Size Matters...
I love the fact that the dS fandom is still strong, years after the end of the show. I love the fact that newcomers still discover the fandom (being one of them myself), bringing new stories and viewpoints to dS. I greatly enjoy the general tenor of the stories, the quality of the writing, the variety of characters that get thoughtful attention.
The only thing that would make it better would be...more stories of length. dS is chock full of drabbles, flash-fiction challenges, little excerpts, scenes and other brief--often very brief--stories. I adore both Rays, love several of the Turnbull stories and am always facinated on the rare takes of Stella. I love 'em al so don't stop! I just miss long stories.
I don't know if the relative lack of longer stories is due to the fact the show has been over for such a long time or what, but the focus of most dS writers at this time is short stories. The challenges specific for the fandom are generally drabbles or with short word counts. The tendency to short work may be due to the fact that this fandom is old for most authors; the characters they write are like familiar friends, it's easy to write a quick scene about them but many authors may feel they've already explored as much of the 'world' (as seen in longer stories) as they want. I don't know. Being new to the fandom myself, I'm still into the larger scale stories, still poking around in the odd corners and trying to extrapolate beyond the original scope of the show. Shorter scenes, like visiting a couple of friends for a cup of coffee, are still in my future.
I know there are authors out there who are in the middle of longer pieces, or have recently posted new stories of length--it's not like dS is dead. I'm just putting my two cents in for more authors to pick up the dS world and run with it.
To that end, a half dozen or so plot ideas that might generate longer stories, free to a good home...
AUs
Kowalski is an ER doctor, still married to Stella. Fraser and Vecchio are still Mountie and Detective. Kowalski meets the two through their constant trips to the hospital ER for themselves and others (some nice scenes possible here where Vecchio is trying to get a resistant Fraser to see the doc). Friendship and/or romance develops. Possible plotlines: Stella and Kowalski's marriage is still failing, Vecchio and Fraser's romantic relationship is also failing due to Vecchio's ambiguity about homosexual relationships...everybody switches partners! Or: Kowalski realizes, from repeat visits by injured Fraser that the guy has a self-destructive impulse, he and Vecchio (with the possible addition of Frannie, Thatcher or other desired romantic interest) have to figure out how to get at what's bothering the Mountie and fix it before he goes too far and gets himself killed. Or: Kowalski works at a mental hospital and crazy Mountie is committed--a serious or comedic review of 'Hawk and Handsaw'.
Kowalksi is a Smoke Jumper (wilderness firefighters who parachute into the areas where the fire is heading), sent to work on a fire on the US/Canada border for an absolutely huge fire. Fraser is a Mountie who is struggling to evacuate a town/village through dangerous, burning wilderness before everyone is burned to a crisp. Wilderness/Action adventure and possible slash romance follows. Add desperate criminals of the Victoria persuasion, possibly chased by a slightly AU Vecchio (maybe a mob hitman?) who's been hunting the woman down for years and we've got a good thriller going.
Mounties in Space!! In the near future...a jointly administered space station/lunar colony/Martian colony with Space!Mounties, smart mouthed detectives (of your choice) deal with the human tendency to crime and possible alien contact! Turnbull would make a great alien, IMO.
Hockey professionals and Firemen are already in good hands.
Not so Strange...
So, what does happen when Vecchio returns? There are a few stories out there but the idea is so rich. Post 'Bookman' Vecchio needs more love! Is he on the run from survivors of the federal raid on the Iguana family? Is he kidnapped while undercover in Vegas and only a Mountie and his replacement can save him? Does Vecchio come home a changed man and Fraser has to discover what secret he hides and help him through it? Does he return to find Fraser in love with his sister/Kowalski/Thatcher when the two of them (or Vecchio/Kowalski, Vecchio/Thatcher) had a romantic relationship before he left? What was his and Stella's courtship like, would Fraser go back to the US to stop his marriage to Stella out of jealousy/love?
There are quite a few stories set after Kowalski and Fraser return from their adventure but what happened on it? This Fraser we're talking about, criminals and jumping off of tall things must have happened. Perhaps they visit Quinn and Kowalski discovers some things about Fraser he never knew... Shaman!Mountie? Quinn/Fraser? And where is Victoria? Or: Fraser is called off his vacation because he's the nearest Mountie in a very deserted part of Canada to help a small town/village of Inuit who are being terrorized by a 'wendigo' or a band of poachers might be fun. Perhaps he and Kowalksi disappear and Vecchio with the help of Thatcher/Turnbull/Frobisher have to go find them.
Vecchio's time in Vegas is a rich, mostly untouched period of time in the dS universe. What does Vecchio do to survive there? Does Fraser/Stella have to rescue his soul from the evil he faced as the Bookman? Maybe he develops a secondary personality that takes over sometime after his marriage to Stella; his friends have to pull together to save his mind and heart. Or: he meets a young, dark haired, blue-eyed man there who's in danger of being killed because he's queer and in the mob--the Bookman risks all to save this man and perhaps realizes that love can conquer all and returns to the man he left in a fit of homosexual panic. Or: The Bookman's cover is blown (possibly the story starts in Chicago with Kowalski's cover getting blown) and he's been wounded and is on the run in the Nevada desert, Fraser and/or other company of your choice, must brave the unfamiliar wilderness of sand, not snow, to find and save him. The idea of seeing Fraser so completely out of his element in a desert is tempting, I must say.
Everbody else...
What did Robert Fraser do when his wife was killed? A story about his unsuccessful hunt for Muldoon would be nice to see as well as reveal a young Benton and the world that shaped him. Or: Perhaps the whole murder thing was more complex than anyone knew...maybe Muldoon was Caroline's lover, or Robert's. Perhaps it was a polyamours relationship. Then something went wrong.
Stella Kowalksi is often portrayed only through the lens of Kowalski or Fraser. I figure there has to be something complex there if Ray's mom kept talking to her after the divorce. What would she do if Ray started to fall in love with Fraser? Perhaps Stella knew Ray's bisexual tendencies and it made her uncomfortable, seeing some sign of it between Fraser and Ray she decided to stop the process before Ray destroys himself and his career--so she rekindles the romance between herself and Ray, and in the process falls back in love with him. Or: (Bad!Stella alert), we discover that she's a very jealous, abusive woman who won't let Ray go, even if she doesn't want him anymore. Fraser has to save Ray and deal with the trauma of domestic abuse. Or: (turn the situation around, Bad!Ray alert), Ray is a very volatile man, physically expressive. Perhaps the strain of undercover work combined with the strain in their marriage made him physically abusive. Stella is struggling to put herself back together while Ray struggles to learn self-control and find some way to atone for his behavior. Or:The courtship between Vecchio and Stella must have been quite something, what was it? Or:I'd love to see something that addresses the real strain of being an attorney, married to a cop. Cops often dislike lawyers when they see folks who they know are criminals walk due to legal wrangling, plea bargaining and deals. Things between Stella and Ray couldn't have been easy.
You have to pass all kinds of mental and physical tests to join the RCMP, Turnbull can't have been as brainless as he seems. So, what the hell is going on? Is the Chicago Consulate the great repository of Mounties no one wants to remember? Maybe he, like Fraser, did something to get in a bad odor and is a perfectly intelligent man who's amusing himself at a dead end job by acting bizarrely. What did he do to get assigned to the Consulate? Or: He and Fraser are selected to be trained for undercover work where the two of them realize each other's skills, and perhaps more. Or:Maybe he was sent to Chicago by Fraser's enemies within the RCMP to kill Fraser, frame him for some crime or what have you. However, Turnbull changes over time, with exposure to Fraser and learns to Maintain the Right.
There! At the tips of our fingertips! Thousands of pages, millions of words, just looking for a good home!
The only thing that would make it better would be...more stories of length. dS is chock full of drabbles, flash-fiction challenges, little excerpts, scenes and other brief--often very brief--stories. I adore both Rays, love several of the Turnbull stories and am always facinated on the rare takes of Stella. I love 'em al so don't stop! I just miss long stories.
I don't know if the relative lack of longer stories is due to the fact the show has been over for such a long time or what, but the focus of most dS writers at this time is short stories. The challenges specific for the fandom are generally drabbles or with short word counts. The tendency to short work may be due to the fact that this fandom is old for most authors; the characters they write are like familiar friends, it's easy to write a quick scene about them but many authors may feel they've already explored as much of the 'world' (as seen in longer stories) as they want. I don't know. Being new to the fandom myself, I'm still into the larger scale stories, still poking around in the odd corners and trying to extrapolate beyond the original scope of the show. Shorter scenes, like visiting a couple of friends for a cup of coffee, are still in my future.
I know there are authors out there who are in the middle of longer pieces, or have recently posted new stories of length--it's not like dS is dead. I'm just putting my two cents in for more authors to pick up the dS world and run with it.
To that end, a half dozen or so plot ideas that might generate longer stories, free to a good home...
AUs
Kowalski is an ER doctor, still married to Stella. Fraser and Vecchio are still Mountie and Detective. Kowalski meets the two through their constant trips to the hospital ER for themselves and others (some nice scenes possible here where Vecchio is trying to get a resistant Fraser to see the doc). Friendship and/or romance develops. Possible plotlines: Stella and Kowalski's marriage is still failing, Vecchio and Fraser's romantic relationship is also failing due to Vecchio's ambiguity about homosexual relationships...everybody switches partners! Or: Kowalski realizes, from repeat visits by injured Fraser that the guy has a self-destructive impulse, he and Vecchio (with the possible addition of Frannie, Thatcher or other desired romantic interest) have to figure out how to get at what's bothering the Mountie and fix it before he goes too far and gets himself killed. Or: Kowalski works at a mental hospital and crazy Mountie is committed--a serious or comedic review of 'Hawk and Handsaw'.
Kowalksi is a Smoke Jumper (wilderness firefighters who parachute into the areas where the fire is heading), sent to work on a fire on the US/Canada border for an absolutely huge fire. Fraser is a Mountie who is struggling to evacuate a town/village through dangerous, burning wilderness before everyone is burned to a crisp. Wilderness/Action adventure and possible slash romance follows. Add desperate criminals of the Victoria persuasion, possibly chased by a slightly AU Vecchio (maybe a mob hitman?) who's been hunting the woman down for years and we've got a good thriller going.
Mounties in Space!! In the near future...a jointly administered space station/lunar colony/Martian colony with Space!Mounties, smart mouthed detectives (of your choice) deal with the human tendency to crime and possible alien contact! Turnbull would make a great alien, IMO.
Hockey professionals and Firemen are already in good hands.
Not so Strange...
So, what does happen when Vecchio returns? There are a few stories out there but the idea is so rich. Post 'Bookman' Vecchio needs more love! Is he on the run from survivors of the federal raid on the Iguana family? Is he kidnapped while undercover in Vegas and only a Mountie and his replacement can save him? Does Vecchio come home a changed man and Fraser has to discover what secret he hides and help him through it? Does he return to find Fraser in love with his sister/Kowalski/Thatcher when the two of them (or Vecchio/Kowalski, Vecchio/Thatcher) had a romantic relationship before he left? What was his and Stella's courtship like, would Fraser go back to the US to stop his marriage to Stella out of jealousy/love?
There are quite a few stories set after Kowalski and Fraser return from their adventure but what happened on it? This Fraser we're talking about, criminals and jumping off of tall things must have happened. Perhaps they visit Quinn and Kowalski discovers some things about Fraser he never knew... Shaman!Mountie? Quinn/Fraser? And where is Victoria? Or: Fraser is called off his vacation because he's the nearest Mountie in a very deserted part of Canada to help a small town/village of Inuit who are being terrorized by a 'wendigo' or a band of poachers might be fun. Perhaps he and Kowalksi disappear and Vecchio with the help of Thatcher/Turnbull/Frobisher have to go find them.
Vecchio's time in Vegas is a rich, mostly untouched period of time in the dS universe. What does Vecchio do to survive there? Does Fraser/Stella have to rescue his soul from the evil he faced as the Bookman? Maybe he develops a secondary personality that takes over sometime after his marriage to Stella; his friends have to pull together to save his mind and heart. Or: he meets a young, dark haired, blue-eyed man there who's in danger of being killed because he's queer and in the mob--the Bookman risks all to save this man and perhaps realizes that love can conquer all and returns to the man he left in a fit of homosexual panic. Or: The Bookman's cover is blown (possibly the story starts in Chicago with Kowalski's cover getting blown) and he's been wounded and is on the run in the Nevada desert, Fraser and/or other company of your choice, must brave the unfamiliar wilderness of sand, not snow, to find and save him. The idea of seeing Fraser so completely out of his element in a desert is tempting, I must say.
Everbody else...
What did Robert Fraser do when his wife was killed? A story about his unsuccessful hunt for Muldoon would be nice to see as well as reveal a young Benton and the world that shaped him. Or: Perhaps the whole murder thing was more complex than anyone knew...maybe Muldoon was Caroline's lover, or Robert's. Perhaps it was a polyamours relationship. Then something went wrong.
Stella Kowalksi is often portrayed only through the lens of Kowalski or Fraser. I figure there has to be something complex there if Ray's mom kept talking to her after the divorce. What would she do if Ray started to fall in love with Fraser? Perhaps Stella knew Ray's bisexual tendencies and it made her uncomfortable, seeing some sign of it between Fraser and Ray she decided to stop the process before Ray destroys himself and his career--so she rekindles the romance between herself and Ray, and in the process falls back in love with him. Or: (Bad!Stella alert), we discover that she's a very jealous, abusive woman who won't let Ray go, even if she doesn't want him anymore. Fraser has to save Ray and deal with the trauma of domestic abuse. Or: (turn the situation around, Bad!Ray alert), Ray is a very volatile man, physically expressive. Perhaps the strain of undercover work combined with the strain in their marriage made him physically abusive. Stella is struggling to put herself back together while Ray struggles to learn self-control and find some way to atone for his behavior. Or:The courtship between Vecchio and Stella must have been quite something, what was it? Or:I'd love to see something that addresses the real strain of being an attorney, married to a cop. Cops often dislike lawyers when they see folks who they know are criminals walk due to legal wrangling, plea bargaining and deals. Things between Stella and Ray couldn't have been easy.
You have to pass all kinds of mental and physical tests to join the RCMP, Turnbull can't have been as brainless as he seems. So, what the hell is going on? Is the Chicago Consulate the great repository of Mounties no one wants to remember? Maybe he, like Fraser, did something to get in a bad odor and is a perfectly intelligent man who's amusing himself at a dead end job by acting bizarrely. What did he do to get assigned to the Consulate? Or: He and Fraser are selected to be trained for undercover work where the two of them realize each other's skills, and perhaps more. Or:Maybe he was sent to Chicago by Fraser's enemies within the RCMP to kill Fraser, frame him for some crime or what have you. However, Turnbull changes over time, with exposure to Fraser and learns to Maintain the Right.
There! At the tips of our fingertips! Thousands of pages, millions of words, just looking for a good home!