Eden: The Beginning
Preface
e·den /ˈēdn/ - A state of perfect happiness or bliss.
Wow. It's been a long journey, but I've finally started writing Eden: The Beginning.
This story began forming in my head shortly after I finished playing Mass Effect 2 for the first time. In my original playthrough, I had intended for my Shepard to have a romance with Miranda. Typical, right? I was well on my way to winning over Miranda when I stumbled across the Tali romance. I was converted to a 'Talimancer' almost immediately after hearing Tali's adorkable confession of her feelings for Shepard.
After I completed the game, I was content. I liked the story, Tali's character development seemed to be particularly well done, and Tali's romance was well written, at least in my opinion. However, I soon realized that I wanted more, and I began reading through fanfiction that expanded on the romance. Eventually I stumbled across the To Survive series written by Calinstel, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
When I finished reading Calinstel's series, I decided that I would write my own fanfiction around the Mass Effect Universe. My original story took place during the events of Mass Effect 2, was written for me and me alone, and had many problems. Over the next few months section after section was written and rewritten, until I could finally call it version two. However, it still was not where I wanted it to be, and so I began the long process of once again rewriting many parts of the story.
Eden: The Beginning is the first fanfiction I've written around Mass Effect 1. If everything goes as planned, it will be the first story in a three-story series covering the entire Mass Effect trilogy. The Eden series will follow the general plot of the games but will have many events of my own creation, and will focus on the Shepard and Tali romance, hence the series' name.
Before closing, I'd like to thank a few people.
First, BioWare, whose amazing talent created the games that I will always remember. Despite my disappointment with the ending to the Mass Effect trilogy, you'll always hold a special place in my heart for creating the best series I've ever played.
Second, Calinstel, whose stories inspired me to start writing my own.
Finally, and certainly not least, my good friend Alex, who supported my forays into writing and helped me become a better writer.
I hope you enjoy reading Eden as much as I am enjoying writing it.
