I can't believe this is my 400th post!
Thank you to my 100 readers, also. You make me want to keep writing SOMETHING. lol
That said, I think I know where I'm going next in blogging, and I'm kind of excited about it.
I'd mentioned flash fiction posts, and while I was kind of leery about it, I wondered how I could tie them into my WIP The Crystal Bearer. A tidbit about my story, my main character loves to read. So, why not do flash fictions based on tales that would be written in the world my story? I'm already writing a story based on one of the series she's reading, so why not take it a step further, you know? I think it would help keep my mind fresh.
They'll most likely be on Tuesdays, so I can call it Tuesday Tales. I'm obsessed with alliteration, I know. That said, I'd also like to sometimes do a Final Fantasy Friday (and bring back Wednesday Words). That's why I call myself the Write Mage, and the games are a big influence in my life as well as in The Crystal Bearer, after all. While I'm more knowledgeable about the mid-to-later games in the franchise, they are something I'd love to share with you all, too.
So, I believe that is where I'll be headed in November. Heads up: these 400 posts may be under a new blog link and title then, so I can shift the focus.
Thank you again for being here to read the craziness that comes out of my head. :)
Greetings
- Debra Renée Byrd
- Delaware, United States
- Deborah Hawkins, penned Debra Renée Byrd, began writing after a blank book project in elementary school and never stopped, fashioning stories based on her favorite TV shows and movies before creating more original works. She studied at the University of the Arts and Florida State University before settling down and graduating from Temple University. She now resides in her hometown of Dover, DE, where she spends most of her time at work or at church. She loves fantasies, superheroes, is a trekkie and a brown coat. She loves television and lives for Final Fantasy video games, having collected most of them. She has read a myriad of authors, and her favorite authors change whenever she finds a new book that changes her life... "When you can't run, you crawl. When you can't crawl...well, you know the rest." -Tracey, Firefly, "The Message"
Showing posts with label Final Fantasy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Final Fantasy. Show all posts
Friday, October 23, 2015
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Creating a Dynamic by Accident
(No Random Reading today. I'm still reading Cloud City. I blame Pitch Wars. Stalking is busy work.)
This is Cyan and Ghuli, my MC and her 1st Lt. Watchman from my current query and Pitch Wars entry The Crystal Bearer. When I started writing this story 12 years ago (sheesh), as a lover of Final Fantasy games, one dynamic I purposely wanted to maintain was that the action took precedent over whatever romance I had in mind (I had been writing fan fiction romance and YA romance in high school, so that was easier said than done). I stayed very true to that and made sure as my writing sharpened up, I made it make more sense.
No, these two aren't romantically linked, by the way. They're actually adopted brother and sister. Their dynamic was something totally out of left field for me. Draft after draft, their relationship grew into something plausible, something I feel people will actually be able to relate to. Especially adding my "bookends" to the story; it almost created a new story within the story, about how no matter what is going on, and how much fighting they actually do among themselves, their love for each other is so evident.
I wish I had a brother. lol
Friday, October 24, 2014
Friday Freeday: Smooth McGroove & Final Fantasy
Happy Friday, all!
I don't have anything to say, so here is this guy I need to marry (and his cat hehe) singing a capella versions of Final Fantasy scores.
Final Fantasy VII's Battle Theme:
Final Fantasy VIII - The Man with the Machine Gun:
Final Fantasy X - To Zanarkand (my favorite):
I don't have anything to say, so here is this guy I need to marry (and his cat hehe) singing a capella versions of Final Fantasy scores.
Final Fantasy VII's Battle Theme:
Final Fantasy VIII - The Man with the Machine Gun:
Final Fantasy X - To Zanarkand (my favorite):
The behemoth that is Final Fantasy VII's One Winged Angel:
And though there are more, I leave you with Final Fantasy VII's Victory Fanfare:
Friday, October 10, 2014
Friday Freeday: New Blog Title and Shout-Outs
Happy Friday!
I'd been thinking of changing my blog name for a couple of months now. I was tired of "The Writer Ambitious," and I wanted somehow to incorporate my love for Final Fantasy into the title, kind of like S.C. Author's, Writing, Publishing, & Harry Potter or Elsie Amata's Mock Turtle Musings. Obviously, they love Harry Potter and turtles (I, too, love turtles).
So, "how, oh how," thought I, "could I do the same for Final Fantasy?" Then, yesterday morning as I was browsing an Instagram account dedicated to Final Fantasies (that's also the name), I thought: "GASP! THE WRITE MAGE!"
It's a great play on the term White Mage, obviously, and others, like Mindy McGinnis's Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire, have done the same play on terms.
You will also find some winky-wink blog titles that play on right/write (which I actually have begun having trouble using!) such as The Write ;) Time by Dean C. Rich and Words Done Write ;) by Celeste Holloway.
So, I now have a title that 1) I love, 2) shows my love for my favorite video games, and 3) still says I'm a writer! In fact, I'm a write mage. ;)
The pictures over there ---> also prove it. teehee
I'd been thinking of changing my blog name for a couple of months now. I was tired of "The Writer Ambitious," and I wanted somehow to incorporate my love for Final Fantasy into the title, kind of like S.C. Author's, Writing, Publishing, & Harry Potter or Elsie Amata's Mock Turtle Musings. Obviously, they love Harry Potter and turtles (I, too, love turtles).
So, "how, oh how," thought I, "could I do the same for Final Fantasy?" Then, yesterday morning as I was browsing an Instagram account dedicated to Final Fantasies (that's also the name), I thought: "GASP! THE WRITE MAGE!"
It's a great play on the term White Mage, obviously, and others, like Mindy McGinnis's Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire, have done the same play on terms.
You will also find some winky-wink blog titles that play on right/write (which I actually have begun having trouble using!) such as The Write ;) Time by Dean C. Rich and Words Done Write ;) by Celeste Holloway.
So, I now have a title that 1) I love, 2) shows my love for my favorite video games, and 3) still says I'm a writer! In fact, I'm a write mage. ;)
The pictures over there ---> also prove it. teehee
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
My Final Fantasy
So I had this thought the other day about my book.
If you've followed me since whatever Post 1 was (I think my first attempt at submitting a not-ready fantasy novel), you know my fantasy WIP--formerly Save the Queen, currently The Crystal Bearer--is a book I wrote based on the Final Fantasy franchise. From character names, to themes, to nuances, I molded my story because I wanted to write a Final Fantasy novel. This is why I called it Save the Queen, a popular weapon used throughout the games. I only changed it because the title didn't make sense.
In early queries, I mentioned that I wrote it based on Final Fantasy and was told not to in critiques, because agents might not know what it is. I'm beginning to ponder if I want to leave out that tidbit that is the main reason I wrote the book in the first place, and would I want an agent who can't share a nearly (or totally) obsessive love for Final Fantasy with me? It really takes over about 20% of my life. Some people obsess over J.K. Rowling. I obsess over FF.
So a few things have crossed my mind about this story, one that I think I shared somewhere on here:
1) Write a screenplay for the story. My first major was Writing for Film/Television after all, and I know I could do it if I took the time.
2) Make it a graphic novel. So many scenes I see in my head would work so well in this format, and I think it could work.
3) Try to find the current producers of Final Fantasy to see if an original novel would interest them. They produced two movies after all, and there are novels, novellas, webcomics, manga based on the games that are already out, and an original anime (which I need to search for and watch).
#3 is the one that I thought hard about the other day. It was actually my original goal for this particular story, and I think I'd like to work toward it. If I have a chance at doing this, I know I'll need to change the title again because right after I finished the first draft, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers came out and jacked up my spirit.
Fortunately, I know what it would be: Final Fantasy: Remnant.
(Edit: I already know not to go through Square Enix. Ouch. http://na.square-enix.com/us/documents/unsol)
If you've followed me since whatever Post 1 was (I think my first attempt at submitting a not-ready fantasy novel), you know my fantasy WIP--formerly Save the Queen, currently The Crystal Bearer--is a book I wrote based on the Final Fantasy franchise. From character names, to themes, to nuances, I molded my story because I wanted to write a Final Fantasy novel. This is why I called it Save the Queen, a popular weapon used throughout the games. I only changed it because the title didn't make sense.
In early queries, I mentioned that I wrote it based on Final Fantasy and was told not to in critiques, because agents might not know what it is. I'm beginning to ponder if I want to leave out that tidbit that is the main reason I wrote the book in the first place, and would I want an agent who can't share a nearly (or totally) obsessive love for Final Fantasy with me? It really takes over about 20% of my life. Some people obsess over J.K. Rowling. I obsess over FF.
So a few things have crossed my mind about this story, one that I think I shared somewhere on here:
1) Write a screenplay for the story. My first major was Writing for Film/Television after all, and I know I could do it if I took the time.
2) Make it a graphic novel. So many scenes I see in my head would work so well in this format, and I think it could work.
3) Try to find the current producers of Final Fantasy to see if an original novel would interest them. They produced two movies after all, and there are novels, novellas, webcomics, manga based on the games that are already out, and an original anime (which I need to search for and watch).
#3 is the one that I thought hard about the other day. It was actually my original goal for this particular story, and I think I'd like to work toward it. If I have a chance at doing this, I know I'll need to change the title again because right after I finished the first draft, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers came out and jacked up my spirit.
Fortunately, I know what it would be: Final Fantasy: Remnant.
(Edit: I already know not to go through Square Enix. Ouch. http://na.square-enix.com/us/documents/unsol)
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Express Yourself: Video Games!
Today is probably the easiest question in the WORLD for me: What is your favorite video game?
If you've followed me long enough, YOU even know the answer, lol. I loved these games so much I wrote a book in homage to them, after all. Since the creation of the Playstation, my favorite video games have been from the Final Fantasy franchise, a series of role-playing games that take you into a world typically on the verge of destruction, and a group of heroes are called on to save it.
While I'm here, the most popular question about Final Fantasy has always been: if it was the Final fantasy, how come there are more than one? And I can answer that now. The creator of Square Enix thought that their company was going to close, so they created the first Final Fantasy sort of as a last hurrah. But then, they didn't close, so now there are 14+ Final Fantasy games!
Of the FF's, my ultimate favorites are 10, 9, 8, and Crisis Core; and I LOVE the movie for 7: Advent Children. A great franchise if you love video games and story lines. :)
Friday, July 5, 2013
Friday Freeday 2: I Finally Finished Final Fantasy XII
Not particularly a tongue twister, but what alliteration!
WARNING: Roman numerals ahead.
WARNING: Nerd rant ahead.
If you've noticed, I love Final Fantasy, and my fantasy WIP is loosely based on the games. Not including Final Fantasy XI, which was an online MMORPG for some reason, I have played and finished all of the numbered Final Fantasies up to XII, including VII and X's sequels and spin-offs. I also have, but haven't finished because my PS2 laser broke!, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and Final Fantasy Dissidia I & II. I think all I need now is the first Tactics and the Chocobo Chronicles, and I'll officially be a hoarder.
I bought Final Fantasy XII when I was in college. I had a waitressing job that lasted 3 weeks, but with the tips I made, I splurged on the $200 Collector's Edition of the game and guidebook, which comes with a bonus disc and a book of artwork. I really wish I hadn't paid for it, but 6 years later, I've finally finished the thing. Here are my problems with this game.
The Battle System:
Up until Final Fantasy X, what happened when you weren't in a town was your character walked across a world map (looking like they could step on the towns) until they encountered a monster to fight, at which time the screen would dramatically change to a 2D row vs row battle. In X, you had more of a realistic feel, where your character walked through towns AND the greenery around it, but you still were whisked away to a 3D row vs row battle. I'm going to blame XI for the change because XII kind of looked like XI. In XII, once you left the town or city, you were in a world where you could see every monster you were about to fight (except for snakes, that popped up at random). The only good thing about this is that there were no surprises. The bad thing is: in all of the other games, you pressed a button to escape, and you had a 50/50 chance of returning to the world map. In XII, you had to run, and the monsters CHASED YOU! I hate games where something is chasing you, so that this happened frequently stressed me out and often, when I first played, got me killed.
The upside to this battle system, tedious though it was, was 1) the gambit system, where I could program the characters to fight, and pretty much walk away to get a sandwich, unless I wanted to do a limit break or summon; 2) being able to make battle chains, where if you fought more than 1 of the same monster in a row, you received bigger rewards.
The Story:
When you have storylines like a lost esper trying to save the world of espers, the dark truths behind the world's military, a whole city of people giving up their lives to keep the dream of their city alive before it's destroyed, etc. etc., a simple War of the Roses storyline just doesn't cut it. FFXII had the most basic story for all of the drama you go through. Kings of old wielded the power of something called nethicite (which I'm guessing was like the crystals from the other games), and one power-hungry prince is trying to harvest it all for his own benefit? And then I fell asleep! Just like in a book, I need a little more motivation to care about what's happening on my tv screen. Right to the end, I never did.
The upside to the story were the two characters Balthier and Fran. They brought such humor and two really nice side stories to the main one that made me love them. My favorite lines are theirs. Two from the final scene (which I will get to in a minute): Balthier: "I'm the leading man, and you know what they say about the leading man. He can't die." Fran: "I see you in more of a supporting role." HILARIOUS! To me, anyway.
The Ending:
If you have ever played a Final Fantasy game, you know that 1) there is never just ONE final boss, and 2) you need popcorn for the final scenes once you've beaten those 3 - 14 end bosses. FFs VIII and X had two of the LONGEST end boss sequences AND final scenes, but they were great, and I loved them, especially if I didn't die more than twice trying to finish. Final Fantasy XII had the most lackluster ending I have ever seen! I beat the younger prince's guard, then the prince who was causing all of the trouble. Then, the younger prince's guard helped me to fight the prince once he morphed (he totally super saiyaned) into something bigger. THEN, I beat him after he was possessed by some demon-like spirit who was controlling him all along. His ship almost crashed; they made me think Balthier and Fran died, and then a year passed, and the world is peaceful, and Balthier and Fran didn't die, but we never see them again. Then, the credits roll, and it goes back to the opening menu. WHAT?! I'm used to AT LEAST something special during the credits or after the credits. This did not happen.
The Summons:
Don't mess with my summons. Just don't. For those still reading and don't know any of the things I'm talking about, summons are special monsters that you can call on to annihilate a monster that might be a little too big for your britches. They've been called many different things: espers, aeons, guardian forces; I think they're just called summons in FFVII. Playing from the first to the tenth, there have been staple summons: Ifrit (fire), Shiva (ice), Bahamut (flare). You get used to these, and you like to see how they evolve. Just Google Shiva from Final Fantasies VII through X to see how she changed. It's awesome!
Someone decided this time around, "Let's make up ALL NEW summons, and name the battleships after the old ones." NO, NO, NO! Not only did I almost never use the summons I did find, but I never knew what they did! I could have read up on them in my guidebook, but grrrr. I know Belial was the fire summon, but other than that, no idea what the rest did. And some looked TERRIFYING! And the music that played when I DID use one was scary, too!
The Side Quests:
You can have too many. I don't think I even did half of the ones that are in the back of my guidebook, and when the story is already blah, what makes you think I want to go off track to do mini-stories? There are about 100 hunts. I did 30? There were 13 summons, most of which were side quests. I think you received 4 through the story, so I think I ended the game with 5, two of which I never used.
Overall, I give this game 2 of 5 chocobo feathers, and that's pushing it. I'm never playing it again...but I might get the spin-off game Revenant Wings.
I have a problem.
WARNING: Roman numerals ahead.
WARNING: Nerd rant ahead.
If you've noticed, I love Final Fantasy, and my fantasy WIP is loosely based on the games. Not including Final Fantasy XI, which was an online MMORPG for some reason, I have played and finished all of the numbered Final Fantasies up to XII, including VII and X's sequels and spin-offs. I also have, but haven't finished because my PS2 laser broke!, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions and Final Fantasy Dissidia I & II. I think all I need now is the first Tactics and the Chocobo Chronicles, and I'll officially be a hoarder.
I bought Final Fantasy XII when I was in college. I had a waitressing job that lasted 3 weeks, but with the tips I made, I splurged on the $200 Collector's Edition of the game and guidebook, which comes with a bonus disc and a book of artwork. I really wish I hadn't paid for it, but 6 years later, I've finally finished the thing. Here are my problems with this game.
The Battle System:
Up until Final Fantasy X, what happened when you weren't in a town was your character walked across a world map (looking like they could step on the towns) until they encountered a monster to fight, at which time the screen would dramatically change to a 2D row vs row battle. In X, you had more of a realistic feel, where your character walked through towns AND the greenery around it, but you still were whisked away to a 3D row vs row battle. I'm going to blame XI for the change because XII kind of looked like XI. In XII, once you left the town or city, you were in a world where you could see every monster you were about to fight (except for snakes, that popped up at random). The only good thing about this is that there were no surprises. The bad thing is: in all of the other games, you pressed a button to escape, and you had a 50/50 chance of returning to the world map. In XII, you had to run, and the monsters CHASED YOU! I hate games where something is chasing you, so that this happened frequently stressed me out and often, when I first played, got me killed.
The upside to this battle system, tedious though it was, was 1) the gambit system, where I could program the characters to fight, and pretty much walk away to get a sandwich, unless I wanted to do a limit break or summon; 2) being able to make battle chains, where if you fought more than 1 of the same monster in a row, you received bigger rewards.
The Story:
When you have storylines like a lost esper trying to save the world of espers, the dark truths behind the world's military, a whole city of people giving up their lives to keep the dream of their city alive before it's destroyed, etc. etc., a simple War of the Roses storyline just doesn't cut it. FFXII had the most basic story for all of the drama you go through. Kings of old wielded the power of something called nethicite (which I'm guessing was like the crystals from the other games), and one power-hungry prince is trying to harvest it all for his own benefit? And then I fell asleep! Just like in a book, I need a little more motivation to care about what's happening on my tv screen. Right to the end, I never did.
The upside to the story were the two characters Balthier and Fran. They brought such humor and two really nice side stories to the main one that made me love them. My favorite lines are theirs. Two from the final scene (which I will get to in a minute): Balthier: "I'm the leading man, and you know what they say about the leading man. He can't die." Fran: "I see you in more of a supporting role." HILARIOUS! To me, anyway.
The Ending:
If you have ever played a Final Fantasy game, you know that 1) there is never just ONE final boss, and 2) you need popcorn for the final scenes once you've beaten those 3 - 14 end bosses. FFs VIII and X had two of the LONGEST end boss sequences AND final scenes, but they were great, and I loved them, especially if I didn't die more than twice trying to finish. Final Fantasy XII had the most lackluster ending I have ever seen! I beat the younger prince's guard, then the prince who was causing all of the trouble. Then, the younger prince's guard helped me to fight the prince once he morphed (he totally super saiyaned) into something bigger. THEN, I beat him after he was possessed by some demon-like spirit who was controlling him all along. His ship almost crashed; they made me think Balthier and Fran died, and then a year passed, and the world is peaceful, and Balthier and Fran didn't die, but we never see them again. Then, the credits roll, and it goes back to the opening menu. WHAT?! I'm used to AT LEAST something special during the credits or after the credits. This did not happen.
The Summons:
Don't mess with my summons. Just don't. For those still reading and don't know any of the things I'm talking about, summons are special monsters that you can call on to annihilate a monster that might be a little too big for your britches. They've been called many different things: espers, aeons, guardian forces; I think they're just called summons in FFVII. Playing from the first to the tenth, there have been staple summons: Ifrit (fire), Shiva (ice), Bahamut (flare). You get used to these, and you like to see how they evolve. Just Google Shiva from Final Fantasies VII through X to see how she changed. It's awesome!
Someone decided this time around, "Let's make up ALL NEW summons, and name the battleships after the old ones." NO, NO, NO! Not only did I almost never use the summons I did find, but I never knew what they did! I could have read up on them in my guidebook, but grrrr. I know Belial was the fire summon, but other than that, no idea what the rest did. And some looked TERRIFYING! And the music that played when I DID use one was scary, too!
The Side Quests:
You can have too many. I don't think I even did half of the ones that are in the back of my guidebook, and when the story is already blah, what makes you think I want to go off track to do mini-stories? There are about 100 hunts. I did 30? There were 13 summons, most of which were side quests. I think you received 4 through the story, so I think I ended the game with 5, two of which I never used.
Overall, I give this game 2 of 5 chocobo feathers, and that's pushing it. I'm never playing it again...but I might get the spin-off game Revenant Wings.
I have a problem.
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