The Measure of a Man, part 3/6 (B5, fic, rated G)

[vjs2259]

The Measure of a Man

Five Times John Sheridan Had a Drink (And One Time He Didn't)

"Tell me what company thou keepst, and I'll tell thee what thou art."
- Miguel de Cervantes (1547 - 1616) Spanish novelist.

“Wine gives courage and makes men more apt for passion” ~Ovid

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Comments

[nhpw]

Anna :) The thing is, I can't hate Anna. I've tried, and I can't, and I love to imagine that once upon a time she and John were truly happy and in love. You paint that picture beautifully here.

And I did always wonder whether John was a Boy Scout. He just seems the type. :)

[vjs2259]

I hated her at first. But I don't think you can like John and diss his taste. He obviously loved her dearly so there must be good in her and in their relationship.

He is so a Boy Scout. I am getting to be an old lady, and he can help me across the street any time.

[nhpw]

I hated her at first.

This is going to sound terrible, but... whatev. I liked her when I thought she was really dead.

My first time through the series, I really thought she was a sweetie in S2. Because I knew not what was coming, I was all, "Awwww... look at the way she talks about him in that message to Lizzie. She must have really loved him. And look at him, and how much he clearly loved her... they both need epic hugs." And then she came back and I was like...

"...Bitch."

I have since reached a more mature viewpoint, something like what you said. But. Yeah.

[kungfuwaynewho]

This was just lovely - and that's high praise coming from someone like me, who...doesn'tlikeAnnamuchsorryIcan'thelpit. But you write her wonderfully, and capture the happy part of their relationship very well.

[vjs2259]

The next one's my favorite, although Delenn's turn is nice too.

Anna is an acquired taste. I like Anna-in-my-head pretty well by now as I've written her several times. She's no Delenn or Ivanova, but I like her. I heard an interview with Bruce once, at home, and the bits of convo between him and Melissa were so happy couple that it bled over into my conception of Anna. If that makes a lick of sense!

[nhpw]

I'm, um, a bit jaded on the Bruce/Melissa front. That book of hers is an eye-opener.

Theyreallyhaveonlybeen'happycouple'forthelastthreeyearsorso *breathe* sinceshegotsober. Before that, things were pretty rocky.

There's a little bit in the Z'ha'dum commentary where JMS drops in that Bruce said he liked filming certain parts of that episode because he got to fight with her without actually being in trouble for anything. I used to think that was funny; now it sort of breaks my heart. :(

But I get what you're saying about their real-life relationship bleeding over into Anna and John, because now as I'm getting to Anna in my own story, I'm having trouble writing her (and him) the way I want to.

[jedi_penguin]

I really liked this a lot. I just can't believe that John would have ever fallen for the Shadow-influenced creature we saw on screen, so it makes me happy to see a nice look at what she might have been like before then. Plus, I like tortured characters getting a chance to be happy in fics. :)

[vjs2259]

I wrote John and Anna's first meeting last year for the b5 love month. That's a nice Anna bit. Also her farewell to John in a dream, her side of 'Z'ha'dum', and her AU meeting with Delenn in Day of the Dead. She's a major character in an AU WIP I'm afraid I'll never finish :(

As you can see, I'm rather fond of Anna *g*

Thanks for commenting.

[jedi_penguin]

Thanks for the pointers; I'll try to check them out. I've only recently gotten fannish about B5 (as opposed to watching it and loving it without the need to engage further, which I've done for years), so there's a lot to catch up on.

And yes... I do understand about AU WIP's. It's possible that I have one or *cough*sixteen*cough* laying about...

[vjs2259]

B5 is not my first fandom but it is the first that made me break out in copious amounts of prose...and even occasional bits of poetry! (Ack!)

I love tht AU but it's wicked complicated, hence difficult.