"The Show Must Go On" ch 32 & Review responses for ch 31
Pendant color choice - "I think the red jewel he got for Kuja is a wonderful gift! Kuja is often deck out blue, purple, or dark colors, so a brilliant red that shines like his Trance form is a refreshing change of pace!"
I did originally think about going with different color of pendant, like purple or even aqua to match Zidane's eyes, but from Zidane's POV, crimson made the most sense, because that's the color that reminded Zidane of Kuja's feelings for him.
Gilgamesh - "Gilagamesh was a interesting addition! Figures that only person to report Zidance's location would be a money-grabbing scoundrel!"
I admit it didn't occur to me to use Gilgamesh at first... my original plan was to go with the obvious: Lani, as she's a bounty hunter. But I liked the suggestion of Gilgamesh a lot more. He's neither a friend or a true enemy; he's not doing it because of personal grudge with Zidane. He's strictly about the money. Yet he's also someone that Steiner would distrust on sight, which made for an interesting twist.
* * *
Below responses are for the story overall:
Planning out the story - "I really like this story, how everything is detailed and how everything happens for a reason. It's like everything seems to have been planned from the start, and it's these kinds of things that's unfortunately missing in so many fanfics."
I shamefully admit I pre-plan very little of my story. I had a beginning, and I know the ending of course; I had a few scenes along the way that I wanted to see happen (i.e. Zidane arguing with Kuja in the dungeon) and many scenarios where I had no clear way through (i.e. the subsequent jailbreak!) But I figured if I steered towards the scenes I want, and got a little help along the way for the rest, I'd do okay.
Kuja changing - "I like how Kuja has changed, but still retains some part of his old self at times. I've always thought that would be how Kuja will be if he stayed alive after the end of the game, that he's still confused about living among Gaians like a normal person. I mean, he lived as a villain for something like 24 years on Gaia, so of course, he doesn't know how to live like a commoner and how to hold a normal conversation like a normal person."
If Kuja didn't change, a story like this couldn't happen - even Zidane would struggle to trust him if he still was his old self. The difficult part for me was balancing who Kuja once was with who he might've been, if his life had taken a different, kinder path. While the journey towards this new life hasn't been smooth by any means, I think Kuja's coming around to embracing it - he's starting to realize that maybe happiness is still attainable and not nearly as impossible an ask as he might've previously thought.
Creating OCs - "And even the OCs in this story are likable in their own ways. You don't put too much focus on them, and yet they are still important parts of this story, which I really like!"
The OCs are mostly background scenery, though some got a slightly bigger role so that Kuja and Zidane would have a colorful cast of characters to interact with. I tried to think of the roles you'd see in a typical RPG village (innkeeper, general store clerk, etc.) and created personalities that I thought would suit someone doing that job.
* * *
New chapter:
- ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8057142/33/The-Show-Must-Go-On
- AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17712662/chapters/50579747
I did originally think about going with different color of pendant, like purple or even aqua to match Zidane's eyes, but from Zidane's POV, crimson made the most sense, because that's the color that reminded Zidane of Kuja's feelings for him.
Gilgamesh - "Gilagamesh was a interesting addition! Figures that only person to report Zidance's location would be a money-grabbing scoundrel!"
I admit it didn't occur to me to use Gilgamesh at first... my original plan was to go with the obvious: Lani, as she's a bounty hunter. But I liked the suggestion of Gilgamesh a lot more. He's neither a friend or a true enemy; he's not doing it because of personal grudge with Zidane. He's strictly about the money. Yet he's also someone that Steiner would distrust on sight, which made for an interesting twist.
* * *
Below responses are for the story overall:
Planning out the story - "I really like this story, how everything is detailed and how everything happens for a reason. It's like everything seems to have been planned from the start, and it's these kinds of things that's unfortunately missing in so many fanfics."
I shamefully admit I pre-plan very little of my story. I had a beginning, and I know the ending of course; I had a few scenes along the way that I wanted to see happen (i.e. Zidane arguing with Kuja in the dungeon) and many scenarios where I had no clear way through (i.e. the subsequent jailbreak!) But I figured if I steered towards the scenes I want, and got a little help along the way for the rest, I'd do okay.
Kuja changing - "I like how Kuja has changed, but still retains some part of his old self at times. I've always thought that would be how Kuja will be if he stayed alive after the end of the game, that he's still confused about living among Gaians like a normal person. I mean, he lived as a villain for something like 24 years on Gaia, so of course, he doesn't know how to live like a commoner and how to hold a normal conversation like a normal person."
If Kuja didn't change, a story like this couldn't happen - even Zidane would struggle to trust him if he still was his old self. The difficult part for me was balancing who Kuja once was with who he might've been, if his life had taken a different, kinder path. While the journey towards this new life hasn't been smooth by any means, I think Kuja's coming around to embracing it - he's starting to realize that maybe happiness is still attainable and not nearly as impossible an ask as he might've previously thought.
Creating OCs - "And even the OCs in this story are likable in their own ways. You don't put too much focus on them, and yet they are still important parts of this story, which I really like!"
The OCs are mostly background scenery, though some got a slightly bigger role so that Kuja and Zidane would have a colorful cast of characters to interact with. I tried to think of the roles you'd see in a typical RPG village (innkeeper, general store clerk, etc.) and created personalities that I thought would suit someone doing that job.
* * *
New chapter:
- ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8057142/33/The-Show-Must-Go-On
- AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17712662/chapters/50579747