resonant | New Breakfast Club story: Higher Education

You have succeeded. Triumphed, in fact.

*is still all warm and smiley from the mad Bender love*

Holy hell! That was absolutley amazing, and it wasn't the hot as much as it was watching Bender's ache filled. I'm babbling, but I truly loved this fic.

Hee! I remember listening to Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Relax" and thinking, "Well, but of course when he says 'come,' he doesn't mean, like, come, right? I'm sure he's talking about something entirely different."

Yeah, I read "Sentinel" for, like, a year before I finally looked up some pictures of the guys, and then I went, "These? These are ugly guys. The real guys in my head are much cuter than these guys are." Sometimes a fantasy is better.

Though the people who watch "The Dead Zone" tell me that Anthony Michael Hall grew up very sexy, contrary to what you could have guessed from looking at him when he was a skinny geeky teenager.

it wasn't the hot as much as it was watching Bender's ache filled

Oh, yes, yes, yes. I'm so glad I'm not the only one. For me, slash is all about the ache and how to fill it; that's the payoff for me.

"These are ugly guys."
*giggles* See?! That's the attitude I am normally against. I cannot read Sentinel and I'm really not into reading slash where I dislike canon ... that's only for the pr0n then ;P But for you *sigh* what I do for you ...

Ces is working very hard in persuading us. And they do look much better than the Sentinel guys. But still, meh.

I am actually embarrassed to admit how long it took me to understand the true message of "Relax." Let's just say that it wasn't that long ago. And it had to be pointed out to me!

I meant to read this when it was first posted and recced all over my flist, but then I got busy with work and forgot, and someone just mentioned it again the other day, so I finally did.

And wow. I'm so glad I did. It was brilliantly unsappy (thank God, because sappy!Bender is not something I want to read) and just felt really real. Loved it.

Aww! I'm so glad you liked it. And glad this version of Bender worked for you -- it was tough to make him, you know, grow up without losing his essential Benderness.

I read this when you posted it, and liked it very much, but I still needed to let it sit for a while before re-reading and being able to comment - I'm so HP monofannish, it's so different reading in other fandoms.

Short story long, this was absolutely wonderful - kaa, you are such a good writer :o) !!

it was tough to make him, you know, grow up without losing his essential Benderness. (From your above reply)
You did it so well - Brian, too! Can't decide who(m) I like more - they are both great.

*Checks notes*

Good job on giving Bender's father [some of] what he deserves - was very satisfying to read.

First kiss? Omg, so hot!

In the shower John discovered his cheeks and his stomach and his inner thighs all had tender spots. 'Must be allergic to dweebs,' he said to the mirror. He was halfway through a power steering flush when a thought hit him […] Beard burn,
It's such a little, still so telling thing of having sex with a man, and seeing John discover this - good/funny :o)

Brian arched up against him in a long beautiful wave, rubbing his dick against John's bare stomach where his shirts had ridden up. 'Fuck yes.'
Beautiful writing!

Granted, it was a guy hug, complete with back pounding to knock the queer cooties off
And again :o)

John stood up and turned the key with some of his old Bender flourish, even though one of his knees didn't want to straighten out.
Getting older! Nice touch.

tie with a short-sleeve shirt like the dork he was

ella_bane said it: The words dork, dorky, and dorkily have never been used so well!

John rubbed his hair. 'You want to put "Property of Brian Johnson" on my ass, that make you happy?'

Brian groped him. 'Yeah, right here --'
&
Brian tapped his skull like it was a door. 'What on earth is going on in there?'
Love Brian in these two scenes.

In short: great fic, thanks for writing!

And the typo-crit, if you want to know - either way, feel free to delete/screen this comment!

Brian was standing his living room, looking around.
Missing "in"?

'Want a shower before you go home to Mommy and Daddy smelling like a goat farm?'
There's a weird square at the end of that sentence.

Hi! A friend rec'd this fic to me. Here's what I just emailed to her:

First off, I thought the characterization was pretty darn good,
having just watched the movie yesterday morning. I thought the Bender
character's softening was believable and well-handled. I did imagine
Brian in my mind the way that I'd hoped that Anthony Michael Hall would
grow up to look, and not the way he actually grew up to look. He grew up
so ugly! But I remember when he was a kid that I thought he had the
potential to grow up geekly charmingly cute. And so I made my imagination
keep that version of him. I especially thought the Brian characterization
was fabulous. I could hear a lot of the words the way that the Brian
character would say them.

Also, the parts I keep thinking about this morning is when Brian has the
near spontaneous response to Bender telling him that he'd never been with
a guy before. That was great. I also liked when they'd kind of broken up
and then the conversation when they got back together--Bender saying,
"Let's never do anything so stupid ever again." And Brian saying, "I
won't if you won't." Ha! And I also liked Bender's rationale for getting
it up the rear--i.e. that Bender doesn't take it, and anything that Bender
didn't do, then John did.

I also really liked the reverse of the seemingly traditional thing of the
more straight identifying guy being reluctant to take it. I like how the
original set up is that Bender is the bottom and then the final scene is
the reversal of that with Bender topping for the first time. I liked that
reversal of the norm quite a lot.

Anyway, I loved it. I will definitely read this one again!!

I heard Breakfast Club and had my doubts...but, this? This was wonderful, hot, fabuloius, yummy, and turned my lonely-poor-me night all around.
Thank you.

Absolutely amazing.

You know, I just realized that I never feedbacked you about this story (or anything else possibly, not that I think about it), mainly because I suck, so I went back and reread (which was such a hardship, let me tell you), and I loved it even more this time around.

There was the hotness of course - which I'll get to in a little bit, but what I loved the most was the way you had both of them grow up and *change*, while still keeping parts of their original selves. So many stories have it like the character is frozen in his high school persona for his entire life. Either that or he grows up into a wildly unrealistic character who might as well be an OC. Getting a chance to read a plausible John and Brian was a real treat.

In terms of the sex, wow. The way that John can't keep himself from slipping into his Bender persona, and the way that Brian gets off on it leaves me incoherent with guh, but even better than that, it still ends with Brian and *John* together, not Brian and Bender, if that makes sense. I loved loved loved the mild power-struggles and how they both got off in control in their own way. Basically I loved everything about this story.

Oh, I'm so glad you liked it! It's especially good to hear that the characterization worked for you, because when you change a canon character you always run the risk that you'll go too far and lose people. I felt like adult Brian was pretty predictable and easy to accept, but adult Bender (adult, non-incarcerated Bender) was very tricky.

And I'm so glad the power stuff came through. I figured there was no way it wouldn't be there, but if I got them into the right kind of relationship, it could skirt threat and ritual and instead go where I like it best, which is in play.

Eep -- thanks for those! Fixed 'em today.

And I'm so glad you enjoyed the story! Sorry I didn't reply earlier -- I read the comment and beamed from ear to ear and then sort of ... forgot about it.

Glad you liked the stuff with John's father. I wrote 90% of the receipt scene with absolutely no clue what John was going to do -- giving him the money seemed all wrong, and refusing to give him the money seemed all wrong, and finally it was like behind my back John decided to just fuck with his brain, which was exactly right.

I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks. I'm especially glad that adult Bender worked for you, because it was very tricky, and I was afraid people wouldn't follolw me there.

I actually think Anthony Michael Hall grew up strangely sexy, but it's true that he isn't cute any more the way he was when he was Brian.

Heh -- Breakfast Club slash, like Pippi Longstocking threesomes, is one more of my little projects to provide the world with things that the world most assuredly does not need.

But I'm glad you liked it!

Oh, thanks! Glad you liked it.

I read your totally amazing story last night, and it was like falling into universe I didn't want to leave afterwards. All night I felt a little dislocated, and wished I could be back in the story.

I never really considered before the Bender/Brian pairing, but you made a believer out of me.

Great, great, great story.

Aww. I'm so glad! That's terrific to hear, that it drew you into that world; it did the same for me.

I loved this fic so much, for so many reasons, but one of the main ones is your Brian: you made him blossom and bloom so beautifully. Made him strong, both physically and mentally, independent in a good way. He knows who he is, is comfortable with that, is confident enough to make himself vulnerable and just, ah...

This is just good story telling. You had me from the start and I yearned and ached and hoped and lusted and wanted along with Bender. He earned his victory. I was so happy he got on top of his life and really made something of it. Build it from scratch, saw himself screwing up and then just grabbed all the opportunities he got.

Also I can't help but getting a bit shallow here (but I might as well admit it; I'm in it for the well written porn, but it's still porn, right?) and say that the sex was fucking hot, hot, hot *whimpers* I practically did a Brian Johnson and came in my pants. I'm sure you wanted to know that of someone who comments in your journal for the first time *cough*.

I've been lurking around for a while now, and I've decided to put you on my friendslist. You say it's not necessary to announce it, but I thought I might as well while I'm here.

Aww -- this made my month! I'm so glad you liked it!

Bender's was the difficult characterization -- making him remain himself, and yet in a way that would allow him to make it to adulthood alive and out of jail.

Brian's characterization fell into place pretty easily; he's pretty much the kid from the movie + the kind of confidence you get when you get older. I was crazy about Brian and thought the movie gave him kind of a raw deal, so this is my way of rewarding him.

And I'm glad it was hot; that's the whole point!

Thanks so much for commenting in such depth; it makes me happy.

wow, have i really not commented on this story yet? when it's been one of my favorites ever since you posted?
i was re-reading it yesterday and noticed for the first time that during the last sex scene, Brian calls John "John" throughout the whole thing, as opposed to reverting back to "Bender" at some point in the proceedings. What a great way to show that Brian's feelings are developing and maturing. Such a subtle but effective touch.
I continue to love the story. thanks -- tally

New Breakfast Club story: Higher Education

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

better late than never

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject