Not For Prime Time Letter
Dear Prime Time Player,
I have a terrible tendency to waffle in these Dear Author letters, so let it be said that I am a great believer in the story that you want to tell being the one that's going to be the most compelling to read. If you're the sort of person who likes a concise letter and a free hand, just go for what you have in mind as long as you at least try to avoid any pet hates listed here. All the extra details & prompts are for souls like me who might want them. Do not attempt to give me everything below in one fic; you'd do yourself an injury. If anything seems contradictory, it's mostly because I like different things at different times in different fandoms.
Likes: Humour, missing adventures, friendships, hurt/comfort, fantasy, history, mysteries, ghosts, plot, casefic, crossovers, gen, het, femslash. I do enjoy mild shippiness, and I adore reading about the subtleties, interactions and differing dynamics of relationships of all kinds between people/groups. (This is hard. I like lots of things.)
Dislikes: graphic horror/violence, explicit pr0n, PWP, sugary sentimentality, incest, rape, or unending angst without hope. I do like some AUs on occasion, but in general for me adding fantastical elements to a mundane fandom is fine, turning a fantasy/sf fandom mundane not so much, and I tend not to be into fusions. I'm not keen on unexpected (non-canonical) character death, generally (although it will be more okay in something like Spooks or B7 than happier fandoms). If I love a fandom, I tend to love most if not all of it, so it's really best to avoid any character bashing or assumptions that canon always needs fixing. If I have any pet fixits I'd like, I'll mention it below. I don't have any triggers, though, so please don't panic, and I can absolutely take some of these things if that's what the fic needs.
In short, please don't worry, I like lots of different things and am sure I will enjoy your fic. I hope you also have fun writing (and many apologies if anything in this letter is making you tear out your hair).
Doctor Who - Big Finish Audio
Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, Sixth Doctor, Evelyn Smythe
This is an either/or set of characters, preferably Eight & Charley or Six & Evelyn, but multi-era meetings and Six and Charley is also good. (And, I mean, Eight & Evelyn, why not? <3)
Any missing adventures, TARDIS-based domestic shenanigans, humour, fluff, shippiness (mostly Eight/Charley, but I have a soft spot for any other possible pairing here, except maybe Charley/Evelyn, but hey if you can make it fly, go with it), historicals, crossovers, hurt/comfort, chocolate cake - whatever you can come up with!
For Eight & Charley, I would love a missing adventure, I ship them like nobody's business but am always happy with friendship, too, and would adore a post-canon reunion for them. (I have gaps in the original Eight-Charley run, but have listened to The Girl Who Never Was. I have the Charley spin-off but have not yet listened to it.)
Six & Evelyn - I am so behind with their adventures, so I don't know Evelyn's ending, (though I have heard things so while I'd prefer not to be spoiled for specifics, you can hint if you need to). As with Eight and Charley, I just love their dynamic, so you can do pretty much anything you like with them.
If you want to mix and match the companion/doctor teams or go multi-era, I think I can only reiterate the same sorts of things - I love these characters and their dynamics and and I chose them over Classic Who because there seems to be so little fic for Big Finish characters of late, so write any of them and you can't really go wrong.
Red Dwarf
Any
If you can write Red Dwarf, you can do what you like, honestly. Any fic that feels like a missing scene or adventure would be perfect. Parody something if you feel like it, or write a crossover. I'm not really into Rimmer/Lister, though I don't mind some hints of it at all - it's just a fandom where I'm more into gen (or crack pairings, and/or people running away from them, as per canon).
I've not got much more to say, but probably I should add that I am most fond of SII-VI, but I have seen everything (and I liked X!) so you can't spoiler me, and I don't mind when it was set if you can write something fun. My least favourite series is 8 (too many people and the wrong Rimmer, I can't). I love AIs with character, so any Holly is good. I have a slight preference for Hattie's Holly but only slight because original Holly is so great, how can you chose? Like most people, my favourite is probably that smegger, Arnold Rimmer, because, you know, he's Arnold, Arnold Rimmer... la la la. My love of AIs means that if you want to write a fic that includes anything about what the scutters are doing or any other things like Talkie Toaster, I am good with that. Love of AIs here obviously also means that Kryten is also a favourite. ("But where do all the calculators go?" ♥) Not of course that I'm not interested in Lister or the Cat, too. If you are happy, I'm angling here more for 'ensemble' than anything else.
However, write me Red Dwarf fic and I shall just be sitting here with a grin on my face admiring it.
Spooks | MI5
Ruth Evershed, Tom Quinn
I love Ruth & Tom's shifting dynamic across S2 - her gratitude to him and crush on him, the way she effectively runs him in 2.05! I would also dearly like to see some Tom/Ruth shippiness that crosses the 300 word or so mark and isn't written by me. I don't mind if it's AU. I wrote an apocalyptic AU for them, but there could always be more. Or them meeting up during Ruth's exile, or Tom's reaction to what he's asked to do in S10 and why (although I would also like some actual Ruth, too, if possible). However, I do enjoy the characters separately and together as gen, so don't worry if you can't ship them - anything you can come up with will be great.
I love the early Spooks teams, so any gen or missing case fic type with them would be wonderful, and while I chose Ruth & Tom, the only character I'm not so interested in from S1-5 is Adam (and then only when he's being angsty; I quite like his & Fiona's Mr & Mrs Bond vibe early on), so include anyone you wish to. I am also happy to ship Ruth/Harry (or Ruth/anyone frankly) and Tom/Christine, too. I do enjoy later Spooks, though, so it's fine if you set it further into the series. (I don't like 8.01 and 9.08, and don't care much for Ben or Calum, but otherwise Spooks is Spooks and I love it, even when I probably shouldn't.)
I also like plenty of the characters who weren't nominated (though don't worry, Ruth and Tom would still have been first choice), but I would be happy to see plenty of the rest, such as Ros, Malcolm, Zaf (and Zaf/Jo!), Juliet, Jools, or Connie in fic, if you wished to include them.
Star Trek: Voyager
Kathryn Janeway
I love Janeway! Write me any missing scene, arguments with her replicator, relationships with any one of her crew, or crossover, or whatever you like, really.
I love Janeway, basically. I love that she has all these different but distinct relationships with every member of her crew & you can write me any of those. Her getting fed up with Q's advances will never not be funny to me. As to ships, I'm open to them, although Janeway/Seven hits too closely to my mentor or teacher/student relationship dislike, but I recognise that Kate Mulgrew has chemistry with everything that moves and, frankly, plenty of things that don't, so feel free to use that if you like, although I am predictable and mostly ship Janeway/Chakotay.
Also on the predictable front, I hate the ending and don't mind if you want to pretend it didn't happen or fix it in any way. (Apologies if you do, but there it is.)
Otherwise, being far away from the Federation*, found families in space, JANEWAY JANEWAY JANEWAY (did I mention JANEWAY?), Maquis-Starfleet difficulties, Tuvok, the Doctor, Tom, Seven, B'Elanna, Tom/B'Elanna and general interactions between everyone.
* Confession: I never got into any Star Trek till I saw Janeway and was immediately captivated and while I do now mildly enjoy what I've seen of the others, I don't much care for the Federation - fully paid up member of the Blake's 7 resistance fighters group, okay - they just don't have Janeway. (I know, I do ST wrong, sorry.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there:
I have a terrible tendency to waffle in these Dear Author letters, so let it be said that I am a great believer in the story that you want to tell being the one that's going to be the most compelling to read. If you're the sort of person who likes a concise letter and a free hand, just go for what you have in mind as long as you at least try to avoid any pet hates listed here. All the extra details & prompts are for souls like me who might want them. Do not attempt to give me everything below in one fic; you'd do yourself an injury. If anything seems contradictory, it's mostly because I like different things at different times in different fandoms.
Likes: Humour, missing adventures, friendships, hurt/comfort, fantasy, history, mysteries, ghosts, plot, casefic, crossovers, gen, het, femslash. I do enjoy mild shippiness, and I adore reading about the subtleties, interactions and differing dynamics of relationships of all kinds between people/groups. (This is hard. I like lots of things.)
Dislikes: graphic horror/violence, explicit pr0n, PWP, sugary sentimentality, incest, rape, or unending angst without hope. I do like some AUs on occasion, but in general for me adding fantastical elements to a mundane fandom is fine, turning a fantasy/sf fandom mundane not so much, and I tend not to be into fusions. I'm not keen on unexpected (non-canonical) character death, generally (although it will be more okay in something like Spooks or B7 than happier fandoms). If I love a fandom, I tend to love most if not all of it, so it's really best to avoid any character bashing or assumptions that canon always needs fixing. If I have any pet fixits I'd like, I'll mention it below. I don't have any triggers, though, so please don't panic, and I can absolutely take some of these things if that's what the fic needs.
In short, please don't worry, I like lots of different things and am sure I will enjoy your fic. I hope you also have fun writing (and many apologies if anything in this letter is making you tear out your hair).
Doctor Who - Big Finish Audio
Eighth Doctor, Charley Pollard, Sixth Doctor, Evelyn Smythe
This is an either/or set of characters, preferably Eight & Charley or Six & Evelyn, but multi-era meetings and Six and Charley is also good. (And, I mean, Eight & Evelyn, why not? <3)
Any missing adventures, TARDIS-based domestic shenanigans, humour, fluff, shippiness (mostly Eight/Charley, but I have a soft spot for any other possible pairing here, except maybe Charley/Evelyn, but hey if you can make it fly, go with it), historicals, crossovers, hurt/comfort, chocolate cake - whatever you can come up with!
For Eight & Charley, I would love a missing adventure, I ship them like nobody's business but am always happy with friendship, too, and would adore a post-canon reunion for them. (I have gaps in the original Eight-Charley run, but have listened to The Girl Who Never Was. I have the Charley spin-off but have not yet listened to it.)
Six & Evelyn - I am so behind with their adventures, so I don't know Evelyn's ending, (though I have heard things so while I'd prefer not to be spoiled for specifics, you can hint if you need to). As with Eight and Charley, I just love their dynamic, so you can do pretty much anything you like with them.
If you want to mix and match the companion/doctor teams or go multi-era, I think I can only reiterate the same sorts of things - I love these characters and their dynamics and and I chose them over Classic Who because there seems to be so little fic for Big Finish characters of late, so write any of them and you can't really go wrong.
Red Dwarf
Any
If you can write Red Dwarf, you can do what you like, honestly. Any fic that feels like a missing scene or adventure would be perfect. Parody something if you feel like it, or write a crossover. I'm not really into Rimmer/Lister, though I don't mind some hints of it at all - it's just a fandom where I'm more into gen (or crack pairings, and/or people running away from them, as per canon).
I've not got much more to say, but probably I should add that I am most fond of SII-VI, but I have seen everything (and I liked X!) so you can't spoiler me, and I don't mind when it was set if you can write something fun. My least favourite series is 8 (too many people and the wrong Rimmer, I can't). I love AIs with character, so any Holly is good. I have a slight preference for Hattie's Holly but only slight because original Holly is so great, how can you chose? Like most people, my favourite is probably that smegger, Arnold Rimmer, because, you know, he's Arnold, Arnold Rimmer... la la la. My love of AIs means that if you want to write a fic that includes anything about what the scutters are doing or any other things like Talkie Toaster, I am good with that. Love of AIs here obviously also means that Kryten is also a favourite. ("But where do all the calculators go?" ♥) Not of course that I'm not interested in Lister or the Cat, too. If you are happy, I'm angling here more for 'ensemble' than anything else.
However, write me Red Dwarf fic and I shall just be sitting here with a grin on my face admiring it.
Spooks | MI5
Ruth Evershed, Tom Quinn
I love Ruth & Tom's shifting dynamic across S2 - her gratitude to him and crush on him, the way she effectively runs him in 2.05! I would also dearly like to see some Tom/Ruth shippiness that crosses the 300 word or so mark and isn't written by me. I don't mind if it's AU. I wrote an apocalyptic AU for them, but there could always be more. Or them meeting up during Ruth's exile, or Tom's reaction to what he's asked to do in S10 and why (although I would also like some actual Ruth, too, if possible). However, I do enjoy the characters separately and together as gen, so don't worry if you can't ship them - anything you can come up with will be great.
I love the early Spooks teams, so any gen or missing case fic type with them would be wonderful, and while I chose Ruth & Tom, the only character I'm not so interested in from S1-5 is Adam (and then only when he's being angsty; I quite like his & Fiona's Mr & Mrs Bond vibe early on), so include anyone you wish to. I am also happy to ship Ruth/Harry (or Ruth/anyone frankly) and Tom/Christine, too. I do enjoy later Spooks, though, so it's fine if you set it further into the series. (I don't like 8.01 and 9.08, and don't care much for Ben or Calum, but otherwise Spooks is Spooks and I love it, even when I probably shouldn't.)
I also like plenty of the characters who weren't nominated (though don't worry, Ruth and Tom would still have been first choice), but I would be happy to see plenty of the rest, such as Ros, Malcolm, Zaf (and Zaf/Jo!), Juliet, Jools, or Connie in fic, if you wished to include them.
Star Trek: Voyager
Kathryn Janeway
I love Janeway! Write me any missing scene, arguments with her replicator, relationships with any one of her crew, or crossover, or whatever you like, really.
I love Janeway, basically. I love that she has all these different but distinct relationships with every member of her crew & you can write me any of those. Her getting fed up with Q's advances will never not be funny to me. As to ships, I'm open to them, although Janeway/Seven hits too closely to my mentor or teacher/student relationship dislike, but I recognise that Kate Mulgrew has chemistry with everything that moves and, frankly, plenty of things that don't, so feel free to use that if you like, although I am predictable and mostly ship Janeway/Chakotay.
Also on the predictable front, I hate the ending and don't mind if you want to pretend it didn't happen or fix it in any way. (Apologies if you do, but there it is.)
Otherwise, being far away from the Federation*, found families in space, JANEWAY JANEWAY JANEWAY (did I mention JANEWAY?), Maquis-Starfleet difficulties, Tuvok, the Doctor, Tom, Seven, B'Elanna, Tom/B'Elanna and general interactions between everyone.
* Confession: I never got into any Star Trek till I saw Janeway and was immediately captivated and while I do now mildly enjoy what I've seen of the others, I don't much care for the Federation - fully paid up member of the Blake's 7 resistance fighters group, okay - they just don't have Janeway. (I know, I do ST wrong, sorry.)
Crossposted from Dreamwidth -- Comments there: