Oct 31, 2024
Author's Commentary #127:
Time to talk about Chapter 127: One annoying asshole.
Though first, I think we need to call the fire department because Iori just scorched Clifford's ass with some of the sickest burns. All joking aside, I do love how Iori completely asserts dominance over Clifford and puts him in his place. Clifford, was designed to be a one-dimensional hatable antagonist, but it's only now that it's revealed he's also an egotist. Iori was spot on with all her insults.
As for the game, I had a lot of fun writing it. Considering how many Bongcloud variations have already been in the series, it was natural that the Queen's Bongcloud opening would get a spotlight. I also loved how the game ended with the pawn at d5 being pivotal to Clifford's defeat. Now let's get his bio out of the way.
クリフォード・グラスブロワー (Clifford Glassblower) is how his name is spelled in katakana. He's actually based off of the character Juji Sazan from Sentai Daishikkaku.
His birthday is January 11th. The reason for that is the date the chapter that saw Juji's debut was released.
His favorite piece is the queen, mainly because he worships it as the most powerful piece on the board.
And before we end, I also want to talk about Sheila and the brand new character, Hazel Hemmings. Sheila is the granddaughter of Wiley and as such, has tried her best to distance herself from him, mainly to improve her own life. This is why she ended up getting a bunch of tattoos and picking up vaping.
シーラ・フリッシュ (Sheila Frisch) is how Sheila's name is spelled in katakana.
Her birthday is January 7th. I chose this date at random, so there's no greater significance behind why this date is her birthday.
As for her favorite piece, she actually doesn't have one. The reason why is because she hates chess. Though if she did have a favorite, it would likely be the pawn.
ヘーゼル・ヘミングス (Hazel Hemmings) is how Hazel's name is spelled in katakana.
Her birthday is December 2nd. I chose this date at random, so there's no greater significance behind why this day is her birthday.
Her favorite piece is the bishop, mainly because she's also religious.
Hazel takes the cake as being the most underdeveloped character in the series. To be fair, it makes sense as her whole purpose was to replace Imelda as SPCM. To try and make her stand out a bit more from the others, I had her be a Raticinatio party supporter rather than a Misericordia one like most of the others.
Speaking of witch, I feel I should mention that while subtle, I've now changed the state Wiley represents in the senate from Kansas to Missouri. This is because St. Louis is considered the chess capitol of the US. I've also shuffled around some of the places the SPCMs hail from. Sheila is now from St. Louis instead of Kansas, while Clifford is now from Washington DC instead of Seattle. The others are unchanged with Hazel now representing New Orleans, which is actually where chess legend Paul Morphy was born and raised. It's also where Peter lives, so it made sense to have a secret puzzle cafe be there.
That's all for this commentary. I hope you enjoyed it.
