Vanilla Romance... With a Twist (Looking for M character)

[Beorning]

Hi there, people :)

I've got two story ideas I'd like to try doing. I see both of them as rather vanilla love stories / dramas.. with a bit of a twist. In both of them, I'd like to play the female character - and I'm looking for someone to play a male (the real gender of my writing partner doesn't matter to me!). Both of the stories are set in a modern world... sort of, at least.

Here are the ideas:



Perfection / Imperfection

A story set on the university campus. The story is simple: a young man meets a young woman - and they find themselves attracted to each other. There is one complication, though: these two people are quite unlike each other. The man is a normal young male, perhaps a little on the rebellious / artistic side, even. The woman, in turn, is a bit conservative and uptight. Nice and with impeccable manners... but also somewhat bland and lacking in personality. And she... can't help it. Coming from a poor family, she only got to college due to help from a peculiar student association... an association that enforces very strict standards among its members. The truth is, this young woman has willingly submitted herself to a process that has stripped away all of what the association has seen as flaws - and has molded her personality into what has been seen as desirable from the association's member. For a place in college, this young woman had to give away her own individuality.

And now... these two different people meet. An individualistic man... and a nice woman who doesn't have too much of free will anymore. A rebel and a Stepford College Student. What will come out of their meeting? A romance? And awkward friendship? Will the man convince his friend (lover?) to become herself once again? Or will she convince him to become the association's member - and join her in the bland perfection?

A New Home

A story set in a small, secluded country or town. This country or town is a place which ardently sticks to a very conservative way of living: its people all believe in traditional gender roles, dress in old-fashioned clothes etc. Basically, this is a place where people still believe in a quasi-Victorian, strict values.

For one reason or another, a young woman from the outside is forced to live in this place. Being an outsider, she doesn't share the place's values and finds it hard to adapt. Still, she *has* to adapt - as I mentioned, for some reason she is obligated to live there and there might be severe consequences for her, were she unable to conform and expelled. I see her as being taken in by one of the families from the country / town and working for them as a kind of servant, while also being trained in the place's way of life. This would result in some definite hardships for the woman - hardships she'd just have to endure. On the other hand, she would also meet a man: a local resident she'd fall in love with... It would result in a romance that might lead to the character to decide to accept her fate and to become the true citizen of the country / town by marrying the man she loves. Of course, this might not be easy - as the man might be someone of very good standing... someone who might risk disgrace, if he married a lowly servant and an non-conformist outsider...

Obviously, I'm looking for someone to play the man in question :)

Again, as I mentioned - I see this a story set in a place which is both modern and, yet, Victorian-esque in many ways. Somehow, when I think about this story, I'm reminded of this picture:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Julaftonen_av_Carl_Larsson_1904.jpg

I see my character as the servant girl on the left :)



If you're interested in writing one of these stories, please PM me!

[Beorning]

16/04/2011: Update. I have heavily expanded one of the ideas...