Dear Yuletide Letter
Dear Yuletide Author,
First off, so sorry that this is crazy late getting unlocked. I was on a trip for the last week of November and beginning of December, and didn't realize this was still saved as a locked draft until I got back. So, first and most importantly, if you have already started working on something substantial, PLEASE FEEL FREE to keep going on that, just taking some of these things into account. (Unless your fic directly contradicts something on these lists, which I doubt, I will probably be really happy with it anyway.)
Thank you, not just for your understanding, but also for agreeing to write something in a ridiculous small fandom for me. You're great. =D
That said, here are some general notes on what I like in fic:
These are just ideas/reference points for stuff I've thought about and would probably like. Feel free to go in any direction you want! This is just how I saw the canon and what I would take from it, by no means MUST you follow any of these prompts.
1) The Sarah Jane Adventures
Preferably, post-Season 4, but only because it's current; if you want to do something tied to an earlier episode or between other episodes, set before Luke leaves (whee!) or with Maria (wheee!), feel free. On the other hand, I do want to explore the ramifications of Luke going to Oxford on the group, especially Clyde and Rani - they'll all still be best friends and still talk all the time on Skype, but at the same time it'll be completely different. Ship-wise, I would love any permutation of Rani/Clyde/Luke, and if you were willing to write a threesome with them (anything from kinky sex to going on PG-rated dates as a triad) I would love you for all the year. Clyde and Luke are best friends - established relationship disrupted by distance? Luke only realizing how he truly feels about Clyde when he doesn't see him all the time? And since Luke's left, Clyde and Rani are growing closer and closer. Sure, their relationship may not progress further than high-fives and hand-holding in canon, but I think it's pretty likely they've done more off-screen... (A note on underaged sex: I don't mind it, so long as both young people are at least adolescents, and consenting - it's fictional, after all. And anyway, by this point, all of the main trio are definitely legal in the U.K., as well as my state, if not other parts of the world.)
Sarah Jane herself is optional - so long as you remember that she's the reason why Luke and Maria and Clyde and Rani met at all. She's watched all these kids grow up, and cares fiercely about them; she'd definitely have some strong opinions. I could see Rani coming to her for advice after Clyde kisses her, or a group road trip up to Oxford where it comes out that Luke and Clyde have been sexting. Her presence can be subtle or central, although I will say I'd prefer something that's not entirely about Ms. Smith - there's a lot more out there written about her than the kids, and I feel like that could easily veer into a Doctor Who fic. Which is awesome, don't get me wrong, but that is neither here nor there.
2) Digimon Tamers
Honestly, I picked this fandom because it intrigues me, and for nostalgia value. Though it's been years since I watched most of the episodes, I still think ideas like the show-within-a-show aspect, the D-Reaper, and the various relationships the tamers have with their partners are really neat. Digimon is one of those shows I had a very strong connection with, and this was by far my favorite incarnation.
Don't have much in the way of shipping preferences, but I like Takato/Juri, Takato/Jenrya, and Jenrya/Ruki quite a bit, as well as Takato/Ruki and Kazu/Kenta. If you're going to center on just a few characters, I'd prefer it be more the original tamers, the trio and Juri, rather than Kenta, Ryo, Jenrya's sister, or more secondary characters, but group-centric fic with everybody involved is also cool. And if you were to write something from the perspective of the Sovereigns, Hypnos, or the D-Reaper, I would be kind of thrilled.
Oh, and I don't care one way or the other about Japanese names versus dub names. I just used the former because that's how the AO3 Yuletide forms listed the characters. Same goes for honorifics, like -san, -sama, and -chan: If you know how to use them right, knock yourself out.
3) 30 Rock
Okay, I've read two or three 30 Rock fics, and liked all of them a lot. I'd be happy with most anything that keeps to the general feel of the show. Accordingly, I don't really want shipping between any of the main characters (Jack/Liz, Tracy/Jenna, Liz/Pete) because it doesn't feel right to me; I think their character dynamics are interesting and wacky enough without throwing in romance or sex. Relationships with other love interests, on the other hand, e.g. Liz/Carol, Jack/Elisa, or Liz/Floyd, would be wonderful. (Especially Liz/Floyd.) I've seen up through Season 5, so feel free to set fic anywhere in there, depending on what you want to write, or just some general, less-time-specific fic. Or, hey, idea that just came into my head - it'd be interesting to see the stories of the characters before they came to be working on TGS, like Tracy's stand-up beginnings and Liz and Jenna's days trying to break into show business. Humor is fantastic, but not by any means required. There are some serious threads on the show that usually don't get delved into as much cause it's a comedy - Liz wanting a child and Jack's rivalry with Devon come to mind - so I'd also be good with a more somber, reflective, or even dark fic. Keep the characters' quirks, certainly, but you don't have to play them for comedy. After all, 30 Rock is basically just a show where all manner of ridiculous people work at NBC and have crazy interactions, and where sometimes you have to do the right thing instead of the easy thing. Die, werewolf zombie!
That's it! I feel like that was entirely too much writing about little fandoms - but in the end, it shall all be worth it. If you have any questions, you can ask anonymously here in the comments. Again, thank you so much for this, I'm sure it's going to be awesome.
First off, so sorry that this is crazy late getting unlocked. I was on a trip for the last week of November and beginning of December, and didn't realize this was still saved as a locked draft until I got back. So, first and most importantly, if you have already started working on something substantial, PLEASE FEEL FREE to keep going on that, just taking some of these things into account. (Unless your fic directly contradicts something on these lists, which I doubt, I will probably be really happy with it anyway.)
Thank you, not just for your understanding, but also for agreeing to write something in a ridiculous small fandom for me. You're great. =D
That said, here are some general notes on what I like in fic:
- I am fairly easy to please, and fairly open-minded as far as fic goes; I'll read everything from super-cute fluff to very dark fic, so long as it doesn't cling too hard to either of those extremes.
- I like slice-of-life fic just centered around the interactions of a few characters and their dynamic together. I also like fics that span some time. Doesn't have to be years, or even a week, just a substantial/significant period of time for the character, like the days after a war. Some of my favorite fics are just a series of little moments strung together to show the development of a relationship or a change in how a character sees the world. All these shows have relatively long canons, so this shouldn't be much of a problem.
- I am not fond of AUs, or crossovers, but realize they can be spectacular if done very well. I'm not into future fic either, but I realize two of the shows listed have 75% of their cast under the age of 20, so if you want to age them up a little, that's fine. Also, please no crackfic. (A note on sex: I am okay with most sex as far as writing goes, so long as it isn't forced, OOC, or PWP - I care much more about why the characters are screwing than how they are going about doing it. That said, if you can make the sex meaningful so it says something about the characters and also have it really hot, hats off to you.)
These are just ideas/reference points for stuff I've thought about and would probably like. Feel free to go in any direction you want! This is just how I saw the canon and what I would take from it, by no means MUST you follow any of these prompts.
1) The Sarah Jane Adventures
Preferably, post-Season 4, but only because it's current; if you want to do something tied to an earlier episode or between other episodes, set before Luke leaves (whee!) or with Maria (wheee!), feel free. On the other hand, I do want to explore the ramifications of Luke going to Oxford on the group, especially Clyde and Rani - they'll all still be best friends and still talk all the time on Skype, but at the same time it'll be completely different. Ship-wise, I would love any permutation of Rani/Clyde/Luke, and if you were willing to write a threesome with them (anything from kinky sex to going on PG-rated dates as a triad) I would love you for all the year. Clyde and Luke are best friends - established relationship disrupted by distance? Luke only realizing how he truly feels about Clyde when he doesn't see him all the time? And since Luke's left, Clyde and Rani are growing closer and closer. Sure, their relationship may not progress further than high-fives and hand-holding in canon, but I think it's pretty likely they've done more off-screen... (A note on underaged sex: I don't mind it, so long as both young people are at least adolescents, and consenting - it's fictional, after all. And anyway, by this point, all of the main trio are definitely legal in the U.K., as well as my state, if not other parts of the world.)
Sarah Jane herself is optional - so long as you remember that she's the reason why Luke and Maria and Clyde and Rani met at all. She's watched all these kids grow up, and cares fiercely about them; she'd definitely have some strong opinions. I could see Rani coming to her for advice after Clyde kisses her, or a group road trip up to Oxford where it comes out that Luke and Clyde have been sexting. Her presence can be subtle or central, although I will say I'd prefer something that's not entirely about Ms. Smith - there's a lot more out there written about her than the kids, and I feel like that could easily veer into a Doctor Who fic. Which is awesome, don't get me wrong, but that is neither here nor there.
2) Digimon Tamers
Honestly, I picked this fandom because it intrigues me, and for nostalgia value. Though it's been years since I watched most of the episodes, I still think ideas like the show-within-a-show aspect, the D-Reaper, and the various relationships the tamers have with their partners are really neat. Digimon is one of those shows I had a very strong connection with, and this was by far my favorite incarnation.
Don't have much in the way of shipping preferences, but I like Takato/Juri, Takato/Jenrya, and Jenrya/Ruki quite a bit, as well as Takato/Ruki and Kazu/Kenta. If you're going to center on just a few characters, I'd prefer it be more the original tamers, the trio and Juri, rather than Kenta, Ryo, Jenrya's sister, or more secondary characters, but group-centric fic with everybody involved is also cool. And if you were to write something from the perspective of the Sovereigns, Hypnos, or the D-Reaper, I would be kind of thrilled.
Oh, and I don't care one way or the other about Japanese names versus dub names. I just used the former because that's how the AO3 Yuletide forms listed the characters. Same goes for honorifics, like -san, -sama, and -chan: If you know how to use them right, knock yourself out.
3) 30 Rock
Okay, I've read two or three 30 Rock fics, and liked all of them a lot. I'd be happy with most anything that keeps to the general feel of the show. Accordingly, I don't really want shipping between any of the main characters (Jack/Liz, Tracy/Jenna, Liz/Pete) because it doesn't feel right to me; I think their character dynamics are interesting and wacky enough without throwing in romance or sex. Relationships with other love interests, on the other hand, e.g. Liz/Carol, Jack/Elisa, or Liz/Floyd, would be wonderful. (Especially Liz/Floyd.) I've seen up through Season 5, so feel free to set fic anywhere in there, depending on what you want to write, or just some general, less-time-specific fic. Or, hey, idea that just came into my head - it'd be interesting to see the stories of the characters before they came to be working on TGS, like Tracy's stand-up beginnings and Liz and Jenna's days trying to break into show business. Humor is fantastic, but not by any means required. There are some serious threads on the show that usually don't get delved into as much cause it's a comedy - Liz wanting a child and Jack's rivalry with Devon come to mind - so I'd also be good with a more somber, reflective, or even dark fic. Keep the characters' quirks, certainly, but you don't have to play them for comedy. After all, 30 Rock is basically just a show where all manner of ridiculous people work at NBC and have crazy interactions, and where sometimes you have to do the right thing instead of the easy thing. Die, werewolf zombie!
That's it! I feel like that was entirely too much writing about little fandoms - but in the end, it shall all be worth it. If you have any questions, you can ask anonymously here in the comments. Again, thank you so much for this, I'm sure it's going to be awesome.