DEAR YULETIDE WRITER
HI, FELLOW YULETIDER. happy fic exchange season! thank you so much in advance for- well, for everything. for puking up a thousand words towards building a fandom that doesn't get enough attention for the other 11 months of the year. what follows is a little of what I enjoy reading in fic, and if it doesn't help, feel free to disregard.
so, some tropes/devices/features I love reading:
- stories that fill in canonical gaps- first meetings, first dates, what happened just before/after something important, some part of a character's life where the story doesn't even go- slice of life? oh my goddddd slice of life/day in the life fic is so fun to read;
- banter between people who talk too fast for mere humans to keep up;
- happy endings, ugh, i'm such a fucking sap;
- ridiculous scenarios, the more ridiculous the better;
- character studies!!!!
- STORIES WITH FULLY DEVELOPED FEMALE CHARACTERS oh wow how'd the caps lock stick on that oh well better keep it like that.
- rape or assault;
- slut-shaming;
- humiliation;
- emotional abuse;
SCANDAL (TV) - Olivia, Mellie, Fitz
Notes: So I just got into Scandal like, last month? I fell hard for it. Hard. I love that half the show takes place in the white house with a sitting president and I think they've done approximately two minutes of actual presidenting in the past season or so. Scandal has a lot of what I love: ridiculous but effective dialogue (AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, I AM THE HELL AND THE HIGH WATER), melodrama, and characters who just. make bad decisions. know they're not doing the right thing but it's the right thing for them, and so they'll do anything to get what they want. Basically, I'm so smitten with the show right now that I'll take anything featuring my three faves twisted up in each other. Maybe they try to make an OT3 work; maybe it's a ceasefire day when they put everything aside for five minutes of the greater good; maybe it's future fic, long after the dust has settled. I'LL TAKE ANYTHING, LITERALLY ANYTHING.
30 ROCK (TV) - Liz Lemon, Wesley Snipes
Notes: The last season of 30 Rock was incredible, like, I didn't know it could be that good after the last few slow seasons. I'd love to see Liz's life post-show and how working on a multi-cam sitcom fits in with her new life.
But, author. What I would love. What I would really, really love. Is Wesley Snipes. We didn't get a series wrap on Wesley Snipes! What is Wesley Snipes doing now? Did he find a Rebecca to his Russ?! Does he still ride his velocipede? DOES HE RUN INTO THE LEMON-CHROSS FAMILY AND HAVE A MELTDOWN? DOES HE HAVE PASTY BRITISH CHILDREN OF HIS OWN? If you're up for it, author, I would love to know what happened to Wesley Snipes. He promised we'd see him for sweeps. That's what they call spring cleaning in England.
RULES OF CIVILITY - AMOR TOWLES
Notes: I loved this book. I loved Katey, amazing practical Katey who never let anything get her down, and worked so hard for what she wanted, and her amazingly cavalier attitude towards sex and the guys she was involved with. I loved Eve, too, and the way she moved through all her different worlds and lives, devouring every new experience. I'd love anything featuring them: either Eve and her adventures in Hollywood (especially with Olivia de Havilland, holy shit), or Katey's life in New York (maybe more between Katey and Wallace?). Basically: more stories with women!
THE CAMOMILE LAWN - MARY WESLEY
Notes: So I just read this book and I was floored at how sharp and modern the characters were drawn, how they were all really intensely flawed. Not just flawed, but then put under this microscope of Life in Wartime and everyone having to Be Brave and be their best selves, self-sacrificing, stiff upper lip selves while also being terrified that they or their families would die in the next air raid. Yeah, A LOT OF FEELINGS. I'd love any story set in this universe, but I'm really interested in seeing more of Polly and her relationship with the Floyers, who had some time together but were mostly treated in side-long glances while their lives just kind of... went on. I'd love some day-to-day stuff, what Polly went through as they were on their missions together, how they got together, how they made their family work.
I'm going to love anything written for these fandoms and I can't wait to see what you come up with! I hope you get an excellent story in return, and that you have an amazing yuletide experience.
xxxx
