a yuletide letter of considerable length
Dear Yuletide Writer:
First off, thank you for being so awesome as to have offered a story in one of the rather odd fandoms I listed! I realize that my 4 prompts may seem a little schizophrenic to you, as the only thing that really applies to all of them is that I seem to like things that have the potential to include sex, perhaps because I'm a shipper at heart (but the open kind -- I have very few OTPs, and even the ones that I sort of have are very flexible). But even that's only a mild preference (I've read and loved plenty of gen), as I hope the prompts made clear.
The fact is, I like a wide range of story types, characters, character interactions, plot points, narrative moods, settings, and kinks. I have a special fondness for UST, steadfast attachment, desperate sex, sincere sweetness and charm, affectionate snark with an edge, absurd and/or clever humor, comfortable banter, dysfunctional-but-hot co-dependency, complex motives, possibly reformed bad boys, power games and bdsm, fighting as foreplay, morally grey characters, and unexpected discovery (among others -- these are just the ones springing to mind at the moment). Obviously these don't usually all fit in the same fic, though I have to admit that I'm a sucker for any fic that somehow manages a good combination of hot and adorable. I do like angst and conflict, but usually I'm happiest when it eventually resolves in some satisfying way. I am generally more of a hopeful ending sort of person -- not the kind wrapped all tight with a bow, necessarily, but also not completely bleak. On the other hand, I have been known to appreciate wistfulness and sadness, there are some stories that really just need tragic endings, or at least less-than-optimistic ones. I can be a big fan of ambiguity if it's done well, and often like matter-of-fact realism... though I also like dreamy surrealism and sharp stylization and really a lot of different moods and styles. A wonderfully foreshadowed first kiss can make me just as happy as scorching hot explicit porn, as can any sort of well-drawn and vivid character interaction. I think interesting and believable character interaction is for me the most important aspect of fic.
I have no idea if this letter will be at all helpful to you. This is my first Yuletide, so I'm just sort of figuring out how everything works. If it helps, here are some of my recs, though they're only a very small subset of the stories I've enjoyed. Maybe it will also help if I talk about each of my requests in turn. I've been meaning to record them here for posterity, anyway.
1. Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet, Romeo/Mercutio
Slash would be lovely, but I'd be happy with anything (including gen or het) that shows their interaction, particularly their attachment to each other despite very different perspectives on life. I should also note that I'm a fan of revisionist Shakespeare productions (I quite liked the Baz Luhrman movie, for example), so definitely feel free to go AU. But classic is good, too; I'm not picky.
I remember reading Romeo and Juliet my freshman year of college and wanting to strangle practically everyone involved, especially Romeo and Juliet. Death by stupidity and misunderstanding and impatience and overreaction still seems pretty darn futile to me. However! I always had a soft spot for Mercutio, because while it can be said that his death was mostly his own fault, it was also a result of his impassioned defense of Romeo, and between that and Romeo killing Tybalt in retaliation, I just can't help but be moved by the obvious depth of feeling in their longstanding friendship. Add in the fact that their friendship seems to include a lot of witty repartee fueled by somewhat clashing life-philosophies, and their interaction becomes one of my favorites in all of Shakespeare's plays, despite my frustration with the bulk of the play. I will say that Baz Luhrman's Romeo+Juliet made me like the play more than I ever had before, as I found myself more in sympathy with the protagonists as acted than as they were when simply words on a page.
I would love an exploration of the possibility of their having been lovers as well as friends, but would truly be just as happy with anything that shows the wit and conflict and affection that we see in their interactions from the play.
2. Entourage, Eric/Vince
I'm a sucker for Eric/Vince, so pretty much anything along those lines would make me happy. I tend to like banter and UST, and a little co-dependency and jealousy wouldn't go amiss. Slash preferred, but I'm generally fine with gen and het as well.
*grin* I'm not sure there's much more to say here. Ideally, I'd love slash that builds out of their adorably co-dependent friendship, perhaps with a bit of angst and lots of UST along the way, and ends on a hot and happy note. But you know, gen/het that centers on their totally platonic yet ridiculously close and intertwined relationship would also be wonderful. I adore Ari, am fond of Lloyd, enjoy Turtle and Drama and Shauna... I also rather liked Emily. So a certain amount of ensemble could also be fun.
3. Cruel Intentions, Cecile/Kathryn/Sebastian
I love the idea of a threesome. If not that, femmeslash is always a happy thing; het and slash are fine as well. Teaching and the virgin (with a nice dash of manipulation) is perhaps the core of my interest in this grouping of characters, as well as Kathryn and Sebastian's close adversarial/confidante relationship. Something with photographs and/or blackmail might be fun.
And now for something considerably less... wholesome. The mood of this could range from coy and playful to seriously dark and twisted, and I'd be happy with any and all of it. Some amount of manipulation and fun with power dynamics seems inherent in the concept, and I think I'd hope for something pretty hot and full of possibly-complex tension, quite probably involving sex between any combination of the characters. But I'm sure there are also gen versions of this containing enough interesting interactions to make me happy.
4. Gosford Park, Robert Parks/Henry Denton
I would like to believe that I'm not the only one who would love to see these two have some rough, unromantic, possibly angry, not-very-nice, but extremely hot sex. Am in favor of slash, obviously, but confrontational gen would also be great. Though honestly, I think I'd enjoy almost anything Gosford Park, include het and femmeslash and plenty of non-confrontational scenarios. It's all good.
I love pretty much everything about this movie, so honestly fic about any aspect, even if it didn't include either of the characters I've requested, would probably make me blissfully happy. I liked Robert's interactions with Mary, for example, and Mary's interactions with Lady Trentham. The highly dysfunctional family, the snarky and sweet and varied servants. All those deep emotions and complex relationships, masked by politeness and duty and stoic Britishness. Seeing the play of the façades and watching them crack is a large part of the appeal, I think.
God, this got ridiculously long, and for that I am sorry. In the end, I guess the most important part of what I've been trying to say is, I like a huge variety of stuff, am harder than most to squick, and am willing to try almost anything. So please, just write something you'll have fun writing, and I'm sure I'll love it!
much love,
athenejen.
First off, thank you for being so awesome as to have offered a story in one of the rather odd fandoms I listed! I realize that my 4 prompts may seem a little schizophrenic to you, as the only thing that really applies to all of them is that I seem to like things that have the potential to include sex, perhaps because I'm a shipper at heart (but the open kind -- I have very few OTPs, and even the ones that I sort of have are very flexible). But even that's only a mild preference (I've read and loved plenty of gen), as I hope the prompts made clear.
The fact is, I like a wide range of story types, characters, character interactions, plot points, narrative moods, settings, and kinks. I have a special fondness for UST, steadfast attachment, desperate sex, sincere sweetness and charm, affectionate snark with an edge, absurd and/or clever humor, comfortable banter, dysfunctional-but-hot co-dependency, complex motives, possibly reformed bad boys, power games and bdsm, fighting as foreplay, morally grey characters, and unexpected discovery (among others -- these are just the ones springing to mind at the moment). Obviously these don't usually all fit in the same fic, though I have to admit that I'm a sucker for any fic that somehow manages a good combination of hot and adorable. I do like angst and conflict, but usually I'm happiest when it eventually resolves in some satisfying way. I am generally more of a hopeful ending sort of person -- not the kind wrapped all tight with a bow, necessarily, but also not completely bleak. On the other hand, I have been known to appreciate wistfulness and sadness, there are some stories that really just need tragic endings, or at least less-than-optimistic ones. I can be a big fan of ambiguity if it's done well, and often like matter-of-fact realism... though I also like dreamy surrealism and sharp stylization and really a lot of different moods and styles. A wonderfully foreshadowed first kiss can make me just as happy as scorching hot explicit porn, as can any sort of well-drawn and vivid character interaction. I think interesting and believable character interaction is for me the most important aspect of fic.
I have no idea if this letter will be at all helpful to you. This is my first Yuletide, so I'm just sort of figuring out how everything works. If it helps, here are some of my recs, though they're only a very small subset of the stories I've enjoyed. Maybe it will also help if I talk about each of my requests in turn. I've been meaning to record them here for posterity, anyway.
1. Shakespeare -- Romeo and Juliet, Romeo/Mercutio
Slash would be lovely, but I'd be happy with anything (including gen or het) that shows their interaction, particularly their attachment to each other despite very different perspectives on life. I should also note that I'm a fan of revisionist Shakespeare productions (I quite liked the Baz Luhrman movie, for example), so definitely feel free to go AU. But classic is good, too; I'm not picky.
I remember reading Romeo and Juliet my freshman year of college and wanting to strangle practically everyone involved, especially Romeo and Juliet. Death by stupidity and misunderstanding and impatience and overreaction still seems pretty darn futile to me. However! I always had a soft spot for Mercutio, because while it can be said that his death was mostly his own fault, it was also a result of his impassioned defense of Romeo, and between that and Romeo killing Tybalt in retaliation, I just can't help but be moved by the obvious depth of feeling in their longstanding friendship. Add in the fact that their friendship seems to include a lot of witty repartee fueled by somewhat clashing life-philosophies, and their interaction becomes one of my favorites in all of Shakespeare's plays, despite my frustration with the bulk of the play. I will say that Baz Luhrman's Romeo+Juliet made me like the play more than I ever had before, as I found myself more in sympathy with the protagonists as acted than as they were when simply words on a page.
I would love an exploration of the possibility of their having been lovers as well as friends, but would truly be just as happy with anything that shows the wit and conflict and affection that we see in their interactions from the play.
2. Entourage, Eric/Vince
I'm a sucker for Eric/Vince, so pretty much anything along those lines would make me happy. I tend to like banter and UST, and a little co-dependency and jealousy wouldn't go amiss. Slash preferred, but I'm generally fine with gen and het as well.
*grin* I'm not sure there's much more to say here. Ideally, I'd love slash that builds out of their adorably co-dependent friendship, perhaps with a bit of angst and lots of UST along the way, and ends on a hot and happy note. But you know, gen/het that centers on their totally platonic yet ridiculously close and intertwined relationship would also be wonderful. I adore Ari, am fond of Lloyd, enjoy Turtle and Drama and Shauna... I also rather liked Emily. So a certain amount of ensemble could also be fun.
3. Cruel Intentions, Cecile/Kathryn/Sebastian
I love the idea of a threesome. If not that, femmeslash is always a happy thing; het and slash are fine as well. Teaching and the virgin (with a nice dash of manipulation) is perhaps the core of my interest in this grouping of characters, as well as Kathryn and Sebastian's close adversarial/confidante relationship. Something with photographs and/or blackmail might be fun.
And now for something considerably less... wholesome. The mood of this could range from coy and playful to seriously dark and twisted, and I'd be happy with any and all of it. Some amount of manipulation and fun with power dynamics seems inherent in the concept, and I think I'd hope for something pretty hot and full of possibly-complex tension, quite probably involving sex between any combination of the characters. But I'm sure there are also gen versions of this containing enough interesting interactions to make me happy.
4. Gosford Park, Robert Parks/Henry Denton
I would like to believe that I'm not the only one who would love to see these two have some rough, unromantic, possibly angry, not-very-nice, but extremely hot sex. Am in favor of slash, obviously, but confrontational gen would also be great. Though honestly, I think I'd enjoy almost anything Gosford Park, include het and femmeslash and plenty of non-confrontational scenarios. It's all good.
I love pretty much everything about this movie, so honestly fic about any aspect, even if it didn't include either of the characters I've requested, would probably make me blissfully happy. I liked Robert's interactions with Mary, for example, and Mary's interactions with Lady Trentham. The highly dysfunctional family, the snarky and sweet and varied servants. All those deep emotions and complex relationships, masked by politeness and duty and stoic Britishness. Seeing the play of the façades and watching them crack is a large part of the appeal, I think.
God, this got ridiculously long, and for that I am sorry. In the end, I guess the most important part of what I've been trying to say is, I like a huge variety of stuff, am harder than most to squick, and am willing to try almost anything. So please, just write something you'll have fun writing, and I'm sure I'll love it!
much love,
athenejen.