papermoonfree

Paper Moon – Free Talk



I don't know about you guys, but I LOVE hearing about what the authors were thinking when they write a fic. I know a vast majority of you just skip over authors notes, sometimes with mixed results ::snickers:: not unlike what happened to one poor girl when she read "Yasashiku Naritai". I'm really not trying to sound egotistical here…but I thought for those of you who were wondering the why and how of certain things in the fic might be interested. Like "why fireworks" or perhaps you might be interested in a few of the alternate endings I had planned out. In any case, no ones forcing you to sit down and read it…so please, I'm sure there are better fics you could be reading right now! Just check out the ones on my Favorites list! Now there are some authors!!

Oh you're still here? Well, I suppose I should get started then.

I chose the song "Paper Moon" for the basis of a fic because it's a paradox. On one hand, the lyrics are mournful when read; someone begging for a make-believe world to be real. Things unreal are real if only they are believed in. Yet for those of you who have heard the song, you know it's cheerful and upbeat. That's what I wanted to convey, a fic with a sort of bitter humor; funny on the outside, angsty on the inside.

A lot of my own views about love can be found within the fic, not just that Yamato and Jyou make a good couple, but that you must be friends with someone before you can truly love them. Infatuation only lasts a few months; afterwards you are left with the person. And if you aren't friends, the romance fades fast. I'm not trying to insinuate that Yamato and Taichi aren't friends…but I don't know if they could work with one-another to create a balanced relationship. I think they are the types that make better friends, rather than love interests.

Writing as Jyou was fun. I imbued him with a very sarcastic wit, but only on the inside, directed at himself. On the outside I wanted him to be gentle and sweet. It's hard to tell, but you should be seeing more of that side of Jyou in Canvas Sky (more on that later). One of the main points I wanted to convey was Jyou and Yamato's dual understanding of one another. Yamato picks up on how Jyou subtly slams himself and doesn't like it. Likewise, Jyou understands Yamato. He knows when he just doesn't feel like talking and respects that, and can emphasize with being in love with someone and feeling like you can do nothing about it.

The "hints" of Jyoushirou were a red herring. I can tell you as the author that Jyou and Koushirou were never interested in one another (yet another couple I think goes together better as friends). At the time of writing, Jyoushirou was very much the rage, so I had a lot of fun being purposely ambiguous on that front. Who did Jyou really love? Or thought he loved? Well if you read closely, or just read the last chapter where it's spelled out for you, you'll find hints that Jyou liked Taichi as well as Yamato. Now image how that felt? You're helping the guy you love win…the guy you love.

A lot of people have asked me about "Canvas Sky" is. Well, "Canvas Sky" (it's another verse of Paper Moon, natch) is the events of Paper Moon as told by Yamato's perspective. It's not just a recap, because remember that Yamato has more interaction with the group. He gets a firsthand view of how the group reacts to him and Jyou "going out", not to mention, Takeru plays a bigger part. Y'see, Jyou was rather isolated, but Yamato is right in the thick of things…

"Paper Moon" is more of an arc of stories, dealing with their relationship. The next part is "Drifting on a Cardboard Sea" which is just a one shot that involves the tremulous relationship between Yamato, Takeru, and Jyou. Basically, Jyou doesn't feel like he can tell his father about his and Yamato's relationship, Yamato gets angry, Takeru defends Jyou…and the shit hits the fan.

I also have "Love Letters", which is a MAJOR joy to write…it involves an email mistake of a majorly embarrassing kind. And that's all I'm going to say right now.

But back to Paper Moon. I was kinda worried that it would seem like I was making Taichi into the villain, and it becomes ten times worse when it comes to a particular scene in "Canvas Sky", so I just want to say right here and now; I like Taichi, and I don't consider him a badguy, villain, or anything. What happens in "Canvas Sky" is a mistake brought on by anger. And if none of you have ever made a mistake, then you can judge. I've made similar mistakes in my life, and people have done the same thing to me. So I'm not trying to say "oh Taichi's evil!" that comes later, in "Love Letters!" (Waah! Just kidding!!) I just think Taichi's the type to respond without fully thinking things through….

Now, about the fireworks thing, I got that from "Akachan to Boku". I was reading along, about the part in which Takuya meets Akihiro and siblings at a neighborhood festival. I could go into depth, but I won't. Anyway, when it comes to the part when Takuya grabs Minoru, and Akihiro scoops up Ichika-chan and Maabou, the fireworks explode in the background right there. And I remember thinking, "What a perfect moment for a kiss." But then, after thinking about it for a while, I decided, "No, the perfect moment for a kiss is after the fireworks…there's no distractions, it's just the two of you and the moon." So, that's how I got the ending. And yes, I would have loved it if there had been a kiss between Akihiro and Takuya there, but I think it's be a bit difficult to carry off with squirming kids in your arms.

Before I came up with that, I had a few endings in mind. One of them was the obvious, "Yamato stays with Taichi and Jyou's heartbroken" ending. I was a bit disconcerted that so many people wanted that ending, judging by my email inbox at part three. Do people really dislike Jyou that much? But I couldn't make myself do that ending, showing that even a person who writes as dark as stuff as I do still has a mushy spot somewhere.

The next ending was a kind of "spy, counter spy" ending where Yamato had loved Jyou all the while, and instead of testing Taichi was testing him. I decided against that ending for numerous reasons. For one, it was too confusing and I wasn't sure I could pull it off. And it kinda made Yamato seem like a jerk, putting Jyou through all that, almost as if he was toying with his feelings. I don't think Yamato would really do that, he might get upset, but I don't think he'd TOY with someone.

A lot of people asked me about Michiko and Shin's relationship, whether they got back together or anything…I was vaguely surprised. For one thing, it was just supposed to be a tiny side story, kinda to parallel Jyou and Yamato's relationship, but at the same time, Yamato and Taichi's as well. That one scene at the café was originally supposed to be a Jyou and Sora scene, but a friend of mine requested more about Michiko, and how could I refuse? Michiko is NOT a self-insertation. If there is ANY character I feel I'm like in the story it would be Jyou and Shin; their banter and inner thoughts in Paper Moon are very similar to my own. Michiko is supposed to be almost another Jyou type character…and, well, there is a secret about her, but I'm not telling…besides, I don't even really know if it's really something I should put in to her character. But anyway, I'm not sure if Shin and Michiko got back together…if there's any interest, perhaps I'll add a little bit about their relationship in one of my upcoming stories. If not, well, I guess it's really up to you.

And so ends the free talk.