<Impossible`> Yes.
<Impossible`> I submitted an update yesterday.
<Jeramyu> yay!
<Impossible`> Chapter 3 is done.
<Impossible`> Finally.
* Jeramyu goes off to celebrate
* Jeramyu has quit IRC (Quit: But where am I going without ever knowing the way?...)
<Impossible`> I opened Word this morning with the intent of writing Chapter 4.
<Impossible`> It's still open.
<Impossible`> I never started.
<Impossible`> Because we were so busy flooding channels.
<Impossible`> Dammit, where did he go?
<Impossible`> I wanted him to read something from Chapter 3.
<Non-Sequitur> I wish I could write actually write at college level.
<Non-Sequitur> My essays are so terrible.
<Impossible`> I want someone to read my ridiculously stretched out river-crossing scene.
<Impossible`> An hour later, Rhue came across a river, and muttered a curse. He stopped for breath.
<Impossible`> “I can’t believe it…” the wanderer gasped. “I killed three people back there… I can’t believe it…” He didn’t really care if he repeated himself. “I’ve got to get across this river and fast! That spiky-haired bandit has got a lynch mob with him!”
<Impossible`> The river widened just where Rhue reached it, and it was impossible to climb to where the river was narrower. Swimming was too dangerous, he would be swept away, and the opposite bank had to be about thirty paces ahead. The only option was to jump, or he would be caught by the spiky-haired bandit, and probably killed. There were four rocks large enough to support a wanderer, but they were spaced apart nearly a metre each.
<Impossible`> First jump was easy. Close and simple. Then came the wind, a strong gust from the Purpose knows where. Rhue almost slipped off of the wet rock, but managed to land on his knees as the water splashed over his only support. Everything happened at once. The rock cracked, but Rhue kept calm. He couldn’t jump while the wind was blowing. But he couldn’t wait any longer. There was a pause in the gust, which probably saved Rhue’s life, as it was a split second before that gap he jumped off of the crumbling rock. Rhue smiled at the thought that he’d definitely slowed down his pursuers, but the winds started again as he caught his breath, reminding him of the matter at hand.
<Impossible`> Rhue soon found a pattern in the wind, and all he had to do was wait for his window to reach the stones. The others were more firm, so Rhue found little danger getting across to the next rock. The third one was slightly raised, resulting in the wanderer being forced to change his strategy somewhat. Once he was ready, he counted the length of the wind as he had before, and jumped.
<Impossible`> But the wind had changed. Rhue, blown off course, barely managed to scrape the rock with one hand. And unfortunately the rest of him wasn’t so lucky, and was grabbed by the current – which was stronger than it had looked. He quickly grabbed the rock with his other hand, and attempted to climb on. This was harder than it should have been, as the rock was slippery, and it was difficult to find a decent foothold. Rhue managed, though, and luckily had not gotten very wet above his waist, as the rock was taller than the others.
<Impossible`> The last rock wasn’t much harder than the second one. Rhue counted, stopped himself twice to make sure he had the timing right, and leaped. From there, the river bank was just within reach, and the exhausted wanderer stumbled back on to safe ground.
<Impossible`> As he passed an alcove just after the river, Rhue noticed a red-haired man lying there. Rhue first through he was unconscious, but he was merely sleeping, so Rhue left him and continued.
<Impossible`> Spot the grammatical error.
<Impossible`> Should be obvious. >_>
<Impossible`> Even the rocks are consistent with the game. >_> The third rock is the biggest.
<Impossible`> I spent so long looking at that map thinking about how to make that part interesting. >_>
<Impossible`> "Interesting" wasn't originally going to be that long.
<Non-Sequitur> Good job.
<Non-Sequitur> How do you decide on things that are choices in the game?
<Non-Sequitur> Like killing the three people.
<Impossible`> I think killin the three people is the path people are most likely to take the first time around.
<Impossible`> Firstly, if Rhue kills one, he might as well kill all of them, so it won't be 1 or 2.
<Impossible`> He could kill none, but it adds more tension this way.
<Impossible`> And affects. Strata's dialogue in Lide.
<Non-Sequitur> What are you going to do when the story branches?
<Impossible`> I'll either skip the cliff guy in E2 or have him live.
<Impossible`> I was thinking about that...
<Impossible`> If there's a "main path", I'll find it. >_>
<Impossible`> Or I'll write alternate endings. <_<
<Impossible`> I don't know what I'll do about Marna.
<Impossible`> But I wan't Rhue to meet Velicia without it still seeming too RPGish.
<Impossible`> I like blinding the monster and then fighting it as a story option, because of the dialogue between Rhue and the Paradan. It's also the easiest fight (compared to fighting alone normally, which is idiotic, or fighting with the Guided), and you get CTP and AR.
<Impossible`> >_>
<Impossible`> Now which reason do I always do it for?
<Impossible`> Episode 3 is going to be as horrible to write as it is to play.
<Impossible`> With all those dungeon areas...
<Impossible`> How do you write that?
<Non-Sequitur> You haven't written a dungeon area yet. Right?
<Impossible`> I'm up to one now.
<Impossible`> I don't know what to do.
<Impossible`> They're all gameplay-based.
<Impossible`> Damn RPGs.
<Non-Sequitur> How do fantasy authors handle caves and things?
<Impossible`> Except maybe for the cave in E2. That'll be lots of fun.
<Impossible`> Hm...
<Impossible`> Well, the only cave in LotR had other shit in it.
<Impossible`> I need to do lots of caves and mountains and shit in succession.
<Impossible`> And not make monster battling seem RPG-ish.
<Impossible`> If I have any at all.
<Impossible`> I'd like to, but it's too ahrd to incorporate.
<Impossible`> It would keep the dungeons interesting, but it would be too obvious.
<Non-Sequitur> What about the boss monsters?
<Impossible`> Don't even get me thinking about that. >_>
<Impossible`> That's why I might not have a choice.
<Impossible`> I'd like to ask Lun how the Way would've been if it weren't a game.
<Impossible`> A lot of the boss monsters are story-relevant.
<Impossible`> Some can be skipped, but there's no point unless I'm trying to skip all of them.
<Non-Sequitur> Do you know how much Fwacho was involved in creating the story of The Way?
<Impossible`> No.
<Impossible`> He was involved, though. >_>
<Non-Sequitur> He sent me an interesting IM a while ago.
<Impossible`> Oh?
<Non-Sequitur> He was responding to the question of "Is Lun okay with fangames?"
<Impossible`> Ah.
<Impossible`> Well, not until The Way is finished, I'd think.
<Impossible`> We already had fan stories, in the form of the RPs.
<Non-Sequitur> He said that we would need to play through episode six to understand things well enough.
<Impossible`> Damn, I still want to finish the first RP so damn badly...
<Non-Sequitur> It sounded like episode six will answer most questions.
<Impossible`> Yeah.
<Impossible`> E6 will be pretty crucial.
<Exiled> Damnit
<Exiled> I need Ep6
<Impossible`> Like I think I posted already, E5 was the start of the next part of the story.
<Impossible`> Yeah.
<Impossible`> Damn Lun's computer.
<Non-Sequitur> How long did it take you to write that section?
<Impossible`> Hm...
<Impossible`> Maybe 20 minutes.
<Impossible`> Give or take 10 minutes. Not really sure.
<Impossible`> I'm thinking on the longer side, though.
<Non-Sequitur> You should see how long it takes me to write things.
<Non-Sequitur> It is pathetic.
<Impossible`> I spent a while trying to brainstorm, though.
<Impossible`> I didn't want "Rhue came to a river. He saw some rocks he could use to get over, and jumped to them one by one to reach the other side."
<Impossible`> Eventually I decided to incorporate the wind.
<Impossible`> The bane of all our existences.
<Non-Sequitur> Have you been thinking about the plunge with Traziun?
<Impossible`> I've written that.
<Impossible`> It's only two passes anyway, that was easy.
<Impossible`> As he turned to continue, he was approached by the sleeping red-haired man – who obviously wasn’t sleeping anymore. “Hey, hold up!” the stranger called.
<Impossible`> “Huh?” Rhue wasn’t interested in the man, why should the man care about him?
<Impossible`> “Draw your sword. I want to see what you’ve got!”
<Impossible`> Suddenly the atmosphere changed, and Rhue panicked. “Another bandit?”
<Impossible`> “I’m no bandit,” the man said, “I just want to have some fun! So come on! Let’s do this!” As Rhue would later learn, he’d just met someone very confident and strong – who would never turn down a challenge.
<Impossible`> “I’m still a beginner. I only know the bare essentials. Hardly worth your time.” Rhue just wanted to move on, before his pursuers could get across the river.
<Impossible`> “Really?” the stranger said, “I’d hate to defeat someone who didn’t even realise why they were defeated.” He paused, thinking. “I guess there’s only one thing to do then.”
<Impossible`> “Call off the challenge?” Rhue suggested hopefully. He really didn’t want to fight now.
<Impossible`> “No! I’m going to give you a little lesson before we get started.”
<Impossible`> (Heh... Rhue had to get a "lesson" from Traziun or it wouldn't work. I obviously couldn't use the stat explanation he does, so I stole Dana's plunge lesson and used it the way I did with Therin's):
<Impossible`> The man whose name Rhue still hadn’t learned gave Rhue a short lesson in Plunge technique. Rhue wasn’t completely listening, as his mind was on other things, but he tried to pick up some useful advice just in case he needed it. The stranger spoke about making his attacks more powerful – at the risk of lowering his defences to other attacks. He remembered how Therin had mentioned the different attack types, and realised that this was basically the same – except whoever had a more effective attack when someone used this technique got an even bigger advantage than usual. It didn’t sound like such a good deal to Rhue; it just meant he’d lose faster.
<Impossible`> Rhue wasn’t at all confident after his last attempt at the Plunge, and the red-haired man was easily stronger than his previous opponent – even going easy on the poor beginner, too. As if his eyes were closed, the man effortlessly dealt a painful blow, and didn’t seem to feel Rhue’s feeble attempt.
<Impossible`> “…Well… You’ve definitely got room for improvement…”
<Impossible`> Rhue hated getting beaten all the time – maybe he wouldn’t bother with the Plunge after this. “I told you I’m new at this…”
<Impossible`> “Believe me, I can tell,” the man smiled, but Rhue didn’t.
<Impossible`> They ran at each other one more time, with the results no different, and Rhue knew this was hopeless.
<Impossible`> “I think you’ve proved your superiority. I’ve had enough.”
<Impossible`> “What?! We’ve only done two passes!” The man had clearly expected more. “I’m a little disappointed… But it takes quite a man to swallow his pride and know when he’s beat.” Rhue was glad the man had said that; after everything else had made him feel so pathetic. “I admire that. My name is Traziun, what’s yours?”
<Impossible`> ”Rhue.” Suddenly, knowing the stranger’s name changed how Rhue looked at him – now there was a face, and a description.
<Impossible`> Traziun was tall and handsome, wearing mostly black clothes, with symmetrical red plates on his chest, arms, legs and shoes. Rhue wondered if an outfit like that was expensive to make. He had a goatee and a small ponytail, while the rest of his distinct red hair went down to his neck on the side and nearly over his eyebrows on his face. There was for some reason a gap in his hair above the space between his eyes.
<Impossible`> You wouldn't believe how many times I nearly typed "Traziun" before Rhue knew his name.
<Impossible`> That's just one of my rules; if the main character doesn't know their name, the reader doesn't either.
<Impossible`> I think the exception would have to be Strata.
<Impossible`> Rhue doesn't learn his name until E4.
<Impossible`> But did we even know his name before E3?
<Non-Sequitur> Yes.
<Non-Sequitur> He tells his name to Kloe.
<Impossible`> Really?
<Non-Sequitur> My name is Strata,\.\. and
<Non-Sequitur> you are?
<Impossible`> Ah.
<Non-Sequitur> I think that is the first time his name is said in the game.
<Impossible`> Yep.
<Impossible`> Definitely not said in E1, so yeah.
<Impossible`> From then on I think I can refer to him as Strata, unless I'm doing it directly from Rhue's perspective.
<Non-Sequitur> Did you hear about what Strata was going to be originally?
<Impossible`> Not sure.
<Impossible`> Do you mean his sprite was based on Kygar's? I heard something about that...
<Non-Sequitur> There was going to be a rabbit racing game in which he would be a recurring opponent.
<Impossible`> Ha...
<Impossible`> Where does Dippy go most of the time, anyway?
<Impossible`> I can't use infallible RPG logic in writing, so DIppy has to be somewhere...
<Impossible`> And be getting food from somewhere...
<Non-Sequitur> I don't know. The first time I played, I forgot all about him.
<Impossible`> Haha, I could pretend he doesn't exist.
<Impossible`> I already almost have.
<Impossible`> There was no mention of Dippy directly after he runs away from the settlement.
<Impossible`> Exactly what Lun did... >_>
<Non-Sequitur> Does he ever appear again other than the pits?
<Impossible`> Don't think so.
<Impossible`> Let's just pretend he wanders around somewhere behind or ahead of Rhue at all times.
<Impossible`> And always comes back to him for some reason.
Anyway, if you have any questions about the novelization, or suggestions about how to get past some of the annoying RPG bits, post them here. Also, comments on the snippets of Chapter 3 in there would be nice.
