Loud and Clear - Comments

That was great! Fantastic writing, and incredibly sad, yet sweet as well.
You should make it into a whole story =D

Aw, that was really beautifully written.
Being deaf is something that is pretty much impossible to even imagine and you really did a great job with writing about it.

The feeling of being a freak, someone that nobody understands and just being called rude came through immediately when you introduced Frank sitting by the bar, having people trying to chat him up. The thing about his 'friends' dumping him after getting him to come shows how the only person really understanding him is Gerard, because he is the only one with enough patience to try.
He'll of course never fully get what it's like to be deaf, but learning to communicate with Frank is just as important, as it lets Frank feel like less of a freak. Never getting angry or annoyed at Frank, even as he blames himself for never listening is amazing as well, and you showed all of that in the story, in an amazing way.

The flashback scene was really sweet. When Gerard whispered in Franks ear and he had no idea what was being said. I can only imagine what Gerard was saying, spilling his heart out and it's a really gorgeous image.
I think I kinda understand why Frank would never let Gerard write 'I love you' down. In my mind, it feels as if words on a paper are less real, and they are more easily forgotten, more easily destroyed as all it takes is a pair of hands ripping the paper apart. A memory in your head of your lovers lips forming the words would seem so much more special, with or without sound effects. You can't rip memories like that apart, because they are made to last.

I love this and really enjoyed reading it. It's interesting and special in many different ways and you ended it in a really good way. It fitted with Frank having a positive outlook on whatever came next, as he had Gerard; someone who understands him more than anyone else probably ever will.

I think I said it before but you're so good I'm more than happy to say it again. Great job! :arms:

As you can tell, I liked this. I think it was mostly because it was just Frank on his own, thinking about Gerard, rather that both of them together. The whole plot of it just made me smile, quite adorable really.

I love how you started it, reasonably vague, we don’t quite know where you’re going with it as you generally observe the club and dance floor. Causal observations of how people react in their surroundings, They talked, and laughed and made friends with the guy to the left of the crowd who had the same taste in music as you, or made enemies with the woman who was so obviously flirting with your boyfriend I always love things like this, just… observations (I’ve used that word way too much in this paragraph). :XD

It must be weird to be there, for Frank, with such loud music. He must be able to feel the thumping of the bass in his bones, everyone can when around loud music, but not know the noise of it. Ironic, but a nice touch, that Frank’s in a place where music plays a large part of what happens there yet he can’t hear it. It’s slightly odd that Frank’s friends dragged him there though, probably assumed he’d find as much fun there as they did. But it’s made quite obvious through those little things that they aren’t exactly his proper friends, they don’t know him all that well so they drag him and ditch him and make him go when he said no. But they seem to mean well, his friends, going through the trouble of getting him there and everything.

And then we go into Frank, sitting all alone. I think it’s a nice touch how he wasn’t old enough to be there too, as well as being a way for his friends who aren’t really his friends to bring him there. But he’s almost like a child in too-adult surroundings. He seems a bit too innocent and almost naïve to be in amongst a place of alcohol and dry fucking.

Though had Gerard been there, he would have gone willingly I expect, wouldn’t have needed to be guilt tripped in with the fake ID. You can already tell the relationship is a close one, Frank must feel very secure around Gerard. It almost seems like he’s moping, not wanting to go when Gerard’s not there, but in a way that’s understandable if the people aren’t really his friends. … does that make sense?!

I like how you don’t launch into him being deaf straight away, you showed how people would react to him, not knowing of his condition, perfectly, Several minutes they’d stand there, talking at him, asking why he wasn’t talking to them before getting bored of that, storming back across the room to their friends claiming that “the guy at the bar was an asshole.”, just brilliant.

He’d been deaf since birth. People often told him that it didn’t matter so much that way, that way he didn’t have anything to miss, but can you imagine going through a whole life...never hearing your mother’s voice? Never hearing your boyfriends laugh? Can you imagine going through a whole life not knowing what the leaves under your feet or the raindrops on your window sounded like? Only ever experiencing half of a thunderstorm, half of the fireworks display?
I’m going to quote this entire paragraph because I liked it so much. It’s obvious you put thought into what one would miss when thinking off this, and it’s the small simple things. What we all take for granted. Tiny things like his mothers voice and boyfriends laugh just seem to make this bit perfect. And only half experiencing certain things, not having the full effect of what it could be, never knowing the full potential of something beautiful. It must be devastating and you’ve captured it brilliantly, pointing out things people would have never considered deaf people must miss or long to hear.

When the man pops up though, it would have been interesting to know what he’d wanted, but I suppose that’s what Frank’s life is all about, never know what people want and never knowing if someone’s talking to him. We’re being guided through the club by Frank’s point of view, even though it’s not first person (something you did wonderfully by the way)

Again, his and Gerard’s relationship is shown through how Frank never gets bored of reading Gerard’s lips. So simple, yet so sweet. :cute:

I do like how you included what a lot of people don’t think of when it comes to deaf people, like how they can talk and what not, but never know what they sound like. Though it does mildly confuse me how Frank knows how to pronounce words when he’s been deaf since birth, but that only occurred to me whilst looking deeply into it, so I’ll ignore that slight technicality. :tehe:
But still, I like how you put in his paranoia of whether he’s being too loud or too quiet and how he’s unsure if he sounds stupid. Even though it’s evident Gerard must adore him laughing or speaking, no matter how it sounds, and once again you can see the depth of their love and relationship. :cute:

The notebook, it’s sweet. Yet you can understand how Frank must feel slightly patronised, being treated like he’s simple by other people and having to go through a lot more effort than ’normal’ people to communicate. And it seems Frank thinks he’s inferior to Gerard, just slightly, in smooth artists handwriting of I got you a present in comparison to his messy scrawl of thanks.

It would be nice though, having your conversations written down, no matter how time consuming it is. You could look back and smile at the conversations you had, and remember things that would most likely be lost in minutes in spoken exchanges.

I’m sorry, Frank had written.

For what baby?

For never listening.
Oh, just break my heart why don’t you?!
My favourite bit in this entire one shot was what followed, as Gerard talked to Frank, whispered in his ear things that Frank wasn’t supposed to know about. I can see it so vividly, Gerard desperately trying to comfort Frank, spilling out everything he can even though Frank would never know what it is. I just… it’s so sweet… and made me smile so much, even though it’s sad. It’s like, bittersweet. Just perfect.

“I love you,” Frank had whispered...or yelled. He wasn’t sure, he couldn’t know.

It was obviously loud enough for Gerard to hear because he pulled away from Frank slightly, wiping the tears that Frank didn’t know had fallen from under his eyes with his thumbs before leaning in a placing a short kiss on his lips.

When he pulled away, Frank couldn’t help but stare up at him with so much admiration. Not many people could actually cope with being with someone who couldn’t even hear them and who rarely spoke.
Ahhhh *flaps hands like a stereotypical gay man*
This is just adorable too. How Frank’s so unsure but Gerard loves it anyway, he could have said it any way and Gerard just appreciates it. And Frank realises how much Gerard’s coping for him, and he’s not taking advantage of it, he’s acknowledging what Gerard’s doing and Gerard’s doing it for him and it’s just… so sweet… and how he wants Gerard to say the words, just so he can watch them, rather than read them. How he wants the world to hear even though he can’t. Through his lack of hearing his observational skills must have risen, having the memory of your lover saying the words to you “I love you too”, how their lips move when they say it… it could be just as good or even better than hearing it

Your last sentence, Loud and clear. Usually it seems cliché to put something like that in, especially as last words. But here it just seemed to work. It fit well and finished the story off nicely.

So yes, this was just, fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and even enjoyed writing this comment for you. I hope you don’t find it too rambly and all >.<

Anyways, well done, very well done, it was amazing, be proud of yourself.

This was sweet.

I love the irony (is that the word to use here? Forgive me it’s almost 1:30am) of it taking place in a club; in a setting were music and sound is so important. Dancing in time to the beat and all that. That was an effective choice there; it really shows how Frank’s being deaf can hinder him in social situations.

Everything is pieced together really well. It flows from the club scenes into Frank’s thoughts about Gerard pretty seamlessly. These reflections were adorable, if not also sad. It’s so clear how much the two love each other. And there’s also conflicting emotions there; Frank has never heard Gerard’s voice, so he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on, but at the same time, he’ll never be able to hear it. The parts involving the two were very...loving. I wouldn’t have even needed for them to say it for me to know, but that brought something new to the piece as well; the fact that he only talks around Gerard, even if it is sparingly. I also love the fact that he still has his and Gerard’s old messages still in the notebook. He could have ripped them out and discarded them, seeing as they’re old, but he left them in to look back on.

I’m not sure what to think of Frank and Gerard’s friends actually. :tehe: They seem nice enough, inviting Frank to come and treating him no differently because of his disability, but leaving him by himself at the bar didn’t sound like the best of ideas.

Only ever experiencing half of a thunderstorm, half of the fireworks display? I really liked that sentence. It really gives a sense of how difficult being deaf is; the monumental effect it has on certain situations. Even little things that we’re accustomed to, like watching a movie or talking with friends.

Why couldn’t you just tell me that? he replied.

Frank stared at the man a blush creeping across his features. That was something else about him. Frank didn’t talk.

:cheese: See what I mean about how well it flows? I love how you’re able to bring all the pieces of the story together.

I’m sorry Frank had written.

For what baby?

For never listening.

In a different context, that last line could have had such a different meaning, but I’m sure you’re aware of that. And it’s sad, him apologizing for something he has no control over, something that Gerard knows he would change if it was humanly possible. And I think he would. Even though hearing would be so strange after living deaf, I think he’d be willing to hear, for all the reasons that are mentioned before; to hear his own voice, to hear Gerard speak...

He knew that he had people who cared for him, and even though they were out of town or too busy chatting up a girl across the room, he truly believed that these were the people who he could always hear. Loud and clear. I liked the ending. (: It ended it on a positive note. And I like the connection to the title and the concept of hearing.

I've probably rambled. :XD
But I loved the story.

Awwwwh.
That was well cute.
Gerard is so sweet.
^^,
<33xx

i lurved it <3
it even made me smile and im like, very sick.
nice job =)

I loved it!!

Oh my! That was really bittersweet!

Gee is so amazing and sweet to Frankie in here!!

aws....

I loved it!

Good story. The endings fine by me. Ty 4 stealing my user name 4 ur story (sarcasam overload)