Fic: Kiss Me Goodbye (I'm Defying Gravity), for milk_and_glass

[narie]

Title: Kiss Me Goodbye (I'm Defying Gravity)
Author: narceus
Recipient: milk_and_glass
Rating: PG
Word Count: 5400
Warnings: None
Summary: A tale of two cities. And two women, two lifetimes, and two cups of coffee.
Author's Note: My prompt was Shelby/Rachel - “I wish I could take care of you.” milk_and_glass also mentioned hugging and crying and h/c, and, um...well, we've got

Comments

[wthis_pattys]

I think this is the first time I've read fic that critisised Rachel's dads... And yet, I think you're spot on.

Man this is lovely though, even if it makes my heart ache. *_* I love how you did the short announcements in front of each section because it makes everything look a little more distant and detached, like I'm hearing the story from someone else. Which i think goes really well with how stilted their relationship is.

[narceus]

As insecure as Rachel was S1....I mean, this is the girl who said, "thank you for showing me that just because I'm not good at anything other than singing, doesn't mean I'm no good if I can't sing." I don't care how much her dads love her, there's some flawed execution in there somewhere.

And: I'm glad you liked the style <3. It sort of developed itself as it went, but 'bittersweet and detached' is sort of perfect.

[narceus]

Oh god I am so glad you liked it. You can ask my betas about all my fretting: "What if my recipient wanted a fic where they actually have a healthy relationship together? Or one that is written in vaguely linear order? Or that has dialog?" The story definitely wanted to be, as you say, disjointed and detached, but I had worries.

S1 Shelby has no idea what being a parent means. I really appreciate that S3 Rachel was able to tell Shelby 'no', and that Shelby listened. I kind of suspect that Rachel found her own kind of closure, somewhere along the arc of S2, but Shelby wasn't there for that, and Shelby still doesn't get it. It was nice to be able to write Rachel explaining it to her.

You are so welcome, and I'm so glad this was what you wanted :)

[firstbreaths]

I have all sorts of mixed feelings about Shelby and she's not a character I usually care to read fic about, but I'm so glad I stopped to read this one. Being a parent (and being a child, too) is such a complicated thing, and I like that you didn't gloss over their relationship or try to romanticise it in any way, because both Shelby and Rachel actually came out as characters I could better sympathise with as a result.

Also seconding all the people who've commented on your portrayal of Rachel's dads, because it seems to fit very well with Rachel's odd combination of the world being all about her and yet her insecurities. And your language as well - I'm such a sucker for stories that play with traditional narrative arcs, and I think the non-linear style paid off here (and it also works well for the characters, given that they're in very different points in their life every time they meet).

[narceus]

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Shelby on my own, and I think they really informed what went on here. Rachel and Shelby are both characters I find difficult at times, so writing them is less about learning to like every last bit of them, and more about finding a core person that I can love, while acknowledging plenty of surface flaws.

Rachel's dads too; no parent is perfect, and on a scale from one to Burt Hummel I think they're probably closer to a Mr. Mike Chang Sr. than a Russel Fabray. They bring her water when she's sad, they're not awful people. But the Rachel we get Season 1 is so desperate for attention/approval/affection that there has to be something going on there.

Thanks for commenting!

[xsaturated]

I've been saving reading this for when I'd have a chance to sit down and read it at once and I'm so glad I did.

Your Shelby is really phenomenal and your portrayal of Rachel's dads was really refreshing and insightful given the Rachel we know as a character, that sometimes neglect comes in other forms.

I really enjoyed this, you did a wonderful job.

[narceus]

I'm so glad you did, too. ;-)

I feel like I have so much more of a handle on Shelby than I did before I began this story. Rachel too, really, particularly everything with her dads; it sort of unfolded as I was going, but it all made so much sense when it did.

Thanks for commenting!

[setsunacutey]

naderegen sent me this fic and I just wanted to say that it's really beautiful, such a great reflection on parenthood and life. :) The way you portray Shelby and Rachel really deepens the characters and their relationship. The announcements constantly make me aware of my position as a reader and my expectations; it works very well! Thank you for writing this!