Yuletide letter 2015 ♥
Dear Yuletide writer,
thank you so much for offering to write something in my tiny precious fandoms! Here I've listed some of my likes and dislikes in fic to hopefully make your task less nerve-wracking. I'll also go on a bit about what I love about these fandoms and characters. I've included some ideas for inspiration, but you're naturally free to ignore them if you've got great ideas of your own. Please don't stress too much and have fun writing!
Likes
- Slash and femslash of any rating. If you want to go there in any of these fandoms, please do. Gen is absolutely fine too, if that's more your thing.
- Swordfights, violence, action, adventure.
- Prison breaks, last-minute rescues, undercover missions.
- On the other hand, unhurried, mellow description.
- Music, artistry, poetry.
- Good characterisation.
- Context, characters being influenced and shaped by the world around them.
- Period/culture details.
- Characters showing their feelings through action. Not to say they aren't allowed to speechify too, if that is something they would do.
- Equality and switching. Personal preferences are fine and dandy, pre-established (gender)roles not so much.
Dislikes
- Cliched, out-of-character romance. Believable romance, on the other hand, is very much welcome.
- Angst that is completely hopeless. I need that ray of light.
- Non-canon (main) character death, unless you plan to resurrect them promptly.
- Alpha/Omega or BDSM universe. I’ve nothing against D/S elements (on the contrary), it’s the universe I have an issue with.
- Mpreg
- Kidfic
- Bestiality, weirdly shaped penises, knotting. This is mostly relevant to The Wolf Among Us. I'd rather the characters fucked in somewhat human shape. I don't mind some play with shapeshifting, but wolf/human or troll/human sex is not a kink of mine. But if you do want to do a fairy tale take without going into the details, that's okay.
Fandoms
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Characters: Jonathan Strange, John Childermass (optional: John Segundus, Arabella Strange, Flora Greysteel)
Oh dear, where do I begin... So many ideas, so many great characters! I absolutely love Clarke's writing. Reading prose like this is just pure pleasure to me, and the style brings back fond memories of all the Dickens I used to read as a kid. I recently rediscovered my love for this book, and I can't believe I'd forgotten how easy it was to like her characters. I like her humour and the way she handles darker subjects like war, madness and poverty - these things exist in this universe, but they don't overshadow everything or crush the characters.
I've also seen the miniseries which was mostly excellent. To be honest, the two canons tend to get a bit mixed in my head, so it's fine if you want to use details from both. I ship things, but gen fic (or fic in which the relationship is not the main thing) is also welcome.
I have requested only Childermass and Strange to make matching easier. However, there's a number of other characters and pairings I'd be equally pleased with. If you'd rather write about them instead, please do!
Childermass is my favourite character in all his incarnations. Mysterious, enigmatic, dry of humour, a follower of the Raven King, a magician in his own right... What's not to like?
Jonathan Strange is quite infuriating, and I love him for it. I love the way he completely falls for magic, and when he's finally found something he wants to excel at, he approaches it with a truly geeky obsessiveness! I liked his practical approach to madness. It was somehow comforting that in this world it could be just another way of seeing, and not necessarily inferior at all. Also he's a redhead. This is important for shallow reasons.
John Segundus is too sweet for this life. It's impossible not to love him.
Many ships are sailing for this one. There's a sad shortage of Childermass/Strange fic which I would love to see fixed. They would have so many common interests in all things magical, and the clashes of tempers would be tempestuous indeed! A post-book fic where Strange and Childermass become the two rival magicians in England would be lovely. Adventures in Faerie, mishaps with magic, accidentally crashing fairy parties, eccentric magicians defying conventions and social norms, living as vagabonds, descending into madness together for some magical purpose... The possibilities are endless. Porn is very welcome too, if you feel so inclined. I have a preference for top!Childermass for this pairing. Switching is excellent as well.
The beauty of Childermass/Segundus is obvious. In fact, I'm convinced everyone is secretly in love with Mr Segundus. I wouldn't mind reading a fic about that. I like Segundus because he is kind and capable and intelligent and wouldn't want those characteristics to get overshadowed by blushing virgin tropes. Which isn't to say a certain amount of blushing wouldn't be welcome if the fic calls for it. Again, when it comes to porn, I have a weakness for switching or top!Segundus for this pairing.
I know Flora Greysteel was not nominated so you're in no way obliged to include her. However, were you to write a Flora/Arabella femslash (or gen) fic where they live together in Italy or any part of the world you choose, become adventurer-magicians, pick up fencing/shooting/duelling, kick ass in any and every way, or laugh at Byron in Venetian hipster parties, I would be very delighted.
The Wolf Among Us
Characters: Bigby Wolf, Grendel
This one's pretty straightforward: I'd like to read a fic about Bigby and Grendel. In the beginning of the game I had way too much fun with the Beowulf references: we have B. Wolf - Bee Wolf - Beowulf (the latter literally means bee wolf, which is an old kenning for bear). And then we run into Grendel in a bar! Perfect!
I ship them and would love to read a good pairing fic about them. Going with the version of events where Bigby rips off Grendel's arm, I'd love to read a story where they deal with it later. No terrible horrible angst, please, but Grendel's got reason to be pissed off (he's a fable, it's probably going to grow back eventually, but it'll probably take a long while). I'd like a fic where they somehow find a magical ways of fixing that. Perhaps this calls for dangerous adventures in the Homelands, making deals with shady characters or obtaining magical artefacts. I would be thrilled if you managed to incorporate stuff from Beowulf. Maybe even a Beowulf crossover? Of course, all of this could be done in a gen fic too. Also Grendel being high and friendly was the awesomest thing.
I have only begun to read Fables, so I'm not very familiar with that canon. However, if you want to include some details about the world or Bigby's past, feel free to, as long as they're understandable to someone who's only played the game.
Kommissar Rex | Inspector Rex | Il commissario Rex
Characters: Richard Moser (and Rex!)
Bless the person who nominated this series! Inspector Rex is one of my nostalgic childhood favourites. I had quite a crush on Richard Moser. Any fic about him would be great, and of course Rex needs to play an important part. I'd love a case fic with action and adventure. I have a particular fondness for undercover storylines and daring escapes. Feel free to include other characters, too, if you like.
Gen fic would be great, but if you somehow do feel inspired to write slash for this series, I'd be intrigued! I don't have particular shipping preferences. I wouldn't mind an MC if the story calls for one. I went through my old Yuletide prompts and found this unholy idea of Richard going undercover as a gay prostitute. I admit I'd still read the hell out of that. A story with some exploration of Richard's misspent youth would also be nice. Perhaps something comes back to haunt him - some criminal connection or a blackmail attempt?
That was all for this year! Please don't panic, remember that optional details are optional, and enjoy yourself! I wish you good luck and an amazing Yuletide ♥
thank you so much for offering to write something in my tiny precious fandoms! Here I've listed some of my likes and dislikes in fic to hopefully make your task less nerve-wracking. I'll also go on a bit about what I love about these fandoms and characters. I've included some ideas for inspiration, but you're naturally free to ignore them if you've got great ideas of your own. Please don't stress too much and have fun writing!
Likes
- Slash and femslash of any rating. If you want to go there in any of these fandoms, please do. Gen is absolutely fine too, if that's more your thing.
- Swordfights, violence, action, adventure.
- Prison breaks, last-minute rescues, undercover missions.
- On the other hand, unhurried, mellow description.
- Music, artistry, poetry.
- Good characterisation.
- Context, characters being influenced and shaped by the world around them.
- Period/culture details.
- Characters showing their feelings through action. Not to say they aren't allowed to speechify too, if that is something they would do.
- Equality and switching. Personal preferences are fine and dandy, pre-established (gender)roles not so much.
Dislikes
- Cliched, out-of-character romance. Believable romance, on the other hand, is very much welcome.
- Angst that is completely hopeless. I need that ray of light.
- Non-canon (main) character death, unless you plan to resurrect them promptly.
- Alpha/Omega or BDSM universe. I’ve nothing against D/S elements (on the contrary), it’s the universe I have an issue with.
- Mpreg
- Kidfic
- Bestiality, weirdly shaped penises, knotting. This is mostly relevant to The Wolf Among Us. I'd rather the characters fucked in somewhat human shape. I don't mind some play with shapeshifting, but wolf/human or troll/human sex is not a kink of mine. But if you do want to do a fairy tale take without going into the details, that's okay.
Fandoms
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke
Characters: Jonathan Strange, John Childermass (optional: John Segundus, Arabella Strange, Flora Greysteel)
Oh dear, where do I begin... So many ideas, so many great characters! I absolutely love Clarke's writing. Reading prose like this is just pure pleasure to me, and the style brings back fond memories of all the Dickens I used to read as a kid. I recently rediscovered my love for this book, and I can't believe I'd forgotten how easy it was to like her characters. I like her humour and the way she handles darker subjects like war, madness and poverty - these things exist in this universe, but they don't overshadow everything or crush the characters.
I've also seen the miniseries which was mostly excellent. To be honest, the two canons tend to get a bit mixed in my head, so it's fine if you want to use details from both. I ship things, but gen fic (or fic in which the relationship is not the main thing) is also welcome.
I have requested only Childermass and Strange to make matching easier. However, there's a number of other characters and pairings I'd be equally pleased with. If you'd rather write about them instead, please do!
Childermass is my favourite character in all his incarnations. Mysterious, enigmatic, dry of humour, a follower of the Raven King, a magician in his own right... What's not to like?
Jonathan Strange is quite infuriating, and I love him for it. I love the way he completely falls for magic, and when he's finally found something he wants to excel at, he approaches it with a truly geeky obsessiveness! I liked his practical approach to madness. It was somehow comforting that in this world it could be just another way of seeing, and not necessarily inferior at all. Also he's a redhead. This is important for shallow reasons.
John Segundus is too sweet for this life. It's impossible not to love him.
Many ships are sailing for this one. There's a sad shortage of Childermass/Strange fic which I would love to see fixed. They would have so many common interests in all things magical, and the clashes of tempers would be tempestuous indeed! A post-book fic where Strange and Childermass become the two rival magicians in England would be lovely. Adventures in Faerie, mishaps with magic, accidentally crashing fairy parties, eccentric magicians defying conventions and social norms, living as vagabonds, descending into madness together for some magical purpose... The possibilities are endless. Porn is very welcome too, if you feel so inclined. I have a preference for top!Childermass for this pairing. Switching is excellent as well.
The beauty of Childermass/Segundus is obvious. In fact, I'm convinced everyone is secretly in love with Mr Segundus. I wouldn't mind reading a fic about that. I like Segundus because he is kind and capable and intelligent and wouldn't want those characteristics to get overshadowed by blushing virgin tropes. Which isn't to say a certain amount of blushing wouldn't be welcome if the fic calls for it. Again, when it comes to porn, I have a weakness for switching or top!Segundus for this pairing.
I know Flora Greysteel was not nominated so you're in no way obliged to include her. However, were you to write a Flora/Arabella femslash (or gen) fic where they live together in Italy or any part of the world you choose, become adventurer-magicians, pick up fencing/shooting/duelling, kick ass in any and every way, or laugh at Byron in Venetian hipster parties, I would be very delighted.
The Wolf Among Us
Characters: Bigby Wolf, Grendel
This one's pretty straightforward: I'd like to read a fic about Bigby and Grendel. In the beginning of the game I had way too much fun with the Beowulf references: we have B. Wolf - Bee Wolf - Beowulf (the latter literally means bee wolf, which is an old kenning for bear). And then we run into Grendel in a bar! Perfect!
I ship them and would love to read a good pairing fic about them. Going with the version of events where Bigby rips off Grendel's arm, I'd love to read a story where they deal with it later. No terrible horrible angst, please, but Grendel's got reason to be pissed off (he's a fable, it's probably going to grow back eventually, but it'll probably take a long while). I'd like a fic where they somehow find a magical ways of fixing that. Perhaps this calls for dangerous adventures in the Homelands, making deals with shady characters or obtaining magical artefacts. I would be thrilled if you managed to incorporate stuff from Beowulf. Maybe even a Beowulf crossover? Of course, all of this could be done in a gen fic too. Also Grendel being high and friendly was the awesomest thing.
I have only begun to read Fables, so I'm not very familiar with that canon. However, if you want to include some details about the world or Bigby's past, feel free to, as long as they're understandable to someone who's only played the game.
Kommissar Rex | Inspector Rex | Il commissario Rex
Characters: Richard Moser (and Rex!)
Bless the person who nominated this series! Inspector Rex is one of my nostalgic childhood favourites. I had quite a crush on Richard Moser. Any fic about him would be great, and of course Rex needs to play an important part. I'd love a case fic with action and adventure. I have a particular fondness for undercover storylines and daring escapes. Feel free to include other characters, too, if you like.
Gen fic would be great, but if you somehow do feel inspired to write slash for this series, I'd be intrigued! I don't have particular shipping preferences. I wouldn't mind an MC if the story calls for one. I went through my old Yuletide prompts and found this unholy idea of Richard going undercover as a gay prostitute. I admit I'd still read the hell out of that. A story with some exploration of Richard's misspent youth would also be nice. Perhaps something comes back to haunt him - some criminal connection or a blackmail attempt?
That was all for this year! Please don't panic, remember that optional details are optional, and enjoy yourself! I wish you good luck and an amazing Yuletide ♥