Forgive me for grouping my reviews for all of these chaps into one big one at the end. You had me spell bound, and I literally couldn't stop reading for long enough to review.
This fic is exquisitely done from beginning to end. It's the type that haunts readers long after we've finished consciously thinking about it. The rune that you used was just beautiful. I loved its application in "The Swiftly Tilting Planet" and I loved it just as much here.
Now for individual reviews:
Sea: Oh. My. God. So perfect, so painful in so many ways. The references were well chosen, and the way they were phrased you forced the reader to take a closer look. At first glance I didn't get it, (Huh? Ship? Paper?) But then on the rereading it was all so obvious and tragic. The reader's mindset mirrors that of Roslin herself as she struggles to reconcile with such a long chain of painful events.
Earth: The Old Man is one of my favorites, and this is so perfectly him. I love the reference to the sons and daughters he pretends he has. He's lying even to himself, but there is a powerful truth to be found in the untruth. The theme of dishonesty is shown just as subtly and powerfully as that of forgetfulness in the previous vignette. I wanted to weep for him.
Rocks: Wow, Caprica-Six. The story here was transformation and how sins always come back to haunt you. It was so insightful that I've dubbed it "personal canon." The beginning with the flower flowed so flawlessly into the baby. Then the two scenes where she saves lives and she grows right before our eyes. Anders as deity? Wow. One of those connections I never would have made on my own but it fits so perfectly. And then with the miscarriage my heart just broke.
Lightning: Excellent insights on each incarnation of Six. I don't know why, but I found Natalie's part particularly affecting. And then with Head!Six you quantified chaos and left us troubled, confused, and enthralled just like Head!Six herself always does. And the last sentence? I'm speechless. It's that good.
Sun: God, are there any characters you don't get better than they get themselves? This part with Lee is so tightly written and darkly ominous. We see him rushing forward, blind to his eventual fate, and we want so badly to believe in him, but the little voice in the background keeps warning of a fall. You never say it, but the Phaethon reference (at least I think it was Phaethon) puts the perfect exclamation point on this. He's lighting himself on fire and we're watching him burn.
Fire: Wow. Kara through and through. You mentioned that you listened to the soundtrack while writing this. Did that include Gaeta's Lament? Because if not, the similarities are downright eerie. Three kinds of love and all of them burn . . . this phrase literally haunts my sleep. And yet, despite the dark and tragic arc of both her vignette and the character in general, this is the most hopeful of the stories. Her love is enough to keep her going and maybe help others keep going with her.
All in all, I'm utterly in awe of this fic. It hurts and it haunts and it left me wanting more.
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2009-03-01 04:40 am (UTC)This fic is exquisitely done from beginning to end. It's the type that haunts readers long after we've finished consciously thinking about it. The rune that you used was just beautiful. I loved its application in "The Swiftly Tilting Planet" and I loved it just as much here.
Now for individual reviews:
Sea: Oh. My. God. So perfect, so painful in so many ways. The references were well chosen, and the way they were phrased you forced the reader to take a closer look. At first glance I didn't get it, (Huh? Ship? Paper?) But then on the rereading it was all so obvious and tragic. The reader's mindset mirrors that of Roslin herself as she struggles to reconcile with such a long chain of painful events.
Earth: The Old Man is one of my favorites, and this is so perfectly him. I love the reference to the sons and daughters he pretends he has. He's lying even to himself, but there is a powerful truth to be found in the untruth. The theme of dishonesty is shown just as subtly and powerfully as that of forgetfulness in the previous vignette. I wanted to weep for him.
Rocks: Wow, Caprica-Six. The story here was transformation and how sins always come back to haunt you. It was so insightful that I've dubbed it "personal canon." The beginning with the flower flowed so flawlessly into the baby. Then the two scenes where she saves lives and she grows right before our eyes. Anders as deity? Wow. One of those connections I never would have made on my own but it fits so perfectly. And then with the miscarriage my heart just broke.
Lightning: Excellent insights on each incarnation of Six. I don't know why, but I found Natalie's part particularly affecting. And then with Head!Six you quantified chaos and left us troubled, confused, and enthralled just like Head!Six herself always does. And the last sentence? I'm speechless. It's that good.
Sun: God, are there any characters you don't get better than they get themselves? This part with Lee is so tightly written and darkly ominous. We see him rushing forward, blind to his eventual fate, and we want so badly to believe in him, but the little voice in the background keeps warning of a fall. You never say it, but the Phaethon reference (at least I think it was Phaethon) puts the perfect exclamation point on this. He's lighting himself on fire and we're watching him burn.
Fire: Wow. Kara through and through. You mentioned that you listened to the soundtrack while writing this. Did that include Gaeta's Lament? Because if not, the similarities are downright eerie. Three kinds of love and all of them burn . . . this phrase literally haunts my sleep. And yet, despite the dark and tragic arc of both her vignette and the character in general, this is the most hopeful of the stories. Her love is enough to keep her going and maybe help others keep going with her.
All in all, I'm utterly in awe of this fic. It hurts and it haunts and it left me wanting more.