Re: from Lookfar
Wow, what can I say to a comment like this except, "Thank you for making my week"? Because of course all writers want to get through to their readers at this level, with this intensity, to persuade or seduce them into feeling what burns in their hearts. This scene in the marsh was one of the earliest I wrote when I was feeling my way into the fic, and it was a bit like being under the influence - the picture in my mind was so intense, and the tangle of emotions so sharp and bittersweet, that it felt like a sensual indulgence to write the scene. But once it was in place, it set the emotional tone for everything else, because that was the initial incomprehension, the small-scale tragedy - that's what I needed to explain to myself to show how Lily might finally understand what she'd meant to Severus, and what her role had been, and why it wasn't as simple as being his victim or his judge. And then when she sent him back - yes, she had to give him up, with full knowledge this time of what she was losing. Because she couldn't change the past, and because it would have been incredibly selfish to keep him there, for the sake of vengeance or desire. But at least this time she actually felt the loss, and it wasn't a betrayal. By either of them. Quite the contrary.
I'm also glad you found the writing beautiful. I love imagery for its own sake, and if I'm not careful it can overburden a story. I think I'm getting better at striking a balance.
Thank you so much for a wonderful comment. I can't tell you how happy it made me to read this.