The Hunters

[a_contemplative_life]

Wow. I feel like I've been through hell, but not quite yet back from it. Riveting.

Great writing as always from you, ACL. Just a tiny nit to pick: isn't there a POV-violation when Jed can feel his broken leg in the sleeping bag, although he's "attached" to Eli's memories? I'd put that part in non-italics, or remove it completely, since Jed "is" Eli at the time.

I struggled with the italics part and finally just decided to get rid of all the italics. As for Jed reacting at being a baby-slayer, I don't think that strays far from Canon. After all, in LTROI Oskar tries to pull back from Eli's kiss when he's about to be castrated, but Eli prevents it.

P.S.: I got carried away and sort of rewrote the whole passage.

P.P.S.: I don't consider myself 'hag-ridden'

[DMt.]

I'm only exaggerating a little bit... ...but you can't say this isn't harrowing stuff, ACL, because it is, it's so near the bone, and more power to you; I know a little bit about the cost of writing something like that.

So I'll stand by that one, I think.

The hag is after all only the dark face of the Muse; the waning Moon, the witches' Moon. Some of her aspects are full of a tragic dignity, just like Eli's.

It's not just 'Ugly Old Woman'. It's the Death Goddess [irrespective of bio gender].

Maiden, Mother, Crone = Waxing, Full, and Waning moons.

One spins, one weaves, one...cuts.

[WhiteBackground]

Every time I think the tension is bordering unbearable, ACL takes it to new heights. Excellent writing. I'm afraid that while Jed's reactionis understandable, he is being a little insensitive to Eli's condition, demanding from him to commit to something that Eli, depending on the situation at hand, may have little control over.

Also, wouldn't it by now occur to Jed that Eli in fact needs, er... professional help? And quite a lot of it, in fact. Councelling and stuff.

[lombano]

I like Jed's demand.

I'm afraid that while Jed's reactionis understandable, he is being a little insensitive to Eli's condition, demanding from him to commit to something that Eli, depending on the situation at hand, may have little control over.

But he is also doing what he can to get Eli help, including with food.

[quote="WhiteBackground"]
Also, wouldn't it by now occur to Jed that Eli in fact needs, er... professional help? And quite a lot of it, in fact. Councelling and stuff.[/quote]

Yes, but like with the doctors, there's the issue of believing it and so on.

[Galudan]

The part about Anyone getting regular transfusions of other people’s blood is always taking a chance that the donated blood might carry something bad—hepatitis, HIV, you name it. Any risk of this could be avoided by having Eli Smell a few drops of the blood before the transfusions, she can smell if someone has cancer, so would think she could also smell if the blood has any type of infection in it also.

[PeteMork]

I think ACL has presented to us, very effectively if I may say so, the horrible results of Eli's true nature, unvarnished. No matter how sweet this child is, those thousands of deaths define him more than anything else in his life could possibly do. This was something not done in the film because TA has said repeatedly that it would have greatly reduced our ability to sympathize with him. And rightly so. In that context, Jed had no choice but to make that demand of Eli. ACL is telling us (I think ) that Jed is teetering on the edge and only a promise of this magnitude can mitigate the damage Eli's revelation may have caused their relationship. Jed will never again be able to see Eli in the same way no matter how much he might wish to,but he is still, in his own gentle manner, trying to do the right thing by him, because, in spite of it all, he still loves him.

It's a potential tragedy for both of them; a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.

[WhiteBackground]

I'd like to add to Pete's comment, that Jed, by virtue of his love for Eli and due to his insistance to know him better via transfer of memories, has now placed himself in a situation where he can experience, first hand, what it's really like to be Eli. What's most important, he now understands with utmost clarity Eli's hard attitude towards doctors, people, and exposure. The palpable fear he experiences laying there in bed with Eli is the very fear Eli lives in, every moment of his life. Now he truly KNOWS what's it's like. But being an experienced adult, he also must know that if Eli ever wants to have a chance for redemption, there is no other way but to face this fear and go right through it, to come up clean. There is no other way, even if it may cost them their lives.This is what's tearing him apart. Hence the great conflict. Massive applause to ACL for this most captivating tale.

[a_contemplative_life]

Chapter 12...

http://let-the-right-one-in.com/fancont ... hapter-xii

[DavidZahir]

That was very good, surreal and heart-warming.

[Wolfchild]

Interesting. So Eli views himself as a boy with Jed, but as a girl with Oskar?