(Untitled)

[wildcolumbine]

THE OUTLAND

Genre: AU
Rating: NC-17 for sex scenes and language
Feedback: Any and all is welcome
Disclaimer: These are Annie Proulx's brilliant original characters and her story, and I have treated it and them (and her) with as much respect as I can muster.

This story is for Canstandit, with thanks for her ongoing support and help.
This particular

Comments

[mariez65]

I've read this twice now because I wanted to savor every word the second time. I hope you know what an amazing gift you have and I thank you for sharing it.

You've shown us that ordinary men are capable of extraordinary things. Jack, with his endless capacity for compassion and forgiveness and, above all, love. And Ennis. My God, reading this:

..Take a good look, boys, says your daddy, his voice mean and hard, that's what faggots like him get and that's what they deserve, that filth.... take me home, but there is no home any more, no safe haven, just the horror that you will always carry with you.

To have it brought home so clearly that this is what Ennis has seen and heard for all these years during what is an act of love. How did he withstand such unbearable anguish? I guess he really didn't. And then to hear this, finally: "Help me. Please, Jack." Oh my.

The actions of both men are so clear to me here and so understandable. Maybe I'm just projecting my own feelings, but I don't see Jack as at all vengeful, nor would I want to. That's not Jack to me. I do think that some of the angry and bitter words Jack hurled at Ennis in the last chapter were meant for his father's ears. Jack has some of his own demons to conquer and I'm curious as to how that plays out.

And how wonderful to hear "you are too much for me" used in response to "...till death us do part." I know it made me want to blubber like a big girl and I'm not even ashamed of that! :)

Thanks again!
Marie

[wildcolumbine]

Marie, that's so right about Jack's words being as much for his father as for Ennis. In the OS argument scene, Ennis is the hapless recipient for all of Jack's lifetime of frustration, I feel, not just at Ennis but at his father and the world in general. Just as Ennis's actions are shaped by his father's treatment, so are Jack's.

I think that the Earl scene is always in the background of Ennis's mind but I feel he managed to keep it well hidden enough to enjoy being with Jack. On this crucial occasion I wanted him to have to think about everything he'd been told as Jack makes love to him, to have to confront his demons as he is doing the one thing he "shouldn't".

[mariez65]

Ahh...thank you! Yes that makes a lot of sense. Ennis really did have the ability to keep things well hidden, didn't he? At least until someone, in this case, Jack, actually says the words out loud. But we know that even those deeply hidden thoughts and feelings took a tremendous toll on him - they were hidden, but still there. Ennis is a very hard nut to crack in terms of being a difficult character for many writers (and readers) to understand - but I'm very impressed with your ability to truly "connect" with him. And I couldn't agree more about the OS argument scene. It's rare that we have the opportunity to see Jack work out his own father issues while in OMT's presence, and as I said, I look forward to seeing that. Sorry for rambling once more - Thanks again! :)