And every year, Yuletide tempts my firm resolve...

[rheasilvia]

One of the characters nominated for Yuletide in the category "Ancient Egyptian RPF" is Thutmose III. I am insanely amused, for reasons that don't need exploring at this juncture

Comments

[glitterburn]

I have convoluted plans to game the system this year, although if one fandom doesn't get offered then all my plans are for naught! I hadn't noticed the Ancient Egyptian RPF. Maybe the list isn't for pairings, cos I can't see any of those working out either - I read something recently that claimed that Yuletide was more of a gen thing now, although that's never been my experience.

But now my interest is piqued, so I will look out for the Ancient Egyptian fic even if I don't end up taking part this year. But you already know the most interesting nominated fandoms never get written and instead 36 Downton Abbey fics turn up instead...

[rheasilvia]

Hm, gaming the system, are you? That sounds interesting... let me know if it works, it sounds like I might want to try it next year. *g

[glitterburn]

I've successfully gamed the system since 2009 and I've taken part from the second year it ran. I wrote 8 fics for it one year thanks to the Dear Yuletide Writer letters, which I admit these days I check before making any offers, since I'm very specific with some fandoms and I wouldn't want to ignore the optional details. Some requests are really interesting so I end up writing them as Yuletide Treats - often I've enjoyed doing those more than the actual assignment.

Ahhhh this is the Egyptian fic you'd put aside for ages? Good to know you've gone back to it!

I watched the first season of Downton Abbey but was too idle to carry on with it. The curse of the not-entirely-gripping TV show strikes again.

[rheasilvia]

8 fics...? Wow, that's scary! But I think that's a good system - reading the letters and seeing if anything inspires me would be a better method for me, too. So often, what one person likes about a show, pairing or character is so completely different from what another likes - being paired up with someone with a fundamentally different view than mine would make it incredibly difficult for me to write.

Yes, that's the one! So far I'm only moving things around in my head, but I'm getting there. (Things like "what kinds of interesting things can happen during a Bronze Age army's trip up a river... and ideally bring the general and a bumbling nobleman closer...?")

Downton Abbey sounds like a pretty uninteresting concept to me, but I've heard so many people rave about it that I keep meaning to give it a try. After all, sometimes concepts that sound lackluster on paper can turn into amazing shows. But... yeah. My motivation is fairly low.

[glitterburn]

Yep, that's my take on Yuletide, too. Every time I've offered Onmyouji as a fandom, I've absolutely prayed that I never got one person as my recipient because she has such a massively different opinion and I know I couldn't enjoy writing a fic for her. This year there seems less interest in that fandom though because everyone will be writing about Gangnam Style.

LOL I wrote a whole MPhil thesis on moving people around on boats during the Bronze Age. The Aegean, though, not a river, though I did reference Nile boats and IIRC the Orontes and the bladder-boats! Anyway, when you pick it up again I'd love to read it :D

tbh Downton is terrifically dull. Class is such a pernicious thing in British culture and there's something about the way it's presented in Downton that rubs me up the wrong way.