Departed

Acknowledgements

Do you remember how I mentioned that Departed used to be a seven-chapter short story based on one word? That one word actually had nothing to do with Harumi's redemption.

     That one word was Lloyrumi.

     Crazy, right? The thing about Departed was that it had to start out as a baby idea. My writing problem was while I could come up with story ideas, I was never able to make it past the second or third chapter. I had to plan Departed to be a small story, otherwise it'd never get done. That's why Lloyrumi fit as the central theme. All I had to do was get Harumi to learn a lesson or two in the Departed Realm, escape, then pow! Lloyrumi angst problem solved and they could go back to being cute.

     The problem started when I started to think about this baby plot. It didn't make a lot of sense for Lloyd to immediately forgive Harumi upon her return to the living world. And what about Morro? Shouldn't we have some filler and a more dangerous overarching plot to give this story substance? The more I planned out the events of Departed, the bigger it became. Before I knew it, Departed had gone from a seven-chapter short story to a literal book series.

     And you know what surprised me the most?

     The fact that I actually finished it.

     Even with all my other writing projects going on, Departed is still my pride and joy. It may have taken me over a year and a half to write the FIRST DRAFT, but I think it's possibly the best story I've ever told. My dreams of actually finishing my own novel and publishing it for the world to see came true with this book, and I couldn't have been happier when you all seemed to enjoy it as well.

     That's why my first thanks is to all of you readers (including, but not limited to, jdizzle500, the_quiet_jade, XxMsGalaxyWolfxX, SageNinjaMorro, stellarxjewels, PowerParty101, kokosoid, and _inactiveremuskinnie). Thanks for choosing to read this long novel, thanks for letting me play around with your minds as I subverted expectations, and thank you for actually making it far enough to read this section. You all made my day with your endearing comments and wonderful engagement with the story.

     My next gigantic thank you is to my good friend Neon (therearenooptions), for reasons to vast to count. Thanks for writing The Jade City, because my reading it led to our talking. Soon, you were not only giving me someone to converse with about my favorite show, but you also gave me constructive feedback on how to make Departed into a better story. To this day I'm still very grateful you came into my life, and no number of words could possibly describe how nice it has been to have a friend like you. So, since they say actions speak louder than words, I dedicated the book to you. :-D

     Thank you to my family, friends, and the people I hang around on almost a daily basis, especially frostingbot. Most of you may or may not be interested in Ninjago, but you at least acted interested as I ranted on and on about the symbolism I was trying to stuff into the story. Thanks for putting up with me and my adoration for writing.

     Finally, since we're saving the best for last, thank you again to the One who made it all possible. This idea, this story, and my motivation to write it would have been lost without You. You helped me make it this far; and I couldn't express how much that brings me joy. Thank You.