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AFTERWORD:

I wrote this story not only as a Michael x reader, but also as a general love story. I went into this story with a bare bones idea, and came out with the intention that I depicted not only romantic, but platonic and familial love as well.

There are a lot of instances in this story that are gross or weird or maybe even cringe.  Michael's awkwardness through the first chapters as well as his change into a corpse are good examples of this.  I wanted to portray an 'unconditional' love - show that you can love someone even at their worst, and that most relationships aren't perfect.  Because they're human.

I wanted this story to feel healthy and real. The love that Michael and the reader share is carried by a mutual respect and care for one another.  I think a lot of media tries to portray sex as a basis for love, but I wanted to show a relationship where sex is a further means of intimacy, rather than an essential.

I chose to write it the way I did to showcase the hardest parts, and the best parts as well. The beauty of getting married against the contrast of near death. The sparks of your first kiss against the confession of sin. The grief of a family member against the comfort of a friend. The years it can take to get over things, or even to just accept them.  It's bittersweet, and largely showcases the most outstanding parts of these relationships.

But I made a point, too, to suggest that there is love in the littlest things, as well. Day to day activities, waking up to breakfast together and thinking of each other in the day. Love is not just the honeymoon, or the pieces that make you feel special. Love is the mundane things that you can enjoy together, and it's trusting your partner to be by your side when everything has gone wrong.

I also wanted to make these characters human. I wanted to show the weakness in strength and the strength within weakness.

You're probably thinking to yourself, 'damn, girl, this isn't Shakespeare.' And yeah, you're right. If this was Shakespeare they would have died at the end.

I know I'm not Shakespeare.  I'm just some random motherfucker writing an overly complex, personal rant about a self indulgent fanfiction. 

But, really, isn't that the idea of love? Sticking through with someone despite it all?  You make the choice to love.

This is a love story in its truest form.  And as much as I wanted to write this out to be a beautiful sob story as it was planned to be, there is so much more to love than just the pretty parts.  You fall in love with someone's soul, and eventually their soul falls in love with you.

I chose to incorporate the theory that Michael's soul heals over time through the remnant for this very reason.  I wanted to show that you can survive the worst, and it can get better.  I wanted to show that, yes, people change and grow overtime, but when you fall in love with someone's soul, none of that really matters.  At the end of the day, you'll still love that person.

And I think that's a little reminder that we all need sometimes.  You can love someone even if they change - if they don't look the same, or they don't think the same.  You make that choice every day.

And you can be loved like that, too.  You deserve it.

Thank you for reading, commenting, and all of your support <3