A Matter of Time by D12fan
Link here
john/paul, AU, timeloop
Summary:
On February 9, 1964, The Beatles participate in the Ed Sullivan show, achieving what no British act has done before them and becoming an overnight success in America. A week later, John Lennon quits the band.
To this day, Paul McCartney has only one question: why?
Rec:
an incredible story about fate, and inevitability, and love.
beautifully written, poetic, full of memories, sensations, details and feelings that flash up at an unstoppable speed. excellent, satisfying characterisation for both john and paul that is nuanced and not always flattering. they each have a messy, honest, awful streak inside them that feels true to life. love, jealousy and grief are not simple, and they are not kind to everyone.
there's also something important here about beatles legacy and mythology and the way that innocuous moments retrospectively gain a sense of predestination. it's also viscerally about preemptive loss, the idea that there is the tragedy of an ending already woven into every beginning. the concepts of fate, storytelling, grief, love, and the shape of a life are so present in this story.
absolutely devastating, and a highly recommended read.
.
