Thinking Out Loud

Hmm, I might be fading faster than I thought. Just before the virus attacked my computer, I was spending all of my time developing my own little fantasy world. I say that I'm going to be an adult, and then I do this stuff two months later. I guess old habits die hard.

Well, it's ultimately an unproductive use of my time, but it's addictive like building Legos. I've completely finished creating my little world, from map areas & cities to character personalities. On top of my usual character cast, I now have my own sort of Organization XIII (except there are only five of them instead of thirteen) and a couple of nameless people made: leftover unsatisfactory primary character designs. I've got overworld sprites for every last one of them (which can face in any direction, and either "stand" or "walk"), battle sprites for any fighting scenes, and the special effects which show speed, "taking damage," magical effects, etc. There are even Fire Emblem monsters and faceless soldiers, just in case they're needed. In contrast to before, when I had the bare minimum amount of sprites and characters to pull off a legitimate Christmas comic, I now have a big enough cast to pull off any story. Erm . . . any story, that is, which isn't modern times. But if I wanted to, I could create the comic strip version of M.A.G.I.C. Number. Seriously, I've gone so far as to sprite "young" versions of Kenta, Valtor, Darius, and Hakujou (whom I've renamed "Silvero"; I can't keep using such a blatantly Japanese name in the middle of Europe).

Why did I do this? Perhaps it goes back to sixth grade. When I was still the new kid and nobody wanted to be friends with me, I turned emo and began to deafen my ears to the world. I'd make comics- stacks of them- during the many times in my day when there were gaps between learning. The problem was, my art sucked. I didn't have the patience to keep drawing the same guy over and over again for every new strip, but it was necessary if I wanted to retain the fake little world I'd created. So I got VERY good at making very sucky character drawings. In them, I self-identified.

Then along came the two biggest obsessions in my life, anime and the Internet. I rejoiced and sorrowed at the beauty of Japanese manga-style art, and at the raw talent posed by some of the contributors to DeviantArt. How I wanted to be as good as them . . . how I wanted to bring my abstract characters into the visual realm, just as I'd imagined them. Unfortunately, I didn't have the necessary talent to ever be an expert at manga. Believe me, I've tried many times. So I did the next best thing, and borrowed. I took Fire Emblem sprites, edited them like a madman, and substituted anything I couldn't do myself (such as eyes and wrinkles in clothing).

And finally, I had it. Authentic-looking characters at last. But they alone weren't enough, because a true character cast is distingushed by the fact that there are others, those people in the background who never take the spotlight, the nameless pedestrians who make the main characters special. There are other characters to spend screen time on, but the main characters get the focus because they are worthy. Not because there's nobody else. There's a little variation everywhere you look. Hell, I've even got a gay guy. There's some realism for you.

There's no preparation work left to do. Unless I want to add a guest character to my collection, I'm ready to make anything. You know you're ready when you've already started adding guests like Link, Sephiroth, and Sonic the Hedgehog. As if that's not believable enough, I've even put in two guests from the real world. Guess who they are. Go on, guess. Cover up the screen and give it a shot. You ready? The two additions from the real world are Jesus and me. I haven't a clue what I plan to do with Jesus yet, but I'm putting myself into that world as another face in the crowd. I'm not going to give myself any powers, my characters aren't going to recognize me, and I'll get maybe 1% screen time, if that.

All I really have to do now is decide what to name the world. It's a fictional universe, but it also happens to be thirteenth-century Austria. Perhaps it really should just stay what it is today- the city of Graz. Who's going to compare the modern version to how it was over six hundred years ago? Like I said, everything's completely ready to go. Here's the problem: I have a bunch of crap due for college, and I've got an entire book and a half of M.A.G.I.C. Number left to write. In spite of the burning to share MY little world with everyone I come in contact with, there are so many other things to do first. Yeah, same problem from five months ago.

However, I may just get rolling anyway. There are three major motivations for getting a story out. For one thing, school's almost done for me. By the first of May, I'll be home with nothing to distract me but farmwork, at least until it's time to go back to Camp Ligonier. Secondly, I've gone too long without being active in Aisenfield, and it's high time to pull my weight. I want to contribute something to this board's reputation! And finally, like I said, everything for a webcomic is ready. I've got at least three plots prepared in my mind for the storyline, but Overlords' Reign is still at the forefront. The only possible lack of preparation on my part is the fact that only four Aisenfielders are actually in the comic. That would be me, Terak, Tyren, and Picard. No Renn, no CM, no DT, no Bibliophile, etc. I just hadn't planned for anybody else . . . maybe because I hadn't known them well enough on Crater. I dunno.

Anyway, I'd better go to bed now. This post isn't a bluff- there's a serious likelihood that you'll be seeing much more from me, come early May. In any of my upcoming daydreams, I'll be going over the finer plot details of whatever story's on the way.

See you later . . .