/Begin emo post.

Love sucks. Period.

I’ve been seeing this guy for two years, and I’ve known him longer than that. It wasn’t an easy relationship. His work schedule was so crazy that we usually never got to see each other or even talk to one another. There were times when we’d go for weeks, even months without talking. It was a painful relationship, but I loved him, so I was willing to put up with it. To me, suffering through the long distance relationship was worth it because sometime in the future we would be able to be together, even if we had to wait. That was the decision that I made.

But lately, it happened again. We lost touch with one another. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Soon, it had already been four months since we last were able to get together and spend time with each other. And I was going through a very emotional point of my life. I wanted to talk to him so bad, but I couldn’t. There was no one I could turn to, because my friends wouldn’t want to hear about all of my stresses, and my family situation is…unusual, to say the least.

So he made his decision.

Last night, he cut off the relationship. He sent me an email, telling me that I was a great girl and all of this stuff that he never would have told me if we were sitting face-to-face. He said that he couldn’t stand how bad he was hurting me, and that he knew he had to end the relationship because he knew that I was suffering and that he was just making things worse, and that stressed him out and made him feel bad in response. Ugh…Why does it have to happen all at once like this? I loved the man, even if it was true that he didn’t treat me as an ideal boyfriend would. I really loved him. I wanted to wait. And now it’s gone.  All gone.

/End emo post.

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.

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.

First of all, The Phoenix Blog is not dead. In fact, you should expect it to get busier from here on out. In addition to information on characters, lore, and other such things, you should expect to see more personal blog-type updates (because I know that you sadists out there love to read those) and bits and pieces of a new project that I am working on. How big is this project? Quite. And no, it’s not that scanlation that I talked about in an earlier post. Unfortunately, that’s a little too time-consuming for me at the moment, and I have other things that I’d rather be working on.

Then what is this exciting project, you ask? Well, wait about 30-60 minutes more and you’ll probably find out. It relates to the apple of my eye, the wonderful nonexistent game known as Phoenix: Tears of Hope. Of course, by the time that the next visitor stumbles upon this random little site, I’m sure that I’ll have at least five more posts typed out over a period of a month or two. But regardless, it’s exciting stuff. Look forward to it.

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.

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.

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.

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. ^^;

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.~_^

Oh, and the manga?  Basara (or Legend of Basara, depending on whether you’re familiar with the manga or the anime series that was cut short.)