Bad news: updates will be delayed for at LEAST one week.
On Wednesday I dropped my 2011 Mac laptop at an angle. Today I got confirmation that it's kaput, and there is a good chance I lost all my files on there. My parents were awesome enough to buy me a new one when they got confirmation from the store, but it's still a big loss. I had six years of work on there, dating back to high school, and now a good chunk of it is lost. It's honestly kind of heart-breaking, I can't even begin to imagine exactly what has been lost because some of it was so old.
As for what this means for you: I won't be posting Chapter 41 on Monday, and there's no guarantee of an update next week either. Right now my school load is too heavy to guarantee I'll be able to have something done for a Monday update. I have two major-ish assignments due this Tuesday, namely a 3D modeling project and six comic pages, and real life takes priority.
(Also, Pokemon comes out next Friday. I am a life-long Pokemon fan, and I know better than to think I won't be spending next weekend in a Pokemon-fueled haze.)
Beyond that, before I post again I want to have the next two chapters rewritten, as well as the opening scene of Chapter 43. As I've mentioned numerous times, I like to maintain a buffer so I can post on a regular basis. I'm a full-time college student, so the buffer guarantees my ability to post more, as well as give me a chance to make changes before posting if I decide I don't like a plot point. Actually, a little-known one: way back when Masaru went back the academy and a teacher separated him from Naruto, he originally threw a violent temper tantrum towards the teacher. I changed it for reasons.
As far as Echoes of Light is concerned, this is actually probably the best time for this sort of catastrophic loss. Due to various circumstances the buffer was at an all-time low of three chapters, and of those three, the next two are probably the easiest to write. The cliffhanger next time and Chapter 43 are scenes I've had in mind since almost the very beginning, and I honestly think these two are the chapters I would least mind rewriting—actually, Chapter 42 was really fun to write. It'll be fun to write it again. (And once you read it, you'll all probably be questioning my definition of "fun".)
But that said, while I won't be able to update with an actual chapter, I don't want to leave you guys TOTALLY hanging on Monday. So here's my solution:
Everyone, post ideas/requests for omakes/extras, and on Monday I'll post as many as I can in place of the chapter!
Any characters you want, any scenario. Heck, it can even be something non-canon-compliant, or even relate to the story itself. Super awkward sleepover between Gaara and Masaru? I think that'd be fun. Or maybe Masaru and Naruto have a birthday party Uzumaki-style? I have ideas for that. Want to see our Friendly Neighborhood Kakashi-napper have a drunk arm-wrestling contest with Tobi to determine who has the right to wear the mask? ...I think I need to do that one now. I'll even accept headcanons, and scenes with characters who haven't appeared yet, like Tsunade or the Akatsuki. Who knows? Maybe I'll include a few hints to some actual canon stuff, too...
So, yeah. This news is pretty heavy, but I want to turn this into an opportunity. I think writing a few omake scenes will help stir the creative juices, too, and I'd love to see what you guys come up with.
And I don't think I say this enough, but thank you all so much for reading this story. Echoes of Light is by no means the most popular one I've written. Nor is it the longest, or most intimate and personal. I've been writing fan fiction for over ten years, I've made friends specifically because of some of those stories, and I've seen varying degrees of popularity across various sites. Compared to other stories, this one is barely a blip in my writing I think that of all the fan fics I've written across various fandoms, this one is my favorite.
Thank you all so much for enjoying this story. Thank you especially to readers who don't just say "awesome" and "Next chapter now!", but also speculate on the big twists and actually give me constructive criticism. It's legitimately been years since the last time I got feedback beyond general commentary from online reviews, and it's so refreshing. As a writer, I'm always striving to improve and learn to be better. I know for a fact I could not have pulled off Echoes of Light as well as I have so far just two years ago, and while I love it now, I sincerely look forward to the day I can look back and say "I could have done this part so much better if I wrote this now."
I'm getting all rambly now, so I'll end this here. I've had some stuff on my mind lately so I guess I'm a bit more philosophical than usual. Come Monday, I'll probably delete this message and upload the omake chapter in its place. But since I'm getting all philosophical, I'll just say this: if you're having a bad time right now, I want you to know that one day this will all just be a bad memory. Bad memories can hurt forever, that's true, but as time goes on the pain will eventually fade bit by bit. I won't try to sugar-coat it and claim everything will be magically okay someday. Life isn't some fairy tale where the happy ending instantly guarantees eternal happiness, I doubt even Cinderella could instantly forget all the cold nights spent sleeping in cinders. Real life has ups and downs, and there will always be hard times. But at the end of the day, there is light, and I truly believe the good times can outweigh the bad. You just need to hold on until you can reach that point.
Thank you all again. See you Monday!
