[dkstories] Doing it Right Ch. 7

[C James]

It's up!!! And it's a major one...

 

I didn't expect this today, as it's so soon after Ch. 6...

 

Great chapter, and a must read! I'll save my comments and spoilers for later in the thread, after everyone has had a chance to read it.

[brax]

good chapter... kinda sad towards the end... but im sure everything will work out... nless trever tells daddy.........

[EMoe57]

I loved the history lesson. It was good to touch on so much that happened in all these chapters. A nice refresher course. Of course that probably means we'll get something new/different this timeline - unlike Bill Murray in the movie, "Groundhog Day"

[C James]

good chapter... kinda sad towards the end... but im sure everything will work out... nless trever tells daddy.........

 

Whoa, that's an angle that never occurred to me!!

 

Minor spoilers below...

 

Trevor, Brandon, and Brian were sure pissed off, so, as Brax suggests, Trevor just might spill the beans, either in anger, or just asking his father some theoretical questions about time travel, or by revealing that he knows the dead scientist was working on time travel.

 

I'd expected Brandon to be pissed off, but Brian and Trevor surprised me. It shouldn't have though, as

their reactions were quite understandable.

 

I was amazed that Davey didn't defend himself by saying that he didn't want Sean to know of his impending demise. It's IMHO his best defence. But, maybe he has his reasons, or he was feeling so bad he didn't want to defend his actions.

 

I liked the way this chapter cleared up many (for me) lingering questions about the timelines. I'm still not too clear how Brian came to be in Chinese hands and at the time machine facility, or why.

 

It certainly cleared up a great deal about the Taiwan Straits naval battle, too.

 

Chapter 8 will sure be interesting, and probably critical.

 

I predict that there will be some heavy repercussions from this shoe dropping. If the news goes beyond the five friends, then it could be a huge problem. What if it's revealed to the government that Sean is another time traveler, AND knows how to build a time machine?

 

I'm also really wondering how Brandon and Sean will do, even without outside disclosures. Brandon's Sean is dead, so how will he take to the "new" Sean who has just arrived? Sure, Sean has feelings for him, but will it bother him that it's not the Sean he knew? That's a recipe for some major psychological hangups!

[Xandra Kitee]

I'm also really wondering how Brandon and Sean will do, even without outside disclosures. Brandon's Sean is dead, so how will he take to the "new" Sean who has just arrived? Sure, Sean has feelings for him, but will it bother him that it's not the Sean he knew? That's a recipe for some major psychological hangups!

The problem is mutual. Brandon's Sean has been killed. And Sean might -again- decide that this Brandon and his are different and that their relationship can't start over. Seemed he finally changed his mind in the third timeline but it wasn't easy.

 

But what I see from this split is mainly the deep love Brandon, Trevor and Brian had for the Sean of this timeline. Can't this reach too the somewhat (and this is understandable) bitter time-traveler-Sean ?

 

Sean has always seemed far more insecure than Davey and the anger of the 3 others might just prove him how much they cared for him and valued him.

 

And those 3 have come around in the 2 previous timelines even when circumstances were far less favorable. I don't see why they wouldn't this time once their anger has calmed down.

[Ikaika]

And those 3 have come around in the 2 previous timelines even when circumstances were far less favorable. I don't see why they wouldn't this time once their anger has calmed down.

 

 

Because as far as they are concerned right now, Davey committed the murder of one of their best friends...

 

Wow! Quite a powerful chapter! All I want is for Davey to have a happy ending with Brian. PLEASE! But, once again, totally well-written, and the re-cap of DO and DOR was great! It did fill in a few gaps for me, and worked wonders to jog my memories! Thank you DK! You are such a talented writer!!!

 

 

>>>Ikaika

Edited April 12, 2006 by Ikaika

[Xandra Kitee]

Because as far as they are concerned right now, Davey committed the murder of one of their best friends...

Maybe I missed something because I don't understand why they would think that.

 

I thought they made pretty clear that they were pissed off because they didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Sean while they could have if Davey had let them. He's totally responsible for not giving them this chance but I didn't see anything indicating that they held him responsible for the disappearance of their Sean.

 

It's like he had hide a fatal disease until it was too late. They're pissed at him for hiding it but not for the disease itself.

 

Now, I could understand that Brandon could have a very hard time forgiving him. davey let him get involved with Sean even though he knew that Sean would "disappear". That's a major reason to be pissed I guess.

 

But I really don't think they'd hold him responsible for the disapearance itself. At least that's how I see it.

[Ratatosk]

I thought they made pretty clear that they were pissed off because they didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Sean while they could have if Davey had let them. He's totally responsible for not giving them this chance but I didn't see anything indicating that they held him responsible for the disappearance of their Sean.

 

It's like he had hide a fatal disease until it was too late. They're pissed at him for hiding it but not for the disease itself.

 

The question is who is the most egoistical of them? Brandon, Brian and Trevor wanting to say goodby to the original Sean :wacko: or Davey wanting Sean to have an happy ending of his life. We now have an parallel in Jeremy who also was put in an equvelent position by beeing infected by HIV. Jeremy know that he will die and is quite devastated by that and he has no possibility to control his life.

 

As I see it the original Sean was in a quite similar situation with the exeption that the exact date of his demise was already known. Which option would he prefer - if he had the possibility to chose? To know that he would vanish as a personality or to have an happy time to the bitter end? We also know how angry the original Davey was at the intruding and returning Davey. the original Davey also never got the possibility to chose - it was take it or take it - no choise whatsoever.

 

So in the long run I personally would prefer Davey's way of doing it

 

Ratatosk

Edited April 12, 2006 by Ratatosk

[Xandra Kitee]

He still could have tell them and they could have acted like he did in Sean's last moments. Davey didn't say anything to Sean but he was with him and he got to say him goodbye in a way.

 

He didn't gave the other that option. Not only did he kinda stole Sean's last moments but it seems like he didn't trust them. I mean... I can imagine that they could feel this way about it.

 

But honestly, I don't defend any point of view. No matter the way Davey would have handle it, it would still have been messy I think.

[C James]

The question is who is the most egoistical of them? Brandon, Brian and Trevor wanting to say goodby to the original Sean :wacko: or Davey wanting Sean to have an happy ending of his life. We now have an parallel in Jeremy who also was put in an equvelent position by beeing infected by HIV. Jeremy know that he will die and is quite devastated by that and he has no possibility to control his life.

 

As I see it the original Sean was in a quite similar situation with the exeption that the exact date of his demise was already known. Which option would he prefer - if he had the possibility to chose? To know that he would vanish as a personality or to have an happy time to the bitter end? We also know how angry the original Davey was at the intruding and returning Davey. the original Davey also never got the possibility to chose - it was take it or take it - no choise whatsoever.

 

So in the long run I personally would prefer Davey's way of doing it

 

Ratatosk

 

Ratatosk, you raise some darn good points!

Davey knew the day and date of "his" Sean's impending demise, so shouldn't the biggest consideration be what is best for Sean? Surely he was happier not knowing, and had Davey told his friends, I'd bet Sean would have figured out something was up (he did anyway, just with Davey).

 

The problem is mutual. Brandon's Sean has been killed. And Sean might -again- decide that this Brandon and his are different and that their relationship can't start over. Seemed he finally changed his mind in the third timeline but it wasn't easy.

 

But what I see from this split is mainly the deep love Brandon, Trevor and Brian had for the Sean of this timeline. Can't this reach too the somewhat (and this is understandable) bitter time-traveler-Sean ?

 

Sean has always seemed far more insecure than Davey and the anger of the 3 others might just prove him how much they cared for him and valued him.

 

And those 3 have come around in the 2 previous timelines even when circumstances were far less favorable. I don't see why they wouldn't this time once their anger has calmed down.

 

If I recall correctly (always doubtful ) Sean thought Brandon was a homophobic bully in the last timeline, so had much better reasons for being reluctant. Sean also has no memories of that timeline. He also seemed, initially, pleased that he had Brandon back. He's sure still got some issues with Davey, though! He also picked Davey to die, which is still (understandably) a sore point with Davey.

 

I think you have a great point in the anger of the other three proving to Sean how much they valued him. On the other hand, the three did just walk AWAY from BOTH him and Davey.

 

What a complex and intricate structure we have here! I'm usually not impatient for new chapters of anything, but this story has me on the edge of my seat!

Edited April 18, 2006 by C James

[Xandra Kitee]

If I recall correctly (always doubtful ) Sean thought Brandon was a homophobic bully in the last timeline, so had much better reasons for being reluctant.

In the first timeline, Brandon was one of his bullies. In the second he was his husband. And then again a bully in the third.

 

I think the main problem of Sean isn't so much the bullying than the fact that he has seen his husband being killed right in front of him. He forgave Brandon to the point of staying with him and marrying him after all. But this one died. So I guess that Brandon bullying him in the third timeline just made that point even clearer to him. This was not HIS Brandon, period. (Even if they finally got closer by the end of the third timeline if I recall well)

 

Now what's funny (or not) is that the situation is a bit inversed. Sean can relate to the Brandon of this fourth timeline but will this Brandon accept this new (or old... or whatever... other! @_@) Sean ?

[brax]

Sean doesn't remember the last timeline... Only davey does... so as far as sean is concerned... there was no timeline except the first where brandon didn't like him.

[Xandra Kitee]

hum, yes. The point of what I was saying is precisely that we, readers, get to see the same Sean (the one who saw brandon die) "coming back" in two very different situations.

[C James]

In the first timeline, Brandon was one of his bullies. In the second he was his husband. And then again a bully in the third.

 

I think the main problem of Sean isn't so much the bullying than the fact that he has seen his husband being killed right in front of him. He forgave Brandon to the point of staying with him and marrying him after all. But this one died. So I guess that Brandon bullying him in the third timeline just made that point even clearer to him. This was not HIS Brandon, period. (Even if they finally got closer by the end of the third timeline if I recall well)

 

Now what's funny (or not) is that the situation is a bit inversed. Sean can relate to the Brandon of this fourth timeline but will this Brandon accept this new (or old... or whatever... other! @_@) Sean ?

 

ROFL! I see you have the same problem I do, figuring out how to differentiate between the Seans.

 

I think you are right: This Sean did just see Brandon die, only a couple of days before, by his frame of reference, and that will probably cause him some major issues. My hunch, though, is that he will see this Brandon as being very similar to "his" Brandon, and that is what will win out in the end.

 

Unfortunately, though, I'm still reluctantly predicting that Sean dies sometime soon. My reasoning is this: It's rumored that there won't be a sequel, so no more Time travel. Sean, and now Sean alone, knows enough to build a new time machine. Therefor, I suspect that he's at the top of a certain Writer's hit list... I might well be wrong (my predictions are almost always wrong). I do after all recall hearing that there would be no sequel to Do Over Redux, and then I recall hearing that Doing It Right would max out at about ten chapters, so I can sure see the door being left open (at least a tiny bit) for a sequel.

[EMoe57]

I think the main problem of Sean isn't so much the bullying than the fact that he has seen his husband being killed right in front of him. He forgave Brandon to the point of staying with him and marrying him after all. But this one died. So I guess that Brandon bullying him in the third timeline just made that point even clearer to him. This was not HIS Brandon, period. (Even if they finally got closer by the end of the third timeline if I recall well)

Well, not to complicate things too much but remember the Time Travel Sean of Doing It Right is from the second timeline (the China wayback machine). He has no memories of what transpired in the third timeline (the Nevada wayback machine) so Good Brandon/Husband just died before he shows up in Doing It Right.

[Xandra Kitee]

Ok, I think I'll make it clear before somebody else try again to remind me that the Sean of DIR does NOT remember the third timeline. ^^

 

I never said or implied that he did.

 

I'm saying that we and Davey are seing his second third timeline.

 

I am comparing how the same Sean (the one who saw Brandon die aka the one of the second timeline) is reacting or will react in two different situations.

[C James]

Ok, I think I'll make it clear before somebody else try again to remind me that the Sean of DIR does NOT remember the third timeline. ^^

 

I never said or implied that he did.

 

Pssst, Xandra, just a reminder: Sean doesn't remember timeline 3...

 

Just kidding!

 

So, any predictions on what will happen in chapter 8? I'm wondering if Davey and Sean will work through some of the hard feelings they evidently still have...

[Demetz]

I know this is coming in late, but I think Davey could have done a much better job defending his decision. Sean had previously expressed an explicit desire to never have to deal with time travel and here Davey managed to ensure that a Sean never did and in fact managed to make a Sean's life the happiest he possibly could. It might not be fair to keep the information from the most recent timestream's Sean and the others, but how fair would it be to tell Sean he would effectively cease to exist on a precise date and that there is nothing he could possibly do to change that? The weight of something like that would probably crush him, assuming he or any of the others believed Davey anyway. I know if a close friend of mine told me that I would cease to exist because alternate future me would soon overwrite my mind I'd think he's crazy.

[C James]

I know this is coming in late, but I think Davey could have done a much better job defending his decision. Sean had previously expressed an explicit desire to never have to deal with time travel and here Davey managed to ensure that a Sean never did and in fact managed to make a Sean's life the happiest he possibly could. It might not be fair to keep the information from the most recent timestream's Sean and the others, but how fair would it be to tell Sean he would effectively cease to exist on a precise date and that there is nothing he could possibly do to change that? The weight of something like that would probably crush him, assuming he or any of the others believed Davey anyway. I know if a close friend of mine told me that I would cease to exist because alternate future me would soon overwrite my mind I'd think he's crazy.

 

That was essentially what I was thinking... How could Davey tell his friends (except Sean) and let them say "goodby", without cluing in Sean that he was about to cease to exist?

 

There is also the very big question that you raise: would they have even believed him?

 

No matter what he did, Davey faced bad choices, and bad consequences.