Through your eyes [English version]

Thank you! (Not a chapter)

Hello guys. No, this isn't a real chapter, but rather something special just for you. Really, I don't know how to thank you enough.

So, as promised, here are some fun facts.

First of all, the names. Each name was chosen with great care and has a specific meaning:

Joel obviously comes from "Joule."

Sakura is not only a reference to her secret evolution method in Pokémon Go, but it was also chosen because the Sakura tree represents life, death, beauty, and violence — everything that Sakura is or must learn to understand.

Liam doesn't have a big meaning, I just liked it.

Ricky is based on the first Lucario I ever created, even before Aaron (don't worry, one day you'll get to see "Until the End of Time" in English, I promise).

The name Necro is an abbreviation of "Necromancer."

The name Blade, on the other hand, is due to the meaning of a blade, which is a sharp object that can be used either as a weapon to attack or to defend. So, essentially, Blade is a weapon.

And now I throw down the challenge: can you figure out the other special names and decipher their meanings?

Now, a few details about the story. So, what can I reveal? Well, the original idea was about a human who turns into a Pokémon and gets saved by Blade, who, not knowing she was human, rescues her and tries to protect her.

However, this idea was scrapped because it wasn't 'innovative,' it didn't feel like the story was truly mine, and it didn't have the focus on raising awareness about racism that is present in my story.

The development process of "Through Your Eyes" began with world-building, because yes, the world of this story is much bigger than it seems, but you'll have to wait for the second season to see that.

Speaking of seasons, what can I say? You should know that this story has been in the works for five years. This is because I have the bad habit of not writing or publishing unless I'm satisfied with the result.

I already know what you're thinking: "Is he crazy!? Five years to write a story!?" Well, guys, just know that two of my flagship stories have been in the works for twelve years. So, yes, I'm a bit crazy. Maybe this is normal, but what do I know? I'm just a simple university student who realized his true passion too late.

Now, back to us, what other detail can I reveal?

You should know that the addition of the Rainbow Ribbons was made only later on, and they are strongly inspired by the Mystery Dungeon games. The reason for their addition is purely based on the lore of the world. Initially, there were supposed to be just an Absol and a Lycanroc, but they were later replaced by Yuki and Ricky. Their personalities, however, were transferred to Ivy and Luis.

Now, a question everyone has been asking... Or at least I hope... What's my favorite character? Even though I love Sakura and adore playing with Karma's personality, my favorite characters are Ciel and Rime, two Pokémon that you will see in the second season. I would really like to tell you more, but all I can reveal is that the first one is a shiny Umbreon (yes, he will have a connection with Blade), and the second is a shiny Eeveeon.

I'd like to remind you that in my story, being shiny is different from how it is in the games; it's much more similar to how a disease works in reality, and that's why there are slightly more Shinies.

Now, serious matters. As I've already mentioned, this has now become a flagship story, and I'm even almost considering starting to write only in English since practically no one reads in Italian (no, really, I barely reach 700 views). I wanted to ask for your help.

You see, every time I try to write a one-shot, I end up making a whole book, but I'd really like to make some special chapters for certain holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and so on. When I started working on the chapter, however, I thought it would be nicer to ask you directly what you would like to see, what situations, or maybe which characters. Maybe even some chapters tied to the characters' pasts, like how Violet's parents met Blade. What do you think?

If the idea is liked, I'll obviously make other specials, and I assure you that these chapters won't slow down the story's progress at all. (Actually, between us, the story is always one or two chapters ahead of the last published one. This is to avoid being unable to post if my computer breaks, and also to have more time to fix something that may not be right without having to retract an already published chapter).

Last question, a bit more personal. As you already know, I've been writing for a long, loooong time, and I finally feel ready to write a book not related to Pokémon and with a world entirely of my own. What would you like to read more? A love story about angels and demons, a fantasy adventure where a boy must uncover the secrets of a war that's lasted way too long, or a realistic story about a girl trying to overcome her own traumas? I eagerly await your comments.

Finally, special thanks. You see, some of you have really made a difference for me, nothing against the others, but some of you have really changed my attitude and pushed me to improve and make this chapter. (A chapter I'm still embarrassed about. I know, I can't help it).

So, without further ado, I wanted to personally thank CanadianBaconBits and Speedjolteon351 for their support, but I feel a special thanks is due to Undertiti and Sovereign_of_Dawn for supporting me from the beginning. Really, guys, thank you for all your comments, they mean a lot to me.

That said, I'll leave you guys and go finish writing the new chapter. See you next time!