and wow, I hadn't thought of needing to clarify Canada's stance on this, but I guess I need to figure that out, now
Mmmm, POINT. You know, I can easily see this particular form of slavery being socially acceptable not just in the US but in most Western countries under the justification that people only get it because they've done something to deserve it. (I mean, look at the inequalities that otherwise decent people are willing to condone in the criminal justice system we already have!) So I could imagine that Canada either having something similar itself, or extraditing escaped criminals back to the US. New York is so close to Canada that it seems like Neal, with his penchant for escape, would have a lot more options if it's a possibility than if it's not.
Anyway ... ouch. But also, yes. One thing I've noticed in my own AUs is how, if you change the amount of choice/control that Neal has in his situation, it also changes the overall dynamic between him and Peter -- that is, in canon, it's somewhat out of his hands, but he still has a lot of options (including escape), and the idea was his in the first place. Putting him in a situation where he really CAN'T get away, or where Peter has more direct control over him than he does in canon, makes it necessary to write a version of Peter who uses a lighter hand than canon!Peter can get away with, where they're on more equal footing.
On the basis of the way people often write the Neal-Peter dynamic in fic, I feel as if some people in fandom don't realize that Neal has quite as much leverage as he actually does in canon. The anklet deal was his idea, and escape is always a possibility -- in 2x01, for example, Neal seems to be weighing it as a valid alternative to going back on the anklet. And as we saw in 3x16/4x01, he can actually escape anytime he wants. And, even though Peter can be invasive and controlling at times, he mostly allows Neal a lot of personal freedom as far as the ability to associate with whoever he wants and spend his leisure time in his own way. (Even in the pilot, when he basically has NO reason to trust Neal and every reason not to, he doesn't try to force Neal out of June's, or exert control over who Neal talks to on his own time.)
But in AUs where Neal either can't get away, or Peter is able to control or surveil him more directly, it takes a lighter touch to keep Peter from coming across as a bullying dick. Which is something I like about "your" Peter and Neal in this -- that is, I can see that AU!Peter is aware of his position of power regarding Neal, even if he doesn't quite know how to deal with it, or perhaps doesn't appreciate the impact it has.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2013-06-23 06:09 pm (UTC)Mmmm, POINT. You know, I can easily see this particular form of slavery being socially acceptable not just in the US but in most Western countries under the justification that people only get it because they've done something to deserve it. (I mean, look at the inequalities that otherwise decent people are willing to condone in the criminal justice system we already have!) So I could imagine that Canada either having something similar itself, or extraditing escaped criminals back to the US. New York is so close to Canada that it seems like Neal, with his penchant for escape, would have a lot more options if it's a possibility than if it's not.
Anyway ... ouch. But also, yes. One thing I've noticed in my own AUs is how, if you change the amount of choice/control that Neal has in his situation, it also changes the overall dynamic between him and Peter -- that is, in canon, it's somewhat out of his hands, but he still has a lot of options (including escape), and the idea was his in the first place. Putting him in a situation where he really CAN'T get away, or where Peter has more direct control over him than he does in canon, makes it necessary to write a version of Peter who uses a lighter hand than canon!Peter can get away with, where they're on more equal footing.
On the basis of the way people often write the Neal-Peter dynamic in fic, I feel as if some people in fandom don't realize that Neal has quite as much leverage as he actually does in canon. The anklet deal was his idea, and escape is always a possibility -- in 2x01, for example, Neal seems to be weighing it as a valid alternative to going back on the anklet. And as we saw in 3x16/4x01, he can actually escape anytime he wants. And, even though Peter can be invasive and controlling at times, he mostly allows Neal a lot of personal freedom as far as the ability to associate with whoever he wants and spend his leisure time in his own way. (Even in the pilot, when he basically has NO reason to trust Neal and every reason not to, he doesn't try to force Neal out of June's, or exert control over who Neal talks to on his own time.)
But in AUs where Neal either can't get away, or Peter is able to control or surveil him more directly, it takes a lighter touch to keep Peter from coming across as a bullying dick. Which is something I like about "your" Peter and Neal in this -- that is, I can see that AU!Peter is aware of his position of power regarding Neal, even if he doesn't quite know how to deal with it, or perhaps doesn't appreciate the impact it has.