In response to Flightfoot (and a bit concerning Edd)

well, you've asked a couple questions, and if I don't reply to them, I'll end up forgetting or something, and that would be bad.

so...

First question:

YES it has been only seven years since BBS. I could've sworn I mentioned that. I bumped it up  smidge because Xehanort did some stuff before turning himself into a Heartless, and I didn't want there to be TOO much of a gap because then there will be aging issues when I eventually get around to bringing Terra back. Inevitably, he'll still have aged about three extra years.

Trust me, there's this certain thing that happened that he needed to be there for that only happened about four years before the Truth Hurts, and that's the main reason I bumped it up. Because he needed to be there for that, but I didn't want him to age like, five years, because that would totally screw with any AquaxTerra shipping I want to do later. 

You follow?

Second question:

Well, this was more of just a comment, but I have something to say about it anyway. The review you put into Dead Inside, being all worried about Riku and the darkness and "losing sight of the light" (I know you said the same thing about Sora, but it's totally true about him, so I don't have anything to say)

I don't think Riku can lose himself to the darkness. Yes, the darkness did go to his head there, but it can't last that long, because data and darkness don't mix. The darkness won't be able to keep ahold of him long enough to plunge him into darkness completely. The most he's going to have issues with is a bunch of darkness-corrupted data, and I think the extent of his powers will be boosted a bit, too. 

I mean, I guess that's kind of giving away later stuff, but... Riku losing himself completely to the darkness isn't going to happen. It might go to his head at times, but not much more.

(I suddenly feel like I should've waited to say all that... like I'm giving away something... but for the life of me I can't think of what I could possibly be giving away...)

Third question:

Edd.

Actually, for starters, THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING ONE OF THE 19 CHAPTERS! I was almost scared that none of you were reading them, and while, no, the first few aren't incredibly important, but this information will be important later. Just saying.

Anyway.

Edd.

He was only there in the Truth Hurts. I know it seems like he's popping in and out, but, really, he's not. Yes, he wrote those reports for Falling to Pieces, but... eh... I don't know. I don't consider those "popping in and out". That was me needing SOMEONE to point out the fact that Sora's Keyblade was falling apart. Literally. Only reason they were there.

Oh, and he showed up in the first special chapter of Dead Inside. But... that was because Dimension Girl dragged him there and nothing more. and that scene's not entirely canon, anyway

He was only there in the Truth Hurts. Yes, he does pop forward in time SHORTLY to gather data from Namine around now, but... It's not like he's just popping in and out for the fun of it. Technically, he's dead now. He died shortly after the Truth Hurts. So, while, yes, he showed up once or twice in Dead Inside, it was either a) time travel to further progress the Truth Hurts or b) the special chapter which technically isn't even canon.

Canonically, he's dead.

I'm so over explaining this.

Now, why was he helping with Namine? Because a) no one else can time travel and so he ended up being shoved in to mess with that. But, b) (the in-story explanation) he wanted to give Riku a second chance at life, and he feels bad that Namine isn't coming out right, nor does he want her to end up like the Original Namine, and just break his heart again. So he's helping out so neither option happens.

Why is he helping in the first place? 

Well, I think he kind of sees himself in Riku. He sees a kid who could use a second chance, and since he himself wants one, but there's no way he's going to get one, he's helping Riku get one.

Did that make sense? I mean, it makes sense in my head, but now that I'm looking at it on paper, it doesn't make sense.

Lemme try a different approach.

Forget why Edd wanted to help Riku in the first place.

He's helping create Namine because her not working means that him helping Riku completely backfired on him. And he's a bit tired of trying to help and then only making things worse. So he's trying a bit harder to fix it this time.

There.

That explains why he's helping create Namine, that he's NOT just hopping in and out of my universe and-

you asked who he was.

I can't answer that.

Because I do, eventually, want to write a story with him in it, and so I don't want it on the internet. 

I have a nasty feeling that someone might have stolen another one of my stories, because I emailed them the beginning of it and never got an email back. It doesn't really matter, though, because I never plan on finishing that one now, but... still...

I don't want anyone stealing this one.

Not that YOU guys will. But this IS a public site. I could have someone stalking me and not even know it. It's a good thing I don't put anything more personal than what video game I just finished on here.

Though, I guess I can go a bit more in depth concerning why Edd's even in the story in the first place. I wanted to drop the Riku Replica off in a parallel universe, and he was the only logical person who could and had had the motivation to do so. His motivation? He wanted to do something for make up for crud he had done in the past (didn't I already explain that somewhere?). So... he caught the Riku Replica before he died, healed him enough so he wouldn't die, and dropped him off in this universe.

He originally was supposed to just fade out after that, but then he decided to stick around. I guess he was just trying to make sure everything settled out with Riku, and since he didn't have anything else to do while he was waiting to die, he stuck around. I mean, he couldn't really go anywhere else, anyway. There's a price on his head in a lot of other places.

So, he stuck around. And then the thing with Namine started getting all wonky, so he tried to help fix it, and I already explained that.

Then he dies. He dies shortly after the Truth Hurts ends. In fact, his dead body might just still be sitting in Castle Oblivion. No joke. I mean, I'd like to think someone found it and got rid of it, but... uhm... no one in my head officially has.

As for the Stranger Reports in Falling to Pieces, I already said they were originally put there just so he could point out that Sora's Keyblade was falling apart. Not kidding. In-story explanation? Idk, he had nothing else better to do while he was sitting in that corner in the back of my head, since that's where he's gonna stay until I get around to writing his story.

And the only time he's shown up in Dead Inside is when the Dimension Girl dragged him over. I mean, I might have a short snippet of him showing up, but that'll be to gather data from Namine or something, which is chronolically for him before the Truth Hurts ends.

I mean, I know this is complicated time travel, but... it's what happened.

Anyway, if you have any more questions, ask and I'll see if I can answer them. Anything concerning what he's done within the Falling to Pieces series I can probably answer. But... anything outside of that will have to depend on whether or not it's possible to explain without giving crud away about the book I eventually will write.

Now, I've been sitting here for an hour blogging about this crud. I should go try and write, because the sooner I finish Dead Inside, the sooner I finish book 5, the sooner I can move on to that story with Edd in it.