Viginettes returned in full force, and even my Video Game partner got in on the writing by contributing a few written sneak peeks of the digital version of Shokiyu.
I'm looking foward to the day when we can get a playable version of The Video Game to you. (even if it is just a quick demo)
That said, is there anything you'd like to see "cross over" from one version to the other, or have a prompt for a viginette? Let me know in the comments.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Video Game Update: Ice area and Magia Points
Some footage of the mountains and a new feature: Magia points. Check it out
Monday, September 26, 2011
Digital Viginette #2: Sudden Occurrence
Another digital viginette, courtesy of my partner:
"We've finally made it to the Forest of Dawn!" Bradlin exclaimed. Miresa, Arune, and Bradlin observed the area around them. The three had been given a quest by the mayor of Telrain. They would act as messangers and deliver a letter to Queen Leria of Selance.
"This forest is gigantic. I want to deliver the letter to Her Majesty before the end of today, so we should make sure we manage our time well," Miresa explained. The forest was huge, and filled with monsters. If they moved at a fast enough pace, they would make it before nightfall.
"You're right. It's best for us to make it to Selance. Important messages like this should be delivered as soon as possible. Maybe we could sleep at a nice inn when we get there," Arune nodded. As the capital city of the east continent of Shokiyu, Selance had many nice shops to go to. The inns were no different.
"We should probably get moving then," Miresa said. The other two nodded and the group began their journey through the Forest of Dawn. The time was still at full day, so the sunlight shone through the trees and combined with the sparkling butterflies to create a beautiful view. Arune seemed to admire the lush, green forestry and Bradlin seemed to occasionally stare at the sky. They slowly approached a creek up ahead.
"Thank goodness for the bridge," Miresa sighed of relief. Things would've been more difficult for her and Bradlin if there wasn't the bridge for them to cross. Arune would've been able to flutter across. Miresa began to walk through the connected, wooden planks. She slowly began to feel tired as if unconsciousness was pulling onto her.
"Miresa, is there something wrong?" Arune asked. But Miresa didn't seem to hear her. Miresa was slowly losing consciousness and she could hear a voice speaking to her. But only Miresa could hear it.
"The sigils are disappearing. A new gemsinger must arise…" spoke the whispering voice in Miresa's head. A few moments later she collapsed on the bridge.
"Oh no! She's lost consciousness!" Arune fluttered up to her and tried to shove her, despite their size differences, as if to try and wake her. Bradlin came running up shortly.
"Miresa! Can you hear me!?" He shoved her as well. "It's no use! She won't respond," Bradlin's voice was filled with urgency.
"We're going to have to take her to Lady Galia back in Telrain," Arune explained. "Do you think you can carry her?" she asked.
"Yes, let's hurry!" Bradlin wasted no time and swung Miresa over his shoulder. He began to run in the direction of Telrain with Arune hustling in the air at his side. Arune looked at her Other with worry.
"Please be alright," Arune said.
"We've finally made it to the Forest of Dawn!" Bradlin exclaimed. Miresa, Arune, and Bradlin observed the area around them. The three had been given a quest by the mayor of Telrain. They would act as messangers and deliver a letter to Queen Leria of Selance.
"This forest is gigantic. I want to deliver the letter to Her Majesty before the end of today, so we should make sure we manage our time well," Miresa explained. The forest was huge, and filled with monsters. If they moved at a fast enough pace, they would make it before nightfall.
"You're right. It's best for us to make it to Selance. Important messages like this should be delivered as soon as possible. Maybe we could sleep at a nice inn when we get there," Arune nodded. As the capital city of the east continent of Shokiyu, Selance had many nice shops to go to. The inns were no different.
"We should probably get moving then," Miresa said. The other two nodded and the group began their journey through the Forest of Dawn. The time was still at full day, so the sunlight shone through the trees and combined with the sparkling butterflies to create a beautiful view. Arune seemed to admire the lush, green forestry and Bradlin seemed to occasionally stare at the sky. They slowly approached a creek up ahead.
"Thank goodness for the bridge," Miresa sighed of relief. Things would've been more difficult for her and Bradlin if there wasn't the bridge for them to cross. Arune would've been able to flutter across. Miresa began to walk through the connected, wooden planks. She slowly began to feel tired as if unconsciousness was pulling onto her.
"Miresa, is there something wrong?" Arune asked. But Miresa didn't seem to hear her. Miresa was slowly losing consciousness and she could hear a voice speaking to her. But only Miresa could hear it.
"The sigils are disappearing. A new gemsinger must arise…" spoke the whispering voice in Miresa's head. A few moments later she collapsed on the bridge.
"Oh no! She's lost consciousness!" Arune fluttered up to her and tried to shove her, despite their size differences, as if to try and wake her. Bradlin came running up shortly.
"Miresa! Can you hear me!?" He shoved her as well. "It's no use! She won't respond," Bradlin's voice was filled with urgency.
"We're going to have to take her to Lady Galia back in Telrain," Arune explained. "Do you think you can carry her?" she asked.
"Yes, let's hurry!" Bradlin wasted no time and swung Miresa over his shoulder. He began to run in the direction of Telrain with Arune hustling in the air at his side. Arune looked at her Other with worry.
"Please be alright," Arune said.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Digital Viginette #1: Encounter at the Earth Sigil
So my partner (the head designer of The Video Game) decided to give you guys a sneak peek of Shokiyu's digital form--enjoy!
"Miresa, are you ready?" Galia asked as the group stood at the entrance to the peak of the Earthly Crags. They had been on their journey for a while, and had heard rumors that the "Gemsinger" had come to the Earthly Crags. This was all wrong of course. The true gemsinger was Miresa herself.
"Yes, I'm ready to sing at the sigil to summon Goddess Terre. We've worked hard to get this far, and I won't let Goddess Meikon down," Miresa calmly replied. She turned around to face her group. "Everyone, please wish me luck." Miresa closed her eyes as if to say a prayer to Meikon.
"Don't worry. I'll be by your side!" Miresa's Other, Arune fluttered by her side. The fairy held both her mini sword and her shield with the pride of a Wingblade, while Bradlin gave Miresa an approving look. Miresa nodded her head silently. She was ready to summon Terre and protect the Gaia Emerald from the rumored Gemsinger.
"Thank you, everyone, for your support. Let us go!" Miresa turned around and faced the opening once again. The group slowly walked through the giant exit of the cave and entered the Earth Shrine. Miresa looked to her sides. They were high on the small mountain that resided by Brightleaf. She could see the village below.
Ahead of the group were a few steps. They walked up the short stairs and onto flat ground again. "I can really see the view from here!" Bradlin remarked. He looked over the edge of the rocky wall of the summit of the mountain. But their admiration was short lived.
"It's the false Gemsinger! I thought it would be you, Lytas!" Miresa yelled through the sound of the harsh mountain wind. Just ahead of the group were many soldiers of Katva's army, and Lytas, one of the admins.
The female demon chuckled. "Of course! We, of Lord Katva's army, need the power of the Earth Sigil!" Lytas turned around to face the group, with a sly smirk on her face. She looked at the elves from Brightleaf that had taken her here to the Earth Sigil. "All of you are a bunch of fools. I will admit, I was never the Gemsinger. And now that you lead our army to the location of the Gaia Emerald, you can go back and tell your little village that it's all your fault the world will be destroyed."
"Silence!" Lytas turned around at the voice of Miresa. "This new world of yours is not going to be created. I, the sixth Gemsinger, will stop you at all costs!" Miresa drew her sword and readied for battle.
"Like that's a stone of power!" Lytas let out a laugh. "You cannot defeat me. All of you inferior beings will perish before the might of Lord Katva's army!" Lytas flapped her wings and rose to the air.
"We have to be careful. This isn't going to be an easy battle." Galia warned. The other party members headed her words and the battle to save the Gaia Emerald had begun!
"Miresa, are you ready?" Galia asked as the group stood at the entrance to the peak of the Earthly Crags. They had been on their journey for a while, and had heard rumors that the "Gemsinger" had come to the Earthly Crags. This was all wrong of course. The true gemsinger was Miresa herself.
"Yes, I'm ready to sing at the sigil to summon Goddess Terre. We've worked hard to get this far, and I won't let Goddess Meikon down," Miresa calmly replied. She turned around to face her group. "Everyone, please wish me luck." Miresa closed her eyes as if to say a prayer to Meikon.
"Don't worry. I'll be by your side!" Miresa's Other, Arune fluttered by her side. The fairy held both her mini sword and her shield with the pride of a Wingblade, while Bradlin gave Miresa an approving look. Miresa nodded her head silently. She was ready to summon Terre and protect the Gaia Emerald from the rumored Gemsinger.
"Thank you, everyone, for your support. Let us go!" Miresa turned around and faced the opening once again. The group slowly walked through the giant exit of the cave and entered the Earth Shrine. Miresa looked to her sides. They were high on the small mountain that resided by Brightleaf. She could see the village below.
Ahead of the group were a few steps. They walked up the short stairs and onto flat ground again. "I can really see the view from here!" Bradlin remarked. He looked over the edge of the rocky wall of the summit of the mountain. But their admiration was short lived.
"It's the false Gemsinger! I thought it would be you, Lytas!" Miresa yelled through the sound of the harsh mountain wind. Just ahead of the group were many soldiers of Katva's army, and Lytas, one of the admins.
The female demon chuckled. "Of course! We, of Lord Katva's army, need the power of the Earth Sigil!" Lytas turned around to face the group, with a sly smirk on her face. She looked at the elves from Brightleaf that had taken her here to the Earth Sigil. "All of you are a bunch of fools. I will admit, I was never the Gemsinger. And now that you lead our army to the location of the Gaia Emerald, you can go back and tell your little village that it's all your fault the world will be destroyed."
"Silence!" Lytas turned around at the voice of Miresa. "This new world of yours is not going to be created. I, the sixth Gemsinger, will stop you at all costs!" Miresa drew her sword and readied for battle.
"Like that's a stone of power!" Lytas let out a laugh. "You cannot defeat me. All of you inferior beings will perish before the might of Lord Katva's army!" Lytas flapped her wings and rose to the air.
"We have to be careful. This isn't going to be an easy battle." Galia warned. The other party members headed her words and the battle to save the Gaia Emerald had begun!
Viginette: Anticipation
Done in dialogue, Miresa and Arune:
"Did you hear? Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The great storyteller Yeline Rowata is coming to Telrain!"
"Like THAT's a Stone of Power! Yeline's a high ranking storyteller at that--what would make her want to come all the way out here?"
"Storytellers are like minstrels, Arune--they go where the wind takes them."
"So they do...have you heard Yeline perform before?"
"Yes, she told 'The Ungrateful Dragon', and "The Brave Seer..."
"Isn't that the one where a seer foretells demons crashing a mage's tournament, and helps a mage defeat the demons?"
"That's it!"
"Interesting...what other tales does she know?"
"Well...I don't remember the names of these, but she told one about a wizard whose friendship with the High Goddess helped him reveal that a legendary sword did not belong to a bandit, and the one about how Leria's uncle, Duke Siarl, outwitted a traitorous advisor with a swordsman's help..."
"I bet that one was funny!"
"Oh, it was! I was laughing so hard at how the captain of the guard kept refusing to believe him."
"Did you hear? Did you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"The great storyteller Yeline Rowata is coming to Telrain!"
"Like THAT's a Stone of Power! Yeline's a high ranking storyteller at that--what would make her want to come all the way out here?"
"Storytellers are like minstrels, Arune--they go where the wind takes them."
"So they do...have you heard Yeline perform before?"
"Yes, she told 'The Ungrateful Dragon', and "The Brave Seer..."
"Isn't that the one where a seer foretells demons crashing a mage's tournament, and helps a mage defeat the demons?"
"That's it!"
"Interesting...what other tales does she know?"
"Well...I don't remember the names of these, but she told one about a wizard whose friendship with the High Goddess helped him reveal that a legendary sword did not belong to a bandit, and the one about how Leria's uncle, Duke Siarl, outwitted a traitorous advisor with a swordsman's help..."
"I bet that one was funny!"
"Oh, it was! I was laughing so hard at how the captain of the guard kept refusing to believe him."
Thursday, September 22, 2011
New Viginette: Anticipation
So I'm going to write more viginettes of Shokiyu, and my next prompt is "anticipation--so what's the best way to approach this?
Birthdays/festivals are the most obvious route, but what would be another feasible thing for Miresa to anticipate?
Birthdays/festivals are the most obvious route, but what would be another feasible thing for Miresa to anticipate?
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
The Problem with Pacing
While this mainly has to do with pacing in games, a lot of what is said here can also be applied to stories too Extra Credits: Pacing
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The State of the Chronicles: August 2011 and Plans for September
After a bit of a vacation, we continued working on The Video Game in earnest.
It's already shaping up to be an epic adventure, but there's still a lot of work to be done tweaking both versions of the world--so if there's a topic you want me to discuss, please tell me.
It's already shaping up to be an epic adventure, but there's still a lot of work to be done tweaking both versions of the world--so if there's a topic you want me to discuss, please tell me.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Another video
Part 2 of the Ocean Sapphire scene
Bear in mind that the dungeons will not be this small when the final game releases
Bear in mind that the dungeons will not be this small when the final game releases
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Saturday, August 27, 2011
A Tale of Two Games
After a bit of a vacation from the blog, I now have a dillema concerning the Video Game...which version would you want the final game based off of?
A. The Project S draft
B. The newly revived Project R draft (details here
or C. Some combination of the two?
A. The Project S draft
B. The newly revived Project R draft (details here
or C. Some combination of the two?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A Quick Tour of Telrain
Telrain is built around a town square, with some of the market and shops filling the west side. Going north will take you to the temple, the school house, and the council's houses. Southward leads to the entrance, and going east will take you to the entertainment district (it has a theater and a concert hall)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
The State of the Chronicles and my vision for The Video Game
This month, we got a little worldbuilding done, started yet another draft of The Video Game, and started a series on combating writer's block.
When we do get a playable version of The Video Game out to you, I'm planning on it to be a good, long adventure with tons of things to do (eg. huge dungeons to explore, secrets and side quests, mini games, etc.) That said, it won't be too easy, but it won't be tear your hair out hard, either. (about Zelda caliber puzzles)
When we do get a playable version of The Video Game out to you, I'm planning on it to be a good, long adventure with tons of things to do (eg. huge dungeons to explore, secrets and side quests, mini games, etc.) That said, it won't be too easy, but it won't be tear your hair out hard, either. (about Zelda caliber puzzles)
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thoughts: Lord of the Gemsinger
So I watched the Lord of the Rings movies for the first time in a long time, and one piece in the special features stood out to me.
It is said that Tolkien wanted his world of Middle-earth to feel like a real place. Likewise, I hope Shokiyu (in both its written and digital forms) is shaping up to be the same way.
If there's any topic you want to see discussed for either form of Shokiyu, please drop a line in the comments.
It is said that Tolkien wanted his world of Middle-earth to feel like a real place. Likewise, I hope Shokiyu (in both its written and digital forms) is shaping up to be the same way.
If there's any topic you want to see discussed for either form of Shokiyu, please drop a line in the comments.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
The Video Game lives!
Take a look at the first (short and sweet) look at the new version of The Video Game: Here
Friday, July 22, 2011
Writer's Block Resource #1: Chaotic Shiny
One of my favorite things to do when I'm stuck on a story is to use a generator (and there are plenty of them out there)
Seventh Sanctum is the definitive site when it comes to generators, but another favorite I like is Chaotic Shiny--you can generate an entire fantastic town, to the world its set in and even generate songs for your minstrels to sing.
If you want to check it out, head here
Seventh Sanctum is the definitive site when it comes to generators, but another favorite I like is Chaotic Shiny--you can generate an entire fantastic town, to the world its set in and even generate songs for your minstrels to sing.
If you want to check it out, head here
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
How to Deal With Writer's Block--An Intro
We all go through it at some point as writers--you're before the page (or screen) and the words don't come. Or many ideas are coming at once and you don't know where to begin. Whatever it is, we know it by one name--writer's block.
But you don't have to let writer's block get the best of you--over the next few days I will share some things I do to combat writer's block in hopes they too will inspire some other budding writers
But you don't have to let writer's block get the best of you--over the next few days I will share some things I do to combat writer's block in hopes they too will inspire some other budding writers
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Shokiyan Language, Day 4
◦What are the variations in speech patterns, syntax, and slang from one social class to another?
--The use of contractions lessens the further up the ladder you go
--Different classes have different slang for the same expression (so a miner might refer to a streak of luck as a "crown jewel", while a merchant would refer to that as a "great deal")
--plus some I don't want to give away yet
--The use of contractions lessens the further up the ladder you go
--Different classes have different slang for the same expression (so a miner might refer to a streak of luck as a "crown jewel", while a merchant would refer to that as a "great deal")
--plus some I don't want to give away yet
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