Yuletide!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:14:17 GMT

Hi!

This is my second participation in Yuletide, and my first DYW letter. So. Not really sure how to go about this. I think I should start with thanking you in advance for what you’ll write – also, I hope my requests haven’t freaked you out or sent you in a fit of despair. I’ll do my best here to clarify things and maybe help you deal with your assignment without losing your mind!

Many of the ‘Dear Writer’ letters I’ve read (yeah, I did the whole ‘panicked n00b browsing through the Yuletide LJ comm’ thing) start with a basic presentation of the type of fic the person usually likes. I managed to think of three things that absolutely always apply :

¤ I tend to favour stories that develop over a short period of time (which doesn’t mean the fic itself must be short, goes without saying!). I’m not into epics with a span of several years. Rather, go for a specific moment, a conversation – a few hours, maybe an afternoon or a day, which encapsulates everything you want to say. Think of that quote from The Hours : A woman's whole life in a single day. Just one day. And in that day her whole life.

¤ As you may have gathered from the above, I’m also a big fan of introspection. You can have a character sitting on his or her ass for the entirety of the fic, doing nothing but reminisce (angstily or not, depending on the context) : fine by me. It will also allow you to stick to the short time span thing while being able to cover a wider period through the character’s thoughts and memories. Ha. Bet you needed me to help you figure that out, right. *hides*

¤ Details. I love details, visual and otherwise (little evocative sounds work too). Descriptions are a plus ; even if they seem long-winded or excessive, it probably won’t be too much for me.

There aren’t many things that I would say I can’t stand at all. It’s all a matter of context. Het sex usually has me running in the opposite direction (just like IRL, heh! But let’s not go there). I’m also not a fan of unresolved angst and unabashed darkness. That’s pretty much it.

Now, of course, if all this has absolutely nothing to do with the way you like to write, don’t torture yourself to try and stick to these indications. Those are merely preferences, and they’re not exclusive. Just go with your own strong points.

Kaamelott

Two favoured pairings for this one : Arthur/Guinevere and Ywain/Gawain. For the former, some G-rated fluff about their growing connection would suit me fine (NO explicit het, please!). Or if you prefer the latter, I'd love a slashy take on them, perhaps with a very dorky first time (now here, NC-17 would be great).

This is my main fandom at the moment. I’m head over heels in love with it ; I don’t think there’s a single character I’m not interested in (so even though I’ve named two specific pairings for it, and would love it if you could write about one of them, feel free to digress if neither inspire you and give me something completely different).

Arthur/Guinevere is my OTP. The faint hints of tenderness between them at the end of season 4 and throughout season 5 completely melted my fluff-loving heart. I would love to see another one of those little moments, a conversation, a gaze, maybe with one or both of them reflecting upon their marriage, their fate, the future, the past, etc. Cute, touching details would work best (I’m more of a slash person, though, so as I’ve stated in the request, please don’t go into anything explicit. NC-17 het is a huge no-no for me, can’t stress that enough).

Ywain/Gawain is something else entirely. They’re like a bonus pairing. I think they’re already more or less canon, too (les petits pédestres!). So what I want for them is pretty much the opposite of what I’m looking for in Arthur/Guinevere. I’d love to see them discover the sexual dimension of their relationship, in a totally dorky manner. Dorky, yet erotic (now there’s a challenge!). The more explicit, in this case, the better, so if you feel like wallowing in porn, this is your chance! Just keep in IC, that’s all I ask.

Titanic

Tommy/Fabrizio, please. Because we all know Rose and Jack weren't the only ones who fell in love on the Titanic. Explicit sex most welcome.

In this case, I guess the limited time span is non-negotiable! But sadly, neither is the unresolved angst. Unless you want to just leave it at the romance and not mention that whole pesky business with the iceberg and so on. Or even make an AU where it simply doesn't happen, why not?

All jokes aside, I’d love a story that would play out like a parallel to the movie’s plotline. If you’ve got the time and the energy to write a long fic that would spread from their first meeting to the sinking of the ship (a series of given moments in their relationship, each of them a landmark in its evolution, for instance), it'd be absolutely amazing. And since I mentioned AU’s, if you want to mess with the canon and have one of them survive to recall their story in the manner of old!Rose in the flick, it’s also a possibility I have no problem with.

Also, as I said in the request, NC-17 material would be a welcome addition. I would just prefer it not to be the main focus of the story. Just have it be a part of a more expanded plot.

La Cage aux Folles

Albin/Georges. I'd love a take on their first meeting and the beginning of their relationship. Rating at your discretion!

So yeah, basically, I'm asking for a recount of Albin and Georges falling in love. Naturally I'm picturing something very queer, something totally flamboyant - over the top, even. Maybe in the same vein as Pedro Lemebel’s My Tender Matador (if you haven’t read that, do it. Honestly, it’s amazing). We know them as an old couple, bickering and yet never quite able to be apart ; but how did they meet? How did it start? Was it love at first sight in a dingy clandestine club on the docks of Marseille, or was one of them running from disapproving parents? Did they have hot, sweaty sex on the very first night or did their attraction blossom slowly, with lots of blushing and averted gazes? What’s their backstory, anyway?

I don’t really have any rigid demands on this particular prompt. Just try to keep low on the angst (steering clear of themes like rape and prostitution, for instance, would be better). Other than that, you've got carte blanche.

Well. Hopefully, this will be of some help to you. Again, thanks so much for writing me this story. I’ll do my best to give you heart-warming feedback when the time comes (although like many participants I’ll probably be away around the holidays, so it might take me some time to respond. I will, though, I promise).

Till then, have fun!

The Greate Analog World

Yuletide!