Fortitudine, for mackiedockie

[amand_r]

Title: Fortitudine
Author: Seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekrit aka enviropony
Written for: mackiedockie
Characters/Pairing: Joe, OCs. A dash of Methos. A hint of J/M slash.
Rating: R
Genre: Gen, with a hint of slash.
Warnings: cursing, graphic description of wounds, discussion of physical and mental trauma
Author's Notes: With thanks to the folks at military-beta, who help us

Comments

[dswdiane]

Very, very touching and wrenching and fabulously done. I wasn't at all sure where this was going at first, but as I realized some poor trooper had seen an Immortal die and revive right in front of him, I was totally pulled into the story. Joe did a fabulous job with the guy,and you did a wonderful job writing Joe.

The text messages are a really nice touch.

Well done.

[marbleglove]

This is wonderful. I love seeing this side of the Watchers, where part of their purpose is reassuring the poor witnesses that they aren't crazy.

[marbleglove]

Definitely. There are so many issues inherent to maintaining a long term secret society that there should definitely be more stories that fill in how the Watcher's manage to do what they do.

[tazlet]

Nice one! You caught the visceral reaction that happens reentering a traumatic situation and gave us a real Joe.

[fractured_sun]

Tried to comment yesterday and it didn't work, but the old comment style is back for me today so...
This was great, and Joe of course with his practical no nonsense style is just the person you want telling you the person you saw rising from the dead wasn't a hallucination.

[mackiedockie]

Now, yeah? That's Joe. That's his voice, that's his attitude, that's his doubts and inner demons that still rise up and chew at the fabric of his being. And that's Joe again, fighting them off for one more day, and putting up a rear-guard action for his fellow travelers.

I love every line of this fic to pieces. I love the youngsters in Joe's Bar loving him well enough to tease him and look after him while he looks after them. I love Joe using Methos as a lodestone to steady his course. And I love how this fic shines at showing how intently Joe not just watches, but hears and empathizes with other people when they tell him true tales. Even the parts that don't make it into words.

Thank you. This is wonderful.

[mackiedockie]

Oh, and I saw that Air Force colonel on the elevator. There is a whole sparkling pocket universe of stories in that little chance encounter that are now playing happily in my head. So Bonus!

[mackiedockie]

Every time I reread this story I see new layers and make new connections. The excellent background research underlying the prose lends Joe's reactions on entering the hospital a painful authenticity. I can feel the sounds and smells and military trappings inadvertently triggering some of his most deeply buried memories, griefs, fears.

And still, he goes on.