Standing on the Sky
Author's Notes, Part Three



Standing on the Sky ends here. The things that are left untold are intended that way, and the things half-explained were intended that way.

Yes, there was a reason that each character died who did. I didn't kill any of them for no reason, or for kicks or anything weird like that. Waemi's death was a bit of a tool: when she died, the fight became more emotional and sped up a bit in that sense. It got things moving. It also brought out character traits in the other kitchen girls: Nobyre's deep friendship with Waemi, Yeiry's inability to cope with her emotions, etc.

I suppose people can determine reasons why Lantis and Umi might have died... if not, I apologize for not explaining my reasons. However, I feel that many people might wonder, "Why the heck did you kill off some kitchen girls?!"

Nobyre fell unconcious after she and the other girls had protected Fuu, Umi, and Hikaru. She never woke up, but died in her sleeping state. She was the weakest of the five girls, and the violence of Presea's storm was too much for her frailty. She wasn't strong enough to live after that. Her death came about because she was actually quite weak, and because of that I found it sensible and realistic for her to die.

Hedaimo died, in truth, mostly due to a medical miscalculation. She was badly hurt by Presea, but she would have been fine if not for the medic. He had given her a painkiller made from grymiles (the same flowers Hikaru placed on Umi's grave) to help her, but Hedaimo was, in fact, violently allergic to the plants. It set off a deadly reaction in her stomach, one of the side affects being internal bleeding. That was the cause of her death; the reason that she died was intended to convey the utter hopelessness of the entire situation. Her death was more symbolic, in some sense, than the others.

Anyway... sorry for that long babble, but I knew that someone would find all the deaths unnecessary... but I had a reason for each.

I hope that you enjoyed SOTS. I spent a long time on it and truly did my best. I'm considering a short sequel; however, if I ever do write it, I'll tell you now that it'll only be loosely related to SOTS. Blah, I can't explain it... I probably won't even write it, unless the public really wants me to and I have time and can develop it well enough.

Well, this is the end. I dunno, I enjoyed writing this. I hope you enjoyed reading it. ^^ Be sure to check out the glossary and the information about the SOTS homepage!


Luv and cinnamon toast crunch, and may you find peace in the gluteus maximus of the spider monkeys,
Aiko-chan