yuletide letter 2009
Dear Yuletide Writer/Goat/Preferred Nomenclature,
Thank you so much for attempting to write a fic for me in one of my tiny fandoms! I'm sure I will love it anyways, but here are some details about what I like/dislike, in case you like to do your research.
First off, as I say every year, I would rather receive a fic that the author was enthusiastic about than one that fulfilled every detail of my request. These are guidelines meant to help you, not to cage you.
As a general note, I prefer gen to romantic or porn based fic. If you feel you need to include porn, be aware I will probably scroll though it.
I like: plot-based gen, banter, showing rather than telling, good grammar, cool technology, strong female characters, found families, subtle hints of larger narratives, fic which captures the feeling of the canon, fully realized settings and/or societies, horror, adventures, interesting narrative voices and people who bring the funny. (Seriously. Make me laugh and I am yours forever.)
Also, I have an almost pathological love for apocalypse fic. Kill everybody off in a (preferably creepy) way that leaves very very few survivors, (or none) and I will love it. Seriously, if you are stumped for ideas and none of my other prompts speak to you, consider placing the characters in a post-apocalyptic world, the emptier the better (Yes, this means I am ok with character death as long as you aren't just going for gratuitous angst or to remove an obstacle in the way of your ship.)
I dislike: introspective character pieces, sentimental romance, character bashing, romantic-relationship focused fic, character bashing (yes, I have this listed twice. Please pay attention to it!), non-canonical infidelity, fic where nothing happens, fics that ignore the women and characters of color, cross-generation ships, angst for angst's sake, porn without plot.
I will not read: incest. (I know many people enjoy reading/writing it, and I do not want those people to feel offended. This is a personal squick, and I highlight it only because while I could maybe possibly be sold on something in the previous category if it was done carefully and very very well, this is not negotiable.)
Fandom Specific Notes:
Request 1:
Fandom: The Wire
Characters: Randy Wagstaff, Ellis Carver and Bubbles
Details: I have longed for AU fic where Carver gets to take Randy in since the first time I saw season four. If you don't feel up to writing that epic, I would love some Bubbles gen. How did he end up a junkie? What happened after the series, once he was let upstairs? Alternatively, how would Bubbles (and the rest of Wire characters) react during/post apocalypse? Gen preferred in this fandom.
I love the bleakness for this show. I love that the good guys don’t always win, and when they do win it doesn’t mean that things improve. I would rather have a story in this fandom stay grounded in the show’s reality and break my heart than go for the happily ever after. Please don't add a romantic component to the relationship between Randy and Carver, and while I don't mind slash, I would rather you stick to the character's canonical sexualities. (In most fandoms I wouldn't ever make that request, but 'The Wire' actually has characters in the main cast who are canonically gay, like Kima and Omar.)
Request 2:
Fandom: Paul Beatty - The White Boy Shuffle
Characters: Nicholas Scoby
Details: He is the boy who never misses, who lives and loves jazz. I would adore plotty gen that could give a glimpse inside his head. Maybe something about his discovery of his talent? Or how about how his dealings with the college and pro ball coaches who must have tried to recruit him?
I just read this book for the first time this year and I could not put it down. I love the way Beatty uses language, and the way events in the novel hover on the edge of the probable. If we haven't been matched on this prompt, I would encourage you to pick this book up when you have a chance. Also, it is only roughly 250 pages, still in print, and I'm sure there is an ebook version floating around. So it actually would be quick to pick up on.
I would prefer fic set pre-Boston so while he is in high school or younger. As I state in my request, I would like gen, but I am open to the possibility of non-explicit het or slash (though I would prefer no Nick/Gunnar).
Request 3:
Fandom: Janelle Monae: Metropolis the Chase Suite (album)
Characters: Cindi Mayweather
Details: I love the universe portrayed in this album (and the associated music video). I would appreciate some fic that explored it. Who created Cindi and the others, and why is she different? Or is she? Who is Anthony Greendow, and what is their relationship? Or how about some interaction between the different identical yet distinct androids? I prefer plotty gen, but would not mind het or femslash for this fandom.
This would be a very easy fandom to pick up if you feel like you are blocked on the one we matched with. It is made up of a seven song EP (available through iTunes and other methods) and a music video. (link goes to the youtube version) It is fun and well done and the universe she creates is amazingly vivid considering the small amount of canon.
This universe could contain so many stories, so feel free to go with the one you want to tell. The one thing I would ask of you is to please not whitewash this universe!
Request 4:
Fandom: Paul Simon - Graceland (album)
Characters: Any
Details: I have been fascinated by the stories this album tells for years. What is the connection between the former talk show host and the former army post? I also would love crossovers between the songs - maybe the girl with diamonds on the soles of her shows is also the girl who called herself a human trampoline? Or the boy from 'Diamonds...Shoes' grew up to be the former talk-show host after intervening years when he traveled to Graceland? Feel free to play with story structure - what about a fic about the couple from 'Diamonds... Shoes' told backwards and forwards ala "The Last Five Years"? Gen or non-explicit het, slash or femslash.
This is another easy one to pick up, time-wise. The music is available through iTunes and very easily through other methods. Also, all the lyrics are online for a refresher.
All I ask is please don't make this traditional songfic with all the lyrics included in the text of the fic. Other than that, this is really my anything goes fandom. I should probably note, I don't know much about Paul Simon himself, or really care. I would be fascinated to see what you come up with if your chose this prompt.
How to stalk me:
It is a time honored Yuletide tradition to stalk your recipient. To help you in this endeavor: my delicious is linked in my sidebar, and all my fic are tagged.
Also, I can often be found in the #yuletide chatroom. Be careful if you go there to request a beta, as I sometimes hippo. But don't worry, I use the nickname kristin there, so you can avoid or stalk at will. If you have any questions about things I like/dislike, you can hang out in chat and wait for/finagle for the topic to come up and I'm sure I'll expound on it.
ETA: i forgot to link my dreamwidth.
Thank you so much for attempting to write a fic for me in one of my tiny fandoms! I'm sure I will love it anyways, but here are some details about what I like/dislike, in case you like to do your research.
First off, as I say every year, I would rather receive a fic that the author was enthusiastic about than one that fulfilled every detail of my request. These are guidelines meant to help you, not to cage you.
As a general note, I prefer gen to romantic or porn based fic. If you feel you need to include porn, be aware I will probably scroll though it.
I like: plot-based gen, banter, showing rather than telling, good grammar, cool technology, strong female characters, found families, subtle hints of larger narratives, fic which captures the feeling of the canon, fully realized settings and/or societies, horror, adventures, interesting narrative voices and people who bring the funny. (Seriously. Make me laugh and I am yours forever.)
Also, I have an almost pathological love for apocalypse fic. Kill everybody off in a (preferably creepy) way that leaves very very few survivors, (or none) and I will love it. Seriously, if you are stumped for ideas and none of my other prompts speak to you, consider placing the characters in a post-apocalyptic world, the emptier the better (Yes, this means I am ok with character death as long as you aren't just going for gratuitous angst or to remove an obstacle in the way of your ship.)
I dislike: introspective character pieces, sentimental romance, character bashing, romantic-relationship focused fic, character bashing (yes, I have this listed twice. Please pay attention to it!), non-canonical infidelity, fic where nothing happens, fics that ignore the women and characters of color, cross-generation ships, angst for angst's sake, porn without plot.
I will not read: incest. (I know many people enjoy reading/writing it, and I do not want those people to feel offended. This is a personal squick, and I highlight it only because while I could maybe possibly be sold on something in the previous category if it was done carefully and very very well, this is not negotiable.)
Fandom Specific Notes:
Request 1:
Fandom: The Wire
Characters: Randy Wagstaff, Ellis Carver and Bubbles
Details: I have longed for AU fic where Carver gets to take Randy in since the first time I saw season four. If you don't feel up to writing that epic, I would love some Bubbles gen. How did he end up a junkie? What happened after the series, once he was let upstairs? Alternatively, how would Bubbles (and the rest of Wire characters) react during/post apocalypse? Gen preferred in this fandom.
I love the bleakness for this show. I love that the good guys don’t always win, and when they do win it doesn’t mean that things improve. I would rather have a story in this fandom stay grounded in the show’s reality and break my heart than go for the happily ever after. Please don't add a romantic component to the relationship between Randy and Carver, and while I don't mind slash, I would rather you stick to the character's canonical sexualities. (In most fandoms I wouldn't ever make that request, but 'The Wire' actually has characters in the main cast who are canonically gay, like Kima and Omar.)
Request 2:
Fandom: Paul Beatty - The White Boy Shuffle
Characters: Nicholas Scoby
Details: He is the boy who never misses, who lives and loves jazz. I would adore plotty gen that could give a glimpse inside his head. Maybe something about his discovery of his talent? Or how about how his dealings with the college and pro ball coaches who must have tried to recruit him?
I just read this book for the first time this year and I could not put it down. I love the way Beatty uses language, and the way events in the novel hover on the edge of the probable. If we haven't been matched on this prompt, I would encourage you to pick this book up when you have a chance. Also, it is only roughly 250 pages, still in print, and I'm sure there is an ebook version floating around. So it actually would be quick to pick up on.
I would prefer fic set pre-Boston so while he is in high school or younger. As I state in my request, I would like gen, but I am open to the possibility of non-explicit het or slash (though I would prefer no Nick/Gunnar).
Request 3:
Fandom: Janelle Monae: Metropolis the Chase Suite (album)
Characters: Cindi Mayweather
Details: I love the universe portrayed in this album (and the associated music video). I would appreciate some fic that explored it. Who created Cindi and the others, and why is she different? Or is she? Who is Anthony Greendow, and what is their relationship? Or how about some interaction between the different identical yet distinct androids? I prefer plotty gen, but would not mind het or femslash for this fandom.
This would be a very easy fandom to pick up if you feel like you are blocked on the one we matched with. It is made up of a seven song EP (available through iTunes and other methods) and a music video. (link goes to the youtube version) It is fun and well done and the universe she creates is amazingly vivid considering the small amount of canon.
This universe could contain so many stories, so feel free to go with the one you want to tell. The one thing I would ask of you is to please not whitewash this universe!
Request 4:
Fandom: Paul Simon - Graceland (album)
Characters: Any
Details: I have been fascinated by the stories this album tells for years. What is the connection between the former talk show host and the former army post? I also would love crossovers between the songs - maybe the girl with diamonds on the soles of her shows is also the girl who called herself a human trampoline? Or the boy from 'Diamonds...Shoes' grew up to be the former talk-show host after intervening years when he traveled to Graceland? Feel free to play with story structure - what about a fic about the couple from 'Diamonds... Shoes' told backwards and forwards ala "The Last Five Years"? Gen or non-explicit het, slash or femslash.
This is another easy one to pick up, time-wise. The music is available through iTunes and very easily through other methods. Also, all the lyrics are online for a refresher.
All I ask is please don't make this traditional songfic with all the lyrics included in the text of the fic. Other than that, this is really my anything goes fandom. I should probably note, I don't know much about Paul Simon himself, or really care. I would be fascinated to see what you come up with if your chose this prompt.
How to stalk me:
It is a time honored Yuletide tradition to stalk your recipient. To help you in this endeavor: my delicious is linked in my sidebar, and all my fic are tagged.
Also, I can often be found in the #yuletide chatroom. Be careful if you go there to request a beta, as I sometimes hippo. But don't worry, I use the nickname kristin there, so you can avoid or stalk at will. If you have any questions about things I like/dislike, you can hang out in chat and wait for/finagle for the topic to come up and I'm sure I'll expound on it.
ETA: i forgot to link my dreamwidth.