Not the usual chapter sadly, I decided to write the next main chapter entirely last week instead of one written a month ago with the flow from C15 to help fill in some much needed worldbuilding and character moments. However, TheBlizWiz is busy with work this week and needs more time to edit, so the next chapter will have to be pushed to next week.
TheBlizWiz’s notes:
“Busy with work”
Yeah that's an understatement...
However, to somewhat supplement it and go into it I wanted to take the time to actually go into a bit of the behind the scenes that went into deciding the character designs, the artist, and then how the cover art came to be, along with a few other tasty behind the scenes lore. There are a lot of details that I want to gush over, and thanks to people I want to give related to that.
(Note, this was made on the fly in half a day, so spelling errors will be abound most likely, not gonna make TheBlizWiz edit this on top of the current chapter.)
Firstly, choosing the artist to commission was the easiest part. Realjustnothing is the artist for this, and future pieces I plan to get related to this story.
SteelTrim (the amazing author of ‘Stolen Lives, Stolen Time’ (FanFiction.net, Spacebattles, Archive of Our Own) and ‘Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune’ (Spacebattles), and occasional beta-reader for chapters of this story as well) worked with them for their cover of ‘Stolen Lives, Stolen Time’, and it looks amazing. I was already a reader of that story, and loved how it looked so I was already interested in seeing if I could get them to make the same kind of cover art
Add in that TheBlizWiz also does editing for ‘Stolen Lives, Stolen Time’, and suggested them as well, and that just fully solidified it.
I reached out to them and after we came up with the designs and mockup for the cover. They were awesome to work with, and I could not be happier, and plan to get more art from them in the future.
If you want to get art from them as well, Bluesky is the best place to contact them as their messages are open, please note however they will draw NSFW as an option, so you’ve been warned about looking them up in a public place if you’re logged in.
To see some of their other work as they haven’t posted everything to Bluesky, they do have a Twitter which has a bit more of their portfolio, but please keep in mind the age warning, and the fact that they no longer use Twitter and their DMs are closed. The best place to reach them is still Bluesky, just search for the username and you’ll find them. They’re awesome.
Username: @realjustnothing.bsky.social
Now, let’s talk about the design of Lena as of Chapter 3.. I would actually like to get an official reference sheet for her and William, but that’s for later…
For a bit of background for where the idea for her came from, well… look no further than BW2, Unova Route 23. She’s one of the Trainers you can face on that Route!
During what could be considered pre-production of the story, Lena was actually competing with another Ranger, Allison (Route 212 in Platinum), with Azumarill and Leafeon. TheBlizWiz is the one who said Unova would make for a more interesting setting, and most isekai stories were from the other Regions. I agreed and that solidified Lena’s origin and her team.
Before Chapter 3, in my mind Lena was basically wearing a uniform a mix of Kate’s design (Almia Area Ranger) and the Female Sinnoh Pokémon Ranger design, so the primary color was already going to be red to echo that, but with the concept of wanting to appear as a Trainer and not stand out too much, and TheBlizWiz and I worked around that idea.
For her hair, Garmfild (who is our other beta-reader and basically second editor at this point and is awesome, please go check him out and his Pokémon stories ‘PokéFlicks and Hollywood Hits’ (RoyalRoad, Ao3, Spacebattles, Sufficient Velocity) or ‘Beyond the End’ (Ao3, pmdfanfiction.com) as neither TheBlizWiz or I would be at our current chapter without him), suggested that her hair be tied up, so I started looking for references.
Eventually, we went with the idea of a ponytail based on the Female Hoenn Pokémon Rangers, and bangs in front with a cap overall from Cindy, Battle Revolution’s female protagonist. With a ponytail in the back, and with bangs in the front, it gives off a casual, if confident appearance. She’s been a Ranger and Trainer for over a decade, so wanted to roll the rest of that into her design. I already had it in my head that she had dirty-blonde hair, so we went with that as it’s a nice mix of brown and blonde and can be described as either depending on the lighting. To add onto that, we gave her brown eyes as well.
Her cap was actually based off the Logo Cap Red in X/Y, but given the Pokémon Gym logo, offcentered to the left side like the logo cap. To match that, we also gave her black fingerless gloves as Ranger’s usually have, but with the Gym logo, giving a nice blend of professional Trainer, and professional Ranger.
The main part however, is the jacket. I was originally looking at the Ace Trainers from ORAS for jacket designs, but TheBlizWiz came up with the idea of specifically a bomber jacket. We looked around some more, and eventually found this one, which funny enough, is for motorcycling. The white accents on the shoulders to me kinda echo the lines through the ORAS Ace Trainer’s jackets, so it was a natural fit for someone looking to appear as an experienced Trainer, and we gave her a white under-shirt to match and accentuate it.
This is around where TheBlizWiz brought up the idea that Lena would drive a motorcycle over a car, but neither of us knew what we would do with that fact. Come Chapter 15, I think it worked out really well, even if it was just a small character detail we offhandedly mentioned to each other originally.
Her Silph Co. bag is a canvas backpack with a Poké Ball logo on top. Shows she knows rain is gonna happen on a Journey, so better to have something with better materials, longevity, yet lots of pockets.
We gave her generic black jeans, and my notes have no reference image whatsoever, just standard black jeans. Jeans are pretty rugged traveling kinda wear already, so I think it fits.
Her boots however, call back to her being a Ranger. They’re actually based off the Ranger School’s boots Kellyn and Kate wear in their School Uniform in Shadows of Almia. To me, they already had a hiker-like appearance, and seemed like a good fit for traveling a long distance.
The last part is a modified Fine Styler to blend in, yet still be able to do Ranger work if push came to shove. The top section is black unlike the Fine Styler, allowing the bottom to blend into her jacket’s color. I’ll admit, the black color may have been inspired by something else, but I think it helps with the incognito feeling that Lena’s trying to have. Also it is a bit slimmer than the normal Fine Styler, just a smidge.
Another small difference is that it’s for her left arm, instead of her right. That… was actually unintentional, but personally, I think it helps further herself from being a Ranger on sight when people look over her. I have the mockup that I gave realjustnothing below for when drawing it, as it’s not posted anywhere else online.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1D2xKxQJviwR48tCnKWU_j7dizTfiTUFQ&sz=w120]
And that wraps up Lena, a Ranger, and someone very experienced with traveling and the outdoors. Her clothes stay practical with her Mission, while still being comfortable and familiar to her still. This also reflects in her pose in the cover art, with how she’s leaning forward to the fire, unafraid, a warm smile on her face to try and be welcoming.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1KxzUG12w6sCW2wNc3n-ed-Y7Y4nhuWCH&sz=w1000]
Charon’s design, beyond an Alpha Hisuian Typhlosion, wasn’t really thought about. I wanted to have the image of a towering, protective guardian for William, and well, a 8'11" or 2.72 meter tall ghost fire badger would do the trick.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1xUaGqEELWlywimAxTlVlnB9caGhwA7BL&sz=w1000]
Now, for the part where I get called out for my crippling yellow addiction, and self-insertisms, William.
His face was based on me as a young age since that was the best source I could have given the situation, but the hair is a couple years older, (probably 11 years is when I found my preferred style), with brown hair swooshing to one side, but even across his head. It’s the same style I have now. I just gave myself the same green-blue eye color I have now, but can’t tell from this image sadly.
It may look a bit off, but that’s kinda the point. Being shoved into a kid’s body from an adult would probably make you want to try and keep things the same as much as you can to keep your sense of mental self as close to your physical self.
As for the height, sadly I was around that tall, but memory is a big foggy. William in the story is in the upper 4 foot, to 5 foot range compared to Lena’s ballpark 6 foot range, but by middle school (6th to 8th grade) I was already 6 feet tall, lanky, and with no body fat. I’m currently 6 foot 5 inches and just as lanky. I still hit my head on door frames, the car ceiling, desks when standing up after plugging something in, and the ceiling when walking into basements of older houses.
TheBlizWiz’s Notes: It's why he’s such an idiot who doesn't know the words to Don't Stop Believin’ by Metallica ft. JayZ.
Now, the main part. The yellow sweatshirt.
At this very moment, localized entirely within my closet, there are 6 yellow sweatshirts hanging up that I wear on a rotational basis. I do have others I wear that are blue or red, but if I’m going out, I will wear the yellow sweatshirt 9 times out of 10.
On top of that, I have Yellow Joycons for my switch, and my PC case and Windows theme are also yellow. Even my shoes are yellow.
I have a bit of a problem. I will admit that, but it’s too late to back out now.
The sweatshirt in the photo is a slightly modified yellow hoodie from Pokémon X and Y, instead of a pointless zipper, are just normal sweatshirt strings, and while not visible in the cover, there is a Poké Ball design on the back like the X and Y sweatshirt.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1XXQxEVSFQIxgfkDiQ1ll5uCaqcOTPicj&sz=w1000]
There isn’t a lot else that’s interesting, his jeans are normal blue jeans like Lena’s black jeans, so I’ll do a lightning round as his shoes and his Silph Co. backpack are from the same source.
His backpack is the yellow Sporty Backpack from Sun and Moon, but I did debate giving him the yellow Scout Pack for a bit. I went with the Sporty Backpack mostly because I like the design a lot and it isn’t the normal ‘square’ kind of backpack protagonists in most games use, and the Pikachu reference is a nod that Pikachu is my favorite Pokémon. It’s why I also went with the Sporty Sneakers, but I will admit, TheBlizWiz had to veto the yellow ones and the Black Low-Top Sneakers as ‘too much’, and honestly I agree in hindsight. Either way, I decided to compromise and go with the normal black Sporty Sneakers, just a most subtle Pikachu motif overall with the tail on the side.
Overall William is pretty much just what I would wear in the Pokémon world if I could, leaning a bit into comfort over practicality (Bright yellow is not a great ‘blend into the crowd’ color William). However, given his situation, and how he’s stressed underneath his persona, I’d say it makes sense that he’d lead more into what he knows and feels comfortable with. This also reflects in his posture, with how he’s not entirely relaxed, but still smiling as he knows Lena is a good person, but he doesn’t want to open up quiet yet.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=11tVUcTC7sZvGK-gUkEK4dqBylKNvk1g2&sz=w1000]
Alright, now onto the cover art: after we decided the main character’s primary designs, the next task was at hand: Deciding what the cover art should look like. The idea of what it should be came pretty quick, that ending scene for Chapter 5 - The Early Days at the campfire instantly stuck out to the both of us.
I did want to have something relating to the games in the cover art, as the story takes place between BW and BW2, and I wanted to incorporate that somehow. After discussing with TheBlizWiz, we decided to have the box legendary glaring down through the ghostly flames of Charon, like a threat to the party looming ahead.
I tried to make a rough mockup via paint.net. However, I tend to focus a lot on facial expressions and small details in my own writing, so I added descriptors as I felt needed that I couldn’t properly convey with stock images, renders, stick figures.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1yCCekfGfeDjyKSGFJExHSelvii1gwkPz&sz=w1000]
I can also talk about the font choices for the title, because those were chosen specifically as well!
“A Ranger’s Mission:” Uses Serpentine Bold Oblique, which is the closest font to what “Ranger” uses for the Pokémon Ranger box art and logo in the US. I think it’s a bit obvious why that font was chosen, reflecting Lena and her job as a Ranger.
“A Lost Soul” Uses Cafeteria Black, which is the same font as what “Mystery Dungeon” uses for the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon box art and logo in the US for some of its games. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games were already isekai stories, and also kind of lends to the ‘mystery’ for Lena and everyone else viewing William from the outside.
Even with all these small details, the issue with what I mocked up is that I couldn’t get the background forest part right with it, or properly get the night sky look. So, TheBlizWiz decided to quickly create a better background in Blender to get the idea across. It was a great help, and not even something I would have thought to do with Blender, and helped realjustnothing during the making of it. I fully encourage commissioners to try and mock things up no matter how they do it, artists really appreciate it.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1Y8-Ssy9tMb_6gQh8XQRFF_aLXoLRLR3m&sz=w557]
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1RAjCvS_cQcVMiQziATUeMFhP8H8OOJQ1&sz=w557]
With that, I made sure the multi page write up of everyone’s clothes with reference images was ready, and reached out to realjustnothing to initiate the commission. They’re awesome, and would send regular updates and drafts to make sure it was coming out as planned. For example, here was one of the alternative draft sketch of the cover art, with an alternative pose for Charon and White Kyurem.
image [https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=148OTUgAkXoDRf6LZDzdUWCITGNQHQ0Mn&sz=w1000]
Once TheBlizWiz and I decided on which version of the draft sketch to go with, Realjustnothing would send regular updates through the process and make sure it was what was envisioned. They even added the full moon to the cover art, and I think it’s a great touch, I wouldn’t have thought of that in the first place but can’t imagine the piece without it now.
It took some time since it was a high quality piece, the final high quality image is almost 30 MB, and is 4732x5197 pixels, but after some discussion on certain parts, like how White Kyurem should look in the flames of Charon, it was complete.
Full Resolution (It's huge so I don't recommend doing this on data, Google will try and render the preview first too so give it a bit of time to load): Link
I could not be happier with how it came out, and it makes me really happy to see it every time.
Before the end of this, I do want to give formal, special thanks to those who have helped with the production of this story thus far in no order:
TheBlizWiz: The first one who chimed in for advice when I brought up the nagging idea that was only just a sprout on a Discord server, and who jumped on to be the co-writer of the story. I probably would not have had the confidence to even get past chapter 10, or even release without his advice, guidance, rewrites, and suggestions. Thank you so much for everything. You know exactly when to reign me back when the brain worm gets too strong, even though you (rightly) roast me for my uncultured tastes in music and desperately try and educate someone who has ADHD.
To bad it won’t work because I already have 14k video game songs downloaded on my phone I ain’t room for more-
Garmfild: Who TheBlizWiz and I consider our third writer in all but name at this point. He’s read over every chapter, given his advice, and helped us both come to decisions when we couldn’t agree on something or were uncertain on what direction to take. You’re awesome, and help us look at things that we wouldn’t have considered, and TheBlizWiz and I consider you our third writer for this story, no matter how much you try to deny it.
Please, go check out his work, like ‘PokeFlicks and Hollywood Hits’, or ‘Beyond the End’, they’re really enjoyable and I recommend them both fully.
realjustnothing: For creating the beautiful cover art, and being amazing to work with. They are under the weather at the moment, but please, if you are interested in getting a commission from them, reach out to them on bluesky at ‘@realjustnothing.bsky.social’, or give them a like, spread their name around, or really anything to support them.
SteelTrim: For not only finding realjustnothing and recommending them, but for also writing their own Pokémon isekai story ‘Stolen Lives, Stolen Time’, as that was one of the stories that inspired me to even start thinking about the idea that would turn into this one.
They’ve also been a great springboard to discuss ideas and discussions, and also beta read some of our chapters to make sure there isn’t anything we miss and make sure the ideas make sense. Their own original story ‘Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune’ is their focus at the moment, and I fully recommend that as well, please give their work a read, and support them if you can.
Moxie: I truly mean it when I say thank you for all the constructive and helpful critiques and thoughts on the story, it's really helped the both of us make needed adjustments or corrections as needed so as to not fall into any pitfalls, it really means a lot.
And for putting up with TheBlizWiz's shit. I don't envy you from what he's mentioned in passing.
And to everyone commenting across all websites this is posted, giving thoughts, theorizing, finding a spelling mistake or awkward phrasing we overlooked so we can fix it to make this story the best it can be, thank you truly. Your comments are what fuel us to keep going.
I’m sorry that this wasn’t a main chapter, but I hope this sort of behind the scenes look was at least interesting nevertheless, we’ll keep working on it and it’ll be all ready next week. I’m not gonna push TheBlizWiz to edit more then his plate will allow, especially when I suddenly pump out 3k words in one day out of nowhere.
I am a menace to society and to editors.
-Will