Cognitive Deviance

Thank You + Extras

4. Furthermore, it would eventually be revealed that two of the personalities the Multi Man had trapped in his head were none other than Cyrus Lynch and Tetsuo Fujioka, the founders of Psychwatch, and the Multi Man would turn out to be a Frankenstein-esque creature made of an assortment of body parts of past victims. The Frankenstein idea is...just something induced in the PACER, and the fates of Lynch and Fujioka are far more ambiguous.

5. Going back to the lighter tone, almost no main characters were planned to be killed off. Not even the main villains. The Multi Man, Whitey, and Crimson would've just been incarcerated for life. I eventually came to the conclusion that the stakes had to be raised higher, as the story's world didn't seem brutal enough to need Psychwatch. Hence, plenty of deaths all across the moral spectrum.

6. Psychwatch and Commissioner Mason were supposed to be unambiguously good. Mason was supposed to be a benevolent, well-respected authority figure who treats her officers with kindness and respect, and Psychwatch wouldn't have been the controversial agency it eventually became. However, readers instantly distrusted both of them just by the end of the first chapter, quickly referring to both of them as creepy and invasive. This worked in the story's favor, as Psychwatch ended up better representing both society's mistreatment and alienation of the mentally ill as well as law enforcement's improper, oftentimes hostile interactions with mentally ill individuals.

7. Yes, the Multi Man would've been Margo's missing father. I changed that because that would've been the most predictable thing ever.

8. The Rabbit Hole would've been more like an underground brothel rather than the depraved circle of Hell it ended up being depicted as, and (while high on Wonderland Mist) Jack would've seduced and had sex with a woman who'd turn out to be the founder of the Rabbit Hole. Somehow, the place would've remained not only intact, but also in business, and Margo would've discovered she was schizophrenic another way.

9. Royce, Andrade, and Slater were added last minute to the story. I had no notes for their backstories or character arcs the way the other characters had until halfway into the story when they became incredibly significant.

10. The ending would've gone on far longer, with a lot more happening between the siege on the Multi Man's hideout and his death. Specifically, he would've been arrested, forced through a pointless interrogation, put on trial, and eventually escape into the Psycho Slums before getting gunned down by Margo, Carl, and Jack. This felt like it would've dragged on too long and was instead shortened down to what you read in the final two chapters.

11. Overall, here are some things that were guaranteed to happen once I decided to take on a darker, grittier tone and present Psychwatch as far more morally ambiguous:

- Margo having schizophrenia.

- Ellie being a hallucination.

- Margo having a missing father who turned out to be abusive.

- The infiltration of the Rabbit Hole.

- The Multi Man breaking into Psychwatch, killing Holden to raise the stakes, and kidnapping Margo.

- A final showdown against the Multi Man that concludes in Margo defeating the Multi Man herself (although, Carl was originally planned to die rescuing her; this was changed following the love and positive reception he received from readers, not to mention the fresh idea of giving a character with DID a break for once).

- Jack's death by Mason's hands (although, she was originally going to get away with it, back when she was planned on being a more heroic character).

And one more fun fact: I plan on creating a screenplay based on this story! I think I'm leaning towards a miniseries adaptation to really allow the world to come to life and allow each character to complete a compelling arc rather than a simple feature film. So be on the lookout for the next ten years or so! And don't let Netflix cancel it a week after it comes out...or whoever puts it out.

And now that the facts are done, here are some questions for you guys!

1. Favorite character?

2. Least favorite character?

3. Favorite moment in the story?

4. Most shocking moment in the story?

5. Are there any changes mentioned above that you wish were incorporated into the story you read? Any you're glad didn't make it in?

6. Any suggestions for the next draft apart from the ones that were mentioned above?

7. Any questions you have for the author?

8. And finally, your overall opinion of the story?

Once more, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for taking the time to read this story. You guys inspire me, and you give me reasons to love reading and writing. I hope you all have an awesome day!

And stick around for more cool things from me in the future! Once again, have an awesome day!