BioTeach
Pro Adventurer
Welcome! I have been debating for a long time whether to share this project of mine, but finally decided why not? Maybe someone would find it interesting. Plus, I thought putting it out here might help keep me motivated.
So here it is, my novelization of the entire FFVII Compilation. You are probably wondering why I would do such a thing, so here's a brief background on how this whole mess got started: My first hands-on introduction to ff7 was the original Crisis Core (although I had watched my brother play parts of the OG many years prior so I had some knowledge of the characters, etc) I played with a borrowed game and PSP. I really enjoyed it and quickly realized that once I gave it back, it would be gone. It wasn't like my favorite novels I could just pull off my bookshelf anytime I wanted to experience them again. Thus began my crazy idea to replay it one more time before returning it and wrote a quick novelization of it (basically writing down the script and what I like to call “stage notes”). It didn’t take long for me to try novelizing AC next, and then it just snowballed after that. The project has taken me more than a few years (plus I’ve taken several months-long breaks) and with all the upcoming new content, I don’t anticipate being finished anytime soon. I've often thought lately that this whole thing is a little silly, but every time I think about quitting I think about all the time I've already put into it and how stopping now would be a waste of all that work. So as long as I am getting joy out of doing it, I plan to continue.
At his point, I have mostly finished the final drafts for AC, BC, CC, DC, OTWTAS, TKAA, and Remake (+ Yuffie DLC). Although, every time I read it, I find parts I want to improve, so not sure how “final” it really is.
I have arranged my novelization in chronological order starting with the early days of the Jenova Project (so far it’s primarily flashbacks from DC, because sadly that's all we have on it for now) followed by a mix of BC/CC content, OG/Remake, OTWTAS, TKAA, AC, and then DC. I am doing my best to keep it all a 100% faithful retelling of the source material (no made up scenarios or headcanon-filled fanfiction here!).
If you've been kind enough to read this far and are interested, below are some notes on how I went about novelizing each part. (I will place it in a spoiler tag to help compact this lengthy post)
Even with all that done, there is still lot's left to do. Here is my anticipated workload for the foreseeable future:
Anyway, I will primarily use this thread to share updates and occasionally glean knowledge and input from all you brilliant minds as I put together finishing touches, so if you’d like to offer advice or opinions, stay tuned!
Just for fun, here are some stats as of this posting (January 3, 2023) (This will be updated as progress is made)
UPDATED January 2024
TOTAL Chapters: 347
TOTAL Word Count: 1,217,883
Chapter breakdown by compilation entry:
So here it is, my novelization of the entire FFVII Compilation. You are probably wondering why I would do such a thing, so here's a brief background on how this whole mess got started: My first hands-on introduction to ff7 was the original Crisis Core (although I had watched my brother play parts of the OG many years prior so I had some knowledge of the characters, etc) I played with a borrowed game and PSP. I really enjoyed it and quickly realized that once I gave it back, it would be gone. It wasn't like my favorite novels I could just pull off my bookshelf anytime I wanted to experience them again. Thus began my crazy idea to replay it one more time before returning it and wrote a quick novelization of it (basically writing down the script and what I like to call “stage notes”). It didn’t take long for me to try novelizing AC next, and then it just snowballed after that. The project has taken me more than a few years (plus I’ve taken several months-long breaks) and with all the upcoming new content, I don’t anticipate being finished anytime soon. I've often thought lately that this whole thing is a little silly, but every time I think about quitting I think about all the time I've already put into it and how stopping now would be a waste of all that work. So as long as I am getting joy out of doing it, I plan to continue.
At his point, I have mostly finished the final drafts for AC, BC, CC, DC, OTWTAS, TKAA, and Remake (+ Yuffie DLC). Although, every time I read it, I find parts I want to improve, so not sure how “final” it really is.
I have arranged my novelization in chronological order starting with the early days of the Jenova Project (so far it’s primarily flashbacks from DC, because sadly that's all we have on it for now) followed by a mix of BC/CC content, OG/Remake, OTWTAS, TKAA, AC, and then DC. I am doing my best to keep it all a 100% faithful retelling of the source material (no made up scenarios or headcanon-filled fanfiction here!).
If you've been kind enough to read this far and are interested, below are some notes on how I went about novelizing each part. (I will place it in a spoiler tag to help compact this lengthy post)
Before Crisis: This was probably my favorite entry to write since I could find very little info on it and thus had very little knowledge of it going in. Here are a couple points I'd like to share:
OG: When I started this project, I was under the impression that Remake would be a retelling of OG – that it would be the same point in time only with better script and graphics. Therefore, I had not originally planned to novelize the OG when I knew Remake would be more fleshed out and better translated. Now I’m not so sure. If Remake turns out to be another part of the story (like a sequel as some suggest) and is not just replacing OG’s space in the story’s timeline, then I suppose I will need to include the OG as well. Since I have gotten caught up on all the other parts of the compilation, I have gone back and started working on it. And I have to admit I don’t really like it (as far as writing goes. I still think it was a great game for its time). It feels so bare and clunky compared to the Remake and some of the script just doesn't flow. I’m still in the very early stages of a rough draft for this one and will keep working on it until newer content comes out.
Remake: I’ve done all of Remake part one (including Yuffie DLC) except for Chapter 18. I have no idea what is going on in this part and I can’t write what I don’t understand. But once it is made clear, I will gladly put this chapter into words. Until then, I will spare my sanity and leave it alone.
OTWTAS: I know what you’re thinking: How do you novelize an already written novel? Let me explain:
AC/ACC: I don’t think I have much to add here as far as notes go. It’s a pretty straightforward retelling of the movie.
Dirge of Cerberus:
- Since the game was only officially released in Japan (and I don't know Japanese), the scripts I had to use were unofficial English fan translations. My first draft was composed from the translated play-through videos posted by Grimoire Valentine on Youtube. Afterwards, I found another set of scripts posted by Turkleader, which was similar, but somewhat different in wording. After reading through them and comparing lines from each source, I adjusted my writing to incorporate parts from each, depending on which wording I felt was a better fit. So my novelization of BC uses a combination of these two scripts, at least until EC throws something new into the mix.
- The “Player” Turk: As far as I am aware, there is no official canon Turk for this story (aside from the chapter where Cissnei encounters Zack near Nibelheim [based on the same scene in CC] and by extension her encounter with Veld in the Shinra Mansion soon after). Therefore, I chose from the optional Turks based on preference and used different ones for different missions as I saw fit (I tried to give as many of them as I could at least a little screen time). Also, I used the names given in their concept materials (don’t know if those are “official”, but I thought it sounded better than just calling them after their weapons and I didn’t want to make up my own names for them.)
- I suspect I will end up making at least a few changes after we see what Ever Crisis does with this entry.
- Nibleheim Incident: Obviously this was a pretty important scene in CC and is, unfortunately, a scene with many variations among the compilation components. CC, OG, BC, and LO (and I assume Remake) all have slightly differing versions of it. I have tried to integrate as many of those components together as I can without contradicting any material. Therefore, my version of Nibelheim here will be a mix of CC, BC, OG, and whatever Remake throws in. Honestly, this part is still a work in progress and I expect to keep changing it.
- DMW scenes: I have tried to include as many DMW scenes as possible as many contain enjoyable scenes that just didn't appear in the main game. Some were really hard to place though, since they aren’t dated and many looked like just random memories that didn’t really fit in with the flow of the main story. I tried to incorporate as many of them as I can, but if anyone has more info regarding these scenes (like where they all fit in) I’d love to hear it.
- Reunion: The only difference between Reunion and the original were some slight variations to the script, which some of the dialog desperately needed. I haven't been able to play it yet myself but I have combed through a couple of play throughs on YT and documented all the changes to the script. I am currently in the process of going back through my novel and updating the lines that I feel are now improved. I don’t plan on changing all of them though, as I still prefer some of the original script.
OG: When I started this project, I was under the impression that Remake would be a retelling of OG – that it would be the same point in time only with better script and graphics. Therefore, I had not originally planned to novelize the OG when I knew Remake would be more fleshed out and better translated. Now I’m not so sure. If Remake turns out to be another part of the story (like a sequel as some suggest) and is not just replacing OG’s space in the story’s timeline, then I suppose I will need to include the OG as well. Since I have gotten caught up on all the other parts of the compilation, I have gone back and started working on it. And I have to admit I don’t really like it (as far as writing goes. I still think it was a great game for its time). It feels so bare and clunky compared to the Remake and some of the script just doesn't flow. I’m still in the very early stages of a rough draft for this one and will keep working on it until newer content comes out.
Remake: I’ve done all of Remake part one (including Yuffie DLC) except for Chapter 18. I have no idea what is going on in this part and I can’t write what I don’t understand. But once it is made clear, I will gladly put this chapter into words. Until then, I will spare my sanity and leave it alone.
OTWTAS: I know what you’re thinking: How do you novelize an already written novel? Let me explain:
- As most of you know this book is broken into parts focusing on each character’s individual story after the OG. A lot of them overlapped in places (particularly Yuffie and Nanaki, it seemed) All I did for this entry was interconnect the various parts into a more cohesive flow. I also felt the need to add more descriptive writing to some places that seemed rather glossed over (ie – described the scenery of the forgotten city or the appearance of the new Seventh Heaven), but that was just a personal preference and I did not add anything to it story or dialog wise.
- This is the compilation entry in which I have the most work left to do, especially Tifa’s part. For some reason it just seemed really disjointed to me - it’s hard to tell how much time has passed from one part to another. Maybe it’s just me. I’m really hoping for some more clarity and/or details if this book is covered in EC. [If there is a detailed timeline for the events post-Meteor in one of the ultimanias, especially with events from this novel, would someone please point me towards it. I would be super grateful!]
AC/ACC: I don’t think I have much to add here as far as notes go. It’s a pretty straightforward retelling of the movie.
Dirge of Cerberus:
- Since my novelization is a chronological telling of the compilation, several of DC’s flashbacks to young Hojo, Vincent, and Lucrecia (and Grimoire) are actually in my earliest chapters before BC. Unfortunately, there isn’t that much content for these short scenes so I’m really hoping Remake and/or EC gives us more material here regarding these characters and the Jenova/SOLDIER projects. These scenes are also still included in their proper appearances in DC as well, as Vincent experiences them as memories/flashbacks.
- I’ve also included the Lost Episode in my DC novelization. I’ve heard that it’s not considered canon, but I really liked it and its not contradictory, so I’ve included it. (It's been a long time since I did this part, but I believe the video I used came from Grimoire Valentine's Youtube channel as well.)
- Lastly, I have a rough draft done of the multiplayer mode story that so far is only the translated scenes posted by Grimoire on Youtube. I’m not really sure what happens between these scenes though so it feels rather sparse (I assume the player just goes on various missions?). I’ve seen some speculation that Sonon’s fate could be to become the “Player” in this part of the story, which I think could be possible. So I’m probably going to wait for more info regarding that before I invest too heavily in the multiplayer story. Maybe even EC will give us more info on the Tsviets’ escape from Deepground. One can hope.
Even with all that done, there is still lot's left to do. Here is my anticipated workload for the foreseeable future:
Finish updating the dialog/scripts from CC Reunion.DONE!Add content from the Trace of Two Pasts novel when the official English translation finally releases. I plan to handle it similar to the way I did the other novels: type it up as is, then insert each part into appropriate places in the overall story. Thanks to the fan translations, I already have a rough outline in place for adding the new content.Mostly done. Will be making changes as we see how/if Rebirth incorporates these scenes.I used to have First Soldier on this list, but it seems there was no new story/lore in it. I assume any First Soldier related content will now come from Ever Crisis at this point.First Soldier content in Ever Crisis is looking promising and is being added to my work as each chapter is released.- Add any updated or completely new content from Ever Crisis. This is probably the entry I'm most excited for as I'm really looking forward to new content, like the Sephiroth origin story. I'm hoping for some Jenova Project lore as well regarding Gast and Hojo.
- Write the remaining parts of Remake/Rebirth/Re??? as they release.
- Finish the OG (if it is confirmed to be a different part of the story from Remake)
Anyway, I will primarily use this thread to share updates and occasionally glean knowledge and input from all you brilliant minds as I put together finishing touches, so if you’d like to offer advice or opinions, stay tuned!
Just for fun, here are some stats as of this posting (January 3, 2023) (This will be updated as progress is made)
UPDATED January 2024
TOTAL Chapters: 347
TOTAL Word Count: 1,217,883
Chapter breakdown by compilation entry:
- BC – 57 chapters
- CC – 41 chapters
- Remake – 82 chapters (69 remake + 13 Yuffie DLC)
- OTWTAS – 31 chapters
- TKAA – 27 chapters
- AC – 14 chapters
- DC – 35 chapters (not including multiplayer story)
- TOTP - 48 chapters
- EC:FS - 16 chapters
- Rebirth - ???
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