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EarthBound Omega
Scene Commentary by Bouvier
That Day In Scaraba
�There may be a way,� he went on. �But do I dare take such a risk? Doing such a thing could upset the natural order of the universe, making his intentions so much easier to fulfill. No, despite the risk, it�s worth a shot. As long as he never suspects. As long as he never figures it out, we will be okay."
The man came into a much larger room.
�Forgive me, ancestors,� he said softly, �I had no choice��
My basic goal for this scene, along with all the others in the Prologue, was to grab people's attention without giving too much. This scene depicts a figure who I haven't properly introduced yet in the story, but he's made out to be someone of importance. He's grappling with what his next move should be based on the current circumstances. At this point, this person knows of Rygwar's presence and a choice must be made at that time if his actions should be passive or bold. And the line "forgive me ancestors" should also portray that he is of important status and there is a long line of predecessors before him in the grand scheme of things. Definitely a lot of mystery was put forth during that scene, and it's a mystery that will be explained in time.
A Determined Kayla
�No, it was not a nightmare,� Kayla insisted. �They took him. We have to find him and save him!�
�Kayla, please, you just need to get some rest,� her mother reasoned. �After a good sleep you�ll feel better.�
�No!� Kayla snapped.
She leapt out of her bed and ran down the hall.
�Kayla!� her father yelled. �Get back here this instant!�
Kayla continued to run and tore out of the hospital. She knew she didn�t have a moment to waste. She had to figure out where Michael was taken and rescue him, and she knew just how to start too. She ran for the bus stop and caught a bus.
�How much to get to Threed?� she asked.
Kayla just wakes up from a traumatic experience with frightening creatures. The last thing she remembers though is Georg saying to "bring the boy," meaning Michael, and her reaction is to find him and save him, no matter what gets in her way in the process. My goal for Kayla is definitely to portray her as the aggressive, brave, go get 'em type girl. She has amazing abilities and she is not afraid to use them all to fight for what she feels is right. It can also be viewed as recklessness, as it was fairly rash to just run out of the hospital on her parents like that, but as I said, Kayla is definitely determined, and very loyal. She will fight to the bitter end for those that she loves.
Introducing Angela
When they arrived home, Simon and Mary raced to their room to try and levitate their toys and Angela went to her room and sat on her bed.
She picked up a book from the floor and flipped through it. It was an account of the adventures that Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo went on. Angela idolized them and always dreamt about becoming as big a hero as they were.
The doorbell rang and Angela heard her mother yell if she could get it.
Angela is the charming one of the story. She's the young girl with a vivid imagination, a huge heart, and a dream. The main part of this scene that I was going after was the part where she flips through the documentary book on the Chosen Four. I wanted to establish that she was a true fan of the Chosen Four. Up until introducing her, there really wasn't any character that acknowledged the Chosen Four much. Brian didn't express any real interest, Kayla recognizes their importance, but beyond that she remains focused on herself. Robert, too, realizes how important they are, but his main duty is to his training. The same can be said with Mako, and also with Mako, the idolizing factor wouldn't be so much since he's the closest link to the Chosen Four already. That leaves us with Angela, and I wanted a main character who worshiped everything about the Chosen Four and what they stood for. It offers up the ideal motivation for her to begin this journey as well. As long as she can remember, she always wanted to be like the Chosen Four and now she has her chance to shine just like they did.
Escape From The Kraken
And so back and forth Kraken went, never getting close enough to damage the boat with its fiery breath.
Trevor began panting as he held his stance firm and kept his gaze focused on the creature.
"PSI... Repel Beta!" he gasped as Kraken was again thrown backwards away from them.
"How much longer!" Brian yelled. "He can't keep this up forever!"
"Almost there!" Bert yelled back.
"PSI Repel Beta!" Trevor wheezed.
Kraken flew backwards and Trevor's legs finally buckled and he fell to his hands and knees.
"Trevor!" Brian gasped and he ran to his side.
"No!" Bert shouted. "We won't make it! It's too close!"
Kraken sped through the water and was quickly gaining on them, its mouth spitting fire with every breath.
Brian jumped to his feet and held his hand up to the sky.
"I have to try," he said slowly. "PSI Thunder Alpha!"
Kraken reappears in the waters offshore Summers once again, and he intends to incinerate Brian and Trevor before they can get to Eagleland. Trevor does his best with his strongest attack, the Repel Beta, but he grows tired soon and can't go on. Brian, therefore, has to try something. At this point, Brian is still unsure of what is going on. He was never particularly proud of his abilities. They were just there. Whatever. After encountering Porkle, however, Brian had the sense to know that he should use his abilities for the greater good. Very noble of him, but now it's happening. He actually is doing it now, and it's not so simple. Brian's still easing into the whole thing. Regarding Trevor, my aim is to show his determination. A determination that is similar to Kayla's. Trevor's abilities are not natural as he has stated, therefore he doesn't stand as much of a chance, but he doesn't seem to care here. He knows he's wearing himself out, but that seems to be a better option than just standing there. There is definitely more development for Trevor to come in the future.
Robert's Resolve
"Robert, please get out of here," Michael said. "You can still help from the outside. Find Kayla Monotoli."
"Who?" Robert asked.
"She's my friend," Michael said. "She can help you get back in here. I'm sure of it."
Robert looked up helplessly.
"I will come back for you," Robert promised and quickly grabbed the top of the hole and pulled himself out. A red beam soared past him as he ran away. He quickly ran past these giant stones arranged in a pattern and ran into the forest nearby. Once he felt safe, he sank down to the snowy ground and bowed his head.
"I will be back," he swore aloud. "You can all count on that."
Like a true soldier, Robert is brave, loyal, and steadfast. If I were to pick a character to be labeled the "hero", it would be Robert. He has no PSI, but he is still gifted physically and emotionally. In this scene, he is fighting to not only escape himself, but to get Michael out as well, and for someone like Robert, getting Michael out is far more important than getting himself out. If not for Michael's urging, Robert would have gone back to get Michael out even if it meant he got killed in the process. That is just who Robert is. He would have just met you, and already he is ready to fall down on the sword for you, and anything that seems like a failure eats him up. He will go on to chastise himself, and make promises not only to his companions but to himself. In this case, swearing to get Michael back out, which is something that will be at the top of Robert's mind now until he manages to accomplish his self-set goals.
Angela and Kayla vs. the Cyborgs
"Your grandfather?" Porkle said, suddenly more intrigued. "Just who are you?"
"My name is Kayla," Kayla answered.
"And you intend to what, challenge us?" Porkle asked with a chuckle.
"I do," Kayla answered sternly.
"How brave of you," Porkle said. "Or how foolish, or have you not noticed the number of men I have at my command while you are clearly all by yourself?"
"She's not by herself," a voice called out from above.
Suddenly, another girl landed next to Kayla. She was taller with long brown hair, brown eyes, and olive skin.
"Another Class A," Porkle commented. "How honored I am to get two for the price of one, and who might you be, my dear?"
"My name is Angela," Angela answered. "And whatever it is you guys are doing, I think you better just stop."
"Oh, but I haven't even begun to have fun yet," Porkle said, "but thanks to you two, it looks like I get to have some fun right now."
Porkle looked around at the other cyborgs.
"Attack."
At this point, I have set up the kind of girls Kayla and Angela are. Kayla being the determined fighter, and Angela the anxious achiever. This scene serves to put that to example as Kayla catches up with these cyborgs who seem to want to stir up trouble in Fourside. This scene kicks off with Porkle being interested in who Kayla is, Kayla being a Monotoli. This of course is clarified later on when Porkle is revealed to be Pokey. The Monotoli family definitely would be one of his targets in his deranged mind. Despite the sizeable army that Porkle commands, Kayla remains in her spot intending on taking them all on, and Angela soon swoops in from the skies to join her friend. You could call their actions either very courageous or very naive. For Kayla it's definitely more of a courage thing, but with Angela, she is more curious and excited. Moreso than one should be in this situation.
Brian vs. the Mooks
He ran out of the town limits and past the rocks he used to hide behind at a time that seemed so long ago now. He didn't notice the eyes of a young Heath watching in disappointment. It didn't matter to him. Home. That's all that mattered right now. Not this battle. Not this war. This was all wrong. What was right was to be comfortable underneath the familiar sheets of his own bed. That's all Brian wanted right now.
He reached the edge of the forest and ran into it. Suddenly, a long arm flew out and knocked him back out of the forest.
Brian scrambled back to his feet and looked ahead. Senior Mook came out of the forest, glaring at him.
"What a complete coward you really are," Senior Mook marveled.
This fight is definitely a low point for Brian. Still unsure of exactly what it is he should be doing, Brian decides anyway to push forward and see what he can do. He winds up landing himself in a very sticky situation with a small village being overrun by Mooks, led by Senior Mook. Brian begins to fight with Senior Mook, and while Brian does have some shining moments, Senior Mook dominates the fight and soon, a frightened Brian is scrambling to escape before anything happens to him, leading Senior Mook to marvel at his cowardice. Brian is a character that I would say I have modeled the most after myself. I've related most of what Brian goes through to what I go through in my normal life. Brian is the kind of person who knows what's right and wrong, and he will stand up for what's right, but he shows something that none of the others really have: doubt and realism. Brian fully realizes how the odds are stacked against him, and he wonders how on earth would someone like him ever prove to be a challenge to these awesome creatures that are invading the planet. Therefore, when the stakes begin to mount high enough, it feels like the whole world is pushing down on Brian and he can't breathe or get away from it, but he will still try to get away from it. When it comes right down to it, you can be as brave or noble as the greatest hero of all time, but you are still a child with fears and doubts and in reality, you don't want to die for everyone else. It doesn't seem fair. That's what Brian has to struggle with. He wants to do what he can for humanity, but there's a child in his head asking "Why me?" As his journey continues, Brian will have to figure out the answer to that question in order to take his place in the new chosen elite.
Wild Tendas???
"Identify yourself, stranger!" one figure demanded. "Few come to these lands, and I would hope that you do not intend on coming here as foe!"
"Tendas," Shendi identified. "Unusually loud ones at that."
"We have come to greatly overcome the timidness that was our past," one Tenda declared. "Now, do as we say, identify yourself!"
"As you wish," Shendi replied. "Whirlwind Pforce!"
Strong winds suddenly radiated from Shendi's spot. This caught the Tendas off guard and sent them tumbling across the ground.
"I am Shendi," Shendi introduced. "And it is you who would do well not to be a foe in my path."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Shendi spun around to see another group of Tendas leaping through the air, various weapons raised above their heads.
"Foolish, little creatures," Shendi spat as he raised his hand. "Deflector Pforce."
"Barrier!" the Tendas yelled.
Yellow sparks suddenly shot out around the Tendas as Shendi's attack was knocked away.
I kept the Mr. Saturn race pretty true to how "EarthBound" portrayed them, but I wanted to do a different approach to the Tendas. In the game, they had a very big turning point by overcoming their shyness, so now I've taken it to the next level with these Tenda warriors, who also possess some mild PSI abilities to back up their bark. This scene mainly serves to introduce the readers to this idea of an aggressive Tenda as it will play into the story later on. It was also a chance to reveal a couple more of Shendi's unique abilities as he uses his "Pforce" powers to effectively combat the Tendas. As much as I am developing the protagonists of the story, I am equally developing the antagonists as well.
The Enemy Within
"Ness, there's no need to kill him!" Mako gasped.
"Yes, there is," Ness replied simply.
"Ness, stop!" a new voice shouted.
"It's Paula," Angela announced in awe.
Paula ran up to the scene and towards Ness.
"Ness, you need to stop this right now," Paula ordered. "You're not well."
"Never felt better," Ness retorted. "Please don't get involved."
"Ness, listen to me," Paula urged. "Supreme Starman's attack was more than just a physical attack. It was a psychic attack as well. You're not thinking clearly. You're not a murderer. Pokey is human."
"Doesn't look like one," Ness growled.
"But inside, he is," Paula pressed. "If you do this, there's no walking away from it. Do you hear me!"
"Um... yeah, Ness," Pokey muttered. "You're not the bad guy here. Come on now. There must be some way to talk about this, right?"
"Shut up, Pokey," Paula spat.
Ness is the one with all the power right now, but he is the good guy so there aren't any worries, but what if that changes? Initially, I wasn't going to have Ness be mentally effected by Supreme Starman's attack, but as I was writing the chapter in which Ness initially became frustrated with his immobility, I toyed with the idea of making Ness unstable for his long-awaited fight with Pokey. Also, this fight will set up the moral issues involved with a war. Where do you draw the line? In this case, the line must be drawn before killing Pokey, because as deranged as he is, he's still a human, and that is what Paula wants Ness to understand. You can't just go around taking human life because you can, which is what Ness thinks he can do right now. I plan to keep bringing this up throughout the story because this is an issue that will have to be confronted by some characters again before the end.
The Master Plan
"The power of the Earth is ours then?" Shendi asked.
"Well, not exactly," Rygwar replied. "More like it is available to be taken now. Observe."
Shendi walked up to the other side of Rygwar and looked at the monitor. He saw on it a motionless Ness with his wife and son over him.
"When you destroyed Ness' sanctuaries, you broke the bond that they have with Ness," Rygwar explained. "More to the point, you broke the bond with his power. Without those sacred locations providing a tie between Earth's power and Ness, the power was forced back out of him and into the Earth."
This was part of my big reveal chapters. For Chapters 19 and 20, I wanted to fully explain what Rygwar intended to do with Earth, as well as reveal Rygwar's and Giygas' pasts and how Earth figures into it all. That was the main question I wanted to answer as I was developing this story: Why did Giygas want to conquer Earth? Why was Giygas nothing more than this machine that seemed so full of nothing but evil? Why did Giygas appear so incoherent and stupid even during the final battle in "EarthBound"? The question why usually comes up a lot when I am writing something. I ask that question for almost everything I write and develop, and I wanted a full explanation as to why everything was the way it was with Giygas. Therefore, I came up with the story that the power of Earth was needed to restore Giygas' race to their previous state, and "The Devil's Machine" was a means for Giygas' kind to escape their fragile bodies and be one with a machine, but the process wasn't healthy for them and drove them insane, hence the reason why Giygas didn't seem like he had much of a mind to himself in the "EarthBound" game. And so now Rygwar has explained all of this and outlines a plan to break the bonds that Ness has with the power of Earth through his sanctuaries. With them now destroyed, the power of Earth was taken away from Ness and it now resides within the Earth again. The next step is for Rygwar to seize the power himself before anyone else does, and that is the basis for the rest of the story.
EFR
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