Comments | valhalla37: So It Goes

valhalla37

So It Goes

Jul 21, 2009 16:21

Title: So It Goes
Characters/Pairings: Juliet/Daniel (references to Juliet/Sawyer, Dan/Charlotte)
Summary: They leave the island on the sub. It's not a happy ending.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Up to 5x08.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: For luau queen eponine119's request of anti-OTPs. It's not that I'm totally against the idea of Dan/Juliet, but I generally can't write ( Read more... )

character: juliet, story: fic, lj: luau, pairing: juliet/sawyer, pairing: juliet/daniel, pairing: daniel/charlotte, character: daniel

Comments 19

angela_weber July 21 2009, 21:34:17 UTC

This is absolutely wonderful. I love the pairing because they're both so similar, really, and there's this incredible feeling of loneliness throughout the whole piece because they've both lost someone. It feels right that they take comfort in each other, however fleeting that comfort is.

"Well happy birthday."

Manhattan's skyline twinkles through the living room window, like a promise; a guiding star that dimmed and died. He smiles, and it's the ghost of something happy.

"I'm not even born yet."

Guh. Perfectly and beautifully written! This is just fantastic.

valhalla37 July 22 2009, 13:04:46 UTC

Thank you so much! Though I'm not super-keen on the pairing (I feel like it's more of a parental vibe I get from Juliet in canon; though they're also so well-suited I feel like it pokes holes in my OTP to write them, lol) I can absolutely see the parallels, and it made sense -- to me anyway -- for them to come together in such crappy circumstances.

Thanks again for the wonderful feedback, as always! :D

hitlikehammers July 21 2009, 22:07:39 UTC

Every single section of this I could just see with perfect clarity as it unfolded. I could see St. Mark's Place and I could see Dan just barely existing on some crumbling flight of stairs, and I could see Juliet at the library, and I could see her sweating in Miami; this is just so visual and visceral and absolutely sublime - you can just sort of wade in it and soak it' loveliness up. Just... guh - stellar job.

valhalla37 July 22 2009, 13:05:59 UTC

Woah -- thank you so, so much! That you associate all those words with this fic is so incredibly flattering -- the one thing, more than anything, I was aiming for was that sense of visualization, so your kind comments are much appreciated! :D

phelipa July 22 2009, 03:46:19 UTC

*bounces*
You wrote Daniel/Juliet! After reading a couple fics from toestastegood I absolutely fell in love with this pairing. The hints of Dan/Charlotte and Juliet/Sawyer were perfect and heartbreaking. Their feeble attempt at fitting into 'real' life is so painful and real, there is no way that any of these people would be able to fit back into the real life without a lot of struggles. This was wonderfully written, and even though you love Dan/Charlotte I would love to see more Dan/Juliet from you ;)

valhalla37 July 22 2009, 13:09:29 UTC

I know! She does such a great job with them, and the fics I've read from her made the pairing a little more palatable. Like I mentioned to another poster, there's something about Dan/Juliet that ... squicks me out a little? Like, I totally think they make sense, and can absolutely picture it happening, but I'm still not totally onboard. I think I'm maybe just too stubborn with my OTP, lol.

I'm really please to hear those references worked for you as a reader -- I guess I imagined them coming together as being informed by what they couldn't have (namely, Charlotte and Sawyer), and then that back-and-forth of whether they really want each other (but maybe they do) creating this kind of limbo.

Now that I've actually done something with the pairing, I'm probably more inclined to try it again, so thanks for the encouragement! :D

ozmissage July 22 2009, 11:40:50 UTC

Confession: I adore Juliet/Daniel. They're probably my favorite non-canon pairing, so I was excited to see that you had written them. This was insanely good. It was so atmospheric and sad. Juliet going to Miami and realizing there just wasn't anything there for her. Daniel packing the shirt. All of it felt so real.

And then you referenced "Slaughterhouse-Five" which is one of my favorite books. Incredible work!

valhalla37 July 22 2009, 13:11:57 UTC

Thanks so much!

Yay, it was actually atmospheric! ;P I'm so happy to hear you say that, because that was the main aim, and what essentially inspired the fic as a whole (the image of them in the bar was where it started). So I'm really glad that worked.

I *heart* Kurt Vonnegut. And clearly I'm far from the first to reference it in relation to LOST's time travel, but I thought it had a ... sadder implication here.

elliotsmelliot July 22 2009, 16:03:32 UTC

"So it goes."

Indeed. This fic left me with a sour taste in my mouth which must mean a job well done. This much have been hard for you to write. You should be pleased with the result.

valhalla37 July 22 2009, 19:44:07 UTC

Thank you!

I'm glad that ... unsettled feeling came through; it's definitely not a feel-good story, and I'm really pleased to hear it evoked some kind of reaction.

Once I got started it seemed to come pretty fast, but yeah, it's still hard wrapping my head around this pairing. I love them, in a way, but they weird me out equally as much. Maybe because I can't envision anything bringing them together other than loss? Not sure, but it was a unique challenge to write, which is always worthwhile.