Hero

A big conflict for me is simplicity vs. details. There are, of course, elegant solutions to satisfy both--so perhaps I should try harder, but my brain capability is often limited, as my brother would readily tell you.

It's obvious (the simplicity conflict, not my IQ) from ff reader comments on DS. I would leave little details, but from readers' confusion, I am making too many assumptions. But then, it's so patronizing to spell out everything. I could blame the readers--but I am the author, the one who designed the plot and the particular way of words, so everything is really my own fault.

As I plan more and more of DS's plot (which should have been done a year ago when I first wrote ch1), the conflict between simplicity and details becomes clearer. I want to make the story conclusion satisfying. This would be most readily achieved with a Traditional Hero. In a way, in Esca the characters most impacted by the events were Van and Folken. Hitomi's journey wasn't nearly as complete as theirs, with their conflicts, falling away, dilemmas, eagerness, and redemption. Traditional Heroes provide a clear moral compass, completion of story, and emotional identification by readers.

But the way to use them require planning and skill. It could easily become a device and a resentment. Not using them, on the other hand, could also easily make DS into the Modern Literary Work with No Heros, Just a Lot of Suffering and Is Hella Boring category.

sigh.

Most likely I will go the Hero route with modifications. Elegant solutions, where are you?

Progress Update 15

One of my favorite development techniques is freewriting. Writing down thoughts to add to and put together puzzles seem to lead to new ideas. Plus it's one of my remaining few things to do on long commutes.

So now I am revising my plot. Again.

This time, though, there's actually integration between my previous two disjunct ideas. There's even more backstory and intrigue. And I'd like to finish hashing out the entire plotline this time around. As time goes on I keep finding oversights and mistakes in previous chs, but since I already released them on ff, it's unfair to modify them, even if they're just little details here and there that no one would probably care about, like the location of the Fanelian shrine, Van's description of plants, etc. But if I had thought of these details earlier, the chs would have been richer, more character-driven, and I'd be able to insert hints in layering complexity instead of mishmashing scraps together from the first 5 chs.

Well, I learned.

Another of my problems to solve is characters. There are 20 I'm re-employing and ~40 I'm making up for DS. Although, maybe it isn't really such a problem. Esca had a long list. LOTR is another prime example. I could make it work, if every one is distinct in his place and personality.

The third of the long list is Escaflowne battle scenes. I love sword scenes with and without mecha. I love love LOVE Escaflowne in dragon form. And so I keep having to create better and better plotline so I can have Van in battle, because many ideas are just so awkward that this contrivance would be against my vow to make DS realistic, not to mention it would make the story plain awful.

We'll see.

Fight from ep26.
/swoon

DS to do

1. revisit Atlantis legends and Plato
2. music lyrics for ideas
3. country profiles
4. character profiles
5. double-check dialogue, addresses/honorifics
6. re-establish plot structure into linearity (the most dreaded of all)
7. draw hierarchy chart for structure (esp. B, F, T, and D)
8. double-check story timeline/time progression
9. do "applied characterization" exercises for DS
10. decide on "destinations" for characters
11. reorganize notes and details

Bedtime arrives so soon: I really need to find a solution for DS. When I was writing (back in far away November!), I typically wrote in 4 hour blocks. And I edit too much to make handwriting at all possible (not to mention I think the last time I wrote in longhand was in high school for the English AP exam).

Bah. Humbug.


Picture of Atlantis (as described by Plato) on Wiki:

Hiatus

A note that's long overdue:
Ch6 will be out at the end of June.

Sorry ._, New job, long commute, and GRE prep are all eating into my spare time. I haven't stopped thinking about scenes, but any possible time to write and refine will have to come early June.

Soon, soon!

Selling

I really need to change to a different car, so here are some beloved books I've accumulated over the years from Japanese stores and websites that I'm selling. Click on thumbnails for bigger image. Please let me know if you would like more scans.


Manga:

Yakitate! Japan, books 1-20, $80

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, books 1-6, $40



Artbooks:

Escaflowne filmbooks, books 1-4, $20
Storybooks on eps 1-15 from shots. Esoteric series and design information on the bottom of every page, as well as art from design notebooks at the end.


Kenshin anime series artbook "best collection", $10


Kenshin KADEN, $18
Ultimate collection of Kenshin information. Notes from beginning to series to end of jinchu arc that manga volumes 1-28. Also pages on character, sword styles, etc.



Doujinshi:

Escaflowne, "Vision" published by Link Out (comedy), $6
Compilation of comedy pages.


Escaflowne, "Van Fanel Remodeling Project" by Minato Tajima (comedy, slightly adult), $10
A funny, lighthearted story by one of the best adult Escaflowne doujinshi artists.


Kenshin, "Saikai" by Shinji Yamaguchi (adult), $12
Popular adult Keshin doujinshi artist.


All are in excellent condition. The prices are ~50% of original cost and includes shipping, but are open to negotiation. Email in comment box for contact.

Esca Music 2

Uploaded mp3s:
OST1, OST2, OST3, Lovers Only, movie.

Feel free to contribute to my speculation on ep placement. (Track list is from Yoko Kanno Project. James also has the first few seconds of each track on the site.) These are from memory, until I set aside some time to match them with the series. In particular I have more trouble with music in fight sequences.

OST1
01. Yakusoku wa Iranai (Promises not Necessary)
TV edit (Lovers 01) as series intro.
02. Flying Dragon
battle on the river at the borders of Asturia and Freid, with Van, Allen, and the Dragonslayers, ep9.
Gem: Van, Hitomi, and Allen's escape from Zaibach, ep18.
03. Dance of Curse
the music during scene selection on DVD. Also Van's first fight inside Esca, ep2.
Gem: Van and Allen's last fight, ep26.
04. Murder
Balgus's death.
05. Escaflowne
?
06. Angel
Varie at the lake.
Gem: Van comes to get Hitomi, ep24.
07. Cubic
(fight sequence?)
08. Romance
Dryden & Millerna's wedding, ep20.
Gem: Millerna's declaration at Crusade's departure: "Allen, I will never give up", ep8.
09. NE ZU MI
Crusade crew storms Vione for Van's rescue mission, ep5.
10. Wings
Hitomi makes the 5 meter leap, ep5.
11. Gloria
Second part of track is recap on Romance.
12. Eyes
Van discovers Hitomi and Allen on the Meifia Bridge, ep20.
13. Empty the Pocket
Gem: Hitomi and Yukari on their way home, ep1.
14. White Dove
Van and Hitomi arrives in Asturia for the first time, ep6.
15. Mystic Eyes
TV edit (Lovers 19) as series ending credits.
16. Deja Blue
Marlene's music box that conceals her diary, ep13.

OST2
01. The Vision of Escaflowne
Van fighting Naria and Eriya at the Gate of Atlantis, ep17.
02. Fanelia
?
03. Ask the Owl
Van and Allen's first fight in guymelefs, ep3.
04. Charm
Van's moment with Escaflowne so it would become him, ep13.
05. Country Man
?
06. A Mole Man
Merle sizing up Hitomi in their sick bed, ep4.
07. Cradle Song
(Allen?)
08. Machine Soldier
(Dilandau and Dragonslayers?)
09. Shadow of Doubt
Folken's asylum with Asturia, ep23.
10. A Far Cry
Folken returns to Fanelia and waits for Van, ep22.
11. Market Place
?
12. Medicine Eater
?
13. Godds Drunk
?
14. Cat's Delicacy
Merle steals Hitomi's pendant, ep2.
15. Love
16. Hitomi's Theme
Span shot of Hitomi in her room against the Asturia night?
Gem: Van and Hitomi's conversation about their family, ep8.
17. If You
?

OST3
01. Short Notice
ep preview music
02. Arcadia
Hitomi enters Atlantis, ep17.
Gem: Folken and Van's reunion in Fanelia, ep22.
03. Epistle
(fight scene)
Gem: Van defeats Dragonslayers after healing from Escaflowne's repairs, ep14.
04. Farewell
Gem: Dryden explains secrets of Esca and calls upon the Ispanos, ep14.
05. Aoi Hitomi
Hitomi walks away from a fight with Allen, ep23.
06. Perfect World
Leon second meeting with Hitomi's grandma at Asgard and his thoughts for Encia, ep17.
07. I Recommend Instincts
Gem: Track team scene, ep1.
08. Scrappy
Naria and Eriya's nyan nyan kempo, ep20.
09. Shrilly
Fortona Temple in Freid, ep13.
10. Revenge
?
11. Illusion
?
12. Blaze
Escape while Freid's capital Godashim burns, ep13.
13. Fatal
Folken's whistle, ep5 and ep25.
14. Hikari No Naka E (Into the Light)
The second time Hitomi and Yukari talk about Amano leaving Japan, ep24.
15. Again
Gem: Hitomi tells the story of Escaflowne to Amano in school clinic, ep24.

Lovers Only
01. Yakusoku wa Iranai (Promises Not Necessary, TV edit)
Intro.
02. The Vision of Escaflowne (Take 2)
?
03. Memory of Fanelia
Gem: King Aston celebrates the magnificence of Escaflowne at the dinner table, ep7.
04. Dance of Curse
(see OST1 03)
05. Zaibach
Zaibach forces surround Freid, ep13?
06. Flying Dragon
(see OST1 02)
07. Cradle Song
(see OST2 07)
08. Tomodachi (Friends)
The CD that Hitomi picks up at the Asturian bazaar, ep6.
09. Bird Cage
Van, Allen, Hitomi as Dornkirk's prisoners in Zaibach, ep18.
10. Chain
Van's fight at Rampant Port, ep23?
Gem: Hitomi and Allen's kiss, ep19.
11. Epistle
(see OSt3 03)
12. Perfect World
(see OST 06)
13. Blaze (Take 2)
14. Hitomi Theme
(see OST2 16)
15. Angel
(see OST1 06)
16. Neko no Kimochi (Cat's Feelings)
(not in series?)
17. Arcadia
(see OST3 02)
18. Kaze ga Fuku Hi (The Days the Wind Blows)
(not in series?)
19. Mystic Eyes (TV Edit)
ending theme
20. The Story of Escaflowne ~ End Title
end of series

Edited 03/20: Added Gem's comments.

Marriage 2

A few thoughts I wrote for myself yesterday:
- Van's reactions in ep1 justified (mostly)
- Varie as person, wife, mother
- if V+H's expectations at end of series mirrored "Into the Light"
- V's control and experience in his domestic and diplomatic political fronts
- Fanelia's image before and after the war

And the last topic led me to think about an interesting point--in ep6 when Millerna met Allen et al. at Crusade's landing, she said she had visited Fanelia as a child while Folken was there. But why was Millerna (and presumably Aston) in Fanelia?

Since the timeline according to Escaflowne Compendium is
Millerna, Van, Hitomi born -15
Goau died -12
Folken disappears -10
Marlene goes to Freid -6
then it should have been at least 10 years ago.

Two possibilities: (1) Aston goes to pay respects for Goau's passing; or (2) They visit for another reason, most likely after Goau's death. But in Millerna's recollection, Van and Folken were playing on the castle grounds, so the remembrance of the scene was generally happy. And if Aston had visited for Goau's funeral, then he would have mentioned it to Van in their conversations and probably would not have tested Van and Escaflowne for their performance in the coliseum.

Even if it wasn't for Goau, travel on Gaea hardly seems comparable to our standards, so the trip should likely be for business. But the business that compelled Aston to bring his family along should also be personal enough to include the youngest princess. A potential marriage alliance, perhaps.

A closer look at their ages collaborates with the possibility:
Folken 25
Eries, Allen, Dryden 21
Millerna, Van 15

Marlene's age was never mentioned, but it should be close to Folken's. Considering Millerna's match with Dryden and Marlene's marriage to Freid, Aston should have been calculating for a suitable match either within Asturia to continue the throne line or with a royal household outside to strengthen diplomatic alliances.

If Aston did consider Folken and Fanelia, and decided on Freid instead, then it could have been its larger territory, the Duke was already in power (as opposed to Folken yet a king), or a number of other factors. But it is an interesting thought that if different choices were made, Folken and Marlene could have been together. (And then, would Marlene and Allen still be together?)

Wings 2

I'm getting closer to actual writing progress, finally (after 4 months! I can't believe it's been so long. Where did all that time go?).

As I mentioned before, I tend to get great ideas right before I fall asleep, and then become torn between getting out of bed immediately to write it down or relying on my horrible memory and that invariably turns into "oh shit I had a really great idea yesterday but I can't remember what it is aggh~".

Anyway, yesterday night I thought up a good scene for ch6's end. Exciting. It'll be similar to ch4's end, except, well...you'll see :D I'm still deciding how dangerous I'd like to make it--spark or no spark between our antitheses of Romeo and Juliet. There are justifications for both possibilities, although my inclination is to go with my usual amusement based on Van's embarrassment and close calls. It's just much more fun that way.


I've been thinking about offering my extra Esca filmbooks as rewards for the Esca music project or as prizes for a little game within DS chs. I can't decide if it's my most brilliant idea or retardedly lame. Perhaps it depends on what the question is.


This picture (v) always shocks and confuses me. I'm always thinking: Why are they naked? Isn't Esca supposed to a teen series? And why isn't Van molting everywhere? It's confounding D:

Does my inner hopeless realist show through when I consider Van too gentlemanly to do anything like this inappropriate embrace within current confines of their relationship? (Oh man, I could write an entire essay on my views of V+H doujinshi I linked to the other day--part of me goes "I can't stop staring at the beautiful art" and the other part goes "no, no, Van, tell me it's not true. Noooo".) Or maybe it's actually because I'm too much an idealist to consider it in character with Van's dismal performance in ep19.

Nevertheless, the picture has inspired numerous fanfiction renditions of glorious wings in hugs and beds. And that's why I've vowed (yes, vowed!) there's none of that in DS. Wings are precious things, not meant for requests and displays. Wings mean more than dreams and flying. Wings should carry their own meanings of "deeper than the sky".

And let's stop there. It'll be so much better within its ch than here, I promise.

Esca Music

This week while I'm organizing music for a request by Algelic I realized that I have all of the Escaflowne soundtracks except for the Yubiwa single and the Jeture audio drama.

Although the Yoko Kanno Project is fantastic, especially its efforts in lyrics transcription, one of my dream Esca projects is to list each track with the corresponding episode number. I think it'll enhance the emotional nuance of the particular scene when we listen to the music alone. But even with repeat viewings of the series, some of these tracks are hard to pinpoint. Perhaps I'll ask for reader assistance in the project when I post ch6.

Favorite tracks: First Vision (movie), Romance (OST1), Eyes (OST1). And of course, Into the Light (OST3), DS's theme song ;3

Curiously, on all three OST covers, Hitomi's eyes are purple.

Hitomi

Previously I had believed in putting pieces of myself within Hitomi in DS. And I think that's why I enjoyed writing Van more, partly perhaps I hesitate to bare certain things for public viewing, and partly because Van had his real voice. But as Hitomi's development will be even more critical than Van's, since she had moved further away from that point 10 years earlier, and as I must know what she thinks of events in ch4-6, it's time to write her real voice.

Let's establish "the facts" first:
Hitomi Kanzaki
25 years old, 12/9, 165cm
University of Toyko veterinary division
4 years junior veterinarian in partnership
lives at home with parents in Kamakura
boyfriend: Sousuke Yamamoto

Since anime/manga creators frequently use astrology signs and blood type as pointers in their characters, here's Wiki's Sagittarius entry:
Individuals born under this sign are thought to have a dynamic, clever, quick witted, intellectual, ethical, humorous, generous, open-hearted, compassionate, and energetic character, but one which is also prone to pridefulness, impulsiveness, impatience, impracticality, and blind optimism. Sagittarians are said to like traveling, getting to the heart of the matter, freedom, laws and meanings, and the general "feel" of things. They do not like off the wall theories, being tied down domestically, being constrained, cooling their heels, and being bothered with details.

And then:
How does 10 years change her to make her more normal?
Look past her ambiguity in her relationship with Sousuke for real feelings.
Memories vs. perception of Van's changes vs. Van's perception of her changes.
What does Hitomi want? What is she afraid of?

In ep26, right before Hitomi sees an image of Van, what was she thinking?