The Quest for the Legends

The Final Stretch - Chapter 71: Shattered (commentary)

We enter the deeply nostalgic last five-chapter arc of the fic with the chapter most drastically different from its draft thus far, where an amicable split-up turns into an explosive confrontation, May feels so much worse (so much worse), I get to finally write a ventilation break-in scene after not including one in chapter 10, and we read a diary so that I can remind you of, and establish actual vaguely-coherent characterization for, the soon-to-reappear villain of chapter 10, published in 2004.

The Final Stretch - Chapter 72: Rick (commentary)

This week, the chapter I spent all of NaNo up to this point looking forward to, wherein I traumatize May as she makes a flailing attempt to do the right thing.

Chapter 73: Recuperation (commentary)

In this chapter, May has a breakdown, Mark is a good, and I tell you about the flight attendant who inspired Nurse Joy, my previous plans to kill off both Floatzel and Weavile, the slight nod to Rainteicune, Chaletwo ruining a scene until Mark shut him up, and a lot of rambling about May's emotional state.

Chapter 74: Unraveling (commentary)

This week, I comment on the calm before the storm chapter, where I talk about the ways in which May is not okay, the ways in which Chaletwo desperately tries to pretend everything is okay, and the ways in which Mark cannot make himself think about what if everything won't be okay. That and the many ways in which the draft of this chapter was really bad, and the many ways in which I planned to end the fic as a kid that were very silly.

The Final Stretch - Chapter 75: Mewtwo²

Finally, the commentary on chapter 75! In definitely the fic's longest commentary (I'm sorry), I ramble a lot about my intentions with everything, scenes that I thought up in 2005 or 2006 with very important pivotal bits that didn't come about until spontaneously during NaNo 2012 or even during editing in 2017/2018, the bits that are Very self-indulgent, why Chaletwo is a good Preserver, and a little taste of Mew's self-loathing (but more on that in probably the entirety of the chapter 76 commentary).

Chapter 76: Chalenor (commentary)

This week, I comment on the penultimate chapter, where we finally learn what happened before the last War of the Legends, Mew and Chalenor fail to talk to each other about their issues with disastrous results, and everything is people and their bad decisions all the way down.

Chapter 77: Home (commentary)

And with that, the Quest for the Legends commentary is a wrap. Read this final entry for another character who came very close to getting the axe, the cut scene about the fixing of Volcaryu, me somehow forgetting about the people who died, some closure for everyone, and my thirteen-year-old self's amazing epilogue plans.

Thanks to everyone who's followed this commentary with me! I've enjoyed doing this a lot, but now I need a good break.

So how about that next revision? Well, it's not happening now - I've got a lot of other things I'd like to do with my new free time for the moment. I certainly still want to return to it, but I can't tell you when that would be. I expect writing-wise I'd first be going for the sorely-needed rewrite of Morphic, and possibly Scyther spin-offs (even more sorely needed). Also there's this Detective Pikachu the game one-shot that I'd planned out and want to finish. And Groundhog Dave.

But we'll see! I still have a tremendous love for this story. If I do that rewrite of chapter 76 I'll let you know. Thank you all for reading!