Good day everyone. I hope you have all had a wonderful week. I've very much enjoyed my break, but I'm already ready to get back into the swing of things. And we are going to start a bit early with Vol.6 recap :D
To start, thanks to those of you who took the to fill out the survey in a meaningful way. I'm happy to say that 99% of the people that filled out the survey did so with good intentions. Also, the information I got from it was beneficial, and everything is on the up and up.(Regarding Ko-Fi and general operations)
As for that 1%...well, you probably know who you are and what you did. It would have been best if you perhaps at least waited for more people to fill it out not to make it so obvious :)
Also, huge thanks to uncannybook581 for helping me compile all the data into more digestible information.
So let's get into it?
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General Story-
[https://i.imgur.com/7ZCMLtP.png]
Here is the first bit of general story stuff. Things are somewhat balanced for the most part. Vol.6 was full of significant events, so there was a lot to choose from.
Also, the average for Vol.6 on a scale from 1-10 was a nine, so Vol.6 was well received overall, according to the survey.
Personally, I think this split is pretty good, and it's what I wanted. Obviously, the more significant events got more votes, but that's to be expected, but it's good to see that the more minor events were enjoyed as well. Also, the primary genre for this volume was "Drama," which probably also played a part.
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General Kal info-
[https://i.imgur.com/AZGeH1b.png]
[https://i.imgur.com/Tf2BrMZ.png]
Let's get into Kaladin some more.
Overall, people are enjoying Kal's progress and the way he is going emotionally. Two hundred fourteen of you who responded believe that Kal should remain the same, while the other 21% want him to use the fame just a bit more. Which is good for me because I agree wholeheartedly with that outcome.
Kal's character isn't the type to want riches and fame. It was never his goal nor a desire for him. I think if Kal started unnecessarily swinging his weight around for minor reasons, that would reflect poorly on the character I've created.
Don't get me wrong that doesn't mean he won't ever use his fame because that would be just as dumb. But, when the time comes, and the situation is appropriate, Kal won't be afraid to utilize that newfound fame/power/rank, I promise.
[https://i.imgur.com/L9GS6af.png] = Vol.6
[https://i.imgur.com/evynrBo.png] = Vol.3
I thought this was a fun tidbit. The first one is Volume 6's survey, and the 3rd is from Volume 3. I asked this question oh so long ago after Vol.3, and it brings a smile to my face to see things are still going in the right direction.
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Kal Power Level-
So, it appears that many of you want to see a more powerful Kaladin. And I can understand that.
Kal is in a weird spot right now. He's stronger than most of the people around him in a one-on-one fight to the death, but those who are in the top percent of the world's power are still giving him a hard time.
I like it. I know that might not be the answer you are looking for, but Kal's strength has come a long way from the kid who passed out just making a small gust of wind behind his house. Also, I don't see myself giving Kal too many schools of magic. He's already at a high number for this world, and he has hardly mastered what he has. So giving him more right now would be too much.
Also, giving him some arbitrary power boost isn't in the cards. To be honest, I think the only "plotty" power I gave him was the Dragon eye, and that probably wouldn't help in a life-or-death fight against, say, King Maxwell.
We also have yet to see Kal fully go out against a powerful humanoid who is in that top-tier strength of the world. Sure, he's sparred with his dad, Cerila, Syvlia, and Professor Garrison, but there is a huge difference between a spar and an actual fight. In all those fights, Kal never had the intention to kill his opponent, which is a massive difference and can easily skew results, as it should, in my opinion.
I've been pretty consistent on Kal's stronger magic being dangerous not only to his enemies but to him, after all. It wouldn't make much sense for him to go around and start plasma bolting Cerila in a duel just because he wanted to win, now would it?
Although I hope you don't think that will be the case forever. Things would be boring if Kal never fought a strong enemy of that caliber. So we will be seeing something soonish in the story. Also, we are going to soldify the powerscale for the most part in Vol.7.
Also, things would be boring if Kal just stayed where he was, never able to deal with some of these severe threats himself. We will see some training and development on multiple fronts (magic/equipment) in making Kaladin "stronger." And we are going to see that in Vol.7.
Will he achieve the Dragon Emperor level of power that many of you wanted? Who knows :) I guess we will have to read and find out.
This brings me to a question some of you asked, "Why does Kal's power level seem to be all over the place." And the answer is, "What were his intentions and the circumstances of him going into the fight?"
If he was fighting, say, Tsarra, he's not going to drop blue plasma fire on her head and attempt to kill her. Nor is he going to engage in that brutal close-quarters combat and break her bones (Unless that was the goal of the fight, which would be weird). Kal going into a spar with Tsasrra should be different than Kal going into battle with The Chapter of Despair. The motives are different, and so should the outcome.
It's the reason he lost to Cerila for the first time. He went into the battle nonchalantly, with no intentions of taking it seriously. And in return, he lost(Although there was more to that, to be fair.)
Same with Sylvia and the fight at the ranch. They both got heated, the goal shifted, Kal got too serious, and he put Sylvia in a bad position. The goal changed briefly, and so did the outcome.
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Kal Politics/Luminar-
[https://i.imgur.com/VPDr45j.png]
And now, onto this part. This was also interesting, especially the second question, since for a long time, it was deadlocked at 50-50. Like, actually, at 50-50 even with 200+ responses.
But, judging by the third question, most of you want him to interject somewhat into Luminar's politics, even if it is just a little bit.
In the coming chapters and volumes, if this survey is to go off of anything, I think most of you will be happy about the future of Kal's involvement with Luminar and its politics.
There will be a little of that in Vol.7, but we can look forward to it later on. After all, we have 3 siblings who can take the throne. Kal's gotta handle that somehow :)
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Kal & Mila-
[https://i.imgur.com/GC14JUE.png]
This one surprised me a bit. I would have thought that many of you would have wanted to keep Mila out of the fight. Although thinking about it, I did put in "protect herself" which is an obvious want.
Of course, Kaladin would want Mila to be able to protect herself. That has been drilled into Kaladin for a long time. Even his parents were like that, so it makes sense that he would want to do the same.
But I also feel that he would be hesitant at the same time, even if it were slightly illogical...huh...
Well, I suppose we will have to wait and see. She is a bit too young to be training so hard anyway.
And for the 12 who strongly dislike Mila, you truly are the worst :'( How could you hate this face? What's wrong with you, huh? You probably kick kittens or something, you psycho.
[https://i.imgur.com/RI6wkHZ.png]
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Kal & His Past
[https://i.imgur.com/2A6s2VH.png]
So, we are mostly in agreement on this section. I also think Kal's reveal to Sylvia was important and a good thing that needed to happen. It did a lot for both of them and their relationship, which was the goal.
As for the reveal of his past to more people and the open responses, most of you wanted something along the lines of "some event needs to happen for him to share more." What those events were depended on the response, but it boiled down to much the same thing.
And I agree. I think Kal going off and telling people about his past for no good reason would probably be a net negative thing overall. Some external factors or forces would have to make him do so.
And that is also in regard to his parents.
I think him telling Sylvia versus him telling his parents are similar yet vastly different things. I mean, look at it this way.
The relationship someone has with their mother or father is entirely different from their spouse, right? Sure, there are overlapping things like love, being a family, seeing them succeed in life, and wanting to be with them, amongst other things, but the things a mother does for a son or daughter are different from what a husband would do for a wife.
Just imagine if the child who was your pride and joy, the little creature that you thought was half of you with the love of your life, and the little monster that you changed its poopy pants for years turned out to be a grown man—a killing machine from another world at that who lived an entirely different life before coming out of you.
I think that revelation of that fact would be different for a mother or father than, say, a girlfriend or boyfriend. And the ramifications would also be different. So I think Kal should be 10x more afraid to tell his mother about his past than Cerila.
At least, in my opinion, that is. What happens in the story remains to be seen.
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Kal, Love, Relationships, & Harems-
The section I'm sure many of you have been waiting for. This is probably going to take a while, and I hope that I can call my points across. I've been going over this section and my eventual response in my head for weeks... let's just hope it writes out as good or better than what I've been thinking.
[https://i.imgur.com/iGQ29ql.png]
*Throw out any idea of forcing someone into a relationship for this section—no slave harems or making people do anything against their will. That's an entirely different subject matter and has nothing to do with what I am writing or will write in this story.
So, I got a question in the Q&A section I thought I would start with. "What makes a harem, a harem to you?"
I am of the orange response, mostly. I don't believe that a small group of people entering into a mutual relationship is automatically a harem. Multiple people vying for one person's affection also does not equal a harem in my eyes. Not all polyamorous relationships are a harem.
Basically, I only used harem because it is the most frequently used term to describe something like this. Although, I believe that term to be wrong in most cases and only really applies to anime esq harems that are over the top.
And before we delve deeper, I want to thank all of you who came into these questions to actually give me proper feedback, constructive criticism, and advice. Those of you who did so, even if you believe this to be a personal negative aspect of the story or don't care either way, are fantastic people. Thanks for putting the time into some of those open responses.
And to those of you who just left one-word sentences or some gibberish in the open responses, you missed the point and the opportunity.
And to those of you specifically who are sending me meaningless threats of "I'll leave or drop the story if you do XYZ" with no actual substance, I find you to be obnoxious. Please slither back into whatever dark hole you crawled out from. Your opinions mean nothing to me, and they won't sway my vision of this story in the slightest. If I had given in to people like you, I would have stopped writing this story in Vol.2.
This is my story. It always has been and always will be. So I'll tell it how I want to.
Now... let's talk about it.
[https://i.imgur.com/aVUjXVV.png]
According to the survey, things mainly seemed split. 99, no, 73, yes, and 106, no opinon. Now, depending on what side of the fence you sit on, you might think that 106 no opinion is more toward your side. But it seems a lot of those 106 people left similar responses in the open section (I think). I'm choosing to think of those 106 no opinions as "Certain things need to happen, and they need to happen well," instead of, "I don't care at all."
A lot of your concerns were the same,
"Sylvia wouldn't allow it."
"Cerila and Sylvia do not mesh at all right now. Them being romantic together makes no sense."
"A group of women "fighting" over one character is bad."
"As the characters are, them all entering a relationship together makes no sense."
"The partners should all be equally considered and not just be shallow prizes for Kaladin."
"Things should be thought out and developed."
"It needs proper build-up and a real connection between the different characters."
"They should behave like ordinary people and make realistic choices."
"Kaladin is currently not fit to have dozens of women in a harem."
"Having an obscene amount of partners in a relationship is typically bad and becomes cumbersome in the story. Diverting attention from what matters as it tries to get all the "partners" a piece."
Although these are primarily boiled-down versions of your responses, you get the gist. And to these concerns/remarks, I wholeheartedly agree with you, 100%. These are spot on and how I also feel, and I recognize all of this.
For those of you who said it was "impossible regardless" or "is too much of a suspension of disbelief," I disagree. Is a polyamorous relationship less likely to succeed than a monogamous one? Yeah, most definitely. Not that monogamous marriage is all that successful and the end all be all in the first place, but I do recognize these things. I also don't think it requires any more suspension of disbelief to believe that a small group of people could love each other than is what is needed to believe in a reborn supersoldier in a fantasy world as an elf that slays dragons.
But hey, that's my humble opinion.
Anyway, to those above concerns, I once again agree. As things are now, Sylvia and "insert any character" would never be able to enter a relationship together with Kaladin as a package. If I forced it, it would be disingenuous to the characters I created and would be wrong. And there is no reason to pretend otherwise,
Sylvia is the number 1 candidate to be with Kaladin right now.
It would also be just as bad if Kaladin suddenly flipped the story on its head and started telling Sylvia to allow him to have a bunch of women or even to begin seeking out other women under Sylvia's nose or directly in her face. That's not Kaladin. That's not the character I created, so it won't be like that in this story.
Regardless, instead of telling you what I'm going to do. Let me tell you what I'm not going to do.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
As I've said before, Kaladin is not going to suddenly become a playboy and start collecting women just because they showed interest in him. It took him this long to openly and purposely flirt with Sylvia in chapter 150, and it was the equivalent of "You as pretty as da moon." For him to go from that to banging any woman that showed interest in him would be wild, and it won't be happening, ever.
I said this once before, truly loving Kaladin should be hard. Sure, on the outside, being interested in Kaladin makes complete sense. He has money, power, prestige, a pedigree, looks, and a decent enough personality to tie it all together loosely. However, genuinely loving him would be challenging the second you peer through his cracks and see him for who he really is.
Just look at what happened to Ren. I'd say her feelings got crushed the second she saw him for who he was underneath the mask (literally, heh). Even if they did bounce back, saying they were the same as before would be hard.
Also, for example, Sylvia and Cerila having a single heart-to-heart conversation and just being like, "Oh yeah, I guess this is okay. Let's do it." Won't be happening. If it were to happen, far more things would have to go down in the story. And that includes any character being with Kaladin.
My track record of deep emotional issues in this story has been relatively successful, or so I think. I don't think I've done any character injustice so far regarding a serious "Drama" orientated matter. Things have been slow, and I've built a solid, somewhat realistic foundation for many of these characters, and I have 0 intentions of breaking them now. Just look at Kaladin. If a small half-assed conversation were enough to set him right, things would have been over a long time ago, right?
Basically, what I'm saying is, trust me and the process. I don't think I've let you down yet, and I don't intend to do so ever.
Also, for those of you who left questions about the current stance on Kal's relationship with Sylvia, I thought I gave a pretty good indicator in chapter 150. But maybe I missed the mark?
What I thought I did was Kal set a wall in front of Cerila with conditions for both of them that needed to be met to move forward in any capacity. Many of those conditions were realistic, would be challenging to accomplish, and there were no hollow guarantees of some fantasy outcome. That Kal openly accepted his feelings for Sylvia and will be progressing forward, even if it's awkward and a bit slow.
That's what I thought I did, but once again, maybe I missed that mark for some of you. Either way, you will see a marked difference in their relationship in Vol. 7, a big enough difference to go, "Oh, I see things really are changing."
[https://i.imgur.com/cEwK5uM.png]
As for anyone else, we will have to wait and see how things develop.
Whew, hopefully, I got everything. Now that that is done, let me give a few more quick reminders.
Graphic, written out in detail, sex in this story won't be happening ever, no exceptions. Things, if/when they ever do occur, will be fade to black 100% of the time.
Basically, what you are going to get is what you've got now. At this point, thinly/scantly dressed characters or omissions to an appearance of a character in that kind of situation are as spicy as it gets.
Also, just because Vol.5/6 had lots of romance and drama doesn't mean that every single volume is going to be like this. I've got a lot in the tank, and that being the focus 24/7 isn't the goal. Although, don't get me wrong, Drama was always a primary genre of this story, and it won't be going anywhere.
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Volume 7 & The Story-
[https://i.imgur.com/9tEUnjo.png]
So, yeah, Vol.7 is gonna be fun, hopefully. Action is coming and all that :) But we have to get there first, so there is some usual volume build-up, but I swear it will be worth it! And the fighting tournament should be fun with a bit of...well, yeah. No spoilers for that.
Honestly, the best way to look at the story right now is to think of Vol.6 as the end of the story's first half. And maybe seeing chapters like 143ish as the new prologue.
So that leads me to some Q&A questions I got regarding the story-
Q: How long is this story?
A: We are halfway through it.
Q: So does that mean there are 6 or 7 more volumes left?
A: I honestly have no idea. I know that sounds dumb, but it's the truth. There was a point in my head that I thought Volume 4&5 was the same volume. So telling you that there is going to be "x amount of volumes" at this point would be a lie because I don't know how long it's going to take me to get to the end.
Q: Is there an end to this story? To Kaladin's journey?
A: Yes, 100% there is an end, and I will make it come to life even if everyone leaves me. This story will not last forever or for ten thousand chapters. This will also not be an open-ended ending either because I'm not too fond of those in 99% of cases.
Q: Why don't you know about your own ending? Why can't you give us a guess?
A: Because if I give you a guess and I'm under, you will be disappointed for no reason. And if I overestimate, you might think things are going on too long. So I hope you know that I have the destinations for this story in my head. I'm just writing the journey :)
Q: Will we see Squeaks again?
A: Yes, in this volume, actually :) (Only spoiler you are getting from me)
Oh, and here is Vol.7's cover [https://i.imgur.com/mBYLldy.jpg]
https://imgur.com/a/jhZIUOM
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What I've Been Up To & The Future Plans.
Keep this section rather short, hopefully.
One, I thank all of you who are concerned about my health. I know recently I've been saying I've been going to the doctor a lot lately, but I swear nothing is going on.
I'm in good health and just went over my biannual blood results—nothing of note or to be concerned of. I got glasses for driving at night and for far distances. That's a recent problem, I guess. But that's all my fault since I spend most of my life watching a screen. My up-close vison is still amazing and doesn't affect my writing at all.
As for the plans, I wanted to let you know about some behind-the-scenes things.
For one, I'm looking for a professional developmental editor(Whole nine yards of editing, not just a line editor), so if anyone out there knows one or is one, hit me up.
Before I think about getting a webcomic going up, I decided to solidify Volume 1's content and get it fully edited and published because it makes no sense to adapt a comic on content that isn't finalized.
And yes, I do plan on going back to all the old volumes and doing just that. Add more content/chapters, get artwork, and all that jazz.
Also, if you are or know a voice actor/narrator and are interested in doing an audiobook, also hit me up.
I have some plans for all this. I think I'm going to go through with it in the summer. Things are looking good, and I'm looking forward to it.
Also, the second story... I've been slacking on this a bit. I intended to finish it last month, but things happened...oops.
As of writing this, I'm 75% done with both of the starts, and I'm almost ready to get people to pre-read them. We shall see how that goes.
I also figured I would give a notice of some breaks I'll be taking in the coming months, especially during summer. I'll be taking about a week off in June and maybe 1-2 weeks off in July. So I figured I would just warn you now and remind you again when it comes around.
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Q&A
Q: Will there be more Death Commando team scenes (I love these) back in our universe? And will that be going anywhere?
A: Yes, expect them at the end of every volume for the time being. And will they be going anywhere? Yes, they already have, as you can see from chap 151.
Q: Have you thought about commissioning an animator to animate fights? Or even key moments in the story? I've been able to perfectly visualize the movements and attacks, so I think there is a STRONG foundation for someone to make really cool animations.
A: In my dreams, I would love nothing more than to see my story on the silver screen one day. But if anyone has some animation skills and wants to give it a crack, feel free. I won't sue you.
Q: Pineapple on pizza, Yes or no?
A: Yes. They belong together. And anyone who disagrees is a philistine. I don't care if it's your opinion. It's wrong. I mean, look at this gorgeous item of food. My mouth salivates at the thought of this delicacy. Ones can only live life once they have had a Pineapple Chicken Luau pizza from Mountain Mikes.
Q: If talgan can do it, why can’t Kal do it (Power)
A: Idk, you'll have to read to find out :D
Q: LET KAL KILL THE SLAVERS!
A: He killed some to be fair. But more soon.
Q: How does Kal's dragon brother look like him when Kal looks the same as his mother, but the dragon empress is also his mother, I get her being like his magic mother, but I don’t get why the dragon brother looks like him and to an extent Kal's mom.
A: Good question with a lot of possible answers. Is it just Dragon magic? Is Avasta literally just messing with Kal? Maybe. Or is it something more...who knows? But you'll find out eventually.
Q: I guess the biggest is: is, be a brain in a jar hallucinating, or did he really isekai?
A: Does this question have some of you on edge? I hope it does. >:) And honestly, does it matter? Maybe we are all just in a simulation...
Q: I'd really like to know for sure if Kaladin is in a separate universe to his original or not.
A: Well, separate is an obvious no, right? I mean, there has to be some connection for him to end up there, right? Now does this mean the human armada is going to show up...idk? They seem busy right now, so maybe later :D
Q: This survey feels very polarizing ok, some questions. Wish I could rank 1, 2, 3 on some questions
A: Yeah, that's the point. Giving middle-ground answers wasn't my goal for a lot of my questions. I wanted definite choices that made you choose what you thought was best. Because if I put "no opinion" on questions, people would just choose that instead of giving an answer they had to think about. (Hopefully)
Q: I would love to see more adventure and movement around the world
A: Soon. New city soon?
Q: Are there forgotten schools of magic/none mainstream ones (an example could be a form of necromancy, etc.)?
A: Sure, we already saw one, right? Who's to say there isn't more?
Q: I don't like or dislike stories with poly relationships. It is sometimes just badly done. Do you feel confident you can pull it off?
A: Agreed, most of them are pure fan service. If I were to do it, do I think I could pull it off? If I were to try, I would have to be confident, right?
Q: Are you planning on getting this published in some way, and if so, does keeping what's already available to read available factor into the way you would publish it?
A: Short answer, yes. Publishing this into a book was always my goal. As for keeping it up, it depends on contracts and stuff, which I haven't signed any, so the answer to that is idk. But if I were to take down, say, Vol.1 I would make sure that buying Vol.1 would be worth it with additional content (more chapters/art/side stories) from what was posted.
Q: Where da gabagool at?
A: In mah belly, Tony.
Q: Yes, I'd like the question "how do dungeons work ?" to be answered
A: That's too damn bad. You'll find out before the end of the story, I promise :)
Q: I'd like to see some more of the og world(Earth, Elunari, the stuff) but from a different perspective(ambassador from humanity, human Joe making a living in Elunari space and so on). Can I expect something like this?
A: Then you may like one of my planned new stories :) More on that soon.
Q: What's your opinion about fan stories for DC:R in general?
A: As far as I know, nobodies done one before. Honestly, if you were to ask me and credit me, I think it would be cool. If you didn't, that wouldn't be very cool. If that's something someone out there wants to do, don't be afraid to message me, I don't bite(Unless you hate pineapple on your pizza)
Q: Could we get a family tree for Kaladin?
A: That would be cool. Can anyone make graphics like that? If it's good and high quality, I'll pay.
Q: Was Kaladin's name inspired by the character from Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archives?
A: Hell yeah, it was.
Life Before Death, Strength Before Weakness. Journey Before Destination.
Q: Would you consider publishing the world lore in a tabletop RPG friendly format? Possibly a Pathfinder or 5e module?
A: Honestly, that's a lot of work so I have no plans of doing so myself. I would know because the old lore origins of this story started out as a DnD campaign. I have the old documents (although it's hardly finished) and my old script still...idk if you want it. You can have it, I guess. Just join Discord and ask.
Q: Do you plan on having volumes light on slice of life?
A: Yes.
Q: Me and a friend have been reading this together and have had a joking bet going on: Are you or related family members South East Asian?
A: Thanks for reading, both of you. Nope, white as can be from California.
Q: Not a question, but I think you should consider developing Kaladins "family" as people more aggressively. His Brother has so much potential...
A: Agreed. We saw a lot from Kal's father recently, but his brother and mother are lacking. We are going to see Kal's mother's side more soon. As for Dallin, he is in a weird place for me right now as a character. He is too young to fight or train or really "Hang out" with Kaladain. But I have plans for him later (especially when Mila goes to school). I'll try to develop the family as time moves on.
Q: Lin has just as much potential to grow as a person as Kaladin, and putting her into the background spy type of character would be a waste.
A: Agreed again. Lin isn't going anywhere, and she is here to stay. It's much the same with the princesses. They kinda got left out in the middle/end of Vol.6, which sucked but don't worry, they ain't going nowhere.
Q: You've built an amazing foundation for character development, and I think it would elevate your story to push character growth. You have enough characters that making our interactions with them revolve around Kaladin feels very busy.
A: Mmmm...yes and no. This is a first-person story that is about Kaladin. Always has been and always will be. Seeing the characters change should be mainly through the eyes of Kaladin. Going off and say...following Adria for a few chapters for no reason or just to show her character isn't my style or the goal of this story. I'd only really do that for the main characters like say, Sylvia, if she got separated or something. However, I agree that some characters have been at a standstill for some time, characters like Tsarra, Ren, Lauren, and Varnir. We will see some development of them in the coming volumes.
Q: Will we get long time skips (more than 5 years) in the main story?
A: Not that long of a time will be skipped as of right now. However, we shall see some months get cut here and there. Volume 7 will actually start in late winter, almost spring time :) as Vol.6 ended in the dead of winter.
Q: Will Sir Kaladin get more creative with their magic (use earth to build something, test if it can make metals, test if plasma can be use as welding) and then teach people on how to use them creatively (since Bowen isn't doing it)?
A: Yeah, I think so, but probably not in the way you are suggesting. (Kal welding? Why? Idk.) I think Kaladin has already got more creative with his magic. I mean, just look at him in Vol.1 compared to now. He hasn't only gotten "stronger" or "more magic," I think he is far more creative now than he was, which was a big problem for him.
Q: Custom polearm when?
A: And soon. And yes, I know polearms include spears; I just don't like that name. It's a spear, he uses a spear, and I won't hear any complaints.
Q: How wide is your forehead?
A: Idk? 7 inches temple to temple, maybe? Is that big? Is that even how big my forehead is? Idk, I have a big head though.
Q: Will "Kronos" eventually be able to somehow get into the world acting like a boss battle?
A: I mean...he kinda already has, right? Idk, maybe we will see more, maybe we won't. Gonna have to read and find out :D
Q: More Avasta involvement. Sylvie asking dragons why the war with her grandfather
A: Soon, Dragons are coming.
Q: Bowen’s background infrastructure resource.
A: Will be answered fully one day.
Q: Kaladin’s actual relationship position to Telanduth
A: Vol.7
Q: Maybe some family time clearing dungeons & resources used for the orphanages
A: Good idea. I'll be taking it. Or is it already planned...who knows? :P
Q: Just want to say I hope you don’t change too much of the story based on the opinions of us readers. You’re the one who has it all living in your mind. Give us the story your muse demands
A: Never have, never will. If you have gotten this far in my story, just know that it was 100% me. Nobody has swayed me in the slightest, nor will they. And I shall.
Q: If you made the comic, where could one read it?
A: No idea. Tapas? Maybe? Idk, just depends on who gives me a good deal, I guess.
Q: Do you use other stories / mythologies / tales etc. as inspiration or draw ideas from them?
A: Yes, other than Greek and the obvious Roman stuff, I've used Norse, Christian/Catholic faith, and Hindu. I got some Irish folklore coming up in the side story. That should be cool. Good ol stories like The Stormlight Archives, DnD, and all that jazz, along with your more familiar eastern light novel stuff.
Q: How much of yourself do you see in your characters?
A: Almost nothing, tbh. Maybe a bit but that's it. Is that weird? Idk I don't feel like it is. I don't think self-inserting myself into say, Kalaidn would make sense as we have nothing in common. Actually, I take that back. Working out is my self inserting. I wish I was a tall, handsome dark elf with massive muscles. Life is unfair. Maybe I'll get reborn into my own fantasy world one day?
Q: Are there characters that you added, because they remind you of someone else?
A: A lot of characters you are fond of have a high chance of being a real person that I know. (I put them in the story with their permission ofc.)
Q: How do you keep track of the world and the story?
A: All in my head. Seriously, that's how I do it.
Q: Do you feel that the MC has become more reactive than proactive?
A: Great question. Yes, he has, which makes sense. His goals/position have changed. Vol 2-4/5ish, he was going after his family but not anymore. So if he's not actively going out, then it makes sense for things to come to him, right? But don't worry. This state won't last forever. Proactive Kaladin will show some signs in Vol.7.
Q: It feels like this volume had no overall story at all and could easily just be skipped, as there did not seem to be a start, middle, and end.
A: I...I don't even know what to say to this. Did you read the story I wrote? I don't even mean that in a negative way. I'm just curious because I read this and thought it was a troll...which I hope it is. Vol.6 was...so essential. Skipping it would be like skipping the entire culmination of the first half of the story. You would just have to start reading vol.7 after the prologue. Going over why Vol.6 is important would take too long...and as for a beggning=Kal being knighted, revealing himself to the world, middle=family reunion, the fallout with all that drama, end=Kal's birthday and his journey/dark elf business.
Q: How much has the present state of "Deathworld Commando" veered from your original ideas/plot when you first started?
A: Mmmm....not much. This is how I imagined things in august of 2021, at least for the major events, that is. The journey...has been a bit different, though, I guess. Best example? I didn't expect the Dem fight to write out like I thought it did. But I think it turned out 100x better.
Q:Has the feedback from these survey's been impactful towards changing aspects of the story?
A: Changing the story? No. Helpful in gauging reactions? Yes. Is it changing how I do things outside the story? Yes.
Q: Final thought- I don't hate the name of your story, since I found it on r/HFY, but I feel that if you ever turn it into a book, you may reach a wider audience with a different name. Even just dropping "Deathworld" since that feels pretty specific to HFY.
A: Some food for thought right there. I've had the same idea. But does dropping the "world" in Deathworld really change all that much? I don't think it does. If anything, it might make it more special. And since HFY was my origin site, I think drawing more people to it would be cool.
Q: How much of your fanbase do you expect to lose if Kaladin starts hoeing around in a polyamorous relationship?
A: Sassy. And if Kal started hoeing around? All of them because that would mean I've been killed and replaced by my FBI agent or the CIA. But polyamorous relations aren't hoeing around. So if you left for that, then it is what it is. Especially since it's not even confirmed one way or another.
Q: Which Volume has been your favorite to write?
A: Mmmm...Vol.1 was fun, and so was 6. I also liked 4.
Q: Which reveal did you like best?
A: Ooooo...idk that's hard. Either when Kal revealed his face in Luminar or to Dem and his squad before he murked them. Also, the family reunion was good as well.
Q: I hope the next vol. will not only be combat as I find combat done for 10 chapters straight rather tiering and repetitive if there's nothing to spice things up, Tournament arc especially
A: Uhhh... straight brain-dead combat for chapters on end? Probably not. But lots of fighting. I guess you will have to wait and see what I mean. There will be plenty of the story in those fights, I'm sure of it.
Q: How was YOUR day?
A: Good, now that I'm done with this. This was a whole damn chapter of words. Man, this took way longer than I expected. See you tomorrow.
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Before you go! I would like to take this time to thank everyone here on RoyalRoad. As you can see, you guys are my second biggest site. And to those of you who have come over from other sites or gone over to others to support me, thank you, I appreciate it.
Don't forget to leave reviews if you have gotten this far and enjoyed the story. I know many of you have left ratings but if you can take the time to leave a review, that would help even more as Royal Road values reviews far more than just a simple rating. Everything helps.
And if you have the time,
Over on Webnovel, you can send me power stones as well as write a review- https://www.webnovel.com/book/deathworld-commando-reborn_23314546405833605###,
And on Scribblehub you can also leave a review- https://www.scribblehub.com/series/663354/deathworld-commando-reborn/
Over at Tapas, you can give me a rating and like chapters, everything helps- https://tapas.io/series/Deathworld-Commando-Reborn/info
Truly if you have the time, please head over to these additional sites to support me.
And don't forget to join Discord and check out Ko-Fi, where you stay up to date and get chapters in advance at varying tiers-
https://discord.com/invite/YGSUeuTTwH
https://ko-fi.com/rangerfrank/tiers#
Thanks, see you tomorrow.