I will add my name to the list of those who registered on this forum just to comment in this thread. Just over 24 hours ago, I came across a post on the KS subreddit with a list of recommended fanfics, and LTF was at the top of that list. Previously, I've only read Sisterhood - which is a masterpiece in its own right, but that's not the point here - and I decided to give this one a read. And boy was it a wild ride. I was glued to the screen for 8 hours, until I realised what time it was, and that I had completely binge-read the first three acts. Today, I came back and did the same with Act 4.
Rarely has a piece of fiction kept me so engaged from beginning to end. I went through all the emotions, from wanting to slap Hisao for being a moron, to wanting to hug Saki and tell her it was going to be okay, with everything in between. EBJ, you brought these characters to life in a way that few others could have. As a musician myself, those parts of the story immediately resonated with me. I may not have a disability, but just the frustration when things start to go wrong at the studio was so incredibly relatable for me. I have been part of more than one performance that went off the rails in a bad way in my 25 years as an amateur brass player, after all.
When I hit the end of Act 3, however, I had to jump to the final chapter, just to see the last paragraph. Because I don't think I could have handled it if the end of the story had been Saki's end. But once I was reassured that that was not the case, I went straight back in.
My life, at the moment, feels like it's going nowhere. After over a year of unemployment, a promising chance fell through just before the holidays. My romantic life has been nonexistant for a decade. But this story has hit me where it matters. Saki's attitude of never giving up, even though she knows what's coming for her eventually, and Hisao's strength and resolve in loving her and dealing with all its implications, it has reminded me that, no matter how bad things seem, there is never a reason to just give up. Reading your personal notes from the past 11 years as you preface the various chapters just reinforces that as well.
EBJ, you have created a masterpiece of literature, one of the most moving, emotional, wholesome, at times hilarious, and just overall well-rounded pieces of writing I have ever come across. On the day where physical copies become available, I will most certainly be ordering the complete set. And I already know that I will, in future, read this story again. All I can say is, thank you for creating this wonderful work, and never giving up on it yourself.
