A good story is like a tree- while the branches are supple, the trunk is strong, and the leaves are plentiful, one of the most important components of the organism is what is never seen to a casual onlooker. The roots of most stories run far beneath the surface, whether they be worldbuilding details that serve to make the world more fluid, the planning that made the story what it is, or the inspiration the story drew its original concept from.

I have had people ask me why a lot of the "stuff" of my stories doesn't make it into my books. Usually the answer is "it will" or "it has, it's there if you squint", but there are also things that don't integrate naturally into the narrative and are thrown aside. One of the biggest chunks of "stuff" for any story of mine is The Cities Have Fallen pre-canon, or what the characters were like before Gale and Rena entered the picture. 

I do have a lot of "episodes" for most of my stories that never make it into the book, but these are particularly fun and because I'm going to write the revised version of this story in five months, I thought I'd share a few doodles/tidbits about a few of the characters- specifically the time Fyera, Indy, Thistlepatch, and Twitch got mindswapped after fighting a particularly nasty Call 2 Plague Victim. 

Of course, if you were to ask any of them about this, they'd all likely deny it ever happened.

Immediately following the incident, Indy (as Thistle) was able to dispatch said Plague victim. Fyera managed to prevent herself from freaking out in Twitch's body, but Twitch was A B S O L U T E L Y panicking in hers, especially because his magic had quite suddenly disappeared. It was like losing a whole sense. 

When asked why Indy knew that this wouldn't be permanent, he responded with a particularly cheery story about his travels before becoming a Defender, in which he "dealt with this kind of thing a few times. Sort of. I think there was a deer?"

No further questions were asked. 

Upon returning to headquarters, the group was a little less serious than everyone had hoped. Rain was able to accurately diagnose that only the minds had been swapped, hence, the hearts and souls were still intact. Fyera would still retain Twitch's heartline and soul (and as such at least some amount of his basic impulses and temperament), which she basically denied on the spot. "What? I don't feel any different."

"I DO," Twitch replied, still grinning like a maniac. "OH DO I EVER."

Thistle displayed exactly none of Indy's trademark enthusiasm, but hey, who ever knows what's going on with Thistle. 

She also suggested that they all "try not to strain themselves, you know, so you don't explode".

Avery seconded this statement.

Ignis was very upset about her girlfriend. This marks the first time Ignis emoted that whole month. Fyera spent most of her time following this hiding from Ignis and Ignis would not look Twitch in the eyes, at all, because it made her "incredibly uncomfortable." 

Of course, all awkwardness aside, Twitch was very excited about being taller than Thistlepatch. He was practically grinning all night.

(No one really knew how to deal with Thistle!Indy or that awful, monotonous expression. Indy!Thistle, on the other hand, was "super down" with giving dragon rides, largely an improvement from regular Thistle, who always demanded money for dragon rides. Jerk.)

The rest of the night was awkwardly silent, with a few giggles or bad puns littered throughout. At one point Fyera got up and LEFT, on no provocation whatsoever, and Twitch (in her body) followed and found her in the hall, panting. 

"It hurts, doesn't it," he asked. "All that magic. All that energy, trying to rip you into pieces. Trying to make its way through your flesh- and no one to stop it, no one to stop you."

"I was just sick of dealing with your stupid smug grin," Fyera responded, accutely aware of the size difference between them.

"I was just enjoying the few hours I get of being normal. Of not having my senses barraged by fire and smoke and rage towards all of you- and don't pretend you don't know about it. I know you hate me, Fyera. I'm not stupid."

"And I'm not allowed to? You know what you did, bastard."

"Sure, but what you have... it's not a curse. You don't understand how quiet it is. How wonderful."

Fyera's tail flickers with Teeyu energy, with fire.

"We're not that different, you know? Too much, too little... it's all an imbalance. All the same disease-"

Twitch stares down his own fire before quietly stepping away, and Fyera makes a cutting gesture across her throat before leaving, almost bounding onto four legs before righting herself and walking away at that slow, awful Teeyu pace. The night ends, the four of them sleep in until they're returned to their natural bodies, and Fyera and Thistlepatch collectively peer pressure everyone into never talking about it to a living soul again ever. Auma and Torch work on new means of magical protection that protect the Defenders from things besides the Plague. 

Of course, the group cracked a plethora of jokes DURING the ordeal, but were silent afterwards, not eager to upset Thistle and Fyera, who are terrifying. However, a lot of them were quite certain that this would mark the end of the tension between Fyera and Twitch, and that they could all get on with it... that through the whole debacle, Fyera would learn a few things and get over it.

In the end, Twitch learned a lot more about Fyera, and Fyera fiercely denied that she'd felt anything outside of confusion and nausea the whole time- because of the initial shock of the switch, of course. Not because...

not because of anything else.

Regardless, that was the last time Twitch ever tried to make amends with her.