sarcasm always wins out in the end

Dear Yulewriter,


Thank you for writing for me - I appreciate that Yuletide can be stressful, so please don't worry if any of the suggestions below don't suit your writing. I promise I will be happy with whatever you choose to do.

General likes: Banter and bickering, historical accuracy, sexual tension, plotty plot, adults behaving like adults.

General dislikes: Marriage, teenagers, porn-without-plot, anachronisms.

Lymond Chronicles

In the last year or so, Dorothy Dunnett has eaten my brain and ruined me for all other books. I've read the Lymond Chronicles three times during this period, and the Niccolo series twice, and I expect I'll keep doing that for the rest of my life. Because they are that amazing. And if we are matched on this fandom, I expect you feel the same way - Francis Crawford has that effect. :)

I am interested in anything and everything about him, so anything you want to do with him - during the series, post-canon - is fine. To give you some specifics, I shall try to restrict myself to a few things, so: his interaction with all the men who fall in love with him (Will Scott, Robin Stewart, Jerott Blyth, Graham Malett) and how he both draws them in and then shies away from them. I'm fascinated by how Lymond charms people, and how, when it is not necessary for political purposes, he actively tries not to by being deliberately unpleasant. I'm also quite interested in how much of his behaviour with other people is always based on what he considers necessary for his agenda - do we ever see him have sex for just the pleasure of it, until Philippa? One of the curious differences between Francis and Nicholas is that Nicholas refuses to have sex for any other reason, whereas Francis seems to think it would be self-indulgent to employ his body for reasons other than politics. Anything you might want to do with that, I'd be delighted to see.

Vikings!

I enjoyed the first six episodes of this show enormously, and was puzzled and disappointed by the last two. That said, I love Lagertha and everything she chooses to be and do, so - whatever you want to tell me about her, I'll be happy to read! This could be her life before or after the current events, any additions to things shown in the series, her interactions with Athelstan, or Siggy, or Floki, or her children, or even Ragnar (we see quite a lot of that, so I'm a bit less interested in this than her other relationships). Or if you wanted to discuss the wider legend of Lagertha in viking sagas, that could also be cool.

The Hour

This show is pretty much flawless, and I am fascinated by everything in it, particularly the development and characterisation of Bel and Freddie. If you wanted to write about their relationship at any point during the two seasons, or before or after (I am very invested in their future happiness), that would please me greatly. However, if you'd prefer to discuss either one individually, that is also fine. The Hour is a perfect example of a show demonstrating adults behaving like adults, so as long as you maintain that aspect, I'll be happy with whatever you do.

Christopher Marlowe

I know that's not the name of the fandom, but since we are matched on this character, I expect you will appreciate why he gets to be the title. I have a lot of feelings about Christopher Marlowe; I've read many terrible novels (Deborah Harkness, I'm looking at you) just because he was a character, and will undoubtedly read more because I love him a lot. I'm interested in his facility with words, and the outrageous possibilities he evokes in his plays (No one could conquer all of Asia! Oh wait.), and the clever allusions and games he makes in his poetry (my favourite is Hero and Leander). I also take great delight in the legend that has grown up around him, from 'all who love not tobacco and boys are fools' to the general gay atheist spy thing. And I get sporadically angry about when and how he was killed (stories where he secretly doesn't make me very happy). Again, I love everything about him, so whatever you want to do will be fine with me - slices of life, a discussion of his reputation, a graphic description of how he seduces William Shakespeare...

Dear 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. ( spoilers )

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. ( spoilers )

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!