Yuletide 2016 Dear Author Letter
Thank you so much for participating in Yuletide 2016! I've been participating in Yuletide for years, and I love it. I'm super glad that we matched and, honestly, I'm going to love anything that you write because you love my fandoms - woohoo! - and you're writing for me -blush, stutter.
What follows is an (unnecessarily) long letter, but, please, please take all these things as completely optional. I have no expectation that you’ll follow these prompts/ideas, but when I write I love prompts - writing a fic for someone is like delving into the soul of someone I've never met - so, I thought I'd give you as much as possible to go off of as I can.
Also, I spend much more time on AO3 and tumblr than I do on LJ, so feel free to check me out there, as well.
General Likes: I love romance (first time or established relationships, doesn’t matter), especially with an earned happy ending. I adore coming out fics, fics about people (friends, family, press) finding out, outsider POV stories, future fic, h/c, fake dating, and found families. The more people involved (family/friends, the ATP/WTA tour and player teams, the theatre community) the better. I’m down with world-building tropes that twist the world a bit but don't change it entirely, like soulbonds, name-on-wrists, touch/emotional telepathy, and a/b/o. I particularly enjoy fics that deal with internalized homophobia, overcoming family/sport expectations of gender/sexuality, and characters struggling to deal with insecurities (about gender, sexuality, body image, anxiety, etc) while trying to fit in with fame and what's expected from 'jock'/sports culture.
General Dislikes: I really love slash, so gen fics aren’t my cup of tea. Not a big fan of BDSM, unequal power dynamics, break-ups or infidelity, unhappy endings (although I'm definitely onboard with unhappy beginnings), or hate sex. First or second-person POV.
Re: real-life WAGs: I’m fine with pretending the WAG doesn’t/never has existed. I’m also good with fics where the WAG is the player’s best friend/beard, or where they dated but now no longer date. Any of those are cool!
Re: AUs: I love AUs that allow at least one of them to still play tennis/hockey. So, tropes/AUs that still allow for that. I also really love alternate history fics (Ovi was drafted to the Pens! Rafa's knees kept him off the ATP tour! etc...).
Re: Ratings: Pure smut isn’t my favorite, but other than that write what you’re comfortable with/wherever the story takes you!
Also, I've left my tumblr anon open if you have any questions throughout the exchange!
Tennis RPF - Andy Murray
Andy's my favorite player on tour. He's quickly becoming the sport's elder statesmen, and never shies away from calling out tennis' sexism, masochistic tendencies, inadequate drug policies, and other inequalities. I didn't choose a second character because I wanted to leave it open, and I'll read anything with Andy in it. Andy/Rafa is my OTP, but I'm also fascinated by his relationships with Amelie and Jamie and Leon Smith. I'd also be totally down for an Andy/Delpo fic, or, really, any other pairing you wanna write! Here are some specific prompt ideas:
- Future Fic, where Andy's struggling to make sense of his life (5/10) years after he's retired. I'm not sure Andy has the temperament for a coach, but he has been a great mentor for the Davis Cup team, and he'd make a good tournament director or player's council member.
- Alternate history where Jamie's the famous singles player, not Andy.
- Alternate history where Andy runs away from Scotland (because of lack of funding or civil war or whatever) and becomes a Spanish citizen (maybe an adaptation of Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert's story).
- A fic that addresses how many times Andy's been in Mallorca this year (at Rafa's academy, vacationing with Kim on Rafa's boat, flying with him after Rio).
- Hurt/comfort injury fic (this would work with either Delpo or Rafa really well)
Hamilton RPF - Any Characters
I adore this cast a ridiculous amount, to the point that I selected "any" because I really, truly, would love fic with any/all of these wonderful people. I love the found families nature of this fandom. I love how scrappy and (mostly) unproven they all are. I love how much they all care about music and theatre and social justice. I'd prefer canon or alternate histories (maybe a world where Daveed didn't join the cast originally but finds his way to them anyway). Here are just some ideas for certain characters, but, please, feel free to write anyone and everyone!
- Chris Jackson/Lin-Manuel Miranda - Here's the final curtain call for inspiration. I love their relationship. Chris is older and more experienced, but so enthralled with Lin. Lin writes specifically for Chris, cause that's how much he's in awe of Chris' voice. Also, to prepare for the role, Chris read everything on Washington he could get his hands - they're both giant history dorks and I'd love to read something about that.
- Leslie Odom Jr./Lin-Manuel Miranda - Although they destroy each other on stage every night, they seem happy and fun behind the scenes: see the most adorable series of rehearsal pics. Maybe something where they're exhausted after long hours of rehearsal, saying something in their delirium that they wouldn't normally let slip. Maybe fun on a photo shoot.
- Daveed Diggs - Daveed is probably my favorite member of the cast. I love his personality, how fun he is and yet how serious he takes both his music and Hamilton. I would definitely read an alternate history with him. I'll read him paired with anyone.
- Alec Lacamoire/Lin-Manuel Miranda - They are literally the cutest. I'd honestly read anything where they're supportive of each other and making music.
- The Girls - Renee, Philippa, and Jasmine are wonderful together. I'll read anything about their relationship.
- Javier Muñoz - I love his story. He's such a strong, steady figure in the cast - maybe something about how the cast has supported him in return.
- Any fic about those early days at the Public Theater.
- Lin and anyone (probably Chris) take a trip through Philadelphia/DC to get inspiration for their characters.
I saw In the Heights with the original cast - so long ago now, I don't wanna talk about it - and what I remember most is the chemistry between Chris and Lin on stage. Well, that and how Chris just owns the stage every time he sings. Although the play is about their two hetero relationships, when I see it on stage it feels like it's more about the friendship between Benny and Usnavi, and maybe that's because of the chemistry between Chris and Lin. Lin has said numerous times that he actually rewrote Benny's character to fit Chris better. I'll read any fic about them ever, but here are some specific ideas:
- Get together during the show. I could see some angst/misunderstandings along the way.
- Chris helping Lin with his nerves before the Tony Awards.
- Chris as Lin's muse, or, really, any fic exploring Lin's brilliant mind and incessant work habit and Chris' response to that.
- In the Heights reunion (maybe for a Ham4Ham) after the show has closed. Maybe they finally tell the rest of the cast (and it suddenly explains so many things about how they acted during the show). Maybe they've broken up and then get back together (that wouldn't work at a Ham4Ham, but maybe the reunion concert or the first Hamilton rehearsals).
- Their first meeting. Maybe Chris was ready to head back to Illinois and give up on this performing thing before he met Lin. Or maybe Lin was about to give up writing and then he meets Chris.
- Anything with the rest of the cast - Lac's reaction, or maybe Karen and Mandy.
Okay, I don't know who nominated this, but they're brilliant. I haven't stopped grinning since I saw this in the nomination tag set. Anyway, so, some ideas:
- This Twitter spat between the Slam roofs is hilarious. Anything along these lines.
- Wimbledon and the French being old-school and stuck up. Sort of hating each other but also comiserating about the modern ways of the AO and the US Open.
- Secret affairs. Maybe Wimbledon and the AO have an unfortunate-lets-never-talk-about-it-again one-night stand. Maybe the AO cares more than it lets on about the whole thing.
- Banter, lots of banter. Fights over rules. All four getting together in a Pub at the end of each season to dish on the players and make fun of the other tournaments (particularly the ATP World Tour Finals, who they never let come).