The next story arc of Lucky Child (the Territory Training Arc) comprises several smaller subplots working toward a larger goal. It's a surprisingly hard section of the story to choreograph, let alone write (hence how long it's taking me).
Without spoilers, some of the subplots are as follows:
The technical development of a new ability (duh, haha)
The character development prompted and informed by that ability
NQK's interpersonal growth and development prompted by the recently introduced Training Arc OCs
Investigating Hiruko's implications with the Not Quites
Developments with certain key characters, both canon and original, that will HEAVILY inform the story's final arc (AKA even more character development, separate from what's listed above)
General housekeeping regarding NQK's relationships with the core canon cast, because NQK still needs to make up with Kuwabara (or at least find some equilibrium) and deal with the fallout of her secret being exposed
And importantly for many of you: "What's Kurama's deal!?"
The real magic trick is making all of these moving parts flow cohesively AND remain interesting for the readers.
I... have a lot on my plate, in case that wasn't clear. LOL!
Good News: The next chapter is underway, and I will hopefully be able to tell you the next update window sometime soon. Thanks for keeping up with LC despite my long hiatus, and have a great day!
I remember you sharing the not quites pin-boards, I was wondering if you also had one dedicated to Hiruko/any other ocs
I have one pin board/pennant dedicated to LC that includes sections for Minato, Kagome, and two sections for Keiko (one for past life and one for present). I've updated those sections a bit since I last posted photos of them; will have to snap a pic soon.
But more to the point of your ask, there's also a whole section just for Hiruko, the Fates, and the Makers!
The pin of the young person is representative of Hiruko himself.
"Nothing is Real"... well, I imagine that one is self-explanatory!
"Lies & smiles"... also probably self-explanatory, haha
The cherry blossom pins are a nod to his hair color and the theme of impermanence/fragility
Koi are considered lucky, so the koi carrying a lantern pin does double duty for his "god of luck" and "god of fishermen" status
And the pin toward the top left is a fishing lure, which is another nod to his "god of fishermen" status
The origami unicorn is a reference to Blade Runner and connects to Hiruko; this will come up in a future chapter.
There are three pins that represent the Fates, including Cleo: the starry measuring tape, the handle bearing a needle, and the scissors. Love that set. There's also a little pair of scissors with the word "maker" included, which... another self-explanatory pin, I guess.
Some pins you see in the photo that aren't related to Hiruko are the starry bunny (a Minato reference), the ace of swords (NQK), and the "We're all just stories; in the end, just make it a good one" is a reference to... well, the entire Lucky Child universe, really, but that'll be more obvious later on.
Hope you liked this and thanks for asking! I have SO MANY enamel pins; remind me to show y'all some of my collection sometime. The LC board is just one part, haha.
Totally not the fanart piece I was planning on working on today. But I love 2020!NQK too much not to do a quick piece. Now if only I could draw this nicely or quickly all the time!
A long time ago, I received a comment urging me to place other characters' POVs into Lucky Child. I replied to say I would not do this for several reason.
First, at the time the comment was submitted, the story contained 40+ chapters of story told exclusively from one character's POV, in first person. Suddenly switching to another POV would be jarring and strange if it wasn't justified by the narrative. To this day I can think of no justification for such a switch.
Second, certain plot points prevent the insertion of other POVs into LC itself. Omake/side material? Sure, I can include other POVs there because those side fics are not necessarily canon. But the actual canon of LC's main story could NOT support another POV without completely undermining the plot I was building toward. I assured the commenter that the single POV was the intentional and correct choice for the story I was telling. I couldn't tell them the exact reasons, of course. That would be spoilery.
They replied, "I personally don't see the problem in inserting other POVs into the story."
That comment has stuck with me. "I personally don't see the problem." The author is telling you it would be a problem, but... anyway.
I realized today that I can't recall if I've ever revealed those problems to all of you? And I realized that while I can't explain 100% of the problems (the rest of them will rear their heads in the final act of the fic), I can explain at least one huge one.
Spoilers for chapter 100+ under the cut.
In chapter 103, Hiruko dropped an absolutely bombshell on Not Quite Keiko. The bombshell was revealed to audiences in chapter 105:
NQK has been wrestling with this revelation since it occurred. Hiruko's assertion has them asking: Is this world real? More importantly, are my friends real? Are they figments? Is this all a hallucination? Are my loved ones philosophical zombies who only act the part of real, feeling people, mimicking consciousness like robots from a sci-fi film? Or do they have real thoughts and emotions, true consciousnesses, able to make choices of their own will and volition? Are my friends real, or aren't they?
We still don't have answers to those questions. But here's a question for all of you, in return:
Would this question pack nearly as much punch if we'd been treated to those friends' POVs throughout the story?
I'm going to answer that for you: No, it would not. If we had seen the story from their POVs throughout, this question would come across as silly and unnecessary. "Of course they're real!" readers would say. "We've been seeing their emotions, consciousnesses and agency from their perspective this whole time! That proves they're real!"
And I know this is true because some people are already saying Hiruko's question doesn't matter and NQK shouldn't waste time on it, and they're saying this without the inclusion of other POVs! Including those POVs would have been the kiss of death. No amount of questions from NQK could make readers doubt the reality that they had seen with their own eyes. "Of course the other characters are real. We've been reading from their perspective all along!"
Anyway. That's the reason I've never put anyone else's POV into LC directly, spelled out in plain language at last. It would have undermined everything about that revelation from Hiruko, and in turn, it would have undone everything I've been building toward since chapter 1... but that commenter was 60 chapters too early for me to explain why.
And for those still wondering if Hiruko's question matters: I'm telling you it absolutely does. ;)
(Sorry if I've actually talked about this before. I couldn't find a past post. It was on my mind today!)
About half of the participating readers were around the same age I was when I started writing LC (26). This isn't too shocking; it's the right age range for American folks watching YYH on Toonami as kids or young adults, and I've always felt the fandom at large reflected that age group.
I'm definitely surprised by the presence of 11-ish teenagers (and apparently one child under 12)! I truly didn't think my audience included younger folks. It makes me so happy that the love for YYH extends outside the Toonami generation. ♥️
Thanks to all who participated! This was a fun discovery.
V: Are there certain comments you’ve received on your stories that have stuck with you?
Absolutely. I've received some incredibly kind words both on Lucky Child and on stories from my fanfic writing past, and I remember all of them fondly. (I have a document where I save some of my favorites.)
I admit there's a certain style of comment that sticks with me more than anything. This style of comment is left on Lucky Child with frankly hilarious regularity, and it always follows the same formula:
I clicked on this story fully intending to mock and make fun of it.
Self-inserts suck, and I usually read them just to hate on them.
I DO NOT LIKE SELF INSERTS.
SELF INSERTS ARE LARGELY GARBAGE.
....however.....
.....I can't believe I'm saying this....
.......I promise this is not how I normally feel about SI fics.....
BUT.... BUT I LOVE THIS FIC???
WTF zsdgsdfhsrtur I LOVE THIS???
Somehow you may have changed my mind about self insert stories.
WTF????
I love this kind of comment.
The first time I got one like it, I thought it was a hate comment. They spent MULTIPLE paragrpahs telling me how much they loathe and detest self-inserts. P A R A G R A P H S. But then I watched them slowly, carefully admit they loved LC, an SI fic? That they loved the thing they once hated? That the bedrock of their fan identity (that of a dedicated SI hater!) had been called into question because of my work? Oh, that was DELICIOUS. And every time I get this kind of comment (because again, it happens more often than you think) I relive that joy.
I write for one of the most mocked genres of fanfic, and any time I can change someone's mind about it, I wear that accomplishment as a personal badge of honor.
And the cherry on top? It's when they say they'll give other SI fics a chance. Nothing better than that!
While I haven't written anything in the LC-verse recently, my friend saxophoneliz just published a short story about Kurama and Kei!
For those of you hankering for new "Keirama" goodness during my hiatus, I can't recommend this one-shot enough. It's incredibly sweet, showcasing the lovely emotional intimacy between NQKeiko and Kurama against the backdrop of a dance meetup.
Please go leave Liz a comment if you can! I'm floored Liz took the time to write this, and I hope you all enjoy it. I know I did!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
THANK YOU, MY FRIEND, THIS IS SUCH A GIFT AND I WILL TREASURE IT FOREVER!
after lc has ended (<\\\3) you should totally make a beach chapter 🤣 we need the beach episode for lc!
well that's assuming lc will have a happy ending 😅
A beach ep, you say? 👀 Well, no spoilers, but I think you'll like what I have planned!
As for a happy ending... we'll see. My favorite ending tend to be open-ended or bittersweet. The ending for LC was decided before I even started writing the story, and I think no matter your taste, you'll be pleased with it. I'm VERY proud of it! I already have most of the final chapter written and I think it's the ending this story truly earned and deserves.
