Methos in a Romance Novel...
Mar. 12th, 2009 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
marblegloveHaving gotten my romance novel rant out of the way, I do of course have a couple of ideas for fanfic.
Because really, most romance novels have heroes who are insanely good at everything. Immortals, on the other hand, have a reason to be insanely good at everything, because those who aren't tend to die at the hands of those who are. Stick Duncan MacLeod into a romance novel and he fits right in (as seen in "Dramatic License" when Carolyn Marsh writes him in one.) Methos, on the other hand, has all of the abilities, but none of the character points than the standard romance novel hero has. So I want him to mostly show up the more standard hero, in a fairly classic nerd-beats-jock type of thing.
That is fairly vague, however. So to be more specific, Stephanie Laurens has a series of regency romances that follow the Cynster family. The Duke is the hero of the first book, then his brother, then his cousins, all down the line. And each main character and each of the main character's love interests is not only beautiful but also particularly capable in one thing or another. One is fabulous with investments (his love interest is going bankrupt), one is fabulous with horses (his love interest has a horse farm), one is fabulous with detective work (his love interest has a mystery). And of course the female always has some problem that the guy has to fix.
Despite my mockery, I did enjoy these stories.
My enjoyment, however, does not negate the mockery.
In the stories, there are two women in particular that I find interesting. One is the strong-willed loving dowager duchess Helena Cynster, the mother of the first hero. The second is the incisive and blunt Lady Therese Osbaldestone who wacks people with her cane and tells them to get over themselves and get on with wooing the love interest. Both of them are unattached women who are clearly placed in the role of grandmother and way too old to have suitors. They can maybe have a genteel flirt with some older gentlemen but nothing serious.
Methos, for all that he looks whatever age he looks, is old enough that any mortal and most immortals he dates is going to be him robbing the cradle.
So I would like for him to be making his unremarkable way through London society and fall in love with one of these women. And then have to woo her with all the disadvantages of appearing significantly too young, too poor, too socially inexperienced, and simply not as capable as all the other men in their lives. And then proving that he is in fact, better in all ways. He can certainly defeat them all in swords, on horseback, in conversation, in experience, and possibly in wealth as well although the last is not necessary for my enjoyment.
This story would be pure indulgence, much like the original romance novels were, but just so much fun.
Because really, most romance novels have heroes who are insanely good at everything. Immortals, on the other hand, have a reason to be insanely good at everything, because those who aren't tend to die at the hands of those who are. Stick Duncan MacLeod into a romance novel and he fits right in (as seen in "Dramatic License" when Carolyn Marsh writes him in one.) Methos, on the other hand, has all of the abilities, but none of the character points than the standard romance novel hero has. So I want him to mostly show up the more standard hero, in a fairly classic nerd-beats-jock type of thing.
That is fairly vague, however. So to be more specific, Stephanie Laurens has a series of regency romances that follow the Cynster family. The Duke is the hero of the first book, then his brother, then his cousins, all down the line. And each main character and each of the main character's love interests is not only beautiful but also particularly capable in one thing or another. One is fabulous with investments (his love interest is going bankrupt), one is fabulous with horses (his love interest has a horse farm), one is fabulous with detective work (his love interest has a mystery). And of course the female always has some problem that the guy has to fix.
Despite my mockery, I did enjoy these stories.
My enjoyment, however, does not negate the mockery.
In the stories, there are two women in particular that I find interesting. One is the strong-willed loving dowager duchess Helena Cynster, the mother of the first hero. The second is the incisive and blunt Lady Therese Osbaldestone who wacks people with her cane and tells them to get over themselves and get on with wooing the love interest. Both of them are unattached women who are clearly placed in the role of grandmother and way too old to have suitors. They can maybe have a genteel flirt with some older gentlemen but nothing serious.
Methos, for all that he looks whatever age he looks, is old enough that any mortal and most immortals he dates is going to be him robbing the cradle.
So I would like for him to be making his unremarkable way through London society and fall in love with one of these women. And then have to woo her with all the disadvantages of appearing significantly too young, too poor, too socially inexperienced, and simply not as capable as all the other men in their lives. And then proving that he is in fact, better in all ways. He can certainly defeat them all in swords, on horseback, in conversation, in experience, and possibly in wealth as well although the last is not necessary for my enjoyment.
This story would be pure indulgence, much like the original romance novels were, but just so much fun.
