Fading

by tothemoonmydear

One Direction AU
Louis knows about beauty; the combination of qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses. He creates that combination every day in the garments he designs while studying fashion at uni. The cut of the design, the color of the fabric, the intricacy of the stitching; it all comes together to create something beautiful. When the science student with the long legs and dimpled smile agrees to model for him, Louis decides he’s found beauty personified. Harry just thinks Louis needs someone to show him how beautiful he is.
Words:202102 complete
Also posted at: http://tothemoonmydear.tumblr.com/fading

Genres: Fan Fiction, LGBT, Romance, Gay, Queer

607 pages, ebook

First published June 9, 2012

About the author

Fanfic Author
http://tothemoonmydear.tumblr.com/

Reviews

[ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the third time i’ve read this book because i obviously don’t care about my mental health. anyway i’m gonna cry myself to sleep. 5 stars

[Maiko-chan [|]]

Dropped at 18%

I really wanted to like this because it's such a well known fic in the fandom and I expected this to be very good, but while it isn't bad I don't think this would have been more than a 3star read for me. This definitely could have used a beta (so many easy-to-fix typos, the one that bugged me the most being an overall lack of proper apostrophe use). There's definitely potential here for the fic to get into the angst of Louis' situation, what he's going through currently with his eating disorder and what led him to make this decision, as well as possibly some angst on Harry's side and the reasons for his own signs of insecurity, but from what I've read thus far I don't think I'd feel satisfied with how the author deals with it. However, what has me dropping this fic is the author's unnecessary decision for Louis to decide he can't be friends with Harry because Louis realizes he's attracted to Harry and believes Harry is heterosexual.

[Lilo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okey so this was as sad as flightless bird and i cried a lot but omg i fuckin loved it
And Walk that mile Harry and Fading Louis is the two most relatable characters in my opinion

[Dani(ela) · Rating 4 out of 5]

my heart has been broken in over a thousand tiny pieces, stepped over, ripped open and then glued back together with all the goo in this romance.

[Farnoush Mellark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really hard to read. A lot of triggering issues, but it kinda takes a healing path? And then end on a happy note. Also, loved the writing.

[hope boynton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fic was hard to get through. If you have ever struggled with an eating disorder or body image issues, this is near torture to read. If you're gonna read this, read the trigger warnings. No book is worth your mental health.

With that being said, I really enjoyed this book. It was neat to see Louis portrayed a lot differently than he is in most fics. The author did a really great job at portraying an eating disorder and body image issues (which if it came from personal experience, sucks). Some scenes were very, very tough for me to read. However, the ending of this book made me overjoyed. It proves that there can be a BEAUTIFUL life after recovering from an eating disorder. It also provides a lot of realness into how an eating disorder can affect everyday life even after you've recovered.

This book was great, even if a bit hard to read. If you read it, enjoy it and click off when needed.

[Daniela Castillo Zavala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es perfecto. No tengo palabras para describir lo hermosa que fue descrita la angustia que realmente me hizo sentir. Es terrible cómo en muchas ocasiones me puse en la situación y sentía que yo me hubiese rendido y hubiese tomado distancia. La historia es lineal, no tiene grandes saltos (hasta el epílogo), pero agradecí TANTO que en este caso fuera así porque la consistencia y pequeños pasos que empezaron a aparecer, hicieron que me pusiera feliz ante cada pequeño avance.

Realmente, la volvería a leer. Sí o sí. Esperaré que mi cabeza desvanezca un poco la historia para así volver a leer y disfrutarla (a pesar del dolor) de nuevo. Me recordó mucho 'A little Life' y lo agradecí. La crudeza del relato ante algo que no es agradable de leer, es necesario en estos casos.

Y en serio, no puedo creer que esto 'solo haya nacido de un fanfic'.

¡Aplausos, aplausos y más aplausos para la autora!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plot: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Recommend: Yes
Format: eBook
Pages: 607

Best Quote:

“I don't know what you see when you look in the mirror Louis, but I love you so much.”

“You’re still beautiful when you’re not smiling Lou”

Thoughts:
The anorexia part of the fic was beautifully written and very realistic but can be hard to read.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

POSSIBLE SPOILERS



I am on Chapter 12 and my heart is breaking for Lou. He suffers from undiagnosed Bulemia and purges all the food he ingests.
He is a 3rd year final fashion major and he is bloody talented. He has a runway show coming up and requires a male model.
Enter Harry, sweetest, kindest 1st year. Lou quickly realises he is falling for H and now feels he cant even be friends. He thinks he is not worthy of H. There is one mention of Louis’ family issues, who he has not seen in years.
Liam - Friend since 1st grade
Zayn - Friend since 1st year in Uni.
The 3 of them have an extremely special bond. They are Louis’ chosen family.

Gd this was a freaking difficult read, emotionally!
What a piece of work this book is. At one point I did get sick of how much Louis belittles himself, but the end is worth it.

Harry is SO MUCH fluff. THANK YOU tothemoonmydear
Liam and Zayn is just as fluffy.
Niall is NIALL.
Lou also creates a list of people who hurt him, reflecting his internalized pian and struggles. It represents the emotional and physical wounds inflicted upon him by others, reinforcing his self image.
Harry becomes a contrast to all his lists.
The talk between Louis and Anne was a highlight for me. Especially since he suffers from hurt from his mom. (in the fic)

FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH ED/SH

VERY IMPORTANT FIC

[Juli · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐

Nunca leí nada parecido a esto. Sí ,es un fanfic pero estaría genial que todos le dieran una oportunidad.

El libro trata de Louis, un chico que está estudiando diseño de prendas y necesita urgente un modelo para sus creaciones, es entonces cuando caminando por la universidad y encuentra a Harry (que es todo lo que está bien <3 )
La historia está narrada en tercera persona pero en su mayoría desde las acciones y pensamientos de Louis, es ahí donde descubrimos que él no come nada y finge que es feliz todo el tiempo...

Me dolió mucho y lloré tanto cada vez que Louis purgaba, cuando estaba inseguro, de si era suficiente. Y también la tristeza de Harry partió mi alma. Pero lo amé demasiado cuando se quedaba a pesar de todo.

Anteriormente yo sabía sobre el TCA específicamente sobre la anorexia y me encantó como la autora narró esto. Además de eso podemos ver cómo el enfermo se siente y como se sienten las personas que los rodean.

Frases:

"Puedes seguir adelante aún si tu corazón se siente como si estuviera en el fondo de un océano."

"He estado deprimido, he sido derrotado, eres el mensaje que estaba dirigiendo, ¿te quedarías, pasarías la noche?"

[Nushyy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read and reread this fic too many times to count. Honestly finding out I can add pics to my reading challenge is the only reason I’m reviewing this one. I love the story and the angst is perfect. The Zayn and Liam dynamic in thus one is so soft and one of the main reasons I like this one.

However there are many typos and I wouldn’t say it’s the best fic I’ve ever read, some of it does drag a bit and Niall very much becomes a secondary character when he has the potential to make some scenes even funnier. It’s not the worst but it’s not the best either. There are spelling mistakes and it does get jarring, I would say there are some beautiful parts and it has potential but this isn’t a high calibre fic to me. It’s no where near the level of flightless bird or young and beautiful. So keep that in mind if you like fics that read just as well as books.

I’m not going to make it a habit of putting low calibre fics on my reading challenge so this is the exception but that’s why this one gets 2 stars because in comparison to all the other Larry fics out there it doesn’t quite meet the cut of sophisticated and elegant.

[Yiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚠️ TW: Desórdenes alimenticios.

Simplemente wow, es una historia en la que los personajes están tan bien construidos que toda la historia se siente muy real, sus problemas e inseguridades hacen el camino hacia su crecimiento emocional sea aún más duro pero así mismo es más significativo cuando llegan a este.

La historia te lleva ante bajas y altas de las cuales no puedes mantenerte indiferente. Me encantó la evolución de todos los personajes pero L y H tienen ese algo que me hizo sentirlos aún más cerca.

En algunas partes se me hizo (personalmente) difícil de leer por el tema que tratan pero el desarrollo y desenlace me dejó totalmente satisfecha, es de esas historias que a pesar de la ficción pueden llegar a ayudarte en tu vida. Lloré muchas veces pero me hizo feliz en muchas otras.

Cita favorita: "Puedes seguir adelante aún si tu corazón se siente como si estuviera en el fondo de un océano."

[Zaire Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 good, but not great, didn’t make me die

This fic was sad. I don't think it was sad, like emotionally tolling, but sad to the point where I felt like nothing was going to get better. I don't often do well with books where the main character is kind of stagnant. I feel like louis character development was very nice to see, but I don't feel like he was any different from the beginning. I think that when it comes to mental health, thinking things are going to be fixed immediatly is ignorant. Although I wouldn't handle this the way the boys and Harry did, this was the only option for them. I think that it is hard to expect people who are sick to want to be better immediatly. We realized very quickly that this disorder was far more about mental then physical. I think that was a good thing to put in here, often times people with eating disorders are only thought to be thinking about food all of the time. while partially true, its not true for the whole disorder.

[Basira · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, so the reason I rated this a 3 stars isn't that it was bad, no. It was actually so amazing BUT there weren't ANY trigger warnings and it mentally drained me whilst I was reading. It talks about: eating disorders, self-harm, family issues, internalized homophobia so there's your trigger warning. DO NOT take this warning lightly!! Although I wasn't triggered by any of it, it still mentally drained me and I don't know what it would do to those who get triggered. Some people even stopped reading it in the middle of it because it was too much for them, therefore I repeat, read it at your own risk ad don't take the warnings lightly.

Now, about the fanfic itself: overall it was really sweet and well-written. There isn't much to say about it besides I liked it, oh and don't worry it has a happy ending.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay so the ending is great and made me sooo happy but i couldn’t say the book is perfect, of course. the characters were great and i’m glad it wasn’t just other book with more romance (smut) than actual plot. the only thing is some of the chapters felt repetitive and i know it was to paint the picture to show the actual struggle and everything (this is me trying not to give spoilers btw) but sometimes it just felt that some parts could’ve been cut and the ending and rest of the plot would still work. but anyway, still really good and recommend!! OH AND TRIGGER WARNING for eating disorders because that’s literally half the plot so warning!! xx

[Elif Güz · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a beautiful story. The disorder and everything related to it was well written. I felt so many emotions. I audibly gasped and cried when Harry first saw Louis’ body. Also having both povs was great and the parts of the story which povs change were so right. All I hope for real Harry and Louis is to be end up like Fading Larry. Hope they can find the peace and freedom. I wish they can be happy :’)

[Jess B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book although if you are sensitive to topics on Anorexia I would not read this book. It was so beautifully written and it made me believe in love again and again. The way the charecters act towards each other is so special and it really emphasises that Louis had to go through but also how challenging recovery can be.

[Frasqua74 · Rating 5 out of 5]

L chiede ad H di fargli da modello, iniziano a frequentarsi e si innamorano ma L è anoressico e mente ai suoi amici.
L è bravissimo a inventare nuove bugie, ma H sa riconoscerle per via del passato di Gemma.
L si vede grasso e orribile e non sa quanto invece sia bello. H non lo lascerà e lo supporterà nonostante il suo brutto carattere. Ho ammirato la costanza e l’abnegazione di H

[aitixswalls · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro fue una experiencia reconfortante e increíble,la narración,los detalles y la forma en la que se expresa el personaje es esplendida,me sentí acompañada y empatice mucho con el protagonista,esta historia me transmitió muchísimo sentimiento y también es un recordatorio para todos aquellos que sufren o pasan por problemas con la comida de que hay salida,me encantó ❤️‍🩹

[Josefina Sabbadini · Rating 5 out of 5]

la mejor fic que lei, se toma con mucho cuidado y responsabilidad temas como la bulimia y anorexia. además de estar muy bien representado el progreso con sus altibajos y lo que pasa por la cabeza del protagonista. %100 recomendada

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is definitely something. I really enjoyed reading it, but it's really triggering, so if you struggle with mental health, eating disorders, or have in the past, I wouldn't recommend it. However, the book itself shows a great and unique story.

[rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I'm saying this For your own mental health: DONT read this if you have an ed. There're so MANY scenes VERY detailed about that.
Anyway the story is so good, Louis is so relatable and harry is So dreamy. I loved it and I cried a lot :p

[soosfie · Rating 3 out of 5]

good writing about a quite important topic with many insides i didn’t know before. the relationship is relatively nice and stable. but i cannot say it enough, please please please read the trigger warnings and be aware that it is quite emotionally graphic.
not necessarily best for mental health :)

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this fic, BUT.
As much as i like this fic, sadly it gave me ed. I know it’s my fault and i should’ve read the trigger warning, but unfortunately i did not. So please do read the trigger warning<3

[peppi ahvenainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was the detention of ‘You never know what’s going on in someone else’s life’ and i think it was just all around very important read in many ways bc the representation of eating disorder in it was very good and accurate

[vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Segunda vez que lo leo y fue tan increible como la primera.
Amo tanto esta historia, de alguna extraña manera te enseña a mostrarte que la vida vale la pena; te enseña a quererte un poquito más.

[Juliette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really slow especially from Louis pov. Harry is everything and Louis “broken”. The anorexia part of the fic was beautifully written and very realistic but can be hard to read

[Natalia Soboń · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10 not perfect but really realistic and painful and emotional
(read the trigger warnings)

[Sofía Beltrán · Rating 5 out of 5]

only the best larry fic you'll ever find, love it so much, but please check the tw before reading.

[Valeria · Rating 5 out of 5]

this shit was depressing. it had a hell lot of angst. and L had an ED. loved it tho