Alright, so, a few questions in regards to Casualties a few people are probably wondering about. Warning, this contains spoilers.

Q: Why did the last chapters take so long?

A: I wrote 25 pages of the last chapter. I was more or less forcing them out at the time. I kind of stopped there, because I didn’t like the way it was going. Then I deleted it and started again. I liked this one more, but it still didn’t feel right. So I started deleting entire sections and redoing them, or changing small things. All in all, I would say this 20-something page chapter was rewritten about 5 times, in whole or in part.

Q: There are a few things that you left unexplained: how did Isaac survive falling off of The Torrent, what did Ben and Jacqueline do while Isaac was off adventuring with Lini, why did Isaac remember the old world if he wasn’t one of the Avatars, etc, etc…

A: Well, the best way that I can put it is that I have answers to all of those questions, and probably a good number more, but they don’t fit or belong in the story. This story is about Isaac and his experiences. He’s just never been in a position to get all of the answers. I considered on a few occasions having these Deus Ex Machina moments where Isaac would get the chance to talk to a totema or something, but eventually decided that it didn’t fit with my story or with Isaac’s personality.

Q: Sometimes you mentioned other characters’ backstories. How much history do your side characters have?

A: It really depends on the character. I can tell you that all of the members of Clan Nutsy and the crew of the Fallen Star II have very full and detailed backstories. I honestly wish I could write a story detailing how the characters of Clan Nusty all met. Even moreso, I would absolutely love to write an entire story about Eugene. All of the rest of my more important side characters have at least some backstory to varying degrees. If anybody wants a quick summary of any particular character’s history, just send a message.

Q: So why did you call them the Twin Blades Avuir as opposed to the Twin Blades Ayvuir?

A: …shut up I don’t make mistakes shut up shut up next question.

Q: Who is your favourite character in this story?

A: That’s a toss up between Eugene and Thomas. I’ve just found both of them so interesting, and I feel that they’re two of my most well-developed and rounded characters.

Q: Do you have any regrets in this story?

A: Yes. God yes. I have a few pretty major regrets, but one stands out above all others: I wish I’d given Jacqueline her own story arc. I know; the story is already pretty insanely bloated. That said, I can’t help but feel that I wasn’t fair to Jacqueline as a character. She only played an active role in four ‘arcs’ of the story: The Colour Tournament, The Attack On Jagd Helje, Caesar and the Worldwyrm, and The Sprohm Incident. Out of those four, two of the arcs were mostly focused on her not being present (The Colour Tournament and The Sprohm Incident), and in one she just acted at best as a sidekick for Ben (Caesar and the Worldwyrm). I just wish I’d done more with her.

Q: Will you do any more writing?

A: Yes. I have so many ideas. I think the rest of my writing will be in a slightly different format from this, but I intend to continue. Outside of this story, under separate pennames and my own real name, I’ve now been published twice in small magazines and have placed in the top 10 in 2 national level writing competitions. From now on, when I write things, I intend to do proper editing and such before releasing them, just to make sure that what I’m submitting for people to read is a bit polished. Regardless, if any of you want a heads up when I set up shop somewhere else, just send me a PM.

Q: So be honest… Isaac, is he based off of you?

A: That… is a difficult question. The short answer is yes. At the start of the story, Isaac was supposed to be ‘me’ in Ivalice. As the story went on, though, Isaac took on a life of his own. It became less of a narration about what ‘I’ would do in Ivalice and more a conversation between Isaac and myself about what he would do in Ivalice. So from quite early on, Isaac has been his own unique person. I will miss writing him.