black cherry soda and the way you smile

Dear Super-Sekrit Yuletide Friend...

2009-11-10T04:08:25Z

Dear Yuletide Writer,

First, I'm sorry. I'm not good with picking favorites, or making decisions, or answering open-ended questions. Hence, Yuletide requests are a disaster all over the place for me. I've had some Yuletide involvement for...this would be the fourth year – but it's only ever been pinch-hits before, because I have a tendency to a) miss the deadline, which always seems to be WAY earlier than when I actually start thinking about Chrismukkwhatever, and b) struggle with the request part. (Also, I was always scared of what I might get assigned, and with pinch-hits you never have that issue.)

Anyway, indecisive wibbliness + heinous art history paper due this past Monday + class/rehearsal/random personal and professional things coming out of the woodwork to eat me alive = this is super, super late, and I would be annoyed if I were you.

Well. Not annoyed, exactly. But certainly all neurotically a-flail. "WHY HAVEN'T THEY WRITTEN THEIR LETTER YET AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!" I hope you haven't gotten an ulcer from my flakiness. =(

Thank you for signing up to write one of my requests!

I want you to know that, with the possible exception of K/L, which is not a fandom in the usual sense, I love all the sources in broad, sweeping, canon-embracing ways and will be delighted with ANYTHING you write. I am writing as much as I can in this letter because I know that I'm not very stalkable in the traditional Yuletide sense, and I, as a writer, prefer a stalkable recipient who gives me lots of detail/good prompts/guidelines/a letter. If you're not like me, don't worry about reading or incorporating any of my rambling, but, in case you are, I don't want to leave you lost.

RPF - Misc Actors: Kate Winslet/Leonardo DiCaprio

Um, their love is epic. Cue '09 Golden Globes speech/old interviews about ordering each other sandwiches. Chemistry is good. So is snark/witty banter, history, best-friendship, little details, how well they know each other, insecurity. Does not have to be a particular rating or even romantic (IRL, where they don't live in my head, their closeness is still great), if that isn't something you do. Just please no adultery/Sam-bashing/homewrecking (meaning, feel free to do angst or AU if necessary).

So, I don't know how this started. It wasn't that I went to Titanic in 1997 and immediately loved them, because I was a pre-hormonal eight when that movie happened, and my parents watched it, and I was in the corner being like, "THIS IS SO BORING," and, "EWWW, WHY ARE THEY KISSING?!" and, "FJLDSJAGLDSJAFSA!! DEAD PEOPLE." And I thought Kate's last name was "Winslow" and...wow, I just realized I already have an entry saying almost exactly this, never mind.

Moving on. As swsa so aptly put it almost three years ago, "Is it so much to ask that Kate just get divorced, Leo stop being a modelizer, and the two of them get together and make adorably gifted and "destined to never win Oscars" babies together?" Of course, this was before Kate won hers, and, I mean, I don't really want her to get divorced...but the basic sentiment of loving their dynamic and how much they clearly care about each other is there.

Ideas for you include: Their time together during Titanic, esp. highlighting their closeness, what he gets away with with her and vice-versa, and/or UST. That whole idea of "someone you can call to talk at 2 AM" (paraphrase). Realistically, How Much They Just Love Each Other, Period; how she's different from the girls he dates/usually dates/whatever; yearning that isn't maudlin. AU-wise...you could split off at any point in their collective history: pre-Sam, pre-Jim, other...or, if you're really crazy, like me and care_says, you can put them in a legit AU. We have a high-school AU of them and others that...may one day in a hundred years be finished and see the light of day, but...probably not. Basically, there is no way to make me unhappy with the two of them, except possibly careless, consequence-free adultery. Which would displease me in a moral way, slash make me super-sad. But, you know, good writing fixes everything, so you never know. I've read some pretty fucked-up stuff with adultery and really liked it.

Tamora Pierce - Tortall series: Alan of Trebond/Alanna/Jonathan of Conte

I have a soft spot for A/J, in the first and second books. I mean, I love George and Thayet, and their grown-up relationships, so there's no need to be unrealistic/rewrite history, but - years 1-8! Friendship! Longing! First love! Before reality bears down and everything goes to hell! A missing scene would be lovely. Doesn't have to be while they're a couple - before is fine. If you can't bear to do even their attraction, or that's not your style - gen, with the other boys in the "basket of puppies," would also be very sweet, I'm sure.

Well, let's see. First: You're under no obligation to include Alanna AND "Alan," just one of the two. I originally wrote Jon and Alanna, and then was like, "Maybe people are calling her by both names?" and, "Maybe this could give them license to write cracky AU slash?" And now, awkward...I just realized "Alan of Trebond" probably means her father. Ugh. Well, if that's the case, you don't have to include him at all, unless you really want to. (And, eurgh, just realized, you probably signed up for "Any" and thus, if you matched on this one, could be less than enthused...)

Okay, well. If you want to write A/J, let me tell you, I'm not looking for something where All Their Realistic Problems Totally Don't Exist What Are You Talking About Guys??? and they get married and live happily ever after. It would never have actually worked. At least not, without a massive governmental/societal coup and/or significant personal growth on both their parts. And I adore George, and I (even before the later books came out) was always, "ZOMG! PRETTY BABIES!" about Jon and Thayet. I just...love the particular mixture of curiosity/confusion/fear between them in the beginning, and maybe some of the warmth in the middle. Feelings, before they know they have them. Feelings, when they start to realize what they are, before they've quite accepted them. The general topsy-turviness engendered by when your heart outruns your head. And secrecy never hurts, I'm sure. (I mean, never hurts me. It does hurt them, a bit, and you're welcome to explore that.)

I guess I don't have an exact scenario in mind...but canon scenes that I like include: The one in the first book after Ralon's beat her up, and he makes her open the door and look at him. If it were a movie or play, I feel like we'd be like, "Um, and now you kiss?!" (Except, in a movie or play, we'd be super-aware that they're aged thirteen and ten, and it would be a tad disturbing.) Um...and, as they get older, friendship, UST up the wazoo...the adjoining-door scene where she hears him in the other room, and, "At least we can be scared together," and...later, "I know. I just wanted to be sure you knew it, too."

All that said, at least one of my friends is horrified I even like A/J, so...things you can write instead: The rough-and-tumble camaraderie of Jon/Alanna/Gary/Raoul/maybe Alex/maybe Francis. I love the boys. Including Alex, before he, you know, goes crazy. Gary and his tricks! George and Jon's friendship! That last, actually, in a pinch, you could slash. In a super-secret, back-room, not tender, mostly physical, vaguely Greek sort of way. I don't know if you do slash, but, I mean, sometimes people don't write gen but would rather write slash than het. So there's an option, if that's you. It would at least be interesting. My A/G friend is cringing as we speak.

Louisa May Alcott - Little Women series: Amy March/Laurie aka Teddy Laurence

Missing scenes from Europe! Or maybe after that - say, the early days of their marriage. I really like the give-and-take between them, once they're adults, and I'd love something of them that's canon-compliant and shares the tone of the book. Or, possibly, if inspiration strikes you differently, Laurie and the girls younger? I love LW and grew up with it, so I think anything LW-like should make me very happy, like you've added another chapter to my childhood.

Oh, this book. I LOVE this book. I have it practically memorized. (Although, that may not mean much, as it'll happen with anything I read a lot, and the Alanna/Jon quotes, for instance, I'm just pulling out of thin air. The books are at my childhood home. Though, I actually have LW with me. It's about three feet away right now.) I like Amy/Laurie, unlike most of fandom (or, at least, that's how it feels). Jo/Laurie, although I think they crossed my mind as a couple when I first read their first meeting a decade-plus ago, I have trouble imagining growing old together. Much like A/J. Although, you never know what would happen if they grew up a ton and could make it work maturely. (Here I rambled a bit about it, but then I realized, not what I'm asking for, so I deleted it.)

Back to Amy/Laurie. I like "New Impressions," and all the stuff around there. I think they're good for each other; I think the description of how their dynamic changes is great. Unfortunately, I do not have fabulous scene suggestions for you, because LMA covers things pretty well. If it helps at all, I like domesticity, as a general rule. I like the Meg/John chapters (of them figuring out married/adult life) quite a bit. I haven't read Little Men/Jo's Boys (seriously; I don't know why; I need to do that), though, so you don't want to go too far down the line. Sorry.

I love love love love love this source. The world is complete for me; so are the people. To that end, I don't think I'd particularly like PWP/AU (although I'd go with it if you wrote it, because I'm sure you'd write it well), and I DEFINITELY don't want character-bashing. V. protective of this canon.

On the movie: I own it, and sometimes I like it in particular ways if I'm in the right mood. But I have NEVER pictured Laurie as looking quite like Christian Bale in the movie or imagined that he could be nearly as annoying as he sometimes is, and, eh, I'm not crazy about anyone else's portrayal either. Though the earlier stuff is less dreadful than the later. Just...please go off the book. <3

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Danny Tripp/Jordan McDeere

Anything set during or after the show - really not picky here. J/D are just adorable (although, since the show got cancelled, they happened wicked fast, and it was, like, possibly kind of weird)/I love everything Aaron Sorkin writes. For the most part, anything S60 would be delightful, even if not that J/D-centric, but, if you need ideas - hmmm. I like frustrating/challenging/electric moments? Funny dialogue's a huge plus?

Um. Amanda Peet is so beautiful it makes me want to die. I mean, not always, just at moments, like with, "Clear it," and the elevator doors, and...that kind of thing. Love Bradley Whitford. Love Matthew Perry. Want to smoosh their faces, they're so adorable. As is Nate Corddry. As is...okay, I love everyone. I think specifically I'd prefer you not write Matt/Danny or Matt/Harriet..the former because there's a lot of it out there already, kind of, not because I don't buy it or disapprove, and the latter because...I love them, but they're so unhappy, it makes me sad. Which is not the case with all unhappiness, because angst and pain and flailing are all well and good and sometimes WAY more fun than fluff...but, for some reason, M/H just make me sad in a way I don't enjoy.

J/D...oh, Danny, you're squidgy and pathetic. I mean, determined in a not-at-all-pathetic way, but definitely pathetic with the flailing. Ummm...basically, when I watched this for the first time, I saw a spark between them, and I was all, "Is there a girl for Danny?" very cautiously at phoenix7771, and she was like, "Yes, Jordan." And I was like, "Phew. I'm not crazy. That WAS a spark." I love glimpsing chemistry before it comes to fruition.

Whee. I just put it on in the background, because writing this made me want to watch it again. Oh, Hulu, I love you. (Oh, right. The entire first/only season of the show is available on there, if you need to canon-refresh.)

I like..."Are you incapable of doing anything in a normal way?" I like...when they bicker. I like frustration. I like when they're cute. I like..."No, but he wants to be," and all baby-related Danny things, esp. his silliness in the doctor's office. I like snark and irony and Sorkinesque dialogue. I like...I like the "I'm coming for you," especially the part where Danny talks about his non-qualifications, but be very careful with it, because the end in particular is kind of over-quoted and can get cloying if I think about it too long.

Love Matt's comment of, "Who doesn't want to sleep with Jordan McDeere?" Love, "You got to give her style points." Love, "What if she's for real?" and all related you-look-like-one-of-them-but-you-talk-like-one-of-us things...which brings me to:

I would also ADORE anything related to showrunning. "Would you page everyone to the stage, please?" is hot. Control-room mid-show is hot. Adrenaline/power as it functions in the arena of live performance...is hot.

This is probably the part where I should mention that I attend a theatre conservatory where my major is Stage Management...it really makes sense that, much like Aaron Sorkin, I LOVE shows/stories/plays about What Happens Backstage. Not just in the full-of-dark-corners-for-doing-dark-deeds kind of way, either. =d

Backups: Tom/Lucy? Adorable. Tom/Paula (his doctor ex)? Interesting. Would also probably love anything in the voice of any of the characters. =DDD

Still Need Help?

General stuff: I like fluff, of course. Sometimes. But not exclusively. And not anything, fluff or angst, that's over-sentimental. I like Slice of Life as much as plotty/epic/whatever and will read probably anything you write with tremendous joy. I am, in my own writing, very thorough and VERY detail-oriented, so a canon/spelling/grammar beta is probably a plus.

But DON'T get scared!! I won't sit around red-penciling your fic on Christmas Day, I promise.

Hmmm...what else...I am harder to squick than the girly rambling and shiny pink journal suggest. I'm not crazy about graphic carnage, but I don't think that'll be a problem. Slash/femslash/PWP/kink that isn't extreme don't bother me, if you wondered, though...I really don't think most of my requests will lend themselves. (Strangely enough, it's probably Tortall, which is distinctly a kids' book, that's the most sexual of the sources. K/L being different.)

Lingering questions/concerns...since I am hard to stalk (no delicious, basically no fic, etc.), if you need anything I have not provided, besides the standard mods option, care_says (no, we're not the same person) and phoenix7771 are good resources for you. They are mostly trustworthy, very accessible, and fairly discreet, with grasps of what I do and don't like and...very possibly info on me in their LJs. They also know me better than they know themselves. They could serve as a squick barometer and, if anything, would err on the side of caution. Specific canon/ship-wise, Kate/Leo goes to care_says, who is my partner in crime and may've actually been the one to nominate them...at least, she was last year. Alanna/Jon goes to her, too - phoenix7771 is VERY A/G - but they both know the books overall. Amy/Laurie and anything LW-related should be phoenix7771. Studio 60, probably, too - care_says hasn't seen it all. (Though, even so, she's more with me ship-wise than phoenix7771. phoenix7771 likes J/D but really loves M/H. M/H annoy care_says.)

Okay, I'm done - end epic letter. Sorry again this took eons. THANK YOU!!!!! and, please, please, please, just have fun with it. If you enjoy writing it, I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it.

Happy Yuletide!!

Kat(rick)

P.S. I might add to this. But don't worry about including anything I add, or even anything really from this post...these are just all things to try and help you, IF you need it. I may even try to write in my LJ in the coming weeks, like an active person, so you know more about me.

Oh!! And it truly doesn't mean anything, the amount I wrote for one fandom as opposed to the other. I'd be happy with any of them. Seriously. I swear. <3

What can I say? When it rains, it pours.

2009-04-07T21:56:14Z

cokindness2001: Are they working together?
cokindness2001: Z and L
cokindness2001: I'm confused
cokindness2001: OH MY GOD
cokindness2001: I JUST REMEMBERED THAT THEY'RE IN OUR AU TOGETHER
cocare2001: I don't think so.
cokindness2001: -snicker-
cocare2001: YOU JUST REMEMBERED???
cokindness2001: Shut up
cokindness2001: it's been AGES.
cocare2001: I know, but that's the FIRST THING I thought of when I saw that.
cokindness2001: Arrrgh.
cokindness2001: This makes me mad at us.
cocare2001: I know. I'm rereading it.

That and, when I was doing my checking-up-on-the-scattered-LJs-I-read-once-in-a-blue-moon thing, I came across Sarah talking about how the one unfortunate thing about Kate getting nommed for The Reader and not RR was, "...no hysteria-tinged declarations of love for Leo in her acceptance speech," and probably no Leo at all at the ceremony.

Aaaaand it reminded me...that we suck.

GOOD STORY, RIGHT?

And now for a word from our sponsors...

Hmmm.

2009-04-07T19:04:23Z

Dear Meng,

I find it kind of funny that you use this name (and "K") in your posts now. Because, I mean, like, I don't ever post, and they don't...you know, know me. =P

I really should do that...post, I mean...ugh, but it's so much effort when I could just update you via AIM or phone or...something...

Also, hee, Feelings. I mean, it's fine.

I mean...I mean...well...I mean...meh.

Love,
Kat

Congratulations, Mr. President.

2009-01-20T18:27:12Z

It...actually happened.

Oh, nation. I do love you.

Friends rehab time, y/y??

2009-01-18T06:56:18Z

Um, okay, so - I left my DVDs with Ivory, so she wouldn't be lonely and because I'm with Meng, so, like, it's not like I can really have it on all the time anyway, but it's sooo quiet now that her crazy radiator is off... Well. Sort of off. It clearly has issues.

Guys, I think we may need to take Friends away from Room 606. It's a big problem that we (Ivory is, if it's possible, worse than me, I think) literally don't know how to go to sleep without it.

Also, I really have to go read an article and journal before I sleep, but instead I am writing about my Friends dependency on an LJ that is mostly likely just to be read by a) two people that I am currently speaking to on AIM and b) someone who is asleep like two feet away. Logic?! Maybe I'm trying to get into a good habit...only, like, when have I ever even encountered a good habit. Come on now.

But maybe (live)journaling is a better solution than Meeeeep!ing at random people all the time when I get bored. This could be the start of something positive.

You know, speaking of starts, every time I begin a sentence with, "Also," I think about how I'm really not supposed to and then do it anyway. Guh.

(People. Aren't you so super-glad that you get to read about these super-exciting things?)

Unnnh. Where is my tooooothbrushhh. =[ I want to be able to brush my teeth like the pretty people in the iiicon.

The Story of K

2009-01-18T01:28:06Z

Once upon a time, there was a little girl whose mother signed her up for summer camp. It was the July after kindergarten, and she was supposed to go for two weeks. On the first day, she went hiking and tried archery and made one friend whose name she remembered for several years thereafter but never saw again. On the second day, she refused to go back.

The next year, the little girl attended a different summer camp. To her parents' relief, she went to this one for more than one day. Actually, she survived the entire session. She even made some friends. Two, in particular, that are relevant to our story - a little boy and a little girl. The little boy was named Ronald. His father was a dentist, and he owned an adorable plush white seal pup named Sandy, and she went to the park with him and the rest of the camp kids in the afternoon (the other little girl used to leave at midday), and they often played with a plastic McDonald's.

...No, really.

Flash forward twelve and a half years. The little boy Ronald of the McDonald's games is nowhere to be found; we do not know where he disappeared off to. The little girl is still, honestly, kind of a little girl. At least, most days it feels like that. And the other little girl (the one who used to leave camp at midday) is sitting three feet away AND KEEPS INTERRUPTING, MAKING IT SUPER-DIFFICULT TO WRITE THIS ENTRY, HELLO.

Ahem.

Now is probably a good time to explain that, when the first little girl was eight, a certain big-deal James Cameron movie came out. She really did not like it at the time, because it was sooooo looooong, and sooooo boooooring, and whyyyyy were they kiiiiissiiiiing, and ewwwww, and uuuuugh, and HAHAHA LEONARDO DECAAAPITATED. Also, at the time she was pretty sure the girl's name was, like, Kate Winslow.

That being said, a few things did change over the next eleven years. The little girl grew up a smidge and learned many things. She and her peers, for the most part, stopped using the nickname Leonardo Decapitated. "Kate Winslow" was in several more good movies. (And! It turned out that that was not her name!)

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be an exact moment we can pinpoint, when the girl developed her...we'll call it "interest in"...Kate and Leo (whatever their surnames might be) being a couple. We may, however, be able to credit the "interest in" best friends in general being couples to the other girl, who definitely has a particular "interest in" that.

We can also give this charming friend credit (or blame, as it were) for the existence of this new and hopefully much more active journal, because she brought up the existence of the newborn community leoandkate, and the girl was extremely "interested in" actively joining this, because there had been a time in the not-too-distant past when she had searched for things about the two of them and found only one person (ONE PERSON) on livejournal who seemed to share her sentiments enough to talk about it.

Tsk.