Inspirations

I feel it's important for me to recognize the various stories that have acted as inspiration for Doom Saviors and have inspired me as a writer in general. Without some of these stories, I would not have finished the novel because of the lack of motivation, given to me by consuming the stories I love.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians- Rick Riordan's urban fantasy series was what I consider to be my first real literary love. It introduced me to the urban fantasy genre and further deepened my love of mythology. As a writer I think I can trace a lot of who I am back to this amazing series, and will never stop thinking of it and loving it for as long as I live.

Darker than Black- A Japanese anime television series that has the most direct impact in the development of Doom Saviors. Created and directed by Tensai Okamura, the unqiue magic system through "Contractors" directly inspired Doomers, and the idea that magic always comes at a cost. The main character Hei inspired John's disposition and appearance, while his partner Yin inspiring Amy's. Yin's relationship with Hei also inspiring John and Amy's relationship, though there is a lot to say about the interesting differences (and similarities) between the two relationships. Even the whole team dynamic was originally shaped by the team that Hei worked with while working for the Syndicate. These are simply the most direct inspirations, I could go on and on about how the younger awestruck me shaped my own story out of this amazing show and world, even if, through development, I strayed very far from the inspirations, I still remember where the finished product came from, and for that, I thank Okamura and the team that brought Darker than Black to life. 

Lord of the Rings- I do not feel I could call myself a fantasy writer, even urban fantasy, if I did not admit that Tolkien's epic inspired me and my love for fantasy. This may seem to be a given at this point, but even so, the rich, amazing world Tolkien created has inspired me to forever aspire to create worlds that can even hold a candle to his.

Persona- My favorite video game series of all time, it's impossible for me not to mention it. The beloved series created by Kouji Okada and Kazuma Kaneko, and developed by ATLUS, I consider these games to be my main argument for the legitimacy of games having literary value. These games are incredibly well written, better than any (in my opinion) other game created thus far. The character driven stories that tackle immensely varying and philosophical themes, I will never be able to say, nor would I want to, that these games have not influenced my storytelling immensely.

RWBY- The series created by the late great Monty Oum continues to inspire me to further improve my fight scenes and character development. While fight scenes may seem like an odd attribution to say I was inspired by, the fact is that RWBY's fight scenes are some of the most amazingly crafted I've ever seen, and if I could put onto paper what they do onto the screen even a fraction of the spectacle I will consider my job well done. 

• A side inspiration that is nevertheless important to me is the music in the series done by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams. Their music is a constant companion to my writing, and pump me up to no end. If by some miracle my novels one day were transferred onto the screen, they would be my number one pick for the soundtrack, hands down. 

There are so many more inspirations of course that this page would be way way too large. I know it might not be common for a novelist to mention non-novels as inspiration, but truly all of these inspirations played a key role in my development not only in Doom Saviors, but as a writer, regardless of medium. If only I had the words to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to every creator both listed and not for how they have inspired me, but alas, I do not think those words exist.

So hopefully, a simple thank you will do.