Final Fantasy Friday: RIP My Fiance!


It's the last Friday of the month, which means it's time for Final Fantasy Friday!

Also, I enjoyed my vacation but got hit with my allergies and a cold, so I need another vacation where I can sleep through the night without not being able to breathe. I wanted to play a little more of FFXV before I left and didn't get to, but I did get to spend some time on it when I got home.

Most people who run out and by these games spend the weekend or a whole week or so playing it. I have a some semblance of a life, so I don't have that luxury. Thus, the portion of the game I finally got to play was spoiled for me by fans weeks ago: my (Noctis's) fiance, Lunafreya, dies helping me retrieve Leviathan, long story short a summon. The papers say Luna died drowning, but I witnessed her get stabbed by a shady NPC we'd run into a few times! My sister, who was watching, was just as shocked as I was!

First off, Leviathan had an attitude. I guess because she was asleep and Luna woke her, but I needed her to chill. The battle was quite scary, as she kept diving in and out of the water and coming straight for me with her mouth agape! I actually screamed and then laughed at myself.

Secondly, the visuals in this game are just everything. Here is the saddest cutscene since Tidus's death/disappearance in FFX. Notice the different shifts, first the atmosphere, then Noct's shift from young Noct to current Noct. It's so wild! The scene is also very reminiscent of Aeris's death in FFVII. The homages!


I have a few more chapters before I finish the game. I might be done with side quests for now, lol. That's where most of my hours have been spent! I just want to get to the end, so I can play the DLC for Gladio!

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Tales: Creation Stories


I am most likely just waking up on Cruise Day 3, but vacations don't stop blog posts! Because of scheduling. lol

On the 3rd Tuesday of the month, I have shared stories, character conversations, and poems from the world of my manuscript. Way back when I started writing Fractured Princess, my goal was to write a standalone book, no sequels, no prequels, nothing. Just one story. THEN, I started writing little short stories based on stories Ghuli* had read. Then, I had an idea for a prequel. And THEN, ideas for a sequel popped into my head. Stupid gears turning in my head.

As I work on the plot of this story, which is coming much easier than the first one, I am begrudged to say, I also developed three origin theories for the world of Teorre. They open the sequel, so I thought I would share them with you all.



The Falcon Origin

(This theory is also from where we get the story of the Dove’s Tail Constellation)

Before we began, Teorre was uninhabited, devoid of any structure or natural resource. Above Teorre floated the Energy, which kept the planet turning in the skies. As time passed it by, the Energy decided it wanted to do more with the planet. And so, the Energy split itself into parts.

A portion joined Teorre and began to create earth and stone out of the surface. Next, it cracked the earth and filled the void with water for nourishment. The sun above further nurtured the wet earth, and plants began to grow. Pleased with this, the Energy molded the plants into different shapes and sizes, colors and textures.

Another portion wanted to live among these new plants and reshaped itself into falcons. They flew above and oversaw the land, living among the trees when they needed rest. As time passed, some of the falcons decided they wanted to walk among the land. And so, they reshaped themselves again. Their feathers fell off, and their bodies grew tall, their legs long. They became the First.

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The Quickening Theory

Before we began, Teorre was uninhabited, devoid of life but made of solid earth. Within Teorre, willing it to move and remain in the air, was the Energy. It pushed against the surface of Teorre as a growing child within its mother, stretching the planet until it finally began to crack. As the Energy met the air, it melted in ecstasy and burst forth from its lifeless prison. It fell back to Teorre as the first rain, rose again and fell again, until the cracks in the earth filled with water.

The earth, delighted in this interaction with Teorre’s Energy, began to soften and grow life. Some stood still, except to grow tall and blossom with the sun’s rays. Others moved around on the surface, happy to stay close to their creator but wanting to explore the reaches of the land. Others dwelled in the waters of Teorre’s Energy, wanting to be within the rain that caused their creation. Others wanted to roam the air above the earth and water, and so they flew about, happily returning to their parents when they grew tired.

And when Teorre’s Energy was happy with the children it had made, it created again: the First People, to watch over all its older siblings. Teorre’s Energy, tired from all it had done, returned to its now-open prison within the earth, to rest there until their children needed it again.

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The Crystal Formation Theory

Before we began, the sun was young, and Teorre floated around it, uninhabited, but encrusted with minerals and elements. As the sun grew, its energy desired more room to grow and settled around the atmosphere of Teorre. Heated by the sun, the energy began to react with the minerals and elements, and crystals formed. The energy gravitated to these crystals and gained more sentience and cognizance by dwelling within them. Through the crystals, the energy decided to shape the other elements into different creatures and plants, into air and into water it envisioned through each different crystal it inhabited.





*This post occurred before I changed Ghuli's name to Jonnie*

Wednesday Words: The Obelisk Gate by N. K. Jemisin

 

It is time for Wednesday Words! On the 2nd Wednesday of the month, I share with you all a piece of what I'm reading.


This week I am reading N.K. Jemisin's The Obelisk Gate, the sequel to The Fifth Season. The latter won the Hugo, and this one is nominated for one this year. I'm only 80 pages in and can see why. It's already so good. Visit my thoughts about The Fifth Season in my posts below.

Wednesday Words: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin

Wednesday Words: A Final Look into The Fifth Season


Long story short, the world is still ending, but let's see what else I can show you and hopefully not spoil anything too major for myself. There are 391 pages of the story (I see why Goodreads says that, even though there are 434. There's an appendix and extras), and Random.org has chosen page 245. Let me brace myself for a spoiler.


"No one touch me," you say softly. "No one speak to me." Without waiting to see if they understand, you plunge into the obelisk.


Not too spoiled, and now I can't wait to see why I (Essun) am doing this again! When Syenite did it in TFS, my soul's jaw dropped.

I am on vacation next week, but I will most likely schedule Tuesday Tales early. I have an idea of what I want to share with you all. Hint: It's the opening to my next book in The Broken Chronicles (series name still pending because of this, The Broken Earth series).

What are you reading this week?

IWSG: Good Luck, A to Z Challengers!



It is already April! I can't believe it, can you?


It is also the first Wednesday of the month, where we insecure writers throw our doubts into the wind and discuss our insecurities, give a little encouragement, etc. Visit Alex J. Cavanuagh, founder extraordinaire, and stop by the official website to join the fun!


This month, most of you are doing the A to Z Challenge. For those who aren't and don't know about it, every day in April (except Sunday) is a new letter. You can write on anything for the letter of the day. Most people come up with themes, and many preschedule their posts, but you can wing both. I recommend not, but you might be better at time management and energy than I am. Last year was my last go at the challenge for a while, but I was proud of myself. I started prepping in 2015 and was scheduling posts by February 2016! And because my theme was Final Fantasy, I really didn't feel like I was working. I was gushing about my favorite pastime!


For those of you doing it this year, I wish you the best of luck! Have fun, and make friends!