Yuletide Letter
Hi, Fantastic Author!
I should say first off - thanks! I think you're nifty to write something in a tiny fandom we share!
I'm fairly catholic in my tastes; I read and write all of the following: gen, het, slash, humor, horror, angst, character-driven pieces, plotty pieces, AUs, canon-compliant fics, and more. I swoon for humor. I adore quietly sorrowful stories. And I quite enjoy romance (and prefer it to smut, though I don't have a problem with smut that's in character). I'm not terribly fond of crossovers - the ones I do like are ones that stay fairly true to both canons, and the characters are thrown together more for plot reasons than just for PWP reasons (also not a fan of PWPs). I don't really enjoy unremittingly dark fic, and I don't want anything with a terribly unhappy ending, infidelity, dub-con, non-con, humiliation, power-play, threesome, or heavy kink, please.
Here's my master fic list, if you'd like to see the kind of things I write. I've got an "on writing" tag that might also be useful.
One common thread for all of my requests this year is that I absolutely love these characters and the worlds that they live in. I'd be pleased as punch if your story adhered to the rules of the canon - for example, if you're writing Edmund/Charles slash for To the Ends of the Earth (which would be great!), please do make it clear that this is somehow happening in the world established in the mini-series (and the trilogy), where "buggery is a hanging offence." Similarly, Mildmay tells the reader that he's neither "molly" nor "janus"; Martin Crieff is definitely impoverished; and Terry is a generation older than James. I know it's terribly difficult to convey tone over the internet, so please believe that I don't mean this to sound condescending or that I think you're likely to write something crappy without me holding your hand. It's just that I think I'm more likely to get a story that hits all of my buttons if I tell you what my buttons are.
Doctrine of Labyrinths: It's my reading that Cardenio has long been in love with Mildmay and that Mildmay loves him back (though it's clear that Mildmay's love, at least, has no sexual component to it). So write me the love story of these two, please? I love how sharp Monette's characterizations are and that there can't be a really unhappy ending for these two because they did find each other and did become friends, real friends who look out for each other.
If this is the story you're writing, please do give your tale a specific setting - I'd like to know what else is going on in their lives when they meet up (whether it's for the first or last time). And I can't get enough of how very clear each character's language is in Monette's tetralogy (which is, honestly, the reason I haven't attempted to write in this fandom), so if you could manage that too, I'd be over the moon.
To the Ends of the Earth: My favorite thing about the mini-series (like the trilogy) is that every single character has her/his own arc, whether Edmund sees or recognizes it or not. And yet it's still indubitably Edmund's story. So - tell me a story about Edmund, please. It can be Charles yearning for him, Marion charming him, Letitia Granham molding him, Deverel seducing him, whatever. If you can avoid them, I'd prefer not to read stories featuring Billy Rogers, Reverend Colley, or Captain Anderson (though suddenly I'm struck by the notion of Anderson in a Little Shop of Horrors fusion). No, seriously, Edmund is my One True Character for this mini-series/trilogy, so even if it's a play-by-play of his bouts of seasickness, I will be deliriously happy to read it.
Cabin Pressure: I just adore Martin and Arthur, especially when they team up because it's so obvious that they care about each other and really root for each other to be happy. So tell me a happy story about these two, please - something where they come up with the plot to save the day, or they get to spend one blissful day away from responsibilities, or them getting a little house together. I'm fine with you slashing them up with each other, though my default for these two is gen (you can pair either of them up with anybody except Douglas if you really want to write something non-gen). Bonus points for including Carolyn and Douglas and super-snazzy bonus points for including Diego!
Wonder Boys: I have such a weakness for stories about storytelling and storytellers, and these two together are just about a perfect pairing for me. They're prickly and maybe not very good people, but they're trying so hard to be heard and to be known, and I want to know what happens now that they've found each other. Tell me their story, please! I'm totally fine with hearing about them through the friends they made and (possibly) left behind, like Grady and Hannah - I only requested these two characters because they should be the focus of the tale you're telling.
Thank you so much! I know I will adore whatever you send my way! Just so you know, I'll be away when the stories are posted, so I'm going to be slow to respond. Please don't read anything into it if I haven't managed to get online and leave you feedback as soon as your story is posted.
All the best,
kunju
p.s. - Sneaky postscript: I have source files for requests 2 and 3 available and can upload them for you if you need them. You can comment here anonymously (I wouldn't even know how to begin tracking an anon comment) or ask a friend to PM me or whatever - I'd be happy to oblige. Thank you again!
I should say first off - thanks! I think you're nifty to write something in a tiny fandom we share!
I'm fairly catholic in my tastes; I read and write all of the following: gen, het, slash, humor, horror, angst, character-driven pieces, plotty pieces, AUs, canon-compliant fics, and more. I swoon for humor. I adore quietly sorrowful stories. And I quite enjoy romance (and prefer it to smut, though I don't have a problem with smut that's in character). I'm not terribly fond of crossovers - the ones I do like are ones that stay fairly true to both canons, and the characters are thrown together more for plot reasons than just for PWP reasons (also not a fan of PWPs). I don't really enjoy unremittingly dark fic, and I don't want anything with a terribly unhappy ending, infidelity, dub-con, non-con, humiliation, power-play, threesome, or heavy kink, please.
Here's my master fic list, if you'd like to see the kind of things I write. I've got an "on writing" tag that might also be useful.
One common thread for all of my requests this year is that I absolutely love these characters and the worlds that they live in. I'd be pleased as punch if your story adhered to the rules of the canon - for example, if you're writing Edmund/Charles slash for To the Ends of the Earth (which would be great!), please do make it clear that this is somehow happening in the world established in the mini-series (and the trilogy), where "buggery is a hanging offence." Similarly, Mildmay tells the reader that he's neither "molly" nor "janus"; Martin Crieff is definitely impoverished; and Terry is a generation older than James. I know it's terribly difficult to convey tone over the internet, so please believe that I don't mean this to sound condescending or that I think you're likely to write something crappy without me holding your hand. It's just that I think I'm more likely to get a story that hits all of my buttons if I tell you what my buttons are.
Doctrine of Labyrinths: It's my reading that Cardenio has long been in love with Mildmay and that Mildmay loves him back (though it's clear that Mildmay's love, at least, has no sexual component to it). So write me the love story of these two, please? I love how sharp Monette's characterizations are and that there can't be a really unhappy ending for these two because they did find each other and did become friends, real friends who look out for each other.
If this is the story you're writing, please do give your tale a specific setting - I'd like to know what else is going on in their lives when they meet up (whether it's for the first or last time). And I can't get enough of how very clear each character's language is in Monette's tetralogy (which is, honestly, the reason I haven't attempted to write in this fandom), so if you could manage that too, I'd be over the moon.
To the Ends of the Earth: My favorite thing about the mini-series (like the trilogy) is that every single character has her/his own arc, whether Edmund sees or recognizes it or not. And yet it's still indubitably Edmund's story. So - tell me a story about Edmund, please. It can be Charles yearning for him, Marion charming him, Letitia Granham molding him, Deverel seducing him, whatever. If you can avoid them, I'd prefer not to read stories featuring Billy Rogers, Reverend Colley, or Captain Anderson (though suddenly I'm struck by the notion of Anderson in a Little Shop of Horrors fusion). No, seriously, Edmund is my One True Character for this mini-series/trilogy, so even if it's a play-by-play of his bouts of seasickness, I will be deliriously happy to read it.
Cabin Pressure: I just adore Martin and Arthur, especially when they team up because it's so obvious that they care about each other and really root for each other to be happy. So tell me a happy story about these two, please - something where they come up with the plot to save the day, or they get to spend one blissful day away from responsibilities, or them getting a little house together. I'm fine with you slashing them up with each other, though my default for these two is gen (you can pair either of them up with anybody except Douglas if you really want to write something non-gen). Bonus points for including Carolyn and Douglas and super-snazzy bonus points for including Diego!
Wonder Boys: I have such a weakness for stories about storytelling and storytellers, and these two together are just about a perfect pairing for me. They're prickly and maybe not very good people, but they're trying so hard to be heard and to be known, and I want to know what happens now that they've found each other. Tell me their story, please! I'm totally fine with hearing about them through the friends they made and (possibly) left behind, like Grady and Hannah - I only requested these two characters because they should be the focus of the tale you're telling.
Thank you so much! I know I will adore whatever you send my way! Just so you know, I'll be away when the stories are posted, so I'm going to be slow to respond. Please don't read anything into it if I haven't managed to get online and leave you feedback as soon as your story is posted.
All the best,
kunju
p.s. - Sneaky postscript: I have source files for requests 2 and 3 available and can upload them for you if you need them. You can comment here anonymously (I wouldn't even know how to begin tracking an anon comment) or ask a friend to PM me or whatever - I'd be happy to oblige. Thank you again!