Overshare!
Thanks to lycomingst for the bear hug! <3
So inlovewithnight and cidercupcakes made these lists of all their fictional narrative/storytelling kinks. And then we talked about it today and I said I would make mine. So I, uh, did that.
1) Grace in Darkness. If I have a bullet proof narrative kink, this is it. Where things maybe aren't okay and maybe aren't going to be okay, but you have characters who will still do the best they can with what they've got. These characters probably actually believe some pretty dark things about the world and don't necessarily think they can fix anything, but they believe deep down that just trying is worth something. This can be in an AtS "If there is no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. 'cause that's all there is."(Epiphany AtS 2x16) kind of way or a "fuck it if the world is ending I'm throwing the party" Cobra Starship kind of way, doesn't matter. (The whole narrative of Cobra Starship is a very grace in darkness narrative, despite how ridiculous they are and Gabe Saporta more or less hits this button hard every time he opens his mouth, which is why I can't quit him no matter what he does).
2) Kind of hand in hand with the first one (and a lot of these are pretty connected, I'm figuring out), impossible decisions in impossible situations - where there is no *right* choice, or at least no choice that won't hurt, but whatever choice the character makes is a choice freely made with awareness of/willingness to accept any consequence and stand by the choice. (BOOMER AND ATHENA. Also this is what I desperately wanted Sam's arc on SPN to be when he started teaming up with Ruby. I wanted him to be choosing it freely, not because he was actually going evil but because he felt like it was the only choice he had - the only way to save the world and Dean was to embrace that power, knowing all the time that it was a bad decision, but doing it anyway because it was, in the long run, better than the alternative. The whole addiction plot line really left me cold.)
3) Completely 100% platonic bff dynamics where they're still the most important person in each other's world (or at least among the most important because this can involve more than two characters). Also siblings with a really super intense you-and-me-against-the-world (PLATONIC) connection. I like it BEST in m/f relationships because m/f friendships are so rarely allowed to stay platonic in most media but I really, really like it in m/m and f/f too.
4) Evenly matched comrades in arms/partners in crime with complete respect for each other's abilities - again, *especially* in m/f dynamics where the characters are either equally competent or equally faily, but where the woman doesn't end up the more-emotionally-mature, long suffering partner/significant other/whatever or having to take care of the guy (except in ways that they both take care of each other) because she's either just as angst filled or just as much trouble as he is and they enable each other or, alternatively, have to take turns saving each other. (CHUCK/BLAIR IS THE BEST SHIP EVER AND THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Also, this explains what Ryan/Z does for me. Also, John Crichton/Aeryn Sun OTP OF ALL TIME).
5) On the flip side, worthy adversaries! Especially when they have sexual tension (and complete respect for each other's abilities).
6) Villains in love with each other.
7) Star-crossed immortals. Especially if they have really intense history but are enemies now who can't help being drawn to each other. It is best if this goes on for HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
8) Antagonistic ships where the two people involved used to be good friends and had a falling out, or where they have some kind of deeper connection that draws them together. Or both. It can be antagonistic because they're on opposite "sides" (of whatever) but that's not necessary. For example, I would put Angel/Spike in this category, but I definitely ship them harder when they're both souled and *trying* to work together and just not liking it very much.
9) Trickster characters or villains who are more capricious than evil.
10) Characters who make bad decisions, knowing they're bad and bad things might happen, not really out of evil intentions, but just because they can and just because it might be fun. ("It's a wonder that I didn't foresee the cataclysm, but then I never envision the finish of anything that I start. It's the risk that fascinates, the moment of infinite possibility. It lures me through eternity when all other charms fail." Hi, Lestat, hi).
11) Along with that, characters who feel like they *should* be sorry, but aren't, characters who are not (necessarily) bad people, but who have done bad things and still can't bring themselves to have regrets, even though they maybe know they probably should. (HI LESTAT HI. There's this amazing scene in The Tale of the Body Thief where he's trapped in the human body having fever dreams about Claudia and she comes to him all accusatory and tells him how evil he is and he kind of breaks down all "what do you want from me, I am what I am, I'm not sorry and I would do it all again." AND I WRITHE AROUND IN GLEE).
12) Characters who really are as cool as they think they are. (Especially girls).
13) Competence
14) UST and pining that goes to eleven and then stays there so long it's almost excruciating until it's finally resolved through characters talking about their feelings. Long, drawn out first time fic is the best kind of this, but lovers getting back together is pretty great too.
15) Self-deprecating, self-aware pretension. Characters who are pretentious asses and know it and can laugh at themselves, but still don't stop being pretentious asses.
16) Super bandom specific, but - somebody singing someone else's very personal lyrics. That was the first thing that knocked me on my ass wrt Brendon/Ryan, the whole "they were your words, how was I supposed to be your voice" thing. Oh my God, the forced intimacy of that, holy shit. ♥___♥ But it's not *just* them. Last time I saw GCH, they played a song Disashi wrote for/about Travie while Travie was in rehab and of course, Travie was the one singing it. ("Slope Day" right? I'm not as familiar with their music as I am with some of the other bandom bands). Aaaaaaahhh. And then when Gabe was having all those voice issues and I saw Cobra live there was one point where he lost his voice completely and just stopped singing and nodded at Ryland and Ryland stepped in seamlessly to take over for him while he recovered. !!!!!! Also, there's Pete and Patrick obviously. I don't really ship them because with them this factor is always held in tension with #3 above, but I certainly enjoy that aspect of their friendship.
But Ryan/Brendon is STILL THE BEST ONE.
(I can see this button would be punched just as hard by other kinds of personal-but-shared artistic creation, but I can't think of specific examples in any other fandom.)
17) bruising, or any marks left after sex
18) Frottage
19) Awkward sex
20) girl!oral
21) orgasm control
22) coming untouched. Aaaand now I'm just oversharing. Moving away from the really specific sex stuff...
23) Cidercupcakes said "Rough sex between characters who are completely in love with each other." Yes, yes, yes, but also
24) hate!sex
25) Dramatic reveals, especially of secret identities/super powers or knowledge one shouldn't have. (This has been a thing since I was three or four. See icon). Though sometimes dramatic reveals of feelings too are good too, which leads us to:
26) Grand gestures (though this is iffy because it can easily trip over into embarrassment squick territory).
27) Dramatic reunions, especially if someone's presence is DRAMATICALLY REVEALED.
28) To steal from Jules again - heroes walking open-eyed into their own destruction, but with the caveat that this ONLY works for me when I'm 100% sold that they either have absolutely NO other choice or at least completely believe they have no other choice. (See: Impossible decisions in impossible situations, etc, etc).
29) Emotionally reserved Character A falling in love almost against their will, with Character B who they're overwhelmed by/slightly scared of, not because Character B is actually scary, but because Character B is so amazing and intense that it's overwhelming and Character A doesn't really know what to do so kind of pulls away/is cold out of self-preservation because they're scared of the intensity of their own feelings. There also might be levels of competitiveness underlying some of it and complicating the dynamic. I like this best in slash or femslash. I might be thinking of a specific ship here, I DON'T KNOW WHAT DO YOU THINK. /o\
30) Mixed gender threesomes ( or foursomes, I guess) where each relationship is given equal weight and they're all in love with each other.
So. Anyway. That took a lot longer than it should have. I did not watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and now I'm really sad about that because everyone is posting about it, but I don't have TV. :( I think I've found a place to stream the Olympics online now, though, thanks to sionnain. \o/
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So inlovewithnight and cidercupcakes made these lists of all their fictional narrative/storytelling kinks. And then we talked about it today and I said I would make mine. So I, uh, did that.
1) Grace in Darkness. If I have a bullet proof narrative kink, this is it. Where things maybe aren't okay and maybe aren't going to be okay, but you have characters who will still do the best they can with what they've got. These characters probably actually believe some pretty dark things about the world and don't necessarily think they can fix anything, but they believe deep down that just trying is worth something. This can be in an AtS "If there is no great glorious end to all this, if nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do. 'cause that's all there is."(Epiphany AtS 2x16) kind of way or a "fuck it if the world is ending I'm throwing the party" Cobra Starship kind of way, doesn't matter. (The whole narrative of Cobra Starship is a very grace in darkness narrative, despite how ridiculous they are and Gabe Saporta more or less hits this button hard every time he opens his mouth, which is why I can't quit him no matter what he does).
2) Kind of hand in hand with the first one (and a lot of these are pretty connected, I'm figuring out), impossible decisions in impossible situations - where there is no *right* choice, or at least no choice that won't hurt, but whatever choice the character makes is a choice freely made with awareness of/willingness to accept any consequence and stand by the choice. (BOOMER AND ATHENA. Also this is what I desperately wanted Sam's arc on SPN to be when he started teaming up with Ruby. I wanted him to be choosing it freely, not because he was actually going evil but because he felt like it was the only choice he had - the only way to save the world and Dean was to embrace that power, knowing all the time that it was a bad decision, but doing it anyway because it was, in the long run, better than the alternative. The whole addiction plot line really left me cold.)
3) Completely 100% platonic bff dynamics where they're still the most important person in each other's world (or at least among the most important because this can involve more than two characters). Also siblings with a really super intense you-and-me-against-the-world (PLATONIC) connection. I like it BEST in m/f relationships because m/f friendships are so rarely allowed to stay platonic in most media but I really, really like it in m/m and f/f too.
4) Evenly matched comrades in arms/partners in crime with complete respect for each other's abilities - again, *especially* in m/f dynamics where the characters are either equally competent or equally faily, but where the woman doesn't end up the more-emotionally-mature, long suffering partner/significant other/whatever or having to take care of the guy (except in ways that they both take care of each other) because she's either just as angst filled or just as much trouble as he is and they enable each other or, alternatively, have to take turns saving each other. (CHUCK/BLAIR IS THE BEST SHIP EVER AND THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD. Also, this explains what Ryan/Z does for me. Also, John Crichton/Aeryn Sun OTP OF ALL TIME).
5) On the flip side, worthy adversaries! Especially when they have sexual tension (and complete respect for each other's abilities).
6) Villains in love with each other.
7) Star-crossed immortals. Especially if they have really intense history but are enemies now who can't help being drawn to each other. It is best if this goes on for HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
8) Antagonistic ships where the two people involved used to be good friends and had a falling out, or where they have some kind of deeper connection that draws them together. Or both. It can be antagonistic because they're on opposite "sides" (of whatever) but that's not necessary. For example, I would put Angel/Spike in this category, but I definitely ship them harder when they're both souled and *trying* to work together and just not liking it very much.
9) Trickster characters or villains who are more capricious than evil.
10) Characters who make bad decisions, knowing they're bad and bad things might happen, not really out of evil intentions, but just because they can and just because it might be fun. ("It's a wonder that I didn't foresee the cataclysm, but then I never envision the finish of anything that I start. It's the risk that fascinates, the moment of infinite possibility. It lures me through eternity when all other charms fail." Hi, Lestat, hi).
11) Along with that, characters who feel like they *should* be sorry, but aren't, characters who are not (necessarily) bad people, but who have done bad things and still can't bring themselves to have regrets, even though they maybe know they probably should. (HI LESTAT HI. There's this amazing scene in The Tale of the Body Thief where he's trapped in the human body having fever dreams about Claudia and she comes to him all accusatory and tells him how evil he is and he kind of breaks down all "what do you want from me, I am what I am, I'm not sorry and I would do it all again." AND I WRITHE AROUND IN GLEE).
12) Characters who really are as cool as they think they are. (Especially girls).
13) Competence
14) UST and pining that goes to eleven and then stays there so long it's almost excruciating until it's finally resolved through characters talking about their feelings. Long, drawn out first time fic is the best kind of this, but lovers getting back together is pretty great too.
15) Self-deprecating, self-aware pretension. Characters who are pretentious asses and know it and can laugh at themselves, but still don't stop being pretentious asses.
16) Super bandom specific, but - somebody singing someone else's very personal lyrics. That was the first thing that knocked me on my ass wrt Brendon/Ryan, the whole "they were your words, how was I supposed to be your voice" thing. Oh my God, the forced intimacy of that, holy shit. ♥___♥ But it's not *just* them. Last time I saw GCH, they played a song Disashi wrote for/about Travie while Travie was in rehab and of course, Travie was the one singing it. ("Slope Day" right? I'm not as familiar with their music as I am with some of the other bandom bands). Aaaaaaahhh. And then when Gabe was having all those voice issues and I saw Cobra live there was one point where he lost his voice completely and just stopped singing and nodded at Ryland and Ryland stepped in seamlessly to take over for him while he recovered. !!!!!! Also, there's Pete and Patrick obviously. I don't really ship them because with them this factor is always held in tension with #3 above, but I certainly enjoy that aspect of their friendship.
But Ryan/Brendon is STILL THE BEST ONE.
(I can see this button would be punched just as hard by other kinds of personal-but-shared artistic creation, but I can't think of specific examples in any other fandom.)
17) bruising, or any marks left after sex
18) Frottage
19) Awkward sex
20) girl!oral
21) orgasm control
22) coming untouched. Aaaand now I'm just oversharing. Moving away from the really specific sex stuff...
23) Cidercupcakes said "Rough sex between characters who are completely in love with each other." Yes, yes, yes, but also
24) hate!sex
25) Dramatic reveals, especially of secret identities/super powers or knowledge one shouldn't have. (This has been a thing since I was three or four. See icon). Though sometimes dramatic reveals of feelings too are good too, which leads us to:
26) Grand gestures (though this is iffy because it can easily trip over into embarrassment squick territory).
27) Dramatic reunions, especially if someone's presence is DRAMATICALLY REVEALED.
28) To steal from Jules again - heroes walking open-eyed into their own destruction, but with the caveat that this ONLY works for me when I'm 100% sold that they either have absolutely NO other choice or at least completely believe they have no other choice. (See: Impossible decisions in impossible situations, etc, etc).
29) Emotionally reserved Character A falling in love almost against their will, with Character B who they're overwhelmed by/slightly scared of, not because Character B is actually scary, but because Character B is so amazing and intense that it's overwhelming and Character A doesn't really know what to do so kind of pulls away/is cold out of self-preservation because they're scared of the intensity of their own feelings. There also might be levels of competitiveness underlying some of it and complicating the dynamic. I like this best in slash or femslash. I might be thinking of a specific ship here, I DON'T KNOW WHAT DO YOU THINK. /o\
30) Mixed gender threesomes ( or foursomes, I guess) where each relationship is given equal weight and they're all in love with each other.
So. Anyway. That took a lot longer than it should have. I did not watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies and now I'm really sad about that because everyone is posting about it, but I don't have TV. :( I think I've found a place to stream the Olympics online now, though, thanks to sionnain. \o/
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