Chương 49: Answering Your Questions from the Q&A!

Hey all, Thanks for participating in the Q&A! I appreciate those who left questions and comments. Let's go into it! QUESTION 1: Do you read much on Royal Road/if you do what's your favorite story? Answer: Since starting Play Scared, I honestly haven't had much time to do anything other than write. I've been pumping out book two at a crazy speed. So much so that I'll probably take a longer break between book 2 and 3 because 3 is MASSIVE and needs a lot of planning.

When I DO have time to read, I've enjoyed a handful of RR stories: Symphony by my pal J. D. Mullenary is one of my favorite things on RR. The first book is stubbed, but I can't recommend it enough. Animated Ambitions: A Cartoon Style LitRPG is one of the best ideas on here. It's like if Roger Rabbit met a litRPG. The other fiction I'm actively keeping up with is Yarns of the Sailor Man, a truly unique idea that was brilliantly executed.

Outside of RR, I just finished reading Joe Hill's King Sorrow, which was an epic masterpiece that should be read and enjoyed by all. A slow burn horror, Faustian nightmare. 10/10 QUESTION 2: Would very much like to know your inspirations for most of the zones. So what kind of horror do you particularly find yourself drawn to, and what horror media would you say is your favorite? Answer: Great question. Inspiration for future zones I'm not fully ready to share because I'd like some of them to be a surprise.

I will say, the entire inspiration for this series was wanting to explore various horror subgenres via LitRPG/gaming elements. Play Scared 1 was all slashers because I grew up in the 80s/90s and slashers were the first horror movies I watched. It felt right to start the series there. Play Scared 2 is going to cover torture porn, not because it's my favorite but because it's one of my least favorite subgenres despite being important to the evolution of horror.

Not only that, but there's no way a demonic entity would overlook torture porn in building a horror-based dungeon. Part of me was very worried I wouldn't have enough material for a whole book in this subgenre, and the original plan was for book 2 to encompass zones 2, 3, and 4. Turns out, I had a lot more to say than I thought, as zone 2 took up most of the book.

As for personal favorites, and I suppose this list lightly spoils some upcoming zone themes: Haunted house/ghost movies I adore, love a zombie movie, and I think folk horror is the most interesting genre and the one I'm most excited and intimidated to write. I also cannot recommend enough the TV series FROM. It is one of the best horror shows around, and I adore it, and you should all watch it. I also love the first three Evil Dead movies, and my love of those becomes very apparent in PS2.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Other inspirations include: Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and 4, Friday the 13th, Shaun of the Dead, From Dusk Till Dawn, Planet Terror QUESTION 3: So Nora and Tre and the rest of the population are all mentally trapped in this game for days or even weeks. Are all of their worm-eared bodies dying of exposure, dehydration, and asphyxiation in the real world? Answer: Okay, this is a BIG lore question.

Here's what I will say about it without spoiling too much stuff. First off, the answer to the question of what's happening to their Earth bodies is a big one, and I partially hint at an answer in PS2. I also give you some hints as to the origins of the bodies they currently inhabit. I will say they are PHYSICALLY alive and there in the Grindhouse. The bodies they are inside are NOT digital or fake avatars; they are real flesh and blood. Where does all that come from?

How does Maltheris just have all these bodies lying around? How are they created? And how are the bodies on Earth maintained? These are all questions with answers! You just have to wait. Not too much longer, as we get into some of this in PS2 and a little more in PS3. But the plan is that Books 1-4 are what I'm calling "The Summer of Blood" and then books 4-8(maybe 9 if I need more room) are the back half of the series that I've called "The Winter of Discontent."

The arc titles are unofficial and mostly only have meaning to me. Although I suspect if you've finished book one, you can sort of guess your way to what the first four books are building to.