the annual Yuletide tl;dr
Why hello there, Yuletide author who is clearly awesome for having interests similar enough to mine to get paired with me! I hope you're not slamming your head on your desk wondering how in the world you're going to write any of this random stuff, though I don't blame you at all if you are. I'm so sorry for getting this letter posted so late, but with any luck it will provide some belated assistance.
So, the first important thing to mention is that I am easy. I don't often write fic or participate in the fic-world beyond lurking and reading, so having a fic written for me is totally the coolest thing ever. ANYTHING that I receive for Yuletide will make me happy, so please don't stress (I'll be doing enough of that for both of us, about my own fic) and don't worry if you get crazy new ideas that aren't at all what I suggested in the ~optional~ comments.
That said, I know it's just as hard to come up with a story when given NO guidelines as when given too many, so I'll try to explain a few things that make me extra happy in fic. First of all, I primarily read and write gen and femslash. I absolutely don't object to het or boyslash pairings when written in a non-explicit manner or when in the background of the story, but I do prefer any explicit stuff to be about girls. Feel free to leave out everything rated above PG-13, though - I'm here for the story, not the porn! :-D That was probably apparent from my requests, but just thought I'd throw it out there. The things that will almost invariably make me love a story: humor, smart dialogue, character development, metaphor, allusions to pop culture/history/nerdy stuff, well-done crossovers, crushes, beginnings of relationships, friendships that AREN'T relationships, etc etc!
There are also a few things of which I'm not so fond: unrealistic fic tropes (see mpreg, for instance), unnecessarily dark themes, established relationships (I'm all about first times, one-time dalliances, unresolved sexual tension, etc), and...that's all that comes to mind. :-D
Now, as far as individual sign-ups:
Fandom 1: Charles de Lint - Newford series
Characters: Jilly Coppercorn and/or Sophie Etoile and/or Wendy St. Clair
Original comments: Why is there no femslash for this fandom? I'd love to see some kind of slashy history for Jilly and Sophie, or Jilly and Wendy, or Wendy and Sophie - or if you're inspired, someone not on this character list!
Expanded comments: No really, that's about it. It seems to me that most of the characters in the Newford series have some kind of history with one another, but it's all so very straight. ;-) I know Jilly ends up with Geordie, and that's totally fine - this can be set way before any of that, or it can involve someone other than Jilly altogether. OR it can be gen - that is ALWAYS an option. My favorite things about this series are the city of Newford itself and the way the magic is subtle, so feel free to play around with those.
Fandom 2: The Big Bang Theory
Characters: Any
Original comments: Any kind of hilarious gen (or non-explicit Leonard/Penny) fic would be fantastic. Sheldon and Penny are my favorites, so the more of them, the better!
Expanded comments: If you volunteered to write this series, you know it is the funniest thing on tv right now. ALL I'm looking for in a fic is an extension of what happens on the television, because 30 minutes a week is not enough. I love Sheldon so much, and I love how Penny loves the nerdboys and still won't take any of their crap, and I am totally rooting for Leonard/Penny. Please don't make Penny a total bimbo, and please don't bash the boys for being complete geeks, but anything else is fair game!
Fandom 3: Libba Bray - A Great and Terrible Beauty
Characters: Felicity Worthington/Gemma Doyle
Original comments: Gemma/Felicity, set post-series if possible. What if Gemma visits Felicity in Paris or Felicity comes to New York to see Gemma?
Expanded comments: Um, that pretty much sums it up. I love this series so much, even though it is for teens and I am not so much a teen. I practically fell off my chair from the awesome when Felicity/Pippa became canon, and even if you don't think you can do a Gemma/Felicity follow-up, I'd love to see how Felicity fares in Paris and away from her family. Alternatively, I basically love everything set in New York, so feel free to follow Gemma instead! Or, you know, do whatever. :-D
Fandom 4: The Addams Family (movie)
Characters: Wednesday Addams
Original comments: I'd love to see Wednesday as a high-schooler or in college. A crossover with something wildly dissimilar would be amazing - think Gossip Girl, Buffy, Mean Girls, Saved, other movies/books/tv shows? Ooh, Daria and Wednesday meet in college! Now I'm going overboard - I'll brainstorm and put more in my Dear Author letter. :-) If that's too crazy, though, just a Wednesday-centric fic is fine.
Expanded comments: Er. I think I expanded quite a bit already, don't you? Not to mention that I revealed the full extent of my crazy. Sooo I lied and I am not actually going to put more in this letter. ;-) Anything about Wednesday's post-childhood life would be fantastic, and if you want to attempt the crossover, I would be very excited. I don't even care if I don't know the other fandom!
In conclusion, THANK YOU for writing for me, and happy Yuletide!
So, the first important thing to mention is that I am easy. I don't often write fic or participate in the fic-world beyond lurking and reading, so having a fic written for me is totally the coolest thing ever. ANYTHING that I receive for Yuletide will make me happy, so please don't stress (I'll be doing enough of that for both of us, about my own fic) and don't worry if you get crazy new ideas that aren't at all what I suggested in the ~optional~ comments.
That said, I know it's just as hard to come up with a story when given NO guidelines as when given too many, so I'll try to explain a few things that make me extra happy in fic. First of all, I primarily read and write gen and femslash. I absolutely don't object to het or boyslash pairings when written in a non-explicit manner or when in the background of the story, but I do prefer any explicit stuff to be about girls. Feel free to leave out everything rated above PG-13, though - I'm here for the story, not the porn! :-D That was probably apparent from my requests, but just thought I'd throw it out there. The things that will almost invariably make me love a story: humor, smart dialogue, character development, metaphor, allusions to pop culture/history/nerdy stuff, well-done crossovers, crushes, beginnings of relationships, friendships that AREN'T relationships, etc etc!
There are also a few things of which I'm not so fond: unrealistic fic tropes (see mpreg, for instance), unnecessarily dark themes, established relationships (I'm all about first times, one-time dalliances, unresolved sexual tension, etc), and...that's all that comes to mind. :-D
Now, as far as individual sign-ups:
Fandom 1: Charles de Lint - Newford series
Characters: Jilly Coppercorn and/or Sophie Etoile and/or Wendy St. Clair
Original comments: Why is there no femslash for this fandom? I'd love to see some kind of slashy history for Jilly and Sophie, or Jilly and Wendy, or Wendy and Sophie - or if you're inspired, someone not on this character list!
Expanded comments: No really, that's about it. It seems to me that most of the characters in the Newford series have some kind of history with one another, but it's all so very straight. ;-) I know Jilly ends up with Geordie, and that's totally fine - this can be set way before any of that, or it can involve someone other than Jilly altogether. OR it can be gen - that is ALWAYS an option. My favorite things about this series are the city of Newford itself and the way the magic is subtle, so feel free to play around with those.
Fandom 2: The Big Bang Theory
Characters: Any
Original comments: Any kind of hilarious gen (or non-explicit Leonard/Penny) fic would be fantastic. Sheldon and Penny are my favorites, so the more of them, the better!
Expanded comments: If you volunteered to write this series, you know it is the funniest thing on tv right now. ALL I'm looking for in a fic is an extension of what happens on the television, because 30 minutes a week is not enough. I love Sheldon so much, and I love how Penny loves the nerdboys and still won't take any of their crap, and I am totally rooting for Leonard/Penny. Please don't make Penny a total bimbo, and please don't bash the boys for being complete geeks, but anything else is fair game!
Fandom 3: Libba Bray - A Great and Terrible Beauty
Characters: Felicity Worthington/Gemma Doyle
Original comments: Gemma/Felicity, set post-series if possible. What if Gemma visits Felicity in Paris or Felicity comes to New York to see Gemma?
Expanded comments: Um, that pretty much sums it up. I love this series so much, even though it is for teens and I am not so much a teen. I practically fell off my chair from the awesome when Felicity/Pippa became canon, and even if you don't think you can do a Gemma/Felicity follow-up, I'd love to see how Felicity fares in Paris and away from her family. Alternatively, I basically love everything set in New York, so feel free to follow Gemma instead! Or, you know, do whatever. :-D
Fandom 4: The Addams Family (movie)
Characters: Wednesday Addams
Original comments: I'd love to see Wednesday as a high-schooler or in college. A crossover with something wildly dissimilar would be amazing - think Gossip Girl, Buffy, Mean Girls, Saved, other movies/books/tv shows? Ooh, Daria and Wednesday meet in college! Now I'm going overboard - I'll brainstorm and put more in my Dear Author letter. :-) If that's too crazy, though, just a Wednesday-centric fic is fine.
Expanded comments: Er. I think I expanded quite a bit already, don't you? Not to mention that I revealed the full extent of my crazy. Sooo I lied and I am not actually going to put more in this letter. ;-) Anything about Wednesday's post-childhood life would be fantastic, and if you want to attempt the crossover, I would be very excited. I don't even care if I don't know the other fandom!
In conclusion, THANK YOU for writing for me, and happy Yuletide!