Mirror Stage Interview with Yuzhong and the Writing Team (2021)

Beware of heavy story spoilers.

This interview, in its entirety, includes questions and answers relating to the Mirror Stage event.

DIRECT HIT!

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE WRITING TEAM ABOUT THE WINTER EVENT'S PLOT!

- Featuring a mysterious guest who's not really that mysterious anymore

Dear Commanders, Miss Weixin received a lot of letters from all of you, and your strong feelings about the writing team really inspired Miss Weixin, so we really put the pedal to the metal when it came to getting info out of the writing team!

Unfortunately, the writing team can't answer all your questions because of spoilers and because of limited stamina. Below are selected questions and replies chosen by Miss Weixin; we hope you enjoy them, Commanders!

RPK-16 had a lot of screentime! How does the writing team view RPK-16 before and after MS? What will her fate be like?

Currently, RPK-16 is the only Doll who's turned traitor because "she's following her heart", so do you have a special place for her when it comes to future plots?

AK-15 was totally awesome, will DEFY get more screentime after this?

There is still a lot of space for exploration when it comes to Team DEFY. We put in a ton of subtle foreshadowing and Chekhov's Guns in them and said guns will be fired in the stories to come. This doesn't just cover AK-12, AK-15, AN-94 and RPK-16, but also the other human characters related to them. Ange goes without saying, but what is their creator "Shaw" like and "who" else might end up being linked to them? All this is important information that will feature in future stories.

RPK-16's betrayal is not the end of her development but just the beginning, and we would like to add a special flair to this "cliched" plot twist and try to do things with her that we've never done before. She still has many secrets of her own, and this mystery makes her more lifelike, especially when said secrets are revealed. We believe that the wordcount we've spent on her will ultimately have the desired effect, and we're hoping that this development will not just benefit her, but the characters around her, providing motivation and support to the main plotline.

AK-15 has always lacked a suitable stage due to her terse and cold nature, and we're very happy that we managed to give her an appropriate venue to shine during the plot of this event, portraying her overwhelming combat power as a "weapon in Doll form", even in the face of top-grade Nytos. While she still falls a little short of super-heavyweight military mechs, her abilities definitely make her a most reassuring ally.

Regarding the creation of DEFY: we've mentioned this before in previous interviews, but our answer is the same as it was previously. We have always had the same vision for RPK-16, and at this current stage, our plans and design for her are only beginning to unfold. We are very happy to explore her possibilities, but we will not stray from our initial design for her. We have placed an unprecedented amount of effort and design inspiration into her, and we will reclaim it when the time is right.

Since we do not wish to spoil future developments, all we can do is place Pandora's Box before your eyes, and ask that you wait quietly until its contents are revealed.

My Machlian, my Light... Are they going to survive?

During the plot, Machlian and Light gave their lives for their beliefs and they are never coming back. However, there are still many mysteries behind them: the relationship between Machlian, Morridow and William, the identity of Light's father... Perhaps these mysteries will forever remain unsolved because of their deaths, or perhaps the truth will one day come to light. Please pay attention to our plots~

Also, we have felt the attachment and regret that players have for them. While death is an unalterable reality, their deaths are not pointless, and the living will carry their wills and fight on, until they become a shining beacon in a brave new world.

Machlian and Light have left a deep impression on everyone, and it's plain to see that the writing team put a lot of effort into them. Now that the plot is unfolding with such intensity, can you tell us your thought process when designing new characters?

Before we flesh out the details for a new character, we consider the role which said character will have in the plot, and then design their personality as appropriate.

For instance, in this event Machlian's purpose was to provide clues about Paradeus. To many Commanders, Paradeus is still a very mysterious organization. Both their internal makeup and fighting power are still shrouded in a fog of mystery. I'm sure many of you Commanders out there are eager to unveil the truth of Paradeus.

If we compare the Commander to a hero who ventures into a dungeon to fight a dragon, then Machlian would be your guide.  She has lived in the dungeon all her life and knows it like the back of her hand, but due to many tragic circumstances she has become timid, afraid and even resigned to her fate. The Commander can only find the evil dragon with her help, and she can only find the courage to stand up against her misfortune with the Commander's encouragement.

Apart from the moving and compelling protagonists, the villains in the event are also quite charming in their own right. How do you feel about them?

Like I said, we in the writing team are staunch supporters of justice, and we will never be seduced by the allure of villainy!

Ahem. On a more serious note, we put the same amount of effort into both the heroes and the villains, and we hope to make them more rich and three-dimensional, like close friends of yours. To us, they are not mere words on a page, but especially meaningful friends.

Huh? Why would there be Nytos in the writing team? We're big fans of love, justice and righteousness, and we would never be swayed by romantic wiles, instead devoting our efforts to filling this cruel world with love and hope - oh yeah, has anyone seen my Lady Grey daki? (flees at lightspeed)

Thanks to the writing team for answering our questions. Next up, we'll have our mystery guest, Yuhzong, to field some questions too!

M4's appearance at the end of the event was quite exciting. It is like she said - no sacrifice is ever meaningless. Could you tell us what preparations and mindset you have when handling character deaths?

We don't go out of our way to draw up a character's death. Rather, we develop the story in a logical fashion and once the story reaches a certain stage, the character's fate becomes evident. All we can do is simply describe the appropriate destiny that lies in store for them.

Everyone is very worried about how Kalina will turn out after the event. Will we still continue to see her energetic form around the Commander?

Kalina is an important character in GFL2, so you don't need to be too worried about her.

Paradeus is a really scary faction. It feels like they're everywhere in the plot. It actually seems a little suffocating; are they really that powerful?

Paradeus' disposition has a fair bit to do with the plot going forward, and due to spoilers, all I can say is that we will be steadily revealing Paradeus' true face in upcoming events.

We've taken quite a lot of lumps - will Griffin catch a break in future?

Please believe that our future is bright, everyone!

Can we get some plot just for 6P62? You know, the love and hope sort.

Hehe... Well, that would depend if the writing team is willing to do it.

(Writing Team: Noooo not the overtime noooo)

Can you tell us whether the love and hope-filled plotlines are the work of the writing team or Yuzhong?

We're a very democratic bunch here, we decide things by consensus. (doubt)

How far along are you in Chainsawman?

We've finished it!

The original interview can be found right here!

Thanks to TMTO for providing a translation for this interview!