Here I Come | ✔

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END - Thank You

On 3rd November 2020, I started a book called 'Are You Ready' about a girl in a gang. It was supposed to be a one-off book, but I discovered the potential she had and so, out came the direct sequel 'Ready Or Not'. At the end of the book, I realized there were still ends to tie up, so I decided to give this series its third installment 'Here I Come'. On 15th August 2021, the ends were tied with a big red bow, and 'Hide and Seek: The Series' had reached its finale.

I never knew I could actually write a completely original book, let alone an entire series, but when I watched these characters that I created come to life, I found out that writing wasn't as scary as I thought. I loved and cherished every character, some more than others, from the female lead to the antagonist, all of them I hold dear.

Krystallia started off, in my opinion, a bit of a Mary Sue. I wanted a character that had no flaws so everyone loved them. But as time went on, I realized the flaw I had unintentionally written, she was a little inhumane. She often uses her 'Harley Quinn' headspace to make decisions, most of which results in death. I wanted someone to challenge her way of thinking, so the villain of the story was written.

Tatiana first did everything out of love. She loved the male lead so much, she was willing to kill the female lead. But this slowly turned to her craving the respect Krystallia had. At first, she wasn't going to be a leading villain in the third book, but I noticed that she was the only one who was capable of challenging Krystallia. The way her story played out made her one of my favorite characters to write.

Kristopher was a brother who took care of his siblings when things went wrong. He was the one making sure they were well-fed and living comfortably. His only weaknesses were his darling sister and seafood, so he made sure she was taken care of and had everything in the world. He, at first, was quite obsessive, and I realized that late into the series that he had a serious problem. I knew I couldn't continue his behavior any longer, so I made sure he had proper character development to stop his obsession.

Landon wasn't supposed to even exist at first, but as I looked at the plot, I saw that Kristopher had a different persona sometimes, seemingly like he had a different person living inside him. I decided to make use of this and create Landon, the alternative personality of Kristopher. He was, to me, a very hard character to write. I didn't know what direction to take him, I didn't know how to write him, so I took my chance and let him grow on his own, and honestly, I'm liking the outcome.

Kristian was a side character for the majority of the series. I focused more on Krystallia and Kristopher that I forgot the middle child. Even though he hadn't appeared much, he was always there offering support whenever needed. He showed his capabilities in the third book, helping Krystallia save their loved ones. When I was deciding who was given the family company, Kristian was the first on the list as he was much more comfortable being in an office than surrounded by weapons. He ended up becoming a character that had one of the most favorable endings, a family of his own.

Zachary at first felt like he was forced into the story. He was only the love interest of Krystallia to make her more 'human'. But as chapters went by, he felt less as a love interest, but more of an actual male lead. He had his own story to tell, and a past he needs to leave behind. He grew from just 'the boyfriend of the female lead' to being 'one of the leading characters', and to that, I applaud.

Samuel was quite the character. He started off being the comic relief and ended with being the comic relief. He was a fun character to write because he was very weird. If you pointed out anything weird that happened, ninety percent of the time it's his doing. But even with the quirkiness, he can be serious at times when needed and would offer support when his friends needed it.

James appeared in flashbacks in the first and second book but actually appeared in the third one. I knew from the start that him being alive was going to bring up quite the backlash, but I still wrote it out because his character felt unfinished. He appeared in flashbacks, but he could be more. I wanted him to earn back the lost respect from his children, specifically his sons. Krystallia never considered James to be her father figure until he showed how much he loved her. He thought that her killing her boyfriend was worse than killing a man she never saw as a father, that's why he took the bullet. But the moment his heartbeat started slowing down, she saw the father in him, the one that would sacrifice everything for her, and that was all he wanted.

Of course, there are much more characters that hold a high position in my heart, but these were the ones that left an impact. They were the ones that taught me how to better tell a story. They started as test subjects for me to dip my toes into the pool of original writing but ended up growing into characters that I loved.

But I could never write better without readers there to give me support. Whether it's a silent reader or a loud one, looking at you redfearless1989, each and every one of you helped me grow as a writer. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Now with the series ended, I still can't stop writing these beloved characters.

So with that, I present to you, the 'Phantomverse'.

Every story onwards will all be connected in a way. Main characters from a certain book may appear in the background of others. Your favorite supporting characters may just have their very own story. All will be intertwined in one way or another. So keep a keen eye for characters from different stories that may just appear in your favorite book.

With this lengthy note done, it's time for me to take a breather to recollect myself before telling you another story. Hopefully you'll stick around and wait for me to come back from my little vacation.

See you in two to three months~

Thank you for choosing to read a part of the Phantomverse. Follow me (@lephantomsoh) on Instagram to get sneak peeks and random snippets of things.