[Duncan Ryder] How the Light Gets In

[Cynical Romantic]

Hey, if you are hearing voices, I'm all for it. I say, go listen to them some more, have a few more conversations with them, write them down, and let us readers reap the benefits.

[wildone]

I missed the announcement, so a little late getting in here.

 

When I read the chapter and got to the last sentence, all I could say was "Oh Crap". Having Luc explain all his pain and emotion invested in Daniel, he is now setting himself up to repeat it all with Scott...again.

 

What Kiso mentioned about not liking Josh as much as Luc, I have to say I can relate. Even with the idea that Luc is a younger version of Josh, I just don't have the same strong feelings for him as Luc. I'm not sure if I can say why I have that feeling either but I think it has to do with the way that maybe Josh seems to do the right thing always. We could argue the fact that he stayed with Graham so long, but his eventual decision was the right thing. Josh held Scott at a distance at the beginning, especially on their second meeting when Scott was a 'broken heart'. Once again, the right thing. He pushed away Matt, which was once again the right thing.

 

I guess if you do the right thing all the time, it kind of makes them less relateable. I wonder why I don't feel the same thing for Josh as Luc, as we know that Josh went through the some horrible things with Graham. All I can come up with is that Josh went through these things with a person who I think none of us have an attachment to.

 

Unfortunately Luc's attention is to Scott, who everyone has a connection with.

 

I think he did right by Matt. He ended everything as soon as he saw that it meant more to Matt than it meant to him. And it's not like he ever really led him on. His behavior to me, was pretty straightforward. Someone got hurt, which is never fun, but I don't really think anyone is to blame. Josh certainly deserves a little understanding here, because of everything with Graham.

 

When J. Ross said this I immediately thought then the right thing for Scott to do would be to completely separate himself from Luc. Isn't it much the same situation? Also Scott has shared some more intimate things with Luc than maybe Scott knows about. The way he listened to his music like Daniel did. The first kiss. It is not like Scott can change who he is, as in the way he looks and acts like Daniel. Not as easy as shaving 100 lbs and changing his looks by plastic surgery.

 

The last thing that really hit me was the title of this story, How the Light Gets In. For some reason I'm seeing this as a double meaning, depending on which way you want to look at it. I am going on the basis of Luc here, but could it mean how can Luc get over the past and let the light in in order to continue to grow? Or a more pessimistic view, will Luc reach the light that is a metaphor of finally reaching death?

 

On that happy note, thanks so much Duncan , I am truly amazed at the attachment to these characters that I have and to the story that they are creating.

 

Steve

[Cynical Romantic]

When J. Ross said this I immediately thought then the right thing for Scott to do would be to completely separate himself from Luc. Isn't it much the same situation? Also Scott has shared some more intimate things with Luc than maybe Scott knows about. The way he listened to his music like Daniel did. The first kiss. It is not like Scott can change who he is, as in the way he looks and acts like Daniel. Not as easy as shaving 100 lbs and changing his looks by plastic surgery.

 

In a character-is-fate way, I don't think Scott could any more separate himself completely from Luc at this point as he could change his appearance overnight. Like a certain literary Boy Wizard, Scott seems to have sort of a "saving people thing". In other words, his personality is such that he feels drawn to wounded types and feels compelled to try and help them. If you've read EleCivil's "Laika", there's a good description of "wounded bird syndrome" in there that applies to this, in a way. Scott has always been like that, plus he feels a ton of guilt about Luc's most recent suicide attempt, not that he deserves to, but he does anyway. I just don't see him walking away at this point, even if it would perhaps be the least cruel thing.

 

The last thing that really hit me was the title of this story, How the Light Gets In. For some reason I'm seeing this as a double meaning, depending on which way you want to look at it. I am going on the basis of Luc here, but could it mean how can Luc get over the past and let the light in in order to continue to grow? Or a more pessimistic view, will Luc reach the light that is a metaphor of finally reaching death?

 

Oh, I don't think so. I always saw the title as optimistic. As Duncan has mentioned a bunch of times, it's a lyric from a Leonard Cohen song. You can read them here, but I always interpreted the line as being about how we are imperfect, but it is our flaws that allow us to be human and to find love. Duncan may have a different interpretation, and of course he's the poet, not me, but that was just my impression, of this story being ultimately hopeful:

 

Ring the bells that still can ring

Forget your perfect offering

There is a crack, a crack in everything

That's how the light gets in.

- Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"