comment!fics and meme

[the_ragnarok]

So, wrote some HE-verse, All Of Our Wealth, which is Cobb!POV and features Arthur as the Prettiest Bride Ever.

Also, meme!

Pick a paragraph (or any passage between ... let's say 200 and 600 words) from anything I've written, and comment to this post with that selection. I will then give you a DVD commentary on that snippet: what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the characters' heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you'd expect to find on a DVD commentary track.

Comments

[osaraba]

Hey, if you're still doing this, I'd love DVD commentary on your Inception/Brick crossover, Fire in the Dark. Particularly the very end (wherever you want to start is cool). =D

[the_ragnarok]

I'd be happy to! but I'd be easier doing it if you did the cut/pasting of an actual fic bit? this is a bit general for me. :)

[osaraba]

I just love the very end; I hope this isn't too big a selection:

But then, Arthur wasn't very young even before he'd been Arthur.

"I thought, I had to teach you. That if I didn't, you'd run away and find someone else." It's a stupid thing to say, after all that time. Dom thought a little. "I guess I'm trying to say," he hazarded, "you're your own man now, Arthur. A very good man. You can do whatever you want."

Arthur looked up, thoughtfully. At length, he said, "Do you think there was one single competent adult in the town I grew up in?"

Dom frowned. He wasn't sure where this was going, and he knew Arthur would see it without being told.

"Let me tell you: There wasn't. Not a single one. It took me years to understand that." He took a swig of his drink. "'Then you came down, the prayers of men made flesh before me; I'd never been terrified by anyone before.'" Dom had no idea what Arthur was quoting.

"I mean it," Arthur said, looking at Dom sharply. "You came to me. I was a lonely, miserable child. You dangled a bit of caring before me, and I snatched it even though I knew it was a bait."

Dom flinched. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Suddenly, there was nothing contained about the affection in Arthur's eyes. "But that wasn't it. I'd lost someone I cared about a lot." He smiled softly, the affection in his expression replaced by old sorrow. "I couldn't believe I'd love anyone that much again. And all I could see around me was stupid greed, avarice, gluttony." His eyes focused on Dom. "And then you."

"Me," Dom said stupidly.

"And Mal," Arthur amended. "But that was later. You showed me I had something to aspire to."

Dom swallowed. "Glad to know I did something right."

Arthur smiled at him, bright and open now. "At least two. No, three, you have to count getting Mal to marry you."

"I'll drink to that," Dom said, and they did.

After a while, considerably drunker, Dom said, "So that's two things."

"Mmm?" Arthur asked, more than a little woozy himself.

"Marrying Mal, showing you the way out." Dom counted on his fingers, and came up with two. "What's the third?"

He was familiar with Arthur's expression: it was one he often looked with at Eames, which Dom privately named the 'I have no idea why I'm so fond of such an idiot' look. Dom did not appreciate that directed at him.

"In the folly of my youth," Arthur said in the arch tones that he also liked to direct at Eames, "I believed some thoroughly untrue things. You," and his voice lost its aloofness in favor of genuine emotion, "taught me better."

"Which—" Dom said, then thought back. He blinked furiously, trying to clear his eyes. "You're welcome," he said, and if he was a bit hoarse, they could both damned well attribute that to the drink.

[the_ragnarok]

But then, Arthur wasn't very young even before he'd been Arthur.

"I thought, I had to teach you. That if I didn't, you'd run away and find someone else."

Arthur might have... for like, the first three minutes he'd known Mal. After that, you couldn't shift him with a crowbar.

It's a stupid thing to say, after all that time. Dom thought a little. "I guess I'm trying to say," he hazarded, "you're your own man now, Arthur. A very good man. You can do whatever you want." Arthur is making so much fun of Dom in his mind right now, and it's only a little alleviated because Arthur kind of appreciates the sentiment.

Arthur looked up, thoughtfully. At length, he said, "Do you think there was one single competent adult in the town I grew up in?" Arthur spent a lot of time thinking about EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG with his home town. He has a list. It's got a multiple-digit number of pages.

Dom frowned. He wasn't sure where this was going, and he knew Arthur would see it without being told.

"Let me tell you: There wasn't. Not a single one. It took me years to understand that." He took a swig of his drink. "'Then you came down, the prayers of men made flesh before me; I'd never been terrified by anyone before.'" Dom had no idea what Arthur was quoting. Like I mentioned in the notes, the quote is from this song, which really has nothing to do w. the story except how I was listening to it on repeat at the time of writing.

"I mean it," Arthur said, looking at Dom sharply. "You came to me. I was a lonely, miserable child. You dangled a bit of caring before me, and I snatched it even though I knew it was a bait." Arrggh, such a clumsy bit of writing. :/ I forgive myself for it only bc I think Brendan actually MIGHT say something this over-the-top. Noir storytelling conceals a myriad sins.

Dom flinched. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Suddenly, there was nothing contained about the affection in Arthur's eyes. I'm pretty sure Arthur spent a bunch of time, when he just came to Dom, thinking up ways to deflect possible advances. And possibly entertaining kinky threesome fantasies about Mal which he'd never admit to.

"But that wasn't it. I'd lost someone I cared about a lot." He smiled softly, the affection in his expression replaced by old sorrow. "I couldn't believe I'd love anyone that much again. And all I could see around me was stupid greed, avarice, gluttony." His eyes focused on Dom. "And then you."

"Me," Dom said stupidly. Remember, this is Dom as a young person in love. ALL THE CHARISMA EVER. Arthur was a little bowled over by him.

"And Mal," Arthur amended. "But that was later. You showed me I had something to aspire to."

Dom swallowed. "Glad to know I did something right."

Arthur smiled at him, bright and open now. "At least two. No, three, you have to count getting Mal to marry you."

"I'll drink to that," Dom said, and they did.

After a while, considerably drunker, Dom said, "So that's two things."

"Mmm?" Arthur asked, more than a little woozy himself.

"Marrying Mal, showing you the way out." Dom counted on his fingers, and came up with two. "What's the third?"

He was familiar with Arthur's expression: it was one he often looked with at Eames, which Dom privately named the 'I have no idea why I'm so fond of such an idiot' look. Also, by this time, Arthur's fucking Eames over every available surface. I thought you might be interested to know that.

Dom did not appreciate that directed at him."In the folly of my youth," Arthur said in the arch tones that he also liked to direct at Eames, "I believed some thoroughly untrue things. You," and his voice lost its aloofness in favor of genuine emotion, "taught me better." Honestly, Arthur can't believe Dom is making him spell this out. Early Dom-and-Mal make for surprisingly healthy relationship role models, apparently.

"Which—" Dom said, then thought back. He blinked furiously, trying to clear his eyes. "You're welcome," he said, and if he was a bit hoarse, they could both damned well attribute that to the drink. And they woke up the next day AND NEVER SPOKE OF IT AGAIN. The end. ♥