Dear Rare Male Slash Exchange creator!
May. 30th, 2020 12:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorindaHello, Raremaleslasher!
Thanks for signing up to make me something! I know my letter explanations are often phrased in fic-centric ways, but I would also love some art, whichever you're offering.
(Also, let me say: you'll notice it's not uncommon for me to ask for the same fandoms a lot. If you've been assigned to me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! It's just that these pairings are so small and I love them so much--I crave another cake, to go with my previous delicious cakes. In my cake hoard. :9 )
Some of my general preferences:
* Happy or at least hopeful endings to stories. This doesn't rule out melancholy or bittersweet tones, and needn't be fluffy...I don't actually find pure fluff as pleasurable in general. I prefer the characters to go through something at least a bit intense in order to get to the happy/hopeful place.
* Of course a single piece of art doesn't have an 'ending' in the same way, so in art I'd phrase it more as a hopeful/tender tone.
* Any rating level. If there is explicit sex, I prefer it to have underpinnings, emotions, needs, etc.--something deeper than just sex for its own sake. (I mean, I always prefer that, but especially with on-screen explicitness, rather than just 'they're horny and this is hot'. :D )
* I love little details of daily life, especially food, drink, clothes, etc.
* Some tropes and approaches I particularly like: trust, protectiveness, loyalty, worry, communication between the lines, seemingly-ordinary words that camouflage deep meaning, a surface shell cracking to reveal vulnerability beneath, hurt/comfort, uncovering a secret, me and you against the world, physical care like tending wounds/washing/etc., road trips, nurturing with food/drink/warmth.
And don't hesitate to go for classic frameworks if you like them! Along with hurt/comfort I am also big on things like bedsharing, huddling for warmth, pretend couple, undercover as a rentboy, rescues, suffering/sacrificing for the other, stranded somewhere, etc.
One jumps in the way of the other getting hurt? (Especially if the saved one is then mad about it?) One gets attacked and the other rises in wrath, GET BACK HE IS MINE? One awkwardly expresses the depth of his feelings with a painstakingly fried egg on toast? A desire to impress him, an effort to figure out how to be silently vulnerable with him, a need for him that he hadn't understood until now or had hidden while pining? Yepppp.
Big drama is good, quiet subtlety is good. ♥
Thoughts on my specific fandom requests, alphabetically:
The Exorcist (TV): Marcus Keane/Tomas Ortega or Marcus Keane/Peter Osborne
My signup:
Literally 'me and you against the world, pushed to the very edge--'me and you against the world including oh by the way DEMONS who have infiltrated everywhere'.
I have no problem with show-typical violence/horror tropes, and enjoy the trappings/customs/labyrinthine histories of the Catholic church (plus this show's alternate-history church; feel free to do some worldbuilding if you want). Exorcisms and other aspects of Marcus and Tomas's work are great, but you don’t have to focus on that if you don’t want to--I’m also into long dusty road trips, sitting in the truck in the rain, troubled characters eating in roadside diners and sleeping in shabby motels, or welcomed into normal living rooms and feeling very strange there, seeking an ineffable something that they end up finding in each other.
Likes/prompts:
Marcus's early 'recruitment' and what parts of 'normal' life and interaction are unfamiliar to him. Tomas in reverse, having to learn how to live this strange new life in the demon-haunted margins. Peter's normal life suddenly intersecting with this whole other world, and this man who's just as much (or more of) a damaged soldier as he is. Marcus & Tomas's itinerant existence, blowing along like tumbleweeds, making house calls-- keeping secrets from the surface world, and how being in this kind of closet together affects them both. Peter learning Marcus's secrets-- and rising to the challenge. Either pair suddenly finding that there are shocking amounts of trust underneath without it being consciously built--or, does it have to be consciously built? The effort it takes for Marcus to dismantle a lifetime of barriers--the effort it takes for Tomas to dismantle a lifetime of 'this is how the world works'--the effort it takes for Peter to do similar, but without having already had his own experience with the supernatural. (Or has he??) How do you have/admit/protect vulnerabilities, when vulnerabilities are the textbook spot that demons always go after? Compassion and its terrible price. Also, Marcus so easily/charmingly flirting with guys in bars...but when it might mean something with Tomas or Peter, what then? If Marcus/Peter, then I'd like it if Peter has his own issues too, rather than just being a perfect pillow upon which Marcus can rest.
Guardian: 镇魂 Guardian (TV): Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
My signup:
'The grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one' :D . But also, I like the surprise reversals of these types--the grumpy one is also very high-strung and dysfunctional inside, the sunshine one has stability and courage and compassion down to his DNA.
Likes/prompts:
Later-series-style Guo Changcheng, where he has more of a spine and his own power--I find his power very touching, actually, like a combination of a battlefield medic and a hospice worker, trusted by the dying to take on their last burden, and would love to see more of it. I like seeing how they've ended up taking on their grumpy one/sunshine one roles so consciously, but each of them has the other role underneath as well--I'd love to see things that delve more into that, like Guo Changcheng rescuing or supporting Chu Shuzhi, bringing some competence of his own that Chu Shuzhi doesn't actually have or can't muster. Or the self-protectiveness of the Grumpy One shell, and the courage it takes to break out of that--to be tender is to be vulnerable, but to NEED tenderness is to be REALLY vulnerable. And Chu Shuzhi is still comparatively new to the surface world, whereas Guo Changcheng has a lifetime of experience there--what does CSZ learn, what can GCC teach? Also I am always a sucker for GCC's family opening their ranks and hearts to this odd Dixing ex-con. :D
Shetland (TV): Jimmy Perez/Duncan Hunter
My signup:
"You're her father."/"But you're her dad". A pretend-couple or arranged-marriage that accidentally turned into a true couple while they weren't looking...surprise! :D
Likes/prompts:
I love the co-parenting, but more I love how the co-parenting ended up turning them into their own kind of couple, a bond which persists even after the child they were parenting has grown up and spread her wings. Jimmy's self-assigned role as loner-Sheriff, Duncan as a people person who gives Jimmy surprisingly good emotional advice but ruins his own relationships. The way they both strive to communicate--even if at first the defenses go up, in the end they sit down together and admit the hard things, they manage to use their words (though it seldom comes easy). Duncan's ambition, his morally flexible side, but he does have lines he won't cross and then is distressed when others aren't always sure what those are. Jimmy's protectiveness but the way that can turn into control-freak-panic. Jimmy's empty nest syndrome vs. Duncan's midlife crisis as a former fuckboy. Their unadmitted neediness and territoriality-- Duncan joking-but-not-really that Jimmy's going to ride off into the sunset with Alice, Jimmy waiting till the last minute to beg him "Don't go."
The Sting (1973): Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
My signup:
Tricksters and cheaters who use their skills for great justice, skilled risk junkies, developing a con-man-mind-meld while ending up worrying about and coming to trust each other. I love to see them working in a con (of their own, or helping someone else), but no need if you don't want to, I also love the in-between times, or the offstage times, daily life or on the road or whatever. It's important to me that targets of a con always deserve it, which is what sets this kind of con artistry apart--the grifters punch up, not down.
Likes/prompts:
I love the "me and him against the world" con-artist feeling, as if it's one big improv troupe vs. 'civilians' on the outside. That backstage-theater feeling, how they as a two-man outfit, or within the larger troupe/family, plan and put on a show. The shorthand and lingo of the profession. I love Johnny learning like an impatient sponge and Henry full of hard-won wisdom--but I also love Johnny bringing new energy and angles, teaching Henry a thing or two. Henry introducing Johnny to more of their colleagues, bringing him to higher echelons? Johnny mistaken for Henry's boy picked up out of the gutter, Henry mistaken for his sugar daddy? (How much of that is a mistake?) A con that actually does go wrong, and/or the aftermath thereof? The dangers of boredom for a risk junkie. The skill of lying and deflecting, and how to turn it off when it's personal and emotional and crucial. Trickery as a weapon-- and trickery done with love.
Thanks again, and please enjoy whatever you create!
Thanks for signing up to make me something! I know my letter explanations are often phrased in fic-centric ways, but I would also love some art, whichever you're offering.
(Also, let me say: you'll notice it's not uncommon for me to ask for the same fandoms a lot. If you've been assigned to me previously, please do not ever think this is because I don't still love your gift! It's just that these pairings are so small and I love them so much--I crave another cake, to go with my previous delicious cakes. In my cake hoard. :9 )
Some of my general preferences:
* Happy or at least hopeful endings to stories. This doesn't rule out melancholy or bittersweet tones, and needn't be fluffy...I don't actually find pure fluff as pleasurable in general. I prefer the characters to go through something at least a bit intense in order to get to the happy/hopeful place.
* Of course a single piece of art doesn't have an 'ending' in the same way, so in art I'd phrase it more as a hopeful/tender tone.
* Any rating level. If there is explicit sex, I prefer it to have underpinnings, emotions, needs, etc.--something deeper than just sex for its own sake. (I mean, I always prefer that, but especially with on-screen explicitness, rather than just 'they're horny and this is hot'. :D )
* I love little details of daily life, especially food, drink, clothes, etc.
* Some tropes and approaches I particularly like: trust, protectiveness, loyalty, worry, communication between the lines, seemingly-ordinary words that camouflage deep meaning, a surface shell cracking to reveal vulnerability beneath, hurt/comfort, uncovering a secret, me and you against the world, physical care like tending wounds/washing/etc., road trips, nurturing with food/drink/warmth.
And don't hesitate to go for classic frameworks if you like them! Along with hurt/comfort I am also big on things like bedsharing, huddling for warmth, pretend couple, undercover as a rentboy, rescues, suffering/sacrificing for the other, stranded somewhere, etc.
One jumps in the way of the other getting hurt? (Especially if the saved one is then mad about it?) One gets attacked and the other rises in wrath, GET BACK HE IS MINE? One awkwardly expresses the depth of his feelings with a painstakingly fried egg on toast? A desire to impress him, an effort to figure out how to be silently vulnerable with him, a need for him that he hadn't understood until now or had hidden while pining? Yepppp.
Big drama is good, quiet subtlety is good. ♥
Thoughts on my specific fandom requests, alphabetically:
The Exorcist (TV): Marcus Keane/Tomas Ortega or Marcus Keane/Peter Osborne
My signup:
Literally 'me and you against the world, pushed to the very edge--'me and you against the world including oh by the way DEMONS who have infiltrated everywhere'.
I have no problem with show-typical violence/horror tropes, and enjoy the trappings/customs/labyrinthine histories of the Catholic church (plus this show's alternate-history church; feel free to do some worldbuilding if you want). Exorcisms and other aspects of Marcus and Tomas's work are great, but you don’t have to focus on that if you don’t want to--I’m also into long dusty road trips, sitting in the truck in the rain, troubled characters eating in roadside diners and sleeping in shabby motels, or welcomed into normal living rooms and feeling very strange there, seeking an ineffable something that they end up finding in each other.
Likes/prompts:
Marcus's early 'recruitment' and what parts of 'normal' life and interaction are unfamiliar to him. Tomas in reverse, having to learn how to live this strange new life in the demon-haunted margins. Peter's normal life suddenly intersecting with this whole other world, and this man who's just as much (or more of) a damaged soldier as he is. Marcus & Tomas's itinerant existence, blowing along like tumbleweeds, making house calls-- keeping secrets from the surface world, and how being in this kind of closet together affects them both. Peter learning Marcus's secrets-- and rising to the challenge. Either pair suddenly finding that there are shocking amounts of trust underneath without it being consciously built--or, does it have to be consciously built? The effort it takes for Marcus to dismantle a lifetime of barriers--the effort it takes for Tomas to dismantle a lifetime of 'this is how the world works'--the effort it takes for Peter to do similar, but without having already had his own experience with the supernatural. (Or has he??) How do you have/admit/protect vulnerabilities, when vulnerabilities are the textbook spot that demons always go after? Compassion and its terrible price. Also, Marcus so easily/charmingly flirting with guys in bars...but when it might mean something with Tomas or Peter, what then? If Marcus/Peter, then I'd like it if Peter has his own issues too, rather than just being a perfect pillow upon which Marcus can rest.
Guardian: 镇魂 Guardian (TV): Chu Shuzhi/Guo Changcheng
My signup:
'The grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one' :D . But also, I like the surprise reversals of these types--the grumpy one is also very high-strung and dysfunctional inside, the sunshine one has stability and courage and compassion down to his DNA.
Likes/prompts:
Later-series-style Guo Changcheng, where he has more of a spine and his own power--I find his power very touching, actually, like a combination of a battlefield medic and a hospice worker, trusted by the dying to take on their last burden, and would love to see more of it. I like seeing how they've ended up taking on their grumpy one/sunshine one roles so consciously, but each of them has the other role underneath as well--I'd love to see things that delve more into that, like Guo Changcheng rescuing or supporting Chu Shuzhi, bringing some competence of his own that Chu Shuzhi doesn't actually have or can't muster. Or the self-protectiveness of the Grumpy One shell, and the courage it takes to break out of that--to be tender is to be vulnerable, but to NEED tenderness is to be REALLY vulnerable. And Chu Shuzhi is still comparatively new to the surface world, whereas Guo Changcheng has a lifetime of experience there--what does CSZ learn, what can GCC teach? Also I am always a sucker for GCC's family opening their ranks and hearts to this odd Dixing ex-con. :D
Shetland (TV): Jimmy Perez/Duncan Hunter
My signup:
"You're her father."/"But you're her dad". A pretend-couple or arranged-marriage that accidentally turned into a true couple while they weren't looking...surprise! :D
Likes/prompts:
I love the co-parenting, but more I love how the co-parenting ended up turning them into their own kind of couple, a bond which persists even after the child they were parenting has grown up and spread her wings. Jimmy's self-assigned role as loner-Sheriff, Duncan as a people person who gives Jimmy surprisingly good emotional advice but ruins his own relationships. The way they both strive to communicate--even if at first the defenses go up, in the end they sit down together and admit the hard things, they manage to use their words (though it seldom comes easy). Duncan's ambition, his morally flexible side, but he does have lines he won't cross and then is distressed when others aren't always sure what those are. Jimmy's protectiveness but the way that can turn into control-freak-panic. Jimmy's empty nest syndrome vs. Duncan's midlife crisis as a former fuckboy. Their unadmitted neediness and territoriality-- Duncan joking-but-not-really that Jimmy's going to ride off into the sunset with Alice, Jimmy waiting till the last minute to beg him "Don't go."
The Sting (1973): Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker
My signup:
Tricksters and cheaters who use their skills for great justice, skilled risk junkies, developing a con-man-mind-meld while ending up worrying about and coming to trust each other. I love to see them working in a con (of their own, or helping someone else), but no need if you don't want to, I also love the in-between times, or the offstage times, daily life or on the road or whatever. It's important to me that targets of a con always deserve it, which is what sets this kind of con artistry apart--the grifters punch up, not down.
Likes/prompts:
I love the "me and him against the world" con-artist feeling, as if it's one big improv troupe vs. 'civilians' on the outside. That backstage-theater feeling, how they as a two-man outfit, or within the larger troupe/family, plan and put on a show. The shorthand and lingo of the profession. I love Johnny learning like an impatient sponge and Henry full of hard-won wisdom--but I also love Johnny bringing new energy and angles, teaching Henry a thing or two. Henry introducing Johnny to more of their colleagues, bringing him to higher echelons? Johnny mistaken for Henry's boy picked up out of the gutter, Henry mistaken for his sugar daddy? (How much of that is a mistake?) A con that actually does go wrong, and/or the aftermath thereof? The dangers of boredom for a risk junkie. The skill of lying and deflecting, and how to turn it off when it's personal and emotional and crucial. Trickery as a weapon-- and trickery done with love.
Thanks again, and please enjoy whatever you create!
no subject
Date: 2020-05-31 12:33 am (UTC)Also: reading your letter-to-creator has inundated me with tropey plotbunnies! <3
no subject
Date: 2020-05-31 12:52 am (UTC)And yeah, I was distracted and didn't notice the nomination period and almost all of the signup period, so I didn't nominate anything, and unfortunately I didn't mention it here ahead of time. And then all of a sudden I noticed a challenge letter from someone on my list, so I fled over and signed up just before deadline.
I'm so glad it's inspirational! \o/