The reason Aoki Haruhi chose George Martin was simple:
In his previous life, George Martin had participated in the production of elden ring, and the background story of elden ring came from George Martin's hand.
Moreover, George Martin's a song of ice and fire is well-known; after this series of novels was adapted into a TV series, it once became the most successful and highest-rated work in HBO's history.
If not for Martin not finishing the later volumes and the TV series being ruined by two screenwriters, leading to a bad ending, this TV series should have been very successful.
Currently, the novel a song of ice and fire has not yet been published.
Aoki Haruhi wanted to discuss the copyright issues of a song of ice and fire at the same Time.
If operated well, a song of ice and fire could also be developed into a game and later adapted into a TV series.
… …
George Martin has actually won several Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards so far, and he is quite well-known in the science fiction/fantasy field.
However, most of them are novellas and short stories.
Now 48-year-old George Martin has resigned from all his jobs and is dedicating himself to writing a book called a song of ice and fire at home.
Before this, his luck was both good and not so good.
The good thing is that he can always win major awards that many people envy for a lifetime, such as the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, by virtue of his excellent creations.
The bad thing is that many of the film and television works George Martin worked on as a screenwriter in Hollywood either failed, were canceled midway, or were cut before they even aired.
Although Martin's remuneration for working in Hollywood was satisfactory, he was very disappointed that most of the shows he participated in did not pass approval.
Because for an Author, the most desired thing is for his work to be seen by the public, but the broadcasting company's decision-makers do not have the same mindset as screenwriters and Authors.
The year before last, Martin put aside his TV work and began to continue writing his fantasy story from three years ago, providing his publishing agent, Kirby McCauley, with the first 200 pages of the manuscript and a two-page blueprint for a planned trilogy series.
Martin liked ambiguous titles because he felt they could make his works more profound, so he chose a song of ice and fire as the title for the entire series: the cold Others and the fiery dragons might be the meaning of "ice and fire," and "a song" had appeared in Martin's books A Song for Lya and The Songs of the Dead, which was Martin's preference for "song."
Fire is love, passion, and enthusiasm. Ice is betrayal, revenge, and the cruel, dark side.
Yes, the current George Martin has resigned and is at home, dedicating himself to writing a book called a song of ice and fire.
On this day, he received a call from an unknown number.
On the other end of the line was a gentle and young male voice; although the English was fluent, Martin quickly detected a hint of an Eastern accent.
The caller was the president of a company called Pokeni Company, who wanted to invite Martin to dinner and discuss work matters.
They couldn't talk much on the phone, but Martin generally understood the gist:
They wanted to develop an epic fantasy game and hoped Martin could serve as the story screenwriter.
Although he wasn't sure why they chose him, Martin agreed to the invitation, wanting to discuss it further after meeting.
… …
Aoki Haruhi first flew to California, United States, and found David Brevik and Skaff, who are now serving as the CEO of the branch company.
He explained to them the importance of what he wanted to do and finding a script Author.
After listening, the few of them largely agreed.
After that, Aoki Haruhi brought Brevik to meet George Martin at the Palm Springs Hotel in California.
… …
In a private suite at the Palm Springs Hotel in California, Aoki Haruhi and Brevik awaited George Martin's arrival.
Aoki Haruhi wore a dark suit with a neatly tied tie.
Brevik opted for a simple white shirt paired with dark blue jeans.
Although the two men had different skin tones and looked quite different, both could be described as handsome.
Especially Aoki Haruhi, without a beard, he looked almost overly handsome among Westerners.
Brevik glanced at him, only feeling that this man looked truly delicate, the type who, if not careful in a place like California, could be beaten up by street thugs if he walked out onto the street.
Aoki Haruhi also quietly looked back at him.
He indicated that he had been robbed once before.
He silently stroked his chin, wondering if he should have grown a beard before coming to the United States?
But one thing he was more certain of—
After this, when he returned to Japan, he would definitely get in shape.
He was too small.
Soon after, George Martin walked into the suite on Time.
He was short (168 cm, shorter than Aoki Haruhi had imagined), stout, with graying hair and a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still bright.
He had his signature large beard, almost completely covering his mouth.
This year, George Martin is only 48 years old, much younger than the white-haired, white-bearded old man Aoki Haruhi remembered.
Overall, he was actually quite cute.
And because he was big and round, he looked very strong, giving off more presence than his height suggested.
If you didn't already know his identity and profession, walking on the street, it would be difficult to associate such a person with the identity of an Author.
He warmly shook hands with Aoki Haruhi and Brevik, smiling as he said, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've been looking forward to this meeting."
"We should be the ones to say that." Aoki Haruhi squeezed his hand, inviting George Martin to sit down, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Martin."
… …
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Aoki Haruhi got straight to the point, saying, "Mr. Martin, we have invited you here because we hope you can serve as the story screenwriter for our new game project."
He also pushed the prepared materials in front of Martin.
"Okay."
Martin took the materials and quietly began to read them.
When he saw the game's name, Martin's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Eternal Ashes? You are the company that produced Eternal Ashes?"
"Yes," Aoki Haruhi nodded, smiling a little happily, "Have you played our game?"
"Yes, I quite like your Eternal Ashes."
Martin was more up-to-date than Aoki Haruhi had imagined; not only did he play game, but he was also a tabletop role-playing game player.
Even more remarkably, he not only played Pokeni Company's Eternal Ashes but was also a player of the Diablo series.
"I really like this type of fantasy work," George Martin said, "When playing the game, it felt like playing a tabletop role-playing game, and I think your designs for the Akasha Worms, the Flay Aliens, and the Kaka Clan are all very interesting.
When I played the game, I was completely captivated by them, thinking what kind of company could produce such an interesting work.
I never expected to meet the creators today."
"That's great, thank you for liking it." Aoki Haruhi said, quite surprised.
The three of them had a common topic and started chatting about tabletop role-playing game.
"When we made Eternal Ashes, we actually drew inspiration from the gameplay of tabletop role-playing game," Brevik said.
"In tabletop role-playing game, there are always many unknown and imaginative things happening, and we also hope the game brings players the same experience."
Aoki Haruhi said with a smile, "In tabletop role-playing game, isn't every player a participant? Then, in the game's own setting, it's impossible to favor any one side; it can only be set so that every participating player is the protagonist.
And we do the same when we play tabletop role-playing game; whether you are human, elf, mage, or rogue, you are actually acting according to your own will, playing the game as the protagonist in this game world.
So we can see that in tabletop role-playing game, many equally matched, complex events and situations will arise.
Players are very creative.
So in our vision, every race in the game should also have its own protagonists and heroes."
"Hmm, this feeling is really great, isn't it?" George Martin's eyes lit up.
"Yes." Aoki Haruhi nodded and smiled.
He gestured with his hand and said, "Heroes each create their own history, but when they come together, they create the entire Time; the great world is driven by countless heroes.
What we want to present is this feeling.
An epic sense of grandeur."
Aoki Haruhi's words went straight to Martin's heart.
He thought the same way.
"I completely agree. History should not have only one protagonist; in fact, everyone can be a protagonist.
I am also a reader, and I found during my reading that—
If in a book, the protagonist is very clear from the beginning, and even the readers can easily guess the plot that follows, such a book is actually quite boring.
Do you know Tolkien, Mr. Aoki?"
"Yes." Aoki Haruhi nodded, "The Author of the lord of the rings."
"When I saw Gandalf die, do you know?" Martin chuckled, looking at Aoki Haruhi with excited eyes, "At that moment, I got goosebumps all over; an unprecedented sense of fear and thrill instantly surged through my body.
I realized for the first Time—
That even protagonists can die.
And this death directly shattered my perception of the entire world.
Since Gandalf can die, what else is impossible in this world?"
Speaking of this, Martin sighed, "Sometimes, I even think that perhaps it is death that makes heroes great."
Hmm?
Aoki Haruhi was stunned for a moment, a shiver running through him.
How did the conversation get here?
Weren't we talking about epic grandeur and heroes?
He felt that this person's understanding seemed to be a bit off-kilter.
Good heavens, is this why you kill protagonists?
Aoki Haruhi stroked his chin, inevitably falling into a moment of sorrowful contemplation.
Although he had chosen George Martin for strategic reasons.
But he now regretted it a little.
Thinking carefully, Martin is also a master of 'knife-wielding' (killing characters).
Terrifying!!!
What sin have I committed to gather so many world-class 'knife-wielding' players together!?
The a song of ice and fire that Martin is currently writing actually uses a similar model:
Multiple protagonists.
From different perspectives, you will find that every character in this book can be a protagonist.
Whether it's members of the Stark family or Queen Cersei…
Everyone is playing their own tabletop role-playing game.
Even more terrifying, these protagonists can indeed die.
You never know who the next protagonist to die will be.
Martin's knife is truly fast, sharp, and even more unpredictable.
Aoki Haruhi felt a chill just thinking about it.
… …
Martin flipped through for a while and was quickly drawn in by the grand world described within, with many races and their corresponding world structures, beliefs, magic… all of which fully stimulated Martin's imagination and passion.
It looked like only a framework, but he could roughly imagine the story behind it.
"If the characters and roles, and complex social relationships can be carefully sorted out to construct a chronicle belonging to this world, I think it will definitely be another fantasy masterpiece," Martin sighed.
Since everyone shared common interests, it meant there was a basis for cooperation.
The entire conversation proceeded unusually smoothly.
"I really want to take on this job. The world view, settings, and all aspects of Eternal Ashes are very interesting and can greatly stimulate one's imagination."
"But…" Martin seemed a bit hesitant.
"Hmm? Do you have any concerns?" Aoki Haruhi asked.
"It's like this," Martin said, "I've actually resigned from all my jobs now and am writing a book at home. To be honest, I have a fantasy work in progress, and due to Time and energy constraints, I might not be able to take on another task of such a massive scale."
Aoki Haruhi nodded; of course, he knew what work Martin was writing.
a song of ice and fire
An epic, grand fantasy masterpiece.
Martin started writing this book in '94 and hasn't finished it yet by 2023.
And at that Time, Martin was already 74 years old.
Aoki Haruhi even highly doubted whether he could successfully finish the book before he died.
If they waited for Martin to finish the book before taking over, it would be too late.
Moreover, this guy didn't stop taking other invitations midway, for example, elden ring invited him to do the world view and story setting.
"I see." Aoki Haruhi smiled and said, "Mr. Martin, you can serve as our game story setter, helping to build the entire game's world view, and just write out the character settings and outline.
The remaining filling work is indeed a massive project, and we will find other staff to take over and fill it in."
"Hmm?"
George Martin paused slightly.
After a few seconds of thought, "That seems possible."
If it was just designing the story outline, background, and characters, then he might be able to find the Time.
"Also," Aoki Haruhi said, "regarding the book you are writing, I've heard about it; it should be a good work. If possible, would you be able to sell its game and film and television copyrights to us?"
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