(Untitled)

[llassah]

Title: Resonance
Fandom: Hard Core Logo
Characters: Billie, Billy Tallent
Length: 1200 words
Rating: PG-13
Notes: This is a sequel to Echoes (postfilm, and Joe's still messing about with Billy's things) Billy's just marking time with little candles on birthday cakes.



He found out her birthday, at least. Lights her a little candle on the day, watches it

Comments

[nos4a2no9]

Wow, I missed the first installment, and reading both together was almost a humbling experience. I love the way you've written about Billie as an amalgamation of Joe and Billy; she has far more in common with both of them than she does with her mother and stepfather, and that came through beautifully. It didn't manifest as teenage rebellion in the first part, but like a form of exorcism.

And in this second part you've shifted that intense level of insight from Billie to Billy. I really, really liked this characterization. He's holding it together, sinking into alcoholism and depression but somehow still able to play, to keep on going. I think his blank kind of grief works extremely well for a Billy who's lost Joe, and his daughter, and is now just left with his guitar. He's got a world-weary sorrow about him like you hear in old blues music, and I loved the connections you made to sound and silence and rhythm:

Silence is more effective than shouting. Silence is just…nothing, a slippery glass wall without weaknesses, without handholds. Silence lets the other person imagine what you’re thinking, imagine something far worse than the reality. Silence is how he’s survived for this long on so little.

Great stuff, and thanks for providing that link to the first part. I wouldn't wanted to have missed it.

[aukestrel]

Sorry to piggyback but you pulled out exactly my favourite part of this characterisation - this is indeed how it could have gone down, I mean, overall, but this... is so Billy.

Silence is more effective than shouting. Silence is just…nothing, a slippery glass wall without weaknesses, without handholds. Silence lets the other person imagine what you’re thinking, imagine something far worse than the reality. Silence is how he’s survived for this long on so little.

[llassah]

Thank you! Oh, I'm so glad it sounded...plausible? I mean, that it wasn't just me being a complete sap and wanting Billy to be as happy as possible *g*. (and you're one of my characterisation benchmarks, as it were, so yay!)

[aukestrel]

Plausible? Well, hell yes. I thought it was a great insight into how he is in the film - when they ask him questions from behind the camera he's not always quick to answer. And, by God, if anyone thinks Joe is "driving" their relationship they're just not paying attention, starting with the, uh, "Where's Billy" game. I mean. Jeez! So you just really encapsulated that... amazingly and with the talent I've come to expect from you. *g*

[llassah]

Thank you! *hearts*

Billie is another troublesome character in HCL, because, well, she's like this ticking timebomb- sooner or later she's going to find out about Billy. And if anyone could come back as a ghost, it'd be joe *g*. I'm so glad I got the amalgamation across without sledgehammering (and my god, I am *so* twitchy about my OCs not being some awful mary sue figure, which is why I hardly write them)

I like Billy being blank, because I think a lot of what he is is heightened by Joe, like joe's his megaphone. He's lost that, so a lot of his silence is because of the absence of Joe. He's got sound, though, sound and music, and I think as long as he has his guitar, he has *something* to make noise for him. So- yeah. I'm so glad that came across, because I'm playing with not using many words to say a lot