2018 Yuletide letter
Dear Yuletide Author,
I've been absent from fanlife for almost two years, and I'm desperate to jump back in. Thank you so much for helping me do it! I love that this community brings together so many authors willing to write for those small fandoms that might not otherwise get the love they deserve. I'm especially grateful that you're willing to do so for one of mine.
As a reader, I’m pretty open-minded about a lot of things. Even when I have a primary ship on a show, I tend to multi-ship and even do a lot of rare pairs. Most of the time, that's because I fall in love with fandoms because of ensembles and ideas rather than a single character. Most of the time. There are exceptions. I read all ratings and most genres, though I’ll admit, fluff tends to be a hard sell for me. I love plot, the plottier the better, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with sex, either, so no worries you can’t go in that direction if you want. Het, slash, gen…it’s all good. What draws me most into stories is strong characterization, original ideas, and solid writing. I don’t like to read the same old/same old, which is one reason why plot is always such a seduction.
I have a real soft spot for outsiders/lonely characters. They get to me almost every single time. Going dark is not a problem, whether it’s sexually, via violence, or angst. That’s not to say I go looking for it, but it does work for me more often than not. I love a great action scene, banter, and breathless kisses.
Things I dislike…number one has to be character bashing. I hate it. I don’t like vilifying characters for the sake of making others look good. It happens a lot in shippy fics, usually in trying to get rid of a canon partner or because the writer just hates the character. I’d rather the character got written out of the story completely than left in and painted in a poor light. I’m not fond of crossovers, unless I’m explicitly comfortable in the fandoms, and specific tropes like mpreg, tentacles, alpha/omega, and magic sex make me roll my eyes. Also, 95% of the time I backspace out of fics that headhop, so please don’t do that. (In case you're not sure what that is, here's a blog post on it that might help.)
About my fandoms:
Schitt's Creek: I will forever be grateful for Daniel Levy's brilliant mind for gifting the world with this show. There is sooooo much to love about it. I started watching because of Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. I stuck with it because the whole family caught me up, but damn if my heart doesn't rest in David Rose's perfectly manicured hands. He has grown by leaps and bounds from the first episode, and the fact that he's finally getting some happiness? *happy sigh*
And then there's Alexis. She annoyed me to no end when the show started, but seeing her bumble her way through love and how Ted plays a part in all that makes me yearn for her and Ted to have a happy ending, too.
But while I'm invested in these two relationships, I don't necessarily need a shippy fic. I love David's friendship with Stevie. I love how both David and Alexis interact with Moira. I love their crazy plots and shenanigans. Basically, I just need more of these people.
GLOW: I would never have guessed I'd love a show about wrestling. But I'm a child of the 80s, and the authenticity of so many aspects of this hits every nostalgia button I have. On top of that, it's practically a love story about female friendships. Sure, it's got the obligatory romantic interests, but that's not really what sells it for me. It's how all these very different women come together and react to the issues of the time, which in a lot of ways, are issues women have had to deal with for all time.
I didn't request specific characters, because I just couldn't narrow it down. You could pick almost any of the women and write about something they have to deal with, and I'd eat it up with a spoon. I love Ruth's damaged complexity, and her chemistry with Sam is off the charts, but any romance there is a train wreck waiting to happen. I love her with Russell, but of course, that's probably too easy. Her passion, drive, and perfection are compelling. Carmen is my next favorite wrestler. She's strong and determined, doing what she thinks is best for the girls but sometimes falling flat on her face. Her unrequited feelings about Bash are heart-breaking to watch. As someone who's been friendzoned too many times for many of the same reasons, I relate to her more than I probably should.
iZombie: This show is crack. I don't do zombies generally, but this is so much fun, I can't resist. I'm wide open on what I could get here, mainly because there are so many possibilities, but the core of the show to me is Liv. I was very angry they killed off Lowell, so maybe you could fix that. Or give her a case with Ravi and Major playing a big part in solving it. Or tell me more about her adventures as Renegade. Or...I don't know, the possibilities are endless.
Blindspot: While I love a good cop show, especially if there's intrigue along the way, my heart belongs to Patterson. As a female gamer geek, I love seeing some sort of representation on TV, especially in the form of someone so competent. So basically, I want Patterson fic, please. I hated how she was used by Borden, and I'd love to see her move on from David, once and for all. Or explore more of her relationship with Rich (who has been a wonderfully entertaining addition to the show). Or put her on her own mission. Or tell me where she might be in ten/twenty/thirty years. Anything. Please.
ETA 10/27: So I just watched last night's episode, "The Quantico Affair," and it might've been my favorite episode to date. Patterson! Hooking up! With the actor who plays Ted in Schitt's Creek (who I absolutely love, too!)! It's just such a shame he's not sticking around. So another possible prompt? Maybe Patterson and Lincoln continue their casual thing. They're adorable together. He could be the perfect remedy to her moving on.
The Good Place: The best half-hour show on American network television. Full stop. It's surprising and subversive and smart and so absolutely hysterical. I tell everybody I know to watch this show. Eleanor is my favorite, from her awful first-time-meeting-Michael place to her most enlightened, with Michael a close second. I requested Eleanor, Michael, Mindy, or Janet, but that doesn't mean you can't include other characters. These four are just my favorites when it comes to fic ideas.
What would I like to see? Maybe you can create one of those 800 reboots we never got to see. Or what about if Mindy somehow got away from the medium place? Or what if the now-human foursome got involved in the charity Mindy created that kept her out of the bad place? You could even do Michael's backstory if you wanted. Or what's to come for him. The only thing I don't want for this particular fandom is sex. Though I'm fine with all the pairings that have happened (and hinted at), I'm not invested in these characters on a romantic level. I love them as a team and how they work together, how they fall apart, how they come back together again. All in that brilliant philosophical framework.
-------
I hope all of this helps in some way. Basically, I'm a romantic at heart who knows that the world isn't always a very nice place. We are stronger because of the adversity we overcome together.
I've been absent from fanlife for almost two years, and I'm desperate to jump back in. Thank you so much for helping me do it! I love that this community brings together so many authors willing to write for those small fandoms that might not otherwise get the love they deserve. I'm especially grateful that you're willing to do so for one of mine.
As a reader, I’m pretty open-minded about a lot of things. Even when I have a primary ship on a show, I tend to multi-ship and even do a lot of rare pairs. Most of the time, that's because I fall in love with fandoms because of ensembles and ideas rather than a single character. Most of the time. There are exceptions. I read all ratings and most genres, though I’ll admit, fluff tends to be a hard sell for me. I love plot, the plottier the better, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with sex, either, so no worries you can’t go in that direction if you want. Het, slash, gen…it’s all good. What draws me most into stories is strong characterization, original ideas, and solid writing. I don’t like to read the same old/same old, which is one reason why plot is always such a seduction.
I have a real soft spot for outsiders/lonely characters. They get to me almost every single time. Going dark is not a problem, whether it’s sexually, via violence, or angst. That’s not to say I go looking for it, but it does work for me more often than not. I love a great action scene, banter, and breathless kisses.
Things I dislike…number one has to be character bashing. I hate it. I don’t like vilifying characters for the sake of making others look good. It happens a lot in shippy fics, usually in trying to get rid of a canon partner or because the writer just hates the character. I’d rather the character got written out of the story completely than left in and painted in a poor light. I’m not fond of crossovers, unless I’m explicitly comfortable in the fandoms, and specific tropes like mpreg, tentacles, alpha/omega, and magic sex make me roll my eyes. Also, 95% of the time I backspace out of fics that headhop, so please don’t do that. (In case you're not sure what that is, here's a blog post on it that might help.)
About my fandoms:
Schitt's Creek: I will forever be grateful for Daniel Levy's brilliant mind for gifting the world with this show. There is sooooo much to love about it. I started watching because of Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. I stuck with it because the whole family caught me up, but damn if my heart doesn't rest in David Rose's perfectly manicured hands. He has grown by leaps and bounds from the first episode, and the fact that he's finally getting some happiness? *happy sigh*
And then there's Alexis. She annoyed me to no end when the show started, but seeing her bumble her way through love and how Ted plays a part in all that makes me yearn for her and Ted to have a happy ending, too.
But while I'm invested in these two relationships, I don't necessarily need a shippy fic. I love David's friendship with Stevie. I love how both David and Alexis interact with Moira. I love their crazy plots and shenanigans. Basically, I just need more of these people.
GLOW: I would never have guessed I'd love a show about wrestling. But I'm a child of the 80s, and the authenticity of so many aspects of this hits every nostalgia button I have. On top of that, it's practically a love story about female friendships. Sure, it's got the obligatory romantic interests, but that's not really what sells it for me. It's how all these very different women come together and react to the issues of the time, which in a lot of ways, are issues women have had to deal with for all time.
I didn't request specific characters, because I just couldn't narrow it down. You could pick almost any of the women and write about something they have to deal with, and I'd eat it up with a spoon. I love Ruth's damaged complexity, and her chemistry with Sam is off the charts, but any romance there is a train wreck waiting to happen. I love her with Russell, but of course, that's probably too easy. Her passion, drive, and perfection are compelling. Carmen is my next favorite wrestler. She's strong and determined, doing what she thinks is best for the girls but sometimes falling flat on her face. Her unrequited feelings about Bash are heart-breaking to watch. As someone who's been friendzoned too many times for many of the same reasons, I relate to her more than I probably should.
iZombie: This show is crack. I don't do zombies generally, but this is so much fun, I can't resist. I'm wide open on what I could get here, mainly because there are so many possibilities, but the core of the show to me is Liv. I was very angry they killed off Lowell, so maybe you could fix that. Or give her a case with Ravi and Major playing a big part in solving it. Or tell me more about her adventures as Renegade. Or...I don't know, the possibilities are endless.
Blindspot: While I love a good cop show, especially if there's intrigue along the way, my heart belongs to Patterson. As a female gamer geek, I love seeing some sort of representation on TV, especially in the form of someone so competent. So basically, I want Patterson fic, please. I hated how she was used by Borden, and I'd love to see her move on from David, once and for all. Or explore more of her relationship with Rich (who has been a wonderfully entertaining addition to the show). Or put her on her own mission. Or tell me where she might be in ten/twenty/thirty years. Anything. Please.
ETA 10/27: So I just watched last night's episode, "The Quantico Affair," and it might've been my favorite episode to date. Patterson! Hooking up! With the actor who plays Ted in Schitt's Creek (who I absolutely love, too!)! It's just such a shame he's not sticking around. So another possible prompt? Maybe Patterson and Lincoln continue their casual thing. They're adorable together. He could be the perfect remedy to her moving on.
The Good Place: The best half-hour show on American network television. Full stop. It's surprising and subversive and smart and so absolutely hysterical. I tell everybody I know to watch this show. Eleanor is my favorite, from her awful first-time-meeting-Michael place to her most enlightened, with Michael a close second. I requested Eleanor, Michael, Mindy, or Janet, but that doesn't mean you can't include other characters. These four are just my favorites when it comes to fic ideas.
What would I like to see? Maybe you can create one of those 800 reboots we never got to see. Or what about if Mindy somehow got away from the medium place? Or what if the now-human foursome got involved in the charity Mindy created that kept her out of the bad place? You could even do Michael's backstory if you wanted. Or what's to come for him. The only thing I don't want for this particular fandom is sex. Though I'm fine with all the pairings that have happened (and hinted at), I'm not invested in these characters on a romantic level. I love them as a team and how they work together, how they fall apart, how they come back together again. All in that brilliant philosophical framework.
-------
I hope all of this helps in some way. Basically, I'm a romantic at heart who knows that the world isn't always a very nice place. We are stronger because of the adversity we overcome together.