The interview was conducted with Cuttlefish That Loves Diving after the ending of the Lord of Mysteries on the Bilibili platform on May 25th, 2020.
Foreword[]
Bilibili Editor: A while ago, thanks to a wonderful twist of fate, your humble editor had the opportunity to meet and get to know the author of Lord of Mysteries, Cuttlefish That Loves Diving. That's how this interview came to be. Last weekend, I brought along readers' and fans' questions for the interview. Even though it was a clear and sunny day, I still sensed an indescribable horror. Fortunately, I did not lose control from being in the presence of our resident Lord of Mysteries. And, without failing the expectations and hopes of every fan, I was able to complete the interview.
The following is the interview content, divided into four parts, with questions related to the plot and story of Lord of Mysteries.
About the Lord of Mysteries[]
Q1: What nationality was the Evernight Goddess before the cataclysm?
Cuttlefish: When doing the background settings, She's set to be closer to being a European.
Q2: Can the Evernight Goddess read Roselle's Diary?
Cuttlefish: If the Spirit World hasn’t been destroyed once before, then the Evernight Goddess could utilize divination and prophecies to read Roselle's Diary, but it’s no longer possible.
Q3: Towards the end Audrey created a Virtual Persona to stay by her parents’ side, would this fake version of Audrey have to face the possibility of marriage or childbirth? How would this be resolved?
Cuttlefish: A demigod of the Visionary Pathway could easily resolve this kind of problem. The matter she is most concerned with at present is the reawakening of The Fool and making preparations for the impending apocalypse. From a historical perspective, during Victorian-era England, many women from the middle class and above chose to remain single or marry at an older age. In addition, many pre-Victorian-era firstborn noble daughters lived unmarried, partly due to the ideological trends of the time, as well as the familial responsibilities that came with being the firstborn of a noble house and the related inheritance conflicts if they were to marry.
Q4: When would Roselle's Demoness card make its appearance?
Cuttlefish: In the next book (Crowd: hehehe)
Q5: Can sequence 1 of the Savant Pathway create Gundams?
Cuttlefish: Absolutely, as the first book has already expanded the stage into space, there will be some things of that kind in the future.
Q6: Under the current level of technology that is understood by civilizations in the setting of LoM, if a Beyonder of the Savant pathway attempts to create something technologically advanced, would they be impeded by the existing level of technology and the amount & type of energy they could utilize?
Cuttlefish: The core concept of the Savant Pathway is to lead civilization towards developmental leaps. From a mystical perspective, high-sequence Savant Beyonders could rub their hands together[Note 1] and create a Gundam or something related to nuclear fusion without difficulty. However, they wouldn’t be able to achieve mass production of these things, which is necessary to change the world. Due to Earth currently being in a sealed state, many resources are restricted, limiting a Savant’s ability to realize mass production. The world of LoM needs Savants to advance the development of technology and energy through Mysticism.
Q7: Fors once had a pink dream, which male character did she dream of?
Cuttlefish: I really can’t say (laughs). We have to give the lady some privacy.
Cuttlefish: When I was setting up the Aurora Order and other organizations, I would often create a lot of actual members and then delegate these members to be responsible for various regions; they wouldn’t all come into play, their purpose was to make the world’s background and structure grander and more realistic.
Q9: After Klein ascended to godhood, how much of his human emotions remain?
Cuttlefish: After ascending to godhood, Klein’s emotions will be relatively faint, as the process of becoming a God is a constant struggle between humanity and divinity, he will only be able to retain the strongest parts of his humanity and emotions.
Q10: The Ancient Sun God prophesied that “Amon is the light of the apocalypse”, was that referring to him stopping the Brood Hive from descending upon the world through Mr. Door?
Cuttlefish: Half of what the prophecy implicates are reflected in that event, the other half may appear in the second book.
Q11: Would the Hounds of Fulgrim have the possibility of being revived? If not, how would future Scholar of Yore promote?
Cuttlefish: The Hounds of Fulgrim are thoroughly dead. Regarding the promotion of Scholars of Yore, the characteristics belonging to the Hounds of Fulgrim were absorbed by Zaratul, who was shattered by Klein. These pieces may create new creatures or turn into Sealed Artifacts.
Q12: Why is the Son of Chaos so honest and frank?
Cuttlefish: Because his intelligence was lowered by the aura of The Fool. (laughs)
Q13: Will Roselle recover in Book 2? Will he be able to live with his daughter?
Cuttlefish: Roselle will be involved in quite a lot of events in Book 2, but I haven’t come up with any specific arrangements yet.
Q14: Could Bernadette possibly learn Chinese in the future and be able to understand Roselle's Diary?
Cuttlefish: No, she won’t, but someone may tell her in the future. Klein released a lot of transmigrators towards the end of Book One, and some of them may understand Chinese.
Q15: With the appearance of so many Transmigrators, how would you arrange their involvement in the story?
Cuttlefish: Among these Transmigrators, some of them will become important side-characters in the Book 1, some of them would come together to create alliances.
Q16: Was the founder of the Moses Ascetic Order, who invented the Golden Armor Art, the God of Steam and Machinery? Would the God of Steam and Machinery be involved in the plot of the next book?
Cuttlefish: At the moment, I can only say that the birth of the God of Steam and Machinery is related to the Moses Ascetic Order. Clues related to the God of Steam and Machinery will be relatively important in the second book. To begin with, one of Cattleya's current missions is to investigate the revival of the Hidden Sage, this relates to the relationship between the Moses Ascetic Order and the God of Craftsmanship of the Fourth Epoch. Additionally, I plan to make Intis and Lenburg the primary stage for the activities of the main character in the second book.
Q17: Would the Tarot Club recruit more members while The Fool slumbers?
Cuttlefish: The seats on the Tarot Club will not increase, but its members may create their own organizations and recruit direct subordinates.
Q18: Some readers think that Zaratul is both friend and teacher to Roselle, does friendship exist between them outside of taking mutual advantage of each other?
Cuttlefish: There is some shallow friendship, but that is all. Zaratul’s preparations for his own revival in the second book will also be an important hint.
Q19: Would the relatively unpopular sequences such as the Criminal or Monster pathway have more of a part to play plot-wise in the future?
Cuttlefish: The Criminal Pathway's screen time will increase in the next book. The Monster Pathway is a bit special, some of its special characteristics and behavior may be shown and reflected more in Book 3.
Q20: Cuttlefish previously said that the protagonist for Book 2 may be of the Hunter pathway, what were the considerations behind this?
Cuttlefish: My current plan might use the Hunter Pathway, considering that the story might not be suspenseful this second time around (since the majority of the world-building is over), I would need to feature a sequence that is as interesting as possible. Additionally, those of the Hunter Pathway have a shot at becoming a god.
Q21: Would there be more outstanding Demoness antagonists in the next book?
Cuttlefish: There most definitely will be. You can’t write about a Hunter without including Demonesses.
Q22: Why does the doctrine of the Demoness Sect say that the Primordial Demoness is the Original Creator's true child?
Cuttlefish: This is related to a very important plot development in the second book.
Q23: What would happen when a Demoness and Hunter pathway combine together?
Cuttlefish: A real Hermaphrodite.
Q24: How can our little Mr.Moon avoid the inevitable change of sex at a higher sequence?
Cuttlefish: He could switch from Moon Pathway Sequence 2 to Planter Pathway Sequence 1 Naturewalker.
Q25: When could we expect the release of Book 2?
Cuttlefish: Around two years later. My next book wouldn’t be too long, about 3,000,000 words or so.
Q26: One distinguishing feature of Lord of Mysteries is its suspense and foreshadowing which lasted until the end, would this be continued into the second book?
Cuttlefish: The first book was written with the intention of creating a sense of suspense. From the beginning, the architecture of the entire world was planned to contain more details, which allowed me to slowly drop clues during the creative process. A lot of things have already been revealed, so the second book will no longer be suspenseful. I will probably change how the story is told; I might use a collection of cases to connect the story, but I haven’t made up my mind yet.
Q27: Would the plot relating to the Western Continent begin in the third book?
Cuttlefish: The main body of the plot relating to the Western Continent is in the third book, but I hope to incorporate a few clues in the second book. For example, halfway through the second book, Alger, Mr. Hanged Man, enters the Western Continent and he may encounter some cultivators.
Q28: What is the relationship between the current system of Mysticism and Pathways and that of the Western Continent?
Cuttlefish: It would differ from the current system of ingesting potions to raise your sequence; I shall be utilizing the concept of (Taoist) Registrations that exist in Taoism. “Registration” in the Taoist system represents a form of authentication and certification in which the Heavens authorize you to use certain abilities and authority. We can imagine that the Sefirot is like the heavens, with each Sefirah representing one heaven. Those who believe in different Sefirah can, through the use of “Registrations,” obtain corresponding authorities and abilities, which would, in turn, create each respective organization.[Note 2]
Writing and Creation Process Related Questions[]
Q29: You previously mentioned that the theme of your next book would be either Xianxia or post-apocalyptic, have you made your decision?
Cuttlefish: I can only say that currently, I am more inclined towards a post-apocalyptic setting. Because some of the inspiration I have for Xianxia might appear in the third book of Lord of Mysteries.
Q30: Speaking of the Victorian era, why did you decide on picking this setting?
Cuttlefish: The reason I chose the Victorian era is that, as the representative of the first industrial revolution, it has a very distinct steampunk aesthetic. Given that the first book contains an enormous amount of information about potions, sequences, and related systems, putting too much effort into describing steampunk elements would make the focus of the book unclear. I will increase the emphasis on steampunk elements in the second book, such as giant ships, mounted cannons, and MRSR. (Crowd cheers: Cuttlefish is confirmed to be a believer in the Religion of Multi-Turrets, aka Justice is Firepower and Truth is Caliber, aka MRSR.[Note 3])
Q31: What do you think about the shipping of characters by the community?
Cuttlefish: Honestly most of the readers just treat shipping like non-serious entertainment, jokes, and derpy fun, as long as everybody enjoys this non-seriousness, it’s all good. However, some of the readers invest too much into it leading to conflict; everybody needs to respect each other. (Audience: As expected, shipping Susie is the best, and harmless to both humans and animals. A maxim referring to something as completely harmless.)
Q32: The occurrence of readers hyping up and supporting their ships to a certain degree also reflects these characters' popularity. Was there ever a time when a character's popularity was different from what you expected? When you are in the process of writing, is your story direction affected by these shipping trends?
Cuttlefish: After the author sculpts a character, the reactions the author receives from readers often exceed the author's estimates. After all, every person's likes and dislikes are different. For me, no matter how hard the readers support or hype up their own ships, I will continue with my own ideas and train of thought regarding my characters' creation and development.
Q33: Due to the daily release nature of web novels, the reader community sometimes includes certain individuals who engage in irrational discussions and quarrels. For example, certain clues, foreshadowing, or intentions that are not yet fully unveiled can lead some readers to misunderstand what’s going on, prompting them to question the author’s skills and abilities. Some even go so far as to say extremely negative things or use abusive language. Some authors' creative thoughts and processes can be negatively affected by these readers. How do you view and treat this phenomenon, Cuttlefish?
Cuttlefish: First of all, I believe that, as readers, we must have a certain level of patience at the end of the day. When it comes to authors, even though the ability to interact with readers is an important aspect of the web novel genre, they still need to prioritize their fundamental principles of writing, as well as a structured train of thought and ideas for their current story. During the process of exchanging ideas and interacting with readers, certain parts and details of the novel can be adjusted based on feedback from the readers. However, the core train of thought and ideas, along with the overall structure, must remain unwavering in the authors' vision.
Cuttlefish: Romance development must be considered about the theme and tone of the entire novel. For example, in my first book, <灭运图录> (lit. Destiny Annihilation Catalog), the themes are "a mind focused solely on seeking the Dao" and "interrogating one's inner voice." Such a theme isn’t exactly suited for romance development. For LoM, I want to convey the base tone of depression and suffocation typical of a Cthulhu setting, along with the gradual fading of humanity during the struggle between humanity and divinity. In this case, writing romance development would feel out of place.
Q35: Editor: Dog Food Master (Martial Arts Master)'s romance cliché, tips, tricks, and developments. Are they your actual, real-life experience? or simply literature creation?
Cuttlefish: Some of them are my own experiences, some of them are friends' experiences, and some are experiences that I saw online. (Crowd: Tsk, created friends out of nowhere as scapegoat)
Q36: Why choose Cthulhu for LoM's base tone and style?
Cuttlefish: Web novels always need new elements to bring about fresh trends and directions. Personally, I quite like Cthulhu genre novels. Because of that, when thinking about the background setting for Lord of Mysteries, I naturally thought of Cthulhu. It also aligns with my intention of writing a novel set in the Victorian era. In the past, I’ve read some Cthulhu genre Chinese web novels, but they are mostly hardcore and not very approachable. After I confirmed the grand background theme of my novel, I began gathering materials and information and constructing the details.
Q37: Cuttlefish, are your reserves of Western mysticism/occultism knowledge and materials also collected during that period of research?
Cuttlefish: I was quite interested in it even before writing this novel. I had already encountered some of that knowledge while writing Throne of Magical Arcana. When developing the mystic/occult power system in LoM, it occurred to me that I needed to improve upon the mysticism of the Cthulhu Mythos. I had to fill in the gaps, create more details, and perfect the structures. This is because the mystery and mysticism/occultism in the Cthulhu Mythos are inherently unknown and natural (non-manmade). To achieve this, I gathered increasingly detailed materials and information on the topics.
Q38: LoM exhibited a very intense sense of human nature and culture. The writing and details regarding the lower class during the Victorian era and early capitalist society left a deep impression on some readers. Can the readers assume that this book reflects aspects of your worldview and values?
Cuttlefish: Every author will inevitably reveal parts of their own tendencies in their novels. For me, from the very first novel I wrote, I have tried my best to refrain from expressing my worldviews or values. I prefer to simply tell a story or describe events, as well as the status and development of the characters involved. When readers engage with my novels, I want them to learn or understand something through their own efforts and interpretations, rather than me directly injecting philosophy and forcing them to accept it. I won’t explicitly tell readers what stance or philosophy I support. Instead, I hope that through my descriptions and writing, readers can come to their own conclusions naturally, from the depths of their hearts, about how things should be.
Q39: That’s very true. For many readers who knew little to nothing about the Victorian era before encountering LoM, reading the novel naturally led them to make their own connections. Some readers even say that the Evil Gods in LoM resemble Victorian-era capitalists.
Cuttlefish: It was the same for me. When I started writing LoM, I considered how to express the horror and depression of Cthulhu elements combined with the Victorian era. While gathering historical materials for inspiration, I realized I didn't need to think too much about that aspect. The reality and everyday lives of the Victorian-era lower class were already horrifying and depressing enough. Sometimes, I even thought that perhaps Lovecraft conceived the idea of creating "Cthulhu" precisely because he was born and raised in such an environment.
Personal Questions[]
Q40: What events or chances prompt you to go on the road of being an author?
Cuttlefish: I wasn't very busy with work at that time. While reading "A Wandering Toad"'s novel The Immortal Gourd, many ideas started to form, and I began to feel the urge to write something. At the same time, I wanted to save up some money for my own piggy bank (crowds: hehehe). That’s how I started writing. At the time, I thought that if I could earn even just 1,000 or 2,000 yuan a month through writing web novels, that would be enough to start saving for the initial housing loan payment.[Note 4]
Q41: Were you married at the time when you started writing?
Cuttlefish: No, I was single at the time. That's why I have to work hard to be able to afford the initial payment (of housing). (Laughs)
Q42: Have you achieved financial freedom now?
Cuttlefish: I wouldn't count myself as someone who realized financial freedom. Maybe I have a little bit more leeway compared to normal folks, but I am far from financial freedom. Currently, in the field of web novel writing, there are no more than five authors who have achieved financial freedom.
Q43: We are worried that when you become successful and famous you will procrastinate or own debts of chapters like George R. R. Martin.
Cuttlefish: Big Boss Martin's procrastination is in his nature (laughs)
Q44: Your persistency and tenacity when it comes to writing. Do you consider it to be a natural born quality or a nurtured quality?
Cuttlefish: It's nurtured through experience. One of my initial goals in writing web novels was to use it as a way to force myself to overcome my procrastination (grins). Writing novels required me to update chapters within a fixed timeframe every single day. Eventually, there came a point when I had no chapters saved up, and every day became a rush to finish on time. I even started to feel a little anxious during that time.
Q45: It looks like, in order to cure my own procrastination, I need to start trying out some web novel writing as well.
Cuttlefish: If you want to overcome your procrastination, you can start by trying to set a fixed time for new content updates on your Bilibili channel every day. (smiles) (Editor: That..is too hard)
Q46:During your novel creation period, you often maintain a consistently high quality while updating thousands of words per day. How much time do you spend on this every day? Do you have eight tentacles that type words simultaneously?
Cuttlefish: Typing is actually the easiest part as long as you already have structured ideas in your head. The hardest part is the structuring. Every day, before I start typing, I spend at least 60 to 90 minutes just sitting there, thinking about how to write the current chapter. From time to time, I open my settings document to double-check that my current ideas are not in conflict with the overall structure. I also make sure that my current ideas do not contradict what has already happened or been established in previous chapters. In a way, a novel becomes harder to write the longer it gets. In the early stages, it's like drawing on a blank piece of paper; as long as it doesn't conflict with the overall structure, there's not much to worry about, and I can write however I like. The longer it gets, the more cross-referencing has to be done to ensure no contradictions or errors occur.
Q47: How long do you work everyday? Will family events and businesses ever interfere with your work?
Cuttlefish: On average, I spend over 9 hours per day writing. Currently, I still have no kids. Aside from certain businesses that require me to go out, my daily life usually does not conflict with my work. When I'm writing the novel, if I have well-formed ideas and structures in my mind, I can even use bits and pieces of time to write the chapters. However, when my thoughts aren't as detailed or organized, I need long periods of free time to think and envision.
Q48: Do Cuttlefish's family members read your works?
Cuttlefish: A little, but in my family, my father prefers to read "Little White" type novels (laughs).[Note 5] The topics and themes of my novels cater to a relatively smaller audience. However, due to the benefits of the rapidly developing internet, lesser-known cultures like Cthulhu are gaining more popularity nowadays.
Q49: What genre of novels do you usually like to read?
Cuttlefish: Every kind of genre, but currently the ones I'm reading are all relatively non-mainstream, or they are ones that my friends recommended to me.
Q50: A while ago you told us you bought 11 games after LoM ended, but then your video card broke, can you tell us what exactly happened?
Cuttlefish: Actually, the external video card of my computer has been broken for a long time. Because I've been busy with novel writing for the past two years, I didn't have much time to play any large games. As a result, I never noticed the video card problem while using my computer only for typing. It was only discovered to be broken when I bought those games recently.
Q51: Intel and AMD's processor, which type are you using Cuttlefish?
Cuttlefish: I used to use Intel but recently I'm planning on switching to AMD (smiles)
Q52: What kind of games do you like to play?
Cuttlefish: To me, playing games not only helps me relax but also helps me find inspiration. I quite like Western games that have very interesting and entertaining background settings and structures. Currently, the one I am looking forward to is Cyberpunk 2077.
Cuttlefish: I have to confess that I've only "beaten" these two games with my imagination.[Note 6] I am a practitioner of the "Broken Hand Style"[Note 7], and I prefer games that allow you to pause in the middle. For example, the Dungeons and Dragons series, the Dragon Age series, or games like the Witcher series, where the combat isn't as challenging as games like Dark Souls. I am currently playing the Divinity: Original Sin series; games like these are the relaxing ones for me.
Q54: Aside from reading and games, what other interests or hobbies do you normally have?
Cuttlefish: I really like history.
Q55: Do you watch Neon Genesis Evangelion? Who do you like better Asuka Langley Soryu or Rei Ayanami?
Cuttlefish: Mmh, Asuka maybe? I've only watched EVA during my university days, at that time I felt the overall atmosphere of EVA is rather depressing. And Asuka just so happens to be the relatively more sunny character in there, and that brings a little bit of soothing. But truth be told, the character I like the most is neither of the two. I love Misato Katsuragi the most. (Crowd: Naruhodo, so that's why there are so many big onee-san characters in LoM)
Q5: Where did you find or notice my official WeChat account?
Cuttlefish: Among my friends, many are subscribers of your official WeChat account. Sometimes they would share you guys' articles in their friend zones. I read a few and thought they were written pretty well and that's why I subscribed, too.
Cuttlefish: As a Sichuanese that is a given. Also in Sichuan province, we have even more ways of making different dishes of "Duck Blood Curd" than the ones shown in the novel.
Q58: In both Throne of Magical Arcana and LoM, you have shown us your ability to create with rigorous settings and logic. As well as an understanding of the scientific methods and systems. So, what major were you back during your school days? Arts or Science?
Cuttlefish: When I was in university I was in Computer Science Major.
Q59: Have you ever paid attention to the feedback, reviews, and discussions of LoM Foreign Edition (Official English Translation)?
Cuttlefish: I have been constantly paying attention to the LoM Baidu forum and LoM Qidian reader forum. My Chinese readers often post translated foreign reader's reviews on these forums. Also, I have contact with the translator of LoM. He would sometimes give me feedback as well
Q60: What's the difference in perspectives of their reviews, when it comes to Chinese readers and non-Chinese readers?
Cuttlefish: When it comes to views on pure humanity or views on the highs and lows of the story's plot or views on what plots are interesting, these areas the readers are of similar opinion regardless of where they are from. But when it comes to talking about the social structures within the novel, as well as the social classes and divisions, these kind of things foreign readers have some differing opinions compared to us. Overall their understanding and recognition of these two topics (Social structure and social class) are leaning towards being just a little bit more idealized and more innocent compared to Chinese readers.
Q61: What do you think of the translation quality of LoM's English version?
Cuttlefish: I feel it's pretty okay. This translator is Singaporean, he's rather familiar with both languages as well as their corresponding cultural environment.
Q62: Many netizens and readers believe that LoM has reached a level that's relatively comparable to some of the older classics. And at the very least has surpassed most of the "common" web novels. Cuttlefish have you ever considered doing some revision and re-publication of LoM like what Jing Yong (Louis Cha) did with his wuxia novels?
Cuttlefish: This mainly depends on how good the physical publication that's currently out is selling (Smiles)
Q63: What do you think of the 22 Sequence Badges released by Qidian Web Novel Site? Which one do you like the most?
Cuttlefish: I think they are all made pretty well, I like Tyrant's Badge the most. Because that one is a fan/reader's original creation. He posted it in the discussion forum of the novel, after which Qidian dug it up and showed interest in officializing it.
Profession Related Questions[]
Q64: Cuttlefish, have you ever considered creating a "LoM World" just like what the authors of "Novoland"[Note 8] did? Allowing enthusiasts and fans to participate in the creation process together?
Cuttlefish: When I was communicating with Qidian, that's what I actually hope to do and achieve. After finishing creating "The Lord of Mysteries Trilogy", and completed the construction of the world's framework. I wish for more enthusiasts to join in on the creation process, to fill this world with more rich and colorful details. For Qidian Web Novel Platform, has a different job to do. They are in charge of paying attention to the quality of newly emerging LoM fanfictions or novels, as well as in charge of making sure the profit from this Intellectual Property is distributed fairly and appropriately. In the future, we might push out a corresponding mechanism of how to authorize people with the rights to write LoM's fanfictions or Novels.
Q65: Do you have any visions or thoughts on the possibility of LoM being turned into games or movies?
Cuttlefish: To be honest when I started writing this book I didn't think too much about your question. Because of many variables in LoM is very hard to achieve adaptation in the current day and age.[Note 9] All in all, anime adaptation may have some degree of hope. China's animation technology has been improving in recent years, I would even argue they improved a lot. But it's still not nearly enough. Currently, I can only say We are waiting for the chance to appear.
Q66: Many budding web novel authors want to learn Cuttlefish's ability to create complete structures and novel settings before even starting on writing the novel. What advice do you have for the newbies?
Cuttlefish: For new authors, don't overthink things at the beginning. Most people, when they first start writing, don't have a clear understanding of what they excel at or where they fall short. When writing your first novel, keep the world-building as simple as you're comfortable with. Start by thinking clearly about the main theme or topic you want to express, then consider the format of storytelling and narration you want to use. Lastly, focus on character design and development. Only start writing once you've prepared these three aspects (theme, format, characters). Continuously reflect on your shortcomings and problems through reader feedback and your observations during the writing process. Improve as you go. This is my personal experience.
Q67: The field of web novels could be considered one of the most vibrant areas of cultural creation and export in China today. Over the years of development and exploration, web novel models and formats have become increasingly stabilized. However, this growth has also revealed many shortcomings and negative aspects. In regard to the web novel field as a whole, what hopes and visions do you have for its future, Cuttlefish?
Cuttlefish: I personally think that one of the advantages of web novels is that there are no barriers preventing anyone from becoming a creator. Anyone with an idea can post their creation online. When the "author population" shifts from a select few to the general public, the sheer number of authors naturally increases the chances of amazing ideas and novels emerging. No matter how web novels develop in the future, if they lose this "foundation" and become a "creation game for a select few," they will lose their vitality. For web novels to grow even further, they must preserve the "open-to-all" nature of creation. Currently, most web novel platforms rely on various "ranking lists" to promote certain popular novels. Many "non-mainstream creations" have very "poor" sales data, but in reality, these "non-mainstream creations" may actually have a more stable pay-to-read audience, and their rate of "paid-to-read" chapters is much higher than many of the more "famous" novels.[Note 10]
Cuttlefish: I hope that in the future, we can develop a selection mechanism that allows "non-mainstream" authors and their works to be promoted without relying on the platform's ranking system. A mechanism that enables readers to naturally discover and spread good "minority" novels without interference from platform management, allowing these smaller authors to thrive as well. I believe this should be the ideal state of a web novel platform.[Note 11] Currently, the spread of a good web novel is still negatively impacted by the size of its reader base.[Note 12] The chain of word-of-mouth often gets cut off or drowned out. I personally stopped using the so-called top-ranking lists to find books to read a long time ago. With the sheer volume of literary creations nowadays, finding an efficient and accurate way to promote all novels—big or small, mainstream or sub-cultural—so that they reach the readers who are interested in them is a problem I hope web novel platforms will solve in the future.
Q68: With all that being said, it seems like web novels need to be more like movies, requiring a mature and established review and tagging system, similar to what Douban offers?
Cuttlefish: Currently many independent media groups are doing their organization and promoting web novels, but on average they are all in a state of unpopularity or just not being noticed, and often that leads to them not surviving for as long as an independent media group.[Note 13] Readers indeed need a mature system and source of book promotion in the external environment outside of the web novel platform. Qidian at one point early on did a program that created magazine-like Book lists. At the time it was rather successful, it promoted many non-mainstream books. After a while their book lists started to be made for profit, they would receive money from authors who wanted their books promoted, instead of promoting genuinely them. That leads to them losing the reader's trust. The whole "Book Promotion" thing is indeed very paradoxical. Many people, at the very beginning, are genuinely doing book promotion because they love those books, it's a passion project for them. But if they don't make a profit they cannot last in the long term, but if they started making it for profit then their original intention gets forever tainted and shamed. Currently, Bilibili and Douyin also have content creators who promote books using video format, but as of now, the effects aren't that promising. How to promote books genuinely while ensuring the livelihood of the content creators is a problem that needs to be explored.
Afterword[]
The above is all of the content of the interview. The fan art used for the cover of this interview was created and provided by Weibo user -不瑟-, who gave us their permission, thank you very much. We welcome anyone who would like to subscribe to our WeChat official account: 新潮沉思录
Translator Notes[]
- ↑ Hand rub 手搓. It came from Naruto (the Rasengan technique). It has become meme language used to describe mages and wizards in MMORPGs and Western fantasy Chinese web novels. Essentially, magic users (in LoM's case, Beyonders) can create things out of nothing using energy (mana, ki, etc.). So Savants can literally "rub their hands" and "pop out" a mech or a nuke.
- ↑ Extended Reading - Source on the translation of "Registrations": http://javewutaoismplace.blogspot.com/2007/11/acceptance-as-taoist-and-being-future_6745.html
- ↑ After World War I (and II), and continued to this day, there are many different factions of ideology that each believe in what they think is the “best” armament. MRSR or the “Religion of Multi-Turrets” is one of these factions. A good example would be the Soviet Union. The core belief is that the more Turrets/Cannon Barrels you can fit onto a tank or ship or any form of vehicle, the better. The 4 letters MRSR stand for “Multi-Turrets”, “Riveted Armor Plating”, “Steam or Nuclear Energy Powered”, and “Rigid Axis Suspension”. So TL;DR Cuttlefish is saying be prepared to see steampunk tanks with 5 double barrel turrets lol.
- ↑ The crowds/readers are laughing "understandingly" because, in China, saving up money for your own piggy bank (私房钱) usually means a man saving up his own money that isn't controlled by his wife, or vice versa. In other words, they can do whatever they want with it. The joke is that once you are married, you are no longer financially free most of the time due to your wife taking over budgeting, etc.
- ↑ "Little White" is a literal translation of 小白文. These are novels with no twists or turns, no overly complicated plots, just filled with repeatedly used cliché formulas.
- ↑ - Imaginary Clear/Cloud Clear/云通关 refers to when a person "clears/beats" a game by watching video playthroughs, guides, analyses, tips, or just other people streaming it. They watch and read so much about the game that it's almost as if they've "beaten" it. Often, certain individuals will even proclaim or act as if they actually DID beat it, despite never having touched the game once.
- ↑ Broken Hand Style refers to players who are bad at games that require accurate aiming or timing of button pressing and/or mouse movement.
- ↑ Extended Reading - Novoland: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novoland
- ↑ From China's policies on contents, to the tone of LoM, to the special effects.
- ↑ One factor may be that these unnoticed "minority creations" are less affected by piracy.
- ↑ No bias against unpopular/small authors.
- ↑ Meaning if you're not mainstream, your work doesn't spread outside your circle as much.
- ↑ An independent Media Group, would be a Facebook page, or a Twitter Account, that promotes web novels that they think are good, while at the same time trying to make a profit from these promotions through subscription or sponsorship.