oh, medusa

Hello! If you're reading this, maybe you're wanting to write things for me for Yuletide.

Here are some thoughts about that.

( Read more... )

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.

( On to the Stuff )( The Prompts )

Dear 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!

( General Rambling )

( For my specific requests... )

DUDE, I GOT MORE AWESOME BIRD!FIC.

The Mysterious Production of Eggs/Fake Palindromes, Real Palindromes. "There's something special that they're looking for. Unique and defiant of classification. Beholden to no one, wild. Female. This is you." This is seriously just magnificent, 500-some words of (what I read as) an alternate universe, and it reads perfectly with the song, with little verbal tics as nods to some of the other songs. Just go read it, it will make you want more. This is all.

Community, Creative (Non)Fiction. "Abed writes what he knows. And some other stuff, which may or may not end well." Abed writing fan fiction about the study group. The dialog here is just spot on perfect.
History of Film. "I hate it when we do genres. Next time, I at least want some kind of warning." Another spot-on story, with the dialog and characterization. I love all the little genres, and the fact that everyone pretty much just plays along.
Mandatory Futures in Make Believe, Jeff/Britta. "Fake families out of real ones." GUYS, THERE IS SO MUCH GOOD COMMUNITY FIC THIS YEAR. The Dean makes everyone take a family planning class. Wackiness and perfection ensues.
pretty cool, Troy/Abed. '“Maybe Superman just really likes Batman more than the girls,” Abed says, noting more things on his clipboard. Or: plans, not-plans, and a science project involving colorful hermit crabs.' This is a perfect, perfect little story about Troy, Abed, and potentially gay hermit crabs. It is glorious, and sweet, and I love it.
Introduction to Escapology. "The Dean decides that celebrating National Bubble Bath day is his newest brilliant idea. Naturally, chaos ensues. A very special episode of Community." This could, and should, be an actual episode. Bubble baths for everyone!
The Study of Life in the Universe. "Troy and Abed decide to look to the skies for their final project in Professor Duncan's class." This is really a perfect Troy-and-Abed-have-an-adventure story.
The Closest Approximation, Troy/Abed. "It occurs to Troy one day that a lot of Abed's films involve the two of them having sex." Again, seriously, I can't flail enough over the quality of the Community fic. This is seriously awesome. Also, there's a nod to Britta/Jeff/Annie, which made me glee a little bit.
A Visit From Whitman (Or, 'Twas the Day After Christmas Vacation). "When the study group seems to be missing the day after Christmas vacation, Troy and Abed have no choice but to investigate. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang is planning something." There is poetry and cuteness and adventures and WHEEEEE.
On a Steel Horse I Ride. Troy/Annie/Abed, '"Road trip," Abed says, nodding approvingly. "One car. Seven people. A country's worth of dramatic situations ripe for both comedy and tragedy."' Every fandom needs a great roadtrip story and a great OT3 story. This is both.
Psychological Factors In Costume Design. Troy/Abed, "Jeff did one uncool thing and now his life is ruined forever. What he needs is revenge on Troy and Abed. Or maybe karmic justice; "revenge" sounds so Old Testament, which really isn't his style." This fic contains THE BEST FLASH MOB EVER, and one of those Community-style life lessons. Also, if Troy/Abed isn't your thing, you can still read this, just skip the last section.
Special Seminar in Romantic Comedy. Troy/Abed, "It was a perfect romantic-comedy moment in a perfect romantic-comedy situation." This story involves a bake-sale, Britta-on-controlled-substances, and a delightful 30 Rock/Conan semi-crossover.

Die Hard, The Day is Saved. 'Sometimes even badasses need a day off. Lucy McClane is going to make it happen or there'll be hell to pay.' Set after Live Free or Die Hard. John, Matt, and Lucy are all bad-asses who just want a normal Christmas.
Chuck Norris and John McClane walk into a bar.... "How tough is John McClane?" A series of vignettes centered around some reworked Chuck Norris facts. It's perfect.

District 9, There's this girl I like. "For Wikus, there is only one reason to make it through." A bittersweet post-movie story.

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (Andrew Bird album), The Red Card. F/M, some disturbing themes. "A palindrome is the same thing backwards and forwards. A fake palindrome just looks that way." THIS IS WHY I LOVE YULETIDE, because things like this exist. "Fake Palindromes" is one of those songs that has a life of its own. The album version is so mild as compared to the wild piece it's become in Bird's live show, and it's a song that's easy to underestimate until you start to tear it apart, and when you do, you wind up with powerful stuff like this. The end.

Dear Yuletide Writer:

I WILL LOVE WHATEVER YOU WRITE. Let's just get that out of the way right now. Seriously, I will be gleeful.

I feel like my Yuletide letter is always completely unhelpful, but I'll write it anyway.

In re: ships, I am okay with anything. Het, slash, gen, whatever. I love porn but I love plot more, so don't feel like you need to write fic with Lots of Gratuitous Body Parts if it's not you or it doesn't fit the fic. (Conversely, I am just fine with PWP, if that's what your brain creates for Yuletide.)

In re: plot, go wild. I love big, long, plotty things, and some fandoms clearly lend themselves more towards intrigue and wacky hijinx than others do. I love AUs and twists on the universes and "what would happen if..." sorts of things. Really, the most important thing is having the fic feel true to its source. Characterization, voice are key. My favorite fics are the ones where I feel like I could print them out and stick them seamlessly into the original canon.

In re: content, in general, I am okay with just about anything. I don't like crack fic or things that are vastly OOC. My only no-gos are real heavy BDSM, torture or extreme physical violence, 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. If you write the Kushiel's fic, I know some of these things may creep in, which is okay in moderation, but again, it's all about tone and keeping true to source. Things I especially love: missed connections, unrequited love, forbidden relationships, quaint but humorous series of misunderstandings, cuddling, hurt/comfort, angst, exploration, spur of the moment sex, quiet moments, realistic relationships (you just know that someone hogs all the bed and forgets to do the dishes). Feel free to check out my fic journal (_regarde) 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:

The Mysterious Production of Eggs (Andrew Bird album)
This is a beautiful, gorgeous Andrew Bird album, the first of his that I really fell in love with, and it means the world to me. Last year, I requested and got some fantastic Bird-related fic from Yuletide, and, well, hell, why not give it a try again? Like I said in my signup, I don't care what you write. Put the album on and just let magic happen. I've got a bunch of posts about Bird and his music here on my LJ, which I've helpfully unlocked.

If you're stumped on ideas, though, you needn't go any further than Bird's lyrics themselves to see a fascinating universe just full of stories dying to be told. I put these in my sign-up, but for anyone perusing who isn't my recipient, just check this out:

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.

Kushiel's Legacy
My main request is Phedre/Joscelin/Hyacinthe, which would just MAKE MY LIFE to read. I don't really care when it's set. Maybe a slight AU where Hyacinthe doesn't go off to Alba at the end of the original trilogy, or maybe something that takes place during the Imriel trilogy. This could be so, so hot, and I see precious little OT3 fic, and there should be more of it, the end. I'd like to see a little bit of plot with it, because these three can't just fall into bed together without there being some angst or drama. I'd like this to not be an established trio sort of thing; in other words, I'd like this to be the first time they've gotten together like this.

If you're not into them as an OT3, then just a friendship fic is great, too. The three of them work so well with each other, especially as the series goes on and they all become more comfortable with where life has taken them. And really, with this canon, just about any pairing or scenario would make me happy. Like I said in my signup, Phedre/Joscelin, Phedre/Hyacinthe, Phedre/Melisande... hell, if you feel very adventurous, I'd love to see someone come up with a plausible scenario for Joscelin/Melisande.

The Time Traveler's Wife
From my signup, I'd most like to see more of Henry's life before he meets Clare. It's clear from the book that he's absolutely no prize, especially around the time he's with Ingrid, but we only get a few glimpses of that time in his life.

There's not much else to this than that, really. The book is about Henry and Clare's story, so it makes sense that we don't see much directly of Henry's past, but I'd love to see more of it.