Dear Yuletide Author, 2012 Edition
Oct. 15th, 2012 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
othersideofthisDear Yuletide Author...
You write things, I am filled with glee. Simple? Simple. I am pretty easygoing when it comes to Yuletide. You write a fic, I read it, I roll around in glee and demand everyone I know take the time out to read it, too. Don't stress out about it -- I know even among veteran Yuletiders there's a tendency to fret and worry and think your fic isn't good enough, but it will be, I promise!
I feel like my Yuletide letter is always completely unhelpful, but I'll write it anyway.
Stuff I Like: Women being badasses, snark, missed connections, unrequited love, forbidden relationships, awkward yet humorous series of misunderstandings, cuddling, hurt/comfort, angst, exploration, spur of the moment sex, public could-get-caught-at-any-moment sex, quiet moments, realistic relationships (you just know that someone hogs all the bed and forgets to do the dishes).
I'm okay with happy and joyful stories, I'm okay with dark and grim, and I'll take anything in between. It's all about tone and keeping true to source. I like long, meaty plots, and I also like short little vignettes. Whatever your brain provides, I will enjoy. Some fandoms lend themselves more towards intrigue and wacky hijinx, anyway. I like AUs and "what would happen if X instead of Y" and tweaking just a few tiny tings in any given universe. Really, the most important thing is having the fic feel true to its source. My favorite fics are the ones where I feel like I could print them out and stick them seamlessly into the original canon.
I am generally open to the idea of crossovers, but at the moment am far too lazy to list out fandoms I'd be interested in reading a crossover of. If you feel particularly inspired to make something into a crossover, there are, I'm sure, many ways to find that information out.
Stuff I Don't Like: I don't like crack fic or things that are vastly OOC (as in, characters aren't just going to have complete personality transplants). Fluff is okay, especially if the whole point of the story is to explore a nice happy shiny moment between characters. My only no-gos are real heavy BDSM, torture or extreme physical violence, animal cruelty, things involving bodily fluids, bestiality, and mpreg. I don't know how any of these things would come up, but being in HP fandom has made me neurotic about listing these things.
Feel free to check out my fic journal or AO3 profile to get a glimpse of what I've written, since that may give you a better idea as to what I like to read.
In re: my requests...
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth E. Wein
I know that I said that I like AUs, but in this one, I'd rather keep all the events of the book intact, no matter how much it breaks my heart. As the Doctor might say, That Event feels like a fixed point in time, one that we can't change, no matter how much we might want to. (I think it may be interesting to shift the story to a different time period, if you're feeling ambitious, however.)
The things I mentioned are shippy but if you are only interested in writing gen with these characters, that is absolutely fine. I just love that this is a book all about Awesome Ladies Being Awesome, and is just a solid book about friendship and love and finding your strength. I devoured this book, sobbed like a baby over it, and was so glad to see it had been nominated for Yuletide.
Here are some other ideas for your thoughts:
* Julie on a mission, doing what she does best.
* More backstory for Julie, perhaps something with her and Jamie when he's recuperating from his injuries?
* Future fic, Maddie post-war. What is she doing when the war is over? Does she reflect back on what happened? Does she try to ignore it?
Newsflesh Trilogy - Mira Grant
Feed is basically a perfect book for me. I read it all in one sitting and cried over it on an airplane over the ocean in the middle of the night. I love the other two books but Feed is just hands down one of my favorites. I would love just about any fic set in this universe. This can be as dark or as optimistic as you'd like, just please keep George and Shaun IC.
Break It Yourself (Album)
Look, I love Andrew Bird. I am basically a wacky superfan. I have taken long, involved road trips to see him in concert, I have a music blog named after a lyric from a Bird song, I've seen him live an absurd number of times, etc. etc. I've written fic for his albums for two different Yuletides and request it all the time and it just makes me happy. If you're looking for a quick fic to write and you're not sure of my other fandoms, try this one. Listen to the album, read the lyrics, bam, instant awesome, and you can essentially do whatever you want.
Shame (2011)
If there's any fic that I don't expect (or even want) something lighthearted for, it's this. There is nothing sweet and lighthearted about this movie. Even Brandon's attempt to have a normal relationship and go on a normal date is only amusing in an awkward, uncomfortable way. Like I said in the request, these are people who have had a lot of darkness in their lives, and I don't know of many ways you can write fic for it that doesn't touch on it in some way, but if you can manage it, go for it!
You write things, I am filled with glee. Simple? Simple. I am pretty easygoing when it comes to Yuletide. You write a fic, I read it, I roll around in glee and demand everyone I know take the time out to read it, too. Don't stress out about it -- I know even among veteran Yuletiders there's a tendency to fret and worry and think your fic isn't good enough, but it will be, I promise!
I feel like my Yuletide letter is always completely unhelpful, but I'll write it anyway.
Stuff I Like: Women being badasses, snark, missed connections, unrequited love, forbidden relationships, awkward yet humorous series of misunderstandings, cuddling, hurt/comfort, angst, exploration, spur of the moment sex, public could-get-caught-at-any-moment sex, quiet moments, realistic relationships (you just know that someone hogs all the bed and forgets to do the dishes).
I'm okay with happy and joyful stories, I'm okay with dark and grim, and I'll take anything in between. It's all about tone and keeping true to source. I like long, meaty plots, and I also like short little vignettes. Whatever your brain provides, I will enjoy. Some fandoms lend themselves more towards intrigue and wacky hijinx, anyway. I like AUs and "what would happen if X instead of Y" and tweaking just a few tiny tings in any given universe. Really, the most important thing is having the fic feel true to its source. My favorite fics are the ones where I feel like I could print them out and stick them seamlessly into the original canon.
I am generally open to the idea of crossovers, but at the moment am far too lazy to list out fandoms I'd be interested in reading a crossover of. If you feel particularly inspired to make something into a crossover, there are, I'm sure, many ways to find that information out.
Stuff I Don't Like: I don't like crack fic or things that are vastly OOC (as in, characters aren't just going to have complete personality transplants). Fluff is okay, especially if the whole point of the story is to explore a nice happy shiny moment between characters. My only no-gos are real heavy BDSM, torture or extreme physical violence, animal cruelty, things involving bodily fluids, bestiality, and mpreg. I don't know how any of these things would come up, but being in HP fandom has made me neurotic about listing these things.
Feel free to check out my fic journal or AO3 profile to get a glimpse of what I've written, since that may give you a better idea as to what I like to read.
In re: my requests...
Code Name Verity - Elizabeth E. Wein
ANYTHING. ANYTHING. I only selected Maddie, Julie, and Jamie, but feel free to bring in other characters, if you'd like.
Some ideas!
* I ship Maddie/Jamie like woah. Some backstory, stolen moments with the two of them that we don't see on the page? Or something set post-book, Maddie and Jamie relying on each other to come to terms with what happened in France.
* Not gonna lie, there's a part of me that would be fascinated to read some Maddie/Julie. Some late night comfort after Julie comes back from a harrowing mission, banter mid-air as Maddie flies them around, something. (If you don't ship it, that's fine! I haven't read any, and maybe none exists yet, but I am intrigued by the idea.)
I know that I said that I like AUs, but in this one, I'd rather keep all the events of the book intact, no matter how much it breaks my heart. As the Doctor might say, That Event feels like a fixed point in time, one that we can't change, no matter how much we might want to. (I think it may be interesting to shift the story to a different time period, if you're feeling ambitious, however.)
The things I mentioned are shippy but if you are only interested in writing gen with these characters, that is absolutely fine. I just love that this is a book all about Awesome Ladies Being Awesome, and is just a solid book about friendship and love and finding your strength. I devoured this book, sobbed like a baby over it, and was so glad to see it had been nominated for Yuletide.
Here are some other ideas for your thoughts:
* Julie on a mission, doing what she does best.
* More backstory for Julie, perhaps something with her and Jamie when he's recuperating from his injuries?
* Future fic, Maddie post-war. What is she doing when the war is over? Does she reflect back on what happened? Does she try to ignore it?
Newsflesh Trilogy - Mira Grant
For anything you write in this 'verse, feel free to bring in any of the other characters. I picked Shaun and George because they're my favorites, but anyone else popping in is great, too.
* The continuing adventures of Shaun and Georgia Mason! I'd love some post-book fic, now that we know Shaun and George are safe and off somewhere together, off the radar and living their lives.
* I feel like there's going to be a lot of post-book fic requests this year, so feel free to delve back into backstory - growing up with the Masons, fleshing out any of the little tidbits of their past that have been hinted at, missing scenes from their time on the road with the Ryman campaign. If you don't ship it, it can be friend/sibling fic, I just enjoy their dynamic together so much that I want more of it.
Feed is basically a perfect book for me. I read it all in one sitting and cried over it on an airplane over the ocean in the middle of the night. I love the other two books but Feed is just hands down one of my favorites. I would love just about any fic set in this universe. This can be as dark or as optimistic as you'd like, just please keep George and Shaun IC.
Break It Yourself (Album)
So basically if there is an Andrew Bird album on for Yuletide, I will request it, and here I am. I am pretty much a Certified Andrew Bird Superfan and so seeing this on here makes me happy in all my happy places.
I'd rather not read RPF about Bird himself, it just feels a little invasive for such a private man, but if you're inspired and feel like you can do it in a sensitive, non-exploitative manner, go ahead and give it a shot.
The songs themselves should be able to give you all the inspiration you need. Song topics include cancer survival ("Near Death Experience Experience"), relationships and also war ("Lusitania"), the BP oil spill ("Hole In The Ocean Floor"), and a riff on the Orpheus myth ("Orpheo Looks Back"). I'll provide more info in my Dear Yuletide Author letter, but his songwriting alone should provide plenty of places for your mind to go. Tell the tale he starts in one of the stories, write something based off of the atmosphere he creates, whatever. I'll be happy with anything.
Look, I love Andrew Bird. I am basically a wacky superfan. I have taken long, involved road trips to see him in concert, I have a music blog named after a lyric from a Bird song, I've seen him live an absurd number of times, etc. etc. I've written fic for his albums for two different Yuletides and request it all the time and it just makes me happy. If you're looking for a quick fic to write and you're not sure of my other fandoms, try this one. Listen to the album, read the lyrics, bam, instant awesome, and you can essentially do whatever you want.
Shame (2011)
Some ideas, for your idea-making:
* Backstory, for either of them. The movie leaves this wide open to interpretation. Take a stab at it. Brandon and Sissy clearly come from a very, very dark place, so it's okay if the fic is similarly dark. (If you don't want to go dark, that's fine - I'm sure they had some light moments in their collective past.)
* After the movie: Does Brandon change? Does Sissy get help? How do they move on from what happened? Do they just ignore it and go back to their old patterns? This is a movie about addiction and self-destruction -- not everyone can just pick themselves up, dust off, and start fresh, after all.
If there's any fic that I don't expect (or even want) something lighthearted for, it's this. There is nothing sweet and lighthearted about this movie. Even Brandon's attempt to have a normal relationship and go on a normal date is only amusing in an awkward, uncomfortable way. Like I said in the request, these are people who have had a lot of darkness in their lives, and I don't know of many ways you can write fic for it that doesn't touch on it in some way, but if you can manage it, go for it!
