I wonder how old or young the author is. I feel like I'm reading a novel with a psychological theme from the 90's and and early 2010's. This could have been conceptualized and written by someone in their late 20's or 30's.
For me, the story isn't a coming-of-age romance with characters glorifying their newfound "feelings" for each other, with an obligatory fuck chapter near the end of it. Romance essentially is an idealization of human emotions and subjective experiences and places them above cold-hard logic and reason. I'm amazed at how the story is crafted as an idealization of the feelings of impending isolation and facing sadness and the heroism of people navigating those emotions in any way they can.
If I'm going to stretch my conclusion, the story has some elements of City of Angels, sweetened form. It's a kind of romantic heroism, where people know what's going to happen, that something will remain a cycle in itself, a kind of "impending doom". Yet, despite that they still go on and cherish people around them or the memory of them; or the process with which they come to terms with their lot in life.
Sigh. I got bored and reread the chapters. I can't blame if some "drops" this. Themes like "loneliness" and "separation" aren't easy to sell to the audience and it's hard to wrap them around a conventional romance with bombastic happy endings. However, I believe those who drop this work will miss out. This is one of the best GL works I've seen.
Also, GLORIOUS ART!
