*shrug* It always worked for me - I was wondering what it would take for them to realize they actually were good for each other (DJ getting her to loosen up, Asuka keeping DJ's head from over-inflating), and then you took care of it. It may have been unexpected to you the author (and I know that sort of thing happens to you frequently, but I've learned that it's a good thing - when the characters know what works best, it means you've put enough effort into them that they're alive, if only in your own head :)), but to at least this reader it felt like you were slowly leading up to the possibility, and when it happened it was more of an "OK, they went left rather than right at the fork"...

In any event, NXE was, in my opinion, when you turned a corner in your writing, taking it to the next level in your evolution as an author. And yes, your 1997-2000 self deserves a little pat on the back for it :)

Offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>