Chrono Cross rewrite

[Lennis]

As many of you know, I am in the middle of an ambitious project to write a Chrono Trigger novel that is essentially a remake of CT and a sequel/resolution to Chrono Cross.  My outlining work has now reached the point where I have to make some very important decisions regarding Chrono Cross.

I think most of us would agree that Chrono Cross has some serious narrative issues that make the story difficult to follow.  The connections to Chrono Trigger are often vague, and are explained mostly in a huge wall of text near the end of the game - and still do not make complete sense in context to the events of CC.  This makes the prospect of a true resolution to Cross - one that's consistent with existing canon - seemingly unmanageable.

I have concluded that it is unmanageable.

There are simply too many problems with Chrono Cross in its existing form to translate into an effective narrative that ties into Chrono Trigger - either the established canon or my remake of that story.  So I have decided to make a beginning of the impossible: Take the characters, locations, situations, and themes of Chrono Cross and rebuild the story from the ground up using more sound narrative principles.  If this sounds similar to what I'm already doing with the Chrono Trigger novel, it isn't.  For the most part, that project only expands on existing canon and makes very few actual changes to it.  For Chrono Cross, I would have to make so many changes to canon to make the story work that people familiar with it would think they are looking at an alternate reality featuring the same characters.

So how does one rewrite Chrono Cross without it being considered a completely different story?  Let me first say that I do not have the complete answer to that question, as I have been thinking about this seriously for only a few days.  But I do know where to start.  The problem with the original Chrono Cross was inherently structural: there were too many characters to sustain the plot.  The effect of the overly large cast, I think, went well beyond diluting character development.  I think it made plot holes difficult to spot and even more difficult to deal with.  Had the plot been developed through a smaller number of key characters, I think the problems would have been detected early and corrected.  Instead, we get the impression of a story threatening to spin out of control the closer it gets to the end.  It didn't completely implode, but it didn't completely work, either.  So the first thing we do to correct the problem is reduce the number of principal characters to something manageable.  The question then becomes: who do we keep as mains, and who do we demote or dismiss?

To answer this, we have to first consider two things: who do we find interesting, and who can we most relate to?  Redundant characters are thus pushed aside, and especially odd characters - like the tiny alien and the strawman - are also sidelined.  We've eliminated 3/4 of the cast.  The next task is to establish the story's theme and pick the characters best qualified to represent that theme.  Chrono Cross at its core is a story of love and loss.  We've pared the cast down even further.  The last thing to consider is which characters can be directly, or potentially, linked to the characters or events of Chrono Trigger.  Among non-antagonists, we are left with five: Serge, Kid, Leena, Magil (Guile), and Harle.  The structural problem has been fixed.  Now we determine who these people are, how they relate to one another, and why they are important.

I'll continue this thread tomorrow and share some more thoughts.  Anyone is welcome to make suggestions on what shape a rewritten Chrono Cross should take.  Yes, I know I'm crazy for even thinking this.

[Manly Man]

If you want to keep the characters to the bare minimum, so as to make it easier to actually build a story, I'd suggest looking at the list done for a minimum characters run to have more of them to work and polish more finely than others.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

Your prologue should be the scene when Lynx sack's Lucca's orphanage. And Kid is rescued by a mysterious young lad (who we later learn to be Serge). Play up the fact that Schala/Kid effectively saved Serge from drowning, and that eventually Serge is also responsible for saving Kid. Something along those lines.

[Lennis]

The sacking of Lucca's orphanage is one of the most important events in Chrono Cross, perhaps the entire Chrono mythos.  But starting with that scene may create some confusion on who the protagonist really is, and we want Serge's appearance to be a surprise when we reach that part of the story.  Kid herself will relate the story of the orphanage to Serge at some point, but her memory is somewhat unreliable since it was such a traumatic event.  She doesn't remember how she got out.

The story might begin with Serge having a disjointed dream about nearly drowning when he was a kid, then suddenly waking up as he breaks the surface of the water.  He had been diving for a sunken treasure he'd found and nearly passed out during his third ascent.  In addition to fishing, Serge makes his living searching for undersea valuables, both natural and unnatural, and using the proceeds to maintain his prized catamaran, "The Radical Dreamer".  It is a very carefree existence, and Serge wouldn't have it any other way.

But as Serge is stowing away his latest haul below deck, he regards the now-empty cot of his best friend and former partner, Leena.  They had sailed the El Nido seas together for more than a year searching for clues about their missing fathers.  When no clues were forthcoming, Leena became disillusioned with the sailor's life and decided to stay in their home village of Arni, becoming a more responsible member of the community.  Leena hopes that by staying behind she can convince Serge to settle down and maybe start a more intimate and permanent relationship with her.  She humors Serge on his valuable find when he returns to Anri, but he can tell that she's disappointed.  Wanting to make it up to her, Serge decides to return to the treasure site in the morning - hoping to find something Leena would accept as a gift.  Of course, that's when his real adventure starts.

This is by no means set in stone.  Just a very early summary of how the story might begin.  Let me know what you think.

[Boo the Gentleman Caller]

That would work, too. The Lucca's orphanage intro was intended more as a prologue rather as a chapter one. Take Michael Crichton's works for example - he often has a prologue that helps "set the stage" for the rest of the story. But your way, below, works grand, as well. I like the detail you'd use to describe the quiet, serene environ that Serge grows (and journeys) in. Just make sure the boat gets lost early on, hahaha... Maybe he and Korcha have had some run-ins in the past?

I know every time I read Lord of the Rings I get so pulled into Book I because of how quiet and serene The Shire is before the adventure really hits off at full run (Book II). Sometimes taking a little extra time can be worth the deviation if done correctly; other times it can be a hindrance because it doesn't allow the reader to get invested quick enough, and they may lose interest (darn Americans).

Either way, I haven't read anything you've written yet but in about two paragraphs you've proven your ability to craft a story, which is key.

How far is your Chrono Trigger novel project coming along? I remember seeing it about ten years ago - assuming that was you. I read a few pages a few years ago and see you pop in the 'pendium every now and then.

[Lennis]

Either way, I haven't read anything you've written yet but in about two paragraphs you've proven your ability to craft a story, which is key.

How far is your Chrono Trigger novel project coming along? I remember seeing it about ten years ago - assuming that was you. I read a few pages a few years ago and see you pop in the 'pendium every now and then.

First of all, I need to make clear that there are two distinct Chrono Trigger novel projects going on.  The first one is the one I think you're talking about, and that has nothing to do with me.  That project is being done by Wayne Kramer, and was first conceived about 15 years ago, according to him.  He has been in direct contact with Square/Enix regarding the project, but apparently has had little success in green-lighting the novel - or in convincing S/E to revive the Chrono franchise.  The project has an official website: http://www.chronotrigger.info  There are a few sample chapters to download, but those have not been updated in quite some time.  Wayne's version is very faithful to CT canon, using a lot of the same dialogue, situations, and characterizations seen in the original game.  He doesn't expand on things a whole lot, from what I've read of his version.  That's not meant to be a criticism, just an observation.  There are probably a few Compendiumites who would prefer a more canon interpretation of the story, and I respect that.

My own project was conceived in the summer of 2009 - due in no small part to learning that someone, Wayne, was making a serious attempt at novelizing a game that was really dear to my heart.  But I wanted to do something that was quite a bit more ambitious: remake the world of Chrono Trigger for a new generation, and finish the story that Masato Kato wanted to complete (in the form of Chrono Break) but was denied by Square/Enix in favor of other projects.  In remaking the world of Chrono, staying as true as possible to the themes of the original story, I would have the freedom to greatly expand the scope of the world, the characters, and their motivations - as well as introducing a few new characters and changing some old ones in ways both minor and major.  I also want to establish a definitive beginning, middle, and end to the Chrono saga, and hopefully pen something that fans and non-fans can look at with satisfaction for years to come.  Crono, Marle, and Lucca are wonderful characters that deserve both depth and closure.  Serge, Kid, and Leena also deserve a chance to shine in their own time, as neither of these sets of characters can achieve true closure without the other.  I will also incorporate a lot of ideas seen in fan art, as well as a few elements seen in the (sadly cancelled) fan-game Crimson Echoes.
I have so far posted nine full chapters of the first book of Chrono Trigger (Episode I - pending title) that should be very close to what the final completed version will look like when it's done. (Whenever that is.  I'm notoriously slow in posting completed chapters. )

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php/topic,8892.0.html

http://www.chronocompendium.com/Forums/index.php/topic,9376.0.html

In addition to these, I have done quite a bit of work outlining scenes and general plot points across the four planned books.  (I might not have posted anything since July, but I haven't been idle.)

To return to the subject of Chrono Cross, I'd like to know what the Compendium thinks about Leena; her attitudes, dreams, and motivations.  I'm planning (in the very early stages, mind you) a lot of fundamental changes to this character, but I don't want things to go completely off the rails in my musings.  She'll remain the "girl next door" in any case, but I also want her to be a lot more important to the plot.


"All things begin with Nu and end with Nu.  I could not have imagined such a thing, but I have seen it.  Why Gaspar does nothing, I cannot comprehend.  Supreme knowledge lies within our grasp, and yet we will not close our hand.  The elder has failed us, and now Melchior is lost.  I have little choice but to intervene directly, though I fear I am not yet prepared for such a task.  Regardless, the future of Zeal depends upon the voice of Reason.  My duty is clear."  -  Belthazar, Guru of Reason - 204th millennium of the Age of Ascension