Dear Yuletide Writer letter (Valancy)
Dear Yuletide Writer,
First of all, thank you for offering at least one of my beloved rare fandoms and characters. That clearly makes you awesome. So I'm sure you will do fine in writing my fic!
And though I tend to make my requests long and my DYW letters longer, please don't let that intimidate you. It's meant to give you ideas and starting points if you need them and provide you with an idea of what I like and don't like so you don't have to fret so much trying to guess my mind. But don't let any of what I write here restrict your creativity too much, and don't come away with the idea that you have to include all that I love about a particular fandom/character. It's just to give you some idea if you're one of those writers whom they help to get started. Also, though I'm giving prompts and suggestions, your idea definitely doesn't have to fit one of them. If you have a different idea, go for it. I promise I'm much more likely to go "Ooh goodness I didn't even think about this great option!" than "Oh no, not what I suggested!"
(I swear every year that this year I will write a shorter, more concise letter than the previous year. Alas, it didn't happen this year either. Also, don't let it bother you that I have more to say about some fandoms than others. It just means I happen to have spent a lot of time thinking and talking about some characters and have gathered too many things to say, but doesn't mean I'll be any less thrilled about stories in fandoms I don't say as much about. Or that I'll be more picky about stories in fandoms I talk much about. I'm equally thrilled by the prospect of a story in any of these fandoms!)
I'm not picky about wanting just one kind of a story - above all I just want to spend more time with characters and fandoms I love. I'm very character-focused - but if you're more of a plot writer than a character writer, don't worry, throw me a good plot and I'll enjoy that as well, as long as the characters are recognisable as themselves. But I'll also enjoy just a tiny little piece of characters being themselves, or a small moment of character development. Or anything else you want to throw at me.
Things I do not like and hope you will avoid:
- Gruesome violence - please stick to pretty much the canon level of violence, because I easily get physically ill reading graphic depictions of violence. Dark is good (when appropriate to the fandom) but harsh violence isn't.
- Anachronistic language. Doesn't mean they all have to talk like Jane Austen characters, because not everyone did, and I'm not going to be reading the story with a dictionary in hand that tells the year in which a certain word came to use. But reading a story full of totally 21st century vocabulary really throws me off if we're in a 19th century world.
- Incest.
- Writing any of the characters I requested as stupid. Consider it as me having a stupidity squick. In all of the fandoms I've requested, I've sometimes seen the characters in question being played as stupid, but I don't like it. It can be a hard line to draw - Alfred should be naïve but not stupid, Stasi and Boni seem silly and careless but I don't want them to be stupid either, just airy and bouncy and cute. Because different things can be interpreted as stupid, don't stress too much, just do not aim to write them as stupid, please.
- Very kinky stuff in sex scenes is not my thing... In some of my fandoms (especially Tanz der Vampire) I can sometimes be fine with dub-con, but it's best to avoid non-con because describing the situations in which I'm fine with it is way too difficult. Threesomes, on the other hand, are fine, especially if I've mentioned the possibility in the fandom-specific part below.
Things I'm particularly into but that you don't need to feel pressured to include:
- character development even if it comes through some small detail
- sexual or emotional awakening
- corruption of the innocent
- dreams
And many other things that I can't write concisely now but can be figured out from all the paragraphs below.
I love cute stuff, funny stuff, dark stuff, sexy or romantic stuff... So write what type/genre of story you like. Gen, slash and het are all fantastic. I'm fine with any ratings from G to mature. I don't like purely mechanical porn or writing sex for no other purpose than writing sex, but I can be thrilled about sensually written sex scenes if they also tell something about characters or make the story develop. On the other hand I'm also happy about stories with no sex whatsoever. Or anything in between. It depends on what fits the story and the characters in question, and what you like writing. My fics can be found on my AO3 account and at spiegelsaal (different stories at both places, sorry), so if you're wondering if I would like a particular kind of story, one thing you can look at it is if I've written anything comparable to it. (I've even written a lengthy fic pairing up Alfred with his mirror/dream double, so... I'm fine with a lot of stuff, I swear. On the other hand you can just as well write Boni and Stasi choosing wedding flowers and I'll be happy, it doesn't have to be anything strikingly unusual to please me either.)
Tanz der Vampire (Alfred)
Request: Alfred is my favourite character and I can never get enough of him. I love his sweetness, earnestness, the way he keeps on trying no matter what, the fact that he’s shy and scared and not as heroic as he tries to be and therefore relatable, his sensitivity, his devotion, the growth and development he undergoes, his innocence and corruptibility thereof... Any Alfred story will make me happy, but if possible, I’d prefer something other than Alfred/Herbert, simply because most Alfred stories are that pairing and I’d love to see other things explore more. Gen, het or slash are all fine, pre-musical, post-musical, missing moment or AU are all great. Maybe exploring his past and how he became the Professor’s assistant and ended up in Transylvania, maybe exploring his relationship to Sarah or to Krolock or both (if writing Krolock, feel free to make it gen or slash), a moment with Alfred and some other character, dream stuff, exploring what happens to him after the musical… Or anything else that interests you. Please treat him sympathetically, and please don’t write him as stupid - he is naïve, confused and scared, but I don’t think he should be stupid. I’m fine with any ratings and genres, as long as it’s got Alfred.
I can ramble on about Alfred quite a bit, so don't allow the following wordiness intimidate you, just consider it optional reading material if you want to know more about what makes me tick with Alfred.
For many people this musical is about the charming vampires... For me it's about what happens to humans when they meet vampires. Humans are the thing for me, character growth and development is the thing, and sweet shy boys are the thing, so it's natural that I'm obsessed with Alfred. Though I can be attracted to dark stories, the dark characters themselves aren't the thing for me, it's how the good characters face the darkness, and maybe even more how they face the darkness in themselves, and how they change. Another thing I love about Tanz der Vampire is how the dark and the comical are intertwined. The story is dark, funny, sexy, emotional, cute and thrilling at the same time, and you can focus on any one, some or all of these aspects and I'll be happy.
A note: that I requested something other than Alfred/Herbert doesn't mean I'm displeased with the Alfred/Herbert stories I've gotten before - most definitely not, this year I would just rather get something else since the majority of Alfred stories are Alfred/Herbert. If you do want to write Herbert, I'd prefer if their interaction stayed closer to canon, with Herbert making advances and Alfred rebuffing them. That can be hilarious. I'm fine with Herbert being around as a character, I'd just prefer not to get a pairing fic with them now. If you absolutely need to write them as a couple, I'd prefer taking some time to explain how Alfred had a change of mind, and not disposing of his feelings for Sarah too easily. (I'm twisted enough that I'd prefer reading about Alfred getting it on with Herbert while he actually still loves Sarah with all his heart, and just being really torn about it, rather than seeing him go "Oh, I don't love Sarah after all, I love Herbert" too easily.)
If I ship anything in this fandom, I'm one of the rare Alfred/Sarah shippers. Not so much that I imagine they have a perfect love together or will be happy ever after, and Sarah is pretty unappreciative of him, but at least she's what Alfred wants, and I'm just so darn interested in their interactions. When I'm watching the musical, I like it if a Sarah really seems to care about Alfred though being charmed by the Count, and I like comparing their different attitudes to the darkness and growing up represented by the vampires - Sarah embraces it eagerly, Alfred is afraid and tries to resist it, but it swallows them both all the same.
On the other hand, I'm also immensely interested in the interactions of Alfred and Krolock, despite the fact that they don't have a lot of stage time together. Also, the character Alfred spends the most time with is the Professor, and I adore watching how those two interact, how they get along, guessing how Alfred became his assistant in the first place. (Hopefully it goes without saying that if you write about Alfred and the Professor, it should be gen. *g*)
When I see this musical on stage, I'm typically paying attention to every detail of Alfred and how the actor plays him, how he does all sorts of tiny moments and how he says specific lines. (Examples: what does he do during Einladung zum Ball? How does he react to the dead Chagal? How does he react to Krolock's words at the end of the first act? Is he smitten and wonder-filled around Sarah? What signs of sexual awakening does he display? At one point he prays - how religious does he seem? Does he react to Krolock saying Alfred's soul belongs to him? And so on.)
And I'm interested in how he grows and develops. Alfred's development may be more subtle than that of some other Kunze protagonists, and that seems to make both some actors and some viewers miss that it exists, but I think it's fascinating. As I see it, he starts out as a shy, scared boy obediently following the Professor. He falls in love with Sarah, begins to experience an emotional and erotic awakening, and is more and more tempted by the world outside of what his Professor tells him to do. He is scared of the vampires but also gradually tempted by them and drawn to understand them even as he fears them and wants to resist them. Depending on the actor, he can eventually grow quite frustrated with the Professor and come clearly on his own, and with some actors the reprise of Draussen ist Freiheit really shows a markedly different young man from what you saw in the beginning - still sweet and driven by his heart, but now with some independence and maybe even stand up for himself. Until the unavoidable happens, of course. (Mind you, if you want to avoid the unavoidable and come up with an AU where Alfred doesn't become a vampire, that will be great, too!)
Saying that I pay attention to every detail of what an actor does on stage doesn't mean to intimidate you that I will be picky about every detail of your story. I only say this so that if you're not Alfred-focused and have a difficulty knowing where to start with him, you could try to look at the details of how different actors play the role, how they play the same moments differently. I have several favourite actors in the role: live I've had the pleasure of seeing László Sánta, Tibor Héger, György (Gyuri) Mihálka, Ádám Pásztor and Ville Salonen; on video and other material I have loved Aris Sas, Niels Jacobs, Gernot Romic, Sebastian Smulders and Michael Heller. You don't need to base your Alfred on any of them, but if you want to get an idea of what charms me about the character, looking up some of them may help. (Note: If you want to write Alfred/Krolock, I especially recommend Tibor Héger and Gernot Romic. And whether you love or hate Kevin Tarte's Krolock, he has a way of seducing his Alfreds.)
Oh, and I have a Tumblr account about Alfred. It's mostly pics and videos with some random comments. You don't need to look at it if I've already rambled too much, but if you want some material of what I love about the character, you can look there.
If after all this you would like a few specific prompts, here are some scenarios I've specifically thought I'd like a story about - but I would be just as thrilled to see what you come up with that I haven't thought about, so don't feel these are more prized than other ideas if you've got some of your own!
- as mentioned, anything dealing with his past, how he became the Professor's assistant, what kind of a student he was, what adventures they had on the way to Transylvania... I know I've had these in the past, but there are many things you can do with it!
- any missing Alfred/Sarah moment
- an AU that allows Alfred and Sarah to run off together without becoming vampires, to have sex when they're still human, whatever
- an AU where Alfred doesn't become a vampire (at least at the point at which he does in canon) even if Sarah does
- Alfred/Sarah/Krolock
- something allowing Alfred and Krolock more time to interact than they have in the musical - how does Krolock try to seduce Alfred to his side? how does Alfred respond? Weird mind-influencing from afar is good, too, like how I presume Krolock may have been mind-talking to Sarah before really introducing himself to her. (Is Carpe noctem the result of such mind games?) Gen or slash are both great, and any rating you wish to throw at me, as long as you mind the no-gruesome-violence bit.
- something exploring what Alfred will be like after the musical
- something about what happens during the day when Sarah has run off and Chagal after her, and Alfred, the Professor and Rebecca are waiting
Fandom: Elisabeth (Rudolf)
Request: Rudolf fascinates me, in the musical and in history, and the musical does a great job of focusing on all the things about him that interest me: his relationships to both his mother and father, his loneliness, frustration, his ability to see things are going badly, his mental instability and consorting with Death. So give me anything focused on any of these, at any time period of his life, and I’ll be happy. References to historical facts outside the musical will make me squee but aren’t required - however, please no Mary Vetsera romance (I don’t mind including her if she’s relevant to the story and the time period, but please don’t focus on her) or Mayerling conspiracies - I prefer the same things the Elisabeth musical focuses on. Gen is fine, slash with Death is fine (though I'd prefer a focus on Rudolf's character as well, not just the slash). No incest! Including at least references to his difficult relationship to his mother will make me happy.
The main thing to note is that I really want fic based on Rudolf in Elisabeth, not Rudolf in Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling. I'm sure you know which fandom you offered, of course, and don't want to offend you by thinking you wouldn't. I just wanted to stress that in the case someone has come to Elisabeth through the Rudolf musical rather than the other way around and doesn't think elements from the Rudolf musical shouldn't be carried over. I'm more interested in pretty much all aspects of Rudolf than in the often-emphasized Mary Vetsera affair.
If you do want to include Mary because she fits the story for whatever reason, feel free to, but please consider that I don't see their story as a grand tragic romance but as a rather sad affair of a lovesick teenager and a man who was desperate to die and to have someone to die with him. To me the Elisabeth musical's way of dealing with Rudolf's story works best, as a relationship with Death brought about by his loneliness, frustration, worries about the direction the realm was going, and difficult relationships to his parents. If you write him with Death, the relationship can include all the homoeroticism you want, or can be more symbolic and more about Death manipulating Rudolf's feelings than about erotic seduction - however you most like writing it.
One note about character: Rudolf is vulnerable and self-destructive, but I prefer if he isn't a complete wimp and only a puppet, and isn't stupid. The historical Rudolf was an intelligent man and he had some energy and force of personality, though wasn't ultimately able resist succumbing to depression and despair. Actor-wise, my favourite Rudolf remains Jesper Tydén, who has such a good mix of intelligence, defiance, frustration, despair and vulnerability. But certainly there are many other good Rudolfs as well. (And I wish I could see Gernot Romic in the part, judging by his Alfred and White Vampire he'd be a lot to my taste as Rudolf. But probably there isn't any material of him in the part yet as you're reading this.)
PS. When it comes to historical Rudolf's women, I really like Mizzi Caspar. Doesn't mean you should include her, but just letting you know in the case you wish to use that.
Request: I love operettas, I love Csárdásfürstin the most of all, I always seem to love soubrette pairs the best in operettas, and Boni and Stasi are absolutely my favourite characters. They’re so cute and bubbly, so much fun, have the most adorable songs and simply are characters I like.. So give me anything with the two of them - maybe a missing moment from the story with some courtship and fun we don’t get to see; maybe something after canon, incident from the preparations of their wedding, of their marriage... Maybe Sylva and Edwin have some problems and drama again and it’s up to Boni and Stasi to sort them out (because the soubrette couple is usually a lot better at sorting things out than the leading couple), maybe Boni needs to make amends to Stasi after some slight or to prove to her it’s not a bad thing at all he has spent so much time around revue girls... Anything, just please keep them together and don’t depart too far from the light-hearted, bubbly atmosphere these two have in the operetta (some sharp observations of human nature and weaknesses do fit the operetta genre, should you want to engage in them, I just don’t want a deeply murky and pessimistic story). I’m fine with any ratings from general to mature.
Operettas were thought indecent in the old times, now they're thought shallow and silly - I love them for all of those things. As much as I can enjoy an intelligent and dark story, there's a lot to be said for some bright and sparkly music, gorgeous costumes, frills and feathers and bright colours, silly but fun plots and of course dancing. Die Csárdásfürstin has all of that. I don't have a lot to add to my request, except to say again that though Boni and Stasi can be fluffy and silly, I don't like them being stupid even if they're too often played like that. I love both of these characters - Boni has that charm of a well-meaning playboy with a golden heart who really does go all weak-kneed when he finally meets the right girl, and though Stasi may seem a fluffy little creature, she has her own sort of strength and force of personality. I love how the women in operettas are fully feminine and yet not fools or weaklings. Soubrettes in particular are early 20th century girl power to the extreme! Long live feathers and bright colours!
This video pretty much sums up what I love about operettas and about Boni and Stasi. It's their duet in Hungarian, but if you don't understand the language, that's not a problem, there's plenty of dancing and acting to watch. The Boni guy is a bit young and his voice isn't quite operetta-ish, but I just love their interactions, the spiritedness and fun of it all, and the erotic subtext.
This is the scene with the same actors, a bit newer and sexier. I just find the drawing out of the dance sequence drains its energy a bit, which is why I didn't post it first.
First of all, thank you for offering at least one of my beloved rare fandoms and characters. That clearly makes you awesome. So I'm sure you will do fine in writing my fic!
And though I tend to make my requests long and my DYW letters longer, please don't let that intimidate you. It's meant to give you ideas and starting points if you need them and provide you with an idea of what I like and don't like so you don't have to fret so much trying to guess my mind. But don't let any of what I write here restrict your creativity too much, and don't come away with the idea that you have to include all that I love about a particular fandom/character. It's just to give you some idea if you're one of those writers whom they help to get started. Also, though I'm giving prompts and suggestions, your idea definitely doesn't have to fit one of them. If you have a different idea, go for it. I promise I'm much more likely to go "Ooh goodness I didn't even think about this great option!" than "Oh no, not what I suggested!"
(I swear every year that this year I will write a shorter, more concise letter than the previous year. Alas, it didn't happen this year either. Also, don't let it bother you that I have more to say about some fandoms than others. It just means I happen to have spent a lot of time thinking and talking about some characters and have gathered too many things to say, but doesn't mean I'll be any less thrilled about stories in fandoms I don't say as much about. Or that I'll be more picky about stories in fandoms I talk much about. I'm equally thrilled by the prospect of a story in any of these fandoms!)
I'm not picky about wanting just one kind of a story - above all I just want to spend more time with characters and fandoms I love. I'm very character-focused - but if you're more of a plot writer than a character writer, don't worry, throw me a good plot and I'll enjoy that as well, as long as the characters are recognisable as themselves. But I'll also enjoy just a tiny little piece of characters being themselves, or a small moment of character development. Or anything else you want to throw at me.
Things I do not like and hope you will avoid:
- Gruesome violence - please stick to pretty much the canon level of violence, because I easily get physically ill reading graphic depictions of violence. Dark is good (when appropriate to the fandom) but harsh violence isn't.
- Anachronistic language. Doesn't mean they all have to talk like Jane Austen characters, because not everyone did, and I'm not going to be reading the story with a dictionary in hand that tells the year in which a certain word came to use. But reading a story full of totally 21st century vocabulary really throws me off if we're in a 19th century world.
- Incest.
- Writing any of the characters I requested as stupid. Consider it as me having a stupidity squick. In all of the fandoms I've requested, I've sometimes seen the characters in question being played as stupid, but I don't like it. It can be a hard line to draw - Alfred should be naïve but not stupid, Stasi and Boni seem silly and careless but I don't want them to be stupid either, just airy and bouncy and cute. Because different things can be interpreted as stupid, don't stress too much, just do not aim to write them as stupid, please.
- Very kinky stuff in sex scenes is not my thing... In some of my fandoms (especially Tanz der Vampire) I can sometimes be fine with dub-con, but it's best to avoid non-con because describing the situations in which I'm fine with it is way too difficult. Threesomes, on the other hand, are fine, especially if I've mentioned the possibility in the fandom-specific part below.
Things I'm particularly into but that you don't need to feel pressured to include:
- character development even if it comes through some small detail
- sexual or emotional awakening
- corruption of the innocent
- dreams
And many other things that I can't write concisely now but can be figured out from all the paragraphs below.
I love cute stuff, funny stuff, dark stuff, sexy or romantic stuff... So write what type/genre of story you like. Gen, slash and het are all fantastic. I'm fine with any ratings from G to mature. I don't like purely mechanical porn or writing sex for no other purpose than writing sex, but I can be thrilled about sensually written sex scenes if they also tell something about characters or make the story develop. On the other hand I'm also happy about stories with no sex whatsoever. Or anything in between. It depends on what fits the story and the characters in question, and what you like writing. My fics can be found on my AO3 account and at spiegelsaal (different stories at both places, sorry), so if you're wondering if I would like a particular kind of story, one thing you can look at it is if I've written anything comparable to it. (I've even written a lengthy fic pairing up Alfred with his mirror/dream double, so... I'm fine with a lot of stuff, I swear. On the other hand you can just as well write Boni and Stasi choosing wedding flowers and I'll be happy, it doesn't have to be anything strikingly unusual to please me either.)
Tanz der Vampire (Alfred)
Request: Alfred is my favourite character and I can never get enough of him. I love his sweetness, earnestness, the way he keeps on trying no matter what, the fact that he’s shy and scared and not as heroic as he tries to be and therefore relatable, his sensitivity, his devotion, the growth and development he undergoes, his innocence and corruptibility thereof... Any Alfred story will make me happy, but if possible, I’d prefer something other than Alfred/Herbert, simply because most Alfred stories are that pairing and I’d love to see other things explore more. Gen, het or slash are all fine, pre-musical, post-musical, missing moment or AU are all great. Maybe exploring his past and how he became the Professor’s assistant and ended up in Transylvania, maybe exploring his relationship to Sarah or to Krolock or both (if writing Krolock, feel free to make it gen or slash), a moment with Alfred and some other character, dream stuff, exploring what happens to him after the musical… Or anything else that interests you. Please treat him sympathetically, and please don’t write him as stupid - he is naïve, confused and scared, but I don’t think he should be stupid. I’m fine with any ratings and genres, as long as it’s got Alfred.
I can ramble on about Alfred quite a bit, so don't allow the following wordiness intimidate you, just consider it optional reading material if you want to know more about what makes me tick with Alfred.
For many people this musical is about the charming vampires... For me it's about what happens to humans when they meet vampires. Humans are the thing for me, character growth and development is the thing, and sweet shy boys are the thing, so it's natural that I'm obsessed with Alfred. Though I can be attracted to dark stories, the dark characters themselves aren't the thing for me, it's how the good characters face the darkness, and maybe even more how they face the darkness in themselves, and how they change. Another thing I love about Tanz der Vampire is how the dark and the comical are intertwined. The story is dark, funny, sexy, emotional, cute and thrilling at the same time, and you can focus on any one, some or all of these aspects and I'll be happy.
A note: that I requested something other than Alfred/Herbert doesn't mean I'm displeased with the Alfred/Herbert stories I've gotten before - most definitely not, this year I would just rather get something else since the majority of Alfred stories are Alfred/Herbert. If you do want to write Herbert, I'd prefer if their interaction stayed closer to canon, with Herbert making advances and Alfred rebuffing them. That can be hilarious. I'm fine with Herbert being around as a character, I'd just prefer not to get a pairing fic with them now. If you absolutely need to write them as a couple, I'd prefer taking some time to explain how Alfred had a change of mind, and not disposing of his feelings for Sarah too easily. (I'm twisted enough that I'd prefer reading about Alfred getting it on with Herbert while he actually still loves Sarah with all his heart, and just being really torn about it, rather than seeing him go "Oh, I don't love Sarah after all, I love Herbert" too easily.)
If I ship anything in this fandom, I'm one of the rare Alfred/Sarah shippers. Not so much that I imagine they have a perfect love together or will be happy ever after, and Sarah is pretty unappreciative of him, but at least she's what Alfred wants, and I'm just so darn interested in their interactions. When I'm watching the musical, I like it if a Sarah really seems to care about Alfred though being charmed by the Count, and I like comparing their different attitudes to the darkness and growing up represented by the vampires - Sarah embraces it eagerly, Alfred is afraid and tries to resist it, but it swallows them both all the same.
On the other hand, I'm also immensely interested in the interactions of Alfred and Krolock, despite the fact that they don't have a lot of stage time together. Also, the character Alfred spends the most time with is the Professor, and I adore watching how those two interact, how they get along, guessing how Alfred became his assistant in the first place. (Hopefully it goes without saying that if you write about Alfred and the Professor, it should be gen. *g*)
When I see this musical on stage, I'm typically paying attention to every detail of Alfred and how the actor plays him, how he does all sorts of tiny moments and how he says specific lines. (Examples: what does he do during Einladung zum Ball? How does he react to the dead Chagal? How does he react to Krolock's words at the end of the first act? Is he smitten and wonder-filled around Sarah? What signs of sexual awakening does he display? At one point he prays - how religious does he seem? Does he react to Krolock saying Alfred's soul belongs to him? And so on.)
And I'm interested in how he grows and develops. Alfred's development may be more subtle than that of some other Kunze protagonists, and that seems to make both some actors and some viewers miss that it exists, but I think it's fascinating. As I see it, he starts out as a shy, scared boy obediently following the Professor. He falls in love with Sarah, begins to experience an emotional and erotic awakening, and is more and more tempted by the world outside of what his Professor tells him to do. He is scared of the vampires but also gradually tempted by them and drawn to understand them even as he fears them and wants to resist them. Depending on the actor, he can eventually grow quite frustrated with the Professor and come clearly on his own, and with some actors the reprise of Draussen ist Freiheit really shows a markedly different young man from what you saw in the beginning - still sweet and driven by his heart, but now with some independence and maybe even stand up for himself. Until the unavoidable happens, of course. (Mind you, if you want to avoid the unavoidable and come up with an AU where Alfred doesn't become a vampire, that will be great, too!)
Saying that I pay attention to every detail of what an actor does on stage doesn't mean to intimidate you that I will be picky about every detail of your story. I only say this so that if you're not Alfred-focused and have a difficulty knowing where to start with him, you could try to look at the details of how different actors play the role, how they play the same moments differently. I have several favourite actors in the role: live I've had the pleasure of seeing László Sánta, Tibor Héger, György (Gyuri) Mihálka, Ádám Pásztor and Ville Salonen; on video and other material I have loved Aris Sas, Niels Jacobs, Gernot Romic, Sebastian Smulders and Michael Heller. You don't need to base your Alfred on any of them, but if you want to get an idea of what charms me about the character, looking up some of them may help. (Note: If you want to write Alfred/Krolock, I especially recommend Tibor Héger and Gernot Romic. And whether you love or hate Kevin Tarte's Krolock, he has a way of seducing his Alfreds.)
Oh, and I have a Tumblr account about Alfred. It's mostly pics and videos with some random comments. You don't need to look at it if I've already rambled too much, but if you want some material of what I love about the character, you can look there.
If after all this you would like a few specific prompts, here are some scenarios I've specifically thought I'd like a story about - but I would be just as thrilled to see what you come up with that I haven't thought about, so don't feel these are more prized than other ideas if you've got some of your own!
- as mentioned, anything dealing with his past, how he became the Professor's assistant, what kind of a student he was, what adventures they had on the way to Transylvania... I know I've had these in the past, but there are many things you can do with it!
- any missing Alfred/Sarah moment
- an AU that allows Alfred and Sarah to run off together without becoming vampires, to have sex when they're still human, whatever
- an AU where Alfred doesn't become a vampire (at least at the point at which he does in canon) even if Sarah does
- Alfred/Sarah/Krolock
- something allowing Alfred and Krolock more time to interact than they have in the musical - how does Krolock try to seduce Alfred to his side? how does Alfred respond? Weird mind-influencing from afar is good, too, like how I presume Krolock may have been mind-talking to Sarah before really introducing himself to her. (Is Carpe noctem the result of such mind games?) Gen or slash are both great, and any rating you wish to throw at me, as long as you mind the no-gruesome-violence bit.
- something exploring what Alfred will be like after the musical
- something about what happens during the day when Sarah has run off and Chagal after her, and Alfred, the Professor and Rebecca are waiting
Fandom: Elisabeth (Rudolf)
Request: Rudolf fascinates me, in the musical and in history, and the musical does a great job of focusing on all the things about him that interest me: his relationships to both his mother and father, his loneliness, frustration, his ability to see things are going badly, his mental instability and consorting with Death. So give me anything focused on any of these, at any time period of his life, and I’ll be happy. References to historical facts outside the musical will make me squee but aren’t required - however, please no Mary Vetsera romance (I don’t mind including her if she’s relevant to the story and the time period, but please don’t focus on her) or Mayerling conspiracies - I prefer the same things the Elisabeth musical focuses on. Gen is fine, slash with Death is fine (though I'd prefer a focus on Rudolf's character as well, not just the slash). No incest! Including at least references to his difficult relationship to his mother will make me happy.
The main thing to note is that I really want fic based on Rudolf in Elisabeth, not Rudolf in Rudolf - Affaire Mayerling. I'm sure you know which fandom you offered, of course, and don't want to offend you by thinking you wouldn't. I just wanted to stress that in the case someone has come to Elisabeth through the Rudolf musical rather than the other way around and doesn't think elements from the Rudolf musical shouldn't be carried over. I'm more interested in pretty much all aspects of Rudolf than in the often-emphasized Mary Vetsera affair.
If you do want to include Mary because she fits the story for whatever reason, feel free to, but please consider that I don't see their story as a grand tragic romance but as a rather sad affair of a lovesick teenager and a man who was desperate to die and to have someone to die with him. To me the Elisabeth musical's way of dealing with Rudolf's story works best, as a relationship with Death brought about by his loneliness, frustration, worries about the direction the realm was going, and difficult relationships to his parents. If you write him with Death, the relationship can include all the homoeroticism you want, or can be more symbolic and more about Death manipulating Rudolf's feelings than about erotic seduction - however you most like writing it.
One note about character: Rudolf is vulnerable and self-destructive, but I prefer if he isn't a complete wimp and only a puppet, and isn't stupid. The historical Rudolf was an intelligent man and he had some energy and force of personality, though wasn't ultimately able resist succumbing to depression and despair. Actor-wise, my favourite Rudolf remains Jesper Tydén, who has such a good mix of intelligence, defiance, frustration, despair and vulnerability. But certainly there are many other good Rudolfs as well. (And I wish I could see Gernot Romic in the part, judging by his Alfred and White Vampire he'd be a lot to my taste as Rudolf. But probably there isn't any material of him in the part yet as you're reading this.)
PS. When it comes to historical Rudolf's women, I really like Mizzi Caspar. Doesn't mean you should include her, but just letting you know in the case you wish to use that.
Request: I love operettas, I love Csárdásfürstin the most of all, I always seem to love soubrette pairs the best in operettas, and Boni and Stasi are absolutely my favourite characters. They’re so cute and bubbly, so much fun, have the most adorable songs and simply are characters I like.. So give me anything with the two of them - maybe a missing moment from the story with some courtship and fun we don’t get to see; maybe something after canon, incident from the preparations of their wedding, of their marriage... Maybe Sylva and Edwin have some problems and drama again and it’s up to Boni and Stasi to sort them out (because the soubrette couple is usually a lot better at sorting things out than the leading couple), maybe Boni needs to make amends to Stasi after some slight or to prove to her it’s not a bad thing at all he has spent so much time around revue girls... Anything, just please keep them together and don’t depart too far from the light-hearted, bubbly atmosphere these two have in the operetta (some sharp observations of human nature and weaknesses do fit the operetta genre, should you want to engage in them, I just don’t want a deeply murky and pessimistic story). I’m fine with any ratings from general to mature.
Operettas were thought indecent in the old times, now they're thought shallow and silly - I love them for all of those things. As much as I can enjoy an intelligent and dark story, there's a lot to be said for some bright and sparkly music, gorgeous costumes, frills and feathers and bright colours, silly but fun plots and of course dancing. Die Csárdásfürstin has all of that. I don't have a lot to add to my request, except to say again that though Boni and Stasi can be fluffy and silly, I don't like them being stupid even if they're too often played like that. I love both of these characters - Boni has that charm of a well-meaning playboy with a golden heart who really does go all weak-kneed when he finally meets the right girl, and though Stasi may seem a fluffy little creature, she has her own sort of strength and force of personality. I love how the women in operettas are fully feminine and yet not fools or weaklings. Soubrettes in particular are early 20th century girl power to the extreme! Long live feathers and bright colours!
This video pretty much sums up what I love about operettas and about Boni and Stasi. It's their duet in Hungarian, but if you don't understand the language, that's not a problem, there's plenty of dancing and acting to watch. The Boni guy is a bit young and his voice isn't quite operetta-ish, but I just love their interactions, the spiritedness and fun of it all, and the erotic subtext.
Click to viewThis is the scene with the same actors, a bit newer and sexier. I just find the drawing out of the dance sequence drains its energy a bit, which is why I didn't post it first.