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Paulie Blade at 4:40PM, Aug. 8, 2019

Once again - thanks so much for the theme, I like it a lot and the fact that someone took the time to contemplate and record it is very flattering. To answer your conjecture about the realness of my name - it sort of is. To be more precise, it is the literal translation of my real name, as I am not English and neither is my real name.

hushicho at 11:17PM, Aug. 6, 2019

I generally don't expect anyone to get my references, so I'm delighted whenever people do. That's usually what I regard as the best approach: just tell a good story and the references, metaphors, and messages are secondary. They can be very enjoyable, but they shouldn't be essential to enjoy the story, at least generally speaking.

HyperFabMag at 7:55PM, Aug. 6, 2019

I'm definitely a seed planter when it comes to my writing style, and hopefully readers will notice the clues when re-reading my stories. As far as symbols and metaphors, they're mostly just easter egg-ish type stuff that some readers are into, so i don't expect everyone to pick up on them. I definitely don't like to dumb things down, infact I really get annoyed when shows or comics spoon feed me information. I basically write what I like to read.

usedbooks at 3:29PM, Aug. 6, 2019

Heh. I'm not that deep. My "layers" are just including important characters or objects in the backgrounds of scenes before they are introduced. *shrug*

Genejoke at 3:05PM, Aug. 6, 2019

Haven't listened yet but what I find funny is when I see straight through the metaphors and "layers" of so called depth in stories that are trying too hard to have depth. It's often cringe worthy. Obviously, when it's done well it makes a story, but too few really succeed.

Ozoneocean at 8:52AM, Aug. 6, 2019

Glad to know you guys have extra layers :D

Banes at 6:48AM, Aug. 6, 2019

Excellent topic, sorry to miss the discussion!

Banes at 6:47AM, Aug. 6, 2019

I guess I think if the story works without understanding the extra layers, it's fine to put that stuff in there. My feeling is that it works like 'texture' for the world you're building, and it's possible that readers are picking up on it on a subtle level. Maybe they're not, but like Used Books said, writing it for yourself should come first!

Banes at 6:45AM, Aug. 6, 2019

I've put in some foreshadowing here and there for future stories, some hints, that sometimes people pick up on. There are some foreshadowing things that haven't be paid off yet, and with the stretched out timeline of this webcomics, it will be forgotten.

usedbooks at 6:18AM, Aug. 6, 2019

I know readers don't appreciate all the layers, and that's okay. I include them for myself. If it's something hinting at a secret or a reveal, I just make the clues more obvious leading up to it. But that rarely does much, because it isn't that readers don't "get" clues, it's that they don't care or aren't interested. Not much can be done for that. So I just write for me. It would be nice to know I haven't *failed* at foreshadowing, but since regardless of clues, the feedback from readers never comes, so I have to be content to assume I did it well. *shrugs*

KAM at 5:23AM, Aug. 6, 2019

Yep... putting things in: in-jokes; sneaky foreshadowing; hints that things are not what they seem... and if anyone noticed, they didn't feel like they needed to mention it. Reminds me of a story I read years ago about the Disney animators putting a lot of work into an establishing shot of a town, animating people in windows and little touches like that, and when no one commented on it Walt told his animators never again. Save it for the big stuff they would notice.