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| Credit: theninjakid14 on DeviantArt |
Minecraft: Story Mode is a Minecraft-based game distributed by TellTale Games, as a collaboration with Mojang Studios (then Mojang). With a total of 2 seasons, the 13 episodes were released from 2015 to 2017. Even after the closure of TellTale Games in 2018, the fanbase of Minecraft Story Mode still thrives almost a decade later.
Taking a quick glance into the fandom, one might notice that Minecraft Story Mode has one of the most creative fanbases on the internet. With Minecraft being a sandbox game, Minecraft: Story Mode opens its doors to creative opportunities, giving the fans the mind and ability to create their own headcanons, fanfictions, characters, and their own Jesse preference, from the 12 options available. Some of the most well known fanfictions are distributed in a wide range of media, from books to animations, and even web comics.
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| Block by Block: The Amulet by WazzyWorks |
With popular fan made stories like Minecraft Story Mode: World's Edge and Block by Block: The Amulet on the rise, it's only fair that most of them wouldn't be where they are today, had it not been for the creative minds and hard work of the ones who came before. Especially during the fandom's "Golden Years", spanning from 2015-2017, when episodes were still being released.
This is where one of the first major fanfiction stories comes into play. Titled, "MC:SM Rewritten", written by theninjakid14 (also known as Jetrashipper).
The synopsis, according to the MCSM Fanfic Wiki, reads as this:
"Nikki is a 14-year-old, adventure-loving, kickbutt young teen. She and her older brother, Jesse, have been there for each other ever since the accident that killed their parents, Steve and Alex. But when a simple shady deal alongside their old friend, Petra, goes wrong, one problem leads to another, and the siblings find themselves on the same whirlwind adventure we know today. Join the ride with Nikki and company as they cruise through hair-raising adventures, several kismet romances, and even the return of a mysterious relic of the Old Builders that was thought to be lost long ago." [src]
From first glance, MC:SM Rewritten feels like another fan's personal choices, Jesse option, and interpretations with the game. But once reading into it, one will notice a small but significant change.
The story introduces a brand new OC (original character) named Nikki.
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| Credit: FoxyThePirate563 on DeviantArt |
Who is she? Nikki is the 14 year old sister of Jesse, the main player and character. The pair have a very close relationship, which came from a tragic backstory. When they were young, their parents, Steve and Alex, were killed in a creeper explosion on a bridge, leaving the two siblings on their own, as orphans. Ever since that tragic day, they've always looked out for each other, vowing to never leave each other's side, hence their family credo, "Siblings together, family forever."
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| Credit: theninjakid14 on DeviantArt |
Given their backstory, this alone shows how much compassion and chemistry the siblings have. It's not just a coming of age story filled with funny sibling banter, but an emotional arc with two young kids who care for each other, with fulfilled promises their parents would've wanted.
With their background out of the way, this is where the reader is taken into the main story of MC:SM Rewritten. With Nikki now in the picture, she is included as the additional member in Jesse's tight-nit group, consisting of their friends Axel, Olivia, and pet pig Reuben. While the group has doubts every so often, Nikki becomes the unexpected voice of reason, encouraging her friends to believe in themselves and to stop bickering. Despite being the youngest, at 14 years old, she holds a lot of wisdom and intelligence used to give her friends advice.
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| Credit: KanOfSoda on DeviantArt |
But it's not just encouragement of self confidence she gives to her friends. She even convinces Jesse to open up his feelings to the resident go getter Petra, another significant character in the story.
Besides the inclusion of Nikki, MC:SM Rewritten brings in some romantic relationships among the group, including ships which are popular in the MCSM fandom.
During the series, each of the main characters' POVs and thoughts are shown to give the reader a sense of how the characters feel in that particular moment. Some of the main reasons for this include showing the characters' romantic feelings for each other. The characters that get paired together by the author are shown, to the audience, that they secretly care for each other, but are too embarrassed or nervous to admit it to each other, which is a commonly used trope used in romance stories. Eventually, the pairs do confess their feelings, and end up together.
The pairs we see in MC:SM Rewritten include: Jetra (Jesse x Petra), Axlivia (Axel x Olivia, and Lukenny (Lukas x Jenny). The romantic subplots, especially the one between Jesse and Petra, have become one of the most memorable moments that makes MC:SM Rewritten unique in its own way.
While Jenny is not as much of a major character, she did appear in Rewritten's version of Episode 2: Assembly Required, as a stranded girl who survived the Wither Storm attack at EnderCon, and ended up at the Order's Temple. Not only does she provide the group with important information about Soren's Formidi-Bomb, but she also becomes a love interest to Lukas, therefore bringing the Lukesse ship into the story dynamic.
Even though ships like Jetra and Lukesse cannot canonically co-exist in the game, it is made possible in this universe, with the inclusion of fanfiction, imagination, and fan preferences.
The story has its own fun side characters and romantic subplots. But what role does Nikki have in this, other than being Jesse's little sister with the voice of reason?
One of the main aspects of her personality is her no-nonsense and firey temper. She always has a smart and quick comeback on her mind whenever people hurt or belittle her or anyone close to her, especially Jesse. She is also very adventurous, always looking for a quest. According to the MCSM Fanfic Wiki, her personality reads as this:
"Nikki has an adventurous, sometimes lovable personality. By day, she's a fun-loving bundle of energy who can't be stopped, but by night, she's more calmer, and quieter, due to lack of energy or just being cute in general." [src]
There are a hundred examples of her willing to step up her game and jump into action to defend her loves ones, and is even heartbroken when she can't go on adventures. For example, in Episode 2: Assembly Required (Rewritten Edition), she is saddened about being separated from Jesse when he sets out with Axel to Boom Town, wanting to look after him and just be around him in general.
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| Credit: KanOfSoda on DeviantArt |
Even her small size doesn't stop her from being adventurous. Another aspect of her character is her small height. She is described as being around half Jesse's size, so she is noticeably small, as pointed out by the characters in the story. Because of this, people tend to quickly judge her due to her small appearance, which not only irritates her, but undermines her fighting skills, in other people's minds. Even worse, people not only refer to her as merely a child, but mocks her for her small size, which makes her feel either angry or excluded from the other brave fighters all around her.
For example, when Nikki (backed up by Olivia and Ellegaard) tries to tell the others about how she used the Command Block Amulet to transform into a dragon and chase off the Wither Storm, Magnus doesn't believe her, and pressures her to prove herself. This upsets her, and marks one of the few times where she genuinely feels down and upset because of something she can't control.
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| Credit: KanOfSoda on DeviantArt |
Speaking of the Command Block Amulet, this little but powerful trinket is another aspect that defines Nikki as her own character, and takes the reader into mythical lore and territory. It is described as "an old relic thought to be built by the Old Builders, but is later discovered to be made by Notch himself". [src]
With that in mind, this connects the in-universe lore to the Old Builders, the group of intelligent builders who enchanted and built the Portal Network, as seen in later episodes of Minecraft: Story Mode. This is not only a fun Easter egg for the fans, but expands on the mythical lore of the Old Builders and MC:SM Rewritten as a whole. That way, the story includes more than just Nikki and her love-struck friends.
What the Command Block Amulet essentially does is that it turns the wielder into a golden Ender Dragon. This happens to Nikki, when the Wither Storm attacks Redstonia, as well as the group in later scenes and episodes. As a little feisty girl, no one would believe she would wield such power. While she has trouble controlling it at first, she eventually learns to harness its power, which helps her character develop into a matured young woman and fighter with enough patience and energy.
Links to read MC:SM Rewritten
- Episode 1: Order of the Stone (Rewritten Edition) is available on both Wattpad and DeviantArt.
- Episode 2: Assembly Required (Rewritten Edition) is available on both Wattpad and DeviantArt.
- Episode 3: The Last Place You Look (Rewritten Edition) is available on both Wattpad and DeviantArt.
- The Vex Bride is available on DeviantArt only.
- Season 2 appears as The Life and Times of Radki, and is available on Wattpad only.
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