Hello, fellow disciples! We've been searching far and wide for individuals who have cultivated for a long time. This month, we bring you an interview with TeodoratheScholar, the author of A Thousand Days Of Blinding Brilliance.

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Tell us a bit about yourself!

As my username suggests, I am a scholar obsessed with strategy games and fantasy. When I'm not reading/writing, I am either dancing or learning a new language. Also, I'm hyperactive, so I'm always doing something instead of resting. 

What is your writing process? Do you outline everything or write as things come to mind? Why?

I outline everything to avoid plot holes. Usually, I know exactly how my work ends and how I get to that ending. But certain pivotal scenes, nuances, and set pieces change as I write. Also, I remain open to suggestions while I edit.

What are some things that influenced your story?

For a long time, I was obsessed with Shanghai in the 1920s (and I'm definitely not alone here). Simultaneously, I was interested in the White Russian emigrants who escaped to China following the revolution of 1917 and the subsequent civil war.

Blending the two pieces together, I created my setting: the glamour, the ideas, the suffering, the espionage, and the collision of cultures. And I made a brilliant emigrant one of my two main heroes. The second main character is a mysterious and powerful performer with hidden political agenda.

As to the 'magic system' of my world, it is a bit different from what we see in Western or Eastern fantasy. Since I always wondered about the ways art shapes our lives, I gave my artists literal world-shaping powers to showcase just how much art means to us. 

Tell us about the main character of one of your stories. What inspired their creation?

Once, Irinei was a brilliant writer and charismatic leader exiled from his country for his dissident ideas. His reputation and life, as well as the lives of his friends and allies, were destroyed by a man he fell in love with, Xin Rulan. Betrayed and killed, Irinei was supposed to stay dead. Only he did not.

When he finds himself turned into a woman and his legendary abilities almost gone, Irinei becomes Irina and starts plotting her return and her revenge. Hoping she can outplay Xin Rulan, Irina uses her transformed body as a disguise. Only the more she discovers about Xin Rulan, his plans and her former allies, the more she realises that almost everything in Irinei's life was a lie and that reality is much darker than expected.I've always wanted to turn the reincarnation trope upside down. And that is how Irinei/Irina came to be. I broke my character, changed their gender and left them with all the scars and memories of the past and no way of fixing it. Well, almost no way. 

What were some challenges you experienced while writing the story?

The most significant challenge was writing my antagonist, Xin Rulan: he's brilliant, empathetic, thoughtful and creative. But he is also terrifying and excellent at manipulating people. Every character, including Irina/Irinei, tries to guess his motives and predict his moves. Almost all fail. Making such an incredibly layered and controversial person feel real was a challenge. Also, I wanted to juxtapose him against Irinei/Irina, who leads with sheer willpower but not with empathy. (even though it's a twisted kind of empathy)

What message do you hope your story will tell your readers?

I like writing about dark feelings, bad decisions, and people who don't fit in and are persecuted because of it. Alienation is the price you pay for being different. However, great art and great love connect people in ways nothing else can. And sometimes flawed individuals are the greatest even if they don't see it that way.

That said, I want readers to come to their own conclusions, even if they do not align with mine. I'm fine with people not liking my favourite characters. While I love Xin Rulan and his dark relationship with Irinei/Irina, I don't promote it. It is dark and twisted. And it's not everyone's cup of tea.

If you woke up in a time or place that was very different from reality, what would you do?

I would learn a new language. I do that a lot.

If there was something you could learn (i.e., some spell, some martial arts, etc.) like the main character in your book, what would it be?

It would be absolutely terrifying and fantastic to be able to shape reality with my art. A strange and useful power.

Would you rather go through a lifetime of never finding love or be willing to go through several lifetimes of hardships just to save your love? Why?

If your love is indeed worthy, then several lifetimes of hardships would seem a fair price.

On the other hand, understanding the significance of love may take a lifetime without it. But then I'd have to choose both options. 

What is your favorite creature from Asian mythology or folklore? Why?

The Huan (讙). That secretive cat-like creature with one eye, three tales, and a thousand voices. I've always found it underrated. Also, I do like cats. 

What is your favorite Asian myth? Why?

The Painted Skin in all of its variations. I've always been fascinated by the story of a scholar who falls in love with a demon, even though it doesn't end well for them. This tale is perfect in its many alterations (gender-swapped, modern, etc.). Somehow it blends together the topics of love, death and prejudice. And I adore it. 

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, TeodoratheScholar! We wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors.

Until the next chapter, fellow disciples!