Days of Becoming, Chapter 35

[talktooloose]

NOTE: This is the second update of the week! Chapter 34, which went live Monday, can be found here.

Title: Days of Becoming, Chapter 35: “The Funk, Part II (X3)”
Author: Talktooloose
’Verse: X-Men movieverse
Warnings: instant celebrity, hero worship fail
Betas: mofic and lux_apollo. Thank you for suggesting the split and for trying to teach me biology.
Disclaimers: Marvel and 20th Century own the X-Men, I own my original characters. Ownership is illusion.

Series Summary: This novel focuses 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. This novel does not take X-Men Origins: Wolverine as canon.

Previously, in Days of Becoming: Jean Grey died along with her head-mate, the Phoenix. Or maybe not so much. While on an undercover mission, John wrote his first novel and gave it to Jones and Doug for safekeeping, asking the pair not even to read it. Good luck with thta. John and Magneto, fearing an attack by the Feds, have fled and are making their way slowly west. Mystique is on her own, doing the same, feeling somewhat supplanted by Pyro whom Magneto has drawn close to his side. Scott Summers has been distraught over the death of Jean for over a year. He has stepped aside from most missions as well as his teaching duties.

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

[roly-moly.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to tell you that I love this story.. Your writing is brilliant, I get so caught up, especially in the interview between the guy from Friends of humanity and Carmen Batiste, I felt like I do when I watch the TV and here someone who’s just so utterly stupid and ignorant, and I’m just unable to tell them..

It’s about time Bobby actually fesses up to the fact that he was together with John, that they were an item, that he loved him..

I love how Bobby is finally realizing what he really had with John, it’s brilliant how you write it…

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thanks! And thanks for toasting me with your icon. I raise a beer in response.

Honesty is hard, but Bobby's ready for it.

Thanks for reading and saying such nice things.

[nat-dimension.livejournal.com]

Excellent stuff. I think you definitely made a good call with the split in this chapter - it allows this part to stand on its own yet feel like it offers some important developments on the issues raised in the first. Also rofl at DRM reprogramming.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

It was mofic's suggestion to split it and where. I then added the Phoenix bits to 35 and the scene everyone is citing (with the DRM hack!) and there it was.

[(Anonymous)]

When is the next one going to be up? :)

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

About three weeks, if all goes as it should.

[lux-apollo.livejournal.com]

I like what you did to distill the email conversation we had about personality vs. genes/development. :-D

I feel like the teacher in me actually did something worthwhile for once...

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Well, you had a willing student. That's half the work. Thanks.

[psuedo-catalyst.livejournal.com]

ohmygodohmygodohmyFUCKINGgod.

FINALLY, bobby.

I don't know, what can I say. that was fantastic.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

lol. FINALLY!

Yeah, I guess that's why I like big novels. Human growth is slow and incremental. I hate stories where the pay-offs happen over night. That's not how humans change.

But now, is it too late for him to repair the damage to his relationship? Wait and see...

[(Anonymous)]

Ugh. That was like, the best lead-in to the events of X-3 ever. It's great to see Bobby changing. And I love that whole little section on Magneto/the Internet. It was comical in just the right way.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words! Yes, writing the Magneto scene was fun.

[ayumie.livejournal.com]

Loved it. I'm just really scared that it's too late for Bobby to change his mind.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Suspense!

Thanks for reading.

Made of WIN!!!!!!

[re-harakhti.livejournal.com]

OMG.
I spent just over 12 hours powering my way through your EPIC 35 chapters and, wow, I wouldn't ask for those hours back. Its so unbelievably wonderful I really can't think of what to say without making myself sound like a total div. So I'll just spout off whatever points are currently in my head...

Loved the human support characters; the short failed romance of Andi and the loyalty of Mike. The poor guy, he gives up so much for the cause and his girlf and she dumps him?! Understandable from her point of view I guess, but still, he has risked his own life and now feels isolated from mutants and humans (sob). Also felt sympathy for Taylor and his doomed love for 'Allan Jarndyce', is the last we will hear of him?

The saga of Bobby/John, eep. I originally stared reading this novel long story as I thought it focused mainly on them, but I found I enjoyed and appreiciated the wider world and extra characters you added (makes it seem more 'real', you know). The chapters you did devote to them were...whooo, uh, gorgeous.
I wish, I wish, I wish Bobby had grown a 'gay' spine earlier and admitted who he was so he could stay with John and not run off to Rogue. (Nb. 'HOT!' Is the only word to describe the scene where they are getting intimate in the danger room, hehe).
Then Bobby does get all brave and gets off with Remy?? I mean that's cool and all, but you know, was kinds hoping he would hunt down John and get all 'jiggy' with him. They have got to get back together, please, please don't let John die in the Alcatraz scenes or get arrested/cured. They are too many 'super tragic' B/J stories, I have my fingers crossed for a happier ending here.

Also would love to see John's powers develop more, either with assistance from Phoenix or not. It would be cool if he accessed his inner fire and let it burn.
Been a fan of John's poetry.writings - it's nice to see extra depth to the characters.

I can't wait for the next chapter, how long until you think it may come out?

Re: Made of WIN!!!!!!

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Reading your letter was a great way to start my day!

Your conjectures and fears about the future are... interesting. (evil laugh)

Now, having spent 12 hours reading, you get to join the rest of the mortals and wait for my chapters. I don't write quickly. I'm about half way through 36 and hope to get it to my beta readers in about a week. Then it is usually a week to 10 days before I can post it. I always hope for a chapter every three weeks, but I don't always succeed. There are 5 and half chapters left to go.

Thanks again for reading.