While I was working out the settlement with Archie Comics, I began work on the early version of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES, starting with the character redesigns.
Above is an early version of the evolution of Dmitri, who was established for all intents and purposes as Knuckles’ greatest enemy in another form.
Recently, I asked readers who have followed the stories featuring Dmitri, his brother Edmund and all their descendants, including Knuckles, Julie-Su, Lien-Da and Lara-Su, how they felt if I made a change to those stories. A tiny change, at least from my perspective, but a change nevertheless that a lot of people felt strongly about to express how they about it.
Over the years, I’d been hearing complaints that Knuckles and Julie-Su’s relationship was incestuous despite Knuckles born 16 generations later on the Edmund side of the family tree and Julie-Su born 5 generations later on. For my money, I didn’t see this as I felt the family history mirrored European monarchies where power was consolidated among certain families through many generations. But still, the accusations persisted.
So I opened the subject up for the readers to express themselves. Those who preferred me establishing Dmitri and Edmund as the closest of friends as opposed to brothers still expressed their opinion they had no problem with the original relationship, but they were tired of the accusations as well.
Since the vote was essentially 50/50, my preference was to leave things as they are. what sealed the deal for me is how the issue of marriage between 1st cousins is dealt with here in the United States.
The surprising answer is that marriage between 1st cousins is legal in the majority of American states, with sexual relations between 1st cousins allowed in a greater majority of the states whether married or not.
So Dmitri and Edmund remain brothers, with all the tragedy of the family history preserved.
And as readers will eventually learn, K’Nox and Julie-Su weren’t the first members of their respective sides of the family tree who had a relationship with a child the result of that relationship. That’s a story I’ve been sitting on for quite awhile that will unfold in THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES. The excitement is only just beginning so stay tuned.
I love how Dimitri looks in the included image! 🙂
Everything I loved most about the story would have remained regardless of what was decided, as I stated when I casted my ‘vote,’ but I’m perfectly happy with things remaining as they are.
K’Nox and Julie-Su’s love story is one I greatly enjoy, and I can’t help but notice that – even among the people who took this line of criticism against your stories with them – it didn’t seem to matter to them when other writers wrote the same characters with the same lineage.
Thus, I’m forced to conclude they were grasping at whatever accusation they could arbitrarily lob against you – after all, if it was truly as serious an issue to them as they made it out to be, it wouldn’t matter who was writing it at a given time.
It’s hard to get meaning out of the words. Words jumbled ( I know they aren’t really). But I will try my best to read this.
I will give my best try. Do what you think is right. It’s your artwork and your vision.
I know what incest is and why it’s wrong but in the end it’s up to you,what you add or don’t add is up to you.
I’m fine with what you decided.
Megan, to use the term “incestuous” with regards to describing the relationship of K’Nox (or Knuckles) and Julie-Su was always incorrect. They were never immediate family, and when I figured out where each was in the line of succession in regards to the family tree they belonged to, they may as well have been relative strangers to each other. What sealed the deal for me in keeping Edmund and Dimitri as brothers were the laws in each of the 50 American states regarding marriage and sex between first cousins. While the majority of states allowed marriage between 1st cousins, virtually every state allowed sex between first cousins. Knuckles / K’Nox is 16 generations removed from Edmund while Julie-Su is 5 generations removed from Dimitri. Thus, anyone claiming the relationship is incestuous clearly doesn’t know what they’re talking about. What also gets overlooked is the species we’re taking about are Echyd’Nya, not human. I have to agree with the readers who contacted me to say that if it wasn’t about incest, the trolls would find something else to complain about.
Nooooo, why Dmitri, not Dimitri? Where is “I”?
Max, that was my screw-up, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again. Apology accepted?
I was kinda on the side of changing it at first but the more I’ve thought about it the more I pretty much feel the same as Felicia.
If you “fixed” this non-issue in the plot, the people that complained about it in the first place would most likely just find something else to nitpick about, so what’s even the point? I don’t think they would suddenly become fans because of one tweak.
So yeah. Probably better off just sticking to your guns and maintaining the integrity of the original plot as you’ve decided
I apperciate you explaining the situation Ken. It helps 😊. I may not understand the first time and might completely miss something.
I was a little confused but I got it.
But I have no complaints or nitpicks about your stories at all.
What about Athair, Knuckles’ father?