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It's been mostly a bit of a silent week for me, at least when it comes to this whole online blogging thing. Granted, I've gone longer stretches than this, which is what I'm changing.
Today's . . . inspiration is thanks to a meme that popped up in my Facebook feed, in one of my Facebook groups about the characters from some books. The person who shared the meme wanted to know which books the (anonymous) author of the meme was mentioning. I guessed three out of the five accurately and knew of another without actually knowing the title - books turned into movies can be a good thing when it comes to naming things or at least knowing of them. I'm also attributing this entry to a private action scene from Star Ocean: The Last Hope, shortly after Bacchus joins the team. I know I've mentioned this before, where Edge comments on ancient literature. Before I begin, a little background on the game and the scene itself.
In order of recruitment for The Last Hope, you get Reimi (naturally), followed by your first alien friend, Faize. The three travel to the next planet and ultimately gain Lymle. The events on Lemuris lead to a spaceship-like planet called Cardianon, where we meet and gain Bacchus. Now, there are ways to extend the private actions between planets, up until a certain point. One way to do that is to head to a planet you've been to before, land, and go to your Item Creation to speak with Welch. After getting Bacchus, I recommend it because these particular scenes decrease the travel times between where you're starting from and where you've actually got to go to progress the game. And you don't have a lot of options when it comes to who is ultimately in your party. You've got to defeat the game and start a new gaming log if you want to keep one particular character over another. And you have to raise affinity points in order to view all of the endings.
At any rate, after getting Bacchus, before you head to your new destination, return to either Aeos or Lemuris. Upon landing, go to Item Creation (in your ship), and activate the console. This triggers the private scene where Welch greets Edge while she stands behind one of those cardboard standees, the kind you find at fairs and carnivals for picture taking. The standee itself is a headless woman wearing a French maid's outfit - you guys know the one! - and Welch says, "Welcome home, Master."
Now, mind you, she's being cheeky. She mentions she found some old books and that the costume was from that particular era. She even goes as far as to say that some men loved to be called "master". Edge, the entire time, is unimpressed. Bacchus is absolutely floored by this display.
Edge's following reaction is actually an effort to enhance the tragedy of World War III's aftermath. A lot had to change, and literature courses weren't required for space travel and exploration, apparently. At any rate, a lot of fiction was lost. A lot of things were lost to this deadly and catastrophic war. We'll leave it at that. Here's what Edge's reaction actually tells me, as an individual player.
For starters, he's not much of a reader. Given what we later learn in the game about him, there's a good reason for him probably being unable to sit down and enjoy a good book or anything longer than 50,000 words/250 pages. If he was much of a reader, his reactions to Welch's standees and what she said about what she learned in these ancient pieces of literature wouldn't be of disgust and disbelief. A good literature course would have told him about specific pieces of literature, what was going on during that era, and so on.
Also, his reaction tells me he doesn't read the fiction of his era, either, and I'm quite certain that there are writers and authors as he and his fellow crew mates begin their space exploration. Everyone has a hobby that they do in their spare time, and reading is a hobby of many, many people. Hell, if I were on a space exploration crew, having a thousand books on a tablet would be an amazing way to spend my downtime! Among other things. ^_^
So reading isn't one of Edge's strong suits, and it's something that works against him. He does have a compassionate personality, but his flaw, at least with this, is that he can't see how literature is a reflection of the time. And if he isn't reading the fiction of his time, then his question he asks Welch is understandable but silly at the same time.
His question: What were they thinking in leaving literature like that for future generations to find? (Note: This is where I enjoy Fayt Leingod more as a hero. He's a student, a serious one, but also understands he needs to allow himself a chance to rest, hence the video game addiction. He's also aware of the various types of literature from Earth. I'm presuming he's read them. How do I know? When you're on Elicoor II and reach the Sacred City of Aquaria, he finds the home of a writer who has written quite the lengthy series, and his internal monologue remarks that the number this author has written exceeds that of science-fiction authors of the 20th century. It isn't a private action, just something you find from wandering about and entering people's homes.)
I have an answer to that question, both as an author and as a reader. I also have questions for Welch on the works she read because that would answer a lot of questions as to what authors were thinking as well, but that's going into a completely different direction than is required at this point.
The answer is that most authors aren't thinking of what future generations are going to find. We are thinking of the current generations that surround us - ours, the next, and probably the next one after that. We're writing for ourselves, we're writing because we know of no other thing to do with ourselves, we're writing to inspire hope and courage, we write because we love, it and it makes us happy. We write because there are worlds we want to explore but can't because space travel is still a distant dream. We write to relive the past, to become greater in some way than what we feel we are. Some authors do write to make a quick buck, but most authors I've encountered, we're not writing with 50, or even 100, years later, or after our deaths, in mind. Not a single author can predict the type of long-term success a story is going to have. If we were to ask Dickens or Tolkien or even Stephen King if any of them expected to be viable after 50 years, well, I don't know what Dickens or Tolkien would say. The answer would probably be no. It'd be interesting to ask Stephen King if he thinks his works will endure for 50 years after his death. King's been writing for over 40 years now. Five generations from now will tell the tale of whether or not he'll reach the ranks of classics. Only time will tell if, 50 years after my death, my novels will stand the test of time. Do I hope that they will? Of course! But will it be so? I don't know, and that will be something I never will. But I write with the current generations in mind, namely my generation and the next two because they are the ones I'm coming into contact with. Someone like Edge Maverick is distant.
When I first started writing, I do so with one hope: that I will one day inspire someone else to begin writing. I wrote my first story when I was 9, but I wasn't inspired to become a writer until I was 14, until I'd read The Lord of the Rings. I write to be that inspiration. I write to explore those worlds I can only dream of, and I write to make the connections I know are out there for me.
That is why I write. Ask an author why he or she writes, and you'll get a varied response. Those are the responses I know. It's crazy, it's messed up, but it's all beautiful for me all the same.
I may never know who I inspire to write - Tolkien passed away a few years before I was born - but, if I were to meet him today, if he were still alive, if his spirit came and visited me tonight, in my sleep, I would thank him for being that inspiration for me.
So here is to you, Mr. J.R.R. Tolkien. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for the inspiration and courage you gave me to really be on this path. It's frustrating at times, but it's worth every ounce of effort.
Until the next time, my friends.
Today's . . . inspiration is thanks to a meme that popped up in my Facebook feed, in one of my Facebook groups about the characters from some books. The person who shared the meme wanted to know which books the (anonymous) author of the meme was mentioning. I guessed three out of the five accurately and knew of another without actually knowing the title - books turned into movies can be a good thing when it comes to naming things or at least knowing of them. I'm also attributing this entry to a private action scene from Star Ocean: The Last Hope, shortly after Bacchus joins the team. I know I've mentioned this before, where Edge comments on ancient literature. Before I begin, a little background on the game and the scene itself.
In order of recruitment for The Last Hope, you get Reimi (naturally), followed by your first alien friend, Faize. The three travel to the next planet and ultimately gain Lymle. The events on Lemuris lead to a spaceship-like planet called Cardianon, where we meet and gain Bacchus. Now, there are ways to extend the private actions between planets, up until a certain point. One way to do that is to head to a planet you've been to before, land, and go to your Item Creation to speak with Welch. After getting Bacchus, I recommend it because these particular scenes decrease the travel times between where you're starting from and where you've actually got to go to progress the game. And you don't have a lot of options when it comes to who is ultimately in your party. You've got to defeat the game and start a new gaming log if you want to keep one particular character over another. And you have to raise affinity points in order to view all of the endings.
At any rate, after getting Bacchus, before you head to your new destination, return to either Aeos or Lemuris. Upon landing, go to Item Creation (in your ship), and activate the console. This triggers the private scene where Welch greets Edge while she stands behind one of those cardboard standees, the kind you find at fairs and carnivals for picture taking. The standee itself is a headless woman wearing a French maid's outfit - you guys know the one! - and Welch says, "Welcome home, Master."
Now, mind you, she's being cheeky. She mentions she found some old books and that the costume was from that particular era. She even goes as far as to say that some men loved to be called "master". Edge, the entire time, is unimpressed. Bacchus is absolutely floored by this display.
Edge's following reaction is actually an effort to enhance the tragedy of World War III's aftermath. A lot had to change, and literature courses weren't required for space travel and exploration, apparently. At any rate, a lot of fiction was lost. A lot of things were lost to this deadly and catastrophic war. We'll leave it at that. Here's what Edge's reaction actually tells me, as an individual player.
For starters, he's not much of a reader. Given what we later learn in the game about him, there's a good reason for him probably being unable to sit down and enjoy a good book or anything longer than 50,000 words/250 pages. If he was much of a reader, his reactions to Welch's standees and what she said about what she learned in these ancient pieces of literature wouldn't be of disgust and disbelief. A good literature course would have told him about specific pieces of literature, what was going on during that era, and so on.
Also, his reaction tells me he doesn't read the fiction of his era, either, and I'm quite certain that there are writers and authors as he and his fellow crew mates begin their space exploration. Everyone has a hobby that they do in their spare time, and reading is a hobby of many, many people. Hell, if I were on a space exploration crew, having a thousand books on a tablet would be an amazing way to spend my downtime! Among other things. ^_^
So reading isn't one of Edge's strong suits, and it's something that works against him. He does have a compassionate personality, but his flaw, at least with this, is that he can't see how literature is a reflection of the time. And if he isn't reading the fiction of his time, then his question he asks Welch is understandable but silly at the same time.
His question: What were they thinking in leaving literature like that for future generations to find? (Note: This is where I enjoy Fayt Leingod more as a hero. He's a student, a serious one, but also understands he needs to allow himself a chance to rest, hence the video game addiction. He's also aware of the various types of literature from Earth. I'm presuming he's read them. How do I know? When you're on Elicoor II and reach the Sacred City of Aquaria, he finds the home of a writer who has written quite the lengthy series, and his internal monologue remarks that the number this author has written exceeds that of science-fiction authors of the 20th century. It isn't a private action, just something you find from wandering about and entering people's homes.)
I have an answer to that question, both as an author and as a reader. I also have questions for Welch on the works she read because that would answer a lot of questions as to what authors were thinking as well, but that's going into a completely different direction than is required at this point.
The answer is that most authors aren't thinking of what future generations are going to find. We are thinking of the current generations that surround us - ours, the next, and probably the next one after that. We're writing for ourselves, we're writing because we know of no other thing to do with ourselves, we're writing to inspire hope and courage, we write because we love, it and it makes us happy. We write because there are worlds we want to explore but can't because space travel is still a distant dream. We write to relive the past, to become greater in some way than what we feel we are. Some authors do write to make a quick buck, but most authors I've encountered, we're not writing with 50, or even 100, years later, or after our deaths, in mind. Not a single author can predict the type of long-term success a story is going to have. If we were to ask Dickens or Tolkien or even Stephen King if any of them expected to be viable after 50 years, well, I don't know what Dickens or Tolkien would say. The answer would probably be no. It'd be interesting to ask Stephen King if he thinks his works will endure for 50 years after his death. King's been writing for over 40 years now. Five generations from now will tell the tale of whether or not he'll reach the ranks of classics. Only time will tell if, 50 years after my death, my novels will stand the test of time. Do I hope that they will? Of course! But will it be so? I don't know, and that will be something I never will. But I write with the current generations in mind, namely my generation and the next two because they are the ones I'm coming into contact with. Someone like Edge Maverick is distant.
When I first started writing, I do so with one hope: that I will one day inspire someone else to begin writing. I wrote my first story when I was 9, but I wasn't inspired to become a writer until I was 14, until I'd read The Lord of the Rings. I write to be that inspiration. I write to explore those worlds I can only dream of, and I write to make the connections I know are out there for me.
That is why I write. Ask an author why he or she writes, and you'll get a varied response. Those are the responses I know. It's crazy, it's messed up, but it's all beautiful for me all the same.
I may never know who I inspire to write - Tolkien passed away a few years before I was born - but, if I were to meet him today, if he were still alive, if his spirit came and visited me tonight, in my sleep, I would thank him for being that inspiration for me.
So here is to you, Mr. J.R.R. Tolkien. Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart, for the inspiration and courage you gave me to really be on this path. It's frustrating at times, but it's worth every ounce of effort.
Until the next time, my friends.
