Minty: "During that time, with the vast differences between your fantasy, your fanfic, and your memoir, and knowing you weren't writing to convey a religious truth, what was the ultimate, fundamental truth about the human condition or life that you were trying to express in your three stories?"
[A heavy, expectant silence falls over the studio. The audience is perfectly still, waiting to see how Iboni will summarize her entire creative soul.]
Iboni: "What was the ultimate, fundamental truth about the human condition? Huh... I haven't thought about it that way."
[A light, sympathetic chuckle ripples through the crowd. They appreciate the weight of the question Minty just dropped.]
Minty: "Oh, I know it's a big one, Iboni! That's why we save the deep dives for Minty Talks."
[The audience laughs and a few people clap, enjoying Minty's playful deep dive brand.]
Minty: "It's hard to articulate that singular truth, especially when you're jumping between magical prophecies and high school heartache. But it's in there! It's the one theme that connects the magical girl, the aspiring idol, and the girl with the memoir. Take your time to truly reflect on it. What is the one thing you were fighting to prove or affirm in every single story, even if you hadn't consciously named it yet?"
[Minty smiles encouragingly, ready to listen. The camera cuts to a close-up of Iboni, and the audience leans in, almost as if they are holding their breath with her.]
Iboni: "Oh my! Only now I just realized!"
[There is a collective "Ooh!" of excitement from the crowd. One person in the front row whispers, "Here it comes."]
Iboni: "This is the fundamental truth that I was trying — no, WANT to express in those three stories: even though life has been cruel to you, you always ALWAYS have a choice to not pass the pain that you've gone through."
[A wave of profound nods sweeps through the audience. A few people let out a soft "Yes"or a "Wow," clearly struck by the power of the word choice.]
Iboni: "Yes, your circumstances can become your villain arc; yes, nobody can fully understand your situation but that doesn't mean no one is willing to be good to you or willing to understand you, to protect you."
[The mention of a villain arc gets a few knowing smiles and murmurs of agreement from the younger members of the crowd.]
Iboni: "No one is ever alone for there is always a person or two or more who is grateful towards you for not becoming someone who caused you pain and suffering."
[There is a moment of pure, emotional stillness. Then, the audience erupts into a warm, heartfelt round of applause. You can see several people visibly moved, some wiping their eyes, others nodding vigorously with tears in their eyes.]
Minty: "Oh, my heart just swelled, Iboni! That is a profound truth, and thank you for taking the time to articulate it so clearly."
[Minty places a hand over her heart, and the audience echoes the sentiment with another burst of supportive clapping.]
Minty: "That realization—that commitment to goodness—is the heartbeat of your novels. We've found the universal glue! The message is one of resilient, intentional goodness: You always have a choice to not pass the pain that you've gone through. That is where the secular philosophy of your atheist period connects with something deeply spiritual—the universal act of choosing light over darkness."
[A few people in the crowd start snapping again, and several people call out "Beautiful!" and "Truth!"]
Minty: "The idea that people are grateful for your refusal to become someone who caused you pain is truly moving. It provides that sense of meaning and connection that can often feel lost when traditional faith is absent."
Minty: "That brings us perfectly to the next question about the process that helped you articulate this truth."
[The audience settles back, their faces glowing with the warmth of that realization, ready for the next chapter of the conversation.]