Readers:
This story was begun over a year ago for two reasons.
One – for me to get comfortable writing Tolkien's characters as well as for me to familiarize myself with the workings of ff.net
Two – to help a very lonely, forsaken young woman to escape the torments of her real life and spend some time with friends who would never betray or leave her.
In this respect, this story was and is a Mary-Sue. I struggled very hard with the Sue-ness of it when deciding whether or not I should continue the tale.
I never considered Lex a PPC-worthy Sue. It was never my intent to take Tolkien's creations OOC and bend them to my will. Rather, it was to situate them in a familiar world where I could write them, study them and come to understand them on my own terms, in my own head. Did I succeed? I don't know.
I doubt that I ever will. You see, the need for this story has passed. And it's not a strong enough story to stand on its own without my need to support it.
So what happens now? Well, not a lot, sadly (for some of you). There will be no new chapters forthcoming. The story will stay as it, posted on ff.net as a testament to where I began as a writer.
Following this note is the final chapter of College Daze. It was written at the same time as the final chapter. It is as complete as it will ever be.
So I thank you for your reviews and e-mails. I read them all and they entered into my thoughts when deciding what to do with this story.
Don't ask me what's next for I don't know. But I thank you for coming with me this far.
Regards,
--Cenire