Yo.
I have been getting questions from readers about HTSAS. They wanted to know stuff and pointed out things that they thought stood out. I picked put a few very good questions and attempted to answer them.
"— Like how the HTSAS101 (That I only read to the point I’m making in chapter 6) has a girl that kept to herself pure and has her falling in love so much in 2 months time. Though I agree that there might be romance in the unknowing actions of the MC, in such a setting, where sacrifice is a thing, and that it might occur without him wanting a specific thing occurring, I feel as though the MC is not thinking of it enough. — "
Answer: I am the author of HTSAS101 and I read your comment. Thank you for the comment, I think this gives me the chance to explain a few things.
It is set is a Medieval society on the onset of many changes. Feminism has just taken roots(you will see glimpse of it in next chap), h.o.m.os.e.xuality is accepted but not widely talked about yet (again, there are few offhand comments in next chapter that will suggest this). I am telling this to convey how much layering has gone in making the world.
Now, Arin. She is 16, lives in a rich but rural village. Women empowerment was non-existent in Medival ages of earth, but it is shown that in Sangraal, it has taken root. Back to Arin, she is young, the age when they fall in love easily and without care. Remember in mind that it is a medieval society, and free/casual s.e.x is not a very prevalent thing. It exists, but not much. Also, Arin had never left the village, everything that was in the village is...familiar, mundane to her. Enter Rigel, a man from parts unknown, his habits, behaviour unknown and to Arin, strange and daring. Taking all this factors, is it very impossible to see why Arin had kept herself pure yet fell in love with MC in 2 months?
A lot of lore and backstory is cut since it feels like infodump. The festival, Midsummer Festival, is also an event when young women and men propose to each other. Then they are allowed to have "First Night" on the Night of Four Moons and they marry. Arin who knew about it, accepted the Sellanerna flower as his confession and makes love to him on the Night Of Four Moons/Midsummer Festival. This is evident when Karro tells Rigel in Chapter8, "I knew she had chosen you", indicating the Sellanerna in her hair.
Now, Arin imagines herself to be a progressive woman, at the same time she is also a simple village girl rooted in traditions. She uses the "First Night" to make love to her loved one. But...she considers herself progressive, so she hesitates to ask Rigel to marry her after the act. Remember her line something along that it was her first night where she trailed off.
Now, Rigel. A lot of work has gone into layering Rigel"s psychology. In Chapter 1, it was mentioned that he had depression before. He was clinically depressed at one point, the reason for which will be told later. He had come out of it back in earth.
Another thing mentioned is that he never felt in sync with the world. He always felt dissasociated. This is another mainstay of depressive behaviour. But, he was doing well back in Earth, so it wasn"t apparent.
What happens when all these extremely stressful events happen to him post-death? He is sent in an alien world, where he knows not neither the language, nor customs, nor food. He knows less than John Snow. Therefore, the sense of dissasociation starts again. It is indicated by the rising amount of him talking to himself about himself in 3rd person. He does that to feel...not lonely. He cracks stupid jokes inside his mind, telling it to himself to fend of his lonliness. He is breaking apart.
When Rigel interacts with Arin, notice that with chapter/plot progression, his thinking to himself in 3rd person slowly decreses until it dissapears. When stops cracking stupid jokes, his wit turns well...witty and flirting.
These all indicate the deep change happening Inside Rigel. The girl brought him out of a deep pit, making him alive again. It is not apparent like in stage drama, but the little actions...like when he thinks maybe her talking isn"t that bad is indicative of his changing feeling and how much he thinks of her. You haven"t read Ch7-8 if I am not mistaken. You will realize how much Rigel loves Arin in those 2.
"The MC seems to accept things easily. Why didn"t he struggle more while he was dying? It was your chance to show the more human side of MC"
Answer: Because, he died with a hole in his chest. He was shot at point blank with a machinegun/a.s.sault rifle. Triple Burst/Continuous mode and you are toast. Didn"t have time to engage in theatrics.
About accepting things easily. Yes, he does that. But...it is an important plot point about why he does, it will be exposed later. If you think I am lying and making up stuff...there are numerous times in already published chapters where Rigel himself alludes that he found it odd that he accepted easily. Because that is a build-up/foreshadowing.
"Why izz mC weak? dual sword or katana plzzzz. Why he use shield?"
Answer: Because, my friend, the action and weapons in HTSAS are...real. More than that, it is logical and a result of extensive research. I do not write katanas and huge-a.s.s swords because they are cool without thinking of their actual usage.
A man armed with a frozen tuna can beat you if you are not skillful with a Katana. It takes 7-10 years under a good master to learn that btw.
The parts MC is in right now is like Europe of Earth. The armour is plate mail style. Katana can"t do much against that. It is made for fish-plate amour and Eastern Leather armours. Nevermind all that, MC uses a shield because he isn"t stupid. Everyone sensible used shields in a war.
The weapon descriptions are as accurate as possible with details. There might be some twists added for adapting it to Sangraal.
"How will Rigel develop in second arc?"
Answer: Without divulging much details, let me say this. Psychology is a big part of the characters I create. I have tried to explore the Freudian concepts in Second arc, without saying a single thing about psychology. Remember, Rigel is 20, he is healthy with normal s.e.xual urges...well...there is a catch which I will explain later. But he has like a Chast.i.ty Belt in form of his Elder Circuit. Not like he can"t have relations...but the prices might be too steep.
Also, he is still in love with Arin, fatally so. In second arc, we will see how Rigel copes with his s.e.xual Frustration, his love for a dead woman and how his increasing urges affect his relationships. No, I am not writing a s.e.x-fantasy. I am writing the psychological aspects of it, how long can you love a person who isn"t there anymore...how far will you go for that person.
"Why so few chaps? Other writers post in 2-3 days...even 2 chaps in 1 day"
Answer: Err...well. Sangraal is crafted very meticulously. I have to balance the interactions, realism, fights ch.o.r.eography, weapons, psychology of each character, dialogues, the social constructs, the underlying socio-political situations...and sarcasm.
So, it takes time writing so many stuff and without real infodump. Besides, I do the Editing and Proofreading too. I also have a life, ya"know? I am a bit lazy too.
"the t.i.tle doesn"t match the story. too dark story for that t.i.tle"
Answer: Yeeeeeeeeah.
"Gap-Moe" is a j.a.panese concept. It can be explained as the attraction or appeal arising from the "gap" in expected and actual behavior. For example, a Violent character suddenly acts very soft in certain situation. GAP-MOE!!!
So, the t.i.tle is a gap-moe for the story.
If you just believed the above "gap-moe" thing...don"t. To be honest, I wrote the first chapter drunk and high as a kite. It was supposed to be a gag-story that lampoons the cliches. But...when I got sober and saw what I did, I had a prologue+Ch1 published...with the name HTSAS101. But I really liked the story and decided to continue it as a dark fantasy. So, now I just tell people that it"s gap-moe.
For now, that is all. folks! See you later with "Notice me, Durrendal Senpai Q&A!"
Author note: Guys please support me on royalroad too! please post reviews on the fiction page so that I know what you people think about the work. Honestly, this story needs reviews and ratings so that even more people can read it. Please help me! thanks in advance!
Link to RR- HTSAS1o1 on Royalroad