FIC: drawing thin [off-balance part four]

[interesting_gin]

Fandom: X-Men
Characters: Charles, Erik, Raven, Sean (& Gambit)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Deals with the aftermath of rape and graphic descriptions of post-traumatic response.
Summary: Better is still a long way off. But hope comes a day at a time.

AN: Thank you so, so very much to everyone for your patience. I am getting round to reading comments, and I'

Comments

[luninosity]

Oh, you're spectacular, as always! Oh, Charles. *hugs for him and for you* You have such an amazing way of balancing (ha, bad pun on your title, sorry) Charles's guilt and pain and exhaustion about the whole thing with the relief of honesty and the movement toward healing, slowly, sideways. <3

Loved this line: “Alright,” says Charles, choking on the coffee and the acceptance all at once, “alright. Where do we start?” And this one: Charles rides the wave, lets it envelope his cold and tired mind and wash it clean again like a roar, breaking the barrier, cleansing him anew. Erik is a hive of heat, of need and anger and roaring, and so strong it overshadows everything else, want. And this one (and now I will stop quoting, or I'll just end up quoting the whole thing!): Erik sits up more firmly and takes Charles’ hand in his, noticing all at once that his knuckles are grazed and bruised and there are cuts between his fingers, and all the images that flash through his mind speak of a want to self-destruct and end all thoughts and

[luninosity]

Oh, and also: thank you for the dedication! *loves you* You know I am here for whatever, more fic or just to talk or to think about hope. :-)

(...to be perfectly honest I shall be in the Bahamas next week--honeymoon--but I shall have internet, if sporadic. So, still here. <3 )

[interesting_gin]

Thank you, love. Honeymoon! Meaning wedding is very very imminent! :D EEEEK!

Yes, I do love my run-on sentences, as we've said before. <3

[anutty1]

You wrote more of this?!? How did I not know?!? The pace at which Charles is moving towards recovery is staggeringly real; excellent work with such a sensitive subject. Can't wait for more!

[interesting_gin]

You didn't know because I didn't post, so no worries! I've been on a bit of a hiatus - still sort of am - but the next bit will follow eventually :) Thank you so much!

[interesting_gin]

He'll get there eventually, I promise. Thanks for the comment!

[ext_867881]

oh. oh.
As someone with RR-PTSD that is partially in remission, this... hit uncomfortably close to home, which is a good thing. All of the scenes with Charles and Erik, Charles knowing only too damn well that what he's seeing isn't real, that what he's feeling isn't rational, but unable to stop seeing it and feeling it and being so goddamned scared and angry and. yeah. It was good.
And the chess scenes, and the camps, and. God. I can't even explain how beautifully done this is. I'm actually shaking, which is a testament to the power of your writing.
Glad you're feeling better, and the RL seems to have taken a turn for the happier. :)

[interesting_gin]

Wow, thank you so much for this comment. I can't tell you how honoured I am by it. RR-PTSD has been a truly staggering thing to look into, and I couldn't even have imagined how huge the scale would be when I began it. I'm glad it was good, and not offensive, and I'm so pleased it managed to strike a chord. It's always a worry when writing, of course. My apologies for the shakes though! :)

(Also, huge thanks for picking up on Erik and the camps, which I am a Bit Proud Of.)

And thank you very much for the good wishes, and the same to you as well.

[kernezelda]

This is, in a word, gut-wrenching. I've just read all four chapters, and my hands feel cold and almost shaky. You create such vivid imagery, the sheer terror and numbness and rage that Charles is pretending away so unsuccessfully. Wow, the awfulness of Remy LeBeau in this, Charles' disbelief that it can happen, that it did, that he did what he did, grinding away at him second by second.

And the police! Pre-disposed and callous, exactly the worst kind of response to a situation that probably did not come up too often - because who would admit to such a horrible thing happening to them?

The kids walking on eggshells, Charles cutting himself off from the world, cutting himself up inside, pushing his friends and students away - the running, running, running from something he can' escape.

This is awful in its realism and wonderful in its telling - it's intense and unforgettable. Thank you for taking the time and energy and work to write this story.

[interesting_gin]

Wow, thank you so much - what a wonderful comment.

I estimate there's one more section of this to come, and maybe an epilogue, which I hope (maybe) to get done by the end of the year. I'm so pleased you found it so moving - and sad that it made you so upset.