Book 1 Q&A

"Alright, everything's in place! You guys are good to go."

"What, we don't get a 'lights, camera, action' or anything like that?" John asked, staring off behind the cameras to where the voice was coming from. The stage lighting made it a little hard to see much more than a dark outline, though.

"Nope, we've got a whole pre-filmed intro ready to go, and we kind of wanted a more natural flow to this part. Nothing too scripted, you know?"

"Uh... okay," John said, looking at the others gathered around him. Most of them seemed unbothered by the informality of the shoot; the best he got was a half-hearted shrug. That probably meant it was up to John to start them off. He cleared his throat and faced the cameras, grinning sheepishly.

"Hey everyone! I'm John Newman, and if you're watching this, thanks for buying 'The Gamer' Season 1 on DVD! It's been a really crazy ride, I know the show has everyone kind of on edge after that last ending, so we wanted to take this chance to kind of unwind and show our appreciation for you guys following along with us for a whole season. As you can see, we brought in all the big-name actors and actresses for the wrap party, and we got a few questions for some of them, so let's dive right in! First question is from... uh... this says 'Gabranth the Flying Space Whale'...?"

"Wait, ohmigosh, did we not vet these?" Vallya asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Like, seriously? If we get a question from Mayor McCheeseburger, I'm so out of here."

"You're supposed to stay kind of in character, for the fans?" Sophia said, whispering as she leaned over in her chair.

"Oh, uh- right! Uh, edit that part out. As a Star Guardian, I know all about space whales! Some of them are my best friends!" Vallya said, striking a pose with two fingers across her eyes.

"She's a pretty decent actor, too bad the attitudes aren't reversed," Sophia whispered to Seras, who just giggled. The moment the camera was off her, Vallya shot the two of them a **** glare.

"Anyway, Gabranth wants to know what John’s biggest regret is since gaining my powers in the show," John said, finishing the notecard in his hand and tossing it aside. "I mean, I could go with the obvious stuff that happened toward the end of the season, but that feels kind of like taking the easy way out. I'd say that his biggest regret is that he really had no motivation for most of Season 1.

"Most of the first season he just kind of wants to explore his own powers, get used to things, enjoy having magic... his war with the Cabal and the knowledge of the dangers he was in kind of get him to train, but he very rarely shows the kind of dedication and drive we see from characters like Moira and Kim. I think Kim almost getting herself killed was really foolish, but if John had that kind of drive from Day 1 he would've been a lot stronger by the time he comes into direct conflict with the Albidians."

"An' 'e probably would've 'ad a bleedin' army like Moira wanted," Seras said, raising her finger.

"Yeah... maybe that story would've been a little too dark," John admitted with a chuckle. "Anyway, that's the only question Gabranth sent in. The next person submitted their questions anonymously, but has quite a few of them. The first one is for all the girls who used the Twin-Soul Resonance set of abilities with John, and they want to know how it felt to be in that state."

"Maera only got to use silly first version. Like taking nap, no fun! Maera missed whole fight!" Maera whined.

"But you like naps," John said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yay, naps!" Maera cheered.

"Same 'ere; John didn't 'ave much of a choice with me, given what was goin’ on. Bit weird dozin' off and findin' out you turned into a pair of gloves, though," Seras said with a shrug.

"Mithra felt good. Like floating in a warm cloud. Got to see how Myaster sees too. So fast!" Mithra said, purring softly as she nestled into her chair more.

"Using the third level was a strange experience. Your bodies are fused and you can share your thoughts almost instantly, but there's still a small barrier that keeps your personalities separate. We were so in tune when we were fighting, though, that sometimes I couldn't even tell which of us was doing what. It was a little like holding hands with our entire bodies while fighting," Sophia said quietly, almost sheepishly.

"Quite a variety of experiences. I'm sure we'll get more perspectives in the coming season," John said with a smile. "This next one is- oh, dear. Their next question is for Layla, and it kind of goes in two different directions. Would you revive Seras as a gift to John? Or if she came back some other way, would you kill her yourself to remove her from the equation?"

"I think we got to see a little bit more of Layla's devotion to John at the end of the season, when she was alone and let things kind of slip through the cracks more than she does normally," Layla said, tapping her lips thoughtfully. "I don't think Layla would directly stand in the way of John's happiness if he knew that she was responsible – but she's not going to go out of her way to put more obstacles in between herself and John. I don't want to say too much about what might happen in a future scenario, because I think Layla has a lot more story to tell herself.

"She's been concealing her attraction and feelings for John from everyone around her – up until near the end of the season, she was even lying to herself about them. With John withdrawing into his own world, I think she's going to be in an even more fragile mental state... I hope at some point I get to show what I think Layla will look like going through withdrawal."

"The writers have been pretty good about taking in our feedback on our characters' actions, so hopefully we'll see more of that in season two," John said, grinning as he looked down at his notecard. "The next one is for Moira – they want to know what relationships you would support, or other characters you would ship with John."

"Oh, uh – shipping? I mean, John kind of already has a harem. I think Moira would support any of his existing relationships, but I don't think she'd 'ship' him with anyone except maybe herself, but she hasn't really admitted how far her feelings go," Moira said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I just don't see a Warden of the Order, who are mostly about chastity and monogamy, encouraging someone already banging like twenty chicks to add another one to his list."

"John has not banged twenty girls," John objected.

"Yet," Moira said dryly.

"Anyway... their last question is for Moi- no, wait, I misread that, it's for the former Warden-Lord, Lord Brighton. What mistakes do you hope John won't make that you did?"

"Well, I would have started by banging the shit out of the obviously horny rabbit girl when she showed up," Lord Brighton said.

"Oh, for the love of-"

"No, no, he has a point," Lerianna said, grinning as she continued to idly lift a dumbbell. "Seriously, I know why I have to play hard to get, but I put in all this work to get this body ready for filming, and John doesn't even want to try to tap a piece of it?"

"But on a more in-character note, without giving too much away, we've already seen a lot of hints about what kind of past Lord Brighton might have had, like that fun little nickname the Albidians dredged up. I think Lord Brighton has seen a lot of himself in John so far, and he might see a little more of himself than he's comfortable with, the way John ended the last season."

"Okay, next question up is this... oh, for the love of-"

"What's wrong?" Seras asked, quirking an eyebrow at John.

"This one's anonymous, but I know who it's from," John said, sighing. "It reads 'Dear Demon Butler, would you like to go fishing if John ever gets around to stocking the giant lifeless lake? What fish is your favorite, either alive or cooked, and if cooked, how do you prepare it?'."

"Fishing is not something I'm quite accustomed to – but I assure you that if it were requested of me, I would perform such a task to the very best of my abilities. As for cooking them, I find myself quite delighted by the delicacies offered by some of your 'eastern' countries – bluefin tuna, when prepared by the hands of a skilled sushi chef, is quite a delight. I'm sure I could whip up something almost as delectable, if it were required for the show. Not an easy task of course, but..."

John leaned over to Kim's chair while the suited man continued on. "Hey, where did we find this guy again?"

"I don't know," Kim whispered back. "I guess the director worked with him on a previous show. I think he must always be in makeup, because his eyes are red every time he shows up on set. Gives me the creeps."

"...hell of a butler," the man finished, offering a low bow.

"Alright, we have another question here, this one also anonymous. It's to John, and it says, 'John, after what has recently happened, do you still plan on sharing your private world or has your perspective on that changed. Also, do you lay blame on anyone specifically for the Albidians gaining access to your private world?'."

"I feel like these questions are not on the same level of seriousness," Tricia noted, quirking an eyebrow.

"They are swinging a bit in tone," John agreed, chuckling. "I think the 'epilogue' of season one did a pretty decent job showing that even when John was hurt as badly as he was, he's still John. He's not without compassion or empathy – I think even though he's angry at the Order for letting the Albidians gain access to his world, he knows it wasn't really their fault. I imagine he has that underlying grudge whenever someone feels betrayed, but it's not going to be something he lets run his life. As for blame... well, we saw what he did to the Albidians. I think he pointed his blame in the same direction he pointed his sword."

"The directors gave me this awesome one, since it was only one question, and just for me, cause I’m so special. Thanks, cutie," Vallya said with a wink as John finished, holding up a card. She cleared her throat before getting back into character.

"They wanted to ask if Vallya plans on helping John on his new path, or trying to guide him to a less vengeful one. I think the most honest answer is that Vallya doesn't really see herself capable of 'guiding' John to do anything – her duty is to watch over the world, and even she doesn’t fully understand beyond that what it means to be his Guardian, or at least I don’t think so. Vallya does seem to enjoy toying with her prey a little too much, though, even for people that wronged the creations she was supposed to protect. I think she’s kind of discovering herself, which is really fun to put out there when the cameras are rolling. I think she’s going to have to find her own path before she can really be bothered helping with John’s."

"Alright, we’ve got a couple more, and they’re kind of a doozy – for all of us," John said, holding up his final card. "This question is from... 'Scribe Hobomice'?"

"Wait, so, like, a homeless mouse?" Vallya asked, looking up from her phone. "Isn't that, like... all mice? So totally redundant."

"Er... yeah, maybe we should have vetted these names after all," Moira said, trying to cover up her laughter.

"I kind of like them, actually," John said with a chuckle. "They're creative at the very least, and they add some character. Better than calling yourself 'John Doe'."

"Or John Newman," Kim said, rolling her eyes.

"I thought we weren't going to make this personal," John said, clasping a hand over his chest and acting offended. "Anyway, Hobomice wants to know what all of our reactions were when we first got our scripts and read the ending for season one."

"I dunno about you lot, but my first thought was callin' my agent and updatin' my resume," Seras said, only half-sarcastically. There was a round of laughter from the others, then she continued, "No, but really, I was a little disappointed. I was kinda hopin' for an episode or a flashback to show what Seras did during her time in prison; instead, everythin' she accomplished kind of got brushed aside. She took out the bloody mage makin' the stuff that fucked with Mithra's head, kept Lerianna safe, and even put the Albidians on the back foot."

"Yeah, I'll admit I was a little unhappy when Seras died to protect my character and herself from the Albidians' memory wipes and brain-fuckery, but then John was able to fix it," Lerianna said. "I mean, I know that he kind of stumbled upon the Reincarnation fix and had no reason to think it would work – he could have just as easily erased Mithra entirely. Still, I wish Seras' sacrifice for Lerianna and herself had been a little more significant."

"I dunno, I just wish we got to see me kickin' a little more ass," Seras said, shrugging. "Seras bent and busted a next-level enchanted door, offed one bloke, put a few more in the line for 'ealin and took a helluva beatin' to be put down for good... but I get why they shot it the way they did, I guess. Couldn't really spoil what 'appened, and goin' back later woulda felt cheap with the way the endin' was so fast-paced anyway. Guess you always wanna see an 'elluva send-off for your character, 'ey?"

"True. If I ever get offed, it better be sending a small army to their graves," Kim said, grinning deviously. "If I get axed because of contract negotiations, I'm coming back on stage even if I have to cut my way through security."

"And on that particularly bloodthirsty note... the last question is just for you from an anonymous fan, Seras - what are your plans for the future after The Gamer?”

“Well, I already mentioned the resume polishin’, but I don’t think I’ll have too ‘ard of a time. My agent actually sent me an offer yesterday… not sure if I want it, but it sounds interestin’. Auditionin’ for a big new ‘orror game comin’ out sometime this year.”

“Why aren’t you sure if you want it?” John said, grinning. “That sounds awesome!”

“Yeah, but…” Seras mumbled, pulling a paper out of her jacket pocket, “the description of what they’re lookin’ for just says ‘big titty vampire mommy’. Not sure ‘ow I feel about that one.”

“That’s… specific, at least?” Lerianna offered, raising an eyebrow.

“Little too specific… what kinda games are they makin’ nowadays?” Seras asked, looking at the paper in her hands with concern.

“Well, uh, thanks to all of our lovely viewers!” John said, loudly changing the subject. “Especially those who submitted a question for this round. Season two has almost finished shooting; it should be premiering shortly, so stay tuned, and we look forward to seeing all of you then!"

"Bye everyone!"

"See ya!"

"Have fun!"

"See you in season two!"

The cameras slowly panned out as each of the cast members offered a farewell and a hearty wave, until the studio lights finally dimmed and faded out entirely.