Dear Fic Corner Scribbler Letter
Dear Author
First of all, thank you so much for being my writer! This is my first time taking part in this fest. I'll try not to screw anything up, but if I do, please let me know :) I'm going to ramble on a bit generally (probably a lot, actually), then try and write something about why I like these fandoms, and give some ideas I've had about possible stories, but feel free to ignore any or all of it if it's not helpful.
Truth in advertising - I've copied a lot of this section from my Yuletide 2014 letter!
The general stuff...
Likes
I really need happy endings. A little angst on the way there is fine, though.
I would like fics that are set mostly in the time periods of the books, and for this reason I'd like fics to be gen (with the exception of the Biggles series in which the characters are already adults - in this case, anything goes, and I'll list my porn-related like and dislikes in that section).
I usually like characters to be friends (or at least frenemies!). I like to see the progression of a friendship between newly-met characters who grow to like and trust each other over time, and eventually would do just about anything for each other, especially when their friendship is somewhat unexpected. How do established friendships deal with daily life, how do they solve conflicts, how do they support and comfort each other when things don't go too well?
I'm particularly partial to humour in my fic. I like characters with a shared sense of humour, especially when used to express affection by people who aren't comfortable discussing 'feelings'. A story absolutely doesn’t have to be funny for me to like it, though: I like angst, arguments, and heartache in small doses, as long as there’s a happy ending.
I love epistolary fic - not necessarily just in the form of actual letters; diaries are good too.
I love women/girls being terrific, good at what they do, and strong in a way that makes sense to them in the society in which they live, whether that’s physically, mentally or emotionally.
I enjoy both plot- and character-driven stories. Plots that show off character are perfect - the best of both worlds! I like stories that span an hour and stories that span years. Back story, missing scene fic, prequels, sequels, the same scene from different perspectives, fix-its, canon divergence will be loved. I love ‘five things’ type fics that show off significant moments in characters' lives. I love short fics, long fics, and anything else that takes your fancy.
Feel free to include characters that I didn't specifically ask for if they fit your story, but I'd prefer my requested character(s) to be the focus of the story.
I love crossovers (both sneaky and overt) and fusions where one set of characters are transplanted to another canonical universe. As long as I know the other canon or canons, I will be delighted. Feel free to use any interest in my profile that takes your fancy (or even more than one - the more the merrier); there are plenty to choose from!
Dislikes
As I said earlier, I really need a story with a happy ending. Some unhappy elements on the way are fine if the outcome is happy, but nothing extremely dark, please. Things I don't like include deathfic (excluding those canons involving canon conflict, though I would prefer OC death rather than canon character death), torture, abuse, and character bashing (except for canon villains! Exception to the exception: Erich von Stalhein in the Biggles fandom who isn't a stereotypical villain). References to past hurts are fine, but please don't make that the focus of the fic
Not exactly dislikes, but...
I'm not really familiar with daemons, or the A/B/O set-up, so I'd prefer stories not feature these settings. If you really want to go with either of them you'll need to include a 'For Dummies' explanation :) Also, I tend to have a problem with AUs in that the further away an AU gets from canon, the more difficulty I have 'seeing' the characters in my mind's eye. This is especially true if the setting of the AU necessitates tinkering with the characters' names.
Now the specific stuff (these requests are in no particular preference order, BTW)
Request 1: Biggles Series - W. E. Johns
Bertie Lissie
(Any Rating)
Bertie is my favourite character in this fandom, so I'd like to know more about him - his life before he joined 666 Squadron, why it was that Biggles, Algy and Ginger accepted him into their inner circle, why he feels it necessary to play the 'silly ass' - what makes him tick in general.
My head-canon has him being a similar age to Biggles and Algy; if you like this idea, it would be interesting to know what he got up to in WW1, and whether Biggles and Algy (or von Stalhein) were aware of him.
I'd love to read about him being in a relationship with Biggles or von Stalhein (or both - the dynamics of this would be fascinating), but this is very optional! :)
(Obviously the rest of the nominated characters are welcome, plus guest characters not nominated - Col. Raymond, Wilks, other members of 266 and 666 Squadrons, for example, but please make Bertie the focus of the story)
For this fandom I'll read any rating from G to NC-17. If you're considering writing porn, that's wonderful. If you don't want to, that's fine too. Likes and squicks:
One of my biggest squicks to the point of phobia is pregnancy (male or female).
In general, I like romance, and first kisses, and virgins, and vanilla, and all that comes with that - visible nerves, awkwardness, neediness and emotions on high. I'm a sucker for first-time fics.
Kinkier stuff is more than ok, too. Favourite kinks include role play (not age play, though), dubcon (the sort where afterwards they think it was hot, even if consent was problematic at the time), dirty talk, poly, voyeurism, exhibitionism, cross-dressing and erotic spanking. I can also go for mild BDSM (not lifestyle; easily slipping into and out of it is fun, particularly with a humourous slant), light bondage/restraints, public sex/sex where there is a risk of being caught, wax play, figging and toys.
Squicks are scat, watersports, blood (in a sex context; blood in the course of a day's work is ok), humiliation, lifestyle D/s, age-play and bestiality.
Request 2: Coot Club - Arthur Ransome
Any Character
(accidentally chose Any Rating here; should be General Audiences)
I'd love to know more about the Death and Glory boys, their backstory, home life, how they came to get involved with the rest of the Coot Club.
For Dick and Dorothea, backstory is an interest too. I'd love to know what sort of upbringing they had to end up with such unique personalities. It seems that their parents must have encouraged them in their interests.
As with my Biggles request, guest characters are welcome, particularly Tom Dudgeon, Port and Starboard, Mrs Barrable and William the pug.
Request 3: The Hundred and One Dalmatians - Dodie Smith
Any Character
Ideas:
Backstory for Sir Charles and the Spaniel.
How the friendship between the White Persian Cat and Pussy Willow came about, and what they get up to together.
How/why the Colonel and Pussy Willow joined forces.
Guest characters welcome esp. the Staffordshire and his pets.
Request 4: A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Any Character
I'd love to read backstory for the Minchins, Ermengarde and Becky.
I'd also love to see Ermengarde being awesome in some way. She was the one who made the first move to end the estrangement with Sara after Sara became the maid-of-all-work, and also Sara has no hesitation in deciding to tell Ermengarde about the 'Magic' with no worry that she'll let anyone else know, either by accident and design, so she obviously has hidden depths.
It would be interesting to see how Sara's relationship with Becky develops after the end of the book.
Thank you once again, and I'll love to read anything you want to write!
This entry was originally posted at http://rosied.dreamwidth.org/6330.html.