Recently I caught up with veteran “EarthBound” fanfic scribe Giampi, who gained early recognition in
Interactive Fiction and has gone on to single-handedly create some of the most
famous and respected writing in the online “EarthBound” community, authoring
works such as Mother
Alternate, EarthBound Legacies, Consciousness, and the
award-winning article, A Chip on my shoulder and something to Prove.
Currently, Giampi is working on
-When and how did you become an "EarthBound"
fan?
I first caught a glimpse of "EarthBound" when I saw the
issue of GamePro that reviewed it.
After looking at some ads and some other pieces of writing from other gaming
magazines, I decided I had to own the game. Strangely enough, a cousin of mine
almost convinced me not to get this game based on what he thought of the
graphics. I’m glad I didn’t listen to him.
-How long have you been writing?
As long as I can remember. Writing is
just one of those things that grew up with me.
-How long did it take to create Kyle from EarthBound
Legacies?
Kyle
was someone I wanted to include in the plot from the beginning, although his
role was a little different at first; he was going to act as a ground for the
other characters, trying to keep them from fighting unless necessary. It’s ironic,
then, that he’d eventually turn out completely the opposite of that.
The character you see in EarthBound Legacies is actually a far
cry from the one I originally conceived him to be. When I first thought of him I
wanted to make him a tough guy with no friends, which would be a more fitting
personality for someone who moves around a lot. However, by the time I sat down
and actually wrote him into the plot, I decided he’d fit much better as a
wise-cracker. That was also when I decided to give him his boomerang.
As for Kyle’s (final, definitive)
personality, it’s a sort of amalgamation of every cool neighbor every kid seems
to have.
-Who's cooler: You, or him?
I’d have to deduct points due to the fact that it takes him
the entire freaking story to get
together with Jill. Other than that I think he has me beat.
-You can probably expect what every fan of yours wants to
hear at the moment: Tell us about the creation of Mother
Alternate.
Brace yourself…this is a long one.
The first time I thought about
conceiving something like MA was when I first stumbled upon the "EarthBound" fanfiction section
of Fanfiction.Net. After reading through most things there I got the urge to
write a post-game fic about "EarthBound Zero" because I really
like that game, and there aren’t enough fanfics (or fanart and music, for that
matter) out there that cover it. With that in mind I decided to make a
side-story—one that would have the same type of adventure, but with different
characters and a different focus.
The main thing I had decided when I
first began writing MA was to change the character archetypes a bit. While
Julian would still resemble Ninten/Ness, I decided to change the female lead so
she would no longer be the weak, helpless girl with the psychic powers. That
archetype was switched with that of the ‘genius’. Joshua, the third character,
would take the ‘psychic’ archetype in her place. Finally, the martial artist
was changed to a girl.
Of course, MA was going to be very different when I first started
writing it. There are too many changes to list, but they include name changes,
plot devices switching hands, and events happening at other times. The story
was also going to be much shorter and have less bad guys (the roles of some bad
guys were to be assumed by other characters).
When I wrote the first few chapters I
was basically coming up with things as I went while I kept the overall story
arc, but that stopped at around Ch. 8, when I planned out everything else.
While I did make some minor modifications here and there as I went with regards
to some events in the "Ellay Saga" and "Finality" arcs, everything else was
planned.
Finally, the story was initially going
to be called Mother Gaiden, but that
name was already taken, so I gave it the title it has now.
“[The
people close to me are] amazed at the fact
that
one person can actually sit down in front of a
computer
and type for fun.”
-What made Joshua your favorite character?
His personality. I loved the way he
could go from eloquent to childish and back in a heartbeat. His boundless
curiosity and love of animals was also something that made him stand out for
me; he was a fish out of water (forest?), but he still had fun whenever he
could. There’s just something endearing about the way he acts and the way he
looks at life.
-What was going through your mind when you created the
character of Dual/Lisa?
I wanted to make an antagonist that had
ties with the good guys. Although a little clichéd, it would lead up to a great
conflict between her and the good guys. Although she’s the strongest enemy the
good guys faced (except for the “final boss”), her powers were from the same
source as Julian’s and not from the same source as her counterparts. This dual
aspect of her personality was what made me choose that name for her. As for the
name ‘Proghauser’, it’s a strange contraction of the musical style she adopted,
Progressive House.
-How about Vee? Any real-life inspirations?
Probably my own family. Her parents are
like my own (although Vee isn’t much like me), and the inspiration for her came
from all the female cousins that are in my family.
-Give us a bit of insight regarding the bond between
Julian and his leading lady.
As I mentioned before, I wanted to stray
from the normal character archetypes present in both "Mother" games and most "EarthBound" fanfiction. This
included the bond that usually formed between the main character and his love
interest (boy rescues girl, girl falls in love with boy, etc.) To that end I decided
to make Julian and Peel’s relationship a lot bumpier and filled with
obstacles—that way they would get sucked into it unwittingly and end up
appreciating it all the more. This is evident when you notice that they spend
half of the time arguing with each other.
I considered giving them even more to overcome by making a love
triangle, but ultimately I let the two be—they had enough to deal with :D
-Why was the word key in
brackets?
Because it’s really, really important. Capitalizing it wasn’t
enough; I wanted the reader to realize that this thing was one of the driving
forces of the entire story. The brackets came from one too many mentions of
[relics] in "Threads of Fate."
Image by Pancake
ALTERNATE BEGINNINGS
Julian and Peel’s Mother Alternate
offers an expansion of the tale that
started it all
-Tell us your favorite chapter from each of your serials.
Part II in Legacies. "Finality" Ch. 3 in MA.
-What are your favorite Alternate
moments?
I liked the first three chapters because
they feel very different from the ambiance of the rest of the story. “Of Humans and Humanity” also stands out because
of the humorous nature it has. All of “Finality”
is great because I had planned most of it in advance, and the anticipation made
it much more fun to write when I actually got there.
If I had to
pick the defining moment, though, it
would have to be the last scene in the epilogue.
-How did you feel after finishing this story?
I felt very happy to have finally
finished, but at the same time it was kind of sad that I had to let go of the
story I had crafted. Still, it felt great to go through the story one more time
and read it as a complete whole; it was almost as if the story took on a life
of its own and became a separate world, and not something I had created.
-Who is your favorite character from the original
"Mother"?
Loid. I don’t give him a lot of credit
in Mother Alternate, though.
-You jumped from the conclusion of Alternate
to the beginning of E.
Revolution rather quickly. What prompted this?
The idea for E. Revolution came very quickly. That, and the fact that the first
chapter was easy to write.
-You've stated that this story won't be as long as your
last. About how long is it?
If all goes according to plan, eight
chapters.
-Around what time of day do you usually write?
There’s no set schedule. I write
whenever I feel the urge to do so.
-How do the people close to you react to your
writing habits?
They’re amazed at the fact that one
person can actually sit down in front of a computer and type for fun.
-If the day ever came when you had to run the
Starmen.Net fanfic section, what changes might you make?
I would definitely try to get writers the kind of prestige
the artists and musicians get. Something that would make them know that people
enjoy their stories. I feel fanfic writers don’t get half the credit they
deserve.
-What have been some of your most memorable
moments in the online "EarthBound" community?
Anything and everything that I saw when
I first stumbled upon “You Are Now EarthBound”. It might be the nostalgia
talking, but I really enjoyed everything that went on during that time.
-Any writing advice for newcomers to
"EarthBound" fanfiction?
Try writing about things that no one’s ever thought of; "EarthBound" is famous for its large cast of characters, and most of them remain untapped. That, and originality’s great. Even if you want to make a story about the Chosen Four reuniting to fight against Pokey (which is hands down the greatest cliché in "EB" fanfiction), there are ways to make it original. Don’t be afraid to try new things.