Drew's AMA
Here it is, my first AMA. Thank you for all the questions.
I put all the general, random and funny questions at the beginning and the spoilery ones in the second part. I ordered them so the further you read, the more spoilery the question. Its mostly details about general world-building that have not been revealed yet and little about the plot. But if you prefer to read the story completely blind, be warned.
PART 1 - The Random and The Funny
Unfortunately, I have no furry friends in my life right now. But I have a rabbit living in the garden of my condo XD.
Its been a while. You are welcome to try if you can find me :p. Im 62 kg (137 pounds for my American friends) so it's pretty easy.
Thanks for the question! Lets just say publishing Elydes has been a bit of a trial by fire. I didnt really know what I was doing and had to learn a lot of things on the go. Most of all how to deal with trolls online. But Im getting better at it.
Creating interesting worlds and stories has always been one of my passions. The part where I have to put whats in my head on the page not so much, but I enjoy working to improve my writing (most of the time).
Well the short answer is no. But lets give a little background. I think some people might already know, but English is not my first language. It takes me quite a while to write and do 2-3 edits, by the end my mind is completely fried. (If you notice strange expressions and a mix of UK and US spelling that is the reason XD).
Following RR, Patreon, Discord and dealing with the publishers also more hours each day. Ive been nearing burnout a few times. Id love to put out more chapters, but I dont think thats a promise I would be able to keep.
With that said, Elydes is my first novel. Im slowly improving and building a better routine, losing less time obsessing after the numbers. As some of you must have noticed between the Yellow and Blue Patreon tiers, Green is missing. It is going to take a while, but I plan to add a Green tier with more advanced chapters. After that, Ill continue to increase the number of chapters in both Yellow and Green.
This is going to take a while. So youll need to be patient.
I have plans for the next 3~ books and a few key plot points after that, characters I want to introduce and scenes I want to write. The series will be around 10 books long, but thats just an estimate, it could be more or it could be less.
I think thats a great idea! If anyone wants to suggest skill names and descriptions in the comments Ill make sure to take them into serious consideration. I can also add a discord channel dedicated to that if you want. If theres an interest, Ill be happy to write side POVs when I get the time. Just let me know which character youd like to know more about.
PART 2 - SPOILERS
In general, Id say seafood and fish are the main staples of the Baquire Archipelago, plus tropical fruits like mangos, papayas and coconuts. Seafood is preferred fresh, while fish is often roasted or salted to keep it good longer. It changes a lot depending on which island and town youre on. For example, Greenside and Sylsprings inhabitants get meat from the Veeryd jungle, other places dont have access to that.
After the Merian Republic took over, many more dishes and spices are currently being introduced. So the cuisine of the archipelago is evolving, especially in Yanlun and Higharbor.
Yes. Red-Orange-Yellow-Green-Blue-Indigo-Violet - ROYGBIV. Never thought about sub-red and ultra-violet. Those would belong more to a scientific world and the color system was created by humans on Elydes, who generally are not that well versed in the light frequencies they cant perceive.
Kais paternal grandparents cut ties after their son chose to marry a local and stay on the archipelago instead of pursuing his career. Its possible Kaill meet this side of the family when he goes to the Republic.
He will have to build it up from Red. Naturally, if he has a higher race, it will be easier to improve till it catches up.
At the same grade, each race has the same number of skill slots. However, some races are only born at higher grades, so they have immediate access to more skill slots. The true difference between races is their average stats and talents, here not all races are equal.
Probably. Kai is a person. I didnt think it made sense for him to feel attraction for other people before going through puberty. When he becomes a teenager things might change. But I dont think Kai wants to die a virgin a second time.
And before someone asks: no harem.
If you paid attention, Dora has already revealed something about that. I dont want to give too many details away :p
I think Kai would measure about average, which its a huge achievement, considering his start.
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It would depend on what they specialize in. Are they a warrior, a mage or a legendary farmer? An offensive peak-power with large-scale abilities cant destroy Elydes, but can significantly affect the planet if no one stops them.
With the help of the Guide its theoretically possible to reach the peak. As for the obstacles in the way and if humans can actually achieve it in practice, thats another story.
P.S. I asked Virya her grade, she didnt want to share.
The main factor that determines lifespans is the race grade, even if some professions and higher Constitution also influence it in minor part. At Red grade it is not much different from ours, at Orange it is around 150 years, if they are in good health. Keep in mind, your average human commoner enjoys far fewer comforts than people on Earth, so they often die sooner.
As for the higher grades, its complicated. Advancing to the next color increases your lifespan based on your physical age. If someone at deaths door manages to advance to the next grade (and somehow survives the process) theyll at most gain a few months. The younger you are the more you gain. Human children grow at about the same rate regardless of their grade, as they get closer to maturity that slowly changes. At around 20 years old its when the differences in the aging speed become obvious.
The main pillar of the story has always been Kais life. How someone from Earth would fare, adapt, grow and change. Getting stronger is a necessity to fully travel the world and explore all the possibilities, but its not the end goal. His relationship with his family and other people (old and new characters) will feature more heavily after the training arc.
Its rare, but Kais case is not unique. However, reincarnators dont usually maintain their full memories and 99% of them were already from Elydes.
The power of Kais magic is influenced by: training, affinity, skill level and stats. It will undergo a drastic increase in power after he gets his profession (depending on what he choses). There are so many factors to consider that its hard to answer.
The training arc (as in Kai time at the estate) is almost over. There will be at most a couple lesson chapters. It was always in my plans to do a longer time-skip now that all the pieces are in place. Ill show Kais progress through his actions. Hell spend more time around other people in towns.
I think the problem was that Kai was too isolated at the estate. It would have been better, if he trained around more people and with other things happening on the side. Its something I'll certainly keep in mind for the future.
Overall, the training arc could have certainly been improved, but Im not displeased with how it turned out. It was important to set the basis for Kais future development and to show him grow in confidence and turn him into a more active character. He still has work to do, but hes not the same insecure kid who first came to the estate. He might complain and swear after Elijah, but he never considers giving up or that he cant do it.
The only things I would change (bar completely rewriting the whole story) would be cutting a chapter and putting a different POV in the middle. I might combine chapters 68 and 69 when I do the final edit.
As for the archipelago arc more in general, I dont want to spoil it. I can tell you that Kai will take a more active role. Hell get involved in the event of the archipelago and interact with old and new characters.
END OF SPOILERS
Yep, it took much longer than I thought, but it was worth it.
Now, I have a question for you: did you enjoy the AMA? Do you want me to turn it in a recurring thing?