Sapphire Verdict Short Q&A

Once again, it’s that time of the week, though, I’m speaking to you from the past since I’m writing this on Monday instead of Wednesday like I usually do. Don’t blame me. Blame my alarm clocks ruining my weekly schedule…

For this week, we’re once again in a bit of a lull. I finished the map and am still venting heat from that whole process, so it’s going to be a minute before I can ramp back up again. That being said, I did start the next project I want to work on, so that will be coming down the pipe at some point in the nearish future. Since I have some down time, however, I figured that I would go ahead and cover some of the things from the Sapphire Verdict that I haven’t really touched on before. These aren’t really story spoilers, but, rather, are instead some fun trivia pieces related to how parts of the world were formed, what the book actually is and what it was meant to be, and maybe a few other juicy tidbits should I elect to add them. So, let’s get started!

What came first? The Fennec, or the Sapphiria.

So, this has been a question I’ve actually been asked a few times. Anyone that knows me assumes the Fennec came first, but that actually isn’t true. Sapphiria was created sometime around 2011 if I recall correctly, and her design was purely from the thought process of ‘What would be a unique race I haven’t seen before?’ Yes, at the time, I had no idea at all that furries existed. Blame my upbringing for making me so sheltered.

Anywho, I wanted Sapphiria’s race to be a mix between foxes and wolves, a combination that looked cool in my head, but Sapphiria herself was supposed to be a genetic anomaly. I thought giving her big ears and 7 tails would make her unique amidst her people, but I had no idea at all that Fennec foxes existed. Funnily enough, this is ACTUALLY what led me to even like Fennecs in the first place. If you had shown me a Fennec in a vacuum with no Sapphiria, I honestly doubt I would have cared, but them looking like her gives them a special place in my heart.

How long have you been writing for?

I really don’t want to answer this one, but yolo lol. I started writing in a journal aaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the way back in… 2007? I honestly don’t remember, but it was a totally different story that was based on fantasy and hopping between worlds, something sorta inspired by the books I had been reading at the time. I didn’t start writing on a computer until sometime after that, and it was for, yet again, a totally different universe that may or may not have survived in some aspects within the Sapphire Verdict (I’m not dropping any spoilers here.) The Sapphire Verdict itself was started in late December 2014, and it took me about 6 months to write my full first pass through all three books. At the time, I was proud of myself, but then I realized I had opened myself up to the hell that is editing. Cue the next however many years… I’m not looking forward to that anniversary.

What exactly is the genre of your book?

Science-Fiction/Fantasy, but the waters get a bit murky because of how I did it. Obviously, the story is about the rise of Sapphiria as the Sapphire empress, so it bridges the gap between where she started on a more fantastical world ignorant to sci-fi tropes and where she ends up as the figurehead of an entire galactic empire. However, it’s not an even split amongst these first three books. Instead, I would call the first two books almost pure fantasy, and then the third is the one where the science Fiction gets brought out. Still, that being said, only about half of the last book is science fiction, so it still leans towards fantasy at the moment. Once we’re out from these first three, future books will be a LOT more cut and dry. I don’t want to spoil too much, but we’re looking at a Science Fiction one, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and then a whole lot of science fiction after that. I leave it up to you to guess what each of those could be about.

Who are your villains?

Ooooooo, that’s a fun question! So, I use the term villain in a very, VERY specific set of circumstances. To me, a villain is someone who is truly evil. They are someone who takes action for purely malicious reasons, not someone who can act in a villainous way for reasons that aren’t necessarily malicious. Because of that, the first two books of the Sapphire Verdict have antagonists, not villains. In book one, the large antagonist duo would be the likes of Hinaro and Kera, the two most hostile candidates that have set their sights on eliminating Sapphiria from the competition at all costs. While they are absolutely acting in a hostile manner, it’s not necessarily a them problem. All of society believes the same thing they do, so the morale territory here gets a bit grey. That being said, they aren’t truly evil by heart, so, not villains. Then, in book 2, we have another antagonist that I don’t want to spoil. He opposes Sapphiria for selfish reasons related to protecting himself, and, by the end of the book, it actually turns out that he isn’t the final boss that she must defeat. Again, I’m not spoiling that.

Book 3 is where the true villain rears his head. James Stockton is my ultimate villain for what I’m calling this first arc. He’s the head of the UEC, United Earth Confederacy, and has no morals whatsoever. Everything and everyone is just another tool on the board to him, and he isn’t afraid to hurt and kill anyone if it means consolidating his power. His goals are quite simple. Never stop seeking more power, and that’s what drives him to oppose Sapphiria. I won’t spoil anything here, but he’s the one responsible for what happens to her world, and he’ll be responsible for an untold number of other atrocities going forward as he continues to manipulate all of the pieces on the board without their knowledge.

Do you have any gay characters?

Should have expected a question like this and the answer is ‘REDACTED.’

Out of all the ships you’ve made, which is your favorite?

This one is tough for me to answer because I’m fond of quite a few of them. I think if I had to answer right this second, I would be inclined to say either the Baltigon or the Naudilon, a Sapphire Eye battlecruiser and battleship respectively. The Naudilon has a very angular and sharp design that is quite unique, but the Baltigon has a vertical design and a pattern that makes it look like a radiant starburst. I can’t decide between the two, but it’s one of them.

Who’s your favorite character?

Sapphiria. Like, seriously, I wouldn’t be writing a GIGANTIC BOOK ABOUT HER IF IT WASN’T HER.

How many books are you planning?

Hehe… Uhh, do I have to answer this? I’ll at least say that we’re looking solidly at double digits.

The way the book is structured is that it’s in three acts. We’re obviously in Act 1, and Act 1 won’t end until we’ve dealt with the Stockton situation. Then there’s Act 2 which will deal with the second of my ‘major villains’, and then Act 3 will deal with the third and final one that all of the others will build up to. Minor spoilers for that third one, but if you see any language in this book that isn’t English and seems made up, you should probably pay attention to it… Hint Hint Wink Wink

So, is Sapphiria just going to kill all of us off?

Well, with the setup of the first book, it will certainly seem that way. Her empire is prepared for war, and by the end of the third book, that war will be kicked off in full, and it will not be short. It’s going to last many years, but it may not end the way everyone expects. Anyone else remember those old WWE memes where some unexpected fighters comes in off the ropes out of nowhere and just starts bodying the fighters in the ring? I’m not saying a third fighter is going to enter this war and body both the Sapphire Eye and the UEC at the same time… but a third fighter might be coming in out of nowhere to body the Sapphire Eye and the UEC.

Also, Stockton exists, so… Interpret that how you will.

Is Sapphiria going to be a villain?

The short answer to this is ‘no.’ The long answer is a little more of analysis about what makes someone a villain. Is her war against the UEC going to be an abhorrent act and kill billions? Yes. Is she necessarily wrong for going after them? With the information that she has… I think the answer is no. In her eyes, the UEC has slaughtered at least four different civilizations for no reason other than xenophobia. If you saw a rabid dog in your neighborhood and watched it kill a bunch of other dogs, would the solution be to make peace with it? That was the dilemma that she faced, so, I think her decision truly does fall in the more morally grey territory.

What kind of bird is Atom modeled after?

So, in the book, Atom is modeled after a type of imaginary bird that is native to Sapphiria’s home world. In terms of general shape on our world, he’s more similar to a house finch than anything else. If you google House Finch, the first image that pops up is basically what I see Atom as, just obviously more mechanical.

Were any of your characters inspired by real people?

Nope! Not a single one is based on anyone in real life. These characters are all meant to be their own individuals and have their own lives, so I did my absolute best to avoid copying anyone I know.

Are Sapphiria’s people naked if they don’t wear robes?

… Yes… I’m still a little shocked this was a question, but I guess it’s fair since I don’t outright address it at any point. Sapphiria’s people wear clothes just like us. Shirt, pants, and then a robe on top of it. There can be some difference depending on location, but that’s pretty much universal for them. Also, to answer the other piece of the question I got, they do all wear sandals. The only exceptions are related to the legions and extreme climates, like the desert, volcano, or polar regions. I would NOT go to the Frozen Scar with sandals.

Why is Sapphiria considered a freak?

This gets answered in the book, but to provide additional information here, Sapphiria’s people are heavily built around tradition. After the Clockwork Crisis, the war that nearly destroyed their world, the Archons at the time listed out explicitly what colors were accepted in society. This was done not to alienate anyone, but to actually be as inclusive as possible. When the Crisis ended, only the Crimson Empire was left standing. The Archons were worried that people would feel alienated and unwelcome in an empire named after the color crimson, so they created the tradition of colors so everyone would know they belong. Unfortunately, at the time, no blue krysheek had ever existed, so they never imagined that Sapphiria would eventually be born a thousand years down the line. Because of this oversight, Sapphiria is treated as a freak.

Wrapping Up

It’s definitely fun to ponder different questions and answer them because they give further insight into the world that I’ve created. I definitely wouldn’t mind doing more posts like this, so if anyone comes up with anything, feel free to message me on twitter! In the meantime, I really don’t have much else to go over this week. Next week, I will hopefully be posting a new art piece for twitch, and I’m also working on the setup for the next piece that will follow, and that one will be quite impactful. Let’s just say another face is looking to get filled in on my universe page!

For now, that’s all I’ve got! Thanks again for reading my weird thought rambling blog posts, and, as always… CHEERS!

The Flying Fennec