But then Mr Banyon found himself on the opposite end of the spectrum, with none other than Brenda (neé Brian) to administer his punishment. While it seemed at first that our Brenda was reluctant, it came to pass that perhaps she was not all that innocent. In fact, through a series of deft and cynical moves, she managed to bring Bambi (neé Mr Banyon) under her sharp stiletto heel, with Mistress Alexa next in her crosshairs.
Was Brenda successful in her grandiose plan? Well, 58% of you told me she was… so then I suppose that it’s true then. But I do not like it (insert: frowny face). Mind you, I am somewhat flattered, that some of you may have figured that storytime Brenda was a surrogate for me, but I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again: I hate, hate, HATE it when the hero/ine wins!!!
Having said that, there is something to be said for growth and empowerment, which are messages that many of us (me included) would be wise to internalize. In any case, I am a sissy of my word, so here you have it, the final chapter of Brenda’s revenge:
Wait, wait, wait! Hold on there just one moment! Some of you young’uns may not know me so well, but it’s hardly my nature to end things like that! I mean, why do one ending when you can do two? You see, while I may indulge your frivolous votes, mine was for the Mr Banyon ending. In fact, it’s the only ending that I ever really envisioned.
You see, what is the point of irreversible (sorry) brainwashing if it turns out to be, well… reversible? I wrote this story to explore just how far, just how deep Mr Banyon could delve into Brenda and make her his own. It’s like, he completely razed the field of her psyche and locked an impenetrable iron sphere around the core of her being. From there, he grew a new garden more to his liking.
So, even though Brenda may have flowered, there remained an essential element of control that could not be broken, unless you razed her completely again (which I would not recommend: I do not think her psyche could take it again, and cracking the sphere would probably damage her core). Perhaps you feel differently? Let me know what you think after reading this alternative ending:
And why do two endings when you can do three? A significant number of you voted for the Mistress Alexa ending… so why not share that one as well? It seems plausible to me that (a) she was too smart to be easily outsmarted, and (b) her own brainwashing devices would not work on her, which means she was only playing along with Brenda to see how far she intended to go.
Perhaps some you voted this way because you saw this logic, or perhaps you just wanted to see a dominant woman in charge… or some other reason? Irregardless (ha, ha! Not really a word!) I do believe that she had genuine feelings for Brenda, and she must have felt soooooo hurt by her betrayal. Alas, behold the fury of a woman scorned:
Okay, folks… that’s all for now! I hope you have enjoyed the Mr Banyon saga. I do not envision any third part (at least not anytime soon) but if it happens, I shall respect your votes, and continue from the “Brenda on top” angle. In the meantime, I’ll be posting a mixture of new and old stuff in the days and weeks ahead. I have been experimenting with some new approaches that I would like to share with all of you, and I’ll also be throwing in some vintage and “little-seen” captions.
Whew! ‘Nuff said!
Dear Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI've absolutely always loved your work on all the blogs you've done. You write so very seductively and you have a devious imagination when the situation calls for it. Whether in an inner monologue, or through dialogue, your characters are always dripping their emotions and always seem so intensely vibrant - whether that is intensely obedient or dominant. You write broken, crafty, domineering, needy, confused, and so many other characters and scenarios so well that I can come back to your captions over and over and it feels like I am living it. Dominant or submissive, male or female, I can only hope that however you want to live and however you choose to make your interactions that you get exactly what you desire.
To talk about the specific caption, of the three alternate endings the one where Mr. Banyon wins was quite decisively the best for me. The one with Brenda on top just lost the vibrant flare your characters have, though going from pleading - to completely submissive - to dominant will do that to a character. The one where Mistress Alexa on top seemed a shame - it felt like she cared about Brenda and that Brenda cared about her until part 6 - so the decision to put her on top would probably have produced the best results with a different caption/present for part 6. In fact I saw the vote as being a choice between Brenda coming out on top, Brenda coming out on bottom with somebody who would objectify her, and Brenda coming out on bottom with somebody who would love her. The one with Mr. Banyon on top really seemed your usual style, but then that's the one that had your heart so what could anybody expect? I did not actually participate in the votes as I just rediscovered your blog, but I look forward to more of your work and the chance to occasionally shower you with praise/commentary and other sentiments!
Matthew, I am gobsmacked. It has been my privilege to meet many fine people over the years, and my honour to write for them. Certain things cannot be measured or compared, but your letter has touched me so well, and at a time when I needed it the most.
ReplyDeleteYou are, of course, absolutely correct in all respects. What more can I say? The best way I can thank you (which you oh, so truly deserve) is by writing more stories, and that is so what I intend to do!
I am working on several at once right now, having hit a fresh vein. From there, well... a friend has been egging me to write some "real" stories (which he means in the nicest possible way) and it's an idea that I've been toying with. But I don't know. I'm so used to writing with one hand, I don't know how I'd fare with two.
I shall add your name to the motley crew living inside my head - welcome! It is so nice to have you here!
Oh, Brenda, I'm so glad you appreciated my admiration of your talents as well as my gratitude and sincerest wishes for your happiness. It raises some concern though, as you said you felt like you needed it. I would really like to know what you're feeling right now, and what circumstances made you feel that degree of need.
ReplyDeleteAs I said your gratitude is like an honor for me. If anything I should do something to thank you, can you think of anything? I'm not sure what your friend means by real stories, I'm sure he meant it as nicely as possible, but it still seems vaguely insulting, with your talent for writing character and scenarios I am sure you'll succeed though. I'm not sure if I correctly interpreted your statement about writing with one hand versus two, maybe I am being perverted but it makes me think you're writing while teasing yourself.
It's a pleasure to be here, Brenda!
My friend has only spoken with me in the most thoughtful and constructive ways I can imagine (and perhaps if we keep speaking nicely of him, he might return with a comment or two). I only meant to echo his sentiments that I might longer stories to a broader audience. I am still figuring out how to do this while remaining true to my core. Indeed, over the next few weeks, you may see a few stories that fall slightly outside my usual sphere.
DeleteAs for my one-handed story telling... your interpretation is correct, sir... but pay no attention to that man behind behind the curtain.
Hello Brenda,
ReplyDeleteI liked idea of having three separate endings as I thought that there was something unresolvable about the realtuonship between Brenda, Mr. Banyon and Alexa. Sometimes where one begins a story indicates where it should also end but the three characters seemed to be locked in a dynamic equilibrium, stuck on the old Wheel of Fortune, the cusp of victory and the nadir of defeat being just a turn away. Lovely stuff, I'm looking forward to lots more.
I wrote my latest post before returning to this comment... but yes! Quantum ontology, or something like that.. simultaneous irresolution. Lovely words altogether, but you can see how I am struggling to figure this out. Linearity is so 20th Century.
DeleteI bow to you, madam.
totally loved this story, and so wanted bambi not to win ..... but found the caption where Mr Banyon ended up in charge again, ready to brainwash the entire conference so utterly erotic that caption B was my fav ending. not sure what that says about me, but found it extremely hot. Saying that, I loved all three endings, possibly because they each shined a light into different parts of my mind.......
ReplyDelete