A Captive Light Chapter 13 and Epilogue

Almost done! Then I can get started on A Fading Hope. Not that I'm trying to get done with Captive Light- I put a year of my life into writing that, and loved it.

so.

A Captive Light, Chapter 13: Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.

yes, It's named for the TVTrope. ( if you don't know what those are.. look, but do it on a day you have an hour or four to spare.)

This was the chapter I had the most... not fun with, I guess, but all the same. I was even more emotionally torn up by this, mostly because of Kari's ( well deserved) angst-pain filed monologue. That was very hard to write, because I had to do it right. I owed it to them, in a strange kind of way. I went through at least a dozen drafts. but that comes in a moment. NOW I get to talk about one of my favorite characters in all of Digimon- Ken. I love Ken. Honestly, I do. It was very hard to write Emperor-Ken, because I don't want him to be so cold and cruel. He was a good kid at heart. I still feel like I messed him up.( I may go back at some point and rewrite the first bit of this chapter.) The thing was, I was trying to fit this mess back into the canon. and I couldn't have Ken crossing the Moral Event Horizon( that's another trope). I had to make it clear that he was very out of his depth. that he wasn't trying to be the villain he was, but trying to achieve his goals, twisted as they were. also, I couldn't kill him off. Some folks, me included, wondered how the kids would ever be able to trust him- let him join them- after this. I'm pleased to say that you will get your answer. it'll just.. take a while. I'm going to be writing a third Fic set in this universe, a companion story to A Fading Hope that deals with Ken. he's very important in the story, although I don't think he'll be showing up until his story. but I digress.

back to Kari and T.K's death and all the sads.

It was sad. I know I cried while writing it, but I cry at everything, even my history class lectures. yeah, that was awkward.

anyway.

I was very proud of the T.K. not-being-dead-reveal. Of course, some saw it coming, but they were mostly real life friends who know how much I hate downer endings. I was very pleased with the scene myself.

I had a very hard time trying to find a good ending for the chapter- unless it's cliffhanger, I hate writing endings, but I remembered that I'd lost Teek's hat, so I thought that hit. Sort of as a way of also saying, it's all ok. the hat was.. a symbol of- oh crap. Am I putting symbolism in my work? Sigh. I guess that's the English Major in me. ah well.

And that was the chapter. It was as I wrote that, that it really hit me how much work the story had been, how long it was, and how little there was left.

A Captive Light Chapter 14/Epilogue: The Sun Shall Rise /Home

yes, I combined them, both in the story and as a post. What? They were to short for me to post alone!

pretty much, this is what you don't see in the books- the what happens when the hero gets home, half dead or whatever. I always wondered about that. I mean, how do you explain that to Mom and Dad? TK does tell them, though, which I just now realized I said in a later chapter of A Fading Hope he hadn't. oops. ( no one caught it, but my moral...moralness says I need to fess up. so I fess up.)

anyway, It took ages for me to do to three things for this:

One: come up with a good excuse for what in blue blazes had happened. While Izzy's parents might understand, the cops sure wouldn't! I'm still not satisfied with the excuse, but playing the " trauma card" works well enough, so I'll let it be.

Two: end the thing. As I said, I'm awful at endings. Truly, I am. It took a few hours at my computer, typing, deleting, typing, deleting, on and on, until I thought it was... right.

Some folks may have wanted more Takari out of it, but I remind you that i didn't age the cast up. Teeks and Kari are 11. They should not be declaring undying love for each other, not for another few years. At least, that's my mind. but they are good friends, and I see nothing wrong with very strong friendships, with little crushes, that can blossom later. (this is why I was Team Gale until book three. Then I changed to " team whoever makes her happy" and stuck with that. I still disliked Mockingjay though.) ANNNYWAY, you don't care 'bout my shipping choices. my point is, I wanted to emphasize the friendship stuff. the Conversation between Kari and TK in this chapter was one of the easiest to write, I remember. It just felt good. I ended it with a final conversation... and a Promise. yeah. that right there, that's not going away. The Promises are still going strong in Fading Hope.

Three: stop crying. that may have taken the longest of all. this story was pretty much my child. it was the first thing of length I'd ever finished- and the longest work I've ever done, to this day, at a whopping 106 single spaced pages, not counting my disclaimers and author's notes. I spent a year on it, and it was a year of great changes in my life. The story, and getting all the lovely reviews, was one of the stable things, and I re-read those kind words so often, whenever I had a bad day. I still do. They meant- they mean- the world to me.

I honestly couldn't believe it was over- and yet it wasn't. people wanted more. that's never really happened to me before. usually people tell me to shut up, as I tend to ramble. so the seeds of A Fading Hope started, and 8 months later, I started. that's a whole other story though, and we'll get to that next time.