WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.679 Welcome back to the Deep Dive, everyone. Hey, 00:00:01.720 --> 00:00:04.259 guys. So today is our special Tuesday bonus. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:08.599 Behind the pages retrospective. Yes. And, you 00:00:08.599 --> 00:00:09.939 know, if you've been following along with us, 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.500 we are officially looking back at act one of 00:00:12.500 --> 00:00:15.779 The Whistling Swordsman. Beginnings. Oh, man, 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:18.160 what a ride. I mean, this is the inaugural book 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:21.519 of the whole, like, neogentrics literary multiverse. 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:23.559 And today we're just kind of putting the plot 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:25.859 on pause for a second. Which is hard to do, to 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:29.239 be honest. It really is. But we're diving into 00:00:29.239 --> 00:00:31.800 this amazing stack of sources we got, specifically 00:00:31.800 --> 00:00:34.939 a really revealing show intel and author backgrounds 00:00:34.939 --> 00:00:37.479 document. Yeah, that document completely blew 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:40.460 my mind. Exactly. So our mission today is to 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:43.439 explore the origin story of this massive universe. 00:00:43.740 --> 00:00:46.960 We're looking at how deeply personal, like real 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:49.799 world trauma is actually translated into this 00:00:49.799 --> 00:00:52.219 high concept martial arts world. Right. Because 00:00:52.219 --> 00:00:54.420 to understand the stakes of this world, you really 00:00:54.420 --> 00:00:56.600 have to understand the emotional reality that. 00:00:56.969 --> 00:01:00.689 Neo built it on. So true. And before we even 00:01:00.689 --> 00:01:02.509 get into the magic and the swords made a wind. 00:01:02.689 --> 00:01:05.549 Which we will. Oh, we definitely will. But before 00:01:05.549 --> 00:01:08.230 that, we have to talk about Neo's actual life. 00:01:08.489 --> 00:01:10.810 Because the psychological depth we see here, 00:01:10.909 --> 00:01:14.689 it's inextricably linked. to his real world experiences. 00:01:14.950 --> 00:01:17.150 Yeah. I mean, the Intel document talks about 00:01:17.150 --> 00:01:20.450 him growing up in Georgia and facing some really 00:01:20.450 --> 00:01:23.109 extreme adversity. Right. Like systemic and overt 00:01:23.109 --> 00:01:26.629 racism. Exactly. And dealing with those harsh, 00:01:26.810 --> 00:01:29.310 oppressive realities at such a formative age, 00:01:29.489 --> 00:01:32.430 it forced him to build this profound psychological 00:01:32.430 --> 00:01:34.549 resilience. Which you can totally see in the 00:01:34.549 --> 00:01:36.590 writing. Oh, 100 percent. That lived experience 00:01:36.590 --> 00:01:39.629 is like the core DNA of this entire fictional 00:01:39.629 --> 00:01:41.989 multiverse. It really is. It's why his heroes 00:01:41.989 --> 00:01:44.519 aren't just you know, typical swashbuckling adventurers 00:01:44.519 --> 00:01:46.299 looking for a chest of gold. Right. They're not 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:48.200 just mapping out a fantasy quest. No, they're 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:51.120 individuals who are actively being crushed under 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:54.260 the weight of deeply flawed, oppressive systems. 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:55.920 Yeah. And that's what makes it feel so heavy. 00:01:55.980 --> 00:01:58.400 I mean, the manuscript actually opens with this 00:01:58.400 --> 00:02:01.019 beautiful dedication to his real life grandfather. 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:05.099 Oh, that part got me. Me too. Neo writes, let 00:02:05.099 --> 00:02:08.740 me find it. He says, thank you for being the 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:10.889 one who inspired me to write. This may not be 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:12.830 the first book I wrote, but it was written in 00:02:12.830 --> 00:02:15.870 your honor. It's just so powerful. It is. And 00:02:15.870 --> 00:02:18.289 it brings up this really fascinating behind -the 00:02:18.289 --> 00:02:20.830 -scenes trivia that we just have to marvel at. 00:02:20.930 --> 00:02:23.689 Oh, you mean the draft? Yes. The 50 -page draft. 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:27.039 That is still so wild to me. Right. For you listening, 00:02:27.139 --> 00:02:29.919 if you didn't know, this massive, emotionally 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:33.080 heavy epic started out as just a 50 -page draft. 00:02:33.280 --> 00:02:35.800 Barely even a novella. Exactly. And Neo apparently 00:02:35.800 --> 00:02:37.939 rewrote it multiple times. He just kept digging 00:02:37.939 --> 00:02:40.719 deeper, expanding it to build this really dense 00:02:40.719 --> 00:02:42.780 foundation we just finished reading. And you 00:02:42.780 --> 00:02:44.879 can feel that layering, right? Like, he didn't 00:02:44.879 --> 00:02:48.280 just add filler to get to 149 pages. He added 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:50.560 emotional weight. Totally. Which begs the question, 00:02:50.680 --> 00:02:53.689 like... For you as a reader, does knowing Neo's 00:02:53.689 --> 00:02:57.289 real world trauma change how you approach these 00:02:57.289 --> 00:02:59.830 classic tropes? I think it has to. Right. Like, 00:02:59.849 --> 00:03:01.990 does the orphan hero trope stop being simple 00:03:01.990 --> 00:03:05.150 escapism and become more of a... Like a survival 00:03:05.150 --> 00:03:07.830 manual? I love that phrase, a survival manual, 00:03:08.009 --> 00:03:11.030 because it really recontextualizes the whole 00:03:11.030 --> 00:03:13.629 reading experience. It strips away that shiny, 00:03:13.689 --> 00:03:16.849 safe fantasy veneer. Exactly. When the protagonist 00:03:16.849 --> 00:03:20.310 fights in Neo's world, it's never this glorious, 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:23.629 fun game. It's a desperate bid to survive a system 00:03:23.629 --> 00:03:25.949 that basically wants to erase him. Yeah, the 00:03:25.949 --> 00:03:27.830 magic system and the martial arts are just tools. 00:03:28.960 --> 00:03:30.979 The real struggle is maintaining your humanity 00:03:30.979 --> 00:03:33.860 in a completely inhumane world. Trauma is literally 00:03:33.860 --> 00:03:37.080 the fuel for this universe. So keeping that concept 00:03:37.080 --> 00:03:39.219 of legacy and the grandfather's influence in 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:41.319 mind, let's talk about our protagonist. Yes, 00:03:41.319 --> 00:03:43.379 let's go to Medusa. Right, the planet Medusa, 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:45.780 specifically the continent of Pekodesh. We have 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:48.960 19 -year -old Xionix Novus. Poor Xionix. Right. 00:03:49.080 --> 00:03:52.240 He's living this super mundane, frustrating life 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:55.939 on the outskirts of society. And he's just suffocating 00:03:55.939 --> 00:03:58.300 under the shadow of this massive, absent legacy. 00:03:58.659 --> 00:04:01.500 His grandfather, Zeon Clerics, the legendary 00:04:01.500 --> 00:04:04.599 whistling swordsman. Exactly. Who vanished 17 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:07.180 years ago during the Congo War. And Xenix is 00:04:07.180 --> 00:04:09.240 just desperate for a connection to him. But all 00:04:09.240 --> 00:04:11.520 he has is that broken chain dagger his grandfather 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:14.460 left behind. It's heartbreaking. He wants the 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:17.459 discipline of the sword arts so badly. but he 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:19.480 just doesn't have the resources. Until he literally 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:22.019 bumps into them in the market. Yes, that market 00:04:22.019 --> 00:04:25.139 scene. He physically collides with this massive, 00:04:25.180 --> 00:04:28.600 imposing guy carrying twin swords. Kenshin Sensei. 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:30.899 Kenshin, a former student of his missing grandfather. 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:34.120 And recognizing that family resemblance, Kenshin 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:37.779 offers to train Zeonix to repay a life debt to 00:04:37.779 --> 00:04:39.620 the legendary swordsman. Which kicks off the 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:43.240 training on Shaman Hill, and oh my gosh. I expected 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:45.579 the typical montage here, you know? Yeah, like 00:04:45.579 --> 00:04:48.839 running upstairs, balancing on logs, classic 00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:52.759 stuff. Right. But the actual mechanics of Kenshin's 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:55.139 training are fascinatingly brutal. Oh, they're 00:04:55.139 --> 00:04:57.800 grueling. Kenshin doesn't give Zeonix a nice, 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.680 balanced wooden practice sword. He hands him 00:05:00.680 --> 00:05:04.250 a massive... Heavy meat cleaver. A meat cleaver. 00:05:04.370 --> 00:05:07.209 And just forces him to practice these basic agonizing 00:05:07.209 --> 00:05:10.050 swings. And at first I was like, wait, why a 00:05:10.050 --> 00:05:12.430 meat cleaver? It seems so counterintuitive, right? 00:05:12.509 --> 00:05:15.069 Completely. If your ultimate goal is to wield 00:05:15.069 --> 00:05:18.089 this elegant whistling sword of wind, a blunt 00:05:18.089 --> 00:05:20.069 cleaver seems like the exact opposite of what 00:05:20.069 --> 00:05:22.449 you'd want. Well, it seems contradictory until 00:05:22.449 --> 00:05:24.449 you really look at the physical mechanics of 00:05:24.449 --> 00:05:26.250 Neo's magic system. Walk me through it because 00:05:26.250 --> 00:05:29.300 it's so cool. Wielding a blade of compressed 00:05:29.300 --> 00:05:32.000 wind isn't just about having a sharp edge. It's 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.199 about managing immense centrifugal force. Right. 00:05:35.279 --> 00:05:38.699 The wind actively pulls and tears at the wielder's 00:05:38.699 --> 00:05:41.980 arm. Kenshin forces him to use that heavy cleaver 00:05:41.980 --> 00:05:45.600 because it builds the specific punishing wrist 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.339 torque. Ah, so it's all about physical endurance. 00:05:48.579 --> 00:05:51.439 Exactly. You are literally trying to hold on 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:54.199 to a hurricane. You need to ground your physical 00:05:54.199 --> 00:05:56.639 body so your energy isn't just ripped away when 00:05:56.639 --> 00:05:58.610 you finally tap into the element. That makes 00:05:58.610 --> 00:06:02.009 so much sense. He spends like a year and a half 00:06:02.009 --> 00:06:05.009 just swinging that cleaver. Building that excruciating 00:06:05.009 --> 00:06:07.569 physical foundation. And the payoff is incredible. 00:06:07.750 --> 00:06:10.230 Yeah. It happens when Xeonyx crashes his bike 00:06:10.230 --> 00:06:12.769 and stumbles onto that old battlefield from the 00:06:12.769 --> 00:06:15.170 Serviced War. Such a great scene. He finds this 00:06:15.170 --> 00:06:18.540 glowing box and inside is a shattered blade. 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:20.860 And when he tries to drop it? The magic system 00:06:20.860 --> 00:06:23.540 activates. This massive rushing wind just wraps 00:06:23.540 --> 00:06:25.740 around his hand and the broken hilt. The sword 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:28.199 physically repairs itself using compressed air. 00:06:28.339 --> 00:06:31.899 Yes. Forming this glowing, razor -sharp green 00:06:31.899 --> 00:06:35.139 blade that actually responds to him. Which brings 00:06:35.139 --> 00:06:37.699 us to the fundamental law of Neo's universe. 00:06:38.420 --> 00:06:40.540 Elemental harmony. Let's talk about that because 00:06:40.540 --> 00:06:43.240 it's not typical magic. No, not at all. In a 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:45.699 lot of fantasy, magic is this resource you just 00:06:45.699 --> 00:06:47.920 dominate, right? Like a spell you force to happen. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:50.420 Yeah, exactly. But here, it's a strict partnership 00:06:50.420 --> 00:06:53.519 with nature. Kenshin teaches Xehanix that this 00:06:53.519 --> 00:06:55.959 style is guided by the wind itself. You have 00:06:55.959 --> 00:06:58.620 to listen to it. Right. If you strike correctly 00:06:58.620 --> 00:07:00.980 and you align perfectly with the atmospheric 00:07:00.980 --> 00:07:03.920 pressure around you, the blade produces a distinct 00:07:03.920 --> 00:07:07.019 whistle. Hence the whistling swordsman. Exactly. 00:07:07.160 --> 00:07:09.339 But you can't force the whistle. You have to 00:07:09.339 --> 00:07:12.100 find your own unique rhythm with the air to achieve 00:07:12.100 --> 00:07:14.339 it. Wait, I got to jump in on this idea of harmony, 00:07:14.500 --> 00:07:17.319 though. Oh. Yeah, because we are talking about 00:07:17.319 --> 00:07:21.019 weaponizing a literal mini tornado to cut people. 00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:24.120 Fair point. How does turning wind into a lethal 00:07:24.120 --> 00:07:27.019 weapon align with any concept of natural harmony? 00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:29.699 I mean, think about it like trying to tune a 00:07:29.699 --> 00:07:31.860 radio dial during a storm. Okay, I see where 00:07:31.860 --> 00:07:34.319 you're going. You can't force the signal. You 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:36.500 have to find the exact frequency of the storm. 00:07:36.959 --> 00:07:40.060 But once you find it, you're using the storm's 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:43.470 destructive power. Is that really harmony? That 00:07:43.470 --> 00:07:45.629 is such a brilliant distinction. And honestly, 00:07:45.769 --> 00:07:48.050 it touches on the philosophical tension of Act 00:07:48.050 --> 00:07:50.949 I perfectly. Right, like it feels almost exploitative. 00:07:51.149 --> 00:07:53.930 Well, it's harmony in a purely physical aerodynamic 00:07:53.930 --> 00:07:57.990 sense, not necessarily a peaceful one. Ah, okay. 00:07:58.110 --> 00:08:00.649 Because nature itself is inherently destructive, 00:08:00.910 --> 00:08:03.029 right? A hurricane is natural. That's very true. 00:08:03.269 --> 00:08:05.850 The swordsman isn't exploiting the wind so much 00:08:05.850 --> 00:08:07.569 as surrendering their own physical resistance. 00:08:08.009 --> 00:08:10.509 They become a conduit for that natural destruction. 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:13.329 Wow. OK, that frames the whole Shaman Hill training 00:08:13.329 --> 00:08:15.410 differently. It really does. So we've got this 00:08:15.410 --> 00:08:19.709 incredibly heavy grounded act one. But I actually 00:08:19.709 --> 00:08:21.490 want to pivot for a second. Oh, where are we 00:08:21.490 --> 00:08:24.269 going? We need to go into full fan theory mode. 00:08:24.430 --> 00:08:27.490 Oh, yes. Let's do it. Because there is a massive 00:08:27.490 --> 00:08:29.870 rumor floating around the fandom right now. The 00:08:29.870 --> 00:08:33.389 2026 rumor. The 2026 rumor. OK, so for those 00:08:33.389 --> 00:08:34.909 of you who haven't been on the subreddits lately, 00:08:35.169 --> 00:08:37.690 the rumor is that for the 10 year anniversary 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:41.490 in 2026, there's going to be an enhanced rerelease 00:08:41.490 --> 00:08:45.129 of this book. A definitive edition. I am so incredibly 00:08:45.129 --> 00:08:48.409 hyped for the possibility of this. Me too. What 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:50.570 you think a definitive edition would even include? 00:08:51.220 --> 00:08:53.259 Because the original manuscript is already so 00:08:53.259 --> 00:08:57.059 dense. I mean, I would love to see deeper multiverse 00:08:57.059 --> 00:08:59.059 lore right up front. Oh, for sure. Like maybe 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:01.080 some expanded character backgrounds for Kenshin, 00:09:01.100 --> 00:09:03.399 or even more about the grandfather's early days. 00:09:03.559 --> 00:09:07.799 Yes. And honestly, we desperately need a pronunciation 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:10.960 appendix. Oh my gosh, yes we do. Because the 00:09:10.960 --> 00:09:12.639 current version doesn't have one. And I know 00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:14.899 Neo's newer books do, but for this first one... 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:16.899 We've just been guessing. I still don't know 00:09:16.899 --> 00:09:19.000 if I'm saying Pico Dash right. Is it Pico Dash? 00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:21.100 Pico Dash? Exactly. A pronunciation guide would 00:09:21.100 --> 00:09:23.759 be a lifesaver. But honestly, just the idea of 00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:26.799 returning to this foundational text with 10 years 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:28.779 of authorial hindsight. It would be incredible, 00:09:28.960 --> 00:09:30.980 especially knowing how many times he rewrote 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:33.879 that original 50 page draft. Yeah. Imagine what 00:09:33.879 --> 00:09:37.419 he could add now. Seriously. Well, fingers crossed. 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:40.879 The 2026 rumors are true. We will be the first 00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:43.980 ones preordering if it is. Without a doubt. But 00:09:43.980 --> 00:09:48.279 speaking of moving forward, we need to give a 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:52.039 little spoiler free tease for our next deep dive. 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:54.980 Oh, boy. Episode six is going to be heavy. It 00:09:54.980 --> 00:09:58.039 really is. So to everyone listening, consider 00:09:58.039 --> 00:10:00.899 this your vague atmospheric warning. Take a deep 00:10:00.899 --> 00:10:03.639 breath now, folks. Exactly. Because those quiet, 00:10:03.700 --> 00:10:06.919 grueling training days swinging a meat cleaver 00:10:06.919 --> 00:10:09.919 on Shaman Hill. They are officially over. The 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:12.179 honeymoon phase is done. The safety net is about 00:10:12.179 --> 00:10:14.259 to be violently ripped away. Understatement of 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:15.820 the year. You really need to be ready for the 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:18.960 absolute chaos of Act 2. Everything Xeonyx just 00:10:18.960 --> 00:10:21.460 learned is about to be tested in the most devastating 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:23.759 way possible. Yeah, the world opens up and it 00:10:23.759 --> 00:10:26.440 is not kind. Not kind at all. So before we sign 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:29.000 off, I want to leave you with one final provocative 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:31.440 thought to mull over. Lay it on us. Think about 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.620 the physical push and pull of that wind blade. 00:10:34.259 --> 00:10:36.860 Xeonyx finally found his whistle. He connected 00:10:36.860 --> 00:10:39.399 with his grandfather's legacy. But when you hold 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:41.899 on to a hurricane, you eventually have to let 00:10:41.899 --> 00:10:44.860 that destruction loose. Wow. If the magic is 00:10:44.860 --> 00:10:47.779 fueled by yielding to nature's destructive force, 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:51.480 what happens when that destructive force is turned 00:10:51.480 --> 00:10:53.799 against the people who caused your trauma? That 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:56.700 is a terrifying question. Right. Does wielding 00:10:56.700 --> 00:10:59.600 the wind make you free? Or does it just make 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:02.039 you another storm in a broken world? I guess 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:04.059 we'll find out in Act 2. We absolutely will. 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:06.340 So buckle up, everyone. Thank you so much for 00:11:06.340 --> 00:11:08.240 joining us for this special retrospective on 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:11.279 Act 1. It's been a blast. It really has. Join 00:11:11.279 --> 00:11:13.779 us next time for the Episode 6 Deep Dive where 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:16.700 we finally tackle Act 2. Stay safe out there 00:11:16.700 --> 00:11:17.820 and keep exploring.