THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR AFTERIMAGE/BOOK 2 IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THROUGH CHAPTER FOUR YET. DO NOT READ BELOW IF SO.
Ok that should be enough warning right? ;p
I have to admit that I'm intrigued and a bit confused by some of the response we've been getting so far to Afterimage as it pertains to Boyd, and why doesn't he see what's happening with Sin. Not a lot of people have mentioned it, but I'm curious as to why anyone feels that way.
The part that confuses me is why he would know what's going on. We mentioned in narration that Sin has become very good at lying-- in a way, he always was. Think about how Boyd didn't know exactly how much pain Sin was in when in the car that one ride-- he knew Sin was sick or didn't feel well, but it wasn't until Boyd saw Sin on the hidden camera later that he realized exactly the extent of Sin's injuries. Sin is used to needing to hide his weaknesses, to displacing doubt or questions, to making people believe what he wants.
Granted, from the start Boyd knew that Sin was lying about being such a tough guy, but it didn't mean he knew exactly who or what was beneath. And the explanations Sin has been giving make sense -- Boyd knows Sin isn't feeling well, but it's completely logical to believe that it's because of the lack of sleep, because Sin's stressed again after Monterrey, because he's recovering from all the crap he went through. Whenever Boyd has seen any weakness at all Sin has shown, it's always been in the context of something explainable as being tired.
Anyone who's gone a long period of time with very little sleep is going to get weak, exhausted, sick-- even Sin. Boyd knows how little sleep Sin's been getting, and he knows that Sin's been having nightmares. Neither of these things are new; it's been that way since he met Sin. It's just that now Sin's getting even less sleep than normal so the nightmares are hitting Sin harder-- at least, that's what Boyd thinks. And the fact that Sin had a taste of relaxation then went through hell after that... Boyd's been through his own versions of hell before so he understands that it takes awhile to get back on track. And they haven't been able to spend a ton of time together either, so all the times he sees Sin looking worse, it makes sense that it's because Sin hasn't been sleeping, and with that probably comes not eating well, not exercising, etc.
The times when Boyd has wondered if there was a little more going on, Sin has given a perfectly logical explanation that diverts attention while also falling completely in line with what Boyd understands of the situation. He has no reason to suspect that Sin is seeing things, hearing things, that he thinks he's going crazy. The only reason Carhart figured anything out is because he happened to see Sin almost fall off the roof, and because Sin has been especially careful to hide everything from Boyd.
We initially had a much longer chapter 1 which included more narration, so part of me wonders if there was some key element that we took out that would make sense to those readers who are confused by that. Or is it because we don't have a lot of specific examples?
The part that intrigues me is I wonder if we'd be getting the same response if this were set up the same way Book One was -- all in Boyd's POV.
I mean, think about it. If this whole story was told through Boyd's POV, if you weren't seeing Sin's side of things, you wouldn't even know that Sin's going through that. So why would Boyd know just because the readers do? Is it just that it seems like Boyd should get something more is happening after a few months of this? I'm very curious/confused about this.
At any rate, I love getting feedback because sometimes peoples' responses aren't what I'm expecting, so it makes it interesting ^_^
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Speaking for myself, I thought that by the end of Book One, Sin and Boyd had a much closer, stronger relationship in the making than what is going on in Book Two. I’m starting to see more and more that my assumption was incorrect. Not that everything was all coming up roses and such in the first installment either, there were still glaring issues, but to me anyway, it seemed that they both really got each other, that they knew much better where the other was coming from, the time they had spent together in Monterrey really solidifying their mutual attraction and the fact that there was something more to it than just a physical need for the other. They got under each other’s skin, got inside each other’s heads (obviously to a certain degree – but more so than anyone else had ever been admitted in from both standpoints). I would think that spending that much time together, part of it sort of pussyfooting around each other, at other times getting right up in the other’s face, coming to terms with their inner demons and sharing that process (once again to a certain extent) all added up to strengthening their relationship. Each depended upon the other. And, as that relationship started to blossom, and especially while living with each other, I would think that with emotional barriers between them coming down almost on a daily basis, that one would start to intuitively know if outward appearances in one’s partner didn’t exactly jive with what was going on in the inside or vice versa.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I thought it would be a lot more difficult for Sin to lie about his wellbeing and get away with it when Boyd had seen him both at his worst and at his best – as their relationship grew out of mutual respect and as Boyd began to think of Sin as his. Perhaps because they are no longer living together and the contact seems more sporadic where there isn’t that intimate knowledge of each other’s daily activities, moods, what have you? Once again, I don’t know… just speculating.
I think to me, when Boyd had admitted love for Sin in Book One, the romantic in me was sparked and my own imagination ran away with me – not that what the two characters had would automatically become a fairytale type story with an “and they lived happily ever after” type ending/continuation but that they were at least on the right track? I don’t know. I just remember being really confused when Afterimage started up and it seemed like Sin was cold again and that they both had sort of digressed/resorted back to their pre-Monterrey association. It was as if Boyd’s admittance of love and Sin’s general acceptance of it had never happened. But, then again, these two are hardy conventional, are they?
Maybe being privy to Sin’s real issues does have some bearing on why some of your readers are questioning why Boyd doesn’t see past Sin’s ruses. But, I think what it comes down to is that, personally, I thought Boyd wouldn’t be as easily swayed by Sin’s deception because of what they had been through together and now that he knew better how Sin ticked. It’s sort of like how a parent intuitively knows when a child is lying…
After a while, I would hope that the lack of sleep excuse wouldn’t hold up especially when Sin continues to look worse - I would have thought Sin's behavior/condition at the initial Level 10 trainee meeting would have been a huge wakeup call - perhaps pun intended. Boyd knows that Sin doesn’t take care of himself on any given (good) day and to see his lover deteriorate before his eyes, I would also think that would send all sorts of red flags up and waving. Once again, maybe I am reading too much into their relationship and what perhaps Boyd wants from it?
I also think that coming across Book One as I did, already finished and getting the entire story upfront, there was less time to speculate? With the click of a button, I was granted the next “update”, the next piece to the puzzle. It is an entirely different scenario in place when reading a story chapter by chapter with a lull in-between and having a good week to contemplate what it all means!
Regardless, the story is incredible, so intriguing, and I continue to love it. It is obvious that both you and Sonny put a lot of time and effort into it, it is well thought out, the characters are well fleshed out, and I appreciate that you guys share your story.
I hope that I have not offended either one of you with any of my blathering reviews and/or takes on your work! I have nothing but respect for both of you and, as I've said, I love your work - perhaps a bit more obsessively than I'd care to admit! : )
Sincerely,
sglily
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