i am.... speechless. i am SPEECHLESS *proceeds to say a lot* JFMDNDJSSH JHO :( JHOOOOOO. do have any idea how i had to take breaks while reading to note my favorite parts because there's no way i would leave it unsaid? man you are such an excellent writer. hell, To Infinity, Forevermore could be a story of its own rather than a mere fanfiction. it is that good. and let me tell you that not all fanfiction could do that. even i, as a fanfic writer, couldn't write something that could stand alone as a separate story from the series i am writing.
i cANT STOP LAUGHING AT THIS DOSJFWJEJWJ i can hear them saying the "oh mama" and "my word" in their minds!! i can see it in a manga panel!! and oh hell i am gonna do that sooner or later <3
and my most favorite part is how you managed to depict satoshi's eventual spiraling depression ENTHRALLED me almost the way he was in love with risa.
the anxiety, the messy home, the unhealthy coping mechanisms, even the subtleties of emotions such a small frown, a lingering stare, a look of trepidation—ALL OF IT was portrayed with such grace and realism. you know, even without the elements of dark being the forgotten one, every person who experienced having a relationship w/ someone who still has lingering feelings over their past would be able to resonate themselves in this story, in satoshi. that's why i want to reiterate, again and again, that this fic would be able to stand on its own even without the elements of DN angel. this brings me to ask, do you plan to create a story of your own? do you have original stories in your lawn? i bet they would be as wonderful as this one if not more.
i also want to express sheer appreciation over risa's eventual maturity. i remember the anime highlighted her maturity towards the end of the series, but it wasn't highlighted any further than dark's comment. this was cathartic for me, in a way, because you were able to show me how would that maturity manifest in post-canon. i think i've said this before, but i feel like it needs to be reiterated again: you always nail their characterization. it was like you had a meeting with sugisaki-sensei before writing them 😭
it is also rare for me to come across a fanfic of a stoic character being an emotional emotional mess that wouldn't give me an ick. i easily cringe whenever there's an out of place emotion to a character who was deemed to be too emotionless for their own good, but you just managed to hit the nail, as always, that satoshi's vulnerability and raw human-ness *if that's a word lmao* is something i hold with deep love.
honestly, i want to be greedy and recommend you all the classic anime series i've loved since i was a child, then make you love it as much as i did, then eventually convince you to make a fanfic for me 😭😭😭 HAHAHAHA. i'm really glad to meet u and read your work. you are and will always be the person that i wished to have when i was 10 years old and reeling with love for dn angel.
okay, i think i'm saying too much at this point. sorry for word dumping, but even after saying this much, i still don't think it's enough to portray my appreciation over this fic. to think that it was dedicated to me fills me with so much warmth. thank you so much. :)
Thank you for your patience!
I literally only remembered I had yet to respond to this because of that ask I saw of you answering that person about the difference between showing and telling...so many, many apologies for that hahahaha
Thank you so much again for your kind words! I think the canon leaves a lot of interpretation for both Satoshi and Risa, so the basis of how I write them is based on both Fanuilos' characterization of them in Interesting Developments and heavily mired by own personal life (oops). I wouldn't be surprised if that might be why this fic in particular can stand alone even without the canon inspiration just because it's something that, outside of the remnants of Dark, can read as just another short story because the heart of it is rooted in reality.
Most of my writing journey has also been me attempting to finish my original story ideas as well, so I'm more used to writing out of my ass (for lack of better words) than using canon as a crux.
I do have an original story that I'm currently attempting to tackle! It's a story about three sisters, told in four parts with very different inspirations per part, that focus on the theme of "home" (and belonging by extension) using an Asian-American lens. You're more than welcome to privately message me about it through if you're more interested!
Again, thank you for your kind words! Satoshi and Risa have always been two of my favorite characters to write, mostly because I'm most comfortable writing them, so I'm always glad to hear that people like how I've characterized them!