I often see people say that a fic ‘changed their life.’ I get it now, what that really means...
The first big turning point for me was Supervoid (by maximumtrash). It opened my eyes to what fanfic could be. And with that revelation, it brought this new form of catharsis into my life.
The end of Stranger Things, the end of Byler, left me in an even worse state of isolation and depression. It wasn’t until I began investing more time in exploring the world of Byler fanfic that I started to feel comforted and connected again. Started to feel some semblance of community.
Then I read Supervoid. Afterwards, my enthusiasm got the best of me and I geeked out pretty hard. Recently I looked back at what I had written in January when I left a comment on the fic page. Now I’m sharing it here. I’ve been giving myself permission to express appreciation, unabashedly. There’s not much in life that feels good to me anymore so it’s important that I acknowledge the things that still do:
Re: Supervoid
The Stranger Things ending was downright cruel. If I had the power to change the canon outcome, I would. But one thing I would never want to do, is give up this story. Here the author takes the disappointment of the finale and turns it into a stunningly raw and breathtaking work.
I felt my adrenaline rush during their moments of physical contact. I grasped my hand to my chest during moments of heartache. I audibly reacted to surprising character dialogue. And my stomach filled with stress during all their most vulnerable missteps. Then I paced around my apartment for half an hour, contemplating everything!
They captured the dissociative aspect of grief to a tee. I could sense the oppressive atmosphere of it all around me while I was reading. The way grief invades every aspect of being… I know that feeling so well. The desperation of wanting to escape the void, to find a way back to the body, back to the present moment- how we recklessly, aimlessly search for a path back to ourselves again.
And the obsessive state of being in love, daring the perfect mess to consume us. Only to discover, within that desire exists a flicker of something far more delicate: a light that illuminates the truth of who we are, at our core.
This story communicates the sheer intensity of these experiences playing a tug of war, each at opposite ends of the spectrum of human emotion. It explores the dark empty vacuum that drops us deep down beneath the earth, chased only by the blindingly bright sparking pleasure that transcends us high above any possible threat. These two very distinct experiences collide in a way that is so honest, it shocks the system. It’s transformative storytelling that pulls the characters toward a more stable dynamic, grounded in their undeniable love for one another.
Temi, thank you for not holding back. Thank you for honoring the truth of Mike and Will. Thank you for paying attention to the details. And thank you for loving them. It’s like what you wrote in the epilogue about love coming from what we put out into the world. You faced the darkest corners of their hearts, put a spotlight on the pain, bared their souls with visceral insight, and lead us through to the other side.
project hail mary has it all. amnesia trope. petty academics. platonic soulmates. narratively justified retro-futurism. red string of fate. a bird may love a fish, but where will they live / then I shall have to make you wings. also a competent woman committing so many crimes in order to save the world and bringing the protagonist with her everywhere because he is her AND I QUOTE "little science lapdog". book of all time
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