A
COMPLETE 180° FAQ
ABOUT FAQ
Are you planning to do a FAQ for LNOL?: Hehe, look at the bottom of this FAQ.
If we ever have questions for you in the future, will you just update your Faq or wait til another anniversary?: I'm always open for questions, so ask away. These FAQs will remain available for as long as I remember them, so I plan on updating them occasionally with fresh questions.
ABOUT 180 (and the
writing process)
How did you get the
idea that started it all? We know SS was born from a "what-if..."
question you had, but what about 180? How was that born?: Honestly, it began with me questioning
myself. Could I write a happy romance
with humor in it? I'd never tried to write a romance before or a comedy, so I wanted to challenge
myself. The idea that inspired the plot itself came from two manga: "Summer Has Come Again"
by Kazusa Takashima(the Ken
and Kasumi chapters within one of her manga collections), and "Love is
Always Like a Storm" chapter "I Guess I Love You After All!" by Tokiya Shimazaki. I believe that
"Summer Has Come Again" has been licensed in
Estimate how many more chapters A Complete 180 will have? You seem to have your stories almost completely planned out... so... how many more chapters do you think there will be?: As of chapter 16, the story will have about six to eight more chapters. Originally, there were only going to be five more parts, but with my attempt to write shorter chapters, the story might get drawn out a little more than expected.
About when do you
think you'll be finished?: I have no
idea. I wish I could just sit down and punch out a chapter every week, but for
some reason, it's very difficult for me to predict how my environment and moods
and such will line up. While I get plenty of opportunity to write, friends and
family and life issues don't always give me the peace of mind I need in order
to write. So... I could be finished with the story within a year, or it may
take even longer.
Oh, and I would like to see the rough process for 180: I can arrange that, but not this chapter, sadly. For the actual story, I have a rough outline of things that need to happen. Then for each chapter, I have a more detailed summary of what will happen in that chapter, which gets more and more detailed as I write. And as I write the chapter itself, I delete the summary when I accomplish the summarized events. Therefore, by the end of the chapter, I have no summary left to show anyone. So maybe next chapter I will be able to share~ Here's some of my handwritten notes (very, very old): http://uzumaki.roadtodawn.net/Complete/180notes2.jpg
The Plot - I'm always impressed with how much detail you put into it all, do you have lots and lots of notes? It's all so detailed and so much to keep up with all at once, I'm interested!: My notes are mostly kept in my outline and summaries (as mentioned in the above question), but I do carry around a small writing journal. When I get inspired, I jot down the ideas that come to mind. There are probably quite a few ideas for 180 in there that I never pursued. It'd be interesting to go back and look at them... But yes, I guess that means I do have a lot of notes for 180?! Not nearly as much as SS, though. XD
Do you have a usual drink/food you drink/eat while writing A Complete 180?: LOL, I never even thought about that. I guess it's the same as what I eat/drink while writing in general, which is coffee (or a frappuccino if I'm lucky) and something to go with it, like... cookies or a small piece of cake or something. But that's only about 25% of the time I'm writing. Oh, cranapple juice. I tend to drink that a lot, too!
Also, how is life with you? :3 It's interesting to hear about the author as well: Life could be better. XD I could have a better job and get paid more. But the good thing about my job is that, when things get quiet, I can open up one of my files, and just start writing. Getting paid to write! Which is awesome. Lately it's been busy at work, though, so I don't get to do that as much. Other than that, I'm pretty happy. I'd like to work more on my original writings, but I want to get SS (and maybe 180) finished first... Thanks for asking!
SPECIFIC
CHARACTERS
How did Axel know
about Leon's feelings for Riku? Does anyone else suspect it too?: Axel is a
scarily observant person, but
I want to know more about Axel and how he turned out the way he did. What happened to him and Riku? But I figure that's too spoilerish. Eh. If you have any information you can divulge about Axel I'll be happy: Haha, definitely too spoilerish, but I can try giving some information about him that doesn't spoil too much of the events in LNOL, the prequel. Axel has an obsession with Jack Skellington and loves coffee. He got his tattoos when he was a senior in high school and almost got kicked out because it was a strict private academy (Shinra Academy, the same place Riku went to). He likes to wear hoodies and other casual clothes, but sometimes he gets dressy in a vintage way (like blazers with band shirts). He has a lot of eccentric friends, like Larxene who wants to be a beautician, and Demyx who plays guitar and wants to become famous for it. His family life is unknown right now, but I've always pictured him with a sibling or two. I assume I'll develop his past more as I write more of LNOL. :
Axel - I know we will
learn so much more about his reasoning in both of the stories so you can't say
much but, he really does have his own side to all this doesn't he? and isn't
just a 'evil jerk that broke Riku's heart' theres
more to it yes? Cause the Sora and Axel scenes have me interested for
sure: Oh definitely, Axel isn't just
an evil jerk that broke Riku's heart. There's far more to the story than
anyone's telling. However, that's not to say that whatever Axel did to Riku,
Axel doesn't deserve Riku's hatred. Riku does
have every reason to hate Axel. But that doesn't mean that Axel can't make
friends with new people. :D
Irvine! will there be more of him? cause I love his character and the back story that you've given him: Yup! Irvine will definitely make a comeback in 180. He'll also appear in a few chapters of LNOL, the prequel, to explain his past with Riku.
And how will Roxas enter? (Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here.): Such a popular question! But my lips are sealed~
Tidus! what is he going to do? he seems to have captured Sephiroth's interest for now and I don't know whether that's a good thing, a bad thing or just plain both. Is he going to be upset by Sora leaving?: Tidus is going to go to the photoshoot in Atropos because he doesn't want to miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But yes, it's very possible that doing so will be good, bad, or just plain both. XD And he will probably be upset by Sora leaving, but he will have something to make him feel better.
Who is Cloud's ex-girlfriend? / Did you make Melissa Pierce up?: Melissa Pierce is from the Squaresoft game Parasite Eve, which was released some time between FF7 and FF8. I needed a pretty gal who would look good with Cloud, and she fit my needs. Of course, if I had written that chapter now, I might have picked a more recently designed Nomura gal, maybe one from The World Ends With You or Crisis Core... Oh well, too late for that now.
"Is ___(character)___ going to be in this story?!": I try use characters based on the plot's needs, not because I want to cram a bunch of names in. Most of the random names cropping up in 180 do tie back into the prequel LNOL or 180's future chapters in one way or another.
Zack (from FFVII): he's already been briefly mentioned in the story in a previous chapter, so he'll most likely make an appearance somewhere in LNOL (the prequel). Maybe 180, but I'm not sure yet.
Organization XIII members: plans have been made for almost all of them. A lot of them already have roles in LNOL and may or may not show up in 180.
Roxas: he will definitely be in 180, but not LNOL.
RIKU'S FAMILY
In LNOL, Riku's aunt seemed very cold and strict to me but she was a lot warmer and more human in 180. Am I imagining it? Was that done on purpose because of the different timelines?: You're not imagining it, but it's not because of the different timelines. Riku's aunt is still very much a very cold and strict bitch to Riku. But mostly, it's only to Riku. She was kind of warm and more human to Sora because he wasn't Riku, basically. She's very friendly and outgoing to most people, but she's somewhat of a gossipy, vicious viper behind people's backs. She has quite a lot of public masks, but Riku sees a lot of her bad sides.
Where is Riku's old bedroom? I think I recall him staying in a spare room so whatever happened to his old one?: Wow, I kind of forgot about this, but that's true. The bedroom he's staying in now is what used to be a spare room. His parents' bedroom is probably the Premium Room now, so Riku's old bedroom would have to be the White Room, Black Room, or Moogle Room. For the sake of irony, let's say it was the White Room!
Was it hard for Riku to move back into his old house? (Because of memories of his parents? Or was he too young to remember anything?): He remembers a little about his house, but he was hardly ever in it because he was always outside playing with Sora or over at Sora's house. I think that probably it was a little hard for Riku to move back into the old house, but probably more surreal than anything else. We don't really get to see that side of Riku because he had already been in the house for a few hours by the time Sora showed up at the end of chapter one, but it'd be an interesting perspective to pursue at a later date.
SORA'S FAMILY
Do Sora's grandparents think of Sora as a burden on his mother and the family or have they shown an interest in seeing him/having him visit?: I have no idea about this one. I never really thought about Seiya's parents, therefore I have no idea what Sora's grandparents are like, or what they think about Sora. I always assumed Seiya's parents kind of disowned her, or at least her father did, and her mom is the one who sends the money every few weeks to help Seiya out. From that much info, I can kinda picture Seiya's dad to be this really strict Japanese man, and Seiya's mom to be this pretty American/British lady (not sure about her personality--I can see her as mousey, sultry/deceptive, OR liberal...) I can see both parents being the ones who got her into storytelling. Like, her mother was probably into fairytales, and her father was probably more into the didactic tales, so she got a strong background in both. I don't know what they think about Seiya now or how they feel about Sora... I don't even know if Seiya sends them pictures of him from time to time.
Does Seiya have siblings? Nieces? Nephews? [If there are] Do they show an interest in Sora/feel he is a burden? Will we ever see them in the story?: No idea about this one, either. I guess, though, if Seiya is part Japanese, her father probably wouldn't have disowned her unless he was sure he had some sort of heir, preferably male. So she probably has an older brother at least, though I have no idea who it'd be or if I'd have to make him up. And an older brother raised "straight" means that he probably has kids by now, which means Seiya might have nieces and nephews that she's never met. Makes me wonder who they might be, too. I wonder what Seiya's brother would be like. Would he think of her as a burden or something taboo to talk about? Or is he actually concerned about her and Seiya is the one who keeps herself estranged?
What was Seiya's family like? Middle Class? Traditional? Wacky?: I used to assume her family was middle class, but now I'm thinking they're higher class and traditional, otherwise Seiya might not have felt the need to move away like she did.
Is Sora's dad still on Clotho?: I know this one. XD Sora's dad Sion is on Atropos, and has been there for a few years.
More info on Sora's family? Is there a chance of a run in with any family of his? With his looks being so like his father's family...: There's a definite chance that Sora might run into some of his family in the future. That probably won't be in 180, though.
Personally, do you think that Sion has a right to know about Sora or do you agree with Seiya about not telling him?: Phew... tough question. On one hand, if I were Sion, I'd probably want to know I had an illegitimate son running around, but I think if Seiya had actually revealed it to Sion, it might have ruined their lives. Seiya might have been infatuated with Sion, but there was no telling that those feelings would grow into actual love, and Sion only had a bodily desire for her in return. It was risky on her part, and maybe a bit selfish of her (since Sora was never given a chance to know his family), but it was also really selfless, too. She chose to raise him alone, and spare the drama in Sion and Dominique's lives.
RELATIONSHIPS (or
lack thereof)
Are we gonna see Sora in a relationship with anyone besides Riku
in this story?: Most likely not.
Sora really is Rikusexual in that aspect. (That's not
to say he won't start seeing other people in a new light, though!)
Are we gonna see Tidus in a relationship with anyone? You don't have to say who (if anyone) for the sake of spoilers...: In a relationship, no, but he definitely decides to pursue someone.
Is Kairi going to
have a love interest? It's be nice if she did too, lol: I've thought about this for YEARS. At one
point, even toyed with the idea of having her get a crush on Selphie or another
girl, but I decided that would too much of a change in her character too
quickly. But, at this point in the story, it's a little late for her to take an
interest in someone. That's not to say it's impossible, since I've been keeping
my eye open for a good opportunity... I tend to prefer the writing philosophy
that "not everyone has to end up with someone else to be happy," but
in the case of Kairi, I do want to
end the story with some hint of her finding someone. I'm just not sure if it'll
happen.
Do you intend to make
Cloud with Sephiroth just like that? If not, (which I gladly support) when
would his relationship with
What did happen between Seifer and Squall? It's always interesting hearing from people who do or do not like certain characters: I'm really looking forward to delving more into Squall's past!! Unfortunately, it has to wait until LNOL gets that far. Let's just say, for now, Rinoa is involved. (But I like LNOL Rinoa, she's cool <3)
And will there be TidusSephiroth?: That remains to be seen. ;D
And will Riku and Sora
get married? XD Uh...like after all the events and such?: Awww, that
would be so cute. XD But not in the events of the story. But it could happen
afterward when they're older~
LIKE
NO ONE'S LOOKING FAQ
Will the bus pervert from chapter one make another appearance?: Originally, I had planned for the bus pervert to be a random encounter. People enter and leave our lives, and sometimes we never hear from them again. But after several of you readers continued bringing up Riku's trouble with the bus pervert, the random encounter turned into something else. Usually I try not to cater to my audience's wants, because it can lead to problems in the story later, but someone pointed out that 180/LNOL is also about chance/fate/destiny tying people together, and also pointed out that if readers point something out enough, usually that should tell the author about that something. I agree. With so many people interested in the bus pervert, I'm heavily leaning towards developing that random encounter into something bigger.