Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll

[neatfreak]

And Widower...I sometimes wonder if something is wrong with my eyeballs and brain. I couldn't even finish the first chapter! And believe me, I tried...I haven't been able to read the other annointed fics, either.  Jack with Alzheimer's, Ennis as a VAMPIRE. People think this makes sense?

Oh, thank heaven. I thought I was alone in not being able to read ANY of those fics above. I had enough pain from the story, thank you; reading of Ennis' continuing agony just would not be healthy for me. I need closure -- for Ennis and for me, and in canon if possible. And the Laramie Saga is the answer for me, hands down.

I know what it is to lose someone (in my case, my father and my brother) and I know that no one can possibly take their place. That doesn't close me off to love, though. My boss is like a brother to me, and there are men in whom I see components of my father. My love for those who have passed does not fade. There's room in my heart for more. I need to have hope for Ennis, as I have hope for everyone who needs love. And who among us does not?

[Bigheart]

He does so NOT work for me! Oh, no, please say no everyone!

NO!!
I'm sorry Lucise, I hope you havent gone to too much trouble to find him

[Helen]

Same here. I have just read that the people who appreciate The Widower are people who have sustained a loss and those, wait for it who are "thinkers and analysers". I would like to add another cateory: thise who resonate with misery and seems to take some pleasure in the angst of it all. Having got socked with a triple whammy of misery in BBM they actually go looking for more. One fic has Jack suffering from Alzheimers!

I have a feeling that those who genuinely felt grief over Ennis/Jack rather than indulging the sensation and drama of grief are those who really needed the break this fic is offering. Just my opinion.

I now feel that you are almost treated like a troll on the Cullen slash forum if you dont go along with The Widower line (just the name gives me the creeps) and post positive comments about the Saga.

Once I got into the Widower I found it was okay.  I would say that those who only appreciate the likes of Widower and look down on anything which, heaven forbid, has a bit of happiness to it (or doesn't have Ennis in purgatory for the rest of his life as a "punishment" for being a human being), need some serious medical intervention to retrieve their heads from their a$$holes.   

And I'm pretty sure there are loads of people that have sustained loss but who, strangely to some, have no wish to wallow in it forever more.

[Bigheart]

Over there, they have what I call "the annointed fics." There are about five of them. They get discussed and "squeeed" endlessly. Then there are the rest of us who go into the big black hole of fic-dom. Fortunately for Louise (and me, my story has its own thread, too) we fell into that hole and came out on the other side...Bettermost.

L

And Widower...I sometimes wonder if something is wrong with my eyeballs and brain. I couldn't even finish the first chapter! And believe me, I tried...I haven't been able to read the other annointed fics, either.  Jack with Alzheimer's, Ennis as a VAMPIRE. People think this makes sense?

Jack with Alzheimers is the Pair of Deuces one isnt it? And the Vampire one?? Is that a new one? I havent been onto the DC boards at all today.
And yes I am totally sick of the squeeing over Widower.

[scudder]

I'm with you Lucise.  I think he makes a splendid Lauren.  Good picking!

[Bigheart]

Oh, thank heaven. I thought I was alone in not being able to read ANY of those fics above. I had enough pain from the story, thank you; reading of Ennis' continuing agony just would not be healthy for me. I need closure -- for Ennis and for me, and in canon if possible. And the Laramie Saga is the answer for me, hands down.

I know what it is to lose someone (in my case, my father and my brother) and I know that no one can possibly take their place. That doesn't close me off to love, though. My boss is like a brother to me, and there are men in whom I see components of my father. My love for those who have passed does not fade. There's room in my heart for more. I need to have hope for Ennis, as I have hope for everyone who needs love. And who among us does not?

Oh I SO agree with everything you've just said! 

[pastorfred]

Regarding the possibility of Ennis moving on, I want to take a whole step further. To say that Ennis could never move on would be to diminish the love of Ennis and Jack.

The Laramie Saga illustrates how the love of Ennis and Jack enables Ennis to move on. Ennis travels to Laramie because of Jack's journal. Ennis is able to recognize Ellery's love as love because he comes to realize that Jack loved him. Ellery repeatedly tells Ennis to read the letter Jack left in the journal. When Ennis is able to call his love for Jack by its true name of love, he begins to recognize that his feelings for Ellery are also love.

Because Ennis and Jack truly loved each other, Ennis is able to move on. The possibility of hope for Ennis's future is a tribute to the love Ennis and Jack shared.

[Jane]

I think I agree with you on this... I think to say Ennis would never move on really limits/trivializes him as a person.  And, as I've said before, just because he 'moves on' doesn't mean he loved/loves Jack any less, it is just him changing and growing as a person, and what is wrong with that.  (It is okay to find a way to 'live again.'  Please don't interpret what I've said as me meaning there is any sort of time table or routine to grieving, and moving on, I just mean I think it's unfair to say that moving on can't happen, and unfair is probably a poor choice of wording...  I will catch up on the posts and likely find someone who has said this better...)

Exactly right.  Just because he has found someone to love, doesnt mean he thinks any less of Jack, thats just silly.  I should think at the start of their relationship, he felt as guilty as hell.  Guilty because he is living that sweet life that Jack wanted for the two of them.  He probably also blamed himself in some way for Jacks death, because if he,d said yes, then obviously Jack wouldnt be dead, so he probably thought he deserved to be sitting alone in that crappy trailer drinking and smoking himself to death as some sort of "punishment". Thats just crazy.  The poor guy is allowed to feel again.  He,s allowed to love again.  Of course he,ll never forget or probably stop loving Jack, but he,s finally coming to terms with it, and being able to talk about him to Ellery without breaking down.  Jack wouldnt have wanted him to drink himself to death, and we dont want that for him either, it,s too awful. I love this story Louise, I really do. IF they ever did a sequel, I,d love to see Ennis,s face when he gets called buttercup in the bar.  BTW, I know someone asked you this, so apologies if you replied and I didnt see it, but where did you do your ahem, "research" into their, erm,"bedroom antics?" Love it.

[Bigheart]

 I would say that those who only appreciate the likes of Widower and look down on anything which, heaven forbid, has a bit of happiness to it (or doesn't have Ennis in purgatory for the rest of his life as a "punishment" for being a human being), need some serious medical intervention to retrieve their heads from their a$$holes.   

LOL - but you do know don't you just how many people are out there that feel this way??
It's scary how many there are  

[MaineWriter]

Jack with Alzheimers is the Pair of Deuces one isnt it? And the Vampire one?? Is that a new one? I havent been onto the DC boards at all today.
And yes I am totally sick of the squeeing over Widower.

Pair of Deuces, maybe, I don't know. The stories I don't like I immediately forget the names of. The Vampire story started over the weekend and I actually think the author, Brokaholic, may be on this board. I don't mean to be insulting, Brokaholic (Alice), I just have a really hard time imagining Ennis as a vampire! In this or any universe. But have at, you have fans at dc and maybe you'll find fans here. I would suggest posting a link to your story over in the fanfiction section, let people know it is out there.

BTW, for everyone...especially those who have spent more time at dc...we do have a fanfiction section with links to stories. There is some discussion going on and I know the authors who are here enjoy talking about their fics with their readers. Marakeshsparrow is here; fernly; me! Even though my story is finished, I still like discussing it. The thread for ALBFS is over at fanfic. The major difference between bettermost and dc is that there are individual threads for stories...not everything is clumped into one big pot. Personally, I find this to be a much better approach.

I don't believe that Jenna Sinclair is on this board, nor is MadLori, but there are links to their stories. And if enough discussion got started, they might be persuaded to join in. That's how I enticed Louise over here, after all.

Leslie