Dear Yultide Writer...
First off: thank you! You are already awesome and I ♥ you for picking one of these fandoms.
Secondly, this is my first Yuletide, so I apologize in advance if I'm giving you too little or too much for these fandoms. When presented with something as massive as our list of fandoms my general reaction tends to be "OKAY, EVERYTHING! Wait! Something VERY SPECIFIC! No..." etc.
On the plus side, though, I'm in this as an excuse to write and whatever I get in return is icing on the cake. I say this not to demote you to secondary importance, dear writer, but with the assumption that you're having as much fun as I am (provided my prompts don't inspire in you a sense of horrible dread and loathing), and to remind you not to fret about whether I'm going to like what you've written. I like pretty much everything.
A gaggle of general notes:
Pairings: I don't think in terms of pairings. If you want to write them, cool. Het, slash, whatever--I'm not bothered. But I'd prefer if the relationship wasn't the focus of the story.
Characters: Any characters I list don't have to be written with any other characters I list. It's a "pick from this group" sort of thing, as far as I'm concerned.
Ratings: Though I'm pretty much requesting genfic for everything, I see no reason to limit ratings or exclude pairings or anything like that. There are more reasons than smut for high ratings, and one of my fandoms does tread some darker territory.
Squicks: I don't squick easily. Use your discretion and warn reasonably and we're cool.
The Requests: I was intentionally vague on the sign-up form. These are all just rough suggestions, and I'm entirely happy to have anything in these fandoms, especially if it's something you've been wanting to write. And, to be honest, I am terrible with specific requests (except for the last one, which is specific, but in a bucket list sort of way).
Edits: I edit the crap out of everything in this journal, this letter included. While I promise not to pull the rug out from under you and change my requests, if you're reading this before sign-ups close, chances are it'll change a little before assignments are made. After that, you have my word that I will leave it alone. And if you have any questions/anything you want clarified, anon comments are on here, or you can have someone contact me.
Things I like: Unexpected interpretations of canon! Insight! Plot! Adventure! Character studies! Observation! Deconstruction! Crossovers, fusions, surreality, alternate universes, wordplay, banter, dialog, description, big ideas, small ideas, iambic pentameter... uhm... Things That You Enjoy Writing!
Things I don't like: Unjustified out-of-character activities. Which is to say, if you want Freamon and Prez to have a pillow fight, you've got some legwork to do. Everything else I normally don't read (including Freamon/Prez pillow fights) I'm not even going to list, because I want you to just write what you want to write.
So, on to The Fandoms:
The Wire: I absolutely and utterly adore The Wire for the intricate plots, the characters and their flaws, the city, and the unsatisfying endings that pretty much eliminate any avenue for catharsis. It frustrates me, and that's fantastic. Missing scenes, character studies, hijinks, policing (both good and bad), things that are challenging and a little bit gritty, or even the unexpected light side of things... these are things I would like to receive. Character-wise, I'm particularly fond of Kima, McNulty, Freamon, Omar, Herc and Carv... but you're under no obligation to write them because I can't think of a character from this show that I don't want to see more of. (But if you want to write me some Kima fic I will love you extra because the world does not have enough fiction with well-written interesting women, flaws and all.)
One final caveat, however: at the time of Yuletide posting I will only be through the end of season 3. I don't see a reason for you to limit yourself because of this, but I'd appreciate a note of warning (drop an anon comment here or have someone contact me if you don't want to attach it to the fic itself, since we're well past the normal statute of limitations for spoiler warnings). I'll shower you with love nonetheless, but will have to put off reading for another couple of months while I get through the rest of the show.
Burn Notice: To balance out the seriousness of The Wire, this is the fandom in which you can do basically no wrong. Burn Notice is my secret guilty pleasure (when I watch it with friends I spend most of my time making fun of it and how Fi is always in soft-focus). But I love it in its own special way because it is deliciously genre-aware and throws in gratuitous explosions and banter with gleeful abandon. Yet, so much of the fic I see in this fandom is introspective and shoe-gazy. I'd really like some fic that is as madcap as the show itself. As long as it's true to this spirit you probably cannot write me a fic that is too cracky, too out-of-the-ordinary, too gratuitous or indulgent, or even too character-centric, dark, or atmospheric (provided the atmosphere has explosions in), as long as you have a manic crazy grin on your face while writing it (or are stoically wearing sunglasses and looking badass). But I mean, heck, if you want to stare at your shoes with a manic crazy grin on your face, by all means do it! ♥
Mushishi: So, where the above are gritty/character-centric and adventurous/concept-centric, this is my atmospheric/world-centric fandom. I love this show for the storytelling style, the quiet and mysterious supernatural elements, and the absolutely gorgeous settings (... and Ginko. Ginko is awesome). If you can capture this in fic in any way... you are fantastic. I'd especially love something that delves a bit more into the mushi themselves and the whole supernatural world that only Ginko gets to be fully aware of. Take it beyond what he can tell us, even. There's so much potential there to play around with. I guess I'm basically asking for another episode of or scene for this show, but there's no harm in that, right?
RPF - National Public Radio: I can't believe I am making an RPF request, but here's the thing: I have had, for ages, a secret desire for alternate-universe NPR. I love the idea of it as a lens for examining other fictional worlds. I see that there was a similar prompt last year that resulted in a lot of (...okay, five) NPR Zombie Apocalypse fics (which are delicious and wonderful and, in one case, famous). To keep from overlapping that too much, my request is basically this: crossovers/fusions. I'd like to see Ira Glass, et al. exploring the life of a galactic hitchhiker in three acts; Click and Clack on mechas; Bob Boilen critiquing Music With Rocks In; Morning Edition interviewing Fortinbras regarding Denmark's crown prince's apparent insanity; Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me It's Godot. Whatever strikes your fancy! It doesn't have to be a fandom we have in common, even. In fact, if you want to write it for your own small fandom, go for it. I will be delighted, regardless.
I am, of course, assuming that if you were willing to write NPR RPF you also have an obscure fandom that would fit this. If that's not the case, well, these are just suggestions, and I am just as happy to have regular-universe NPR fic. (I just really wanted to write this prompt. ^_^)
Secondly, this is my first Yuletide, so I apologize in advance if I'm giving you too little or too much for these fandoms. When presented with something as massive as our list of fandoms my general reaction tends to be "OKAY, EVERYTHING! Wait! Something VERY SPECIFIC! No..." etc.
On the plus side, though, I'm in this as an excuse to write and whatever I get in return is icing on the cake. I say this not to demote you to secondary importance, dear writer, but with the assumption that you're having as much fun as I am (provided my prompts don't inspire in you a sense of horrible dread and loathing), and to remind you not to fret about whether I'm going to like what you've written. I like pretty much everything.
A gaggle of general notes:
Pairings: I don't think in terms of pairings. If you want to write them, cool. Het, slash, whatever--I'm not bothered. But I'd prefer if the relationship wasn't the focus of the story.
Characters: Any characters I list don't have to be written with any other characters I list. It's a "pick from this group" sort of thing, as far as I'm concerned.
Ratings: Though I'm pretty much requesting genfic for everything, I see no reason to limit ratings or exclude pairings or anything like that. There are more reasons than smut for high ratings, and one of my fandoms does tread some darker territory.
Squicks: I don't squick easily. Use your discretion and warn reasonably and we're cool.
The Requests: I was intentionally vague on the sign-up form. These are all just rough suggestions, and I'm entirely happy to have anything in these fandoms, especially if it's something you've been wanting to write. And, to be honest, I am terrible with specific requests (except for the last one, which is specific, but in a bucket list sort of way).
Edits: I edit the crap out of everything in this journal, this letter included. While I promise not to pull the rug out from under you and change my requests, if you're reading this before sign-ups close, chances are it'll change a little before assignments are made. After that, you have my word that I will leave it alone. And if you have any questions/anything you want clarified, anon comments are on here, or you can have someone contact me.
Things I like: Unexpected interpretations of canon! Insight! Plot! Adventure! Character studies! Observation! Deconstruction! Crossovers, fusions, surreality, alternate universes, wordplay, banter, dialog, description, big ideas, small ideas, iambic pentameter... uhm... Things That You Enjoy Writing!
Things I don't like: Unjustified out-of-character activities. Which is to say, if you want Freamon and Prez to have a pillow fight, you've got some legwork to do. Everything else I normally don't read (including Freamon/Prez pillow fights) I'm not even going to list, because I want you to just write what you want to write.
So, on to The Fandoms:
The Wire: I absolutely and utterly adore The Wire for the intricate plots, the characters and their flaws, the city, and the unsatisfying endings that pretty much eliminate any avenue for catharsis. It frustrates me, and that's fantastic. Missing scenes, character studies, hijinks, policing (both good and bad), things that are challenging and a little bit gritty, or even the unexpected light side of things... these are things I would like to receive. Character-wise, I'm particularly fond of Kima, McNulty, Freamon, Omar, Herc and Carv... but you're under no obligation to write them because I can't think of a character from this show that I don't want to see more of. (But if you want to write me some Kima fic I will love you extra because the world does not have enough fiction with well-written interesting women, flaws and all.)
One final caveat, however: at the time of Yuletide posting I will only be through the end of season 3. I don't see a reason for you to limit yourself because of this, but I'd appreciate a note of warning (drop an anon comment here or have someone contact me if you don't want to attach it to the fic itself, since we're well past the normal statute of limitations for spoiler warnings). I'll shower you with love nonetheless, but will have to put off reading for another couple of months while I get through the rest of the show.
Burn Notice: To balance out the seriousness of The Wire, this is the fandom in which you can do basically no wrong. Burn Notice is my secret guilty pleasure (when I watch it with friends I spend most of my time making fun of it and how Fi is always in soft-focus). But I love it in its own special way because it is deliciously genre-aware and throws in gratuitous explosions and banter with gleeful abandon. Yet, so much of the fic I see in this fandom is introspective and shoe-gazy. I'd really like some fic that is as madcap as the show itself. As long as it's true to this spirit you probably cannot write me a fic that is too cracky, too out-of-the-ordinary, too gratuitous or indulgent, or even too character-centric, dark, or atmospheric (provided the atmosphere has explosions in), as long as you have a manic crazy grin on your face while writing it (or are stoically wearing sunglasses and looking badass). But I mean, heck, if you want to stare at your shoes with a manic crazy grin on your face, by all means do it! ♥
Mushishi: So, where the above are gritty/character-centric and adventurous/concept-centric, this is my atmospheric/world-centric fandom. I love this show for the storytelling style, the quiet and mysterious supernatural elements, and the absolutely gorgeous settings (... and Ginko. Ginko is awesome). If you can capture this in fic in any way... you are fantastic. I'd especially love something that delves a bit more into the mushi themselves and the whole supernatural world that only Ginko gets to be fully aware of. Take it beyond what he can tell us, even. There's so much potential there to play around with. I guess I'm basically asking for another episode of or scene for this show, but there's no harm in that, right?
RPF - National Public Radio: I can't believe I am making an RPF request, but here's the thing: I have had, for ages, a secret desire for alternate-universe NPR. I love the idea of it as a lens for examining other fictional worlds. I see that there was a similar prompt last year that resulted in a lot of (...okay, five) NPR Zombie Apocalypse fics (which are delicious and wonderful and, in one case, famous). To keep from overlapping that too much, my request is basically this: crossovers/fusions. I'd like to see Ira Glass, et al. exploring the life of a galactic hitchhiker in three acts; Click and Clack on mechas; Bob Boilen critiquing Music With Rocks In; Morning Edition interviewing Fortinbras regarding Denmark's crown prince's apparent insanity; Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me It's Godot. Whatever strikes your fancy! It doesn't have to be a fandom we have in common, even. In fact, if you want to write it for your own small fandom, go for it. I will be delighted, regardless.
I am, of course, assuming that if you were willing to write NPR RPF you also have an obscure fandom that would fit this. If that's not the case, well, these are just suggestions, and I am just as happy to have regular-universe NPR fic. (I just really wanted to write this prompt. ^_^)