Dear Yuletide Writer,
Merry Christmas!
Yes, it looks as if that time of year has come around once again, and I have been lucky enough to get you for a writer. So, if you will just bear with me for a few minutes, I will do my best to make your job as easy as possible.
First of all, I'm rather prone to rambling, so sorry about that. It's also perfectly fine if you include characters that I didn't ask for or weren't nominated, as long as they don't end up taking the spotlight.
On a general note, I'm pretty easy to please, so don't worry too much if you can't fit all (or any) of my likes into a story, but if you could stay away from any and all of my dislikes, I will shower you with cookies.
Now, on to the details!
General likes:
* anything on the soft and cuddly side of things.
* respectful enemies. (In the line of 'we could almost be friends, except that we're on opposite sides/I disagree with your ideals'
* stories based on songs/including cleverly appropriate song lyrics. Or both~
* deep, plotty stories.
* spontaneous genderbending (I don't so much like the always-a-girl concept, but I certainly won't object if you give it to me~)
* deleted scenes, filling in the blanks of a story. (As in 'what was so-and-so doing during this period where they weren't involved in the story?' Or something like that.)
* dark and depressing.
* alternate realities.
* injuries. I'm a total sucker for my favorite characters being beaten up/tortured.
* amnesia, especially in my favorite characters.
General dislikes:
* dark and depressing simply for the sake of dark and depressing. If you decide to include this, please involve something more in depth *about* it, like examining the characters' feelings during this trial or how it affects their personal interactions with other people.
* female characters, for the most part. If I specifically asked for one, then feel free to ignore this dislike.
* explicit romance
* swearing, for the most part. Mild curses and the like are alright, though. (I've certainly had enough instances where something just would not express itself properly without some sort of swear word, so I won't persecute you for it or anything.)
And since I have neglected to add blurbs on my signup sheet (read: I was too lazy), here they are!
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
I rather liked the dynamic between Colin and his dad--what little of it we saw/heard of, anyway--and would like to see something more on that. How did they get along post-book? Did Archie try to be a good father, or did he start to (unconsciously, almost certainly) avoid Colin again? Or you could go way back to when Colin was only a baby and take a look into how that mess went. Feel free to include Mary in there somewhere! (Actually, on that note, a scene in the garden with all three of them would be really awesome.)
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera - Gaston Leroux
I think that Erik and Raoul are two of my most favorite characters ever. Raoul actually seemed like he was a little spoiled by his brother, and yet he ended up as a perfectly nice adult, whereas Erik almost doesn't seem to have grown up at all, making for essentially a mildly homicidal child in an adult's body. Which rationally oughtn't to be as interesting as it is, but there you are. Tell me where Erik got his name! Have him stalk Raoul for a while, as a sort of 'what does Christine see in you? I must know'! Or have the two of them meet beneath the Opera House and have awesome moments of their own! Feel free to add Christine too, by all means.
Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
I'd kind of like to see something examining the relationship between Natsume and Tanuma. Alternatively, take a look at how Tanuma felt after seeing the world of youkai through a youkai's eyes, tell about what Nyanko-sensei does while they're not busy, or even have Natsume find himself with another creepy youkai stalker--the sky's the limit this Christmas season, and I'm sure to love anything you give me!
Watchmen (2009)
What's not to love here? Crime-fighting partners! Socially awkward conversations galore! Epically gory fight scenes! (Although, I admit, I was just a leetle creeped out by the visual-ness of the gore. Gore in writing isn't so bad, though, so if you want to include some, I'll be fine.) Mostly, what I liked was the way that even through his muddled, sociopathic brain, Rorschach was very (gruffly) protective of Nite Owl, and Nite Owl was still very attached to him even after all that happened! Something taking a closer look at this would make me ecstatic. Also, while I haven't read the comic, I would be perfectly happy if you added elements from it, provided there's some explanation of what's different. Also (yeah, I know I'm full of alsos) although I don't exactly hate Laurie, could you avoid including her?
Gaunt's Ghosts - Dan Abnett
I guess what got me here was the sheer enormity of the Warhammer 40K world, and how within that even the awesomeness of the Tanith seems like a (sadly, often ignored) drop in the bucket. And by far, Gaunt and Rawne are the two most awesome guys of the regiment (although there are plenty of people clamoring for places beyond that!) I mean, there's Gaunt with all of his surprisingly decent colonel-commissarly ways, protecting the Tanith like they were his own kids, and Rawne with his long-held grudge against Gaunt, his angry/loner ways, and his precious, precious knife--what's not to like? And they go on for half a dozen books hating each others' guts, but then they turn completely around and start almost liking each other, and somehow manage to not make the entire thing look contrived. And...nicknames! There's just so much here, that I couldn't possibly list all the things that I would love to see. However, I would be pleased with anything having to do with their friendship. What sort of things do they do on their off time? How did the rest of the Tanith take it when they came back from Gereon with a deeply ingrained friendship? Take a look at Rawne's childhood, even, if you're feeling particularly adventurous.
The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth (2011)
I don't usually like anything having to do with Romans, so both this movie and the book it was made off of came as something of a surprise. Actually, my love of it was probably spawned from the awesomeness that is Marcus and Esca and the intense animosity between them at the beginning, which melted almost imperceptibly into a really comradely friendship. And those jaunty swaggers at the end...! As long as it involves these two, I'm more than happy to take all comers! Tell me what happens post-movie, show how their respective childhoods might have gone, or just fill in the gaps of the movie itself! ...Astonish me.
And now that you have come through all my senseless rambling unscathed (and hopefully enlightened about my likes and dislikes), I shall leave you to it. Have a good Christmas and please don't stress yourself out on my account!
--Asselin