I can't tell you how much this story has haunted me! So beautiful! Following just in case we get more because I am addicted now.

Okay...Wow.
I stayed up until 1.45am this morning reading this. Wow.
I don't enjoy Han/Leia out of their galaxy, but I thought I'd give your fic a go .so glad I did.
It reads like poetry. I had to put on an accent in my head and read it with a certain rhythm, but it is so damn good.
Thank you and extremely well done.

Before I go any further, I want to apologize for being extremely lax in my reviews. As I’m certainly an avid, avid reader of this story I should have been raining your review box with praises long before now. The only thing I can offer in my defense is that after finishing a chapter I’m rendered inarticulate to put to words the range of emotions you’ve made me feel. Nevertheless, I’m vowing to be a better reader from now on, starting with this chapter.

Perhaps the most sincerely heartfelt and personal praise I have for this latest update I’ll give right at the start: it’s taken me so long to get through it because (as I always do with every WK update) I took it as an excuse to reread the entire work over again (really, any excuse will do), and as an essential worker I’m so insanely overworked and exhausted that I exist in life as a half-zombie at the moment and have been parceling out WK bit by bit, using it as my treat to make it through long 10-11 day stretches until my next day off and then it’s WK time! So for that alone, you and this story have been a godsend for me during these troubled times.

Now, since I have been lax, I’m going to address my comments to the story as a whole as I’ve missed commenting on so much up until now. And there is so much to love, and so much I feel and want to express that I feel unequal to doing it proper justice, so whatever I say here just know that I mean it tenfold.

I love the universe you’ve created for WK. You’ve so perfectly described it all (setting, time, place, elements of the period) that it has a lush, cinematic feel to it; I can easily and vividly picture this in my mind as I’m reading, and as something that would translate gloriously to film. While at the same, this story is so deliciously emotional and character driven that I don’t think there’s a filmmaker alive that could do justice to what you’ve put to words. I love that you so thoroughly immerse the reader into this period, into this specific and unique time and place (and even a glimpse of the multifaceted nature of the changing times and socially varied areas with the contrast between Whiskey Knot and Boston), yet you do so without losing an ounce of the original characters. I still perfectly feel the voice of the OT characters within the WK characters that have such different circumstances and backgrounds. It’s an amazing feat and a delight to read.

I love that we are being treated to what is essentially two stories at once. We’re watching both the present and the past unfold here, and they are both equally rich, vivid, and powerful. The way one feeds into the other is also brilliantly done. Really, even beyond the past/present unfolding, we are often getting more than two stories because you will at times delve into the POV of another character, as you did with Jane in this latest chapter, and then here we have a whole other rich layer of backstory. This fic is like the gift that keeps on giving!

Needless to say, I am dying to know just what exactly unfolded at Falcon Ridge; what specifically happened to Leia and in the aftermath of that injury (it’s so wonderfully maddening because we’re told early on that she sustained an injury to her foot, which you wouldn’t imagine to be that serious, and yet the circumstances of the details just revealed – the frantic race into town not even fully dressed, in that time period – suggest something truly dire, and it’s left me even more amped up to know what happened!); and what sort of (I’m guessing nefariously manufactured?) misunderstanding led to a breakup where both characters (incorrectly) believe themselves to be the jilted party. This is drama at its finest, and you have me at the edge of my proverbial seat.

All of that is still speaking in a more broad sense, so I endeavored to give a few bits of more specifically detailed praise. In attempting to do so I thought ‘well, alright, I’ll touch on my favorite scene’, but that quickly became too hard to narrow down. Then I thought I’d break it down into my favorite scene from the past and my favorite scene from the present, but when I began to consider them all in my mind even that was too difficult to choose just one.

In the past: I love every single bit of the opening scene where Han and Leia meet and bond over saving Fix; I love Han’s many endearing (and awkward) attempts to woo her, even just the details of the Sweetheart salve and engagement ring he carries around for weeks on end trying to work up the nerve to bestow upon her; I love the evolving intimacy of the scenes with the gigcart parked beside the river and, later, Han’s “pollinating” Leia’s flowered dress in their secret hayfield sanctuary. They’re both such heated, chemistry-filled moments where we see Leia being the one taking things up a notch whereas Han is the one trying to stay in check (the line In his rough fashion, Han was a gentleman on those drives. Or had been until Leia abandoned being a lady perfectly captures that). It’s an excellent juxtaposition to the present, where it’s Han who is often attempting to egg Leia on. And it sets up such a wonderfully poignant and bittersweet irony that while Han was hoping against hope that Leia would agree to be his wife, she was perfectly willing to accept being his illicit lover and living together without even the requirement of marriage. If they both only knew! Such wonderful angst and heartbreaking missed communication.

In the present, of course we have the Howard’s social and that thrilling ride home. Everything about the setup of that is masterfully down: from the unexpected invitation from Han; then the genuine trepidation for Leia’s safety being left with no ride home; followed by encountering Han, always there to watch out for her; the confrontation with Townsend and how that immediately allies them; and finally, riding together again – the joy and surrender of that for both of them. The shooting scene at the fair is likewise brilliantly done, so much suspense on both a literal (who will win, and with all the town watching?) and emotional level, and an excellent example of the multiple layers present beneath and beyond the action on the surface of the scene that so often occurs throughout this story.

But I think if I had to choose just one favorite (and it may be a little easier at the moment without the tale of Falcon Ridge yet revealed to us) I would have to say Han’s birthday dinner. From start to finish, that section is scintillating and sexy, yet also so angsty, with this palpable sense of forced containment with a building pressure that is imminently ready to explode (the byzantine screen from childhood such an apt metaphor. Danger, oh, danger! All scars were proof of pursuit. Some primal consequence of wanting – that phrase slays me). And you can just feel it all: so much love and pain and lust and longing, all wrapped up in a desperate need to know why.

Clearly, you can see I could go on and on! I’ll contain myself and end it here. However, no review of this story would be complete without mentioning the poetry of the passage on Han and ‘handsome versus beautiful’. That entire passage is gorgeous, but this particular line stood out for me: He was a handsome stranger when he loped up Silver Street to save a horse from an abusive rover, but he became her Han, beautiful Han, when he got up: over and over, dusty and bleeding and radically gentle. Oh, that just gets me! I don’t know how you do it!

In conclusion, I eagerly await your next update, especially now that you’ve left us on the edge of Falcon Ridge and so many answers to such burning questions dangling right there just beyond our reach. What a masterful cliffhanger! The entire way you’ve gradually and deliberately distributed little bits and pieces of the puzzle has been masterful. You’ve expertly created a suspenseful mystery where even just one more, tiny clue is a treasure. To the point where in this latest chapter when it became clear Jane would reveal more of what happened in the aftermath, I actually said aloud “Yes! Yes! This, tell me!” aloud and gripped my tablet tighter (what a fortunate thing to be in quarantine with no one but my cat to think me mad). Times being what they are, I fully understand I may be waiting awhile for my next glimpse of Whiskey Knot, but that’s alright; it will give me another excuse to reread it all over again.

Whoo hoo, an update! I love how the details of what happened between these two are slowly revealed, though so much is still a mystery. It's been a long time between updates for this story, but it's always worth it. Thank you for sharing!

*Okay, back to the real fun stuff now. Life interfered for a bit.

I legit forgot about this entire gold claim. I love the spiritual nature of it, something that exists in the OT Han Solo's piloting. A calling. Not thought so much as feeling. "Veins called to veins and pulled him onward." God, I die for that language proficiency.

The birch as the spot where everything died and then also the marker of treasure. Have I known envy like this? Yes, all the fucking time when I read your stuff.

Can I take a moment to talk about how the dialogue changes from story to story? I know we've talked about the research you put into your work and for some reason it most appears to me in the way your characters speak, the choice to shorten certain words and their vernacular. It's extraordinary, how Han is somehow the youngest son of an ailing mother, a 21 year old farmer and owner of a fucking fast horse but ALSO resemble the brash, stupidly reckless Han Solo from the GFFA that I adore. There's just enough Soloesque pique, enough hope beneath the bluster, for him to be familiar. Dunno how you do it, but I'm so glad you do.*

*The mirror scene. Red-ribboning into water. "And Han did not have sufficient aluminum salts to seal some stupid stuck-bleeding heart." Fuck me, I FEEL that. That pang in the chest that won't go away.

The image of Han connecting Eileen's smile and wave as a nickel flipping in the sun, deciding who won and lost ... I felt that one too, that sense of bourgeois entitlement. Blerg. Punch to the American gut, man.

Why do I want to punch Eileen in the face? "Do you find this becoming, Han?" No, bitch. Leave Leia's dude alone.

"God, Han felt such weariness then..." You and me both, pal.

"Han bought the damned ring the next day." This is like the moment that GFFA Han Solo witnesses Leia stroking the control panel of the Falcon without knowing she's being watched, and he's just so heart-eyed that he proposes there on the spot minus whatever it is princesses get for engagement tokens.

The paragraph describing Han's first sight of Leia is heartbreaking and gorgeous. "The owner of those knowing brown eyes, the chin that insisted on the faceted and sovereign nature of her purpose." Oh, that last part leaves such a mark; I know how Han feels about the cut on his cheek. Marked, you know? And then capper to that paragraph: how'd you like to be a horsehair sofa, you traitor. LMAO. I hear that in your distinct voice, though we've never actually chatted with each other. :D

Rereading this is the best decision I've made since I broke up with my last boyfriend. :slight_smile: Thanks for that, my dear dear friend!*

Breathtaking writing! What a joy to discover your works just when we all need a momentary escape. So well done! I can hardly wait for the next chapter. Be well. Stay safe. Thank you for the gift of this story!

Thank you for this amazing gift, Cic. It has made my quarantine that much more bearable. I love this story so much. Every fine detail, every character nuance just contributes to the richness of this fic. There are no more words but just to say that I can’t wait for the next update. All the best, my friend.

Cic,

Thank you from the bottom of my EVER-lovin’ Whiskey Knot heart for one of the most special birthday presents bestowed on me!

And I am sorry it took me so long to return thanks to you for such a beautiful gift – I’ve been grappling for the words that are required after pouring over something this magnificient and bittersweet. I’ve decided that it’s a actually damn good thing there are such long times between new chapters, ‘cause it always takes me a lot of time to pick up those million splintered pieces of my heart and assemble them back into some kind of pseudo-working order again. And yet, I come back for more, each time…

As for this chapter, I was barely two paragraphs in and was already a big pile of goo, imagining that Sweet Devil’s nimble fingers sending smoke signals to his Sweetheart in the house of the lord…where do you come up with these things? It keeps me up at night, wondering about how you do it…

I absolutely adore this chapter! After hanging on the cliff of the last chapter, I was literally chomping at Fix’s bit to see where our WK H&L would find themselves after sharing their juicy, fire-roasted bird trophy under the moony stars. And as expected, this chapter’s H&L bring the heat, but it is your Jane and Spence that give the soothing warmth and bitterest sweet of this chapter (and captured my heart). I especially like how you have painted Spence as a flesh and blood character, a man with great honor and love but few words, but one who, like all humans by the time they reach a certain age, makes choices in life, whether conscious or not, when life takes its unexpected turns, and has to live with the consequences of those choices. (Oh, and btw, that Spence sort of reminds me of someone… )

I love how this chapter, and this story, can jump time and place and character but never leaves the reader bewildered. You tease this story like a fan dancer, revealing bit and bit, giving us some tantalizing glimpses, but never baring all until we are properly prepared to see the sum together of all those parts. Your details too – like reading in Technicolor. I still have an image burned in my brain of a brilliantly colored stained glass window, sitting above a stark, sun-flooded, stifling white-walled room of divine severity. This chapter just pops with color and textures and shapes and sizes. It is like watching living, breathing images dance in front of me, close and real enough to touch.

I NEVER WANT THIS STORY TO END, OK?

damn. i was completely immersed while reading this. the writing is just so smooth and lyrical

Oh, fuck me hard. I thought I had adequately prepared myself for my reread of this story but NOPE. Definitely didn’t. It hurts so fucking good, like the best kind of branding. Intriguing existing characteristics highlighted or downplayed to expert effect with new situations, new settings, an entirely different culture. I marvel and I weep and I envy so very hard.

Cic. I wish I had wurdz. You’ve slain me yet again. What a gorgeous character study of Jane. I am just aching for these two fools in love. Thank you so much for this (and thanks Scruffy for having a birthday) !

Words can not express how grateful I am to live to see another chapter of WK!
Starting with Han's braiding/unbraiding in church- you're a visionary, if my level of shock at the audacity is any indication!
Plus intensity and risk involved in Han and Leia's relationship before their falling out gave me a new level of context for their bitterness and confusion a year later. Really brought life to the dread slowly building as I read through the chapter.
But Jane is the real MVP here. I greatly enjoyed seeing her life through her eyes and better grasping the painful Solo family history that's also a character in and of itself in your fic.

Thank you thank you, and I wish you health and safety in these uncertain times 3

I would hug you for this, but the CDC would be angry. Instead, I will just thank you from afar for brightening my quarentine. I love the description of Mrs. Solo's thoughts. So sage and true and definitely missing from the GFFA. Thanks!

Oh, so many, many things. Where to start, where to start...

Maybe with thank you! Like much of the world, I am at home with my family 24/7 now. Early on in this whole saga, I woke up and said to my husband, "You wouldn't believe the crazy dream I had last night!" Oh, wait... :) Anyway, finding you had updated WK today was a "pinch me, I'm dreaming" moment, too. What soothing salve for the quarantined soul. You are such a blessing, Cicatrick. I will happily "keep my lovely ass" at home as much as I can, but NOT in lieu of a review! And, "for anyone still reading"...Really? You've gotta be kidding me with that. There is an unslakeable thirst for Whiskey Knot out there in Reader Land. We've all been transported to a desert oasis today. Or, perhaps, a lazy river bend out west. :)

Favorite ingredients in the "angsty Whiskey Knot cake":

The charming intimacy of Han's weeping willow braid message to Leia in church. How did you come up with such a thing? Brillllllllliant.

The heartwarming/heartwrenching tale of the elder Solos courtship and loss of a child. Sniffle, sniffle. Yeah, there IS such a thing as a good cry.

Jane's POV watching the young lovers think they are being so sly and discreet. It really had me smiling. Loved this passage: "It had been hard to keep from telling them to enjoy their day together, with stern Rouge Antilles away. To enjoy it well, for they were young, they were lovely, clever and in love. For they had their entire lives before them, and life could be savage, and life could be so shining and tender. It made Jane want to hold them close, even as she knew to let them go." As a mom myself, this resonated deeply. Also LOL'ed at Jane's Lizzie Borden comment - nice touch.

The way you do time jumps without it being even remotely jarring fascinates me. You move from scene to scene in a non-linear fashion and yet we don't get whiplash at all. I kind of imagine you plotting all this out on a whiteboard, like in a police procedural, with timelines and motives and circles and arrows and characters. How you keep it all straight is no small mystery to me.

Han and Leia's meeting at the slope by the porch was just so joyous. And ridiculously visual. You provide an unparalleled level of physical detail in your writing. So much so that I felt certain I knew exactly what kind of flowers were being trampled underfoot. And don't even get me started on the way you lay out clothing for us. I can feel the homespun, cotton, twill, peau de soie, etc. between my fingers as I read. All 5 senses get their glorious day in court in a Cic fic, and I adore it.

Finally let me thank you for not socially distancing Han and Leia. For not keeping them 6 feet apart. For letting them embrace. This fic is the idyllic cure for what ails us all these days. Stay safe out there and again, I so appreciate your beautiful work.

I literally gasped and thrilled with happiness when I saw the alert for Whiskey Knot. How do you do it? This is so beautifully crafted it makes me want to cry. Oh, these poor, desperate darlings. I love Jane so much. And strong, quiet, Chewie-like Patrick. So elegantly done!