Dear Yuletide Writer (2014 edition)
Dear Yuletide Writer,
As always, good luck! I am truly delighted and grateful that I've got a match. (Or a pinch hitter! I've gotten pinch hitters before and I love you, too! You chose me! You brave, weird souls, you.)
I'm mostly on tumblr these days so if you want to know what I find pretty/funny/sexy/baffling, feel free to check me out at ladyvyola
So, first the big picture then a little more specificity on what I like about each request.
My Yuletide philosophy: this might be the only chance to get a story in a certain fandom. I'm not going to get too caught up in pairings and specifics. I'd rather get a good, solid, re-readable story to set the bar and attract more fans. Here are the more atmospheric, broader story elements and themes that I find attractive.
I’ve got comedy con men, magical cons, and magical justice - hmmm, seems like I do have a through-line this year. I love these genre mash-ups. I like days-in-the-life and I like the fate of the world (or a character’s personal world) at stake. I like snark and banter and people being really good at what they do. Yeah, there’s competence porn all over my fandoms. Of course, there’s also a lot stuff to explore as characters try and fail and try some more to become good at what they do. I like romance and subtext, slash and het and gen.
If I have to make a choice, I'll go with voice and atmosphere over plot -- again, this might be the only story I read in this fandom and I'd like something that truly evokes it. But I'm also greedy, so a kick-ass plot would be very nice. Please put it right next to the pony, the plastic rocket ship, and the keys to Tyler Hoechlin.
For purposes of Yuletide, I'd rather not see: PWPs, totally downbeat endings, character death.
If any of the details below spark something for you, great. If not, I repeat, DON’T WORRY! In the end, I'm easy. I like good writing. Write a story that you enjoy, that you're proud of, that you're thrilled will be one the stories people point to when they talk about this little fandom. Write that story and we'll both be happy.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) (Dirty Rotten Soundrels (1988) [Amazon Instant Video] | Dirty Rotten Soundrels (1988) [IMDb listing])
Character(s): Freddy Benson, Janet Colgate, Lawrence Jamieson
Janet the chameleon mastermind, Lawrence the patient professional, Freddy the failboat - I love them all.
Oh, man, I can’t even think of where to begin! Janet’s POV for the events of the movie, the con they embark upon at the end, the jobs they pull off as an established trio - it’s all good. This would be a great fandom for historical/sci-fi/fantasy AUs, seeing how these grifters find each other or work as a team in another setting.
This is definitely an elastic fandom. It’s borderline crack already so don’t be afraid to push it to absurdity if that’s the way you want to go. Freddy with a space laser? (Duck!) Lawrence as a genial dragon? Janet tempted by politics? I will travel down that road with you.
If you’re interested in romance, I could see them as happily platonic or a total threesome, or any configuration in between. None of which, of course, would ever get in the way of romancing the next mark!
Now You See Me (2013) (Now You See Me [Amazon Instant Video] | Now You See Me [IMDb listing])
Characters: J. Daniel Atlas, Merritt McKinney, Henley Reeves, Jack Wilder
Really, what can I say except MAGICAL CON MAN JUSTICE!
Tell me about the Four Horsemen coming together as a team, always wondering who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. Or how they learned their craft, putting on small shows or running petty cons. What do they do after they join the Eye? Their faces are all over the news - now what? Is there a next big target? Is there a hierarchy behind the Eye sending them out on missions? I’d like to see them all but they don’t necessarily have to be together or interact, if your story takes place before they meet or while they’re on separate jobs.
I love Merritt’s snark and how he wears his insecurity on the outside, how Jack is so low-key about risking his life (and fighting with props instead of weapons), Henley’s rise from assistant to headliner, and Daniel’s certainty that he’s the smartest guy in the room - until he isn’t. Appearances by Dylan, Alma, Arthur, or Thaddeus would be enjoyed but are certainly not required.
This is definitely a fandom in which I’d accept real magic or concrete explanations or a mixture of both. MAGICAL CON MAN JUSTICE!
Lord Darcy Series - Randall Garrett ( Lord Darcy Omnibus [epub file])
Characters: Lord Darcy, Marquis of London, Richard Duke of Normandy, Sean O Lochlainn
A straight-up mystery would be awesome and amazing (I wrote Agatha Christie one year - clues are hard! < /whine>) or a bit of espionage and intrigue stirred up by His Polish Majesty. Or just moving through the world with these characters and exploring the differences between it and our own. I could see a day-in-the-life or perhaps a series of letters between various characters as they perform their duties.
I’m intrigued by Richard, who we see so little of, his youth combined with so much power and responsibility, and surrounded by so many people of great ability who are his to command. The Sherlock-Mycroft (via Nero Wolfe) relationship between Darcy and de London is always fun, particularly when they are trying to annoy each other. And of course, Master Sean, who pulls off the best “As everyone knows, Bob, magic works like this” speeches ever.
Mystery/spy caper, world-building, character studies - I’m open to just about anything except no magic. :D Feel free to move the setting/technology up to modern day if you’d rather not deal with Garrett’s version of the 1960s/70s.
In the interests of full disclosure, one year I matched on this, then had a crisis of confidence and wrote in a different fandom. I could not for the life of me think of an interesting spell, much less a clever pun to drop in. So if you go for this, I salute you!
Go forth and may the Spirit of the Yuletide Hippo be with you!
This entry was originally posted at http://ladyvyola.dreamwidth.org/167968.html.
As always, good luck! I am truly delighted and grateful that I've got a match. (Or a pinch hitter! I've gotten pinch hitters before and I love you, too! You chose me! You brave, weird souls, you.)
I'm mostly on tumblr these days so if you want to know what I find pretty/funny/sexy/baffling, feel free to check me out at ladyvyola
So, first the big picture then a little more specificity on what I like about each request.
My Yuletide philosophy: this might be the only chance to get a story in a certain fandom. I'm not going to get too caught up in pairings and specifics. I'd rather get a good, solid, re-readable story to set the bar and attract more fans. Here are the more atmospheric, broader story elements and themes that I find attractive.
I’ve got comedy con men, magical cons, and magical justice - hmmm, seems like I do have a through-line this year. I love these genre mash-ups. I like days-in-the-life and I like the fate of the world (or a character’s personal world) at stake. I like snark and banter and people being really good at what they do. Yeah, there’s competence porn all over my fandoms. Of course, there’s also a lot stuff to explore as characters try and fail and try some more to become good at what they do. I like romance and subtext, slash and het and gen.
If I have to make a choice, I'll go with voice and atmosphere over plot -- again, this might be the only story I read in this fandom and I'd like something that truly evokes it. But I'm also greedy, so a kick-ass plot would be very nice. Please put it right next to the pony, the plastic rocket ship, and the keys to Tyler Hoechlin.
For purposes of Yuletide, I'd rather not see: PWPs, totally downbeat endings, character death.
If any of the details below spark something for you, great. If not, I repeat, DON’T WORRY! In the end, I'm easy. I like good writing. Write a story that you enjoy, that you're proud of, that you're thrilled will be one the stories people point to when they talk about this little fandom. Write that story and we'll both be happy.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) (Dirty Rotten Soundrels (1988) [Amazon Instant Video] | Dirty Rotten Soundrels (1988) [IMDb listing])
Character(s): Freddy Benson, Janet Colgate, Lawrence Jamieson
Janet the chameleon mastermind, Lawrence the patient professional, Freddy the failboat - I love them all.
Oh, man, I can’t even think of where to begin! Janet’s POV for the events of the movie, the con they embark upon at the end, the jobs they pull off as an established trio - it’s all good. This would be a great fandom for historical/sci-fi/fantasy AUs, seeing how these grifters find each other or work as a team in another setting.
This is definitely an elastic fandom. It’s borderline crack already so don’t be afraid to push it to absurdity if that’s the way you want to go. Freddy with a space laser? (Duck!) Lawrence as a genial dragon? Janet tempted by politics? I will travel down that road with you.
If you’re interested in romance, I could see them as happily platonic or a total threesome, or any configuration in between. None of which, of course, would ever get in the way of romancing the next mark!
Now You See Me (2013) (Now You See Me [Amazon Instant Video] | Now You See Me [IMDb listing])
Characters: J. Daniel Atlas, Merritt McKinney, Henley Reeves, Jack Wilder
Really, what can I say except MAGICAL CON MAN JUSTICE!
Tell me about the Four Horsemen coming together as a team, always wondering who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. Or how they learned their craft, putting on small shows or running petty cons. What do they do after they join the Eye? Their faces are all over the news - now what? Is there a next big target? Is there a hierarchy behind the Eye sending them out on missions? I’d like to see them all but they don’t necessarily have to be together or interact, if your story takes place before they meet or while they’re on separate jobs.
I love Merritt’s snark and how he wears his insecurity on the outside, how Jack is so low-key about risking his life (and fighting with props instead of weapons), Henley’s rise from assistant to headliner, and Daniel’s certainty that he’s the smartest guy in the room - until he isn’t. Appearances by Dylan, Alma, Arthur, or Thaddeus would be enjoyed but are certainly not required.
This is definitely a fandom in which I’d accept real magic or concrete explanations or a mixture of both. MAGICAL CON MAN JUSTICE!
Lord Darcy Series - Randall Garrett ( Lord Darcy Omnibus [epub file])
Characters: Lord Darcy, Marquis of London, Richard Duke of Normandy, Sean O Lochlainn
A straight-up mystery would be awesome and amazing (I wrote Agatha Christie one year - clues are hard! < /whine>) or a bit of espionage and intrigue stirred up by His Polish Majesty. Or just moving through the world with these characters and exploring the differences between it and our own. I could see a day-in-the-life or perhaps a series of letters between various characters as they perform their duties.
I’m intrigued by Richard, who we see so little of, his youth combined with so much power and responsibility, and surrounded by so many people of great ability who are his to command. The Sherlock-Mycroft (via Nero Wolfe) relationship between Darcy and de London is always fun, particularly when they are trying to annoy each other. And of course, Master Sean, who pulls off the best “As everyone knows, Bob, magic works like this” speeches ever.
Mystery/spy caper, world-building, character studies - I’m open to just about anything except no magic. :D Feel free to move the setting/technology up to modern day if you’d rather not deal with Garrett’s version of the 1960s/70s.
In the interests of full disclosure, one year I matched on this, then had a crisis of confidence and wrote in a different fandom. I could not for the life of me think of an interesting spell, much less a clever pun to drop in. So if you go for this, I salute you!
Go forth and may the Spirit of the Yuletide Hippo be with you!
This entry was originally posted at http://ladyvyola.dreamwidth.org/167968.html.