ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I can't believe it's over.
That's what I thought when I finished playing Okami, and that same sentiment is running through my head now that I've finished my novelization of the game, as seen through Amaterasu's eyes. It's hard to believe that I started writing this fanfic in late November 2012, and here it is, June 2014. "Okami Amaterasu" is the first fanfic I've had the pleasure of finishing, and it's garnered the most attention out of anything I've written so far!
Many of Amaterasu's thoughts, reactions, and observations started as my own when I first played the game, and when I began playing through for the second time in late 2012, I thought, "Why not write the game from Ammy's point of view?" You probably noticed that this fanfic is structured as a kind of retroactive storytelling with Ammy telling Waka about her adventures after the fact. (While I grew to like Issun as the game progressed, I was always deeply intrigued by Waka and a possible relationship between him and Ammy. Perhaps I'll even write a prequel about the two of them some day!)
Hopefully if you've made it this far, you've enjoyed reading about Ammy's adventures as much as I've enjoyed writing them. I'm humbled and deeply honored by all of the views, favorites, story alerts, reviews, and enthusiasm that readers have showered upon this story. Domo arigato!
Many thanks go out to the following people:
My onii-san, David Greenshell, whose high praise of Okami got me to play the game in the first place.
To my Dad, for teaching me how to write, and my Mom for teaching me persistence, consistency, and discipline. (You guys will probably never read this fanfic, but I owe you for the tools you've given me, regardless of how or where I use them.)
Eric Nylund. His brilliant HALO novels were what sparked my interest in video game novelizations.
Clover Studio & Capcom for creating such a wonderful game. You were brilliant. I think Okami is a timeless classic.
Eric Van Wilderman ("Let's Play Okami HD [PS3] – The Most Beautiful Game!") and MasatoHyuga ("Okami - Playthrough [Wii]") for their wonderful Youtube playlists. Your videos helped me refresh my memory of events in the game without having to replay each section multiple times!
MookietheBold for the wonderful "Okami: Game Script" on GameFAQs. I salute you for the time it must have taken you to compile this; it's a great resource for all the in-game dialogue, including tons of optional dialogue that I missed on my first play-through. (Even the second time around, I don't think I found all of it, so thanks!)
All the folks who run and contribute to the Okami Wikia. This is a fantastic resource for terms, names, and all sorts of interesting details for both Okami and Okamiden. Serious kudos, guys!
Special thanks to Piklink, Kochua2012, FlowerFur, and garby3 for all the lovely, often in-depth reviews on so many chapters! I adore chapter-by-chapter reviews and your encouragement was wonderful!
My deepest thanks and appreciation goes to everyone who has come and read, favorited, followed, reviewed, and/or shared at any point during this story. I am indebted to all of you for your kind words and support.
Also, I want to give a huge preemptive thank you to everyone who comes after the writing of these acknowledgments with favs and reviews. I hope that you have enjoyed this story and share it with others.
