Wow! This story was so well-planned out and WALLOPED me with the amazing catharsis! :D The fact that Sam was able to "resolve" or accept each alternate reality, almost as if they were miniature leaps, but they were really just snippets of his fears and facets of his life that he had to learn from and accept--holy moley! This was a masterful study of Sam's character, especially at this point of the series. :) I ADORE this. I am so happy you took the time to really dig down deep and give Sam such inner confidence and self-acceptance. *heart eyes* In Back in the Saddle, I was always wondering how Sam's recovery months had fully went, and wondering how he fully felt about everything; one of my favorite moments I noticed was when Sam had leaped into the cowboy, and he was happy to see a wonderfully ugly face instead of his own. I was so blown away that you not only followed through on digging deeper into that insecure line, but you developed it to flourish and climax into such a profound scene between the doctor Al and Sam!
When doctor Al talked about the pressure of Sam's genius and his identity, and Sam realizing that he's been running from himself and his problems for so long...I feel like Sam has struggled with these problems the whole series. He's had an inner conflict with not feeling good enough or worthy enough for his loved ones (so he lets them go, back in the first story), not feeling good enough to go against his homicidal doppelganger (like in the beach story, he was worried that letting his doppelganger fall in the previous story had been an evil thing to do, but Al reassured Sam that he gave his homicidal doppelganger several chances at peace), and not feeling strong enough (to fight against the evil Project; and then it was an uphill climb for him to try and not feel overcome by the traumatic memories of them). But Sam is enough, and I'm so happy he seems to have discovered a deeper inner strength! I like how he realized that he wasn't just runnimg to hide in different identities, but he was always himself when solving leaps, even if in disguise, and he could survive anything! Better yet, he and AI together have survived everything so far. 😊 :) I just thought that was so cool how Al is always Sam's rock and anchor, and I loved the line when Sam told Al that he's the same in every world.
Lastly, I really liked how you incorporated Al's Place into the story! You are really skillful at using plot points and details from the show. (For example, your attention to detail in The Impossible Dream, when the nuclear bomb made the two Sams switch! :O As it happened it suddenly reminded me of the ONE seemingly throw-away line in ONE episode of the show ["The Leap Back" I think], and I was absolutely delighted that you used that detail to become a plot twist in your story. At that reveal it was like a bomb went off in my brain, like a shred of foreshadowing finally had a major pay off that otherwise wouldn't have without your series.) The other Al letting Sam choose, and Sam choosing Al! (*his* Al, *his* world, and him*self*) felt like a triumphant echo of "Mirror Image." Impressed as always. Thank you for writing!!
Oh wow, thank you so much!! Your comments truly mean the world to me, to know it came across what I was trying to convey and that you noticed some of the more obscure or specific details I tried to incorporate. It makes me feel so good, so thank you, really.
Comment on Sam Beckett, This is Your Life
StarryEyedNerd on Chapter 3 Sat 20 Aug 2022 09:20AM UTC
Last Edited Sat 20 Aug 2022 09:30AM UTC
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BJackson on Chapter 3 Sat 20 Aug 2022 03:13PM UTC
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