Just read your Lord of the Flies fic. Awww Ralph is so cute *snuggles* I liked Roger's brief appearance, too. It was interesting you chose to write from Jack's POV. I know you like him a lot more than I do (then again, probably everyone likes him more considering I hate the guy) but I thought it was an interesting choice. I'm not sure I quite believed in such a quick and shocking turn-around in morals, that such a sudden understanding struck him as the men returned. I really think in his mind he thought he was doing what was right and what had to be done and became a man through the act. Then again, it's been a good many years since I read the book. Still, I'm not sure I personally buy his regret- at least not as a sudden regret. It's a nice theory and you describe it very well. I guess I just consider him too far gone. And I loved Piggy so I'm terribly angry with him. Ralph was adorable, though. The officers telling him to rest and giving him a little cabin in which to do so. One of my favorite parts of the book was the parallel between the real world's war & military and what the boys were going through. So I find it interesting to think about how the crew & officers reacted and treated them on the way back home. They're trained to kill and it's possible none of them actually have. And then here are boys who were on an island for a short while and managed to commit two murders. So it was interesting to see how you had the adults treating them, and how the boys were reacting to having adults around again. Your Jack seems to have gone back to how things were before... apart from memories of incidents and regrets. And Roger, likewise. But Ralph... yeah, I knew there was a reason I liked Ralph so much. I can certainly imagine him feeling so emotionally beat up that he easily got sick. Poor lad *snuggles*
I liked a lot of your details, too. Jack's commentary about the way clothes were weeks ago and the way they felt now... the specs (awww *sob*)... the red, blood-like warpaint running down the drain.
And the plot/way it matched the hatching was very creative. I would never have thought of those two when reading that bunny. So it was interesting to see where you took it. I ADORED Ralph's growl of "It took a good scrubbing to come to your senses?" *giggle* Yeah, you tell him, Ralph! And though you did have a progression and offered good reasoning about why Jack's sorry, etc, I totally didn't forgive him, still. Jack embodies the thing I hate most about human nature and the things I hate most about my own potential. I think, if faced with a situation like the boys', I would probably end up like Piggy 99 times out of 100. But that other 1%... I think I'd probably turn into one of Jack's followers and that scares the shite out of me. And I can't forgive him for what they did (or myself for thinking I have the potential to kill when overcome with fear instead of thinking rationally or caring about things important to me like friendship and life and loyalty). Anyhoo... I totally wouldn't forgive Jack... and in my mind your Ralph was too emotional and feeling badly to really forgive him either *G* He could have just said that to get Jack to leave him alone. *sigh* But, I dunno. Ralph's a hell of a nice guy. And considering their backgrounds/society they came from, I suppose it makes a lot of sense for Ralph to understand the nature of forgiveness and want to make Jack feel better. Which is sort of nice, in a way. He's the one who's sick and is making Jack feel better. Though in my mind, he deserves to feel like crap the rest of his life...
Anyhoo... it was a very interesting read. Makes me want to pull the book down off the top shelf and read it again :-) And sneezy Ralph... awww, so very cute! *cuddles*
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It was interesting you chose to write from Jack's POV. I know you like him a lot more than I do (then again, probably everyone likes him more considering I hate the guy) but I thought it was an interesting choice. I'm not sure I quite believed in such a quick and shocking turn-around in morals, that such a sudden understanding struck him as the men returned. I really think in his mind he thought he was doing what was right and what had to be done and became a man through the act. Then again, it's been a good many years since I read the book. Still, I'm not sure I personally buy his regret- at least not as a sudden regret. It's a nice theory and you describe it very well. I guess I just consider him too far gone. And I loved Piggy so I'm terribly angry with him.
Ralph was adorable, though. The officers telling him to rest and giving him a little cabin in which to do so. One of my favorite parts of the book was the parallel between the real world's war & military and what the boys were going through. So I find it interesting to think about how the crew & officers reacted and treated them on the way back home. They're trained to kill and it's possible none of them actually have. And then here are boys who were on an island for a short while and managed to commit two murders. So it was interesting to see how you had the adults treating them, and how the boys were reacting to having adults around again. Your Jack seems to have gone back to how things were before... apart from memories of incidents and regrets. And Roger, likewise. But Ralph... yeah, I knew there was a reason I liked Ralph so much. I can certainly imagine him feeling so emotionally beat up that he easily got sick. Poor lad *snuggles*
I liked a lot of your details, too. Jack's commentary about the way clothes were weeks ago and the way they felt now... the specs (awww *sob*)... the red, blood-like warpaint running down the drain.
And the plot/way it matched the hatching was very creative. I would never have thought of those two when reading that bunny. So it was interesting to see where you took it. I ADORED Ralph's growl of "It took a good scrubbing to come to your senses?" *giggle* Yeah, you tell him, Ralph! And though you did have a progression and offered good reasoning about why Jack's sorry, etc, I totally didn't forgive him, still. Jack embodies the thing I hate most about human nature and the things I hate most about my own potential. I think, if faced with a situation like the boys', I would probably end up like Piggy 99 times out of 100. But that other 1%... I think I'd probably turn into one of Jack's followers and that scares the shite out of me. And I can't forgive him for what they did (or myself for thinking I have the potential to kill when overcome with fear instead of thinking rationally or caring about things important to me like friendship and life and loyalty). Anyhoo... I totally wouldn't forgive Jack... and in my mind your Ralph was too emotional and feeling badly to really forgive him either *G* He could have just said that to get Jack to leave him alone. *sigh* But, I dunno. Ralph's a hell of a nice guy. And considering their backgrounds/society they came from, I suppose it makes a lot of sense for Ralph to understand the nature of forgiveness and want to make Jack feel better. Which is sort of nice, in a way. He's the one who's sick and is making Jack feel better. Though in my mind, he deserves to feel like crap the rest of his life...
Anyhoo... it was a very interesting read. Makes me want to pull the book down off the top shelf and read it again :-) And sneezy Ralph... awww, so very cute! *cuddles*