I sipped on some hot cocoa while the others were getting themselves situated in the living room. Artemis and Ella seemed to be getting along pretty well, although I worried having two of the most mischievous Eeveelutions in the same room was a bad idea. Best to keep my distance.

"Well…let's see what we have for questions." I pressed a button on a remote and a cardboard box fell out of the ceiling, landing…on my feet. "YOW!" I cradled my aching foot. "Ugh…I should've measured where that would have landed…"

Harper poked at the box. "What is it?"

"Well, unlike last year, I'm just going to be opening letters instead of doing the wheel."

Laura tapped her chin. "You know, between the hatch and computer screens, I have to ask…where did you get the money to afford all this stuff?"

"That is the power of being the editor of my own dialogue."

"I fear the day you decide to bring in a character who can break the fourth wall."

"So…do I…" I shuddered at the thought. "They could screw with the dialogue if I'm not careful…" I shook it off. "A-Anyway, that's not important. We've got a sizable stack of letters to get through. I figured since not everyone had questions, might as well read their comments and see what they have to say." I pulled a letter out.

Ryder leaned back and crossed his arms. "So, when's your special guest going to get here?"

"Oh, she'll arrive at the end of the chapter. She'll be then free to answer questions about Bandits of the Forest or herself. She's going to be an interesting character to write when we get to that." I peeled the envelope open and held out the letter. "Alright, who's first on the list?"

Ella looked over my shoulder. "Looks like we've got Shettipoo first!"

"Yeti who?" Gwyn asked, distracted with eating candy canes.

"No, Shettipoo," I corrected. "Ahem…let's see…"

"Yay! I've really wanted to tell you how much I loved FTLOP and TFONL! They were the first lagomorph-fics I ever read and has to be my favorite. I've also gotten quite attached to many of the characters. I felt Ryder's pain when he talked about how much he missed his trainer and girlfriend. I wanted to hug Laura when she experienced heartache. I loved Dark's entire attitude, how nonchalant he was about everything. I remember how exited I got when Scarlet hatched from the egg. My heart truly melted with her adorableness."

I laughed. "I'm really glad you enjoyed them. Admittedly, I could've done FTLOP a lot differently, especially with how much I've improved, but I'm glad to see people still enjoy the original stuff. Ryder is certainly one of my most complex protagonists."

Ryder nodded. "Being in that forest has not done me any good. I can't go anywhere without seeing Dark everywhere. It's honestly annoying…and intimidating…"

"And when it comes to Dark, he's unlike any other villain character I've created. I'd dare say he's stronger than Inferno after becoming the next Bearer of Hatred and Evil. Dark was literally created with the idea of being an unstoppable force." I shuddered. "I can only imagine having him on set with us…"

Laura pouted. "Dark…" She shook her head. "Alright, what about me?"

"Laura, there's no denying a lot of people like you. To think, you were nothing more than a tool when I first came up with you, but now you have your own will and personality. I'd say I made the right call making you your own character."

Laura smirked. "You got that right, bub." She flicked her sunglasses down.

"Hehe…and yeah, I do have a soft spot for writing adorable little kiddos like Scarlet…" I laughed when Harper jumped into my lap and purred against me. "And Harper, of course."

Dakota giggled. "Harper, get off of him."

"Nah, she's fine." I stroked her back, then looked down at the question. "And Shettipoo's question is:

"But I have a question for Ryder. Before you started traveling, what were the things you did back at the lab?"

Ryder leaned back. "Well, given how timid I was, I didn't hang around with the other Pokémon too much, save for Pikachu. I usually tried to come up with a way to get trainers to pick me, but they never worked out. How bizarre, given that Charizard is freakin' popular among the fandom." He scratched under his chin. "I did watch TV, but I stopped after I got on the road."

I smiled. "Kind of wish I could be a Pokémon sometimes. Though, I'd probably suck at battling…unless I was a Wobbuffet…"

Griffin smacked me in the back of the head. "You're getting sidetracked."

"Eh?! Oh, right…" I placed Shettipoo's letter away, then reached for another. "Hmm…aha! Here's a regular around my stuff! We've got austin todd 315!" Everyone clapped.

"Isn't his name spelled with periods?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, friendly tip to anyone using the site. If you use a period between letters without spacing them out, the right half will get cut off. At least that's what it did every time I've done it. But yeah, Mr. Austin here is a regular around here. Great guy, and he has a couple stories on his page you all could check out for yourselves."

Juniper sipped her soda. "Well, hurry up, read the dang letter!"

"Okay, okay!" I ripped the envelope open and got to reading:

"The third one comes three years after the second... This was a master plan, wasn't it?"

"Ah shit, he's onto me!"

"As for Ryder's dream abilities, does this mean that your retconing them? You could always just say that it is a side effect of having Lord Dark's Aura inside of him, because Lord Dark can do the same exact thing."

"Since you have two official questions, I'll just assume this as your third. And yeah, that could be a valid reason, but Ryder barely had any control of his abilities back then, so it's hard to say. Besides, I already did retcon the ability when I said he had…brainwave generator…devices…"

Ryder rolled his eyes. "Yeah…good save there, pal."

"Ah shut up! I would've done the dream sequence differently had I established things better. Also, I'm glad you're looking forward to Bandits of the Forest. I'm actually in the early stages of writing up the chapters, so I've already gotten some written up. I'm just waiting to post them at the right time. Maybe when Tribe of Fusions draws to a close. We'll get to that soon enough. Anyway, continuing-"

"To Ryder and the TSOTI Cast: If you were Fusions in TOF, what would you want your second half to be?"

Ryder scratched his chin. "Ooh, that's a good question. What would be the best half to compliment my abilities? I could say Lucario, which would definitely be my Top 3 pick, but…you know what, I'm going with Zeraora."

"The Thunderclap Pokémon?" I asked.

"Well, if Tamara can move with the nimbleness of a Meowth and the speed of an Accelgor, imagine how fast I could be as a Charmeleon-Zeraora. Speed's my game, after all."

I laughed. "What was I expecting? Actually, that would be some interesting fanart of you. Ryder, the secret agent Charmeleon-Zeraora! Hehehe…"

Wes grinned. "Well, I'd definitely have to go as an Umbreon-Arcanine! Can you imagine how freakin' majestic and cool I would look? I'd be the most legendary looking treasure hunter in Mysto!"

Ella smirked. "Well, can't argue with that. I'd say I would be…an Espeon-Furfrou. A fashionable looking gem like me should also look beautiful as a Fusion, right?"

Tony laughed. "You tell 'em, Lavender." He scratched under his chin. "Well, I don't want to feel like a copycat choosing Zeraora, so…I'm going with a Dewott-Raikou. Same principle, different Pokémon."

Gwyn clasped her hands into her lap and grinned. "Hee…I'd be a Mew-Bounsweet. I want to be super sweet as a Fusion!"

Flint smiled. "Oh Gwyn…you're already the sweetest thing in the multiverse."

"Aww! Flinty!" She hugged him and kissed his cheek, which embarrassed him greatly, but he enjoyed it.

"Hehe…" He put his foreleg around her hesitantly. "To…anyone who hasn't read the most recent chapter of TSOTI…sorry for the spoiler." He looked up in thought. "So, what would I be? Hmm…well, out of sheer curiosity, I'd like to be a Flareon-Mudsdale. They're strong and powerful…plus, it would help me protect Gwyn."

"D'aww! I'd bet you'd look cute as a Flareon-Mudsdale!" She snuggled up against him.

"Hehehe…h-hey, not in front of everyone, Gwyn!" he pleaded in amusement.

I laughed. "So Griffin, what about-?"

"Grovyle-Bisharp."

"…What was I expecting?" I looked back at the letter. "Moving on."

"To sort of branch off of that question a bit, to any of the OCs who have an answer: If you were to cross over to/exist within any of PM64's other stories (and your abilities/other qualities instead applied to the laws of THAT Universe rather than the one that you actually come from), which story would you feel most at home in?"

"Well, obviously, I can't have everyone answer that or we'll be here all night." I gestured to the OCs. "Alright gang, who has a say about this?"

There was murmuring among the group before Tamara raised her hand. "I'd be curious to visit Ryder's home world, simply due to the evil that needs to be taken down." She cracked her knuckles. "His world could use a hero like me to straighten them out."

Juniper snickered behind her soda can. "You still haven't thought of a working name yet-"

"I'M WORKING ON IT!"

Juniper laughed. "Well, I wouldn't mind crashing in Neo City back in LITC. That place sounds like a party."

Wes grinned. "I suppose anywhere besides my world would put a hamper on my magic, since I wouldn't be able to sense any other lifeforms."

"I'd probably go to TOF, anyway," Tony admitted. "I could pass for an electric Dewott or something."

I nodded. "Well, those are some stellar answers to work with." I placed the letter away and dug around through the box. "Alright, here's the next one. Ah, and it appears we've got one from Second Legion Scout, who…" I opened the letter…then threw it away. "Alright, skipping that one."

"Why?" Gwyn asked.

"Rather not deal with that drama when we're supposed to be having fun." I pulled from the box again. "Okay, here's an ACTUAL comment, and from another regular: Void Reader."

"Ah, good ol' Void," Tony commented. "Always the excitable one when a new chapter gets uploaded. Although, doesn't he have his own page on here? Why does he keep coming in as a guest?"

"Beats me." I opened the letter and read through it:

"Didn't know TOF was finishing by summer, not that I wasn't expecting it to end soon but nevertheless, u said u might get back to Life in the City after finishing TOF n TSOTI, so does that mean we still have to wait till TSOTI is done to expect any LITC updates?"

"Yes, by my own count, there's a good chance TOF will be drawing to a close over the summer. These days, I write out the summaries for chapters to keep myself on track and, at my current pace, I should have the story done by summer. Of course, these next upcoming chapters are going to take a little longer to do. Though, I might make shorter ones when we eventually get around to the Fusion War Arc, just so I'm not spending too much time on one battle after another.

"Now…for the current state of Life in the City…" I sighed and leaned back. "Alright, here's the thing. After looking back at how I originally started out LITC, I was…generally unhappy with the presentation. This was one of the Big 3 stories when I first started out. I wanted to take a different route with it than FTLOP and TAATP. However, I just lost a lot of the drive to write it because it wasn't in my usual style.

"I'm better at writing long narrative pieces instead of single chapter adventures that don't carry over into the next. So, to say the least, I might not actually get around to updating LITC anytime in the future. If I do ever get back into it, I might just do a reboot of the whole thing and start from scratch.

"Believe me, I wanted to continue with it, but I just can't bring out the same ambition for it."

Harper patted my hand. "There, there…"

I smiled and scratched her head. "Heh…but hey, I'm hoping Bandits of the Forest makes up for it. I'm really getting into working on that." I reached for the box. "Now then…"

"Already have one!" Juniper exclaimed, holding up the next letter. "It's from ApiphobicDalmatianLass. Can I read this one, Bradster!"

"Uh…heh, sure, Juniper."

"Sweet! Ahem…"

"So, where do I start? First, hey there pal. You may never heard of me before, but I've been following your stories since forever (FTLOPLITC are my absolute favorite ones), though I didn't manage to keep up with TSOTITOF. And for that, I apologizeSecondI wanted to tell you this since I started writing on this siteThank you. Thank you for existing, both you and your stories. You were the one who inspired me to start writing my own stories and I can't thank you enough for that. And I find it amazing that you find time for your fics despite college and stuff. I wish I could manage school and stories as good as you do :D"

I smiled. "Is that so? I'm really glad you enjoyed my stories that much, Lass. I'd always hope someone would take inspiration from my work. It's the same reason I got into writing on this site, too, and even do some of my own original stuff."

"A shame she hasn't kept up with TOF," Juniper said. "After all, I'm an absolute gem throughout the whole thing!"

Quinn smirked. "Ah yes, a darling, lazy buffoon."

"Hush, you!"

"And trust me," I continued, "it's pretty difficult finding time between exams, assignments, and such. I wasn't even sure I could do another one of these with my week, but…eh, screw it, I wanted to do something fun this month."

"And lastly, I can't wait to read BOTF. Even if it takes forever, I'll patiently wait for you to publish the first chapter. I just know it's gonna be awesome, like the rest of your stories."

"I might start uploading it by the time TOF is finished, maybe with a month in between so I can work on TSOTI in the meantime. Heck, since I've got some chapters worked out, I might upload it early and just post chapters every month or something before I fully commit to it. If anyone wants that, I could start uploading BOTF in January and just upload a chapter a month or some kind of time interval.

"But I am glad you're looking forward to it. I may talk a little about it, especially once our special guest arrives to ask questions. BOTF is going to be fairly different to some of my current fanfics."

"Unfortunately, I have no questions to ask your characters. But I'll say this: Everyone, I wish you all good luck in your quests and may you never, ever lose sight of what's really importantAlright then, stay cool dude and I shall see you next time"

Juniper grinned. "Well, it was really nice talking to you, Ms. Lass! Trust me, we're going to go all the way in our journeys!"

I nodded. "Hopefully we see more of you around, Lass. Again, glad you're enjoying my stories. Plenty more to come down the line." I pulled another letter out. "Okay, next we have…Plague Dog UnleasheD!"

"D-Didn't you a-already send him a message when he first commented?" Ulysses asked.

"Yeah, but…it'd be rude not to include him, too."

"You threw away the other-"

"Moving on!"

"Wait...ITS HAPPENING! OH MY GOD ITS HAPPENING! EVERYBODY STAY CALM JUST CALM DOWN! BRAD IS DOING IT AGAIN SO CALM DOWN! Let's see what "mister college" has for us now. I am very calm."

"Yes…you are the definition of 'calm,' my friend…" I covered my mouth and stifled a laugh. "Heh…well, it's obvious they're in a good mood. Thanks for the comment, Plague." I placed the letter away. "Anyone want to pull out the next letter?"

"I'm on it!" Tony reached down and pulled it out. "Ah, anyone familiar with a chap named Umbreonic65?"

My, Laura, Ryder, and Wes' eyes widened. "Oh no…"

"What?" Tony asked. "Bad guy?"

"Eh…no, Umbreonic is a pretty cool guy, but…he left a rather…distasteful impression on Jango the last time he asked questions."

"Distasteful?" Tony peaked into the letter and read the first few lines over…then gave an apologetic look to Flint. "Um…sorry in advance, pal."

"Huh?!" the Flareon exclaimed.

I sighed, then smiled. "Uh…don't take any offense, Umbreonic. We always look forward to your rather…insightful questions. But in all seriousness, good to hear from you again."

"Ha! Just wait until the bookworm starts throwing a fit!" Laura exclaimed, laughing her head off.

"Seriously, what are you talking about?!" Flint shouted, waving his forelegs.

Tony cleared his throat. "Well…how about we get right on it? Ahem…"

"Hello I'm back again! You may remember me from the last christmas special when I asked Jango all of those hard hitting questions that made him pretty mad. That aside lets get to those hard hitting questions yet again."

"1. For Flint if Wes, Ella, and Gwyn were all in life threatening situations who would you save and why? Also it is impossible for all of them to be saved not even Arceus would be able to help you."

Flint's eyes widened, then his head slowly turned and faced the shocked gazes of his girlfriend and the Espeon, while Wes laughed awkwardly under his breath. "You…must be joking…"

Tony shrugged. "Call it as I see it."

Flint groaned into his paws. "Why am I the one stuck with this question?"

"I can think of a couple of reason…" I mumbled under my breath.

Flint sighed, then extended his paw out. "Okay…let me just get this off the bat. Ella, you're my friend, but…well…"

Ella rolled her eyes, then smirked. "I get it. Love of cute Mews and family before friends."

He sighed, then scratched his head. "I…honestly don't know who I'd save. Wes is my one and only brother, but…Gwyn is the best thing to ever some into my life…" He pressed his paws into his eyes. "Ugh…WHY DIDN'T GRIFFIN GET THIS QUESTION OR SOMETHING?!"

"Um…given Griffin's moral alignment, he'd probably wouldn't be too beat up about it," I said.

Griffin shrugged. "Meh."

"Hey!" his team yelled.

"I did try to kill all of you. Won't be too new for me."

Flint huffed, then rubbed between his head. "Ugh, I…I…" He felt a hand touch his paw. He pulled his paw from his face and met Gwyn's soft gaze. "Gwyn?"

She smiled sweetly. "I really like you, Flint…I'd have a tough time choosing between any of you…but I wouldn't mind if you picked Wes over me."

"G-Gwyn?!"

She nodded. "Like you said, he's your one and only brother. I know you would put your life on the line to save him. He means that much to you."

Flint's ears flopped over, then he bowed his head in shame. "I'm…I'm sorry, Gwyn…"

She patted his shoulder, then hugged him. "It's okay, Fluffy…"

He sighed, then rubbed his eye. "Y-Yeah…I'd choose Wes…"

Wes smiled. "Thanks, bro…but if it's any consolation-"

"Do NOT say you'd rather have Gwyn chosen over you or I'm going to be here all-day melting into a scattered mess!"

Wes held his paws up and laughed. "Annnd, shutting up!"

I sighed in relief and wiped my brow. "Phew…that went better than with Jango. Um…Tony, if you would?"

"Gladly." Tony cleared his throat and continued on:

"2. Griffin the Weapon Master if you had the opportunity to hang out with ONE of the previous wielders of one of the weapons you recieved for 24hours who would it be, why did you choose them specifically and what would you do with them for the time given?"

"Hmm…a fine question," Griffin said. "Hmm…I would have to go with meeting Cekvar the Unbreakable, the wielder of Cekvar's Might. According the histories about him, he was a fine swordsman who wielded his massive sword with the grace and elegance of a fencer. I find that hard to believe, personally, but he is renowned for his skill. I would probably want to learn how one could wield a sword that eclipses all who wield it. It seems like it takes a great deal of skill."

I nodded. "Makes sense. Alright, continue."

"3. Wes just for the record you are amazing and the best Eeveelution (cough cough totally not bias because Umbreon is in my username cough cough) I have been wondering for a long time... but are you in love with Ella? I mean you two dated each other in the past but broke up or something because some dangerous thing happened in the past... So it got me thinking if you and her had some feelings for each other still. Also Espeon is second best Eeveelution. Totally not bias!"

Wes and Ella blushed, then darted their eyes at me. "Uh…"

I shrugged. "Everything that takes place in this room is completely non-canon. Say whatever you feel."

Wes sighed, then rubbed his eyes. "Alright…first off, great choice in favorites! Umbreon are the best! Second…" He sighed and slumped back into the couch. "Look, I've already went over this with the guys, but…I am still in love with Ella. I felt guilty for ignoring her feelings, getting her hurt back in the temple, and never putting in the time to be something for her. I want to make up for how badly I treated her feelings…"

Ella frowned. "Wes…" She shook her head. "I'm still trying to get my own feelings figured out. Something…might still be there, but I need some convincing if you want to prove to me that you deserve a second chance." She looked down. "Still…I did feel pressured into doing it, so…you might have a shot after all."

Wes smiled hopefully. "You mean it?"

Ella winked. "We'll…see when we get around to that."

I smiled and shook my head. "Oh, you two are going to be interesting to get to when that time comes. Or rather, if that time comes." I waved my hand around. "So, how are we doing on letters."

Dakota shuffled through them and pulled one out. "Looks like we're getting to the end here."

"Well, who's next?"

She opened the envelope. "Apparently we've got…Guest."

"Ooh? What'd they say?"

"Hello Brad,"

"Hello to you, too!" I blinked. "…That's it?"

"That's it."

"Huh…"

Quinn reached in and pulled another letter out. "Eh, don't be bummed out yet. Seems we've got an interesting one right here from…The FieryCharmeleon."

"Aha! Another Charmeleon fan, is he? Read the letter, Quinn!"

"Very well…"

"Yay, a Charmeleon lover :D. Merry Christmas everyone!"

"Hah! Glad to have another fan of the Charmeleon around these parts! We hope you have a Merry Christmas as well, good Fiery!"

Quinn smirked. "Too bad Jango and Diego aren't here. They'd get a kick out of this."

Ryder shrugged. "Guess we get to have the fun."

Tamara reached into the box and pulled another letter. "Okay, here's one from a guy named…1NF1N1TE."

"Like the song?" Gwyn blurted.

"I'm…honestly surprise you know that one," I admitted. "Well, nice to meet you, 1NF1N1TE. Glad to have you with us. Tamara, what's the question?"

"It's addressed to Ryder, actually. And…I guess, to a degree, Jango."

Ryder raised his brow. "This ought to be good." Tamara cleared her throat and read:

'I know Jango isn't here, but now that you have shown your Final Focus, do you think you could possibly beat him in a fight at your max potentials?'

"Huh…that's right," I realized. "The Forest of No Light ended a little under two years ago. Ryder now has access to Final Focus at this point." I turned to Ryder. "Your move."

Ryder sighed. "Well, my original response to this question was that Jango would kick my ass, no questions asked. However, with Final Focus, I'd imagine I could hold my own against him. To put that in perspective, I think Dark could fight on par with Jango in his base form. Both are incredibly powerful, after all."

"So, are you saying you could win?" I asked.

"Could. Definitely could. However, I wouldn't place money on it. Jango and I may have had good training, but I'm barely in control of my abilities. My only advantage is that Jango probably doesn't have the full grasp on his powers."

"Believe me, you're not wrong…" I mumbled under my breath.

"I'd have to still give it to Jango simply because of his practice with the power."

I nodded. "I'm sure Jango would've given you a bit more credit. Still, it would be nice to play around with that idea." I blinked, then rubbed my chin. "Should I do my own 'Death Battle' series…just without the actual death part? Hmm, I wonder-"

"Alright, alright, enough talk!" Artemis exclaimed. "We've got one letter left!"

"Open it, open it!" Harper cheered.

"Alright, good point. Here we go." I reached down and pulled it out, then smiled. "Well…last, but certainly not least, we've got…Mr. Maverick77!"

"Holy shit, he's alive?!" Tony exclaimed, slapping his knee and breaking out into laughter.

I shot a deadpan smile at the Dewott. "Yes…very much so." I formed a normal smile. "For those of you interested, Maverick is also a writer on the site, with an infrequent upload schedule. Still, I find the wait to be worth it. I recommend checking out his two stories, especially 'This Fairy-tale Called Life.' It's pretty good."

"So, who's reading?" Gwyn asked.

"Why don't you read it, Gwyn?" I offered.

Gwyn smiled. "Really? Aww, thanks, Brad!" She took the letter and unfurled it. "Ooh, this is so exciting! I get to read it!"

Flint smiled. "Give it your best, Gwyn."

"I will!" She cleared her throat and read:

"The third Holiday Special is up on us! If you do this every year and I update regularly, we may just bring about the End Times my friend XD Quite glad to see you doing something simpler and more relaxed. After seeing the last few chapters and how often you update, sometimes I worry for your sanity (Im with Ren on this one) XD"

I laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I felt doing this would be a good way to relax before I get to the major stuff. The next few chapters for both stories are pretty tame, thankfully."

"Now, if only Maverick uploaded more often," Tony joked.

"Tony!" I scolded.

"What? It's true."

"Unlike me, he has a far busier schedule! I doubt he has the time to sit around for an hour and write!"

Tony grinned. "Oh, we both know he would want that!"

I sighed and rubbed between my eyes. "Right…well…" I laughed to myself. "Yes Maverick, we might very well bring about the end times if we did these things regularly. Though, I'll be bringing out my own end times one I get to the meat of Tribe of Fusions. When you basically hype up a WAR in your story, you're pretty much setting yourself up to be writing a ton of fight-central chapters. Those are the most time consuming for me, so…yeah."

Ren grinned. "Oh, you'll be fine!"

"My arms won't…" I shook my head. "Okay Gwyn, get to the questions. Oh, but save the first one for last. I want that to be one of the things we end off on."

Gwyn nodded. "Roger!" She held up the letter:

"2) As we all know, you have quite the array of characters you write regularly. Taking into account all your characters over the years from Ryder to Wes, what do you find the most difficult about writing so many personalities believably? Has it always been the same thing, or has your improvement in skill altered it?"

"Well, personally, it always came down to 'variety' and 'quality' in the characters. See, when I first started out with Ryder, he…well, got that Gary Stu vibe from a select few people. This is why I had to retcon a few early aspects of him. 'For the Love of Pikachu' had to go through some rewrites as well. So many little things that could've drastically altered the story.

"What I usually work on painstakingly is character motivation. Let me put it like this, Ryder's personality was shaped from a case that could very well be PTSD. Ryder comes off as a reserved guy, but he's motivated by fear and paranoia. He legitimately fears the possibilities of failure and succumbing to corruption.

"When I come up with characters, I first have to make them distinct enough from other versions of the type to give them their own charm. I wouldn't want two Ryders in different stories. What's difficult is proving the right evidence for how these characters became who they are. Either I sell it believably, or I'm taking obvious shortcuts to get through writer's block.

"I've definitely improved from when I first started out. I could go back and rewrite the way I've handled character introductions and such differently. This is actually something else about Bandits of the Forest I'm trying: writing different types of personalities for different characters. I want to try and expand my reach a little bit."

"Dare I ask what kind of characters we should be expecting in that?" Ella asked.

"That's my little secret for now." I waved my hand. "Gwyn?"

"Right!"

"3) For Harper (The most adorable fusionDo you or Brad have any idea/inclination as to what eveelution path you'll follow, if you evolve at all?"

Dakota held up Harper. "You hear that, Harper? He thinks you're adorable."

Harper held her cheeks and wagged her tail. "Aww! Thank you, Mr. Maverick! You're super cool! I wish I could snuggle you!"

"Isn't she precious?" I laughed. "Well, Harper?"

"Hmm…" Harper closed her eyes and pondered the question seriously. "Ooh, uh…hmm…oh! Well, I want to be like Artemis and be a Sylveon! They're so pretty and sparkly! I want to be pretty and sparkly!"

"You make my heart swell, kid," Artemis gushed.

I chuckled. "Yes…the reason Harper was designed as an Eevee-Ditto plays off the fact that Eevee have unstable mutations and Ditto…well, is Ditto. Put the two together and you get this adorable girl!" Harper giggled. "Same premise when I designed the others. Tamara? A stealthy cat. Juniper? Drunken fighter. Ren? Play on the frog prince as the frog knight. Stuff like that."

"Thank you again, Mr. Maverick!" Harper exclaimed. "I will give you a snuggle in spirit!" She ran over to the…well, I suppose the fourth wall, and pressed her face up to it. "Accept my snuggles!"

I laughed behind my hand. "Oh Harper…"

Flint traced his digit over the skipped question. "So, this is what you were saving for last?"

I nodded. "I was going to talk about it, anyway, so I'm glad someone suggested it. Shows that someone would like to know."

"1) As you've said, your stories as they are now are much different that what you initially imagined them. Especially in regards to TSOTI, what changed? Were some of the key plot ideas, like the keys, different? Or were characters as we know them different or even non existent?"

"And now it's time for a new segment on our special, called 'Oh, How the Times Have Changed!'" I pressed a button and cued the stock applause.

"You seriously added that as a feature?" Laura questioned, trying to find the source of the applause.

"Ignoring. Let's go down the list, shall we?"

1) Conception

"For those of you who have been with me for a while, you may remember that TSOTI went by a slightly different name. It was actually 'Umbreon and the Secret of the Idol.' You're probably wondering why I originally called it that? Well, the first chapter might give hints as to why. Treasure hunter, tombs with traps, a boulder chasing you down…yeah, this was originally an Indiana Jones parody with Pokémon.

"You see, in the original conception, magic was a rare, rare thing that you just don't come by. In fact, no characters were supposed to have magic of their own. That's why early on I had characters using standard attacks. The only source of magic was in the occasional amulet or two. Other than that, Wes was supposed to take on the trickster archetype. He had things like rope, throwing cards, flash bombs, bolas, etc. His main method of fighting was through using wit and tactics. Though, back then, I didn't know how to effectively write like that. Though, next chapter, I'll be explaining how I will be using wit and tactics over power in Bandits of the Forest.

"I got more into the idea of incorporating magic more into the story and wanting to practice with it, as I do enjoy fantasy-based settings like this."

2) Story

"The first five chapters are…relatively the same, though with clear differences. Obviously, the fight with Captain Arid involved less magic, if none at all. However, a major difference was the shadows. The Tribe of Shadows wasn't meant to be literally made up of evil shadows, but rather treasure bandits that were supposed to do battle with Wes and the gang."

"What about the idol?" Flint asked.

"Same thing, but…less 'reality-warping' potential. It's like the equivalent of giving a caveman a gun and the ammunition. It becomes godlike to those who can't comprehend its power, but it's relatively mundane compared to what we'd expect. This more or less follows a similar plot to Raiders of the Lost Ark…with some influence from the Lego game's final battle.

"Wes and Flint were to find the idol in Garret's private study in the school and go on a quest to find the idol, with Ella as a tagalong. However, it wasn't for keys. They were after three orbs that allows them to each travel to a different plane of reality where the idol presided. There were three major locations they would go to, making the story much shorter than now. These locations were influenced off the Percy Jackson plot to 'The Lightning Thief,' such as the casino…without the desire to STAY in the casino.

"This all builds up to the final confrontation with the bandit leader who has been tracking them down throughout the journey."

Artemis rested her paw in her cheek. "Well, that's certainly a neat change, but…what about the characters?"

"Heh…that'll be fun."

3) Characters

Wes

"Like I said, Wes wasn't too different, aside from not having any magic and having more of a trickster motif. His Amulet of Umbra was meant to be his signature amulet, as it was the first one I came up with for him. Not much change on him."

Flint

"Aside from no magic…Flint has remained the least changed of the three Eeveelutions. He wanted to be an archeologist, stopped treasure hunting to pursue his studies, and is more hesitant about getting into fights. I needed this type of brother figure for Wes to balance him out, so that may be why I never changed him."

Ella

"While she hasn't undergone much change, there is some things about her I haven't fully incorporated. You may remember that Ella majors in Ancient Text, right? Well, this is a nod to her role on the team as the cryptographer, deciphering old languages and helping out with puzzles and riddles, another role of Wes'. This is why her last name is 'Cipher,' a playful way of showing off her role in the team."

Ella smirked. "Eh, not as cool as 'Ravenfield,' but I do like my last name."

Gwyn, Tony, Griffin

"Yeah, I'm including these three at once, because…they never existed."

"WHAT!?" Gwyn shrieked.

"Originally, it was just going to be the Eeveelutions on a journey. I had no reason to expand their party more."

"So, what changed?" Tony asked.

"Well, Gwyn came about when I was searching around the internet. A DeviantArt user by the name of Beccadoodles, who has since gone by a new name as of late, had a Mew character named…well, Becca. A shiny Mew with long blue hair. I eventually got the idea of Gwyn off that, but wanted to change her up a bit. The nature motif for Gwyn just came with the color I picked out. I could've easily made her an Ice Mage had I made her fur white…or a Fire Mage had I turned her red."

Tony smirked at Flint. "Ooh, you hear that, Flint? You would've had a girlfriend that was literally and figuratively hot!"

Flint blushed brightly. "Tony!" Gwyn giggled, then nuzzled up to the Flareon.

"So, what about Sparks and me?" Griffin asked.

"…" I shrugged. "I just…really wanted a Dewott and Grovyle, I guess. Though, while there isn't a specific reason for Tony, I did model Griffin off of Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail. I think anyone could've gotten the hint where the inspiration came from. And the Emotion Anima was influenced off of the five basic emotions of the mind, as seen from Inside Out."

Morgan

"I never imagined making a major side character a Hypno, but I have to, again, thank Beccadoodles for the influence, though nothing direct. Actually, while my influence to use a Hypno came from her, Morgan's character is a different story. Tell me, has anyone ever heard of Hellsing?"

"The vampire hunter?"

"An underworld karaoke night?" Everyone looked at Gwyn, who blushed sheepishly. "That's…not what it means, does it?"

I chuckled. "To…make a long story short, Morgan is based off Walter C. Dornez, ex-vampire hunter and butler to the Hellsing Organization. You will find much of the inspiration in his method of fighting, via string combat. I have NEVER been so terrified of STRING in my life!" I scratched behind my head. "Actually, now that I think about it, there are quite a lot of anime characters that use string to fight. Weird…"

"What about his role as a Herald of Darkness?" Laura asked.

"That was more of an 'on the spot' moment when he was first introduced."

The Original Team Ravenfield in General

"Ava, Clara, Alex, Willow…while Garret was meant to have his own backstory with a team, they had little impact on the story. Obviously, Clara didn't exist without Gwyn, so…also, for some reason, when I looked through my old notes, I apparently named Garret 'Max.' I have no idea why I changed the name. Maybe I just forget what I named him and went with 'Garret.'"

Fernando

"Believe it or not, this character was in the original concept, though as a minor antagonist turned ally. Fernando was meant to be a skilled hitman sent to eliminate Wes and the others. It was a battle of skill, wit, and just eluding the other without dying."

"So, Fernando has always been a regular character?" Ryder asked.

"As were Hal, Vivian, even Captain Arid, though with a less significant role to the story aside from being a rival to Wes. Team Shatter Star was an idea to be a light mirror of Team Ravenfield, compared to the dark mirror we have with the Tribe of Shadows. I'm not sure if I ever added this little tidbit as an Easter Egg, but I originally had it in the current version that Fernando was sent to kill Wes, but the contract was revoked when Wes went after the guy trying to kill him. Instead, I said Fernando had Wes, Flint, and Ella tailing him on his mission."

"Good times!" Wes exclaimed.

"We remember that day very differently…" Flint grumbled. Ella snickered.

Jonathan Geno

"Possibly…the most radically changed of the original cast. Here's the thing, all my original characters, while skewed in some way, were still aligned with their original morals. Geno…is different. First off, he wasn't a chronic amnesiac who had a split personality and hosted a dark spirit."

"Watch, he's going to pause for dramatic effect and reveal some big twist," Artemis said aloud, which kind of annoyed me, especially once the girls started snickering at me.

I pouted. "…However…I suppose in concept…Jonathan Geno's main role of the story was an advisor to Wes and the gang, to help them get to the idol. Except, there was a bit of a problem with that. That original concept for the Tribe of Shadows? The treasure bandits? Guess…who their leader was."

Flint's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean…?"

"Jonathan Geno was meant to be the true villain of TSOTI."

Team Ravenfield gasped. The others…not so much. Artemis tilted her head. "Isn't he…already the villain?"

"Okay, let me explain. Unlike Geno of now, who is nothing more than an unwilling pawn in the Shadow King's plans, Jonathan Geno of before was a manipulative treasure hunter who was looking to get a big score on the rarest treasures in the world. However, Garret Ravenfield was a rival in that field and often beat Geno to it. Geno was the one responsible for Garret's death, and he wanted to know the secret to the Idol of Origin. Again, here, Garret did know about the idol. It…just wasn't being kept a major secret by a society of mages."

"So…Geno was meant to be the bad guy?" Wes asked.

"Here's the crazy part about all that. This was who he was supposed to be two months before I actually uploaded. I'm not sure exactly what made me change it to evil shadows and a Shadow King, but…originally, Geno was meant to be a…pretty horrible guy. He does some things that…well, the point is, this is where Wes' grief currently in the story comes from. It's supposed to be reflective of what Wes was meant to go through back then."

"Wow…it's amazing how much can change in two months," Wes mumbled. "Wait, that means…"

"Those two months before I uploaded is when I reworked Secret of the Idol. Sure, maybe it would've been different, perhaps better, than it is now, but…" I smiled. "But…then I wouldn't have some of the amazing characters I got out of it. Gwyn, Tony, Griffin…all you guys. You all are fan favorites in your own rights, so…I think I made the right decision making the change." I tapped my chin. "Although, I recall Gwyn having a slightly different description to her personality when she was first conceptualized."

"Like what?" Flint asked, raising his brow at me.

"Um…" I laughed awkwardly and tapped my fingers together. "Heh…a slightly deranged potion maker…"

Flint gave me an unimpressed look, but Gwyn seemed to be nodding in agreement. "Makes sense to me!"

"And the original depiction of Griffin, while mostly the same, had him carrying all his weapons on his back. While the image is amusing, I figured someone of Griffin's profession would find that…cumbersome."

Griffin shrugged. "It's true."

"What about me?" Tony asked.

"Eh…more of an assssss-" I stopped and glanced at the curious-eyed Harper for a moment. "…uh…jerk than you are now. And perhaps not as clever."

Tony deadpanned. "Yeah, I think you made the right call with that one."

I sighed. "It's amazing how this went from an Indiana Jones parody into its own thing. I'm actually happy it turned out the way it did. A lot of my ideas go through a basic conception, then get finalized as I go along. That's why I'm writing things out these days…and perhaps making a timeline. At this point, I think a year has past since the team set off. Could be wrong. I really need to make a timeline to keep track of all this stuff."

Laura sat back. "Well, it looks like that was the last of our questions."

"I believe it is, Laura." I smiled at the audience. "As is tradition, we've got one more session after this. More questions are welcomed, of course. Next, we'll be talking about the basics of 'Bandits of the Forest' and perhaps a little look into some of my personal works."

"So, does that mean we're finally bringing in that special guest?" Ulysses asked.

"You bet we are. This character is definitely going to be different from the rest of my protagonists. We have Ryder, Jango, Diego and Chase, and Wes as my main protagonists. Now we got someone special to share with all of you! Presenting my first female protagonist for 'Bandits of the Forest,' I give you…!

"Princess Melissa Penworth!"

Confetti fired out of nowhere as our new guest entered the stage. An eighteen-year-old Buneary wearing a green dress that covered her feet. The dress had a nature aesthetic in the design.

The princess smiled shyly to the group and curtsied. "It is an honor to be granted the highest privilege of meeting all of you. I do hope to bring about nothing but worthy responses or, dare I attempt, masterly crafted rejoinders for our fans' questions."

Laura blinked down at her from the screen. "…She has a weird accent."

Melissa looked up, then her eyes widened. "Wait! What is this horrific witchcraft?! Who trapped this defenseless Pikachu in a box?!" She gasped and pointed at the cameras. "And what are those foreign devices pointed at us?! Are there witches among us?!"

"Lady, I'm not trapped in a-!" Laura deadpanned when Melissa fainted, then faced me with the same face. "…Okay, you invited a technophobe to an internet talk show?!"

"Eheh…right, her home universe is…lacking in modern tech…probably should've warned her before I brought her on."

Wes whispered to the others through his teeth, "So…no one tell her there's five of us who can use magic…"