Turns in the Road: Future Tense, by cmar, Wes/Eric

[cmar_wingnut]

Title: Future Tense
Author: cmar
Relationship: Wes/Eric
Rating: PG to PG-13, hints of sexual content
Warning: Angst alert!

This is a companion piece to my last entry, 'Bits and Pieces', and takes place immediately after it.

Comments

[germankitty]

Very nice piece of introspection; very well done. I especially like how nicely it fits into canon TF. More soon, please?

[cmar_wingnut]

Thanks! Yes, I worked at fitting into the nooks and crannies of canon, glad it works. And yes, there will be more soon - and with a considerably more humorous tone next time.

[stranj100]

Denial is such an ugly thing.

[cmar_wingnut]

Yes, it is. I think probably someone (like me) who has never dealt with it can't really appreciate what it feels like to hide a fundamental part of their nature, even from themselves. That's why, to me, this is one of the saddest parts of the larger story, sad for Eric but even more for Wes. I do hope it came across as believable.

[mzdany]

You've done it again, Camille! I officially declare thou "Queen of POV"
And I'm so jealous :)
No, not really. Just in awe of your writing!
Great job!

[cmar_wingnut]

I always knew I was destined to be royalty. Thanks! And love the new icon!

[hagar_972]

It actually took me a couple of readings - you seem to be doing mostly Eric for this series, so fitting into Wes' thoughts was a bit... different.

I love how you wrote Wes in this. All the 'little hints' are there, but mostly they don't combine into that want-to-smack-character-upside-the-head feeling, when the characters seem perfectly aware of everything, but just aren't putting it together. Here, Wes' misinterpretation on his own feelings and reactions come across as natural.

And, interestingly, I like Jen. Considering that she only gets a handful of lines, and that I only know her from stories, it's another characterization feat.

And, love the name of this one. So appropriate, and open to several interpretations.

[cmar_wingnut]

Yeah, I noticed I seemed to be drifting more into Eric's POV than Wes's, which wasn't really my intention.

Thanks so much! I'm so glad you think I hit a good balence between making it obvious to the reader what's going on in Wes's mind, while not making him look like a complete idiot for not realizing it himself. Not too easy to do. I did try to keep his rationalizations not too far from reality - in fact everything he tells himself (lots of basically straight guys experiment, one time doesn't have to mean anything) is absolutely true. It's more his own reaction to his encounter with Eric that gives him away than the incident itself.

And I'm glad you picked up on the multiple meanings of the title! UST, anyone?

[hagar_972]

Non-native-ness showing through... what is UST?

...hit a good balence [...] Not too easy to do.

Try more like "very, very hard". And I think you did it.

It's more his own reaction to his encounter with Eric that gives him away than the incident itself.

*blinks* *rewinds* Conceptualization is such an issue here. The way it seems to me, Wes is hiding from two realizations: one, he's not straight, and two, he's in love with Eric. It seems we're mostly in agreement about the way he's hiding from the latter, but about the former - a.k.a. the 'experimenting' issue - well. I snickered (at least mentally) when I first read the "Sex is sex" line, because - if he'd been 100% straight, would the situation in the clock tower have developed like it had?
And now you've got me wondering if the answer to that question even matters, or is it just what Wes think of it that does.

[cmar_wingnut]

UST = Unresolved Sexual Tension.

if he'd been 100% straight, would the situation in the clock tower have developed like it had?Well, a couple of thoughts here - first of all, ask 10 people that question and you'll likely get 10 different answers, none of them really wrong or really right, just opinion. Second - no one's absolutely 100% straight (or gay, for that matter), or next to no one. Third - it's really not that unusual for people to experiment, although it's usually when they're teenagers, or to once in a while feel a stong attaction outside their usual preference. Also, there are plenty of straight guys who would let another guy get them off, just for the physical pleasure - sure, they'd prefer a woman, but sex is sex

Wow...

[angel_negra]

Having been through most of that, I really, really feel sorry for Wes. I liked getting Wes' side of this too. And I liked that he at least has one picture left from everything. It kind of makes it both more and less tragic. Very nice job.

Re: Wow...

[cmar_wingnut]

Thanks - again, hard for me to be sure if I'm getting the whole denial process at all realistically - so I'm glad to see this.

Re: Wow...

[angel_negra]

Well, if you're ever really worried, you could always ask me. :)