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Dear Yuletide Author...

This is largely a rehash of last year's Yuletide letter, since things are largely the same, except for the prompts.

Without further ado, here are some thoughts for you.



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. Also, here's my Tumblr, which maybe will tell you things?





In re: my requests...

Hannibal (TV) RPF
Hugh Dancy (Hannibal RPF), Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal RPF)

Like, I can't even believe that I am requesting this, but I saw it on the list and I was like THIS IS SOMETHING I WANT. From my sign-up form:

I selected Hugh and Mads, but feel free to throw in any/all other actors, crew, etc. from the show.

First, I'm not looking for anything shippy or sexy funtimes or anything. Bromance-y awesome friendship is fine, or even flirting, but I'm not looking for anyone to hook up.

Here are some ideas of things I'd like to see:

- How the cast/crew deals with being on such a dark show on their downtime. Fun, games, pranks, misappropriating props, etc.
- Have you seen the gag reel and have you seen the amount of times Hugh Dancy trips over his own two feet? That shit is hilarious. Or in general extrapolate on some of the funny moments in the gag real, or create your own fic-style gag reel.
- Mads gave an interview once where he said he was going to have to have someone teach him about Tumblr. That is comedy gold, please mine it.

Like I said, I'm really not looking for slash or anything shippy, or even anything that delves into the actor's personal lives or anything. I'm just looking for fun, human moments between Hugh and Mads in particular, and in general the cast and crew. They are all such a sweet, darling bunch of people who are all about making the best show possible and wearing flower crowns and giving the fans what they want.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Melinda May

We are two episodes in and I already love this show, I don't care what the critics say. We are getting little snippets of backstory for everyone, and there are so many mysteries to still be unveiled. Here's specifically what I'm hoping for:

I really really want to see backstory for May. They hint at it, what with her being "The Calvary" and all and being awesome, but I'd love to see some fannish theories on just what she got up to before she took her desk job.

OR maybe one of those stories where everyone's heard a different rumor about her exploits, and they're all sharing them with each other. I'm sure even SHIELD gossips about missions, no matter how secret they are.

Feel free to pull in whatever other characters from the show (or larger universe) that you'd like to tell her story.

I just really love her, I can't help myself. I am a sucker for mysterious backstory and badass ladies. I think there's a lot you can do with her, especially since canon is so slim right now. The possibilities are wide open!
Shame (2011)
Brandon Sullivan, Sissy Sullivan

This is a repeat from Yuletide past, but I still would love to see fic explore this.

* 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!


Mysterious Production of Eggs (Album)

Basically, if there is an Andrew Bird album nominated, I am contractually obligated to select it and ask for fic for it. 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.

Here's what I said last time this album was nominated; it all still holds true today:

This is one of my top five albums EVER. It was the first Andrew Bird album I really fell in love with, and therefore it's very special to me. It has some of my favorite songs in the WORLD on it. I do not care what you write. Write original fiction, write about a brilliant artist who scraps an album a ton of times because it doesn't feel right, write a crossover with another fandom (I'll make a list in my Yuletide letter), write experimental poetry, I don't care.

All of the songs tell such interesting stories in their own right: the strength and control of the woman in Fake Palindromes ("some lonely night we can get together / and I'm gonna tie your wrists with leather / and drill a tiny hole into your head"), the sudden societal change in Opposite Day ("and those who can't quite function / in society at large / are gonna wake up on this morning / and find that they're in charge"), the ironically timely apocalypse of Tables and Chairs ("after the fall / there'll be no more countries / no currencies at all / we're gonna live on our wits / throw away survival kits / trade butterfly knives for adderal"). The lyrics give you all you need to write a story. Immerse yourself in Bird's world and have at it.

Any rating, any type pairing, any content is OK.

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 three 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. If you're looking for insight into Bird's creative process, check out the posts he's contributed to the New York Times Measure for Measure blog. I also have some posts unlocked on my DW where I talk about Bird, if that will help.


Rose Under Fire - Elizabeth Wein
Rose Justice, Maddie Brodatt (Rose Under Fire), Jamie Beaufort-Stuart (Rose Under Fire)

I loved everything about this book and how it intertwined with Code Name Verity.

I'd love a story about Rose and Maddie's friendship -- maybe even a flash forward to a time far removed from the war, when they've all got their own lives that they've rebuilt.

Also, I did little kicking feet of delight whenever it was revealed that Maddie and Jamie were married, so I'd love a look at their life. Does Julie's ghost haunt their marriage (maybe literally, ha)? Do they both keep flying after the war? Maybe a look at a stolen moment of time where they can just be together?

Really, anything about any of these characters would make me tremendously happy.

I don't know that I have anything else to add to this one. I love this book, I love these characters. Wein does a great job of tackling some very dark subject matter and still giving you moments of hope. You can take your fic in either direction - dark or happy or somewhere in between - and I will love it.

Breaking Bad
Gustavo Fring, Max Arciniega

Backstory! Gus Fring backstory! How did he and Max come up with the idea to approach the cartel? Or start cooking meth in the first place? Were he and Max just business partners, or were they more? Or go further back -- what, exactly, did Gus Fring get up to in Chile?

I need to know, and the show clearly isn't going to have those answers for me anymore.

In fairness, this maybe is fic that already exists. In fact, I'm sure it does. In my defense, I only started watching Breaking Bad earlier this year, and really, I spend most of season 5 going "boy do I miss Gus Fring". I'm fascinated by him because we get only the tiniest of glimpses into him and what makes him tick, and I want more!