Dear Yuletide Author
Dear Yuletide author:
Thank you so much for playing and for checking back (over and over and over and over until I got my butt in gear) just to get a better handle on what would make me happy. Mostly I just adore these sources and characters and am looking for more of the same. I'm not especially looking for porn on any of these, but as a generality, slash (or het) of any rating is okay with me if that's the way your story goes.
In no particular order:
1. Canadian History: William Lyon MacKenzie King.
I did not nominate this category, but had I been more savvy and had more free time, I would have. Sometime in my teen or pre-teen years, I was reading some plaque at some Parks Canada site that went on about WLMK remaining unmarried and his relationship with Lord Tweedsmuir, who he appointed Gov. General, and I realized the whole thing was code for a tragic gay love. I thought I would never see this story come to light, but thanks to Yuletide and some yet unknown participant, I just might. Of course, WLMK is fascinating even without that angle, and even without the Holocaust refugee issue, he'd probably be our most controversial PM, and yet he was so, well, good at the job. The balance between his flaws and eccentricities and strengths and how that worked for the country draws me to him.
Historical fiction is by far my favorite reading genre. Period Canadian detail would be great. Confession time: I know little of Canadian history beyond those plaques at Parks Canada and whatever was required to pass tests in school, so please don't feel obliged to research every detail on the theory that as a history requester I will know if something isn't right. I won't.
2. In Bruges: Ken
I cannot understand why Internet calls this a comedy. It has funny moments, oh my word, yes it does, but they are funny like life is funny. And it is improbable, yes, but in the same way that any one particular thing in life is improbable, and yet things happen because something has to happen an some of those things will seem odd. I love Ken's wisdom and feel for his world weariness. I love the hints of the past between him and Harry, and I love his support of Ray and efforts to save him from the pain he himself has clearly felt. I can see Harry/Ken slash-or not. I can see Ken/Ray slash--or not. Either way I see Ken caring a heckuva a lot, and this gets to me given Ken being basically a murderer and all. But that is the way people are.
The Chloe & Eirik storyline doesn't interest me at all, and Jimmy only really interests me as a part of the “child” story arc. But a good writer might change my mind on that last bit.
3. Deadwood: Seth/Sol.
Oh, I love them both so much! I love Seth for fighting himself so hard to be a good man because he is, even when he clearly wants to tear out someone's heart. I love how he makes it work with Martha because she is good like him and because it is the right thing to do. I love how he is with Alma and how he works with uncivil people to build a civil town because someone has to do it and he can. I love Sol's unswerving moral compass and calm pragmatism and yet how he gets dragged into Seth's great passions (like a gun fight with a water pistol) because they are that connected and he has no choice.
The way I see it, Seth is Sol's one great love. My guess is it was physical pre-series and maybe beyond, but perhaps Seth's proprieties interfered. Or not. Slash, implied or overt, would be great, but the on-screen relationship works perfectly well for me. I never quite got Sol/Trixie, but I've no objection to trying harder.
Oh, and it's not in the request, but just so as you know, Jane is my favorite character on the whole show. If she made a cameo, that wouldn't suck. :)
4. Being Human: John Mitchell
Don't misunderstand on this; I love all the housemates and redid this request several times, first with the original three, then with Nina too. A balanced ensemble story would be just fine. But Mitchell is my favorite. His tragically hopeless struggle, doomed by the very strength he fights with, gets me every time. I love how the very banality of George's friendship and the invocation of Annie's naïve sweetness are the only things that penetrate his rage. So given his decades of extra history, I wanted to expand the range of possibilities of the story. Pretty much anything with Mitchell's characterization would make me happy. I'm not particularly interested in any of the other vampires on the show, nor am I a huge vampire fan in general (not that there's anything wrong with vampires, just saying the request isn't specifically looking for vampfic), but a pre or post series story without the housemates would also be fine. I'd prefer not to read unremitting evil and murder for Yuletide, but to have some of the admirable and positive aspects accented if your story tends to the darker side.
Mitchell/George slash works for me as does the twisted Mitchell/Lucy period. I can't see Mitchell/Annie as the great, epic romance that Annie does, but I like it just fine as another manifestation of his desperate attempt to make himself good through her.
Thank you so much for playing and for checking back (over and over and over and over until I got my butt in gear) just to get a better handle on what would make me happy. Mostly I just adore these sources and characters and am looking for more of the same. I'm not especially looking for porn on any of these, but as a generality, slash (or het) of any rating is okay with me if that's the way your story goes.
In no particular order:
1. Canadian History: William Lyon MacKenzie King.
I did not nominate this category, but had I been more savvy and had more free time, I would have. Sometime in my teen or pre-teen years, I was reading some plaque at some Parks Canada site that went on about WLMK remaining unmarried and his relationship with Lord Tweedsmuir, who he appointed Gov. General, and I realized the whole thing was code for a tragic gay love. I thought I would never see this story come to light, but thanks to Yuletide and some yet unknown participant, I just might. Of course, WLMK is fascinating even without that angle, and even without the Holocaust refugee issue, he'd probably be our most controversial PM, and yet he was so, well, good at the job. The balance between his flaws and eccentricities and strengths and how that worked for the country draws me to him.
Historical fiction is by far my favorite reading genre. Period Canadian detail would be great. Confession time: I know little of Canadian history beyond those plaques at Parks Canada and whatever was required to pass tests in school, so please don't feel obliged to research every detail on the theory that as a history requester I will know if something isn't right. I won't.
2. In Bruges: Ken
I cannot understand why Internet calls this a comedy. It has funny moments, oh my word, yes it does, but they are funny like life is funny. And it is improbable, yes, but in the same way that any one particular thing in life is improbable, and yet things happen because something has to happen an some of those things will seem odd. I love Ken's wisdom and feel for his world weariness. I love the hints of the past between him and Harry, and I love his support of Ray and efforts to save him from the pain he himself has clearly felt. I can see Harry/Ken slash-or not. I can see Ken/Ray slash--or not. Either way I see Ken caring a heckuva a lot, and this gets to me given Ken being basically a murderer and all. But that is the way people are.
The Chloe & Eirik storyline doesn't interest me at all, and Jimmy only really interests me as a part of the “child” story arc. But a good writer might change my mind on that last bit.
3. Deadwood: Seth/Sol.
Oh, I love them both so much! I love Seth for fighting himself so hard to be a good man because he is, even when he clearly wants to tear out someone's heart. I love how he makes it work with Martha because she is good like him and because it is the right thing to do. I love how he is with Alma and how he works with uncivil people to build a civil town because someone has to do it and he can. I love Sol's unswerving moral compass and calm pragmatism and yet how he gets dragged into Seth's great passions (like a gun fight with a water pistol) because they are that connected and he has no choice.
The way I see it, Seth is Sol's one great love. My guess is it was physical pre-series and maybe beyond, but perhaps Seth's proprieties interfered. Or not. Slash, implied or overt, would be great, but the on-screen relationship works perfectly well for me. I never quite got Sol/Trixie, but I've no objection to trying harder.
Oh, and it's not in the request, but just so as you know, Jane is my favorite character on the whole show. If she made a cameo, that wouldn't suck. :)
4. Being Human: John Mitchell
Don't misunderstand on this; I love all the housemates and redid this request several times, first with the original three, then with Nina too. A balanced ensemble story would be just fine. But Mitchell is my favorite. His tragically hopeless struggle, doomed by the very strength he fights with, gets me every time. I love how the very banality of George's friendship and the invocation of Annie's naïve sweetness are the only things that penetrate his rage. So given his decades of extra history, I wanted to expand the range of possibilities of the story. Pretty much anything with Mitchell's characterization would make me happy. I'm not particularly interested in any of the other vampires on the show, nor am I a huge vampire fan in general (not that there's anything wrong with vampires, just saying the request isn't specifically looking for vampfic), but a pre or post series story without the housemates would also be fine. I'd prefer not to read unremitting evil and murder for Yuletide, but to have some of the admirable and positive aspects accented if your story tends to the darker side.
Mitchell/George slash works for me as does the twisted Mitchell/Lucy period. I can't see Mitchell/Annie as the great, epic romance that Annie does, but I like it just fine as another manifestation of his desperate attempt to make himself good through her.