#cudvac

They would 100% go to a square dance together and Ben would teach Cud some more ways to dance and it would be v sweet. Also they would enjoy taking Julius out for a trot together, Cud likes it when Ben rides behind him and hugs him around the middle :’)

I shipped it before I even saw the film. @mcicioni-blog told me it was shippy and I watched the film with full intentions to write a fic. I had a notepad open where I’d write down times of shippy moments that I liked for idea fodder later.

I honestly had never done that with a ship before, like gone in to the content expecting to ship them. For Mantimer that turned out really well, but for other ships I’ve seen (notably Farasquez), I went in expecting something different, and came out feeling like they were profoundly unshippable.

Lbr though, Mantimer is the most shippable pasta ship other than Cudvac. What’s not to love? :’)

It’s a REALLY close toss up between the end moment where Ben says very emotionally to Cud “We are your friends” 3 AND that freaking adorable moment when Cud can’t quite manage how cute Ben is and how to answer his questions so he sort of mumbles like “Okay let me buy you a drink.”. BTL is so gay and so good.

Uhhh Nincho and Cudvac came to mind almost simultaneously....hmmmerrr.

In terms of commonality between the two, it seems like both have to go through some kind of betrayal (intended or no) of their ‘bandit past’ in order to be brought into the fold by the rich foreigner. Obviously for Ben it’s a lot more benevolent and pure-- he just wants Cudlip to have friends and be okay with himself. Whereas Nino very much wants control over Chuncho. 

The endings are both ambiguous but appropriate for both. It would be interesting to do a longer post on parallels between the development of their relationship (it SEEMS like they’re polar opposites, and yet, the more I think on it, the more there could be something neat to talk about there).

I find it interesting (and I’m guilty of this in my writing too) that the natural side-step from bandit is to roles like ‘law enforcement’, on the ‘good’ end of things. But for the ‘bad end’ side of things, the sidestep is to ‘businessman’.