Katawa Shoujo Forums

Story Notes – End of Line

So, finally, here we are at the end of Fractures. It’s been a long road, far longer than I anticipated when I started – didn’t I say something about estimating 25-30K? More like 53K!

(A slightly re-edited version of the whole thing is on Ao3 here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/449349 ... s/10216185 )

But, once you let Rin and Emi and Lilly and Shiina and Shizune into your life, it’s kind of hard to let them go.

Of course, there’s a name missing from that list: Hanako ‘Not-appearing-in-this-story’ Ikezawa. When I started Fractures she was certainly lined up to take part, but as the story progressed I realised that, sadly, there just wasn’t a place for her. Which is a shame, as I adore Hanako as a character and I would have really liked to have looked more closely at how she fits into the Fractures universe.

Oh well. I suppose that means I’ll just have to come back.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has read the story. Your comments have been brilliant – while this certainly isn’t the first thing I’ve written (trust me, I’ve been around this particular dance floor many, many times) it’s the first thing I’ve released chapter by chapter, and it’s been a great experience. One I hope to repeat soon!

I think Fractures has established a place in our Yamaku Library* by virtue of it being the best example of the thriller genre in the whole place. It's long and strong and well-paced. Also, was delivered in relatively prompt instalments, which helped some of us keep abreast of the plot. Of course we'll need time to mull over it, but I think it's in some ways a classic. Thanks for giving it to us!

*The Library is where we keep a link index of the fiction around here. Apologies if you already knew this.

Fractures has certainly earned it's place in the top-tier of KS fiction. You built a future for the girls that might not always have been pleasant but made them all stronger characters as a result. It was engaging, thrilling, charming and heart-wrenching at times and I'm thankful you wrote it.

Truly astounding work, Sadako and I hope to see more from you in the future.

while this certainly isn’t the first thing I’ve written (trust me, I’ve been around this particular dance floor many, many times) it’s the first thing I’ve released chapter by chapter, and it’s been a great experience.

Well, it certainly shows. I think this is the first time someone just appeared on the forums out of nowhere and delivered a 50K+ story of this quality. Without thinking too hard about it, I'll gladly rank this story within my personal top 10.

Congrats on finishing this story. The library entry will definitely not be long in coming. (Hint: Check the library)

You are officially not a heartless bastard. I was getting worried after the chapter 19 cliffhanger. Naming #20 "With Regrets" didn't help. Nice that the gang's all okay in the end, though

Oh, and praise 'n stuff, best thriller story on the boards, etc. (everybody else made all the pertinent comments, so I'll go with "ditto").

One I hope to repeat soon!

I shall eagerly await the day, good sir!

Wow, thanks so much, everyone! Really kind comments, and it’s humbling to see Fractures up in the Library already. Honestly, doing this has been a genuine pleasure, and I’m really glad people enjoyed reading it.

Alpacalypse wrote:You are officially not a heartless bastard. I was getting worried after the chapter 19 cliffhanger. Naming #20 "With Regrets" didn't help. Nice that the gang's all okay in the end, though

#20 was originally called Dear Akira. Then I got partway through and thought: “Nah. Gives the game away,” and changed it to something more easily misinterpreted.

Never miss a chance to make people fear for your characters, that’s what I say.

But yes, of course the gang were going to come out on top at the end, even if they had to earn their happy endings. If I hadn’t fallen in love with them during my multiple playthroughs of KS I’d still be working on, um, the project I should have been working on instead of Fractures. Oops. But you know what it’s like, these people get into your head and make themselves at home, and in the long run you might as well give up and let them have their way. Because they’re going nowhere until you do…

Not gonna lie, Lilly's dark joke there really scared me for a bit haha. I was very relieved to find that Emi was more or less fine.

Anyways, as others have said, great story. Definitely my favorite thriller on the site, and one of the better ones in general. Kinda sad that Hanako never made an appearance, but that's minor. Satisfying ending too, which not every story is able to do. Glad to see Shiina and Shizune got together, and I had a laugh at Rin telling Emi she'd regret telling her she can call whenever she wanted to.

All the fanfics I read are ended or ending.
Really well done Sadako. When Lilly wrote about Emi, I re-read the line to make sure I read it right. I'm glad Lilly revealed the dark joke. I'm surprised by my reaction .

is Hanako alive?

AntonSlavik020 wrote:Not gonna lie, Lilly's dark joke there really scared me for a bit haha. I was very relieved to find that Emi was more or less fine.

Anyways, as others have said, great story. Definitely my favorite thriller on the site, and one of the better ones in general. Kinda sad that Hanako never made an appearance, but that's minor. Satisfying ending too, which not every story is able to do. Glad to see Shiina and Shizune got together, and I had a laugh at Rin telling Emi she'd regret telling her she can call whenever she wanted to.

I’m really happy to hear that my take on the Shiina / Shizune relationship has gone down well! While there was a lot about Fractures that evolved or changed while I was writing it, that part was something I wanted to do from the beginning.

Not sure what Jigoro’s going to make of it. Maybe that would be worth exploring in another tale sometime…

Hesmiyu wrote:When Lilly wrote about Emi, I re-read the line to make sure I read it right. I'm glad Lilly revealed the dark joke. I'm surprised by my reaction .

I think Lilly is quite ashamed of herself for that. Lucky for her she thought better of it before sending the email. I can only imagine what Akira would have said to her if she’d left it in…

vdawg1337 wrote:is Hanako alive?

Hanako is fine – she was away photographing urban decay sites while all this unpleasantness took place. And of course, she’s the ‘old friend’ Lilly is going out for tea with at the end of the story.

And boy, does she have some tales to tell…

Sadako wrote:And boy, does she have some tales to tell…

Guess we know what your next fic is

Just found this, was skeptical at first of a mystery/thriller KS story, but boy howdy did you pull it off! Wonderful stuff, thanks for a fun evening's read.

I doubt many people will be completely happy about me bringing this back from the dead (necro posting), but WOW. Wow. I had a few hours spare and had this sitting in my pile of "to read" fan fictions. So I sat down and read it. And was promptly blown away. You kept me on the edge of my seat, anxiously trying to find out what happened at the end of each chapter. The characterizations of the Emi, Rin, Lilly, Shizune and Shiina (Misha) were all great. The plot was interesting and unique, with some interesting real world call backs (Japanese mental health, 2011 earthquake and tsunami). I loved all of it.

I hate to bump this back from the dead too. But if people see it and read it again, all the better.
I could not sleep, this had me gripped from the very start and I had to finish it. I am so immensely pleased with how the story fits so well with how I understand the characters.
The action, sets, and dialog are all top tier quality. Your mileage may vary, but as a lover of thrillers and detective fiction, this story brought something so familiar to my favorite universe. Similarly familiar, looking back at the path my life has followed since being a teenager is a bizarre experience. A feeling this fic captured for me.

It’s summarized perfectly in the text: People never stay the same, but they don’t really change that much either. You aren’t really the person who made your mistakes anymore, but they are there with you always.
Thank you for the excellent read.