Lessons in Heroics Ch 5/5: Hero Reborn

[kronette.livejournal.com]

It's done.

Hero Reborn (19713 words) by kronette

Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Relationships: Dave Lister/Arnold Rimmer, Dave Lister/Ace Rimmer, Ace Rimmer/Arnold Rimmer
Characters: Ace Rimmer
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Humiliation, Sexual Coercion, Non-Consensual Voyeurism, Rough Oral Sex, Dominance, Non-Consensual Blow Jobs, Submission, Physical Abuse, Emotional Manipulation, Spanking, Flogging, Bondage, Dildos, Rape


Summary: Rimmer has one more lesson to learn.

Comments

[rosecathy1.livejournal.com]

**SPOILERS BELOW***




I have a few more thoughts after re-reading:

- The amount of research you must have put into this story is staggering to think about. You really highlighted the difference between above-board BDSM and abuse, sometimes within the same scene, which I appreciate.

- I loved the intimate look into Lister's psyche in this last chapter because it addresses the why. Why did he go along with all the torture and humiliation? Why does he seek the things he does? It even looked like Rimmer was almost starting to understand.

- Tbh the happiest of the endings I imagined was Rimmer basically becoming the new emperor to keep Lister sane-ish, so the actual one was both happier (healing began, the ship was going back to normal) and sadder (they didn't stay together). ;_;


Congratulations again.

[felineranger.livejournal.com]

I have to echo what RoseCathy says about addressing the 'why' of Lister's actions in the story. It would be easy to dismiss him as just a helpless victim but you made it so much more interesting and complex than that. The scene by the stasis pod where Rimmer says 'He's got a backbone of steel...He's unbreakable' really touched me because I think that's such a huge part of Listers appeal. He's hardness and softness, and toughness and vulnerability all mixed into one gorgeous mess, in whatever reality he's in. It's probably the main reason why I have such a kink for making him suffer in fic and yet almost no interest in torturing Rimmer. Hurting Rimmer is too easy, he's far too fragile. Lister is strong and resilient. He might scream, he might cry, he might suffer, but he always crawls back to his feet. He always survives. That's so much more appealing and interesting to me.

Well done again on writing such an incredible story with so much passion and depth.

[missflibble.livejournal.com]

Sorry, but nothing more constructive than WOOOOOOOOOOOOLOVEITAMAZING

[kronette.livejournal.com]

Wow. Thank you all for your extremely kind, flattering words. I wasn't sure what to expect; the last part was posted in September and I all but fell offline until recently, partly due to the emotional upheaval of this story and RL issues. Saturday night when I realized I was writing the last two paragraphs and the finals words were happening, I started crying. I had to touch-type because I couldn't see the screen. It honestly does feel like 1000 pounds have been lifted off my shoulders.

Rosecathy1, yes, I researched my ass off. S&M blogs, flogging and spanking techniques, headspace, D/s dynamics, pornsitesvids, other bdsm stories in Sherlock fandom, even the medical aspect of Arnold's injuries. Even if none of it made it into the story, *I* knew and understood it, and that made me more confident in writing it. The 600 pages that I cut? It's probably more than that, but I kept rewriting and cutting scenes because they didn't fit, were off the main story, were just fluff, or didn't have the right tone.

I couldn't not have Lister explain to Rimmer the 'why', because it was also cathartic to Lister. Talking through it helped Lister, too, and I'm sure that somewhere in there, Karyn prodded him to open up to someone, if not her. While Evie would have been a good choice, I couldn't get her in this last part because her presence took away the main focus of R/L. The first two parts were about Rimmer; the second two about Lister. the final part had to be about the two of them understanding one another, and coming to a respect/admiration/growth.

It wasn't until I was done that I realized what I was really doing. It wasn't a conscious decision, but I wrote how our Rimmer became Ace through the trials of that dimension. Maybe that had always been at the back of my mind and I didn't know. *shrug* I don't question where the ideas come from, I just write them down.

felineranger, yes, Lister was the strong one in their relationship. Rimmer might have seemed to have been the one in power and control, but I always felt it was Lister that was the stronger one. I wanted that to come across, so I'm glad you found our little tough survivor in the midst of the angst.

and missflibble: squeeing is always appreciated :)

[rosecathy1.livejournal.com]

If you don't mind me asking...I had been assuming that the space hero who caused the damage to Red Dwarf by destroying a GELF ship, etc., was another Ace. Am I in the right general area? :)

[kronette.livejournal.com]

Yes....and that would have been a much, much longer, convoluted story. At one point I had planned for *4* Rimmers to appear in the story. Arnold; his hologram that turned into the Emperor; our Rimmer!Ace, and this predecessor to our AceRimmer, who stayed on board to help do emergency repairs. He was originally the one who stopped Lister from pulling the lever on the airlock. He saw how grieved Lister was at losing Arnold that he offered to let Arnold use his light bee, and he would use the one Lister created, thereby sending the original Arnold off to be Ace, and the corrupt bee AceRimmer would stay as Lister's lover. And THEN our AceRimmer would appear...you see how that wasn't necessary, but that was way back when I didn't want the Emperor to be the Arnold that Lister fell in love with. I got more frustrated as it didn't work and finally chucked the whole mess out, leaving only the bit of Lister at the airlock and Rimmer stopping him.

I wasn't joking about 600 pages of cut stuff :P Most of it is drek, though.

[lordvalerymimes.livejournal.com]

Just want to say well done on you for completing this. It was an amazing story. Very dark, and very tough to read, but I applaud you for making it through and sharing it with us. I had been very curious to see this one resolved, and to know how it all ends, but I know it was taking a toll on you and didn't want you to feel pressured in the slightest. It can be so hard to write, even a story that isn't very heavy emotionally. You did some amazing work here, and I'm glad to hear that you feel a bit lighter, now that it's completed. :-)