- In your eyes, how do you see the difference between Jamie and Hikari? Less from a promo standpoint, more from their current impact and influence on EAW, how you go about telling their stories or where you see them ending up once you call it a wraps for e-fedding?
- How do you personally view EAW now compared to how you felt when you first came in/reached the top?
- What made you decide to return with the Yhwach character, and what about the namesake inspired you to use it?
- Why did you tell me the Bleach dub sucked when it had my lord and savior Patrick Seitz as Isshin?
Jamie was just me being me. Learning, developing, growing. I had my hopes and expectations, but the character just naturally developed through what I learned over the years. He was raw, vanilla, didn't have much of an identity aside from a few monikers to kick around. Hikari is taking all those lessons and going through a new journey with all that in mind plus a little bit of doing so in a new era of EAW which I'll touch on next. Jamie's spot is that proper father figure kinda spot, proud of his children, proud of what EAW has become, Hikari is the child going through phases, more bold than Jamie was in his rise and dealing with different issues, different consequences for her actions etc. In terms of where I see them ending up, who knows. Jamie's time will come eventually and I think I've got a solid idea when, I'll be happy to cast him off sailing towards the sunset by any means. With Hikari, I think her story has naturally become one of persevering and becoming the Universal Womens Champion will be that really nice highpoint. Whatever comes next after, whenever the wheels fall off for her, who knows. Its less certain for her.
I felt EAW when I joined had an old guard that was pretty difficult to break into. I felt the opportunities were there for people, but not quite what they are today, and it was much more on the fly, so a little more uncertain whether or not someone was going to get their fair break. Someone like Cam is a good example of being overlooked and put aside in favour of others definitely less deserving just because of cliques. These days, the community seems significantly more healthy and open; people are going to get what they deserve based on the effort they put in. Less being overlooked for the sake of mates etc.
So Yhwach was a character that I pieced together over a good while, maybe a year or so. Just as a side piece that I never really believed I was going to bring back. Much of the character was designed around a lot of the arrogance Jamie had picked up over the years and the more aggressive side I wrote in the feud with Kass. Believing in his God status, being untouchable, being immeasurable. It was at a time where I wasn't sure if I was going to bring Jamie back at all, so if I did, Yhwach was going to be the last real arc for the character, one that aimed to tarnish his 'good natured' legacy and all that, sever the indecision that Jamie would have had with returning as opposed to staying home and being a day, with the intent that Yhwach would get comfortable being the big bad guy in EAW to a point where he turns on destroying his family instead in order to preserve his place in EAW
As for inspiration, ya know. I absolutely love Yhwach as a villain in Bleach and felt the imposing nature of the character fit perfectly with the character so it made sense. Basically how Yhwach is presented is how I imagined Jamie walking through EAW on his last run.
I'm a man who likes to surprise people. Don't get mad pls.