Busy, busy…But still time for snark.

Hi to anyone who happens to stumble across this random little site of no importance. I’ve been busy with work and other matters lately, but have still had a little bit of time to work on my project. Here are a few more screenies of some of my favorite bits of dialogue before I head off to work…on my birthday. Yes, you read that right. Sigh.

In other words...

...Ivan's aunt can't cook.

Ivan teaches us an important lesson.

That’s it for now. The project is moving along, though not as quickly as I would like. Grr…damn my work schedule.

Hail the snarktastic hero!

So I’m sure that you must be wondering what the big reveal is. Well…Phoenix is no longer just an idea. It’s a game in development! I know, this news is so exciting that you will never be able to sleep at night again. But not so fast! We’re not talking a polished, pretty game, nor one that’s going to be out anytime in the near future. Hell, It’s been a couple days since I started working on this and I’ve only managed to design half of the first town and a bit of the opening scene. The latter will probably not be finished anytime soon for lack of a good ship tileset, but the town is beginning to resemble a town, which is always a good sign.

So what program am I using to create this headache masterpiece of modern gaming? RPG Maker VX by Enterbrain.  Yeah, it’s not the best for creating video games, but it’s good for someone like me with practically no knowledge of coding. This isn’t my first attempt at making a game with one of the RPG Makers, but this is my first real attempt with VX. Some features of it annoy me, but others are much easier to work with than in previous RPG Makers. I figured that, to show you how the project is coming along, I’d include some of my favorite gems of dialogue from what I’ve created so far.

So here we have a very rudimentary form of our favorite town, Gaia. This is the birthplace of our lovably sarcastic hero, the lackadaisical Ivan Rokata, and his flirtatious friend, Damien Arun. You will notice in the following screenshots that Ivan and Damien converse with NPC’s and with one another in some of the dialogue. Once I finish designing the town, I am going to make it so a Damien sprite will follow Ivan’s sprite around the town, and therefore Damien’s bits of dialogue won’t seem so out-of-place. But I haven’t gotten that far, yet. I think I’ll worry about finishing the town first.

So here are some screenshots for your viewing pleasure. Also, Ivan loves to snark, as you will soon see. All hail the snarktastic hero! (I personally love him.)

Ivan, king of snark (Click for larger):

Ivan kindly remembers his mother.

Damien tells his mother that he's been a perfect angel. Ivan snarks.

Ivan finds something in his not-so-secret admirer's drawer. This is better left to the imagination.

Ivan breaks the fourth wall.

Poor Ivan never gets a break.

Damien (The jokester):

IVAN: Tact, my ass.

I can't decide whether it's funnier in- or out-of-context.

That is all for now, ladies and gents. Enjoy.

Character 9 – Henna

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Full Name: Henna Rezala
Age: 14
Sex: Female
Height: 4′8″ (142 cm)
Weight: 100 lbs. (45.5 kg)
Hair: Light blond, braided
Eyes: Brown
Blood Type:B

Character Summary:

Henna is the final (main) playable character introduced in the game, but she joins the party before Mantis does.  She is the youngest princess of the small kingdom of Botia.  Rash and irresponsible, she is constantly getting herself into trouble and does not seem to care much.  After all, she has two older sisters who are more suitable to succeed the throne than she is.  Some in the kingdom see her as a nuisance, as she has actually sunk as low as thievery in order to garner attention.  Curiously enough, she is the only one of her three sisters to have inherited her parents’ earth magic.

As the people of Botia look up to the earth mage bloodline, Henna is shocked to hear that [Character X] is familiar with the earth mage’s son.  Therefore, when the group leaves Botia, Henna stows away on the ship and joins without giving the others a choice in the matter.  She claims that she is no longer welcome in Botia and that she wants to use her earth magic to fight for good.

In terms of character, she is rather childish and immature.  She often makes selfish decisions without considering others around her.  On the other hand, she is stubborn and is not frightened easily.  Once she warms up to them, she gets along well with others.  Aya becomes her closest friend, despite the fact that their personalities are opposites.  Henna is also cheerful and energetic, and she does not like gloomy situations.

Author’s Notes on this Character:

Henna is an interesting character to work with because she is the only one that really acts like a child, despite the fact that some of the others are not much older than her.  One of the themes throughout the story is how certain characters seem to have lost their childhoods at very early ages, but Henna stands as the sole exception to this idea.  Throughout the story, she becomes more mature and eventually abandons her childish ways.  She undergoes one of the most noticeable character developments in the story.

Character 8 – Ares

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Full Name: Ares Mitsaru
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Height: 6′2″ (188 cm)
Weight: 170 lbs. (77 kg)
Hair: Blue
Eyes: Hazel
Blood Type: O

Character Summary:

Similarly to Mantis, Ares does not join the party until a short time after he is first encountered in the game.  He sports a muscular build and favors physical power over magical strength.  He was accepted by the water phoenix at age 14 but never managed to refine his powers, as he he never had adequate instruction.  Despite this, his cousin Otessa accepts him as a fellow water apprentice and allows him to join his ruthless organization based on the principle that changing old laws leads to the destruction of a stable society.  Ares may be brainwashed by the propaganda of the organization, but his true reason for joining rests in the fact that he comes from the impoverished town of Miraga, which is still struggling to rebuild itself after a natural disaster.  He needs the money he is paid by the organization in order to help support his lower class family.

When the group is forcefully disbanded, Ares is left without a source of income but not without a plan.  He travels to Shar, where he pretends to be the water mage on a trip around the world.  He asks for donations to help with his travels, but his plan is quickly foiled by Ivan and the others, who are familiar with the true water mage.  To make matters worse, a group of dark magi had heard his claim, and they make an attempt on his life.  He is saved by the party, and joins for two reasons: to make up for claiming to be the water mage, and because he hopes to meet the famous water mage in person.  The water mage is, after all, revered in his hometown.

Ares has a positive, upbeat personality.  He has a history of being a bit of a skirt chaser, but this habit seems to disappear rather quickly for reasons unknown.  At heart, he is a fun guy with a big heart who is able to smile in the face of adversity.  He gets along with everyone fairly well, but he can be a bit dense at times.  He also has a hard time expressing himself clearly and is quick to give up on his own dreams, no matter how strongly he feels about them.

Author’s Notes on this Character:

Ares is another one of my favorite characters.  I think he kind of grew on me as I began to develop his character and background story more.  He isn’t very skilled with magic and makes stupid mistakes, but he takes it all very lightly and with a cheerful laugh.  He is also very fun to work with throughout the story – for instance, in one story arc, he falls in love with someone but keeps missing out on very important details because he is naturally dense.  I had to write out the script for this part ahead of time because Ares is just hilarious.

Character 7 – Aya

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Full Name: Aya Rotin
Age: 15
Sex: Female
Height: 5′3″ (160 cm)
Weight: 115 lbs. (52.3 kg)
Hair: Dark red, in a ponytail
Eyes: Blue
Blood Type:O

Character Summary:

Aya joins near the beginning of the second story arc.  She comes from the island of Winderis, an independent land with its own culture and beliefs.  Due to the traditional beliefs of the people, women in Winderis suffer from minimal rights and are considered to be solely homemakers.  This is unfortunate for young Aya, the daughter of Governor Sho Rotin.  When she was only an infant, her mother became extremely sick and passed away.  Though the matter was simply pushed aside by the village elders, Aya believes that her mother was poisoned because she was a poet who was very verbal about the unforgiving regulations set upon the townspeople.  Even fifteen years later, Aya bears bitter resentment against the authorities for her mother’s death and vows that she will change what her mother could not.

Aya has practiced swordsmanship in secret with her father since her mother’s death.  She is a young samurai, nimble and skilled with a katana.  Her father is also aware that she has an aptitude for wind magic, but he is unable to bring her to the temple in the mountains because the townsfolk keep an ever-watchful eye on the governor and his daughter.  Allowing a woman to learn wind magic would be unacceptable in Winderis’s culture, and it would certainly result in their assassination by the local clan designated to take care of troublemakers.  Neither the father nor the daughter take any action until [Character X] arrives on the island.  With his/her help, Aya is able to go to the temple to receive her magical powers.  Also, because of this character’s strong influence, the clan is disbanded and the townsfolk decide to abandon tradition and become more open to change.  As thanks for this remarkable transformation, the governor sends Aya off with [Character X].  He also knows that Aya has an important destiny in store for her, and he hopes that she will be able to improve her wind magic and help restore the world.

In terms of character, Aya is rather calm and collected.  However, she is always initially distrustful of others and it takes her awhile to adjust to changes.  She never really has a hard time getting along with anyone, but she is at the same time rather ruthless in her personal judgments of others.  She can act like a child at times, but for the most part, she is mature and level-headed.

Author’s notes on this Character:

Aya is one of my favorite characters.  She usually seems rather cold and apathetic, but at times, her childish side shines through and she becomes overly excited or overly emotional about things.  She is the only female main character with a normally “cold” personality.  The culture that she comes from is fun to write about, and I like her background story and how it has affected her personality.

Character 6 – Mantis

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Also Note: [Character X] can mean one of two things.  It either means <insert character here>, or it means that the character is a spoiler.

Full Name: Mantis Sei Dirgan
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Height: 5′11″ (180 cm)
Weight: 144 lbs. (65.5 kg)
Hair: Dark brown, long
Eyes: Brown
Blood Type:A

Character Summary:

Mantis is encountered relatively early in the game (about the middle of the first arc), but he does not join the party until much later (after [Character 7], [Character 8], and [Character 9]).  He is skilled with rapiers and light swords and comes from a faraway place called Enles.  Because his hometown is in fact a self-governed nation under the jurisdiction of the fire phoenix, the people there have learned to distrust outsiders, especially those with powers granted by the water phoenix.  Since his father is a very important person, Mantis is put through an extensive amount of training in order to become a powerful warrior.  His chance to prove himself comes at the annual “Champion of Zanoa” tournament held on the main continent.  He reveals that he must win or his father will view him as a disgrace to all of Enles.  Unfortunately, [Character X] of Ivan’s party defeats him in the tournament, as the prize money is needed for an urgent matter.

The next time Mantis is encountered is in Enles, where he is somehow in a coma.  His father is distraught, worried that he will fade away to nothing.  He is rescued from the coma by [Character X], and it is later revealed that he was put under a curse when he discovered a hatching plot that would result in Enles being handed over to evil men.  After everything has been resolved, he becomes a permanent part of the party as thanks for the salvation of his hometown.  He also hopes to become stronger in order to be accepted by his father, and he wishes to help protect other places against the growing influence of [Spoiler!...Ok, well, "evil" works here too.] .

Mantis is similar to Ivan in some respects, but completely different in others.  He is a bit on the quiet side and has a competitive nature that drives him to test his skills against other swordsmen, even those of greater ability.  His sword style is one that was devised in order to combat the former fighting style of the water mage bloodline.  He gets along well with Ivan and considers him a friendly rival.  He is trustworthy and earnest, and he can be counted on to get things done.  He also possesses fire magic, and he seems to have feelings for Alexandria.

Author’s Notes about this Character:

There’s not much to be said about him that wasn’t included in the character description.  He’s fun to work with because he provides a much-needed, unbiased voice of reason to the mix when it seems like everyone else is falling apart at the seams.  I also like this type of character…the noble young warrior who seeks to become stronger.  I think I watch a little too much anime. ^^;

Character 5 – Craig

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Full Name: Craig Sarishin
Age: ??
Sex: Male
Height: 6′ (183 cm)
Weight: 150 lbs. (68.2 kg)
Hair: Black, untidy
Eyes: Gray
Blood Type: AB

Character Summary:

Craig is your typical silent-type character.  He first meets the party at the Gale Temple and joins merely because he is intrigued by their vain hopes of defeating the water mage.  This is not his only motive: he knows what will happen once Ivan’s quest is over, and he plans to use this window of opportunity in order to achieve his own hidden goals.

He rarely ever opens his mouth to talk; but when he does, a witty, critical remark is usually the result.  He is distrusted by most as he refuses to reveal his goals and ambitions and claims to just follow along because things “seem fun”.  He is not one to rush into things or act without thinking.  In fact, he is actually rather intelligent beneath his cold exterior.

Lastly, Craig is a powerful apprentice with the power to manipulate the wind.  He is also skilled in a rare type of magic capable of speeding up, slowing down, stopping, and even reversing time.  Why and how he learned how to use this magic is unknown, but it is the reason why Ivan allows him to come along on the quest despite the fact that he seems untrustworthy at best.

Craig’s intentions and back story become more clear as the story reaches the end of its first arc (there are three “books” in total), but I won’t touch on that yet.

Author’s Notes about this Character:

There’s really not much more that can be said about Craig.  He makes an interesting plot element (kekeke), and I usually use him for wry humor in the script.  He is level headed and is therefore able to see matters from all sides, but as a result, he is extremely critical and likes to point out harsh realities and character flaws.  Unlike Damien and Alex, who joke with everyone but tend to heckle Ivan the most, Craig does not care who he is scrutinizing.  If he has something that he needs to say, he says it…and usually nothing more.  I like him.  He’s funny.~_^

Character 4 – Alex

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Full Name: Alexandria Maria Pyris
Age: 20
Sex: Female
Height: 5′6″ (168 cm)
Weight: 125 lbs. (56.8 kg)
Hair: Reddish-brown, kept in a ponytail
Eyes: Brown
Blood Type:B

Character Summary:

Alex, like Marinas, winds up in Gaia on Ivan’s birthday, but she has an important reason for being there.  She hails from Volcanus, a town far to the east, and has come to Gaia in order to find medicine for her sick brother.  Tomboyish and cheerful, she instantly takes a liking to Ivan when she meets him and feels indebted to him for showing her where to get what she needs to save her brother’s life.  She carries a bow and a quiver full of arrows on her back and is a talented marksman.  She also introduces herself and proves her might as the daughter of the fire mage on the ship from Gaia to the mainland, as she helps protect the ship alongside Ivan and Damien.

Despite her cheerful nature, Alexandria harbors a deep resentment for water magi.  This is due to an event in her childhood where the water mage travelled to Volcanus just to issue a challenge to Alex’s father, the fire mage.  Beside the water mage was his daughter, a pathetic girl who lacked even the ability to smile because of the torment that the water mage had put her through as a child.  Upon witnessing this man’s cruelty toward his daughter and his overwhelming defeat of the fire mage, Alex instantly developed a profound hatred for the water mage and all of the people in some way related to him.  However, this prejudice plays an important role in helping Ivan understand the true nature of humans and, furthermore, the nature of the quest that he is on.

In conjunction with her cheerful and peppy nature, Alex is also a bit mischevous.  Similar to Damien, she enjoys heckling others, especially Ivan because he is “fun”.  She also has a detailed knowledge of most things related to magi and the elements due to her upbringing as the fire mage’s heir.  Like Ivan, she is stubborn and will not admit defeat easily.  Of course, this also means that she has a difficult time accepting new things or admitting that others are right.  She is fiery and quick to anger, but she is in fact a very logical person who treasures her family and friends above all else…even if she won’t admit it!

Alex finally joins Ivan as a solid party member when the group leaves Volcanus.  She has promised her father that she will keep an eye on Ivan in order to make sure that his quest results in a better world and to make sure that Ivan improves his swordsmanship along the way.

Author’s Notes about this Character:

There’s not much that I have left to say about Alex.  I think she kind of speaks for herself.  She is the mandatory “cheerful” character in the story, although she has a twist.  She is extremely biased about water magi, and this results in huge problems later on (but I won’t go into that yet!).  Let’s just say that she causes a lot of drama from time to time.  She’s fun, though.  Kind of reminds me of Aika from Skies of Arcadia.

Character 3 – Marinas

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance…with the exception of this character, who makes a brief appearance at the beginning of the game.

Full Name: Marinas Tsuikata
Age: 16-17
Sex: Female
Height: 5′7″ (170 cm)
Weight: 116 lbs. (52.7 kg)
Hair: Light brown, a bit longer than shoulder-length
Eyes: Green
Blood Type: Unknown

Character Summary:

Marinas is an unusual foreigner who washed ashore along with the wreckage of a sunken ship on Ivan’s birthday. She will not reveal much about herself other than where she comes from, a distant town called “Marinas” (No, that isn’t a typo.) . Though she is young, Marinas seems to possess almost supernatural knowledge about things that others know little about. She is extremely polite, and her tendency to attach honorifics to people’s names puzzles those who are not familiar with the customs of the town of Marinas. She also has a very kind and generous personality, and one of her greatest joys is being able to make others smile. Because of this, she always tries to act happy and optimistic no matter what the circumstances. No matter how hard she tries to act this way, however, she cannot entirely hide her darker side. In actuality, Marinas is a very docile and meek girl who keeps countless griefs and dilemmas bottled up inside.

Despite her weak appearance, Marinas is a surprisingly competent fighter. She claims to be self-trained, but she fights as if she has been doing it all of her life. Her weapon of choice is a glaive. Marinas also possesses strange healing powers which she claims are common among the people of her hometown.

On the outside, Marinas appears to be nearly flawless. She is genuinely sweet and motherly, and she springs into action when those dear to her are in trouble. She gets along well with others and is not quick to judge people. She teems with natural beauty and purity of soul. In fact, many characters in the game remark that she seems too good to be true. But, as one learns more about her, the dark aspects of her personality begin to emerge as well as some character flaws so severe that other characters have to intervene in order to keep her from making any reckless decisions. (You can fill in the blanks with your own imagination for the time being. Marinas remains a rather mysterious character for most of the game and her background story is rather complex and spoiler-filled.) Another one of Marinas’s greatest flaws is her natural weakness of character and her tendency to give up hope whenever something seems beyond her ability.

Marinas is a central character. Look forward to seeing the role that she will play in this story!

Author’s Notes on this Character:

As you may have already guessed by the webpage URL, Marinas is my absolute favorite character. She is a direct slap in the face to authors who create “perfect” characters who fit their appropriate stereotype and rarely ever make a misstep or show signs of weakness. Characters without flaws are not realistic characters. In a relaxed situation, Marinas may act like your typical weak female, but she has a tendency to become overwhelmingly serious from time to time and is extraordinarily skilled in combat. (What? A healer-type character who can fight?!). Her flaws are extreme; I did not pull any punches when deciding what her personality would be like. Yes, she is the most severely flawed character in the game, followed by either Ivan or maybe [Character #4]. Maybe.

In the beginning of the game, Marinas seems too good to be true. We learn about her flaws later in the game, especially when things start getting tough for her. Like Ivan, she is also a very dynamic character. She’s also fun to work with because…well…she’s just too damn cute. Plus, she has an interesting story behind her. All shall be revealed in good time.

Character 2 – Damien

Note: Characters are numbered in order of in-game appearance.

Full Name: Damien Arun
Age: 19
Sex: Male
Height: 5′11″ (180 cm)
Weight: 145 lbs. (64.9 kg)
Hair: Dusty brown, shorter and more spiked than Ivan’s
Eyes: Hazel
Blood Type: O

Character Summary:

Damien has been Ivan’s friend since childhood. Though the two are exact opposites of one another, Damien is about the only person that Ivan gets along well with. While Ivan is cold and not afraid to state the harsh truth, Damien is rather sociable and is always considerate of others. He is also a bit of a flirt, never hesitating to compliment a pretty woman when he sees her. Despite this, he does not usually make serious advances or try to cause trouble. The exception to this is [Character #3], whom he instantly takes a liking to and flirts with just to mess with Ivan’s mind. He is a bit of a joker at times and is always heckling Ivan about something or another, primarily his hatred of women.

Despite his fun-loving personality, Damien is actually a rather serious and sincere person. He is one of the few people who know what Ivan went through as a child that led to his dramatic change of character. He is also perhaps the reason that Ivan was able to keep his sanity after his friend’s death. Talented with people, Damien is not one to fling insults around and tries to help out however he can. Unfortunately, his softhearted nature is his greatest weakness. He could never fight an opponent that he has some kind of connection to.

While Damien’s melee combat skills are superior to Ivan’s, he is unable to use magic. He is also quite the coward and tries to avoid conflicts at any cost. Though usually optimistic, terrifying battles and countless near brushes with death begin to take their toll on him after he and Ivan leave Gaia. Frightened and feeling powerless due to his lack of magical powers, Damien convinces himself that he is just a burden on his companions and that each fight will probably mean the end of his life.

Author’s Notes on this Character:

Usually, I don’t like including the stereotypical lady’s man in my stories. They’re too predictable and can even get a little annoying after a while. That’s why I tried to make Damien into a not-so-typical lady’s man. While he will make a flirtatious comment from time to time (particularly to [Character #3]), he is very mindful of what he is saying and usually does it because he likes to make others smile and feel good about themselves. This is the same reason that he heckles Ivan so much. There is a reason that he became this way, but it would be a spoiler if I posted that right now.

Anyway, Character #3’s description will have to come tomorrow. Working on this idea blog has made me sleepy. It’s a bad place to leave off because Character #3 is the best one. You’ll see. ~_^