When I began the timeline rewrite several months ago to get myself out of the pothole I was stuck in, I actually didn’t see this little jog coming. The first several timelines I drafted, Jadyn somehow snuck aboard the J’Ruhn and saved the day, or cut a deal with Khamai who died as a result, or something letting him otherwise save the day. I’d also considered him getting aboard to find a veritable jungle - Tari’s original ‘plan’ was to scatter seeds across the ship and let them infest everything, essentially choking it to death from the inside. That was what I’d basically settled on. He shows up, in time to see they don’t need saving anymore. Tari saved the day, woo. Go girl.
Then, back in August or September (I think), I was sitting on the tractor moving a pile of firewood across the yard. I was workimg over how to completely work through the jungle idea and couldn’t quite settle on a route that I liked. Tari had to be the heroine in that section, though. So what to do?
It’s like she popped up in my head and suggested: “Why not make him need saving instead?”
A kitsune’s innate spiritual vampirism seemed like a perfect way in, and that action would also give her tools she’d need to get off the J’Ruhn. It also gave me an opportunity to involve a group of people that don’t like to get involved unless they really have to.
And, today, they do. TF: Slumber Party is up. No PS today. I will however be posting a multipart PS Christmas-y tale throughout next week.