At the end, I just sat there speechless for a few minutes. It took me a while for my brain to process it. When it did, however, I immediately started writing what I thought of the last chapter:
I know that a lot of people were disappointed with this ending. Hell, Reddit's still raging about it. But I love it. I think you did an astounding job with this.
I don't know how much thought you put into the part of this chapter where Elsa turns off the monitor and looks into her reflection, but in my eyes, this is absolutely central to the story. If she's anything like me, she has never actually turned off the monitor; it goes into standby when she's not around. The fact that she actually turned it off was, to me, a huge indication of the development of her character throughout the series. She is so different from the person she was in Tfw She Loves You. And the moment of her looking into her reflection shows that she is recognizing this change. It also demonstrates that she has begun to know her true self, which she has always tried to conceal and undervalue. I guess, to me, that short moment was equivalent to The Great Thaw; she is no longer constrained by the walls society put her into, and instead of her love for her sister causing her pain, it has brought her freedom at last!
Yeah, there were a few loose ends with the other characters, but those don't matter. This story was never really about them, was it? This story has always been, at its core, about Elsa and Anna. Anna's love helped Elsa love life. "For we do not love life because we are used to living, but because we are used to loving." (Is that how it goes? It's been a while)
At the beginning of this story, Elsa was slowly dying inside. The only things that made life worth living to her were comforts from her sister, but even those served to remind her that, after the inevitable reveal, Anna would never dare come close to her again. But as their relationship progressed, Elsa changed in more ways than her romantic interests. Elsa was voluntarily exposing herself to the world for her sister. Even the negative effects of this-putting Elsa into excruciating social situations-increased her aptitude for normal interpersonal communication.
Elsa and Anna found love, and in the process, they found Life. And that's all that matters.
P.S. You should strongly consider writing a sequel. This story initiated me (and many others) into the Elsanna ship. Much more than that, though, it has changed the way I see the world. I know that sounds really corny, but it's truly caused me to perceive Life very differently. I want to sincerely thank you for that.
Sorry for mentioning you twice in one day, kate---kane, but I really need you to know how much your words impacted me. You must be some sort of magically charismatic being. Have you ever given thought to taking over the world?