February '23 AMA (Patreon)

Russel Todd asks:

"If it isn't spoilers or anything like that, have Virya & Sanora ever done self-inserts as champions? Reason I ask is that if they are looking to keep themselves entertained, that could be a fun variation on the game. I suppose it comes from me wondering how far along the entertainment treadmill they are. ie If they were getting bored of the basic game formula, they start trying things for variety. So feel free to answer this question/area of curiosity however you see fit.   

If the previous one is a no go, then I'd ask if each goddess has a favorite past champion, what made them their favorite?"

They fundamentally don't like themselves enough to want to watch self-inserts.  Sanora has had a favorite previous Champion who leaned hard into a magical girl vibe.  Virya is looking for something she hasn't found yet in her prospects.

Sleepless asks:

"How do you feel Seiji has changed since the beginning of the story?"

Less than he needs to.  He is making the awkward beginnings of progress.

Mickey Phoenix asks:

"Seiji has always seemed very sympathetic to me, and really quite likable, in the "loveable curmudgeon" sense. Was this intentional, or were you aiming for a bit of a heel-face-turn, and I'm just weird for liking him from the beginning?"

While that wasn't the exact goal, it's close enough that I'm gratified he comes off that way to at least some.  

The whole thing with Seiji is that he needs to be sympathetic and possible to root for, while also being clearly not a good person, or a correct person.  The fun of villain protagonists and asshole protagonists alike is that the audience can cheer for them when they win and laugh at them when they get slapped down, but it's a tricky line to walk.  People seem to generally like Seiji while also getting that he's not presented as a positive influence, which is close enough to what I was trying to do that I'll take it.  This is hard to do, though.  Glad I did it once, but I don't think I'll write another character like Seiji.

Really, as long as people aren't taking him as a role model or thinking he's a mouthpiece for my opinions, I'm happy.  

Hakurei06 asks:

"Do any of Yoshi's party buy into the game theory?"

Not in the sense of believing it.  Pashilyn at least is intellectually capable of entertaining an idea without accepting it.  Amell has been taught from birth to keep herself out of theological and other highborn matters.  Flaethwyn doesn't much care about philosophical abstractions.  Yoshi, being more emotionally mature than Seiji gives him credit for, is aware that he's biased against the possibility and actively trying not to ponder it one way or another until he comes across more actual data.

Dylan Schulz asks:

"Your stories include a lot of really complex topics, id like to ask how much 'literature study' you do for that?"

That's hard to answer without defining terms.  I do research to find answers to specific questions I need before writing about some subjects, but writing the kind of high-concept fantasy I do, that comes up relatively rarely.  

As for the complex topics, the truth is I'm just interested in them.  My advice to writers has always been to write what moves them personally, because you won't produce your best work if you're not following your passion.  And I am very much interested in psychology, sociology, politics, economics, science...basically, all the mechanics of what make societies run.

It's a layperson's interest, though, not an expert's.  I feel strongly about the role of storytellers in fostering discussion and do my best to raise conversations and questions without trying to dictate policy, or present myself as somebody who has The Answers.  I feel like I don't quite succeed a lot of the time, but that's always the goal.

Aidan Low asks:

"Would you rather fight 30 duck sized bears, or one bear sized duck?"

Why must we fight?

Too Much Sanity May Be Madness asks:

"If there's one version of Hallelujah which inspired Seiji's rendition, which would it be? Leonard Cohen, from the album Various Positions? Leonard Cohen, from the album Cohen Live? John Cale? Jeff Buckley? Wainwright? lang? Bon Jovi? Pentatonix?"

I have no idea what any of these are, it's a song I've heard in a bunch of movies and TV shows.

It's an ongoing problem with Seiji's chosen genre being classic rock (and yes, I'm aware most people wouldn't even include Hallelujah in that description).  That's not really my genre; I have to do research every time he has a musical scene, and people in the comments immediately after always seem to know more about the music than I do.  I'm just trying not to screw up too badly, and so far there have been few complaints.

Finn Ryan asks:

"I remember that the spell Create Illusion only allowed for one illusion. Does that mean you can use multiple scrolls to have multiple illusions or does it just mean illusion magic is really limited?"

You can have as many illusions as you can get scrolls of Create Illusion.  Seiji would need to find another one before he could cast an actual illusion.