From eeross@okway.okstate.edu Mon Aug 25 16:38:28 1997 Path: Supernews69!SupernewsFH!news.maxwell.syr.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.cis.okstate.edu!usenet From: Ellen Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative,alt.fan.q Subject: Review: His Beloved Pet (P/Q) Date: Mon, 25 Aug 1997 16:38:28 -0700 Organization: Oklahoma State University Lines: 56 Message-ID: <34021774.5540@okway.okstate.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: el0396.lib.okstate.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win16; I) Xref: Supernews69 alt.startrek.creative:62347 alt.fan.q:6385 TITLE: His Beloved Pet AUTHOR: Ruth Gifford, Atara Stein PAIRING: P/Q CATEGORIES: NC-17, m/m sex, heavy bdsm, violence LOCATION GiffStein Productions (http://www.cyberg8t.com/ereshkgl/) ASC archive: http://aviary.share.net/~alara/index9.html ************************************************************ Summary: - As the result of a dare from another member of the Q Contiuum, Q seduces Picard, with consequences neither could have foreseen. This story is not for the squeamish or weak of heart. It is a complex and thorough exploration of the whole issue of bdsm, raising interesting questions about who is *really* in charge, the master, or the slave. There is a great deal of physical pain, as well as emotional anguish, but it is more than balanced by the depiction of mutual self-discovery, and the careful, serious and intelligent manner in which a touchy subject is handled. If you have any issues yourself regarding submission, strength and weakness, this may have a much deeper than expected effect on you. I was blown away. I find the whole issue of bdsm is one of great fascination and attraction; I also think both P and Q are hot, hot, hot, but I just had no idea what was in store for me. Sometimes you run across a story that just changes something in you. This was such a one for me. It really *showed* me in a visceral way how much strength can be derived from submission, and how much strength it takes to do so voluntarily. What I liked was how well I could "hear" and see, and *feel* this piece. I've found that that's a very difficult thing, to portray characters so that others can say "yeah, I can see that". In this case, I found "HBP" to be defining for how I see P/Q. This Picard is a very strong man, who needs someone equally strong to allow him to be weak. Q is his normal arrogant self, carelessly dominating his little pet, but confronted with his own confusion and stubbornness when things don't go the way he expected. The exploration of the whole dynamic of who is really in charge, and the mutuality of the domination/submission relationship is something that isn't always explored. In this story it's explored in spades, and each wrenching twist is lovingly detailed, from the struggle within Picard to submit in the first place, to his growing understanding and joy in his submission, to the complexity and change in Q's supposed motives and his own coming to terms with the change being wrought in him. I felt the confusion of both men, their growing self-awareness and mutual understanding, their pain and love. (And it's got really hot sex, to boot) Ellen Ross eeross@okway.okstat