For bonnysprite: Better Judgement

[slashababy_mod]

Title: Better Judgement
Recipient: bonnysprite (Kik)
Author: valerienne
Pairing: Viggo/Elijah
Rating: PG
Summary: Elijah keeps turning up wherever Viggo happens to be, is it fate, chance, or merely Schrödinger's cat playing a game?
Pre-reveal Notes: This was my first time writing this particular pairing, I hope they ring true :)

Comments

[foxtales]

I would try to quote lines that drew me in, but I'd be re-posting this entire story. This was stunning, from the first line to the last. The overall feel of lyrical dreaminess made me think of how Peter chose to shoot the elves, how they took such seamless and unhurried steps. Being inside Viggo's head was a wonderful treat; seeing him thinking about these things in seamless and unhurried ways, and his comparisons between himself and Aragorn and Arwen, and Elijah and Aragorn on the question of age was gorgeous.

I guess I could continue on raving about how brilliant this whole thing was, but the short answer is that I loved it.

[valerienne]

All the interviews with Viggo I've read and watched have that quality to them, I think. And because of it, I don't necessarily think Viggo would let an age gap stand in the way - which is why this pairing is more plausible than it might be, in my head :) Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it!

[ziplocless]

This was amazing. I loved the style and feel. Viggo comparing Elijah with Frodo Anyway. Does Frodo bite his nails? was very funny. Most of all I loved his comparisons with and his thoughts about Aragorn, Viggo has always thought that section is perfection.

[valerienne]

I think, when Viggo is caught up in a project, that is how he always puts things - through the filter of that lens. Or, at least, that's how my Viggo does things :) I think it works. Thank you!

[owlgrey]

This is an amazing piece of writing! So intuitive and intelligent.

I also love the sideline silly Hobbits.

[valerienne]

Sorry it's taken me this long to comment back - I hadn't cheecked the site for ages! And thank you - it's an unusual pairing for me, but I did enjoy writing it (with extra hobbits :)

[msilverstar]

I love this! The layers of Viggo's thinking takes any pretentiousness away and he becomes very sympathetic.

He chuckles slightly at his own ridiculousness. He is a transparent fraud, and apparently his vanity should be legendary.

Is it awful to say that I think your Viggo may be a better person than the real one?

As for the rest of the story, I like the tension, them both trying to interpret the other's reaction. I was surprised that you had Sean there on the fishing trip, and I really liked his graceful reaction to being a third wheel.

All in all, an instant classic to me :-)

[valerienne]

*grin* Writing Viggo without making him too pretentious is actually quite hard! But giving him huge quantities of self-deprecation helped. And I had Sean come along on the fishing trip because I needed a set up in which Elijah wasn't expecting anything, for Viggo to finally sort his head out.

And sorry it's taken me ages to comment back, I hadn't checked the site for a while!

[sparkedbylore]

They can't all be coincidence, no, even Viggo, after a time, begins to look for a cause and effect, other than accident, other than chance.
Just about each line cries for quoting, but this one made me laugh.

He feels Aragorn whispering to him of bitten nails and eyes as wide as the sea, and he doesn't understand the whisper. It worries him, he wants to know this isn't some twisted wish of his own devising. He wants his motives to be... if not pure, then at least real.
Sounds like he wants to eat cake .. as well.

It occurs to him now that perhaps he began to study acting because it was elusive, because it was something he could pursue forever, without ever arriving at any sort of real goal.

[...] but goals obliquely distress Viggo...
*blink* What an idea ... I like it.

But Viggo suspects that Elijah doesn't know all he's really saying sorry for.
Comfortable awareness of youth and perspective?

Thank you.

[valerienne]

Aww, Viggo is just not as intuitive as he thinks he is :) The goals distressing him thing I think I got from an interview. But it does fit, doesn't it? Thank you!

And I'm sorry it's taken ages to comment back, I hadn't checked the site for a while.