I Want to Be a Turk!: Chapter 53

So... I haven't been using my blog for a long time, so I might as well, right? :) I'm writing this beforehand (like, on Tuesday) so I better write this before I realise that I have too much work to do to be hobnobbing here :X

So... Chapter 53. Amazing how time just goes and chapters fly out my head as if they are alive. anyway, i wrote this in January... with the idea and words being so fresh in my head. However, I edited and rearranged and tweaked the chapter for about another month or so before I was satisfied with it. Hope you are too :)

You know me. From the earlier stages of the story, I've been complaining that I suck at writing philosophical talks. The things my poor characters say make them so shallow :P Fortunately, (i think) this chapter turned out pretty well. Yes, I'm referring to the chat between Reno and Meia. :) On a side note, you DO know that the Banora place I was writing about was referring to the Banora right before Zack Fair fought Genesis for the last time?

this one!!

anyway, i thought that it'll be cool to have one final scene here before Zack plummets its existence into nothingness. Isn't it funny that no one ever discovered the place anymore after the events of FF7? (feels a plot bunny creeping behind my mind)

As I was saying, this chapter is jam-packed with information, but I hope you guys liked it :D Also, I hope that all of you are catching the storyline so far. It tends to be a little confusing especially if you don't have BC background. I do hope that most of you have Crisis Core background? Or FF7?

Now, review replies! (because I'm too lazy to reply everyone)

TWA: There you go, I hope this chapter is nostalgia explosion for ya, especially the earrings part. In my opinion, the gift scene tops the one in Chapter 13 now :P

Queen-of-Twilights: Thanks for reviewing once again :D

Takara: Oh dear, you're lost already? I suggest you... reread the story!!! Bwahaahah!! that really is my remedy. Unless I'm terribly mistaken, the story is going on a choo choo train direction. I am definitely not wasting my chapters with fillers, that's for sure. :P

rukoyokunefan: hello! thank you for your review! it is a pleasure knowing that you enjoy the story! i am enjoying the writing process too :) yeah, it'll be cool if Meia is a canon character too, but that would mean that I'm not the original creator :P when I wrote Meia I was hoping for a more normal character with humanly flaws, so it was fun trying to balance her awesomeness and mundaneness... so you know... she won't be too awesome and not too boring :P

Tifa: ZOMG you're back!! you mean girl, you made me wonder if you've been recaptured by Hojo. i miss hearing from you!

Dontgotaclue: thank you for your enthusiasm! I'll keep working hard and ensure that you'll not be (too) disappointed :P

also, many thanks to Lady-Bloody-Rose and Dontgotaclue88 for faving/alerting :D

in addition, on a completely unrelated note, i'm very happy to see that there are people who are still reading stories that have been long-published, like 'moves like jagger' and 'dress off!' thank you for your massive support!

Thank you for the many reviews! It really made my day (esp from Tifa and Dontgotaclue since they are... rare visitors :D) It is a huge joy to read your reviews, I'm not lying!

Updates on my writing so far

dear folks, i've just finished chapter 50 of "I Want To Be A Turk!" WAHAHAHAHAHA!

well, not that it's fully done, i still have chapter 45, 48, 49 where some scenes are not written yet.

but what i mean is that i'm going to stop advancing into chapter 51 and all.

now, I'll focus on refining the chapters from 41-50.

some chapters lack good flavour, it's plain dialogue and i thought the story at some point became a little bland. also, some chapters (especially during the Nibelheim incident) have too many words but you know what? just for the fact that the Nibelheim incident is such a milestone event, i WILL write more than 5000 words for that chapter. Hope you understand (I'll give you a heads-up when it comes!)

that's the update for my Turk fic :)

Recently, I'm thinking of continuing my "The Only Exception" fic, a mere 1000-word progress so far. I've been pouring my creative juices into Meia's story that I feel so inspiration-less for the others :P

Also, i want to write "AVALANCHE!" still... im still getting some scenes thought out, but nothing substantial for me to start writing. *sigh* looks like i can't get anything done till the meia story is done. damnnnnn >.<

Just a little teaser, AVALANCHE is a spin off from "Moves Like Jagger", but the protagonist is Tifa, not Elena :) Maybe the last chapter of "Moves Like Jagger" will give you some inspiration :P

Ahh, how could I forget? I've been wanting to write "Be My Knight!", a fanfic based on FF8. I've only uploaded Chapter 1, though I've written another chapter after that. Looks like I won't get it done anytime soon too. *sigh*

If only i get paid for writing fanfiction :P

reviews are absolute LOVE

just sharing some messages that i received this week that seriously made me smile. (some names are kept anonymous. but you know who you are :P) the fact that i highlighted some of them shows what i'm aiming for in each story too, that's why they make me happy, because it means my objectives were met :P

Moves Like Jagger

"I definitely imagined them playing the song for real"

"that song is epic! it's really addictive.. been listening to it since reading this story."

The review above is what inspired me to write this blog post. this was not an aim of mine (to have readers liking the song because of the story) so when i read it, i cannot describe how pleasantly surprised i felt!

I Want To Be A Turk!

"I'd rather have more I want to be a Turk! chapters more than anything else lol :}"

"the ending [of a chapter] was absolutely AWESOME"

funnily enough, they all came from different people! :D i really feel thankful at how my small and humble base of readers have expanded. i started out in the FF7 fandom with only Samantha Sheffield and TWA (btw, i pronounce it as 'twah' XDDDD) to offer their reviews. then... out of nowhere... i see new names and names becoming regular reviewers.

i cannot say enough how thankful i feel that there are people out there who bothers to read the (ten thousands of) words that i write. surely i'm not the best, but i am glad that you gave my story a chance to exhibit itself. its playful side, its solemn side... the ups and downs of the story plot that also reflects the efforts that the author puts in when she writes.

it must the CHRISTMAS season, i feel extra appreciative. Oh, just so you know, Singapore doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, so our time of mutual appreciation is during Christmas :P

actually, i feel like writing a new story concurrently, but after much thought I decided against it. i'm starting to slacken on the pace of the Turk story, so I need to double up and write a little faster :P

okay, i'm going to sleep soon. hopefully i can force myself to write a bit more before sleeping. but i've got some stuffs to do first. MERRY CHRISTMAS, lovely readers! May things be brighter in our 2012 horizon!

Moves Like Jagger: Chapter 6 (last!)

hurray hurray hurray!

it's over!

what started out as a frivolous earworm (that stupid song was stuck in my head for two months!!!!) resulted in a fanfiction product.

am i proud of it? well... i can only say that i can always do better. the story is kinda written in a way when i first started writing, which was girl manga style (shoujo). that was the main influence of my writing then and so you can imagine when i wrote "KISS Me!", it contained all elements (and more) of fluff and the whole... 'roses in the background' feel (only shoujo readers will get what i mean!)

ANYWAY, it wasn't meant to turn out this way, wahahaha. the very first Moves Like Jagger was supposed to be a one-shot on how Elena was dragged into training and then performing... all in one chapter. Of course, that would likely result in a 10 thousand word chapter so I figured I'll break it up into three.

Then, somewhere in the recesses of my old writing days (not that I've evolved much), the shoujo-manga side of me goes 'ooh, how about Elena get into trouble for hanging out too much with Reno and the guys?' and then, that's where it exploded into 6 chapters. wahahahaha XD

If anything, I'm glad that a simple thread of wanting Reno, Rude and Tseng to perform "Moves Like Jagger" could evolve into a decent work like what you see now, that's something I'm proud of. Also, from this fic I gained another plot bunny which I call "AVALANCHE!" (three guesses to what it is about!). However, i doubt this new story will be birthed so soon, because the details to starting the story is simply too little and weak. and yes, if you know me, i only write stories when i have the entire skeleton out so... nahh, not yet.

Back to the chapter. I don't really have much to say about the chapter per se. Just two things:

1. Tifa Lockhart. Why was she so tense with Elena? I guess Elena truly will never know... and you guys won't either till "AVALANCHE!" is written. Okay, no more about that. I won't have you all imagining possibilities, when the story is not going to be written in the near future.

2. Throughout the story I kept quiet about the settings and venues. The only thing you knew was Ackee (the school?) Well, only at the last part I mentioned Kalm. So yeah, I decided in the end the world is still set in the Planet, just that it won't be as... 'medieval' as in the game. It's a modern version of the Planet. Oh well, not that it matters in this story :)

Nevertheless, the story is over! And it wouldn't be possible without these people!

TifaRokkuhato

The Writing Artist

XXTakaraXX

Muffin7

zexydemyx66

Silver-x-Crimson

Thank you for reviewing my humble story :)

Not forgetting...

manga'slover1996

Etuvix

Agent.Kacheeky

Holly-Batali

little miss piplup

Who alerted and faved my story :) Yes, the ever-stalker me keeps track of who faved and alerted.

But of course I might miss out some more so... my sincere thanks for your support!

now to upload this and play Final Fantasy XIII :)

aichioluv, signing out.

COMPLETE!

Yeah baby, "Moves Like Jagger" is complete!

All that's left is to proofread and (hopefully) cut down words.

I've written 5000+ words for this chapter but I think you'll like it. There were some parts that I thought was a little... weird but GAHHHH i want to sleep already so I'll look at it again tomorrow =P

Yes, that means I'll upload it tomorrow! (i.e. Thursday 15 Dec!)

Yes, I know I should update...

But the truth is, I'm not really done with my chapters yet.

For "I Want to be a Turk", I needed to proofread my chapter. honestly chapter 36 was one of the chapters that i had a mega mental block. from the start of writing chapter 36, i've completed chapter 35 (yes i don't write chronologically!), 37, 38.... all the way to chapter 40 and half of 41 XDDDD

(now you must be thinking to yourself 'damn it, the crazy author is holding back chapters!!!' XD)

so yeah, after finishing chapter 40 i thought that i should force myself to fill up the gap in chapter 36. so i returned and finished it up in my trip back to Taiwan :P

being prepared (usually) at least 5 chapters ahead of what i upload, i'm a little insecure if i upload chapters immediately after i finish so.... yeah, give me a day or two (or three!) to mull over the chapter and convince myself it's worthy to be shown to you guys :P

as for moves like jagger.... i'm only halfway done. opps.

enough said, hehe.

... okay okay, i know what i intend to write already, it's just... getting down to write it :P

on a totally unrelated note, i realised one thing about my wardrobe as i was hanging back my recently washed laundry.

i have a lot of shirts. a lot.

i figured that if i wear a shirt everyday, i have enough to last me two weeks? or just a little less.

why so many? i've no idea.

most are hand-me-downs from my older sister, who prefers androgynous outfits as compared to frilly dresses and lace.

so that probably explains it. Come to think of it, about 7 of my total shirts came from her.

okay, unrelated issues aside.

i'll probably get moves like jagger up the following weekend (i.e. 17-18 Dec) and then the new Meia chapter slightly before that :)

last thing. i received a lovely surprise when i returned from my three-week trip (i went to Taiwan and Macau). i had a ton of faves and alerts :) i don't know why but seeing them always makes me smile. though i love reviews and would love to get more, i suppose that there are readers who are shy to review, or they don't know what to say because they don't want to give a un-constructive review like 'it's good.'

in some sense i've convinced myself to believe that if people bothered to fave and alert your story, that is an achievement in itself. :) so ANYWAY, if you are one of those who faved and alerted my stories,

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

Moves Like Jagger: Chapter 5

This chapter is uploaded as a tribute to one of my first few supporters in my FF7 writing 'career'... The Writing Artist (or TWA). Happy Birthday, TWA :) I hope you managed to read this chapter before your birthday ends!

Okay, so I uploaded a little too quickly this time, the next update will be end Nov to Dec, but that would be the last chapter! Whoopee! I'm half done with that chapter so I can't wait till my exams are over so that I can work on it :D

Honestly, writing a RenoxElena fic wasn't as hard as I thought. I admit I didn't pay too much attention on character development, but it wasn't THAT bad right? I sincerely hope my characters aren't OOC >.<

I admit, I wanted to give you guys a surprise by writing that Cissnei is the saboteur instead, but I decided not to because I MIGHT be starting another story that is based on this universe! It’ll be a little tricky to have such a big character as Cissnei become the baddies =P Not that it's confirmed that Cissnei will be a big character in that new story, but I like to give myself less restrictions so that I won't find myself stuck when planning the new story... just in case.

Yeap, you've heard it. I might start another story, but no guarantee. I have dozens of plot bunnies waiting to birth, so… =) That being said, I'm quite excited about the new story I have in mind, so hopefully everything will work out :)

There we go! Chapter 5 and hints of a new story! Please read, review and comment! :)

P.S: GAHHH the log in page is not working!! i hope i can get this out quickly!!

Story Update Schedule

Hi all, if you're reading this, it's because you want to know what's coming up for the month of November!

Sadly, I (SHOULD, but it's easier said than done) gotta study for my exams (it's on the 18th) and there're tons of assignments in between, so on my side, I'll stop writing. Yes, so stories like "Moves Like Jagger" will be on hold till after my exams. Since "I want to be a Turk" has many prepared chapters done, updates will continue as per normal.

6 Nov: I Want To Be A Turk: Chapter 31

8 Nov: Moves Like Jagger: Chapter 5

11 Nov: I Want To Be A Turk: Chapter 32

18 Nov: I Want To Be A Turk: Chapter 33

25 Nov: I Want To Be A Turk: Chapter 34

Chapter 6 of Moves Like Jagger will be written and uploaded after 18th November... I'm not done writing it yet but I can be sure it'll be done before mid December.

I'll be available for PMing, so feel free to review and PM as per normal!

Moves Like Jagger: Chapter 4

Whee! New update! :D

When I was done with the whole chapter, I found out that I have 4600 words! I know that in "I Want To Be A Turk!", my chapter averages 4000-4500 words. but i shouldn't assume that all my readers like long chapters. Hence, I split it up to two chapters. Yes folks, the story will end at Chapter 6 (Hopefully).

On average I write 2000-2500 words per chapter... but that was last time. Now I shall aim to submit 3000-4000 words per chapter. Not for the Turk one, I think I can't afford the the luxury to have 100 chapters of 2500 words per chapter :P

Yeah, I know. This chapter is not that great. I did like the Aerith reference, and i had some plot bunny being conceived in the womb of my imagination... okay still too early to talk about it. Yes, I know that I didn't really put in too much effort for this chapter. the chapter lacks flavour. well, the initial plan is a REALLY long chapter (refer above). now that i spilt it up, of course this chapter is boring :P hopefully the next chapter is exciting for you guys :)

I admit. I didn't proofread my chapter tonight. I'm too tired. it's 2 am here and i'm just going to upload and sleep. tomorrow i shall enjoy my long-awaited laksa (google is your friend here :)) and hopefully NOT write stories. :P

I Want to be a Turk: Chapter 29

Wheee! Authors' Notes again!

Finally! After two weeks, it's time to release yet another chapter of "I WANT TO BE A TURK!" I must apologise for the late update. I figured that if I’m gonna update ‘Moves Like Jagger’ in a week then I’ll upload the Turk chapter the week after. Besides, delaying the turk chapters motivates me to finish up the Moves Like Jagger chapters! I think the next "Moves Like Jagger" chapter will be released in NOVEMBER, but no promises!

Aha! We meet Rufus! :D Finally! *ominous Shinra theme playing in background* I spent a bit describing him. Yes, from the very beginning he'll be badass :D will Meia interact more with him? nahh i doubt so. :P

At last, Meia's past is revealed! I'm REALLY tempted to make her a Cetra, but I'm glad I'm sticking to a more realistic path. Having a dad as a Turk makes more sense :) I hope I did her explanation part well. It was quite a mouthful and once again, I'm not philosophical so... hehe.

by the way, the last name 'Etsky' is original. I have no idea what it means and what not :P

Finally, I want to thank TWA and Takara for the reviews. and also to Hikari Kurai, who gave me encouraging words to motivate me. I will continue to work hard and not make this story too... terrible (you were hoping that i would say i'll cut down the story, huh? :P)

It's very comforting and encouraging to (apart from the usual reviewers) receive reviews and PMs from people who don't review often. To the other readers who reads my story, do drop me a PM or a review and say hi. it brings me great pleasure to know that people are reading my stories and taking my words seriously. So feel free to make your presence known. Nevertheless, thank you for reading my chapters :)

gosh it's 3:30 AM. time to sleep. thank you for ploughing through this LONG A/N!!

Moves Like Jagger: Chapter 3

Amazingly, I finished yet another chapter of this story! Two more chapters and I'll be done!

The story has (unintentionally) gone on the shoujo manga route. Fluff, brainless and unrealistic. No, my story has not become that yet. But the story development is quite remiscient of shoujo manga... so... :X

There isn't much to say for uploading this time round :P

Moves Like Jagger: Plot Bunny Explosion!

Chapter 2 is up! Whee!

I was writing the story in class (opps) and suddenly, a little subplot bunny bounced into my brain and multiplied like (as its name suggests) bunnies. So from a three-chapter story, I might expand it to a five-chapter one. Geez.

Haven't been writing much because I'm trying to finish up Cowboy Bebop. Yes, considering it was out in 1998, it's about time that i start watching it :P

Also, I'm reading Code: Breakers by Kamijyo Akimine, the author of my favourite "Samurai Deeper Kyo" :P It's good, but like what my sister said, SDK is a manga that is so impactful to us that even when reading Code: Breakers, we subconsciously look for SDK elements. :\

Moves Like Jagger + Movie Review (1): Suckseed

Wahaha, in the end I've yet to begin on what I intended to write.

Moves Like Jagger. As of now I'm still at a blank Chapter 2, a skimpy last chapter and I don't really know what I REALLY want to write. Just that I loved listening to the song :3 I believed as of now I've listened to the song at least 20 times (will begin count from here) for writing the story so far... and probably another 20 times more for listening pleasure XDDD

i hope i don't end up being so sick of the song that i stop writing the story altogether :P

Okay, let's get the to-says over and done with :D



(taken from google images)

Suckseed is movie based in Thailand, about a group of musically... disinclined boys who wanted to form a band. When their female childhood friend returns after moving to Bangkok, many funny things happened.

Honestly, when I first saw this poster and my boyfriend suggested watching this, i was thinking... Really? It looked pretty... low budget in my opinion. We had nothing else to do and hence it was unanimous that we'll watch this cute-sy, teenage-y movie.

i totally underestimated this movie. i expected myself to have a good time with all the 'teenage woe' kinda storyplots, and indeed they are. however, i left the cinema with a very warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

the storyline is not bad, really! but the thing that captivated me the most was the character portrayal and development. it was a 2-hour worth of heartache and joy watching the movie. the characters were all portrayed very well, and the protagonists have extremely strong character. The way they walked, they way they stutter or yell... it was nice and crisp. Before the movie reached its halfway mark, I found myself engaged with the characters... i felt the heartache of their rejections, i laughed so hard at their crazy antics. it was as if they were very close to my heart. it was heart-warming to see the characters grow up and reconcile.

what's with these and writing, you say? well... i left the cinema wanting to write like that. I mean, the storyboard did a wonderful job portraying each character in their own quirks. I thought back about people who said that they feel for my characters and i always feel awesome hearing how my reviewers can relate to them easily.

it's just a little... reminder at myself to work harder on my character development. For "I Want to be a Turk!", these words are easier said than done. Meia, being an OC, of course gets the most character development. however sometimes i admit i forget about the other characters... like the BC turks, reno and especially rude... argh... so many people. remind me not to throw in ten people within the first few chapters wahahaha XD

i'm still excited to write "I Want to be a Turk" and I hope that I am able to write everything that I intend to write. I am a little concerned that the story might be so long that my readers will lose interest... =((

P.S: the boyfriend thereafter ended up watching "Suckseed" again with his friends... and he told me that he still enjoyed the movie after watching it the second time. that's a first.

P.P.S: Suckseed is no longer in the cinemas... To the readers who are not in Asia... well... good luck finding the movie :P I highly encourage you to go watch it! :D

Queen

I know this totally has nothing to do with writing, but I've recently been listening to some songs from Queen (yes, I was inspired to do so after seeing the Google's celebration of the birthday of Freddie Mercury.)

They do have some awesome songs, especially "I want to break free" and "Don't stop me" :)

Okay i guess i could still link it up to writing... we can talk about songfics! i ventured into writing stories that were inspired by songs. The first one was "Dress Off" by BoA. The result of the earworm was a 5000-word story based on Samurai Deeper Kyo... the story named "Dress Off!".

I remembered i was still in China then, visiting my dad. Just... woke up one morning, sat down and typed from morning to night non-stop... till the story was done. Haha, then again, I had many days like that while I was in China. Perhaps I can document that in here again...

(EDIT: And I did! Read all about it here.)

Adding to my list to "to-says"
1. Suckseed!
2. NaNoWriMo
3. China Writing Trip

Many people liked it, though I didn't think it was my best. It merely started out as an idea: I want to write a random, fluffy fanfic. Usually when I write a fanfic, I ensure that I have a simple skeleton of the story development AND the ending... then I fill in the details and description. This time, I wrote without really thinking of the story development and ending. Though the ending later on was formed within the hour (and so much for writing aimlessly), I was pretty satisfied with the result.

I told myself then that 'NO MORE DANCE/SONG FICS!' but here we are... with me racking my brains for my ongoing short story "Moves Like Jagger" under Final Fantasy 7. I can't help it. I am totally addicted to the song, Adam Levine is simply smexy. Enough said :)

Now that I've written my second post for the blog, I suppose that this blog is really here to stay. XD Back to working around my mental block!