I love coming back to read this story! Thank you for crafting these characters and this world. It’s so beautiful and filled with deep care.

Just wanted to say I love this series. Always have. Please tell us when you get published.

Hello!
I hope you've been doing alright. It's been a long time since I last read this story. I was in high school back then (and I had a fictionpress account and all). In fact I am going to go look through the comments and see if I wrote something back then too.
Anyway, I finished my master's last year, and I have a stupid job now, and I remember NOTHING about many of the stories I have read on this site but I remembered the name of this one, the events, the characters, even the sex. It was just a good fucking story. And suddenly I wanted to read it again, so I ignored the 7k words that I have to proofread for work (Irene would not be proud) and read 300k words of your story, and can I just say, even years later, it hits the same!
The best thing about this is the protagonist being a massive unreliable narrator, and how he misdirects the readers. Best example of this is the readers undermining his aunt, simply because he did. When he finally realises how he's been behaving towards her the reader is also bound to feel a bit guilty too. Same with Phil, because as a reader I brushed off his drinking habits (got used to it) just like his friends did! Even if Phil had been left sleeping on the floor, the reader probably could have brushed it off as a 'good ol Phil being phil' sort of moment, but that's not how it goes down.
This is a really introspective piece of work. Vi is a good friend, but she struggles with being kind through her words, and what our boy needed was someone patient to sit and be with him. Obviously therapy would have helped him loads, but it is great that he found a patient and kind friend in jase, first and foremost.
Shiloh is just the most infuriating character I've come across in a while. But I don't want to get into the details of this anymore, I guess you get the gist.
I don't really care for updates, since I've already imagined a neat little ending to this story (and most plot points are tied up). I can imagine a nice reunion with his dad at some point, or just an attempt at mending their relationship slowly.
What I've understood mainly from this though, is that forgiveness is a two way street. To be fair, I am still as confused as Braden about most things. He thinks the worst about himself, and he also assumes the worst about everyone around him. His sense of responsibility is almost crippling, and his resentment of being unable to stand up for himself gets directed outward as much as it gets directed inwards. The feeling of pure frustration is so real, I've wanted to bonk this boy on the head multiple times. But he also makes sense, it's not tedious to listen to his fears.
Finally, yep, the payoff is excellent. His growth is extremely rewarding to witness, and jase being a person who could so easily fit into the trope of a therapist adjacent boyfriend, but actually evades it by just being wonderfully human, is again something that is difficult to pull off. But you've managed it! It's really a wonderful story. I hope you are writing still, wherever you are. It's been a pleasure reading this (both times)

Although it's been nearly 5 years, I'm hoping you still occasionally pop in to FP so that you'll know how much I've enjoyed reading this story. I definitely foresee it becoming one I revisit as a cozy comfort read in the future.

Your writing style, plotting, and level of description are lovely, but it's the nuanced characterization that sets this one apart for me. Braden is such an endearing and sympathetic POV character (and I'll admit I have a soft spot for neurotics who enjoy domination in a sexual context) and Jase is just a dreamboat. Early in the story, I almost found him to be a little too good to be true and worried we were going to fall into a trope where a saintly partner "fixes" his basket case boyfriend, but as details and backstories filled in and the characters acknowledged and discussed Jase's "hero complex" as at times a potentially negative trait, it became clear you were doing something much, much better. You've written the rare beast of a romance that portrays the evolution of a healthy, adult relationship in an engaging way.

One of the aspects of the story I admire most is the way you've done such an excellent job of really SHOWING the two characters falling in love. It's easy as a reader to see in a concrete way why these two men are so well-suited for each other, with an attraction grounded in common interests, mutual respect, and pure enjoyment of being together. Just lovely. I'm also a huge fan of the way you've captured the romance of the kind of deep, semi-spiritual, and sometimes silly conversations one has as a young, nerdy stoner. When I was working on my PhD my friends and I did our own version of drunk professor where we'd give short talks and it was always a blast (although we never put anything on the internet, which in retrospect was probably for the best). All of the nerdy stuff in this was such a delight to me and really made me nostalgic for my student days. Really, all of the romance in this was just so nicely done: the meteor shower and Jase's reaction to Braden wanting to "research" his wish, the charge Braden gets from being creative and performing with Jase, sneaking away from the birthday party for a quickie. Just *chef's kiss*.

So, yeah, I loved this. Thank you so much for sharing it. I hope lots of exciting, positive, adulting-type developments were what kept you from finishing and that, 5 years later, you are well.

It's been 3 years. I guess you're done. Goodbye story, RIP

I would pay you actual money to see this story finished I am that desperate. This has got to be my tenth reread and I never get tired of these two. Thank you for creating 2 of the most well developed and frighteningly relatable characters I have yet to see on this website and honestly in most of the published books I’ve read recently. I need some closure with these dudes and I’d do just about anything to see that happen. Hope all is well.

Still holding out hope I really like this story

Wow time flies! Hope you're well, was just remembering this story!
You were so consistent with it for so long that I think you were due a hiatus lol but hope to see you continue with these boys and the story whenever you can :)

Your story is just amazing ! I love reading it! With characters so real and an really original romance plot.
I really hope you'll find the time to finish writing it. But anyway i'm just glad to have read this ! :)
(Ok.. so i'm french so i'm really sorry if there is a lot of spelling mistakes)

Why write a story if you don't have time to finish it

I just love this story! The characters are so real and genuine. I really feel connected to their lives. I hope you get to finish telling their story. :)

DUDE I'M ARMENIAN AND I CAN ASSURE YOU MOST ARMENIANS ARE HOMOPHOBES AND MY PARENTS ARE FREAKING RAGING HOMOPHOBES AND I'M GLAD SOMEONE ELSE NOTICED THIS. Okay other than that your story is amazing, thanks

The last update was in December :( It's been a while. Hope everything is going fine, take care :) Update whenever you can but do drop a note on how you're doing soon :D

Where'd you go? I'm feeling a craving for this story like no other and if you don't update soon I'll end up rereading the whole thing again and then I'll REALLY be craving an update! Come back! This story is so good and I want to know how it ends!

I have never had such a visceral reaction to a story in a long time. Especially on this website. It's really hard to find good content but damn this story is a whole other level for me. I spent my breaks at work eating this story up. I got lost in it to the point where I was freaking myself out. I can't explain it but I relate to Braden in the deepest level and I feel like I understand him. And jase is just amazing. They're both so human and you have done this incredible, incredible job on bringing them to life. And maybe this is more of a me problem and I'll spend my life getting wrapped up in the lives of fictional characters but you have made some damn good ones. If I have to review every chapter twice to get you to update I will. This story deserves a beautiful and fantastic ending and I'll wait as long as I have to in order to get that. Thanks for writing such beautiful and unique stories. Plus I just really want a LOT more Damien hahaha! Marisa