Due South Flashfiction Community

First of all, thank you so much for writing episode-based fic for Say Amen. Because that episode? Is filled to the brim with possibilities that need to be explored. I really liked your take on Eloise and the way her whole world was turned upside down by the revelation about her "parents". The emotional fallout from Fraser and Ray's discovery wasn't really dealt with in the episode beyond the whole, "And now she has Davey, so she'll be fine!" and every time I watch the ep I have this lingering sense of unease, like, "Really?" This was an excellent way to address that problem, and I'm glad that you left it unresolved. Her appeal to a higher power for answers was also a good choice; I'm glad this didn't involve her approaching Fraser for another "We're the same, see?" conversation, which is probably the way I would have gone. This seemed much more genuine and in-line with the way Eloise relates to her spirituality; God would seem to be the one constant element in her life and the one thing she could really trust after the events of the episode, and I really like the way you focused on her rock-solid faith and resisted the easy way of writing her as embittered towards God, or at least questioning her beliefs, because of her experiences. The character we were introduced to in the episode was more complicated than that, and your fic definitely affirms that aspect of Eloise.

I'm an atheist myself and I appreciated the way the episode credited Eloise's faith while still questioning the motives of the people who used her for their own personal gain. There was a lot of that subtley in this fic (can you tell I liked it?) and stories like this should serve as an inspiration for OC challenges. Thanks for giving us another look at Eloise, and for delivering such a mature and complex portrait of her as someone in personal, but not spiritual, crisis. Nice work.