Chapter 7 of Heart's Landscape

[tocryabout]

Chapter 7, Undoer of Knots, is finished. A week later than planned, because I got lazy.

Words OpenOffice didn't know:
Krav Maga
interdimensional
fucko
Telepaths (still! I was sure I added it after last time)
hellbound

[Read from the beginning]

PS merci beaucoup to Eve Tushnet for the big pimpin'.

Comments

james alison

[(Anonymous)]

you read james alison! :) yay...."fragments on being catholic and gay" actually brought me back to Christianity, so I'm glad he's there.
I found the scene with Kathleen heartbreaking; and how could Joel leave her there?! Argh. Someone has to knock some sense into him about nonviolence; yes, there's nonviolence, and then there's being stupid...
And I liked Paul's rant. Very Paul.
Great work...

[cija.livejournal.com]

I saw the_red_shoes's mention of this story & The Aphanes in her lj this morning. I was just going to go and look a little and then I gave my whole day to them. I barely know what to say. I don't know why I never read them before. Your writing feels very dangerous, or it makes me feel very dangerous, as it makes me think, I understand perfectly about a lot of things, when I don't really, probably.

The part about sex being scandalous - it really is. That was so well-put. And everything about wanting and not wanting, and from earlier in the story, Joel's whole thing about being ashamed of gestures, ashamed of comfort, shame and kindness. This is all so good.

[to-cry-about.livejournal.com]

it makes me think, I understand perfectly about a lot of things, when I don't really, probably.

I was reading the other day that the capacity for empathy isn't fully developed until age 16 or 17, so I guess there goes my theory that we all understand each other instinctively, and it's only the particulars of situations and perspectives that are unknown, like light shining through different colours and shapes of glass. It's one of those ideas that I know is a little naive but I like it anyway.

Thanks so much for enjoying this. (I'm especially glad when non-religious people get my writing, since I worry that that element is too opaque.)

[(Anonymous)]

First off -- discovered your stories through Eve Tushnet, and stayed up half the night reading them. So clearly, I not only like them but they speak to me. Excellent X-universe stuff, loved the Canadian and Catholic stuff.

But clearly there's something I don't understand about humans, that's all. I've never understood this story or real life element of "I don't know who I am, and I don't really know who you are, we're from different cultures and religions, I'm on the vocational rebound, and we've got people watching us that could swoop in and capture us at any moment, so... let's have sex! Yes, let's add yet another chaotic element to an already chaotic situation; it'll make things better!"

I mean, I know people really do insist on doing this sort of thing. So it's a totally realistic element. It's just annoying to me, because I was able to identify with the guy so closely until then. I suppose one could consider it progress that now he's acting like an ordinary idiot instead of a depressed person, but still. And it's not very nice of Hodya, either. (Or self-respecting, for that matter. Guess she's got some issues, too.)

This is not to say that sex is not a gift. But so is the ground a gift, and yet it's not a good idea to bury yourself alive in it.

*starts taking bets on when the inevitable breakup and suicide attempt will take place*

[(Anonymous)]

Oops. Forgot to say what the imbalance was.

We don't really know Hodya. She's pretty, Israeli, a science major, and a diplomatic corps brat. We haven't really learned what makes her tick or seen inside her head. Make her come alive, and I think a lot of my disappointment in the preceding post will go away.

[to-cry-about.livejournal.com]

Um. Whoops. The intended implication was that they didn't actually have sex -- they shared the bed, but Hodya "tucked herself in on the far side" and Joel lay awake with his own thoughts. It might have been wiser for him to go upstairs and sleep in his own bed, but he would have been afraid of making his rejection obvious.

Meanwhile, Hodya's been dating him for two years, albeit in a laidback sort of way, and she doesn't really know the extent of his vocational rebounding. She was assertive in putting the moves on him, insisting on their own room and such, but in other contexts you could see that as being a good choice: if the guy won't take the initiative to confront matters, do it yourself.

So yeah, I should have made that clearer, since a fade-out on two people in bed usually means hott sexings ahead.

[to-cry-about.livejournal.com]

No, we don't know that much about her. She's a secondary character, so I can't say we'll get to know her inside and out. I'd definitely do more with her if she were going to be the major romantic interest--I'd manoeuvre her into the same city, at least.

She's there for several purposes, one of which is to be a foil for Paul, exposing Joel's conflicting feelings about sex, love, and friendship. Since they don't have a sexual relationship, I feel like we know enough about her: she's attractive, assertive, intelligent, and she's known Joel for a number of years, which explains both why he's attracted to her and why he feels out of control in the relationship. We don't see her from inside because I wanted to preserve his feeling of discomfort, of not knowing exactly where he stands.

Hope that clarifies things somewhat.

[lux-apollo.livejournal.com]

I just spent a few hours reading your fic. Maybe I'll comment later, as my head is spinning too much right now to be coherent. At any rate, I'm truly enjoying your writing.

[to-cry-about.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope you do find time to comment, because I eat that shit UP, but I'm glad you enjoyed.