Dear Yuletide writer
Dear Yuletide writer
First things first; thank you so much for writing a story for me! I will be so happy to receive anything in one of these three very rare fandoms that you can feel free to ignore everything in this letter or to throw my prompts out completely if the muse hits you. I'm excited to see whatever you come up with!
Second things second; I am a lurker. Other than the occasional fic, I'm pretty much completely invisible in fandom these days - in fact, I think my last post on livejournal was last year's Yuletide letter. So, although you're welcome to poke around my old posts as much as you want, I'm afraid you're not going to find much of interest! I will therefore try to be some help in this post instead.
(I also wouldn't bother looking at my previous Yuletide letters unless you're really thorough, as I've literally copied and pasted most of this.)
Some general things about me and the kind of stories I like (though again, feel free to ignore them):
Request 1:
Fandom: Enid Blyton - Adventure series
Characters: Jack/Phillip
Details: I'd love to see the boys as adults, either slash or friendship-focused, maybe still having adventures; alternatively, a missing moment in canon, or something set at school? Feel free to include as many of the other characters or not as you want to, as I love them all.
I love these books. I'll admit that they're a long way from perfect; the bad guys are faintly pathetic and the plots are full of holes and unlikely coincidences (Wikipedia claims that she wrote each of the books in less than a week which I can well believe), but I just love the characters and the whole family dynamic between the Trents and the Mannerings, with Aunt Allie and Bill as well. They're the only Blyton books I've been able to re-read as an adult and still really enjoy - with a good dollop of childhood nostalgia, to be fair - and I think that's probably because they're the best-drawn characters in my opinion. All the subtext between Jack and Phillip obviously had nothing to do with it. ;)
Would love slash for this one; either an established relationship or a first time; maybe their sisters or parents finding out, or unrequited love, or something fluffy and sweet? Something that acknowledges the time period - the difficulties, the societal norms and taboos, etc. - would be absolutely lovely!
I'd also be very happy with gen or anything focusing on their relationship as best friends and foster-brothers; maybe at school, or as adults, adventuring all over the world? Please feel free to include the sisters as much or as little as you want, as I love them too.
Request 2:
Fandom: Maid Marian and her Merry Men
Characters: Robin/Marian
Details: I would love to see a fic where Robin realises that he is in love with Marian and sets about wooing her in his own unique style - how Marian responds I leave entirely up to you! Would also be happy with adventure fic featuring the gang, or any kind of crack!fic or wacky hijinks. I love the show for the fun of it so would be really happy to receive something with the same sort of sense of fun.
I love MM&HMM for three main reasons: childhood nostalgia (I watched it religiously as a child); the feminist awesomeness that was Maid Marian; and the tremendous fun of it all (anachronisms, bad puns, fart jokes and everything). So, as long as Marian remains her bossy, controlling, brilliant self, feel free to do anything you like with this one! I would just love to see anything at all written in this fandom.
I know it's very easy to read both Robin and Marian as being gay and I half-subscribe to that myself (or at least Robin being too in love with himself to love anyone else and Marian having a huge crush on Rose), but as it's the canon couple in most versions of Robin Hood, I would just love to see a fic dealing with how it would pan out in this universe. I also kind of ship it, based entirely on how pretty the two actors are, so I'd be tickled by a happy ending - but I'd also be amused by Marian running off screaming in disgust! If you're not too keen on the prompt, as I said, I'd also be very happy with anything involving the gang - particularly including any kind of parody of modern events along the lines of the show parodies of the Channel Tunnel or Comic Relief.
(Blatant fandom pimpage: If you've never heard of this fandom but are intrigued, it's a slightly insane but funny, feminist kid's version of Robin Hood, in which Marian is the leader and Robin is a vain, spineless coward. They manage to riff on different versions of the Robin Hood legend and contemporary pop-culture in a medieval setting while breaking out into random musical numbers at least once an episode. Why yes, it is as awesome as it sounds!)
Request 3:
Fandom: Press Gang
Characters: Spike/Lynda
Details: I adore Spike/Lynda as a pairing with all their snarky banter, so anything focused on them would be great - het or gen; set at school, post school or years in the future. Would prefer comedy or drama to pure angst but really, just anything with Spike and Lynda!
Ahh, Press Gang. Probably my all-time favourite TV show. I didn't request it last year because I couldn't think of a specific enough request (and look at that, I still can't) but luckily I got to write it instead and there was a great fic written for someone else as well. There's so little fic out there that I would love to see absolutely anything at all written for this fandom; seriously, feel free to do whatever you want!
However, in order not to be too vague, I'll try to give some ideas/prompts: something set post-series? (Weddings, funerals, baptisms or other occasions for reunions are always good, maybe seeing Spike & Lynda through another character's eyes, or a story where they meet again after several years apart?) Or maybe a missing moment from canon? (Spike/Lynda's second date after At Last a Dragon, Spike going to tea at the Days' house for the first time; how does Spike know Lynda's landlord in Quarter to Midnight?)
Kenny and Colin are my other favourite characters in Press Gang so bonus points for working either or both of them in, but absolutely no obligation to do so (or I would have specified them in the request!)
Spike/Lynda are pretty much my OTP and I'd love shippy fic, but if you don't feel you can write them as a couple I'd be really grateful if you didn't pair either of them off with someone else. Feel free to interpret the ending of There Are Crocodiles any way you want, or to ignore it altogether (which is what I usually do as it makes my head hurt).
Apologies for how long this got! As I said above, please feel free to ignore all of my ramblings and do whatever you want, as I always feel the best stories are written because the writer really wants to write them, not just to please someone else.
And just to say that my holiday plans are a bit up in the air at the moment, so I'm not sure when (or if) I'm going to be able to get to the archive when it goes live. So if I don't leave a comment right away, please don't think it's because I hated it, I just won't have made it to a computer yet!
First things first; thank you so much for writing a story for me! I will be so happy to receive anything in one of these three very rare fandoms that you can feel free to ignore everything in this letter or to throw my prompts out completely if the muse hits you. I'm excited to see whatever you come up with!
Second things second; I am a lurker. Other than the occasional fic, I'm pretty much completely invisible in fandom these days - in fact, I think my last post on livejournal was last year's Yuletide letter. So, although you're welcome to poke around my old posts as much as you want, I'm afraid you're not going to find much of interest! I will therefore try to be some help in this post instead.
(I also wouldn't bother looking at my previous Yuletide letters unless you're really thorough, as I've literally copied and pasted most of this.)
Some general things about me and the kind of stories I like (though again, feel free to ignore them):
- I love characters and dialogue - the main reason I love all of my requested fandoms is because of the characters in them and their relationships to each other, so I will always prefer something character-driven to PWP or pages of beautiful description with no character interaction
- I tend more towards happy endings than angsty, depressing stuff, but am not at all adverse to a bit of angst if there's a point or if that's the way the muse takes you
- I love gen, slash and het pretty much equally, but I always prefer fics that focus on relationships or friendships between characters to pure porn - I always request nostalgic children's fandoms for Yuletide and something NC-17 doesn't really appeal to me in that context!
- I love '5 things' fics or stories that tie together a lot of little moments throughout a relationship; I love fics that feel as though they could be a missing episode/book, but I also love ones set years in the future; I love stories that provide a different slant on a character, but I also love stories that take existing characters and have them do what they do best
- Squicks/turn-offs: rape, non-con, incest, graphic violence, inappropriately bad language (e.g. Blyton's kids swearing!), and complete AUs (i.e. 'What if's are awesome, 'everyone's a vampire and in high school!' are less so.)
Request 1:
Fandom: Enid Blyton - Adventure series
Characters: Jack/Phillip
Details: I'd love to see the boys as adults, either slash or friendship-focused, maybe still having adventures; alternatively, a missing moment in canon, or something set at school? Feel free to include as many of the other characters or not as you want to, as I love them all.
I love these books. I'll admit that they're a long way from perfect; the bad guys are faintly pathetic and the plots are full of holes and unlikely coincidences (Wikipedia claims that she wrote each of the books in less than a week which I can well believe), but I just love the characters and the whole family dynamic between the Trents and the Mannerings, with Aunt Allie and Bill as well. They're the only Blyton books I've been able to re-read as an adult and still really enjoy - with a good dollop of childhood nostalgia, to be fair - and I think that's probably because they're the best-drawn characters in my opinion. All the subtext between Jack and Phillip obviously had nothing to do with it. ;)
Would love slash for this one; either an established relationship or a first time; maybe their sisters or parents finding out, or unrequited love, or something fluffy and sweet? Something that acknowledges the time period - the difficulties, the societal norms and taboos, etc. - would be absolutely lovely!
I'd also be very happy with gen or anything focusing on their relationship as best friends and foster-brothers; maybe at school, or as adults, adventuring all over the world? Please feel free to include the sisters as much or as little as you want, as I love them too.
Request 2:
Fandom: Maid Marian and her Merry Men
Characters: Robin/Marian
Details: I would love to see a fic where Robin realises that he is in love with Marian and sets about wooing her in his own unique style - how Marian responds I leave entirely up to you! Would also be happy with adventure fic featuring the gang, or any kind of crack!fic or wacky hijinks. I love the show for the fun of it so would be really happy to receive something with the same sort of sense of fun.
I love MM&HMM for three main reasons: childhood nostalgia (I watched it religiously as a child); the feminist awesomeness that was Maid Marian; and the tremendous fun of it all (anachronisms, bad puns, fart jokes and everything). So, as long as Marian remains her bossy, controlling, brilliant self, feel free to do anything you like with this one! I would just love to see anything at all written in this fandom.
I know it's very easy to read both Robin and Marian as being gay and I half-subscribe to that myself (or at least Robin being too in love with himself to love anyone else and Marian having a huge crush on Rose), but as it's the canon couple in most versions of Robin Hood, I would just love to see a fic dealing with how it would pan out in this universe. I also kind of ship it, based entirely on how pretty the two actors are, so I'd be tickled by a happy ending - but I'd also be amused by Marian running off screaming in disgust! If you're not too keen on the prompt, as I said, I'd also be very happy with anything involving the gang - particularly including any kind of parody of modern events along the lines of the show parodies of the Channel Tunnel or Comic Relief.
(Blatant fandom pimpage: If you've never heard of this fandom but are intrigued, it's a slightly insane but funny, feminist kid's version of Robin Hood, in which Marian is the leader and Robin is a vain, spineless coward. They manage to riff on different versions of the Robin Hood legend and contemporary pop-culture in a medieval setting while breaking out into random musical numbers at least once an episode. Why yes, it is as awesome as it sounds!)
Request 3:
Fandom: Press Gang
Characters: Spike/Lynda
Details: I adore Spike/Lynda as a pairing with all their snarky banter, so anything focused on them would be great - het or gen; set at school, post school or years in the future. Would prefer comedy or drama to pure angst but really, just anything with Spike and Lynda!
Ahh, Press Gang. Probably my all-time favourite TV show. I didn't request it last year because I couldn't think of a specific enough request (and look at that, I still can't) but luckily I got to write it instead and there was a great fic written for someone else as well. There's so little fic out there that I would love to see absolutely anything at all written for this fandom; seriously, feel free to do whatever you want!
However, in order not to be too vague, I'll try to give some ideas/prompts: something set post-series? (Weddings, funerals, baptisms or other occasions for reunions are always good, maybe seeing Spike & Lynda through another character's eyes, or a story where they meet again after several years apart?) Or maybe a missing moment from canon? (Spike/Lynda's second date after At Last a Dragon, Spike going to tea at the Days' house for the first time; how does Spike know Lynda's landlord in Quarter to Midnight?)
Kenny and Colin are my other favourite characters in Press Gang so bonus points for working either or both of them in, but absolutely no obligation to do so (or I would have specified them in the request!)
Spike/Lynda are pretty much my OTP and I'd love shippy fic, but if you don't feel you can write them as a couple I'd be really grateful if you didn't pair either of them off with someone else. Feel free to interpret the ending of There Are Crocodiles any way you want, or to ignore it altogether (which is what I usually do as it makes my head hurt).
Apologies for how long this got! As I said above, please feel free to ignore all of my ramblings and do whatever you want, as I always feel the best stories are written because the writer really wants to write them, not just to please someone else.
And just to say that my holiday plans are a bit up in the air at the moment, so I'm not sure when (or if) I'm going to be able to get to the archive when it goes live. So if I don't leave a comment right away, please don't think it's because I hated it, I just won't have made it to a computer yet!