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Will.2

Will, the Sword Sage praised the chief of the Heaven Glory school(not sure the name is correct). Does this mean that he has a perfect jade body, or whatever it is called.Or did he simply mean that his foundation is better than the ones of the other elders?

Will

Curses. If I'd known you were going to ask this on two different threads, I've responded here instead of on the other one.

Bottom line: the Sword Sage didn't mean anything by it. He was being minimally polite to a bunch of primitive savages. "That's a very nice sharpened stick you have there; it's almost as good as my attack helicopter."

Questioner

Would you ever write a novel of someone who was transported to a pioneer world by the Abidan?

Will Wight

Actually, yes.  That was something I came really close to writing already.  It was something that I wanted to write kind of as a break book, in between Cradle.  Of course, I had Elder Empire, which was not so much of a break, as an intensification of the action.  The opposite of a break, whatever that is.  A seam?  I don't know.  That's the opposite of a break.  But I really wanted to do that, because I talked with some LitRPG authors, and they mentioned that I had brought up the idea of a Minecraft/Terraria LitRPG.  And I was like, I know there are a million of those.  And they were like, I don't know that there are.  And so I looked it up, and there are quite a few of those in Japanese, but there aren't too many in English, or at least there weren't a year or two ago, when I had this discussion.

So I said wow, that I had already outlined a book that involved a group of people on a pioneer world, the Abidan, where they're just kind of building a world.  Literally just starting from scratch, figuring out the magic system, and all that stuff.  I also had a story that I not only outlined, but also wrote a few chapters of, years and years ago, before House of Blades, in which a modern Earth-like but not technically Earth world had magic all of a sudden introduced,  and so it was like this magic apocalypse thing and it was slowly becoming more magical and the whole world was breaking down.  Which at the time was a new concept and is not nearly a new concept anymore because a lot of people did it, and they did a great job. So I missed the boat on that one, but that was fun to write.  I actually reread the first few chapters of that and I was like, that's pretty good.  Pretty good, young Will.  Not too bad.  So that was a... I kind of combined some aspects of that into this pioneer world developing idea.

Questioner

Its been a while since I eead Elder Empire. How did Estyr and Jorin manage to live so long.I know not all of them had Nakothi hearts and I recall that they were in a deep sleep...

Will Wight

Awakened coffins. Keeps them asleep and alive until they're needed.

They've individually lived a few hundred years apiece, thanks to some extremely creative alchemy and investing on the Emperor's part, but they've EXISTED for basically two thousand.

Sorry Not Sorry

Does Elder Empire take place before, or after Cradle?

Will Wight

We get that question a lot; and I'm still not going to answer it. 

True Ruler of None

What is Foster soulbond powers and is it elder or Kameira?

Will Wight

Those will definitely be in OKAK

Jeremy the Other One

Who's your favorite character to write the persepctive of?

Will Wight

Bliss, from Elder Empire. She's really fun. Pure fun, just enjoyable.

From Cradle, it is Eithan, hands down. It is easy and he gets to do whatever he wants.

MysteryLolznation

I've re-read this series five times. Ask me anything and then edit the question to make me look like I've never read it, or a horrible person.

Will Wight

[says something which was no doubt profound, witty, or both, which is now lost to the dark depths of Reddit edit history, later edited to:]

What is the true name of the Dark Lord, He Who Lurks Beneath Reality, the Destroyer of All Joy, the Dark Spirit Whose Name Should Not Be Whispered, the Cause of True Suffering, the One Who Canceled Firefly, the Author of Damnation, and the Creature Whose Aspect Is So Vile That Merely Glimpsing His Visage Will Cause Your Face To Melt Off?

…and what are the words used to summon him?

MysteryLolznation

Will Wight. WAIT HOLY FUCK

Anonymous

You had said previously that Audible wasn't interested in rerecording Traveller's Gate, what changed?

Will Wight

Well, there's a lot of journey to that, a lot I can't really get into, story would take a long time; but the bottom line is, I always wanted to change it, and we ended up getting to the point where because Cradle was so popular I was like, we'll get more people interested in this, we wanted to do it, Travis wanted to do it. So, I wanted to do it the whole time. We ended up being able to rerecord it, it was one of those things where we really wanted the quality of Traveller's Gate to reflect the rest of the series, the rest of the books I mean. While Rebecca is busy making changes to my keyboard I can go ahead and tell you stories. So when we started off, I was reading the books myself, we were recording in a closet in my parents house. We had pinned a bunch of foam material and afghans and rugs and stuff to the walls in order to muffle the sound. We had bought our own equipment, we had a friend of ours who could do audio engineering, he came in and helped us out. We invested $2-3,000 into this, and that was a huuuge investment for us at the time. That was not easy, we were, that was a lot of book money. So we were going, yikes, we wanted an audiobook out there because, people want audiobooks. We want to record this, and we want to do as good of a job as we can, but we can't afford to do a really great, we can do the best job we can afford to do. So we did all that, and it was only because of you guys the fans sharing this with your friends, sharing it with your, recommending it, enjoying it, that we had enough money to do even that; and then we had the audiobooks out to people, and people enjoyed those, some people enjoyed the new books, obviously people really responded to Cradle. The more fan engagement we get, the more you guys are spreading the word, and this kind of thing, we are able to just do a better job. Without you guys we'd never be able to hire Travis; and so now Travis is part of the team, really he's the voice of Cradle, but more than that he's the voice of my books right now. I mean, Emily Woo Zeller did a fantastic job with the Shadow side of Elder Empire; but every other book is read by Travis. I think he is just, he does such an amazing job, with everybodies books, not just mine. With me in particular, I really think he does a fantastic job of bringing out my intentions for the text, how I want it to be delivered. I obviously write it with a certain delivery in mind, because that's just how I'm writing. He's just so great to work with, just a great guy. He delivers these things so we'll, that its just greater than the sum of its parts. I think Travis our audiobook narrator is, so great at this that I wanted to, take Traveller's Gate to the next level, and we really wanted it to happen. (...audio starts to cut out a bit...) We could go on about it for a long time, the reviews for House of Blades crossed 1000 this week, because we asked. We've never asked for reviews before, we don't ask for reviews. (A lot more dialogue is lost)(...) We don't want to ask for reviews, but on the other hand if I was a fan, I would want to know if reviews were deleted, and I would just go leave a review. Right? I would want to know. So we were going, people are going to want to know, but if we tell them it's going to be the same as asking for a review, so we realize, it took us a long time to draft out a... (...) We had a post about the reviews letting you know that they were down, and now we're over 1000. Also, this week, we heard from Audible that House of Blades was #8 on their most listened to books in fantasy, right? (Asking Rebecca off camera) For the week? Oh wow, for all of fiction? I thought it was, so yeah #8 in all of fiction, listened to this week was House of Blades. It's funny because there was a typo, they made a typo in the email where they sent it to us, where they said City of Blades was #8 and I was like, oh cool I'll let Robert Jackson Bennett know. That his book is at #8, but it was, it was House of Blades; and then we, look there's just so much stuff you guys, so I had to, just by the way this is the art that Rebecca got available and it's hanging behind me, it's going to be the new cover for the Travelling Gate collection. I love that art, (...) He was great to work with, he does great art and I think the quality shows through, and I think it's great, and it's like I'm thinking wow, I'm working with fans, right?; and then I think the trilogy cover is like, I love it so much. The detail on the dolls, right? He actually went through and drew the dolls appropriately. Some of them are dolls from the books, but a lot of them aren't, if you have a doll that you're looking for in the books it's up there in the shelves. So I love that, I think it's really cool. It's really neat, it's just neat to get to work with fans, to be able to work with Ari Ibarra so much, it's cool. 

Ano123

How do the people on Cradle age? Is it similar to many other Xianxia's, where the lifespan increases with every new cultivation rank? If yes, how old could a person approx. get?

Family of Racoons

Regardless of whether or not their lifespan is increased via ranking up, they will live longer on average. Their immune systems and internal organs appear to become far better at combating pathogens and toxins. As they human body ages, its immune system weakens, but who knows if that is the case with an iron body?

Furthermore, the elderly do seem to cling to life rather tightly, as evidenced by the jai clan. Not to mention that they would be well along their paths, and very hard to kill in combat.

Will Wight

As is usually the case with raccoons, Family of Raccoons is correct. Below roughly Underlord, it's just that their spirits compensate for age really well. Living over 100 isn't too uncommon.

At Underlord, you actually start to age slower. It partially depends on your madra, but Underlords can live to be 200+.

More advanced sacred artists can live even longer.

gregsfortytwo

Do you think you know what your next series will be? 

Will Wight

First off, thank you for asking that question, because I am always dying to make something new. It's my favorite part of writing.

As for whether I know what it is...that changes from day to day.

Last year, I was convinced I was going to write a dungeon series, because I feel like there's a lot of potential there and I'd like to try my hand at it.

About six months ago, I wanted to do some kind of a GameLit thing. Not a LitRPG exactly, but something a little more game-ified than what I normally do. Sort of like a D&D world in which the inhabitants had figured out the magic rules through trial and error over the years.

A month or two ago, I was really into a setting with a modern culture and technology level but also magic. Kind of like many Final Fantasy settings. I also fleshed out a few surprisingly detailed plots in which characters could collect abilities in different categories and thereby make "builds" for themselves (so to speak).

Recently, I've been researching writing Visual Novels and other such branching narratives. So who knows?

LucasRuby

Oh man I love that stuff. Don't give me hope.

Will Wight

I really do too.

And I've already taken on the more traditional fantasy in Traveler's Gate, something slightly more experimental with Elder Empire, and then a cultivation story with Cradle.

Which leaves the game-y corner of webnovels left untouched..

Anon

On the topic of the planet Cradle and vital aura. Is the planet called Cradle because it's great for cultivation? OR is there another reason like some awesome being in the center who is not yet hatched / or is being suppressed? Such an incredible entity might be the source of the vital aura that makes Cradle such an great place to cultivate. 

Also, will Lindons double cores allow to for things like ascending to gold with black dragon madra and then raising the second cool to iron thus adapting Lindons blood forged body in a way the original human dragon path cultivators could not? 

Also, is the Black dragon path madra another way to consume and process the madra other paths? 

Will Wight

1.) It's called Cradle because it's great for cultivation, but there are often double meanings in Abidan designations. The Elder Empire world is called Asylum, which means protection, but it is also has...other implications.

2.) No, that specific chain of events will not happen.

3.) No.

Kommunist Keth the Kandra

Ok so hear me out on this one. I've been noticing a trend in will's books. first we had traveller's gate. orphan main character. Then Elder Empire. Calder only has his mother. Then Cradle. Lindon has both parents. next series traveller's blade or something will likely feature both parents as well as another parental figure in simon, unless im drunk again

Will Wight

No joke, I try to switch up how many parents the main characters have to avoid the “every hero is an orphan” thing.By which I mean yes, the next main character I write will be born from the fusion of six individuals who all combined their DNA in a cloning spell gone wrong.

Natsuguri

So a High Gold decides to fight a Copper despite there being a higher ranking sacred artist right next to him. The High Gold kicks the Copper in the head while he is unaware of the High Gold's presence, and on his knees. That doesn't kill the Copper as the High Gold expects and he realises that the Copper is now Iron. The High Gold acts all reasonable to put the Iron off his guard then makes a flashy and painful strike to distract the Iron so he can sneak around to attack the Iron from behind. The High Gold arrogantly assumes he's delivered a mortal blow. The High Gold the tries smarmying up the the more powerful sacred artist and breaks the cardinal rule of 'don't turn your back on an enemy you're fighting!'. The seriously wounded Iron disimpales himself and attacks his would be assassin from behind because, well High Gold presented his back to the person he'd just tried to kill, why wouldn't you in such a mismatched fight? And yet it is the Iron who is labelled with cowardice and dishonour.

Is it just me?

Will Wight

I know this aspect of the series frustrates people sometimes, but it sounds like you’re reading it exactly as intended.

Did Lindon do anything wrong? No. The hurt and embarrassed people in power are reframing things so that it looks like they were in the right.

Does it make any sense that the powerless person they were picking on could possibly be the offender and THEM the victims? No, but they can get away with claiming they are and no one is going to call them on it for Lindon’s sake. The witnesses know the truth, the truth just doesn’t really matter.

It goes back to what the First Elder tells Lindon in book one. Essentially, even if he does nothing wrong, if the people in charge say he did, then he did. The truth is whatever they say because they’re stronger than he is.

So the definition of honor in Cradle is inconsistent. Yeah, it is. Everybody’s got their own definition and they constantly shift the goalposts to make themselves look better.

There’s at least one negative review of Unsouled where they say that the honor in Cradle isn’t anything like real, historical notions of honor in China. Absolutely right. This is “honor” in a fictional society where more advanced people are better in every way than less advanced people.

You don’t want a reputation for picking on people weaker than you because then someone higher on the totem pole might have a reason to beat the crap out of you, but at the same time, you can throw your weight around as long as you have an excuse.

LionChasing

Since discovering Cradle, there's never been a time where I didn't have one of your books in rotation, and Elder Empire is equally amazing. You walk on water here!

Do you have active plans or dreams for extending the universe in other formats in the future? I.e. graphic novels, games, e.t.c.

Will Wight

Aw, shucks!

I would love a visual novel or a graphic novel or a simple tie-in game or what have you, but all of those things require cooperation from other creatives.

I don't write books in isolation, but I do write all the books myself, which is a lot easier than having to cooperate with an artist or co-writer.

Turbulent Swordfish

Will Wight

Sacred artist feels like the correct answer, but at the same time then you’d have to live in Cradle and are at the most risk of death.

In Asylum, you’d never ascend, but you also don’t really have to, can get a good job as a Reader, and have widely available modern conveniences.

In Amalgam, it depends strongly on where you are and what Territory you Travel. A lot of them are relatively safe as long as you’re not doing dangerous missions or recklessly trying to get stronger. The average Helgard or Avernus Traveler lives a pretty chill life, but it’s still a more-or-less medieval world.

I would choose sacred artist, though. I know the location of Abidan artifacts that I’ve kept secret from the books and I can parlay them into a trip off-world. Cya, suckers, I’m off to get killed by Vroshir.

Wait…

Bloopblop497

Interesting, I had thought that this applied to us having the abilities on EARTH. Like we are the only ones with access tot he magic system. I chose reader, cuz I figured a sacred artists powers would pretty much help me for sports, war, and getting tested on by governments. I could lay low while still using magic if I was a reader :)

Will Wight

On Earth, I’d be a Reader no question.

It’s the safest and easiest. No Elders, psychometry is a useful power, and if I end up being able to Awaken invested objects then I’m the only person able to create magic artifacts.

Win-win.

Adarsh

So if Simon managed to ascend, would he become a Wolf? And how far away is he in terms of power from the weakest of the wolves?

Jerry

I'm going to guess LIGHT YEARS away from ascending. Remember that the Emperor could smite all the incarnations at once, and unless he was secretly an ascended being, it would seem that Simon is way way behind even that. So unless he masters valinhall and becomes the next traveler.. He's got a ways to go.

Will Wight

Yeah, the Emperor has enough power to ascend past his world. The only reason he hasn't is because he's in Asylum, which is effectively a prison.We haven't seen anyone in Traveler's Gate strong enough to do that. But if Simon DID get to ascend, then he would end up as a Wolf, yeah.

Otarin

Would the emperor have ascended and ditched his planet had he been able to or would his sense of duty have kept him there?

Will Wight

He wouldn't have left on his own. He may have tried to take a team into the Way, or tried to cast the Elders out.

Questioner

Are there any awakened, sentient, wepaons or items in the Elder Empire?

Will Wight

By definition i think awakened items possess thoughts even if they are just simple thing like "KILL!" Or "FEED ME!".Are the Awakened weapons sentient?That's a hotly debated question in the Empire. Many Soulbound feel that their Vessels "speak" to them, but always in impressions or mentally communicated desires. Some of them swear they hear an actual voice in their head, but is that really the weapon? Or is it their imagination providing words for the impressions the weapon sends them?The common belief is that Awakened objects do have a measure of awareness, but not true sapience. They can't "think" or reason beyond the capacity and purpose for which they were created....as far as anyone knows.

Questioner

Bets you say...

I'm assuming there were some bets on whether or not Simon would survive the house?

Was the Elder in on that bet and if so did he win or lose?

Also what were his odds? I'm assuming many bet against him and maybe a few prospered greatly?

Will Wight

People don't bet against the Eldest anymore. He's right too often.

It's pretty common for him to ruin bets between other Nye by making cryptic comments that cause them to second-guess themselves. He thinks it's hilarious.

KinOfTheMountain

Could an Elderspawn become soulbound to a awakened item with only human intent?

Will Wight

It could not! Elders don't interact with Intent in quite the same way.

Questioner

Which of your characters would be most likely to make it as a self-published novelist?

Will Wight

Kerian, the Consultant from Elder Empire.

She's relentless, she reads a lot of novels, and she knows how to make a sale. She's also highly literate, unlike a lot of my characters.