005, Freaks and Geeks

[lls_mutant]

Title: Freaks and Geeks
Author: lls_mutant
Rating: PG to PG-13
Word Count: 4, 470
Prompt: 005
Characters/Pairing:Helo and Gaeta, pre-series, gen
Summary: Because people grow up.

Comments

[lorrainemarker]

I like this. I've always felt that Helo and Felix had a good friendship before the attack and I like your take that it started out a lot rougher until they both grew up. It's odd how much I identify with Felix in this fic (I never got shoved in my locker, but I was assuredly on the geek side of the equation).

What I think I liked the most is the manner that Karl and Felix's arcs mirrored each other. Part of the natural arc of growing up is gaining self-confidence. While Karl came off as self-confident (aggressively so)you really wrote him as lacking the mature self-confidence necessary to treat others well. It was only after maturing that he had the ability to reflect on his behavior and change it. Felix lacked the same self-confidence in his case it manifested as becoming a walking target.

What was really nice is that when they met again on Galactica they both decided, for adult reasons, to let their past alone. Then when Helo returned he finally apologized - it really worked. It felt like an organic outgrowth of their adult relationship.

[lls_mutant]

Thanks so much!

I suspect a LOT of Gaeta fans were more in Felix's shoes than Karl's. Well, I also suspect a lot of LJ users and BSG fans were, too, but Gaeta attracts the geeks- we recognize our own! :) (I was never shoved into lockers either, but was definitely on the geek side.)

I'm glad how the arcs mirrored each other came across- thanks! One of the things I was hoping would show was that there was this whole other story that Felix didn't know, about how Helo had social pressures and was sort of a... well, not geek, but was lowest in the pecking order on the pyramid team. I really wanted Felix to not think about it at all, but there's definitely a story there.

Glad you enjoyed it- thanks so much! :)