(no subject)
while waiting on a recap meeting with my boss, i am ... writing notes about what i want this 40k word slowburn gunter x femui fic to accomplish :v
writing these short ficlets is making it painfully obvious to do any kind of character study right, i gotta invest in more words here; he's too complex to distill down to one or two scenes, ditto with his dynamic with her. he's hiding too much.
(and honestly, i have always had a soft spot for those epically long slow burn age gap relationship studies; i specifically hunt them out in every fandom, and think making this for gunter fans would be one hell of a gift to this corner of the fates fandom. think pet project, which i feel like fans of a certian age and similar ship taste would recognize. there's a certian sad, poetic irony how both of these men were doomed to death by canon, and I'm vividly reminded of this quote again, mirroring my current feelings.
endurance wise, this is going to be tough - but i've written that amount of words before for past NaNos, beta'd for quite a few novels, and i think this leans enough on all of my favorite tropes i wouldn't get bored halfway through. i also plan to do companion illustrations that will help brainstorm bits as well. the fact this outline is gelling together phenomenally well to the point i already have most of the scenes summarized and falling into place speaks well.)
but back to what i would like this fic to focus on:
- can he and kamui have a loving but realistic relationship while he's being tempted by anankos? (think, if they had the Conquest C-S supports in Revelations) if she's around him more, does that reduce anankos' hold on his hatreds? is that enough to change the endgame?
- how do they navigate hooking up through the campaign in "closet mode" with all the eyes on them? how do they handle the nohr royalty finding out? (since i feel like hoshido royalty cares less). who reacts badly, who doesn't? who's squicked out by the class differences? (age difference/psuedo-incest too, but given the slight realisim bent, it feels like they'd be more fussed about the former). despite the heaviness, i feel like this is prime territory for some genuinely endearing characterization moments.
- can kamui grow past her childhood crush on him and mature into seeing him in a different light? (in turn, can he too, also see her as somebody more nuanced than a princess to be used or simply a mentee to teach bitterly? can he have the bravery to reach out through his loneliness, and bare his heart and scars?) how does their romance change with the flavors over time? from pining to confession to deep physical intimacy?
- bluntly, too, on that last point, how do they work around the age difference in terms of sexual mechanics and libido? how does kamui draw him out emotionally, and make him feel like a man again, rather than a ghost or a rusted weapon? how do they stumble into their white-hot sexual appetite for each other, and how do they handle the kinks and taboos that they both wrestle with? (how does gunter in particular wrestle with the guilt of his desire?)
- can he and kamui come to terms with the fridge horror of the northern fortress times? can he make amends for his acts there -- if he's the head of security/her bodyguard/perfectly aware of how Garon kidnapped her, and almost executing Silas, as just a few examples. how does kamui reconcile that with her feelings for him?
- and - can i make y'all cry several times LOL
god help me, and I swear by my Muse, I am going to give this man a goddamn happy ending. he's going to have to earn it, but it will be there.
a humble request
trust and believe, even though i know nothing about fire emblem, i will be reading this fic when it comes out, but in the meantime, i humbly request more fic recommendations from you (when you have a moment of course!)
Re: a humble request
okay, solid lengthy/complete bangers in the bookmarks list that stand up no matter the fandom. please note i haven't read most of these in years so they may not hold up as well as I remember, but all of them /are/ ones that still live in my mind rent-free in some ways. They're pretty different, but you may notice reoccurring thematic patterns of lopsided power dynamics (but despite that, usually loving relationships within those constraints), death, survival that's not written as a twee "trauma" fic but respects the characters, a sense of an earned happy ending.
- and wolves beneath their seams (Fallout 3, F/M)(https://archiveofourown.org/works/1052742/chapters/2107037) - Gun to my head, if i had to pick one fic to rec over any, it'd be this one; it actually got me to play Fallout. probably the rawest study on what it feels like to be in a survival mindset.
- Snow White (Hellsing F/M) https://archiveofourown.org/works/6314029/chapters/14465299 - the only other fic I've bound into a physical book. It's essentially a fairy tale re-telling of Hellsing, and you don't need to know anything about the series to get it. Great mix of plot, romance, and characterization.
- Mere Human (Hellsing, Gen-ish? F/M?) - https://archiveofourown.org/works/3162884 - much shorter than the rest of these as it's a drabble and not a long fic, this is one of the only fics i /will/ cry at, every single time.
- Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach (Gen) https://archiveofourown.org/works/20177950/chapters/47807593 - I have zero interest in Good Omens and yet this one suckered me in. Quite possibly the best therapy fic I've ever read.
- our violent delights (House of the Dragon - M/F) - https://archiveofourown.org/works/42439308/chapters/106581078 - if you liked pet project, you'll like this; similar kind of ship.
- whitehound's snape fics - if you liked pet project, whitehound also beta'd that one and imo is the one writer that genuinely understands that guy. of whitehound's fics, the three i'd rec are:
-- mood music (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2608743/1/Mood-Music-aka-Sound-is-a-Horse) would read this one first of any of the authors. snape is rescued by, essentially an OC, but she's one of the most well written ladies i've had the pleasure to meet.
--https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2869927/1/Sons-of-Prophecy-sequel-to-Mood-Music the sequel to the previous fic
-- lost and found (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2869905/1/Lost-and-Found) HGSS
- Restraint (Ajin, M/M) https://archiveofourown.org/works/7899865/chapters/18045337 - Huge, huge content guro/torture/dead dove/trauma warnings for this one, though it's really more of a trilogy of fics. there's a happy/recovery end to this one, but jesus does it get dark. The best way I can describe it is there's a minion of the big bad villain who gets suckered into the villain's circle of influence, and goes through hell by his hands. Another one of the minions eventually frees the first guy and they end up having a happier life together.
- the legendary femslash (F/F) Cars fic (yes, the kid's movie)- (https://archiveofourown.org/works/20621522/chapters/48966311) Just. i can't describe it. If you liked Truth and Measure, I think you'll like this one. Not at all comedic; genuinely moving.
Re: a humble request
Re: a humble request