How much of Zoen's story is the same from when you first made her? How has it changed? Also, has anything surprised you about how Arthas and Zoen's relationship has evolved over the years?
indulge frost in asking about her zombie fam --- always accepting @revenfanged
How much of Zoen's story is the same from when you first made her?
The very barest bones! Her name, Zoen Mith. Tiris’ presence. Her parentage, and the reasons she was adopted out at birth. That she dies at the beginning of Wrath of the Lich King and becomes a death knight. Everything else is INCREDIBLY different.
How has it changed?
A lot. I first made her when I was eleven and eleven-year-olds have interesting ideas. Concepts from original Zoen include:
1. she dies at 14, not 17, which is actually the more accurate age. if I followed the timeline with any fidelity, then at most she could be 14 come Wrath of the Lich King. 2. instead of her left cheek being scarred by Arthas post-mortem, she was instead scarred at some point in her childhood --- and, in the process, rendered blind in her left eye. 3. she had a runeblade called deathmourne. for some reason. she got this... as a child... too? somehow? and eventually drives her mad & sends her off to Acherus where she gets killed and death knighted? it was real bad. 4. Tiris used to be named Trist because I thought it was Tristfall Glades, not... Tirisfall... I was like, eleven, leave me alone. 5. the reason she was called the Wraith wasn’t because of her literal ability to become a wraith, but because she was slightly sneakier than the average death knight.
A lot of decisions here! Many of them terrible.
Also, has anything surprised you about how Arthas and Zoen's relationship has evolved over the years?
That they have a relationship at all! I used be very strict about cordoning them off from each other --- particularly with Arthas. While Zoen could be deeply impacted by him, he could never be affected by her. A lot of this came from my anxieties and hopes that doing this would --- I don’t know. Assuage people’s fears that I was writing a “mary sue” character? Stay popular and liked on Arthas even if Zoen sunk and was rejected? I was an anxious little brat. Something like plague in heaven would never have occurred to me a few years ago.
