South Sea Q and A
Summary
The host answers listener questions regarding the "South Sea" novella, clarifying its connection to the "Awakening" cycle and explaining why certain cut scenes, like the sinking of the Fairy, will be rewritten as separate short stories. He details the origins of the "Silent Ones" (snail people), noting they were originally conceived for his fantasy setting and placed in the Manila Trench to avoid overlapping with Lovecraftian mythos. The discussion also covers the scope of the North American apocalypse, the author's deep personal resonance with maritime Southeast Asia, and his preference fo…
Topics discussed
South Sea connection to Awakening and cut content
Narrative focus and potential short story expansions
Naval warfare perspectives and regional attack scenarios
Geographic scope of the storm and blackout zones
Survival in Arizona and the reality of shipwrecks
Origins of the Snail People in fantasy settings
Design choices and the weirdness of snail biology
Geographic placement and Lovecraftian mythos integration
Bioengineered attack animals and domestication
Writing process: outlining vs. organic discovery
Dreams, scene deployment, and narrative flow
Snail People social structure and naming conventions
The Dreamer's manipulation and civilizational corruption
Pacific Northwest vs. ancient landscapes for horror
Personal resonance with Southeast Asia and the Balkans
Future goals of the invasion and ecological details
Pre-abrahamic architecture and cultural influences
Language skills and the choice of Taggart's weapon
Interactions with Below Folk and regional familiarity
Folklore influences and local ghost stories
Drafting process, editing, and physical writing habits
Taggart as an exaggerated version of the author
Critique of academia and educational conformity
AI takeover, human nature, and philosophical views
Pulp fiction inspirations and podcast platform issues
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