will take place based on events that occurred in the Prologue.
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A little about the monster: Helminthes original name was Nereis; its basic shape (segments and paddle-like limbs) resembles the real-life flatworm called nereis. I thought that the name sounded pretty cool (in fact, Nereis was the original name for the story) until I remembered that the fish-men in the Sewer Entrance of the Future are called Nereid. (For you etymology buffs, Nereus was a sea god from Greek mythology who fathered the Nereids; the name Nereis comes from "Nereid," as opposed to coming from from "Nereus").
Helminthes comes from the word platyhelminthes; a platyhelminthes is a type of parasitic flatworm. The platy- part means flat; the rest means parasitic worm. Giving it the name Helminthes led me to harp a little more on the monster's parasitic nature (i.e. the fact that it absorbs Fire Magic and revives itself by drawing energy from the ocean).
This may have been the most boring thing youve read since A Tale of Two Cities in high school (count yourself lucky if you didnt have to read it; if you read it and liked it, youre far more patient than I). Either way, I hope you enjoyed the prologue to Parasite, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story even more!
-Glarryg
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