Dee
asked
Elise Kova:
I was wondering what inspired you to write "The Alchemists of Loom" series?..It's such a unique concept with such beautifully flawed, strong, determined characters (I love Ari). How did you know this was world you wanted to explore?
Elise Kova
Firstly, you are TOO KIND, and thank you for reading!
Now, to answer your question... Inspiration comes from a number of places for me... I'll break down three of the primary ones...
1) "Transmission" by ZEDD
I've never been shy about the fact that ZEDD is one of my muses. His song "Clarity" was the original inspiration for the Air Awakens series. When he released his True Colors album in 2015 I was wrapping up final edits on Air Awakens and already thinking to a new world. The lyrics in the song, "We're smart enough to know that, no one gets out alive. Hold onto someone close, friend... Cause, you're never too young, never too young to die. Remember the ghosts before you and drink to their souls tonight. Remember what they told you, that you're never too young to die." Put this idea in my head of a group of people who were on a suicide mission to take down a tyrant, cyanide pills in hand. But, then I started asking... What if one of the people on that mission survived? What if, someone who's on the "hero's journey" as the "chosen one" doesn't save the world? But, they don't die after... What happens to them? That's the first seed for how Arianna was born.
2) The magic in Air Awakens
In Air Awakens, magic "chooses" people at random. It's not in the blood. I knew I wanted to make my next magic system different, so I started thinking, "what if magic was in the blood? What if it was in the blood so much that people could get magic by taking blood? What would that mean for the bodies the blood was in?" As I started working out the magic system based on organs and blood a sort of brutal cut-throat world began to evolve.
3) Bloodborne
I'm a TOTAL FromSoftware fan girl... And at this time I was also playing Bloodborne. The macabre atmosphere of a dark world filled with unnerving occupants fit this grimy and harsh world I was creating. But, there's a kind of magic and beauty there too. I had already decided I wanted Steampunk elements, and this inspiration seemed to fit building the world of Loom.
Now, to answer your question... Inspiration comes from a number of places for me... I'll break down three of the primary ones...
1) "Transmission" by ZEDD
I've never been shy about the fact that ZEDD is one of my muses. His song "Clarity" was the original inspiration for the Air Awakens series. When he released his True Colors album in 2015 I was wrapping up final edits on Air Awakens and already thinking to a new world. The lyrics in the song, "We're smart enough to know that, no one gets out alive. Hold onto someone close, friend... Cause, you're never too young, never too young to die. Remember the ghosts before you and drink to their souls tonight. Remember what they told you, that you're never too young to die." Put this idea in my head of a group of people who were on a suicide mission to take down a tyrant, cyanide pills in hand. But, then I started asking... What if one of the people on that mission survived? What if, someone who's on the "hero's journey" as the "chosen one" doesn't save the world? But, they don't die after... What happens to them? That's the first seed for how Arianna was born.
2) The magic in Air Awakens
In Air Awakens, magic "chooses" people at random. It's not in the blood. I knew I wanted to make my next magic system different, so I started thinking, "what if magic was in the blood? What if it was in the blood so much that people could get magic by taking blood? What would that mean for the bodies the blood was in?" As I started working out the magic system based on organs and blood a sort of brutal cut-throat world began to evolve.
3) Bloodborne
I'm a TOTAL FromSoftware fan girl... And at this time I was also playing Bloodborne. The macabre atmosphere of a dark world filled with unnerving occupants fit this grimy and harsh world I was creating. But, there's a kind of magic and beauty there too. I had already decided I wanted Steampunk elements, and this inspiration seemed to fit building the world of Loom.
More Answered Questions
Shaveta
asked
Elise Kova:
Dear Elise, firstly, thank you, because Air Awakens is one of the most intense, wonderful, emotion-gripping, beautiful series I have read in a long time. :) I wanted to ask (this may amuse) - if you were to choose Hollywood actors (or any other country's actors) as Vhalla, Aldrik, etc. who would you choose to portray all our favorite characters? Curious to know if you envision them as any celebrities we know of. :)
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