Different - a Mick VO - PG13

[cassysj]

I don't think I ever read this before either. I love the last line. You have a wonderful ear for Mick.

It does make all the difference in the world choosing instead of being forced.

[allegrita]

Just revisiting this wonderful story... thank you, Lilly.

[Lilly]

So glad you found this, Carol. Thank you so much for your kind words.

Alle, thanks for having another look.

[jen]

Lilly

This is wonderful.

Wish we could get Alex to read some of these fics I can so hear him saying the words.

Thank you!

[susieb]

This really is lovely. You've written Mick so well that I hear his voice uttering your words in my head. Whenever I've watched the last three ML episodes I felt a different energy about Mick in terms of his being a vampire, as if he finally is able to begin to actually embrace it. You've captured that with your words.

[Lilly]

jen - thank you again.

Susie - thank you so much for saying that. I heard his voice when I wrote this and it's lovely to know that it came through when you read it. I absolutely agree that the energy had changed in the last 3 episodes and it was fun speculating that maybe it was due in part to Josef's blood. That and choosing his own destiny.

[maggatha3]

When she turned me, she managed take my flaws and fears and twist them into something eternal. Throw in an insatiable thirst for human blood and that was her damned “gift.” ........................

I’ve been turned twice. The difference is – Coraline poisoned me and Josef gave me an antidote.

Mick's voiceovers are always fascinating, but this one is really special. I have been thinking very often of how different Mick's ''life'' as a vampire would be, had he another sire to begin with, and his re-turn by Josef made it all clearer to me. I love that piece. He can now tell the difference from Sire to Sire, and also, having the choise himself makes him more appreciative of what he is. But , of course, who wouldn't have chosen Josef as their Sire, right?

Thanks , Lilly.

[allegrita]

Thanks for popping this back up, Maggatha. It's a favorite of mine. It feels like a part of the show--that's what a wonderful ear Lilly has for Mick's way of speaking. I can hear Alex saying these words in my mind as I read them.

This is one of the rare stories that I almost remember as having been part of the show. Maybe because it's so short, it really does fit in like a voiceover. But mostly, I think, because it does what the very best voiceovers did: it illuminates a piece of Mick's soul for us, and helps us understand how he feels about the world in a way he would never articulate out loud.

[Marigold]

The bottom line is – I’m a vampire right now because I chose to be. I may mourn my loss but I’ll never regret my decision.

Absolutely stunning, Lilly. Mick may have ended up as a vampire again, but this time, he accepts it. He was not tricked or lied to. He made a choice to save his true love, and his best friend helped him to get there.

This was amazing! Thank you!

[BlueEyedMonster]

I feel different this time. Stronger – and more at peace with myself. I guess making the choice, taking your fate into your own hands, is empowering. When you have no one to blame, you lose your crutch. You have to stand on your own feet. The bottom line is – I’m a vampire right now because I chose to be. I may mourn my loss but I’ll never regret my decision. Still, the way I feel - I have to wonder if somehow it’s in the blood.

I’ve been turned twice. The difference is – Coraline poisoned me and Josef gave me an antidote.

These lines are perfect as is the whole story. Thank you Lilly for brightening up a cool cloudy day in October with your formidable talent.

[Lucy]

short and sweet and SOOOOOOO to the point. Everyone needs a friend like Mick has Josef.

[jen]

It is so interesting to revisit old favorites and see something new.

I, too, noticed how Mick seemed to have 'turned a page' in FTP. You described it perfectly here. With the departure of both Josh and Coraline from the show--and while I mourn the loss of those two wonderful characters--it did bring a new dynamic: a new (albeit reluctant) sire, an acknowledged love, and a new acceptance of the strengths he had as a vampire. Makes me wonder what was in store for us in a season 2 after those changes.

Thank you!

Jenna

[Lilly]

BlueEyedMonster - Thank you so much! Your lovely comment brightened my dreary, October day, as well. I'm so glad you're finding some pieces you enjoy in my office.

Lucy - Thank you! And, yes, -- yes, everyone does.

jen - Thanks so much for stopping back. I appreciate every one of your comments -- and I love that you found something new.

[darkstarrising]

This is a piece I could actually hear Mick speak the words. This is a man who has had humanity taken from him a second time, only this time, because he chose it. Love how he works through how differently he feels the second time around and contemplates the reasons for it. He loved Coraline, but she took something precious from him. He loves Josef and his second sire gave Mick both a choice and peace of mind.

Lovely, Lilly

[allegrita]

This story packs so much into a small space. Maybe that's why it really feels like a voiceover to me... as DSR said, I can hear Mick's voice saying these words.

I love the way you have Mick talking about what Coraline took away from him. She considered vampirism to be a gift, but to Mick, it just coalesced all the bad qualities in his nature and made them the dominant part of him. She robbed him of the things that made him a decent person in his own eyes. And he's struggled ever since to find the decency within himself.

I also love Mick's musings on that moment of hesitation when Mick asked Josef to re-turn him. That moment revealed the extent of Josef's love for him, and also an empathy that Josef rarely (if ever) displays.

And that last bit just sings to me. Mick took his fate in his own hands. Is that why he seems so much more at ease with his nature afterwards? Or did Josef give him a little of that "comfortable in his own skin" juju in his blood? Was it because he did it for love? Was it the fact that he had a chance to experience humanity, with its ups and downs, and therefore doesn't glorify it so much now?

Maybe all of the above. As Mick says (through you), "The bottom line is – I’m a vampire right now because I chose to be." And in honoring Mick's choice, Josef truly did give him an antidote for his self-loathing, and allowed him to begin to live at last.