Discussion post: Novel length -- The Domesticverse, part 2

[kate-the-reader.livejournal.com]

This second part of the discussion of gyzym's Domesticverse, Wherever You Will Be (That's Where I'll Call Home) includes parts 5, 7 and 8. We'll discuss part 6 in the rare pair week.
Part 5: pressed against the pending physics of my passed down last name
part 7: life long local foreigner, i
part 8: having let go forever the fallacy of ever being alone

Once again, msbrightsidesh and I really enjoyed discussing these chapters, which are, if possible, even lovelier than the earlier ones.
SO MANY FEELS!

Comments

Re: Unhappy families

[rereader.livejournal.com]

Certainly, ARTHUR thinks of himself as outwardly bristly and cold, but of course we've seen that he's not at all that way with Eames--well, maybe bristly, but in an anything but never cold or withholding. The scene of him shaking with fear that Eames could have got stuck in limbo when he had the flu--that's a very strong image, and there's nothing distant about it. (If it comes to that, Arthur isn't cold with anyone he cares about--as Cobb notes in the final story, where he tries to thank Arthur for taking care of him after Mal's death.)

And while Eames undoubtedly presents a cheerfully outgoing facade (a very effective way of keeping people at a distance, that can be), that's a far cry from being explosive or angry--and Arthur's family's noisiness seems to far too often be used as an excuse for nastiness. "We're just HONEST," that sort of attitude. Eames is never careless of people's feelings, especially not careless of Arthur's feelings--like when Arthur drunk-texts him from South America and Eames calls back, he specifically doesn't ask if Arthur misses him "because for all his flaws he's not actually a cruel man, and he knows that's the truth." Arthur's family (Rachel excepted) IS cruel to him.

Re: Unhappy families

[flosculatory.livejournal.com]

Yes, I love these differences you've highlighted. Beyond being wary (Arthur) and being loud (Eames), there aren't too many similarities between the boys and the other's families (thank goodness.) And it's funny, because if we bring canon!A/E into this, I find that it's Arthur who is wilder with his emotions, he's the one more likely to be emotional and hot-blooded (calling Nash an asshole, worrying for Eames), whereas Eames holds back more, reading the scenario and acting appropriately. So in that sense, they're almost more similar to their own families than each other's families.

Re: Unhappy families

[earlgreytea68.livejournal.com]

This is a really good point, actually. Arthur is quick to react emotionally throughout the movie, whereas Eames is so smooth and urbane that it's hard to really know what he's thinking.

Re: Unhappy families

[msbrightsidesh.livejournal.com]

I feel like they both do this in the fic as well, though.
Arthur isn't very controlled at all, that's why he rather hides more than less, when it comes to his feelings for Eames, especially in the beginning, because he just doesn't trust himself with them. Eames, on the other hand, is smooth enough to make Arthur believe that he's 'playing at it' for a really really long time, seems unruffled by the first few kisses, is the first to pull away in the Lotus, etc. I feel that they're actually a really great continuation of the characters in the movie in this fic.

Re: Unhappy families

[earlgreytea68.livejournal.com]

I feel like Arthur's family would be like, "Trump is just telling the truth!!"

Re: Unhappy families

[rereader.livejournal.com]

OMG YES THEY WOULD.