Dear Yuletide Writer
Dear Yuletide Writer,
First off: you are awesome! No matter which of my requests you end up writing, you are getting so much love for this. I mean, we share a small fandom, how sweet is that?
As far as fic goes, I'm pretty easy to please. I don't have anything too specific that I'm looking for and, really, I'd rather you wrote a story you like and had fun with than one that perfectly fits what I tell you. Chances are, I'm going to forget some of the details of what I tell you, anyway, so I probably won't even notice and will be filled with so much glee at getting a fic for one of these fandoms that it won't matter in the slightest.
Before I dive into the specifics of each request, some general guidelines are probably good. A big thing to keep in mind is that, while I'm not opposed to sex in fic by any means, it's not my favourite thing to read. In fact, nine times out of ten, I skim sex scenes entirely. Unless it's important to the plot, smut scenes just aren't my thing, you know? But, the only things I really don't want are death fic (as in, where the central character(s) die(s)), total AU (high school students, etc.), graphic descriptions of violence, rape and mpreg.
Some general things I DO like are character studies, stories that focus on relationship development (or examine an aspect of a relationship), and good dialogue. I love witty conversation. Also, as you probably figured out from my requests, I like characters with issues and I love fics that address that. Getting into a character's head is one of my favourite things ever in fic.
Now for a few notes on each of my requests specifically:
Request 1: Ellen Kushner - Swordspoint Series(Alec Campion/Richard St. Vier)
I'd like a story set either during or pre-Swordspoint. A focus on the development of Alec and Richard's romantic relationship would be ace.
This is a pretty straightforward request. I love Alec beyond all reason and his relationship with Richard during his younger years, before he becomes the Duke, is my favourite part of the series. Alec is such an unhappy person it's hard to write anything fluffy for them, but something a little bittersweet, but mostly happy, would be lovely. It can be complicated or very simple, subtext-laden or straightforward, whatever you think feels best.
Request 2: Dark Shadows (1966) (Barnabas Collins)
I would love a Barnabas character study beyond all reason. If you want to include romance, feel free, but stick to canon ships (Barnabas/Angelique, Barnabas/Josette, etc.). But please no Barnabas/Vicki, because I'm not a fan.
Barnabas Collins was one of my first fictional character loves, so he's what I really want from this fandom. The fic can be set in any arc, any time period, with any cast of supporting characters (or none at all), as long as it's some sort of character study. Look at his motivations, his inner conflict, his longing after Josette... anything like that will make me happy. This is a fandom where, despite my slash goggles, I like the canon ships, so my only serious request is to please stick to those.
Request 3: Michael Moorcock - Jerry Cornelius Series (Jerry Cornelius)
Honestly, as long as it's Jerry-centric, I'll be happy. Relationships (het or slash - it's Jerry, so anything goes) are optional.
This is a super open-ended request because it's Jerry and he's never quite the same from one story to another. My favourite piece of the series is The Final Programme, so you can maybe use that as a guideline, but it doesn't have to be set there. I guess the best guidance I can give you is to keep the focus on him as a character - he doesn't remember his previous lives, he always falls in love with Catherine and she always dies, etc. - and not worry too much about where exactly it's set. He's all over the place, temporally and spatially, so as long as it's grounded in his character, I'm not too fussed.
Request 4: Frank Herbert - Dune Series (Piter de Vries)
Again, I'd love a character study. I find Piter really fascinating and I'd love something set either during or before Dune focusing on why he is who he is. You don't have to take the prequels into consideration unless you want to.
Piter is hands down my favourite character from Dune. So some sort of character study, looking at why he is who (and what) he is, would be amazing. The biggest allure of Herbert is, of course, the universe he created, so please feel free to play with the setting, too. The world is just as alive as any of the characters, so you don't have to focus on Piter in a vacuum. Feel free to also include other characters, as long as they don't become the centre of the story. And, re: the prequels, use them if you want, but I only consider them pseudo-canon at best, so if you contradict something in them, I really don't care.