Omake – Q&A Part III

Q: Aurora had some pretty good success in her first couple of outings as a hero. We see how she feels and thinks about what she’s up to, but what can you tell us about what everyone else around her thinks?

What does everyone think of her? Well, her Goonie loves her unconditionally. Quinn, in her own way, prepared her for worse. ? 

Quinn loves her too, of course, but life has pulled her away from her adopted sister and cousin. Still, that’s pretty obvious to any reader. And everyone knows Ruffino has little patience for heroes—especially a mouthy one who refuses to play along.

As for Leona herself, she’s not as confident as she seems. Beneath the bravado, she’s always worrying that she won’t measure up to the kind of heroine she hopes to be.

There’s truth to the idea that genuine kindness resonates with people—some respond to it with their whole heart. Others… never do. The Sentinels hold Aurora in high regard, even though the spirit she harbors is a potential catastrophe waiting to happen. It’s not just the resurrection of an S-Rank villainess that concerns them. There’s also the looming question of what the Oubliette Nebula could do to Earth if the eldritch beings were ever given a true foothold.

Mistral certainly loves Aurora, but she also serves as one of her monitors. There’s a saying about that—something about keeping one’s enemies closer… Not that Mistral would ever hate the ever cuddly Aurora the way she is.

Sarah loves Leona, but love and hate are often two sides of the same coin. It’s why, after a painful breakup, deep love can morph into an almost forbidden hatred. And sometimes, under the right (or wrong) conditions, people who loathe each other can fall just as deeply in love.

Q: In this volume, we’re starting to see aspects of the wider superheroing world, is there anything you’d like to tease? Any new things about the world you care to spoil in advance?

All I can say is that in Book 3, Aurora will travel even farther from home than Canada. Originally, this was a short arc centered on her adventure with Mistral while a mysterious villain attacked her hometown. But like everything else, it’s been refined.

The old content now makes up about half the book, while the new arc expands Aurora’s journey with fresh challenges and experiences. Why wait until Elodie Elegy to introduce new elements when there was so much room for An Ill Wind to grow?

I’m really happy with how the book has turned out—though it’s still awaiting the benefits of AA’s touch, refining and elevating key moments. As for the future, if there’s room in my current plans, I might even consider a team-up with either Vanguard or the Midnight Avenger.