Guh! I definitely had proper, intelligent things to say about this chapter, but they got driven clean out of my head by the excellent smut: hot and very intense. What's also very impressive with the smut is that you actually were never explicit or graphic but I knew exactly what was going on throughout. Given that you claimed the smut was just word count filler, it's rather fab word count filler!
I wanted to bang their heads together at the end though. Oliver was being an arse and totally lacking any empathy or understanding, and I don't blame Katie for blowing up at him, but really could she be any more ridiculous afterwards, assuming that they are over because of one fight? And as if the ever chivalrous Mr Wood would actually throw her out on the streets knowing she has no money and no place to go!
You really do make me care about these two, Jess (well not that I didn't already, even if I have been torturing them a little of late!), and I'm now on tenterhooks waiting for the next chapter and hoping they can fix things (and then have excellent make-up sex of course ;-) ).
~Hannah
Author's Response:Well, hurray that the smuttiness was the correct amount of smut and not an anatomy lesson. 'Twas my goal. If I had known I could crank out 800 words in like an hour with just smut, I would have it three times in every chapter.
Katie definitely has 'forest for the trees' syndrome. As I told Julia, she has this maddening inability to understand that Oliver would do anything and everything for her, and he was only hurt because she had seen Draco without telling him, not to mention still being strung out because of the douchebaggery in the press conference.
My next project is finishing my Harmony chapter. This will definitely be stewing in my mind for a while as I contemplate what to do with Harry in his little box, hehe.
Heart you, and I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter.
~Jess
Lovely! I can't see another relationship more destined than this! Great writing also, and your facts are all in line. I simply can't find anything wrong with it!
Author's Response:I'm glad you believe in Katie/Oliver. It's just one of those ships that, to me, I can't believe it's not actually canon. My favourite thing in fan fiction is to take the facts and make them into a larger world. We know basic things about what happened after the battle from JKR, but I want to build my own universe within that. It's nice to know that you find mine to be believable and enjoyable.
Thanks for reading and reviewing. Have a nice night!
~Jess
that was a great chapter! i love how your introducing new twists in the story, like Harry's exhaustion and now Alicia's chance to talk to Draco...i can't wait to read the ireland vs. britian game, i'm sure it'll be intense! as always, this story remains one of my favorites - update again soon!
Author's Response:I'm glad you liked it. It took a while, but I've already started on the next chapter, so it shouldn't be as long between updates... I hope, lol.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
~Jess
This is such a great fic and you have me hungry for more!!! When will you be posting the next chapter? Anyways, I also wanted to say that I love the way you made Katie and Oliver relatable, and I also love how you really portrayed the sexual tension and love that is growing between them. Keep up the good work!
Author's Response:I'm glad you like the story. I've just sent a brand new chapter to my beta, which should come back this weekend, so I'd say it should be posted Sunday at the latest.
I wanted Katie and Oliver to be ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. As a very wise man (Rob Thomas) once said: Everyone is just a little f***ed up. Their own brand of personal problems are just a variant of that. That's almost why I chose to make the story in Katie's POV instead of Oliver's; I know what it's like to be that scared little girl out in the big bad world and not having a clue how to deal with the romantic side of it. In retrospect, it feels rather pathetic, but it's a phase that we all experiene on some level. I'm glad you could relate to it.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I hope to see you again soon.
~Jess
Awesome fic! Please hurry up with the next chapter can't wait!!
Author's Response:Glad you like it. I have one about one-third done, but it'll be about a week before I can finish it, as I'm being stalked by last-minute obligations, which are eating me alive. Until then, though... Thanks for reading!
~Jess
this story is really cute. whens the next part going to be up?
Author's Response:I'm glad you enjoy it. It might be another week or so before more is posted, because I have a bunch of challenge pieces for Christmas to finish before I can get back to these stories. I hope you like the rest of the story. :D
~Jess
Lol awesome
Author's Response:Glad you liked it. Thanks for reading as always.
~Jess
so adorable, i love Oliver!! he is so perfect and this chapter was great at showing what a supportive guy he is. I'm really glad Katie's dad stood up against Caroline, Katie deserves a parent in her life. amazing chapter as usual and i can't wait until the next one!
Author's Response:You know, I feel bad about making Caroline out to be so heinous, but really, she isn't much different than any other upper middle class suburbanite who feels pressure to be perfect. Having a 'weirdo' child would definitely put a damper on that, hence why Chloe comes across as the preferred daughter. And Caroline does love Katie, but maybe she just has more of a problem coming across that way.
I'm glad you continue to enjoy the story. Thanks as usual for reviewing, and have a good evening (well, it's almost morning now, lol).
~Jess
Omg I'm crying. Awesome chapter, but sad. I love it.
Author's Response: No one feels worse about it than I do, considering I knew it was going to happen from the beginning, but to think that Katie could have such a run-in with a mega-powerful piece of dark magic and come out of it without any future consequences is not probable at all. This was actually the least horrible of afflictions I came up with, to be honest. I'm glad you love the story, and stay tuned next week for an update. ~Jess
Gasp! Poor Katie! :( I really love the story, though, so PLEASE update soon. Oliver is such a sweetheart, and Katie is so cute and clueless but also totally relatable. Thanks for sharing this wonderful story!
Author's Response: The thing that I like about writing post-war Katie is that she could be any eighteen-year-old girl coming out of a screwed up situation. She's barely more than a child and has no idea how life works and how love and sex work, and if it wasn't for Oliver, she'd be so lost. I'm really glad you like the story, and I am planning (keyword is planning) on posting updates weekly. I have the next chapter done, and after that, most of the next after that. I really do plan on trying to update regularly. Thanks for reading and reviewing! ~Jess
Oh my god this chapter was heartbreaking...I love when you write about Oliver and Katie being together, they're so perfect with each other. but when Anne said she wouldn't be able to have kids...so sad! I know Oliver will be supportive and everything but I feel so bad for Katie, I'm anxious to see what she's going to do!
Author's Response: I love writing about Oliver and Katie, being all normal. It makes them more identifiable for regular people like us. Katie not being able to have children, though, has always been in her stars for this story, so it sort of sucked, making them happy when I knew bad news was on the horizon. Update will come next week, and I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. :D ~Jess
Absolutely loved the sex scene!!! Don't really much care for the phrase "communion of souls", but that's ok.
What's going on with Blake? Is there going to be more Oliver vs Blake action down the road?
well done! i absolutely LOVE IT!
Author's Response: Blake is definitely in the works for the rest of the story. He is a good villain, methinks. Thanks for reviewing, and updates are coming soon. :D ~Jess
Absolutely love it! I don't really know about the phrase "communion of souls" though. I mean, I realize that you're just trying to find another way to state that they're having sex, but I would probably have picked a different phrase.
But on another note, the sex scene was PHENOMENAL!!! well done :)
Author's Response: Well, I prefer to think of it as making love. Sex is a biological imperative, but love is far different. I rather liked the way I wrote that, so I suppose we shall just agree to disagree, lol.
Oh wow. This is absolutely phenomenal! My friend warned me I would get hooked - and so I did! And right before finals, too...oh well! This is just another great way to procrastinate! Can't wait to read the other chapters!!
Author's Response: I'm glad you like it. I had no idea that this story would morph into a megafic, but it's been so fun to write. It makes me giggle with happiness that someone recommended it as being addictive. Updates will come soon, as well (Friday or Saturday, likely). Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of the story! ~Jess
wow. This was an unbelievable chapter - so well written!! I love your story and I can't wait to see where the next chapter takes them! (I'm so glad that they're officially in love!)
Author's Response:Hehe, It made me happy inside to make them officially official. I'm glad you still love the story and are sticking with me. Updates will come in a few days. Thank you for visiting!
~Jess
I can't wait for the next chapter
Author's Response::)
Be patient (it's already written). Good things are to come.
~Jess
omg awesome write more please. Well Katie first wasn't bad. Lol lucky bitch. Oliver is such a sweetheart.
Author's Response:Well, Katie's first time couldn't suck, because I just can't allow that. Plus, Oliver loves her and wants everything to be perfect. Besides, no one wants to read about bad sex anyway, lol.
Thanks for reading and reviewing. It makes me ever so happy. :D
~Jess
P.S. -- New chapter in a few days or so. Stay tuned!
Amazing story! I love it, and can't wait to read more. Your writing is remarkable; great job! Keep it up! :)
Author's Response:I'm glad you like it. I just figured that awesome characters like Katie and Oliver deserve a little bit of time in the spotlight. Plus, they're adorable. :D
~Jess
i like your story pls update soon
Author's Response:I'm glad you like it. The next update is in the queue right now, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story.
~Jess
Another wonderful chapter, dear. As I've said before, what I really love is the subtlety and the realness of it all. Like Elene said, I loved the normality of Oliver's declaration and how it wasn't accompanied by some overblown gesture - it was just honest and true to life. Life isn't picture perfect, and most of those big moments actually are very ordinary and not like something out of a fairy tale. That's why I love that Oliver telling her he loves her is almost an accidental aside rather than having some big build up, because it's actually the way life and relationships work.
I am in awe of how well you capture people and the messed up complexity that is life, Jess.
I had more to say, but I have a splitting headache and I can't think clearly, so you will have to excuse my lack of coherence for now.
~Hannah
Author's Response:Gah, you know I adore your reviews, great and small.
I do try to capture the normalcy of certain situations, coupled with the abnormalcy of their present existences. We all know that Harry found ways to deal with crap, as did Hermione, but they are people of above average moral fibre and drive, but seeing Ron freak out and leave during DH is a stunning portrait of how a regular person would react to such awful things. This is sort of what I had in mind for Katie.
Again, lovely visit, and I'm glad the story makes you happy. :D
~Jess
