Running for Home - 14. September 14, 2021

Great chapter, lux. The last paragraph, followed by the last line, was/were brilliant... as in brilliant writing and brilliant content. Such a brutal honesty there. I think he might just be farther along than he realizes. Rachel was a surprise... I don't know if she really exists in the X world, or is a figment of yours. It all comes back to Bobby, doesn't it. As much as he loved Dom, he's never really let go of the 'cool' one. I do think he's in the right place to really heal, but I don't know your mind so... well done... cheers... Gary....

On 08/15/2016 02:36 PM, Headstall said:

Great chapter, lux. The last paragraph, followed by the last line, was/were brilliant... as in brilliant writing and brilliant content. Such a brutal honesty there. I think he might just be farther along than he realizes. Rachel was a surprise... I don't know if she really exists in the X world, or is a figment of yours. It all comes back to Bobby, doesn't it. As much as he loved Dom, he's never really let go of the 'cool' one. I do think he's in the right place to really heal, but I don't know your mind so... well done... cheers... Gary....

Thanks for the kind words, as always. John is very interesting in that he used to be very unself-aware, but all the therapy he had has given him a perspective and ability to be introspective that he could not possibly have had when he was younger. Bobby, clearly, is a largely unresolved issue but it isn't the only one I will touch upon. Many of the others, though, are more subtle and I may not have them come into play as outwardly as Dom and Bobby with their monolithic presence in his psyche. The title of this story implies many things about John's journey that I'm excited about exploring with the reader.

Regarding Rachel - she is not a character seen in the movies, but is long established in the comics - she first appeared in print in 1981, when the original Days of Future Past storyline. Actually, the 'sending minds back in time' ability Kitty Pryde displays in the Days of Future Past movie was one of Rachel's abilities, and it was *Kitty* whose mind was sent back in time, not Wolverine. Oh well, that's what happens when the movie studios are too lazy to establish another character, even though they were willing to bring Warpath, Sunspot, Blink and Bishop on screen as part of the future crew. That was actually a major bone I had to pick with the movie - that ability is clearly a psionic one, but Kitty's power of phasing through matter like a ghost is something completely different. Regardless, Rachel will show up from time to time as a minor character to help flesh out John's circle of colleagues and the dynamic between them.

This chapter goes from gossip to hurt so fast the acceleration must be um, superhuman. St John talks about his interactions, and how he might have done things differently, but the moment Dom is mentioned, the pain radiates out of the text. You have done this remarkably well, exposing the reality beneath the surface of St John's monologue.

On 02/11/2017 04:18 AM, Parker Owens said:

This chapter goes from gossip to hurt so fast the acceleration must be um, superhuman. St John talks about his interactions, and how he might have done things differently, but the moment Dom is mentioned, the pain radiates out of the text. You have done this remarkably well, exposing the reality beneath the surface of St John's monologue.

Thanks Parker! It was definitely the intent for it to work like that, so I'm glad I was successful. I've had two really bad break-ups, and although they happened for very different reasons I remember how easy it was to trip the switch even months afterwards, so I was trying to channel that here.

I can totally relate to how he feels about the versatile matter and Dom's refusal to bottom even once. Fair enough if he'd made an effort but couldn't stand it, but to me it's telling of his lack of genuine feelings for St.John. Possessiveness yes, love no. But I don't blame St.John for not figuring Dom out as an asshole before the break-up. And you're not an enabler if people purposely take advantage of you.

The refusal to try is something I find very distasteful, if one partner is versatile and the other is not. You have to make compromises and sacrifices for love, and giving up your best sexual experiences once in a while for your partner is no big deal as long as it's not traumatizing. Though, it's usually tops refusing to bottom as opposed to the other way around if what I here anecdotally is true at all. The 'pure' tops seem to have something psychological that they can't get past. Internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity, to be sure.