Yuletide Letter -- Astraev on the challenge
Dear Yuletide Writer/Stalker:
I am twenty-three-years-old, and just recently got married to someone who I love whom I have committed to loving forever. I'm still searching for my forever job, my calling, what I can happily contribute to the universe until I return to dust. (But the adventure you get is the adventure you're ready for, right?) My fandoms all have sizable canons, but I hope that they're popular in yuletide terms and it'll be okay.
I am fascinated by the idea of growing up. What does it mean to take on adult responsibilities? What does it mean to be in control of your destiny? Growing up happens on so many different levels -- emotional, personally, relationshiply, politically, spiritually. Sometimes we get lucky and have mentors and teachers to help us on the way. I think this theme is particularly interesting in How I Met Your Mother and in Young Wizards. Ted and the gang are doing their best to live the lives they want to -- but the outside variables often get in the way. Ted in particular is trying too hard to find himself. He needs to just start living. Nita and Kit, on the other hand, have always held themselves hugely responsible, and I think their growing up is inevitable. They will be powerful, grounded adults. Assuming they get married, what would their lives look like? What would their families?
I love political intrigue. I'm a huge fan of people doing what they mean and saying something else, and the confusion and trickery involved in that. I think this particular angle is more interesting in Circle of Magic and Dollhouse. Sandy is bound to be Duchess some day, but not everyone might like that -- the Duke's current heir, for one, but also the common people who may not like being governed by someone with magic. As we saw in The Will of the Empress, there are assassinations and illegitimate children, and people marrying to form alliances. Dollhouse is like political and business intrigue topped with yummy feminist topping. A lot of people criticize the show because they only a pimp and whores, but if you take the idea of the show as an allegory of the rape culture, it's fascinating. Will we ever not need "dolls" -- people to stand in for concepts? Anyway, the deconstruction at the end of season 1, in episode unaired in the US, was PERFECT.
I don't mind death fic, and I love canonical pairings of both the het and slash varieties. I don't like nonconsent, violent language towards women, and my absolute pet peeve is taking strong female canon characters and making them weak. I absolutely love well-crafted crossovers -- ones that do not have to stretch too hard to make happen, ones that have strong justifications.
My requests:
Diane Duane -- Young Wizards: Juanita Callhan/Christopher Rodriguez/Tom/Carl
I would love a fic focusing on Nita and Kit grown up from where they are in the series, but with appearances and support from the entire cast of characters. Focusing on Tom and Carl (also with appearances and support from the entire cast of characters) would also be spiffy.
Tamora Pierce -- Circle of Magic: Sandrilene fa Toren/Trisana Chandler/Duke Verdis
Sandry is my absolute favorite character, since she is so highly opinionated and judicial. Something with a political backdrop (or politics in the foreground!) would be awesome. No romance between the main four characters, or the characters and their teachers, please.
How I Met Your Mother -- All
The best part about this show is the main characters being equally as important, even if Ted is supposed to be the lead. Exploration about how marriage changes friendship dynamics would be interesting, especially from the point of view of a married character. How do you balance?
Dollhouse -- Claire Saunders aka Whiskey/Topher Brink/Adelle DeWitt/Victor
Morals. Topher and Adelle particularly, but Dr. Saunders and Victor as foils. Consent, masculinity, femininity, and people's bodies standing in for concepts.
A guideline I always use in writing is "Write what you'd like to read." So, considering that's always what guides my writing, here's what I write (to give you an idea of what I like to read):
http://astraevirgo.livejournal.com/tag/written+word (Mostly Original)
http://community.livejournal.com/writexchange/ (All Original)
http://community.livejournal.com/myriadwords/tag/author:+astraevirgo (Young Wizards writings)
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/7943/Virgo (It's ff.n, so, yeah. Also contains my YW writings).
Thank you in advance, Yuletide bringer.
Kate
I am twenty-three-years-old, and just recently got married to someone who I love whom I have committed to loving forever. I'm still searching for my forever job, my calling, what I can happily contribute to the universe until I return to dust. (But the adventure you get is the adventure you're ready for, right?) My fandoms all have sizable canons, but I hope that they're popular in yuletide terms and it'll be okay.
I am fascinated by the idea of growing up. What does it mean to take on adult responsibilities? What does it mean to be in control of your destiny? Growing up happens on so many different levels -- emotional, personally, relationshiply, politically, spiritually. Sometimes we get lucky and have mentors and teachers to help us on the way. I think this theme is particularly interesting in How I Met Your Mother and in Young Wizards. Ted and the gang are doing their best to live the lives they want to -- but the outside variables often get in the way. Ted in particular is trying too hard to find himself. He needs to just start living. Nita and Kit, on the other hand, have always held themselves hugely responsible, and I think their growing up is inevitable. They will be powerful, grounded adults. Assuming they get married, what would their lives look like? What would their families?
I love political intrigue. I'm a huge fan of people doing what they mean and saying something else, and the confusion and trickery involved in that. I think this particular angle is more interesting in Circle of Magic and Dollhouse. Sandy is bound to be Duchess some day, but not everyone might like that -- the Duke's current heir, for one, but also the common people who may not like being governed by someone with magic. As we saw in The Will of the Empress, there are assassinations and illegitimate children, and people marrying to form alliances. Dollhouse is like political and business intrigue topped with yummy feminist topping. A lot of people criticize the show because they only a pimp and whores, but if you take the idea of the show as an allegory of the rape culture, it's fascinating. Will we ever not need "dolls" -- people to stand in for concepts? Anyway, the deconstruction at the end of season 1, in episode unaired in the US, was PERFECT.
I don't mind death fic, and I love canonical pairings of both the het and slash varieties. I don't like nonconsent, violent language towards women, and my absolute pet peeve is taking strong female canon characters and making them weak. I absolutely love well-crafted crossovers -- ones that do not have to stretch too hard to make happen, ones that have strong justifications.
My requests:
Diane Duane -- Young Wizards: Juanita Callhan/Christopher Rodriguez/Tom/Carl
I would love a fic focusing on Nita and Kit grown up from where they are in the series, but with appearances and support from the entire cast of characters. Focusing on Tom and Carl (also with appearances and support from the entire cast of characters) would also be spiffy.
Tamora Pierce -- Circle of Magic: Sandrilene fa Toren/Trisana Chandler/Duke Verdis
Sandry is my absolute favorite character, since she is so highly opinionated and judicial. Something with a political backdrop (or politics in the foreground!) would be awesome. No romance between the main four characters, or the characters and their teachers, please.
How I Met Your Mother -- All
The best part about this show is the main characters being equally as important, even if Ted is supposed to be the lead. Exploration about how marriage changes friendship dynamics would be interesting, especially from the point of view of a married character. How do you balance?
Dollhouse -- Claire Saunders aka Whiskey/Topher Brink/Adelle DeWitt/Victor
Morals. Topher and Adelle particularly, but Dr. Saunders and Victor as foils. Consent, masculinity, femininity, and people's bodies standing in for concepts.
A guideline I always use in writing is "Write what you'd like to read." So, considering that's always what guides my writing, here's what I write (to give you an idea of what I like to read):
http://astraevirgo.livejournal.com/tag/written+word (Mostly Original)
http://community.livejournal.com/writexchange/ (All Original)
http://community.livejournal.com/myriadwords/tag/author:+astraevirgo (Young Wizards writings)
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/7943/Virgo (It's ff.n, so, yeah. Also contains my YW writings).
Thank you in advance, Yuletide bringer.
Kate