disgruntledowl

Dear Chocolatier,

 

I’m so glad you’re part of the exchange!  Here’s a bit about me and my requests. 

 

 

Relationship Interests: I enjoy gen, het, slash, and femslash. Poly is less of a thing for me, but I am open to reading about it if you find it makes for a compelling story. I’m particularly intrigued by romantic possibilities for older characters, sexual extortion, and power dynamics and imbalances. 

 

Other Likes: Gothic tales, noir, intrigue, atmosphere, vampires, ghosts, period settings, spooky monsters, fairy tale motifs, nature (forests, deserts, shores, and swamps), villains and their motives and psychological characteristics. 

Do-Not-Wants: cannibalism (vampires drinking blood is okay), bestiality, zombies, mpreg, gratuitous graphic violence, scat/watersports, underage, body horror, animal or child abuse.

Gray Areas: I’d prefer not to read stories about infidelity or very explicit rape/non-con. Given my relationship interests, dub-con is okay. I understand this territory is murky, so don’t worry too much about crossing a line. I’m primarily trying to avoid really extreme or violent situations. 

 

Story/Art Characteristics: I’m good with missing scenes and canon divergence, but I like to stay in the world of the story, so I’d prefer the story or artwork not be set in a dramatically different AU (coffee shop, high school, etc.) 

Fandom Specifics

 

I loved this show growing up, and I still have episodes on DVD and enjoy that warm, nostalgic feeling every time I re-watch them. Mozenrath is a charismatic, capable villain and a fantastic foil to both Aladdin and Jasmine, which gives their interactions great dramatic tension. I’d love to see a situation where he and Aladdin and/or Jasmine are forced to team up to overcome a more formidable foe. I’m open to flirting and some sexual tension between these three, though I’m less interested in drawn-out love triangles or angsty infidelity. 

 

I enjoy Iago for many of these same reasons I do Mozenrath. He’s clever, he has a lot of life experience and an encyclopedic knowledge of magic (particularly for a parrot), and his motives tend to be darker and more complex than those of the other protagonists. I like the fact that he’s got a past, one that often gets the gang in trouble. For these reasons, I think he and Jasmine make a particularly interesting combination, because her strong will, idealism, and relative naiveté often clash with his world weariness, cynicism, and lack of scruples. Wendy Lee’s Aladdin fics from the 90s provide great examples of this.   

 

Overall, these are people for whom I’d like to have happy endings, but I’d enjoy seeing them get into dark territory on the way there. That said, if you plan on going the Abu & Iago route, feel free to go light and fluffy all the way. 

 

For me, this movie is more about style than substance. However, I wish the scene where Maleficent visits Prince Philip in her dungeon on the Forbidden Mountain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r62OHf-0iok) had more substance to it, because it has such sexy potential. I’d love a story that expands upon that scene. What depths of desperation does Philip experience when Maleficent shows him how life will pass him by before he can rescue Aurora? What is he willing to do to avoid that fate? Does Maleficent sense his desperation, and if she does, what demands does she make? Do they strike a bargain, and what pleasures—for either or both characters—might it entail? 

 

The older I get, the deeper an appreciation I have for this movie. The slow build romance between Anya and Dmitri is wonderful. I’d enjoy some missing scenes, some hurt/comfort, or some complex ever-after moments with this pair. Before they journey from St. Petersburg to Paris, does he show her other ruins left behind after the fall of the monarchy to convince her of her royal lineage? Does Anya get glimpses of his seedy profession during the plot of the film, and are there moments when his history shady of dealings (and not just Rasputin’s machinations) put them in danger? How does their shared life get more complex as Europe plunges back into turmoil? How does their love survive these different challenges?  

 

James Bond Movies: 

Bond and Scaramanga: I’ll start by being frank: I dig Scaramanga because he’s played by sexy Christopher Lee. In any case, they have a lot in common, particularly their weird childhoods and using their capacity for violence to make their living. I could picture Scaramanga arranging a situation where he’d have the chance to meet and sate his curiosity about Bond, his equal in this world of international intrigue, whether part of or outside of a mission. (Or, you could turn the tables and have Bond pursue Scaramanga for the same reasons.) They’re connecting to explore one another, in all the meanings of the word. Roger Moore’s Bond is the obvious opposite to Lee’s Scaramanga, although I could also see Dalton or Craig’s Bonds filling the role. 

 

Bond and Le Chiffre: I envision the interactions between these two containing more jealousy and animus. I like the scene in the 2006 Casino Royale when Le Chiffre admits his appreciation of Bond’s physical fitness even as he’s torturing him. Le Chiffre has (nefariously) earned his living through his superior intelligence; by comparison, Bond is a thug, but his wits and capacity for violence give him the upper hand in many situations. A meeting between these two could initially have a sinister purpose, but give these two men an opportunity to probe and push each other’s buttons.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story: 

Galen Erso and Orson Krennic: What a heart-rending mess these two are. I am really intrigued by the fraught aspects of their relationship: their power imbalance, Krennic’s potentially unrequited attraction, their betrayals of one another, and the conflict between their relationship and what they each think is best for the galaxy. I believe there are embers of friendship or love between them even through the plot of Rogue One, though everything is out to extinguish them. I’d prefer a story set before or after Lyra, so that the story stays focused on the two of them. You could explore their shared experiences in the Brentaal Futures program, or how they interact once Galen has been forced back into Imperial Service. 

 

Orson Krennic and Wilhuff Tarkin: I like this pair dark and deliciously cruel. Their every interaction is fueled by intense animosity, jealousy, and possessiveness. Why wouldn’t that spill over into sexual tension, even if it’s the hate-sex kind? 

 

Happy writing, and I’m looking forward to your treat on Valentine’s Day!