I’ll try to address here any questions I get asked frequently. Since I haven’t been asked any questions yet, here are a few that might come up.
Why isn’t it suitable for younger or sensitive readers?
It’s not a Grimdark setting. It’s possibly only a little darker than most superhero settings. But I’m not going to shy away from writing darker scenes if I feel the narrative needs it, and I’m not going to worry about how these scenes will be taken. There are descriptions of brothel scenes, dismemberment, and a lot of violence, as well as limited amounts of swearing.
Why did you set it during the 1920s?
Well, firstly, because of SPOILERS. But also because, whilst researching it, I was struck by many parallels between then and now – the religious hatred towards immigrants, the difference in lifestyles between the rich and poor, the sense of hope that would again and again be crushed. Plus, jazz music.
Are you okay with fan-fiction, fan-art?
Yes, I think it’s a massive compliment you like my fiction enough to do this. But please mention where the work comes from, make a clear and obvious reference to the story (a link would be great, if so link to one of the free versions), and mention that you don’t claim the characters/setting as your own.
This is inaccurate/wrong/a mistake/it didn’t happen that way
Okay, there’s two possible things going on here. First, this isn’t our universe, it’s an alternate universe that in a lot of ways mirrors our own, but in some ways doesn’t. The obvious difference is in the superpowers. But there are other differences, quite big differences.
So if it seems like there’s some major historical thing which I got wrong and I really should have known (if, for example, I was to say world war 1 ended in 1924) that would likely be an in-universe change.
Second possibility is, I got it wrong. I’m doing lots of research but I might still make mistakes. Feel free to point out errors, or things you think might be errors, in the comments.
Why no Discord?
When I was setting all this up Discord announced a global plan of ID requirements, so I deleted my accounts. I’ve also been de-Americafying my tech wherever possible. My site is WordPress, but hosted by Ineos. Discord eventually backed down and I have “build a discord server” on my to-do list but I have a lot on my to-do list.
What’s wrong with American tech?
What’s wrong with wanting to support my local economy? That aside, American corps tend to be very lax on client security, ignorant or dismissive of EU security laws (they regularly get sued for this), are forcing AI into everything, and I don’t want to fund billionaires.
I will update this section periodically as the story takes shape.