Here comes another big round of Q&As! Thanks to everyone who sent these in. Some questions are being saved for next time, so if you don’t see yours here, it might show up in a future post!
Misfit Mansion
Q: What do you think Larkspur’s personality would be like if he wasn’t locked up in a basement?
A: Probably very curious and more sociable than he is now. I think he would have liked to see more of the world, which is probably what he did for the year he was gone. Larkspur’s pretty introverted though, so he likes being at home too!
Q: What does Iris like to do fun?
A: She likes being a part of everything! But her favorites are playing active games, watching tv and eating snacks. She’s watched an impressive amount of movies and also likes watching commercials. Iris also tries hard to include the shyer housemates in these activities.
Q: We already know that dreamons are born from human dreams, so what do you think where the dreams that manifested both Iris and Larkspur?
A: This is recently answered in MM2, but Halloway had a pretty simple dream about a field of larkspurs, while Mathias dreamed about the girl he drew.
Q: Where exactly is Dead End Springs and Perdita located?
A: They're both loosely set in rural North America but the towns are 100% inspired by the Professor Layton games haha. So kind of just an amalgamation of random places. They're not set in the same universe though. Oddity Woods also takes place in an earlier time period than Misfit Mansion.
Oddity Woods
Q: What’s Wyatt’s favorite food? If he has one.
A: In the woods, anything he can find. On a serious note I think he’d like most foods and isn’t that picky! Marietta on the other hand would be an extremely picky, “eats chicken nuggets only” type.
Q: Why did Lawrence change his hair after his parents disappeared?
A: He wanted to play the “cool mysterious innkeeper” character, so he gelled it back! He stopped doing this after the inn collapsed though.
Q: Why is Capella's shirt so big? I think it's cool though!
A: Big dress! She hides her hands because she’s always holding knives.
Q: When Marietta takes her magnifying glass from the cabinet, there's the outline of another object that isn't there. Is that object with her father?
A: Oooh maybe!
Q: And is Whistle the ghost of the dog in the picture of the police force that her father has? Is the car attendant that one guy in the picture of all the cops during Marietta’s flashback?
A: So many secrets.
Q: Are Gloria and Detective Doubts a thing? Or do they just take family pictures together?
A: They are in a “will they won’t they” situation, but also they’ve been close friends for a long time. They are basically family.
Q: What inspired you to create Owen? Was he just a random side character and also how did you come up with the design?
A: I originally wanted a rival character for Marietta who would show up throughout the comic, but when I was actually writing the inn chapter, I thought it would be more impactful to show the result of the Conductor’s contract. Owen was meant to be a character you feel you can trust, someone around Marietta’s age who is different from the shadier guests at the inn, and someone Marietta might warm up to quickly, as he also gives detective vibes. I feel bad since he seems to have a lot of fans…
Q: Will you finish the little Oddity Woods camp comic you made and if not then what happens next?( I think they're really funny and cool!)
A: Thanks! I get this question a lot. Unfortunately I have been way too busy with other comic things to continue it, and I don’t know if I ever will, but I will post it here for other people to enjoy. This was basically a silly alternate universe comic I was posting on my Patreon long ago where the characters went to summer camp. This comic is NOT canon and shouldn’t be used for theories!!! As for what happens, I can’t really remember. I don’t think I wrote that much of it… but I do remember the Conductor shows up as a mythical urban legend-type monster at some point.
Q: Are the people of Oddity Woods really familiar with some sort of sign language? I just remebered that when Anita said not to hurt anyone, Capella and Arthur were both able to understand her.
A: I think a lot of people there do, not for any big lore reason but because I think it would be cool if more people knew sign language.
Q: Did Lawrence and Harris remember Anita when she turned up at the dinner party? Or was she just a friend of their moms that they didn't know very well?
A: They didn't know her very well personally, and I don't think she visited much in the past. Anita's job as a wildlife manager has been really busy lately with all of the monsters running around. Harris is also too young to remember her and I think Lawrence probably thought he was too cool to hang out with his moms's friend anyway haha.
Star Knights
Q: When Cygnus fought Stello, would Stello have been willing to actually attack Cygnus with his sword, since he’s such a kind soul? Or was he just trying to tire her out to take her star crown?
A: Probably the later, though I think he was just trying to disarm her! Stello could never hurt anyone.
Other
Q: If the cast of the three books ( OW, MM1, and Star Knights) met up for a hide and seek game, out of each book, who would be the best/worst at hiding and/or seeking and who would be the best at it out of all of them?
A:
Star Knights- Best at hiding: Astrid (tiny), Worst at hiding: Cygnus (her feathery clothing would stand out, and she’d probably start talking if it took too long). Best at seeking: Corva and/or Tad (can fly and jump around), Worst at seeking: Stello (I think he’s so easygoing he’d probably stop to enjoy nature and forget what he’s doing).
Misfit Mansion- Best at hiding: Dahlia (can fit anywhere because no bones), Worst at hiding: Iris (knows the best spots but always forgets to hide her tail) and Kel (always hides in the greenhouse). Best at seeking: Agnes (She knows every spot in the house!), Worst at seeking: Mathias and Larkspur (Mathias would try but isn’t familiar enough with the house yet, while Larkspur would just give up before the game starts.)
Oddity Woods- Best at hiding: Wyatt (used to it) or Whistle (can disappear!), Worst at hiding: Lawrence and Capella (both talk too loud). Best at seeking: Marietta (no contest!), Worst at seeking: Leo (would say they’re counting and then leave).
Top players would probably be Dahlia or Marietta! I don’t know if anyone could find Astrid though.
Q: How would Tad, Iris, and Marietta react to meeting their creator(you!)?
A: I would probably be pretty boring to them haha.
Q: As someone with adhd I wanted to know: Are any of your characters (from any of your books) neurodivergent? Iris and Wyatt really stuck out to me as nd while I was reading which made me wonder.
A: Yeah honestly I think so! While I can’t say I originally wrote them with it in mind, recently I have felt like both Iris and Wyatt are probably neurodivergent. I for sure want to research and be more intentional about it in future works, but I think it’s cool people can see themselves in the characters.
More next time!