FF: Snapshots Left on the Negative (2/4)

[cypanache]

Title: Snapshots Left on the Negative (2/4)
Fandom: Parks and Recreation
Pairing: Leslie/Ben
Word Count: ~8,900 (this part)
Rating: PG-13 (it's possible we veer into a light R depending on your sensibilities, though not mine)
Timeline: Up through 3x08 "Camping"
Author's Note: Okay so here's the deal.  When I first sent laughingduchess the rough outline for this story,

Comments

[cypanache]

Thank you and I appreciate your faith in my ability put them back together. I always knew this argument was coming, from the moment I started this fic core pieces of it have been in place. That did not make it any easier to write and when I finished I kind of sat back and stared at the overall effect and went, dear god I just made my life ten times harder for the last two sections. So your faith and appreciation means a lot.

P.S. The Lily House is a truly beautiful place absolutely one of my very favorite places in Indy.

[spunkyar]

This was so unbelievable beautiful and so painful to read at the same time. My mind can't even begin to process a well thought out comment at the moment...I just want to say Wow! :)

I will be back when my heart unclenches....

[cypanache]

Thank you. I hope your heart is okay. Mine is still recovering from writing the friggin thing.

[spunkyar]

Alright I'm back and I've read it again. I didn't think it was possible but it definitely made my heart squeeze just as much. Not only is the story your telling so beautiful, but they way you tell it is amazing. Like the part about Leslie and the Jungle Gym. It's such a small part, but it's something that is so much like Leslie and make your heart break for her even more. Their banter in the hotel room and while in the creek makes me smile so much. It's perfect for these two. *sighs* I could go on forever, but I just really loved this. I can't wait and am also scared for the end of this! :)

[shornt]

Oh goodness... this may be the single loveliest piece of fan fiction I have ever read. It hurt in all the right places and felt so free for a while and its 8am and I'm running on little sleep so I probably make no sense. But thank god for you in this fandom because yours are the fics I read a million times over and this is absolutely no exception. It made me ache in good and bad ways and its such a unique tone- not entirely optimistic or pessimistic but just really real and beautifully messed up and I can't get over it. But its definitely gonna get me through a day I wasn't looking forward to. Thanks for giving us all so much~

[cypanache]

Wow. Thank you so much. And you made perfect sense. That juxtaposition of that freedom they have while "running away" (for lack of a better descriptor) against both the earlier and later pain was exactly what I going for (and really totally laughingduchess's doing because she's the one who first suggested doing a 'giving in' sequence here).

I am really flattered that you like my fics enough to reread them. I know how much joy a fic I want to reread brings me and I love the idea that I might be bringing that to someone else.

[shornt]

I have to say, after a reread (or four), the little part about Leslie running away to a jungle gym is my favorite little background for her from anyone's outside-the-show canon. So sweet, and so true to character, and so resonating.

[petriefalls]

This is so fantastic. I can't even formulate words. Although right now it is just super painful I just know that you will pull everything together in the end. I will be rereading this over and over again and I can't wait until the next part is posted. The only thing that is making this second hiatus doable is the presence of your fan fic.

Thanks again for being so awesome.

[cypanache]

Thank you for thinking I'm awesome.

[rikyl]

This was all excruciatingly wonderful, but this was my favorite part: "For the first time she feels like she’s seeing the Ben Wyatt who got elected at eighteen and bankrupted a town-sincere and passionate and utterly reckless. Ready to throw himself off a cliff on the strength of his belief alone, without any regard for the rocks below.

And she can see why he won."

I just love how you write Ben, and I love the way you have Leslie seeing him.

[cypanache]

Oh thank you! That was honestly one of my favorite lines to write, so I'm so glad it resonated with someone else. I adore Ben so much he's one of my favorite characters to write. He's just this amazing combination of completely grounded, totally playful, and insanely screwed up and as a result there are so many different directions you can pull him that it makes him a lot of fun to write.