Dear Yuletide Writer...
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Firstly, thank you! I know that the fandoms I've requested are all pretty small -- one of them doesn't have any fic at all, to my knowledge -- and so I'm grateful that you've offered to write for them. I'd like to emphasise first and foremost that just about any fic in any of these fandoms will delight me; please consider my prompts as guidelines concerning what I might particularly enjoy reading, rather than hard-and-fast rules as to what you must write for me. If the suggestions I've made don't appeal to you, work to your own strengths and interests instead
I enjoy slash, het and gen, and am open to all ratings; just about any genre is good, too, including AU. I'm always amenable to kinkfic, as well, particularly where it's written with sensitivity to the characters involved. If it helps you to be aware of some little (or not-so-little) things I particularly enjoy when I'm reading, I've unlocked this list of tropes and devices I love -- please, please don't feel that you have to include everything! There are an awful lot of items there, and some of them contradict others, and I don't want you to feel as though you have to serve my every literary whim.
In terms of what I don't like -- there's very little that I actively won't read, and I am not easily triggered by works of fiction. I've noted any specific do-not-want tropes or devices beneath each fandom where they might be applicable to the canon, but there really aren't that many. I'd ask that you avoid character-bashing, though; I'm fond of all the characters I've requested, even when they're awful (and sometimes because they're awful).
That said -- the prompts!
History Boys -- Bennett
(Stuart Dakin, Tom Irwin)
Stuart Dakin/Tom Irwin. If it's something you feel comfortable writing, I'd love a story about the ethical questions inherent in the relationship between a teacher and a student, from either perspective or even from both. Slash or UST would be preferable here. If that doesn't appeal, then I'd love to see some backstory-fic; anything goes here, really, but I'd be particularly interested to see something dealing with Irwin's own application to and rejection from Oxford.
I understand and acknowledge that my initial prompt may well be something you're not willing to write. I want to emphasise again that you don't have to! If you do choose to write it, I don't mind whether or not you choose to deviate from the canonical ending; I'm as amenable to a happy ending as I am to an unhappy one. As long as there is agonising and worrying and rationalising, on either side or on both sides, I'm happy. At the heart of this prompt, though, is my narrative fascination with the intersection between intellectual and intimate engagement -- of course you don't have to make that the focus of your story, but if it helps you to find inspiration in this prompt, it may be something to keep in mind.
Beyond that, my request for a story about Irwin's rejection from Oxford is an extremely loose one; don't feel that you have to be at all specific. If he's not a character you can relate to, I'm also fond of Dakin, Scripps and Posner, and will honestly read about anyone quite gladly.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead - Stoppard
(Rosencrantz, Guildenstern)
Rosencrantz/Guildenstern. I would be happy with slash, gen or UST; specifically, I'd love to see them having rambling philosophical conversations and playing at questions.
I'd love to see a story about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern being Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or, indeed, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz) with one another. What I enjoy about this fandom is that Ros and Guil sitting down together for a long and meandering conversation about near-enough anything under the sun is not only in-character but canonical -- more than anything else, that's my prompt. Feel free to get as plotty or as non-plotty as you like. Don't feel that you have to write me a missing scene, or something that fits neatly into the framework of the play; I'm more than happy to read a piece set outside of canon, or even an AU! The focus of this request is the characters and their interaction; beyond that, I will be happy with just about anything.
A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams
(Allan Grey, Blanche DuBois)
Allan Grey and Blanche DuBois. If it feels like something you can write, I'd be particularly interested to read the story of their relationship and its implosion; the way in which the slow realisation of the disconnect between her ideal and their reality shaped Blanche as she appears in the play has always fascinated me. Alternately, I'd love to read anything at all to do with Blanche, and in particular her backstory -- the disintegration of her world at Belle Reve, her early relationship with her sister, the years after she left her home.
I don't know that there's much else to add to this prompt! I have something of a narrative kink for decay and collapse and things-falling-apart, and Streetcar -- and the character of Blanche in particular -- really speaks to that; if it's something you can capture, regardless of where you focus your narrative, I'll be happy. One thing I perhaps ought to note is that I understand that it's a canon in which homophobia, racism and misogyny are prevalent. I don't ask that you exclude them -- in fact, I'd prefer that you don't exclude them -- but I do ask that your narrative doesn't glorify them, even if your characters do.
Echo Bazaar
(No characters requested)
I'd love to read a sequence of Recurring Dreams, whether a continuation of a dream sequence from canon or one you've devised yourself. If that doesn't grip you as a prompt, I'd be simply delighted to see any new fic for this fandom; pick your favourite NPC and write me a story about them!
I have a particular fondness, when playing Echo Bazaar, for the Recurring Dreams. If you have a particular character of your own in mind, when you write about the Player, then I'm more than happy to read a set of dreams written particularly for hir, or from hir perspective. I'd particularly enjoy a pastiche of the EBZ writing style, if that's something you feel confident writing. In approaching the horror of the setting, feel free to be as implicit or as explicit as you like or are comfortable with; however, if you choose to write this request, I would ask that you don't ignore it.
As I said in my prompt, what I really want from this fandom is more EBZ fic -- to that end, write me the story that will make you happy. If you need more specific guidance than that, my own particular favourite NPCs are the Quiet Deviless, the Implacable Detective and the Comtessa, but please don't feel yourself obliged to write only about one of those three characters. Indeed, if you want to write me a story about your specific iteration of the Player, I will read it happily -- I very much enjoy becoming acquainted with others' original characters!
Once again, thank you so much for offering to write for one of my fandoms. I'll repeat myself and say that the prompts are only guidelines; write something you love, write something that delights you, and it will almost certainly delight me, too.
-- acrossthefloors
Firstly, thank you! I know that the fandoms I've requested are all pretty small -- one of them doesn't have any fic at all, to my knowledge -- and so I'm grateful that you've offered to write for them. I'd like to emphasise first and foremost that just about any fic in any of these fandoms will delight me; please consider my prompts as guidelines concerning what I might particularly enjoy reading, rather than hard-and-fast rules as to what you must write for me. If the suggestions I've made don't appeal to you, work to your own strengths and interests instead
I enjoy slash, het and gen, and am open to all ratings; just about any genre is good, too, including AU. I'm always amenable to kinkfic, as well, particularly where it's written with sensitivity to the characters involved. If it helps you to be aware of some little (or not-so-little) things I particularly enjoy when I'm reading, I've unlocked this list of tropes and devices I love -- please, please don't feel that you have to include everything! There are an awful lot of items there, and some of them contradict others, and I don't want you to feel as though you have to serve my every literary whim.
In terms of what I don't like -- there's very little that I actively won't read, and I am not easily triggered by works of fiction. I've noted any specific do-not-want tropes or devices beneath each fandom where they might be applicable to the canon, but there really aren't that many. I'd ask that you avoid character-bashing, though; I'm fond of all the characters I've requested, even when they're awful (and sometimes because they're awful).
That said -- the prompts!
History Boys -- Bennett
(Stuart Dakin, Tom Irwin)
Stuart Dakin/Tom Irwin. If it's something you feel comfortable writing, I'd love a story about the ethical questions inherent in the relationship between a teacher and a student, from either perspective or even from both. Slash or UST would be preferable here. If that doesn't appeal, then I'd love to see some backstory-fic; anything goes here, really, but I'd be particularly interested to see something dealing with Irwin's own application to and rejection from Oxford.
I understand and acknowledge that my initial prompt may well be something you're not willing to write. I want to emphasise again that you don't have to! If you do choose to write it, I don't mind whether or not you choose to deviate from the canonical ending; I'm as amenable to a happy ending as I am to an unhappy one. As long as there is agonising and worrying and rationalising, on either side or on both sides, I'm happy. At the heart of this prompt, though, is my narrative fascination with the intersection between intellectual and intimate engagement -- of course you don't have to make that the focus of your story, but if it helps you to find inspiration in this prompt, it may be something to keep in mind.
Beyond that, my request for a story about Irwin's rejection from Oxford is an extremely loose one; don't feel that you have to be at all specific. If he's not a character you can relate to, I'm also fond of Dakin, Scripps and Posner, and will honestly read about anyone quite gladly.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead - Stoppard
(Rosencrantz, Guildenstern)
Rosencrantz/Guildenstern. I would be happy with slash, gen or UST; specifically, I'd love to see them having rambling philosophical conversations and playing at questions.
I'd love to see a story about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern being Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or, indeed, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz) with one another. What I enjoy about this fandom is that Ros and Guil sitting down together for a long and meandering conversation about near-enough anything under the sun is not only in-character but canonical -- more than anything else, that's my prompt. Feel free to get as plotty or as non-plotty as you like. Don't feel that you have to write me a missing scene, or something that fits neatly into the framework of the play; I'm more than happy to read a piece set outside of canon, or even an AU! The focus of this request is the characters and their interaction; beyond that, I will be happy with just about anything.
A Streetcar Named Desire - Tennessee Williams
(Allan Grey, Blanche DuBois)
Allan Grey and Blanche DuBois. If it feels like something you can write, I'd be particularly interested to read the story of their relationship and its implosion; the way in which the slow realisation of the disconnect between her ideal and their reality shaped Blanche as she appears in the play has always fascinated me. Alternately, I'd love to read anything at all to do with Blanche, and in particular her backstory -- the disintegration of her world at Belle Reve, her early relationship with her sister, the years after she left her home.
I don't know that there's much else to add to this prompt! I have something of a narrative kink for decay and collapse and things-falling-apart, and Streetcar -- and the character of Blanche in particular -- really speaks to that; if it's something you can capture, regardless of where you focus your narrative, I'll be happy. One thing I perhaps ought to note is that I understand that it's a canon in which homophobia, racism and misogyny are prevalent. I don't ask that you exclude them -- in fact, I'd prefer that you don't exclude them -- but I do ask that your narrative doesn't glorify them, even if your characters do.
Echo Bazaar
(No characters requested)
I'd love to read a sequence of Recurring Dreams, whether a continuation of a dream sequence from canon or one you've devised yourself. If that doesn't grip you as a prompt, I'd be simply delighted to see any new fic for this fandom; pick your favourite NPC and write me a story about them!
I have a particular fondness, when playing Echo Bazaar, for the Recurring Dreams. If you have a particular character of your own in mind, when you write about the Player, then I'm more than happy to read a set of dreams written particularly for hir, or from hir perspective. I'd particularly enjoy a pastiche of the EBZ writing style, if that's something you feel confident writing. In approaching the horror of the setting, feel free to be as implicit or as explicit as you like or are comfortable with; however, if you choose to write this request, I would ask that you don't ignore it.
As I said in my prompt, what I really want from this fandom is more EBZ fic -- to that end, write me the story that will make you happy. If you need more specific guidance than that, my own particular favourite NPCs are the Quiet Deviless, the Implacable Detective and the Comtessa, but please don't feel yourself obliged to write only about one of those three characters. Indeed, if you want to write me a story about your specific iteration of the Player, I will read it happily -- I very much enjoy becoming acquainted with others' original characters!
Once again, thank you so much for offering to write for one of my fandoms. I'll repeat myself and say that the prompts are only guidelines; write something you love, write something that delights you, and it will almost certainly delight me, too.
-- acrossthefloors