JISDOAFIODSAFSADF.



AMAZING! After I reread this a bunch of times, I'll post something that actually makes sense, I PROMISE.

AHAHAHA. That gif . . . I can't even.

Thanks so much! I'm just thrilled that you liked it. And hee, this makes perfect sense, I swear. More sense than the fic, anyway. ;)

Okay, phew. I'm good now. And nuttymadam gets a similar response out of me as well. I've subscribed to her YT account...not going to lie. She basically fascinates me.

THANK YOU for fulfilling my prompt. It was totally worth the completely non-existent wait that you're going on about. You are one of my absolute favorite authors - not just in fandom either (I mean, I definitely would prefer reading you to ~Stephenie Meyer~). Not just because you write about characters that I love to read, but because you've got such an amazing grasp on them and their thoughts. I feel like you should be writing Lost rather than Darlton because your fics are so believable and real. I feel like you could write a fic about Jack joining the circus to fulfill his secret lifelong dream of becoming a lion-tamer, and I would read it and totally believe everything he's thinking and doing because of the way you write.

Okay, enough butt-kissery, I should probably talk about the actual fic. It was gorgeous, obviously. What I love about this fic is that it makes me feel all of the emotions that Jack is feeling. He's haunted, alone, but at the same time he's momentarily at peace when he's with Kate. At least, that's how I read it. He knows that they're not at a good place right now in their lives, but he lets go of the worry for a moment and just revels in being with her. I love these kind of fics where it's not just one obvious emotion that the author is trying to convey (i.e. Jack is taking Kate and Aaron to go shopping for a new puppy dog! Rainbows and happiness!/Jack is sitting alone in the dark, popping pills, scolding himself for losing Kate just before he miserably ends his life...ALONE. dun dun dun). Because, well, real life is never going to be just one straight emotion or feeling, which is why I think I find your fics to be so real.

Umm. Yeah. So I could probably write a lot more, and there are probably loads of spelling/grammar errors in this post, and for that I am sorry! I'm just lazy, and I want to go shower. ;D

Eeeeee. Thank you so, so much for the AMAZING comment. I am so blown away--I don't know what to say. You've made my night so much better.

You are one of my absolute favorite authors - not just in fandom either (I mean, I definitely would prefer reading you to ~Stephenie Meyer~).

lolol, Stephenie Meyer is the bane of my existence, so for that I am very grateful. ;) Really, though, thank you so much! That is the loveliest compliment. *grins like a madwoman*

I feel like you could write a fic about Jack joining the circus to fulfill his secret lifelong dream of becoming a lion-tamer, and I would read it and totally believe everything he's thinking and doing because of the way you write.

. . . oh my lord. I'm just going to be laughing hysterically over here for God knows how long. Oh, wow. The sad thing is that I'm not above that. But thank you again! You are so lovely, and I can feel my ego expanding by the second. ;)

And your analysis of the fic? Is soooo much better than the actual fic for me, really. Thank you. ♥ And I feel like I should try to say something intelligent in return, so--one of the main criticisms I've heard about *that scene* in 316 is that it's essentially Kate using Jack. Which, well, it is. But I think it's important to note that Jack was in a bad place then, too, and that he wasn't the only one who found some comfort there. I didn't set out to write this fic intending to address this, but that's what I ended up doing, at least in part.

Again: THANK YOU x 1,000,000. I am ecstatic that this worked out for you! And the butt-kissery was very, very nice. :D

♥ it, especially because no matter Jack's problems, Kate will always be there to help him through. :D

Yay, thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :D And of course. Or at least that's what I hope for. ;)

Wow. Seriously, this is so amazing. You have such skill, what you do with words just astounds me. It is beautiful and poetic (but not in that annoying sense where it doesn't make any sense, lol) and you capture it all so perfectly. Voice, tone, pace, history. WOW. It is gorgeous and puts me inside his head so well, makes me both love them and hate them for their beautiful fucked upness. Once again, a home run. I can never write Jack and Kate and the fact that you do it so well blows my mind in the best way. Big kudos. Beautiful. You do the OTP proud, bb!

Wow, thank you so much for the amazing comment! I wasn't expecting feedback anywhere near this wonderful, and it really, really means a lot that you enjoyed this.

makes me both love them and hate them for their beautiful fucked upness.

And that, exactly, is always my goal when writing Jack/Kate, so I am beyond thrilled that that's what you got from it. Thank you so, so much for your kind words! It is too sweet of you to say all that. ♥

Mind if I friend you? I could use more Lost love on my flist and we seem to be simpatico on that front. :)

Not at all! There's no such thing as too much Lost love. :)

Siiiiiiigh -- I think you're the only writer I've come across so far that's really pulled me in to the idea of Jack/Kate, and given me a fresh perspective on Jack that doesn't ignore his weaknesses but lets him be more than the sum of his flaws.

God, I love this so much -- especially the opening and all the little asides. So, so, so great.

Oh, wow, yay! I'm so glad that I could make Jack, and especially Jack/Kate, palatable. That is so great to hear.

Thank you so much for the lovely kind words! They really mean a lot, and I'm so glad that you liked this. :)

My pleasure! :D

And would you mind if I friended you? You've left such lovely feedback on my stuff, and I'd love to know when more of your fic crops up.

Oh, sure! That'd be great! And ditto. :)

*sigh*

..........

*cries*

This is just so beautiful. I have to go somewhere for a while, but I just wanted to leave this comment to tell you that I did read it and I absolutely loved it. Just... wow, this killed me. As your Jack fics always do. XD Expect a longer comment later!

And now, I will leave you with the thumbs up of approval, Hurley-style. :D

Oh, no! *hands you tissues* But I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Yay! :D And take your time--it's enough to know that you liked it, really!

Hee, I'm very happy that Hurley approves. XD

awesome awesome awesome!

Thank you! :D

Okay, I'm back! :D

First off, even though this is one of your shorter fics, it STILL had a big effect on me. I was actually thinking about it while I was out. You're always able to do that with your fics, you're just that good. ;D

Now that that's said, onto the excerpts!

It is a nicer word than hallucinates; hallucinates is cold. Hallucinates is clinical.

I love this. This is exactly the way Jack would think. Perfect.

(It is a nicer word than drunk; drunk is personal. Drunk is familiar.)

I especially love this part too. It's great how you have him reflect on his father's own battle with alcoholism here-- I've always felt that he must have thought of that, thought that he had perhaps become his father, and you express that really well here.

Pain feels good. Right. It's only fair. Demons swim at the bottom of his bottle and when he swallows them down they sing out like angels (Satan was once at the right hand of God! Maybe he still is. He feels like laughing at that. Good one, Jack.).

OWW. This is painful. Beautifully written, but painful. And that part in parentheses pretty much gave me chills. XD

The dreams stay with him even when he has given up the drink, and this, he thinks, will be true for the rest of his life.

I actually think this sentence is my favorite in the whole fic. It really stood out to me, and really broke my heart. Because it's true. Jack's the kind of guy that takes so much responsibility, even for things that aren't his responsibility, so his failures haunt him more than it does other people. You really emphasized that here very nicely, and quite sadly.

Kate never comes to him except when she is not Kate, and he knows that this is because she is separate, a separate dream in and of herself. She is too real for the confines of his aching, aching heart.

*sobs* This is perfect. That last line... *sniffs*

Kate is always a separate entity, and he loves her for it, if not for it only--the rules don't apply when it comes to her, never have. (Just ask the California State court system, he would say if he were mean. Maybe he is. Psychology was always too fuzzy for him.)

I especially love this part as well-- the fact that he sees everyone else while awake, but only her when his eyes are closed... gah. And that part in parentheses? I adore it. I know you and I both feel Kate got off too easily when it came to her crime, so I kinda got a kick out of reading that part. ;)

The way you write the sex scene in "316" (I loved every bit of it so I won't paste all of it here XD) was very refreshing, and very beautifully done. You capture what Jack must have been feeling very, very well; it's a little astonishing, haha. However, I will point a couple more things out, if you don't mind... ;D

This is real. (Isn't it?)

Just a few words there, but they have all the more impact. It's quite devastating, really, having Jack think he might not be able to know the difference between his "hallucinations" and reality. He really MUST have been thinking this in that scene.

He's scared to move. When her breath flutters high, almost a snore, he smiles and shudders and closes his eyes, feeling the space where they join flicker and waver and disappear with the sour fear in his stomach. The blankets are tangled on the floor, and he shivers. He feels himself shrink into her, feels the dream taking hold. He feels himself going home.

Absolutely beautiful. (Yeah, I lied when I said I wouldn't paste anymore XD) Him being assured that she is really there, and feeling comfort through that... oh, man. You're killing me here!

And the last line. It really hits home with me, and is a fantastic ending for the fic.

You really showed Jack's emotions and thoughts and fears wonderfully in this fic, during a time when he was at his most broken. You broke my heart, but in a good way. (That makes no sense, I know, but whatever.) So thank you. I really enjoyed reading this. :D

Edited at 2009-06-18 01:50 am (UTC)

*-* For meeeee?! XD Dude, this comment is longer than the fic! *faints of squee*

First off, even though this is one of your shorter fics, it STILL had a big effect on me. I was actually thinking about it while I was out. You're always able to do that with your fics, you're just that good. ;D

Aw, that is so great to hear! Thanks so much! And I can feel my ego swelling already. I don't know if I'm going to get through this comment without exploding. ;D

I especially love this part too. It's great how you have him reflect on his father's own battle with alcoholism here-- I've always felt that he must have thought of that, thought that he had perhaps become his father, and you express that really well here.

I'm so glad you liked this part, especially! I didn't want to overdo the Christian parallels--I think about Christian and his influence on Jack and Claire way too much and sometimes I'm afraid that this comes across as heavy-handed in my fics. So, yay. :D

OWW. This is painful. Beautifully written, but painful. And that part in parentheses pretty much gave me chills. XD

I went back to try and re-read this today and I actually had to skip that paragraph--thinking about it, about how I felt while writing it, made me feel physically ill. I'm not quite sure why--it's no darker than much of what I've put him through before, but there it is. So, congrats on even getting through that! *hugs*

I actually think this sentence is my favorite in the whole fic. It really stood out to me, and really broke my heart. Because it's true. Jack's the kind of guy that takes so much responsibility, even for things that aren't his responsibility, so his failures haunt him more than it does other people. You really emphasized that here very nicely, and quite sadly.

Eeeep. Gah, this paragraph of yours makes me want to cry--you said it better than I could've. :D And I'm so glad that you liked that sentence--this is narcissistic, but it's my favorite too. >.<

*sobs* This is perfect. That last line... *sniffs*

Thank you. :) Don't cry, though!

I especially love this part as well-- the fact that he sees everyone else while awake, but only her when his eyes are closed... gah. And that part in parentheses? I adore it. I know you and I both feel Kate got off too easily when it came to her crime, so I kinda got a kick out of reading that part. ;)

I'm glad, because I really sort of hate that part! :D It was the only part of this fic that I really had to force out, and that's probably why. So I'm thrilled that you liked it! And hee, that was totally not me injecting my personal feelings into the fic. Absolutely not. Wouldn't think of it. ;)

The way you write the sex scene in "316" (I loved every bit of it so I won't paste all of it here XD) was very refreshing, and very beautifully done. You capture what Jack must have been feeling very, very well; it's a little astonishing, haha.

:D :D :D I was so afraid that people would grow tired at this part, because the sex scene has been hashed and rehashed and rehashed ad nauseam in fic. And so it really means a lot that it you liked it! And yay! Jack has always been my favorite (as you well know ;)), so it's always so lovely to hear that what I write feels like him.

However, I will point a couple more things out, if you don't mind... ;D

I do mind, actually. STOP IT. I hate this. ;D

. . . I'm a terrible liar. XD

Just a few words there, but they have all the more impact. It's quite devastating, really, having Jack think he might not be able to know the difference between his "hallucinations" and reality. He really MUST have been thinking this in that scene.

I'm so glad that this part in particular worked for you! This is all so nice of you to say. *glows*

Absolutely beautiful. (Yeah, I lied when I said I wouldn't paste anymore XD) Him being assured that she is really there, and feeling comfort through that... oh, man. You're killing me here!

*revives* XD Thank you so much! I'm thrilled that it affected you.

And hooray that you liked the ending! That's always the part that I worry about the most. :D

You really showed Jack's emotions and thoughts and fears wonderfully in this fic, during a time when he was at his most broken. You broke my heart, but in a good way. (That makes no sense, I know, but whatever.)

Haha, I think that makes perfect sense--Jack always does that to me, too. And that's the sweetest compliment!

So thank you. I really enjoyed reading this. :D

Thank you for the absolutely fantastic comment! It's made me very happy! :D And I'm willing to bet that I enjoyed it more than you enjoyed the fic. ;)

This is truly, truly wonderful. As always, your writing is so incredibly beautiful and poetic and I love all the little asides, and your Jack slays me, as per usual. I love this so very much; it's believable and painful and gorgeous and gah, wonderful! You really made me feel for them. Thank you for writing this, and sorry that I read this so late.

You have a J/K icon! Yay! :DDDD

That said, thank you so much for the amazing comment! I'm so happy that you liked it, and so flattered by your kind words. :) J/K always makes me nervous, despite (or maybe because of) the fact that they're my OTP, so I'm thrilled that this worked for you! Thank you for being so wonderful and lovely (and you are not late--don't apologize!). *hugs*