B5 fic: The Eyes that Saw [Vir Cotto, post-canon gen]

[amatara]

I.

“He’ll be fine,” John had told her, just a few days ago, as they returned from the Centauri homeworld. “I’m sure he’s partying into the night.” At which she had smiled and nodded, squeezing John’s wrist as if she believed that. As if the lingering fear when she thought of Londo, hard and distant and so very dark inside his white

Comments

[mage_girl]

I enjoyed this so much.

This was a very well written story.

Thank you for taking the time and sharing.

K.

[amatara]

Thank you so much for taking the time to comment - I'm very happy you liked the story!

(love your icon, by the way :) )

[mage_girl]

I had to take the time because it's important to let people who write well that they're damn talented. :)

I hope you write more!

And thank you! The credit goes to another Bab 5 fan who graciously allowed me to snag the icon for my own use on my Journal.

K.

[chaosdancer]

Yes, lovely. Very well written and the characters were all spot-on. I really enjoyed it!

[amatara]

Thank you so much! *beams* Glad to hear you enjoyed!

[mithen]

Oh, I really, really love how the voices are different for each one, you capture each voice so distinctly.

“I understand,” she said, thinking of Lennier, still there but already mostly gone.

Ohh. In some ways, Lennier makes me sadder than Londo and Vir, because it's so...wasted, somehow. I like that she's thinking of him here.

The whole conversation with Londo about the succession was fascinating--of course they talk about it, but I'd never imagined the conversation! Thank you for filling that in...

“What you are,” he said, taking advantage of Vir coming up for air, “is the single thing he cares most about.”

*wibbles*

Moderate ­- that was the right word. Temperate; loved, yes; but how many pages could one fill with that?

I can't even tell you how much I love that last one, what's implied in the historian's annoyance, it's such a perfect way of giving closure. "He had a long reign that was not exciting enough to make a history of" would be exactly what Vir would have wanted. :)

Wonderful story!

[amatara]

Thank you! Actually, I was hesitant about the narrator-hopping myself - at each hop I was afraid to lose either story consistency or emotional resonance, or both - but the requester had asked for it, and since I'd asked her to make her request as specific as she wanted, well... *grins* But in retrospect it was a good thing, as it gave me a chance to write some characters I don't otherwise do, like Delenn.

In some ways, Lennier makes me sadder than Londo and Vir, because it's so...wasted, somehow.Yeah, me too. Lennier's story, along with Lyta's, really is the saddest part of the show to me, because there's no point to it, no closure, not even a vague sense of cosmic justice or whatever. Londo and G'Kar's ending is sad, just like Delenn and Sheridan, and Marcus and Susan, but in all of those endings there's something that "clicks" for me as well, a certain beauty or justice to it. For Lennier and Lyta, there's no comfort at all

[maspalio]

One can never have too much unexpected B5 fic and I think I'm in love again.

Your characterization is spot-on, as usual. I liked Delenn, and the little references to the Lost Tales, and Timov. There is never enough Timov.

And Vir, of course, is ever so adorable.

He will protect that at all cost, and I have made him a promise to do the same.
Aw, that's wonderful. Not only that Londo will protect Vir at all costs, as we know he would, but that he makes G'Kar promise to help him, and that G'Kar agrees... It sure warms a fangirl's heart.

Now for a bit of nitpicking: First paragraph: white Empirial garb - shouldn't it be "Imperial"?

Also, this entry has appeared three times on my flist as of today. Is it on purpose or some kind of bug? I don't really mind, but it's a bit strange.

Anyway, thanks for the surprise. It was very much enjoyed.

[amatara]

Thank you! Actually, it was unexpected for me too, because while I did offer B5 fic for help_pakistan, I wasn't quite expecting it to be requested. But it was, and made me realize all over again how much I love that universe, and writing in it. :)

Eep! I've been screwing up my spelling of that word pretty badly, it seems. *is embarrassed and hastens to correct - in several places!*
Thanks for pointing that out; it makes me think that maybe I should consider getting my fics beta'ed again. It's just that I'm always so darn impatient to get them posted, so... yeah. :) (Not that that's an exuse for sloppy spelling, because it isn't.) The weird thing is, I did look up the spelling of that word (because I'm always in doubt), then ended up mis-spelling it anyway. *facepalm*

There is never enough Timov.

No, there isn't. :) And as I hated Peter David just a little for not granting her a happy ending in the novels, I couldn't resist giving her a better fate here.

Multiple flist sightings: ah, yes. That's because I linked to this post on babcom, then

[endovelicon]

I ´ve never before posted anything at the Babylon5 community, but this just deserved a heartfelt thank you for the beauty of the story and for the chance to "hear" once again the voices of so many beloved characters.
But I have one request, just one:

Two wives, no lovers that anyone knew about. Two daughters, as well - bookish, serious, and every bit their father’s child.

Would you, please, tell us about Vir-as-family-man and his family? Pretty please?
;-)))

[amatara]

Thank you so much! The great thing about posting at comms like babylon5 is that it occasionaly leads to perfect strangers stepping out to say wonderful things, like you just did. *beams* As I love the characters dearly, I'm very happy you think I did them justice here.

As for your request - actually, I've hinted at Vir's family life in fics before, but I never quite dared to make it explicit. I think the reason is that I do see Vir as having a perfectly normal, quiet, mundane kind of happiness - the kind of happiness that most of us would want to have, but that doesn't make for interesting storytelling. And I'm afraid that trying to make that happiness (and therefore also its mundanity) explicit in fic, will somehow make it seem less magical... if that makes any sense. :) That said, there might still come a day where I find the inspiration to write the story you're asking for - I just don't think I could do it now. But it's not for lack of wanting to, I can assure you. :)