Yuletide 2013 letter
Hello fellow Yuletide writer! You're writing a story in a fandom I love, which makes me really happy. I have some suggestions, but they're entirely optional. I'm generally that person who loves a fandom without branching out far from canon: I rarely* crave AU stories or ship non-canon pairs, and I like fanfic that reflects the medium, in all its warts and glory.
*Rarely does not mean never. If you're inspired by a particular idea, go for it.
A few things I'd rather not read: polyamory and infidelity don't appeal to me. While I love romance, I'm that person who sometimes skims sex scenes, so no need to get super-detailed for that. Oh, and please, no rape or incest, or any romantic relationship with a big power imbalance.
Also, no zombies. (The irony of this is that I wrote a zombie story the last time I participated in Yuletide. But that story wasn't for me, so it was okay.)
Some things that are fine with me (not things I expect, just things you don't have to avoid out of fear that I'll hate them): original characters, babies, and even character death, as long as it's appropriate to the canon source.
Stuff I love: character studies, made-up backstory for minor characters, friendship fic, genfic, episode inserts, gratuitous references to mythology and/or fairy tales, future fics, repressed feelings, and morally ambiguous women reluctantly saving the world.
Ultraviolet (tv)
I'd really like some fic that includes Angie March. Her careful control interests me; I'd love to know more about what's going on in her mind, or seeing her through someone else's eyes, especially while interacting with the team and/or her daughter. Future fic would be great, as would anything filling in those spaces we didn't get to see. (I'm not a fan of Angie/Pearse as a romantic pair, though I do like them as colleagues and a sort of pseudo-family.)
More: somehow I ended up shipping Angie/Vaughan. Just FYI. I blame Idris Elba. If you want to include any references to that, go for it. Requited or unrequited, as I'm a fan of pining as well as romance.
Things I loved about this short-lived show: Angie being competent and self-contained, Vaughan's cynicism combined with a smidge of hopefulness, Frances and her pragmatism. I liked Michael; he worked well as our POV in the series, but I found the characters already immersed in that world to be more interesting in the long run.
Lois McMaster Bujold--Curse of Chalion series
I'd love to see more of Ista after "Paladin of Souls." I'm interested in her ongoing role as Paladin for the Bastard, in her friendship with Liss, and in her relationship with Illvin. (I'm not averse to babies. It fits the perverse humor and 'out of season' theme of a deity like the Bastard.) Also, Foix and Liss--I'm curious about them as a couple, especially acknowledging his ongoing state of dealing with a demon.
This fandom is why I felt compelled to mention that I'm not against babyfic. I do love Paladin of Souls, and would enjoy fic about almost any of the characters, most especially if Ista was a part of the story. Oh, and fic set during the book instead of after would also be fine.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
One small benefit about shows cancelled too soon is all the space left open for fanfiction. I really want to know what happens next! But honestly, with this show, you could pick almost any character and any moment to embellish, and I would be riveted. I'd really like to have more with James Ellison in particular.
I'm noticing a theme here: characters with the controlled exterior are the ones who intrigue me enough to make requests. Ellison fits the bill. I'm particularly interested in how he changed once he 'beheld,' and what that implies about his willingness to change and adapt in the future. Oh, and anything giving him more interactions with others, since he didn't have a lot of screentime with other people. (Since John-Henry and Weaver aren't actually people... although his interactions with them are fascinating as well.) (My accidental non-canon ship: Sarah/James. Just in case that's relevant.)
Jericho
My first time watching this series was this year, and I really want to know more about the Hawkins family. All of them have stories that canon didn't take the time to tell, and I'd love to know more about them: past, present, future... any of it.
Though I didn't like him for the longest time, Robert Hawkins hits that competency kink. He was always interesting, even when I hated him for how he treated the people closest to him. The show managed to surprise me, not only with how his character developed, but how I felt about that connection to his wife and children. And speaking of them, Darcy and Allison needed way more screentime. Actually, that's true of Sarah Mason as well. Pretty much anything with any Hawkins family connection.
Fanfiction is fun. I like playing with existing characters and worlds and putting my own design on it, and I love getting to read other people's versions as well. Since you volunteered for at least one of these fandoms, I hope you'll enjoy writing for me.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/275493.html. Comment where you wish.
*Rarely does not mean never. If you're inspired by a particular idea, go for it.
A few things I'd rather not read: polyamory and infidelity don't appeal to me. While I love romance, I'm that person who sometimes skims sex scenes, so no need to get super-detailed for that. Oh, and please, no rape or incest, or any romantic relationship with a big power imbalance.
Also, no zombies. (The irony of this is that I wrote a zombie story the last time I participated in Yuletide. But that story wasn't for me, so it was okay.)
Some things that are fine with me (not things I expect, just things you don't have to avoid out of fear that I'll hate them): original characters, babies, and even character death, as long as it's appropriate to the canon source.
Stuff I love: character studies, made-up backstory for minor characters, friendship fic, genfic, episode inserts, gratuitous references to mythology and/or fairy tales, future fics, repressed feelings, and morally ambiguous women reluctantly saving the world.
Ultraviolet (tv)
I'd really like some fic that includes Angie March. Her careful control interests me; I'd love to know more about what's going on in her mind, or seeing her through someone else's eyes, especially while interacting with the team and/or her daughter. Future fic would be great, as would anything filling in those spaces we didn't get to see. (I'm not a fan of Angie/Pearse as a romantic pair, though I do like them as colleagues and a sort of pseudo-family.)
More: somehow I ended up shipping Angie/Vaughan. Just FYI. I blame Idris Elba. If you want to include any references to that, go for it. Requited or unrequited, as I'm a fan of pining as well as romance.
Things I loved about this short-lived show: Angie being competent and self-contained, Vaughan's cynicism combined with a smidge of hopefulness, Frances and her pragmatism. I liked Michael; he worked well as our POV in the series, but I found the characters already immersed in that world to be more interesting in the long run.
Lois McMaster Bujold--Curse of Chalion series
I'd love to see more of Ista after "Paladin of Souls." I'm interested in her ongoing role as Paladin for the Bastard, in her friendship with Liss, and in her relationship with Illvin. (I'm not averse to babies. It fits the perverse humor and 'out of season' theme of a deity like the Bastard.) Also, Foix and Liss--I'm curious about them as a couple, especially acknowledging his ongoing state of dealing with a demon.
This fandom is why I felt compelled to mention that I'm not against babyfic. I do love Paladin of Souls, and would enjoy fic about almost any of the characters, most especially if Ista was a part of the story. Oh, and fic set during the book instead of after would also be fine.
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
One small benefit about shows cancelled too soon is all the space left open for fanfiction. I really want to know what happens next! But honestly, with this show, you could pick almost any character and any moment to embellish, and I would be riveted. I'd really like to have more with James Ellison in particular.
I'm noticing a theme here: characters with the controlled exterior are the ones who intrigue me enough to make requests. Ellison fits the bill. I'm particularly interested in how he changed once he 'beheld,' and what that implies about his willingness to change and adapt in the future. Oh, and anything giving him more interactions with others, since he didn't have a lot of screentime with other people. (Since John-Henry and Weaver aren't actually people... although his interactions with them are fascinating as well.) (My accidental non-canon ship: Sarah/James. Just in case that's relevant.)
Jericho
My first time watching this series was this year, and I really want to know more about the Hawkins family. All of them have stories that canon didn't take the time to tell, and I'd love to know more about them: past, present, future... any of it.
Though I didn't like him for the longest time, Robert Hawkins hits that competency kink. He was always interesting, even when I hated him for how he treated the people closest to him. The show managed to surprise me, not only with how his character developed, but how I felt about that connection to his wife and children. And speaking of them, Darcy and Allison needed way more screentime. Actually, that's true of Sarah Mason as well. Pretty much anything with any Hawkins family connection.
Fanfiction is fun. I like playing with existing characters and worlds and putting my own design on it, and I love getting to read other people's versions as well. Since you volunteered for at least one of these fandoms, I hope you'll enjoy writing for me.
Posted at Dreamwidth: http://rose-griffes.dreamwidth.org/275493.html. Comment where you wish.