hey it’s ablackraven! I JUST noticed the other day that grasping liquid had been updated, and I read the new chapters in one go (I know, I’m basically a year late) and I just want to thank you for writing GL! You took and expanded on a bunch of side characters, so much so that they’re almost basically original. I first discovered GL back in 2015 and it had a really big influence on my life at the time, that carried on even now. I wasn’t in a bad place by any means but I was an extemely lonely person, and reading GL made me feel like I had friends in a way, since the story is about the black ravens growing up and all. That might sound kind of sappy but as a young teenager, I got easily attached to all of the black ravens, and loved the personalities you had given all of them, and I loved watching them grow up. In a way, I felt like I had grown with them. As soon as I finished the story, I went back and reread the first few chapters and I really saw how much the characters had grown. They were all so dependant on crow, badger especially, and crow was kind of cruel in a way to them, relishing in their dependency, but by the end, everyone has settled into their own personalities and lives. The black ravens are still intertwined with eachother, but they know they are friends first and foremost, rather than a leader and his crew. Anyway this ask is getting super long but I enjoyed the story and I enjoyed growing up with the characters you elaborated on :) I can’t thank you enough for this amazing story.
oh my goodness, reading through this made me feel so emotional Thank you so much for taking the time to say such kind words about GL. It was quite a ride for me as well and hearing how much it resonated with you makes me so glad that I didn’t give up on the fic. If you take out its minimal ties to PL, it’s basically an original story and posting something like that made me kinda nervous. There’s stuff about it I’m not so happy about now, but I’m so glad that the characters and their relationships came across the way that I’d hoped - they were people, growing and changing, making not very good decisions and hopefully learning to be better people. For Crow in particular, his journey was probably my favourite. He had a lot of dependency on the Black Ravens, he wanted to be able to act as he pleased, but expected they’d be waiting around for him in every regard and never change. Having him learn that they had lives of their own and would make changes, regardless of if he approved of them, was interesting to write. Plus, it meant I could expand on the other members of the group and turn them into their own characters. Roddy, Scraps and Marilyn were probably my faves in that regard. I think I wanted it to be a “The character doesn’t get the ending they thought they wanted, but the ending they get instead helps them grow” kind of story? ANYWAY, thank you again for the kind words you’ve sent me here and on the fic itself. Hearing that it helped you out when you were younger and that the Black Ravens felt like friends to you is the most heart-warming thing. Rest assured that they’re all living their happy lives now and I hope you are as well. :D
