Sharing Links and Wisdom: The Cycle of the Six Moons Series NBtM

Blurb:

The Starriest Summer:

Fifteen-year-old Michelle saves the world on a daily basis…with her trusty video game controller, of course! Naturally, she jumps at the chance to play an experimental virtual reality game.

The beautiful fantasy world of Starrs? Check. The power to mold matter? Check. No reset button? Wait, she didn’t sign up for this!

Turns out Starrs is really real, and to make matters worse, Michelle’s interference awakens the Cycle of the Six Moons, a series of devastating trials that will devour the universe.

Fighting the apocalypse was way easier when danger stayed on the other side of the screen, but Michelle finds a secret weapon in her new-found powers. She uses them to rescue the crown prince of a powerful magic kingdom from their sworn enemies, a technologically-advanced cult that strives to eradicate magical blood.

Michelle starts to fall for Prince Jayse, the only one who believes Michelle to be a savior rather than a curse. But not even video games could prepare her for what the cult has in store for them…

An Eclipsing Autumn:

Deciding last minute to stay in Starrs, Michelle continues her epic adventure as Goddess. After all, learning how to save the world sure beats a year of pre-calculus. With her friends by her side, Michelle travels to a city of scholars to learn the lore of the Cycle of the Six Moons.

At first, the exotic retreat turns romantic, as Michelle spends her free time exchanging sweet letters with the crown prince, Jayse. But, during her studies, Michelle learns something that drastically changes her game plan. Powerful blood must be spilled to end the Cycle…blood that only runs through her veins and the prince destined to fall in love with her.

During a celebration honoring their enlightenment, Michelle and Jayse are whisked off to a rogue city as trophies of a tournament, where only the strongest can claim a taste of their blood. Gallant as ever, their guardian, Gediyon, enters to prevent harm to his friends. Unfortunately for the contestants, the Cycle’s latest trial prevents everyone from waking from a cursed slumber…

Excerpt:

“Mayor Rayel,” Gediyon says, “may I suggest… a healer?”

The mayor turns around and smiles. “You follow my thoughts exactly, Gediyon.”

“Then tomorrow, I shall return to Arriscyal.”

I gasp. “Ooh! Can I come?”

The mayor and Gediyon exchange glances. Gediyon says, “If that is what you wish, Michelle…”

“Pft. Duh! What else am I gonna do?”

I’m not sure if they understand, but they don’t deny me.

Gediyon nods to Mayor Rayel. “Michelle and I will return as soon as possible.”

“Very well,” Mayor Rayel says. “Then off to bed with you both. You have a long journey ahead.”

The mayor leaves outside and Gediyon smiles at me before beckoning me up the ladder. I think I know what he’s so excited about.

I might’ve completed my first mission, but of course there’s more to this game. Another rank: the healer. I can see her already. She’s without a doubt going to be prettier than me and she’ll have bigger boobs. She’ll probably be soft-spoken and so perfect and sweet that I’ll want to barf every time she graces my presence. And Gediyon is probably in love with her.

Of course he is. He probably had to rescue her on many accounts and she won him over with her damsel-in-distress-like lifestyle. I don’t know why this bothers me so much. I mean, I’m a little too young for Gediyon anyway, but I have a feeling I’ll become the third wheel once she joins our party.

Why Video Game Music Is the Best Music to Listen to While Writing

I’m a gamer. I have been since elementary school. One important element of video games that I found helped immerse me into a fantasy world was its music. It’s designed to set the tone, help you concentrate on the task at hand, exemplifies the written dialogue of the characters you encounter, or even makes your heart race during boss battles.

Since I was about ten years old, I’ve used video game music to help set the scene. Unlike pop songs or ballads, there are no lyrics to distract you, listener and fellow writer, from the words that you want to write. Here are examples of the kind of music I listen to and the scenes they fit.

Setting up the hometown of your hero before adventure calls him forth? Try the Outside Island theme from Wind Waker!

Feel the joy and innocence of everyday life? Feel the peaceful breeze of the ocean?

Now, for the hero’s call! Have the mysterious enemies raided your hero’s hometown and kidnapped his childhood best friend, thereby sending him out on his adventure to rescue her? Try Sorrow from Xenoblade!

Do you feel the appropriately named “sorrow” and loss that you want your readers to feel from your words?

Next, your hero probably finds himself in a strange land, dangerous from his peaceful, sunny hometown. Try Wind Scene from Chrono Trigger.

Do you feel the concern of a new place? Do you feel the mystery and wonder lying beyond? I sure do! (This song is also incredibly nostalgic for me. Chrono Trigger was the first game that really made me want to write.)

Now, let’s say, on his way to gather information about his abducted bestie, your hero stumbles across a pub, where he encounters a ragtag group of oddballs who are willing to help you out…for a price. Try Tantalus’s Theme from Final Fantasy IX!

Can’t you sense their hearts of gold with, um, a taste for gold?

Your hero’s hopes renewed, the world is now bright, and he and his companions cross stretching landscapes night and day! Try Voyage from Chrono Cross’s home world!

Feel optimistic about what lies beyond the horizon!

Don’t forget about the really cool, distant, mysterious badass who catches wind of your plan to infiltrate the enemies’ fortress. This cool guy waltzes in and steals the scene with how awesome he is. Try Auron’s Theme from Final Fantasy X!

Doesn’t the music help you picture the very way he walks and holds himself?

Say your hero and his newfound friends finally learn why the baddies abducted the hero’s bestie. She’s actually been their kind all along! She was first abducted when she was a baby, and someone in the hero’s hometown adopted her. However, she’s now of age, which means that her powers have come forth, and her people want her back. The hero might even have to kill her. Try A Proposal from Dirge of Cerberus!

The team then goes on to the enchanted fortress to encounter bestie. She’s no longer the same person, and expresses her rightful duties among her true family. Try A Sacrifice from Final Fantasy VIII!

Then they have to fight her! Go Blinded by Light from Final Fantasy XIII!

But she stops herself from killing everyone! By sealing herself in an unbreakable crystal within the earth that crumbles at the heroes’ feet! Cue Once We Part Ways from Xenoblade!

The team then finds themselves in another mysterious land, where badass cool guy encounters the soul of his dead wife. Whom he had killed. While under the influence of the evil baddies to whom the hero’s bestie is now empress. (Wait, what? I dunno, I’m making this up as I go.) Try Departed Souls from Chrono Cross!

Badass cool guy’s dead wife tells everyone that they must continue forth! Cue sad music that indicates everything will end in tragedy! The Dream Will End Someday (I don’t care what the video says, that’s what I’ll always call it) from Final Fantasy X!

They find hero’s bestie, and an evil spirit releases her body, initiating another boss battle! Go Hopes and Dreams from Undertale!

Then someone lovable and funny DIES!!! Aerith’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII!

Finally, after defeating some extensive quests, the hero releases bestie from her unbreakable crystal, and for the sake of the length of this post, all is well. Cue happy ending music from Twilight Princess!

Or, if you’re twisted and sadistic like me, and prefer a tragic ending, hero trades his soul for bestie’s and takes her place within the crystal as a sacrifice to the planet. Try Final Fantasy X’s ending theme.

…Sixteen YouTube links later…

I hope the above demonstration helps you feel for yourself how listening to video game music while writing really helps a scene come to life. The music is from video games I’ve played, and the songs are those that I’ve used personally when writing my own books. If you’re unfamiliar with video game soundtracks, try out some of these OSTs!

Skyward Sword

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Author Bio and Links:

Adelle Yeung is the author of The Cycle of the Six Moons trilogy, a young adult fantasy adventure.

She is also a voice-over artist who can't go a day without a cup of tea. When she's not writing or recording, she enjoys sewing costumes, baking sweets, and escaping on video game adventures. She lives in California with a cat that dreams of eating the pet bird.

She has provided script supervision for the independent animation, Shattered Heaven, and is head script editor and one of the co-writers for the upcoming game Fiona Frightening and the Wicked Wardrobe.

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