A lot of people have mentioned the final scene, but what did it for me was the very first one. That killed me--absolute masterpiece.
Because the touching moment: mom imparting advice, bonding with child, and comfort, and everything else good about mother/child scenes.
Then she goes downstairs and it all goes to hell. So that killed me, the transition from peaceful to screaming and isolation. That was what hit me on the second reading.
The first time I read it, I felt slapped (in a good way--hard to put into words, but that it hit me so hard) by the hypocrisy. She tells him to always be polite, then she goes downstairs and starts screaming and throwing things. And the implications of that, for his home life growing up, sank in. That she equates politeness to getting respect--it read as though she'd given up on being respected by his father, so had started yelling.
So yes, I was completely murdered having read only the first three paragraphs. And then there was an entire fic left! But that was the impression and connection that stayed with me, and colored how I read Rodney's developement and growth. That he ended up equating politeness to simply being liked, and not respected--that it was one or the other. The end really wrapped it up for me: he already has John's respect, so he'll be nice to him, rather than it going the other way and ending up biting him in the ass.
And Mark tied so well into that! I just--there's so much in this fic that is perfect. I would totally write an English essay analysing it. Because wow, no unnecessary details, everything relates, it has a clear movement form beginning to end...
::realizes how long this comment is and goes off to continue gushing silently::
no subject
Because the touching moment: mom imparting advice, bonding with child, and comfort, and everything else good about mother/child scenes.
Then she goes downstairs and it all goes to hell. So that killed me, the transition from peaceful to screaming and isolation. That was what hit me on the second reading.
The first time I read it, I felt slapped (in a good way--hard to put into words, but that it hit me so hard) by the hypocrisy. She tells him to always be polite, then she goes downstairs and starts screaming and throwing things. And the implications of that, for his home life growing up, sank in. That she equates politeness to getting respect--it read as though she'd given up on being respected by his father, so had started yelling.
So yes, I was completely murdered having read only the first three paragraphs. And then there was an entire fic left! But that was the impression and connection that stayed with me, and colored how I read Rodney's developement and growth. That he ended up equating politeness to simply being liked, and not respected--that it was one or the other. The end really wrapped it up for me: he already has John's respect, so he'll be nice to him, rather than it going the other way and ending up biting him in the ass.
And Mark tied so well into that! I just--there's so much in this fic that is perfect. I would totally write an English essay analysing it. Because wow, no unnecessary details, everything relates, it has a clear movement form beginning to end...
::realizes how long this comment is and goes off to continue gushing silently::