My Dearest Readers,
Well, I hope that last chapter caught you somewhat off guard. I loved the idea of mirroring Zoro's kidnapping from the last story with a Helena kidnapping in this one. (and I had quite a few readers disappointed at the end of Iliad that Zoro didn't kidnap her, so this was my way of making it up to them). Thank you so much for sharing in this adventure with me! I hope the ending was satisfying!
To business. As one very astute reader pointed out, all good Greek Dramas come in threes! That's right! The story is far from over. After all, Calypso and Cipher Pole are still hanging around Ilium, and we can't have that can we? Without spoiling too much, I can say that Helena will spend a significant amount of time aboard the Sunny with the crew in the New World. The story will be (loosely) based on Virgil's Aeneid. (Yeah, not Greek, but it is about the aftermath of the Trojan War from a Trojan perspective. You could almost say Virgil wrote his own fanfic of Homer's classics.)
I've hit one pretty significant snag though. I don't know where in the official timeline to insert it. I'd like to have Helena join up with them sometime when the crew is all together, but I'd really rather not deal with all the other hangers on (Law, Ceasar, Momo, Kinemon etc etc. Not that I don't like those characters, it's just a big enough cast as it is). That means my only real options are before Punk Hazard...or whenever the current arc ends, when the crew reunites in Wano. (Or whatever pocket dimension Film Gold takes place in. That would be perfect.)
What I need from you: First, would you come back for a final installment? I need to know if I have enough readership to be worth the time investment of writing it. - Second, suggestions about where to insert it into the official timeline. Or should I do as many fanfics do, ignore the timeline and just kinda fudge it (like Film Gold)? - I'd love to include some of the newer stuff that's happened to the crew (Dressa Rosa, Whole Cake, etc), but if I do I'm going to have to wait until Oda gives me an opening.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions/comments!
-Cardboard Hut
Final Questionnaire, for those who feel like it:
1- What did you love about this story? (What kept you reading to the end? I mean, you made it this far.)
2- What did you not love so much, if anything? (I'm not meaning parts or characters that you love to hate. I mean stuff that actually irked you, that you wish I hadn't written at all. Lay it on me. Constructive criticism will help me know my audience and improve).
3- What would you like to see in a sequel? I am currently open to suggestions and ideas.
4- Favorite characters? (OCs or Official Characters that you enjoy the way I write for. I want to make sure favorites are not left out of the sequel should it happen.)
*Bonus Question* Are there any words or word patterns that you notice I use a lot? ...I know, that's a weird question, but I've run into a few and I'm trying to swap them out for a more varied vocabulary.