Okay, so I've been having The Week From Hell and finally managed to take some time to jump online and lo and behold, there's a truly marvellous suprise waiting for me; another chapter of Butterfly Effect. I tell you, I was so happy I nearly started crying. (Yes, I need to get a life. Maybe that happens post-exam.)
Initially I was surprised to read Zack talking so cheerfully with Reno; I wasn't certain he'd forgive Reno's comments about the potential for Cloud returning from his previous mission in a body-bag (or whatever the Midgar equivalent may be), but the way you wrote it with the two of them having reached an unspoken agreement about what will and will not be discussed was elegantly done. It kept them both in character, and contributed to the ongoing development of the story while also very neatly slipping in a few extra weeks - and Tifa-Cloud dates - to allow tempers to cool. (I for one had been surreptitiously mourning the demotion of Reno from prank-buddy to one-of-the-turks, which I feared would be the outcome of the combination of the attempted kiss and the meeting with Rufus, so I was thrilled to have my favourite red-headed Mobile Disaster Zone still in the thick of it). What can I say? I love the way you write Reno, and I delight in watching him banter and bounce (ricochet?) off Cloud and Zack. This chapter wasn't an exception; his efforts towards Tifa were so very Reno-esque with just the right overtones of pure 'Turk' that I scarcely realised that it would sergue so well into Tifa and Cloud having *that* talk, and then later The Talk.
Speaking of which; again kudos on your handling of that not-relationship. Having Cloud sulk made him flawed and human, which just makes me like him even more as a character. Having him come good as a friend, particularly over something Tifa is so obviously clueless about (namely basic sexual education) was simply sterling. True to Vincent's prediction many chapters ago - when Zack first explained the concept of same-sex pairings - Cloud has gotten his head around many paradigm-shifting ideas and concepts in his life, and to have him display his maturing comfort with the idea speaks volumes for his adaptability. Go Cloud! That's the flexible and inquisitive - and above all, non-judgmental - kid that found Vincent so many years ago. He is growing and developing, and as you have allowed the character to mature, rather than clumsily forced him to it, you've ensured that I as a reader have thoroughly enjoyed the journey along the way as you explore the extra layers and facets to his personality while still remaining true to that core of seven year-old.
The hints about the three-way sparring matches were tantalising, though I must say I grinned when, true to form, Cloud had no problems at all prioritising between Tifa and training. I can't help but wonder with those matches, if, now that post-augmentation Cloud has also been in proximity to Jenova (courtesy of the second mission to Nibelheim) has he become like Zack and Sephiroth with actively replicating Jenova cells? And what is the significance of his spike in Mako scores? The ground-work for this particular sub-plot was set some time ago, and while I thoroughly enjoy the subtlety with which you're allowing it to build, I also can't wait to see where you go with this.
The way you ended the chapter with the lights-out sparring match, the great big boom, and the start of a new mission was just the perfect booster; intimating a return to the action-packed sequences that form the perfect counterbalance to the in-depth character development. Really, it is this combination that you've perfected to make this fic such a readable story.
Thank you for improving my week out of sight; I await the next chapter with gleeful anticipation.
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timeasmymeasure
Thoughts on Chapter 34
Date: 2008-07-03 12:18 pm (UTC)Initially I was surprised to read Zack talking so cheerfully with Reno; I wasn't certain he'd forgive Reno's comments about the potential for Cloud returning from his previous mission in a body-bag (or whatever the Midgar equivalent may be), but the way you wrote it with the two of them having reached an unspoken agreement about what will and will not be discussed was elegantly done. It kept them both in character, and contributed to the ongoing development of the story while also very neatly slipping in a few extra weeks - and Tifa-Cloud dates - to allow tempers to cool. (I for one had been surreptitiously mourning the demotion of Reno from prank-buddy to one-of-the-turks, which I feared would be the outcome of the combination of the attempted kiss and the meeting with Rufus, so I was thrilled to have my favourite red-headed Mobile Disaster Zone still in the thick of it). What can I say? I love the way you write Reno, and I delight in watching him banter and bounce (ricochet?) off Cloud and Zack. This chapter wasn't an exception; his efforts towards Tifa were so very Reno-esque with just the right overtones of pure 'Turk' that I scarcely realised that it would sergue so well into Tifa and Cloud having *that* talk, and then later The Talk.
Speaking of which; again kudos on your handling of that not-relationship. Having Cloud sulk made him flawed and human, which just makes me like him even more as a character. Having him come good as a friend, particularly over something Tifa is so obviously clueless about (namely basic sexual education) was simply sterling. True to Vincent's prediction many chapters ago - when Zack first explained the concept of same-sex pairings - Cloud has gotten his head around many paradigm-shifting ideas and concepts in his life, and to have him display his maturing comfort with the idea speaks volumes for his adaptability. Go Cloud! That's the flexible and inquisitive - and above all, non-judgmental - kid that found Vincent so many years ago. He is growing and developing, and as you have allowed the character to mature, rather than clumsily forced him to it, you've ensured that I as a reader have thoroughly enjoyed the journey along the way as you explore the extra layers and facets to his personality while still remaining true to that core of seven year-old.
The hints about the three-way sparring matches were tantalising, though I must say I grinned when, true to form, Cloud had no problems at all prioritising between Tifa and training.
I can't help but wonder with those matches, if, now that post-augmentation Cloud has also been in proximity to Jenova (courtesy of the second mission to Nibelheim) has he become like Zack and Sephiroth with actively replicating Jenova cells? And what is the significance of his spike in Mako scores? The ground-work for this particular sub-plot was set some time ago, and while I thoroughly enjoy the subtlety with which you're allowing it to build, I also can't wait to see where you go with this.
The way you ended the chapter with the lights-out sparring match, the great big boom, and the start of a new mission was just the perfect booster; intimating a return to the action-packed sequences that form the perfect counterbalance to the in-depth character development. Really, it is this combination that you've perfected to make this fic such a readable story.
Thank you for improving my week out of sight; I await the next chapter with gleeful anticipation.
Nik.