Sebastian Yūe
1. When you were at Brighton & Hove High School, and what is your fondest memory of school?
I attended Brighton & Hove High from 2004 to 2012.
My fondest memories are from the Book Week activities every year. Dressing up on the Friday was the true highlight and my favourite costumes were Dorian Gray and Miss Havisham. I still own and regularly wear the jacket I bought for Dorian. I always volunteered to be on the team for the House Book Quiz. One year, I got way too into it and cost Lyttelton a demerit point for swearing, but that didn’t stop us from winning.
2. Who was your favourite teacher and why?
My favourite teachers were Mr Sherwood and Mrs Ashdown, who still teach here. It’s no coincidence that English and history were my favourite subjects; both teachers did a great job of incorporating humour into their lessons, which made the information that much more memorable.
3. What were the benefits of being in an all-girls school?
Among the benefits of being in an all-girls school are that I grew up in an environment free from sexism and harassment. Every teacher instilled in me the message that I could accomplish anything I wanted, as long as I put in the effort. They encouraged me to be confident in my thoughts and opinions, and to express my views whether men feel like listening to me or not.
4. What did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?
I always wanted to be a writer. I was a voracious reader and I thought I’d be a novelist because I always had – and still have – stories to tell. I have done all sorts of writing over the course of my career; I’ve been a journalist, a copywriter, and a published essayist and poet. I’m not a novelist – yet.
5. What do you do now, and what are the most rewarding and challenging parts of your job?
I’m a tabletop role-playing game designer for a Canadian company called Hit Point Press. At my day job, I write adventure books for games like Dungeons & Dragons that players can use to tell a compelling story with original characters. I also help source other games that my employer might want to publish. The most rewarding part of the job is when I turn in my final draft and I see the whole project come together with art and layout to go with that I’ve written. Seeing the final PDF and then holding a physical copy gives me an unparalleled feeling of accomplishment. The most challenging part of the job is keeping up with trends and all the new games that are coming out.
6. What are you most proud of so far?
I recently curated and managed an anthology of independent role-playing game zines called the Constellation RPG Zine Anthology. It’s a hardcover book of 12 smaller games that include action, horror, and intimate emotional experiences. I’ve only been working there for just over a year and it felt great to lead a project for the first time. One of my favourite things to do at work is meet other writers and help them publish if they’re looking to do so. For many of the writers, this is the first time they’ve had their games printed.
7. What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at Brighton?
Mr Sherwood: “Don’t tell me you don’t know if your answer is correct. Just go for it!”
8. What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?
Take risks. If you succeed, you’ll soar. If you fail, you’ll learn.
9. What book, film or piece of music would you recommend to your younger self and to your fellow alumnae?
It’s not a book, film, or piece of music, but I would recommend that everyone play Dungeons & Dragons, at least once. It’s so much fun and it improves teamwork, creative problem-solving, and storytelling. I didn’t play it until I was 24 and now it’s my career.
10. How would you like to be remembered?
It’s more important to me that people use my work to tell stories they’ll remember. If people remember me as well, then that’s a nice bonus. Hopefully they include me as a very fashionable non-player character.
Read more about Sebastian and their website here.
