Six - Part One - Author's Notes
Random stuff I thought of/didnt make the cut/is in the final cut and i just wanna talk through (I may add more to this post if i think of more tidbits) Huge spoilers below cut for up to chapter 35 of the story
This story has been in 'development' since 2014. The original protagonist was Calem and the original antagonist was a full-grown Alexis, with Emma/Essentia as more of an ancillary character. While writing Perfect Son, I wanted this to be the third story I wrote after Truth, but obviously that didn't pan out. All my stories might be set in the same timeline. Then again, they might not. I do love to do cross-references though.
There was an original draft of chapter 4 that ruined the entire story. It was up for one day before i realized the ridiculous level of damage it did - it spoiled two enormous twists well in advance (Sara's betrayal and the existence of the second suit.) This led to several revisions that greatly improved the flow of the story. I am so very sorry if you saw this before it was pulled. This version of the chapter likely came out the way it was because the original intent was for the story to be eighteen chapters long - what a crazy idea that seems now! This story is greatly inspired in part by the Batman comic 'The Dark Knight Returns.' Alexis's surname, Miller, has three meanings: A common name, to imply humility, a non-French sounding surname to imply her origin, and it also refers to the author of that comic, Frank Miller. Her forename was chosen because its my favorite girl name. Sara's name was chosen as it sounds like 'searing' and means 'princess' as heiress of Team Flare. This was also referred to when she said to Emma in the hospital 'princesses aren't my vibe.' Her surname, Varon, is a name that means 'boy' or 'masculine' as she is more traditionally masculine and physical in her build. Sara was originally planned to be Korrina's student and a kickboxing fighter instead of Clemont's student and an engineer. This was changed so she would both be suspected less and so that her talent could come up more later. Despite the significant part Sara plays in the story, she was a very late addition to the story, only coming into consideration around 2020 when I was coming up with new ideas for antagonists. She was originally meant to be the main new-flare antagonist, but Nine soon usurped that. He was also a much later creation in the process.
The chapters 'Ascent' 'Descent' and 'My End, and my Betrayal' were considered to be written in present tense, to make the action more immediate, but I decided not to do so.
Alain had no part in the story at all when I started writing it and he was only included to have an extra member on the E4. Now he has a whole subplot planned. Korrina and Sara were going to have a sparring match in reference to ideas left behind, but there was never really a space for it. Korrina would have kicked her ass. Nine does have a real name. I'll never tell. The numbers and their types were chosen entirely randomly (bar one, but that would be spoilers). Quinn was indeed always called Quinn, and I never planned to leave it at Basset. His first name is taken from a friend. Thanks, Quinn! Valerie and Korrina were planned to die during the Battle of Lumiose City from the instant they were introduced. Casimir was invented purely for the Battle of Lumiose City to give a KDF PoV character. He now has his own arc too! I'm determined to make a whole supporting cast of 'NPC's' to breathe real life into the world and who we can return to at any time for a new view. Speaking of NPC's, the opening of Chapter 25 was suggested as a joke. However, it contains the seeds of the single most significant event in the entire story. Have fun with that. Sara's fur-collar leather jacket was meant to create the silhouette of a Typhlosion. After the Game Freak Teraleak, this took on an unfortunate connotation. The double-suit reveal is also the best way to figure out that Sara had the second suit. When Emma draws the locations of both Suits on the map, the Suit Quinn wore starts over the Route 5 Gate. In Chapter 31, Sara is mentioned as being on the 'southwestern city campus,' over the Route 5 Gate. Additionally when Quinn takes the second Suit, it is specifically mentioned the stairs don't creak, and that he would blend in in his location (at a university, with students.) Whenever the stairs of the Agency are described, they always creak.
'Forgive me' as a line of dialogue was decided long, LONG before chapter 34.