Hello!

I haven't made a reflective entry in a while, so I thought I'd take the time to think about my revisions for TFDL: Prelude. I'm sure to those that have read the unedited version that the plot has changed quite a bit, and more things have been added to the story, like flashbacks. I actually really enjoyed writing about their past memories. I believe that some events in the present do trigger memories in the past, and I thought it would be nice to show how the boys grew up together, rather than assume that their friendship had been strong all along.

I know I've created a few FAQs on various sites about TFDL: Prelude, but I thought I'd chip in some more thoughts here. (For readers that haven't finish Prelude, be aware that there are spoilers contained below.)

Okay, so now there's the love square between Rhett (Yunho), Kannei, Jaejoong, and Hana. It does frustrate me too that Kannei and Rhett aren't together, but I think their decisions do make sense. It's what they would do, and have always learned to do. Work comes before play. You do what's right, and not what's wrong, but what you want to do. Because they share the same ideals in that sense, the two pair off with different people. Rhett agrees to try out a relationship with Hana, while Kannei agrees to Jaejoong's proposal.

As for Jaejoong, I think I added more depth to his character. I always felt that I should have done more to his story. In a way, Jaejoong's childhood is like Yoochun's; they're both fractured, but in different ways. I actually think Yoochun's childhood is more depressing than Jaejoong's as Yoochun was forced to grow up as an adult from his parents' divorce. His father's affair pushed his mother into depression and also into alcoholism. Thus, Yoochun was compelled to take on the role as a parent in the family. Jaejoong, on the other hand, seemed to have a nice childhood.Although he was adopted, his parents and his siblings clearly love him. It feels as if Jaejoong has been the one to reject their love; he keeps wanting to go back to his birth mother. He doesn't understand why she would push him away, and in a sense, he is like Yumi. He strives to become accepted by someone.

Speaking of Yumi, I think I like her way more than before. So, she might not be as nice as the former Yoomi, but I think she's more real. I can expect meeting someone like her in real life as opposed to the angel-like Yoomi I portrayed her as in the unedited version of Prelude. Okay, so maybe you think Yumi is similar to Naomi, but I think they're still quite different. Yumi is all about success, whereas Naomi is all about love. I used to add more thoughts for Yumi, but now, I've shown her based on Jaejoong's views of her. I think in that way, we still focus on the boys' thoughts. After all, the story is about the five boys, and the girls are more like secondary characters.

Now that I've drifted onto the subject of secondary characters. You've probably noticed that I've added several minor, but important characters, like David, Ami, and Rhett's university classmates. Ami, in particular, is very significant. I actually consider her to be one of my favourite girl characters. She's very independent, and she loves Jaejoong in a way that let him roam free. Sadly, we know that it doesn't work out at all. After all, Jaejoong never really loved her, and from her, we actually realize what has been troubling Jaejoong all along.

I think that's all I have to say about the revisions for now. I hope to get the first chapter out for Etude around Thanksgiving or maybe before. We shall see.

Finally, thank you to all my readers for your support! I really appreciate it!