Chapter Twenty-One Notes

Ananda: *phew*! Yeah...
Did *not* intend originally for Naomi to flip like that, it just kinda happened... but I didn't realise just how *fun* conniption fits were to write! *g*
This time, I wanted the Reûic encounter to be worse, it had to be, but look, compared to some of the ideas I had, this isn't so bad, by way of extent...ehm..right. Anyway... I wanted him to have learned from the last time - he'd tried to cancel out all memory of the past, including even favourite bands, but it backfired when Gav sang something U2'd done. Thus, "Rai"'s many common interests with Naomi, art, music, books, movies...
The drugs he slips her... I debated that for awhile, I had to decide if pulling that in would be true to Naomi's - my own - character. I talked it over with Daf, we threw some ideas around, and I think I managed to keep the character pretty well... I mean, I've common sense enough to not do drugs, I'm not gonna risk my life on something that way, life's a gift from God and I won't do anything to deliberately ruin said gift.. but I *do* wonder about y'know, the whole hippy-thing, of it "expanding your mind", y'know? Wondering what it does, if it does... (Don't worry, guys, I won't, I just wonder sometimes.) The thing with unknown senses, that's snatched from Dune, but overall, the drug-trip I just totally made up, and if it's not realistic at all..well...then they were using some drug unknown to the rest of us just yet. ;) Ehm, if it is by some odd chance even remotely right...well..then blame the health teachers for teaching us so well?
And Rai's name was NOT purposely close to D'rai's - I didn't even realise they were similar 'til Laur pointed it out to me... I'd just picked Rai's cos it *is* in The Ground Beneath Her Feet, which's pretty much my favourite book, an' I think it's a cool name.
"Chamcha's transformation" is a reference to another Salman Rushdie book, The Satanic Verses. Chamcha Saladin's this voice actor who, after falling from an exploded plane, begins turning into a devil. (Simultaneously, Gibreel Farishta, a movie star, begins turning into an angel...it's a great book...) MacPhisto is a character Bono portrayed on the Zooropa tour, 1993-ish, the character was basically the devil as the last rock star.
..this chapter may face some bits of re-writing, depending..I wrote it months ago, and've touched it up here and there since then, but..dunno.
*Almost* done with my part here, guys!!! ..sorry it's so insanely long...!