(no subject)
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Hello, and thank you so much for writing in one of my poor, neglected (okay, that doesn't really apply to Mad Men) fandoms! I'm sure I'll ♥ whatever you come up with. Hopefully you're not feeling too overwhelmed by all the details I provided--I know I went on and on, but I wanted to give you a sense of what I love about the various fandoms I asked for. If you have an idea of your own you're ready to run with, or if one of my suggestions sparked an idea, feel free to disregard this--it's not so much a set of guidelines as a list of things (some of them completely irrational) that delight me to no end.
First and foremost, I will love and adore anything that is true to the characters. Gen, het, slash, G to NC-17--as long as you capture who these people are, it's all good.
Things I like in a story, generally speaking: humor, whether it's to break up tension or mask someone's true emotions or, you know, just because something's funny; subversion of expectations (all three fandoms do this already, some more successfully than others); friendship and loyalty; a strong sense of place/time (even better if the setting plays an important role in the story); unlikely combinations; things understood but not said; a kickass opening sentence; characters doing the wrong thing for the right reasons; apt similes; bittersweet endings; non-sexual, non-romantic intimacy (not that I'm opposed to other types); backstory, especially if it involves the character's childhood; banter; muted passion; vivid descriptions/lyrical prose.
Ridiculously specific things I like that may or may not have any business appearing in a story: Characters reading/reciting poetry (how much did I love Don Draper reading Meditations in an Emergency? so fucking much). Fancy suits. Bob Dylan. Inappropriate laughter (also: jokes only one person finds funny). Noir and its tropes. Long words. Pie. Characters playing games--board games, mind games, word games, card games, sports.
Fandom: Mad Men
Characters: Any
Details: When I say "any" I really do mean any--Mad Men is one of the few shows in which every single character interests me. I love the attention to detail, the way time and place shape the lives of the characters, the surprising moments of humor, and the way the show doesn't shy away from the awkward or uncomfortable. Any story written in the spirit of the show is bound to delight me.
If you're one of those people who's paralyzed by open-ended requests, a few things I'd love to read about: Peggy's adventures with her new roommate, Roger's past, Lane's family's reaction to the events of the season 3 finale, Don spending a quiet--or maybe not-so-quiet; perhaps there's a crisis while Betty's away?--moment with his children.
Let me reiterate: anyone is fine. If you've been waiting for your chance to write an epic story about Hollis the elevator operator, now is the time (seriously, I would love to read that).
If you need inspiration/would like to cater to my tastes, my personal favorites are Don, Peggy, Roger, and Sally. I'd love fic about Christmas at the new firm (or, for that matter, Christmas at the recently gutted SC, or the Draper home). I'd also love something about daily operations at the new firm, particularly in the precarious first few months. How does everyone adjust to working in such close quarters? Does Peggy keep in touch with Kurt and Smitty? Do SCDP have to resort to any(more) dodgy tactics to get the firm off the ground? I also really liked Don's relationship with Connie, so a missing scene between them would be fantastic. What's Sal been up to? What was Lane's life like in England? Who vandalized the door to the (f)Art Department? WHO STOLE THE CREDENZA? So many intriguing questions I'd loved to see addressed!
Fandom: Boston Legal
Character: Alan Shore
Details: Okay, the thing to keep in mind here is that I am ridiculously fond of Alan Shore. To put it mildly. I love--oh boy--his willingness to manipulate (or circumvent or break) the system to ensure his client a fair outcome; his passion and the lengths to which he goes to conceal it; his friendship with Denny, obviously (and the value he places on friendship in general); his eloquence, his wit, the way he has of being charming and infuriating all at once. It'd be great to read an Alan-Shirley fic, since there's not a lot out there and she's so good at calling him on his bullshit. I'd also love backstory, scenes from Alan and Denny's marriage, Alan and Brad crossing paths again, or, hell, if you're familiar with season 8 of The Practice and want to incorporate some of the lawyers from Young, Frutt & Berlutti, that'd be fantastic.
My one caveat is...hard to phrase, considering canon. I'm not opposed to Denny/Alan slash, but I prefer the delicate (and frequently hilarious) balance the show strikes between their complete and utter devotion to one another and their relentless pursuit of women.
Not a whole lot more to add--check out my "bl" tag if you want more detailed (albeit somewhat sporadic) thoughts on the show. I prefer ethically challenged, sneaky, underhanded Alan to the speech-making crusader for justice he became in the last few seasons (although I adore him in all incarnations, so don't worry about setting your fic post-series or whatever). Oh, and I'm not too fond of meta humor, unless it's really well done (think Arrested Development). (I don't mind Denny breaking the fourth wall, however, since he appears to genuinely believe his life is a television show.)
One thing I miss from the earlier seasons of BL is Alan connecting with his clients (and no, that is not necessarily a euphemism). It doesn't have to be the central focus of the story, but it'd be nice to read about him representing someone he's come to care for in some way.
Fandom: Dollhouse
Character: Topher Brink
Details: Anything Topher-related. I like that he's beginning to grow a conscience and that it's not a very comfortable experience for him (or anybody else, if the events of "Belonging" are anything to go by). If you've seen "Epitaph One," I'd love a story either exploring that reality or bringing Topher a step or two closer to who he'll eventually become. I'm also intrigued by Topher's relationships with DeWitt and Whiskey.
Sooooo...I haven't actually seen all of Dollhouse--I tend to drift off when Echo's onscreen--but I'm caught up on season 2 and have watched the back end of season 1, so don't worry about spoiling me. But! If I say something here that makes no sense or contradicts canon, that's why, and you should (obviously) feel free to disregard it.
I love how brilliant Topher is, how absorbed he is in his work, and how he has so little patience for anything that interferes with it--including fundamental human decency and real relationships with other people. This is really vague, but I like seeing him surprised, caught off-guard--he tends to assume he's the master of every situation, which is so often not the case. I'm very, very interested in the universe we got a glimpse of in "Epitaph One," so anything relating to that would be excellent.
Hello, and thank you so much for writing in one of my poor, neglected (okay, that doesn't really apply to Mad Men) fandoms! I'm sure I'll ♥ whatever you come up with. Hopefully you're not feeling too overwhelmed by all the details I provided--I know I went on and on, but I wanted to give you a sense of what I love about the various fandoms I asked for. If you have an idea of your own you're ready to run with, or if one of my suggestions sparked an idea, feel free to disregard this--it's not so much a set of guidelines as a list of things (some of them completely irrational) that delight me to no end.
First and foremost, I will love and adore anything that is true to the characters. Gen, het, slash, G to NC-17--as long as you capture who these people are, it's all good.
Things I like in a story, generally speaking: humor, whether it's to break up tension or mask someone's true emotions or, you know, just because something's funny; subversion of expectations (all three fandoms do this already, some more successfully than others); friendship and loyalty; a strong sense of place/time (even better if the setting plays an important role in the story); unlikely combinations; things understood but not said; a kickass opening sentence; characters doing the wrong thing for the right reasons; apt similes; bittersweet endings; non-sexual, non-romantic intimacy (not that I'm opposed to other types); backstory, especially if it involves the character's childhood; banter; muted passion; vivid descriptions/lyrical prose.
Ridiculously specific things I like that may or may not have any business appearing in a story: Characters reading/reciting poetry (how much did I love Don Draper reading Meditations in an Emergency? so fucking much). Fancy suits. Bob Dylan. Inappropriate laughter (also: jokes only one person finds funny). Noir and its tropes. Long words. Pie. Characters playing games--board games, mind games, word games, card games, sports.
Fandom: Mad Men
Characters: Any
Details: When I say "any" I really do mean any--Mad Men is one of the few shows in which every single character interests me. I love the attention to detail, the way time and place shape the lives of the characters, the surprising moments of humor, and the way the show doesn't shy away from the awkward or uncomfortable. Any story written in the spirit of the show is bound to delight me.
If you're one of those people who's paralyzed by open-ended requests, a few things I'd love to read about: Peggy's adventures with her new roommate, Roger's past, Lane's family's reaction to the events of the season 3 finale, Don spending a quiet--or maybe not-so-quiet; perhaps there's a crisis while Betty's away?--moment with his children.
Let me reiterate: anyone is fine. If you've been waiting for your chance to write an epic story about Hollis the elevator operator, now is the time (seriously, I would love to read that).
If you need inspiration/would like to cater to my tastes, my personal favorites are Don, Peggy, Roger, and Sally. I'd love fic about Christmas at the new firm (or, for that matter, Christmas at the recently gutted SC, or the Draper home). I'd also love something about daily operations at the new firm, particularly in the precarious first few months. How does everyone adjust to working in such close quarters? Does Peggy keep in touch with Kurt and Smitty? Do SCDP have to resort to any(more) dodgy tactics to get the firm off the ground? I also really liked Don's relationship with Connie, so a missing scene between them would be fantastic. What's Sal been up to? What was Lane's life like in England? Who vandalized the door to the (f)Art Department? WHO STOLE THE CREDENZA? So many intriguing questions I'd loved to see addressed!
Fandom: Boston Legal
Character: Alan Shore
Details: Okay, the thing to keep in mind here is that I am ridiculously fond of Alan Shore. To put it mildly. I love--oh boy--his willingness to manipulate (or circumvent or break) the system to ensure his client a fair outcome; his passion and the lengths to which he goes to conceal it; his friendship with Denny, obviously (and the value he places on friendship in general); his eloquence, his wit, the way he has of being charming and infuriating all at once. It'd be great to read an Alan-Shirley fic, since there's not a lot out there and she's so good at calling him on his bullshit. I'd also love backstory, scenes from Alan and Denny's marriage, Alan and Brad crossing paths again, or, hell, if you're familiar with season 8 of The Practice and want to incorporate some of the lawyers from Young, Frutt & Berlutti, that'd be fantastic.
My one caveat is...hard to phrase, considering canon. I'm not opposed to Denny/Alan slash, but I prefer the delicate (and frequently hilarious) balance the show strikes between their complete and utter devotion to one another and their relentless pursuit of women.
Not a whole lot more to add--check out my "bl" tag if you want more detailed (albeit somewhat sporadic) thoughts on the show. I prefer ethically challenged, sneaky, underhanded Alan to the speech-making crusader for justice he became in the last few seasons (although I adore him in all incarnations, so don't worry about setting your fic post-series or whatever). Oh, and I'm not too fond of meta humor, unless it's really well done (think Arrested Development). (I don't mind Denny breaking the fourth wall, however, since he appears to genuinely believe his life is a television show.)
One thing I miss from the earlier seasons of BL is Alan connecting with his clients (and no, that is not necessarily a euphemism). It doesn't have to be the central focus of the story, but it'd be nice to read about him representing someone he's come to care for in some way.
Fandom: Dollhouse
Character: Topher Brink
Details: Anything Topher-related. I like that he's beginning to grow a conscience and that it's not a very comfortable experience for him (or anybody else, if the events of "Belonging" are anything to go by). If you've seen "Epitaph One," I'd love a story either exploring that reality or bringing Topher a step or two closer to who he'll eventually become. I'm also intrigued by Topher's relationships with DeWitt and Whiskey.
Sooooo...I haven't actually seen all of Dollhouse--I tend to drift off when Echo's onscreen--but I'm caught up on season 2 and have watched the back end of season 1, so don't worry about spoiling me. But! If I say something here that makes no sense or contradicts canon, that's why, and you should (obviously) feel free to disregard it.
I love how brilliant Topher is, how absorbed he is in his work, and how he has so little patience for anything that interferes with it--including fundamental human decency and real relationships with other people. This is really vague, but I like seeing him surprised, caught off-guard--he tends to assume he's the master of every situation, which is so often not the case. I'm very, very interested in the universe we got a glimpse of in "Epitaph One," so anything relating to that would be excellent.