Russie Babbles: Eternal Flame [Conceptualization]

Hello and good evening, Darlings!

For tonight, (the last day of the first week) I'll be discussing the Eternal Flame (EtF) series, how it came to be, all I've done for this project throughout the years and where it will stand in the coming future. This post will be purely non-lit; it’s going to be me talking to you guys about one of my first projects. ^_^

Without further ado, let’s begin!

The EtF series was actually started when I was in seventh grade. Rothie introduced to me the Black Rock Shooter OVA and because of that (as well as my desire to create something), I was able to come up with the EtF series. Truthfully, I was also inspired by Rothie’s writing project during that time – the First Princess series. At that time, I was one of her co-authors. However, I found myself wanting to make something of my own.

With that, one idea came after another. Within a couple of weeks, I was able to write the very first version of the first book on a spare blue notebook.

The EtF series is (currently) going through its second revamp. The first was done from Freshman year to Sophomore year; the second revamp started only a few months ago and picked up pace when I started to do the Graduation Celebration.

The series has four books, namely:

• Black and White
• Escape the Fate
• Closer to Doom
• Checkmate

During the first revamp, I was able to write until the first few chapters of Closer to Doom until I got busy with schoolwork.

Throughout my years of writing the EtF series, Rothie was the one who knew of the project with each tweak and change I did to it. *nods* We actually exchanged chapters frequently during the summer of ’12, updating each other in place of publishing the chapters online. She remained my biggest supporter with the project – and even until now, continues to support me with whichever I choose to do with it.

One of the biggest changes throughout the revamps would be the names of the characters:

First Revamp:	Second Revamp:
Arianne Maxwell	Arizona Sanchez
Elaine Lovett	Elisa Lagdameo
Therese Spears	Teresa Valdez
Beatrice Unova	Beatriz Marasigan
Megan Heavens	Megara Ronquillo
Gabrielle Falmore	Gaby Rebollos
Luke Thomas	Lukas Aquino
Nicole de Liu	Ame Villa
Samantha Jones	Xandra Roxas
Matt Jones	Matteo Roxas

The most obvious change would be the Westernized names in the first, and the more natural, Filipino of the second. This is because for the first revamp, the story took place in England. For the second and current, it takes place in the Philippines.

Admittedly, the first book of the EtF series was mostly inspired by the plot of the Black Rock Shooter OVA and anime, along with my own personal experiences – which is why it was my favorite to write. Additionally, the first revamp was also inspired by the Guilty Crown anime. This was heavily evident in the (then) ability of Matteo, which was to hone different weapons from the souls of people.

Seven of the ten characters this week was inspired by my close friends. Ame, Lukas and Matteo came from my own mind palace.

Originally, the first revamp was centered on the Lukas/Arizona/Matteo love triangle. For the second, however, I chose to do away with the love triangle and instead focus on Lukas/Arizona and Matteo/Arizona during the different books.

[And yes – the Lukas-Arizona graphic reveals the fate of their ship. :--)]

It’s actually not just Arizona who’s supposed to have an endgame ship; Elisa, Teresa and Beatriz are also supposed their own significant others by the end of the series.

But – do know that the EtF series isn’t a romance-centered story. Not at all! It mostly focuses on the friendships among the six friends as well as the six Other Selves. :3

Through the EtF series, I was mostly able to hone my skill in writing battle scenes. It was also the series which helped me get used to writing longer stories. Through the series, I learned how to properly balanced the characters, figuring out which were the main ones and which were the supporting characters.

Of course, it isn’t a perfect project – not at all. There are still a number of inconsistencies, a number of errors, loopholes and such. Some may even call what I wrote merely a rip-off of the Black Rock Shooter anime, and I can understand why people would think that.

However, despite the fact that they share a lot of similarities, I hoped that they would stop come the second book. From the second book until the fourth, the series would take its own, original route from plot to the eventual endgame.

With the Graduation Celebration came a sudden motivation to really start and finish the EtF series. Through the process of finding new FCs, renewing the names and reestablishing plotlines, I was able to find that familiar spark, that familiar flame (hehe) within me to start again.

There will still be four books, six main girls, six Other Selves and a lot of plots to fix up. There will still be two realms that will be explored, two main love interests, a number of plot twists, and one definite ending. I’ve had the ending thought out since my Freshman year, and I don’t intend to change that any time soon. ^_^

I very much hope that in the near future, I’ll be able to make a separate blog for the EtF series and restart from there. That is one thing I really want to do: to restart the project that pushed me hard.

I hope that you guys were able to find out some information about EtF! It’s safe to say that this post is part one of the conclusion to the very first week of the Graduation Celebration. :3

See y’all tomorrow – for the start of the second week.

Four Kingdoms look forward to your presence. Xx