Dude! You're kind of a genius, aren't you? I'm actually sort of excited about finishing this up now. Here's why (much of this may be obvious to you, but I'm excited):
It wasn't Ghost!Fraser's ghostliness that made Real!Fraser think that Real!Fraser was losing his marbles; as Ghost!Fraser says, Real!Fraser sees his dad all the time with only minor occasional qualms about his sanity. It was the fact that Ghost!Fraser showed up and said, without your hot mountie lovin', Ray is going to die! So you must shag Ray! For his own good! You have a duty to shag Ray! Which Real!Fraser thought could only be the worst kind of petty self-deception sprung from the sickness of his own brain. Because obviously it's ridiculous that Ray literally can't live without Fraser. And obviously it's ridiculous that beautiful, funny, clearly and historically heterosexual Ray would harbor any feelings of lust or romantic attachment for Fraser. And that's why he decided that his brain had finally irreparably overheated in the Chicago heat.
Because of the debacle with Victoria, coupled with his own general insecurities and childhood experiences of alienation, Fraser doesn't trust his own judgment when it comes to love and he doesn't trust his heart. He's undertaken extreme rationalizations in the service of lust in the past and convinced himself of things that turned out not to be true. He hates to be wrong even in things that don't really matter so this is a really huge thing for him. And he wants Ray badly, so badly that he's convinced himself that it must not possible in spite of any evidence to the contrary.
This leads us to The Last Seduction of Fraser. I love the idea that the conflict is perversely flipped around. As you say, it's Fraser who is most sexually interested, and yet Ray is the one who is seducing. Once Fraser figures out that Ray saw the ghost too - and you know he would, even if Ray doesn't tell him - it will be that much more difficult to convince him that Ray isn't just lying back and thinking of his GTO because of his brotherly love for Fraser and maybe even his own self-interest. Fraser can be so completely, unutterably stubborn that this isn't going to be easy. Poor Ray is in for a bumpy ride! Heh, heh, heh.
This will mean a substantial rewrite of everything after Fraser's confession - Fraser is going to have to really dig his heels in to begin with and argue with Ray about how he shouldn't give in to him, which could be hilarious. Ray's going to have to start working much harder from the outset. But clarifying this conflict gives the second part a real shape and focus, and makes me actually want to write the thing.
Do you think you might have time to beta? ::bats eyelashes hopefully::
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It wasn't Ghost!Fraser's ghostliness that made Real!Fraser think that Real!Fraser was losing his marbles; as Ghost!Fraser says, Real!Fraser sees his dad all the time with only minor occasional qualms about his sanity. It was the fact that Ghost!Fraser showed up and said, without your hot mountie lovin', Ray is going to die! So you must shag Ray! For his own good! You have a duty to shag Ray! Which Real!Fraser thought could only be the worst kind of petty self-deception sprung from the sickness of his own brain. Because obviously it's ridiculous that Ray literally can't live without Fraser. And obviously it's ridiculous that beautiful, funny, clearly and historically heterosexual Ray would harbor any feelings of lust or romantic attachment for Fraser. And that's why he decided that his brain had finally irreparably overheated in the Chicago heat.
Because of the debacle with Victoria, coupled with his own general insecurities and childhood experiences of alienation, Fraser doesn't trust his own judgment when it comes to love and he doesn't trust his heart. He's undertaken extreme rationalizations in the service of lust in the past and convinced himself of things that turned out not to be true. He hates to be wrong even in things that don't really matter so this is a really huge thing for him. And he wants Ray badly, so badly that he's convinced himself that it must not possible in spite of any evidence to the contrary.
This leads us to The Last Seduction of Fraser. I love the idea that the conflict is perversely flipped around. As you say, it's Fraser who is most sexually interested, and yet Ray is the one who is seducing. Once Fraser figures out that Ray saw the ghost too - and you know he would, even if Ray doesn't tell him - it will be that much more difficult to convince him that Ray isn't just lying back and thinking of his GTO because of his brotherly love for Fraser and maybe even his own self-interest. Fraser can be so completely, unutterably stubborn that this isn't going to be easy. Poor Ray is in for a bumpy ride! Heh, heh, heh.
This will mean a substantial rewrite of everything after Fraser's confession - Fraser is going to have to really dig his heels in to begin with and argue with Ray about how he shouldn't give in to him, which could be hilarious. Ray's going to have to start working much harder from the outset. But clarifying this conflict gives the second part a real shape and focus, and makes me actually want to write the thing.
Do you think you might have time to beta? ::bats eyelashes hopefully::