Days of Becoming, Chapter 17

[talktooloose]

Title: Days of Becoming, Chapter 17 - “All Saints Day”
Author: Talktooloose
'Verse: X-Men movieverse
Warnings: Swearing, spiritual dislocation, long speeches and explicit sex.

Betas: kuria_dalmatia, mofic and lux_apollo. Thank you for asking me tough questions. I hope you like the re-writes.

Disclaimers: Marvel and 20th Century own this stuff but they can't keep the story straight.

Series Summary: This novel focusses mainly on the paths Iceman and Pyro take on their way to adulthood and how they discover and deal with their love for each other. It is a novel about what Joni Mitchell calls "the dream's malfunction" and how we can learn to make our own dreams when our heroes fail us. Other X characters (including ones from comicverse and elsewhere) and OC's play prominent roles and the action begins before X1, continues through the events of X2 and X3 and concludes in the aftermath of that movie.

Chapter Summary: Bobby fights for John. Xavier reveals the mansion's secrets.

Well! Two updates in less than two weeks! That's not gonna happen again! Expect 18 in January. Happy holidays, everyone. I'll be writing; I promise.

I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU. Please use the comments link at the end of the chapter to bring you back here or drop me email to talktooloose CAT toothdemon FRAUGHT net. That oughta fool the spambots for now.

Here's the chapter!

Here's the DOB homepage for earlier chapters!

Comments

[mandlebars.livejournal.com]

words cannot describe.

you're just awesome

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Oh, god, if words cannot describe, I'm out of a job!

Thanks for reading! Your LJ names reminds me of mandelbrot... mmmmm

[mandlebars.livejournal.com]

I'm still dying of squee from the John Bobby interaction. I'm glad you split the chapter.

and now you mention it....i never thought of that

[nat-dimension.livejournal.com]

Beautifully written, and just generally seizure-inducingly good. The two threads of the story have come together, and it's wonderful to have followed them since the beginning to this point. I look forward to the next chapter (which will be a nice break from all the work I have to do now to meet the conditions of my medical school offer, which are annoyingly high). Keep it up!

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

I've been terrified about the meeting of the threads! I'm only just calming down and getting excited about it now. Heh, I'll be right in the groove by the time X2 tears them apart again!

Thanks. I re-upped the chapter with a dedication at the end...

[nat-dimension.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thank you! It's scary that I'm more thrilled about that than my offer, but what can I say, this fic is like crack to me. Without (most) of the side effects.

(Oh, and thank you for being the one to point out the Sinjin/Saint John issue, because it bugs me that so many Bobby/John writers are oblivious to the intended pronunciation.)

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Re: Sinjin vs Saint John. I didn't really dwell on it, but I realized a while ago that St. John has never actually heard his name pronounced the English way. It was probably a family name that got passed down without its attendant history.

In comicverse, he's Australian and in the backstory I have for him, his real father was an Aussie and his mom an American. His step-father is from piece-of-shit land.

[nat-dimension.livejournal.com]

The land where all fan fic step-fathers are born.

[ms-jvh-shuh.livejournal.com]

I feel bad for never commenting on DoB, even though it's a favourite of mine. The beginning of this chapter is so awesome, however, that I'll do this thing I call insta!commenting - commenting while I'm reading. Here goes:

Sam and Doug enthusing about their super teachers, without having a clue what's really going on - love it

Bobby and John's morning after fumblings - so cute! but in a way that strikes me as very real, which of course is good.

John asking for the manifesto - uh-oh.

I am not sure at all that I like Scott. I think I may have a problem with him.

and Forge! Since I kind of only know the movies, I've only ever heard about him - thrilled to meet him!

I'm with Bobby, treating John as a mere guest is not cool. Hopefully Xavier will change his mind, or meant he's free to stay for a while and then decide whether he wants to be a part of the school or not.

Poor Jones.
*reads the meeting scene*
Poor Jones.

Great work at the discussion and getting all those different points of views.

John slayed the evel electronic thing! *is eight years old*

“Stick a turnip up your twat, you lowlife squid,” John told Doug.
The 14 year old nodded in pleasure. “Okay! What language do you want to hear it in?”
“Japanese.”
“That’s too easy! How about Tagalog?”
Awesome.

I know I am biased, but I don't like Kitty, either.

Scott, I am sick of hypocrisy; mine especially.
Oh, good.

Try to at least look stern, would you, Charles?
Ha.

John and Xavier discussing poetry? Beyond awesome.

“Well, I’m not pretty now. I’m sick of being pretty. I’m sick of people wanting me for bullshit reasons. I’m going to be a writer and they can all go to hell."
Oh, ouch.

And Bobby, to his own amazement, taught the hustler how to be a lover.
Perfect moment. It just hurts to read since, you know, eventually there'll be a lot of shit coming down.

Sooo... that's it. shutting up now.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Hey! Happy Birthday!

I adored your insta-comments. They made me smile.

I love all my characters (except the villains! Keever... grrrrrr) including Scott and Kitty. They are both working out things for themselves and they don't always have the empathy they need. Well, Kitty is just immature when she's in pain. Scott has some of the answers wrong. They'll both suffer and grow before the end of the novel.

Hmm, interesting reaction to John's "pretty" speech. I feel like he's trying to take some control over his life and rebuild himself for the Mansion. I have a lot of respect for that, though the impromptu haircut was kind of impulsive.

[ms-jvh-shuh.livejournal.com]

*Beams*
Thank you!

I get what you mean about Scott and Kitty. Flaws make people real! Don't mind my immature reaction.

The "ouch" was directed at that the fact that John's life made him feel he had to make himself 'non-pretty' in the first place, and that he actually basically admitted openly how much he hated it. I was just thrown by the rawness of it. But, like the fact that he's trying with Xavier, it shows that he

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Awesome! ^__^ I was so impatient to see this since you had said it was already written.

I love how Bobby can't stop thinking about John all day long. <3 And I adore their conversation once they're back in their bedroom. They're kindred spirits, who have waited to meet for so long, and yet, it's nothing too fluffy, because they're boys and they can't stop thinking about sex and that's hot. :D

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

It was written almost two weeks ago, but I rewrote a good 20% of it this last weekend after really hard and insightful comments by kuriadalmatia. She totally called me on the fact that I was ducking Bobby's internal world as the thread that tied the chapter together. See, I'm just starting to understand Bobby and John's relationship myself and I'm feeling my way as I go. So, you partly have her to thank for the way "Bobby can't stop thinking about John all day long."

Oh, and about your last line... As if girls don't think about sex as much as boys!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

That was cool advice, then. ^_^

Boys constantly think of having sex, girls constantly think of watching boys having sex together. :-P

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Check out this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir3s3WzZTRU). Not sex, but pretty singing boy pre-sex...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

Lovely! <3

It's from my own country and I've never heard of it. *bangs head* Though from the trailer I've just checked out, it looks like it's full of het, het and het.

Brûle quand tu t'enlises dans mon grand lit de glace...
I don't know if you understand French but it means: Burn when you sink in my big bed of ice...
Very Bobby/John. <3

Nice Kizuna icon, by the way.

[ayumie.livejournal.com]

Fucking awesome. Please excuse the language, but this chapter called for it. Your portrayal of John is perfect. He's insecure and confused and sometimes even bordering on sweet, but there's also hints of something darker. When he enjoys Rhane's meltdown for example, or, most troubling of all, this thought of his: You think I’m special, you see it! Tell me again I’m special.
I don't know why, but I found this sentence particularly chilling.
Of course, your Bobby rocks as well. Like everything else about this fic. *adores*

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Hmm, "chilling," eh? Interesting.

Part of John's through-line for me is that he is not valued for the things he wants to be valued for. I think he has had to be his one and only supporter for a long time and that must have been exhausting. John has a strong core, but boy does it get tested and tested.

[adryanbri.livejournal.com]

Wow. That was... wow. Amazing.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Oooh! Thanks!

INCREDIBLE EFFORT, TALENT AND GREAT STORY

[asm613.livejournal.com]

I've read all the chapters but haven't commented at every chapter. I just finished reading the most recent 3 chapters posted. You're writing an incredible story. It's pretty intense. Your original characters and their parts of the story are as well developed as the story's main characters. Even though 17 chapters is long- it still seems like Bobby has grown and developed so much more-and as we discovered this chapter he's still growing/learning/becoming more. I would have like to see Bobby scold Scott about his taking away all of Joneses tv watching time. It seems that he needs that time for his brain not to think in order for it not to overload-like it did at the peer group meeting. I think when Jones watches tv it's very much like our sleeping. It's a chance for him to block out all of the electronics talking to him. Much like we block out the world when we sleep.

You've really written a lot and I couldn't possibly tell you all the good parts- because in all honesty; there are too many. It's a very satisfying story to read. You never disappoint and always entertain, enlighten and surprise.

Thanks for the monumental effort of continuing to write such an epic length tale.

Re: INCREDIBLE EFFORT, TALENT AND GREAT STORY

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the thoughtful words.

I am interested in the growth of all the characters in this novel. That's the reason it's called Days of Becoming.

Very interesting theories you have on Jones. You'll have to wait and see how that plotline resolves.

"Epic length tale..." you said it! I'm glad I know exactly where I'm going, otherwise I wouldn't have the strength to continue; but writing this book continues to be a pleasure and I look forward to writing a bit everyday during the holidays.

Thanks again.

[estel-willow.livejournal.com]

I just sat down and read all of this in one long go, and I couldn't stop. Kept like, running back to carry on reading. I'm absolutely in love with this story.

Your characterisation is superb, the way that you're charting everything from the beginning is fabulous an it's just a genuinely well crafted story. I can't wait for chapter 18! Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing this with us.

Happy holidays, and I'll be sure to check back soon for the next installment. This is very possibly one of the best Bobby/John fics I have ever read, and already one of my favourite X-Men fics.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words. I am getting back to writing Chapter 18 this week, having been waylaid by an impossible time at work in the build up to the holidays.

It should be live halfway through January.

Great Job

[(Anonymous)]

Dont Feel like logging on
But its me UnderHardlove aka Chris :P
I thought it was great, i actually like ur Pyro :P
haha =]

Re: Great Job

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Glad my Pyro is lighting your fire, Chris.

Simply great story...

[philos-arbiter.livejournal.com]

I loved both 16 and 17. I especially liked the ending of 16 when Bobby and John are making love.
Every time I read you chapters I can't put it down. I feel like I'm there in the story. Your writing is so natural and creates a reality of its own.
I can't wait for more chapters.

Re: Simply great story...

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. I have similar feelings of being there when I'm writing, especially the first drafts. I hadn't written DOB in over a week when I got down to 19 yesterday and it was like coming home.

18 should be up in a few days.

[(Anonymous)]

woooow its so amazing that this fic is still like current....i first read it like i dnt know a year ago maybe two....and today i dnt know why i remembered about it and searched it and woow sorprise found it! i fell like amused or happy i dnt know it was funny....i love it i really do...and i hope that one day you'll finish it without giving out in de middle xD yeah?
'k xoxo take care and great job

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I will not abandon this fic unless a truck hits me. It should be all done by the spring. I hope you keep enjoying it. I should have chapter 27 up in a week or 10 days.