Well, it's been a couple of days since I posted Exit Wounds and I haven't been killed by angry Aya fans yet - though I have been reminded of why I don't usually like writing fanfic about him, because it often seems like the minute Aya shows up in a story, his more devoted fangirls are incapable of focusing on anything else that may be happening to any other character, seemingly because it doesn't involve Aya. As my inability to fathom his motives mean my stories seldom focus on Aya even when he is there... you get the picture.

I don't mind that people feel sorry for him - Hell, I feel sorry for him. I just wish he wasn't the only character my so-far lone reviewer seemed to think had got it rough. Sure his fate is tragic, but the choices he made that got him there were ultimately selfish ones.

Anyway. Something I wanted to put in the last entry but was unable to due to pressure of space (read: me not being able to shut up about why I wrote this ridiculous idea up in the first place) was a link to the video of the Ami Suzuki song I mentioned a couple of times over the course of the story. Not because it's a brilliant song, mind - just because I felt it might be interesting to someone out there. I chose it precisely because it was a chart hit and was popular about the right time, it's catchy enough that it does get stuck in your head, and while it may be catchy and kind of fun to listen to it's ultimately not a brilliant or genre-defining song. I wanted the song I referenced to be something that was catchy and popular, but not much more than that. I'm not trying to make any kind of profound statement with this song choice, I'm afraid.

Also, I seriously do think Ken likes J-pop. Don't ask me why I came to this conclusion; it just works for me that he would.



... so yeah, if you were thinking a Japanese girl singing Lionel Ritchie, stop. It's not quite as good as that All Night Long, but it was a chart hit around about 199X and when I start researching, god help me but I look up the most random and minor crap in a desperate attempt to try to make my take on Japan look a little bit less like London with the occasional reference to bits of Tokyo bolted on. This fic also required me Googling Japanese supermarkets and stuff for Ken to have put on a shopping list, so... yeah. That's me. Still, I suppose Tokyo (by way of London) is still a step up on the Tokyo (by way of Bumblefuck, Arkansas) a fair amount of badfic involves. Did I mention that I read a fic where Omi and a Sue take a walk from the Koneko to the forest across the street?

Honestly, it would be a big step forward if we could stop having characters who live in the middle of one of the most crowded cities in the world go to the mall. Department stores, yes. Shopping arcades, yes. But you do not drive out of town to go to a mall if you live in the middle of a city, not least of which because it would take at least twice as long to get out of town to the mall as it would to go to the shops.

Bitter Nocturne is next for finishing, with perhaps a bit of random other stuff and Roses in Rain to help ease me along the way.