❤️ Thank you all so much for taking the time to ask questions about the story, the characters, or this lunatic romance writer. ❤️

 Paradox:

- Who are the most favorite character and least favorite character in your novel and why?

My favorite character is Benxamin. If at his age I had had that ability to analyze the environment and people, I wouldn't have judged others as I did and would be much more assertive. But I must confess that when I was 8 years old, I was very curious and that got me in trouble with adults. I apologize to those whom I offended. My aunt, my sister's friend, my cousin's husband... 

There are two people I don't like, but for now I'll say it's Lucas -Marcel's father - a drunk and a gambler. He has emotionally hurt Eleanor, his wife and the rest of his family.

- What are Lester's and Victor's biggest fears? 

For now the chapters narrate the life of our protagonists in childhood. Lester is afraid to socialize due to his shyness and low self-esteem. He has a hard time making decisions without the help of others, but this guy really has the best intentions, he just doesn't believe he can do anything on his own.

Victor's biggest fear is feeling alone, even though he lives with his twin brother. However, Benxamin is an individualist, creating his own rules and adapting them to his environment. What Victor really wants is to be loved by someone and for these feelings to be genuine.

- Who inspired you to create these characters? 

The truth is that I have based myself on characters that are part of my personal environment. It is about the lives of certain people in my family, co-workers, friends and not so much. But in the case of Benxamin, I was inspired by Demian, one of the main characters in the book of the same name. When I started writing about him, he reminded me of a childhood friend.

- Do you have real life people you based your characters on? 

Yes, this started with a casual conversation with a relative in 2017, she said that her life could be told like a book. I must clarify that none of my relatives is a novelist; the closest thing to that world is an uncle who is a poet. However, that gave me the idea, I designed the story to be told as a comic, but there were so many details that couldn't be overlooked and the time to draw them all is so limited that I decided it was better to write it as a novel. My intention is not to romanticize a tragic life - only that reality is stranger than fiction. Considering that I was a minor at the time, my interests were completely different. I had put it aside for a while and preferred to do comics or other types of stories in the horror or suspense genre.

In fact, I asked this and other people for permission to write the story. I have censored, eliminated or softened situations in which I consider that its content should not be described due to its complexity. I can only say that it was something that made me rethink how honest and supportive a family can be.

- Are there any characters or situations that you wrote out of spite?

Interesting question. However, I never thought of it that way. I don't think a certain scene or character was written for that purpose. Although I am someone who does not have much experience in life, I have noticed that you never really get to know people very well. Maybe this is not out of spite, but to show love to my characters and teach other kinds of lessons to many more who need it.

Tethyka (Kimberly Rinehart):

- Question for Lester (in the current timeline of childhood) What do you think of Victor?

Lester: ☺️

He is great! I feel able to get closer to him, because he is someone I admire a lot. He makes friends easily while I don't. But when he cried and hugged my mom, he made me realize that I want to help him. I would never jump off a bridge, or make that “weird” look,... but, I would like to be like him and his brother and tell him that he is not alone.

- Question for Victor and Lester: What are the top three things either of you dislike? 

Victor: 😡

1. Damn! I don't like people asking me for favors! They are cry babies!

2. I don't like vegetables, especially beets and pumpkin. I want to disappear from the planet when Stella cooks her famous duck stew. That tastes like dirty water!

3. I hate when people tell me my freckles are pretty. I'm tired of having them on my face!

Lester: 😐

1. I don't like romantic movies. What's the point of watching two people kiss? It's so awkward. Blaaaargh!

2. Hmmm… I-I d-don't like public speaking. My hands shake just thinking about it.

3. I hate maths. I know that two plus two equals four. That's enough for me.

- Questions for autor: 

What was the inspiration that sparked your current title?

With this I could summarize what a part of the story is about: (Spoiler) The word idyll has two meanings, it is a love relationship that is lived passionately but is very short and, it is also a situation that develops in an idealized way.

So, the title refers to what can be considered as something positive, romantic, even superficial.  But when it's not so pretty anymore, will it be possible to face reality and realize that a relationship is not a bed of roses?

What inspired you to write Idyll in its Decline?

It's a story based on many experiences. But still, my intention is that readers can identify with their characters and reflect on what they could do if they were in the shoes of Lester, Victor, Benxamin and even Marcel.

What goal do you have by the time you finish this series?

I plan to work on a comedy-horror comic.  In 2015, I posted a similar story on Webtoon called: Does Everybody Have to Go Out?  But the plot is inconsistent and the ending,... meeeeh... So I want to do a version with the mind of an adult.  Its protagonist will be called Elisa -I am also going to change the title- and if everything goes as I would like, it will be released in 2023.

These are the first versions of what could be the design of the comic characters: She would be Elisa, my MC. 

And she is also another important character for the comic. She is a sweetheart

Although I'm not so convinced, I need to take my time to be sure if they will be like that or not.

Another project that I would like to do for next year is a comic. It will be a BL. I'm writing a script right now. I can only say that there will be very few characters (for now 3) and it will be a story full of suspense and psychological terror.

J. K. Borealis:

- How long do you leave the episode online before frantically going refreshing and checking the comments/views/likes?

Hehe, I'll be honest. Almost two or three hours after posting, although sometimes it can be the next day, I have a habit of uploading new content in the afternoon. It depends on what I'm doing, if I'm working, studying or with some free time.

- Which character do you really hate writing wouldn't like to be acquainted with IRL?

Stella, I know that she has several reasons for acting like this, but we must be aware that she is an adult and Lucas is too, because he has problems with alcohol.

Unfortunately for me, I have the horrible pleasure of meeting them.

- Which character would you like to be friends with IRL?

Lester, he is a sweet and understanding boy. He is afraid, but even so he is braver than he thinks. I also like Benxamin, I would love to have long conversations with him, the way he can analyze people is something I envy. 

My sister was somewhat similar to Victor - except for the jumping off a bridge part. 

-To whom did you give your first episode/draft to read for feedback and how did that go?

I must confess that I know more about astrophysics and neuroscience than about writing novels and making comics (sarcasm).  I admire those who do.  I'm not that young anymore and I feel like I have a lot to learn. 

When I finished the first version of this story in 2018, I showed it to my sister. She literally cried, she told me she hated the ending. That made me rethink if I liked tragic endings. I honestly never thought it was that bad. But this is a novel, not real life.

- If you could have a superpower for one day, which one would it be and why? 

I wish I could travel back in time to my childhood and warn my 4 year old self to never let her big sister play near a goat farm. But if this is considered a superpower, I would like to become invisible together with her or be able to talk to animals to tell them: We are harmless.

- If you could, would you let a genie make your story magically finished right now, 100% as you would have done it yourself? 

No, I would love to finish it with my own effort, I would be proud that I did it. Giving someone like a genius something I like just to save me time to do it, is being mediocre - remember these are my thoughts.

- How many times do you proofread your episodes?

As many times as possible. My English isn't perfect - starting with that. I wrote this story in Spanish, when I hardly knew what perro in English is dog. I spent almost 3 months translating it and every time I read it I say to myself: What the heck...? How could I write something so incoherent? In fact, before posting a new chapter, I go through it about 7 times and still feel like I see disastrous mistakes.😑

Izzybloom91:

- Questions for Lester: 

Is there anything that your parents do that really bothers you?

Lester: 😫

My mom looks at everything I do, my way of dressing and my posture. She always tells me: “straight back”, “don't rest your arms on the table”, “don't be lazy”. I already know that.

As for my dad, well... how do I say this without feeling embarrassed? He thinks it's funny when he jokes about his boss and I really don't see the point. Another thing I don't like is when he sings to mom in front of other people and the worst thing is that she likes to listen to him. 

Do you like Victor the moment you saw him, or did you like over time?

This will be answered by the adult version of Lester: 😌 (Spoiler)

It was over time. I must say that I had doubts about what I felt for him. But, those details of his, the way he looked at me or spoke to me, made me feel something for him without my having intended it

- Question for Victor: what do you and your brother do for fun?

Victor: 🤔

We play soccer, although I have to say that Benxamin is a lousy player. He isn't good as a goalkeeper or a striker. He prefers to play chess because he knows that he always beats me. Another thing we like to do is play video games like Mario, Donkey Kong, Tetris,...   

We create a language in which we communicate when we don't want anyone to know what we say. It's not that complex, you just have to know math to decipher it.

Jobless:

- I WANT TO KNOW EVERYONE'S FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPINGS!

I like it, no... I'm dying for the mushroom pizza. It is one of my favorites and it is irreplaceable for me.

- You've said you had this story for a long time, what originally inspired it?

Although I have been inspired by many real experiences. (Spoiler) This was also after reading a book in Spanish about survival on the high seas, with very important details about what to do, how to collect water, how to ask for help, etc. I wanted to give it a little more drama. The physical and mental capacity that a person has during a shipwreck is amazing. This is not something that anyone can bear.

Thank you very much for your questions, I really had fun with this and I know Lester and Victor enjoyed it too. On FRIDAY a NEW EPISODE... and on SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11... THE OTHER REWARDS. 🕺🕺