Interesting. Great story.

You have moved me to tears

Absolutely wonderful. The dynamic between Itachi and Shisui was masterfully written, and I found the part where Itachi decided not to wait for Sasuke to be especially poignant. You obviously write romance very well, and your language adds a certain unique flavor to this story that greatly adds to its depth. Excellent job, and please continue writing Itachi and Shisui stories! You know you want too...

Currently reading through all your Itachi/Shisui, and dammit, are they amazing. You're a genius. Your stories are so deep and soulful. I agree with your characterization of Shisui absoluuutely. He's awesome.

This breaks my heart and I hate you and please hurry up and write more things because I've run out and I need it.

This was incredibly beautiful and eloquent, and the ending had a truly bittersweet quality that I love to see in Ita/Shi fanfics. We need more writers here - and everywhere, for the matter! - as talented and intelligent as you are. Well done.

-T.G.

beautiful :)

I was a bit slow in realizing that this is an afterlife story, but I waded into well enough once I got there. You were able to put so much into this story: Shisui's murder, his own feelings about it, Itachi's futility in regards to Sasuke, Itachi's grasps for power...

The way you write the narrative in between the dialogue is really fitting. It reads like an extension of Shisui's thoughts. Speaking of which, despite Shisui obviously being an undeveloped character in the Nartuo 'verse, or maybe because of this, I've noticed that all of your Shisui/Itachi stories (well, of the ones I've read so far at least) are Shisui-centric. They stem from his point of view even though Itachi is the character that the audience is definitely more familiar with. I appreciate that. It offers a new perspective for us readers and adds lightness where Itachi could probably never conceive it.

I've noticed that you tend to use a lot of upper vocabulary in your stories and I really like that. It seems that once I hit fifteen that all fiction I read had plateaued in regards to vocabulary. It seemed that only specialized reading like textbooks had any new words for me to learn.

I really love this story and can't believe how amazing and beautiful it is. I love how Itachi was somewhat forgiven and how he wondered what is a man. Great job!

EPIC MINDFUCK.

That was absolutely beautiful. I love the idea of Itachi and Shisui meeting again, and of Itachi getting some sort of forgiveness and acknowledgment for what he put himself through.

Still reeling here, seriously. Awesome job.

Where are the fanfic writers of your kind, I ask myself? Where are all of you hidden? I love everything this fic, from the very beginning to the very last part of it. It’s just wonderful.

The first thing that got me from your fanfic was the summary –o is it the subtitle?– ‘the tautology of you and me’ and the obvious philosophical background to it. From the very introduction and the explanation of the Uchiha family being solipsistic because of the sharingan you won me. Entirely. And all the concept of tautology through the fanfic. Hahah, I may be misunderstanding everything, or getting it in the wrong way, but I never saw love as a way of tautology. Yes, we tend to be tautological and determinant when we love someone, and that sometimes lead us to fallacies. Am I right?

Sometimes I feel fanfiction is just there, just waiting there to be read. But when all those fanfics are read, they say nothing, they mean nothing. I don’t think that is the case of your fanfic. I think you’re trying to develop, not only Itachi’s character through your beautiful writing, or only the psychology of a certain individual. You give him a feeling of humanity, of wholeness.

And the whole Itachi’s introspective view through the fanfic was breathtaking. It conveyed me all his emotions. One of my favourite parts was when he asks himself what is a man. Pure poetry.

I love the pace of the fanfic; but I don’t know exactly how to say this. All the pauses and the silences where you imply, but don’t tell directly the nature of their relationship. And all those metaphors, like when describing Shisui’s death and all Itachi’s impressions of him. And, Sasuke’s small description… well. I’m out of words. Yes.

About the title; have you read Mémoires d'Hadrien, by Marguerite Yourcenar? I didn’t get the connection at first, because I’m dumb and I read it on language that translates Antinous as Antinoo (idiotic, isn’t it?). Well I love Yourcenar, I loved you fic. End of rant.

I’ll leave you alone, because I know I fangirl too much and I make people nauseous.

Note: I’m not an English native, so I make a lot of mistakes while writing. I’m sorry if there are unclear parts on this review.