Epilogue: This is look into what I think about my own story. The story from the author's perspective. How it was made...why it was written...and my own thoughts about it.
Commentary: Writing the Pent and Xavier story has been cathartic for me to be sure. It is the only story I have finished of my own. It is also by far the longest and most involved thing I've ever written. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing it and will remember it fondly as I move on to the next project. The idea of a naturally anthropomorphic society just seemed to work better for me than the original one.The Xavier & Pent cannon will become the back story for both characters and will replace the Pent & Arthur story.
Character Development: I have tried to maintain the personality of each of the main characters. Some character development was evident between the main characters. Each of Pent, Samaliel, Xavier, and even some of the supporting characters have evolved to some level of change throughout the story. Some supporting characters, like Santiago, were originally meant to have more involvement but soon lost relevance as the relationship developed.
Narrative: The story was designed from the start to have a realistic setting within Canada. It was meant to be a looser take on the passing of time so the characters didn't age realistically. I have also tried to maintain the pace while not seeming to rush any particular event. The story was focused from the start to have a natural evolution of what I envision an ideal relationship to look like. The events and places they went to were based on real ones so there is always a bit of realism within each chapter.
Process: Every story idea began with a basic idea that hinged on where I wanted them to go and what I wanted them to do. Then I focused on character development, interactions, and supporting characters whenever they occurred. Every chapter was designed to lead into the next one with occasional mentions of them in future iterations of the story. From there every chapter was fleshed out to turn out the way they did.
Why did you end the original Arthur and Pent cannon? I wanted to do a hard reset on the characters, behaviors, personalities, and plot in general. Originally I was going to include Arthur again as a primary character but decided to move away from this.
Why did you move away from Arthur as a character? There was some emotional baggage to this character. When I sold the partial my brother bought the design was more or less being used so this was the final straw and convinced me that I needed to move on.
Why was Samaliel made younger? Before my brother passed he requested Pent's and Samaliel's relationship to reflect real life. My real-life brother was younger so Samaliel was made younger. This was part of the reason I did the hard reset.
Why did Pent's personality change between the original cannon and the new cannon? The original cannon did not reflect me well so I made the new story more closely reflect how I am personally. Still, there is some element of fiction to it but it's more or less held true for the most part.
Why did you pick a chipmunk as Xavier's species? Alvin and the Chipmunks was always something I liked as a kid. Simon was my favorite fictional character for a long time so when I picked Xavier's species, it didn't take me long to settle on chipmunk.
What is the significance of Mr. Bernard as Pent's favorite teacher? I had a teacher who I was rather fond of as a kid. They were one of the only positive adult influences in my life and Mr. Bernard is a tribute to that person and how much I appreciate them.
Why is Pent's foster mother more or less absent from the story? I did not have a parental figure in my life so this absence of a parental figure matches my own experience.
Does Pent and Xavier reflect a real-life relationship or experience? Nope, Pent and Xavier is entirely a fictional story. No part of it is based on reality. It's my idealized version of how a relationship should be, regardless if between younger people or older ones.
Why did you decide to end the Pent and Xavier story? All good things come to an end. I have been ultimately planning towards an end for a while. The question was; When did I want it to happen? I decided that 25 chapters was a good place to move on and do something else.
Will you write anything else featuring Pent and Xavier? Yes, there will be non-canon stories and I may also write stories where they are older and more mature in the future.
What comes next? I'm not sure. I may try to finish Hailun and Kennen or I may finally start up the Pokemon cannon between Pent and Rogziel. I also have a few ideas for the Miraj story that never made it very far. In short…I don't know what I want to write right now. I will likely be putting out a poll to see what people would like me to write next. However, I will likely take a break from the Pent & Xavier story for now.
