TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
He's talking about 9/11 and Frank Miller's Holy Terror comic that he made in response to the event. A lot of people have problems with that comic(I can't speak to it since I haven't read it) and I believe Miller himself has said that he regrets writing it.
Not just Holy Terror. Stuff like The Dark Knight Strikes Again and All-Star Batman and Robin just further increased Frank Miller's downfall as an artist (As well as increasing the belief that some people have about Batman, which is a crazy lunatic who beats children).
Not just Holy Terror. Stuff like The Dark Knight Strikes Again and All-Star Batman and Robin just further increased Frank Miller's downfall as an artist (As well as increasing the belief that some people have about Batman, which is a crazy lunatic who beats children).
Which is a shame since Frank Miller clearly had talent. His work in Daredevil really reframed in many ways the way many people looked at the character. Batman: Year One was an amazing re-introduction to Batman as well as to his relationships with his closest allies. Sin City as an anthology work is just jaw droppingly gorgeous in both story and themes that I sometimes wonder how the heck was the second film not as popular as the first.
Which is a shame since Frank Miller clearly had talent. His work in Daredevil really reframed in many ways the way many people looked at the character. Batman: Year One was an amazing re-introduction to Batman as well as to his relationships with his closest allies. Sin City as an anthology work is just jaw droppingly gorgeous in both story and themes that I sometimes wonder how the heck was the second film not as popular as the first.
In my opinion Frank Miller is one of those artists whose reputation got to their heads and given who he is nobody tried to get him down to earth until he started to do things that stained his name
In my opinion Frank Miller is one of those artists whose reputation got to their heads and given who he is nobody tried to get him down to earth until he started to do things that stained his name
Emily Gallagher was always loved reading books, especially fantasy and science fiction. Her favorit work was the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which she had read for more than a dozen times before even finishing highschool. And that was after reading The Hobbit more than half as many times as that.
During her first year studying literature in university, that's when Star Wars came out, and she was drawn into it like a moth to flames. After that she consumed everything Lucasfilm. When became obsessed with all the new sci-fi universes that she was exposed to, from Star Wars to Gundam and Macross, she was stuck to the television screen far more than she liked.
After finishing university, she spent the next year learning Japanese just to move to Japan, where she took courses to learn how to draw in the Japanese artstyle. She met a few artists and writers who shared many of her interests in fantasy and science fiction (especially Lucasfilm related products).
In 1983, Emily's world changed drastically when she bought and played something that truly inspired her: Final Fantasy on the Sega Genesis.
The very idea that there was an entire medium to tell stories that are far more interactivity with the audience was jaw-dropping to her, not to mention that the story and art by themselves were utterly incredible. While keeping herself afloat by publishing short stories and selling paintings, she kept on replaying the game as much as she could.
Not long after, she watched Dune Part I in theaters, reigniting her passion and love for sci-fi. She spent the next week reading every book in the franchise... though she was put off by the human-sandworm hybrid.
Just... ew.
By Febuary of 1984, she moved back to the States and went on to a job application at LucasArts only a day after. Luckily for her, she managed to be one of the lucky ones and got the job of a translator. The next two years she spent time working hard, socializing with co-workers and writing her own little side project. During that time she even switched jobs to animator, in which she had much harder time.
Finally, by early 1987, she finally managed to come up with a story which she wanted to share with the entire world. Not one as magnificent as Final Fantasy, not as complex as Lord of the Rings, not even a Good vs Evil story done as well as the Star Wars Trilogy.
...but this was her story, one she put blood, sweat and tears into.
Video Game Pitch: Frozen Flame
Game Developer (Potentially/Hopefully): LucasArts Entertainment
Platform: Sega Genesis
Genre: Role-Playing Game, Adventure
Setting: The game takes place in a world known as Maheival, in which 1,000 years ago a group of heroes defeated the tyrannical Demon King Rhakival. They then seperated his body parts and sealed them all in different locations around the world, while sealing his soul inside a vessel.
Ever since then, four great nations rose to power: The Imperial Theocracy of Gallheart, the Kingdom of Eutophya, the Magitocracy of Porwest and the Kingdom of Acruse.
After a long and damaging war between the nations, there was a long period of peace, however, with the invention of the musket rifles by Gallheart, they have been showing signs of aggressions, while monsters who were created in the era of the demon king start crawling out of the shadows and cause havoc.
In the Imperial Theocracy of Gallheart, an imperial knight by the name of Zeigfried is summoned by Grand Hierophant Adrian, who informs him of rising activity of ancient demons who served the demon king in the old tales, believing that the demon would soon return. He requests that Zegfried gathers a small party to search and retrieve the body parts of the demon king, believing himself to be the prophesized savior to destroy the demon once and for all. He also claims that his spies found evidence that the Magitocracy of Porwest are hidding the vessel of the demon king's soul, and orders Seigfried to sneak into the nation and kill the vessel in order to prevent the ressurection of the demon king.
Seigfried, completely loyal to his charismatic leader and zealotly believes his claims, agrees to all of his orders and vows to complete them fully in order for his ruler to fulfil the prophecy and save the world by preventing the return of the demon king. He forms a small group consisting of a mage and childhood friend Anabelle and a pilot of a Wing Ship by the name of Bruno.
They start traveling around all four nations, trying to find the locations of the body parts of the demon king. All the while, they fight off demons and bandits, protecting villages but also try to escape from official forces of other nations to prevent being caught and accidentally starting a war.
As their journey goes on, they recruite 9 other companions: a villager named Hector and his sister Helena, a priestess by the name of Jacque, a Wind Pirate named of Mozu, an exorcist by the name of Christa, traveling mage Aimée, an aging soldier by the name of Kenza and a reclusive singer Elinor and her apprentice Vincent.
After a long period of travels, they collect all the sealed body parts of the demon king and killing their eternal guardians, as well as slaying many demons, they reach Porwest and manage to find where the "Sacred Maiden", whom Seigfried is sure is the vessel of the demon king's soul. They infiltrate the manor in which she resides and prepare to slay her. Seigfried, however, finds himself incapable of delivering a killing blow.
Unfortunately for them they are discovered and a battle ensues, in which the Sacred Maiden is killed by accident. The event traumatizes Seigfried so much that he closes his heart and becomes consumed by his zealotry and his desire to finish the mission as he vowed.
On the way back towards Gallheart, the group's ship is attack twice. The first time they are assaulted by an Acrusian Wind Ship. Seigfried, desperate to end his journey, orders to kill all enemy combatants, which the party reluctantly does. However, the ship pilot manages to escape, leading to him warning his nation of Gallaheart's aggression.
The second time they are attacked by a large group of demons, lead by a powerful Curse Dragon. When they are defeated, Seigfried believes that they were desperately trying to prevent their master's body arriving before Heriophant Adrian, cementing the knight's belief in Adrian as the prophecised savior of the world.
When the group arrives before the Grand Heriophant with the body parts of the demon king, the heriophant reveals that he is actually Rhakival, the demon king. He tells how Adrian was his soul's vessel and how the original heriophant's soul has long been consumed. He break's Seigfried mentally as he boasts how he fooled him by sending the Curse Dragon and how he will conquer the world with an army of demons and how he believes the Porwest's Sacred Maiden was the prophecized savior. In a last bit of insult, he tells Seigfried that he will make sure that the world will remember him and his companions as followers of the demon king who brought the darkness upon the world. Afterwards he seemengly kills Seigfried and the remaining members of the group try to escape.
They either all survive and flee for their lives, only some surviving the horrible encounter or are all killed.
The demon king Rhakival then restores his old body and his soul leaves Adrian's body, reviving himself at full power.
As 20 years passed since the revival of the demon king Rhakival. The world is fighting and struggling for survival as nation after nation fall to demon-possessed Gallheartians and monsters, all the while the original companions of Seigfried are all killed off either fighting demons or by the hands of the humans who blamed them for the demon king's return.
Their children, led by Leon and Gertrude, the twin children of Seigfried, try and search secret dungeons for places to find powerful relics to help them survive against the demon hordes. They manage to find a strange shard with the appearance of a frozen fire. However the shard suddenly flies at the twins, with one pushing the over away (the player gets to decide which) and the shard being absorbed into the body of the one it hit.
As the twin who receives the shard is confused about what happened, a spirit appears before them, explaining that her name is Elyria, the goddess of life and death, and that the shard was just one of 10 that together create the Frozen Flame, a fraction of her divine power meant to help humanity destroy Rhakival once and for all. She explained that the prophecy which humanity created as not fully correct, as anyone with a pure heart and a desire to defeat the demon king may acquire the powers of the shard.
With that knowledge, the party goes to search for the 9 remaining shards of the Frozen Flame.
They travel across the world on the newly upgraded Wind Ship their parents used, moving from one place to another while fighting demons to save as many people as possible and find a place where those survivors can be protected, all the while searching deep within the most dangerous of dungeons for shards of the Frozen Flames, gaining them after fighting a powerful guardian or solving a puzzle.
When they collect 7 shards, Elyria tells them that the location of the 8th shard, but warns them that getting it would be the most dangerous thus far. They go into a highest mountain in the world, where they find an ancient, massive cathedral which was the first to use magic-powered architecture. In the cathedral they confront the giant chimera Echidna. She talks to the heroes, revealing that the last 3 shards are in possession of her and the two strongest subordinates of the demon king, with herself being given the terrible fate of a broodmother, to eternally give birth to more monsters to serve as cannon fodder in his army. The group fights and kills her, retrieving the 8th shard.
After the confrontation, they find out that the base they built for the humans they saved throughout their journey are attacked by a horde of demons, led by a possessed Seigfried, now serving as the left hand of the demon king.
As they fight the army, Leon and Gertrude try to reason with their father and see if perhaps his soul is still there. During the battle it's revealed that while not in control of the movements of his body, Seigfried is fully aware of everything's that's happening. He learns who they are and how they stand against the demon king despite the odds. He also tells them an abridged version of his story, showing how ashamed he was and why he fights so little against the being that controls his body Seigfriend is still a broken man, his faith completely shattered. But eventually his hope is somewhat reignited, giving him the strength regain control of his body long enough to kill himself, giving his children the 9th shard.
They then finally arrive to what used to be the capital city of Gallheart, where they are immediately confronted by the right hand of the demon king, the possessed Corpse of the Grand Hierophant Adrian. They manage to slay him and claim the last shard, giving the group the power to destroy the demon king.
When they reach the palace, Leon, Gertrude and their companions confront Rhakival and promise to destroy him to the point that he will never return, vowing to tell the truth of the story of their parents. In a climactic and hard-fought battle, they manage to kill Rhakival, with the twin possessing the Frozen Flame landing the finishing blow, destroying the demon king's body and soul completely.
In the aftermath humanity slowly starts to push back and fight off the demons and throughout the years begin rebuilding the world anew, now free from from the evil of the demon king forever, and with the party of heroes becoming figures of admiration and myth just like the original heroes.
Seigfried (Class: Knight) - A royal knight of the Imperial Theocracy of Gallheart, Seigfried is an honorable warrior who desires helping the weak, which gets him the love and respect of many of his companions. Yet he is also a zealot who will not take insults to his people, religion or leaders kindly. His father used to abuse him and he was eventually adopted by the church after his father was branded as a heretic. The kind treatment he received from the head priest caused him to attach himself in such a way to the faith.
Anabelle (Class: Musketeer) - A childhood friend of Seigfried and a member of the rifleman unit, Anabelle is strong willed and passionate about what she wants. She is the one who forces Seigfried to join his quest, which she reveals she can be a bit overbearing. She always wanted to be in the military because she hated the idea of being a passive housewife like her mother and admired her aunt who was a general, seeing her as what all women should aspire to.
Bruno (Class: Rogue) - A pilot of the Wind Ship Windraker (which he named), Bruno is a cynical man who does work for monetary rewards, believing that rulers are simply two-faced bastards who want to abuse their authority over the lower classes, causing him and Seigfried to butt heads plenty of times. Despite appearing as a silent jerk, he cares about the poor and is loyal to the people he befriends, which comes from his past as a street rat who joined a gang of like-minded kids in order to get the food they needed to survive the streets of Gestrad (the capital of Gallheart).
Hector (Class: Mage) - A young man who hails from a small village on the fringes of the kingdom of Acruse, Hector is a jovial and friendly guy who had shown talents in the arcane arts since he was a boy and has been helping the local militia to defend the village from demons ever since his father's disappearance. Said disappearance of his father is a sore spot for him as he never even got word that he died, so his fate was unknown. However he fears that not being happy is a weakness and thus always tries to stay optimistic.
Helena (Class: Knight) - The younger sister of Hector, Helena is a no-nonsense kind of girl who is talented with a sword. She usually offsets her brother with her own snarkiness and her bravery is second to none. She hates how her brother seems to think that he needs to defend her and not the other way around, believing that he looks down on her. Her greatest desire is that he'll see her as an equal, which causes her to do things rashly at times.
Jacque (Class: Priest) - A priest from the Orthodox branch of the Church of Elyria inthe kingdom of Eutophya, he is a firm believer in the tenant of healing, which made him mostly a healer. Yet despite appearing weak, he is not afraid of death and will stand and fight whenever people in need are threatened. He joins the group because he is convinced by the strength of Seigfried's belief. He himself used to be a brigand, but upon surviving what would have been a fatal injury caused him to leave behind life as a criminal and devout himself fully to the goddess.
Mozu (Class: Rogue) - A pirate who hails from the Magitocracy of Porwest, Mozu is an adventurous, tough-as-nails, air-headed and chirpy individual who believes that the greatest thing in the world is freedom, as she goes around on a Wind Ship and simply does what she wants, only resorting to piracy because she needed money and food. She hates the Magitocracy because of its strangling tradinionalist mindset that she feels binded and is more than happy to help Seigfried on his quest.
Christa (Class: Priest) - An exorcist who serves in the Imperial branch of the Church of Elyria in the Imperial Theocracy of Gallheart, Christa is a naive zealot who joins Seigfried on his quest after he helps her slay demons in the Gallheartian countryside. Much like Seigfried, she believes that the Grand Hierophant is the prophecized savior of the world and the mouth of the goddess. She was an orphan who was raised by the church since she was a baby, and takes great amount of joy in exorcism, which she sees as saving the soul of an individual.
Aimée (Class: Mage) - A mage who travels across her home kingdom of Eutophya, Aimée is a shy and nervous young woman who is scared of being in the presence of large crowds and especially nervous around men, to which her exceptional beauty has attracted many suitors. She loves nature and wants to see the world, thus she travels by herself or with merchants, which helps her accomplish her dreams, which is why she also joins Seigfried. She is also has a rather large appetite.
Kenza (Class: Musketeer) - A grumpy, middle-aged man who hails from Porwest, he used to admire the mages who ruled his nation, seeing them as honorable and powerful warriors of justice. However, when he joined the military he was persecuted for his lack of magical ability, leading to his eventual desertion. Sometime afterwards, he managed to take a musket from a Gallheartian soldier. Now he joins Seigfried to take revenge on the arrogant mages. While he appears to be a jerk, he pushes others to believe in themselves and see their true worth, especially the younger members of the party.
Elinor (Class: Bard) - A former singer who hails from the Kingdom of Acruse, she is a morose woman who yearns for the times before her voice was damaged, she travels across the land with her apprentice and plays the lute to whoever she meets. Despite her melancholy, she is a kind-hearted person, though she only joins Seigfried on his quest in the hopes of finding the Fountain of Respite, which could restore her voice. She also has some trust issues as in the past she was exploited by her manager and former lover.
Vincent (Class: Bard) - Vincent is Elinor's apprentice, who first saw one of her performances in the opera house and came to view her as his idol, only to meet her years later. Now as the singer of the duo, he is easily swayed by people he grows to admire, and comes to admire the rest of the party for their determination and loyalty and friendships that they develop towards one another. He also had a completely normal childhood and a uneventful past.
Leon - The son of Seigfried, he is brave and blunt, prefering to be honest and straightforward rather than hide behind politeness and platitude. He shows nothing but destain towards any mention of his father, refusing to believe his mother's words and stories of the type of character that Seigfried was, preferring to see him as an evil man who acted as a puppet for the demon king. Despite his hatred for his father, he is kind hearted and strong of will, wishing to protect the weak and take down the demon king. (Classes): Knight -> Hero (if Helena is his mother)
Swashbuckler -> Gun Warrior (if Anabelle is his mother)
Magic Knight -> Arcane Blade (if Aimée is his mother)
Assassin -> Shadowstalker (if Mozu is his mother)
White Knight -> Templar (if Christa is his mother)
Duelist -> Warrior Poet (if Elinor is his mother)
Gertrude - The daughter of Seigfried, she is far more polite than her brother and far more prone to fooling others. She also wants to believe her mother about who their father was and wants to believe that he is alive and that there is good in him. As the older twin, she is protective of her brother and is incredibly worried for his safety, especially if he is the one who gains the power of Frozen Flame. She also acted to him as a motherly figure after their mother died, so she is incredibly attached to him. (Classes): Knight -> Hero (if Helena is her mother)
Swashbuckler -> Gun Warrior (if Anabelle is her mother)
Magic Knight -> Arcane Blade (if Aimée is her mother)
Assassin -> Shadowstalker (if Mozu is her mother)
White Knight -> Templar (if Christa is her mother)
Duelist -> Warrior Poet (if Elinor is her mother)
Gabriel - The daughter of Bruno (if he survived Part 1), she is what people consider the "sunshine of the group", with her overly happy demeanor to hide the trauma of witnessing the death of her parents. She is daring and a talented pilot who does her best to keep morale up and making sure that the Windraker is always at tip top shape. She loves her mother dearly and idolizes what her father was, not caring for who he was as a person. (Classes): Rogue -> Ninja (if Mozu is her mother)
Assassin -> Shadowstalker (if Helena is her mother)
Noble Thief -> Divine Criminal (if Christa is her mother)
Arcane Thief -> Shadow Sage (if Aimée is her mother)
Rifleman -> Sharpshooter (if Anabelle is her mother)
Charlatan -> Trickster (if Elinor is her mother)
Aaron - The son of Hector (if he survived Part 1), he is all but the opposite of his father. He is vindictive, cold, dismissive and spiteful of humanity, all a result of watching as his father, mother and aunt were killed by the very people his father grew up with. He does grow eventually to see the goodness in humanity and do his best to save them from the forces of evil. (Classes):
Mage -> Archmage (if Aimée is his mother)
Magic Gunner -> Cannon Wizard (if Anabelle is his mother)
Holy Mage -> Wizard Saint (if Christa is his mother)
Arcane Thief -> Shadow Sage (if Mozu is his mother)
Word Mage -> Soothsinger (if Elinor is his mother
Magrit - The daughter of Jacque (if he Survived Part 1), she is a shy and inquisitive young woman who's faith had been shattered during her childhood by the forces of evil slowly taking over the world, with her father and mother dying to keep demons away from her. She is unsure if to trust the being who claims to be Elyria that resides within one of the twins, but as she learns more of the deity and what she truly values in humanity, her faith is restored and she gain the confidence to take on the full force of the demon king's minions. (Classes):
Priest -> Archbishop (if Christa is her mother)
White Knight -> Templar (if Helena is her mother)
Noble Thief -> Divine Criminal (if Mozu is her mother)
Holy Mage -> Wizard Saint (if Aimée is her mother)
Church Gunner -> Chevalier (if Anabelle is her mother)
Choirboy -> Enchantress (if Elinor is her mother)
Sora - The son of Kenza (if he survived Part 1), he is the youngest member of the group and is hot tempered and easily offended, especially when someone remarks about his relatively young age or short stature. He is loud, obnoxious but also a lot of fun to be around when in a good mood, as he spends a lot of time around the more optimistic members of the group. He refuses to talk about his parents, as his mother's death was not many years prior to the plot, but he is head strong and determined to avenge her. (Classes):
Musketeer -> Sniper (if Anabelle is his mother)
Swashbuckler -> Gun Warrior (if Helena is his mother)
Rifleman -> Sharpshooter (if Mozu is his mother)
Magic Gunner -> Cannon Wizard (if Aimée is his mother)
Church Gunner -> Chevalier (if Christa is his mother)
Scoundrel -> Minstrel (if Elinor is his mother)
Linda - The daughter of Vincent (if he survived Part 1), She is a woman who had to struggle by hiding her identity and taking to the streets as a singer, and desires to reach a point where she writes and sings a song that would be remembered after her own death, knowing it could come at any day. She is narrow and single-minded and isn't particularly thrilled to be on the front lines among the group. However, she finds the bravery of the party to be her muse to try and find her perfect song. (Classes):
Bard -> Troubadour (if Elinor is her mother)
Duelist -> Warrior Poet (if Helena is her mother)
Scoundrel -> Minstrel (if Anabelle is her mother)
Charlatan -> Trickster (if Mozu is her mother)
Choirboy -> Enchantress (if Christa is her mother)
Word Mage -> Soothsinger (if Aimée is her mother)
Trevor (Class: Warrior -> Hero) - A leader of a local ressistance group formed by a boy who's father was saved by Seigfried in Part 1, he fights to make sure as many people survive and he is the one most adament about defending human lives. He is stoic, silent (for the most part) and he prefers taking actions over wasting time debating on what to do. He is the most conflicted with the group's journey, believing it to be a goose chase that takes their attention from what really matters.
Hozuki (Class: Mage -> Archmage): The former heir of the Magitocracy of Porwest, he decides to let bygones be bygones and join the group in order to defeat the demon king and restore the world. While he was a kid when the evil was restored, he spent years fighting demons and thus the most experienced. He is level-headed, patient and wise, yet is bogged down by a traditional mindset of Porwest that gets him into many arguments with other party members.
Jeanette (Rogue -> Ninja): A thief from the former kingdom of Eutophya, she survived trying to steal what she could from others, especially from possessed Gallheartians. She joins the group in the hopes of making a fortune for herself so that in the world that would hopefully would have no demon king, she would live a life of luxury. She is shrewed and loves to tease, as well as throw sarcastic remarks in a passive-agressive manner.
Dietrich (Class: Musketeer -> Sniper): A refugee who escaped Gallheart with his parents as it was being overrun with demons, he spent traveling around the world trying to escape the wrath of not only demons, but the people who view all members of his former nations to be evil. At first he tries to hunt down and kill the party for Seigfried's crimes, but eventually joins them when he learns of their mission. He is very insecure and easily frightened, but when he finds his resolve, he is among the bravest of them all.
Xillizia (Class: Golem -> Divine Automaton): An ancient statue found in the dungeon of the 3rd shard of the Frozen Flame, she is awakened by the power of Elyria. An adventurous, childlike personality in a body of a woman baked clay with an armor of metal, she desires to see the world now that she had gained life, wishing to know everything there is to know. Not knowing the difference between right or wrong, she learns about human rational, emotions and morality as she travels across the land with the party.
The gameplay is separated into several aspects: World Map: Serves as a way to show the play the map of the world and where on it exactly the player is at (which will be indicated with a minituarized version of the Windraker). This map will help the player navigate their way towards the next area where the main plot of the story is taking place, with more sections unlocking as the story progresses. Places will be marked with markers, or blue pins to be percise, with a line connecting two sections to allow the Windraker to travel from one area to another.
Pins will change colors based on the highest priority type of quest that is available in the area: Red for Story Progression and green for Side Quest. Side quests can vary from minor hunting or fetching quests to major quests meant to flesh out the party members.
Exploration: Serves as a way for the party to go to places inside a marked area in the world map, where there are villages, cities, forests, dungeons etc. The party itself will only be represented (much like in Final Fantasy) by the main Seigfried in the first half and the twin wielding the Frozen Flame in the second half.
Your exploration party can only have up to six members, so not everyone can be used at a single time. Whenever party members are used in the same party, they gain Social Points, which would allow them to have Conversations which improves Companionship level.
You character avater can move freely across the map, while on the side of the screen there will be a mini map that will become clearer and clearer the more sections you pass through, until you can see a fully fleshed map of the region in the Map screen in the menu.
In villages and cities the player can buy new weapons and armor, health and mana restoring items and other miscellanious items.
When you enter an area with enemies, you cannot move freely anymore as you enter...
Combat: Upon finding a section with enemies, exploration stage changes into a large, tactical map (with an appearance reminiscent of a chess board) that shows where you are and where the enemy is (unless you're in a dark cave in which you will only have your tile lit and the rest be black, so you will have to clear the tiles) and a turn number appears on the side of the screen. Your party, still represented by your main character, will be able to move 5 tiles per turn, with the enemies having a varied amount between 4-7.
When you bump into an enemy unit, you enter into a combat screen that is very much like Final Fantasy, where the now fully visible party fights the enemies that represent that single unit on the Tactical Map. Every few turns there will be reinforcements as more enemies will spawn on the map.
Throughout the map, your characters' Ultima Gauge increases and allows them to use special skills and spells the longer the map goes on.
If a party member's HP reaches 0 during combat, they will be considered Unconscious and would require using items to restore their HP after combat. If all party members reach 0 HP, it's Game Over and you have to restart from the last Save Point.
However, there is an exception to the levels "Betreyal" (ending of Part 1) and "Final Battle" (ending of Part 2), where a unit dies permenantly if their HP reaches 0, and if the party is wiped out in the "Betreyal" level, the story moves to Part 2.
For each map there is a different victory requirement for the map to be won. It could be to simply route all enemies present, kill the designated "Boss" unit, reach a designated exit point, find all treasure chests or destroy all designated "special items".
After combat, all EXP that was gained from defeating enemies and completing the map is spread throughout the party equally. Bonus EXP (which is given for completing additional goals designated for the map) is also given to be used later.
Whenever a party is used in combat, every unit killed gives the formed party a number of Social Points, which can be used for these characters to have Conversations to increase Companionship level.
Base: Considered the downtime before going out into the World Map, its a base of the party on the Windraker, where the player can observe Conversations between party members to increase Companionship, craft weapons or potions and using Bonus EXP to either strengthen weaker party members or unlock special skills that are unique for individual characters known by two levels: Signature and Ultimate.
Companionship is the level of clossness that members of your party share with one one another, which is seperated into five levels: Acquaintance -> Ally -> Companion -> Friend -> Best Friend/Lover
The last level is based on gender of the two characters in question. Each level also gives a slight boost to both characters in Hit%, Evasion% and Critical Hit% if they are put together in the exploration party. In Gen 1, if two characters of the opposite gender reach Companionship level 5, then they are garanteed to have a child in the 2nd half of the game given that they survive the final fight of the 1st half.
The Stats of the characters are as follows: HP (Hit Points): This stats is considered the life of a unit during combat. If the stat reaches 0, the character is defeated and cannot fight until the end of a combat map. MP (Mana Points): This stat determines the amount of mana that a unit can use during combat to use for spells and skills. Their mana can be restrored by a certain percentage (a Magic stat-based calculation) at the beginning of every turn or using MP restoring potions. Ultima Gauge (UG): This stat determines how many ultima points (which is the combat economy used for Signature and Ultimate abilities) their Ultima Meter has, which affects how many times they can use these special skills in combat. The larger the stat, the more points the gauge has. Strength (STR) or Physical Power: This stat affects the amount of physical damage they cause. Fortitude (FOR) or Physical Defense: This stat affects the amount that is detracted damage from physical attacks. Magic (MAG) or Magical Power: This stat affects the power of magical spells and abilities cause. Spirit (SPR) or Magical Defense: This stat affects the amount that is detracted from damage caused by magical attacks. Speed (SPD): This stats determines how fast a character's turn will come up in battle and how often. Hit Rate (ACC) or Accuracy: This stat determines how often an attack or spell would hit its target. Evasion: This stat determines how often a unit will avoid an attack from an opponent. The higher the stat, the less likely they are to get hit. Luck (LCK): This stat determines several things such as the chance of landing a critical strike, increase of hit rate and evasion, steal success and how fast does a character's Ultima Gauge increases during battle.
So I wanted to come up with an original idea once again and this time it was for a game. For the name, while I used the name and logo of an another game (shoutout and all rights go to Dreamside Interactive), the inspiration came from the Flash game PhrozenFlame RPG, which was a part of my childhood.
Now, the pitch is not fully complete since there are a lot of details I need to add and I don't want everything to be wiped out, so I'm posting it now. Plus, I also need rest since I spent hours upon hours writing everything so far.
Edit: I more or less finished the most important things and just have one section to fill up, so I can now accept whatever reward I'm offered... though I did work my ass off on this one.
The Secret of NIMH Directed by: Don Bluth
Written by: Don Bluth and John Pomeroy
Produced by: Don Bluth
Production Studio: DreamWorks Studios
Distribution Studio: Lucasfilms Unlimited
Starring: Elizabeth Hartman (Mrs. Brisby), Dom DeLuise (Jeremy), Peter Strauss (Justin), Arthur Malet (Mr. Ages), Derek Jacobi (Nicodemus), Paul Shenar (Jenner), John Carradine (The Great Owl), Hermoione Baddeley (Auntie Shrew) and Aldo Ray (Sullivan)
Budget: $20,000,000 Domestic: $43,234,342 International: $55,532,234
Total Gross: $98,766,576
VHS: $604,234,004
When it came to animation, few names in DreamWorks could be said to embody it as deeply as Don Bluth. The man had dedicated his life to the craft ever since the first time he ever saw Snow White, had slaved over old Disney coloring books, drawing and redrawing over the edges in order to practice as a child. Had made trips with his bike to the studios in order to see them at work in person, and when he finally managed to get his dream job at Disney... he found an entire studio that had become rudderless after the death of its founder. No longer the place where magic was created, and no longer the place where innovation and dreams ruled. Now, it was just a machine that focused on churning out the next project, reusing the same cells because they had been done in the time of Walt Disney, and believing that stagnation was the best way of honoring him.
And Don Bluth, after over a decade of working, after a decade of trying to make them see sense, and after getting his first directorial work be cancelled without an explanation, up and quit, taking many of the animators at Disney with him, and joined in a new enterprise in Hollywood; DreamWorks Animation, your studio and dreamchild. A place where the artist and the art would always be put first, and the one place where he was fully welcomed along with his ideas for future animation. You still remember how eager he was to work on the first film, how he and his group made sure that Hiawatha embodied everything about his philosophy for storytelling and the new direction for cells and drawing. It would be a bold new statement for the studio that dared to challenge Disney, and show the future of animation.
From there, many animators that favored Bluth and his style of animation gathered under him in order to learn and take part of his projects. Some of the more technologically minded like Lasseter, who saw the future of animation in computer graphics and software would usually call them the "Old Men" due to their preference to using only hand drawn animation, but there was no denying that in many ways, it did bring something else to the table that the new advances in technology could not fully replicate, a certain quality that could not be fully understood. You could see it clearly when Bluth showed you a beautiful handcrafted animation of what looked to be a well with water bubbling and shining out of a bucket, yet it managed to look so realistic and ethereal that it managed to knock the breath out of you for a moment.
That was the first time that you saw a completed sequence of what would become The Secret of NIMH.
Originally a novel written by Robert Leslie Carroll Conly called Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Bluth had been one of the most ardent supporters of making the film, ever since Ken Anderson, another of the animators who'd joined him in the exodus from Disney, had introduced him to the book while they were still working at said studio. Supposedly, he'd mentioned how the entire set-up and tone of the book was basically everything Disney had once been yet had forgotten once Walt died; innovative, original and not afraid to take risks.
Bluth had loved the tale of course, both the message and the overall aesthetic that the book introduced through its description of the world of the Rats of NIMH was such a breath of fresh air that, during their periods of time away from their main projects, they would secretly work on the story, the characters, and actually make some concept art for them, thinking that it would be something to do once they were in a position of power to bring about the much-desired change.
But as they say, the plans of mice and men often go awry.
Regardless, with their new beginning in DreamWorks, and after many years where they continued their work, now joined by the increasing "Old Men", the world of NIMH slowly began to take shape, both in concept art and in the story department. With the additional time and resources there was always at least some members that could help during the work, and with Bluth at the head, they at least knew that they were working on something truly magical.
Even if the book itself seemed to lack said magic.
The story mainly focused on the rats and the society they built after escaping from said institute, their struggles, and their different attempts at identifying themselves, forming a society, and whether it should be one that is still dependent on human technology, or if they should try to strike it on their own and abandon their past. Most of the overall tale focused on the society that was trying to be built, but Bluth wanted something different; He did not wish to ape Musker and Clements who had managed to replicate the Disney look and tone for their films, but to show an evolution from said style.
And what better way than the movie idea that was originally born out of rebellion against Disney.
The film had its differences from the book of course, though the biggest one had to be the change of focus; though the book had Mrs. Frisby as a character, the main focus was on the rats of NIMH, their tribulations and society. Bluth however, decided to change the focus to make the film revolve around the titular "Mrs. Brisby" (and just why is a Frisbee company trying to sue you for copyright infringement?!) and her travels through the Fitzgibbons family farm in order to find way to save his young child suffering from Pneumonia, what with "Moving Day" arriving soon (The Harvest Day for the human family) and the child being unable to move.
During her journey she meets many colorful characters that liven the entire trip; Mr. Ages, a friend of her old husband. Jeremy, a clumsy crow looking for love who becomes her companion during her travels. The Old Owl, a being that looks straight out of your nightmares that nonetheless managed to give Mrs. Brisby some sage advice and point her in the right direction. Nicodemus, the leader of the rats of NIHM, and the wielder of powerful magic (because of course Bluth was not metaphorical when speaking about it). Auntie Shrew, who takes care of Mrs. Brisby's children. Justin, one of the leaders of the rats of NIMH, and an honorable being who is in constant contention for leadership against Jenner, a vile traitor who schemes and plots for control of the community, no matter who many he has to kill to achieve it.
Though interactions with the characters may make it seem lively and complex, especially with the political maneuvering for control of the community in the background, in the end the story is a very simple tale of a mother doing anything and everything for her children, hoping to give them a better tomorrow, no matter how much she has to sacrifice in order to do so. The inclusion of magic and mystical elements into what seemed a more grounded and scientific type of film was all Bluth's idea as well, with the argument that "animation calls for a type of magic to give it a special, fantastic, quality". Nicodemus and Mrs. Brisby's scenes being some of the more mystical, and introducing the red amulet that would save her children at the end, linking them together.
And of course, what stands out the most is the animation. Utterly gorgeous, with over six hundred colors through a life affirming adventure, five hundred which Bluth and his team developed on their own. Each environment was represented with a perfect painting, resembling in many ways a film from Miyazaki, though in your clearly unbiased opinion, Bluth did it better. There were about one thousand in total, each of them bringing an entire new vista to life; sunshine moving through the tree's life wings of fire, water shining and bubbling in a myriad of colors, the terrifying visage of the Old Owl as he made his first appearance...
And let's make no mistake, this movie is for children, but is clearly not afraid to scare them and show them the darkness of the world as well. So many scenes of the movie being some serious contenders for the PG rating, and yet Bluth manages to make them work by pairing them with other scenes that show the beauty of the world, or the hope and kindness that can be found within every living being. Moments of courage from Mrs. Brisby or nobility by Justin are countered by the treachery of Jenner or the cowardice of Sullivan. Both sides are perfectly represented and complement each other.
The locations on full display are also enthralling and meant to awe the audience, as it well should, with its many varied and inspired venues through which the characters make their way in order to save the day; haunting briar patch interiors, psychedelic tree hollows and subterranean sleepy quarters reflect the film's opulent atmosphere, and the impending sense of doom, as the farmer gets ready to reap the rewards of a harvest well done. An excellent work of xenofiction adapted to the big screen in your opinion.
The story in and of itself its truly charming with a stellar cast; Elisabeth Hartman as Mrs. Brisby bring so much warmth and care to the character that it's difficult to separate the character from the artist. Dom DeLuise as Jeremy the Crow is both hilarious, while also avoiding making himself the butt of the jokes... mostly. Peter Strauss as Justin, the heroic member of the community, the award-winning actor imbuing him with a sense of nobility and grace in the face of danger. He shines all the greater when facing his foe, the despicable Jenner played by Paul Shenar, who plays the character with a cunning and murderous menace, one who aims to rule the rats of NIMH with an iron claw. Derek Jacobi as Nicodemus, the wise and mystical rat turned what could very well be an out of place element in the film, and made it an integral part of the whole. And of course, John Carradine as the Great Owl, so immersed himself in the character that it imbued him with a gravitas and terror that perfectly matched the flawless animation.
Of note was one of the voice actors for the children of Mrs. Brisby, Will Wheaton, who you have to admit might have a future in voice acting for the future. All the other actors seemed to like him as well, considering him as their "lucky charm" for the production.
Would that it had been so. Coming right out in the middle of Dune (Part I) domination of the box office, and right after Blue Sky wowed everyone with Hotel Transylvania, The Secret of NIMH could not have come at a worse time for such a masterpiece. Sure, it made its budget and more, but what deserved to be remembered among the greatest of all animation's feats and as an equal to anything that Disney could throw out, was instead seen as just "another mouse movie", as if DreamWorks made it its mission to ape Disney in both aesthetics and ideas.
At the very least, many of those who did come to see the film were suitably awed by the animation that Bluth and his team slaved over; its depth, luminosity and the personality for each of the characters still some of the highlights of it. As expected, there were some complaints that the film was a bit too mature for the target audiences, but then again you did follow the PG rating to the letter... and now they are actually threatening to change the rating to mean something else entirely!
Good grief! Luckily that Congress is not in a mood to entertain such ludicrous demands at the moment.
Those who did come for the matinee however, were treated not only with a beautifully crafted story and animation, but one of the best music as well, with Jerry Goldsmith, one of the best composers that there is, the one who's worked in sound scores for movies like Chinatown, Patton and Alien. He's widely recognized as one of the best at the field, and he was one of the most interested in trying to make a score for an animated film, calling it a "fun challenge", as well as his favorite work so far. Many of the team members have stories about him, and how overjoyed he was at working in the film.
You just wished that that the critics had not gone back to their old hating self and tried to destroy the film for no reason whatsoever. This was a movie made with care and love, with some of the most jaw dropping artistry, exploring mature themes and emotional outlook, while still remaining accessible to children. So how the heck do they get off by claiming that it was a step down from previous entries?! And what, just because it has a mouse it must be a rip-off from Basil?! They are actually claiming that DreamWorks ran out of originality?!
Just when you think that you can let your guard down around critics, that's when they reveal the knife, ready to plunge it once more in your back.
Even so, your little Mary and your little goslings loved the movie when you went to see it, the first one after you came back from the Conan production. Little George had to stay behind with Debbie, but the rest of the family thought it was a wonderful experience, sharing in the magic and adventure. Sarah was wide eyed through the entire film, loving the different designs and the animation, wanting to see the movie again, and nearly crying when told they had to go home.
And that's basically the experience from families who had taken their children to see the film. The movie may have been reviewed to hell and back by the critics, and perhaps it was not what many expected after seeing Hotel Transylvania, but it was still a hit with children who asked for their parent to see it again. The rentals and sells of VHS Tapes shot through the roof thanks to said children, who then showed it to their friends, who then begged their parents for their own copy, creating a neat word of mouth campaign as parents had to agree that the movie was pretty good when seen with the whole family together, creating new traditions in many households.
When the numbers reached over half a million however, the movie went from becoming a nice family movie, to a freaking cult classic when now different demographics were buying it to see the unbelievable animation. Heck, even Caltech, from what you heard, has been using it as an example in storytelling, extolling its virtues to many a student that wishes to enter the field of animation, as well as how to do an adaptation right without compromising on the core message of the story.
Another bit of bad luck was the small short that had been planned to debut along with this movie. It seemed that, once more, Pixar and Lasseter had managed to do something truly groundbreaking when they created André & Wally B, a small short featuring the first use of motion blur in CGI animation and complex 3-D backgrounds, actually managing to break the old limits of only using geometric forms in CGI, and allowing for a more fluid and cartoony look using nothing but computer graphic and animation.
It was something very simple, showing a character named Andre being confronted by a pesky bumblebee, and the shenanigans they get into as the former tries to get away from the latter. In a way, it reminds you a bit of the slpastick comedy of TOm and Jerry during their early days before it was sanitized, though you don't think it's going to be making a new franchise on its own. From what the audience reaction to it showed, it was veery well received, even if they did not understood fully what they were watching.
But this was something truly outstanding for the studio in and of itself. Sure the story might not be as complex or as long as your previous other tales, but it had opened an entire new medium through which animation and stories could be told. In many ways, this was going to be the Steamboat Willie of this generation when it came to future films that made exclusive use of computer animation.
It was a good thing that Bluth did not find out about it until much, much later.
But what truly made both Bluth and his team's day was a letter from Jane Leslie Conly, the daughter of the author, who thanked them for making such a faithful adaptation of her father's work. She mentioned how she was planning on continuing his efforts and writing a sequel to the book, and promising them the rights to adapt it should they ever be interested. Last you heard; Bluth had the letter framed to serve as motivation for the rest of the group who would continue on the path of hand drawn animation.
What else can you say? It was truly a beautiful experience.
Sad to see that movie got the same treatment here as it got irl (sort of) but I am glad to see it became a popular cult classic.
The movie was dark at times but it served well to contrast with the light.... Good characters shine brighter when contrasted with the darkness of the world around them.
After all a single candle shines brighter in the night than in the light of day.
DAMN IT!
this movie deserved better than this! And also fuck the critics that bunch of pretentious assholes WILL eat their words in the future!
Also hopefully we can given Wil Weathon a better career than been only remember as a character the Trekies hate
Honestly, I kind of want to have one of Bluth's team members work on creating programs that can accurately replicate the hand drawn style in a digital environment. I truly miss the feel of early anime now and the art is a major part of it.
Oh man, it would be cool if we created a Cosmic Horror setting series that was entirely hand drawn, but had the Eldritch Beings be computer generated so that there is a literal Other aspect to be included in the visual storytelling.
Honestly, I kind of want to have one of Bluth's team members work on creating programs that can accurately replicate the hand drawn style in a digital environment. I truly miss the feel of early anime now and the art is a major part of it.
Oh man, it would be cool if we created a Cosmic Horror setting series that was entirely hand drawn, but had the Eldritch Beings be computer generated so that there is a literal Other aspect to be included in the visual storytelling.
Honestly, I kind of want to have one of Bluth's team members work on creating programs that can accurately replicate the hand drawn style in a digital environment. I truly miss the feel of early anime now and the art is a major part of it.
Oh man, it would be cool if we created a Cosmic Horror setting series that was entirely hand drawn, but had the Eldritch Beings be computer generated so that there is a literal Other aspect to be included in the visual storytelling.
Pixar and Lasseter had managed to do something truly groundbreaking when they created André & Wally B, a small short featuring the first use of motion blur in CGI animation and complex 3-D backgrounds, actually managing to break the old limits of only using geometric forms in CGI, and allowing for a more fluid and cartoony look using nothing but computer graphic and animation.
That's the point. The image being conjured is that they're "hopelessly" old fashioned and outdated by sticking so rigidly to traditional animation. It's also invoking their Disney ties with Disney's Nine Old Men.
That's the point. The image being conjured is that they're "hopelessly" old fashioned and outdated by sticking so rigidly to traditional animation. It's also invoking their Disney ties with Disney's Nine Old Men.
Then it's even worse. Old Men is already associated with Disney. Dreamworks is its own thing. Would follow that even the small details would reflect that. Besides. Old Breed sounds better. Hell, anything sounds better than Old Men. Old Men just sounds like an insult.
Idk, maybe it's just cause it sounds uncomfortably like, "the time is now, old man".
DAMN IT!
this movie deserved better than this! And also fuck the critics that bunch of pretentious assholes WILL eat their words in the future!
Also hopefully we can given Wil Weathon a better career than been only remember as a character the Trekies hate
Eh, it's not really a bad ending. Absolutely sucks the critics did a 180 in comparison to OTL, but it made 6.5 times the profits it did OTL with a healthy profit and it's a certified Dreamworks classic that is probably beloved by many of Gen X. It's no different from Disney who had a lot of underperforming masterpieces that are beloved by their fans, so I still count this as a win.
A while ago, I said that I was gonna release this on the day of Season 2's release, but I've been really busy, so I wasn't able to on the day of release. Regardless, it's here now. I'm a really big fan of Arcane, if you couldn't tell by my Powder profile pic, so I was super hyped for Season 2, but honestly? I'm not sure how I feel about it other than to say I was dissatisfied. Not unsatisfied, which I believe is an important distinction to make, but dissatisfied. Everything felt wrong, and although I'll have to keep rewatching it to really sort out my feelings and further my analysis of this season, after talking about it with some people, the conclusion I came to is that Act 1(Episodes 1-3) was too fast. Not in a "everything is falling apart around us faster than we can handle" sort of way, which can obviously work for a story, but as in the pacing was poor and much of the events in those episodes were rushed. There were other problems, of course, but the pacing was the big one that stood out. It wasn't bad, which I want to make clear, but I was definitely disappointed with what I was seeing. After discussing it with some other people, we ultimately concluded that Act 1 could have, and should have, been it's own full season. It's actually gotten me motivated enough to set aside some personal writing projects of mine and focus on doing a rewrite of Act 1 as it's own season, hopefully with the help of a therapist friend of mine who I was recently able to finally get to watch Arcane and who got instantly hooked(I told her she'd like it, lol). Below this, I left some videos like I did on the other Arcane pitch I made a while back for the show itself, along with a post after this one containing a few others since you can only put 5 videos in a single pos. As you can see, this pitch has Joe Madureira, also known as "Joe Mad," as it's creator, just like I did for the show pitch. Like I(think?) I said then, I feel like his style would just work for Arcane and it allows him to get a bit more Marvel work in before he dips to do his own thing. I envision this being released, along with the show, in the 90s. Anyway, I won't say too much since I'm pretty busy and I will be for about a week or two, so I've got other shit I need to handle right now and I'll just leave it here.
Marvel Eclipse Pitch:
Arcane Created by: Joe Madureira
SET UP: Known across Runeterra as the "city of progress," many of the most brilliant minds call Piltover home, but not all is well. The city is divided between the affluent and utopian Topside of Piltover, and the seedy and impoverished underbelly of the Undercity, where not everyone even has air to breath. An uneasy status quo exists, but the creation of hextech, a way for any person to control magical energy through technology, and the creation of Shimmer, a new drug that transforms humans into monsters, threatens that balance. Amidst the escalating unrest, sisters Vi and Powder, once inseparable, find themselves embroiled in the developing conflict over their clashing convictions and personal demons in this tale of two cities.
From as far as Grace Ward can remember, she had looked to the stars and had been in love. As a little girl watching Sputnik and then Explorer on the family television, she had been entranced with the concept of visiting the stars and had been obsessed with consuming all the comics and paperbacks of adventures beyond Earth. Unfortunately for Grace, she was born too early to really dedicate herself as an astronaut, especially as a woman, and although she tried to beat the odds, a lack of a strong scientifically inclined brain and average physical capabilities left such a dram crushed as stardust.
So, being denied the opportunity to travel to space, she decided to create brave new worlds of her own and took on writing as a passion. This lead to her focusing on Literature as a degree in college, where she managed to get a few short stories published in science fiction magazines, under a male pseudonym unfortunately, but still that was far greater than most who tried to enter into the field.
Eventually, Grace managed to become successful enough to quit her brief stint as a secretary and be a professional author, though she never got close to mainstream or heavy fame and monetary success to the likes of Herbert, Asimov or Clarke. Grace's ideas didn't really fit the Sci-Fi mainstream with her focus on character-driven narratives, grounded and quiet plotlines, and in general lacking the epicness or pulp adventure displayed by some of her peers. There was also an unfortunate fact that her attempts to have female-lead or centric stories just failed to resonate with the male dominant audience of the genre.
Then, everything changed when Star Wars came out. Storytelling in science fiction was never quite the same as everyone did their best to copy the film with fantasy elements becoming more the norm, greater scales of galactic proportions with more unique aliens, the dominance of war stories, and the resurrection of various pulp elements after near death. One of the most improtant legacies would be Princess Leia, with the donut-haired royal proving that strong and leading females of action could pull audiences. As a consequence, many of Grace's stories retroactively took greater success from the Leia effect and a new boom of popularity for the genre. She also took inspiration from her new favorite film to ascend as a writer, finally managing to reach something of mainstream success with her alternate history sci-fi thriller of the US and Soviets sending missions to a green and primitive Mars, A World of Difference.
At this point Grace was now comfortably making more than her husband and could freely shed her pseudonym to publish Grace Ward novels. She finally achieved most of her dreams, but what she wanted more than anything else was to make a Star Wars book, to give tribute to her favorite films of all time, the movie that changed her life and so many others, and to play in the greatest sandbox in fiction. Unfortunately, it was a very exclusive club throughout the Original Trilogy's run, with only the likes of Marvel and Talsorian writers along with Brian Daley and L. Neil Smith being allowed to play. Then, after the release of Return of the Jedi, the literary world was stunned when Lucasfilms had sent out feelers that it would be reguarly publishing novels in the near future, with the Star Wars galaxy no longer limited to film but to become its own literary universe with entire stories separate from the movies.
Sure the restrictions and code that George Lucas had mandated with it could be a bit restrictive, and she knew more than one offer who had been turned off that their story couldn't follow the guidelines. Still, it was better to have a seat at the table and follow strict etiquette than not, and Grace didn't really need to break them to tell her story. In particular after engaging with the existing novels and the RPG, she wanted to tell an origin story. Han and Lando had their own adventure novels covering their escapades before becoming heroes, and Luke was just a normal farmboy before New Hope. But what about Princess Leia Organa? How did she become a leader, a rebel? What was her story? It was a tale no one seemed to be in a rush to write, a niche that Grace could excellently fill.
Hopefully Carrie O'Brian would enjoy it.
Book Pitch: Star Wars: Princess of Alderaan Author: Grace Ward Format: Novel Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure
Premise: Princess of Alderaan covers Princess Leia Organa's joining of the Rebel Alliance and rise into her own right as a Princess. The book starts with Leia conducting a ceremony that recognizes her as the heir to Alderaan, a difficult and challenging time as many Alderaanian nobles look down on Leia for being adopted into the Organa household and many seek to undermine her family. After swearing an oath, Leia begins the process of three trials of the mind, body and soul to prove her capabilities as a future Queen of Alderaan and cement her as the royal heir. Joining and aiding her is Leia's best friend Winter Retrac, Leia's best friend and sister in all but blood who was raised alongside Leia as a royal ward after her parents were killed in the Clone Wars.
Leia's journey sees her undertake missions for House Organa where while she does her best and has some skill, her inexperience, passion and lack of inclusion in her parent's plans can lead to mixed results. Leia also joins the Apprentice Senator program to prepare to one day become Senator and also aid her in her trials, meeting an ensemble of Coreborn nobles in similar situations and a fellow Alderaanian Junior Senator named Kier Domadi, a commoner and pacifist historian who becomes Leia's first love. However, in the first act Leia discovers that her parents are funding anti-Imperial activities with the hope of establishing a rebellion against Palpatine, placing Leia into a dangerous situation as she starts to become exposed to the Empire's cruelty and corruption through her missions. Wanting to aid her parents but also being unsure of the prospect of open war; Leia is caught in a galaxy of high intrigue and must walk a demanding path if she is to become a true Princess of Alderaan.
A/N: So this is a Canon novel by Claudia Gray which I actually enjoyed a lot as a origins story for Leia and some great character building. Even Holdo was pretty decent in that surprisingly. Unfortunately, it got retconned to oblivion thanks to the Kenobi show and how it's impossible for that novel's Leia to have existed after being kidnapped by an Inquisitor at age eight. Therefore, I thought this would fit better here under one of the OCs I'm planning to contribute to the Star Wars franchise, and it complements nicely with the Han Solo and Lando novels. Probably will have a different ending and Panaka would play differently but aside from that it's mostly the same.
