what would you say are some non-negotiable or so clearly dando characteristics (if there are any)? I have an idea for a dando fic but since it's a particular mind horror one, i'm scared of slipping too much into maxiel territory. thank you <3
this is such a great question and such an interesting thought exercise, like for dando but also for any pairing. what makes it different when this person is with that guy vs the other one. what characteristics or traits do two people bring out in each other vs the same guy with someone else?
i'd say the overlap with lando and max and daniel is that lando and max both find daniel extremely funny and laugh a lot around him. but, to me, the difference then comes in how they react to the humour. with max, when daniel says something, max then ups it. like he thinks it's so funny he's bent over holding his stomach and then he tries to say something equally as funny, but he usually lands on something so outrageous that it triggers daniel's internalized homophobia.
whereas with lando, daniel will say something flirty and lando tries to play it cool. so like the pingpong video, lando flicks daniel's ear and daniel says it's more arousing than painful and lando's just like on to the next, where if max where there and daniel said that, max would be like "AROUSING? DO YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS AROUSING? SIXTY NINING HA HA HA."
so max is there always broadcasting on main - daniel i want to go to your farm and then we break our arms and we spend weeks together just the two of us and it's on your farm and we're together. where lando on main is more like, ew, i would never want to go to daniel's farm anyway. (one week later:) hi daniel, i'm on a plane heading to your farm.
and i think part of that is that lando loves being the pursuer. lando wants to be the one paying, lando doesn't want anyone who is too keen, lando doesn't want to be chased. and daniel, for how friendly and likeable he is, for how much he draws people in, i think is actually quite difficult to pin down. so daniel needs to be chased AND doesn't do any of the eager stuff that puts lando off.
whereas max keeps making invitations and waiting for daniel to do the work, and then daniel doesn't. daniel's not going to organize for max to come to his farm, which is why max has never got the visit.
and then finally i think the big thing with lando and daniel is that they're able to connect on both their masc sides and their fem sides. so like lando's at the farm riding dirtbikes, like having to shower outside because they're so dirty. but then lando and daniel are also wearing matching sparkly necklaces that are very feminine. they both have an interest in creative things, and i think the heart of dando is their matching jpg accounts and their love of music.
max isn't a music guy, really, and there's no way that he's ever going to be engaging in recreational photography.
so i see the heart of dando being their ability to connect in different ways, but especially having that overlap with the creative - they way they like taking pictures generally, and of each other specifically. the coy playfulness we can see in the pictures they've posted of each other. they're thick dicked himbos but they want to be artists.
