As sad as I am to say goodbye to this universe, I am so proud of what you accomplished with it, with how far Howard and Vince and Sally and Kylie and Howard's Mum and even Old Gregg and the Hitcher... and especially with how far YOU have come in the telling of it. You are wonderful. And I hope you are proud of what you've accomplished, because I'm sure proud of you.
Now then... I really love that this turned out to be an ending that provides the emotional closure they've been working towards, without tying everything off with a too-neat bow. In fact, in this case, I think that the fact that they're still having adventures unspecified IS the right kind of closure, because Howard is ready. He's ready to adventure, and he's EXCITED. It means that he's healed, and it also means that he's making strides toward making peace with his family history and legacy--and destiny? After all, clairvoyance CLEARLY runs in Howard's family, and Nana Moon, bigoted though she was, clearly knew something and wanted Howard to get that ring... and the fact that it's the Ring of Darkness and Light seems particularly apt for the scions of the Black Family and the Moon family, right? ;)
And speaking of that clairvoyance... like Howard, I am very intrigued by Howard's mum's "slip" about their children. I wonder what other "silly dreams" she's had... but that's another story for another time, probably. (Like a sequel! Just kidding. Mostly.)
But I love so much of this, really. I love the notion of Vince having been Howard's imaginary friend before he was his real one. (That made my heart all squeezy.) I love that Vince sometimes slips and calls Howard's Mum just plain Mum, and that Howard notices it and is happy for it, too. (That made my heart squeezy, too, because Vince will never say it, but oh, how he must miss his own parents, and Howard knows that, too.) I love Vince's poorly-concealed enthusiasm for presents and the fact that Howard's Mum recognizes that Vince is the one cutting Howard's hair. I love the fact that Vince is not at all fazed or even displeased with Howard's warning that the ring might turn him into a woman. (Really, Howard, you should have known!)I love that when Vince puts the ring on, Howard is careful to hold on to him, because he never wants them to be separated again. I love that it ends, as it started, with the Hitcher.
I love what you did with these characters, and this story. Part of me never wanted it to end--but if it had to be over, this was exactly the right way to do it. <3
I struggled a bit between what to wrap up and what to leave open, but I think you articulated it better than I could ever pin in down in my mind tank: things were resolved when they were ready to jump blindly into an insane adventure. If Howard and Vince can't risk life and limb out of mild curiosity, they aren't the boys we know and love! I felt it made sense to leave Vince and Howard at the beginning of an adventure and if that leaves the door open for the occasional one-off for a person who really enjoyed this 'verse then... those are some stories for another time!
Thanks for the review, you know I eat them up!, and thanks for always being so supportive of me and my writing. You've been such a wonderful part of my fandom experience and I'm so happy to have you as a friend.
As sad as I am to say goodbye to this universe, I am so proud of what you accomplished with it, with how far Howard and Vince and Sally and Kylie and Howard's Mum and even Old Gregg and the Hitcher... and especially with how far YOU have come in the telling of it. You are wonderful. And I hope you are proud of what you've accomplished, because I'm sure proud of you.
Now then... I really love that this turned out to be an ending that provides the emotional closure they've been working towards, without tying everything off with a too-neat bow. In fact, in this case, I think that the fact that they're still having adventures unspecified IS the right kind of closure, because Howard is ready. He's ready to adventure, and he's EXCITED. It means that he's healed, and it also means that he's making strides toward making peace with his family history and legacy--and destiny? After all, clairvoyance CLEARLY runs in Howard's family, and Nana Moon, bigoted though she was, clearly knew something and wanted Howard to get that ring... and the fact that it's the Ring of Darkness and Light seems particularly apt for the scions of the Black Family and the Moon family, right? ;)
And speaking of that clairvoyance... like Howard, I am very intrigued by Howard's mum's "slip" about their children. I wonder what other "silly dreams" she's had... but that's another story for another time, probably. (Like a sequel! Just kidding. Mostly.)
But I love so much of this, really. I love the notion of Vince having been Howard's imaginary friend before he was his real one. (That made my heart all squeezy.) I love that Vince sometimes slips and calls Howard's Mum just plain Mum, and that Howard notices it and is happy for it, too. (That made my heart squeezy, too, because Vince will never say it, but oh, how he must miss his own parents, and Howard knows that, too.) I love Vince's poorly-concealed enthusiasm for presents and the fact that Howard's Mum recognizes that Vince is the one cutting Howard's hair. I love the fact that Vince is not at all fazed or even displeased with Howard's warning that the ring might turn him into a woman. (Really, Howard, you should have known!)I love that when Vince puts the ring on, Howard is careful to hold on to him, because he never wants them to be separated again. I love that it ends, as it started, with the Hitcher.
I love what you did with these characters, and this story. Part of me never wanted it to end--but if it had to be over, this was exactly the right way to do it. <3
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Thanks for the review, you know I eat them up!, and thanks for always being so supportive of me and my writing. You've been such a wonderful part of my fandom experience and I'm so happy to have you as a friend.
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