Dear Rare Male Slash Exchange Writer,
Thank you for writing for me! I'm very much into enemies begrudgingly working together (and less reluctantly having sex), people trying to change the world while keeping their loved ones from running off to do stupid things, and realizing years later that you could have been sleeping together the whole time, damn it.
Banshee (TV)
Lucas Hood/Kai Proctor (Banshee TV)
So I was hooked on the pairing from episode one, where Hood actually killed a guy just to save Proctor (and he didn't even know him yet). Because nothing says romance to me like death, lying, and trying to give a guy meat to get him on your side. And the rest of season one only confirmed it for me - enemies understanding each other's motivations? Brutal fights that end with people politely inquiring “oh, what did you want from me?” Coming in guns blazing to save someone in the nick of time? Yes, yes, and you had it me at the first shot.
Season 2 only kept the frenemy stuff going - Hood and Proctor teaming up in the police station was so very satisfying. And then the ending of season 3 where Hood's quit being Sheriff and he's sitting next to Proctor and Proctor gets that gleam in his eye? Oh, I thought. Surely, Season 4 will explore all the delicious possibilities of that.
No. No, they did not.
Prompts:
Casablanca (1942)
Rick Blaine/Victor Laszlo (Casablanca 1942)
One's a gruff, secretly noble guy who pretends not to give a damn, but has a history of very much giving a damn about doing the right thing,. The other's the embodiment of hope and truth, beloved by all to the point that even the villains respect him. Together they fight Nazis, most likely get turned on by each other's past heroism, and probably have their biggest quarrels over who gets to sacrifice themselves this time!
I do really love the two of them together, so I'd love to see something where they get their own happy ending, whether it's set after the war is over or with them still fighting the Nazi regime. I do want to say that if you do include Ilsa in the story, please have her either never having hooked up with them, or having had an amicable break-up (please don't kill her off or make her into a villain.)
Prompts:
The Skulls (2000)
Caleb Mandrake/Luke McNamara (The Skulls 2000)
You can't give me a movie where characters are introduced as each other's soulmate and not expect me to immediately ship the two characters, especially when ensuing events include: intimate tie-tying lessons, Caleb watching Luke row with great intensity while ignoring all female companionship, and a climactic duel to the death where Caleb kills his own father just so he won't kill Luke, who then has to keep Caleb from killing himself by tackling him to the ground. Top it off with their own fathers being soulmates (you can't tell me the Senator wasn't Luke's secret dad), and the only logical explanation is that they were destined for each other.
So yeah. I'd love something anything in this canon - set after where Luke and Caleb reunite? During the movie where they're just deeply in love and dealing with manipulative fathers? Canon divergence where maybe people don't killed off and Luke ends up getting fully into the Skulls lifestyle? I would like to ask, however, that Chloe either be broken up with Luke, or be friends, if you include her.
Prompts:
Sneakers (1992)
Martin Bishop/Cosmo (Sneakers)
Whether you view it as jilted ex-lover or just brokenhearted best friend, it's pretty clear Cosmo's torn between being furious at Martin for his perceived abandonment and his desire to work with him again as partners. There are so many points where his plans would have worked so much better if he had just killed Martin and yet he can't even pull the trigger at the end when he's got him dead to rights. (Okay, yeah, he did tell that guy to kill his friend, but I have to believe he knew Martin would get out of it because he knows him.)
I'd really like something set in the present to post-movie part - their backstory is tragic and sets up the conflict well, but I like them as older men, having to deal with perceived betrayals, double crosses, and nebulous plans. Plus, Redford and Kingsley have such chemistry and their scene when they first meet up after years apart? Oh, that's good stuff. Martin's relationship with Liz is fine to reference, but if it's included, I'd like it to be one isn't a romantic one (ex-lovers to platonic best friends now).
Prompts:
Banshee (TV)
Lucas Hood/Kai Proctor (Banshee TV)
So I was hooked on the pairing from episode one, where Hood actually killed a guy just to save Proctor (and he didn't even know him yet). Because nothing says romance to me like death, lying, and trying to give a guy meat to get him on your side. And the rest of season one only confirmed it for me - enemies understanding each other's motivations? Brutal fights that end with people politely inquiring “oh, what did you want from me?” Coming in guns blazing to save someone in the nick of time? Yes, yes, and you had it me at the first shot.
Season 2 only kept the frenemy stuff going - Hood and Proctor teaming up in the police station was so very satisfying. And then the ending of season 3 where Hood's quit being Sheriff and he's sitting next to Proctor and Proctor gets that gleam in his eye? Oh, I thought. Surely, Season 4 will explore all the delicious possibilities of that.
No. No, they did not.
Prompts:
- Alternate scenario in Season 4 where Hood and Proctor are actually working together, probably to find Job. Hood doesn't get a grief beard, Proctor is scheming, and Burton is sitting there, wondering how it is that his boss keeps on sleeping with the worst people.
- Or another way? Proctor is the one that gives Hood the cabin instead of Rebecca, because even if you're not using a weapon, it's important that you keep track of it in case you need it.
- Hood never becomes sheriff (which means open season for whatever name he ends up using), but still ends up in Banshee looking for Ana (and his loot). Proctor, as always, appreciates talented violence where he sees it and Hood's just desperate enough to cut a deal.
- You know how a lot of the episodes involved Hood and Proctor either verbally sparring, making veiled threats, or beating each other down? In this case, the foreplay actually leads to sex.
Casablanca (1942)
Rick Blaine/Victor Laszlo (Casablanca 1942)
One's a gruff, secretly noble guy who pretends not to give a damn, but has a history of very much giving a damn about doing the right thing,. The other's the embodiment of hope and truth, beloved by all to the point that even the villains respect him. Together they fight Nazis, most likely get turned on by each other's past heroism, and probably have their biggest quarrels over who gets to sacrifice themselves this time!
I do really love the two of them together, so I'd love to see something where they get their own happy ending, whether it's set after the war is over or with them still fighting the Nazi regime. I do want to say that if you do include Ilsa in the story, please have her either never having hooked up with them, or having had an amicable break-up (please don't kill her off or make her into a villain.)
Prompts:
- “We'll always have Paris” means a lot to Victor, considering it's where he met Rick. Feel free to fudge timelines here if you need to as well as motivations for why Victor might leave (captured family? Trying to protect Rick?)
- Victor shows up in Casablanca and Rick decides that absolutely, he is not getting himself involved in that kind of trouble. Nope. He doesn't care how attractive Victor is or how much he begrudgingly admires the man for sticking to his ideals.
- Rick's a member of the Free French and has been tasked with protecting a genuine war hero. If only the war hero would stop trying to protect Rick...
The Skulls (2000)
Caleb Mandrake/Luke McNamara (The Skulls 2000)
You can't give me a movie where characters are introduced as each other's soulmate and not expect me to immediately ship the two characters, especially when ensuing events include: intimate tie-tying lessons, Caleb watching Luke row with great intensity while ignoring all female companionship, and a climactic duel to the death where Caleb kills his own father just so he won't kill Luke, who then has to keep Caleb from killing himself by tackling him to the ground. Top it off with their own fathers being soulmates (you can't tell me the Senator wasn't Luke's secret dad), and the only logical explanation is that they were destined for each other.
So yeah. I'd love something anything in this canon - set after where Luke and Caleb reunite? During the movie where they're just deeply in love and dealing with manipulative fathers? Canon divergence where maybe people don't killed off and Luke ends up getting fully into the Skulls lifestyle? I would like to ask, however, that Chloe either be broken up with Luke, or be friends, if you include her.
Prompts:
- Luke and Caleb meet up some time after the events of the movie. Cue confessions of “I was in love with you” and “I kind of guessed it from the whole tie incident.” Also, if Caleb ends up being Luke's sugar daddy, in some way, I would not be opposed (and by that I mean, yes please.)
- Caleb is the one to save Luke from the mental hospital, having decided to choose Luke over his dad. Now they're on the run, Luke's detoxing, and maybe the Senator ends up helping them out (but not before taking Caleb's dad down a peg).
- Luke's father acknowledged him from the beginning, and Luke and Caleb grew up knowing they were going to be soulmates.
- The whole soulmate thing is real and now Luke and Caleb are actually bonded together.
Sneakers (1992)
Martin Bishop/Cosmo (Sneakers)
Whether you view it as jilted ex-lover or just brokenhearted best friend, it's pretty clear Cosmo's torn between being furious at Martin for his perceived abandonment and his desire to work with him again as partners. There are so many points where his plans would have worked so much better if he had just killed Martin and yet he can't even pull the trigger at the end when he's got him dead to rights. (Okay, yeah, he did tell that guy to kill his friend, but I have to believe he knew Martin would get out of it because he knows him.)
I'd really like something set in the present to post-movie part - their backstory is tragic and sets up the conflict well, but I like them as older men, having to deal with perceived betrayals, double crosses, and nebulous plans. Plus, Redford and Kingsley have such chemistry and their scene when they first meet up after years apart? Oh, that's good stuff. Martin's relationship with Liz is fine to reference, but if it's included, I'd like it to be one isn't a romantic one (ex-lovers to platonic best friends now).
Prompts:
- It seems the movie leaves a couple of big plot points dangling at the end - Cosmo's still out there with the Mafia and Martin and the gang are kind of being public with their hacking. What happens when people do the math and Martin has to go on the run from multiple people with Cosmo, who may or may not also be on the run?
- What if the ending was just a dream and Martin wakes up to Cosmo scowling at him because either he fell off the roof at the climax or Cosmo really did shoot him and then immediately regretted it (he totally spent day and night at Martin's bedside until he woke up but denies it). I would also not be averse to Martin realizing, wait a second, aren't I supposed to be in a hospital and Cosmo looking shady and maybe he might have kidnapped him, but it's fine because the feds were looking for you anyhow and they can't be allowed to get their hands on you.
- Martin doesn't refuse Cosmo the first time he asks him to join him, or Cosmo decides that he'll have Martin working with him no matter what cost (or threat/blackmail). How do they work together, considering Martin willingly does at the end something similar (even if it's small scale) to what Cosmo wanted all along?