yuletide letter
Nov. 14th, 2009 01:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valmoraDear Yuletide Author:
Thank you for signing up and being willing to write a gift fic for me. I hope you enjoy the process, because I know I will enjoy the result (and I hope you enjoy my enjoying the result, if that doesn't sound too egotistical).
A couple of my requests (but not all of them) are the same in spirit as last year's, so I've copied them here.
Some sort of general things: I love dialogue and character interaction, but I'm not (too) afraid of description; cultural details make me weep with joy.
I have great love for people who know what they want out of their love life, or are in the process of figuring it out (whether or not they are ready or want to get it is a whole different question).
Things I do not enjoy: crack, though a little bit of ludicrous is all right. Genderswap, -bend, or mpreg (beyond what's in canon or required for plot).
Lawrence of Arabia: Daud and Farraj
Daud and Farraj, as friends and lovers.
I thought Daud and Farraj were kind of underrepresented characters in basically every way that didn’t involve their being homoeroticised relative to Lawrence. However, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom, TEL is very clear when they are introduced that they were very much exclusively romantically attached to each other; he compares them to a married couple (for the especially prurient, Farraj is the girl). I thought that was very striking, especially since I thought that their story in the movie was very bare-bones, so I just want to see some fic that focuses on them.
I really don’t have a preference for whether the story is primarily about their romantic/sexual relationship or mostly about their interactions with the rest of the cast, but I would very much like to be able to see that their interactions with each other are influenced by the explicitly romantic aspect to their relationship.
In general relating to LoA, I'm really fascinated by the Arab culture aspects of the story (LoA is basically why I am studying Arabic in college at the moment), and the cultural dichotomies between Britain and the tribes. I'm not a big fan of the "romantic savage" trope on an intellectual plane but I confess that I greatly enjoy reading it.
I really enjoy reading boys acting like boys and men acting like men, especially if they're also homosexual. Er. That sounded a lot worse than I meant it. So all of the stupid, and the social-aptitude-of-a-brick, and the graciousness, and the strength, of being human and male - that's what I like reading. (I love all of the LoA characters for basically all of those reasons)
Lois McMaster Bujold: Vorkosigan Saga: Dag Benin
Dag Benin, as himself. Preference for gen.
I like Dag Benin. I think he’s in an interesting position in the Cetagandan Empire, which is of course a little bit like Barrayar if Barrayar had been colonized by people fascinated with traditional/idealized East Asian culture, and I just want to see Dag Benin being his awesome paranoid detectivey self in the Cetagandan Empire without Miles there being Miles and endangering innocents.
Also, I have an especial fascination with Cetagandan face-painting, because it reminds me of kabuki and Chinese opera masks, and it's very clearly an important part of Cetagandan public life, so more on ghem-face painting would be really cool.
I love intrigue and the specific paranoia that is endemic in Vorkosigan, and manipulation, and all of that jazz.
West Bank Story
The rebuilding effort, after the fire, and once the waiting crowd of people has been served.
What can I say? I'm from a Jewish cultural background (though not Jewish myself) I've studied Arabic, I've written fanfiction for Romeo and Juliet (better not to ask), and I heart political humor (my best friend since childhood is best described as "young Stephen Colbert"). It's things I love all together, with catchy music.
I love that everyone in this movie is kind and yet heartless, and that they're funny and ridiculously unaware of it. I love Ariel's accent (his r's kind of make me wibble) and Bruce is a riot in a sort of "I shouldn't be laughing at this; it's so un-PC" way.
I also would really like to see what happens after the fire, after the growing crowd of people has been fed, when the real rebuilding has to start. Do they still cooperate? Do they find some sort of solution? Does it work?
I'm not asking for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. I'm asking for two fast-food joints, both alike in (lack of) dignity, and how they react after their places have been burnt down.
(I am amenable to shipping of many sorts, including obviously the canon couple, but if you wanted to include hints of or outright Ahmed/Ariel/Ahmed I would kind of roll on the floor flailing in glee. But don't feel it's necessary.)
The Protector
Madame Rose and Vincent, as partners in crime, and as lovers.
I love this movie because it's so incredibly over-the-top awesome martial arts. As a practitioner of aikido I get a real kick out of watching all the crazy stuff Tony Jaa does.
I also love Madame Rose, because she's crazy and power-hungry and incredibly deeply competent and yet her sex (or the sex she chooses to present) makes her ineligible for the things which she's capable of doing. And knowing that the actress who played her is MTF, and that in the film Madame Rose's character is meant to be MTF (which I hear is more apparent in the original Thai than in the English version), I am curious. Why would someone so power-hungry go through with changing their sex when they knew it would ruin their career options?
And because I'm a shipper at heart, I really want to see Madame Rose and Vincent interact, as partners in crime and as lovers. Clearly, Madame Rose passes as female - was she female when they met? How long have they known each other? What brought them together? What made them hatch their plans? I think their characters were glossed over in a really regrettable way, which is understandable since it's a martial arts flick, but I'd love to see them fleshed out together.
I'm not requesting a sex scene, though if you want to go there you can.
Happy Yuletide, and I hope the Yule Goat brings you something yummy for your brain!
Thank you for signing up and being willing to write a gift fic for me. I hope you enjoy the process, because I know I will enjoy the result (and I hope you enjoy my enjoying the result, if that doesn't sound too egotistical).
A couple of my requests (but not all of them) are the same in spirit as last year's, so I've copied them here.
Some sort of general things: I love dialogue and character interaction, but I'm not (too) afraid of description; cultural details make me weep with joy.
I have great love for people who know what they want out of their love life, or are in the process of figuring it out (whether or not they are ready or want to get it is a whole different question).
Things I do not enjoy: crack, though a little bit of ludicrous is all right. Genderswap, -bend, or mpreg (beyond what's in canon or required for plot).
Lawrence of Arabia: Daud and Farraj
Daud and Farraj, as friends and lovers.
I thought Daud and Farraj were kind of underrepresented characters in basically every way that didn’t involve their being homoeroticised relative to Lawrence. However, in Seven Pillars of Wisdom, TEL is very clear when they are introduced that they were very much exclusively romantically attached to each other; he compares them to a married couple (for the especially prurient, Farraj is the girl). I thought that was very striking, especially since I thought that their story in the movie was very bare-bones, so I just want to see some fic that focuses on them.
I really don’t have a preference for whether the story is primarily about their romantic/sexual relationship or mostly about their interactions with the rest of the cast, but I would very much like to be able to see that their interactions with each other are influenced by the explicitly romantic aspect to their relationship.
In general relating to LoA, I'm really fascinated by the Arab culture aspects of the story (LoA is basically why I am studying Arabic in college at the moment), and the cultural dichotomies between Britain and the tribes. I'm not a big fan of the "romantic savage" trope on an intellectual plane but I confess that I greatly enjoy reading it.
I really enjoy reading boys acting like boys and men acting like men, especially if they're also homosexual. Er. That sounded a lot worse than I meant it. So all of the stupid, and the social-aptitude-of-a-brick, and the graciousness, and the strength, of being human and male - that's what I like reading. (I love all of the LoA characters for basically all of those reasons)
Lois McMaster Bujold: Vorkosigan Saga: Dag Benin
Dag Benin, as himself. Preference for gen.
I like Dag Benin. I think he’s in an interesting position in the Cetagandan Empire, which is of course a little bit like Barrayar if Barrayar had been colonized by people fascinated with traditional/idealized East Asian culture, and I just want to see Dag Benin being his awesome paranoid detectivey self in the Cetagandan Empire without Miles there being Miles and endangering innocents.
Also, I have an especial fascination with Cetagandan face-painting, because it reminds me of kabuki and Chinese opera masks, and it's very clearly an important part of Cetagandan public life, so more on ghem-face painting would be really cool.
I love intrigue and the specific paranoia that is endemic in Vorkosigan, and manipulation, and all of that jazz.
West Bank Story
The rebuilding effort, after the fire, and once the waiting crowd of people has been served.
What can I say? I'm from a Jewish cultural background (though not Jewish myself) I've studied Arabic, I've written fanfiction for Romeo and Juliet (better not to ask), and I heart political humor (my best friend since childhood is best described as "young Stephen Colbert"). It's things I love all together, with catchy music.
I love that everyone in this movie is kind and yet heartless, and that they're funny and ridiculously unaware of it. I love Ariel's accent (his r's kind of make me wibble) and Bruce is a riot in a sort of "I shouldn't be laughing at this; it's so un-PC" way.
I also would really like to see what happens after the fire, after the growing crowd of people has been fed, when the real rebuilding has to start. Do they still cooperate? Do they find some sort of solution? Does it work?
I'm not asking for a solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. I'm asking for two fast-food joints, both alike in (lack of) dignity, and how they react after their places have been burnt down.
(I am amenable to shipping of many sorts, including obviously the canon couple, but if you wanted to include hints of or outright Ahmed/Ariel/Ahmed I would kind of roll on the floor flailing in glee. But don't feel it's necessary.)
The Protector
Madame Rose and Vincent, as partners in crime, and as lovers.
I love this movie because it's so incredibly over-the-top awesome martial arts. As a practitioner of aikido I get a real kick out of watching all the crazy stuff Tony Jaa does.
I also love Madame Rose, because she's crazy and power-hungry and incredibly deeply competent and yet her sex (or the sex she chooses to present) makes her ineligible for the things which she's capable of doing. And knowing that the actress who played her is MTF, and that in the film Madame Rose's character is meant to be MTF (which I hear is more apparent in the original Thai than in the English version), I am curious. Why would someone so power-hungry go through with changing their sex when they knew it would ruin their career options?
And because I'm a shipper at heart, I really want to see Madame Rose and Vincent interact, as partners in crime and as lovers. Clearly, Madame Rose passes as female - was she female when they met? How long have they known each other? What brought them together? What made them hatch their plans? I think their characters were glossed over in a really regrettable way, which is understandable since it's a martial arts flick, but I'd love to see them fleshed out together.
I'm not requesting a sex scene, though if you want to go there you can.
Happy Yuletide, and I hope the Yule Goat brings you something yummy for your brain!
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no subject
Date: 2009-11-13 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-14 01:35 am (UTC)(btw, have you joined