Spoiler warning!!! Some of the following questions reference things from multiple chapters into the Silk Talons story.
Q: How old is Ginal?
A: She is 21. Selah is 25, while we're at it.
Q: What inspired the story?
A: That's not as easy an answer as it seems. I can't really pick out any one or two things that inspired me to write, it just seemed to be several things coming together. I can say this, though: Ginal isn't just a character I manipulate, she comes from a place within me. When I started putting the story together, that "Inner Ginal" spoke to me about what her story was.
Q: What real life situations or emotions inspired events or characters in the story?
A: I was a fairly late bloomer, like Ginal, and was into my twenties when I finally started any involvement with women.
Also like Ginal, I had a brief but emotionally charged relationship that ended in such a way that left me emotionally stunted and unstable. I was picking up those pieces for years.
I can have a truly terrible temper, and have been very easily set off on angry tantrums for seemingly little things or things I didn't have all information about.
As well, I typically have a very hot burning sex drive, along with a deeply seeded need for physical and emotional intimacy that sometimes is more annoying for my wife than it is flattering.
Q: Have you written anything else?
A: I've dabbled in fanfiction on and off for many years. The earliest I remember was an attempt at a Lufia story (a SNES era rpg) when I was about 10 years old. I've started multiple other stories that I kept losing interest in finishing, including:
Final Fantasy 10/10-2 side story, Sailor Moon unofficial sixth story arc, and a long running Star Wars table top rpg campaign I gave up on finishing.
Q: Will you show anything racey between Ginal and Selah?
A: Nothing explicit, no. I've long since believed that sex scenes in games/books/movies have no true narrative value, and while it's fine to sometimes arouse your audience, I feel like including any sexually explicit scenes might only serve to disrupt the serious story I'm trying to tell.
Besides, I'm pretty sure not everyone is interested in a sex scene involving a woman with a penis.
What I may do, however, is what I've already tried: depictions of kissing, cuddling, petting and maybe even more occasional panty shots.
What do you think as my readers? Leave me a comment if you have any opinions about how much fanservice I use.
Q: What does the term Silk Talons mean or symbolize?
A: It's supposed to symbolize two major parts of Ginal's personality that I intended to depict when I first created the story. Silk is in reference to how Ginal is both gentle and durably strong as the cloth, while Talons is in reference to how she's dangerous and sharp (sharp as in witty and intelligent) I tried to explain this through dialogue in chapters 2 and 8, but I may not have been very clear.
As well, I may not even have depicted Ginal in a way that this term makes sense. What do you readers think?
Q: What gave you the push to start writing this story?
A: It's supposed to symbolize two major parts of Ginal's personality that I intended to depict when I first created the story. Silk is in reference to how Ginal is both gentle and durably strong as the cloth, while Talons is in reference to how she's dangerous and sharp (sharp as in witty and intelligent) I tried to explain this through dialogue in chapters 2 and 8, but I may not have been very clear.
As well, I may not even have depicted Ginal in a way that this term makes sense. What do you readers think?
Q: What gave you the push to start writing this story?
A: I was at work one day when I got the idea to write a story based upon my experiences in FF14. After thinking about it for an hour or so, I sent my wife a message to tell her about the idea. Her reply was a simple, "That's a good idea, you should do it." That was my push.
Q: What happened to Thadthadius?
A: He did kind of disappeared, didn't he? And that mysterious reappearance in the epilogue! How does he know who Selah is, I wonder? Hmmm...
Q: Why Eorzea?
A: I just so happened to of fallen in love with FF14, and I do like the lore that Square came up with. Besides, basing this story in an already established world made it easier to concentrate on the characters.
Q: Are the people you based characters on still okay with being in the story after the hermaphrodite reveal?
A: Nobody ever objected, but I'd always understand if someone did.
Q: What made you want to include your Free Company?
A: When I started writing, the people of my FC were the only immediate audience I had. Including characters based on them is my way of thanking them.
Q: We're you hesitant to portray Ginal as a hermaphrodite?
A: I did briefly second guess myself once I started writing, and I had to talk to multiple people I trusted for their thoughts. It was ultimately my sister who told me that I need to write the story for myself, and just be honest with what I wanted to convey. That helped me sort it out.
Q: Is there a message you want your readers to take away from the story?
A:Multiple!
There's a difference between what and who you are, and you can't change the what.
Even the most unusual people can be loved.
Never be afraid to love, regardless of what you've previously lived through.
Being a dick will come back to bite you.
We all have the strength to face our worst fears, you just have to find what inspires that strength.
Q: Did you get lots of support from your readers? Was anyone against the story?
A: In general, there was a lot of great support, and nobody voiced any issues with my story.
Q: Are you going to continue the story, or will future writing be separate works?
A: Ginal has a very long life ahead. Further more, her story has become part of something bigger. Future stories will be about the shared life of Ginal and Selah.
Q:Will you include your Free Company in future stories?
A: Yes, I plan to make the members if Free Company Doom a full fledged supporting cast for future stories.
Q: Did you expect more or fewer readers, and did that effect you decision to continue writing?
A: On the one hand, this is a story I told for myself, because I needed to tell it. On the other hand, a story can't be told with no audience. As long as at least one person is willing to read my stories, I'll want to continue to write them.
Q: You use a lot of NPCs and reference a lot of mechanics from the game. Did you need to research or study the game?
A: Only a little, like when I need to figure out the layout of an environment. Otherwise, I just try to figure out how to translate how the game plays mechanically to how that should read in a story. The already existing NPCs I just work in when they're relevant.
Q: Was Silk Talons a success in your opinion?
A: I'm at 1700 page views, and I finally finished a long term story I started. It's absolutely a success!
Q: Would you want to change any of the story's details or direction?
A: The first chapter is a bit rough and could be a little longer, but it does what it needs to. The only thing I might change is finding a better way to convey Ginal's secret in a way that would make the reader say "Oh, that makes sense." For some reason, most people I've spoken with thought the hermaphrodite reveal was very sudden and unexpected.
Q: How did you come up with the way you describe Aethernet teleportation?
A: Partly from the game's own animation, when the player's character is sort of compressed into this swirl of energy. Also in part, when I asked that inner part of me that Ginal comes from what it feels like, that's how she answered.
And that's it for this Q&A session. I want to thank everyone who contributed their questions. If anyone has any comments concerning my answers, by all means leave me a comment or email, and remember that I'm always open to comments, questions or just plain ol' chattin' away about my stories.
If any one my readers from different servers ever want to you, you're always welcome to drop by Malboro to say hi to me, Selah, Thadthadius or anyone from the Doom FC!
The interim storyline "Everyday Love" is soon to go public, and the second major story arc "Hearts Unbound is nearly done being planned, so stay tuned!
Q: Did you expect more or fewer readers, and did that effect you decision to continue writing?
A: On the one hand, this is a story I told for myself, because I needed to tell it. On the other hand, a story can't be told with no audience. As long as at least one person is willing to read my stories, I'll want to continue to write them.
Q: You use a lot of NPCs and reference a lot of mechanics from the game. Did you need to research or study the game?
A: Only a little, like when I need to figure out the layout of an environment. Otherwise, I just try to figure out how to translate how the game plays mechanically to how that should read in a story. The already existing NPCs I just work in when they're relevant.
Q: Was Silk Talons a success in your opinion?
A: I'm at 1700 page views, and I finally finished a long term story I started. It's absolutely a success!
Q: Would you want to change any of the story's details or direction?
A: The first chapter is a bit rough and could be a little longer, but it does what it needs to. The only thing I might change is finding a better way to convey Ginal's secret in a way that would make the reader say "Oh, that makes sense." For some reason, most people I've spoken with thought the hermaphrodite reveal was very sudden and unexpected.
Q: How did you come up with the way you describe Aethernet teleportation?
A: Partly from the game's own animation, when the player's character is sort of compressed into this swirl of energy. Also in part, when I asked that inner part of me that Ginal comes from what it feels like, that's how she answered.
And that's it for this Q&A session. I want to thank everyone who contributed their questions. If anyone has any comments concerning my answers, by all means leave me a comment or email, and remember that I'm always open to comments, questions or just plain ol' chattin' away about my stories.
If any one my readers from different servers ever want to you, you're always welcome to drop by Malboro to say hi to me, Selah, Thadthadius or anyone from the Doom FC!
The interim storyline "Everyday Love" is soon to go public, and the second major story arc "Hearts Unbound is nearly done being planned, so stay tuned!
No comments:
Post a Comment