Holy mother of pearl, you guys. After a year and a half of writing, this series is coming to a close. A year and a half! My Story took half that time! And it has more chapters! I'm just...I'm honestly in awe, right now. I really, truly am.

I'm going to get a bit personal right now. This past year and a half has been absolutely life-changing. It has had its ups and downs, best and worst moments, and Before Awakening was here for all of it. It was with me when I first started high school, got through my first year of marching band, my loves and heartbreaks, eventually finding my amazing significant other, the absolute lowest and darkest moment of my life, and so, so much more. And then, it was with me for that second time. When I started my second year of high school and where I am today. Before Awakening was with me through all of this. And now, it's over.

For this year and a half, I have been through so, so much. Coming to terms with who I am, my mental health and how I'm trying to better it, heck, even my physical health! So many things were changing and shifting. However, Before Awakening was a constant throughout all of it. It was always by my side. This absolute monster of a project was sometimes my curse but also my dream come true.

Writing Before Awakening was no easy task. For one, it was my first big somewhat original project (yes, it is still 100% fanfiction, but a good lot of it is of my own mind and creation). Although My Story is a bit longer in chapter count, that story was already somewhat written. All I had to do was add my own personal flair. For this, I was on my own. I took what little information was given and went wild. I created characters, relationships, families, and so much more in the land of Ylisse. And, some of these characters are my most beloved (I'm talkin' bout you, Lucia, Evelina, and Ashie).

And I would be nowhere without my amazing readers. Whether you're a silent reader, a frequent commenter, or even one of my best friends, you are still a huge part of this series. While everything in my life was happening, Before Awakening was still thriving. On days I felt like doing nothing but collapsing in bed and crying, you guys brought smiles to my face with all of your lovely comments. All of you kept me going. You all gave me reminders that I do make good content and people do want to read it!

And I cannot thank you enough for that. I'm so grateful to every single one of you. I have come so far in these two and a half years of me being on Wattpad. It's all too surreal for me. I know it sounds like I'm saying goodbye, but I'm not. I'm staying right here. Where I belong. I have so many more projects in my vaults, you can't get away from me that easily.

So, thank you. Thank you all so so so so so so so so so much. You all are a significant part of my life and I hope you stay in it. I feel so connected to all of you. I love you all, my lovely readers. Btw I discovered a name for my fans: Chranberries. Get it? Chranna? Cranberries?

...I'll go home. XD

Anyway! Let's move on from the sentimental stuff (even though I'm crying and want to hug each and every one of you. Give this sappy reader a virtual hug).

So as you know, I did a Q&A. However, due to the shortage of them, I have recruited the lovely xInSainex and my own blueberry son Morgan/best friend WolfMisha to fill in some questions! Thank you both so much! I love y'all a heckin' ton. Let's get on with it, shall we?

Sofia_Redwood asks: You commented on one of MMHunter's short story's with Robin solving a mystery or something... you said that something in it reminded you of a song about a detective, and those were the same thoughts I had reading that segment, so... what song was it, if you can remember?

Quite the odd question but ok. XD So the song is called Detective Detective by an artist named Static-P, and it's part of his music video series called Criminal Idol. Here's a link to it: https://youtu.be/us0KKywnakk

SacredFir's first question is: How do you manage to keep your story in character so well? You do a really good job at it.

Awwww, thank you so much! Honestly, it sounds hard in theory, but it gets really simple with practice. Sometimes, a character will have a certain phrase they say often or have a certain mannerism so including that into your writing will make it seem more natural.

Their second question: How did you get into the Fire Emblem series and want to write stories about it?

You can find a fully detailed explanation of my introduction to FE in my Random Thoughts book, but I'll give the short explanation here. So I randomly decided to purchase Birthright at a GameStop one fateful 2016 evening and was hooked ever since. A little while later, I discovered the existence of Chrobin and instantly fell in love. I started writing stories of them in my head and I've always had a dream of publishing those stories online. One day, I got a Wattpad account for craps and giggles and then realized, "Oh, crap, I totally can write a story about them." And thus, My Story and then literally everything else I've written was born.

Those were the only three fan questions I received, so now we're moving on to the others! Here are the questions given to me by Est:

How long does it take you to write a chapter?

Well, that entirely depends on what the chapter is and what I want to cover. Your typical 2000 word chapter takes a good 3 or so hours to write. When I'm in the zone, it takes a lot less time. Chapters that are longer than that obviously take longer, and a lot of factors come into play.

Who's your favorite character?

Ahhhhhh don't make me single out my babies. Original character, I'll have to say Evelina. I just love her so much and everything she's been through. She is super fun to write and is my icon. Although she's dead here, she still lives on in HSY. And she's double fun to write in that. I need more sassy Evelina in my life. New challenge: make Evelina memes. I will love you forever and will give you my kidneys.

What was your favorite time period to write?

There are so many to chose from! I think I'll have to say when they're somewhat younger and learning stuff (mostly cuz those chapters were easier to write and come up with ideas for XD). Seriously though, they were super fun to write. These two innocent beans leaning how crap works is my poison.

How long had you been planning this idea before you started writing it?

A good, long while. I think I really seriously started coming up with ideas for it in early December of 2016. The Stress Squad Sisterhood can attest to all of the early planning and plots that were either implemented or scrapped. It took a lot of brain power and hot cocoa for this to be conceived.

If you could only choose one, which character would you give a big hug?

NOT EVEN A QUESTION. SMOL CHROM. GIVE HIM LOVE AND COOKIES AND HAPPINESS. I KNOW I MADE HIM SUFFER BUT SMOL BOI NEEDS BIG HUGS.

How do you stay on a consistent writing schedule?

Oh, writing schedule, how you haunt me. My trick is to set an update schedule. Before I had my schedule, which some of you may remember, I was just updating as I wrote. With a schedule, I have a more controlled way of publishing. And, it helps to move my stories along better. Anyway, with a schedule, I can prep myself for what I need to write and what needs to be done when. Say I have a busy week coming up. So, I would dedicate my weekends or days off to writing a certain amount of chapters so I don't have to worry about them come hell or high water. Also, keep in mind that I'm a high school student, so time is not my friend or ally. Also, since I consistently have two series' being posted and sometimes prompts in the equation, I have a crap ton of stuff to write. Fun times. But, writing is my passion and I'm happy to do it.

What's your longest chapter?

That would have to be Recruitment. I honestly have no clue as to why that one is the longest. It just sort of happened.

What's your favorite music to listen to while you write?

Ah, music. So as of late, I've been listening to a lot of classical music when I write. I used to listen to OSTs, but I found that they weren't really working when it came to really focusing myself. I also used to listen to normal music - like with lyrics - but listening to music with lyrics is really bad for your mind when working and distracts it. That's also kind of the reason I stopped doing the whole "Currently listening to" thing. But, classical music really works with my mind. Plus, I'm a nerd.

If you had to add a third point of view to the story, whose would it be?

Oooooh I love this question. So after some thinking, I decided that the character that would make the most sense and I would love to see the story from her eyes would be Lissa. Some characters such as Emm, Lucia, and Evelina already had their own POVs for sections of the stories, so I guess they don't really count for this. But, I think seeing BA in the eyes of Lissa would be very entertaining.

Which character was the most fun to write?

Emmeryn. I love writing protective/dorky big sister Emm so much. I love writing Emm in general. She just has this grace to her that is very fun to write. Also, there were times when I would randomly be writing a scene with Emm in it and then get absolutely heartbroken knowing that she dies as well.

Now, we are moving on to the questions given to me by my lovely and amazing boi.

What was the most difficult part of this work for you to write?

Ooof. Ok, hands down, Evelina's death. I poured my absolute heart and soul into that. Everything that led up to it, the planning, so, so much. To see this character that I've grown to love and cherish was heartbreaking.

Did you actually cry at any parts while writing this? If so, which parts?

Oh, absolutely! The first time I cried was Lucia's death. I may not be as attached to her as I am Evelina, but ya know, she's leaving her two young children and tiny infant in a word that's kinda gone to crap can tug ya heartstrings. The second time was, of course, Evelina's death. Don't even have to explain that one. And, the last time I can remember crying was when I finished writing Before Awakening. The second I typed the final * on my chapter break, I started bawling. The thought that this monster of a series was finally over wreaked me in ways I cannot describe. But, I was also very, very hopeful for the future.

Did writing this energize or exhaust you?

Yes. There were times where I was really excited and inspired to write BA more than others. However, I won't lie; sometimes, I was absolutely exhausted to the point where it heavily impacted my work. I think you can tell which chapters I put less effort into than others. I try my best to make this happen as little as I can, but being a full-time student, an author who has two, sometimes three projects going on at once, and many more outside activities, you can understand that deadlines and exhaustion can catch up to me. But, seeing your reactions to my works and how much you enjoy them fills me up with more energy than you realize.

Do you think your writing style changed at all throughout the writing of THIS book?

Oh, absofreakinglutely. When I first started this, I was not even in high school (going into, I should say). Now, I'm halfway through my sophomore year. I have aged, experienced new things, and learned a whole heck ton. I think grammatically thinking, I've 100% improved. I may not be perfect and no author ever is, but I am at least satisfied with the improvements I've made.

Do you write for yourself, your fans, or anyone else?

In short, yes. All three. Here's my take: you write what you want to read. With the mentality that I write for myself, I'm able to produce content that I know I'll enjoy and hopefully, you do as well. As for my fans, well, obviously. I take a lot of your feedback into consideration when writing. As for anyone else, yes, I do that as well. But, that's more for my personal life.

Are there any parts you planned on writing in but didn't?

Yessum. Sometimes, there are whole plotlines I plan out but don't add. Hell, BA could've been a drastically different story if I'd gone with some of my earlier plans. Once again, the Stress Squad Sisterhood can attest to this. I wish I can make you guys gratitude cookies. Teleport to my house and I will. XD

And that's that to the Q&A! Once again, huge thank you to WolfMisha and xInSainex for helping me. I love you both so much.

So! Is this the end, you may be asking. To answer that, no. I'm not going anywhere. As you may know, I have been hinting on a new project for a couple of weeks. Wanna know what that is? Well, due to how long this has been, I'm making a separate page for my new series announcement, so keep scrolling if you want to see that!

And, for those of you who are wondering what Chrom and Anna's lives are like immediately after this, well, you're in luck! I've already written and published a novelization of Fire Emblem: Awakening called My Story. Some of you have read it, some have not, but I promise you it's a great read! And heck, even to those of you who have read it, I encourage you to go and reread it for a trip down memory lane and to connect the dots between this series and that. Plus, I can assure you that your second experience reading it certainly won't be like your first. I'm currently in the process of re-editing huge chunks of it. I'm sure all of you...uh, know how desperately it needs it. I've added some chapters, more content, AND ADDITIONAL CHROBIN. And for those of you who do decide to go read it who haven't before, I warn you about some of the chapters. When I first wrote it, I was pretty young and stupid and didn't really know how dialogue worked. I'm trying my best to fix those chapters as fast as I can but as I've said, I have a million projects going on and time is of the essence.

Yep! That's all I got. Once again, I love you all so so so so so much and am eternally grateful to each and every one of you. Without you, I would be nothing. You have helped me bring my works to where they are today!

And, without further ado, here is my next story... I have a feeling you will go wild for it!