Tell me a bit about yourself, Boxxy
It's a question that can get realllly political real soon
but simply put
I'm a newly minted college student somewhere in canada
But in the context of this site, I had been writing for three years and had been writing even trashier things way back
Fascinating
What's your most recent story?
Oh, it's a story that's called Dream of the Abyss. The story itself is based on the idea of a character slowly losing humanity in her path to understand the cause of the world, her new found powers and the purpose of it all.
Not quite a growing-up story, but more of a... lovecraftian horror story from the perspective of someone that looked just a little bit too far.
From what I know of lovecraftian stories, that sounds pretty wild
Obviously, its not something that could use a format that work well with Royalroad. Its a bit too serious for 2-3k chapters or daily updates.
But hey, its been a slow burn that gets philosophical really quickly
Philosophical things aren't all bad
I argue that a good story would need something along that line to draw people in
Though webnovels are often characterized as "digital light novels", I think having something with some meat in it would be interesting.
Sadly, its not something that webnovels are known for.
Meaty things are fun
Oh yeah, it can
But people don't like existential crisis during a morning ride in the train to work or to school.
Those are the best times!
But saying that — its something that I think is relatively unexplored.
There are many clear-cut trends on web novel, especially things like LitRpg and systemized magic.
And most stories are power-fantasies
I think that I'm trying to turn the trope on its head and mess around with it in a novel way
Through weird settings, long chapters, wild perspectives and shifts in languages.
Everybody loves long chapters
They're a pain to write, though
Are they?
I find the idea of short chapters to be rather...
internet-like
It's like eating cereals
one by one
We try our best, us authors of the short chapter
No, no! Its actually amazing how people can churn out so many chapters to actually somehow build up a backlog.
Especially when it comes to having daily updates.
It's something unimaginable to a eh-writer like me.
What about you? Mr Interviewer.
What made you join this community of internet writers?
Well, this is certainly a turn.
Of course, its a conversation.
I would feel bad monologuing
Well, I've always liked writing and I liked sharing my stories with my family.
Ohhh, family?
Yes
I've got...lots
But anyway, I started thinking what it would be like to post my stories on the internet
It began with Wattpad
What I wrote on there will not be discussed, but know that I had plenty of stories
Wattpad, huh.
I think, most people that would have access to this interview would have some form of impression about Wattpad
I had an Wattpad account too, but I didn't actually end up posting anything there.
Turns out romance and the like is not something I can write well enough to even conceive going online
Heh heh...yeah...
Though, I must say, most of us probably came from Wayyyy humbler beginnings.
Of which I think would ruin your impression of the illustrious me forever
You don't know what I've written, Boxxy
I think you'll be fine
Hmm... Fanfictions?
No
inserts laugh track here
Although I have written some about Percy Jackson and Maximum Ride
When I was younger, I had a bit of a fascination with romance
When I was younger, I had no idea what that word really mean. Arguably, I still don't. So I'm curious — why romance?
Why?
Yes!
I was a horny little bugger, that's why
Ah.
I didn't dare to put anything like that on the internet
My lack of common sense was evident back then
Though, Percy Jackson was what sparked my own fanfiction writing just as well
It's a crossover with Avengers, to be precise.
Oh, I've written, well, dreamt of a Percy Jackson/Maximum Ride crossover fanfiction
So, you haven't actually written it?
I have
It's just lost in a sea of papers somewhere around my house
Writing by hand is a brave choice.
This was before I had a Chromebook
Ah, I get it.
I'd just get some paper when I was bored and write down what I had in my head
I think I got something similar as well
Can't exactly remember what it was
I think I was... 8 when I wrote that piece of trash?
But man
time just flies
It really does...I can't remember all the things I've written
Hopefully, with luck, we do not/
Sometimes it's nice to reminisce, though
Bringing back that elf story I wrote when I was 12 was nice...I ended up finishing two books in the series I was planning
It would, but then sometimes you are reminded in the form of an email notifying you that you received an review. For a story. A story that you stopped writing seven years ago.
Are they bad reviews?
Ehhhhhhh
Reviews on fanfictions are weird
Less spoken about the subject the better it would be.
Well, I've got to ask you, Boxxy.
Have you read That Boy Hare?
I have not...
Should I?
le gasp
I advertise it almost as much as [NoDragons] does Thieves' Dungeon!
Albeit not as well; no one could be quite as good as [him]
But still often enough
huh
googling now
Huh
That's a wild thing you have going on there, buddy
It is, isn't it?
That's...
Huh Intensifies
Well, that's another thing on my reading list
Unfortunately, I have two essays to hand in tomorrow
So my vague promise will have to do.
I know the pain
My English teacher assigned us an outline yesterday
That was due at 11:59 the same day...
Seriously?
That's insane
But...
I mean
That's the same as we were expected to do in exams
Two hours for a four page essay, 35 % of your grade.
I'm just surprised she hasn't given this thing earlier
My condolences
It's just...too many months until summer comes...
Anyway. Continuing on: what's your opinion of dungeon core stories?
Dungeon Core stories are novel. Very very interesting.
Generally, it almost always sets the context of being a god-like adversary.
Where morals and instincts always clash together somehow.
HOWEVER
It is a power-fantasy, and often heavily relies on LitRpg systems
And those things can grow old quickly.
It takes something to make it special
Yet not break the suspension of disbelief
That's a very valid argument.
Its not a commentary on all web novels, though, consider it as a trend that is common on RoyalRoad
I have to ask because I'm known for my intense dislike of this trope...
What's your view of harems?
Oh man.
Where to even start?
First of all, it is undoubtedly a power fantasy
And for the sake of being neutral
this is a thing that should be considered of both Harems and Reversed Harams
Of course
We shouldn't exclude anything
Indeed. Unfortunately, I could not continue my interview with Boxxy for long, so we had to part ways. This is it for the first interview!
Next!