Comments | pbfic_exchange2: "Conquistador," 3/3 for linc_mike

halfshellvenus in pbfic_exchange2

"Conquistador," 3/3 for linc_mike_jess

Mar 16, 2007 09:33

Title : Conquistador 3/3
Rating : NC-17 (sexual situations)
Characters : Michael, Sara, Lincoln, original characters
Pairing : Michael/Sara
Genre : Angst, Drama, AU, Post-exoneration.
Summary : I’m not here because I love you. I’m here because of my fundamental inability to be happy.
Thanks : to my wonderful beta-reader.
Requested by : linc_mike_jessNote : ( Read more... )

exchange_four

Comments 28

sunrunnersioned March 16 2007, 17:35:16 UTC

umm...i'm not sure what to say. That was brilliant but sad....i loved it.

sunrunnersioned March 17 2007, 04:21:51 UTC

Thank you! :-)

halfshellvenus March 16 2007, 21:12:22 UTC

This was a really, really good read. And everyone knows that I almost never read M/S!

The major portion of the story-- Michael's depression and denial, his insomnia, his obsession with find challenges to help him complete the impossible-- was just fascinating. Filled with wry humor and so many touches of the darker, more manipulative side of Michael. I really liked it.

His encounter again with Sara at the clinic, and his whole being hell-bent on seducing her all over again... he seemed more to want to conquer her (just as you put it) rather than to desperately love her. His motivation wasn't love, it was missing what they'd had together (all of that 'nothing' she was denying), and his own sexual urges. And the tenuous victory of bending her to his will rather than to her own better intentions.

Fascinating story from start to finish. Well done. :)

halfshellvenus March 17 2007, 05:02:23 UTC

Now I'm blushing!

Well, I guess the fact that it's not your typical M/S-happily-ever-after fic made it easier for you to bear ;-). Rabids will hate it. I don't care at all.

I agree it's a dark take on Michael's character. It's not my interpretation of Michael, but one interpretation I chose to explore in that fic and I'm overjoyed it compelled you. I love to take what is basically a quality - a need for achievement - and show how it can become nasty when pushed to extremes. I still tried to keep him in character though: in the end, his goodness stops him from going on with his conquest when he realizes that he's just hurting her.

It was definitely my most difficult fic to write, but you just confirm that I suffered for a reason! Thank you for reviewing. And thanks again for polishing it - you made sure it was the best it could be.

Thanks so much! learnthemusic March 17 2007, 16:45:41 UTC

Wow. Michael has completely emptied himself of self worth.

Halfway through the chapter you switched over to ‘twenty-four hours’.

But I loved this entirely. Completely different what I had imagined and definitely worth the infinitely long arrival. One thing I’m confused about is… Actually, nothing. I misunderstood the part at the beginning where Sara ‘shot’ herself as in the actual definition of the word ‘shot’.
Um, it wasn’t exactly the dysfunctional Michael/Sara relationship I was hoping for (Sara being married and all), but not everything has a happy ending. Just a few mistakes (sorry, I’m a neat freak).

Overall, I love it and I can’t wait for the reveal! Great work with the prompt.

Re: Thanks so much! learnthemusic March 18 2007, 00:33:54 UTC

Ooof, I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was difficult to work out! I knew it probably wouldn’t turn out like you expected but it's the only way I could picture Michael becoming an addict. You asked for a darkfic so I went for a dark take on his character, but I’m conscious that it’s far from the usual Michael/Sara. Another challenge was to avoid re-writing Definition of an Addict by domfangirl which is likely to be closer to what you were hoping for.

Sorry for the "shooting" confusion. I should have specified "shooting herself morphine".

Thanks for the review!

(The comment has been removed)

anonymous March 18 2007, 11:27:26 UTC

Woa, thanks for the compliment! I love writing angst. This is a dark interpretation of Michael's character and I guess it won't please everyone, so I'm really glad it pleased you. Thanks for the review!

guinevere79 March 18 2007, 06:03:46 UTC

Whoa. I'm a solid Michael-Sara shipper and I absolutely loved this. I've been looking for a long time for the best dark, angsty Michael characterization (to complement the best dark, angsty Sara in Antoine Baros' Mad About You)....and this story is it. Your description of Michael's troubled psyche is so vivid it's almost frightening.

Of course, I hope to god that this doesn't happen on the show ever, but it was a very very good read. Well done.

guinevere79 March 18 2007, 11:40:18 UTC

I've been looking for a long time for the best dark, angsty Michael characterization
Oh yeah, that was certainly meant to be dark. It's far from the usual feel-good Michael/Sara story! But I enjoy dark, too, I don't know why. I'm glad it satisfied your need for darkness.

Your description of Michael's troubled psyche is so vivid it's almost frightening.
Really? Cool!!!

Of course, I hope to god that this doesn't happen on the show ever.
Me neither. Please, let them be happy and have thousands of babies!

Thanks for the great review.

taxidryer March 21 2007, 02:52:10 UTC

...to complement the best dark, angsty Sara in Antoine Baros' Mad About You.
Hey, thanks for the compliment!
But I have to admit I didn't really like Conquistador. I like the MiSa interactions but I think the two first chapters were boring and unnecessary. But that's just my opinion! (I hope the author won't read this...)

guinevere79 March 21 2007, 12:53:55 UTC

It's okay. I expected some people to find it too long.

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