Hello, guys! Ayana here again for yet another entry to my diary of a frustrated writer.
But before we get to that, I want to let you know that I have posted the prelude and the first part of chapter one for my story, Rhapsodia Chronicles: Into a World of Illusion. Woo-hoo! *throws confetti in the air*
Please give it a read when you get the chance. And if you’re feeling generous, I will appreciate it very much if you can give me your honest feedback. A few things to note though:
- English is not my native tongue. If a sentence or a paragraph seems off, please let me know. Don’t hesitate to call me out on this (just… don’t be too barbaric about it, is all I ask. xD )
- I’ve blogged about this a lot of times already, but… The story is largely and heavily inspired by the Suikoden series, specially Suikoden 2. The idea of the runes was borrowed from them and in NO WAY I AM CLAIMING IT AS MY OWN. This is an additional disclaimer.
I will try to update the illusion story every week. And if you like the story, please don’t forget to like and subscribe! And in the event that I don’t get to update the story in a week, I hope you’ll be patient with me. (My creative skills are so RUSTED already! >.< )
And now, back to my diary!
In my previous entry, I talked about Timequest where the protagonist (which is myself) is sharing a body with another soul (a warrior princess/goddess) from a magical world. The story features all my classmates, in real life, back when I was in 5th grade. In the story which was inspired by my love of Suikoden 2, me and the princess lead a war as we go on an adventurous journey, searching for all my classmates that got separated and find a way to transport us back to the real world. And also, to win the war, per se.
The story was titled TimeQuest.
Come 6th grade, another story was written that sent our batch into yet another frenzy. My good friend (who first shattered my confidence in writing), said that she wrote a new story. I wouldn’t say what the story’s title was, but the heroine’s last name is Nagasaki.
My love and passion for writing has been reignited since I started TimeQuest back in 5th grade. So naturally, when she told me she wrote a new story, I was excited to read it. I have to wait until lunch time though to read it since we’re not in the same class anymore (she’s a pilot kid, and I’m… well… average, lol). But she told me something during recess and I still remember her words clearly, until now.
“Huwag mong sasabihing gaya – gaya ako, ah.” (Don’t tell me I’m a copycat.)
At first, I wasn’t sure what she meant. And I wouldn’t dare say that nor accuse anyone of copying what I did. Because first and foremost, my path to writing started when I copied down Akazukin Chacha’s episode. And even when I wrote my own stories, I also copied someone else’s idea and added my own twist to it. So yeah, I wouldn’t accuse anyone (because I don’t want it to come back to me).
And then lunch break came, and she handed me her story.
Fun Fact: We didn’t use any notebooks before when we write stories. But instead, we use an intermediate paper.
Anyway, back to her story.
So I read her story. Cool, it was fantasy, but no more transforming girls or boys. But then as I read her story, I felt this deja vu. And I remember thinking, ‘why does this story sound familiar?’
And then it hit me.
Just like my protagonist (let’s call her Ayana because I named her after my real name and wouldn’t want to disclose my real name, lol), this story’s protagonist was my friend (let’s call her Okina for reference).
And the twist?
Brace yourself.
Just like Ayana, Okina also has another soul trapped inside her body. And just like Washo, the other soul which is Nagasaki, is also a warrior princess/goddess – a goddess of death, to be specific. But that’s just the icing on the cake though! Because aside from all those similarities, Okina’s classmates were also all transported to a magical world to fight a war, go into an adventure as they search for Okina’s classmates and also win the war.
Fun Fact: All of Okina’s classmates are the smartest kids in our batch. Their class was actually called the pilot class. 🙂
I was shocked. Everything was the same, except for how the story went. But the idea was there. Everyone in her class was excited about it, even saying how the idea was so unique.
And just like that, my confidence was once again slowly crumbling. Was I disheartened? Yeah, I would be lying if I didn’t say I was. I was hurt yet again, because even though it was my idea at first, there were people who thought that I was the one who copied her.
Yeah, that was sad. But looking back to it now, they’re all just fond memories that helped me shape the person I am now.
FRUSTRATED. Lol.
Oh, in case you’re wondering if I told her the same line she told me back in 5th grade… No, I did not. I told you, I don’t want it to come back to me! (I live by the golden rule and believe in karma!)
Anyway, since then, we’ve been exchanging those written stories. And sometimes, our character/s would cross over, implying a link between both worlds.
But there was one particular scene that I wouldn’t forget that she wrote, when she had one of my characters crossover.
Luc (yeah, Luc of Suikoden 2!) was Washo’s old flame (hey, don’t judge me! I was head over heels for him! Even now, lol. xD ) In his backstory that I wrote, he has a mother and a twin brother. So when Luc crossed over to Okina’s story, Okina wrote a detailed scene where Luc dreamed about his family’s death, with their guts spilling out and blood everywhere, type of details. When I read that scene, I was so mortified and even remember tearing up.
Dunno if she hates me or my characters, but I felt the pain of getting stabbed continuously on that scene that it feels like my heart is getting torn to shreds. >.<
To be continued…
Ayana's corner! 