I recced this whole story arc to a couple of friends, mid-read, with this warning (hope you don't mind foul language):
Okay, I've read most of this now, and I'll tell you: MINDFUCK. If you've ever had an extended psychotic episode where you couldn't tell reality from what your brain was doing to fuck with you, this fic may bring back some not so fun memories. So trigger warning for that.
This better have a happy ending or I am beating someone to death. Don't worry, none of you. Some random person at Wal-Mart, perhaps.
Then there was some grousing between us about the missing parts, I hope you do write them at some point. This has been one of the fics that I have read that stuck with me, I found myself thinking about it during the day as I went about my business of cat-maintenance and clothes laundering.
Here's a conversation I had with a friend about it:
her: Okay, I got through the first three with some difficulty. But when I hit the fourth, I felt the need to draw diagrams just so I could keep the realities straight in my head. I can't believe this is unfinished!
me: I didn't have so much trouble with it, maybe because I've been in a similar state of mind. I just figured the point was that he COULDN'T tell, and you weren't really supposed to be able to do so all the time either.
Mostly it gave me unpleasant flashbacks to some not-so-fun times when I was never sure wtf was going on around me either. Although not often to THAT degree.
I liked how, every time Sam would figure out a way to reality-test for what was and wasn't real, the shifters would change their attack and invalidate it. Truly evil.
I mean, I've had some trouble with hallucinations, and either I just ignored them or figured out some way to get around the problem. He can't ignore his, that would get him killed, which is truly frightening to me. Then the lack of sleep has to be making them worse, so he's making his own which feed into the ones he's being given. What a freaking NIGHTMARE.
I wish she had given more info on exactly how they were tracking down the shapeshifters, that kind of confused me.
In the last story, something truly diabolical happens so that they can't even take comfort in each other. What a mindfuck this thing is.
The writing style made me think of Kathe Koja a little (if you're familiar with her).
Going back to the reality testing thing, I always had a person who I could tap on the shoulder and say, "Hey, is that real? Is someone pounding on the door or is that just me? Do you think the staff at the mental health clinic is fucking with me on purpose? Are we under police surveillance at the moment?" And they would tell me yes or no. Handy. With this story, neither of them know, so Sam is just adrift. And he CAN'T SLEEP OR IT GETS WORSE, and he doesn't even know if his reality tester is real or a hallucination. Freaking terrifying, I tell you. Jesus.
---
Anyway, I thought you might be interested in the mentally ill viewpoint (if you're not already) and my stamp of approval as such a person. :P
Great job capturing that whole state of mind, seriously. I was disturbed.
Thought this might entertain/interest you
Okay, I've read most of this now, and I'll tell you: MINDFUCK. If you've ever had an extended psychotic episode where you couldn't tell reality from what your brain was doing to fuck with you, this fic may bring back some not so fun memories. So trigger warning for that.
This better have a happy ending or I am beating someone to death. Don't worry, none of you. Some random person at Wal-Mart, perhaps.
Then there was some grousing between us about the missing parts, I hope you do write them at some point. This has been one of the fics that I have read that stuck with me, I found myself thinking about it during the day as I went about my business of cat-maintenance and clothes laundering.
Here's a conversation I had with a friend about it:
her: Okay, I got through the first three with some difficulty. But when I hit the fourth, I felt the need to draw diagrams just so I could keep the realities straight in my head. I can't believe this is unfinished!
me: I didn't have so much trouble with it, maybe because I've been in a similar state of mind. I just figured the point was that he COULDN'T tell, and you weren't really supposed to be able to do so all the time either.
Mostly it gave me unpleasant flashbacks to some not-so-fun times when I was never sure wtf was going on around me either. Although not often to THAT degree.
I liked how, every time Sam would figure out a way to reality-test for what was and wasn't real, the shifters would change their attack and invalidate it. Truly evil.
I mean, I've had some trouble with hallucinations, and either I just ignored them or figured out some way to get around the problem. He can't ignore his, that would get him killed, which is truly frightening to me. Then the lack of sleep has to be making them worse, so he's making his own which feed into the ones he's being given. What a freaking NIGHTMARE.
I wish she had given more info on exactly how they were tracking down the shapeshifters, that kind of confused me.
In the last story, something truly diabolical happens so that they can't even take comfort in each other. What a mindfuck this thing is.
The writing style made me think of Kathe Koja a little (if you're familiar with her).
Going back to the reality testing thing, I always had a person who I could tap on the shoulder and say, "Hey, is that real? Is someone pounding on the door or is that just me? Do you think the staff at the mental health clinic is fucking with me on purpose? Are we under police surveillance at the moment?" And they would tell me yes or no. Handy. With this story, neither of them know, so Sam is just adrift. And he CAN'T SLEEP OR IT GETS WORSE, and he doesn't even know if his reality tester is real or a hallucination. Freaking terrifying, I tell you. Jesus.
---
Anyway, I thought you might be interested in the mentally ill viewpoint (if you're not already) and my stamp of approval as such a person. :P
Great job capturing that whole state of mind, seriously. I was disturbed.