[ Yamimatsu, Gravi, Bleach, Tenipuri, Furuba, Cowboy Bebop, Peace Maker, FMA, GW, WK, XXXholic, KwG

[tomomichi]

Notes/Babbling: Despite not intending to, this list got away from me and wound up being much bigger than I was expecting. Also, there's been surprisingly little V-day fic. What's up with that? *pouts*

And now I run off to conquer dinner! THE DINNER SHALL BE MINE! >E
Series:
    Yami no Matsuei - 6 Fanfics
    Gravitation - 3 Fanfics
    Bleach - 2 Fanfics
    Prince of Tennis - 1 Fanfic
    Fruits Basket - 1 Fanfic
    Cowboy Bebop - 1 Fanfic
    Peace Maker - 1 Fanfic
    Full Metal Alchemist - 2 Fanfics
    Gundam Wing - 1 Fanfic
    Weiss Kreuz - 1 Fanfic
    XXXholic - 3 Fanfics
    Koko wa Greenwood - 1 Fanfic



- Yami no Matsuei - Exorcism by Gaudior - [ part 01 - part 02 - part 03 - part 04 ] - It had been easy to say then, desperately sobbing out the words-- I need you. Live for me. I don't want to be alone again. He hadn't been thinking about consequences or about all the things he usually kept so carefully from saying. He'd been too busy trying to find the right thing to say, the thing that would keep Tsuzuki from leaving him, and he didn't have time to think about why that threat scared him so much. So, Meg points out these fics on her journal (ALL HER FAULT) and I read the first line of the second fic (Surpassing) and I'm immediately, "Ooh. Gotta read that one." and spiral back into a mini-Yami no Matsuei whirl. (ALL HER FAULT.) And, wow, this fic was just... it combined casefic! with gorgeous writing and a fantastic Hisoka perspective, really getting some of the best insight into the troubles of the Tsuzuki/Hisoka relationship I've seen in fic form. There are moments in this story, before the demon pops up that they have to figure out and take care of, that hurt because their relationship couldn't be clean or neat or anything but painful and messy after the Kyoto arc. Every time Hisoka senses how his words hurt Tsuzuki, how he covers them up with a smile that Hisoka can't bring himself to call Tsuzuki on, is painful and gorgeous because it was just so vividly them. Then you get the demon in the woods that they stumble over, contrasting the feelings of the demon (the need to posesses, to take the girl by force, over and over again) and it plays beautifully against Hisoka's own experiences and feelings without being overwhelming. It's so quiet you have to pick it up on your own and, god, I loved that.

I'm gushing about this story because every so often the Yami no Matsuei gets a talented writer who will tackle these characters with the patience and deft writing that they really demand and Gaudior is another one of them that needs to be put on the "must read" list. She does these characters justice and writes a story that's so clean, smooth, and beautifully told that I was just sucked right into the words and couldn't stop reading until I was done with the story. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are so three-dimensional here, never flat or parody-ish, instead I could so very easily see this dovetailing with the ending of the anime perfectly. I also mentioned the beautiful writing, yes? What also impressed me was that the case fic was interesting in its own right, the original character did exactly what she was supposed to do, reminding me a lot of Hijiri or Maria Wong, the demon being an interesting legend turned into something more frightening for the characters, and there were even action scenes! Not super-long battles, but the kind that showed up in Yami no Matsuei, further lending the feel that this could indeed have taken place right after the anime. Definitely a must-read fic, I'd put this up there with the best of the fandom. (Tsuzuki/Hisoka.)

- Yami no Matsuei - Surpassing by Guadior - [ part 01 - part 02 - part 03 - part 04 - part 05 ] - I was a little worried about Surpassing at first, since I so enjoyed the casefic of the story that comes before this and I'd hoped for more in the same line, but then I actually started to sit down and read this story, which wound up sucking me in just the same way the previous one did. The writing is lovely, the kind that you barely even notice the words, it tells such a vivid picture, which is coupled with painfully sharp insights into both Tsuzuki and Hisoka's characters. This is one of the best fics I've read that deals with the aftermath of Muraki's attack on Hisoka, the way it got across the way it hurt Hisoka and is something that affected him completely, his revulsion of anything to do with sex, the turmoil he felt at wanting that with Tsuzuki, trying to seperate out his own feelings/desires from those around him, trying to deal with being in love with Tsuzuki and how to handle that, all while juggling Tsuzuki's own reactions... all of it was tremendous. All of it was done in that gorgeous Yami no Matsuei sort of style, so that I didn't have to tilt my head and squint to picture the characters, they were just there in my head.

- Yami no Matsuei - The Incident with the Owl by Asidian - How could I have never read this fic before? I know I've read at least one of Asidian's stories, but I missed the one with the Tatari hints? SHAME on me! Which makes me glad I've been going back through old files again to find some of the Yamimatsu fics I'd never read or rec'd, because this fic was just so much fun. I have great, great love for stories that can do Watari's character justice, that can balance the mad scientiest, the cheerful friend, and the surprisingly intelligent person all wrapped up underneath all that blonde hair and this story was very nice for that. But it's also that it got a genuine sense of humor to the writing as they tried to figure out just what the hell was making everyone act so weird (When Watari figures it out and goes to test his theory on Tsuzuki and Hisoka? GENIUS. Especially the final line, I LOVED THAT.) and every time Tatsumi and Watari would have a conversation... I fluttered because it was the sparkling, non-cliche, charming dynamic that I'd fallen in love with. Plus, 003 being so cute and an ending that made me utterly squee and cute/funny Yamimatsu cast antics, how could you possibly go wrong with any of that? ♥ (Tatsumi/Watari, Tsuzuki/Hisoka.)

- Yami no Matsuei - Something like Chemistry by Chained Dove - HI. I WOULD LIKE MORE OF THIS ONE NOW, PLZ. RIGHT NOW. KTHXBAI. It seems like it's the first part of a longer story and the author seems talented enough to really do these characters justice--Watari's characterization is lovely, he's not just the spastic mad scientist slash sort of doctor character, there's an actual personality here. And Tatsumi isn't just a walking cliche either, nor is their dynamic; when Tatsumi is talking to Watari and is vaguely suspicious of him, I could have sparkled like mad because they were both so... themselves. There was a real depth and edge to the characters that I don't get nearly enough. Also? Watari randomly talking to 003, seeming to actually understand the hootings and chirps, but you're never really sure if 003 can actually communicate or if Watari is just a little off-kilter? LOVED THAT. That Watari was running the betting pool for when Tsuzuki and Hisoka would get together, won, and it didn't come off as painfully cliche, instead it was funny and I could actually believe it? LOVED THAT. Tatsumi noticing that everyone around him was going a little nuts, that Watari wasn't being as obnoxious as usual, trying to have a conversation with him and it goes the usual way a conversation with Watari does when he doesn't want to give anything away? LOVED THAT. So many elements of this story could have been cliche, but... somehow I wound up just adoring this and looking forward to more. ♥ (Tatsumi/Watari.)

- Yami no Matsuei - Tuesdays by Baka Neko - "I believe I've emphasized that he's rare, nearly extinct, doesn't have the sense God gave a lemming." Another story from this author that has a sense of weirdness to it (Yamimatsu AU with Hisoka as a vampire hunter? Should have been SO weird and awkward, instead ended in a really cool little AU that fit surprisingly well with the tone of the original series.), but with an internal consistency that makes it work. The writing is again lovely, which pulled me right into the story, but it was also Hisoka's characterization, the way the relationship with his family was thought about, the adorableness of Tsuzuki that was just so Tsuzuki, the fantastic conversation with Tatsumi, the delightful batshit insanity of Hakushaku-sama, and so on. Very worth the read. <3 (A liiiiittle Tsuzuki/Hisoka, but blink and you'll miss it.)

- Yami no Matsuei - Breaking Tradition by Serilda - And then they turned to see him hovering just inside the doorway, empty mug of tea in hand and not liking the looks they were giving him at all. Things tended to happen when the two of them teamed up. Things that put anything the combined forces of Watari and Tsuzuki were capable of to shame. *shrieks incoherently* OMG, I LOVED THIS. Watari. Wakaba. Cohorting together. Not in evil ways, which JUST MAKES IT THAT MUCH GREATER. Not that the story is about that, but, dear lord, I loved the hints of Watari and Wakaba interaction in this one. But also? I am in love with Serilda's Tatari fic--she was the one who turned me on to the pairing as more than a leftover pairing in the first place and I still am reduced to a puddle of fangirl mush by her writing to this day. This is one of those stories that I'd only trust a really good writer with--the concept of misdirection that you KNOW is misdirection, Watari being handed a bag for "what comes later, after dinner" and going, "Oh! I always forget about that!", because so, so often it feels painfully forced, but here? I bought it, right down to Tatsumi's, "....I see." reaction that I could just hear. What I loved is that not only did it get me to buy a scenario that I won't spoil (but will instead say that I found it screamingly hilarious <3<3<3), but it was also sparkling characterization for both Tatsumi and Watari. So sharply in focus on both characters and the way they interacted that I just... I flail with love. Adored this. (Tatsumi/Watari.)

- Gravitaton - Condomcapades by DC - Hee! I really enjoyed this fic; it's one of those stories with a rather simple premise (Shuuichi bugging Yuki to wear a condom in traditional Shuuichi style--which includes sparkly condoms and there is little chance that I wouldn't love a Gravi fic where Shuuichi tries to get Yuki to wear a sparkly condom XD) that just had such fun with the premise that it turned into something really entertaining to read. But it was also the banter between Yuki and Shuuichi that was so very them, Yuki being cranky, Shuuichi being cute, and a conversation about love children. I cracked up reading that because it could have been so painfully cliche, but the author was talented enough to make it work, it was such a Shuuichi thing to say. The whole fic was, really, and it hit that balance between too much fluff, too much cliched meanness, and that spark these two had. I enjoyed the hell out of this one, really good fic. <3 (Yuki/Shuuichi, maybe light R content.)

- Gravitation - The Natural Order by Celeste - Some people are meant to be in charge. Some people are too dumb to realize this. Oh, I suspect I will never get tired of Yuki/Shuuichi banter fics, where Yuki is irritable, but not mean, where Shuuichi is whiny, but not grating (to me), and you can just see Yuki caving to the Power That Is Shuuichi. Yuki grumping about the order of things, about who should be in charge was so very Yuki-like and the ending was PERFECT. Loved this. (Yuki/Shuuichi.)

- Gravitation - Do Not Mix With Bleach by TheNeme - I can't decide which was more fun with this fic--Hiro and Shuuichi's antics as they're worrying over Suguru (who inhaled a little too much of the bleach fumes after Shuuichi's disasterous attempt at cleaning up the previous night) or the crack-addled and surprisingly hysterical hallucinations Suguru was having. I still laugh at the randomness of his shoutings when you switch back to Hiro and Shuuichi's POV that actually work because you get to see the hallucinations that are causing them. Great little humor fic so far. <3 (No real pairings/warnings.)

- Bleach - Ulterior Motives - Appropriate Adjective - A Modicum of Understanding - One Step Closer - The Problem With Passion by Triste - Okay, forgive me for using this fic as a springboard for this particular mini-essay, but I'll try to write a long rec to make up for it. Ishida/Ichigo isn't really my thing with Bleach, I think Ishida is the gayest straightboy ever, I'm all over Ichigo/Orihime, blah, blah, blah. So, some part of me feels like I shouldn't like this pairing, despite that I have such insanely mad love for their dynamic and probably would have been 'shipping them like hell if not for Orihime. And yet. Ichigo and Ishida (along with Orhime) are my favorite characters and I've liked whatever I've read of Triste's fic and this one looked long, so how could I not read? Some part of me continues to feel weirdly guilty about it, but... on the heels of Celeste's crack fic (and the lack of Ichigo/Orihime out there), this was exactly the right thing at exactly the right time. Really well-written Bleach fic that just nails the series' sense of humor to the point that I had to stop several times to just sit there and laugh like I do with the series.

The characterizations really sparkle--the first chapter of Ichigo and Rukia's friendship? Gorgeous banter that is so finely in tune with the characters, I didn't even have to try to picture it, it all just pops right to mind. So much of their dialogue feels like it could have come straight out of the show itself and, god, both characters were done fantastically. The only thing I might quibble on is that the story almost made Ishida a little too cool, leaving out what a giant DORK the character is, at least for most of the story, it starts coming around later on. Especially in chapter five, which is brilliant. No, seriously. Brilliant. I about killed myself laughing 3/4ths of the way through the final chapter and just... just... just... that was such a Bleach thing to do. Not to mention the sex was very hot.

More than anything I recommend this fic for the little touches of it, all the little details of the jokes and poor Ichigo's frustration/embarassment/whatever, all of them that felt like they were straight out of the series itself. I recommend this story despite not having been much of a fan of the pairing beforehand because it was one of those that convinced me, one of those that got me to cave on the pairing, because it was just so damned perfect and I could believe it here, especially the end. Because the writing is fantastic and it's just... one of those fics I flail over, despite having been wary at the beginning. Go read. So funny and so Bleach-like. (Ishida/Ichigo, R-verging-on-NC-17 content in the last chapter.)

- Bleach - Stranglehold by Triste - *beats head against the desk* Dammit, I'm not supposed to like this pairing. But... but... after the five-part story previously, the Ishida/Ichigo pairing is kind of growing on me and since there was a PWP to help scratch the itch a little more... and what I like about Triste's fic here is that she doesn't ignore the antagonistic relationship between the two characters, instead uses it to build on, not cutting corners and turning it into schmoop once they get somewhere. I get the sense that it'll always be there, that they'll always be fighting each other, even when they're attracted. And this was a nice little PWP fic, it got across the intensity of their dynamic very well and was actually a really nicely done handjob, I thought. *__* (Ishida/Ichigo, R-rated content.)

- Prince of Tennis - Photographs by Kentra Shinataku - [ prologue - part 01 - part 02 - part 03 - part 04 - part 05 - part 06 - part 07 - part 08 ] - I'm going to give this one a cautious rec... or perhaps it would be more accurate to say a rec with a few caveats that... *flaps hands vaguely* okay. The thing is, I have very set views of the characters. It's fine to disagree with them, doesn't make you wrong, doesn't make me wrong, blah, blah, blah. But this is a personal recs site and all that. My two biggest problems here are 1) the little details and 2) Tezuka. Little things like Fuji not being a good student, that he failed a math test, etc., don't jive with the character I recogonized. It's not that it's a rule that first years can't play, it's up to the captain to decide that or not (hence why Tezuka chooses to let Ryoma play, it was the captain's decision). Hyoutei doesn't have dorms. Saeki's friendship with Yuuta as well as Fuji. Etc. Second, the longer the fic went on, the more Tezuka's characterization faintly itched at me that something wasn't quite right, that I wasn't feeling the character. A lot of it was the obvious favoritism to Fuji's character, so that he won the quiet word match Every. Single. Time. Fuji was constantly catching Tezuka off-guard, saying something to make him dumbfounded, shocked, confused, surprised, etc. every single time they interacted. Never the reverse, it was completely uneven. After awhile, it eroded at my ability to believe the story and the characterizations because Tezuka is not that easy. (Also? Blushing? My brain cannot cough the image up, for the life of me.) Of course, I have a hair trigger with Tezuka's characterization, so take that as you will. (Also? I very much needed to get that out of my system because the rest of the fic is so lovely.)

Now. I don't mean to imply that this was a badly written story--quite the opposite, actually. The writing is lovely and Fuji's characterization fairly sparkles. The details are very nicely woven in, the prose is gorgeous, everything blends together seamlessly, from Fuji's role in the tennis club, to the way he was actually there when Tezuka's left arm was hit by his sempai (I was really impressed with the way that fit together with the series, I could buy this answer for why we didn't see it on the screen and it worked) to his love of photography to Yuuta's story in the background to lovely scenes with Yumiko. (Oh, my god, did I ever love the scenes with Yumiko.) Fuji's friendship with Saeki and the light influence of Rokkaku that pops up every now and again is wonderfully done. Fuji and Eiji's friendship is very well-done here, the kind that really worked and you could see why they were friends. If it weren't for the weak characterization of Tezuka to favor Fuji's character, I suspect this story would be among my absolute favorites in the fandom. I mean, the author really takes her time with the characters and the relationship, really builds an interesting background for Fuji that shows the progression of him learning to fit into Seigaku, finding a niche for himself, building relationships/friendships with people. The relationship with Tezuka wasn't rushed, the pacing of the story was very good. *sheepish grin* Which is why I think I went a little nuts with the story, actually. ;;;;;;; And if you don't have my particular biases, you'll probably enjoy this story all across the board, the author is very talented and I suspect I shall now proceed to devour everything of hers. (Tezuka/Fuji, Saeki/Fuji.)

- Prince of Tennis - A Pleasant Excursion to the Health Foods Aisle (OR, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love K-Y Jelly) by Penguin - More delightful SanaYuki crack from Pengie! *twirls happily* She's one of those authors that can always make me drop everything and run to read her fic because she does anime-style humor so damned well, the kind that's not random and flat, but instead honestly funny. She's got a sense of humor that I think a lot of anime ficwriters would kill for--add to that the sparkly charm of her Sanada and Yukimura, that I can feel her affection for the pairing? Love. So much love. Plus! Best use of the calcium pill from 30_kisses EVER. Genius, even. ♥ (Sanada/Yukimura.)

- Fruits Basket - Sickness and Health by Celeste - Have I ever mentioned my love of Hatori/Shigure? I probably have, but that's never stopped me from going on about it before. ^_~ Especially when it's done with such a quiet touch, yet still has that punch of signifigance/poignancy behind it, when it touches my little fangirl heart that Shigure looks over at Hatori and is happy that Ha-san does care, when it's obvious that Hatori is concerned about Shigure, even when he knows the idiot is annoying most of the time. It's the way that Hatori is such a surprisingly gentle doctor and you get to see that so clearly here that makes me want to melt into a puddle. It's the way Shigure knows and cares about Hatori in return, but never has to say that I just... eeeee, gentle Hatori/Shigure fic! LUFF! (Light, could-almost-be-gen Hatori/Shigure.)

- Cowboy Bebop - Seguedille et Duo by Sabine - Going through 30 Kisses again this morning, happened to stumble over this one and really kinda liked it. I liked it because it was a very nice kiss, because it had that fun Spike/Faye dynamic, but didn't give them too much of a connection, especially placed early on in the series like this. It didn't feel forced here and I laughed like hell at the ending because that was such the Spike thing to do. XD (Spike/Faye.)

- Peace Maker - Onnagata by Karabana - I'm not sure what posessed me to read PM fic today, other than I happened to stumble across a link to a short-ish story and I thought, eh, what the hell, might as well at least skim it rather than chucking it into the already-hy00j backlog I have. I was pleasantly surprised to find writing that was actually really lovely, that captured Souji's personality, attitude, and relationship with Hijikata just beautifully well. It's mostly a fluffy story (with bits of angst here and there, much like the lighter moments of the series itself), but it's... it's the way Souji talks to Hijikata, half an innocent pout or coy look, half far more world-weary than anyone his age should be. It's the way there's an intimacy between the two lovers that never really has to be remarked on to feel it, especially when they're alone and Souji is getting dressed. It's the lovely, lovely prose and just... *flails* it felt like Hijikata and Souji! More than just being well-written it felt like THEM. I love. (Hijikata/Souji.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Six Impossible Things by Baka Neko - "Alice laughed"There's no use trying" she said; "one can't believe impossible things."

"I daresay you haven't had much practice" said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Alice in Wonderland.

This is one of those stories that, if you'd told me the premise ahead of time, I would have looked at you a little strangely and probably passed the fic by. Hence, I'm going to attempt not to say anything specific about it, other than to say that it's the kind of story that could have been flat and unfunny with a lot of authors, but here I wound up giggling the entire way through. Actually, the third one got me to completely crack up, it hit me just right. Oh, and six? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *continues to sporfle madly* (No warnings/pairings.)

- Full Metal Alchemist - Janet by Baka Neko - Like the author's other fic (Six Impossible Things), there's a sense of weirdness to the fic, almost random in a lot of ways, but with an internal consistency here that makes it work. Meaning that I get the sense that the author knows what she's doing with the story, even if I don't fully understand what exactly happened to Al, why he's in the park, how he was human, what happened with Winry, etc. But the writing is absolutely lovely, I get a sense of something like an old fairytale off the prose, the imagery and symbolism is also very lovely, and Winry is a delight to read about in this fic. As I said, it's weird, but in such a way that's actually kinda neat. Oh and I thought the surrounding characters that had a hold on Al were REALLY neatly done. (Some Al/Winry.)

- Gundam Wing - Technicality by Jan - Every so often, there are these stories that just get to me, because they're exactly the kind of thing I wanted/needed for a pair--more than just reaffirming a connection between one alive/one dead character, it's done in such a way that fits together with the canon and give me a little bit of hope in my fangirl heart. Which is a vague way of saying that more than just the gorgeous writing and fantastic characterization (Oh, the OZ characters so rarely get this kind of sharp, clear writing that actually does them justice. I can't decide which one I love more, both so human and three-dimensional even in such a short fic, yet still so... amazing and depthful. ....SHUT UP, I LIKE THESE TWO SO I'M GOING TO BABBLE.) and the intensely hot blowjob, it made me happy by the end, without being in a denial sort of way. Which is something I really love--to incorporate the canon as it is, but still have an ending that eases the hurt of it. Blah, blah, blah, Barbie Shipper fangirl squealing about her beloved pairing, blah, blah, blah, just go read, Jan's fic is way better than this rec anyway, which you should know by now. (Treize/Zechs, NC-17 content.)

- Weiss Kreuz - Whiplash by Talya Firedancer - Mmm, Crawford and Schuldich like I like them, more than just a touch of insanity, cruelty, and dangerous, lethal attitudes, but something so charismatic and attractive in there, too. Sex that's not nice or pretty, but it's good, too, so very good and in tune with these characters, this harsh sex in Paris after a kill. Okay, I lie about the pretty, it's so very pretty, but not shoujo pretty, not kind sex, but not cruel sex, either. It's... well, what Schwarz should be. Intense, hot, and a very good fuck. >D ....okay, see, that was a terrible rec, very nearly pretentious or just bad, but people should go read the fantastic Crawford/Schuldich sex anyway. (Crawford/Schuldich, NC-17.)

- XXXholic - Playa Escondida by Kirisame - "Looks pretty," she spoke, looking at the sand castle, when the effect was fading. "But you know it's not going to last so long." The writing of this story is rough, it could have used a good, solid native English beta, but the basic foundation of the story is excellent, the relationship between Clow and Yuuko is terrific and the banter/chemistry fairly sparkles. It has all the right little touches--drinking, Keroberos and the Mokona playing at the beach, drinking, building sandcastles, drinking, Yue being embarassed, drinking...--that it felt right for these characters. I was terribly amused. <3 (Hints Clow/Yuuko, but could be gen, too.)

- XXXholic - The Things Kids Do by Laurus Nobilis - *bounces* Eeee! More Clow/Yuuko fic! With hysterical dialogue! It's one of those stories that is dialogue-only but still manges to get tone and background happenings across just fine, you get the whole picture, despite only knowing the words of what they're saying. Plus, the dialogue is genuinely clever and has that fantastic spark these two have when they start teasing each other. I love the ending. ♥ (Hints of Clow/Yuuko--SHUT UP YES THEY ARE TOO THERE--but could be gen, too.)

- XXXholic - Severus Snape And The Quest For The Bishounen's Eye by Laurus Nobilis - Heeheehee! Snape being forced to seek Yuuko out for a rare ingredient for a potion he needs to brew quickly and then has to deal with her while making the transaction. The HP parts of the story are adorable, but it's the brilliant characterization of Yuuko here that makes me cackle in delight over this story. Beautiful. <3 (No warnings/pairings.)

- Koko wa Greenwood - What is Family? (part 08) by Serilda - I love Koko wa Greenwood and this has always been one of my favorite stories (I even reread the entire thing this afternoon because I wanted it fresh in my mind for when I read the latest) and Serilda continues the story fabulously. Everything I've said about it before still applies--I adore the Shun POV, it gives so much insight into the character, truly makes him even more likable and it's a delight to read the entire story (minus the interlude, of course) from his perspective. His friendship with Suka-chan is perfectly done and the tone/style of the series is just so damned Greenwood that I can picture the whole thing and it does justice to this fabulous series. It was especially wonderful to watch Shun get mad at Suka-chan for putting himself down here, because he dealt with it in such a Shun-like way, right down to Mitsuru and Shinobu being evil to them about it. So, so much love for this story that really could have slipped right in between the pages of canon, that touches on that sense of heart that the series had, that isn't just about one facet, you get a sense of... it's got a plot that deals with everyone. I wait frantically for the next part. <3 (Some Shinobu/Mitsuru in the background, but it's not present in this chapter and not really the focus.)

Comments

[harukami]

Mmm, fic to read. :D

Can I rec something back at you? A Game for Two by thehoyden. She's written several HnG fics and this is the only one I read 'cause I haven't SEEN HnG, but it was V-day and I felt like reading, and ...wow. Again, dunno the characters, dunno the plot, but this had a lovely pace and reading style and just, eee. Also, she sounds like she knows what she's talking about with Go, and that helps. And I just read it and thought, "Hey, Becky likes HnG, doesn't she? I think she'd like this!" (Could be wrong, mind -- our tastes don't always match. But, you know.) (It's Shindou/Touya and PG, btw.)

Yeah. XD Done now. XD

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

*glomps and sparkles* Eeee! Thank you for the fic rec! I always appreciate when you toss a fic my way, because you usually find authors that I haven't had time to unearth for myself and I know to put a mental note by their name to read the fic when I get a chance. And I find that the fics that read well to people who don't know the fandom can often times be some of the best because they're interesting stories on their own, rather than just relying on the pairing to get the fans to like the fic. ....which made sense in MY head, dammit.

And, yeah, I like Akira and Hikaru a lot--they get so much fic for them that it's hard to wade through it all, so I appreciate the rec. *smooches and luffs and skips off to read* ♥

[harukami]

[hugs] Glad to share! :D I recommend all of Hoyden's work -- she's fantastical, really, and I *think* she's written for a number of your fandoms.

[grins] And it makes sense to me!

Technically, I don't think that fic is a Valentine's Day fic, but it's got the SPIRIT of one. (Weirdly, it was, iirc, the only fic on my friendslist on V-day that day. o.o Could be misremembering, but... yeah. I wrote a few Vday fics myself and posted them but am behind on the number I wanted to do -- I have at least two more Vday fics I want to write and will just have to be late on, curse my schoolwork! -- so it's possible other people were just ded of schoolwork too, I imagine. XD)

[startredder.livejournal.com]

. . . You -wanted- Valentine's Dad fic?

[startredder.livejournal.com]

. . . Oh, god, dumbest typo ever. I'm, uh, just going to go back to lying down.

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did want Valentine's Day fic! Not NEARLY enough smoochies in fandom, it's all pining fic or angsty "I love him, why doesn't he love meeeee?" fic and I WANTED MY SCHMOOPY FIC.

Awww. I'm sure you could make much more embarassing typos if you really put your mind to it. You could have said, "You -wanted- more Valentine's Hay fic?" Or "You -wanted- more Valentine's Lay fic?"

[littledust.livejournal.com]

*triumph* I wrote V-Day fic! This means I get candy.

WHERE IS MY CANDY? *taps foot*

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

YOU WROTE V-DAY FIC! IT IS OFFICIALLY MY FAVORITE V-DAY FIC THIS YEAR! *squees madly*

*dumps tons of suckers and lollipops and other phallic-shaped candy on you* .... *considers for a moment, then tosses in a few conversation hearts just 'cause*

[ii-hanashi.livejournal.com]

*squeals* Have I told you how much I adore you this week? I don't think I have. Gah, Severus Snape and Yuuko in one place... I'd love to see more people play around with HP/Holic-verse. When it's done well, it's be fabulous. I always seem to forget that Clow's magic has its roots in two traditions.

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Pft. Please. Like I don't adore you right back every week? ♥ I know! CLAMP and Harry Potter just... the idea does not come together well in my head, but then someone'll go and write it and I'll be astounded because it's a brilliant crossover.

I'm always wary of those "Sakura goes to Hogwarts!" because they're so often... errr, not good, but Snape and Yuuko banter? GENIUS. Hell, I'd love to see Yuuko in Hogwarts, I'd LOVE to see Yuuko and Dumbledore having tea together while she liberally spikes hers with alcohol and he quietly looks on.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

... bishounen's eye *ROFL* So THAT's why so many bishies are one eyed . XDDDD

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Heeheehee, I loved that fic because YOU KNOW YUUKO WOULD HAVE ONE. I'm half-convinced that SHE was the one that gave Fuuma the container to store Seishirou's eye. Or that SHE was the one to somehow go get it.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Well, she would certainly be friend with Fuuma. They're in the same biz after all. And she would appreciate his fashion sense.

However, if she had something as messy as retrieving an eye out of a corpse to do, I'm pretty sure Yuuko would find a way to make /someone else/ do it.

Heh, that reminds me, I don't even remember seeing you reccing Leareth's fic with Fuuma getting Seishirou's eye... or was it because it was friend only ? I think it might have been.

[chaineddove.livejournal.com]

Hooray, I feel honored! Yes, as a matter of fact, tehre will be more Something like Chemistry really soon, like in the next few days! I'm proud that it got recced here!!!!

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

*___* GIVE IT SOON, PLZ. Ahem. I mean. I'm glad to hear that there's more coming soon and thank you for the compliment (that it's a good thing to get rec'd here *g*) and-- ....*gives in to true nature again* GIVE IT SOON, PLZ. GIVE IT SOON, PLZ. GIVE IT SOON, PLZ.

Ahem.

[ukefied.livejournal.com]

BLEACH!!!!! *devours* <333

[sad-girl-7.livejournal.com]

Treize/Zechs...........wow.............w.....t.....f......did that happen in a fanfic........were r the Duo/Heero ones -_-;;; i loves those kinds on fanfics

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Aww, but I like Treize/Zechs! *grin* I like Heero/Duo as well, but... a lot of the fic in the fandom just doesn't quite click with me. That and I'm all distracted by shiny things elsewhere, so I don't get to read as much GundamW as I'd like. But I'd read just about anything Jan wrote 'cause he writes some of the BEST fic. *___*

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

JOIN ME IN FALLING FOR THE ISHIDA/ICHIGO PAIRING, WON'T YOU? (NOW, IF SOMEONE WOULD JUST TOSS ORIHIME INTO THE MIX AND MAKE A THREESOME, THAT WOULD BREAK MY BRAIN BE NICE, KTHX.)

[ukefied.livejournal.com]

I HAVE FALLEN SO HARD. BRING ON THE THREESOME!!!!

It was so great! So... BLEACH. "You, not you, you, not you." THE GLINTING GLASSES OF DOOM. *cackle*

And now, as is my wont, I have the urge to reverse the pairing, and see how Ishida likes bending over and taking it like a man having the tables turned.

I enjoy the Bleach anime (ISHIDA! ANIMATED! YOU KNOW YOU WANT IT.) but, eh, while it's gotten better, I don't feel attached to Orihime at all, like I did when I read the manga.

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

....what scares me? I think I would kind of like that threesome. Ichigo, Ishida, and Orihime! It'd be brilliant! Ichigo would NEVER BE SANE AGAIN.

Yes! That's what won me over! That it was just so... BLEACH. Especially the ending--Ichigo's power flowing into Ishida? The huge, giant bow that he COULDN'T STOP IT? The Hollow being attracted to the intensified spiritual energy WHILE THEY'RE HAVING SEX? Having to kill it mid-lay? *cackles* So brilliant.

Hmm, I have fanart of Ichigo/Ishida lying around somewhere, I think? I'm not sure if they're still up on the site I snagged them from (Dog Eat Dog, I think?), last time I looked, I couldn't find them, but I could shove 'em up on yousendit.com if you wanted them?

I'm still wary of the Bleach anime after the horrible start they got off on, because I'm still pissed about what they did to Orihime's story. I loved that story and they totally ripped the heart out of it. >E But... so, so tempted to go back for ANIMATED ISHIDA SEWING. And Renji and Byakuya have shown up, haven't they? Which means the Soul Society arc isn't far off and I LOVE THE BEGINNING OF THAT ONE. *wants to see Ishida's new costume in animation*

[ukefied.livejournal.com]

"Lacy things!" XD XD XD And OMG the "adoption" of Ishida into the Kurosaki family! "Come to Daddy's welcoming bosom!" *DIES*

PLEASE yousendit to me? *__* When/if you have time. (BTW, I have received Peace Maker! <33 And your DVDs are on their way. IF YOU DON'T FANGIRL THE MUSICALS WITH ME I WILL CRY. :)

You're right to be wary, but it helps if you're in it purely for the animation and the seiyuu~ AND ALSO ISHIDA SEWING. <3333333 And his BOW! GLOWING BOW! ANIMATED! GLINTING GLASSES OF DOOOOOOM.

And yes! Renji and Byakuya have made their entrance. As of 18 Ichigo is preparing to head to Soul Society. ^_^

[tristefic.livejournal.com]

Okay, excuse me while I go and stick my head in a sink full of freezing cold water, otherwise, I'll blush myself to death.

First of all, I'm dense. Someone had to *tell* me I'd been recc'd, and when I heard that, my first response was, "Huh?" My second response was, "Why?" XD

Still, I'm glad that you enjoyed the fics, and I'm honoured that you think so highly of them! I ought to warn you that the Ishida/Ichigo pairing has an evil, evil way of taking over your brain and never letting you have it back. In short, it's an obsession. It made me sign up for 30_kisses. It made me build a shrine. In short, it's taken over my bloody *life*! So yeah, just be careful, okay? ^_~

Again, thank you very much for the recs. I really am chuffed to bits! I'm also terribly impressed by the fact that you have such a large site just full of recs for anime/art/fic/whatever. It's lucky I have the next two days off work, otherwise I'd never be able to look through them all. So many series. So many recs! You do a *wonderful* job with this, I swear. You really are an awesome person who deserves lots of chocolate and pr0n and other random fangirly things! ♥♥♥

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Oh, pft. It's not like I run around telling people that I've rec'd them, I've always figured if I'm doing a good job, eventually people will find me and figure out if this is useful for them or not. (Plus, I always feel so egotistical when I even think of saying, "Hey! I rec'd your fic over here, YOU SHOULD OBVIOUSLY BOW DOWN TO ME FOR THIS GREAT FAVOR I HAVE BESTOWED ON YOU.")

And hopefully you didn't take the "But I'm not supposed to like Ishida/Ichigo!" as a backhanded compliment, because it wasn't, really. I'd seen just enough j-fanart to be curious, but still able to squish it down, I wasn't expecting someone to write honestly good and funny as hell fic for them, which got me to cave. I feel like I should at least have one JUMP series where I'm not all about the gay, but... but... but... when you go and write it in such a way that I could see it, I couldn't help caving. Because I really do love their interaction to tiny, tiny little pieces. (And, god, your ICON. I could stare at it for hours.)

*bounces* You signed up for 30_kisses with them? Eeeee! I'm all a-sparkle to hear that, I was a little wary that you'd just write the one series of connected fics and then LEAVE ME HANGING OUT TO DRY WITH THIS SHINY NEW OBSESSION AND NO WAY TO GET A REGULAR FIX. Ahem. I mean. Er. Yes. Moving along.

*blushes* Thank you for the compliments, much as I don't do any of this for the praise (more that I do it for my own sense of creativity and wanting to give a bit more exposure to stories/art that I really liked, to encourage more of them), it's always really lovely when someone has finds the site and has fun with it. (Except. Err. I always feel a little guilty that it's gotten to be so unweildly for new people, because there are pages and pages of recs that might as well be as unsortable as FFNET. ~___~)

[tristefic.livejournal.com]

Plus, I always feel so egotistical when I even think of saying, "Hey! I rec'd your fic over here, YOU SHOULD OBVIOUSLY BOW DOWN TO ME FOR THIS GREAT FAVOR I HAVE BESTOWED ON YOU."

Wow, that's refreshing. It's one of the reasons why I've always been wary of rec sites, to be honest, because it always seemed so... I dunno... cliquey? I'll admit that I don't really socialise online with many people, and I don't often approach other authors, unless I really happened to be blown away by their work. Some writers can get a little snobby sometimes, and when you send them feedback, it's a little disheartening when you get responses along the lines of 'well, of course I'm brilliant. Now go away and stop bothering me, puny mortal.'

And then sometimes, you'll get the opposite of that, when you squee over someone's fic, and they end up squeeing right back, and it's one huge, happy squee-fest... but it's really kind of rare.

What I'm trying to say is that you're like one of the squee-some people. You're so friendly and approachable and you're not in the least bit snobbish. I don't know, maybe I'm just so used to seeing pompous, pretentious people, but it's a real breath of fresh air to meet someone who *doesn't* write a whole thesis for just one recommendation. You're so sparkly and enthusiastic and just plain *fun* about what you read and watch that you just can't help drawing in other people to fangirl right alongside you. You should be proud of that. ^_~

And hopefully you didn't take the "But I'm not supposed to like Ishida/Ichigo!" as a backhanded compliment, because it wasn't, really.

Oh no, I knew what you meant by that. It took me a while to get really interested in Bleach for some reason, and I never really have much thought to the idea of pairing *anybody* up in the beginning, but then one day, everything changed. First it was just the Ishida/Ichigo hints, but then I started seeing gayness everywhere. It helps that Ichigo is your typical main character where everyone wants to get into his pants get to know him better, so you could pair him up with anyone and it'd seem plausible.

I did like some of the het pairings when I first got into the fandom, but when I saw how... *rabid* the western fans can be over their het, I decided to retreat and stick to my own happy little world of yaoi and yuri. It's less frightening there. XD

*bounces* You signed up for 30_kisses with them?

Yup! I've gotten four little mini-fics written already, but I won't be posting them anywhere until I get 'official confirmation' by the moderator. I don't *think* anybody else requested Ishida/Ichigo, but I'll wait and make sure, just in case. #^__^#

I was a little wary that you'd just write the one series of connected fics and then LEAVE ME HANGING OUT TO DRY WITH THIS SHINY NEW OBSESSION AND NO WAY TO GET A REGULAR FIX.

::looks very small:: Um... I take it that you'd like more stories? Still, you don't have anything to worry about there. Like I said, I'll be doing the 30_kisses thing, plus I have a list of requests for Bleach fic that's about as long as my *arm*, so expect to be bombarded by fic very, very soon. XD

Oh, and feel free to friend my personal journal @ laliho, by the way. I posted a bunch of Ishida/Ichigo fanart recs recently, and I also have a small stash of doujinshi to share. I'm in the middle of scanning one Ishida/Ichigo book right now, so I'll probably put that up on Friday or Saturday. Would do it sooner, only it's a long doujinshi and I really hate scanning... ^^;;

I think I mentioned before that I'm working on an Ishida/Ichigo shrine, so here, have a link!

Join the Dork Side. (http://funbari-onsen.co.uk/dork/)

There's nothing up there at the moment, but I will have various stuff, such as fic, art, scans, etc, etc, so yes... join the dork side! You know you want to! ^_~

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the lateness of this response, I tend to be terrible about replying--though, at least I'm better at it than I am at responding to e-mail. >____>a

Wow, that's refreshing. It's one of the reasons why I've always been wary of rec sites, to be honest, because it always seemed so... I dunno... cliquey?

Okay, now MY head isn't going to fit through the door and I suspect I'm going to be this embarassing shade of red for the rest of the evening. But thank you! It means a lot to hear that because it's something I try hard to do--I've been a lot of of rec sites or read posts by a lot of authors, and they're people who seem really intelligent and cool, but... they can be so intimidating to someone like me, someone who worries that she's not going to be smart enough or "cool" enough to have a rewarding conversation.

So, I tend to stick to my little corner here, where I can be as much of a silly fangirl as I want to be and it's okay to be that way. It's okay to be sparkly and enthusiastic about the things you like, that there's no harm in squeeing incoherently. Sometimes I get the impression from fandom that a lot of people think fangirls should be ashamed of the squee or that they should try to be somehow "above" being a silly, dorky fangirl. I'd much rather more people embraced a whole-hearted sort of enthusiasm for things and stop trying so hard to be distantly cool. (Not that I don't still admire people who can pull that off, mind. There are some days I'd consider paying good money to be one of those fans who has a dry wit and doesn't trip all over herself every time she tries to pounce on an author. ^_~)

But. Uh. I'm digressing. Actually, I find it's more fans that fall into this catagory than the authors themselves. (Perhaps I've been lucky in that most of the authors I've sought out have been really nice, once I get past the initial OMG WHY WOULD SHE WANT TO TALK TO ME I'M NOT THAT COOL! :O! feeling. *g*) I blame fandom_wank and the attitude cultivated there. Because everything is eventually f_w's fault. */tongue in cheek*

I did like some of the het pairings when I first got into the fandom, but when I saw how... *rabid* the western fans can be over their het

I always feel so guilty and/or like I'm missing out that I don't like Ichigo/Rukia, because they get the lion's share of the fic writers or artists and so many of them are REALLY COOL PEOPLE. How much would I love to read tin's fic and be able to squee along with everyone else? Loads and loads. (I'm lucky that most of the Ichigo/Rukia people on my flist are some of the COOLEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD, though, so I can't bring myself to hate or really even resent their side of the fandom. They've been lovely about their pairing and, if anything, it makes me cast second glances their way, because I'd love to go play with them. And, woe, what I wouldn't give to be able to flip a switch and suddenly like the idea of Ishida/Orihime.) And yet... there are some het fans in the fandom that can be a little scary about the pairing and it does make me wary of them.

[cont.]

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

[cont. Rrrr, just ~300 characters over! >__< ]

While I'm glad to see that a fandom doesn't always go for the yaoi (because I get a little frustrated with fandoms that automatically seek out the yaoi over perfectly good het pairings simply because they're looking for yaoi, rather than coming into a series with no biases), it could stand to loosen up a little. And write more yuri. Because Tatsuki/Chizuru would be the BEST THING EVER.

And Ishida/Ichigo... I mean, part of it is, of course, that they have that sort of dynamic that I love. The kind where there's real antagonism there, but put them in a situation where they need to fight together? They make an awesome team. I love that. (In a lot of ways, they remind me of Zoro/Sanji from One Piece and god knows how in love with that pairing I am.) Because, with yaoi, I definitely tend to be attracted to those, "I like you, but if you drive me crazy one more time, I WILL KILL YOU IN YOUR SLEEP, BASTARD." pairings.

Oh! And would you mind if I friended with this journal instead? It's my regular journal, rather than tomomichi here, which is just used for recs. (Ignore that I sometimes comment with it, I'm often too lazy to log out and I figure most people know tomomichi = ninjatrauma by now. XD) I'd love to fall further into this pairing, so art recs or more fic or doujinshi or just discussion would be wooooonderful. *shimmers* <3<3<3

[tristefic.livejournal.com]

Gah, I owe you a biiig looong response, I know, but sadly, I'm at work and my supervisor is hovering around, so I'll have to make this short.

Will friend you with my regular journal @ laliho when I get back home. You shouldn't have to check too far back to see the fanart links that I posted recently, and I did put up doujinshi for download yesterday, so you can always take a look at that.

Um... will probably be posting some of my stuff for 30_kisses, too, at some point. They've been sitting on my hard drive for a couple of weeks now, but they can go to my fic journal at least.

And fangirling over the wonders of Ishida/Ichigo is *always* good. XD XD XD

Speak to you soon! ♥

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Pft. Don't worry about it! I more than understand and, hell, you left a comment to explain it, that's far more than my lazy ass usually does. *wry*

I've friended you as well and OMG you've got some fantastic fanart links that I'd never seen before, THANK YOU! True, it's been awhile since I'd last poked through the Bleach fanart sites, but I at least thought I'd seen the main Ishida/Ichigo art sites, yet you had way more than I'd seen before.

And, of course, I highly encourage the posting of whatever you've been working on even if I can be patient about it. No, really. I can totally be patient. Honest. ^_~

♥

[tristefic.livejournal.com]

True, it's been awhile since I'd last poked through the Bleach fanart sites, but I at least thought I'd seen the main Ishida/Ichigo art sites, yet you had way more than I'd seen before.

Oh, I only posted a small selection of Ishida/Ichigo links. There are *tons* of fanart sites out there for the pairing, and I didn't want to list them all. The western fans don't much care for Ishida/Ichigo, but it's really popular with the Japanese fans. It was kind of a relief to see them all when I first got into the fandom, actually. I was all, "Where's the Ishida/Ichigo love?" and I thought that I was a freak for liking the pairing, but after Ishida's introduction on the anime, the yaoi fans seemed to crawl out of the woodwork. XD

Actually, I'll be posting a bunch more fanart links in my personal LJ soon. I'm trying to get a variety, though, seeing as most of the stuff I look at tends to be Ichigo-centric. ::cough::

But yeah, I'll be editing and posting my stuff for 30_kisses later on this week. What's with that community, anyway? There are so many members, but it's so frighteningly quiet! I expected it to be a lot more active, but we'll see, I suppose...

[trixie-chick.livejournal.com]

*runs around in circles, grinning* you recc'd photographs!!! yay!!! thank you!!!!

*glee*

ok, that may seem like an odd thing to say, but... i think Kentra is wildly underappreciated, and i know a lot of people read your recs. also, you tend to write up your recs so people can get a feel for the story and decide for themselves if they will like it, so it's very cool. *squees*

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

I admit, I was wary about clicking onto a new author's work at first because... to be honest, there are a lot of Tenipuri authors out there who aren't bad, but who don't have a certain something that I'm really looking for, that have truly good writing. Which is why I was so pleasantly surprised here, as her writing is GOOD. Fantastic use of language, great pacing, truly clever lines, all the stuff that makes me turn green with envy over someone's ability to write. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten more attention, really. (Of course, the fandom does seem to be getting difficult to navigate through these days--SO many authors, not enough time, and it's hard to weed out the good from the mediocre.)

Granted, I had my issues and got up on the soapbox about them (*covers face with hands*), but I hope that doesn't stop anyone from reading the stories and making up their own minds, since they certainly got me to keep reading, if nothing else. If I'd thought they were bad, I would have just set the fic down and not come back.

(....which sounds so egotistical, but. Well. Forgive me for this. I'm going to ramble a bit. Thank you for the comments, because that means a lot to me, that it comes across that I'm trying to both give people a feel for the story and get people to make up their own minds--along with hopefully not spoiling too much of any given fic--because I think that's something important in rec'ing fics. I mean, my recs are for things that I enjoyed, this is all about my personal taste, I'm not some fandom dictate of This Is Good or This Is Not Good, it's just me and what I liked. Yet, I also want to get across that these stories I liked are for a reason, that I honestly think they're good and that more people should read them. I'm not a reviews person, but I want to be fair about how I felt about a fic. It's an interesting balance to make sometimes and I'm just glad that I haven't royaly effed it up so far. ^_~)

[trixie-chick.livejournal.com]

i'm rather bitchy particular about PoT fic, fuji/tezzie in particular, so i know what you mean. ^_~ and fandom love does not correlate at all to quality of writing, sadly, which was why i was so thrilled to see this rec, even with your misgivings. ^_^

((and no ego at all, yanno? some rec sites are kinda useless, because the reccer just squees about how much they love this fic, or they don't give any info at all. i like the ones that allow me to decide if it sounds like i'd like a fic, too. cuz, yeah, it's all personal preference, really. ^_^ ))

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Tell me about it. In some ways, I have incredibly low standards when it comes to TezuFuji. But, in other ways, I'm hyper-particular about the characters and how they're portrayed. It doesn't help that I want long stories and rarely read short ones, but most of the time, if the writing doesn't grab me in about half a page of dialogue, I figure the length is too much for my energy level and give up.

Thus, not a lot of fic gets read and I bitch and moan about the lack of quality TezuFuji in the fandom. e__e

[nil-from-hell.livejournal.com]

Oh. Wow. Squee. *____* Am trying to get over the shock that you recc'd Photographs!! Thank you very much! ^_____^


The last thing... there are actually nine parts to the fic (well, ten including the prologue). Part nine is here. (http://www.livejournal.com/users/shinataku02/309058.html#cutid1) ^^;

Once again, obviously not telling you to change your mind, and obviously NOT complaining about being recc'd, because... wow. I'm so excited! ^__^ Thank you so much!

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

*waves hands* I really hope I didn't come across as too critical or that I wouldn't welcome discussion over the fic--admittedly, most times I'm usually too busy or too tired or just don't have the energy for something I don't know is worth the effort, but this one really caught my interest, because your writing is absolutely lovely and there's so much I really loved about it. I debated over this rec for a long time because I think there's a lot more positive things to say about this story/your writing than there were quibbles I had and yet it came out somewhere closer to middle ground between negative and positive. I just... *flaps hands vaguely* once I get started on certain subjects sometimes....

I'm glad to hear all of your comments, actually, because they're what I wanted to hear about the fic (like Fuji failing his math test on purpose--I can believe that he would do that, especially if he feels no motive to pass, I just got the impression that Fuji came off as one of those students who... could have done really well if they'd applied themselves because they were smart rather than that Fuji is a genius who probably barely has to try to do well, if that difference makes any sense? And I want to say the manga implied that Saeki and Yuuta had their own friendship, hence the comment about that?), especially that you like Tezuka as much as you do Fuji. It's not that everyone has to like the character, mind, just that it does come as a little bit of a surprise, since it did feel like Fuji was constantly winning to me.

Granted, the story is from Fuji's perspective, which makes it a little more difficult to accurately gauge his reactions, but I never got too much of a sense of Tezuka catching him off-guard in return. I never really felt too much of Fuji's surprise at anything Tezuka did or said in return. Also, I grant that for much of the story, Tezuka isn't returning Fuji's interest in the same way, so there's no drive for him to push Fuji's buttons in return, as Tezuka isn't the same as Fuji, he doesn't like to catch people off guard the same way, he has his focus on other things for much of the story. I guess it's that Tezuka does fascinate Fuji and makes him wonder and gets reactions out of him that Fuji doesn't get with other people, which I liked a lot, but it was the word battles, that Fuji always seemed to be the one invading his personal space with a world-tilting comment or brush of fingers that left him off-kilter and it never seemed to be the reverse, which I have trouble thinking Tezuka couldn't start to do just as well in return.

And I don't mean to come across as overly critical, especially since I'm very aware of my biases in this matter *wry grin*, because your writing is genuinely lovely and honestly clever. Each individual moment between the characters in the story I loved with a happy fangirl passion because you got the depth and intelligence and sharpness of the characters down so well. Especially in a fandom that doesn't have nearly enough writers who can do the characters well. I really want to see more from you, I think you've got one of the best Fujis I've seen, and I just.... Hi. Obnoxious Tezuka fangirl over here, take with a grain of salt and adjust accordingly kthx. >___>a

*facepalm* And I could have sworn I'd gotten part nine in there, sorry about that! *will fix* And, really, don't let anything I say get to you too much, I'm an old, bitter, cranky fangirl set in her ways and shouldn't be taken too seriously. *wry grin* (Also, thank you for the lovely response, you were darling and sweet here, I couldn't ask for a better reaction from an author. ♥)

[nil-from-hell.livejournal.com]

Ah, no, not too critical! As a matter of fact, I completely understand, because, like you, I have extremely specific views on Tezuka, Fuji, and their relationship with each other. [snob] Actually, I don't read any Tezuka/Fuji fan fiction, because [/snob].

I'm flattered you enjoyed it, though, and that you like my writing! It's not often I get feedback, and I've never had anything recc'd by anyone, so this is just flattering to me. Wow ^_^.

Yes, yes, I know exactly what you mean about Fuji. I thought I'd made it obvious it was an intentional failure, but perhaps I didn't-- admittedly, I didn't spend much time on this fic, giving it what it should, and I was so rushed with it that I'm not sure what details I included and which slipped on by me (I wrote this for NaNoWriMo, so my time was limited ^_~).

Also, I haven't read the manga past volume three, translated into English, so my perception of Saeki is based entirely from the anime.

Tezuka and Fuji... you get me started talking on the two of them, and I'll never stop. My love for them is basically equal, but it is true that I love Fuji a fraction more. Even more, though, I just plain love the two of them together, and their perfect love for each other. There is a game about their relationship involving so much winning and losing-- and while Tezuka is the only one who Fuji will let win at tennis, Fuji always "wins" with Tezuka. Fuji likes to play, after all ^__^. So, that is why Fuji is "constantly winning", I suppose. It's just who he is, to me. *Shrugs* ^_~.

I can't give specific examples or anything, not that you'd even really want them, but I think, maybe, that the way I write Fuji, that it's necessary to look more at Fuji's actions than his thoughts. Say, if Tezuka has surprised him, has caught him off-guard, Fuji will even show it in a different manner than most. He is, after all, a genius. I know that many times in my fics, my intentions are misinterpreted, so even when something seems obvious to me, it's a mystery to everyone else. Fear not, though, because Fuji does loose to Tezuka ^_^;. Fuji gets a thrill from making those sensative comments to Tezuka, the ones that throw him off balance, and Tezuka, being mopre serious, more focused, doesn't find those teasing, biting remarks to offer the same fun. He certainly could, if he wanted, and he'd do it well, I know, but to Tezuka (I think), some things just aren't so important. It doesn't help that, at the same time, Fuji was a mystery to him (this is obviously my own perception of Tezuka...) and even to make such remarks in return, he couldn't be sure whether they would hit their target. Even if he made those "world-tilting comments" to Fuji, how would Fuji react? Fuji would just laugh, you know? ^_^

...Wow, I told you I never shut up about them ^^;;;

Once again, I don't think you were overly critical! It's interesting to me to see other peoples' interpretations and ideas about my own work.

Also, regarding my own fic, in your comment thread above with trixie, you mentioned you like long fics, and honestly, I never write long fics. ^^; I'm more of a ficlet girl. However, I am starting fic #3 in my Photographs arc, and it will be a multipart (fic #2 was only a one shot), so maybe that might be enjoyable... ^^;

Obnoxious Tezuka Fangirl. ^_^ That's quite understandable, and yes, I am the same way about Fuji. *Smiles*.

No problem, just... it's not on a website, so there's no way for people to find part 9, I suppose, if they found the fic from here ^_~.

<3 Thanks! Sorry that I ramble ^^;, and I now feel like I'm bragging about my own fic, so... I'll now shut up. *Laughs*.

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

Hoho, you think you're bad once you get started on Tezuka and Fuji? ^_~ And let me start by saying that I'm surprised you wrote this story in a rush, it didn't feel rushed to me, especially given how everything really does fit together so well.

Okay. Tezuka and Fuji. I suspect our perceptions of them are closer than we might have originally thought, because we both seem to land firmly in the camp of that they're not the same, per se, but that they can each handle the other person and go toe-to-toe with them without being steamrolled over. It's one of the things that attracted me to the pairing in the first place, because I have such love for characters who are such strong, depthful characters that not just anyone could handle being around them, they'd be too much for some people. (It's not that the other characters are any less interesting or lesser characters, just that, say, if you tried to put Fuji with, for example, Momo, it wouldn't work because Fuji would constantly be there, full force, and Momo's much more relaxed and... *waves hand* light-hearted. Something like that.)

Competition is something very important to the relationship, but not an unhealthy kind, not the kind that tears them apart, more a kind that each one spurs the other one on to do their best, to make themselves stronger because of the other person's influence. I've long seen them as the type who would play games of chess together or play tennis against each other, the kind that find themselves liking the competition and it draws them closer to the other person. This is, of course, after they find their balance together, after they get together. (I suspect one of Fuji's great joys in life is trying to get Tezuka to react, very much an Immovable Object Meets Irrestible Force kind of thing.)

And I do agree that Fuji would get visible reactions out of Tezuka more often at first, because Tezuka wouldn't be playing Fuji's game, he'd be trying to understand why Fuji isn't playing seriously, Tezuka can see the potential for greatness in him, but he's not using it, and it really kind of irritates the hell out of him, because Tezuka has very set views of the world and especially tennis and the way it should be played. (Which is why I usually suspect that they couldn't be together at least until they're third years and Fuji finally starts to play seriously--inspired by Tezuka even, which makes me go HEEHEEHEE I *KNEW* IT! ^_~--but with the right authors, I can often climb onboard. I've really liked the way you've build them up and a lot of what you're writing does jive so strongly with my own views that that's part of the reason I've been so verbose on the subject. *sheepish grin*)

[cont.]

[beckerbell.livejournal.com]

[cont. from above.]


He certainly could, if he wanted, and he'd do it well, I know, but to Tezuka (I think), some things just aren't so important.

*nods* That's the thing--it's not so much that Tezuka wasn't firing back, I don't think, because that's not really Tezuka's way, especially not when his relationship (whatever it may be, even if it's just as schoolmates) is so new. But more that it seemed like every time they came into contact, Fuji was scoring points and I started to think that Tezuka wasn't that easy to make him react, even if he did like Fuji and even if Fuji was really good at this game he plays. I think I would have preferred them being stretched out a little more, a stronger sense of challenge for Fuji, since this is Tezuka, the one who can keep pace with him just as well as Fuji can keep pace with Tezuka. (This is, of course, only my perception and we've established that it needs to be taken with a grain of salt. *grin* I don't mean to imply that I feel like you should be listening to the pearls of wisdom that are oh-so-obviously dripping from my fingers every time they touch the keyboards, hopefully it comes across that I'm just trying to explain where I'm coming from.)

Oh, and don't worry about the comment about long fics vs short fics, I read both with glee. Longer fics often times get me more comfortable with an author's style, really lets me get a feel for their work, so I generally prefer them (also because the stronger sense of being sated in my fic-cravings *g*), but I'm perfectly happy with shorter fics, too. I mean, half the stories in even just this post are shorter ones (well, okay, I had a MUCH higher ratio of longer stories this time around) and I adore them as well. And, hell, I even like those 100-word drabbles that have become so popular these days, so length isn't really a concern once I've glommed onto an author and like them.

I'm definitely looking forward to more in this arc <3 and I think I at least matched you as far as rambling goes? ^_~ (OMG, had to make two posts because I went over the LJ limit. ~__~)

[meiface.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you've read her stuff but...here (http://ciceqi.slashcity.com/FMA.htm) is a lot of FMA ficcage. And other things, besides. ^_^.

And here (http://www.livejournal.com/community/greenwood_fic/2802.html) are some Here is Greenwood ficlets. Because the world needs more of those.

Completely offtopic from this entry...

[fallentenshi128.livejournal.com]

But i didn't want to bother you at an email...but out of curiousity (since i found the site from fleeting fantasies), there is a tenipuri fanart page you rec'd...it was called hold on and it had a lot of Tezuki and Fuji art...But thing is that it has a lot of password protected stuff. Out of curiousity, do you know how to get into those things? I've spent some time on it...but seem pretty far from getting it...Thanks if you can help me.

Also, I LOVE your site. If you were here, I'd give you brownies that I didn't bake...if I baked them...you might get sick. So keep up the good work, k? ^_^