I continue to be blown away by your skill in writing this story. You handle the subject matter with the gravity it deserves.

You write some of the best Ken centric stories I have ever read. (I am a Weiss whore and have read huge amounts of fic.) I adore your pairing of Ken and Yohji as well. It is a refreshing break from the norm.

I cried right along with Ken at the end of the chapter. I am glad that when he finally broke down yohji was there for him so he would not be alone.

You have also created a set of original characters that continue to fascinate me. This story is one of my all time favorites. I am so glad I found it and am so glad I found your LJ. Would it be all right for me to friend you?
Hugs
Amy

Thank you for the comments about my stories, and for the review you left! Believe me on a night like this one I really appreciate anything that lifts my bleak-ish mood (it's not as bleak as it was, thanks to memes and Seki Tomokazu, but it sure a nevermind started out that way). Feedback gives me warm fuzzies, so it was a really good idea to make myself post my update tonight regardless of everything else that happened.

I'm glad you like my OCs, too. I was kind of worried about how they'd be received when I started the story. OC is hard. OC worries me as I have an inordinate fear of Mary Sue... but I've ranted enough on my Sue hatred in the past, so that's probably not necessary tonight.

I know what you mean about the reading of huge amounts of Weiss fic. I'm much the same. I have screeds of it on my hard drive and have been reading it for years. I was reading it voraciously long before I got anywhere near a fansub. There's something mildly alarming about the taste for WK fanfiction. If you're going to like it, it seems you're going to end up really, really liking it. WK fanfiction refreshes parts other fanfics don't reach, to borrow a phrase...

And of course it'd be just fine for you to friend me, as long as I can friend you back. Thanks again!

Yay! Another chapter, will read tonight when things have returned to "normal" around here (good Weiss fic requires my undivided attention). I love this story You write Ken so well (I share your obsession). I've been reading your stories and journal for awhile now. Do you mind if I friend you? (Your welcome to friend back of course, but don't feel obligated, I hardly ever post, and it's never interesting)

Feel free to friend me if you like - it's kind of flattering that someone would read this thing just for the sake of my fanfics (and worry not about your LJ - mine could do with being one heck of a lot more interesting as well, you know). Good to know that you like the fics though, and the way I write Ken. Seems there's a lot of it about.

(What is it about Ken, anyways?)

Anyway, I hope the next chapter meets up with your expectations. There will be angst. Oh yes. But by this stage, who's going to be surprised to hear about that little detail? And thanks for the comment! :)

You and your story kill me. Kill me dead, I swear. And I wouldn't want it any other way, really. The angst. The rain. The way it ended. Pleasant death by over-fangirlism.

You may expect a review tonight when I get a chance to read it a second time. I want to make sure I didn't miss anything on the first read-through [I was so busy squealing about Ken that I might have, really] and give myself a chance to organize my thoughts so it's not as crazy as last chapter's review.

Ah, then it's a good way of being killed dead and I have nothing that I should be seriously worrying about. Though is killing my readers a positive thing or not? I dunno. I just know I really did like the way that chapter turned out. Damn fangirl obsession getting into my angst-ridden fics. But hey, the YoKen angle was there long before the rest of the fic was so I guess I should not be surprised.

Oh, and I'm such a sucker for bleak rain. I need to make it stop raining in that fic sometime soon but I don't want to, dammit. They're having funny weather, okay?

And oh my God, you're going to read it again in case you missed something? That makes me happy too. I didn't think your last review was crazy, don't worry - either that or I must have left some hellishly messed-up reviews in my time (and I know what my money's on). There's just something rather special about an angst-ridden Ken, if you ask me. yes, I know, sick kitten. I'm glad you liked it though. Very glad.

I'll try and start that email tonight. That is unless I turn my cat-angst to constructive use by beginning my Reverse!Deathfic, which is looking like a distinct possibility right about now...

Oh... first of all, I've only JUST got to your newest entries, and I'm so sorry about your cat, Laila. >.< I know it doesn't make things better-- as if anything could-- but I'm so sorry. Losing a cat always feels even worse than losing a person to me, believe it or not, because... well, they're mine, you know?

I can't believe there are such bastards in this world to do that. *hugs tightly* Not even the decency to stop. Christ.

:( I hope you feel better soon. You didn't deserve this, and neither did your cat. Are you planning on getting another soon, or are you going to wait? Believe it or not, sometimes it helps to fill in the empty space while still not replacing it.

And this being said, I guiltily go off to read the newest chapter of your Mega-Angst Fic of DOOM, pleased at the promise of even more angst to drench Ken in. ^^;;;

*hugs again* Hey... if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know... :( Okay?

Moonflower! Oh, the LOVE.

Don't worry about it. I'm sad, and i miss him, and I keep thinking about the horrible way the car hit him as he was crossing the road, but there's nothing that can be done about it. I feel worse for my mother now, because really if the cat was anybody's he was hers and she misses him really badly. But there's nothing that can be done about it any more. There never was, really, though frankly I think the guy didn't stop because deep down he was a complete coward and couldn't face up to it. The best thing I can do is try and put my angst to some kind of creative purpose.

... Yes, I'm thinking of writing another deathfic. But this time I won't be killing off Ken or writing a sequel to 'A step forward into night' because I need him alive thank you very much fanfic gods. I'd be doing the 'other half' of a deathfic this time round, namely what it's like for the survivors, and in all honesty I cannot write an entire fanfic (which, in my head, has multiple chapters) referring to Ken in the past tense.

Damn my fangirl obsessiveness. DAMN IT, I say.

My mother's probably gonna be waiting a bit before she gets a new cat (though I spoke to my dad about it yesterday and we discussed when he should suggest getting a new one and the like, so it's probable that they will be getting another one). For my part I'm hoping my landlady's cat, whom I see far more often, is still all right. Because if he is I am going to absolutely LOVE HIM TO BITS. It'll certainly help me get over it. I need something furry to hug and that cat is a big complacent bundle who likes being petted... QED!

I hope you like the latest chapter of my doom fic! Don't feel guilty about it, if anyone should be guilty it's me because I wrote the damned thing in the first place. And I'll be waiting for your verdict. Thanks for the 'Entrapment' review by the way! Damnation, if you have a fondness for closets and guys in aprons, I think I might just about have made your brain explode. I'll be okay, I think, but I will let you know if there's anything you can do for me.



And 'Moonflower' owns me. Totally OWNS ME. Must not listen to it again. Must not... oh, hell.

Ooohh, that would be excellent. I have a serious weak spot for survivor fics, actually-- they tend to kick me harder in the gut than a full deathfic actually would. *_* Sweet.

Fangirl obsessiveness is a hard cross to bear... XD I feel your frustration. Hah.

Aahhh, landlady's kitty is good, I hope... Fluffy things always help. With everything. I think if every president had many fluffy things around him at all times, this world would be in much better shape. Going to war? Get a kitty! Government's in shambles? Get a kitty! Can't find your pants? Get a kitty!

OMG, 'Entrapment' blew me away. APRONS AND CLOSETS TOGETHER, KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA~! (*fangirls terribly for a second*) I think I overheated during it. I had to stop for a bit when writing the review, even. Hee hee. So much love. SO much.)

*is now listening to Moonflower*

... this is all your fault.

Glad to hear you think so - I've been playing with this idea for a fic for a while (since people randomly started blowing up bits of my city, to be exact) and yet never had the impetus to actually get started on it. Maybe this will prove to be the kick in the proverbial backside that I need to manage it. But you can see why need Ken alive, I take it, and why I can't just do a neat little sequel to my fist deathfic?

(I never wanted to touch deathfics before I hit the Weiss Kreuz fandom... but hey, I guess it's kind of hard to avoid when you're writing about assassins. I mean, it's hardly a logical leap in the way it is if you're writing about a fluffy romantic story... and OMG, TEH ANGST. I want to write this fic. Though I'm not totally sure who I'd be killing off (no big spoiler here as it'd happen in Chapter 1 and hey, it's a deathfic), but I know I need Ken alive to satisfy my need for fangirl JOY. And of course Youji's safe because... because... I, um, need him...

Okay, dammit, you got me. BECAUSE THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ANGSTY YOKEN FLUFF BEHAVIOUR OUT THERE AND I AM SINGLEHANDEDLY CORRECTING THAT PROBLEM.

I agree with you on your solution to the world's problems. You're quite right to praise the awesome power of cute and fuzzly things, because they are so cute and fuzzly that all the world must sit up and pay notice. To think that's all it takes to find happiness. Kitties for everybody! I think there's a self-help book in this somewhere...

And to think I did the whole apron-close thing in 'Entrapment' utterly innocent of the, um, effect it might have (though the whole fic was basically set around the premise of 'Youji and ken get stuck in store cupboard, stuff fluff happens', so it was kind of inevitable). But I don't think Ken ever got round to taking his apron off. Well, if he did I never mentioned it. Still, guess I know what I need to do to make you explode with teh happy in the future.

.... Major Bad Influence reporting for duty.

I can't wait to see the result of your desire for angsty Yoken ficcage. *_* Survivor!Deathfic!Yoken. So much adoration for you.

You know, it often occures to me that it's a good thing there's a kitty at the flowershop. Because the therapy of cute and fuzzy thing running around has obviously helped balance the insanity and pressure of being an assassin. I bet they secretly give it pettings and snacks, and Momoe even knows about it. XD Maybe. Maybe that's wistful fangirl thinking?

Eeeeee, aprons. ♥

If you ever stop being a bad influence, I'll be very, very disappointed. ^_^ *hugs*

... or rather, MORE angsty YoKen ficcage.

Though I must say the combination of angst and death and surviving and stuff does intrigue me insanely. I really want to get started on that, but I haven't yet decided on who I'm going to kill. Any ideas? Personally I think Omi would be worse, but I find it much easier to write for Omi (I'll admit, too, that I also like Omi rather better). Writing for Aya gives me headaches which is why I don't do it much - not that i need to when he's a Complete Fangirl Target and everyone writes for Aya. Under the circumstances, do I really want to lose Omi?

I like the fact there's a kitty there too. I can definitely see Ken secretly liking that kitty (I know I had him privately admit to secretly liking it in 'Stasis', for fangirl fun!), and maybe Omi too. Aya would never admit it even if he did - not even to the cat! Though I bet they all have their Needing a Kitty moments. Everyone needs kitties (my landlady's kitty is home and oh the fuzz, I LOVe him. He's being a bit standoffish right now but all the same... he's there, which is good). Wistful fangirl thinking or not I can see it happening, what with cats being so good for stress.

(Maybe I should have been really mean and had the cat end up in the closet too? That would have been even worse... and maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the aprons, but there's something fun about them all the same. Though it does amuse me that the Weiss boys go out in those aprons sometimes. It hardly seems the most logical choice of outerwear for a young man. But damn, they look good in them. I begin to see the appeal myself)

And in that case then, I will be sure to keep the Bad Influence thing up! Does the angst addiction count as a bad influence? :)

Hmmmm. That IS difficult. *muses* Who to kill, who to kill... this being said, if you do decide to off Omi, Aya's an easy bit to write. He'll probably just run off to angst, sulk and brood for a long time, and then return looking like he doesn't give a shit. XD Well, maybe that's the cliche version... but honestly, I see it like that. And if you off Aya, you have to worry about what'll happen to the sister so to speak (erm, though it depends on the timeline).

Aaaahh, I don't know. I'm sure you'll think of something. *clings worshipfully*

Aawwww. Awwwww. Weiss hugging kitties makes me all gooey inside.

Aprons, closets and cats would have probably exploded my brain with the love. O.o It was probably best you didn't put the cat in there, too. Because... yes. Brain exploding. Not good. At all.

Angst addiction is definitely a Bad, Bad, Very Bad Influence. *_* I would like more, please.

I wish I could make up my mind on this issue because it's the only thing that's stopped me from getting well and truly stuck in to my Survivor!Deathfic!YoKen!Angst fun. If I stick with a close third-person and very much focus on Ken I won't have to do a lot of Aya anyway, but all the same, do i really want to off Omi when I find him a lot easier to characterize and suspect that losing him would have the team utterly falling apart in no time at all anyway?

And yeah, I would have to worry about Aya-chan if I was to off Aya. But that could be interesting too... *only writes 'Kapitel' fics* The dilemma of it all. But can't kill Ken. Or Youji. There'd be no fic if I did!

I love the idea of Ken and a cat. It's... gah. Just SO CUTE. The cute and fluff of it all gets into my head and turns me into a happy, giggling, gooey mess. I wish there was more art of Weiss with kitties. I wish I could actually draw so I could do justice to this picture idea I had of Ken holding a cat. But I can't. I write fanfic and that's about my limit.

Ah. Then it is a good thing the cat stayed out of the closet. Besides, if I'd put the cat in there too it might have been harder to get Youji to make his move. Oh the move. God damn, it's hard to write kissing scenes. Or I find it hard anyway. Cannot do sexy lemon to save my life. Took me three fics (three damned fics, mind) to get Youji and Ken to have sex... eesh. Kitties are cool, though. I love kitties. And Ken. Always love Ken.

I hear ya on the angst addiction. I just discovered the Oh-So-Awesome Sidara has written a very much Ken-oriented sequel/companion/whatever to a Schuldich fic I fell head over heels for (my only complaint is it's RanKen and there's too much fan-Japanese, but I'll deal for the sake of TEH AWESOME ANGST) and it makes me want to write more 'Seuche' because I love the angst. I absolutely love and adore and worship the angst. Which is good.

I will have to write fic and fill your brain with Bad Influence, then. I'm glad I found this fic. It makes me want to write ANGST. Go, angst!

Hmmm, you DO have a problem. And it's a hard one to consider, too. O.o Kill Aya or Omi? (Kill both! Leave only Ken and Youji to cuddle with each other! ... do not listen to these internal fangirl suggestions, okay?) I do like how you write your Omi an awful lot in Seuche, I must admit-- it would be a shame to lose that edge in this upcoming piece, especially if it could play a nice part in the story unfolding. Hmmmmmm.

I know what you mean about only writing Kapitel fic, too. ^^;; I like the timeline better. And Gluhen changes so much that I'm always reluctant to even try thinking about touching it with a ten foot pole... (I mean, it wasn't bad, but I liked the original series better.)

I knooow, there should be so much more art with Weiss and kitties! There's an official piece with them in pajamas, I think, lounging around with cats. But they aren't being as cuddly as they could be! I demand the fuzzy snuggles! As a rightful reward for our hard work and dedication to the WK realm, we deserve fuzzy snuggles!

... or nekkid Ken.

... but not both, because that disturbs me.

Ahem. Anyway. I might have to look up this Schuldich fic you like so much and its companion. *curious* I read a lot of WK, but I don't remember anything RanKen that had a particularly good Schu in it, unless you count the series in the future where Schwarz had succeeded in reviving the One. Or whatever it was. (It's been a long time since I remember reading that one... O.o)

Waaah! Good look on your fic! *beams* With your mad skillz, I'm sure you'll pull it off wonderfully with whatever you choose to do!





(... NO MORE FROSTED FLAKES.)

Killing both would be excessive, I think. *knocks out inner-fangirl yelling about Angst and Cuddles* I admit I'm leaning toward killing Aya, for all losing Omi would be angstier, simply because of the 'Omi's easier to write' thing... besides which, I really like Omi, at least in Kapitel. He's such a sweetheart and I don't know if I can bring myself to kill him.

(And Omi was my first Weiss-Love back when I was eighteen, so...)

Gluhen... hm. Haven't actually seen it - the anime hasn't had an official release in the UK yet so I'm still going off my Kapitel fansubs - but I've heard it changes a lot, the plot sounds insane, Ken goes insane and the character designs look whacked. They're nice designs for the most part (ahemSchwarzahem), but they're not really right for the characters.

I know the official art piece you mean (yay, cats and pajamas). I've had that one lying round my hard drive for a while (Ken should probably not wear dark colors for preference; they make him look so slight it's scary) and it's cute. Thinking about it, I'm guessing the cats they're dealing with might be anime renditions of the breeds they're named after. I really think the cat Youji has draped round his neck might be a Balinese - they look rather like Siamese cats but their fur is longer. And most Abyssinians are red, and I think the cat staring out Aya is also red. So maybe that's it.

You're right, both would be disturbing? Hey, have you seen the official art which has the guys in towels and not much else? Love that, but I couldn't not love that.

That sounds like an interesting premise for a fic. The one you read, I mean. I'm curious as to that one. The sad thing about that fic and its companion is really, the Aya x Ken thing just doesn't quite work in the context it's put in and there's a lot of fan-Japanese in them. I hate fan-Japanese. Really. It's so annoying, because otherwise the fic's a well-written one. Good fiction shouldn't shoot itself in the foot like that because it's just too damned depressing. I mean a bad fic would have been bad regardless, but when a good fic can't quite pull off its pairing, it's sad. I think Ken ends out coming off as a bit of a doormat and though he's having a hellishly bad time in that fic, but I think he's got rather more spirit than he's been granted.

(I kind of get annoyed by Victimized!Ken fics sometimes, because he's slightly too beaten down. He's not angry enough about it and it seems wrong for him. It's a fine line on which we walk...)

Thanks for the luck! I appreciate it. I'm not exactly uninspired at the moment, but I'm having trouble settling to things. I'm having a 'who am I kidding I can actually write?' moment. Stupid of me... but I shall overcome!

Gluhen has different character designs, yeah. They killed Youji. And about killed Omi, but I suppose we'll live. Aya got off okay. Ken turned... disturbingly pretty, but he doesn't always seem the same kind of person, so it makes me twitch.

Otherwise, the series isn't that bad. It has its moments, anyway.

(And by the way, when I say "kill," I only mean they really screwed over the character designs. Erm. Not kill kill, yanno?)

I like angry Ken better, too. *heart* Because I think Ken's the toughest out of all of them-- he lives in the real world more than the others sometimes, if that makes sense, and with the exception of Omi he has the best grounded personality. He's just a guy. A guy who had bad things happen to him, but he's surviving. I appreciate that the most. ♥

... Ken love suddenly attacks! MUST READ MORE KEN ANGST. *frantically runs to Seuche*

(... am so pathetic.)

Don't know if you realize this - or if it matters - but dancing monkey girl is from the tenjho tenge anime which includes Shinichiro Miki doing the voice of a dreadlocked big black dude named Bob and Tomokazu Seki doing the voice of the guy who has a crush on - wait for it - the dancing monkey girl who is now you. See it all comes back to Ken.

No, I didn't realize it... thanks! To say that this whole Link With Seki thing amuses me immensely would be to understate the point. Considerably. By the way, I was wondering where in tarnation this spazzy dancing chick came from, so I'm grateful that someone cleared that up for me because I certainly didn't have a clue.

(I seriously think there's something verging on the paranormal about Ken.)

That girl's hair scares me. My hair's already a bit of a pain to look after and it's only just below my shoulder blades. I mean, how is it possible for anybody with ankle-length hair to dance around like that and not end up drastically entangled and tripping over? Well, go figure anime...