Author Topic: God, I Miss This Place  (Read 20240 times)

Acacia Sgt

  • Guru of Reason
  • Zurvan Surfer (+2500)
  • *
  • Posts: 2654
  • Forever loyal to the Acacia Dragoons
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #135 on: May 17, 2018, 07:11:06 pm »
Hmm, sounds like a very interesting premise. I wish I could have ideas as ambitious. Then again, writing ain't my main thing, I think.

Although, personally, I wouldn't really read it as a sequel work. Interesting as it could sound to envision the post-FFVI world like that, to me it's... more of a detractor. Maybe it's just me, but fiction is fiction for a reason. When it gets too realistic... well, it defeat its purpose. So a happy (or bittersweet/hopeful/downer/etc) ending should remain so, not derailed because in real life it wouldn't be the case.
« Last Edit: May 17, 2018, 07:13:28 pm by Acacia Sgt »

Lord J Esq

  • Moon Stone J
  • Hero of Time (+5000)
  • *
  • Posts: 5463
  • ^_^ "Ayla teach at college level!!"
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #136 on: May 21, 2018, 01:35:46 am »
Wait. You're a writer? That's your career? I know your first name IRL since others have called you that, but we never really crossed paths much back when you were active. Now I have to hunt you down and read some of your stuff.

I am indeed a writer! Not a very financially successful one (yet?), but I published my first novel in 2015, right before my life imploded and I spent three years in hell, but it is always foremost in my mind to get back to the point where I can resume work on my next novel. I have a lot to say! You can check out my site if you like, but beware that my work is for a relatively niche audience. I would not expect most people to be interested in it.

That's the big feather, but really I'm a writer not because of a published novel but because I write. I've written thousands of pieces over the years, including some really exquisite essays here at the Compendium. It's just what I do: I write.

And there's also the external employment and contract work. I do freelance writing and editing, and am currently employed as a copyeditor and copywriter.

Although if you don't have Sabin Suplexing the Phantom Airship (a la the fight against the Phantom Train), I'd be horribly disappointed in you.

Definitely! =]

I always have to remind myself, when I'm in Serious Writing mode, that materials like FFVI had a fun side too, and good fanfic needs to encapsulate this as well, or at least be aware of omitting it. I'd love to take a crack at writing this relatively grim work that nevertheless has a good sense of humor to it, and the caricatures from the original game are great springboards for that!

Which brings me to this excellent point by Acacia Sgt:


Although, personally, I wouldn't really read it as a sequel work. Interesting as it could sound to envision the post-FFVI world like that, to me it's... more of a detractor. Maybe it's just me, but fiction is fiction for a reason. When it gets too realistic... well, it defeat its purpose. So a happy (or bittersweet/hopeful/downer/etc) ending should remain so, not derailed because in real life it wouldn't be the case.

That is indeed a great point, and something I'm aware of myself as an artist: I like to honor the spirit of original works by respecting their tonal decisions in anything derivative I do with them. That doesn't mean I'll slavishly uphold those decisions, but I do make it a point to justify any departure therefrom.

So, deviating from a "happy ending" (or another type of ending) by introducing a new direction, even though sequels have made this their bread and butter since time immemorial, is something I like to be fully aware of and deliberate in. I don't like wrecking other people's resolutions.

Likewise, when an original story has a certain flavor to it--in this case epic adventurism--I like to respect that tonal decision and only depart from it for good cause. I do tend toward realism in my writing, and so your specific point is salient, and I have definitely spent energy thinking about this facet of the fanfic, as this is one of only a tiny handful of fanfics (maybe the only one!) that I definitely intend to eventually write.

Think about it like this: I didn't necessarily say that my fanfic would be a "bad ending" to FFVI, or that it would ruin FFVI's ending. It is, simply, a continuation of what I think of as the natural storyline that FFVI began. The pain and difficulty of recovery were glossed over in the ending sequence, but it wouldn't violate the tonal flavor of the original game to introduce new hardships even after the defeat of Kefka. And my premise is actually carefully designed to fit within precedents introduced in the story: An assassination plot, for instance. And Celes having a physical hardship as well as a psychological one that are relevant to the progression of the story--well, different forms of these ideas were present in Celes and other characters in FFVI itself. There's even room for the same style of exaggerations that tended to mark FFVI and other JRPGs of that era, which were forced into the heights of theatricality because of their many hardware limitations.

I actually envision my fanfic as one with a positive message, despite its bleak circumstances. Celes' progression in the story isn't a tragedy. Nor is it to recreate the circumstances of the original: to slim down, get back on the front lines, and fight and win the day. Her progression in the story isn't to become a fighter, but to stay fat (and if anything get even fatter, since people need to be shown through our storytelling that getting fat isn't the end of a person's humanity or their potential) and instead reclaim her self-confidence by developing non-physical outlets for her inner strength of character. While my personal style of writing may be more realistic than the game's, I think the themes of such an effort are very much in keeping with those of FFVI.

But, yes, your point is a great one and it's something I am very thoughtful about!

Acacia Sgt

  • Guru of Reason
  • Zurvan Surfer (+2500)
  • *
  • Posts: 2654
  • Forever loyal to the Acacia Dragoons
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #137 on: May 21, 2018, 02:46:02 am »
I'll admit, I don't feel that way with every sequel; but it's still something that on principle I don't quite feel happy about it. As such, I ensure I tackle this on a case-by-case basis.

That said, I still stand the same regarding your sequel idea. The latter half of FFVI had presented a hardship: Kefka keeping the world in a state of misery. Hope was a theme during the World of Ruin, both the giving up of it and clinging to it, but with the latter almost always being the one winning as the game progressed. By the game's end, with Kefka gone, the scenario presented was that of hope in a new beginning. That things should now turn for the better. In your scenario, though, that seems to not be the case. To me, that's not something I'd enjoy, as good as it could be on its own. I still find it intersting, my dislike is more on its impact on the work its meant to be a continuation of than on the work itself.

To give another example, I remember when people were thinking FFX-3 was going to be a thing. Mainly because when the HD Remaster of FFX/FFX-2 was released, a small audio drama was added in as a bonus. It seemed to be setting up yet another continuation, which is why people thought FFX-3 was going to be a thing, though that has been long corrected. Anyway, that audio drama... it's true to its name, I'd think. Since it included details like Sin comming back, but also, Tidus and Yuna were apparently going through a relationship break-up as well. Being honest... it bugged me. Like, bugged me so much.

Like, seriously? X had a bittersweet ending, and while some things were for good, like Tidus's departure, the flip side was that Spira had a new future to look forward to with the Eternal Calm. Kinda like FFVI, actually. Then X-2 happened, showing that no, Spira was now tearing itself apart in their newfound freedom, and then throwing in another world-ending entity with Shuyin and Vegnagun. But at least they deemed to reward Yuna this time around with an actual happy ending, with Tidus's return, making it seem like it was really worth it having Spira be in danger again. And now you tell me not only Sin came back again, but Tidus and Yuna's relationship is now in the dumps despite everything that happened prior?

I just...  :picardno

Personally, I'm glad there hasn't been any continuation to that audio drama, whether X-3 or otherwise. I already feel X-2 wrapped things up nicely, giving it a pass since it at least decided to "correct" the way X ended. But now it seemed like they wanted to undo stuff, and I feel like that's just now derailing what should be a wrapped up conclusion. Can't comment much about Sin, but Tidus and Yuna I found it even more unnecesary their break-up. Like, I get it, it's not realistic if they just go "Happily Ever After", but this is a fictional world, not reality, dammit. Although if I were to guess, chances were they would've gotten back toguether if that thing ever gets an actual continuation. Maybe.

Anyway, well, that's how it is with me. As much as I could enjoy a sequel work, official or not, I'm always wary on the way they go on with it. Sometimes undoing what was done in the prequel work, even if things recover or get better at the end, just for the fact they had to go through with it in the first place. Perhaps I'm just too used or tired in dealing with that in other ways, like in real life, than to want to keep going through with them while pursuing fiction. Something like that.

Lord J Esq

  • Moon Stone J
  • Hero of Time (+5000)
  • *
  • Posts: 5463
  • ^_^ "Ayla teach at college level!!"
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #138 on: May 21, 2018, 03:07:47 am »
The latter half of FFVI had presented a hardship: Kefka keeping the world in a state of misery. Hope was a theme during the World of Ruin, both the giving up of it and clinging to it, but with the latter almost always being the one winning as the game progressed. By the game's end, with Kefka gone, the scenario presented was that of hope in a new beginning. That things should now turn for the better. In your scenario, though, that seems to not be the case.

Even though I think the eventual conclusion of our discussion is that my fanfic premise just isn't suited for you, I will say this:

One thought that has occurred to me over the years, when thinking about this fanfic premise, is that I personally found the happy ending of FFVI cheap. To me it wasn't actually a happy ending. They defeated Kefka, but it was a little bit like taking the bullet out after being shot: The world was still wrecked, and, yes, people had mustered the will to persevere in it, and rebuild, and now with Kefka out of the picture the notion of a recovery was suddenly a possibility. But the ending sequence implied that this recovery was very rapid, and I don't buy that. I think it's cheap.

Part of my motivation with this fanfic premise--not my main motivation, but part of it, given that FFVI is in an eternal ballet with Chrono Trigger and Ocarina of Time for my favorite RPG of all-time--is to give FFVI the ending it deserves: To give their hopefulness at the end of the game the legitimacy that only comes from actually fleshing out the ideas. Instead of hand-wavy "They all lived happily ever after" stuff, my fanfic says "Here's how it really was; here's how they eventually managed to finally recover."

Because, without spoiling too much, my goal with this sequel isn't to blow up the world again. Like I was saying earlier, there's no point in trying to outdo anything that FFVI already did so well. I want to explore what recovery and healing actually look like. To me, that would take the cheap, tacked-on "everything got better" message from the end of FFVI and flesh it out to a degree where there's enough substance that this superficially implausible concept of recovery after a worldwide disaster becomes believable.

To give another example, I remember when people were thinking FFX-3 was going to be a thing. Mainly because when the HD Remaster of FFX/FFX-2 was released, a small audio drama was added in as a bonus. It seemed to be setting up yet another continuation, which is why people thought FFX-3 was going to be a thing, though that has been long corrected. Anyway, that audio drama... it's true to its name, I'd think. Since it included details like Sin comming back, but also, Tidus and Yuna were apparently going through a relationship break-up as well. Being honest... it bugged me. Like, bugged me so much.

Personally, I think FFX never needed a sequel at all. As you say:

Then X-2 happened, showing that no, Spira was now tearing itself apart in their newfound freedom, and then throwing in another world-ending entity with Shuyin and Vegnagun. But at least they deemed to reward Yuna this time around with an actual happy ending, with Tidus's return, making it seem like it was really worth it having Spira be in danger again. And now you tell me not only Sin came back again, but Tidus and Yuna's relationship is now in the dumps despite everything that happened prior?

I just...  :picardno

I agree with this wholeheartedly, and to the extent you're channeling this same frustration with my FFVI fanfic premise I can't argue with you (I can only say we have different interpretations of FFVI).

Anyway, well, that's how it is with me. As much as I could enjoy a sequel work, official or not, I'm always wary on the way they go on with it. Sometimes undoing what was done in the prequel work, even if things recover or get better at the end, just for the fact they had to go through with it in the first place. Perhaps I'm just too used or tired in dealing with that in other ways, like in real life, than to want to keep going through with them while pursuing fiction. Something like that.

No, I hear you. I don't have much patience for prequels and even sequels either. They are overdone and often befoul the original. The fact that I really want to give FFVI my own sendoff is just a testament to how much of an impact that game made on me, and how I really feel there's more story to be told.

Schala Zeal

  • Radical Dreamer (+2000)
  • *
  • Posts: 2127
  • 7th Elemental Innate, and vtuber
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #139 on: February 09, 2020, 06:21:22 am »
Aye, it's been three years hiatus for me. I've been binging on 'Tales of', 3D and coding a lot more. Lost my grandma in 2017 to a stroke, started playing with a new toy called VRoid Studio, and me and the old man are planning to present an animated short 3D film to DreamWorks this year.

Boo the Gentleman Caller

  • Guru of Life Emeritus
  • Hero of Time (+5000)
  • *
  • Posts: 5262
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #140 on: February 14, 2020, 05:27:48 pm »
Quote
Aye, it's been three years hiatus for me.

Welcome back! And it sounds like you've got big plans in the future; good luck to you! Keep us updated!

chrono.source

  • Architect of Kajar
  • Enlightened One (+200)
  • *
  • Posts: 264
  • Chrono Source (CT Prequel) Creator
    • View Profile
    • Chrono Source - A Chrono Trigger Prequel
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #141 on: February 26, 2020, 02:33:32 pm »
Welcome back!

Care to share the premise of the short film?

Schala Zeal

  • Radical Dreamer (+2000)
  • *
  • Posts: 2127
  • 7th Elemental Innate, and vtuber
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #142 on: February 27, 2020, 01:52:39 am »
I... do not know. My dad wants to make it about a baby-fied version of an ex girlfriend of his or something.

CptOvaltine

  • Synergist of Marbule
  • Chronopolitan (+300)
  • *
  • Posts: 374
    • View Profile
Re: God, I Miss This Place
« Reply #143 on: February 27, 2020, 05:46:38 pm »
Glad to see all of the new activity...it's been a while for me, as well.

Interested in hearing how the short film comes together!