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wildestrangerDear Yuletide-writer,
My apologies for not writing my letter earlier. I hope you have not been fretting. Please do not fret, I promise I will be happy with whatever you write! These are all tiny fandoms and every new story is a cause for joy. REALLY. So don't fret.
However, if you would like to know more about what would make me even more happy than I will already certainly be...
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011.
I went to see this film because of Tom Hardy and his beauteous musculature, and ended up having Feelings about things entirely unrelated to Tom Hardy (which is not to say that I didn't have feelings about Tom Hardy, only that they were located elsewhere). This is a quiet and clever film about people being subtle and thoughtful, and I love all of those things. I love that in the end it's about work, and doing a job that is necessary and problematic and prone to produce an existential crisis. I love how complicated this world is, and how questions of Us and Them are both skirted around and engaged with. I loved the Christmas!Lenin, and would watch the film again just for that (seriously, that was brilliant and hilarious and made me happy in my soul). I also loved Benedict Cumberbatch's suits, and his performance more generally (one of the Feelings I had concerned him). There is potential, I think, for some interesting interaction between Peter Guillam and Ricki Tarr - romantic or sexual, if you like, but not necessarily. How do they deal with their losses? How can they work together after this, and can their relationship make them more (or less?) functional as spies? What about the punching? Can angry!sex lead to tired-and-entirely-accidental!cuddling? I would also be interested to hear what they think about the world in the 1970s, the political situation in Europe, how they position themselves within the Cold War.
The Hour, 2011.
I was fascinated by the relationship between Bel and Freddie, and basically, anything more you want to tell me about that I will be delighted to hear. Preferably after the series, but if you get an interesting bunny that takes place during, go for it. Again I am interested in the work they are doing and how they think about their work, the mechanics of tv production as well as their self-fashioning as people who work, class and gender issues included. One thing I liked about the show is how Bel talks about the changing morals relating to female sexuality, the question of marriage etc, and how she quite deliberately positions herself in resistance to the mores of the previous generation. Also the question of women at work, and how she negotiates between various institutional prejudices. Her relationship with Freddie is interesting because it includes both pining and a long-term friendship, but also shifting desires and hierarchies. If you'd rather not go with the romance route, that's also fine, as long as they continue to be important to each other.
State of Play, 2003.
I started to watch this show for James McAvoy, but stayed for the plot. That said, the character of Dan Foster is fascinating, not to mention so ridiculously charming that I ended up blushing at my screen a lot. Seriously, I think James McAvoy actively turns down the charm for all other performances, because if he did this all the time...*fans self* Ahem. Yes, anything you want to tell me about Dan Foster, his family, his sex life (we know there's a missus but who says it has to be a woman? :P Or whatever you like!), his work, his sense of himself, his flirtations...I loved his banter in the show, and the way he connected with other members of staff - basically, if you just focus on Dan Foster being delightful, I will be very happy.
General Things Wot I like:
* As you may have gathered, I like characters who are good at their jobs and whose competence is shown in the story. I would like to hear about the mechanics of spying, tv production, investigative journalism, the skills required for those jobs and how people teach themselves to be good at what they do. I also like people to be thoughtful and intelligent in areas other than their work.
* I am a stickler for historical and cultural accuracy. Two of the fandoms requested deal with fairly recent history, one is modern, but I would nevertheless like to see that what happens is plausible in the relevant context. This could be an opportunity to engage with topics in the film/show (1970s politics, women in the workplace in the 1950s, modern British politics), or just an occasion for a few world-building details. It doesn't have to be the focus of the story, but I do hate being jolted out of a story because of historical inaccuracies.
* I like banter and clever dialogue, and there's space for that in all of these fandoms. I like character interaction to be funny, but also subtle and thoughtful, so whichever way the mood of the fic takes you...I like pining and UST, and sex while pretending not to have feelings. I like people poking at each other, and growing tension. I prefer a long drawn out mess to instant gratification.
* I really like happy endings. Please don't give me an unhappy ending. It would make me most sad.
* Most importantly, I would really like you to enjoy writing this story, so ignore all these if you need to. I am looking forward to reading it in any case!
My apologies for not writing my letter earlier. I hope you have not been fretting. Please do not fret, I promise I will be happy with whatever you write! These are all tiny fandoms and every new story is a cause for joy. REALLY. So don't fret.
However, if you would like to know more about what would make me even more happy than I will already certainly be...
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011.
I went to see this film because of Tom Hardy and his beauteous musculature, and ended up having Feelings about things entirely unrelated to Tom Hardy (which is not to say that I didn't have feelings about Tom Hardy, only that they were located elsewhere). This is a quiet and clever film about people being subtle and thoughtful, and I love all of those things. I love that in the end it's about work, and doing a job that is necessary and problematic and prone to produce an existential crisis. I love how complicated this world is, and how questions of Us and Them are both skirted around and engaged with. I loved the Christmas!Lenin, and would watch the film again just for that (seriously, that was brilliant and hilarious and made me happy in my soul). I also loved Benedict Cumberbatch's suits, and his performance more generally (one of the Feelings I had concerned him). There is potential, I think, for some interesting interaction between Peter Guillam and Ricki Tarr - romantic or sexual, if you like, but not necessarily. How do they deal with their losses? How can they work together after this, and can their relationship make them more (or less?) functional as spies? What about the punching? Can angry!sex lead to tired-and-entirely-accidental!cuddling? I would also be interested to hear what they think about the world in the 1970s, the political situation in Europe, how they position themselves within the Cold War.
The Hour, 2011.
I was fascinated by the relationship between Bel and Freddie, and basically, anything more you want to tell me about that I will be delighted to hear. Preferably after the series, but if you get an interesting bunny that takes place during, go for it. Again I am interested in the work they are doing and how they think about their work, the mechanics of tv production as well as their self-fashioning as people who work, class and gender issues included. One thing I liked about the show is how Bel talks about the changing morals relating to female sexuality, the question of marriage etc, and how she quite deliberately positions herself in resistance to the mores of the previous generation. Also the question of women at work, and how she negotiates between various institutional prejudices. Her relationship with Freddie is interesting because it includes both pining and a long-term friendship, but also shifting desires and hierarchies. If you'd rather not go with the romance route, that's also fine, as long as they continue to be important to each other.
State of Play, 2003.
I started to watch this show for James McAvoy, but stayed for the plot. That said, the character of Dan Foster is fascinating, not to mention so ridiculously charming that I ended up blushing at my screen a lot. Seriously, I think James McAvoy actively turns down the charm for all other performances, because if he did this all the time...*fans self* Ahem. Yes, anything you want to tell me about Dan Foster, his family, his sex life (we know there's a missus but who says it has to be a woman? :P Or whatever you like!), his work, his sense of himself, his flirtations...I loved his banter in the show, and the way he connected with other members of staff - basically, if you just focus on Dan Foster being delightful, I will be very happy.
General Things Wot I like:
* As you may have gathered, I like characters who are good at their jobs and whose competence is shown in the story. I would like to hear about the mechanics of spying, tv production, investigative journalism, the skills required for those jobs and how people teach themselves to be good at what they do. I also like people to be thoughtful and intelligent in areas other than their work.
* I am a stickler for historical and cultural accuracy. Two of the fandoms requested deal with fairly recent history, one is modern, but I would nevertheless like to see that what happens is plausible in the relevant context. This could be an opportunity to engage with topics in the film/show (1970s politics, women in the workplace in the 1950s, modern British politics), or just an occasion for a few world-building details. It doesn't have to be the focus of the story, but I do hate being jolted out of a story because of historical inaccuracies.
* I like banter and clever dialogue, and there's space for that in all of these fandoms. I like character interaction to be funny, but also subtle and thoughtful, so whichever way the mood of the fic takes you...I like pining and UST, and sex while pretending not to have feelings. I like people poking at each other, and growing tension. I prefer a long drawn out mess to instant gratification.
* I really like happy endings. Please don't give me an unhappy ending. It would make me most sad.
* Most importantly, I would really like you to enjoy writing this story, so ignore all these if you need to. I am looking forward to reading it in any case!
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 02:07 pm (UTC)I made a tentative suggestion along these lines when the film first came out and was firmly slapped down by one of the Social Justice Guardians of the Internet that I was clearly being racist (all about the pretty upper-middle-class white men in suits! Or sheepskin jackets in Tarr's case. The horror!) so while I do think the potential - especially the multiple layers of trust and deceit - does have interest, it's not something I feel safe or comfortable exploring except among friends.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 03:09 pm (UTC)I've seen a few fics (which were good, although somewhat depressing) which explore this connection, but it puzzles me enormously that there hasn't been more of a fandom around the film. Especially as it has both Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. I would be very interested in reading anything of yours on this topic.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 03:16 pm (UTC)Obviously random women on the internet were totally responsible for MI5 recruitment policies during the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s.
It was one of those "pointless guilt" drive-by comments, you know -"I'm going to emphasis how I care by reminding you that other people are suffering as a result of your entertainment choices." My family used to do it all the time so you'd have thought I'd have got used to it, but turns out I haven't.
no subject
Date: 2011-11-23 03:50 pm (UTC)