Yuletide Letter
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Happy Yuletide! This is my first year participating, and I am so excited to see what you will write. A little about me: I have mostly written for/participated in the Parks and Rec fandom and dabbled a bit in The Mindy Project. You can find my fic here and here, and my tumblr is here. I’m writing this letter to give you a bit of guidance on what I generally like, but I also love surprises and will read most kinds of fic happily, so feel free to disregard if you have your own ideas.
Some things I love: In-character AUs, whether it’s an alternate ending for an episode, a what-if scenario, or something that takes the characters out of their usual situation and throws them into something completely different and/or zany. Missing moments or fic that fills in a character’s POV for something that happened in canon. Longing/pining. Respect and admiration, romantic or not. All the tropey fun: fake dating, sharing a bed, snowed in, going to a fancy party, etc. Romantic comedy. Tensiony bickering. Best friends who fall for each other. Comically realistic/awkward romantic situations. Sexytimes are great, but I care way more about how they get to bed than the specifics of what they do there. I don’t mind reasonable amounts of angst if it makes sense. I mostly read for romance, but not exclusively, so if you’d prefer to write any of the below pairings in a platonic way, that’s totally cool.
Things I’d rather not see: character death, nonconsensual sex, infidelity, incest, violence. I’m also not generally a big fan of domestic/kid fic or super fluffy fic, especially if it has no plot.
The Mindy Project, Mindy Lahiri and Danny Castellano
This is not a perfect show, but I adore its edgy take on romance, especially when it takes a romantic cliché and does something twisted and unexpected with it (see: “If we’re still single in five years …” or shooting the horse that’s pulling the carriage). But mostly I can’t get enough of the chemistry between Mindy and Danny and the evolution of their relationship from enemies to grudging respect to friendship-all the while with varying degrees of something lurking underneath.
I like the idea of Mindy and Danny eventually getting together, but I also really love that these are two flawed characters who have friction between them, and I appreciate when writers don’t completely gloss over that. I’d enjoy fic at any stage of their progression: the early fighting, or the tensiony friendship, or whatever you think might lead them to eventually get together. Tropey hijinks would be awesome, as would something that shows how Mindy’s feelings develop. If you’re feeling super ambitious, what about an AU where they get off a train, and it’s suddenly the 1940s, and they’re stuck with each other until they can find their way back to 2013? Super specific, I know, but it’s Danny’s idea, not mine (the opening of Hiring and Firing).
The Good Wife, Alicia Florrick and Eli Gold
I noticed at some point that Eli Gold goes for smart, self-possessed brunettes (Natalie, his ex-wife), and an idea entered my head that I can’t let go of. I don’t exactly ship Eli with Alicia, because I can’t see Alicia ever going for that, or Eli ever de-prioritizing his career enough to really consider it. But I’m fascinated by the idea that he has a level of respect and affection for her that adds an interesting layer to his motivations (see, for example, his deleting the voicemail from Will, or any time he’s gone out of his way to shield her from political dealings). And that maybe he struggles with the fact that he needs Alicia to stay with Peter but that he thinks Peter doesn’t really deserve her. And that sometimes his loyalty to her might pull him in a different direction than his ambitions for Peter, and that if he ever really had to choose between the two … And that maybe even, somewhere in an unacknowledged corner of his mind, there’s a wistful what-if kind of thought, that if they met in different circumstances, maybe.
If you want to explore any of that, you would be my new favorite person on the internet, but I also would be grateful for any story that simply has them interacting, as reluctant friends, as colleagues, as adversaries on something. The world just needs more Eli Gold, and I find him the most interesting in his interactions with Alicia.
Mad Men, Stan Rizzo and Peggy Olson
I really, really like when a guy admires a woman for being super smart and good at her job and stuff, and so I have always liked Stan’s crush on Peggy, even when he was being a jackass. I adore Peggy, to the point where I’m not sure Stan is quite deserving of her, but I also wonder if he might someday grow up enough to make it plausible, and he seems to have two of the things Peggy should have in a relationship: someone she has fun with and someone who takes her career as seriously as she does. Their friendship this season made me so happy, and then the recognition of the tension and feelings there … basically, more of any of that please.
Fic-wise, I would love to have some more background into how their workwife/workhusband friendship came about or just some extra scenes of them being bantery best buds (romantic vibes optional). I’d literally be thrilled with a fic that was nothing but after-hours phone calls. Alternately, maybe something that has Stan realizing or dealing with his Peggy feelings, or AU versions of their kiss.
Emma -Jane Austen, Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley
I recently read the book for the first time and then immediately went tearing through the various film adaptations (loved the 2009 BBC miniseries the best), because I just wanted to spend more time with these characters. They are flawed but essentially good, sometimes getting it wrong but always well-intentioned, and they both have such wonderful character arcs that bring them to the place where they're ready to be together as apparent equals. I appreciate how instead of being enemies who eventually realize they're perfect for each other, they are best friends who simply argue from time to time but always love each other (and eventually realize how much that love really is). And I like to think they still argue from time to time even after that point.
As I said, I just want to spend more time with them, whether that's in missing scenes or future fic or an AU version of some sort. I'd love to see something from Knightley's point of view. One idea that crossed my mind: when Knightley comes back from London, he doesn't think Emma loves him already and intends to try to win her love. Obviously that wasn't necessary, and I'm not sure how you'd bring about a situation where Emma doesn't immediately reciprocate, but I'm very curious how he would have gone about courting her. Maybe if he didn't declare his intentions up front, she wouldn't know what he was doing, and his efforts might go unnoticed for a while considering he's already known to be thoughtful, he already visits her a lot, and he's not prone to flattery. Could be amusing to see him try and her misunderstand.
Sorry to ramble on for so long! I’m sure I will love whatever you come up with. Thanks for writing for me!
Rikyl
Happy Yuletide! This is my first year participating, and I am so excited to see what you will write. A little about me: I have mostly written for/participated in the Parks and Rec fandom and dabbled a bit in The Mindy Project. You can find my fic here and here, and my tumblr is here. I’m writing this letter to give you a bit of guidance on what I generally like, but I also love surprises and will read most kinds of fic happily, so feel free to disregard if you have your own ideas.
Some things I love: In-character AUs, whether it’s an alternate ending for an episode, a what-if scenario, or something that takes the characters out of their usual situation and throws them into something completely different and/or zany. Missing moments or fic that fills in a character’s POV for something that happened in canon. Longing/pining. Respect and admiration, romantic or not. All the tropey fun: fake dating, sharing a bed, snowed in, going to a fancy party, etc. Romantic comedy. Tensiony bickering. Best friends who fall for each other. Comically realistic/awkward romantic situations. Sexytimes are great, but I care way more about how they get to bed than the specifics of what they do there. I don’t mind reasonable amounts of angst if it makes sense. I mostly read for romance, but not exclusively, so if you’d prefer to write any of the below pairings in a platonic way, that’s totally cool.
Things I’d rather not see: character death, nonconsensual sex, infidelity, incest, violence. I’m also not generally a big fan of domestic/kid fic or super fluffy fic, especially if it has no plot.
The Mindy Project, Mindy Lahiri and Danny Castellano
This is not a perfect show, but I adore its edgy take on romance, especially when it takes a romantic cliché and does something twisted and unexpected with it (see: “If we’re still single in five years …” or shooting the horse that’s pulling the carriage). But mostly I can’t get enough of the chemistry between Mindy and Danny and the evolution of their relationship from enemies to grudging respect to friendship-all the while with varying degrees of something lurking underneath.
I like the idea of Mindy and Danny eventually getting together, but I also really love that these are two flawed characters who have friction between them, and I appreciate when writers don’t completely gloss over that. I’d enjoy fic at any stage of their progression: the early fighting, or the tensiony friendship, or whatever you think might lead them to eventually get together. Tropey hijinks would be awesome, as would something that shows how Mindy’s feelings develop. If you’re feeling super ambitious, what about an AU where they get off a train, and it’s suddenly the 1940s, and they’re stuck with each other until they can find their way back to 2013? Super specific, I know, but it’s Danny’s idea, not mine (the opening of Hiring and Firing).
The Good Wife, Alicia Florrick and Eli Gold
I noticed at some point that Eli Gold goes for smart, self-possessed brunettes (Natalie, his ex-wife), and an idea entered my head that I can’t let go of. I don’t exactly ship Eli with Alicia, because I can’t see Alicia ever going for that, or Eli ever de-prioritizing his career enough to really consider it. But I’m fascinated by the idea that he has a level of respect and affection for her that adds an interesting layer to his motivations (see, for example, his deleting the voicemail from Will, or any time he’s gone out of his way to shield her from political dealings). And that maybe he struggles with the fact that he needs Alicia to stay with Peter but that he thinks Peter doesn’t really deserve her. And that sometimes his loyalty to her might pull him in a different direction than his ambitions for Peter, and that if he ever really had to choose between the two … And that maybe even, somewhere in an unacknowledged corner of his mind, there’s a wistful what-if kind of thought, that if they met in different circumstances, maybe.
If you want to explore any of that, you would be my new favorite person on the internet, but I also would be grateful for any story that simply has them interacting, as reluctant friends, as colleagues, as adversaries on something. The world just needs more Eli Gold, and I find him the most interesting in his interactions with Alicia.
Mad Men, Stan Rizzo and Peggy Olson
I really, really like when a guy admires a woman for being super smart and good at her job and stuff, and so I have always liked Stan’s crush on Peggy, even when he was being a jackass. I adore Peggy, to the point where I’m not sure Stan is quite deserving of her, but I also wonder if he might someday grow up enough to make it plausible, and he seems to have two of the things Peggy should have in a relationship: someone she has fun with and someone who takes her career as seriously as she does. Their friendship this season made me so happy, and then the recognition of the tension and feelings there … basically, more of any of that please.
Fic-wise, I would love to have some more background into how their workwife/workhusband friendship came about or just some extra scenes of them being bantery best buds (romantic vibes optional). I’d literally be thrilled with a fic that was nothing but after-hours phone calls. Alternately, maybe something that has Stan realizing or dealing with his Peggy feelings, or AU versions of their kiss.
Emma -Jane Austen, Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley
I recently read the book for the first time and then immediately went tearing through the various film adaptations (loved the 2009 BBC miniseries the best), because I just wanted to spend more time with these characters. They are flawed but essentially good, sometimes getting it wrong but always well-intentioned, and they both have such wonderful character arcs that bring them to the place where they're ready to be together as apparent equals. I appreciate how instead of being enemies who eventually realize they're perfect for each other, they are best friends who simply argue from time to time but always love each other (and eventually realize how much that love really is). And I like to think they still argue from time to time even after that point.
As I said, I just want to spend more time with them, whether that's in missing scenes or future fic or an AU version of some sort. I'd love to see something from Knightley's point of view. One idea that crossed my mind: when Knightley comes back from London, he doesn't think Emma loves him already and intends to try to win her love. Obviously that wasn't necessary, and I'm not sure how you'd bring about a situation where Emma doesn't immediately reciprocate, but I'm very curious how he would have gone about courting her. Maybe if he didn't declare his intentions up front, she wouldn't know what he was doing, and his efforts might go unnoticed for a while considering he's already known to be thoughtful, he already visits her a lot, and he's not prone to flattery. Could be amusing to see him try and her misunderstand.
Sorry to ramble on for so long! I’m sure I will love whatever you come up with. Thanks for writing for me!
Rikyl