What is the relationship between aura and physical processes on Cradle? Does a rainstorm cause an abundance of aura or does the aura cause the rainstorm?
A little of both, up to a point. The aura causes the rainstorm and the rainstorm gathers or causes water aura, as you choose to see it, but that is not an infinite loop. Otherwise, of course, all of Cradle would be water aura. So there's a natural cap.
Do we ever learn Pride's full height?
While I used a lot of imprecise measurements for Pride, I think he was just a couple inches under 5 feet if i remember correctly. So, he is like 4'10", something like that...I don’t remember. I do actually have heights for him I'm just not going to get my laptop out and look that up precisely. But uh, he is short.
And - Lindon is at the high end of 6 feet so he is significantly taller than Pride. So from Lindon's perspective...Real short
What is the correct way to eat Oreos?
Long ago, in ancient times, they decreed that in order to consume Oreos properly you must first fill a receptacle with the milk of a cow, ice cold as much as possible. So in those days they would put their receptacle in the snow. And then you would dunk your Oreo as thoroughly as possible into the milk. Now, as you dunk your Oreo, you of course are holding it fingers, kind of like Achilles, as he was dunked into the River Styx. In fact, you must speak about Achilles as you dunk the Oreo, or you have done it incorrectly. This place where your fingers clutch the Oreo becomes the Achilles heel, and the weakness of the Oreo itself. So you must devour the rest of the Oreo's flesh, the moist succulent flesh that has absorbed the milk for the proper amount of time, and you must devour all that in one bite, leaving only the Achilles heel, at which point you may consume it, or indeed, throw it away. There are some Oreo purists who don't eat that piece of the Oreo, because it is considered tainted.
Do you know Chinese? How do you ensure your usage of Chinese characters make sense?
So, I don't do any of the graphic design on these projects. So I, it's not my, I do not use Chinese characters, at all. So that is very much something I avoid. Because I do not speak Chinese. I do not speak any dialect of Chinese. Or version of Chinese. I do not know any version of that language. So, in order to, when these covers and paperbacks and stuff that do actually have Chinese characters in them are done, my graphic designer does run it by an actual Chinese speaking person. And they are the ones who decide what characters get used, based on the descriptions in the books. So it is someone who is fluent, a native Chinese speaker, who decides what gets done, but it is not me. Si I have no input on that.
Do the other planets or asteroids or space bodies in Cradle's Iterations gather aura?
Yes, they do. The other celestial bodies in Cradle do have the same rules and laws of aura that Cradle does. It won't be as rich or as powerful, but it'll be there.
Do you think your next series will have another tiny doll character?
I can almost guarantee that it will not. I have relied on psychic assistance and tiny doll characters like the dolls and lil' blue, I have relied on those mascot characters a little to much I think. So while I enjoy them and they are fun, I like shuffles, i like Dross, I like the dolls. I am probably going to try and get away from that just because it is like, you know it is like a hallmark of my writing. I would like to make it so that I am not the one where always there is little tiny cute mascot characters. So I am going to try, I don't know how well I’ll do it because I still think they're fun. So if I get something and I think of something I will probably just do it.
Would you ever allow another author to write in the cradle universe?
Probably not Cradle, and maybe not for the reason you expect. It's because I would have to write a story bible that is at all consistent. When you get somebody else to write in your Universe, typically what you do is you write a story bible which is a document which includes all of the world building and rules for the universe so that they cant accidently violate something that cant happen in your world. And I don't know that I could write something like that cohesive that was comprehensible to anybody but me. So unless I designed the series that way from the beginning in order for it to be shared, I don't think I could do that. Maybe with Traveler's gate universe I could do that but nobody wants to write in that universe so.
What other characters/stories on Cradle would you consider exploring outside of the main cast of characters and the quest to save sacred valley?
So, basically, what sort of spinoff stories would I like to see, or like to write in Cradle?
(Will running around in circles in Subnautica.)
What other stories or characters on Cradle would I like to explore? I don't know. So Cradle, there's a lot, the number one thing I would do on Cradle if I really did write a spinoff of some kind, would be about, like I mentioned earlier, not all
(Subnautica AI interrupts to talk about exercise)
What I would do, like I mentioned earlier, not all sacred artists are all fight and all advance all the time. And I would like to show some of that. I would like to show some regular people on Cradle. Even some regular people who are not like really working to advance. So that's what I'd like to do. I'd like to show off some people who are just doing regular jobs, raising food, whatever.
Any fantasy book recommendations?
Yes, I just made one. Arcane Ascension 3 by Andrew Rowe is out very soon. And I think I got that title correct, Torch that Ignites the Stars. That one recommendation was probably not sufficient, so I have recently been mostly reading web novels. I haven't read a lot of traditional novels recently. I have been mostly reading web novels, but I did read book 1 of Michael Miller's Ascendant. I don't remember what the trilogy is called. His dragon rider book. Ascendant. Does anyone remember the series name? Somebody will tell me in a second. That's pretty good. I haven't read a dragon rider book in a while. So that was fun. It got me thinking about dragons. And riding them thereof. The web novels I have read recently, I have reread a lot of one that I have already read, so I haven't read a whole lot that's new to me recently. So it's hard for me to... Like, I was just rereading Solo Leveling, or Alone I Level Up, or whatever the web novel is translated as. Solo Leveling. And that one is great. That's one of the few I recommend the comic over the original novel, even though the original novel is good too. The comic art just adds a lot. Yeah, the title of the book is Ascendant, it's the series title I don't remember. (Transcriber's note: Songs of Chaos) But the reason why I read it is he describes it as Cradle meets Eragon. So it's dragon riders who cultivate, with their cores, with their dragons. It's pretty neat; it was cool. There's a lot of creative dragon stuff in there.
So then, fantasy novel recommendations. I can give you something to read, but Dakota Krout already did. So, Something. Book 1 Murder Hobo, by Dakota Krout. The series has got the word Murder Hobo in it (that's actually two words, but Will and math, what can you do?) So, if you don't know what a murder hobo is, it's a DND term. And frankly, if you don't know what it is, I don't know that you're the target audience for the book. But it was hilarious, it has a lot of the trademark humor, so that is another recommendation.
Have you read Street Cultivation?
So, I read Street Cultivation when it was on Royal Road. So that was a rougher version of the book. So I can't... I am sure she has made a lot of changes and up dates and upgrades. So I really don't know a lot about the current version of the book. I keep meaning to read it, but it's like Wandering Inn; someone asked if I knew pirate aba, I do not, I don't even know pirate aba's gender, so I always refer to them gender neutral, as much as I can. Occasionally I forget. But I don't know anything about them. I don't know their real name. Nothing. So they're a pirate to me. A faceless masked pirate, sailing the seas. And I have not read Wandering Inn yet, because it is massive. And I feel like if I start, and I dive in, it's so much. They write so fast that there is really no way for me to catch up. The longer I delay, the more I have to catch up on.
Are you going to include oreos canonically as a spiritual food in cradle in the books?
Uh, I did already. I explained a couple of times. First of all, the bloopers, people assume the bloopers aren't cannon but I don’t know why you think all the bloopers aren't cannon. There was already an Oreo blooper and someone also asked me a question about the greatest confectioneries and I answered about the honey finger sect who does research on chocolate and cream to create the ultimate cookie and one day they will succeed and cradle will be changed forever.
Is Yerin stronger than the Sword Sage was at her age?
Spoilers.
Was Northstrider originally a fish species?
He was not. At no point was he anything but human.
Are the Akura Path of Seven Pages unique? Is there only one "Book of Eternal Night" as long Mercy is alive none can walk her Path?
In that particular case, yes, there is only one book of Eternal Night and as long as Mercy is alive there will be nothing else.In the case of other books of seven pages, I think most of them are unique. I don't think all of them are. If I had to answer off the top of my head...Which I do because that is the whole premise, I believe that there are some of them that are not unique. Some of them are sort of mass produced…Like, not really but this is like two or three copies.
Has Fury or Charity penned a book of seven pages?
No. No they have not. So what Charity did was Charity developed her book with her grandmother so - With Malice. Malice had started had this dream shadow book and she and Charity finished it together but once Charity started showing signs of ascending to sage, they finished the rest of it together. So it was an unfinished booked and that was true in a lot of like, there was a lot of things, a lot of these books Malice didn't do herself. So the first person who carried the book or the first person who helped her make it or whatever was the person who helped her finish it.
Are there new books of Seven Pages being written?
Not anymore. Not really. They typically have more books than they have people capable of using the books so there’s really not a point in developing more.
If Lindon were isekaied to our world and found your books how do you think he would react?
So, isekai is a Japanese term basically meaning another world, and it's a genre in which people from our world go into a fantasy world. So what this person is asking is, Chronicles of Narnia type stuff if you are not familiar with the genre, so what this person is asking is if Lindon where teleported to our world magically, and he found the books and read them, how would he react? So, that depends. So that depends on whether he believes, or whether it is true, if my writing this stuff caused things to happen. Or if I am just relaying what has happened in a real world. Because if he found out that this is real, and I'm just reporting on it, he would try to just learn anything he could from the books, he would try to read especially the scenes from other people's perspectives so he could get insight into Eithan's head and Yerin's head, and he would really love the presence reports and stuff, because that's information he doesn't have. If he found out that I was making things happen, he would hold me hostage and make sure that I wrote the rest of his life in a satisfactory manner.
Does Eithan keep random cleaning supplies in his soulspace?
Not in his soulspace, no. He keeps random cleaning supplies all around him and in his void key, but not his soulspace.
Ok, so Travis has asked, how long until I add some sort of lyrics that must be sung, just so that he knows how to prepare and go into vocal training.
I would say, well, I don't want to spoil anything, but book nine is entirely in limerick form, it's just one limerick after another. It's not even like an epic bardic saga, it's just a limerick, just a series of limericks. So you need to be prepared to do those. Also, a lot of them need to be delivered in Irish accent. Little known fact, Ireland exists in Cradle. It's Ireland. Just straight Ireland. And you have to recite limericks in an Irish accent. As authentic as possible. So good luck.
I've always loved that in Cradle it seems that you've taken abilities from popular anime and put your own spin on them for Sacred Arts. Is there an anime ability you'd like to adapt but can't see how? Or one you haven't got the chance to yet that you would like to?
HMMMM. My brother started saying Kame... and I had to cut him off. Let's see. Is there an anime ability... Uh, yeah. Super Saiyin man. Super Saiyin. So, I obviously have powerups that are just general power ups, like Simon's mask, so functionally it's Super Saiyin, right? But it's just cool, it's iconic, it's just neat looking. I could have someone's hair stand up, with their energy glowing all around them, and it'd be like yeah, ok yeah.
Somebody said the frog girl from MHA. Yes, I would just love to give someone frog power. I'm desperate for that. Or tape powers. Like, someone shooting Scotch Tape from their elbows. Just can't adapt it. Can't figure it out.
So, Super Saiyin, I just think it's iconic, it's a great look, it's really cool. Ultra instinct is really great, although I do kind of have sort of a version of that, as you're exploring Sage powers, that's kind of sort of similar, in the sense that you get more and more in tune with an ability that lets you interact, whatever. So, yeah. I guess that'd be my answer. There's a few others that would be neat that are probably not very practical.
(Will almost cooked a bladderfish, but the crisis was averted. Will also needs computer chips. He sings a song about copper. More info about bladderfish.)
Are there any other anime abilities? There's got to be some. Weirdly enough, I like one for all, and all for one. Both of those. But one for all is really what I was thinking of. That'd be cool. From My Hero Academia.
How common is it on Cradle for sacred artist to adopt Sacred Beasts or remnants as partners?
It depends. So one of the things that doesn't get brought up in the books a lot, because it's a, you know, magical Shonen fighting series, a lot of the people, a lot of the sacred artists on Cradle, don't fight a lot. They don't have a lot of... They don't actually complete for resources. They are part of an organization that does complete for resources, but they particularly don't, because they don't care if they really advance, so they plateau at whatever level. So among those people, contracting with sacred beasts or spirits is more common, because you get a sudden boost of power, or alternatively, this happens a lot, you bond with a sacred beast when you are both very young. So you grow up together. So you get a partner and someone who is with you your whole journey. Or if they are more advanced than you are, you get a sudden surge of power without having to fight for it. So therefore sacred beast contracts are often for utility, rather than cultivation.
What's the best Mexican or Tex-mex meal you've ever eaten?
Well, one time I was driving late at night, and I ran out of gas. And it was one of those, it was dark, so it was one of those roads that there was forest to either side, just trees, so it's kind of like a road, like you're driving down in a nightmare. And I broke down, and I'm like oh, crap. So I'm pulling out my phone and I'm trying to figure out where I'm going. And I start walking to the nearest gas station I can find on Google maps, and I end up next to a, it really looked like an aluminum siding sort of barn, and it just had a neon sign up, that just said Jeff's. It didn't say Jeff's Mexican food, it just said Jeff's. And I went inside, and it was a Tex-Mex place. And it was just, I mean I still, I tried to find it later, and I just couldn't. I have no idea where I was and I couldn't find it. Couldn't find it under Jeff's, couldn't find it under Jeff's tacos, whatever. And they had just the freshest, just the freshest beef I have ever had. I'm pretty sure they kept cows out back. And we just had the best burritos and the best couple of tacos I ever had. And Jeff was really cool. Jeff was a chill guy. I was the only one there so he just sat there and chatted with me the whole time.
Does the late Elder Serenity of Heaven's Glory have any relation to the Akura clan?
No. So, Elder Serenity did not have any relations to the Akura clan. That was before I had decided on Akura clan naming conventions. And in fact, funny enough, I had already named a few members of the Akura clan at that point, like Malice. But I hadn't thought of it like as a family trait, like I thought of it just as a trait of the family at the top, not the whole clan. And then I was just kind of like, why not? So I expanded it to make it pretty much anybody who was directly related, like not everybody in the Akura clan has a virtue name, but the cool ones do.
