by Jillybeans (link)
Genre het, drama
Pairings Isaaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC, Zac/OFC
Length 14 chapters
Status Completed
I stumbled across this story a year or so ago when a friend described some of the details and asked me to find it for her. I did, and I was surprised I had missed it; I’ve now read nearly every fic posted to Hansonfiction.com, the early elite of the fandom. Just because they were the big names back then, however, doesn’t mean they’re all still worth reading today.
Proving that everything old is new again, Jilly writes this story in a style that’s now known as “lapslock” and is, from what I’ve seen, popular in a variety of KPOP fandoms. I’m sure I wrote a few hanfics without capital letters back in the day too; for whatever reason, the softness of the style appeals to teen writers. It’s surprisingly easy to read, and it’s the least of my problems with Walking the Road.
The fic begins with the main character, Jill (yes, same name — requisite author’s notes and asides as well), running into a lost Avery Hanson at a concert and helping her reunite with Taylor. While the two of them chat, the unthinkable happens–someone shoots at them. Aside from providing a reason for Taylor and Jill to be alone in a hospital room all night, the shooting has little bearing on the plot and apparently remains unsolved. That’s a shame; I think it made a far more interesting setup than the following “girls go to Tulsa and hook up with all three brothers” plot deserves. Likewise, there’s some underlying plot with the girl who hooks up with Ike that never seems to quite be resolved.
All in all, this fic does show some early signs of why Jillybeans became a respected name in early hanfic. When it’s not totally self indulgent, her writing does exhibit some nice turns of phrase and a good voice. She was no doubt one of the youngest involved in Hansonfiction.com, and that shows, too. Walking the Road is a fic that seems torn between conforming to so many early hanfic tropes and trying to be something more, something bigger. It just never quite gets there, and that’s a shame.
Review by Bethany (website)