Dear Yuletide Writer...
Dec. 9th, 2009 02:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miramiraThanks for taking this on! I'm afraid I don't have any previous Yuletide requests you can refer to, but feel free to poke around this journal for some examples of my own fic. I realize it's all in fandoms (oh, all right, a fandom) you can't use, though, so here's a general summary of my likes and dislikes:
I'm pretty easygoing on the subject of themes and happy endings versus unhappy or ambiguous ones. I do like to see plot even in character-driven fics, though: there should be some kind of tension and resolution (or conscious decision not to resolve, depending). Minor characters and at least a touch of humor are always welcome; torture and unrelenting darkfic are not. (You can kill characters if you have to; after all, in a lot of these fandoms, it isn't a permanent condition. Just please don't draw it out in graphic detail.) As you've probably gathered from the suggestions in some of my prompts, I'm a big fan of crossovers and cameos, so if you are familiar with more than one of my requests and can think of a semi-plausible way to mix-and-match and are inclined to take on the challenge (which, believe me, I'll understand if you're not), go for it.
In terms of shipping, I prefer femslash to slash, het to either, and gen to all of the above. I also tend to side with the author in terms of established or strongly implied pairings. However, a well-written relationship will trump all of those preferences. If there's no smut, I won't miss it; if you do decide to use it, encounters that don't go perfectly are a bigger literary turn-on for me than the ones that do. And please: no noncon, incest, chan, bestiality, or any kind of kink that requires its own warning.
Easy enough, right? If not, no worries; like I said, good writing's the important thing, and I'm sure you've got that covered. Now, let's move on to why you're really here:
- Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere (Any)
A Continuing Adventures of Richard and/or Door-type story would be great, but I'd be just as happy with one that fills in the backstory that Gaiman only touched on: how the Marquis got his reputation, Lord Portico's quest to unify the underside, Hunter and Serpentine's history, whatever the hell Atlantis did to piss off Islington...you get the idea. My one request is if you decide to write about Croup and Vandemar, don't feel obliged to describe their exploits in detail. Torture is not my kink.
Also, as a side note, if you've read American Gods and want to work in characters from that somehow, I won't object.
As you may have gathered from the litter of plot bunnies in my request, I am open to just about anything involving this world and/or these characters. I would like to add here that in case it's not clear, "Door and/or Richard" can also be translated as Door/Richard, and "Hunter and Serpentine" can mean Hunter/Serpentine.
I should also probably note that alas, my knowledge of London is entirely secondhand, so please don't stress yourself out too much with Britpicking. And if you do happen to be gifted with insider information, you might want to either explain or footnote throwaway lines (like what's really at Shepherds' Bush) so that I can appreciate their full brilliance.
- Neal Stephenson, Anathem (Erasmas)
I'd prefer an Arbre-focused story to one that deals with the other worlds (unless you're going to involve Jules, who is awesome), but trust me: if you can write this, rest assured I will be suitably impressed with whatever you come up with.
I realize I've shortchanged you a bit on this prompt, but I mean it when I say you will have my utmost respect and adoration for even trying to write this fandom, and I don't want to further scare you away from this universe with too many restrictions. Not that I can really think of any I want to impose anyway, other than including Erasmas. Whether the fic takes place just after he's been Collected or after the novel is up to you, but either way, I do encourage you to go nuts with the terms from the glossary.
Also, not that I want you to turn this into a term paper (I've got enough of those to deal with myself), but if you happen to have a background in philosophy and incorporate it into the fic, it might be a good idea to footnote and/or cite your sources here as well. I never got much further than a very basic intro to Kierkegaard, but I like knowing the sources for the ideas in case I ever do get the urge to put my brain through a workout.
- Diana Wynne Jones, The Homeward Bounders (Any)
I really wish there were a "Diana Wynne Jones - Any" option, but since there's not, I'd like either a continuing adventures of Jaimie (and maybe an encounter with Howl, or Chrestomanci, or one of the Magids?), or a story about an OC who got sent to the Bounds and how s/he came to Their attention.
You won't see it archived here or anywhere else, but I was writing Diana Wynne Jones fic before I even knew what fandom was - or Mary Sues, unfortunately. In other words, don't freak out over the OC suggestion. I'm sure s/he can't be any worse than mine. If you don't want to go that route but don't want to fall back on the main characters, though, a legendary figure like the Flying Dutchman or the Wandering Jew (did I mention I'm Jewish?) might be one possibility.
- Girl Genius (Gil, Jagermonsters)
Wulfenbach family bonding (and just in case it isn't clear, I mean that in a 100% gen sense) would be lovely, as would Gil/Agatha - but the Gil's the important part. And yes, you do have to work in the Jagermonsters somehow. But what kind of a story would it be without them?
So. Um. I know there's a slash between the above two character requests on the form, but...I implore you to rack your brain for a plot bunny that doesn't involve that particular ship, at least in anything more than a "Gil wakes up and totally freaks out when he sees who's next to him; Jagers pull his leg for a bit; a good laugh is had by all" kind of way. (If you can't, though, please at least make sure Gil's a consenting adult.) Other than that, I think the prompt pretty much says it all.
I think that's everything you need to know. At least, I hope it is, because I'm afraid I'm a very difficult recipient to stalk: I try to keep my (friends-only) personal journal somewhat separate from this one, and I don't have too much time online anyway. (For any friends wondering how I expect to manage this and pass classes...I need to do something to try and maintain sanity.)
Happy writing! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, and don't worry: I'm sure I'll love it!
I'm pretty easygoing on the subject of themes and happy endings versus unhappy or ambiguous ones. I do like to see plot even in character-driven fics, though: there should be some kind of tension and resolution (or conscious decision not to resolve, depending). Minor characters and at least a touch of humor are always welcome; torture and unrelenting darkfic are not. (You can kill characters if you have to; after all, in a lot of these fandoms, it isn't a permanent condition. Just please don't draw it out in graphic detail.) As you've probably gathered from the suggestions in some of my prompts, I'm a big fan of crossovers and cameos, so if you are familiar with more than one of my requests and can think of a semi-plausible way to mix-and-match and are inclined to take on the challenge (which, believe me, I'll understand if you're not), go for it.
In terms of shipping, I prefer femslash to slash, het to either, and gen to all of the above. I also tend to side with the author in terms of established or strongly implied pairings. However, a well-written relationship will trump all of those preferences. If there's no smut, I won't miss it; if you do decide to use it, encounters that don't go perfectly are a bigger literary turn-on for me than the ones that do. And please: no noncon, incest, chan, bestiality, or any kind of kink that requires its own warning.
Easy enough, right? If not, no worries; like I said, good writing's the important thing, and I'm sure you've got that covered. Now, let's move on to why you're really here:
- Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere (Any)
A Continuing Adventures of Richard and/or Door-type story would be great, but I'd be just as happy with one that fills in the backstory that Gaiman only touched on: how the Marquis got his reputation, Lord Portico's quest to unify the underside, Hunter and Serpentine's history, whatever the hell Atlantis did to piss off Islington...you get the idea. My one request is if you decide to write about Croup and Vandemar, don't feel obliged to describe their exploits in detail. Torture is not my kink.
Also, as a side note, if you've read American Gods and want to work in characters from that somehow, I won't object.
As you may have gathered from the litter of plot bunnies in my request, I am open to just about anything involving this world and/or these characters. I would like to add here that in case it's not clear, "Door and/or Richard" can also be translated as Door/Richard, and "Hunter and Serpentine" can mean Hunter/Serpentine.
I should also probably note that alas, my knowledge of London is entirely secondhand, so please don't stress yourself out too much with Britpicking. And if you do happen to be gifted with insider information, you might want to either explain or footnote throwaway lines (like what's really at Shepherds' Bush) so that I can appreciate their full brilliance.
- Neal Stephenson, Anathem (Erasmas)
I'd prefer an Arbre-focused story to one that deals with the other worlds (unless you're going to involve Jules, who is awesome), but trust me: if you can write this, rest assured I will be suitably impressed with whatever you come up with.
I realize I've shortchanged you a bit on this prompt, but I mean it when I say you will have my utmost respect and adoration for even trying to write this fandom, and I don't want to further scare you away from this universe with too many restrictions. Not that I can really think of any I want to impose anyway, other than including Erasmas. Whether the fic takes place just after he's been Collected or after the novel is up to you, but either way, I do encourage you to go nuts with the terms from the glossary.
Also, not that I want you to turn this into a term paper (I've got enough of those to deal with myself), but if you happen to have a background in philosophy and incorporate it into the fic, it might be a good idea to footnote and/or cite your sources here as well. I never got much further than a very basic intro to Kierkegaard, but I like knowing the sources for the ideas in case I ever do get the urge to put my brain through a workout.
- Diana Wynne Jones, The Homeward Bounders (Any)
I really wish there were a "Diana Wynne Jones - Any" option, but since there's not, I'd like either a continuing adventures of Jaimie (and maybe an encounter with Howl, or Chrestomanci, or one of the Magids?), or a story about an OC who got sent to the Bounds and how s/he came to Their attention.
You won't see it archived here or anywhere else, but I was writing Diana Wynne Jones fic before I even knew what fandom was - or Mary Sues, unfortunately. In other words, don't freak out over the OC suggestion. I'm sure s/he can't be any worse than mine. If you don't want to go that route but don't want to fall back on the main characters, though, a legendary figure like the Flying Dutchman or the Wandering Jew (did I mention I'm Jewish?) might be one possibility.
- Girl Genius (Gil, Jagermonsters)
Wulfenbach family bonding (and just in case it isn't clear, I mean that in a 100% gen sense) would be lovely, as would Gil/Agatha - but the Gil's the important part. And yes, you do have to work in the Jagermonsters somehow. But what kind of a story would it be without them?
So. Um. I know there's a slash between the above two character requests on the form, but...I implore you to rack your brain for a plot bunny that doesn't involve that particular ship, at least in anything more than a "Gil wakes up and totally freaks out when he sees who's next to him; Jagers pull his leg for a bit; a good laugh is had by all" kind of way. (If you can't, though, please at least make sure Gil's a consenting adult.) Other than that, I think the prompt pretty much says it all.
I think that's everything you need to know. At least, I hope it is, because I'm afraid I'm a very difficult recipient to stalk: I try to keep my (friends-only) personal journal somewhat separate from this one, and I don't have too much time online anyway. (For any friends wondering how I expect to manage this and pass classes...I need to do something to try and maintain sanity.)
Happy writing! I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, and don't worry: I'm sure I'll love it!
