Dear Yuletide Writer
Oct. 18th, 2018 10:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dorindaDear Writer: Hello! We got matched, or you selected me as a pinch hit--either way, thank you so much for being willing to write something for me in a tiny fandom of my heart. I really appreciate you. ♥
Your offer to write these fandoms means we both love them. So I put myself in your hands without hesitation--if you already have an idea, please do go ahead and write it. Enjoy yourself, have fun! I want you to have a good time with your own story, and not stress out.
But if more thoughts about my likes would be helpful, here are some!
Some of my general preferences:
Happy or at least hopeful endings. That doesn't rule out bittersweet or melancholy tones, and needn't be fluffy...in fact, I don't really find fluff comforting in general, for some reason. But I'm just not in a headspace for hopeless/tragic stuff. As I wrote to a friend recently, I thrive on a universe where hurts are comforted and tenderness prevails and the characters end up having each other's back, no matter how hard the circumstances.
Slash, though for me that doesn't require mandatory sex. I mean, sex is great if the story you're telling calls for it. But don't feel hemmed in; it's entirely up to you. For me, slash is first about the depth of connection between the characters, the discovery of a startling and unexpected intimacy, a willingness to open up to previously hidden layers and vulnerabilities.
Some of the tropes and approaches I enjoy: communicating between the lines, words that camouflage deeper/unspoken meanings, protectiveness, worry, extreme competence (with honest weakness), hurt/comfort (physical and/or emotional), uncovering a secret, me-and-you-against-the-world, tending wounds, bathing/washing, nurturing via food/drink/warmth. (Also, I must admit I like past tense best, unless there's a reason for present tense.)
I noticed that for three of my four requests this year, in the signup I wrote: "I love a troubled mentor/pushy student dynamic, and I love to see mistakes made on both sides, as well as the mentor not automatically having all of the power all of the time." I hadn't consciously realized before that interesting commonality between some of my feelings about The Exorcist (TV), The Sting, and Trapeze, but I SURE DO NOW. \o/
Don't be afraid of classic frameworks if you like them! I mentioned hurt/comfort, but I also won't turn up my nose at Having To Share A Bed, Huddling for Warmth, Pretend or Mistaken For Couple, Undercover As or Mistaken For Rentboy, situations where one suffers or sacrifices for the other, rescues, stranded somewhere (idyllic or non-), etc.
If you're the sort of writer who'd like to hear a few more thoughts on my chosen characters, here are some details about my fandoms this year (in alphabetical order): The Exorcist (TV), Rejseholdet|Unit One, The Sting (1973), Trapeze (1956).
THE EXORCIST (TV):
Marcus Keane, Peter Osborne, Tomas Ortega
(Doesn't have to include all three characters at once, though Marcus is mandatory, please; Marcus/Tomas or Marcus/Peter is great, or both pairings involved in the same story, whatever you like.)
The Exorcist universe is a much stranger and darker place than Tomas realized, and now he's up to his neck in it--and now all he has on his side is Marcus, who was shaped by that strangeness and darkness since his literal childhood.
Marcus is both hard and soft, so angry but so loving, and so very wounded. I love how up in Tomas' space he is, both his living space and his own personal space, with his intense, reaching gaze and also with his body and hands. One of my tumblr tags for this fandom is "must be exorcist he's touching his face". :) In general my exorcist reblogs are here at http://adnirod.tumblr.com/tagged/the-exorcist, in case they are inspirational.
I also love Peter, with his own wounds but also a gentle, nurturing stability and a place in the ordinary world that Marcus doesn't (and feels he cannot) have. I love how they connect so quickly and end up opening up to each other, in this private darkness with just the two of them, somehow feeling safe together. I love how at first Peter reaches out to kiss Marcus, but then later Marcus reaches out unhesitatingly to him--it feels freighted with meaning. And I love how hungry Marcus is, though that of course is also a sad and painful thing.
REJSEHOLDET | UNIT ONE
Allan Fischer, Thomas La Cour
Fischer and La Cour seem to need each other so much, like there's something they just can't get anywhere else. But this need, while intense and unflagging, also seems frustrated and inchoate, like they just can't figure out how to grasp it and what to do about it.
They rely on the structure of the job to let them be together, work together, relax together, sit quietly in dark cars on stakeouts together, protect each other, rescue each other, talk about private and intimate things. And eventually, they rely on it to let them create a situation where literally Fischer's only lifeline is La Cour. They have this desire to connect at very deep levels, and I would love to see them finally learn to create and savor this connection without needing to pretend it's about something else.
I love their high levels of competence, each with their own very different angle: Fischer the expressive extrovert who is so good at talking with people, and La Cour the tightly-wrapped introvert who loses himself in the tiniest crime scene details. I love how matter-of-fact and supportive Fischer is about La Cour's abilities, even when they get otherworldly and frighten La Cour himself. I love their humor and the way they enjoy poking at and needling each other. But also how much they share with each other, support each other, think of each other.
Other characters are welcome if you want; I love the team, especially IP and Ingrid. But Fischer and La Cour on their own would be great too.
THE STING (1973)
Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker
Henry and Johnny are the battle-worn veteran and the promoted minor-leaguer intensely eager to get in the game, whose competence and skill and risk-taking brings a little sweet justice into a hard world. They’re mentor and mentored, but also well on the way to equal partners by the end of the movie--I enjoy Henry teaching and Johnny learning, but also Johnny opening Henry's eyes or otherwise keeping him on his toes.
Henry’s more of a realist, what with everything he’s seen and lost, and he’s a worrier--up all night before the sting, giving Johnny a secret bodyguard, taking on so much responsibility and feeling it heavy on his shoulders. Johnny’s more of a risk junkie, and until the end of the movie feels he has to keep aloof and look after himself (guilt over Luther?), but oh, the look on his face when he first sees Henry (and Henry's worried faaaace) after the bodyguard reveal. Now he knows he has someone who feels so deeply about him, and he certainly seems to have deep feelings of his own in return.
I love the whole con-artist milieu, and feel free to include other characters if you want—I especially love Kid Twist, but they're all great, as is that feeling of the far-flung network of skilled grifters who network like one big shady extended family.
TRAPEZE (1956)
Mike Ribble, Tino Orsini
I posted a picspam and recap (though the downloads vanished in the wind with Megaupload, alas), if you're interested in hearing me squee in more detail.
Mike and Tino live with the throttle turned all the way up--a blend of artist, athlete, and daredevil, with the intensities and perfectionism of all of those things. I love the way they started to connect from the very first moment, despite Mike's resistance and Tino's hard-sell. I love how skilled they are in their craft, and how intensely they work and concentrate on making it better. I love how passionate they are, how deeply they feel (about the act, but even more, about each other), and their sheer delight and admiration for one another. I love Mike's pain, yearning, and hard won knowledge/experience; I love Tino's courage, eagerness, and tenacity. I love how, when they're both focused on the work/craft/art that they live and breathe, smaller concerns disappear: from a bloody nose to a broken heart, it ends up fading away before the power and beauty of the act they can bring to life together.
I think Mike's decision at the end can definitely be changed and upended, especially given how stubborn Tino is when he's going after what he really wants, but I don't think it'll be easy. I think Lola hit Mike right where he lives, in saying he was using Tino for the triple. Mike loves Tino, but he also loves the work, and he loves striving toward something as difficult and amazing as the triple. I think there was something in him that needed to face the triple again, after what it did to him and his whole life. So Lola's jab very well might have made him wonder whether he was using Tino in some way (and, given how much he loves him now, he might wonder if that would only be using Tino too). In any case, Mike surely (if wrongly) believes that Tino will be better off without him. But we've seen Tino win him over before! (With Rosa's assistance!)
Speaking of Rosa: I quite like her, and she's welcome in the story as Mike and Tino's good friend, along with other canon characters if you want. But no Lola, please, or at least minimal--I don't need her to be bashed, as she has understandable reasons for what she does, but in the end while I understand why she manipulates and uses people (her former acrobatic team as well as Mike and Tino), I don't have to like it.
Have fun writing, and thank you! *\o/*
Your offer to write these fandoms means we both love them. So I put myself in your hands without hesitation--if you already have an idea, please do go ahead and write it. Enjoy yourself, have fun! I want you to have a good time with your own story, and not stress out.
But if more thoughts about my likes would be helpful, here are some!
Some of my general preferences:
Happy or at least hopeful endings. That doesn't rule out bittersweet or melancholy tones, and needn't be fluffy...in fact, I don't really find fluff comforting in general, for some reason. But I'm just not in a headspace for hopeless/tragic stuff. As I wrote to a friend recently, I thrive on a universe where hurts are comforted and tenderness prevails and the characters end up having each other's back, no matter how hard the circumstances.
Slash, though for me that doesn't require mandatory sex. I mean, sex is great if the story you're telling calls for it. But don't feel hemmed in; it's entirely up to you. For me, slash is first about the depth of connection between the characters, the discovery of a startling and unexpected intimacy, a willingness to open up to previously hidden layers and vulnerabilities.
Some of the tropes and approaches I enjoy: communicating between the lines, words that camouflage deeper/unspoken meanings, protectiveness, worry, extreme competence (with honest weakness), hurt/comfort (physical and/or emotional), uncovering a secret, me-and-you-against-the-world, tending wounds, bathing/washing, nurturing via food/drink/warmth. (Also, I must admit I like past tense best, unless there's a reason for present tense.)
I noticed that for three of my four requests this year, in the signup I wrote: "I love a troubled mentor/pushy student dynamic, and I love to see mistakes made on both sides, as well as the mentor not automatically having all of the power all of the time." I hadn't consciously realized before that interesting commonality between some of my feelings about The Exorcist (TV), The Sting, and Trapeze, but I SURE DO NOW. \o/
Don't be afraid of classic frameworks if you like them! I mentioned hurt/comfort, but I also won't turn up my nose at Having To Share A Bed, Huddling for Warmth, Pretend or Mistaken For Couple, Undercover As or Mistaken For Rentboy, situations where one suffers or sacrifices for the other, rescues, stranded somewhere (idyllic or non-), etc.
If you're the sort of writer who'd like to hear a few more thoughts on my chosen characters, here are some details about my fandoms this year (in alphabetical order): The Exorcist (TV), Rejseholdet|Unit One, The Sting (1973), Trapeze (1956).
THE EXORCIST (TV):
Marcus Keane, Peter Osborne, Tomas Ortega
(Doesn't have to include all three characters at once, though Marcus is mandatory, please; Marcus/Tomas or Marcus/Peter is great, or both pairings involved in the same story, whatever you like.)
The Exorcist universe is a much stranger and darker place than Tomas realized, and now he's up to his neck in it--and now all he has on his side is Marcus, who was shaped by that strangeness and darkness since his literal childhood.
Marcus is both hard and soft, so angry but so loving, and so very wounded. I love how up in Tomas' space he is, both his living space and his own personal space, with his intense, reaching gaze and also with his body and hands. One of my tumblr tags for this fandom is "must be exorcist he's touching his face". :) In general my exorcist reblogs are here at http://adnirod.tumblr.com/tagged/the-exorcist, in case they are inspirational.
I also love Peter, with his own wounds but also a gentle, nurturing stability and a place in the ordinary world that Marcus doesn't (and feels he cannot) have. I love how they connect so quickly and end up opening up to each other, in this private darkness with just the two of them, somehow feeling safe together. I love how at first Peter reaches out to kiss Marcus, but then later Marcus reaches out unhesitatingly to him--it feels freighted with meaning. And I love how hungry Marcus is, though that of course is also a sad and painful thing.
REJSEHOLDET | UNIT ONE
Allan Fischer, Thomas La Cour
Fischer and La Cour seem to need each other so much, like there's something they just can't get anywhere else. But this need, while intense and unflagging, also seems frustrated and inchoate, like they just can't figure out how to grasp it and what to do about it.
They rely on the structure of the job to let them be together, work together, relax together, sit quietly in dark cars on stakeouts together, protect each other, rescue each other, talk about private and intimate things. And eventually, they rely on it to let them create a situation where literally Fischer's only lifeline is La Cour. They have this desire to connect at very deep levels, and I would love to see them finally learn to create and savor this connection without needing to pretend it's about something else.
I love their high levels of competence, each with their own very different angle: Fischer the expressive extrovert who is so good at talking with people, and La Cour the tightly-wrapped introvert who loses himself in the tiniest crime scene details. I love how matter-of-fact and supportive Fischer is about La Cour's abilities, even when they get otherworldly and frighten La Cour himself. I love their humor and the way they enjoy poking at and needling each other. But also how much they share with each other, support each other, think of each other.
Other characters are welcome if you want; I love the team, especially IP and Ingrid. But Fischer and La Cour on their own would be great too.
THE STING (1973)
Henry Gondorff, Johnny Hooker
Henry and Johnny are the battle-worn veteran and the promoted minor-leaguer intensely eager to get in the game, whose competence and skill and risk-taking brings a little sweet justice into a hard world. They’re mentor and mentored, but also well on the way to equal partners by the end of the movie--I enjoy Henry teaching and Johnny learning, but also Johnny opening Henry's eyes or otherwise keeping him on his toes.
Henry’s more of a realist, what with everything he’s seen and lost, and he’s a worrier--up all night before the sting, giving Johnny a secret bodyguard, taking on so much responsibility and feeling it heavy on his shoulders. Johnny’s more of a risk junkie, and until the end of the movie feels he has to keep aloof and look after himself (guilt over Luther?), but oh, the look on his face when he first sees Henry (and Henry's worried faaaace) after the bodyguard reveal. Now he knows he has someone who feels so deeply about him, and he certainly seems to have deep feelings of his own in return.
I love the whole con-artist milieu, and feel free to include other characters if you want—I especially love Kid Twist, but they're all great, as is that feeling of the far-flung network of skilled grifters who network like one big shady extended family.
TRAPEZE (1956)
Mike Ribble, Tino Orsini
I posted a picspam and recap (though the downloads vanished in the wind with Megaupload, alas), if you're interested in hearing me squee in more detail.
Mike and Tino live with the throttle turned all the way up--a blend of artist, athlete, and daredevil, with the intensities and perfectionism of all of those things. I love the way they started to connect from the very first moment, despite Mike's resistance and Tino's hard-sell. I love how skilled they are in their craft, and how intensely they work and concentrate on making it better. I love how passionate they are, how deeply they feel (about the act, but even more, about each other), and their sheer delight and admiration for one another. I love Mike's pain, yearning, and hard won knowledge/experience; I love Tino's courage, eagerness, and tenacity. I love how, when they're both focused on the work/craft/art that they live and breathe, smaller concerns disappear: from a bloody nose to a broken heart, it ends up fading away before the power and beauty of the act they can bring to life together.
I think Mike's decision at the end can definitely be changed and upended, especially given how stubborn Tino is when he's going after what he really wants, but I don't think it'll be easy. I think Lola hit Mike right where he lives, in saying he was using Tino for the triple. Mike loves Tino, but he also loves the work, and he loves striving toward something as difficult and amazing as the triple. I think there was something in him that needed to face the triple again, after what it did to him and his whole life. So Lola's jab very well might have made him wonder whether he was using Tino in some way (and, given how much he loves him now, he might wonder if that would only be using Tino too). In any case, Mike surely (if wrongly) believes that Tino will be better off without him. But we've seen Tino win him over before! (With Rosa's assistance!)
Speaking of Rosa: I quite like her, and she's welcome in the story as Mike and Tino's good friend, along with other canon characters if you want. But no Lola, please, or at least minimal--I don't need her to be bashed, as she has understandable reasons for what she does, but in the end while I understand why she manipulates and uses people (her former acrobatic team as well as Mike and Tino), I don't have to like it.
Have fun writing, and thank you! *\o/*
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Date: 2018-10-20 12:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-10-22 01:32 pm (UTC)