Freemage wrote:

Right.  Late, but not never.

And that's all that counts in the end.

The breakdown:

Opening:
 Suitibly poetic, making clear that this is going to be a long hard
road for her.

Akane & Silk:
 I liked this relationship, a lot.

Really? That's quiet a surprise to me since I really didn't give it all
that much time. Glad you liked it, though.

The fact that their potential
problems were not simply ignored was well done, and the resolution was
both believable and satisfying.

Thanks again. Like I said Akane wasn't one to really bear a grudge against
someone that did nothing to her. And Silk go just be sooo charming when
she tries.

And I love the idea of a step-mom who
launches surprise attacks every morning.  So what's the newborn's name
gonna be?

Haven't thought of one yet. And as someone mentioned to me, it makes you
wonder if Soun has even one Y chromosome in his entire body. ^_^

Idle thought:
 Hmmm... Akane Tendou, funeral director.  Has a certain ring to it,
dontcha think?  ((Probably way too subtle a plug for Illuminations))

Not anymore. ^_^

And just when is the next part due out, btw?

Kasumi & Birdy:
 You're doing this to me intentionally, aren't you?

Doing what? A couple other people seemed to think something was up with
Birdy as well. I have no idea of what you mean. I figure that this is
normal behavior for pteradactyls.

I mean what, do you think he's not really an Earth pteradactyl, but is
actually an advanced alien spiecies of pteradactyl that was sent to Earth,
in disguise, so that it could spy on us and judge if humanity is to be
destroyed or allowed to continue its existance? Do you think it regards
Kasumi as its pet and simply enjoys tormenting Nabiki as a little kid
would do to a cat or dog, something it regards as an inferior creature?
Please. That's just plain silly. Even I wouldn't do something like that.

The ideas you come up with sometimes.Tsk. Tsk.


Mind games are fun, aren't they? ^_^

The Rumour Mill:
 Laughed much.  Of course, the idea that the fathers were still
planning for Ranma's return

They are persistant little buggers, and as long as Ranma hasn't actually
married Shamp's, there's still hope in their hearts.

had me begging for Nodoka and Silk to open
up a can of whup-ass.

Heh. Silk figures it isn't really any of her business (even if she doesn't
approve) since this was all arranged before she got there. Nodoka's still
backing her husband's desires, as well as being disappointed that Ranma is
insisting on being disobediant.

Nabiki's reaction to Tarou's death:
 This was probably the most mystifying point, for me.  I do hope it
will be explained in future portions.  I would have put her feelings for
him slightly below those she had for Birdy....

Ah, you misunderstand her sorrow. She wasn't sorry that he died. She was
sorry that he died BEFORE she had a chance to visit her righteous
vengeance on him. Remember, in previous chapters she had her aide, Ryonami
(who was eventually roughed up by him), digging up as much dirt as she
could so she could publically humiliate Tarou, and force Akane to accept
the truth that he was a manipulative slimeball. She wanted Akane to chew
him out, to see ole' Pantyhose's spirit broken, and sell certain parts of
Bull-Butt  (which I shall not repeat here) to food vendors. That he kicked
the bucket before she could do all of this, which she was now preprared to
do, broke her heart and left her need for vengeance unfulfilled.

Weather patterns:
 Chuckle.

XOver and OVA elements:
 A little thick at points, but I like the humanization of Ki-Rin.

Hmm. Most of them had at least some point. Aside from a little dose of
humor in an otherwise serious epilogue.

Kurumi and Natsume: I still had people reminding me of leaving their fate
in the hands of the Gambler King, so I put that to rest. Also, the new
'Tendo Triple Threat' will probably make an appearance in a sequal. It
adds a new demension to the situation.

Kinnosuke: Just there to show Akane still has the ability to attract
unwanted suitors, Ranma being there or not. Well, I also liked some of the
lines I had with him there. He won't be around again though.

Ki Rin: possible romantic interest. We'll see how that pans out, but not
in the near future. He won't be popping up again in the epilogues.

The 7 (Not so) Lucky Gods. Not going to see them again either

Tenchi crew: Nerima is still the center of chaos in Japan. With Ranma
absent, it went seeking to fill the vacuum and got it in spades. Likewise
I still need to bring in one more silly element I left lying around in the
earlier chapters in to finish this little thing up. Meaning you'll see
this crew one more time. (Except for Washuu.)

Mirror:
 A brilliant conclusion.  Kudos to the ghost-sweeper.

Thanks. Like I said, Jurai Knight was largely responsible for that.
Originally the mirrior was destroyed in one of the unreleased chapters,
fortunately I never made a reference to that so I can use it.  It served
as the perfect plot device to show Akane was over Ranma.

Overall theme/reaction:
 Very powerful.  I was reminded of a scab, constantly being pulled back
to reveal that a little more of the flesh underneath was healed, but
with just enough of an injury that the scab reforms, until one day,
almost magically, there is nothing but bright pink skin underneath.

Oui. Nice comparison. Sometimes there might be a little scar left behind,
but the wound itself heals in the end, like it did here.

Bravissimo.

Thank you

D.B. Sommer