Dear Yuletide Writer...
Dear Yuletide Writer:
Hi there! Nice to meet you. Thank you for writing a story for me. It's so cool that we share one of these tiny fandoms. This is my third year doing Yuletide; I've had a great time writing in the past and am looking forward to it this year. I hope you have fun filling one of my prompts this Yuletide, too! I'm writing this letter in case you want to look for more ideas--and because I enjoy the opportunity to ramble on and on about the books and shows I like--but, seriously, please take whatever you like from all this and write the story you want to write. I will be completely happy to read anything about the characters I requested.
What do I like, in general? I like lots of different things! I like fanfic that imitates the voice and style of the source material. Stories that explore or expand on elements from canon. I like plot, but I also love short pieces: missing scenes, vignettes, character studies--whatever. I like to find out interesting little details about even the most mundane topics. I like adventure, dialogue, humor, hurt/comfort, language, mystery, science, slice-of-life, trivia, UST, wordplay, &c.
I'm not interested in reading explicit sex. I'm not a big fan of character death, characters having children, or AUs--basically, I like it when the status quo remains more or less intact.
My requests were these:
Arsène Lupin - Maurice Leblanc (Narrator)
I think it'd be fun if Lupin's friend and chronicler got involved in the action for once--if he somehow ended up alongside Lupin on some adventure, caper or treasure hunt. On a more mundane note, I'd also love to read something about the writing and publication of the Arsène Lupin stories in-universe. Or some more dialogue between the narrator and Lupin as Lupin narrates his adventures? Anything about the narrator would be awesome.
I love this series! My favorite books are the Extraordinary adventures and the Confessions--I prefer the shorter adventures to the grander, darker themes of some of the novels. I love the crime, the mystery, and the adventure, and I love how utterly over-the-top cool Lupin is, with all his clever schemes and his disguises and his cavalier charm. I also like how often he cheerily walks the line between being a hero and lining his own pockets: "For [Lupin] was helpful--almost uncannily so. The trouble was that he always managed to help himself as well as others" ("The Bridge That Broke").
And I always like reading the stories that include the first-person narrator who is supposedly the one chronicling Lupin's adventures. It's so interesting that the greatest thief in Europe, a man who is forever changing his face and his name and his place of residence, would befriend someone who seems to be a bland, law-abiding everyman. Not only that--but that he continues to see this man long after the case that he had to do with was over; that he routinely just hangs out on the narrator's couch, in his own person with no disguises or precautions, and regales him with tales of his crimes. The narrator even has the ability to contact or summon Lupin, if he wishes. And they seem very comfortable with one another: Lupin teases the narrator about his less quick intelligence, but the narrator is not afraid to question or argue with Lupin occasionally.
So I'd love to read anything in which Lupin's Watson plays a major role. It would be cool to see him go on an adventure with Lupin, but there are also lots of other things that would be interesting to explore about him. Like, how does he go about turning Lupin's adventures into stories? Does he have to go to a lot of trouble to publish them under a pseudonym? Has Inspector Ganimard ever tried to arrest him for obstructing justice? How does being friends with Arsène Lupin affect his social life or career? Or whatever catches your interest about the narrator--I just want to read more about him.
I didn't ask for it specifically, but if you want to write Lupin/Narrator slash, I would not object.
(If you need the reference [I probably would], the chronicler makes Lupin's acquaintance in "The Seven of Hearts." He is prominent as a framing device in the Confessions, and I believe he is present in person for part of Versus Herlock Sholmes.)
Lucky Starr - Isaac Asimov (John Bigman Jones)
I'd like to see a story with Bigman as the hero--whether he's dramatically saving the day, or just doing something he's really good at. On an adventure with Lucky, or looking for work on Mars pre-series, or whatever--anything focusing on Bigman would be great.
So, I love this series. I do! I love the characters, the highly detailed if outdated science, the portrayal of different regions of the Solar System, the unique aliens, the mysteries, the politics, the adventure, and the delightfully corny future slang. (You will make me very happy if you do not neglect the way Asimov's characters talk.)
But at the same time I recognize that these books are not exactly Asimov's best work--it's a kids' series from the fifties, after all--and parts of them bother me a little. For one thing, John Bigman Jones. Bigman is my favorite character--but I think maybe that's because he has the potential to be a much better character than he often is.
There's so much that I love about Bigman. I actually really like his unshakeable devotion to Lucky. My favorite moment in the whole series is in Oceans of Venus, when the V-Frogs try and psychically work Bigman up to resent Lucky, and he immediately rejects it outright, because he knows those aren't his thoughts--all his feelings of respect and loyalty are genuine and unadulterated. I like that.
I like Bigman's confident, casual manner and his colorful speech. I don't mind his quick temper--sometimes his emotional approach and skilled use of force might be more effective than Lucky's passivity. And he really is sometimes very clever, in his own way. Some of his best moments come when he seems to fly off the handle, but in a calculated manner that advances some plan--like his manipulation of the crowd to rig that fight in Moons of Jupiter, or his deliberately reckless escape attempt in Rings of Saturn.
I also think there's a lot of potential in considering Bigman as a Martian farm boy. There's the fact that he was brought up in a radically different physical environment, not to mention the cultural aspect: here's a guy who legitimately doesn't think the planet Earth is anything special. I think that's really interesting. And then there's the sociological aspect in-universe of Bigman as a rural, working-class person from what seems to be a less well-respected planet; and how this affects how he's perceived by people from other parts of the Solar System. One of my favorite lines in the series comes from Oceans of Venus, after Lucky is asked about Venusian society:
"Well, now, that's more difficult. I know, of course, that humans live in domed cities in the shallower parts of the ocean, and, as I can see for myself, Venusian city life is quite advanced--far beyond Martian city life, for instance."
Bigman yelled, "Hey!"
Morriss turned his little twinkling eyes on the Martian. "You disagree with your friend?"
Bigman hesitated. "Well, maybe not, but he doesn't have to say so."
I can really identify with that line--I think it encapsulates the natural impulse to stick up for where you're from, even when you have to admit it has its faults.
Anyway, I love all these things about Bigman. What I don't like is how he's sometimes portrayed as not having half a brain. I know he's the sidekick character who exists so Lucky can have somebody to explain things to, and I don't expect him to be a genius, but I wish he wouldn't make a fool of himself so often. I find it really embarrassing when, for instance, he gets ahead of himself and accuses people who aren't guilty, or runs off and nearly gets himself killed for no good reason. (... Both of which happened in Moons of Jupiter, the second one twice. Huh.) I wish the narrative--and worse yet, Lucky--would stop treating him like a child; it's troubling that, although the message is that the other characters shouldn't judge Bigman by his appearance, the books themselves sort of do.
So I'd like to see a Bigman-centric fic that plays up his strengths and maybe plays down the more embarrassing aspects of his character. I'm not asking you to depart from or critique canon--like I said, I really do love these books. I'd just like to see one of Bigman's better moments.
So, show me Bigman teaching Lucky something for once--or show me how Bigman brings something useful to their partnership. Or tell me more about life on Mars. Did he learn any skills there that came in handy later? How did he master the needle-gun? Where does he shop for boots? Or whatever you find interesting--anything about Bigman would be excellent.
I didn't ask for it specifically, but if you want to write Lucky/Bigman slash, I would not object.
Phineas and Ferb (Major Monogram)
A day in the life of Francis Monogram--what does he actually do all day? Or how about a spy story where Monogram gets involved in the action and helps Agent P save the day? Or more banter between Monogram and Carl--or maybe something highlighting the weirdly non-antagonistic relationship between him and Dr. Doofenshmirtz? Anything about Major Monogram would be totally fun.
Okay, so Phineas and Ferb is, in all seriousness, my favorite show on TV. I'm not even acquainted with anybody in the target audience, but I've been watching every episode as it comes out for a couple of years now. It's smart, funny, creative, and charming. I love the juxtaposition of the fantastic and the mundane. I like the theme of doing something interesting every day. I love how all the characters are likeable, and it manages to tell entertaining stories without any real antagonism or ill-will.
And, although I do like Phineas and Ferb and company, I'm really in it for the Perry and Doofenshmirtz B-plots. It's great how Perry the Platypus is this no-nonsense, legitimately badass superspy who just happens to be a platypus in a fedora. (But still doesn't talk, because that would be silly.)
I requested fic about Major Monogram because he's such an entertaining character, and it'd be fun to read something that goes beyond the thirty seconds of screentime he gets in the average episode. His bits are really funny--I love how he ping-pongs back and forth between "serious military commander" and "total goofball", often in the course of the same conversation. Mostly goofball. In fact, he's such a comic character that he sometimes comes off as incompetent--but I figure if he's in charge of Agent P, he must have something going for him, right?
I often like spy boss characters--R. in Ashenden, M in James Bond, Mr. Waverly in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.... So I am sort of interested in Monogram as a descendant of characters like those. I recently read Moonraker, and I really liked the first half, where M called in Bond on a personal matter and went with him on the mission--it was neat to see M out and about, and to get more of a focus on his and Bond's relationship. If you're into the spy fiction angle, it might be interesting to explore something similar with Monogram and Perry.
That's by no means the only tack you could take, though--Monogram has so little canon to go on that there's all kinds of things you could explore. So go nuts--tell me about his repressed desire to sing. His days at 'the Academy'. His grievances with the O.W.C.A. cafeteria staff. Taco night with Mrs. Monogram. Office hijinks with Carl. Anything! I would love to hear about it.
(Also: this is totally random, but my headcanon is that Major Monogram and Dr. Doofenshmirtz are drinking buddies, or, like, on the same bowling team or something. Because for two guys that openly hate each other, and are allied with opposite sides in the battle of good versus evil [but don't fight one another directly], they sure do seem well-acquainted. Doof knows Monogram's phone number; Monogram asks after Doof's parents... And in "My Fair Goalie," Monogram blames Doof for getting him sick, which would imply in-person contact between them [although this could also be accounted for by "Summer Belongs To You!", or by the Cliptastic Countdown or the DVD commentaries if those occurred in-universe...].)
If you have not already heard it, you may enjoy Major Monogram singing "Frosty the Snowman".
Scènes de la vie de Bohème | Bohemians of the Latin Quarter - Henri Murger (Carolus Barbemuche/Gustave Colline)
I think Carolus Barbemuche, the aspiring Bohemian, obviously had a thing for Colline specifically, and I'd like to see that relationship explored. If you don't feel like writing slash, I'd also love to read gen fic about Barbemuche's interest in Colline and the Bohemians. Or, if you like, you could even write about Carolus without focusing on the main characters--like, when he's so well off, why is he so attracted to the Bohemian life? Anything about Barbemuche would be great.
(If you are unfamiliar with this novel and feel like checking it out, it's a pretty easy read, and an English translation is available on Project Gutenberg.)
This book is so much fun. I like the characters and the humor, and the portrayal of Paris in the 1840s. It's totally fun how gleeful and carefree the Bohemians are about being starving artists--but I also love that the position of the narrative seems to be that, ultimately, it's not such a bad thing to "sell out" and grow up. ("I am corrupted--I only like what is good!")
I'm especially interested in the chapters about Carolus Barbemuche. He seems to make a decent living in a pretty pleasant career, and yet he wants nothing more than to be a part of the Bohemian Club. Perhaps he's a stand-in for the reader--he is attracted to the romance and fun of their lifestyle, however mistaken a notion that might be. It's charming how good-natured and eager to please Carolus is, even though it might be impossible for him to really fit in with the Bohemians: I love the bit where he spends fifteen francs on flowers only for Colline to bluntly inform him of what a faux pas that would be, and throw them out.
As for Colline, he might be my favorite member of the Bohemian Club. I like his old coat and his passion for collecting books. ("Colline would rather have parted with an arm or a leg than any of his precious books; but Schaunard had convinced him that nobody had any use for his arm or his leg.") I like his penchant for terrible wordplay; and I like his chosen profession of "philosopher", which seems to involve being a walking library, writing the occasional article, and giving lessons on topics which he seems to have no particular qualification in. (That's what I want to be when I grow up, *sigh*.)
I asked for Barbemuche/Colline because last time I read this novel it really struck me that, well... "Since his first presence at the meetings of the four friends whom he had relieved from their embarrassing position, Carolus had especially remarked Gustave, and already felt an attractive sympathy for this Socrates whose Plato he was destined to become."
So I tend to read that fascination with Colline as a crush; but even if it isn't, I'd like to read more about the pair of them. Whatever it is, I don't think it's one-sided: Colline seems to have a sympathy for Barbemuche as well, and he's careful to teach him the best way to get in the good graces of the other three Bohemians. Marcel even accuses Colline of being biased towards the newcomer.
Also, I'm not entirely sure what part of Plato's philosophy the novel is talking about when it reiterates that Barbemuche is a "Platonist", but at one point Colline seems to use the term to indicate that he is not a threat to the guys' girlfriends, so... hmm...
---
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts about these fandoms. If you're looking for more information about me, I'm afraid I don't really maintain much of a presence on LiveJournal, but feel free to poke around. My fanfiction is on the AO3, and I've got some drabbles/commentfic bookmarked on my Delicious. Here are bookmarks of some fanfics I like.
Optional details are, as always, optional. I hope you have a good time writing a story that you like, and I'm sure I'll love it too! Whatever ideas you come up with, it will be wonderful to read anything in any of these fandoms.
Thanks again, and happy Yuletide!
Hi there! Nice to meet you. Thank you for writing a story for me. It's so cool that we share one of these tiny fandoms. This is my third year doing Yuletide; I've had a great time writing in the past and am looking forward to it this year. I hope you have fun filling one of my prompts this Yuletide, too! I'm writing this letter in case you want to look for more ideas--and because I enjoy the opportunity to ramble on and on about the books and shows I like--but, seriously, please take whatever you like from all this and write the story you want to write. I will be completely happy to read anything about the characters I requested.
What do I like, in general? I like lots of different things! I like fanfic that imitates the voice and style of the source material. Stories that explore or expand on elements from canon. I like plot, but I also love short pieces: missing scenes, vignettes, character studies--whatever. I like to find out interesting little details about even the most mundane topics. I like adventure, dialogue, humor, hurt/comfort, language, mystery, science, slice-of-life, trivia, UST, wordplay, &c.
I'm not interested in reading explicit sex. I'm not a big fan of character death, characters having children, or AUs--basically, I like it when the status quo remains more or less intact.
My requests were these:
Arsène Lupin - Maurice Leblanc (Narrator)
I think it'd be fun if Lupin's friend and chronicler got involved in the action for once--if he somehow ended up alongside Lupin on some adventure, caper or treasure hunt. On a more mundane note, I'd also love to read something about the writing and publication of the Arsène Lupin stories in-universe. Or some more dialogue between the narrator and Lupin as Lupin narrates his adventures? Anything about the narrator would be awesome.
I love this series! My favorite books are the Extraordinary adventures and the Confessions--I prefer the shorter adventures to the grander, darker themes of some of the novels. I love the crime, the mystery, and the adventure, and I love how utterly over-the-top cool Lupin is, with all his clever schemes and his disguises and his cavalier charm. I also like how often he cheerily walks the line between being a hero and lining his own pockets: "For [Lupin] was helpful--almost uncannily so. The trouble was that he always managed to help himself as well as others" ("The Bridge That Broke").
And I always like reading the stories that include the first-person narrator who is supposedly the one chronicling Lupin's adventures. It's so interesting that the greatest thief in Europe, a man who is forever changing his face and his name and his place of residence, would befriend someone who seems to be a bland, law-abiding everyman. Not only that--but that he continues to see this man long after the case that he had to do with was over; that he routinely just hangs out on the narrator's couch, in his own person with no disguises or precautions, and regales him with tales of his crimes. The narrator even has the ability to contact or summon Lupin, if he wishes. And they seem very comfortable with one another: Lupin teases the narrator about his less quick intelligence, but the narrator is not afraid to question or argue with Lupin occasionally.
So I'd love to read anything in which Lupin's Watson plays a major role. It would be cool to see him go on an adventure with Lupin, but there are also lots of other things that would be interesting to explore about him. Like, how does he go about turning Lupin's adventures into stories? Does he have to go to a lot of trouble to publish them under a pseudonym? Has Inspector Ganimard ever tried to arrest him for obstructing justice? How does being friends with Arsène Lupin affect his social life or career? Or whatever catches your interest about the narrator--I just want to read more about him.
I didn't ask for it specifically, but if you want to write Lupin/Narrator slash, I would not object.
(If you need the reference [I probably would], the chronicler makes Lupin's acquaintance in "The Seven of Hearts." He is prominent as a framing device in the Confessions, and I believe he is present in person for part of Versus Herlock Sholmes.)
Lucky Starr - Isaac Asimov (John Bigman Jones)
I'd like to see a story with Bigman as the hero--whether he's dramatically saving the day, or just doing something he's really good at. On an adventure with Lucky, or looking for work on Mars pre-series, or whatever--anything focusing on Bigman would be great.
So, I love this series. I do! I love the characters, the highly detailed if outdated science, the portrayal of different regions of the Solar System, the unique aliens, the mysteries, the politics, the adventure, and the delightfully corny future slang. (You will make me very happy if you do not neglect the way Asimov's characters talk.)
But at the same time I recognize that these books are not exactly Asimov's best work--it's a kids' series from the fifties, after all--and parts of them bother me a little. For one thing, John Bigman Jones. Bigman is my favorite character--but I think maybe that's because he has the potential to be a much better character than he often is.
There's so much that I love about Bigman. I actually really like his unshakeable devotion to Lucky. My favorite moment in the whole series is in Oceans of Venus, when the V-Frogs try and psychically work Bigman up to resent Lucky, and he immediately rejects it outright, because he knows those aren't his thoughts--all his feelings of respect and loyalty are genuine and unadulterated. I like that.
I like Bigman's confident, casual manner and his colorful speech. I don't mind his quick temper--sometimes his emotional approach and skilled use of force might be more effective than Lucky's passivity. And he really is sometimes very clever, in his own way. Some of his best moments come when he seems to fly off the handle, but in a calculated manner that advances some plan--like his manipulation of the crowd to rig that fight in Moons of Jupiter, or his deliberately reckless escape attempt in Rings of Saturn.
I also think there's a lot of potential in considering Bigman as a Martian farm boy. There's the fact that he was brought up in a radically different physical environment, not to mention the cultural aspect: here's a guy who legitimately doesn't think the planet Earth is anything special. I think that's really interesting. And then there's the sociological aspect in-universe of Bigman as a rural, working-class person from what seems to be a less well-respected planet; and how this affects how he's perceived by people from other parts of the Solar System. One of my favorite lines in the series comes from Oceans of Venus, after Lucky is asked about Venusian society:
"Well, now, that's more difficult. I know, of course, that humans live in domed cities in the shallower parts of the ocean, and, as I can see for myself, Venusian city life is quite advanced--far beyond Martian city life, for instance."
Bigman yelled, "Hey!"
Morriss turned his little twinkling eyes on the Martian. "You disagree with your friend?"
Bigman hesitated. "Well, maybe not, but he doesn't have to say so."
I can really identify with that line--I think it encapsulates the natural impulse to stick up for where you're from, even when you have to admit it has its faults.
Anyway, I love all these things about Bigman. What I don't like is how he's sometimes portrayed as not having half a brain. I know he's the sidekick character who exists so Lucky can have somebody to explain things to, and I don't expect him to be a genius, but I wish he wouldn't make a fool of himself so often. I find it really embarrassing when, for instance, he gets ahead of himself and accuses people who aren't guilty, or runs off and nearly gets himself killed for no good reason. (... Both of which happened in Moons of Jupiter, the second one twice. Huh.) I wish the narrative--and worse yet, Lucky--would stop treating him like a child; it's troubling that, although the message is that the other characters shouldn't judge Bigman by his appearance, the books themselves sort of do.
So I'd like to see a Bigman-centric fic that plays up his strengths and maybe plays down the more embarrassing aspects of his character. I'm not asking you to depart from or critique canon--like I said, I really do love these books. I'd just like to see one of Bigman's better moments.
So, show me Bigman teaching Lucky something for once--or show me how Bigman brings something useful to their partnership. Or tell me more about life on Mars. Did he learn any skills there that came in handy later? How did he master the needle-gun? Where does he shop for boots? Or whatever you find interesting--anything about Bigman would be excellent.
I didn't ask for it specifically, but if you want to write Lucky/Bigman slash, I would not object.
Phineas and Ferb (Major Monogram)
A day in the life of Francis Monogram--what does he actually do all day? Or how about a spy story where Monogram gets involved in the action and helps Agent P save the day? Or more banter between Monogram and Carl--or maybe something highlighting the weirdly non-antagonistic relationship between him and Dr. Doofenshmirtz? Anything about Major Monogram would be totally fun.
Okay, so Phineas and Ferb is, in all seriousness, my favorite show on TV. I'm not even acquainted with anybody in the target audience, but I've been watching every episode as it comes out for a couple of years now. It's smart, funny, creative, and charming. I love the juxtaposition of the fantastic and the mundane. I like the theme of doing something interesting every day. I love how all the characters are likeable, and it manages to tell entertaining stories without any real antagonism or ill-will.
And, although I do like Phineas and Ferb and company, I'm really in it for the Perry and Doofenshmirtz B-plots. It's great how Perry the Platypus is this no-nonsense, legitimately badass superspy who just happens to be a platypus in a fedora. (But still doesn't talk, because that would be silly.)
I requested fic about Major Monogram because he's such an entertaining character, and it'd be fun to read something that goes beyond the thirty seconds of screentime he gets in the average episode. His bits are really funny--I love how he ping-pongs back and forth between "serious military commander" and "total goofball", often in the course of the same conversation. Mostly goofball. In fact, he's such a comic character that he sometimes comes off as incompetent--but I figure if he's in charge of Agent P, he must have something going for him, right?
I often like spy boss characters--R. in Ashenden, M in James Bond, Mr. Waverly in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.... So I am sort of interested in Monogram as a descendant of characters like those. I recently read Moonraker, and I really liked the first half, where M called in Bond on a personal matter and went with him on the mission--it was neat to see M out and about, and to get more of a focus on his and Bond's relationship. If you're into the spy fiction angle, it might be interesting to explore something similar with Monogram and Perry.
That's by no means the only tack you could take, though--Monogram has so little canon to go on that there's all kinds of things you could explore. So go nuts--tell me about his repressed desire to sing. His days at 'the Academy'. His grievances with the O.W.C.A. cafeteria staff. Taco night with Mrs. Monogram. Office hijinks with Carl. Anything! I would love to hear about it.
(Also: this is totally random, but my headcanon is that Major Monogram and Dr. Doofenshmirtz are drinking buddies, or, like, on the same bowling team or something. Because for two guys that openly hate each other, and are allied with opposite sides in the battle of good versus evil [but don't fight one another directly], they sure do seem well-acquainted. Doof knows Monogram's phone number; Monogram asks after Doof's parents... And in "My Fair Goalie," Monogram blames Doof for getting him sick, which would imply in-person contact between them [although this could also be accounted for by "Summer Belongs To You!", or by the Cliptastic Countdown or the DVD commentaries if those occurred in-universe...].)
If you have not already heard it, you may enjoy Major Monogram singing "Frosty the Snowman".
Scènes de la vie de Bohème | Bohemians of the Latin Quarter - Henri Murger (Carolus Barbemuche/Gustave Colline)
I think Carolus Barbemuche, the aspiring Bohemian, obviously had a thing for Colline specifically, and I'd like to see that relationship explored. If you don't feel like writing slash, I'd also love to read gen fic about Barbemuche's interest in Colline and the Bohemians. Or, if you like, you could even write about Carolus without focusing on the main characters--like, when he's so well off, why is he so attracted to the Bohemian life? Anything about Barbemuche would be great.
(If you are unfamiliar with this novel and feel like checking it out, it's a pretty easy read, and an English translation is available on Project Gutenberg.)
This book is so much fun. I like the characters and the humor, and the portrayal of Paris in the 1840s. It's totally fun how gleeful and carefree the Bohemians are about being starving artists--but I also love that the position of the narrative seems to be that, ultimately, it's not such a bad thing to "sell out" and grow up. ("I am corrupted--I only like what is good!")
I'm especially interested in the chapters about Carolus Barbemuche. He seems to make a decent living in a pretty pleasant career, and yet he wants nothing more than to be a part of the Bohemian Club. Perhaps he's a stand-in for the reader--he is attracted to the romance and fun of their lifestyle, however mistaken a notion that might be. It's charming how good-natured and eager to please Carolus is, even though it might be impossible for him to really fit in with the Bohemians: I love the bit where he spends fifteen francs on flowers only for Colline to bluntly inform him of what a faux pas that would be, and throw them out.
As for Colline, he might be my favorite member of the Bohemian Club. I like his old coat and his passion for collecting books. ("Colline would rather have parted with an arm or a leg than any of his precious books; but Schaunard had convinced him that nobody had any use for his arm or his leg.") I like his penchant for terrible wordplay; and I like his chosen profession of "philosopher", which seems to involve being a walking library, writing the occasional article, and giving lessons on topics which he seems to have no particular qualification in. (That's what I want to be when I grow up, *sigh*.)
I asked for Barbemuche/Colline because last time I read this novel it really struck me that, well... "Since his first presence at the meetings of the four friends whom he had relieved from their embarrassing position, Carolus had especially remarked Gustave, and already felt an attractive sympathy for this Socrates whose Plato he was destined to become."
So I tend to read that fascination with Colline as a crush; but even if it isn't, I'd like to read more about the pair of them. Whatever it is, I don't think it's one-sided: Colline seems to have a sympathy for Barbemuche as well, and he's careful to teach him the best way to get in the good graces of the other three Bohemians. Marcel even accuses Colline of being biased towards the newcomer.
Also, I'm not entirely sure what part of Plato's philosophy the novel is talking about when it reiterates that Barbemuche is a "Platonist", but at one point Colline seems to use the term to indicate that he is not a threat to the guys' girlfriends, so... hmm...
---
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts about these fandoms. If you're looking for more information about me, I'm afraid I don't really maintain much of a presence on LiveJournal, but feel free to poke around. My fanfiction is on the AO3, and I've got some drabbles/commentfic bookmarked on my Delicious. Here are bookmarks of some fanfics I like.
Optional details are, as always, optional. I hope you have a good time writing a story that you like, and I'm sure I'll love it too! Whatever ideas you come up with, it will be wonderful to read anything in any of these fandoms.
Thanks again, and happy Yuletide!