Hi there! For the ask game: 1, 11, 21, and 29, please :)
Hi back!! Thank you so much for asking!!
1. Do you listen to music when you write?
Oh YES. The majority of the time, it is soundtrack music - more specifically ones from epic fantasies. Those kinds all have their own ways of expressing, mystery, romance, horror, and battles, and they also include leitmotifs and themes to describe characters or locations. That kind of energy is what I need to put into my own work. So soundtracks from the Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Lost, Fullmetal Alchemist, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Chrono Trigger/Cross, Shadow Hearts, and the Last of Us all fit this description.
If for some reason I’m not in the mood, I listen to music that heavily incorporates the piano and other orchestral instruments (great lyrics a must). Agnes Obel, Regina Spektor, Vanessa Carlton, Tori Amos and Lana Del Rey are all my favorites. If I need to be happier, Shakira, Lindsey Stirling and Beats Antique are there. That was a long answer, sorry. I adore music and I can’t live without it.
11. Booksand/or authors who influenced you the most
This one may be a bit obvious, but on the fantasy side, Tolkien, George R. R. Martin, and J.K. Rowling are very influential to me. On the literary side, I adore Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men, the Road) and Stephen King. Flannery O’Connor is also a favorite, and for the longest time, Charles Dickens was my go-to for Victorian literature.
21. Whois/are your favourite character(s) to write?
Axel/Lea and Terra. No contest. :)
I’m guessing this is asking me which is my favorite villain overall instead of which one to write, but I guess I’ll just answer both.
My favorite villain has to be Benjamin Linus from the TV show, Lost. Hands down. I have never ever come across another story that treats its primary antagonist in such a fully-faceted human way before. He comes off as real. He comes off as conniving, intelligent, calculating and proud. He is a master of manipulation And the best part is that he is not sociopathic. He is merely using his skills to get what he wants, which in a lot of ways conflict with what the protagonists want. The funny part is that his character arc recognizes these skills as flaws that sometimes undermines him. The human aspect is what makes him relatable and compelling, and in the end, what happens to him was well-deserved and satisfactory (it’s not death). I have never seen any other story treat its antagonist with the same amount of attention and deliberate care.
Favorite villain to write right now is Xehanort. I’m so damn excited to get more out of him in future chapters.
Thank you again for asking!!! This was so much fun.