InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Victory Suite ❯ Victory Suite - End Notes ( EndNotes )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Author's End Notes:

Disclaimer: Just in case it wasn't clear earlier, I do not claim any rights to these characters or the essential plot devices. Thepoem,storylines and particular order of the words are mine, however.

“Victory Suite” originally began as its first movement, “Victory's Nightmare,” and was written for NumismainApril '06 for the IY_Flashficat Live Journal. I got very positive feedback on it and it occurred to me that the dramatic aftermath of the battle that InuYasha experienced would have been mirrored in each of the main characters, so the concept expanded into three standalone one-shots that also stand together - just like our heroicallymythical characters. I've pulled them together with verse, but they are intended to work just aswell individually. Just like a musical suite, they are meant to be enjoyable on their own, but come together for maximum impact.

My goal in writing the suite was to “wrap things up” for our friends, but in a true-to-life way leave them to struggle with the essential dilemmas we all face in continuing to help root out evil wherever we find it in the world, but most often when we encounter it as fear within ourselves. Because we can't always go around fighting the biggest bad guys around (there are too many, after all) I wanted Kagome in particular to mature to the point where she did more good by helping others discover their own abilities to help bring light in the dark, first with InuYasha, Miroku and Sango and later with everyone she meets. That is my definition of a spiritually enlightened person. Ironically, it was Reiku_Tokijin's mild dis of Kagome as a “bodhisattva” in the manga recently that gave me this idea. Sorry, RTMiroku already displays this capability (when he's not being a lech) in the canon series, and it seemed only natural that if Kagome is going to come into her full power, she would have to get to this pointand exceed Miroku's abilities.

I picked up the analogy of the Wheel of Fortune in writing the poem. I was looking for a central analogy as I wrote the poem and it seemed to fit. Whenever you're going up, it's just a matter of time until you go down etc. etc.Some will complain (actually already have) that it leaves the whole cycle open, but - well, yeah - welcome to the real world.

The poem: I like to write poetry, though I can be a very impatient reader of it(well, okay, I'm an impatient reader of EVERYTHING, just ask Nokomarie). I felt this story was dramatic enough to warrant a ballad of sorts, so I challenged myself to write it - mostly for fun, but also so that when the experience of reading the three standalone pieces was complete, the poem could be reread with deeper meaning. I don't know if you think I pulled it off, but I was pleased with the effect.

Special thanks to ouatic_7, whobeta read the original “Victory's Nightmare” and Numisma, DoggieEarLover, Dreaming Trees/Brown Recluse and Kitsune nohakage who have all haveread, reread, proofed and otherwise beat up on it to help me strengthen it.

I love reviews - particularly those that delve into the meaning and characterizations I've created. Let me know what you think!

~Fano