OHAI! I'm Flatlander, the writer of "Directive, You" and I'd just like to thank you for putting in this review. I sort of threw that story out shortly after watching WALL-E - affected as I was, huhuhuhu - and decided to write something that combined how much I love computers and how much I FREAKING LOVE WALL-EEEEE. I was surprised by how many people enjoyed it! I actually have half of a second chapter written up, but I lost interest shortly after. It was intended, in fact, to be a lengthy fic that combined the progression of WALL-E and EVE's relationship (and WALL-E's slow development towards full recovery), and the very-much-intentionally-mirrored progression of Earth's restoration. I was actually inspired by the ending credits in this regard!
About a year ago, someone added "Directive, You" to heartwarming fanfic recommendations. This greatly boosted readership and number of favorites. Just a few days ago, favorites suddenly started popping in on my email, and I figured I'd look up my story title since maybe someone made another reference. And lo and behold, there your recommendation and review were.
Thanks again for reading, and I really hope you enjoyed as much as that "five out of five" suggests! Thanks too for increasing my readership ^_^
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Brilliant
There's not much to ask about a shipping fic with WALL-E and EVE. Their relationship is set up perfectly in the film, so you might wonder what else someone could get out of it without resorting to drastic measures. Flatlander does a brilliant job of it, shedding some new light on the nature of our two heroes as well as what one means to the other and vice-versa.
The story's introduction is a well-detailed clarification of why civilization left Earth and how it returned. The information isn't necessary for the story itself, but it provides some good background as well as talking points for anyone curious in establishing an extended back story to this universe. Before moving on to WALL-E and EVE's current situation, there's some minor recounting of the climactic events of the movie, which aren't all that necessary but they don't take up a lot of space either.
Then we get to the heart of the story; WALL-E's memory is only partially restored, and EVE must re-teach him a lot of what made him so unique. This results in a series of heartwarming moments as she presents him with the sights, sounds, and feelings that he loved so much, and later - while he "sleeps" - implants memories from the Axiom's computers to help repair him. In the process, she discovers that she has become his directive, which leads to her own revelation.
In a sense, this story could qualify as a Hurt Comfort Fic; the only difference is that rather than create some new tragedy in WALL-E's life, it lengthens the effects of ones he has already experienced in the source material, which works far better. In the end, this is a story for readers who enjoy seeing a deeper relationship develop between these two characters, and want to see WALL-E, woobie that he is, get his true reward: recognition, care and love from his Directive.
Five out of five.