#jocarthage

“Both,” Alex smirked confidently from the side of the trail. The sun was brighter now, the thick tree line had retreated as they climbed higher in elevation, and caught the red-brown highlights in Alex’s hair. With his pant legs rolled up over his hiking boots, a flannel blatantly stolen from Michael’s wardrobe, and a healthy flush of exertion on his cheeks, Alex was the best thing Michael had ever seen. Damn him for not breathing hard though, after basically climbing a mountain with one less leg than Michael. “You know this was your idea, right?”

It was true. Michael had signed on to all of this torture when he mentioned to Alex that it was important that they go dates outdoors, with no possibility of falling into bed with each other, for at least two months. Hiking was the least sexy activity that Michael could think of that also coincidently Alex enjoyed doing.

“I’m a dumbass, you know that. I’ve never had a good idea in my life,” Michael joked before holding on to Alex’s hand to balance as they made it up the last few steps of the rocky ridge to step out onto the clearing. 

Alex made a loud buzzing sound in disagreement, “Nope, no talking down about my favorite person. Rule number 3, remember.”

If rule number 1 was dating openly and getting to know each other out of bed first, then rule number three was eliminating any sign of negative self-talk for them both. That had become clear within the first day of deciding to try one last time (or for the first time) to be a couple, that they were both primed to blame themselves for the past stumbles and hurt. Sandwiched between the agreements was rule number 2, love. A ready and often declaration of love between them, in the present tense, every night, even if they fought. 

Michael removed his black cowboy hat to wipe the sweat from his face, before leaning in to brush a light kiss on Alex’s lips. “You’re right. Rule 3.”

“It was also a good idea,” Alex replied in turn, accepting the kiss easily. Though the mountain wasn’t empty of fellow hikers, his eyes stayed on Michael’s with a steady, self-assured peace. “This is a good reminder for us to do this.”

“How so?”

“From now on, the obstacles in front of us are only physical, and we can climb them together.”

The vista of the valley stretched out all around them, a beauty that was ageless but also unforgiving to the foolhardy. It was the harsh cut of the sun that had Michael’s eyes tearing up, he decided, as he slipped his arm around Alex to take in the view. He felt the heavy weight of Alex’s head lean against the top of his shoulder, then the tickle of breath on his skin as Alex inhaled deep into the hollow of his throat. “I love you.”

He could feel the pull and lift of Alex’s smile without seeing it, “I love you too, baby.”

Bear suddenly nosed between their legs, stretching upward for a yearning pat from Michael. Michael giggled, feeling the fatigue melt away in the moment, “Okay, I didn’t forget you, we love you too, Bear. You’re a good boy.”

The soft baby-talk to his dog from Michael had Alex smiling wider even wider at him, clearly amused at how besotted they both were with each other. Bear was still technically Alex’s dog. Transitive property kicked in there, Alex had argued to him once, that because he was Michael’s, then therefore Bear was Michael’s.

“Michael will even carry you home, right, love?”

“Okay I never said-”

“I think it was implied in rule number 4, remember?”

“‘I will always have your back in whatever you do in life’ now that’s really being pedantic, Alex-”

On one level, this is just really excellent storytelling - the plot is twisty and exciting, there’s adventure and love and intrigue. This is a story that has some of the hallmarks of really good science fiction and fantasy novels. I feel like many, many people could enjoy this story even if they never watched Roswell NM and had no prior knowledge of the characters. From the very beginning, I was invested in what was going to happen.

But let’s talk about the world building, in a few different ways. First, the sci-fi/fantasy piece. It was so rich and fascinating and well thought out - the alien tech, the “rules” around time travel and how Jesse did his best to exploit them, the information the aliens held back as a protective measure - all so good.

And then there’s the geopolitical world building, which is some of the best I’ve read ANYWHERE. The way government, bureaucracy, international relations, and different regions and cultures of the world were handled and portrayed in this story was really, really remarkable to me. It was such a rich component of this story, interwoven into every aspect of this fic in such a thoughtful manner. The sensory details also stood out to me - the sights, the smells, the sounds - as well as the everyday details of life like food and plants. There is a strong theme of social justice in this work that is handled so well. It’s a necessary part of this work - there wouldn’t be a story without it.

I also want to call out two specific dynamics in the story - Alex’s personal character arc, and the relationship between Alex and Michael. Boy, did Alex’s growth hit hard. He is not a saint. He has done some shit. Yet seeing Michael’s suffering allows him to start caring about his own life’s trajectory in a way he has never been able to do prior to this. I think Jo does a great job showing the impact of Jesse’s control, abuse, and manipulation through Alex’s own thought patterns and behaviors. He can change the course of history but has never cooked for himself. He has no friends, no bank account, and no privacy. He does what he is told and is discouraged from taking any action on his own, despite his years of lived experience. He has been treated as a weapon, a tool, and has no sense of himself as a person. I found myself rooting for his growth so much, for his growing autonomy and his prioritization of his own well-being.

And of course, the relationship between Alex and Michael is handled so well. This could have been VEEEEEERY tricky to write, given issues of consent and power differentials between these two, but Jo handles it so well. I found myself just yearning for these two to be able to finally get together and enjoy each other (and hoo boy it was worth the wait, ha!). I was in a long distance relationship myself for a number of years, and something about the way this was written, the desire to make the most of whatever time is available, just felt so real to me.

And now, I want to thank Jo for writing this, because it touched me in a lot of ways and nudged me to reconnect with some areas of genuine interest and importance for me. Other things helped nudge me, too - the COVID crisis, racial injustice, police brutality, a birthday, watching Hamilton, the Trump administration, and some very specific personal circumstances - but the strong theme of social justice and the importance of personal choice in this story, coupled with Jo’s own behind the scenes posts on tumblr and Discord really inspired me to reconnect with political action, particularly at the local level. I’ve also strengthened my own commitment to nurture and care for myself in a variety of ways.