Q & A/Development

* Original Conception
* Inspirations
* Planning and Writing
* Release Schedule
* Future

**For the fans out there, we are 86 chapters now into unOrdinary. It’s been a ridiculously long run. Before I get into questions about the story, how has that been to you, how has that felt from the beginning of the first days of the Stan Lee contest until now?**

It was crazy that I was able to get this far, it’s because of you guys. You guys like inspire me every single week. Before starting unOrdinary, I think the furthest I’ve ever gotten into the story of mine is like chapter 6 or something [Note: OFR-ice]. Thank you guys for the support!

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**I don’t know if everybody even kind of knows about the origins of unOrdinary, but we ran a superhero contest for new titles a couple of years ago and unOrdinary was one of the finalists who won one of them in partnership with Stan Lee.**

**You uploaded 3 chapters. You made it to be published. Did you find out about the contest randomly? Or was it something you were already working on? Or did you come up with it on the spot?**

I was already working on another webtoon on Webtoons [Note: OFR-ice]. I found the contest and I thought it was a good opportunity, but unfortunately my other webtoon was not superhero-based, so I kind of just came up with this one on the top of my head. I had no idea it was going to become like this.

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**How much of that did you have structured out storywise past the first 3 chapters or 10 to where we are today, ‘cause it seems to be incredibly well plotted and thought through?**

I think I’m just lucky with that one. I think when I was uploading for that contest, I was just publishing one chapter at a time and just kind of coming up with it on the spot. I did have a general idea of what I wanted to do, except that’s not the case anymore. The original theme of it was like “if you stick a normal person inside the world filled with superheroes, what kind of situation do we have?” But that’s not really the case anymore.

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**What point between just starting being one of the winners of the contest and today did you kind of start to realize unOrdinary has become a thing? By that I mean “it’s a comic that a bunch of people are reading” to “the most read superhero comic in North America”?**

I think once I was chosen to be one of the winners to- or even by then I don’t think it’s really sunk in until I started updating and getting comments and feedback from my audience that I was like “Oh yeah I probably should do something about the plot.”

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**So how did that transition happen to where you ended up on WEBTOON? Did you go through on the discover side or did they recruit you because they found your comic online? How did that relationship come about?**

WEBTOON was hosting a contest called the "Superhero Contest" (and back then I was still working my full-time job)...I saw the contest and I thought "this is an interesting opportunity," so I decided to just try out for it. I just made an intro up on the spot and submitted it. And some people liked it, so I was like..."This is something that people might actually want to read." So I kept writing and got really lucky to be chosen as one of the winners of the contest. WEBTOON offered me a featured position and now I'm drawing a new episode every week.

**So that original submission that got you onto WEBTOON, was that unOrdinary?**

It was!

LRM Online Podcast [Feb 2019]

**How did you discover webtoon platform and what was the most difficult thing about breaking into "webtoon industry"?**

I found Webtoon through the "Superhero" contest they were holding. Back then, I entered it on a total whim, and never thought I'd actually make it anywhere. The most difficult part was trying to keep up with the weekly uploads.

Instagram interview (Part 1) [June 2019]

**What is your favorite memory of the experience of winning the LINE Webtoons contest with unOrdinary?**

Probably just seeing that unOrdinary had made it into the top 4. I had been anticipating the results for the entire week, so it was a huge relief. I went out for a nice sushi dinner afterwards :)

Lootcrate Interview [July 2019]

**Who was the very first unOrdinary character you created?**

The first character created was John. He was supposed to look like your typical background character/NPC.

Instagram interview (Part 1) [June 2019]

**Did you think when you started writing UnOrdinary that it would have such a large impact on people, or that it would become so popular so quickly?**

*@anklejbiter* No, hell no. I was just writing it for fun. I feel like most people who write stories they write it because they really like writing stories. They really love what they do. They’re really not in it or trying to get big. That’s not their main reason anyway.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Sep 2019]

**When you came up with unordinary did you have the whole story planned out right away or was it just a small idea that kept growing?**

@ξύδι i started off not knowing much, but after a couple chapters, the story came together.

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

**What inspired you to create this story?**

It started off as an anime trope parody. I wanted the MC to be a background character, and for everyone else to look like anime MCs.

APAHM [May 2021]

**I don't know if this has been answered or not but what was your inspiration for writing UnOrdinary if any?**

*@Darren Phillip Smith [M]* I did it for a contest at first. But now I'm writing based off what happens in current society. Troubles that a lot of people go through on the daily

**do you know who you beat in that contest?**

*@Nen* I came in 4th ;;

Discord Interview [Dec 2017]

**What was the original thought process that went into making unOrdinary?**

*@TheRealRed* It's mostly based off what's going on around us right now.

Discord Interview [Dec 2017]

**Is the unOrdinary world / setting based off an actual place IRL? Like America, Japan, Europe, etc?**

*@Blim* It's based off a similar world as ours, but nothing real

Discord Interview [Dec 2017]

**You have this class structure amongst the characters and the King and the Queen and the Jack. What kind of inspired adding that into the series as the most powerful kids in school?**

Well, I really like playing cards when I was a kid so I like to use the King, Queen, Jack, Ace because of the card structure that comes with a standard poker deck. In terms of hierarchy it’s based more off of...a way to recognize the most powerful characters in the story...and it’s based off of real life and what goes on in society...

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**What are some of the main stories that mainly inspired unOrdinary because we kind of have this out-of-place dystopian hierarchy. There is a King, Queen, Ace, and others, but what is the main inspiration for that?**

I think the inspiration behind it, books like 1984. Also, based off of our current society. There are certain things that you might not know about that are going on. It’s based off of current society and a couple of books I read back in high school.

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**Were there any other specific reasons that you chose high school or you just thought that that would be kind of a good setting to explore these characters and what they're going through?**

One of the main reasons I chose to high school was because it’s a lot easier to draw school uniforms. But aside from that, I feel like my most vivid memories are from high school...that was probably the time when I was most honest with myself, and with what I wanted to be. So a lot of inspiration of the story actually comes from me when I was in high school.

LRM Online Podcast [Feb 2019]

**So what inspired you start unO the way it went?**

*@ᴵˡ⁻ᴬᵠᵘᶦˡᵘˢ* I was writing it because webtoon held a contest that had to do with super heroes. To mess with the prompt and make a world filled with superheroes with the main character not being a superhero and it kind of backfired. The main character ended up having superpowers anyways.[*break in dialogue*] idea started.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Sep 2019]

**Hi Uru, just wanna ask what was your muse and insperation for the Unordinary comic? Do you have a book or show like the Unordinary book that John has?**

@luckydog305 i pull most of my inspiration from my past experiences and current events. no, i don't have my own Unordinary book

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

**What inspired you to make the series? Did you want to achieve something while writing (like a message or a moral?)**

@Kitonami (He/Them) it was supposed to be a story that made fun of anime tropes, but now it's inspired by society and is a form of social commentary. Through the story, i'd like for readers to think about events from different perspectives

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

urstinky

**What inspired you to create unOrdinary?**

unOrdinary was my way of making fun of anime tropes. ie. I wanted the main character to look basic, and all the side characters to look like mains.

Reddit AMA [Oct 2020]

**In a previous Q/A you mentioned that you took a lot of inspiration from Chinese dramas (Wuxia) early on for your stories. What's your top favorite drama of all time and how did it impact you as a writer/storyteller?**

*@sus* I can’t think of my favorite. I don’t really have a favorite, but there is one that impacted me the most and it’s called “Romance of the Condor Heroes” translated into english. The Chinese is Shén Diāo Xiá(神雕侠侣). And that one is a story about I guess a romantic couple who try everything that they can to be together but they can’t be together. I guess I like to write stories with that sort of theme. Or that’s something that I notice in most of my stories. I just like conflict and I don’t...enjoy...letting my characters being happy with what I make.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**What has been the hardest thing when making unOrdinary?**

probably keeping up with deadlines and staying creative every week:D

Discord Interview [Dec 2017]

**From the beginning, you knew John had powers right?**

I didn’t. So it started off where I would make it so that John’s power was like a “super-bluff-attack” or something like that, where he was just really good at bluffing and getting himself out of situations. As the story went on, it didn’t make too much sense to me; somebody who doesn't really have powers being able to bluff his way past some of the most powerful people who could blow up buildings and stuff like that.

**How many chapters in were you in before you decided he was going to be more powerful than everyone?**

It was probably like chapter 2. It wasn’t like halfway through [the series].

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**...When you started off and...you had to get the visual look down. Did you know right away how exactly you wanted it to look or did it take a few passes to get the look, feel, tone and mood of the world come naturally to you?**

In the beginning I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted, I was just winging it. But definitely as time passed I have a much clearer idea of how certain character would act under certain situations, and how the world would look in the sort of environment where power determines everything. And I also wanted to make something that was colorful and fun.

LRM Online Podcast [Feb 2019]

**How developed is the world of Unordinary beyond the scope of the plot and main characters?**

*@straYDoubter* I'd say decently developed. The world is similar to ours with a specific governing system

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**Hi! Do you ever get writer’s block? If so, how do you cope with it? What helps you overcome it or prevent it?**

*@Distortion* yea, all the time. I just take a break from my work. Go outside, play videogames, watch movies. Most of my drawers block is gone by then. If not, I just do what I can to push through the week

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**What do you do to get motivation going on days where you feel out of it? I want to start a story but always feel too out of it to do anything anymore**

*@Kaden Fate* Most of my motivation comes from my audience. I also love season how the story unfolds as I write

Most of the time, I just ignore the fact that I'm feeling out of it and continue to work. Deadlines and readers motivate me.

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**How did you determine the way Sera found out about Johns ability? Was it hard or did you already have it planned out?**

*@ArtisticReader* I knew from the beginning how she was gonna find out. Planning out the events that led up to it was difficult

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**If you could go back and add one minor, non-story-altering detail to a previous episode of Season 1, what would it be?**

*@steamport* probably would've made changes to their uniforms

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**What are you dissatisfied with in the story currently or in the past? And why if any.**

*@Fate* there are so many things that i wish I could change, but I won't mention them because the story is how it is. Overall, I'm happy with how everything turned out. Thanks for your support! I'm glad you like the story.

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**What age is UnOrdinary intended for?**

*@℣ＯＲＴＥX* It’s for all ages, honestly.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Sep 2019]

**How often do you get writer's block, and how do you fix it?**

@ξύδι When i get writer's block, i just do something else for a while then continue

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

Retloclive

**Have you ever thought about needing to change up the pace of the series? One of the bigger criticisms you'll see amongst reddit users is that UnOrdinary's pacing is quite slow. I personally feel that the pacing is an ok read when you can binge read multiple chapters at once, but when you're keeping up with the new chapters on a weekly basis, it will feel very bare-bone as if hardly anything happened.**

Yes, I'm aware. I've tried my best to pace things as fast as I can without losing the essence of the story. When I write unOrdinary, my goal isn't to progress the plot as quickly as possible. My main focus is on characters' progressions, emotions, drives, and states-of-mind.

If binging the series makes the pacing seem fine, then I'm happy with that. Weekly chapters are always going to be rough. My team and I spend over 150 cumulative hours on each episode which only takes a couple minutes to read. That's a consequence of the medium, unfortunately :\

Reddit AMA [Oct 2020]

**Have you ever deleted or written any characters out of the story?**

*@Rat* Like Elaine? No I’m just kidding(laughs). Deleted or written any characters out of the story as in like my planning phase?

**Yeah**

*@Rat* Let me think. I’m sure I have at one point. But most of them are- none of them are major characters. Most of them are like I wanna  make a situation where someone gets into a small conflict at a coffee shop or something like that and then just I’ve decided to scratch it because we’ve seen those so many times already. No one major though, yet.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**What are some worries you have when making an episode and how do you deal with them?**

*@derpmire* My biggest worry is “will I meet my deadline?” “will I be able to get this out in time?” I think it is a bit overwhelming at the beginning of every week. The beginning of my week is on a Friday or a Thursday and it gets pretty daunting because knowing you have to go through that week cycle again. But usually once I start working on the chapter and start getting into it, it’s a lot easier. I always think about the audience’s reaction and there’s people who are waiting at the beginning of every upload and I don’t want to disappoint them because they’re taking their time to wait.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**Is unOrdinary going as you planned from the beginning or did you change your story while writing?**

*@Petrus* Yeah, it has gone according to plan surprisingly. I did change a lot of details in the middle but that’s not because I hadn’t planned them. That’s not because it was not according to plan. I think that as a writer you should be open to changing certain specific details in the comic just to fit the scenario, but the overall plot has been according to plan. All the way.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**Do you set schedules or deadlines for yourself?**

*@Monty* Yeah, pretty much. I used to not take breaks on thursdays. I used to upload a chapter and start working on the next chapter right away because I wanted to get ahead or I wanted more time to work on my story. But I realized after a while that that’s really not good for you because it causes a ton of burn out. I was surprised when I took my first Thursday off that it helps a lot with my productivity on Friday. Usually my schedule on Thursday I don’t do anything like laborious like intense work. I just brain storm what I’m going to do this next chapter. And then on Friday is when I script and I will sketch up and ink about 20 panels-ish that day. And then Saturday and Sunday I would also do about, I would do a little bit more. I would do about 30-40 panels on Saturdays and Sundays and then I would send those out to my colorists and they would color it for me. Then on Monday is when I would get all the colors back. So I would [] all my backgrounds in and finalize all the panels on Mondays and Tuesdays. And then starting on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is when I put my entire chapter together and when I finalize my chapter. That’s my typical weekly schedule.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**Hi There Uru Chan, 2 questions for u,**

***1. is season 2 currently in development? (if not take ur time u really need the break)***

***2.Will There be a prologue for season 2 like season 1***

*@Yungeezy\_123* yup, I'm working on season 2 on and off. Not sure if there will be a prologue yet

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**Will Fast Pass still be a thing for season 2 & if so will the 1st episode be available for fast passers that like to spend coins? ( Such as my self I love giving coins away to read unOrdinary)**

*@Yungeezy\_123* yes, fastpass will be the same as before :D

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**How do you feel about the week to week content schedule? I love getting a new story every week, you always deliver. But it's got to be tough. Have you adjusted to it or do you wish you had a little more time for each episode?**

*@Zeta Crossfire* the weekly grind is tough and taxing both physically and mentally. It was a difficult adjustment, but I've gotten used to the work load. There's never enough time to work on an episode because you can always make it better.

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**Are you going to make a s2 premeire for free, and three fp episodes? How will it work?**

*@Angerey the ebic《LͫOͤRͫDͤ》* It will be just like before. 1 episode, then 3 fast pass

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**Will the chapter released after the break be available early for fast pass?**

*@Gandalf The Gay* I don’t think so. I think the fastpass, the 3 episodes following will be available for fast pass. I don’t think you’ll have early access.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Sep 2019]

**Have you already planned season 2 or the ending of season 2?**

@KittyLover yes, just need to hash out details

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

**How far ahead have you planned unordinary(storywise).Have already thought of an ending?(pls dont end it)**

@XxGreedxX i have the season pretty much laid out

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

**So we're at Episode 86 right now, and before you know it Episode 100 is going to come around. Are you gonna do a special Q & A or is it gonna to be something really crazy that's gonna happen like Cecile finally exposing John's powers on the news?**

I don't really have anything special planned for Episode 100. I might come up with a Bonus...

**YOU SHOULD KILL SOMEBODY**

Oh!

**(*cries of Arlo*)**

I don't know, maybe! I might kill John's hair gel on Episode 100.

SYFY Fireside Chat [13 Apr 2018]

**Nearly how many seasons and episodes do you plan for unOrdinary?**

It will have at least two seasons and a couple hundred episodes (300+)

Instagram interview (Part 1) [June 2019]

**I wanted to ask and see if you have any plans for a physical release? Or would you like to have one in the future. I know unordinary has a lot of long and tall panels that might not translate perfectly to a physical book but I'd love to own an actual copy of unordinary! Keep up the great work!**

*@Zeta Crossfire* Yup, everything's good. Thanks A print copy is definitely something I'm working towards

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**I have a question about merch, will there ever be more official merch for unO? I think unO has a lot of potential for good merch!**

@Bluepeg You can currently get some unO merch at [1] Hopefully, there will be more in the future

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]!O!

**Is there going to be a minor change of artstyle in season 2 for you to be more comfortable drawing, I can relate to the hand pain.**

*@MistaAnimator* I think the mood will probably be different. I haven’t really decided on any specific art style change. The one I have right now I'm pretty comfortable with. I think the mood will be different.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Sep 2019]

**How many seasons are you planning on doing total?**

@Sugardog16 well we just finished season 1. I'm planning on doing, I think, 2 more seasons

FanExpo Boston [Oct 2019]

**Hi Uru. Hope your doing well How many episodes/seasons will the series be? Or are you just letting the series just go at it's on pace?**

@larycucumber111 there will probably be 300+

Discord Interview [Apr 2020]

**I wanted to ask and see if you have any plans for a physical release? Or would you like to have one in the future. I know unordinary has a lot of long and tall panels that might not translate perfectly to a physical book but I'd love to own an actual copy of unordinary! Keep up the great work!**

@Zeta Crossfire Yup, everything's good. Thanks A print copy is definitely something I'm working towards

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

**I have a question about merch, will there ever be more official merch for unO? I think unO has a lot of potential for good merch!**

@Bluepeg You can currently get some unO merch at [2] Hopefully, there will be more in the future

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Sep 2019]

Jetbt17

**How much longer are you willing to do the series?**

a few more years

Reddit AMA [Oct 2020]

Hermang7770

**how far do you think Unordinary is in its overall progression and story arc. Like a percentage?**

**If you were up for it would a spin-off after the series be written or will you be done with he Unordinary world after you finish the main story.**

maybe 40-50%. hard to see it like a progress bar

it would depend on how i feel when it ends, but i think id be open to it

Reddit AMA [Oct 2020]

AndMEGAOOF

**…wanted to ask if we might get more chapters with music in them? Do you like using music in your chapters? I feel music can really help set a tone and emotion for scenes especially in chapter 20.**

I definitely would like to put more music in my episodes. Sadly, I don't have the means to set its up right now ;;

Reddit AMA [Oct 2020]

xShadowClaw19

**Hey uru chad, you mentioned a while ago that you were planning on making 3 seasons with 300+ eps. If possible, do you think you could give an update to how many you are foreseeing as of now/how long you see unO going for?**

probably still 3 season, but definitely WAY more episodes xD (maybe around 400??)

Reddit AMA [Oct 2020]

**will there ever be more God-tier hoodie or muscle shirt merch again or any other type of merch like that again?**

*@Kami, Protector of lesbians* not sure

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Jun 2021]

**Have you ever considered making a YouTube channel where you narrate your recent episodes? It could definitely give you a bit more publicity.**

*@The Jeff* not likely, but i definitely would want to expand my youtube channel eventually

Discord Interview (Part 1, Text) [Jun 2021]

**So how much percentage completion are we on with the story of unO so far?**

*@Dementia (Who are all of you?)* Probably around 50 percent.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**Do you plan to release the worldbuilding/lore materials you're making for patreon to the public in the foreseeable future?**

*@Phiso* Honestly I haven’t even uploaded it for my patrons yet. We’ll have to wait and see.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]

**How much arcs do you think there would be in the remaining seasons**

*@PresonMan* Well it depends on what you define an arc. A lot. I expected it to be as long as the first half of the season. I don’t know how many arcs though.

Discord Interview (Part 2, Voice) [Jun 2021]