Posted New Trials Chapter 72 and 73 at wishluv.com

It's been a long time since I updated by website at http://wishluv.com/newtrials.htm

But at the end of the day, I really don't feel like I completed a chapter until it is up on my website. Traditionally, I would post chapters up on my website first and then Amethyst Beloved (and Digidynasty before her) would post it up on fanfiction.net. In more recent years, I've taken to posting chapter on ff.net first, first because of the server change scare, then later because I realized that it serves as a convenient notification system to readers. That, and also, it's interesting to monitoring stats and traffic on ff.net as a gauge of how many people do access a new chapter. For example, I thought it's amazing that New Trials had over 4,500 views, of which 1,700 were unique views in the month of November, during which I finally posted Chapter 73 Part II. 

However, ff.net messes up the paragraph spacing, and you can't use asterisks, my favorite form of scene breaks, and at the end of day, makes chapters look very ugly, so I do prefer most posting up on my website, kindly hosting by Robert Arrowsmith. I further realized it's much easier to upload onto my website server, after logging in following a very long time.

Check out the newest chapters as they should be seen, with a few minor typos corrected: Chapter 72: Almost Left Behind and Chapter 73: The Other Side of Midnight. I also added the author's note for Chapter 72, which wasn't posted up on ff.net. 

I also posted up a Li Clan Hierarchy Version Three (spoilers for beyond Chapter 72 for readers' convenience, since it might be confusing to keep track of all the Lis running about. It also includes key Wu Clan and Tang Clan members.

Furthermore, I went through Arcs 3 and 4 and reuploaded chapters that had broken characters in them. Sorry it took so long to get to them, but I figured you guys noticed that my old website at http://wishluv.revolutionhosting.net/newtrials.htm is still up and running, so you could have accessed the original chapters without the broken characters there, thusI didn't really prioritize fixing the chapters. They seem to have occurred during the server shift, which Robert so kindly transferred all the files for me, hence I'm not even sure what went wrong. I've also gone ahead and updated any weird line spacing or fonts as well, and changed all the old spelling of Meilin's name, Meirin, to Meilin in Arc 3. I switched somewhere in the middle of Arc 3, so I just wanted to make it consistent--I still have to go back to Arcs 1 and 2 someday to update it. If you still find any wonky characters in chapters, leave a message below or email me at hopeluvpeace@hotmail.com and let me know!

Also, check out Amethyst Beloved's New Trials Revisited blog in a reread experience, and also to enjoy old fanarts. I'm having a fun time reading through the posts now that I'm finally finished with Chapter 73--which might be one of the longest if not longest chapter to date for some reason with over 110,000 words. New Trials will definitely break the 2 million word mark by Chapter 74. Length does not necessarily equate to quality, and it's not like I intended to write such a long fanfiction for so long, but since we (yes, all the readers) stuck by this story for so many years, we might as well break some records.

I'm also amazed at all the amazing fanart that readers have continued to share over the years. This one of Tomoyo and Leiyun from Chapter 73 by Kristina Rondilla looks like it can be straight out of an anime, and there's many wonderful artwork being shared, and I love it!   

Lastly, if you have read the ending notes to that chapter, and I hope you do, it was dedicated to a beloved reader, Kelly Wallace, who has unfortunately passed, but my prayer and thoughts are always with her, and for her family. 

New Trials Chapter 73 Part 2 Updated on ff.net

Sorry, did I say in my last post Part 2 would take two weeks? I meant actually two months. At the end of Chapter 73, in my author's note, I do include a lengthy long-winding existential non-excuse. In other words, I have been working consecutive six-day weeks, sometimes seven days, this month for some reason, and I don't think my schedule is going to let up much through December, atop year-end obligations. I do love the time I do get to spend writing New Trials though, that hasn't changed in all 18 years of writing it, and I am eager to be working on new material (well, actually, when I got tired or revisions to Chapter 73, I was writing the special chapter.)

I don't I don't want to give away any spoilers, but those of you who have read Chapter 73 Part 1 may have to go back for a reread (probably necessary anyway because it's been so long since my last update) because I added back in a scene that I cut during my revision process initially to include as a flashback in Part 2. If you are too lazy to read the whole thing over again CRT+F "Wednesday," it's the scene between Tomoyo, Leiyun and Eriol that some of you were curious about and noticed was missing. I also updated a few typos pointed out by the hawk-eyed Amethyst Beloved, much thanks to her.

I planned to update this chapter for Halloween, since I think it's appropriate for Halloween, but at least you can use Thanksgiving break, those of you living in the United States. Nope, no holiday for me though.

Please check out New Trials Chapter 73: The Other Side of Midnight Part 2 over at fanfiction.net.

I can't get over how ugly my chapters looks on ff.net though. And I can't tell if that site is awfully slow, or if it's just my computer. Hopefully I get to actually update my website at wishluv.com. I'm actually a little bit scared to try to log in again.

Music spotlight:

Maaya Sakamoto's "Saigo no Kajitsu" is my favorite theme song from the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle franchise, and was the ED them to Tokyo Revelations. I'm so excited for a new Maaya song for the OP them of CCS Clear Card Arc (which I totally called), but I am a bit bummed it's not another Yoko Kanno collab.