This is turning out to be a difficult fic for me to provide feedback on for a couple of reasons, and maybe explaining why will actually be the feedback?!?
First, I can’t quote you specific passages and then comment on them like I usually do, because this fic demands that it be assessed in its entirety. The whole thing taken together is where the power of it comes from.
Second, I’m emotionally numb after reading this. Usually when I read one of your stories, I have such a strong emotional reaction to certain parts, and those emotions drive my written response. But, with this one, I’m left almost cold, so it’s hard for me to find a way to express that lack of feeling. It’s not that the story doesn’t work for me. On the contrary, it works incredibly well. This is Brian and Justin perfectly personified during the pre-breakup time period. You have truly captured the quiet sadness before the end.
I’m actually glad that I didn’t get to read this until now. I think it carries a much stronger impact for me when I compare it to where Justin and Brian are now in the Risks time-line. That’s not a connection that I would have made if I read this not knowing you were the author. It’s striking to see that in Risks, there are still silences, still not a huge amount of conversation, but there is so much more understanding. The contrast between Frost and Risks demonstrates the tremendous amount of growth that both Brian and Justin have experienced. I can imagine that this story was challenging for you to write, but I’m really very impressed with this one.
~Ellen
PS - The graphics for this story are superb. roc_abs did a phenomenal job of capturing the essence of this piece.
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This is turning out to be a difficult fic for me to provide feedback on for a couple of reasons, and maybe explaining why will actually be the feedback?!?
First, I can’t quote you specific passages and then comment on them like I usually do, because this fic demands that it be assessed in its entirety. The whole thing taken together is where the power of it comes from.
Second, I’m emotionally numb after reading this. Usually when I read one of your stories, I have such a strong emotional reaction to certain parts, and those emotions drive my written response. But, with this one, I’m left almost cold, so it’s hard for me to find a way to express that lack of feeling. It’s not that the story doesn’t work for me. On the contrary, it works incredibly well. This is Brian and Justin perfectly personified during the pre-breakup time period. You have truly captured the quiet sadness before the end.
I’m actually glad that I didn’t get to read this until now. I think it carries a much stronger impact for me when I compare it to where Justin and Brian are now in the Risks time-line. That’s not a connection that I would have made if I read this not knowing you were the author. It’s striking to see that in Risks, there are still silences, still not a huge amount of conversation, but there is so much more understanding. The contrast between Frost and Risks demonstrates the tremendous amount of growth that both Brian and Justin have experienced. I can imagine that this story was challenging for you to write, but I’m really very impressed with this one.
~Ellen
PS - The graphics for this story are superb.