#1 [url]

Jun 8 08 10:25 AM

Sunhawk, you'd be pleased, then: the effects of death and rebirth are well-described in the story. 65 million years without a body, slumbering fitfully, waking to find a world changing, hairless monkeys trodding all over his domain... to say the least, it tortures the King. He exists in stagnation, unable to grow and change and live as mortals should. Even after he rises originally and possesses Ash the human's body, the King is full of rage and pain at his own suffering, the planet's, and the loss of his kingdom.

And then of course there is the soul-battle. The King possesses a dying Ash's body, and then goes to fight Gresh, the villain. He is summarily defeated, being disoriented after so long without flesh, plus the radical change from 20-ton theropod to little "weakling" mammal. Left for dead, deep within the inert "corpse" the spirit of Ash and the King's spirit war for control. They eventually reach an agreement, and the King lets go his immeasurable pain. The result? He evolves after being spiritually stagnant for so long, becoming the Phoenix. Ash evolves as well, spiritually joining with the Phoenix: Ash the King.

So, Ilasir, you hit the nail on the head: the rebirth and phoenix evolution themes perfectly encapsulate my story. I suppose the main theme boils down to the "tenacity of life," or perhaps "Life springs eternal, even in the face of death."

It doesn't matter where: life exists everywhere on Earth. The most hostile environments thrive with living beings. There have been multiple mass extinctions which wiped out 90+% of life on Earth, and yet every time it bounces back with new diversity, such as you see today. Life appeared very early on Earth, further proving that if it is possible at all for it to exist, even the slightest niche of which to take advantage, life will appear. It will stay and prosper, evolving in wondrous ways that even our best science and technology can't match.

That is the Life which Ash represents, the one flame that cannot be snuffed. The villain is basically corrupted Death itself, ever the bane of the living. When it's finished, their battle will be huge.