Thanks for the ask!

Hoo boy! Yes, yes some for sure do. Tundra is a great example. His background as an assassin, trained from early childhood puts has him forever putting a harsh acceptance to life - life is short, cheap and expendable. He doesn't show his feelings well at all and he's too laid back otherwise to get angry when people misunderstand him.

It's a major problem for him, because he does care a great deal and he shows it with his consideration of the needs of his loved ones. He's the person who looks at problems and puts himself forward to fix it. Now, his way of fixing is really just kicking ass and taking names, but he's the first person to step up if his friends can't do something on their own. He thinks of his own needs last, which makes him reckless, but his heart is in the right place - even if he'll never just say so.

Thanks for the ask!

For Guardians of Las, while it wasn't so much a plot deviation but more a word limit issue, I had to drop a scene very early on with Zercey and Abaddon working together to complete sections of a training obstacle course. There wasn't enough time to introduce the concept and run-up to the plot point, plus it risked distracting from a later one in the book.

Thanks for the ask!

One character that would love to have the chance to warn her younger self is Vyxen. Vyxen is someone who lives life to the fullest, but that doesn't mean she lives without regret. She would tell her younger self to protect and save her father, and she would tell herself to never wander absentmindedly in the forest where her family lives.

Thanks for the ask!

Illthdar is a dark fantasy that emulates reality and one of the elements of that evil underside is that bigotry exists in several forms. (Apologies, baby hit answer before I could finish)

One example are the demons: by Illthdar definition, a being is a demon if their race's history involved evolution of some form. I.e., their kind came from certain people being transformed from something else. Angels are demons, tengu are demons, vampires and werewolves are demons and, technically so are butterflies.

how the characters deal with something so arbitrary differs. Magnilla's clan uses propaganda to bury this fact. Abaddon chooses to ignore the haters. Date has internalised it.

Thanks for the ask!

Arguably any of the human cast that's been on earth and knows what a TV show is would take it over Illthdar. So, in Guardians of Las, of the main cast, that's Seth, Tundra, Vyxen and Zercey. Not human Abaddon and Scyanatha, too, though they wouldn't mind as much either way.

Thanks for the ask!

It's probably a little silly, but it's hearing from people who read my work. It doesn't matter what the feedback is, I learned a lot from the negative, but knowing that someone read it and liked it or cared about it enough to tell me what they think is the best feeling. Back in my fanfiction days, I lived for it. Those same readers convinced me to take the next step and make my original work.

That's something I'll never forget, it's why I support fanfiction writers. The teeth they cut today practicing are the ones that will bring us the next generation of great stories.

Thanks for the ask!

In Guardians of Las, it's the first conversation between Seth and Abaddon. Even if he assumes the reason why Abaddon uses they-pronouns, he's still accepting and respectful. Likewise, Abaddon treats him as an equal in their chat - they are honest in their thoughts about the danger coming. It's a humanising moment for them both. But that's to be expected of the badass cinnamon rolls.

Thanks for the ask! Oof there is one thing: Magnilla.

See, her background is formed on the question of what a character nursed in a controlled propaganda cult and culture would look like. Most of the examples I drew from are the ugly Christian ones in the states. To be fair to Christianity, there are way more non-cult groups than cult ones. But it is about as awful as you can imagine. The biggest fear is that people will auto equate her to me hating the religion. I don't, and the balance is that Zercey is Catholic. I just think we need to own up and address the toxicity of hate groups who use religion as a device to hurt others. If people are offended by Magnilla, I want them to stop and consider why they think she's wrong and then actively work to end that toxicity in society.

I could have opted to not have her be in a Christian cult, but I fear more than the point would be lost than the hate mail I'm going to get. In the end, I want people to think about why it is wrong to be so extreme with faith. Magnilla is just one.