This is a new miniseries that I'm starting! I'm gonna be talking about some of the original ideas that were meant to happen in the story. Basically I'll be going over the creation process of The Silver Sun. And boy, TSS might have been the biggest change that I've ever done with my plot. So strap in, and let's talk about it!
Originally, TSS was meant to be a typical Watcher AU, with many of the classic tropes. Like most Watcher AUs, the story was meant to focus on Grian. I think most of you know the story, he leaves Evo to join the watchers, but he later runs away to join Hermitcraft. It was meant to be the usual story, though this plot quickly began to change.
Truthfully, I've always tried to present something different in my stories. Something no one else has to offer, a unique experience for everyone. So this original idea never really stuck with me. I didn't develop the story much beyond that, due to my disinterest, though there was something I do remember that was supposed to be in the original story.
Similarly to my other watcher AU, I was planning on letting this story take place in season six. I started season six when the Hippie/Area 77 arc was going on, so much later than most. I loved the trio of Mumbo, Grian, and Iskall though, and truthfully I still do.
So like most watcher AU's, there were meant to be two 'main watchers', the ones who are after Grian and all. The plan was to have the two watchers possess Mumbo and Iskall's bodies to try and get Grian back, which was going to be really angsty (who knows, it might be coming to another story of mine...)
This is actually where the first idea of The Silver Sun came to be. I didn't want 'traditional' watcher masks. Back in a (now unpublished) Iskall themed watcher AU, they wore blindfolds instead of masks, so I didn't want to do that. So instead I thought "what if the watchers were like yin and yang? Black and white?"
I fell in love with this idea. So my design was basically two halves of a sun, one mask white while the other black. (Very simple recreation below)
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Now, some of you might have a keen eye. And for that, I applaud you. These designs were later separated into the design of the Watcher's mask, and the cult follower mask in TSS. The half-sun was used in the Watcher's design, while the singular eye on the mask was repurposed into the cult follower mask. But basically, these masks were what Mumbo and Iskall were supposed to wear when "possessed" (I had a sketch of it from back when I was still developing the idea, but sadly it appears to be lost to time).
So after a bit, the original plot was scrapped. I didn't want to follow the usual style of Watcher AUs, I was desperately trying to do something different. And in that desperation, I came up with an ingenious idea:
What if there was only one watcher.
Boom. I'm so quirky and different and special, immediate success. And I wouldn't have to create two completely new characters. And I wanted the watcher to be a girl, mainly because in previous watcher AUs I've written, the female watcher has always been the more prominent one. It was just how I was, I guess.
Okay, so I made my first 'big change'. What's next? Well, what if Grian wasn't a watcher, or even the main character? I mean, everyone focuses on him. He's always the angsty watcher. So I decided on Xisuma for no reason other than pure angst factor (I was on a huge Xisuma angst kick at the time).
Another big change is the fact that watchers were actually good guys. They were beings meant to watch over realms and update servers, that's about it. But the one watcher, our main antagonist, would rebel against this idea. And soon enough, the Cult of the Silver Sun was born.
Okay, now we're getting into spoiler territory. So go read TSS if you wanna avoid spoilers!
Alright.
Xisuma and Ex were always meant to be the Watcher's creation/children. I knew I wanted that as a plot twist, which is why there were so many hints leading up to it (though no one seemed to pick up on them...)
Xisuma was always meant to be with a small group of survivors, which would be the 'rescue group' for the other hermits. He was always meant to wander off and come face-to-face with the watcher, who would reveal the whole backstory. And then, of course, Xisuma would give himself up and join his mother's side. That was always the original plan, and I'm glad I didn't change much of it, as I really LOVED how it turned out.
Here's what did change: Xisuma was supposed to break free of the mind control. He was originally meant to be the one to kill his mother. It was going to be a scene where the watcher would try her best to manipulate him, saying things like "I made you, and yet you turn against me? Your own mother?"
Her death was pretty similar, her own staff through her chest. I thought it was kinda poetic in some kind of way. Obviously Ex did this rather than Xisuma, but I brought this idea back in the epilogue. The watcher/Sylvia managed to cling to Xisuma (since he was a creation of her magic) and her soul was inside his mind. Basically he ended up releasing the last bit of her spirit and letting her fully die.
Xisuma was 100% the favorite in Sylvia's eyes. Ex was never even close. She wanted an obedient drone for her to hold control, and that's exactly what Xisuma was created to be. Only through years and years of playing with other people did he manage to develop a personality and opinions. But Ex was created to be more 'human', and he never liked being some kind of experiment.
And Xisuma still had a soft spot for his mother. That's the main reason he gave himself up to her control. In his eyes, she was this motherly figure that he never had. And his only other family, Ex, completely betrayed him and his trust by keeping such a large secret. Xisuma was always the parent on hermitcraft, so to have someone to take care of him instead was something he didn't know he wanted.
Now to the ending. So Ex and Xisuma separate. Xisuma stays behind to help the former cult members to make their way back home, while Ex would be the new admin in the meantime. I came up with this idea about halfway through when listening to "Separate Ways" from CentaurWorld. I wanted it to be more of an open ending, even with the epilogue. Taurtis and Xisuma left behind to sort the mess out, while the other hermits return home to try and cope with the trauma they endured.
Aaaaand...I think that's it? I might be wrong, but I believe that's everything! Any questions or requests for the next "Original Plot" discussion are welcome! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time, my fellow weirdos!
