When in Rome by Sporkie (R)

[lothy.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Tin Man
Pairing: DG/Wyatt Cain
Fic Title: When in Rome
Author: sexyspork
Link: http://sexyspork.livejournal.com/17836.html
Rating/Warning(s): R, D/s (more mentions of it than actual D/s, though)
Genre: General / Romance
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read:

Some of the Tin Man fics I love I'll probably save in case we have a challenge sometime, but I've just reread this fic, and I had to come recommend it straight away. I read this story for the first time before seeing the Tin Man miniseries; not only was it completely understandable without knowing the fandom, but it also led to me tracking down the TV episodes to watch.

It's an AU in which dominant/submissive relationships are the norm in the Outer Zone. However, unlike the BDSM AUs in other fandoms which obviously inspired it, it's not actually about someone who's part of this culture. Rather, the central character is DG, who having grown up on the Other Side (i.e. Earth) reacts to the O.Z. relationship dynamics the way that you might expect: shock, lack of comprehension, fear at the thought of being forced to partake in such a relationship herself.

Over the course of the story (which is just over 6,000 words), she does begin to understand the dynamics a bit better; but she never "converts", despite the wishes of her parents (she's named heir to the throne, and the ruler of the O.Z. has to be dominant). Cain, who is (as anyone who knows the fandom would expect) decidedly a dominant, is the only one that accepts her as she is, and they come to a lovely compromise.

There are some typos in the story. I don't get the impression that the author is bad at SPAG, just that she didn't really proof-read. However, the typos are not bad enough to detract from the story, which is such a lovely and unusual idea; I really wish that more people would write BDSM-themed stories which really think about dynamics and play on them in original ways, rather than only writing the stereotypical S&M story.