Ohhh this is LOVELY. I've always really liked the way you write Ben - I like that you let him stray from Pawnee and like it for a while, that you let him get mean again, and that he isn't pining for Pawnee the entire time he's gone. You gave him a journey, one that's a lot more realistic when you're away from home on your own for half a year. It makes sense that when he has to focus so much of his energy on something that's not Pawnee, he'd believe it for a while and he'd live it and it would be up to him to pull himself out of it once he realizes. And I like that you still didn't tie up all the lose ends - because I feel like this will happen, that he'll end up not enjoying campaign managing the way Jen does it, and I'm super interested to see what they do with him. But he also just wants to be happy with Leslie.
Alright I'm gonna stop myself from rambling but I really appreciate the care you put into this and that you really made it a personal journey for Ben, rather than just six months of being sad and pining for Leslie.
Thanks so much. I don't think Ben would half-ass any job, ever, so I'm sure he'll put his all into the new campaign. But Jen style will almost certainly leave him disillusioned. And there's no way he'd just spend the whole time pining for Leslie. She's a huge part of his life, but there's much more to him than that. So I'm glad you agreed with me. :-)
Oh I always love your fics! This is special because I think that Ben is really on a journey here. I don't know what will come in season 5....but I do think that Ben will be confronted with many of the issues you brought out here. And I wholeheartedly believe that nothing in DC could compare to Pawnee let alone Leslie. Thank you for indulging my fantasy cannon!
This was so wonderful--a great balance between the heartfelt and the funny (Andy with a gun is a somewhat horrifying prospect). I hope we get to see something like this in Season 5.
The first Ben in D.C. fic! And it's a great one. You did such a good job tracking Ben's changing thoughts about the job and Pawnee, weighing the good and bad of both of them, and I love that throughout all of that, his thoughts about Leslie were unchanging. Basically I just want to read this a million more times because I think you really got this right. Thanks!
And I made a specific point of showing that his feelings for Leslie never waver, because, seriously, you do not move to a town for a woman, secretly date her, break up with her so she can follow her dream, resign in disgrace to be with her, and then devote your life to running her campaign with probably no compensation other than kisses and snuggles (etc.) unless you are committed to the relationship 150%. He's in it til the end. 6 months away won't change that for an instant.
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Alright I'm gonna stop myself from rambling but I really appreciate the care you put into this and that you really made it a personal journey for Ben, rather than just six months of being sad and pining for Leslie.
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And I made a specific point of showing that his feelings for Leslie never waver, because, seriously, you do not move to a town for a woman, secretly date her, break up with her so she can follow her dream, resign in disgrace to be with her, and then devote your life to running her campaign with probably no compensation other than kisses and snuggles (etc.) unless you are committed to the relationship 150%. He's in it til the end. 6 months away won't change that for an instant.
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