hey! Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your Malcolm/Ollie fic series. The Rise in particular is such a beautiful work.
First, the dialogue. It is quite possibly the most in-character dialogue I've read in this fandom. Honestly, your stories in some way feel like an extension of the series, a spin-off Iannucci and the team wrote, but for some reason decided not to film.
Second, the details. Glenn doing home renovations and complaining about life. Malcolm telling Jamie about his relationship with Ollie (and, of course, Jamie's reaction). Malcolm and Ollie discussing their safe words (bloody hilarious). All this stuff adds more depth to the story. And it's absolutely believable. It's something you'd expect of the characters.
Third, the character arcs. To me, this is probably the most beautiful part of the story. It's always a hard task for writers, making characters canonic and yet allowing them to change. Not to mention making this change believable.
We're used to thinking of Ollie as someone rather spineless. For a larger part of the series, Ollie sort of adapts and mimics, and most attempts to voice his dissatisfaction with how he is treated fail. This is not a ground to build a healthy relationship on. I mean, how can you build a healthy relationship with someone who threatens to dismember you and then sends you on a cheese run at 5am?
But in your story, Ollie is finally shown as someone who can set boundaries. Even though he has a lot of doubts and fears. Even though the very act of setting boundaries is still sometimes so hard for him. And somehow, in my view, this brings more honesty to his relationship with Malcolm. Because being able to stand up for yourself and being able to show your vulnerability are two interconnected things, I guess. If you are able to protect yourself, you know that being vulnerable will not destroy you.
(btw, that fantastic scene after Malcolm and Ollie finally have sex for the first time in five years. You're so great at creating conflict in dialogue. That was some Marriage Story-level stuff)
Malcolm's arc is also extremely interesting. I mean, it would probably come across as obvious, Malcolm using his typical behaviour to protect himself. If he bullies people into submission, he doesn't have to express his feelings, doesn't have to acknowledge his vulnerability, let alone show it. He can simply pretend he doesn't have it.
And it's so exciting to finally see Malcolm trying to deal with it. He learns to be open with Ollie, to trust him, and this brings their relationship to a completely different level.
The ending was simply brilliant. I was really curious about how they were going to navigate the impending public scandal. And not only did I find this absolutely believable as a journalist, it was also very canonic. It was a clever move not to make them admit to everything. Ollie's press conference scene seemed like a great culmination. And it also showed the readers how much he had changed as a person.
Sorry for that behemoth of a comment. I really enjoyed reading your fics and would be very happy to read more.
Wishing you lots of inspiration :)
Oh my god this was the loveliest thing to receive in my inbox ever. ;; I have been having an absolutely awful time that does not look likely to resolve any time soon, and this absolutely made my day. I'm so, so glad that you liked it! Especially the character development. But also especially the scene after they have sex for the first time in a while (I LOVED writing them screaming at each other). But also ESPECIALLY the ending (I was a little worried about pulling that off, because it is very sleight of hand, but I hoped it was in keeping with the tone of canon and I'm SO glad that you thought it worked). Just... This was so lovely in general. Thank you so, so much! <33
