Update report 21

Hello everyone, Tyrus here. You already know what's up.

First of all, book progress is...slow. Being very transparent, I've done very little. Even though I've technically had quite a lot of free time, not much is being spent on my book. I'm really burnt out, even when I'm only two and a half chapters away from finishing. Along with the family issue still going on, mental exhaustion and burnout have been kicking my ass like a football. I'm still aiming for mid-fall, but when this was supposed to be finished back in May, I don't even know when it will be done, and when it SHOULD be done. I still want to give it the time it needs, but shit. Thing's have been really difficult recently. Things have NOT stopped, just moving very slow.

Second of all, as promised, I have a small QNA that I started last report. I want to answer some important questions I got across various accounts!

Q1: "Who's your favorite side character?"
A1: Without a doubt, Eris. She's not only REALLY fun to write, but she's definitely a fan-favorite too.

Q2: "Will we get to know more about Eris' backstory and Scott's backstory?"
A2: Yes. Admittedly, both were a little rushed in book 1, but the two are fleshed out more in book 2, especially Eris.

Q3: "Are any of the characters from book one (besides the squad and Vyrus) coming back into the 2nd book?"
A3: Yes. Almost everyone in book 1 will return to book 2 and most of the series too. Though, specifically for Vyrus, he will play more of a backseat role in book 2. He's not seen much, only mentioned a lot. This is by design to make him feel more like a presence than an actual slasher villain mixed with god-complex anime edge.

Q4: "Any new people joining the squads?"
A4: Not specifically the squads. New characters are inevitable with any sequel piece of media, but the squads will stay as squads. Both hero and villain characters will appear in book 2 without a doubt.

Q5: "Will the military be shown more in book 2?"
A5: Yes. The military ACTUALLY does something useful in book 2 other than see Vyrus, and instantly run away from his insane aura.

Q6: "If Flash could face another fictional character, who would you put him up against?"
A6: Despite the very obvious inspiration from Cloud Strife, I think Flash has a really solid matchup against Deku from My Hero Academia. Both show complete opposites of heroism: Deku is a bleeding heart, always putting himself in danger to save others, wanting to be the best hero every, and always strong enough to save people. Flash by comparison, is a desensitized, stoic type, always getting in danger with others against his will, just wanting to survive and kill The Advent, and being just strong enough to save himself, but rarely having the strength to save others. These two would either be great friends, or give each other a hell of a fight. Would really like an official crossover one day, if I ever get big enough.

Q7: "What genres would you try writing in next?"
A7: Obviously, Sci-Fi and Fantasy are my top picks, but here's a small list of things I'd like to write, from most wanted to least wanted: Adventure, Horror, Mystery, Comedy, and a few others.

Q8: "Okay but can Flash beat Goku?"
A8: AIN'T NOBODY BEATING GOKU!

Q9: "Biggest inspirations?"
A9: The biggest inspirations for The Advent include Final Fantasy 7 (Similar hero and villain, magic system, and grand planet theme) DOOM (For the bloody, gory combat) Metal Gear Rising (For the sci-fi aspects) And of course, Splatoon (Heavily inspired Oceanids and the general setting of The Advent.)

Q10: "Unrelated to writing, but what's your favorite video game?"
A10: For impact? Final Fantasy 7. Unironically changed my life forever. For what I play for fun? Team Fortress 2. Still play it a lot. Maybe you've met me as "iFlashboy" in some games. Say hi if you've seen me!

Q11: "What made you want to be a writer?"
A11: Big answer for this one: Okay, so, ever since I was young, I was almost ALWAYS playing make-believe, with toys, or just creating stories. I remember my first time writing a comic book was when I was, maybe 8 or 9. It was called "Bird Boy and Feather Freak," a superhero story inspired by Batman (Who I STILL think is the COOLEST fictional character to ever exist, despite naming my main character after another well known DC hero.) But as I was growing up, my passions lied more towards science, like being a paleontologist, or a scientist in general. It was only around 5th grade when I realized I actually wanted to be a youtuber, and I made my channel on August 10th 2015 (The ten year anniversary is coming up REALLY soon.) For a long time, I made videos and wanted to do that for life...until I lost interest in that too. So, my goals changed AGAIN, this time as a game developer. And then again, as an electrician. Then BACK to a scientist, specifically as a chemist. (I LOVE chemistry, and the knowledge helped keeping The Advent somewhat scientifically grounded.) As I was in high school taking my Chem class, as always when I was bored, I wanted to keep myself entertained by making up a chemist character. He was super smart, could solve any problem, and took the world by storm by just how intelligent and creative he was.
Only THEN did reality hit me: I spent so much more time AND have more fun creating this fictional character doing chemistry, than I ACTUALLY spent doing, or having fun doing chemistry MYSELF.
This realization was HUGE. After so many years of just making up stories to keep myself entertained, I realized that it's what I genuinely enjoyed doing. And this was near the end of my high-school days, so I figured it out real late in my life. After finally having my "Eureka!" moment, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to actually work on my stories instead of just using them as an escape from boredom or hardship. And if my stories made me happy, maybe they could make other people happy too. That's why I want to write, I want to genuinely help people through tough times just by giving them an escape, a character to believe in, or just something to live for. And I can write pretty much anything I want. By my count, I have about 12 different stories I want to write someday, and that's only in the last two years since I first started writing, (I started writing book 1 around this time in 2023) So, I'm going to keep doing that.

But also, the biggest thing for me was, uh...failing that chemistry class.
LISTEN OKAY, IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I MISSED A LOT OF STUFF, I COULDN'T HELP IT-

Okay, well, that's all the questions I got. Hope to see you guys next time. Thank you for reading, and I hope you all continue to anticipate the next installment in the Advent Novel series!

Incorrect Quote:
​
​Eris, handing out popsicles: Which flavor do you want? 
Mick: Blue flavor! 
Eris: Uh, you mean Blue Raspberry? 
Mick: Blue flavor! Blue flavor! 
Eris: Blue is not a flavor! 
Mick: BLUE FLAVOR!

​(Art by ​@shrimperini)