Chapter 18: Acknowledgments and Afterthoughts.

Afterthoughts:

From initial conception to the final revision, "Lazarus" took over a year and a half for me to satisfactorily complete. And now that I look over the last seventeen chapters I worked so hard to finish, I know it was all completely worth it. "Lazarus" is no longer just an idea in my head but a story I've finally got to share with all of you, and I hoped you all enjoyed reading it. Cause if you didn't, I busted my butt this summer for nothing.

I started writing the first chapter in April and finished the last one in August. In some ways the writing process was easier than previous ones because I had the whole plot mapped ahead of time, chapter by chapter. In other ways it was harder. There were so many different characters this time around, and each one had their own storyline that converges midway through (including Po and Zhong, who parallel each other since they're both leaders doubting themselves). There's more action as well. Sometimes it felt like I was writing a superhero movie, the kind the balances drama with fight scenes (in chapters 12 and 13 especially).

Now that I'm done with this I'm free to move on to my other, less time consuming projects; but I'm looking forward to reading whatever reviews you've posted or will post for this fic. Your opinions (positive or negative) mean an awful lot to me, and that's why I want to thank all the guys and girls whose feedback and advice helped me improve me as a writer and bring this fic to life.

But first, like always, I want to list my favorite music from this story. Scruff the Rat and all the rest of you guys, I hope you're all still reading this because I want to know what some of your favorites were as well.

Top 10 Tracks:

* Full Moon – Three are three reasons I included this song in "Lazarus". (1) It's a great traveling song. (2) The title alone is appropriate for a wolf-related story. And (3) The Black Ghosts' vocals sound a lot like wolves howling (the same with "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" later). It's very catchy, though I didn't quite understand the lyrics the first time I heard it.

* The Doctor's Theme – When I first chose "The Doctor's Theme" to represent Wolf Boss, I wondered if I made the right choice (it's not exactly action-packed, considering it's supposed to represent a badass like the wolf commander). Now I'm glad I stuck by my decision. This is the kind of song that never gets old (thanks to Melanie Pappenheim's catchy vocals).

In contrast to all the rock beats used during action scenes, Zhong's personal theme symbolizes his deeper side; variations of it usually appear when he's being thoughtful, or when he's dying (something that happens quite a lot to the poor pooch).

* Amy's Theme – Similar to how "The Mad Man With A Box" served as Zhong's secondary theme in "Erdan 2", this melody followed him around like his shadow as he befriended both Po and Shu in "Lazarus". Like most of the beats for the Doctor's companions, "Amy's Theme" was all about growing and changing while experiencing new places and things. And since a lot of this fic was about personal growth through self-discovery, Amelia Pond's string and piano motif seemed like the clear choice to represent the journey both Po and Zhong go on to enlightenment (through good times and bad).

* This Is Gallifrey: Our Childhood, Our Home – 'The skies are burnt orange, with a citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that the mountains go on forever, slopes of deep red grass capped with snow' – The Doctor (Gridlock).

Gallifrey, home of the Doctor and planet of the time lords. Or at least it used to be. When you've lost everything from your previous life and all that's left is memories, the yearning and nostalgia for the old days can sometimes be overwhelming. The Doctor is at times a broken man, as well as the one-eyed Wolf Boss of Gongmen City. The main beat comes from the plucking of an acoustic guitar, which sounds an awful lot like a clock ticking – a fitting motif for a race called the time lords. Just like "Vale Decem" and "I Am The Doctor", many Whovians consider this track to be one of Murray's greatest hits.

* Supermassive Black Hole – Baseball playing vampires; Bugs Bunny eat your heart out. Since I came up with the idea for this fic around the same time as "Erdan 2: A Father's Love", both stories have songs from the Twilight saga woven into them; this was one of them. Muse rocked, synthesizers blared, and our heroes kicked smuggler butt. The Furious Five didn't have an instrumental motif, but I do consider this their theme song.

* The Life and Death of Amy Pond - "Amy's Theme" returns for Wolf Boss' second death scene, in a fully orchestral and tear-jerking form. While "Amy's Theme" was all about traveling and seeing the universe, "The Life and Death of Amy Pond" is a reminder that nothing lasts forever, and all good things must come to an end eventually. Like how Amy's travels with the Doctor came to an end so too does Zhong's soul-searching journey with Po (well, it's not really the end for Zhong; this is an 'Everybody Lives' type of story after all).

* The Doctor's Theme: Series Four – I use music a lot in my stories; it's actually rare for me to not include any, even if it's just a one-shot. Needless to say there are certain songs that remind me of certain scenes; songs that every time I listen to them I remember writing pivotal scenes.

"A Lonely Decision" will always remind of Balto popping the question to Jenna, "All the Strange, Strange Creatures" of the half-breed rescuing the husky, and "The Source" of the time Zhong and Erdan hugged out their problems. In my head, "The Doctor's Theme" has been attached to the character of Wolf Boss for a long time now, but the choral version of it will always remind me of Po's selfless sacrifice for the sake of his best frenemy.

"The Doctor's Theme: Series Four" is magnificent; it's one of those songs that pulls you into it the moment it starts. From the choir's haunting vocals at the beginning, to the soaring climax at the end, it's orchestra music at its best – easily my favorite of Gold's compositions so far (with "The Majestic Tale (Of A Madman In a Box)" a very close second).

* Flightless Bird, American Mouth –Iron & Wine (along with certain wild dogs) crooned, Zhong and Shu danced, and the keys on my keyboard clacked frantically as I typed up one my most shamelessly sentimental scenes yet, to one of my favorite songs from the Twilight saga.

* Boe – The Face of Boe's (a recurring Yoda-like character) theme is one of the most recognizable pieces of music from the RTD era of Doctor Who; no doubt because fans started looking at the Face in a brand new way after his true identity was revealed. Like the man himself, "Boe" is unforgettable; telling the story of a wise old guy who has lived for so long and seen so many impossible things that even the Doctor is in awe of him.

After the roller coaster ride of emotions that had dominated most of "Lazarus", it was a relief to write a mellow scene, and have a mellow, contemplative song like "Boe" to go along with it.

* Man in Mirror – Last song of the line-up. One of Michael Jackson's best, and considered a masterpiece by many of his fans. There was really no question of whether or not to include the King of Pop's soulful ballad in this fic, I only had to choose when to use it. Like "The Doctor's Theme: Series Four", if you're not moved at least a little bit by it, then you have a heart made of stone (or you're just not the pop type, which is pretty likely).

Naturally, the selection was hard to make, since I loved pretty much every piece of music included in this fic. Some great songs that didn't quite make the line-up include "Smooth Criminal" (another of MJ's classic funk tunes), "The Vampires of Venice" (the one about vampires whose teeth are way too big), and "The Doctor Forever" (David Tennant's theme, that rounded off many of his episodes, this fanfic, and the first fanfic I ever wrote back in 2011).

Acknowledgments:

* Wolflover111 – I probably never would have started writing Kung Fu Panda fics, and never broke that really bad case of writer's block, if I hadn't read "Erdan". I owe you so much man, and I want to you know that even though I always acknowledge you at the end of my KFP fics, I would much rather show my gratitude by shaking your hand in person if I could. Handshakes are a sign of respect after all.

* Joe 'Po' Navark – I'm running out of things to say in these acknowledgments without repeating myself, but if anything that's a good thing – it means I acknowledge you a lot. We've been friends for over a year now. I've reviewed your stories, you've reviewed mine, we've given each other plenty of advice, and I'd like to think we've both made each other's weekends a little more interesting. Thanks for everything Cameron.

* Animation Universe 2005 – AniUniverse, you were one of the reviewers for "Erdan 2", and a pretty frequent one too. Like Wolflover111 your stories inspired me, and I want you to know my friend that you're not just a good writer, but a pretty good guy too. I try not to take your reviews for granted, because I've got a pretty good idea how awkward it must be for a straight guy to read a slash fic, but you've read all kinds of fics I've written. I know it's been a long time since I've published anything, so I hope this story was worth the wait.

* Scruff the Rat – You were the first guy (or girl, I'm not sure on your gender. I thought it'd be rude to ask, haha) to comment on the music in "Erdan 2". You told me you that you liked "The Source", but you thought "Father and Son" would have better fit the moment. And I immediately thought I like this guy (or girl). Not only was someone paying attention to the musical choices, but they were making suggestions. Reviews like that make it all worthwhile. And you had plenty more things to say, not just about Erdan but other projects I'd write afterwards. I never know what to expect when I receive a review from you, but I always walk away smiling.

* Golden-Earth-Writer (formerly TheDrawerProductions) – Funnily enough when I first met you I thought you were trying to plagiarize me and Wolflover111. Then I actually read your fic and I was jealous of you for being such a good writer. Then I talked to you and found out I really liked you (the acknowledgment didn't hurt either). Like Joe and Scruff, your reviews pointed out a lot of things I needed to work on; things that have helped me improve as a writer. And your story, "My Father's Past Echoes", was a hell of a good fanfic. The site needs more writers like you Luke.

* Hidden Stranger – Last, but certainly not least, I'd like to thank Hidden Stranger for writing his fic "Strength in Unity", one of my biggest influences when it comes to writing the character of Wolf Boss (I find Kirscher is somehow a funny wisecracker, an intimidating badass, a contemplative old general, and a guy who you strangely want to hug - all at the same time). I'm always perfectly willingly to wait for the next update because I know that no matter how long it takes for you to write something, it'll be amazing. Even though you've probably gotten this from tons of people by now, I just wanna say Kirscher and the wolves rule.

Well that's all folks. This is the Cool Kat signing off and wishing you all a good day/night.