fic: The Weakness In Me (?/Yoann Gourcuff, PG)

[txorakeriak]

Title: The Weakness In Me
Author: txorakeriak
Fandom: Football RPS, French National Team
Pairing: ?/Yoann Gourcuff
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I'm a lying bastard and made this up. I don't claim to know any of the players I write about, they're most definitely not mine, and this very probably didn't happen the way I wrote it. No payment involved, no offence

Comments

[dfotw]

This is so sad! Argh, I've almost managed to forget about poor darling Yoann, and this brings it all back... in the best way, of course!

I love your fics. I love how they're more than PWP, more than fluff, how you can take a complex subject and lay it out in a few hundred words, making it compelling while not oversimplifying it.

You're amazing, please keep writing!

:)

[txorakeriak]

Aw, I'm sorry I brought back the bad memories. *hugs* I guess you can imagine how shocked I was when I read about the issue, and I couldn't stop thinking about poor Yoann. In the end I had to write this fic because I couldn't stand the thought of him having no one to turn to.

So glad you liked the story, and thanks for the (as usual far too kind) compliments. :) You are amazing. :D

*glomps*

[just_jenni]

Hey, it looks really good!

Now that I've read it like a regular reader, I really noticed the tristesse, the melancholy. I think you did a great job with this. It's a difficult subject and I like your unusual take on it. It's interesting, having read this, when more and more information is coming out about what really happened. I just heard Jeremy Toulalan's 'confession' on the news last night and gasped when I realized how close to the mark you were. There was not only one or two miscreants, but the whole team seems to have been involved in wrongdoings!

I love how this turned out. The different 'dirty deeds' are quite horrifying and make quite an impact when you list them like you did. And I can see how keeping the narrator's identity a secret actually enhances the story.

It's great, Bill. I'm sure it was difficult to write, but it packs a real punch.

[txorakeriak]

YAY, so glad you think so! Thanks again for the wonderful beta and all your patience. I'm most indebted to you. *glomps*

You know I prefer writing funny fics, but I just had to write this one because the thought of poor Yoann being all alone wouldn't leave me alone. I had to give him a friend. Glad it worked for you!

I read an interview with Toulalan about who started the "mutiny" and everything, but he didn't say anything about the mobbing of Yoann, which disappointed me a little. Everyone could see that there was something going on, so I think it's pretty pointless to admit to the training boycott but not the mobbing.

Of course you can't put everything into 1,000 words but I wish I had found a way to include more than one examples of mobbing in my submission to the challenge at footballverse to make more of an impact.

Thanks again! :D

[just_jenni]

You're welcome! It was great fun to do the beta and I'm sorry for all the mix-ups. :(

I suppose one day a book will come out...it's a fascinating subject that many people will want to read about, I'm sure. The complete meltdown of a once-great team, and the reasons why this happened would make for some incredibly absorbing reading. But I guess there was only so much Toulalan could say...the whole team has probably been put under a gag order.

But I really loved reading your story and your take on the whole thing. I also feel terrible for poor Yoann. I was quite shocked when I first read about his ostracism. And to think he was bullied is chilling. But great reading.

I love also that this fic was 'different'. I admire those writers who can change their style of writing from time to time. It requires more 'work' IMO, and some deep thinking. Congrats! :)

[txorakeriak]

Oh yes, I'd definitely be interested in reading about the whole thing - but I wouldn't want any half-truths or anything that doesn't leave a hundred questions unanswered. I want the truth and the whole truth.

I've never been a big fan of Toulalan but I lost all respect for him when I read his interview. Yoann is his teammate both at Bordeaux and in the national team, and it was Toulalan's responsibility more than anyone else's to keep an eye on him and support him. Instead he shields the culprits.

Did you see this? maia1504 just linked me to it and I must say it's getting scary how much my subconscious seemed to know about the issue when I was writing the fic. I swear I had no idea that they were actually doing this...

[nadiamdq]

I'd heard some bits here and there about the way the French team, well... didn't get along, and that some of them were against Gourcuff, but I didn't know it was this bad, so thanks for the articles.

I really enjoyed the story, by the way. :D I enjoyed the way you portrayed the main character, his struggle and how he's unable to stop what he's doing. I especially like the line that says: "we're all cowards who would rather team up with a bully than become the target of everyone's contempt." That is SO true!

[txorakeriak]

It really is a most horrible thing and I hope that everyone who was involved in this will have learned his lesson. Poor Yoann.

Thanks for reading and enjoying the story! :)

[nahco3]

I like this a lot. I enjoy when fic offers a possible, plausible explanation for real world events, and this fic did an excellent job of doing that. It was really sad, but that's certainly fitting with the events you're writing about. I wonder - did you have a particular player in mind for the narrator and the blackmailer?

I really enjoyed it, thanks for reposting it so I had a chance to read it!

[txorakeriak]

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked this story, even though it was sad. I just couldn't stop thinking about Yoann and had to give him a friend. Sometimes things that happen in RL bother me so much that I have to write a fix-it fic about them. (Not sure if you read it, but another example of this is my fic about Diego Godín of Villarreal getting Javi Martínez of Athletic Bilbao sent off.)

As for the narrator or blackmailer, I deliberately kept their identities a secret because I have no detailed information about who was actively involved in the bullying of Yoann Gourcuff and didn't want people to think I do. Of course I had someone in mind, but I don't want people to think I suspect them more or less than anyone else, it was just to help me write the fic. The player I imagined as the narrator is Gaël Clichy, and "my" blackmailer was Nicolas Anelka.

Thanks again for the kind comment! :)

[azaylee]

Ouch. That was sad. I did know that he was teased, but didn't know it was really that bad.

I liked mostly the ending, which still proves some hope. I wish that the French can fix their problems and have a new fresh start.

Thank you for writing this, it's sad but it's great at the same time.

[txorakeriak]

Thank you for the kind comment! It's not a happy subject for sure, and I do prefer writing more positive fics, but when I read about the whole incident I just couldn't resist giving Yoann a friend, even if it was just in a fic.