farawayeyes4

Hey,

It's been another month, and now the next Journey chapter is ready to go live.

In reality, however, it's been another year. Almost a year ago now (give or take ten days), I received a wonderful review from doggieearlover. This review inspired me to pick this story back up and fall in love with it all over again. In the last year, I've done just that and found solace in writing it once more. It's been a journey (pun intended) to get a chapter written for each month of this year and now into next year (we're not there yet on 2017, but we're working on it). I had gotten some sporadic reviews here and there through the years of dormancy, but this one really struck a cord and prodded me to re-read the story. In some ways, it felt foreign as if someone else had written it. I found myself forgetting little details and eager to see where things went. By the end, I had to keep writing because no one else was going to tell this story. And I decided that would be a true shame.

So here's her review from one year go:

I came back and reread this entire fic from the very beginning. Even though I'm no longer writing myself, I have hopes that one day you'll come back and finish this outstanding piece. I still think it's one of the very best, most original and well written pieces of fanfiction I've ever read. The characters are so real and it's near impossible to not get involved in this story. I know how hard it is to come back as I made myself finish my one last unfinished piece. I keep hoping that you will come back and finish this and let us know what happened to everyone, how Rin saves Sesshoumaru and how they defeat Naruku and get back home. I know you had a lot left to write, but am ever hopeful that you will one day complete this story. Otherwise I hope everything is going well in your real life.

I don't know if this story fits all of these high praises. I don't know if it's the best or most original or one of the most well written, even. I don't know if the characters feel that real to anyone else besides me or doggieearlover, but they are still very old friends and getting to know them again is worth it. I love that she wants to see things like Rin saving Sesshomaru. I love that the question of the Inu Gang ever going home remains tantalizing. (Hint, I've known the answer since I started and I'm not telling.) As for completing this story? Well, nothing really ever truly ends, does it? Really, the fact that any single person felt that strongly to reach out after so long---I had to answer. The only way to answer a review like this was to truly sit back down and write more on it.

And so here we are. This month, we're returning to see what is happening with Rin. I'm really proud of this chapter and what it sets up for Rin's future and character in so many ways. This is the chapter that she truly starts to take some real control and shows us her real strength. It was a pleasure to write this one and set her story in full motion for what will happen as we progress further into the world of Eddings and that pesky Journey to the City of Endless Night.

We also get some more insight in on some of our Eddings cast---at least I hope the reader will. It took some memory jogging, but I establish something in this chapter about Belgarath, the unquestioned leader of our band of adventurers. When you get to be 7,000 years old and have put out as many world crises as he has, you get to be defacto in charge rather you want to or not---and believe me, he probably doesn't as he's prone to be a bit lazy (ask his brother, Beldin. Ask Belgarath himself. Laziness is his default, really.) He's a complex fellow with a lot of history and it is really entangled with the foe of this chapter. He's been the extremely powerful sorcerer, the irritated old man, the unquestioned leader, and more. Belgarath has so many hats and he carries them all so well. I feel I captured a few of those roles and some in this one, too. So much of this story focuses on the Inuyasha side, and I like that we see a bit more into the Eddings gang.

That being said, I feel this chapter really gives us some meat and a real growth for Rin that I hope the reader will enjoy as much as I did.

You can find it at AFF.org MM.org and AO3.

Until next month,

Far Away Eyes

Hey,

Eleven years ago today, I started a little fanfic that was solely for my amusement and curiosity. I had read the Belgariad/Malloreon countless times, but when I discovered Inuyasha, I had a crazy idea of meshing the two together. It'd be fun to see the character sets clash, help keep some old friends around well beyond their canon pages, and allow me to practice prose writing and exploring craft while working on other things.

I drifted away for a few years, I'll admit, but now that I'm back writing on this story it's been just as fun as I remember it being when it started. I know. It's really long. We're at Chapter Eighty Three with this installment. That's a lot of fanfic to read for anyone. I'm hopeful, however, that the story still holds some magic and will continue to draw readers old and new alike as we continue posting a monthly installment for at least the remainder of 2016.

Since this chapter is an anniversary special, I debated about which one to choose next. There's an order that must be followed chronologically, of course, but I had a little leeway on which one to pick next. I chose Sesshomaru because this chapter captures a lot of the crossover elements, the emotional turmoil our Demon Lord is about to truly endure, and has quite the cliff hanger. It just seemed like the right choice to post this one next. I hope that you'll enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it. After all, we have left Sesshomaru and Rin in quite the pickle and we need to help get them out of it.

You can find Chapter Eighty Three at MM.org and AFF. I am also still updating on AO3 daily until I run out of chapters to post and they're caught up with both MM.org and AFF.

After the last installment, I did receive a review, so here's that response:

firebird: Thanks for reading this long epic mess. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much and hope you'll like what follows as much. I'm also glad I could introduce you to Eddings and the wonderful world he created in the Belgaraid/Malloreon. I've known Garion an awfully long time, so whenever I renew that relationship it's always nice to hear that others have discovered him, too. I hope to hear from you again! Thanks for reading so much.

And with that, we'll have to wait a whole nother month to see what happenes next.

Happy reading!

Far Away Eyes

Hey.

Now for the review responses:

Until next time,

Far Away Eyes

Links: AFF MediaMiner
 

Hey,

It certainly has been a long time since the last chapter was posted, hasn't it? I apologize for the long delay. Between my job and wrestling with a reluctant monk, it just seemed to take longer and longer. But I finally won. The silly monk should have known better. I always do.

I hope not to take quite so long on the next chapter. We shall see.

I'd like to thank everyone who nominated, seconded, and voted for Journey this past quarter at the IYFG. I was marvelously surprised by the results and astounded that I would be considered worthy enough to be included upon the Best of Year balloting, even after such a long drought of updating. I know it is my readers that made it possible, and I thank-you.

If you'd like to see what else I have been up to, see this entry about what I've been reading.

Now for the individual responses:

Until next time,

Far Away Eyes
 Links: MediaMiner  AFF InyashaFanfiction