Alright for the lore... do you guys agree that it would seem canonically incorrect to have Variks join Eramis willingly? I’m not saying they’ll do this, but if they do, I think it would totally go against his character. I’m assuming prisoner. But why hasn’t she killed him yet? Useful information, perhaps? Food for thought. So, I had a few people encourage me to do a Q and A since I’ve been here so long, and I got a few questions from some people, so I figured I’d share them and then open the floor to you guys. If you have any questions you’d like to add, feel absolutely free to ask whatever you like! [b]Q[/b]: When you write as Shadow, are you putting yourself and how you would act into the character? [b]A[/b]: That’s a great question, because sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. It’s complicated. But when I do, I [i]really[/i] do. I think I myself am much more straightforward and fast paced than Shadow. However, Shadow was developed off myself, so she does share a lot of qualities with me. Some days it feels like I am her, other days she’s sort of this separate entity. It’s hard because if I lived in the world of destiny, I’d probably be a little different than how I am now. So I have to take how I’d act and sometimes slightly alter it to fit her and the world of destiny. Sometimes I do have her just straight up say stuff I’d say, though. I definitely have the same level of loyalty and love as Shadow, that’s where hers came from so she definitely acts like me there. I also think sometimes Shadow is a reflection of how I wish I could be. And sometimes I use her to vent out my negative behaviors as well. She’s a toss up of things about me. [b]Q[/b]: How do you feel about the many crossovers and other writers using your characters? [b]A[/b]: I absolutely adore them. It’s so cool to see someone else use my character, and stunning to see them just absolutely nail her personality and how she’d react to certain things. It’s really flattering, cuz they’ve obviously payed attention to my writing. Slightly creepy too, because it’s almost like they’re in my head. [b]Q[/b]: Granted guns are the main use of a guardian, but we never figured out how well Shadow is without them. How well is Shadow in Hand-to-Hand combat? [b]A[/b]: [i]No.[/i] Ok in all seriousness, I don’t think she’d be very good. She’s only 5’5 and like 120lbs, and doesn’t have much muscle beyond “show” muscle I guess you’d call it. Something to just flaunt without much power behind it. Unless you’re trying to hurt Variks, you’re not gunna get beat up by her anytime soon. In short, her light is the only reason she’s strong. [b]Q[/b]: What made you decide to write this story? I know you already liked the character, but did you already write often or was there some story that inspired you to? [b]A[/b]: Oh man, that’s a long answer again. Yes, I did already enjoy writing, however I never considered being an author or anything, I just randomly wrote fun little things based off games or movies I liked. I can’t go into to much detail about why because I can’t get too graphic here. But I went through some rough times, I was stuck in a very abusive relationship for a few years. I started playing destiny and it became my own little world to escape in. Not to sound cheesy and typical, but I was really love-starved most of my life. My father was an abusive alcoholic, my mother was very distant. I didn’t have many friends growing up, and the few romantic relationships I had were absolute crap. I had a lot of love to give and since I was stuck with someone abusive, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that, or receive any love in return. So I started up this story to give me that sense of love and comfort I craved. [b]Q[/b]: Where/ how did your love for Variks start? [b]A[/b]: So I’m not sure if I’ve fully “outed” myself yet on these forums, but Im a xenophile. I’ve been one since I was about 13? So like 10 years now. (For those who don’t know, it means I’m attracted to depictions of aliens.) Hopefully that explains why I was very attracted to him, visually speaking, which is what caught my attention first. Also as mentioned above, the abuse situation drew me closer to him. And for some reason I’m usually interested in the odd one out, the person no one really likes. I’m not sure if that’s because of how I grew up, so I have sympathy towards it. But I guess I just feel like characters like that would understand me. His personality to, I mean is great. He’s funny, smart, strong, and loyal, amongst many other wonderful qualities. [b]Q[/b]: How do you feel about your story? Are there certain things you aren’t satisfied with? What parts are you very proud of? What part of your writing do you wish you could improve? [b]A[/b]: Honestly, I usually feel one of two ways. Half of me is very proud of it, half of me thinks I’m really not even a good writer. I think I’m satisfied to a certain extent. The parts I’m proud of are scattered throughout my work over the years. When I write from Variks’s point of view, I’m usually really proud of that because people tell me I sound like him, and that’s it’s believable. Personally, I’m proud of this bit I wrote on my very first page.[i] “Like someone poured gasoline in my lungs and threw in a match. I should have said something.” [/i] Nowadays I look back on my writing and think I sucked, well I did, but I remember this part, and while it might not seem like much to anyone else, as a new writer it felt really good to me. Those random lines that just click really well for the situation, the word play, it feels good. I’d say the other parts I’m proud of are the Skolas pages, the one where Shadow asks to join Variks, and a couple other more intimate pages recently, that really express how I feel about the character. When it comes to improvement, I think I have a lot of work to do. I still remember when some very angry guy commented on how many times I mention Shadow’s eye color... which, I did end up taking his advice, but damn. Anyways, I try my best to improve and I think I need to work on variety in my words more than anything else.