Dear Yule Goat 2011
A past letter just in case people want to read it, and because there may be some fandom overlap.
Dear Yule Goat,
Howdy! I'm absolutely delighted to see you here. Remember, I cherish the belief that optional details are optional. Feel free to throw everything here out the window. And I'm not wonderful at writing these letters, but I'll give it my best shot.
First, a quick note about my general fic preferences:
As far as adult content goes, it really depends on the fandom. I'm trusting you can guess what is and isn't appropriate, and most of these fandoms do not exactly call for NC-17 scenes in my mind, but if you wanted to throw some in, that's fine by me. I love smut, I love some kink in there, but please don't feel like you have to write anything you're not comfortable with. (Of course, if you're totally uncomfortable with gen, that's fine by me too!)
If you traveled around my AO3 page, you probably saw that most of the things I have published are geared to adults with peculiar interests. (That's me.) If you want "clean" samples of my work, my former Yuletide stories are probably your best bet. One is more humorous, the other two are more dramatic, but they should give you a feel for my writing style without the kink.
And a couple of other notes before I get shockingly fandom-specific. ;)
Sky High (2005)
This is possibly my favorite kid-friendly movie ever, and also my "gimme" for anyone who gets stumped trying to write another fandom they were originally matched with. What I said initially:
I love this movie so much I would read almost anything, but the three main characters are my favorites. I'm fascinated by worlds with superpowers and teenager heroes, so this is naturally a great fandom for me. Focuses on powers and growing into them would be awesome, as would character-focused pieces, but I'm also all about plotsy stories where the characters have to band together to save the world. I prefer Will/Layla or Warren/Layla if you're going to go romantic, but Will/Warren is also great as long as there is no Layla bashing. As far as ratings go, I will ask for no sex among minors - but if you're at a loss and want to write a humorous (or deeply sultry) look at the NC-17 adventures of The Commander and Jetstream, I would love you to no end. Violence and bad language aren't a problem.
As you can see, I'm pretty laid-back. I would love an adventure story for this fandom, because the spirit of collusion and collaboration just gets me every time (I also love Percy Jackson for the same reasons; go figure) but character-driven pieces about growing up as a superhero would be great. (Warren angst would fit neatly into it, but all three of the main characters have great distinct personalities that would make for compelling stories. I would also totally love a sidekick story, either one of the ones we see or one you create!) And while I suggested The Commander and Jetstream as a joke, the idea keeps growing on me.
Dexter (TV)
My favorite part of the show is Deb. I am a sucker for an awesome female character, and Debra Morgan is pretty much my ideal. I would love any sort of story about Deb - growing up, on the force, with Brian, regarding the developments of this season to date - but if she does not speak to you, you're in luck! I love Dexter too. (And most of the other characters.) Character pieces on Dexter would be great, as would short little stories that end in blood and gore. I'm also in the minority who loved Lumen. I mean, I seriously loved her. If you object to her, that's fine, but please no Lumen bashing. (Also, a *little* LaGuerta bashing from Deb's perspective would be okay, because it's very canon this season, but I love that the show generally treats her much better than the books did, so please keep that in mind.) If none of these options appeal to you, I would also be delighted by a story with Dexter growing up, or on Angel's love life. Ratings-wise, go wild. This is Showtime we're talking about, after all.
I basically love all the recurring characters on the show. I would also love to see Harry make an appearance, or Camilla. Really, anything goes. (Sorry if that wasn't as helpful!) Edit: Episode 6x07 has been my favorite episode of the season, easily, and one of my favorite episodes of all time. If you wanted to do a piece focusing on the angel & devil dichotomy they had going there with Dexter, or alluding to it, I would love it so much.
Bill & Ted
If you are writing this for me, I am already so delighted I'm giggling in anticipation. I like to tell people I'm a history major because of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. While this might not be entirely true, the historical characters are my favorite part of the fandom by far. Deleted scenes from the first movie would probably be a great premise for the story. A second, if you are less historically minded, is a story about Death, pre-movie. (The scenes of trying to beat Death make me laugh uproariously.) And if Death annoys you as well, I would also be totally enamored with an AU story in which Ted gets sent to military school and must be rescued. Slash is not requested but totally acceptable so long as the ludicrous nature of the story doesn't take a backseat to a relationship.
I mostly love these movies because they are ridiculous. Playing Twister with the Grim Reaper. Joan of Arc leading an aerobics class. And what I'm really hoping for is something that can capture the zany outrageous-ness, non-logic, and charmed lives of Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted "Theodore" Logan. ... And the military school idea is growing on me too, especially if you're wanting to write slash.
Jackson Brodie Series - Kate Atkinson
These are some of my favorite novels of all time. I would particularly love a story about Jackson and Louise, or something about Tracy, but if Tracy and Louise aren't your cup of tea, a general case history with Jackson would also be much-loved, as would a story that focuses on his sister. (Yes, that is a little dark.) Overall I see this fandom as lending itself more to quiet, dark stories with open endings. ;) However, a story about The Ambassador's life before Jackson might also be a delightful surprise and a way of injecting some levity. I will add that Julia is NOT my favorite character, so I would prefer if she didn't have a starring role, although if you want to do a story on Nathan, she can certainly appear.
I'm not sure what else I can say about these books, other than I love them madly. If it helps to know, my favorite is Case Histories, followed by Started Early, Took My Dog, then When Will There Be Good News? and finally One Good Turn. I love that there's always a spectre that says nothing will be okay, even at the end of Case Histories. But I also love pieces of hope. And maybe a story offering a piece of hope - if not absolution or closure - to one of the characters (even Julia!) would be exactly what I would love.
---
So there we have a very long, possibly TMI letter that might make you default. ;) I'm turning on anonymous comments so do feel free to ask me anything (or rage at me.) Ta very much and I certainly hope writing it is a wonderful adventure for you, whichever path you choose!
Oh, and as a general postscript: I laugh hysterically at Gilligan's Island. Yes, I'm kind of a weird person.
I had just as phenomenal an experience my second time doing Yuletide as I had during the first round. My main gift fic was a brilliantly-written, absolutely beautiful Dexter fic called Dinner and a Show. And then I had the absolute delight of a Historical RPF/Bill & Ted crossover treat, Dear Aristotle, which was one of the funniest fics I'd ever read.
Dear Yule Goat,
Howdy! I'm absolutely delighted to see you here. Remember, I cherish the belief that optional details are optional. Feel free to throw everything here out the window. And I'm not wonderful at writing these letters, but I'll give it my best shot.
First, a quick note about my general fic preferences:
- Attention to the source material. That is, please don't write me Winnie-the-Pooh deathfic. This shouldn't be a problem, because if you love an obscure fandom enough to write for it, you probably love it enough to know what works. ♥
- Strong female characters. With the exception of Bill & Ted, all of my requests this year have a female focus or suggested focus. You don't have to go with that - they are all male MCs, after all, and many have great supporting male characters as well. But female characters are my favorites, and so long as there's no outright misogyny we should be fine.
- Tone. Some fandoms obviously lend themselves more to humor than others on this list, and there's a different kind of humor even there. That being said, I love to laugh, but I also love the dark things that eat at the corners of your mind and heart for days. Either one is good with me.
As far as adult content goes, it really depends on the fandom. I'm trusting you can guess what is and isn't appropriate, and most of these fandoms do not exactly call for NC-17 scenes in my mind, but if you wanted to throw some in, that's fine by me. I love smut, I love some kink in there, but please don't feel like you have to write anything you're not comfortable with. (Of course, if you're totally uncomfortable with gen, that's fine by me too!)
If you traveled around my AO3 page, you probably saw that most of the things I have published are geared to adults with peculiar interests. (That's me.) If you want "clean" samples of my work, my former Yuletide stories are probably your best bet. One is more humorous, the other two are more dramatic, but they should give you a feel for my writing style without the kink.
And a couple of other notes before I get shockingly fandom-specific. ;)
- There is only one thing that I find to be a super hardcore squick (as in, close the browser squick) and that is burning people with cigarettes. Obviously a couple of my fandoms (Dexter and Kate Atkinson) lend themselves to awful violent things, and I'm okay if you want to write those, but please, no cigarettes.
- I'm an American who has previously lived in the UK. Three of my fandoms are American, one British. I really don't care if you're writing in a language that's not your first, or if you're putting British or American slang and spelling in places. So please don't be worried about that. If you're concerned and want to find a beta, great! But it's not a big deal.
Sky High (2005)
This is possibly my favorite kid-friendly movie ever, and also my "gimme" for anyone who gets stumped trying to write another fandom they were originally matched with. What I said initially:
I love this movie so much I would read almost anything, but the three main characters are my favorites. I'm fascinated by worlds with superpowers and teenager heroes, so this is naturally a great fandom for me. Focuses on powers and growing into them would be awesome, as would character-focused pieces, but I'm also all about plotsy stories where the characters have to band together to save the world. I prefer Will/Layla or Warren/Layla if you're going to go romantic, but Will/Warren is also great as long as there is no Layla bashing. As far as ratings go, I will ask for no sex among minors - but if you're at a loss and want to write a humorous (or deeply sultry) look at the NC-17 adventures of The Commander and Jetstream, I would love you to no end. Violence and bad language aren't a problem.
As you can see, I'm pretty laid-back. I would love an adventure story for this fandom, because the spirit of collusion and collaboration just gets me every time (I also love Percy Jackson for the same reasons; go figure) but character-driven pieces about growing up as a superhero would be great. (Warren angst would fit neatly into it, but all three of the main characters have great distinct personalities that would make for compelling stories. I would also totally love a sidekick story, either one of the ones we see or one you create!) And while I suggested The Commander and Jetstream as a joke, the idea keeps growing on me.
Dexter (TV)
My favorite part of the show is Deb. I am a sucker for an awesome female character, and Debra Morgan is pretty much my ideal. I would love any sort of story about Deb - growing up, on the force, with Brian, regarding the developments of this season to date - but if she does not speak to you, you're in luck! I love Dexter too. (And most of the other characters.) Character pieces on Dexter would be great, as would short little stories that end in blood and gore. I'm also in the minority who loved Lumen. I mean, I seriously loved her. If you object to her, that's fine, but please no Lumen bashing. (Also, a *little* LaGuerta bashing from Deb's perspective would be okay, because it's very canon this season, but I love that the show generally treats her much better than the books did, so please keep that in mind.) If none of these options appeal to you, I would also be delighted by a story with Dexter growing up, or on Angel's love life. Ratings-wise, go wild. This is Showtime we're talking about, after all.
I basically love all the recurring characters on the show. I would also love to see Harry make an appearance, or Camilla. Really, anything goes. (Sorry if that wasn't as helpful!) Edit: Episode 6x07 has been my favorite episode of the season, easily, and one of my favorite episodes of all time. If you wanted to do a piece focusing on the angel & devil dichotomy they had going there with Dexter, or alluding to it, I would love it so much.
Bill & Ted
If you are writing this for me, I am already so delighted I'm giggling in anticipation. I like to tell people I'm a history major because of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. While this might not be entirely true, the historical characters are my favorite part of the fandom by far. Deleted scenes from the first movie would probably be a great premise for the story. A second, if you are less historically minded, is a story about Death, pre-movie. (The scenes of trying to beat Death make me laugh uproariously.) And if Death annoys you as well, I would also be totally enamored with an AU story in which Ted gets sent to military school and must be rescued. Slash is not requested but totally acceptable so long as the ludicrous nature of the story doesn't take a backseat to a relationship.
I mostly love these movies because they are ridiculous. Playing Twister with the Grim Reaper. Joan of Arc leading an aerobics class. And what I'm really hoping for is something that can capture the zany outrageous-ness, non-logic, and charmed lives of Bill S. Preston, Esquire and Ted "Theodore" Logan. ... And the military school idea is growing on me too, especially if you're wanting to write slash.
Jackson Brodie Series - Kate Atkinson
These are some of my favorite novels of all time. I would particularly love a story about Jackson and Louise, or something about Tracy, but if Tracy and Louise aren't your cup of tea, a general case history with Jackson would also be much-loved, as would a story that focuses on his sister. (Yes, that is a little dark.) Overall I see this fandom as lending itself more to quiet, dark stories with open endings. ;) However, a story about The Ambassador's life before Jackson might also be a delightful surprise and a way of injecting some levity. I will add that Julia is NOT my favorite character, so I would prefer if she didn't have a starring role, although if you want to do a story on Nathan, she can certainly appear.
I'm not sure what else I can say about these books, other than I love them madly. If it helps to know, my favorite is Case Histories, followed by Started Early, Took My Dog, then When Will There Be Good News? and finally One Good Turn. I love that there's always a spectre that says nothing will be okay, even at the end of Case Histories. But I also love pieces of hope. And maybe a story offering a piece of hope - if not absolution or closure - to one of the characters (even Julia!) would be exactly what I would love.
---
So there we have a very long, possibly TMI letter that might make you default. ;) I'm turning on anonymous comments so do feel free to ask me anything (or rage at me.) Ta very much and I certainly hope writing it is a wonderful adventure for you, whichever path you choose!
Oh, and as a general postscript: I laugh hysterically at Gilligan's Island. Yes, I'm kind of a weird person.
I had just as phenomenal an experience my second time doing Yuletide as I had during the first round. My main gift fic was a brilliantly-written, absolutely beautiful Dexter fic called Dinner and a Show. And then I had the absolute delight of a Historical RPF/Bill & Ted crossover treat, Dear Aristotle, which was one of the funniest fics I'd ever read.