We've got another awesome Fantasy author for you today. Please welcome, Ace_Guard and let's hear what they've got to say.

What is your country of origin?

I'm from the Philippines.

What other languages aside from English can you speak fluently?

I speak Filipino/Tagalog.

Are you writing under a pseudonym? Is there a story as to how and why you came up with it? Please tell us about it!

I go by a pseudonym online, which is Ace O. Spades. I had a phase where I was obsessed with cards aesthetic. Ace can be the highest or lowest card in the deck, and it was one of my favorite cards. Spades isn't the highest SUIT in the deck. If anything, it's the second lowest. But "Ace of Spades" sounded nicer than the other three SUITS.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Why do you want to be a writer?

I started writing when I was young, but didn't take it seriously until I was around fourteen or fifteen. My mother would always give me books to read, and reading them made me want to write my own stories. The earliest story I can remember when I was around eight, maybe? We just finished buying notebooks for school, and I had a spare notebook that I really liked. So, I decided to do what every eight year old would probably do with a spare notebook--write a story in it. Unfortunately, there's nothing much I can remember about it except for the fact that it's about three siblings. It's been ten years since I wrote that story v.v

After that, I've been writing a lot of stories. I used to do them for fun or when I'm bored, and they weren't always serious stories. It took a long time to actually want to write a story that I want to share with other people.

Please tell us about your story/ies on Wattpad so that readers could find them.

As of now, I have two stories that I'm currently invested in, and a third story that even though it's not that expanded, I'm still proud of how I managed to pull it off.

My first story, which is going to get a rewrite soon since it's in a dumpster fire first draft phase, is called Untitled. I'm very creative, I know. It's my magnum opus. It's about a boy named Theodore who lives in an orphanage with his biological sister and adoptive siblings. However, upon eavesdropping on a conversation with the orphanage's caretakers, he and his sister escape the orphanage. Once they do, he realizes that the world outside their orphanage isn't just the only secret that was hidden from them. It's a high fantasy that has pre-colonial and colonial Philippines elements because it's a culture.

Another story is my (as of the moment current) ONC entry, Codename: DEMON. This time, it's about a boy named Greyson working in the investigation branch of his company. After a death of a journalist that was close to their group, another organization called the Underworld gives them a task: find something in their company called Demon, and give it to them. The problem is that no one in their company knows what Demon could be. The setting is on the soft sci-fantasy side. The city is a modern city, and the fantasy elements aren't that "hard". Even though I'm planning to expand this, the worldbuilding is on the softer scale.

My third story is my 2021 ONC entry, Three Lies, All True. The story is much simpler compared to the other two. A super soldier named Petra and her twin brother discover the dead body of a general in their castle's gardens. In order to clear their name, the crowned prince of their kingdom sends them to their opposing nation to find evidence that they did not kill the general.

Wow that was a word dump I did not expect to go off that much whoops haha--

What makes for an appealing character in Fantasy stories? Why?

Just like in any general story, having a well written and fleshed out character would make them appealing. They're not just one personality, their character doesn't revolve around one trait around them. They're like real people. They feel like real people. Even if they're fictional and what they do is fictional, you can connect to them because you feel yourself in them.

But if we're talking about appealing characters in fantasy stories then I would say chessmaster characters with a god complex will always have my heart. Bonus points if they have white hair.

How do you come up with the plot of your stories?

Sometimes I stare at my ceiling at like 2AM and go, "Wow, this would make a cool story idea!"

Most of the stories I write are, in a way, stories that I want to read. They're usually full of tropes that I enjoy (chessmaster characters with god complexes, enemies and lovers, slowburn that's burning so slow you're not even sure that the fire is on, corruption arcs, etc.). Since I either don't see or haven't read a lot of stories with those tropes, I just decided that if it doesn't exist, then I make it exist. If the bookshelves aren't going to let me read about a five year slowburn enemies and lovers romance where in the end one of them has to kill the other, then I guess I have to do it myself.

Share some interesting facts about the magic system you have developed in your stories.

I usually aim for a soft magic system when writing, or that the magic they use is so obviously specific that it feels like it's soft rather than hard magic. Personally, I feel like magic loses its magic when it's described too much. That is to say, there's nothing wrong with a hard magic system. But I like feeling the magic-like wonders in a soft magic system.

Out of all the genres, why fantasy?

Because dragons. And magic. And magical dragons.

On a serious note. Apart from my favorite tropes usually being applicable to fantasy, it's fun to make up things. Whether you're creating a new world in high fantasy, or trying to find a reason how magic fits in low fantasy. Also, magic is fun.

What do you think is the most alluring subgenre of fantasy?

My answer would be both high fantasy and sci-fantasy. I find high fantasy alluring because it lets you create a world of your own. It's fun to see how people live in this world, and it's also a nice way of escapism. I would also like to add sci-fantasy, especially cyberpunk fantasy, because adding science elements and blending it with magic is fun. The Compilation of Final Fantasy VII is the best example I can think of for this.

Share some sneak peek on your future projects.

As of now, I have a new fantasy project currently being drafted. A very, very, very oversimplification of it is a local thirteen year old idiot realizes that flipping off a god has consequences.

Share your favorite songs to listen to while writing.

According to Spotify my most looped songs are Wicked Game covered by Theory of a Deadman, an English cover of Lower One's Eyes by a Youtaite named Trickle, and the English version of I Can't Stop Me by TWICE.

Share interesting titles of media (drama, TV Shows, graphic novels, webtoons etc.) that everyone should try watching/reading.

As of now I'm once again hyperfixating on The Owl House. Season 2B is just starting, and I'm really invested in the lore and mystery it has. I also have a long list of Webtoons that I love to death. But my favorite Webtoons of all time are Stray Souls by Maf, Delusion by Hongjacga, Dear X by VANZIUN, The Dummy's Dummy by mochamura, The Ember Knight by Hwandaeng, and anything by Carnby Kim.

Share some of the fandoms you follow.

Apart from The Owl House and the list of Webtoons, I also like Pokémon. Generation V is my favorite, and I currently can't wait for Scarlet and Violet! I'm also a fan of anime and manga like The Promised Neverland, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Attack on Titan to name a few. And if I have time to play video games, I like to torture myself in Genshin Impact.

Share one delicacy from your country that everyone should try.

One of my favorite food is Philippine adobo. It's a meat or vegetable dish where you mix soy sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper then slow cook it in fire. It's a very savory dish that's a mix of saltiness and sourness, and if you add sugar it can have a sweet taste, too.

Share your other hobbies.

If I usually don't write, I draw. They can either be fanarts for my fandoms, art for my friends' stories, art for myself, or do art commissions if they're open. I drew the covers and banners in most of my books, and sometimes I do artworks of the characters, too.

And there you have it. We hope you enjoyed this interview with Ace_Guard. To check out their works visit these links:

Codename: DEMON
Three Lies, All True

Catch us next time as we bring on another amazing Fantasy author. Till then, have a magical week ahead.