This page features the interview for the Featured Article of February, 2018 Huntstonia, by Blaze Sol. The interview was done on February 7, 2018 between Blaze Sol and Juely.
The Interview[]
Q1) Where does Huntstonia earn its name from?
A1) Ugh, I had a feeling that would be in there Well, you see, there wasn't really a reason for the name, or a place it came from. I was about 8 when I started writing these stories, and I guess it was the first thing in my head, and I just stuck with it. Though there were certain phrases I was always attracted to, and -stonia was one of them, so I guess it just went from there. And many of the characters within the island are canine/feline based, both of which can be classified as "hunters" i suppose, so yeah.
Q2) Is there any real-life location on Earth from which Huntstonia is based on?
A2) Not overly. However, the original name for Royalcoast Horizons was Oceania, like the real semicontinent, a bit of a nod to my Australian heritage I suppose. If anything, its more based off the land from Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest, with multiple provinces with their own characteristics. I mainly just wanted that classic "different while connected" kinda thing In relation to the elements of the Huntstones, I mean.
Q3) Who is Damien and why did he want to conquer Huntstonia?
A3) Damien was an extremely powerful sorcerer who lived in Huntstonia hundreds of years ago. At that point, Huntstonia had no form of ruler or government, and Damien, his growing strength making him more and more hungry for recognition and power, decided to take it upon himself, to rule the land as he saw fit. He was always intrigued by dark magic, and believed it was the most effective way to get anything he desires, or get rid of anything that displeased him.
Q4) What kind of political system do they use in Huntstonia? Don’t tell me it’s democracy…!
A4) After the Battle for Huntstonia, Reinhardt, the sorcerer who defeated Damien, was looked on by the people, who wished for him to become their king, to which he gratefully accepted. And so, his bloodline has continued, to the current King of Huntstonia, Victor Reinhardt. So yes, Huntstonia is a monarchical society. There is also a member of the king's army that is assigned as the Guardian of one of the seven provinces.
Q5) How big is Huntstonia?
A5) Huntstonia is actually quite a small island. On a real-world scale, I'd say it would be around the same size, as Papua New Guinea, perhaps slightly smaller.
--J: That’s bigger than my own country.
--B: Where you from?
--J: Greece—B: Oh cool, Okay, maybe a fair bit smaller than Papua New Guinea Maybe half to 3/4 the size
Q6) Do you draw maps?
A6) Well, me and Crimson Flame (who is the one who mostly edits the pages), did attempt to draw a map, but neither of us could really agree on the spacing and specific geographical locations of towns and provinces, so we didn't go that far into it. I can picture what I believe it would look like, but I myself haven't drawn a map of it, no.
Q7) I see Huntstonia exists in the world of Mobius. Is it the same universe as the Archie comics? How have you envisioned the rest of Mobius?
A7) Well, no, I never envisioned in within the Archie universe. I pictured Huntstonia as an island to the south of what I perceived as the "mainland of Mobius", which is even what even those living in the island refer to it as. This (humanless) Mobius, however, was a very simple, mash-up of many areas, with the Central City, Blue Ridge Zone and Angel Island being the most significant. However, as time has passed, I have been attempting to perhaps lead, at least parts of Huntstonia, including it's characters and storyline, into it's own separate universe, away from Mobius and the entire Sonic Fandom. And those 3 main areas are the places where the main events of Maze of Hunter Hearts occur, which is set after the events of the Huntstonia Chronicles. For example, they move to the Central City where they meet the main Sonic cast, and they spend a fair portion of time on Blue Ridge and Angel Island as well, so I will admit, I hadn't gotten much further into it. "They" being the Von Fang sisters and Voltage Bouncealot.
Q8) What is there to see in Huntstonia as a tourist?
A8) There is literally everything to see in Huntstonia. Each of the seven provinces have a landscape specific to their element, such as volcanoes in Lavaridge, or the mountains of Avalanche Towers. It all depends on the kind of places you are interested in. However, the 2 main attractions are the Temple of the Hunt and the Hunter Express. The Temple of the Hunt is slightly harder to see up close, as it is a sacred area, and the Huntstones can be slightly dangerous for those not born of the land, however, if you get a chance, it is a beautiful area. The Hunter Express is the railroad that runs through all of the provinces, giving you a chance to see the scenery in a short amount of time, as well as experience the history of the train itself.
Q9) What did you enjoy the most in creating Huntstonia?
A9) Well, like I said earlier, I'd started writing about this land and these characters when I was 8, which is about 8–9 years ago now. I guess I just loved how I could create something that was mine, with logic that made sense to me, and with histories and backstories and features that were unique to my style. I also loved that it gave me to a chance to make my characters come to life, and give me a chance to even get a little bit of experience in writing and creating. It's been basically my life for such a long time, and even though it's changed a lot over the years, it's still my place.
Although I wanna add one thing. While Huntstonia and the characters and backstories and everything was my idea and my creation, I wanna make a note that there was one person who helped me get to this point. That was Crimson Flame. He's been my best friend, and I guess you could say writing partner for a very long time now, and he has refined so much of my work to make it as polished as it is. In fact, one factor that is his making is the Hunter Corps itself. While he and I have had arguments in the past about how the story should go (to which, I will admit, we are both extremely stubborn with, however I will very rarely will change stuff) he has been there to support my ideas and basically create the pages that are on the Wiki itself. So without him, I still would have had really bad quality pages and I wouldn't be getting interviewed by you, Juely. So thank you, Crim. You've done a lot.
Q10) Which place would you like to visit the most in the world?
A10) Well, I've already been on trips to most of Europe and the United States, which were places I wanted to go more than anything. I am heading off to Cambodia at the end of the year, however, more than anything, I would love to visit the Phillipines, as well as Argentina.