marginalia: xiao zhan looking through movie camera (books)
yiling matriarch ([personal profile] marginalia) wrote2005-08-06 11:21 am

fic: secrets for calm - bernard/manny

[secrets for calm] - bernard/manny
yes, "black books" with a drop of the long-past everyday heroes challenge. by request for [livejournal.com profile] art_geek's birthday, so if it makes her laugh at all my work here is done. title, cut text, and randomly-selected header bits all from (what else?) the little book of calm by paul wilson. 3 vaguely related drabbles.


Discover
It's hard to feel tense when you're learning something you want to know.
And you can learn from the most unlikely places.


Bernard Black considers everything. Granted, not for long generally, and some weightier considerations must be followed by a drink.

Perhaps all considerations must begin and end with a drink, but the considering, it always happens.

Bernard considered homosexuality through several relatively drinkable bottles of wine and one that was not even a passable imitation. He looked at each side of the issue and determined that the dancing and personal hygiene requirements were far beyond him. He lived by this until he met Manny, and discovered that the requirements were perhaps not as required as he had been led to believe.

Pat something
Share your life with a pet -- being generous with your affection to it -- and you'll have an appreciative assistant in your efforts to become calm.


Affection, Bernard has long known, is overrated. If you are kind, people begin to expect it, and they are only going to be let down. If you are generally a bastard, causing pain wherever you go, then even an accidental kindness can come as a malicious surprise. To both parties.

Besides, affection isn't a requirement for all pets. Take Manny for instance. He makes a good deal of noise about social niceties like "please" and "thank you" and not squashing other people's hands in sandwich toasters, but in the end he always comes back and makes a cup of tea.

Pretend you're human
Leave it to others to be perfect, to be wonderful. Be content with what you are -- you'll be much more relaxed as a result.


Manny cooks and draws and plays piano. Fran sometimes tells Bernard that this should be enough, that Manny is exactly what he's needed all along, but she's never around when he's levitating trollops, er, Trollope across the shop. No one needs that. It makes one feel inferior, or at least mildly deluded.

Living with perfection is exhausting, but even Manny knows that now. Bernard watched him over at Goliath, the life sucked out of him by pastel robots and fluorescent lighting, and then he watched him come back.

They'll never be calm, but they are some strange form of content.
ext_6657: She solders!  With glasses! (Default)

[identity profile] katemonkey.livejournal.com 2005-08-06 06:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh *loves*

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-23 12:30 am (UTC)(link)
thank you!

[identity profile] blademistress.livejournal.com 2005-08-06 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi, I wandered in from friendsfriends, drawn by the Bernard/Manny :)

This is brilliant. Your Bernard is spot on in his 'bastard-ness'. I loved the little references to canon - Bernard considering being gay, the sandwich toaster and Goliath books and the little book of calm quotes!

The last one is my favourite, Fran telling Bernard everything should be right, but she never sees Rowena (poor Bernard was so jealous.)

(Could you be persuaded at all to post this to [livejournal.com profile] bbslash? It's too good not to share.)

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-23 12:31 am (UTC)(link)
thank you so much! and i had no idea it existed -- though really, i should have guessed -- so i'll have to stop by there with a link :)

[identity profile] dacro.livejournal.com 2005-08-06 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
wow.

All wonderful, but I really love the last one. *hugs*

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-23 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
thank you dear :)

[identity profile] art-geek.livejournal.com 2005-08-07 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
eeee *dances and loves*

dude, honestly, it was just what I needed tonight :D

!!!

*ahem*

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-23 01:04 am (UTC)(link)
yay! am so glad you enjoyed it :)
gloss: woman in front of birch tree looking to the right (Default)

[personal profile] gloss 2005-08-08 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
I love this so very very much. *wordless*

If you are generally a bastard, causing pain wherever you go, then even an accidental kindness can come as a malicious surprise. To both parties. - God, the *content* here is amazing, and the rhythm is so Bernard that it's eerie.

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-26 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
i'm so glad you quoted that because it was probably my favorite phrase. it's such a tricky voice, and i'm delighted it worked in the end. thank you so much!

[identity profile] dodyskin.livejournal.com 2005-08-08 06:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Such love. Oh, such love!

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-26 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
thank you!
starfishchick: (Default)

[personal profile] starfishchick 2005-08-11 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
This is yet another fandom you're going to pull me into, isn't it? Not that I'm complaining.

[identity profile] art-geek.livejournal.com 2005-08-12 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
MUHUWAHAHAHA!!!

Unfortunately only available (for now) on region 2 DVD, although I've seen many a download available...
starfishchick: (Default)

dude, liek whoa

[personal profile] starfishchick 2005-08-12 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm safe for the moment, then, as I don't have multi-region, and don't download tv/movies. Phew!!

Re: dude, liek whoa

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-12 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
have you seen any of it, though? because you will -love-.
starfishchick: (Default)

Re: dude, liek whoa

[personal profile] starfishchick 2005-08-12 07:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Not a second. Yet.

Re: dude, liek whoa

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-12 07:26 pm (UTC)(link)
dude.

[identity profile] paranoidkitten.livejournal.com 2005-08-23 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Ooooh, shiny BB slash makes the world go round. Yay. :D

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2005-08-26 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
hee! thank you :)

[identity profile] eflatmajor.livejournal.com 2005-08-30 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
dwd, that is GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE! <3

[identity profile] significantowl.livejournal.com 2006-11-06 04:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, that's very Bernard, and so pretty, too! I love the little book of calm quotes :)

[identity profile] marginalia.livejournal.com 2006-11-06 09:19 pm (UTC)(link)
thank you! it was great fun to write :) the person i wrote it for had given me a copy of the little book of calm, so how could i resist?