The Nex Issue: Cayden Wilde in Calling the Shots

The crowd applauded and cheered. A sign with the words 'The Nex Issue' flashed behind the black wolf with a white crest on his chest seated comfortably in a large, high-backed sofa behind a long, marble desk. After a minute, he waved the crowd down, beckoning for silence.

"Hello and welcome again to The Nex Issue, the little show where we go behind the scenes of the tales and stories that are presented to you by yours truly, Nex Canis." He spread his arms towards the logo. "The Nex Issue, breaking the fourth wall to break you."

Nex folded his paws together. "Now, in today's instalment, we are shaking things up a little. Ordinarily, the first segment will have me interviewing our guests however, given the branching nature of the Cayden Wilde series, I can't quite do that without breaking the time space continuum and confusing a lot of people. So instead, I've made it so that the first segment is dedicated to the background of the issue that we've just experienced. The second section will reveal exclusive deleted scenes and why they were cut. And as always, we will have the final section for audience participation.

"So without further ado, let's begin!"

Section 1 - Background and Backstory

Nex leaned back in his chair.

"The idea that Katie or rather K12 the Karmic actually convincing the Creator of the world of Wake Delta to delete everything and then hastily recover everything only to find the worlds mushed together is actually a little autobiographical. After finishing up My Life is Super - Issue 4, I had a tonne of ideas that I couldn't quite get off the ground. I eventually deleted a good number of them simply because I couldn't decide what I wanted to do and I hated the clutter on my desktop.

"Originally, there was going to be a 'monster-of-the-week-like' story called 'Big Buff Wolf'. Yes, I know, not a very original idea. The concept was simply that a high school teenager encounters a paranormal fight between werewolves and another species, yet undefined. He attempts to save a friend but gets mortally wounded in the process. He also saves a werewolf. This werewolf bites him as thanks, transforming him into a werewolf himself but this is not known to his friends. When he 'dies' in their arms, they bury him in the woods, hoping never to speak of the event again given they were just privy to something they couldn't explain and would likely be convicted for his murder. He arises a month later as a full werewolf and then had to struggle with his newfound powers and explaining to his friends and family that he isn't dead. Just a werewolf. It was a funny concept but to me sounded more like a rip-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer except with werewolves."

Nex waved a paw absently through the air. "Then there was the idea of Beastkin. This was basically a linear story set in a magical land based entirely in a medieval setting as I don't think I've really done any of those. The idea basically followed different characters as they dealt with the issue of identity and stereotypes. The Beastkin were half-man, half-animal creatures created by the Wise Men, mages of incredible power, to subjugate the rest of the world. Throughout the story, there would be different people who would encounter the Beastkin and then be transformed into one, eventually learning of the various cultures different species of Beastkin had while also ending up fighting for their rights against the Twelve Wise men. This felt like a big epic to me and quite frankly, after writing My Life is Super, I wanted to have more smut than plot.

"And lastly," he said, leaning forward, "there was the original premise of Wake Delta. This is the first appearance of Cayden Wilde. Here, he was actually just a human. His father was an impulsive man who uprooted his entire family and moved to the sleepy town of Wake Delta to be the town's only doctor. He was accompanied by his younger brother and his uncle, the father's brother. As it turns out, Wake Delta is filled with Paranorms - again, the first time this term was coined in my stories. As the story progressed, random Paranorms would actually stride up to the doctor and ask for help, eventually 'awakening' the Wilde family to their world. The original premise would have some incestuous action as each of the men would somehow be transformed into a sort of Paranorm and always find their way back to being human at the end of the episode. This seemed fun but the premise seemed really thin and not too sustainable. I would honestly get bored in the end of turning the Wilde family into a Paranorm and then turning them back again at the end."

"In the end, I ended up mushing all of these ideas together into one. What came out of it was Cayden Wilde as a disgraced and shameless werewolf private investigator assisted by Katie, the psychotic but wise No One and a whole cast of characters as they unravel an overarching plot from the Faceless Man. I found the opportunity to explore deeper meaning and racial stereotypes through the different Paranorms that would arise, have sexy fun time with transformations and Cayden's exploits and also have a short, monster-of-the-week idea. Taking inspiration from The Wolf Among Us actually helped make this even more fun as I was constantly kept on my toes and had to think on my feet on how the story would proceed."

Nex cleared his throat and quickly grabbed a drink of water.

"Now, onto a more episode-specific topic. Satyrs were honestly not my first choice of Paranorm to go on. I actually created the idea of Actae which steps from the legend of Actaeon, a hunter who got turned into a stag. They would've been the first Paranorm. But I decided that I should start with something more... familiar first.

"Originally, I was simply going to have someone randomly transforming people on the street as a form of 'crime' but that just smacked too much of My Life is Super. Then I remember that the great appeal of The Wolf Among Us was its morally grey decisions and consequences. So I decided to make both the villains and the heroes kind of morally grey as well. Cayden is clearly a horndog and a bit of a dominating lover, not to mention kind of dense at times. Katie has her own agenda and clearly crazy. Even Jacob has his own plans but what else is new with that?

"The cake came with tying the artefacts that transform people into historical artefacts or at least making some form of alternate history. That was fun and also added a bit of believability and maybe even credence to the story. The idea of the Bacchus Cup being the Holy Grail actually came a bit later when I was discussing with my mate on what the Cup really was. It was thanks to him that we came up with the idea that the Cup could enforce the will of the wielder onto those who drink from its contents."

Section 2 - Deleted Scenes

Nex stood up just as a big screen came down from the ceiling. Images flashed on the screen. It showed scenes of Trevor holding the Bacchus Cup. He stood, cornered, in a warehouse while Cayden, Des and Matt stood opposite to him, Des with a gun pointed at him while Cayden was lunging at the bulldog. Matt was just looking on horrified.

"Did you know that there were actually different scenarios for the endings? Initially, as in as late as Episode 4, Trevor was always the main culprit. He was meant to be the one that turned everyone into Satyrs out of spite for how they pushed him away. But that just didn't make for a good story in my eyes. We barely met Trevor and he was only mentioned in the periphery. In fact, identifying him could've been missed entirely. So it didn't make sense for him to just pop up as the surprise culprit. That's why the true criminal was made to who they were late in the game.

"The final confrontation actually occurred in some arbitrary warehouse near the docks and there was some flimsy excuse that this was where Trevor was hiding the entire time. Again, it seemed very insubstantial, a reason why it was cut."

The images on the screen changed. This time, it showed images of Des and Cayden naked and in bed. There was a large gap between them and while Des lay staring straight upwards, Cayden had his back turned to the bulldog, looking forlorn and distant.

"As some have already hinted, there is in fact a relationship between Des and Cayden. In fact, if he was taken to the final confrontation, the two would've had a one-time fling with one another with indications that it happens rather often. But there was actually a scene where if Cayden went to the Sleeping Beauty first and then followed the trail to Vance, completely ignoring Matt, he and Des would've had some hot steamy sex in the hospital. This, however, was cut from the final plan as it just seemed too abrupt and on the nose. I liked keeping the animosity between Cayden and Des and the idea that Cayden only calls Des to comfort himself adds to both their characters.

"To replace the sex scene in what could've been Episode 3, we would've seen Vance's transformation from pudgy human to beefy, bearish Satyr."

Once again, the screen changed and now there was Jacob standing opposite to the Faceless Man. The Faceless Man's body was sprouting dark, shadowy tentacles, lashing out at the No One. To counter, long, silvery chains erupted from the air behind Jacob, colliding with the tentacles perfectly and barring them all.

"There would've been a seen in the end where Jacob faces off against the Faceless Man as the overarching antagonist attempted to pick up the pieces of the shattered Bacchus Cup during the Faceless Ending. Jacob stops him and destroys the shards of the Cup entirely. He even hints that everyone deserves a happy ending, even the antagonist. This, however, was cut from the plan. Again, it was too on the nose and revealed way too much. Not to mention I wanted to keep Jacob as distant as possible from actually doing things. He's there like an advisor and a shrink. He doesn't really use his powers."

And one last time, the scene changed. Now, it showed Cayden opening a door where everyone from the episode exclaimed surprise and poured in.

"Originally, in the Best Ending, Cayden would get a surprise call similar to when Oliva Kingston first knocked on his door. Here, Matt and the others would pour in and have a party at his place, claiming that he needed to get out and have some genuine friends. This was meant to be a heart-warming scene when Cayden would even meet Jacob. In this scene, Jacob would even hint at the branching nature of the story and mention something about multiple realities and multiple Caydens. But when I elevated Jacob to being this puppeteer instead of actually someone on the ground and doing something, I removed this ending in favour of the current 'best ending'."

Section 3 - Audience Questions

Nex turned to the audience.

"And now, the final part of our show. You, the audience, get to ask me any questions you may have about the series. Feel free to ask about alternate paths and indeed alternate endings. I'm happy to supply them though everyone reading should be warned that there will be spoilers ahead, of sorts.

"But first, now that the polls are closed, I can reveal to you all what the chose artefact will hold. By a fairly narrow margin, the next artefact will be the Legacy Spear. The title of the next issue will be 'Cayden Wilde in Looking Green'. As you may have guessed, this will deal with Orcs."

"And lastly before we move to the Q&A, in commemoration of the completion of this story, I'll like to present to you, my readers, some achievements! And here they are!"

The screen suddenly began flashing different icons. Each one was preceded by the words 'You Got an Achievement' in bright, gold letters. Below the emblems was a quick sentence indicating what was achieved.

· Work/Life Balance - Cayden was able to balance his personal feelings and job well and managed not to only win Matt over but also to identify key clues to the origin of the curse and the artefact that caused it. Good boy.

· The Last Crusade - Successfully identified that the artefact in question is the Bacchus Cup and correctly identified the best way to dispel the curse. Indie would be proud.

· A Mother's love - Good going, Sherlock! Identified the mastermind behind the whole case and the portents of evils to come.

· Human Preservation - Everyone was turned back into humans... but they didn't necessarily stay that way.

· Talk to my assistant - Matt became Cayden's assistant.

· A New Puppy! - Cayden had puppies! Or rather... a pup. This is going to be fun in the next episode.

· I had Sex... This many times - Had sex with at least three different partners - group scenes only count as one.

Nex applauded along with the rest of the crowd. "And just as a hint on what could've happened, here are some other achievements that could've been obtained had the story gone a different direction."

· Excellent Bedside Manner - Cayden took good care of Matt and made a friend for life even though the investigation didn't quite go as planned.

· Super Sleuth - Cayden focused entirely on the case and managed to identify the key clues to the origin of the curse and the artefact as the cost of Matt's feelings.

· Homewrecker - Met Archie and Vance and sparked a romance between them, leaving Nessie at the altar.

· Satyr Frat Party - Everyone remained Satyrs.

· Because I could not stop for Death... - Cayden met an old acquaintance... or did he?

· Got the Goat - A Satyr died.

· Bro! - Trevor and Matt entered into a relationship

· Buried Bone - Had sex with Des

Nex bowed to the audience. "Once again, thank you all for reading this and see you next time! This is The Nex Issue. Breaking the fourth wall to break you."