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azuriteWelcome to the latest installment of review replies for "What Doesn't Kill You." I'm thrilled that so many people are still interested in the fic and letting me know what they think! As per usual, I select which reviews I'll reply to here. If I get any future reviews for this chapter, I may add them at a later date. If your review is not here, I may have missed it, or I simply may have deemed it unsubstantial enough to include here. Sorry! I will include the actual reviews (unedited) in here, just so everyone has a frame of context...
You might uncover some secret gems about the story and its eventual sequel in here, so I highly recommend you read!
Embient -- Great chapter! I like seeing Seto and Téa get closer together and not "too" close, at least, not yet ;) .
More soon? :D
Ah yes, the joy of Unresolved Sexual Tension. It's a writer's best friend.
sempaiko -- wow. nice update! I'm really impressed by how much detail you always seem to put in and what a good writer you are. And your chapters are so long too! Mine are so short compared to yours!
I checked out your sites and stuff - I am again in awe of your large array of 'stuff' if you know what I mean. I would love to draw you a picture, but don't know what to do it of -all your scenes are so fun! ^_^
Kaiba X Tea all the way! whoo! Hey -check out my profile to find my very small website (-_-;) and check out the pic of a Kaiba X Tea kiss picture i did for my fic and let me know what you think of it! it would make me so happy if you did!
gotta go, update soon please! bye
Ooh, I love fanart-- and btw, I did check out that picture of Seto and Téa from CASK, and it's absolutely NUMMY! ^_^ So if any particular scene from WDKY inspires you, please, please, please, do fanart! I'm quite glad that you seem to admire me so much... *blush* Thanks for your review, and go Azureshippers!
Rain5101 -- I like it, of course, I always do. Anyway, can't wait for the update, and good job. That chapter was like what... 60 pages?
I actually don't keep track of the number of pages a story is-- I type in Dreamweaver MX 2004, which means everything is formatted to be a web page, NOT printed. However, sometimes my editors use programs like WordPerfect or MS Word, and they'll tell me if I have some astronomical page count...
A. Valentine -- OMG! This chapter was so great, and it was so sweet! I absolutely loved it, and a cliffhanger at the end! I'm guessing that dude was Dartz, ah! Anyways, please update soon, this fic is awesome!
Why thank you! Sometimes I do try to balance out the sweet fluff with some angst, but at times it's hard to resist the bite of the "love bug." As for "the dude," you'll find out who he is (or isn't) eventually!
unknown reviewer -- you should know, when you update its the highlight of my day. I can not stress enough how much I enjoy your writing. You are without doubt the best author I have seen on this site. Though I imagine your tired of hearing that by now.
As to the wonderful update. Loved it. I enjoy action and adventure as much as the next person, but I also enjoy seeing the day to day activities of characters. I really enjoyed just seeing how our little love-birds get through the day together...though Seto doesn't seem to be at work as much anymore.
but, now that we've seen them on a regular day, I'm ready for a bit of action, wonder what kind of havoc our 10,0 year old Dartz will bring.
*blush* Thank you for the high praise! I've actually heard so many insanely nice things about me and my writing that I'm stuck in a permanent state of shock and disbelief, which explains no matter how much I hear it, the giddier I get.
I do like to "keep it real" with the characters-- however, you're right in pointing out Kaiba doesn't seem to be at work as often. Though it's not explicitly stated, he does work from his office, and he'll be going back to the Kaiba Corp. offices soon.
I haven't stated who the mysterious guy is-- 10,000 years old or otherwise, but you will find out soon!
winterwing3000 -- Wow... now snow for Christmas 18 years in a row, that's soo sad! Too bad here in New England, it is like a hellish Christmas when it snows! >-<
And as for Mokuba not believing in Santa Clause... was another reason that he didn't believe in that plump red senile man because of his childhood? Like living with Gozabourou and all? Wait, no... he was adopted around 4... where are my math skills when I need them?
And I was really fascinated with the mini Egypt that Marik had shown to Tea and Seto. I've briefly learnt about Egypt culture and economy, but never expected all of what you've placed in this chapter. Did you researched all this? 0.o And I have a hunch of what Marik's gonna tell the three of them. Along the lines of their Egyptian past and things like that, other wise, Tea wouldn't have said "Kemet and Deshret", and IN Egyptian at that. There's also that part where she hears people singing...
I've never seen snow, so even if it's rather unlikely for Téa (having lived in Tokyo, where it DOES snow, and having visited New York in her childhood) I wanted to inject a bit of realism (er, mine) into that. It can happen! *stares* What? ;_; I'm not weird!
I imagine that even without Gozaburo's influence, Mokuba wouldn't have been much of a believer in Santa Claus-- or if he was, not for very long. Gozaburo rubbed off on Seto more than Mokuba, but Seto rubs off on Mokuba, so... yeah, put two and two together. :P
I did put a lot of research into the whole museum scene, and you're the first one to catch all the hints in there-- and there are LOTS of them! WDKY has many subplots, Marik's mission being one of them. You'll find out about the rest (and all the juicy details) as the story progresses. We're halfway through-- yatta!
Seto's jealousy and hunt for advice on AIM was really interesting as well! Never thought that he was the type that would chitchat with other people. And Mai and Joey at that! (Joey's actually spelt the words correctly! Has the world come to an end? ^.~) And 24-hour internet cafe's are the best! I happen to life nearby one. Unfortunately, I needa pay a fee just to use the computers.
I think you've really captured Seto's personality in trying newer things other than working, dueling and taking care of Mokuba (oh, and chasing after Yugi for that damn title! Men these days...). This fic is also very realistic! Emotions + conversations = even better! I really love this chapter! And *coughs* Christmas was ages ago! T^T *sniff* I was dying for this chapter!
Yes, that part (with Seto chatting on SHOOT! Japan, not AIM) was actually kind of difficult to write, because I knew the slightest slip-up would be out-of-character. But I didn't want to go too far and have spelling errors or l33t speak (especially for Joey), so I just settled for describing emoticons. I guess we can assume that they used an Auto-Spell Check in their chat room, then?
And if I've said it once, I'll say it a bazillion other times-- I try so hard to keep everyone, especially Kaiba, in character, so when someone tells me I've done a good job with that, it's VERY rewarding.
I did want to get this chapter out during Christmas... but obviously my timing isn't that great. ^^;
Oh, the ending was really cute! I love the riddles! I was thinking of salt on the:
"I am bacterial waste, oh yes, But just what type, can you guess? Some put me on their fish and chips, others on floors to prevent slips, some on salads, some in stews, some on windows, even shoes. So I'm bacterial waste, oh yes, But my name can you guess?"
You're really good if you made these up, I can't even think of a riddle without giving things away! XD
Is... is... c'est Monsieur Dartz? The freaky guy at the end... I hate his hair, too long and bushy! *grins*
I'll be awaiting for the next chapter anxiously! Seto needs to learn how and when to kiss... I always thought that the guys were one the hormonal rage to kiss girls, then again, Seto Kaiba isn't your average guy... ^-^
(Just to let you know, Domino's in the U.S.A... and don't worry, I was surprised as well. Many would think that it is in Japan since most Anime are hosted in that country, but not this one apparently! If you listen carefully in the episode where Ishizu/Isis arrived to Domino with her Egyptian artifacts before Battle City, you'll hear the announcer say, "Welcome to American, Ms. Ishizu. blah blah blah." ... not to hinder your writing, I'm just saying... so paranoid x.0)
I didn't write the riddles, unfortunately... I'm quite inept about that. But I thought that one was too cute to pass up, even if it was supposed to be written by Kaiba!
As for the guy at the end of the chapter, I'm not saying anything! You'll find out who it is in later chapters!
With Kaiba, yes, I imagine he'll need many more lessons...
And as for the Domino thing, while I do use the dub names, I do NOT abide by many of their mistaken facts. Domino IS in Japan (in the original version), and Marik's sister is Isis, not Ishizu-- a horrible pronunciation of "Isis" as it's romanized in Japanese. So while it might be weird to people who only watch the dub anime, it is "fact" for the WDKY-verse.
Hawkgal -- I want to let you know I love you. Will you marry me? Lol, kidding... but seriously, I love your writing and this story is the absolute kicks! You do the nearly impossible and make a completely believable relationship out of stone-cold (lol, bet he needed that shower) Seto and cheerleader turned cynic but not really Tea. Bravo, I dont' have enough words to congradulate you. I'm only so glad you haven't stopped writing like so many others with longer stories. Please dont' stop. I wish I had a quarter of your talent but alas, I'm more of a poetry person myself. Take as long as you need (but hopefully not too too long) to work on the next chapter. It's always worth the wait. So long and nice and descriptive. Even with the R rating it seems relatively tame to me ^_-
Can't rave on you enough other than, it's killing my printer but it's so worth it. Please please please don't ever stop writing. You've got the gift.
*blush* Thank you! If there's one thing I detest, it's people that throw together two characters like they've always been resolved, or that there's some glaring UST between them that is SOO obvious to everyone that watches/reads the fandom. It's really not like that at all... at least, not for me. So while I loved Téa and Kaiba as separate characters, I realized that to bring them together (plausibly) would take some work... so here I am.
I don't plan on stopping until I'm DONE with this sucker, and hopefully the sequel as well. It's sucked so much of my brain power and time up, it would be a crime to myself NOT to finish.
I don't EVER recommend printing the story out, considering I don't write it for that purpose, but I do appreciate and highly encourage reviews of all kinds, especially long ones! ^_^ Thanks so much!
AkaiKurai -- Akai: Pain in the butt? What the heck are you talking about? I loved this chapter! The part where Seto finally confesses he loves Tea is so cute! I just wanted to hug someone (settled for my stuffed dog). And you updated! I was so happy when I checked and there it was! Thank you thank you thank you!
Kurai: Finally! An Update and a darn good one at that. I liked the riddles. I think I'll get my family to do that this year. Of course, My riddles will suck (guaranteed) but It'll be fun ^^ Great chapter, heck, great story! Keep up the excellent work! And Update ASAP!
Ah, some chapters are inexplicably hard to write, even if people adore the final scenes. I post only when I'm pleased with the results, and if I please others at the same time, all the better. Thanks very much for the kind review! Good luck with your riddles! ^_~
S.adistic S.hadow K.itsune -- AW! Such a kawaii chapter for a kawaii couple! *squee* I loved this chapter and how sweet it was t have some fluffy moments with Malik\Marik. And i also loved how you made the Tea and Makuba use riddles to find there presents, and how she made the connection with her dad. And it was so kawaii that Tea would give Seto kissing *lessons* Naughty naughty, Lol. Anyways please update as soon as posable.
Much cookies,
Lupin
Ah yes, I do have a fondness for crack pairings, and for some reason, Seto x Anzu/Téa has lost its "crack" status, and given way to fics with Anzu x Bakura and Anzu x Malik. So I do kind of like bouncing her around, just to mortify the readers a bit more. *evil grin* Thanks for your review!
Fear of Falling -- I was reading this when I thought, where on earth does she come up with the riddles? So, where/how? I love this story, I think it has got to be my all time favorite. And thats a lot coming from me!
Unfortunately my creativity doesn't seem to extend to riddles, unless they explicitly have to tie to my plot and I can't find any existing riddles that fit the fic's circumstances. So most of the time I search (and search, and search) for riddles to add a bit of comic relief or mystery to the fic. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Asanji -- *fans herself with her hand* Whoa! Getting a bit hot in there, isn't it? *laughs* This chapter had me laughing constantly. One of the two best scenes was in the museum. Just imagining Marik and Anzu creating sand angels was simply priceless.
And with his reaction to Seto and Anzu being together, that was wonderful as well. *grinning* The instant message conversation? Just picturing Seto's reactions to it, I never would have dreamed him being on something like that. *nods in approval* Again, fantastic.
...and I should be getting ready for my driving lesson. *sweatdrop*
*grin* Ah, I do love the sudden steam. Not many people mentioned that, actually! It was tough writing, but as I saw it, entirely necessary for the progression of Seto and Téa's relationship. But I did balance it out with a touch of humor --as you mentioned, the sand angels thing. And I did want to make it both mysterious and funny, with Seto there to watch the whole thing play out and not really have a clue.
Thanks again for your kind commentary and review! ^_^v
Starian Princess -- Wee! I'm so glad you updated! Who's the creepy guy? *shudders* And Mokuba being too much of an adult, I feel bad for Tea there. Well, at least Seto and Tea are "heating up the story". Can't wait for the next update. What more trials are there? And what is Marik hiding?^^
You'll find out about the "creepy guy" and his identity later on... and I do suppose Mokuba has grown up a lot in this fic, though the main characters are obviously Téa and Kaiba. He's almost 13! You'll find out about Marik's mission and everything else later on... :X
LuvinAniManga -- Many things to tell:
1) Loved the shortness of the chapter (it was kinda...alote at night, if you get my drift)
2) AWESOME chapter! Very angsty in the middle, but as long as IT dind't happen...I'm fine! It...ISN'T going to ever happen, right? You promised that? Right? I have to go with something Seto said, "A bit too early..." though that's not EXACTLy what he said, but he mentioned it!
3) Loved the Chrsitmas scenes! I knew it would snow! You've GOT to put in a snowball fight scene or something! And about those riddles: MAN you are CLEVER! I would NEVER have found out ANY of those! I was SLIGHTLY close...moon for the first one, and I was debating whether caviar could be used as a cleaner, even though fish eggs isn't exactly bacterial waste...but how was I suposed to know about vinegar? But that last clue TOTALLY through me for a loop: YOU ARE SO CLEVER! I could NEVER come up iwth something like that.
4) IT HAS TO BE DATRZ! At the end of the chapter, right? IT HAD TO BE HIM! The eyes toatally gave it away (I'm sure that was intended). So are his "guys" going to be in here too? HUH? If that indeed IS Dartz. But I'm sure you've got it all planned out. Just want to say: adding Alister to the story -what with his and Seto's original fued and all- would make it very good! Alas, I think you already have this ALL planned out! So, I'll just shut up, and end: update soon!
LuvinAnime (the new screenname at right is what I had to change to after being de-activated)
Ah yes, "it." A lot of people seem to take issue with it, but the fic is rated R, and appropriately so. If any part of the fic, implied or otherwise, makes you uncomfortable, then I suggest you quit reading now, because I don't plan on changing the rating or making any "alternate" chapters. Sex and sexual tension will come into play later in the fic.
As for the snowball fight, read the latest chapter, Chapter 17! It's a short scene, but a snowball fight nonetheless!
I didn't write the riddles unfortunately-- they will be credited to their proper sources (even the paraphrased story Seto told as the final riddle) on the WDKY Research pages, on my official website.
And you'll find more about the mystery guy and how he comes into play with the original cast later on. Thanks again for your review!
Wolf Jade -- I'm pissed. I had just written out the whole review, which was a very long one, and my computer had some stupid message come up saying that they needed to shut the internet down. I lost the whole review. I don't even remember half the stuff i was going to say. This stinks. It was a really good review too. I do remember some stuff however stupid it might be.
Now lets see, erm can you believe I finally found the review responses on that website. I forget which one it is. But I found it and then I went to go to it again a few days ago and couldn't find it again. Believe me, I'm horrible when it comes to finding things.
I've linked to the Review Replies page (here) on my Profile. If you can read this, then you've successfully made it to the right location!
I was waiting for you to update, hehe, the last chapter had been updated three days after my b-day and I still can't rememeber if I reviewed it. Oh well. I don't think I did, but it was a really good chapter. i loved it.
Now onto this chapter.
The part at the museum was wicked awesome. I could almost see the Eygptian display in my mind. You're really good at describing things. way better then I am. Poor Marik, it was marik right? I get mixed up with names. I think that was one of the best scenes in the chapter, but the one with Seto and tea in Seto's room. That one was better, more about that later. I'm going in order.
I can't believe Tea's never seen snow. I know I could never live without Snow. I mean yea sometimes you hate having to shovel when its ten degress out, but its fun to throw at your boyfriend. Anyway, Mokuba needs to show more enthusiasm about christmas, but then again being around Seto that long . . .Hehe.
I did put a lot of effort into writing the museum scene-- I even sketched out how I wanted it to look (though my sketch wasn't anything to be praised). And it did lend a lot to the plot, if you look carefully enough...
I've never seen snow, and I wanted to inject that feeling into Téa. It is a bit unlikely for her, but I know I can't be the only one-- so I got Téa to join me in the No-Snow department! And you're right about Mokuba's lack of enthusiasm, or the reason why he doesn't have any, at any rate. I blame it all on Seto and his odd upbringing...
That scene in the bedroom, hehe it was so fun to read. I must sound perverted, but I'm not. Hehe, I love reading about characters being together in a sense. I'm making a huge fool of myself. Hehe, the cold shower, I was laughing when Tea found out about it. I'm like "hehe hope she doesn't know why . . ."
You're a really good authoress. Hehe, the part with the snow and Tea saying they should throw some at seto was wicked funny. I laughed the part with Tea having to go around and find her presents. I thought you had forgotten about the dance room down there, but i guess not.
Please update soon and here's the long review, though some stuff I wanted to say is missing. Keep up the great work.
*grin* Yet another person who appreciates the fic for the rating and the reason why I wrote it! Steam is fun to write, because it keeps readers on the edge of their seat with anticipation, but it also furthers the plot and characterization, even if it's just minutely. And I did love having Téa angst over why Seto could be taking a cold shower-- part of the secret humor comes in her not really knowing!
I do have one objection though-- despite being female, I don't like being called an "authoress." Such words are pretty dated, and IMHO, sexist. I'm an author just as much as a guy is, and I don't see any reason why I should have a different label just because I have boobs. :P
Back to the review: I did want to have readers remember the dance room-- or at least the space downstairs, as the whole of the Kaiba mansion is the setting of the majority of the fic. Strange, but true. Thanks for the review, especially this lengthy one! If you remember what was in the original review, let me know!
Blu.lotus -- *Runs around screaming* AH! Something's happening! Something's happening! Something's going to happen! Ah!
Nice chappie btw. Nice development and everything... and stuff ^^ Wow. I need sleep. GOOD NIGHT! Thank you for the chapter! It was all round BRILLIANT! Bwahahahahahaha!
I have to say, this review had me giggling for quite a while. *bows* Thank you for taking the time to review, and thanks for the praise!
aNGEL -- So how can be not good at kissing but be good in bed? That was kawaii!
Ah, good question, actually. It's not that Kaiba's not good at "kissing," but he doesn't exactly know when to do it. This seems to be true of most guys (with little to no experience in the relationship department, anyway). So Kaiba's not good or bad, he's just "inexperienced." Put any guy in bed with a hot (and half-naked) girl, and he'll probably let instinct take over.
yugikid -- I know what it is like to have those pain in the butt chapters *snickers* but they are so worth it in the end, don't you think.
Anyways nice work and I mean it you did a fantasic job, and sadly I can't fine your reviews even on your sites, trust me I spent about 5 hours looking before my eyes watered, from staring, anyways, don't mind me and my complaints about that, on with the review.
I LIKE IT ALOT, I really like it, you know just how to caputure the moments between Seto and Tea, and I love how Joey of all people was in a chat room with Kaiba giving advice,I can just tell you when I figured it out and read that it was him, my ribs began to hurt from all the laughing I was doing.
I can't wait for your next chapter and I am really looking forward to it, keep it up. Ok enough of my talking I know you got chapters to work out because so do I.
Oh yes, even the most pain in the butt chapters can be very rewarding, especially when I lace them with innuendo and plot.
As for Darkness Rising, I've just updated it to include the latest chapters and the new link to the review replies, in case people missed the link from my FFnet profile. More fics will be appearing on my site and in the Files section of my azurite_updates mailing list soon!
I'm glad this last chapter amused you! Thanks for your review!
DarkShadowFlame -- Whoa! Dartz?
All right, let me back up. There's always so much in your chapters I hardly know where to begin. For starters, I loved Marik. I loved all your descriptions of that exhibit! Did you come up wtih that idea or did you see it somewhere - because it's brilliant. Especially how you're applying the advanced technology seen in the show; the stars and constellations and Nile would be amazing to see. Lucky Tea, and too bad to all the sullen ones who didn't join in the fun! (Why *did* Yugi stay home? Peer pressure from lazy Joey and Tristan? ::grins::) See, that's why Marik is awesome. He's not afraid to join in the fun and roll around in the sand! And when he does something, he goes all out. (Before I launch into lavish praise of Seto, since that was such a good tie-in, I also wanted to mention how good your characterization was: my heart melted at his mumbled "It's all rather silly, I suppose." It made him so human!)
X_X Marik is akin to Bakura and Seto in this fic... that is, difficult to write, but I guess when I pull him/them off, I do a decent job! Yay me! As for the idea for the exhibit-- *preens* Entirely my idea, I'm glad to say. I sketched the whole thing out myself, though I did have a bit of inspiration from a Nancy Drew game I played a long time ago. @_o
As for why Yugi and Co. stayed home, I did say... "sort of." Yugi lied to Joey and Tristan about Marik calling and then about him calling Téa to invite her to the exhibit. It's very possible that he intended to go to the exhibit up until he talked to Téa, and he realized something. But that might come into play later. In any case, Marik thought Grandpa (Solomon Moto) had something to do with them not coming, while in reality, Yugi just made an excuse and didn't go of his own accord. Téa knew that the boys were probably behind it, but she didn't have any idea why.
I'm glad I managed to have some interesting action going on with the Seto x Téa x Marik scene, though. ^_^;
Speaking of doing something to the maximum, WOW Seto. He is very impressive, once he gets his feelings in stock. That riddle-search is definitely a way to prove that he cares (in a typically anal way). Those riddles were *hard*... I congratulate Tea. But Seto's feat is all the more impressive considering the, ahem, bumpy night he had. Either he prepared in advance (and risked a sneaky Mokuba poking around!) or ran frantically around the house hiding clues between 3 am and whenever Mokuba arises (5 am?!).
I hope, in future chapters, aside from interesting relationship confusion and a maniacal Dartz, Tea and Mokuba do eventually pelt Seto with a snowball.
See, part of me thought the riddles would be too silly for Seto, but then again, he's a very intelligent guy, and hardworking at that, so why wouldn't he keep that attitude all year round? Such is my thought, anyway. I didn't think too much about when he would have prepared everything-- for the sake of that chapter of WDKY, Seto has stealth ninja powers. ^_^v
And in Chapter 17, Seto does indeed get pelted with a snowball. Go read it.
Speaking of Dartz - wow again! You're really working everyone into this. Are the DOOM goons going to be in this? Uh-oh, I won't be able to handle it if Raphael is evil again. I attacked my couch when his soul got sealed away. He's like my neo-Odion; I need to fixate on at least one random person per season. Anyway, looking forward to reading about the wild and crazy adventures of the Leviathan soon.
And continuing the trend of saying whatever comes to my mind, it was really cool how Seto and Joey and Mai mysteriously ended up in the same chat room. I suspect intereference by Santa Claus.
GREAT job! It doesn't seem like this could have been easy to write, as per your end note, but you definitely pulled it off. Although I was rather slow in realizing you updated, it was certainly worth the wait! Thank you for the fun read.
:O I have not named any names! Therefore, I find myself restricted against commenting against the better bulk of your latter comment here. I will agree that Santa is a mischeivous fellow, though. Thanks again for the review... *tears up* As always, it means so much coming from an author I admire!
angel-1844 -- Wow it took you forever to update but it was worth it. This was a good chapter. That was sweet with the whole riddle thing did that ever happen to you? And the chat room was funny. Hope you update real soon.
Ah, alas, no one's ever had a scavenger hunt for me on Christmas morning. Maybe it's a trend I should start myself!
Taichi Prime -- Man, This story rocks! I just can't help but wonder, is there ever going to be an end? Please continue.
*sings* This is the fic that never ends... and it goes on and on my friend. Some people, started reading not knowing what it was, and they'll continue reading it forever just because this is the fic that never ends...
*ahem* Anyway, yes, the fic will end. It's slated to be 36 Chapters (37 on FFnet and MMorg, if you go by their chaptering system) and will have a sequel of roughly the same or slightly-shorter length. We're halfway done! YAY!
Inu Kaiba -- Okay. Thanks for mentioning where the review replies were and putting a link on your profile. It helped and I liked your responses, you seem so mature. oO
Wow, this chapter was really good. I knew when I saw V10let Eyes that it had to be Mai. And the way LuckyChance7 acted the only person it could have been was Joey, especially when you mentioned that she was located in Domino. When you revealed who they were, I was kinda shocked because I was actually right.
Everyone's said this guy with the freaky different eye colours is Dartz so... Since I haven't seen Archialos and all the others who have would know, I'm guessing it is him. Not that I know who he is of course.
My only concern is you're going to have to go into tons of adventure because Seto's already confessed his love, there's going to have to be a huge epic battle where since he already loves her he fights to get her back and there's a happy ending. And then in the seqeul, something else happens.
"The course of true love never did run smooth." Keep that quote in mind for the rest of WDKY and its sequel! Yes, I do plan on amping up the adventure, but romance will still be a key player in this fic! But for the most part, you are on the money with your general gist of the fic and its sequel. Congrats!
Now as for two questions structuring the fiction itself...
A. Just how much longer is it going to take for this fiction? Since it's about 5 months until it's two years long, I'm hoping it won't take 4 years and am simply asking for confirmation and an estimated guess about how much longer it will take to finish WDKY, god forbid this 'sequel'. oO I sound so cruel re-reading that sorry... I'm just wondering...
I really can't say. Work and school combine to make a hectic schedule, plus I'm firm on my belief that everything I write first meets my standards, then gets edited, and THEN gets posted. So... while I don't expect it to take another 2 years, if it does, it does. Trying to put myself on a deadline never works. It's like trying to go on a diet when you're surrounded by chocolate. :P
And...
B. Since you got really close to it, is there gonna be a lemon? No pressure or anything I almost thought there was going to be one there since it came so close. Simply asking out of plain curiousity.
Since the little bar thingy is getting smaller and smaller, I'm guessing this review is pretty darn long by now and I should stop. Hope to see more updates this summer even if it means a couple hours reading one chapter *They can seem really long sometimes... Especially chapter 16...*
Great storah.
-Inu Kaiba
I don't plan on there being a lemon in WDKY. It will get "close" many times, but I respect the fact that I have young readers (including those that deem themselves mature enough to handle the R/M rating) and the Terms of Service at FFnet. As a result, I have no intention nor plans of writing a lemon-- but that was really a decision I made before I even finished planning the fic. I don't think *I* have enough guts to write one!
I hope you like long chapters-- 17 is out now, and it's definitely long! Not *AS* long as some others, but... you get the idea. Enjoy, and thanks again for reviewing!
Kitty -- SHE LIVES! Wow, after being gone for so long you still make up for it with GREAT chapters to your story. This chapter is one of my favs out of the other ones. I love the sexual tension between Seto and Anzu, its so funny. I think its so cute when he gets jealous. It was so ironic how Seto, Mai, and Joey end up in the same chat room. Oh and that whole Christmas thing was adorable, it was sweet of Seto to do that for Anzu. Please update SOON.
*grin* Yes, hard as it is to believe, I AM ALIVE. Shock! I do hope that I make up for the waits with my chapters-- usually when I write shorter or angstier chapters, I'm more prone to write faster, just to please my own muse/inner demons/whatever with longer, "happier" chapters and more plot resolution. I'm glad you liked all those aspects of the story-- it took a long time to write/envision them all, but I had fun doing it-- even if it was Christmas in the summer for me!
CRAZYABOUTANIME -- So sweet. I have a relentless passion for romance; therefore, I must say I'm very, very pleased with this chapter. Update soon.
You and me both! I don't think I have very many fics that AREN'T at least a little bit romantic in one way or another... is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Amazoness Archer -- You have no idea how long it took me to finsh each chapter, or how long it took me to read the WHOLE story.
Im very impressed with this work, It's above my standards. I mean, you placed everything in here, romance, humor drama and etc.
The events are so, connected. As if you planned every single one of them, it's just. There's so much things happening in each chapter. I can't even remember anymore.
How can you place so much happenings? I can't remember the plots I always plan, my Memory is ... bad..
Even if I am a Yami/Tea fan, I guess this is good too. I'll give you major credit for that.
Ha, I'm just amazed on how well you wrote this story. It could already be an award winning novel.Or maybe even a Movie.
Okay, so the Story's not over yet. Where do you get your ideas? I mean, did you plan it long before you started this story?
anyways, Update Soon.
always, †A.A.†
Thank you very much for your kind review! As I've said before, I like a good mix of everything --drama, romance, humor, action-- in my stories, especially longer ones like WDKY, because that's real life. Real life is funny, romantic and sweet, dramatic and suspenseful, sad and tragic, and action-packed. It doesn't always seem so though, so it's up to me as an author to get into the heads of all the characters and make it seem so.
And I have planned so much-- there are innuendoes all the way back in the beginning of the fic that won't be resolved until later, and one big glaring reference in this chapter won't find a real beginning until Chapter 30! Hopefully I'll be able to remind people of all those little subplots, so they won't have to re-read the fic many times.
I've had the idea for this since October of 2003 or thereabouts, and the main idea ended up spawning a lot of little ones that I saw could be connected. In the meantime, I kept watching and reading Yu-Gi-Oh (both the anime and the manga) and it has inspired me even more. The story is 98% planned out-- it's just a matter of writing everything out, now!
Thanks again for your review!
Janime Lee -- Excellent chapter. It was really nice to have Seto do the riddles with the presents. "Practice makes perfect" (giggles)-- that was great.
A dance studio, eh? Any chance Tea will give Seto private lessons?
The chatroom scene was excellent. What are the odds that Seto would land himself in the same chatroom with Joey and Mai, and ask them for advice.
And what of Joey and Mai? (Btw, I really like how you've portrayed her.) They still care about each other but even though Mai said in the chatroom she's spoken for because of Joey, he believes that they're over. When will they clear up their misunderstandings?
Oh no! You're bringing in the genocidal maniac?! Ah, why not? What's another villan or five? And psychotic spirits?
See you next update!
Thank you very much for reviewing! To get to your main questions, I don't know if Seto will ever get "private lessons" from Téa. For one, it's a rather clichéd plot for Azureshipping fics, and I don't want to bring any of that into WDKY; Two, Seto more than amply demonstrated in Chapter 4 that he's a fast learner-- or at least, he learns by observation and then action. So unless the situation called for it, Seto probably wouldn't see the need to dance-- unless it coincided with more "practice" with Téa for something other than dance... ^_~
Joey and Mai gets a bit more action in Chapter 17, which is newly posted-- and Mai being my second-favorite character (female, anyway) I do try to characterize her as strong, but stubborn and probably more needy than she's ever let on. Mai becomes a major player in the latter half of the fic (which is everything after Chapter 17, actually) so keep your eyes peeled for her!
I do like the line "What's another villain or five?" though-- I mean, we've already established:
* The Big 5 (or 4, anyway, now that Crump's out of the picture)
* Bakura ???
* The Mysterious Guy ???
And of course, the real villains are in our own heroes: Seto, Téa, Yugi, Joey... they can all be enemies of themselves, or each other! It certainly makes for some great plot entanglements!
Thanks again for your kind review!
Shea -- UPDATE! UPDATE! PLEASE!
I have a question. Why do you use a Ashezue's Japanes name when you use the American names for everyone else?
I think the name you're going for is "Ishizu" (Ee-shee-zoo, as it's pronounced in the English dub, and "Eye-shi-zoo" as it is pronounced from the Japanese) and it's not "Japanese." The name is Egyptian, based off the goddess Isis. Takahashi can't exactly mimic the way that name is said (Eye-sis) so he had to make do with Japanese pronunciation. However, the dubbers took the Japanese pronunciation at face-value and didn't bother to consider the historical context behind it. I'm correcting their mistake by using the proper name, as Takahashi most likely intended it.
Solar Kitty -- Ohmigad, I swear I reviewed this chapter... I KNOW I read it... but I was looking over the reviews to make sure I'd reviewed and I couldn't find one from me. So I'm going to review now. Firstly, I liked Marik's model of Egypt and the moment he and Téa had in it together. I think Marik poses a real threat to the relationship of Seto and Téa. Secondly, the chat room scene was very adorable! I can't believe Joey and Mai and Seto all were thinking the same things. I wonder, do you think they'll find out they were chatting with one another? That would make for an amusing little addition to the story.
*grins* Ah, that's okay-- surprised and unintentionally long reviews tend to be some of my favorites! I do like the idea of throwing a wrench in the relationship with every chance I get... but I can't say any more on that point. Read the fic, and keep reading to find out just what Marik's role is in this fic. Chapter 17 also reveals the answer to your second question.
I started laughing over Téa's reaction to having a white Christmas for the first time ever... mostly because Christmas is usually frigid here and snow, no matter how pretty, is always an evil addition to the holidays. But hey, she likes it and I guess that's how it is, ne? ^__^ Seto's Christmas activities startled me a little. Who knew Mr. Grumpy had any sense of Christmas Spirit? I went all "aw" when Téa found her final gift from him. It was just a really "aw" moment even if he was being dense about the kiss!
And finally... the last little chunk... The mystery man. I red the eye colours and I just went ". . . ." I almost fell off my chair thinking, "OMG It's DARTZ!" Well, that's who I think it is anyway. I could be wrong. After all, my guesses about characters and such have been mostly wrong thus far. However, I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in hopes that I find out who the gold and turquoise eyed man is! Ja!
~Solar K.
As I said earlier, I'm one of the few (?) who's never seen snow before, so I tried to inject some of my own winter wishes into Téa, even if it's a bit more unlikely for her character never to have seen snow. With the Seto having Christmas Spirit, I sort of figured a few things-- one, he wouldn't want to be completely like Gozaburo, and Seto at least remembered a few of his own childhood Christmases. More likely than not, he'd want to pass those good experiences onto Mokuba, even if he himself couldn't enjoy them anymore.
Seto Kaiba is a very intelligent and hardworking sort of guy-- so I reflected that in his sneaky riddles and behavior on Christmas Day. From his perspective, why should anyone (even Mokuba and Téa) get anything without working for it?
But of course, despite all his intelligence and creativity, I had to have him be a bit dense about Téa wanting something a bit different --not wrapped in a bow, shall we say? "Boys will be boys!"
You're one of many people who think the mystery man is Dartz. I won't say yes or no, but you will find out eventually!
You might uncover some secret gems about the story and its eventual sequel in here, so I highly recommend you read!
Embient -- Great chapter! I like seeing Seto and Téa get closer together and not "too" close, at least, not yet ;) .
More soon? :D
Ah yes, the joy of Unresolved Sexual Tension. It's a writer's best friend.
sempaiko -- wow. nice update! I'm really impressed by how much detail you always seem to put in and what a good writer you are. And your chapters are so long too! Mine are so short compared to yours!
I checked out your sites and stuff - I am again in awe of your large array of 'stuff' if you know what I mean. I would love to draw you a picture, but don't know what to do it of -all your scenes are so fun! ^_^
Kaiba X Tea all the way! whoo! Hey -check out my profile to find my very small website (-_-;) and check out the pic of a Kaiba X Tea kiss picture i did for my fic and let me know what you think of it! it would make me so happy if you did!
gotta go, update soon please! bye
Ooh, I love fanart-- and btw, I did check out that picture of Seto and Téa from CASK, and it's absolutely NUMMY! ^_^ So if any particular scene from WDKY inspires you, please, please, please, do fanart! I'm quite glad that you seem to admire me so much... *blush* Thanks for your review, and go Azureshippers!
Rain5101 -- I like it, of course, I always do. Anyway, can't wait for the update, and good job. That chapter was like what... 60 pages?
I actually don't keep track of the number of pages a story is-- I type in Dreamweaver MX 2004, which means everything is formatted to be a web page, NOT printed. However, sometimes my editors use programs like WordPerfect or MS Word, and they'll tell me if I have some astronomical page count...
A. Valentine -- OMG! This chapter was so great, and it was so sweet! I absolutely loved it, and a cliffhanger at the end! I'm guessing that dude was Dartz, ah! Anyways, please update soon, this fic is awesome!
Why thank you! Sometimes I do try to balance out the sweet fluff with some angst, but at times it's hard to resist the bite of the "love bug." As for "the dude," you'll find out who he is (or isn't) eventually!
unknown reviewer -- you should know, when you update its the highlight of my day. I can not stress enough how much I enjoy your writing. You are without doubt the best author I have seen on this site. Though I imagine your tired of hearing that by now.
As to the wonderful update. Loved it. I enjoy action and adventure as much as the next person, but I also enjoy seeing the day to day activities of characters. I really enjoyed just seeing how our little love-birds get through the day together...though Seto doesn't seem to be at work as much anymore.
but, now that we've seen them on a regular day, I'm ready for a bit of action, wonder what kind of havoc our 10,0 year old Dartz will bring.
*blush* Thank you for the high praise! I've actually heard so many insanely nice things about me and my writing that I'm stuck in a permanent state of shock and disbelief, which explains no matter how much I hear it, the giddier I get.
I do like to "keep it real" with the characters-- however, you're right in pointing out Kaiba doesn't seem to be at work as often. Though it's not explicitly stated, he does work from his office, and he'll be going back to the Kaiba Corp. offices soon.
I haven't stated who the mysterious guy is-- 10,000 years old or otherwise, but you will find out soon!
winterwing3000 -- Wow... now snow for Christmas 18 years in a row, that's soo sad! Too bad here in New England, it is like a hellish Christmas when it snows! >-<
And as for Mokuba not believing in Santa Clause... was another reason that he didn't believe in that plump red senile man because of his childhood? Like living with Gozabourou and all? Wait, no... he was adopted around 4... where are my math skills when I need them?
And I was really fascinated with the mini Egypt that Marik had shown to Tea and Seto. I've briefly learnt about Egypt culture and economy, but never expected all of what you've placed in this chapter. Did you researched all this? 0.o And I have a hunch of what Marik's gonna tell the three of them. Along the lines of their Egyptian past and things like that, other wise, Tea wouldn't have said "Kemet and Deshret", and IN Egyptian at that. There's also that part where she hears people singing...
I've never seen snow, so even if it's rather unlikely for Téa (having lived in Tokyo, where it DOES snow, and having visited New York in her childhood) I wanted to inject a bit of realism (er, mine) into that. It can happen! *stares* What? ;_; I'm not weird!
I imagine that even without Gozaburo's influence, Mokuba wouldn't have been much of a believer in Santa Claus-- or if he was, not for very long. Gozaburo rubbed off on Seto more than Mokuba, but Seto rubs off on Mokuba, so... yeah, put two and two together. :P
I did put a lot of research into the whole museum scene, and you're the first one to catch all the hints in there-- and there are LOTS of them! WDKY has many subplots, Marik's mission being one of them. You'll find out about the rest (and all the juicy details) as the story progresses. We're halfway through-- yatta!
Seto's jealousy and hunt for advice on AIM was really interesting as well! Never thought that he was the type that would chitchat with other people. And Mai and Joey at that! (Joey's actually spelt the words correctly! Has the world come to an end? ^.~) And 24-hour internet cafe's are the best! I happen to life nearby one. Unfortunately, I needa pay a fee just to use the computers.
I think you've really captured Seto's personality in trying newer things other than working, dueling and taking care of Mokuba (oh, and chasing after Yugi for that damn title! Men these days...). This fic is also very realistic! Emotions + conversations = even better! I really love this chapter! And *coughs* Christmas was ages ago! T^T *sniff* I was dying for this chapter!
Yes, that part (with Seto chatting on SHOOT! Japan, not AIM) was actually kind of difficult to write, because I knew the slightest slip-up would be out-of-character. But I didn't want to go too far and have spelling errors or l33t speak (especially for Joey), so I just settled for describing emoticons. I guess we can assume that they used an Auto-Spell Check in their chat room, then?
And if I've said it once, I'll say it a bazillion other times-- I try so hard to keep everyone, especially Kaiba, in character, so when someone tells me I've done a good job with that, it's VERY rewarding.
I did want to get this chapter out during Christmas... but obviously my timing isn't that great. ^^;
Oh, the ending was really cute! I love the riddles! I was thinking of salt on the:
"I am bacterial waste, oh yes, But just what type, can you guess? Some put me on their fish and chips, others on floors to prevent slips, some on salads, some in stews, some on windows, even shoes. So I'm bacterial waste, oh yes, But my name can you guess?"
You're really good if you made these up, I can't even think of a riddle without giving things away! XD
Is... is... c'est Monsieur Dartz? The freaky guy at the end... I hate his hair, too long and bushy! *grins*
I'll be awaiting for the next chapter anxiously! Seto needs to learn how and when to kiss... I always thought that the guys were one the hormonal rage to kiss girls, then again, Seto Kaiba isn't your average guy... ^-^
(Just to let you know, Domino's in the U.S.A... and don't worry, I was surprised as well. Many would think that it is in Japan since most Anime are hosted in that country, but not this one apparently! If you listen carefully in the episode where Ishizu/Isis arrived to Domino with her Egyptian artifacts before Battle City, you'll hear the announcer say, "Welcome to American, Ms. Ishizu. blah blah blah." ... not to hinder your writing, I'm just saying... so paranoid x.0)
I didn't write the riddles, unfortunately... I'm quite inept about that. But I thought that one was too cute to pass up, even if it was supposed to be written by Kaiba!
As for the guy at the end of the chapter, I'm not saying anything! You'll find out who it is in later chapters!
With Kaiba, yes, I imagine he'll need many more lessons...
And as for the Domino thing, while I do use the dub names, I do NOT abide by many of their mistaken facts. Domino IS in Japan (in the original version), and Marik's sister is Isis, not Ishizu-- a horrible pronunciation of "Isis" as it's romanized in Japanese. So while it might be weird to people who only watch the dub anime, it is "fact" for the WDKY-verse.
Hawkgal -- I want to let you know I love you. Will you marry me? Lol, kidding... but seriously, I love your writing and this story is the absolute kicks! You do the nearly impossible and make a completely believable relationship out of stone-cold (lol, bet he needed that shower) Seto and cheerleader turned cynic but not really Tea. Bravo, I dont' have enough words to congradulate you. I'm only so glad you haven't stopped writing like so many others with longer stories. Please dont' stop. I wish I had a quarter of your talent but alas, I'm more of a poetry person myself. Take as long as you need (but hopefully not too too long) to work on the next chapter. It's always worth the wait. So long and nice and descriptive. Even with the R rating it seems relatively tame to me ^_-
Can't rave on you enough other than, it's killing my printer but it's so worth it. Please please please don't ever stop writing. You've got the gift.
*blush* Thank you! If there's one thing I detest, it's people that throw together two characters like they've always been resolved, or that there's some glaring UST between them that is SOO obvious to everyone that watches/reads the fandom. It's really not like that at all... at least, not for me. So while I loved Téa and Kaiba as separate characters, I realized that to bring them together (plausibly) would take some work... so here I am.
I don't plan on stopping until I'm DONE with this sucker, and hopefully the sequel as well. It's sucked so much of my brain power and time up, it would be a crime to myself NOT to finish.
I don't EVER recommend printing the story out, considering I don't write it for that purpose, but I do appreciate and highly encourage reviews of all kinds, especially long ones! ^_^ Thanks so much!
AkaiKurai -- Akai: Pain in the butt? What the heck are you talking about? I loved this chapter! The part where Seto finally confesses he loves Tea is so cute! I just wanted to hug someone (settled for my stuffed dog). And you updated! I was so happy when I checked and there it was! Thank you thank you thank you!
Kurai: Finally! An Update and a darn good one at that. I liked the riddles. I think I'll get my family to do that this year. Of course, My riddles will suck (guaranteed) but It'll be fun ^^ Great chapter, heck, great story! Keep up the excellent work! And Update ASAP!
Ah, some chapters are inexplicably hard to write, even if people adore the final scenes. I post only when I'm pleased with the results, and if I please others at the same time, all the better. Thanks very much for the kind review! Good luck with your riddles! ^_~
S.adistic S.hadow K.itsune -- AW! Such a kawaii chapter for a kawaii couple! *squee* I loved this chapter and how sweet it was t have some fluffy moments with Malik\Marik. And i also loved how you made the Tea and Makuba use riddles to find there presents, and how she made the connection with her dad. And it was so kawaii that Tea would give Seto kissing *lessons* Naughty naughty, Lol. Anyways please update as soon as posable.
Much cookies,
Lupin
Ah yes, I do have a fondness for crack pairings, and for some reason, Seto x Anzu/Téa has lost its "crack" status, and given way to fics with Anzu x Bakura and Anzu x Malik. So I do kind of like bouncing her around, just to mortify the readers a bit more. *evil grin* Thanks for your review!
Fear of Falling -- I was reading this when I thought, where on earth does she come up with the riddles? So, where/how? I love this story, I think it has got to be my all time favorite. And thats a lot coming from me!
Unfortunately my creativity doesn't seem to extend to riddles, unless they explicitly have to tie to my plot and I can't find any existing riddles that fit the fic's circumstances. So most of the time I search (and search, and search) for riddles to add a bit of comic relief or mystery to the fic. Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Asanji -- *fans herself with her hand* Whoa! Getting a bit hot in there, isn't it? *laughs* This chapter had me laughing constantly. One of the two best scenes was in the museum. Just imagining Marik and Anzu creating sand angels was simply priceless.
And with his reaction to Seto and Anzu being together, that was wonderful as well. *grinning* The instant message conversation? Just picturing Seto's reactions to it, I never would have dreamed him being on something like that. *nods in approval* Again, fantastic.
...and I should be getting ready for my driving lesson. *sweatdrop*
*grin* Ah, I do love the sudden steam. Not many people mentioned that, actually! It was tough writing, but as I saw it, entirely necessary for the progression of Seto and Téa's relationship. But I did balance it out with a touch of humor --as you mentioned, the sand angels thing. And I did want to make it both mysterious and funny, with Seto there to watch the whole thing play out and not really have a clue.
Thanks again for your kind commentary and review! ^_^v
Starian Princess -- Wee! I'm so glad you updated! Who's the creepy guy? *shudders* And Mokuba being too much of an adult, I feel bad for Tea there. Well, at least Seto and Tea are "heating up the story". Can't wait for the next update. What more trials are there? And what is Marik hiding?^^
You'll find out about the "creepy guy" and his identity later on... and I do suppose Mokuba has grown up a lot in this fic, though the main characters are obviously Téa and Kaiba. He's almost 13! You'll find out about Marik's mission and everything else later on... :X
LuvinAniManga -- Many things to tell:
1) Loved the shortness of the chapter (it was kinda...alote at night, if you get my drift)
2) AWESOME chapter! Very angsty in the middle, but as long as IT dind't happen...I'm fine! It...ISN'T going to ever happen, right? You promised that? Right? I have to go with something Seto said, "A bit too early..." though that's not EXACTLy what he said, but he mentioned it!
3) Loved the Chrsitmas scenes! I knew it would snow! You've GOT to put in a snowball fight scene or something! And about those riddles: MAN you are CLEVER! I would NEVER have found out ANY of those! I was SLIGHTLY close...moon for the first one, and I was debating whether caviar could be used as a cleaner, even though fish eggs isn't exactly bacterial waste...but how was I suposed to know about vinegar? But that last clue TOTALLY through me for a loop: YOU ARE SO CLEVER! I could NEVER come up iwth something like that.
4) IT HAS TO BE DATRZ! At the end of the chapter, right? IT HAD TO BE HIM! The eyes toatally gave it away (I'm sure that was intended). So are his "guys" going to be in here too? HUH? If that indeed IS Dartz. But I'm sure you've got it all planned out. Just want to say: adding Alister to the story -what with his and Seto's original fued and all- would make it very good! Alas, I think you already have this ALL planned out! So, I'll just shut up, and end: update soon!
LuvinAnime (the new screenname at right is what I had to change to after being de-activated)
Ah yes, "it." A lot of people seem to take issue with it, but the fic is rated R, and appropriately so. If any part of the fic, implied or otherwise, makes you uncomfortable, then I suggest you quit reading now, because I don't plan on changing the rating or making any "alternate" chapters. Sex and sexual tension will come into play later in the fic.
As for the snowball fight, read the latest chapter, Chapter 17! It's a short scene, but a snowball fight nonetheless!
I didn't write the riddles unfortunately-- they will be credited to their proper sources (even the paraphrased story Seto told as the final riddle) on the WDKY Research pages, on my official website.
And you'll find more about the mystery guy and how he comes into play with the original cast later on. Thanks again for your review!
Wolf Jade -- I'm pissed. I had just written out the whole review, which was a very long one, and my computer had some stupid message come up saying that they needed to shut the internet down. I lost the whole review. I don't even remember half the stuff i was going to say. This stinks. It was a really good review too. I do remember some stuff however stupid it might be.
Now lets see, erm can you believe I finally found the review responses on that website. I forget which one it is. But I found it and then I went to go to it again a few days ago and couldn't find it again. Believe me, I'm horrible when it comes to finding things.
I've linked to the Review Replies page (here) on my Profile. If you can read this, then you've successfully made it to the right location!
I was waiting for you to update, hehe, the last chapter had been updated three days after my b-day and I still can't rememeber if I reviewed it. Oh well. I don't think I did, but it was a really good chapter. i loved it.
Now onto this chapter.
The part at the museum was wicked awesome. I could almost see the Eygptian display in my mind. You're really good at describing things. way better then I am. Poor Marik, it was marik right? I get mixed up with names. I think that was one of the best scenes in the chapter, but the one with Seto and tea in Seto's room. That one was better, more about that later. I'm going in order.
I can't believe Tea's never seen snow. I know I could never live without Snow. I mean yea sometimes you hate having to shovel when its ten degress out, but its fun to throw at your boyfriend. Anyway, Mokuba needs to show more enthusiasm about christmas, but then again being around Seto that long . . .Hehe.
I did put a lot of effort into writing the museum scene-- I even sketched out how I wanted it to look (though my sketch wasn't anything to be praised). And it did lend a lot to the plot, if you look carefully enough...
I've never seen snow, and I wanted to inject that feeling into Téa. It is a bit unlikely for her, but I know I can't be the only one-- so I got Téa to join me in the No-Snow department! And you're right about Mokuba's lack of enthusiasm, or the reason why he doesn't have any, at any rate. I blame it all on Seto and his odd upbringing...
That scene in the bedroom, hehe it was so fun to read. I must sound perverted, but I'm not. Hehe, I love reading about characters being together in a sense. I'm making a huge fool of myself. Hehe, the cold shower, I was laughing when Tea found out about it. I'm like "hehe hope she doesn't know why . . ."
You're a really good authoress. Hehe, the part with the snow and Tea saying they should throw some at seto was wicked funny. I laughed the part with Tea having to go around and find her presents. I thought you had forgotten about the dance room down there, but i guess not.
Please update soon and here's the long review, though some stuff I wanted to say is missing. Keep up the great work.
*grin* Yet another person who appreciates the fic for the rating and the reason why I wrote it! Steam is fun to write, because it keeps readers on the edge of their seat with anticipation, but it also furthers the plot and characterization, even if it's just minutely. And I did love having Téa angst over why Seto could be taking a cold shower-- part of the secret humor comes in her not really knowing!
I do have one objection though-- despite being female, I don't like being called an "authoress." Such words are pretty dated, and IMHO, sexist. I'm an author just as much as a guy is, and I don't see any reason why I should have a different label just because I have boobs. :P
Back to the review: I did want to have readers remember the dance room-- or at least the space downstairs, as the whole of the Kaiba mansion is the setting of the majority of the fic. Strange, but true. Thanks for the review, especially this lengthy one! If you remember what was in the original review, let me know!
Blu.lotus -- *Runs around screaming* AH! Something's happening! Something's happening! Something's going to happen! Ah!
Nice chappie btw. Nice development and everything... and stuff ^^ Wow. I need sleep. GOOD NIGHT! Thank you for the chapter! It was all round BRILLIANT! Bwahahahahahaha!
I have to say, this review had me giggling for quite a while. *bows* Thank you for taking the time to review, and thanks for the praise!
aNGEL -- So how can be not good at kissing but be good in bed? That was kawaii!
Ah, good question, actually. It's not that Kaiba's not good at "kissing," but he doesn't exactly know when to do it. This seems to be true of most guys (with little to no experience in the relationship department, anyway). So Kaiba's not good or bad, he's just "inexperienced." Put any guy in bed with a hot (and half-naked) girl, and he'll probably let instinct take over.
yugikid -- I know what it is like to have those pain in the butt chapters *snickers* but they are so worth it in the end, don't you think.
Anyways nice work and I mean it you did a fantasic job, and sadly I can't fine your reviews even on your sites, trust me I spent about 5 hours looking before my eyes watered, from staring, anyways, don't mind me and my complaints about that, on with the review.
I LIKE IT ALOT, I really like it, you know just how to caputure the moments between Seto and Tea, and I love how Joey of all people was in a chat room with Kaiba giving advice,I can just tell you when I figured it out and read that it was him, my ribs began to hurt from all the laughing I was doing.
I can't wait for your next chapter and I am really looking forward to it, keep it up. Ok enough of my talking I know you got chapters to work out because so do I.
Oh yes, even the most pain in the butt chapters can be very rewarding, especially when I lace them with innuendo and plot.
As for Darkness Rising, I've just updated it to include the latest chapters and the new link to the review replies, in case people missed the link from my FFnet profile. More fics will be appearing on my site and in the Files section of my azurite_updates mailing list soon!
I'm glad this last chapter amused you! Thanks for your review!
DarkShadowFlame -- Whoa! Dartz?
All right, let me back up. There's always so much in your chapters I hardly know where to begin. For starters, I loved Marik. I loved all your descriptions of that exhibit! Did you come up wtih that idea or did you see it somewhere - because it's brilliant. Especially how you're applying the advanced technology seen in the show; the stars and constellations and Nile would be amazing to see. Lucky Tea, and too bad to all the sullen ones who didn't join in the fun! (Why *did* Yugi stay home? Peer pressure from lazy Joey and Tristan? ::grins::) See, that's why Marik is awesome. He's not afraid to join in the fun and roll around in the sand! And when he does something, he goes all out. (Before I launch into lavish praise of Seto, since that was such a good tie-in, I also wanted to mention how good your characterization was: my heart melted at his mumbled "It's all rather silly, I suppose." It made him so human!)
X_X Marik is akin to Bakura and Seto in this fic... that is, difficult to write, but I guess when I pull him/them off, I do a decent job! Yay me! As for the idea for the exhibit-- *preens* Entirely my idea, I'm glad to say. I sketched the whole thing out myself, though I did have a bit of inspiration from a Nancy Drew game I played a long time ago. @_o
As for why Yugi and Co. stayed home, I did say... "sort of." Yugi lied to Joey and Tristan about Marik calling and then about him calling Téa to invite her to the exhibit. It's very possible that he intended to go to the exhibit up until he talked to Téa, and he realized something. But that might come into play later. In any case, Marik thought Grandpa (Solomon Moto) had something to do with them not coming, while in reality, Yugi just made an excuse and didn't go of his own accord. Téa knew that the boys were probably behind it, but she didn't have any idea why.
I'm glad I managed to have some interesting action going on with the Seto x Téa x Marik scene, though. ^_^;
Speaking of doing something to the maximum, WOW Seto. He is very impressive, once he gets his feelings in stock. That riddle-search is definitely a way to prove that he cares (in a typically anal way). Those riddles were *hard*... I congratulate Tea. But Seto's feat is all the more impressive considering the, ahem, bumpy night he had. Either he prepared in advance (and risked a sneaky Mokuba poking around!) or ran frantically around the house hiding clues between 3 am and whenever Mokuba arises (5 am?!).
I hope, in future chapters, aside from interesting relationship confusion and a maniacal Dartz, Tea and Mokuba do eventually pelt Seto with a snowball.
See, part of me thought the riddles would be too silly for Seto, but then again, he's a very intelligent guy, and hardworking at that, so why wouldn't he keep that attitude all year round? Such is my thought, anyway. I didn't think too much about when he would have prepared everything-- for the sake of that chapter of WDKY, Seto has stealth ninja powers. ^_^v
And in Chapter 17, Seto does indeed get pelted with a snowball. Go read it.
Speaking of Dartz - wow again! You're really working everyone into this. Are the DOOM goons going to be in this? Uh-oh, I won't be able to handle it if Raphael is evil again. I attacked my couch when his soul got sealed away. He's like my neo-Odion; I need to fixate on at least one random person per season. Anyway, looking forward to reading about the wild and crazy adventures of the Leviathan soon.
And continuing the trend of saying whatever comes to my mind, it was really cool how Seto and Joey and Mai mysteriously ended up in the same chat room. I suspect intereference by Santa Claus.
GREAT job! It doesn't seem like this could have been easy to write, as per your end note, but you definitely pulled it off. Although I was rather slow in realizing you updated, it was certainly worth the wait! Thank you for the fun read.
:O I have not named any names! Therefore, I find myself restricted against commenting against the better bulk of your latter comment here. I will agree that Santa is a mischeivous fellow, though. Thanks again for the review... *tears up* As always, it means so much coming from an author I admire!
angel-1844 -- Wow it took you forever to update but it was worth it. This was a good chapter. That was sweet with the whole riddle thing did that ever happen to you? And the chat room was funny. Hope you update real soon.
Ah, alas, no one's ever had a scavenger hunt for me on Christmas morning. Maybe it's a trend I should start myself!
Taichi Prime -- Man, This story rocks! I just can't help but wonder, is there ever going to be an end? Please continue.
*sings* This is the fic that never ends... and it goes on and on my friend. Some people, started reading not knowing what it was, and they'll continue reading it forever just because this is the fic that never ends...
*ahem* Anyway, yes, the fic will end. It's slated to be 36 Chapters (37 on FFnet and MMorg, if you go by their chaptering system) and will have a sequel of roughly the same or slightly-shorter length. We're halfway done! YAY!
Inu Kaiba -- Okay. Thanks for mentioning where the review replies were and putting a link on your profile. It helped and I liked your responses, you seem so mature. oO
Wow, this chapter was really good. I knew when I saw V10let Eyes that it had to be Mai. And the way LuckyChance7 acted the only person it could have been was Joey, especially when you mentioned that she was located in Domino. When you revealed who they were, I was kinda shocked because I was actually right.
Everyone's said this guy with the freaky different eye colours is Dartz so... Since I haven't seen Archialos and all the others who have would know, I'm guessing it is him. Not that I know who he is of course.
My only concern is you're going to have to go into tons of adventure because Seto's already confessed his love, there's going to have to be a huge epic battle where since he already loves her he fights to get her back and there's a happy ending. And then in the seqeul, something else happens.
"The course of true love never did run smooth." Keep that quote in mind for the rest of WDKY and its sequel! Yes, I do plan on amping up the adventure, but romance will still be a key player in this fic! But for the most part, you are on the money with your general gist of the fic and its sequel. Congrats!
Now as for two questions structuring the fiction itself...
A. Just how much longer is it going to take for this fiction? Since it's about 5 months until it's two years long, I'm hoping it won't take 4 years and am simply asking for confirmation and an estimated guess about how much longer it will take to finish WDKY, god forbid this 'sequel'. oO I sound so cruel re-reading that sorry... I'm just wondering...
I really can't say. Work and school combine to make a hectic schedule, plus I'm firm on my belief that everything I write first meets my standards, then gets edited, and THEN gets posted. So... while I don't expect it to take another 2 years, if it does, it does. Trying to put myself on a deadline never works. It's like trying to go on a diet when you're surrounded by chocolate. :P
And...
B. Since you got really close to it, is there gonna be a lemon? No pressure or anything I almost thought there was going to be one there since it came so close. Simply asking out of plain curiousity.
Since the little bar thingy is getting smaller and smaller, I'm guessing this review is pretty darn long by now and I should stop. Hope to see more updates this summer even if it means a couple hours reading one chapter *They can seem really long sometimes... Especially chapter 16...*
Great storah.
-Inu Kaiba
I don't plan on there being a lemon in WDKY. It will get "close" many times, but I respect the fact that I have young readers (including those that deem themselves mature enough to handle the R/M rating) and the Terms of Service at FFnet. As a result, I have no intention nor plans of writing a lemon-- but that was really a decision I made before I even finished planning the fic. I don't think *I* have enough guts to write one!
I hope you like long chapters-- 17 is out now, and it's definitely long! Not *AS* long as some others, but... you get the idea. Enjoy, and thanks again for reviewing!
Kitty -- SHE LIVES! Wow, after being gone for so long you still make up for it with GREAT chapters to your story. This chapter is one of my favs out of the other ones. I love the sexual tension between Seto and Anzu, its so funny. I think its so cute when he gets jealous. It was so ironic how Seto, Mai, and Joey end up in the same chat room. Oh and that whole Christmas thing was adorable, it was sweet of Seto to do that for Anzu. Please update SOON.
*grin* Yes, hard as it is to believe, I AM ALIVE. Shock! I do hope that I make up for the waits with my chapters-- usually when I write shorter or angstier chapters, I'm more prone to write faster, just to please my own muse/inner demons/whatever with longer, "happier" chapters and more plot resolution. I'm glad you liked all those aspects of the story-- it took a long time to write/envision them all, but I had fun doing it-- even if it was Christmas in the summer for me!
CRAZYABOUTANIME -- So sweet. I have a relentless passion for romance; therefore, I must say I'm very, very pleased with this chapter. Update soon.
You and me both! I don't think I have very many fics that AREN'T at least a little bit romantic in one way or another... is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Amazoness Archer -- You have no idea how long it took me to finsh each chapter, or how long it took me to read the WHOLE story.
Im very impressed with this work, It's above my standards. I mean, you placed everything in here, romance, humor drama and etc.
The events are so, connected. As if you planned every single one of them, it's just. There's so much things happening in each chapter. I can't even remember anymore.
How can you place so much happenings? I can't remember the plots I always plan, my Memory is ... bad..
Even if I am a Yami/Tea fan, I guess this is good too. I'll give you major credit for that.
Ha, I'm just amazed on how well you wrote this story. It could already be an award winning novel.Or maybe even a Movie.
Okay, so the Story's not over yet. Where do you get your ideas? I mean, did you plan it long before you started this story?
anyways, Update Soon.
always, †A.A.†
Thank you very much for your kind review! As I've said before, I like a good mix of everything --drama, romance, humor, action-- in my stories, especially longer ones like WDKY, because that's real life. Real life is funny, romantic and sweet, dramatic and suspenseful, sad and tragic, and action-packed. It doesn't always seem so though, so it's up to me as an author to get into the heads of all the characters and make it seem so.
And I have planned so much-- there are innuendoes all the way back in the beginning of the fic that won't be resolved until later, and one big glaring reference in this chapter won't find a real beginning until Chapter 30! Hopefully I'll be able to remind people of all those little subplots, so they won't have to re-read the fic many times.
I've had the idea for this since October of 2003 or thereabouts, and the main idea ended up spawning a lot of little ones that I saw could be connected. In the meantime, I kept watching and reading Yu-Gi-Oh (both the anime and the manga) and it has inspired me even more. The story is 98% planned out-- it's just a matter of writing everything out, now!
Thanks again for your review!
Janime Lee -- Excellent chapter. It was really nice to have Seto do the riddles with the presents. "Practice makes perfect" (giggles)-- that was great.
A dance studio, eh? Any chance Tea will give Seto private lessons?
The chatroom scene was excellent. What are the odds that Seto would land himself in the same chatroom with Joey and Mai, and ask them for advice.
And what of Joey and Mai? (Btw, I really like how you've portrayed her.) They still care about each other but even though Mai said in the chatroom she's spoken for because of Joey, he believes that they're over. When will they clear up their misunderstandings?
Oh no! You're bringing in the genocidal maniac?! Ah, why not? What's another villan or five? And psychotic spirits?
See you next update!
Thank you very much for reviewing! To get to your main questions, I don't know if Seto will ever get "private lessons" from Téa. For one, it's a rather clichéd plot for Azureshipping fics, and I don't want to bring any of that into WDKY; Two, Seto more than amply demonstrated in Chapter 4 that he's a fast learner-- or at least, he learns by observation and then action. So unless the situation called for it, Seto probably wouldn't see the need to dance-- unless it coincided with more "practice" with Téa for something other than dance... ^_~
Joey and Mai gets a bit more action in Chapter 17, which is newly posted-- and Mai being my second-favorite character (female, anyway) I do try to characterize her as strong, but stubborn and probably more needy than she's ever let on. Mai becomes a major player in the latter half of the fic (which is everything after Chapter 17, actually) so keep your eyes peeled for her!
I do like the line "What's another villain or five?" though-- I mean, we've already established:
* The Big 5 (or 4, anyway, now that Crump's out of the picture)
* Bakura ???
* The Mysterious Guy ???
And of course, the real villains are in our own heroes: Seto, Téa, Yugi, Joey... they can all be enemies of themselves, or each other! It certainly makes for some great plot entanglements!
Thanks again for your kind review!
Shea -- UPDATE! UPDATE! PLEASE!
I have a question. Why do you use a Ashezue's Japanes name when you use the American names for everyone else?
I think the name you're going for is "Ishizu" (Ee-shee-zoo, as it's pronounced in the English dub, and "Eye-shi-zoo" as it is pronounced from the Japanese) and it's not "Japanese." The name is Egyptian, based off the goddess Isis. Takahashi can't exactly mimic the way that name is said (Eye-sis) so he had to make do with Japanese pronunciation. However, the dubbers took the Japanese pronunciation at face-value and didn't bother to consider the historical context behind it. I'm correcting their mistake by using the proper name, as Takahashi most likely intended it.
Solar Kitty -- Ohmigad, I swear I reviewed this chapter... I KNOW I read it... but I was looking over the reviews to make sure I'd reviewed and I couldn't find one from me. So I'm going to review now. Firstly, I liked Marik's model of Egypt and the moment he and Téa had in it together. I think Marik poses a real threat to the relationship of Seto and Téa. Secondly, the chat room scene was very adorable! I can't believe Joey and Mai and Seto all were thinking the same things. I wonder, do you think they'll find out they were chatting with one another? That would make for an amusing little addition to the story.
*grins* Ah, that's okay-- surprised and unintentionally long reviews tend to be some of my favorites! I do like the idea of throwing a wrench in the relationship with every chance I get... but I can't say any more on that point. Read the fic, and keep reading to find out just what Marik's role is in this fic. Chapter 17 also reveals the answer to your second question.
I started laughing over Téa's reaction to having a white Christmas for the first time ever... mostly because Christmas is usually frigid here and snow, no matter how pretty, is always an evil addition to the holidays. But hey, she likes it and I guess that's how it is, ne? ^__^ Seto's Christmas activities startled me a little. Who knew Mr. Grumpy had any sense of Christmas Spirit? I went all "aw" when Téa found her final gift from him. It was just a really "aw" moment even if he was being dense about the kiss!
And finally... the last little chunk... The mystery man. I red the eye colours and I just went ". . . ." I almost fell off my chair thinking, "OMG It's DARTZ!" Well, that's who I think it is anyway. I could be wrong. After all, my guesses about characters and such have been mostly wrong thus far. However, I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in hopes that I find out who the gold and turquoise eyed man is! Ja!
~Solar K.
As I said earlier, I'm one of the few (?) who's never seen snow before, so I tried to inject some of my own winter wishes into Téa, even if it's a bit more unlikely for her character never to have seen snow. With the Seto having Christmas Spirit, I sort of figured a few things-- one, he wouldn't want to be completely like Gozaburo, and Seto at least remembered a few of his own childhood Christmases. More likely than not, he'd want to pass those good experiences onto Mokuba, even if he himself couldn't enjoy them anymore.
Seto Kaiba is a very intelligent and hardworking sort of guy-- so I reflected that in his sneaky riddles and behavior on Christmas Day. From his perspective, why should anyone (even Mokuba and Téa) get anything without working for it?
But of course, despite all his intelligence and creativity, I had to have him be a bit dense about Téa wanting something a bit different --not wrapped in a bow, shall we say? "Boys will be boys!"
You're one of many people who think the mystery man is Dartz. I won't say yes or no, but you will find out eventually!
