#xanedis

Again.

Time to restart the train that stopped four years ago.

I, myself, love the Reaver. But then again, I like classes which can decimate the whole battlefield alone if left unchecked.

I've read that between the Katari and the Reaver the Reaver is a beast, but mine is at lvl 11 now and yet she cannot solo Routine without dying before reaching the second stage. It's tedious trying to level her up :/

So, um, I didn’t want to do this at first out of fear that I’d sound egoistic, but then, well, my inbox is pristine clean and super lonely anyway (except when I throw codes as giveaways), I’d say not doing this means not appreciating the fact that someone (you :D) apparently thinks I’m interesting enough to send this. So, thank you. I won’t send you this though because I know you’ve done this already.

So, let’s see

1) My ability to ignore people’s comments most of the time. I actually care very little about how other people perceive me. There are exceptions, of course, but generally it’s that. Which plays a large part in

2) My inability to get angry; or, my ability to remain calm and keep a clear head most of the time. Or is it being indifferent? For some reason I can’t get mad at anyone, though I remember I could before - was very short tempered when I was younger.

3) My preference for knowing everything before I make a decision. I like researching, but at my own pace. Even for minor decisions. I guess I just want to be right and not have any regret later. Saves me many times over. One of the reasons why I can’t understand why some people wouldn’t just finding out and learning things (simple things that you could just use google) for themselves instead of asking other people.

4) My unable-to-get-fat-no-matter-what-and-how-much-I-eat body.

Our next author is the Fire Emblem fandom’s own… XANEDIS! Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions so thoroughly!!!

1. Is writing a passion or a hobby for you?

Most definitely a passion - I can’t write with a hobbyist mindset, and in fact, if I’m not passionate about a particular thing, I’ll find it really hard to get into it.

2. If the former, when and why did you decide to become an author?

I actually have an accurate date for when I decided to become an author: January 13th, last year. It’s clearly imprinted in my memory because of the long - and somewhat emotional - back-and-forth I had with my sensibilities. In the end, I was able to convince myself that I could actually make a living as an author, at some point. However, I also recognized that the most important thing would be to continue practicing the craft; I wouldn’t make it otherwise, no matter how strong my passion for writing is.

3. How often do you write? What time during the day do you make the most progress in terms of writing? What time would you prefer?

Before answering this question, I have to confess I had to train myself to write regularly, and in a very specific manner. This is because I am very lazy by nature, and had the most erratic of writing schedules - I would wake up at 6 AM to write, or stay up as late as 3 AM, trudging on with whatever story I was writing… Only rarely would I write in times fit for normal people. So, during the Autumn last year, I decided to take some time off to fix this problem. It worked rather well, as I managed to adopt a schedule in which I write almost immediately upon rising from bed, and as regularly as I want to. This basically means that I write daily, taking a full day’s break from writing once every a week. And yes, I love writing in the mornings. That’s when the day’s haze isn’t yet bearing down on you, and you can think clearly and produce content at an admirable rate. Well, relatively speaking… But it is what works for me, and that’s how I intend to keep it.

4. When did you write your first story (not specifically a fanfiction)?

I assume you’re asking about my first complete story, aside from writing assignments for school? As unfortunate as it is to admit, Day of Victory (my first uploaded fanfic) was my very first ‘complete’ story. It wasn’t complete, per se, but it was a slice that worked well on its own. Redemption was the second one, and it had a far more elaborate story frame. Neither of them reached the quality of writing that I wanted to achieve, but they still have a special place in my heart.

5. How many fanfictions have you written? How many have you posted?

How many I’ve written? Er… Nine. I don’t count each Outrealm Tales chapter as its own story here, nor each Everlasting Bonds: Side Stories chapter. I’ve posted seven of those. And then there’s two more stories on top of the aforementioned nine, which are still in the process of being written. I hope to release the first one of them during this year, but I won’t give any promises. And the second one… Well, that one is a bit more problematic. I have art commissioned for it and all, but I can’t upload the first chapter in a LONG time. I do hope to upload it one day, but I am not sure if I can, as it isn’t even finished, and I want to work on my original stories as well.

6. Which of your fanfictions seems to be your readers’ favorite?

Really? You’re asking me this? It’s obviously Outrealm Tale-Nah, it’s EB(aka. Everlasting Bonds: Wings of Despair). That’s the fanfiction that, out of my own works, my readers seem to like the most.

7. Which of your fanfictions do you believe most deserves praise?

This is a challenging one… Probably EB, since I put most effort into that one. Yeah, definitely EB.

8. Which of your fanfictions is YOUR favorite?

Um, EB. For reasons yet to come.

9. Do you have a steady fanbase?

I’d go as far as to say that no fanbase is steady. People make decisions each day, and it is a fickle thing to rest upon the expectations of a mass of people. That said, I think I have a relatively steady fanbase… WAIT! Were we talking about fanbases? I don’t have many fans! I thought that question was about readerbases, and… Actually, nevermind. But I will hold on to the belief that I don’t have that many fans, unless proven otherwise. It helps to keep myself humble, as well. But there are a couple, I’ll admit that. Some of them I don’t even know. Nonetheless, I am grateful that they like my story.

10. Going by your stories, anyone can see that you enjoyed the video game Fire Emblem: Awakening. What brought you to the game in the first place? And what is it that keeps you in the fandom, long after you have memorized the storyline?

I actually have a game for each year that I specifically wait for, and Fire Emblem: Awakening was that game for 2013… Only, it proved to be far more than that. I knew I would love it from the very first tidbits I saw about the game, but when I finally got it… I played three ten-hour sessions on three consecutive days, and beat the game. I was way too invested, and WAY too immersed to let go. …What keeps me in the fandom, though? Well, originally, I thought it would be that passion for the game that I loved (and still do) very deeply. But even the biggest storms of passion fade, and what remains is the core of it all… And that core is what empowers EB’s story-line and makes it unique among all FEA fanfiction… That’s how I believe things are, anyway. I certainly am not promising vain things when I said that EB will get better towards the end… I just began it the wrong way, you could say.

11. Do you have a favorite chapter/arc in Awakening? If so, what is it?

Thematically, I love the final part of the game. Especially when it comes to the Avatar’s involvement in all things. Yet I still find that I might actually love the Plegian arc the most, purely due to the writing and the emotional impact it has… And when the chapters 9 and 10 roll in, man… Those were one of the more defining videogame moments for me.

12. Favorite character?

…I’ll leave this one for a later question.

13. Do you play with one special team? If so, which units are “in”?

All of Ylisse’s Royal Family - in my case, Cynthia, Lissa, Owain, Sumia, Chrom, Lucina, Morgan, and by the benefit of marrying royalty, male Avatar and Lon’qu.

14. If you had to chose between the first generation parents and their children, which group would you prefer?

Neither. I would go with a third generation Morgan.

15. Do you have a favorite class?

Yes. Myrmidon.

16. Which games from the Fire Emblem franchise have you played? Which is your favorite?

I’ve played the first Fire Emblem game for Game Boy Advance and also Sacred Stones. If we don’t count FEA, I think Sacred Stones would be my favourite out of the games I’ve played.

17. What inspires your writing?

There’s the usual stuff, like music, interactions with people, the observations I make on the world around me… And then there’s the curious stuff, like playing story-driven indie games (I personally recommend Dysfunctional Systems: Learning to Manage Chaos episode 1,if you like visual novels)… I learn and get inspired by inspecting a lot of new stuff… And even playing unrelated games can be inspiring sometimes, on top of the added benefit of it being relaxing. A writer’s life isn’t boring, that’s for sure.

Personal question time!

18. What’s your favorite food?

Chinese food in general. That harmony of tastes… Yum.

19. Music?

I love game and anime music. I presently the soundtracks of Fire Emblem: Awakening, Knights in the Nightmare, Sword Art Online (the first 14 episodes) and a few albums from indie youtube composers (Brunuhville, Peter Crowley). I also download a lot of free music from ocremix.net, which has a lot of really good game music remixes (again, all free and legal).

20. Clothes?

Um… Hoodies! I love my hoodies.

21. How about color?

Purple and gold, which, curiously, are known as regal colours. I only came to know that AFTER I decided that I like the sight of the two colours together.

22. Do you have any pets?

Not myself, although there’s a dog in the house at the moment.

23. If so, do they inspire your writing at all?

Music does inspire my writing a lot. I even designate some pieces for particularly important scenes in my stories. Mostly for EB, at the moment. As to pets, no. Clothes… nah. I won’t say anything about colours.

24. What is/was your favorite subject in school?

…English language. Which is hilarious, if you think about it. Usually, learning languages is hard; I wasn’t particularly good in English during my first years of studying it, either. Then, one day, I went to the local library and tried to find something to read… Unfortunately, I had already consumed almost the WHOLE fantasy part of the library, and the particular book I sought hadn’t been translated into Finnish… So I grabbed the 1000 word mammoth, which was all in English, and carried it home, determined to read it through. …I didn’t understand much of it, although, curiously, my English got much better by the time I was finished with the book. I think that was the turning point in my English studies.

25. This question is essential for all aspiring writers: Who is your favorite author and did they pen your favorite book? What is your favorite book?

Brandon Sanderson is my favourite writer, and yes, he did pen my favourite book, The Way of Kings.

26. Do you have a LEAST favorite book?

I don’t finish books I don’t like… So I don’t think I have one.

27. Do you enjoy watching TV?

Not really.

28. Movies?

Nope. Although I do remember liking The Hobbit movie.

29. What kind of games do you play (video game, board game, card game, or otherwise)?

Hoo boy… I love many JRPG’s(Japanese Role-Playing Games, in the vein of Final Fantasy, Persona, and so on) and SRPG’s(Strategic Role-Playing Games, like FE-series, Ogre Tactics: Let Us Cling together, and so on), some Roguelikes/Roguelites, board games in which you can backstab your friends… And a lot of other stuff. I do love the board games that combine card game mechanics with a proper board the most, though… Out of board games, that is. Video games are still my favourite form of relaxation.

30. Do you have a favorite sport, either one you watch on TV or play personally?

Hmm… If it had to be something I’d have to watch from TV, it’d be American Football. I just enjoy the tactical nature of the game. As to something I myself like to play… Tennis and table tennis.

31. If there is one thing you can not stand in your writing or anyone else’s, what is it?

Disjointed flow. I more often find that it’s a problem in my own writing, rather than in other people’s.

32. And finally: If your future child were to fall out of the sky, what do you think he/she would say about the future you (assuming they’re not amnesic)?

Yeah, well, I’m sure she’d say that I am pretty darn strict on myself. Honestly, I can be quite a Nazi when it comes to getting myself to do stuff, and I am generally far more merciful to my friends than I am to myself for messing stuff up.

33. Will you accept followup questions from any readers?