Well, as of yesterday, I have officially been working on Korbin and his brother’s story for around three years now. And you know what? Just to take a moment to be somewhat gushy over something that means so much to me... it honestly doesn’t feel as though it’s been that long. It truly doesn’t.
Perhaps it’s a case of time flying when you’re passionate about a project, but in my opinion... it feels as though Korbin has always been with me in a sense. It seems as though he’s always been at my side, and always been there doing whatever he possibly can to inspire me, and keep me writing even when I wanted to call it quits out of my fear of failure.
It genuinely seems as though it was only yesterday that I was playing through Oblivion a second time with my Pops, and we decided to bring over our Knights of the Old Republic II character to the world of Cyrodiil just for shits and giggles. And then, before we knew what was happening, we were running off dialogue between us in the voices of Korbin and Lucien.
And, by the end of it all, once everything was said and done, I remember looking over at him, and basically saying that if he wasn’t going to write the story that we have just managed to shape throughout two hundred odd hours... I would. And well, you can see what happened afterwards, eh?
Something that started off as a joke between myself, and my Pops to just make the walking time between one area of Oblivion to the next... wound up being one of my all time favorite projects that I have ever put any heart into. And with everything that’s happened in my life over the last few years, for good, or for bad... and for the moments of in between, well, I’m thankful for Korbin for being there.
Yes, his story has changed drastically, and shaped itself far differently than how it started off, and then went one step beyond and became something that was so full of life, so full of love, so full of things that have inspired, not only myself, but others... and I’m thankful for it. I genuinely am.
I’m thankful for the characters that Todd Howard created -- no matter how much I may playfully criticize him -- the world in which they lived, and I am thankful to my Pops for creating a character on a whim, and then putting him in Oblivion, and basically giving me a chance to prove to myself that I was far better at creating a story, creating a small piece of something so large, than I would have ever thought myself capable of.
I’m thankful for Korbin, for Lucien, and Martin, and everyone else who has been apart of this journey. For my friends, for my own characters that I managed to create, for those who may not really understand the world, but read over my stories, and appreciate them all the same. It’s something that I hold onto when everything else in my life seems to spiral into madness. Whenever the world gets a bit too much -- I look back at Korbin, and I see a gift from my Pops that I will never not be beyond thankful for.
And I hope that he, as well as all of you, have enjoyed the journey so far with a oversized grey haired boy, and the risks he was willing to go for the sake of his family.
Will I continue on with his story as the days go by? Absolutely, and without a doubt. I already have countless ideas awaiting to be finalized as we speak. Will I continue to flesh it out, grow it to something even more massive, and possibly -- one day -- maybe even twist it to something I can hopefully publish without the worry of copyright?
Well, here’s hoping. But for now, for right now... I just want to say thank you. To my boys, to Todd Howard, to the amazing people that I have had a chance to meet because of this fandom, this story, this creation of mine. And I just want to say thank you to my Pops as well. On the third anniversary of this story...well, I surely have a lot of emotions, and a lot of things rushing through me for one reason, or another... but I don’t regret it.
I don’t regret anything, and I especially don’t regret Korbin. Sure, there’s been a few moments where I questioned what I was doing, and why I was pouring myself into an oversized fan fiction, but... his creation, his life, his journey. That was never a regret. And when I say that he is, most likely, one of the best creations I have ever done... well, I surely mean it from the bottom of my heart.
So here’s to another year passed, another batch of content created, and here’s to seeing where the road takes us both from here. Was this sappy? Was this over the top? Did I get entirely too emotional about things? Perhaps, and possibly so. But sometimes you just get sentimental for the things you create, and I do believe that I am allowed such a moment every now and again.
For those who care for Korbin, for his story, and for those who may have actually read this over without ridicule. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for always supporting us both, and for always wanting to see what will happen next. You guys are amazing, and I love you more than I could ever hope to put into words. You guys mean as much to me as Korbin does, and I hope you will always know that.
Hugs and kisses to you all, and here’s to another step forward with our heads held high! Thanks again from a sappy, tearful, slightly overly emotional Ponnie. You guys are the best~
