bustedxflush (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bustedxflush) wrote2023-08-07 11:45 am
bustedxflush) wrote2023-08-07 11:45 am
Dear Fandom Growth author
Hi, I’m great_whatsit at AO3! First and foremost: THANK YOU! I am so lucky to be getting a gift from you, and I’m immensely grateful for the time and energy you're putting into this. Taking the time to do something like this is a huge deal.
In terms of narrative I’m pretty easy to please, and any rating and/or combination of gender identities and bodies is cool with me. That said, I do have a few DNWs, mainly: extreme or explicit violence and torture, noncon or dubcon (unless specified for the fandom), horror, and A/B/O.
Things I love (but in no way require) in fic: found family, sex that is urgent, angry, awkward, or familiar and full of laughter (or all of the above), complicated or fucked up power dynamics (please never think anything in this department will be Too Much), quiet devotion, humor, bittersweet endings, day in the life snapshots, tragically stoic characters who only one other person understands, and damaged people who are trying, whether it's just to do as little harm as possible, or to heal themselves, even a little (ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜).
All of that said: everything that follows is mere suggestion, nothing more. I am already over the moon that anyone else shares any of these interests, and is willing to write something about one of them for me. Anything you come up with will be incredible.
REQUEST #1: Suspense (Radio), episode: "Pearls are a Nuisance!" (1950)
Available for free here.
This is an old timey radio show that is COMPLETELY WONDERFUL. The canon (linked above) runs under 30 minutes, and that's with ads — you can finish it in no time, especially if you listen to it at 1.25x or 1.5x! Anyway, the story brings together a gruff bruiser (Henry Eigelberger, played by William Bendix) and a cowardly, idle rich boy (Allyn Joslyn as Walter Gage) as the latter tries to track down missing pearls, which he initially assumes the former stole. The two butt heads but quickly become allies (Gage very much likes having a badass criminal pal), and it's just achingly adorable and very funny.
When the story ends, Eigelberger is in Hawaii, and Gage is at home in CA (I think?) with his pushy fiancée, probably bored out of his mind without his cool bro to hang out with and make him feel smart. Even with the whole betrayal thing at the end, Gage seriously isn't even mad, he's so excited when Eigelberger writes him a letter!
REQUEST #2: Briarpatch (TV)
Forget what the summary says, this movie is about Peter O'Toole (Captain Finch) being completely in love with Aldo Ray (Norgate). Their first fishing date (yes really) is ridiculous, Finch is so smitten he can hardly contain himself and, when they get back to London proper, he starts inviting his new bff to have dinner with him at work (which happens to be The Bank of England, cos he's a rich boy whose job is wearing a uniform and wandering around there) so often that, when Norgate doesn't show up, the ... work butler or whatever is unsettled by his absence. And, when Finch gets all sad, where does he go? TO NORGATE OF COURSE TO POUR OUT HIS HEART. Seriously man, it's unreal.
FWIW, the movie is great even away from their relationship, but it's definitely the best thing about it. I would adore futurefic about how their relationship develops once the movie ends (since with Norgate is going to jail thanks to Finch finally coming out of his swoon and looking around), but also anything from within the movie's story itself would be incredible — all of the fishing and the private dinners and whatnot are rich with ~possibilities~. For real though, as with all of my requests: reading them together is all I need to be thrilled.
Request #5: The Postman Always Rings Twice (movie 1946)
Available here, if you do ok.ru; also on Criterion Channel + rentable at the usual places.
I am obsessed with the way Cora is with Arthur Keats. (Note: dubcon is more than ok with these two.) If you've not seen the movie, in this version of the story, Keats is her lawyer, and literally the only one who can get Cora off balance. She's completely in charge in her relationships with both her husband and her lover, and she's a dominant presence in the rest of her life, too — an authority figure so sure of her own power that no one dares brook it. But Keats does. Not only that, but he expects Cora to obey him — and she does. Y'all, it's so incredibly hot to watch them together: he is casual in his command because he knows she'll give in, and she's, like, both furious and angrily curious, because she's literally never met anyone who can do this to her?
As someone who is into fucked up fictional power dynamics, this relationship is on my personal Old Hollywood Mount Rushmore. I would weep with joy to read anything about these two, the dirtier the better. I'm not even sure that Keats is into girls (a throwaway line tells us he's got a wife, but his relationship with the DA is so casually close I would 100% believe they were a couple), or even if physical intimacy is his thing, but he likes power, and I would love to see him using it on Cora is a more ~private~ setting, whether or not it was explicitly sexual. How does she get her head in a place where she can accept what he can do to her? Or does she never get there, and their relationship is never anything other than deeply unhealthy and badwrong (but also: hot). Either of their POVs would be fascinating, because Cora is not stupid, and she can improvise like the rest of us breathe — can she even handle being at this dude's mercy, no matter how hard she tries to regain the upper hand? And what does Keats think of her? Is she just someone whose mind he wants to fuck with because he can, or is it more than that? Different?
Also, I'm super into evil!hypnosis movies recently, and I love the idea of Keats as a stage hypnotist, and Cora as either his assistant or some girl who ends up interacting with him (extra points if she's all "this shit is so fake come on"), and falls under his sway.
Request #6: The Glass Key (1942) [WARNING: mention of suicide in the second prompt section]
Available here, if you do ok.ru.
The thing about this movie is, Alan Ladd somehow has wild sexual chemistry with every single other person in it, regardless of gender — hence, the fact that his character, Ed Beaumont, is in each of my pairings.
Ed/Paul Madvig: Madvig is the political boss for whom Ed works, but he's totally devoted to Ed. Like, he's big and tough but also so so so in need of Ed's approval for everything he does, be it political or romantic. He's just the big ball of feelings and affections, and Ed is cold and kind of a prick and, well, I'm super into it? I would love to see what you think they're like together — does Paul's openness draw Ed out/allow Ed to take down some of his walls? Or does it just let Ed know that Paul would do anything for him, and Ed sets out see what that's like in bed (or, you know, wherever)? NGL, I'm extremely into that idea, but also love Paul very, very much and would love to see him sneaking into Ed's heart, and Ed being massively uncomfortable but also accidentally vulnerable about it?
Ed/Eloise Matthews: LISTEN. Literally nothing in the movie is as hot as these two — Mrs. Matthews is very married, and is using Ed to get back at her older, milquetoast husband for lying to her about everything, WHILE HER HUSBAND IS IN THE ROOM. And Ed is all like "Um ... this is hot and I am into it?" (Spoiler: later, her husband comes out, sees them making out, and goes and kills himself. So there's that.) I would die for anything about them, the fact that it's such a frank exchange of physical favors makes the relationship a fascinating one to me, and she's so smart and ambitious that I wouldn't mind seeing the two of them interacting after the events of the movie, just to see how/if they fit together when they're not making out/fucking. (To be clear, I'm also perfectly fine with a lot of making out and/or fucking.)
Ed/Nick Varna or Ed & Nick Varna: I honestly think Nick is Ed's only real equal in the movie, and I think Nick knows it. He's a rival boss to Paul, but is watchful and cautious, and about 20000 times more sophisticated and forward-thinking in his machinations that Paul, so he immediately targets Ed, both for dirt on Paul, and to get him on his side, because he knows how useful Ed would be. Things go ... very badly for Ed, and he ends up suffering an extended homoerotic beating (it's a whole thing), but damn are they great together. So ANYTHING would be amazing: give me an AU in which Ed works with Nick, and their relationship isn't sexual or romantic at all — how does it compare to how Ed and Paul are together? What would Ed be like with a boss who is just as smart and dangerous as he is? Or throw them in the sack, or make them court, or *waves hand* anything! They're both so calculating that I can't imagine them getting into a relationship without a whole lot of extremely unsubtle flirting, just to be sure they both know exactly what's on the table, and would love to see what that looks like. Could it ever get into something actually emotional, or can they only connect in the sack? Trust me — give me Ed and Nick on the same story, and I'll be 100% in.
Request #7: Despair (1978)
available here, if you do ok.ru
If you've not seen it, the movie stars Dirk Bogarde as Herman Herman, an increasingly disconnected candy magnate who meets Felix Weber (Klaus Löwitsch), a man who he's convinced looks exactly like him (though they don't look much alike at all); eventually he decided he'll fake his suicide by killing Felix — the cops will be none the wiser.
There's a ton swirling around in this story, including the rise of Nazism, class conflict (Felix is very poor, Herman is very not), and gender and sexuality. The way Felix is shot emphasizes his body and desirability, and every moment Herman spends pretending attraction has nothing to do with what's happening is further evidence of what a mess he is. And, despite the fact that Herman is financially and socially far above Felix, Felix's rough masculinity and lack of inherent respect for Herman because of his wealth give him very much the upper hand in this very unhealthy relationship. (It's definitely vague The Servant-adjacent, except with Dirk Bogarde playing the helpless rich victim here.)
Anyway, so I don't have a specific prompt, I just want a look at what a physical (romantic?) relationship between the looks like. How does Herman respond to not having the control he's always been granted by his money and social status? How does Felix behave, knowing that he's got Herman completely under his thumb, apart from Not Well?
Request #8: Bed and Sofa (1927)
available here, if you do ok.ru
In this utterly adorable Soviet flick, a housing shortage forced two dudes and a woman to live together and, oops, she sleeps with both of them, the dudes kiss and, when speaking to a stranger, they refer to themselves with total seriousness as "her husbands." It's sweet and pure and wonderful, and Liuda is so powerful, and both of her men respect her so much (mostly, and when they don't, she's not having it) that the movie is the happiest place to be. I would love anything about either the trio or the two dudes, who clearly love one another just as much as they do her. Deleted scenes from the movie, future fic about what happens to them (the pair or the trio), or an AU — as long as some of them are together and they're continuing to communicate well and be more or less happy and well-adjusted, I'm down.
Request #9: The Lifetaker (1975)
available here — it's a bad print, but it's the only one that exists afaik
This is a trashy, weird, unexpectedly violent movie about a bored wife who fucks around with a young hippie while her older, possessive hubby is out of town. When he gets back, things get seriously tense and dangerous and, ngl, kinda great? I don't want to spoil it for the like, one other person who might be interested, but there is a LOT of metaphorical dick-waving between James (the hubby) and Richard (the sidepiece), including James kinda beating the shit out of Richard with kendo sticks and then, later, when all three are getting very, very drunk together, an instance of deliberate, very non-heterosexual touching of Richard by James. Ultimately, Richard loses all power entirely, and you know I'm into that shit. SO, literally anything about Richard and James would float the hell out of my 'unhealthy power dynamic' boat, as would an exploration of the three of them together, something which is very much in the movie's own cards and intensely complicated, given Lisa's murky position between the men, and the way she encourages them both to think they're in charge.
Anyway, I would love anything with the two of them, no matter what is going on — futurefic would be amazing, as would missing scenes from the story itself, and any groovy AU floats your boat. As long as they're together, and bantering and bickering and in love I will be so, so happy. (They're totally soulmates, though I don't need that in the fic. I'M JUST SAYING.)
REQUEST #2: Briarpatch (TV)
Here is my old Yuletide promo post for this amazing show, here is the trailer, and here is a short featurette about the main characters; it runs 10 one-hour episodes and is on Amazon Prime.
I cannot tell you how much I love this show, or how much sexual tension is running through its veins. If you've watched it and are familiar with the characters, please feel free to write whatever you want for any of the pairings I've nominated! If it helps, here are some specific ideas/details about why I am obsessed with each of them.
I cannot tell you how much I love this show, or how much sexual tension is running through its veins. If you've watched it and are familiar with the characters, please feel free to write whatever you want for any of the pairings I've nominated! If it helps, here are some specific ideas/details about why I am obsessed with each of them.
Jake Spivey/Allegra Dill. In episode 8 (AKA my favorite Briarpatch episode and one of my favorite episodes of TV ever), when Jake is listing the qualities that made Allegra so extremely hot, and which make him regret not making a move on her in high school (this is a canonical fact with which I strongly disagree btw), he SPECIFICALLY says that she was the "meanest" girl he knew, which is a positive. GOD. Please write me high school Jake and Allegra: her being her usual badass self, and him just, like, panting after her, not knowing why he's so into this mean, impatient girl, only that he very much wants her to do mean things to him. Or Jake and Allegra now — there's so much UST between them — show me how it gets resolved, and how things end up! Or an AU! Give me a soulmate world in which Allegra is so exasperated by Jake being hers, and he's a gooey mess of joy. Or a story set in the old west, in which Allegra is the badass, seen-it-all gambling hall/brothel owner, and Jake is a new arrival in town who thinks he has her number, but has something else entirely coming. Just ... anything!
Allegra Dill/Cindy McCabe. Funny story — Cindy was literally supposed to be in just one episode, but Allegra Edwards was so good in the role they rewrote a bunch of stuff and she ended up in, I think, all but two of the 10 episodes. And with good reason! Cindy is such an amazing character — a woman completely at ease with her body and her sexuality, smart as a fucking whip, spectacularly resourceful, and with no regard whatsoever for what other people think about or expect from her. And she and Allegra have amazing chemistry — Allegra is checking her out as hard as Cindy is checking Allegra out in their first meeting, and I can 100% see them getting together a time or twelve off screen. ANYTHING about them would thrill me.
Jake Spivey/Clyde Brattle (note: dubcon and noncon are more than ok with these two). In case you're not familiar with the show and are reading this, all you need to know is that Alan Cumming plays this shadyass arms dealer/very bad man whose all-male minions HAVE BAR CODES TATTOOED ON THE BACK OF THEIR NECKS (often involuntarily applied). AND JAKE HAS ONE. Jake also experience serious trauma (and did illegal things) while in the military during a Gulf War or two, and Brattle is very much part of that. The two of them are the main reasons I’ve watched episode 8 so many times: there’s so much in their first meeting since they were in the Middle East, not just volumes of terrible history but also absolute oceans of UST. The power dynamic between them is royally fucked up, too, in that Jake gives into no one except Allegra (who he's pretty much canonically in love with), but then Brattle shows up and Jake almost falls apart — just the awareness that Brattle is nearby nearly breaks him. WHY? What happened? Show me all of the awful things that went down between them! Or, if you're more inclined to recovery, show me Jake putting himself back together (Or someone else doing it? God, is it Brattle?) until he's the guy who meet in the show — and is that guy really back together at all?
REQUEST #3: Pit Stop (1969)
Available to rent at all the usual place, as well as on Arrow Player, and for free here.
This is one of my favorite movies, it's terribly bleak and sad, about a bunch of lonely, mostly broken people, but I somehow also find it very comforting, which might be revealing too much about me, actually ...
Anyway, Rick Bowman is a disaster of a human being who only gets more disastrous as the movie progresses, but I love how his character is developed and written, and I love his relationships with Hawk and Willard. The phases of his relationship with Hawk goes through are fascinating, from wariness, to violent rivalry (over cars + girls), to a sort of sad, grudging respect, at least on Hawk's part. It's extremely easy for me to believe that they hooked up, and what's so interesting is how different the dynamic would be, depending on when it happened — Hawk seems to grow a ton as a human being over the course of the film; Rick not so much. I would love to read your take on things between them at any point, whether it's in the intense early days or, later, when so much has happened, and Hawk is seeing him in a completely different way.
While Rick/Hawk is just, for me, deeply interesting, Rick/Grant is kinda wrong but also outrageously compelling. There are glimpse of them together, esp at the bar, when they both seem almost oddly relaxed and happy — for two guys who are typically neither, it's striking, and makes me want to know a LOT more about what happens when we're not looking. And, later, when Rick literally chooses Grant over everything else he knows, what happens then? Is there a comfort in Grant for him, both physical and emotional? Or is sex/intimacy just another way for Grant to manipulate and control this fucked up guy he somehow basically owns? GOD. I love all of it, tell me how they look together to you!
Allegra Dill/Cindy McCabe. Funny story — Cindy was literally supposed to be in just one episode, but Allegra Edwards was so good in the role they rewrote a bunch of stuff and she ended up in, I think, all but two of the 10 episodes. And with good reason! Cindy is such an amazing character — a woman completely at ease with her body and her sexuality, smart as a fucking whip, spectacularly resourceful, and with no regard whatsoever for what other people think about or expect from her. And she and Allegra have amazing chemistry — Allegra is checking her out as hard as Cindy is checking Allegra out in their first meeting, and I can 100% see them getting together a time or twelve off screen. ANYTHING about them would thrill me.
Jake Spivey/Clyde Brattle (note: dubcon and noncon are more than ok with these two). In case you're not familiar with the show and are reading this, all you need to know is that Alan Cumming plays this shadyass arms dealer/very bad man whose all-male minions HAVE BAR CODES TATTOOED ON THE BACK OF THEIR NECKS (often involuntarily applied). AND JAKE HAS ONE. Jake also experience serious trauma (and did illegal things) while in the military during a Gulf War or two, and Brattle is very much part of that. The two of them are the main reasons I’ve watched episode 8 so many times: there’s so much in their first meeting since they were in the Middle East, not just volumes of terrible history but also absolute oceans of UST. The power dynamic between them is royally fucked up, too, in that Jake gives into no one except Allegra (who he's pretty much canonically in love with), but then Brattle shows up and Jake almost falls apart — just the awareness that Brattle is nearby nearly breaks him. WHY? What happened? Show me all of the awful things that went down between them! Or, if you're more inclined to recovery, show me Jake putting himself back together (Or someone else doing it? God, is it Brattle?) until he's the guy who meet in the show — and is that guy really back together at all?
REQUEST #3: Pit Stop (1969)
Available to rent at all the usual place, as well as on Arrow Player, and for free here.
This is one of my favorite movies, it's terribly bleak and sad, about a bunch of lonely, mostly broken people, but I somehow also find it very comforting, which might be revealing too much about me, actually ...
Anyway, Rick Bowman is a disaster of a human being who only gets more disastrous as the movie progresses, but I love how his character is developed and written, and I love his relationships with Hawk and Willard. The phases of his relationship with Hawk goes through are fascinating, from wariness, to violent rivalry (over cars + girls), to a sort of sad, grudging respect, at least on Hawk's part. It's extremely easy for me to believe that they hooked up, and what's so interesting is how different the dynamic would be, depending on when it happened — Hawk seems to grow a ton as a human being over the course of the film; Rick not so much. I would love to read your take on things between them at any point, whether it's in the intense early days or, later, when so much has happened, and Hawk is seeing him in a completely different way.
While Rick/Hawk is just, for me, deeply interesting, Rick/Grant is kinda wrong but also outrageously compelling. There are glimpse of them together, esp at the bar, when they both seem almost oddly relaxed and happy — for two guys who are typically neither, it's striking, and makes me want to know a LOT more about what happens when we're not looking. And, later, when Rick literally chooses Grant over everything else he knows, what happens then? Is there a comfort in Grant for him, both physical and emotional? Or is sex/intimacy just another way for Grant to manipulate and control this fucked up guy he somehow basically owns? GOD. I love all of it, tell me how they look together to you!
Forget what the summary says, this movie is about Peter O'Toole (Captain Finch) being completely in love with Aldo Ray (Norgate). Their first fishing date (yes really) is ridiculous, Finch is so smitten he can hardly contain himself and, when they get back to London proper, he starts inviting his new bff to have dinner with him at work (which happens to be The Bank of England, cos he's a rich boy whose job is wearing a uniform and wandering around there) so often that, when Norgate doesn't show up, the ... work butler or whatever is unsettled by his absence. And, when Finch gets all sad, where does he go? TO NORGATE OF COURSE TO POUR OUT HIS HEART. Seriously man, it's unreal.
FWIW, the movie is great even away from their relationship, but it's definitely the best thing about it. I would adore futurefic about how their relationship develops once the movie ends (since with Norgate is going to jail thanks to Finch finally coming out of his swoon and looking around), but also anything from within the movie's story itself would be incredible — all of the fishing and the private dinners and whatnot are rich with ~possibilities~. For real though, as with all of my requests: reading them together is all I need to be thrilled.
Request #5: The Postman Always Rings Twice (movie 1946)
Available here, if you do ok.ru; also on Criterion Channel + rentable at the usual places.
I am obsessed with the way Cora is with Arthur Keats. (Note: dubcon is more than ok with these two.) If you've not seen the movie, in this version of the story, Keats is her lawyer, and literally the only one who can get Cora off balance. She's completely in charge in her relationships with both her husband and her lover, and she's a dominant presence in the rest of her life, too — an authority figure so sure of her own power that no one dares brook it. But Keats does. Not only that, but he expects Cora to obey him — and she does. Y'all, it's so incredibly hot to watch them together: he is casual in his command because he knows she'll give in, and she's, like, both furious and angrily curious, because she's literally never met anyone who can do this to her?
As someone who is into fucked up fictional power dynamics, this relationship is on my personal Old Hollywood Mount Rushmore. I would weep with joy to read anything about these two, the dirtier the better. I'm not even sure that Keats is into girls (a throwaway line tells us he's got a wife, but his relationship with the DA is so casually close I would 100% believe they were a couple), or even if physical intimacy is his thing, but he likes power, and I would love to see him using it on Cora is a more ~private~ setting, whether or not it was explicitly sexual. How does she get her head in a place where she can accept what he can do to her? Or does she never get there, and their relationship is never anything other than deeply unhealthy and badwrong (but also: hot). Either of their POVs would be fascinating, because Cora is not stupid, and she can improvise like the rest of us breathe — can she even handle being at this dude's mercy, no matter how hard she tries to regain the upper hand? And what does Keats think of her? Is she just someone whose mind he wants to fuck with because he can, or is it more than that? Different?
Also, I'm super into evil!hypnosis movies recently, and I love the idea of Keats as a stage hypnotist, and Cora as either his assistant or some girl who ends up interacting with him (extra points if she's all "this shit is so fake come on"), and falls under his sway.
Request #6: The Glass Key (1942) [WARNING: mention of suicide in the second prompt section]
Available here, if you do ok.ru.
The thing about this movie is, Alan Ladd somehow has wild sexual chemistry with every single other person in it, regardless of gender — hence, the fact that his character, Ed Beaumont, is in each of my pairings.
Ed/Paul Madvig: Madvig is the political boss for whom Ed works, but he's totally devoted to Ed. Like, he's big and tough but also so so so in need of Ed's approval for everything he does, be it political or romantic. He's just the big ball of feelings and affections, and Ed is cold and kind of a prick and, well, I'm super into it? I would love to see what you think they're like together — does Paul's openness draw Ed out/allow Ed to take down some of his walls? Or does it just let Ed know that Paul would do anything for him, and Ed sets out see what that's like in bed (or, you know, wherever)? NGL, I'm extremely into that idea, but also love Paul very, very much and would love to see him sneaking into Ed's heart, and Ed being massively uncomfortable but also accidentally vulnerable about it?
Ed/Eloise Matthews: LISTEN. Literally nothing in the movie is as hot as these two — Mrs. Matthews is very married, and is using Ed to get back at her older, milquetoast husband for lying to her about everything, WHILE HER HUSBAND IS IN THE ROOM. And Ed is all like "Um ... this is hot and I am into it?" (Spoiler: later, her husband comes out, sees them making out, and goes and kills himself. So there's that.) I would die for anything about them, the fact that it's such a frank exchange of physical favors makes the relationship a fascinating one to me, and she's so smart and ambitious that I wouldn't mind seeing the two of them interacting after the events of the movie, just to see how/if they fit together when they're not making out/fucking. (To be clear, I'm also perfectly fine with a lot of making out and/or fucking.)
Ed/Nick Varna or Ed & Nick Varna: I honestly think Nick is Ed's only real equal in the movie, and I think Nick knows it. He's a rival boss to Paul, but is watchful and cautious, and about 20000 times more sophisticated and forward-thinking in his machinations that Paul, so he immediately targets Ed, both for dirt on Paul, and to get him on his side, because he knows how useful Ed would be. Things go ... very badly for Ed, and he ends up suffering an extended homoerotic beating (it's a whole thing), but damn are they great together. So ANYTHING would be amazing: give me an AU in which Ed works with Nick, and their relationship isn't sexual or romantic at all — how does it compare to how Ed and Paul are together? What would Ed be like with a boss who is just as smart and dangerous as he is? Or throw them in the sack, or make them court, or *waves hand* anything! They're both so calculating that I can't imagine them getting into a relationship without a whole lot of extremely unsubtle flirting, just to be sure they both know exactly what's on the table, and would love to see what that looks like. Could it ever get into something actually emotional, or can they only connect in the sack? Trust me — give me Ed and Nick on the same story, and I'll be 100% in.
Request #7: Despair (1978)
available here, if you do ok.ru
If you've not seen it, the movie stars Dirk Bogarde as Herman Herman, an increasingly disconnected candy magnate who meets Felix Weber (Klaus Löwitsch), a man who he's convinced looks exactly like him (though they don't look much alike at all); eventually he decided he'll fake his suicide by killing Felix — the cops will be none the wiser.
There's a ton swirling around in this story, including the rise of Nazism, class conflict (Felix is very poor, Herman is very not), and gender and sexuality. The way Felix is shot emphasizes his body and desirability, and every moment Herman spends pretending attraction has nothing to do with what's happening is further evidence of what a mess he is. And, despite the fact that Herman is financially and socially far above Felix, Felix's rough masculinity and lack of inherent respect for Herman because of his wealth give him very much the upper hand in this very unhealthy relationship. (It's definitely vague The Servant-adjacent, except with Dirk Bogarde playing the helpless rich victim here.)
Anyway, so I don't have a specific prompt, I just want a look at what a physical (romantic?) relationship between the looks like. How does Herman respond to not having the control he's always been granted by his money and social status? How does Felix behave, knowing that he's got Herman completely under his thumb, apart from Not Well?
Request #8: Bed and Sofa (1927)
available here, if you do ok.ru
In this utterly adorable Soviet flick, a housing shortage forced two dudes and a woman to live together and, oops, she sleeps with both of them, the dudes kiss and, when speaking to a stranger, they refer to themselves with total seriousness as "her husbands." It's sweet and pure and wonderful, and Liuda is so powerful, and both of her men respect her so much (mostly, and when they don't, she's not having it) that the movie is the happiest place to be. I would love anything about either the trio or the two dudes, who clearly love one another just as much as they do her. Deleted scenes from the movie, future fic about what happens to them (the pair or the trio), or an AU — as long as some of them are together and they're continuing to communicate well and be more or less happy and well-adjusted, I'm down.
Request #9: The Lifetaker (1975)
available here — it's a bad print, but it's the only one that exists afaik
This is a trashy, weird, unexpectedly violent movie about a bored wife who fucks around with a young hippie while her older, possessive hubby is out of town. When he gets back, things get seriously tense and dangerous and, ngl, kinda great? I don't want to spoil it for the like, one other person who might be interested, but there is a LOT of metaphorical dick-waving between James (the hubby) and Richard (the sidepiece), including James kinda beating the shit out of Richard with kendo sticks and then, later, when all three are getting very, very drunk together, an instance of deliberate, very non-heterosexual touching of Richard by James. Ultimately, Richard loses all power entirely, and you know I'm into that shit. SO, literally anything about Richard and James would float the hell out of my 'unhealthy power dynamic' boat, as would an exploration of the three of them together, something which is very much in the movie's own cards and intensely complicated, given Lisa's murky position between the men, and the way she encourages them both to think they're in charge.