Inuyasha/Sandman Crossover: Endless Sleep
Mar. 22nd, 2011 04:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
starzkiI've not ever made a post like this before, so please bear with me. Now, I finally have the time to update this fic properly, so here goes.
Chapter Title: Dream's Compromise
Prompt: Fire
Universe: Post-canon
Genre: Serial/Fantasy
Rating: K+
Word Count: 3,124
Summary: Continuation of Endless Sleep. With Miroku's help, Sango does all that she can to convince the King of All Night's Dreaming to return her son.
Links: FF.net/MM.org
Notes on this fic:
Yesterday, I was finally able to unearth my Sandman books from inside a random box. This box was supposed to come with me to my parents house for as long as I was going to stay there, but accidentally got taped up and put on the truck and into storage. However, since I had one last book to go before the end of series (not to mention the additional books, like Dream Hunters that specifically inspired this fic), I remained really invested in the universe Neil Gaiman created.
I just really fell in love with the idea the dreams = stories. In the series, Dream not only creates the land for beings as they sleep, he is directly influential in inspiring them in creating their own futures and creating their own stories. In this series, the act of dreaming is the act of listening to stories and creating your own. As a writer, I think that's what drew Gaiman to creating Dream and telling his story. And as a fanfiction writer, it's what drew me come to fall in love with this series. It's so meta without even seeming like it is.
Anyway, those who know me probably have figured out that I love strong female characters. I love the warriors and the fighters. From Sango to Buffy to Zoe and River, give me kickass ladies any day of the week. I love their stories. And as I read Sandman, I started thinking in terms of that universe. It would seem that Dream had a lovely young warrior woman in Dreaming who was inspiring generations of writers into telling her story over and over. Who was this girl?
As I thought about this, I read Dream Hunters which is set around the same time as Inuyasha (give or take a couple of centuries). I thought of Sango, and how there was an awesome chick in Dreaming who inspired the idea of Sango. I thought, could it actually be Sango in Dreaming?
And then the image of Dream and Sango, squared off face-to-face on a white background, arguing, just wouldn't leave me alone. This last chapter, the last images of this last chapter, are what inspired the whole fic.
I knew I should set it after canon, because it wouldn't fit anywhere else. I also knew that it couldn't be Sango who was left in Dreaming. The idea of Dream having someone who is about to die of a strange sleeping malady comes directly from Dream Hunters, so I thought, it should be Sango and Miroku's child. And that a yet-to-be-born, unnamed daughter of Miroku and Sango should be the one who is eventually left in Dreaming.
The rub was figuring out how to convince Dream to compromise (he's not the nicest entity, especially 500 years ago), and to convince Sango to give up a child (there was just no way). So I got stuck.
I finally came up with the compromise I could live with (though I'm not 100% happy with it) with Dream being impressed enough by Sango's courage and valor and commitment to her family to compromise and Sango having to give up a child. It had to be one immediately or a potential child who is one day lost in battle. With her son toddling to her for a hug, she has no choice but to pick the latter. It's kind of evil, but it did the job.
The next problem was the voice. I knew how I wanted the chapter laid out, but I had decided to tell each succeeding chapter in a different voice (first Miroku, then Sango, then Dream). I've done Miroku and Sango before, but never even thought about writing for Dream. He was a bastard to write. I literally got two sentences in and got stuck again. And with the majority of my books in storage, I just didn't have his voice down enough to write him with confidence.
Finally, I bought another Gaiman book, The Graveyard Book. While it's a children's book (though incredibly dark), I adored reading it. And it had enough darkness and the wry edge of Dream that I immediately knew Dream's voice again. And I could finish the chapter. It actually came pretty easy after that. Especially since I'd actually mapped out the whole story, from introducing the cherry pit in the first chapter, the statues in the second, and already going over the dialogue needed to end the compromise.
I would say I'm surprised I'm so happy with it right now. I've told the story I set out to tell. There is a being in Dreaming who can inspire my favorite characters. I've done what I wanted to do, for the most part. I just wish there were others who were familiar enough with both Inuyasha and Sandman who would let me know if I've done the characters any justice.
I've only to write a short epilogue, and this story is done!
Chapter Title: Dream's Compromise
Prompt: Fire
Universe: Post-canon
Genre: Serial/Fantasy
Rating: K+
Word Count: 3,124
Summary: Continuation of Endless Sleep. With Miroku's help, Sango does all that she can to convince the King of All Night's Dreaming to return her son.
Links: FF.net/MM.org
Notes on this fic:
Yesterday, I was finally able to unearth my Sandman books from inside a random box. This box was supposed to come with me to my parents house for as long as I was going to stay there, but accidentally got taped up and put on the truck and into storage. However, since I had one last book to go before the end of series (not to mention the additional books, like Dream Hunters that specifically inspired this fic), I remained really invested in the universe Neil Gaiman created.
I just really fell in love with the idea the dreams = stories. In the series, Dream not only creates the land for beings as they sleep, he is directly influential in inspiring them in creating their own futures and creating their own stories. In this series, the act of dreaming is the act of listening to stories and creating your own. As a writer, I think that's what drew Gaiman to creating Dream and telling his story. And as a fanfiction writer, it's what drew me come to fall in love with this series. It's so meta without even seeming like it is.
Anyway, those who know me probably have figured out that I love strong female characters. I love the warriors and the fighters. From Sango to Buffy to Zoe and River, give me kickass ladies any day of the week. I love their stories. And as I read Sandman, I started thinking in terms of that universe. It would seem that Dream had a lovely young warrior woman in Dreaming who was inspiring generations of writers into telling her story over and over. Who was this girl?
As I thought about this, I read Dream Hunters which is set around the same time as Inuyasha (give or take a couple of centuries). I thought of Sango, and how there was an awesome chick in Dreaming who inspired the idea of Sango. I thought, could it actually be Sango in Dreaming?
And then the image of Dream and Sango, squared off face-to-face on a white background, arguing, just wouldn't leave me alone. This last chapter, the last images of this last chapter, are what inspired the whole fic.
I knew I should set it after canon, because it wouldn't fit anywhere else. I also knew that it couldn't be Sango who was left in Dreaming. The idea of Dream having someone who is about to die of a strange sleeping malady comes directly from Dream Hunters, so I thought, it should be Sango and Miroku's child. And that a yet-to-be-born, unnamed daughter of Miroku and Sango should be the one who is eventually left in Dreaming.
The rub was figuring out how to convince Dream to compromise (he's not the nicest entity, especially 500 years ago), and to convince Sango to give up a child (there was just no way). So I got stuck.
I finally came up with the compromise I could live with (though I'm not 100% happy with it) with Dream being impressed enough by Sango's courage and valor and commitment to her family to compromise and Sango having to give up a child. It had to be one immediately or a potential child who is one day lost in battle. With her son toddling to her for a hug, she has no choice but to pick the latter. It's kind of evil, but it did the job.
The next problem was the voice. I knew how I wanted the chapter laid out, but I had decided to tell each succeeding chapter in a different voice (first Miroku, then Sango, then Dream). I've done Miroku and Sango before, but never even thought about writing for Dream. He was a bastard to write. I literally got two sentences in and got stuck again. And with the majority of my books in storage, I just didn't have his voice down enough to write him with confidence.
Finally, I bought another Gaiman book, The Graveyard Book. While it's a children's book (though incredibly dark), I adored reading it. And it had enough darkness and the wry edge of Dream that I immediately knew Dream's voice again. And I could finish the chapter. It actually came pretty easy after that. Especially since I'd actually mapped out the whole story, from introducing the cherry pit in the first chapter, the statues in the second, and already going over the dialogue needed to end the compromise.
I would say I'm surprised I'm so happy with it right now. I've told the story I set out to tell. There is a being in Dreaming who can inspire my favorite characters. I've done what I wanted to do, for the most part. I just wish there were others who were familiar enough with both Inuyasha and Sandman who would let me know if I've done the characters any justice.
I've only to write a short epilogue, and this story is done!
