Reviewer: M_elle_22 (Signed) · Date: September 06, 2012 04:24 PM · On: Lux Perpetua

I will always find death!fic horribly painful.  This softened the blow to my heart quite a bit.  However, even when the fic has them dieing at really really old ages, it still seems like it is way too soon to physically part.

In real life I admit to believing loving relationships shall always continue as I believe all you bring with you into the next life (wherever that may be) is the feelings in your heart and the knowledge in your head.  (hopefully that includes all the knowledge stored up in the vast majority of our brains that we cannot readily access, so that every single moment we can relive.)

Author's Response:

I know people are not a fan of death!fics and I'd say most readers (and therefore writers) shy away from them. But I personally don't think it's a subject or a genre that should be avoided altogether. Death is as much a part of life as life itself. If we think of Brian and Justin as characters that only operate in their own make-belief canon world, then we limit our potential. If we see them as human beings, then we're better able to explore who they are and to 'grow' them in our own minds, so to speak. If Brian and Justin are people, they will die. And it will be devastating and people will mourn. My point in writing this story was to suggest that perhaps death is not the end for two people who love each other so much. Some things, I believe, are stronger than death. It took a lot of balls to write this, but I'm so glad I did. It allowed me to gain even more insight into who Brian and Justin could be...

Thanks so much for reading and for your insightful comment. I appreciate it so much :-)

Reviewer: Predec2 (Signed) · Date: June 28, 2012 04:36 AM · On: Lux Perpetua

I originally had the pleasure of reading this over on LJ, but I'm glad that you posted it here as well.  This was simply breathtakingly beautiful.  Sad and poignant in ways but also full of promise.  Knowing the deep love that Brian and Justin had for each other, I know that Brian would not have wanted Justin to pine away for him until they could be together again, but it still brings hope that somehow we will still have this link between us after our loved ones are gone and that we will, indeed, see them again one day. And the thought of the two boys still being able to communicate, even touch each other, is exquisite.:)

I can remember right after my grandfather died that the following spring it was the only time one single peony bloom sprung up from the multitude of peony bushes he had planted years before.  I like to think that it was his way of telling us that he was okay.  Your story is like that - full of hope and promise. 

Your stories always engage and entertain me, whether they are serious or funny ones, and I can certainly see why this story won first prize over at TQL.  Amazing and creative! Thank you for posting it over here.  *Hugs*  ~Kim

Author's Response:

Thanks Kim *hugs* Your comment is beautiful, thank you :-)

Death is really a strange thing in a way. If it is the death of a loved one, it's always a profound loss. There is that aching sense of emptiness in that part of your life that never goes away. Of course, this is what Brian's death would have been like for Justin, with all of the pain and suffering of a classic death fic. But I wanted to make this a death fic that was about love, not death. That's why this is set 15 years after it happens, when both Brian and Justin have had the chance to 'adjust' in their own ways. Ultimately, they both want to be assured that the other is happy. Whatever kept them from this in life has now been abandoned. What they have left is the one thing that transcends death — unconditional love.

I like your story about the peony. My Grandmother died last October, on a different continent and in a different time zone from me. And yet, around the exact time she died on a cold morning in October - there was a rumble of thunder. I always think that was her way of saying 'here I go, my last big adventure'. She was like that. So yes, there is that sense of hope and promise if you know where to find it.

Thank you again for reading. And thank you so much for your lovely, thoughtful and insightful comment. It honestly means so much to me and I appreciate it very much :-)

Reviewer: BigPaw (Signed) · Date: June 26, 2012 12:20 PM · On: Lux Perpetua

I don't actually go on TQL all that often but I did happen to stop in during the Spring Fever Challenge. It was easy for me to pick my favorite story and once I read this one it was hard for me to even read the other entries. It is so heartwarming to imagine their connection will survive anything and even death won't part them. They are bonded for all eternity. I'm glad you shared this story here.
Lori

Author's Response:

Thanks Lori :-) Your lovely comment made my day!

I'm so glad you enjoyed this story, both here and on TQL. I was actually not sure what people thought of it at first. My concern was that it seemed a little bit 'out-of-boxy', which doesn't always fly. Turns out that was why most people liked it ;-) I've always been very taken with the idea that love is the one thing that can transcend even death. This is kind of an embodiment of the idea that the people and animals we love never truly leave us.

Thanks again for reading and for your wonderful comment. It really means so much and I truly appreciate it :-)

 

Reviewer: JTSecrets (Signed) · Date: June 26, 2012 11:13 AM · On: Lux Perpetua

:)

Author's Response:

:)