May 19, 2025
Author's Commentary #443:
Time to talk about Chapter 443: Hundred-year hitchhiker.
This time the spotlight is on Vonnie, who shows just how effective the Mexican Defense can be. The chapter also introduces the rest of the Chilean women's team, so let's do their bios.
イクラ・ロンコン (Iqra Loncón) is how Iqra's name would be spelled in katakana.
Her birthday is October 3rd. I chose this date at random, so there's no greater significance behind why this date is her birthday.
Her favorite piece is the knight.
イフィゲニア・ブリセーニョ (Iphigenia Briceño) is how Iphigenia's name would be spelled in katakana.
Her birthday is August 7th, which she shares with Chilean grandmaster, Cristobal Henriquez Villagra.
Her favorite piece is the queen.
ウラカ・ブフォン (Urraca Bufón) is how Urraca's name would be spelled in katakana.
Her birthday is March 15th, which is both the Ides of March, and the day after the other Urraca's birthday.
Her favorite piece is the king, since all Jester cultists are required to worship Jester as king.
While Urraca was always meant to be a Jester cultist, her having a miserable office lady personality was a last-minute thing. I feel it works well for her and provides many new avenues for writing her character. As for her name, I normally don't like giving characters the same name, but I felt it could work here. That being said, I doubt the two Urracas will have much screentime together in the series going forward.
ユクス・ガホナ (Uxue Gahona) is how Uxue's name would be written in katakana.
Her birthday is July 17th, which is National Tattoo Day.
Her favorite piece is the queen.
Uxue is a tattoo artist, and one of the main reasons Onera is studying abroad. She's dedicated to her craft and even shaved her own hair and eyebrows off for the sake of inking over the skin where it had been.
And with that, Babylonian is the only full women's team left to get their bios and be introduced. A big reason for this is the various revisions I've done on that team as they're now far different from the original vision I had for them.
Getting back to the chapter at hand, the main focus was showcasing Vonnie and the Mexican Defense proper. I did feel a little burnout when writing this, but not enough to make me feel miserable.
And best of all, I'll be getting a break from game writing in just a few short chapters as a second rest day means Kisha's interviews will be back. That being said, this second rest day will be much different than the first one as it will feature a very important event for not just the arc, but the overall series.
That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.
