Same anon who just read Decayed. No, I'm not working my way through the kinkmeme or anything AT ALL
I must say, I was really impressed. The choice of Shirley's POV was unique, and you worked with her limitations very well....as well as making full use of her strengths. Her inability to confront Suzaku (or Lelouch) over the Refrain use matched perfectly with her inability to confront him over Zero in the show. She knows she should say something, but she just can't....
And it's like what C.C. says of Kaguya...despite Shirley not really knowing Lelouch very well (having his true self/past veiled from her), she understood him pretty well...because she's such a kind person.
I know this is going to sound really weird, but I think part of what I like about this story is that it starts out being about Shirley and her crushes and...utterly fails to be about going on dates and romance. Her frustration over not knowing what Suzaku means when he says "I love him" because English is so imprecise with that word struck a perfect note with me.
And, yes, the perfect 'farewell luncheon' was clearly a final bright spot before it was all ripped apart. I think it so sad that Lelouch took that away from her as well. (Though part of me wanted to see super-onion-slicer Suzaku in the kitchen, too, so it would be a 'together, we can do anything!' (including make lunch) moment - but I get that it was Lelouch's moment to shine.)
And in the end...Suzaku really will give up anything and everything for Lelouch...he almost...can't help it. His giving Lelouch permission to wipe Shirley's memory with geass was just so..so...such a traitorous moment. And of course he feels guilty, because he's the one who told her about Lelouch's past, and without that, maybe Lelouch could have been talked into leaving her be. Maybe.
And I like that a lot of stuff is left ambiguous because Shirley never finds out (like what happened on that tower). And her imagined conversations between the two in her head are just great! She friends with them both, and they let her in...but only so far.
Anyway, I love your utterly-depressing-with-a-touch-of-warm-happiness work, and hope you continue to write. Your stuff is beautiful (yes, even when you're describing decaying bodies and the effects of drug abuse).
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carisma_sensei
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Date: 2012-07-21 07:56 pm (UTC)No, I'm not working my way through the kinkmeme or anything AT ALLI must say, I was really impressed. The choice of Shirley's POV was unique, and you worked with her limitations very well....as well as making full use of her strengths. Her inability to confront Suzaku (or Lelouch) over the Refrain use matched perfectly with her inability to confront him over Zero in the show. She knows she should say something, but she just can't....
And it's like what C.C. says of Kaguya...despite Shirley not really knowing Lelouch very well (having his true self/past veiled from her), she understood him pretty well...because she's such a kind person.
I know this is going to sound really weird, but I think part of what I like about this story is that it starts out being about Shirley and her crushes and...utterly fails to be about going on dates and romance. Her frustration over not knowing what Suzaku means when he says "I love him" because English is so imprecise with that word struck a perfect note with me.
And, yes, the perfect 'farewell luncheon' was clearly a final bright spot before it was all ripped apart. I think it so sad that Lelouch took that away from her as well. (Though part of me wanted to see super-onion-slicer Suzaku in the kitchen, too, so it would be a 'together, we can do anything!' (including make lunch) moment - but I get that it was Lelouch's moment to shine.)
And in the end...Suzaku really will give up anything and everything for Lelouch...he almost...can't help it. His giving Lelouch permission to wipe Shirley's memory with geass was just so..so...such a traitorous moment. And of course he feels guilty, because he's the one who told her about Lelouch's past, and without that, maybe Lelouch could have been talked into leaving her be. Maybe.
And I like that a lot of stuff is left ambiguous because Shirley never finds out (like what happened on that tower). And her imagined conversations between the two in her head are just great! She friends with them both, and they let her in...but only so far.
Anyway, I love your utterly-depressing-with-a-touch-of-warm-happiness work, and hope you continue to write. Your stuff is beautiful (yes, even when you're describing decaying bodies and the effects of drug abuse).