i believe in you my soul (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
blindmadness) wrote2013-10-17 11:21 pm
blindmadness) wrote2013-10-17 11:21 pm
Entry tags:
Dear Yuletide Author,
First of all: I have just met you, and I love you! (Well, I haven't met you yet, but... you get the idea.) Seriously, if you matched with me on any of these things, we'd probably get along, and I'd like to be friends once this madness is over. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN. I know I'll love whatever you provide for me!
Now, this is the first year I've actually done Yuletide and the second year I've contemplated it at all, which means I've been mentally composing this letter for about a year. /o\ So don't let the length throw you off at all! I've always been of the "get everything you're thinking down, just in case" mentality, so please consider most of these guidelines rather than actual rules. :3
So! My most basic likes, especially with the fandoms I've picked here, are stories that are character-driven rather than plot-driven and romantic storylines. So, don't bother getting too fancy with whatever you give me -- honestly, "two people getting together" or "two people navigating a romantic relationship" or "character growth inspired by, centered around, or culminating in a romantic relationship" are my favorite types of stories, ever. I don't require more plot than that! Especially given that most of my requests are specifically aimed at certain pairings (or, in one case, a certain character). Really, give me things that will involve my emotions in a big way and I'm yours.
My most basic DNWs for Yuletide are as follows: PWPs (I love them, and I love me my porn, but please give me more than that!); sad endings (I really, really can't do sad endings -- I'll be fine with bittersweet-but-hopeful, but I'd much prefer outright happy); homophobia in any form, be it casual, external and vocally condemned, or internalized (so, feel free to give me some coming-out stress, but a. make it more of an identity crisis rather than gay panic, if that makes sense, and b. set it in a fictional world in which there is no real negative backlash about it, because we get enough of that IRL without needing it in fic); any straight-up serious tragedy or terrible things -- I'm talking character death, rape, torture, etc. etc.
Those are the only things I'd prefer you to consider as rules rather than guidelines -- but here are some more general likes/dislikes!
I'm a huge fan of: banter, UST/pining/the slow burn, hot makeouts that don't immediately lead to sex (and/or are tragically interrupted or unable to lead to sex, thus leading to more UST/general sexual frustration), sex!, dirty talk (of the non-degrading sort, so pls no "whore"/"slut"/etc.), both super intense hot urgent sex and long, slow, drawn-out, teasing sex, cunnilingus, people being REALLY STUPID about feelings and taking a long time to get their shit together, awesome ladies, little nods to canon that will make my kick my feet in glee, hurt/comfort, getting-together fic, established-relationship fic, people being competent and really good at what they do, and people being really, really in love. In case that wasn't obvious. Ahem.
Less of a fan of: m/m stories set up as "and it was SO MUCH BETTER than being with a woman!!", misogyny of any kind, any noncon/dubcon scenarios, character-bashing (unless it's a universally-agreed-upon and/or canonically terrible character), terrible things happening just for the sake of terrible things happening, any *isms -- even if the point is to show that they're bad (we've got enough of that going on!), very stereotypical misunderstandings that could be resolved in .5 seconds if people actually communicated (if you've ever seen a romcom you know exactly what I mean-- although I have to add that I love subversions of them, where people think it'll lead to something terrible but it's actually okay), excessive jealousy/possessiveness, especially from men, first-person POV, cursory attempts at safe sex that go like "*grabs a condom*" "no, I'm clean/I'm on the pill" "OH OKAY THEN", and any kind of serious kink (like, I'm fine with some handcuffs or blindfolds showing up, but avoid anything hardcore or any D/s stuff, please!).
Also, AUs are my bread and butter, but I've somehow managed to pick a bunch of fandoms which I'd prefer to stay in canonland. OOPS? I'll still, however, include a little bit about what kind of AUs I'd be fine with, because I'd like to leave that as an option for somebody who loves them like I do!
Also also, I don't foresee this being a problem, but just in case: I have a HUGE phobia of needles, so, uh, please don't include them in your fic. At all. If you absolutely must, for whatever reason, minimize description and slap on a warning for me.
Also also also, both this and my LJ are sadly defunct; if you'd like to get to know me and my current fandoms and interests and likes/dislikes and life in general, I'm allthroughoursplendor over on Tumblr. (Feel more than free to browse assorted fandom tags for me; if you can -- plausibly -- integrate cameos or references to people from my beloved fandoms into anything, I'll be thrilled.)
Anyway, enough of that. On to the fandoms!
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
• Kat Stratford, Patrick Verona
Their lives and relationship post-movie: how do they make it work? Are they on-again, off-again? Are they long-distance? What kind of arguments do they have and how do they make up?
Oh, this movie. Such a formative influence for so many of us! The movie that showed us how awesome high-school-AU Shakespeare could be! The movie that I point to as one of the rare examples of my ideal relationship! What a good movie, is what I'm saying. What a good movie.
As I said in my optional details, basically what I want here is Kat/Patrick: the college edition. How do things go for them after the end of the movie? Does Patrick follow Kat to New York or go elsewhere? How do they keep it up, if they are long-distance? Do they break up and get back together about once a month? How long does it take them to sleep together? (I'd prefer nothing TOO explicit for these two, but come on: they're clearly going to get to a point where they do it all the time.) More broadly, too: what does Patrick end up doing? Does Kat ever actually start that band? If the story takes you that way, how does it go for them post-college? Do they get married, how long does it take, what do they end up doing with their lives?
I would also totally love some epistolary interludes if they end up being long-distance (e-mails, IMs, even physical letters if they roll that way, etc.). (Also, on that note, I realize this movie takes place in 1999, so I'm good with you either continuing where it left off or hand-waving it a decade into the future!) Basically, my only two requirements for loving this fic would be a. it starts right around the time when Kat heads off for Sarah Lawrence, and b. the two of them are together in the end. Everything else is up to you!
If for some reason this doesn't tickle your muse, I'd prefer that this not go too AU (since, you know, it's already an AU), but some queering of canon would be glorious -- what if one of them is trans*, or a rule 63!Patrick? I'd also be down for some fun canon-divergent AUs, if there's some kind of possibility you want to explore -- as long as it still ends in Kat/Patrick.
The Proposal (2009)
• Andrew Paxton, Margaret Tate
"Marry me, Margaret -- because I want to date you." Give me dating newlyweds -- actually getting to know one another, and doing things the right way around!
This movie certainly has its flaws, but it seems to always be on TV whenever I visit my family, and as a result, it's become something of a favorite. In between the fake marriage trope, fantastic acting by both Sanda Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, the ever-glorious Betty White, and the cutest little puppy in the world, how could I help it?
So this is another fandom for which I'd love a "what happens next?" scenario. Feel free to start right where the movie (pre-credits) left off: wedding-planning, the wedding, the wedding night (!!)... Or, pick up a bit later and give me Andrew and Margaret actually dating. Do they try to do it really traditionally? Are they terribly unconventional about it (e.g., post-coital small talk)? How do they decorate their place of residence and set up their married routines? Are there times when they think it just won't work? Are they ever tempted to divorce (!)? I just want a lot more of what we saw with them in the movie -- prickly banter, stubborn clashes, and the ever-increasing moments of tenderness as they start to fall in love and build a life together.
Again, this is what I want most, but just in case the inspiration doesn't take you that way... well, it's a fake marriage/marriage of convenience. Into how many fandoms have we inserted this trope? Feel free to transpose it to whatever setting with the same basic plot, as long as they stay together in the end! (I'm also, as above, more than okay with a cisfemale Andrew AU.)
Sky High (2005)
• Will Stronghold, Layla Williams, Warren Peace
The three of them, navigating the world post-high school, as superheroes and as regular teenagers! (I ship the OT3, but I like any romantic/sexual combination and permutation of these three.)
Oh, this movie. What's not to love about teenage superheroes? Also, can we talk about how it didn't do a whole lot to dissuade most of us from shipping the OT3? Will and Layla being canon, of course, endless tension ending in best-friendship with Will and Warren, and that beautiful Warren-Layla scene that built a more plausible connection in a few minutes than some movies do in two hours. How can you resist? How, I ask you?
So, I feel like every Yuletide, somebody requests the OT3 in college... and this time it's my turn! Basically, I want to see the three of them living together and navigating the world, either in college or post-college. Do they keep being full-time superheroes (is there a Sky U, if you will)? Do they do other things full-time while still utilizing their powers? Do they ever decide to retire their powers and integrate with the real world? What do they really want to do with their lives?
As I said, too, I ship the OT3, and I'd be happiest with all three of them in a relationship -- but feel free to switch it up with any two of them together and the third just being their BFF. (My only request is that if you go the Will/Warren route, you have Layla with a lady rather than another guy. Can be canon, can be OC, can be crossover, I'm not particular!) Or switch up the three of them -- maybe Will/Layla with a Warren-Layla romantic friendship, or Layla/either guy with Will and Warren having sex without romantic feeling? Seriously, any combination of romantic/sexual feelings among the three of them will make me happy. I just want them all to have positive feelings towards one another in the end.
And I know I'm sounding like a bit of a broken record by now, but since these characters are really pretty particular to their setting, the only AU I'd like to see for them is a rule 63 one (for Will or Warren only; please keep Layla a lady!). And, seriously, if you can find a female name that's as gloriously, perfectly punny as Warren Peace, I'll throw my firstborn into the deal, okay?
Now You See Me (2013)
• Dylan Rhodes, Alma Dray
Anything with the two of them and their relationship -- Dylan's thoughts during the movie? Alma's thoughts during the movie? What happens with them post-movie?
I LOVED this movie. Ever since I saw the first trailer, I knew I was going to love it, and it still blew me away -- not perfect, certainly, but everything I wanted from it and so, so much more. I anticipated that the Horsemen would be my favorite part, but I actually ended up most fascinated by Dylan's story, his development and his character arc and his twist, not to mention his fascination with the lovely and talented Alma. So I enjoyed watching this a second time even more, because I got to follow Dylan and imagine what he must be thinking, having to deal with something as unexpected as Alma -- and loving their relationship even more.
So, my request for this is kind of unusual as far as I can tell, given my choice of characters. I would really love a focus on these two, since I loved what we saw of them so much. I'd be equally fine with a filling-in-the-blanks story (articulate for me how hard Dylan had to work to weave his plan around Alma, all the while falling for her; alternately, give me Alma constantly having to reevaluate her view of Dylan, especially at the very end!) or a future fic (what on earth happens with them afterward??? I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO GUESS, SWEET AUTHOR, SO I NEED YOU TO TELL ME!). Also, hey, I do love the Horsemen, so while it's not required, cameo appearances by them are TOTALLY encouraged.
This is the only one of my prompts in which I would be okay with my ship not staying together in the end. I'd prefer it if they did, of course, since I ship it like burning -- but given their lives, the complications involved, I can see them deciding to go their separate ways, no matter how little they want to. Having said that, I do ship it, and it is canon -- so a fic in which they break up or decide not to act on their romantic feelings is fine, but a fic about their ~friendship~ that ignores said romantic feelings is not.
I feel like this request is broad enough that I'm not really down for any AUs of canon, or any situations in which the events of the movie don't happen roughly the same way. However -- as always! -- a rule 63!Dylan would be delightful. I'd even be okay with female Dylan/male Alma here, even though I usually like my ladies to stay as ladies, because I think it would be a fun dynamic reversal. (Just leave at least one of them as a lady, so no Dylan/male Alma, please.)
Tennis RPF
• Novak Djokovic
DJOKOVIC! GIVE ME ANYTHING DJOKOVIC. Relationships (Nadal or Murray preferred, Federer or Jelena or any other Serbs also okay), or gen, or... anything, really. JUST GIMME THAT NOLE.
Tennis -- oh, tennis. I'm not exactly what you would call the athletic type, but there are a few sports that are very near and dear to my heart, and tennis is one of them. I went to a tennis camp for a few summers, but it was my dad who taught me, and we'd play all the time, so it's something that has a lot of emotional resonance for me -- as well as being one of the few sports I enjoy watching, since I know the rules well! But as with anything in my life, the key to getting me to care about sports is emotional investment in people, and that's where Djokovic comes in.
It's difficult to describe, to someone who hasn't had a sports figure from their country do extraordinarily well in that sport (especially when that country, internationally speaking, doesn't have a whole lot else going for it), exactly what that feels like -- what it means to everyone in that country, how intensely beloved that person becomes. I'm from the US, born and raised, but I'm first-generation Serbian, so I still feel really, really strongly towards Djokovic. Basically, everything he does is endearing and delightful and fascinating to me. I chinhands over the simplest of his Facebook posts or tweets. I watch him play with a mixture of intensity and fondness. He feels more like a famous member of my family than a public figure I'll probably never directly interact with. I LOVE HIM A LOT, IS WHAT I'M SAYING TO YOU.
In light of that, pretty much whatever you give me that's Nole-centric will thrill and delight me. I'm gonna go ahead and say that now before specifying what would delight me most, but know that you could write me him standing on a street thinking about how nice the weather is and I'd probably adore it. I'M JUST SAYING.
Ideally, I'd love to see relationship fic (I love both getting-together and established-relationship, as I said above) -- my top picks are Nadal or Murray, but I'm also fine with Federer, or any of the Serbs (er, see above for my intense fondness of pretty much anyone famous from my country), or I'm totally down for Jelena as well, since I adore her. Or, hell, any combination of the above! (I would request, wrt Jela, that regardless of the circumstances, she's around and a big part of Nole's life. You can do poly, or an amicable break-up, or handwave her into just being his friend that never got together with him-- just have them still on good terms.) Pretty much all of the tropes I've listed in my general likes especially apply here in terms of what I'd love to see with relationships, and as per my blanket request, please don't give me any kind of permanent break-ups -- I want the focus pairing to still be together in the end. A small nitpick regarding my general DNWs, too -- you're more than welcome to give Nole an identity crisis if he's experiencing his first feelings for a dude, but I'd prefer if you avoided centering it around his religion. I've had some unfortunate history with religion-derived homophobia amongst Serbs, and I'd very much like to not think about it during Yuletide!
And finally, as I said in my request, too, I'm also totally cool with Nole-centric gen of any kind. Humor, intensity, emotion, angst (as long as there's a hopeful ending) -- seriously, just give him to me. ANYTHING YOU HAVE. ANYTHING.
I'm also going to offer this terribly anal aside: being Serbian, I'm going to be thrilled if you include some of the language or something about Belgrade or the culture. However, being Serbian, I'm also going to notice right away if you include those things and get something wrong, and it'll bother me all week, through no fault of your own (it's easy to get wrong!). So I'd rather you didn't include anything like that if it's not something you're sure about -- but if you're able to get a Serbpicker (is that a thing? Like a Britpicker? Can I make that a thing?), it would be awesome for me. (Hell, feel free to ask me on anon -- I'll be my own Serbpicker, I DON'T CARE.)
Worst-case scenario, if absolutely nothing with Nole grips you, I do love reading about the other Big Three in pretty much any permutation, as well as (surprise surprise) any of the Serbs. I'd be especially happy if you did give Nole a supporting role, but honestly I'd love to read anything about my favorite players. I would just -- if you couldn't tell! -- be happiest with lots and lots of Nole.
This is one fandom for which I can give a very clear idea of the kind of things I love to see in fic -- I've read about 90% of existing tennis RPF on AO3 (let's not talk about my week-long post-Wimbledon binge), so my bookmarks have a few of my favorite selections. Skimming through a couple should give you a good idea of the style and content I've enjoyed reading most!
Last but not least, I'll give a tentative green light to any and all AUs on this front -- the ones I've read have been very creative and a lot of fun, so if you come up with something good, go for it!
Now, this is the first year I've actually done Yuletide and the second year I've contemplated it at all, which means I've been mentally composing this letter for about a year. /o\ So don't let the length throw you off at all! I've always been of the "get everything you're thinking down, just in case" mentality, so please consider most of these guidelines rather than actual rules. :3
So! My most basic likes, especially with the fandoms I've picked here, are stories that are character-driven rather than plot-driven and romantic storylines. So, don't bother getting too fancy with whatever you give me -- honestly, "two people getting together" or "two people navigating a romantic relationship" or "character growth inspired by, centered around, or culminating in a romantic relationship" are my favorite types of stories, ever. I don't require more plot than that! Especially given that most of my requests are specifically aimed at certain pairings (or, in one case, a certain character). Really, give me things that will involve my emotions in a big way and I'm yours.
My most basic DNWs for Yuletide are as follows: PWPs (I love them, and I love me my porn, but please give me more than that!); sad endings (I really, really can't do sad endings -- I'll be fine with bittersweet-but-hopeful, but I'd much prefer outright happy); homophobia in any form, be it casual, external and vocally condemned, or internalized (so, feel free to give me some coming-out stress, but a. make it more of an identity crisis rather than gay panic, if that makes sense, and b. set it in a fictional world in which there is no real negative backlash about it, because we get enough of that IRL without needing it in fic); any straight-up serious tragedy or terrible things -- I'm talking character death, rape, torture, etc. etc.
Those are the only things I'd prefer you to consider as rules rather than guidelines -- but here are some more general likes/dislikes!
I'm a huge fan of: banter, UST/pining/the slow burn, hot makeouts that don't immediately lead to sex (and/or are tragically interrupted or unable to lead to sex, thus leading to more UST/general sexual frustration), sex!, dirty talk (of the non-degrading sort, so pls no "whore"/"slut"/etc.), both super intense hot urgent sex and long, slow, drawn-out, teasing sex, cunnilingus, people being REALLY STUPID about feelings and taking a long time to get their shit together, awesome ladies, little nods to canon that will make my kick my feet in glee, hurt/comfort, getting-together fic, established-relationship fic, people being competent and really good at what they do, and people being really, really in love. In case that wasn't obvious. Ahem.
Less of a fan of: m/m stories set up as "and it was SO MUCH BETTER than being with a woman!!", misogyny of any kind, any noncon/dubcon scenarios, character-bashing (unless it's a universally-agreed-upon and/or canonically terrible character), terrible things happening just for the sake of terrible things happening, any *isms -- even if the point is to show that they're bad (we've got enough of that going on!), very stereotypical misunderstandings that could be resolved in .5 seconds if people actually communicated (if you've ever seen a romcom you know exactly what I mean-- although I have to add that I love subversions of them, where people think it'll lead to something terrible but it's actually okay), excessive jealousy/possessiveness, especially from men, first-person POV, cursory attempts at safe sex that go like "*grabs a condom*" "no, I'm clean/I'm on the pill" "OH OKAY THEN", and any kind of serious kink (like, I'm fine with some handcuffs or blindfolds showing up, but avoid anything hardcore or any D/s stuff, please!).
Also, AUs are my bread and butter, but I've somehow managed to pick a bunch of fandoms which I'd prefer to stay in canonland. OOPS? I'll still, however, include a little bit about what kind of AUs I'd be fine with, because I'd like to leave that as an option for somebody who loves them like I do!
Also also, I don't foresee this being a problem, but just in case: I have a HUGE phobia of needles, so, uh, please don't include them in your fic. At all. If you absolutely must, for whatever reason, minimize description and slap on a warning for me.
Also also also, both this and my LJ are sadly defunct; if you'd like to get to know me and my current fandoms and interests and likes/dislikes and life in general, I'm allthroughoursplendor over on Tumblr. (Feel more than free to browse assorted fandom tags for me; if you can -- plausibly -- integrate cameos or references to people from my beloved fandoms into anything, I'll be thrilled.)
Anyway, enough of that. On to the fandoms!
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
• Kat Stratford, Patrick Verona
Their lives and relationship post-movie: how do they make it work? Are they on-again, off-again? Are they long-distance? What kind of arguments do they have and how do they make up?
Oh, this movie. Such a formative influence for so many of us! The movie that showed us how awesome high-school-AU Shakespeare could be! The movie that I point to as one of the rare examples of my ideal relationship! What a good movie, is what I'm saying. What a good movie.
As I said in my optional details, basically what I want here is Kat/Patrick: the college edition. How do things go for them after the end of the movie? Does Patrick follow Kat to New York or go elsewhere? How do they keep it up, if they are long-distance? Do they break up and get back together about once a month? How long does it take them to sleep together? (I'd prefer nothing TOO explicit for these two, but come on: they're clearly going to get to a point where they do it all the time.) More broadly, too: what does Patrick end up doing? Does Kat ever actually start that band? If the story takes you that way, how does it go for them post-college? Do they get married, how long does it take, what do they end up doing with their lives?
I would also totally love some epistolary interludes if they end up being long-distance (e-mails, IMs, even physical letters if they roll that way, etc.). (Also, on that note, I realize this movie takes place in 1999, so I'm good with you either continuing where it left off or hand-waving it a decade into the future!) Basically, my only two requirements for loving this fic would be a. it starts right around the time when Kat heads off for Sarah Lawrence, and b. the two of them are together in the end. Everything else is up to you!
If for some reason this doesn't tickle your muse, I'd prefer that this not go too AU (since, you know, it's already an AU), but some queering of canon would be glorious -- what if one of them is trans*, or a rule 63!Patrick? I'd also be down for some fun canon-divergent AUs, if there's some kind of possibility you want to explore -- as long as it still ends in Kat/Patrick.
The Proposal (2009)
• Andrew Paxton, Margaret Tate
"Marry me, Margaret -- because I want to date you." Give me dating newlyweds -- actually getting to know one another, and doing things the right way around!
This movie certainly has its flaws, but it seems to always be on TV whenever I visit my family, and as a result, it's become something of a favorite. In between the fake marriage trope, fantastic acting by both Sanda Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, the ever-glorious Betty White, and the cutest little puppy in the world, how could I help it?
So this is another fandom for which I'd love a "what happens next?" scenario. Feel free to start right where the movie (pre-credits) left off: wedding-planning, the wedding, the wedding night (!!)... Or, pick up a bit later and give me Andrew and Margaret actually dating. Do they try to do it really traditionally? Are they terribly unconventional about it (e.g., post-coital small talk)? How do they decorate their place of residence and set up their married routines? Are there times when they think it just won't work? Are they ever tempted to divorce (!)? I just want a lot more of what we saw with them in the movie -- prickly banter, stubborn clashes, and the ever-increasing moments of tenderness as they start to fall in love and build a life together.
Again, this is what I want most, but just in case the inspiration doesn't take you that way... well, it's a fake marriage/marriage of convenience. Into how many fandoms have we inserted this trope? Feel free to transpose it to whatever setting with the same basic plot, as long as they stay together in the end! (I'm also, as above, more than okay with a cisfemale Andrew AU.)
Sky High (2005)
• Will Stronghold, Layla Williams, Warren Peace
The three of them, navigating the world post-high school, as superheroes and as regular teenagers! (I ship the OT3, but I like any romantic/sexual combination and permutation of these three.)
Oh, this movie. What's not to love about teenage superheroes? Also, can we talk about how it didn't do a whole lot to dissuade most of us from shipping the OT3? Will and Layla being canon, of course, endless tension ending in best-friendship with Will and Warren, and that beautiful Warren-Layla scene that built a more plausible connection in a few minutes than some movies do in two hours. How can you resist? How, I ask you?
So, I feel like every Yuletide, somebody requests the OT3 in college... and this time it's my turn! Basically, I want to see the three of them living together and navigating the world, either in college or post-college. Do they keep being full-time superheroes (is there a Sky U, if you will)? Do they do other things full-time while still utilizing their powers? Do they ever decide to retire their powers and integrate with the real world? What do they really want to do with their lives?
As I said, too, I ship the OT3, and I'd be happiest with all three of them in a relationship -- but feel free to switch it up with any two of them together and the third just being their BFF. (My only request is that if you go the Will/Warren route, you have Layla with a lady rather than another guy. Can be canon, can be OC, can be crossover, I'm not particular!) Or switch up the three of them -- maybe Will/Layla with a Warren-Layla romantic friendship, or Layla/either guy with Will and Warren having sex without romantic feeling? Seriously, any combination of romantic/sexual feelings among the three of them will make me happy. I just want them all to have positive feelings towards one another in the end.
And I know I'm sounding like a bit of a broken record by now, but since these characters are really pretty particular to their setting, the only AU I'd like to see for them is a rule 63 one (for Will or Warren only; please keep Layla a lady!). And, seriously, if you can find a female name that's as gloriously, perfectly punny as Warren Peace, I'll throw my firstborn into the deal, okay?
Now You See Me (2013)
• Dylan Rhodes, Alma Dray
Anything with the two of them and their relationship -- Dylan's thoughts during the movie? Alma's thoughts during the movie? What happens with them post-movie?
I LOVED this movie. Ever since I saw the first trailer, I knew I was going to love it, and it still blew me away -- not perfect, certainly, but everything I wanted from it and so, so much more. I anticipated that the Horsemen would be my favorite part, but I actually ended up most fascinated by Dylan's story, his development and his character arc and his twist, not to mention his fascination with the lovely and talented Alma. So I enjoyed watching this a second time even more, because I got to follow Dylan and imagine what he must be thinking, having to deal with something as unexpected as Alma -- and loving their relationship even more.
So, my request for this is kind of unusual as far as I can tell, given my choice of characters. I would really love a focus on these two, since I loved what we saw of them so much. I'd be equally fine with a filling-in-the-blanks story (articulate for me how hard Dylan had to work to weave his plan around Alma, all the while falling for her; alternately, give me Alma constantly having to reevaluate her view of Dylan, especially at the very end!) or a future fic (what on earth happens with them afterward??? I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO GUESS, SWEET AUTHOR, SO I NEED YOU TO TELL ME!). Also, hey, I do love the Horsemen, so while it's not required, cameo appearances by them are TOTALLY encouraged.
This is the only one of my prompts in which I would be okay with my ship not staying together in the end. I'd prefer it if they did, of course, since I ship it like burning -- but given their lives, the complications involved, I can see them deciding to go their separate ways, no matter how little they want to. Having said that, I do ship it, and it is canon -- so a fic in which they break up or decide not to act on their romantic feelings is fine, but a fic about their ~friendship~ that ignores said romantic feelings is not.
I feel like this request is broad enough that I'm not really down for any AUs of canon, or any situations in which the events of the movie don't happen roughly the same way. However -- as always! -- a rule 63!Dylan would be delightful. I'd even be okay with female Dylan/male Alma here, even though I usually like my ladies to stay as ladies, because I think it would be a fun dynamic reversal. (Just leave at least one of them as a lady, so no Dylan/male Alma, please.)
Tennis RPF
• Novak Djokovic
DJOKOVIC! GIVE ME ANYTHING DJOKOVIC. Relationships (Nadal or Murray preferred, Federer or Jelena or any other Serbs also okay), or gen, or... anything, really. JUST GIMME THAT NOLE.
Tennis -- oh, tennis. I'm not exactly what you would call the athletic type, but there are a few sports that are very near and dear to my heart, and tennis is one of them. I went to a tennis camp for a few summers, but it was my dad who taught me, and we'd play all the time, so it's something that has a lot of emotional resonance for me -- as well as being one of the few sports I enjoy watching, since I know the rules well! But as with anything in my life, the key to getting me to care about sports is emotional investment in people, and that's where Djokovic comes in.
It's difficult to describe, to someone who hasn't had a sports figure from their country do extraordinarily well in that sport (especially when that country, internationally speaking, doesn't have a whole lot else going for it), exactly what that feels like -- what it means to everyone in that country, how intensely beloved that person becomes. I'm from the US, born and raised, but I'm first-generation Serbian, so I still feel really, really strongly towards Djokovic. Basically, everything he does is endearing and delightful and fascinating to me. I chinhands over the simplest of his Facebook posts or tweets. I watch him play with a mixture of intensity and fondness. He feels more like a famous member of my family than a public figure I'll probably never directly interact with. I LOVE HIM A LOT, IS WHAT I'M SAYING TO YOU.
In light of that, pretty much whatever you give me that's Nole-centric will thrill and delight me. I'm gonna go ahead and say that now before specifying what would delight me most, but know that you could write me him standing on a street thinking about how nice the weather is and I'd probably adore it. I'M JUST SAYING.
Ideally, I'd love to see relationship fic (I love both getting-together and established-relationship, as I said above) -- my top picks are Nadal or Murray, but I'm also fine with Federer, or any of the Serbs (er, see above for my intense fondness of pretty much anyone famous from my country), or I'm totally down for Jelena as well, since I adore her. Or, hell, any combination of the above! (I would request, wrt Jela, that regardless of the circumstances, she's around and a big part of Nole's life. You can do poly, or an amicable break-up, or handwave her into just being his friend that never got together with him-- just have them still on good terms.) Pretty much all of the tropes I've listed in my general likes especially apply here in terms of what I'd love to see with relationships, and as per my blanket request, please don't give me any kind of permanent break-ups -- I want the focus pairing to still be together in the end. A small nitpick regarding my general DNWs, too -- you're more than welcome to give Nole an identity crisis if he's experiencing his first feelings for a dude, but I'd prefer if you avoided centering it around his religion. I've had some unfortunate history with religion-derived homophobia amongst Serbs, and I'd very much like to not think about it during Yuletide!
And finally, as I said in my request, too, I'm also totally cool with Nole-centric gen of any kind. Humor, intensity, emotion, angst (as long as there's a hopeful ending) -- seriously, just give him to me. ANYTHING YOU HAVE. ANYTHING.
I'm also going to offer this terribly anal aside: being Serbian, I'm going to be thrilled if you include some of the language or something about Belgrade or the culture. However, being Serbian, I'm also going to notice right away if you include those things and get something wrong, and it'll bother me all week, through no fault of your own (it's easy to get wrong!). So I'd rather you didn't include anything like that if it's not something you're sure about -- but if you're able to get a Serbpicker (is that a thing? Like a Britpicker? Can I make that a thing?), it would be awesome for me. (Hell, feel free to ask me on anon -- I'll be my own Serbpicker, I DON'T CARE.)
Worst-case scenario, if absolutely nothing with Nole grips you, I do love reading about the other Big Three in pretty much any permutation, as well as (surprise surprise) any of the Serbs. I'd be especially happy if you did give Nole a supporting role, but honestly I'd love to read anything about my favorite players. I would just -- if you couldn't tell! -- be happiest with lots and lots of Nole.
This is one fandom for which I can give a very clear idea of the kind of things I love to see in fic -- I've read about 90% of existing tennis RPF on AO3 (let's not talk about my week-long post-Wimbledon binge), so my bookmarks have a few of my favorite selections. Skimming through a couple should give you a good idea of the style and content I've enjoyed reading most!
Last but not least, I'll give a tentative green light to any and all AUs on this front -- the ones I've read have been very creative and a lot of fun, so if you come up with something good, go for it!
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Serbpicking question - you know when Novak told the crowd in Madrid to suck his you-know-what? xD What a) exactly did he say in Serbian, b) does it roughly translate to, and c) might it be transliterated to/pronounced as?
(ETA: Google seems to say it was "Sad ćete kurac da mi lizati", roughly translated as "now you can lick my dick" - does that look right? It sounds right to me except I'm not sure about 'lizati' because that bit's muffled on the clips I've seen. And would it be "Сад цете да ми курац лизати", or something else?)
I'm asking out of general interest but also because maybe one of my friends maybe told me that they maybe wanted to know. For reasons. *eyedart*
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I didn't expect to be Serbpicking so soon! YAY! This is not exactly a skill I get to show off often, so this is a very exciting day.
Oh, Nole. I just have to laugh whenever I think about him in Madrid in general. Not that I blame him, because the crowd really is awful to him a lot of the time, but... oh, Nole.
Anyway, most of that is absolutely right! :D It sounds as if he's saying it both ways -- "Sad ćete da mi ližete kurac! Sad ćete kurac da mi ližete!" -- both of which are grammatically correct. I can also provide a clearer pronunciation guide if need be, if for some reason you don't want to be watching a ten-second loop of Nole cursing over and over again. Whatever.
Minor things: the second word is "ћете" rather than "цете" ("ц" is "c" and makes a "ts" sound, rather than the "ћ"/"ć", which is a sound that doesn't exist in English but is best described as halfway between the "ts" and the "ch" sounds), the last word is "ližete/лижете" ("zh" rather than "z" and the verb form for second-person plural), and it would translate more accurately to "now you're going to lick my dick" ("can" would be "možete/мoжете" instead of ćete/ћете). For the record, "lick" is a literal translation; I am sadly not informed enough about Serbian terms for sex acts to know if this would also translate to "suck" figuratively.
Also, you could translate "kurac" into whatever slang term for penis of your choosing, but I think our Novak would indeed say "dick." (Doesn't everyone spend far too much time contemplating people's hypothetical word choices for slang terms for penis?)
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my ramblings! \o/
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All of this is also interesting to me personally on the language level - is Serbian related to Russian, do you know? It must be in the same language family at least? Because "мoжете" is Russian, I remember from my uni Russian classes, and the Cyrillic mostly seems to be similar as well (although Russian doesn't have the "ћ"). I'm guessing Serbian uses a modified Cyrillic - Serbian Cyrillic, maybe?
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the story(ies) that get written for you as well as my own now, haha.
(Also, due to my own curiosity I ended up googling Serbian cursewords - DAMNNNN there are a lot of creative Serbian cursewords/curse-phrases, if Google is to be believed! xD)
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It is indeed! The similarity varies drastically -- sometimes I hear Russian and I mistake it for Serbian because they sound so similar, and sometimes I hear it and I don't even recognize it as Russian because I can't understand a single word. The alphabet is a little different, but you're right that there's a lot of overlap! I can generally piece together written Russian, at least in terms of pronunciation.
Now I'm curious -- do you have an author letter you can link me to? >_> I've been having so much fun reading other people's, I think this is going to be a great Yuletide!
(HA, there really really are! It's fantastic. True story: when I was twelve years old, my godbrother showed me the South Park movie with Serbian subtitles. I learned QUITE A BIT OF FUN WORDS.)
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That's really neat! A lot of the languages in that area seem to be related a bit. I remember once I was watching a tennis stream and I kept thinking the commentary was in Russian because I could understand snatches here and there, but it turned out to be Ukrainian or something. Ugh, maybe I should have gone into linguistics instead of history - it's all so interesting! I could have written an article comparing profanity in different Slavic languages and had a grand time. :D
My dear author letter is here, but there's no tennis, I'm afraid. Next year I'm thinking about nominating and requesting Sam Stosur/Simmone Morrow - or maybe Jelena Jankovic and/or Marion Bartoli and/or Laura Robson having adventures (I have a lot of favorites, haha) - but this year I forgot until after nominations. Ah well.
(HA, there really really are! It's fantastic. True story: when I was twelve years old, my godbrother showed me the South Park movie with Serbian subtitles. I learned QUITE A BIT OF FUN WORDS.)
Hahaha! I bet!