Dear Yuletide Writer
Dear Yuletide writer,
We share a love for a small fandom, which is a wonderful thing. And you're writing a story for me--even better. Thank you for that, and I hope my prompts make your task easier rather than harder. If these suggestions don't catch your interest, please write a story that you like and enjoy writing rather than forcing yourself to comply with a prompt.
My taste tends to run towards character studies and vignettes rather than plot-driven stories; I usually fall in love with a fandom because I love the characters and want to know more about them. Worldbuilding is another of my favorite things: a story that explored the magic of the Points universe or the politics of Armada would thrill me.
You will have noticed, from my prompts, that I like male/male slash, but I mean it when I say that gen is welcome. Gen is every bit as interesting to me as pairing fic, and in fact gen can do things that pairing stories can't. Similarly, if you do write a pairing story, don't feel obliged to include a sex scene if that's not something you enjoy writing, or if you just don't think the story needs one. Sex scenes are great when they show something important about the characters; otherwise they can feel tacked on. I enjoy non-explicit stories just as much as explicit ones.
As far as genre, tone, style, and that sort of thing . . . go for it. I love everything from slice-of-life stories to mindblowing weirdness, from traditional narrative to avant-garde experiments, from baroque language to stripped-down simplicity, from funny to grim, from "happily ever after" to stories of death and grieving.
There are, though, a few things I'd prefer not to read. Please don't write rapefic or anything graphically violent. I'd also prefer no breakup stories, no BDSM or kink beyond mild bondage, no mpreg or kidfic, and no AUs of the "all the characters are vampires/pirates/American high school students" kind (I like the canon settings). Finally, although references to canonical het relationships are perfectly fine, please don't make heterosexual romance the focus of the story.
Below are a few additional comments on the requests I made. Just to re-emphasize, please do take all this stuff as optional. (I know that's part of the Yuletide rules anyway, but I also know that many writers try very hard to do exactly what the prompt asks for.) And feel free to include other canon characters I didn't list, although I'd rather the focus stayed on the ones I did.
Request 1: China Miéville - Bas Lag series (Uther Doul and the Brucolac)
I love the fraught personal and political relationship between these two, and I'd be especially delighted with a story about their apparent reconciliation after the mutiny. Slash would be great if you felt so inclined but is certainly not a requirement. Really, I'd love any exploration of the many intriguing gaps in canon, whether it's backstory, a missing scene, futurefic, or something else entirely.
About all I would add is that if you choose to slash them, I'd very much like a story in which sex (or love) complicates, rather than solves, the tensions between them. I don't mean that I think their relationship would necessarily be doomed, but it wouldn't be sweet and easy, either. A lot of what I love about their interactions in canon is that there's affection and respect and distrust and anger all swirling around all the time.
Request 2: Lisa A. Barnett and Melissa Scott - Point series (Nicolas Rathe, Philip Eslingen, and Istre b'Estorr)
Although I've listed Nicolas, Philip, and Istre, feel free to pick just one or two of them as the center of the story if you like, so long as the others aren't totally left out. I'd love a closer look at the Nicolas/Philip relationship than we got in canon; an established-relationship rather than a first-time story would be my preference. Something Istre-centric would also be great, perhaps focusing on his work at the university. I'd be delighted if Istre got a romance of his own (with a man; het just isn't my thing). Basically-gen stories are welcome so long as the canonical Nicolas/Philip relationship isn't ignored or broken up.
Points, like Bas Lag, is a fandom where I love the worldbuilding with a passionate intensity. I'm fascinated by the decidedly non-utopian matriarchal social structure of Chenedolle, the recognized but unequal status of same-sex relationships, the stories' focus (uncommon in fantasy) on middle-class city life, and the complex magical/astrological system and its integration into characters' everyday lives. I would absolutely adore more exploration of any of this stuff or of things only hinted at in canon, such as the university or Istre's background at the Chadroni court.
Request 3: Terry Pratchett - Discworld (Rufus Drumknott and Havelock Vetinari)
A Drumknott-centric story would be fabulous. I'd love something that filled in gaps of canon (like what Drumknott did during Vetinari's absence in Jingo) or a slice-of-life story giving Drumknott's perspective on working for the Patrician or a look at what he does on his day off. Comedy is optional: I enjoy the serious aspects of the Discworld books as much as the funny ones, and sometimes more. Either Drumknott/Vetinari slash or gen is great, but please don't pair either character with anyone else.
Expanding on what I said about comedy being optional: although I adore Terry Pratchett's writing style, I don't think all Pratchett fanfic has to imitate it. Please feel free to use a different style if you'd like.
As you can probably tell, Drumknott is a character I'm very fond of despite his lack of development in canon. He's intelligent, highly competent, loyal, and one of the few people who genuinely likes Lord Vetinari. A story that built on that, giving him additional depth and three-dimensionality, would make me extremely happy. If you'd like more Drumknott info, I have an essay on my journal that examines what we canonically know about him (with quotations and page references), and also argues the case for Drumknott/Vetinari as a viable pairing.
Request 4: China Miéville - Bas Lag series (Tanner Sack)
A story about Tanner's life before Armada would be lovely--I wonder about all aspects of his background, from his vast stock of folk tales to his arrest on a charge we never learn about in The Scar. Alternatively, I'd love a look at his complicated relationship with Shekel, which you could take in either a slash or gen direction. Futurefic would be great too. Does he leave Armada or eventually readjust to life there?
Tanner Sack is another character I'd be thrilled just to know more about, so as I said, any story about any part of his life is more than welcome. I tend to see his feelings for Shekel (if you choose to write about that) as both paternal and romantic/erotic, so anything from UST to unrequited love to a counter-canonical sexual relationship works for me. If you mention Angevine, please don't bash her, but Tanner's feelings about her are very mixed in canon and I'm fine with that.
Thanks again, anonymous writer! I hope you have a good time writing the story. I can't wait to read it.
ETA: I just saw my request go out on the pinch-hit list, so dear pinch hitter, whoever you are, you are awesome! I hope the stuff in my letter is helpful to you, but if it isn't, please ignore it. I really appreciate that you've taken on a request so close to the deadline, and whatever you write, I'll be thrilled to get it.
We share a love for a small fandom, which is a wonderful thing. And you're writing a story for me--even better. Thank you for that, and I hope my prompts make your task easier rather than harder. If these suggestions don't catch your interest, please write a story that you like and enjoy writing rather than forcing yourself to comply with a prompt.
My taste tends to run towards character studies and vignettes rather than plot-driven stories; I usually fall in love with a fandom because I love the characters and want to know more about them. Worldbuilding is another of my favorite things: a story that explored the magic of the Points universe or the politics of Armada would thrill me.
You will have noticed, from my prompts, that I like male/male slash, but I mean it when I say that gen is welcome. Gen is every bit as interesting to me as pairing fic, and in fact gen can do things that pairing stories can't. Similarly, if you do write a pairing story, don't feel obliged to include a sex scene if that's not something you enjoy writing, or if you just don't think the story needs one. Sex scenes are great when they show something important about the characters; otherwise they can feel tacked on. I enjoy non-explicit stories just as much as explicit ones.
As far as genre, tone, style, and that sort of thing . . . go for it. I love everything from slice-of-life stories to mindblowing weirdness, from traditional narrative to avant-garde experiments, from baroque language to stripped-down simplicity, from funny to grim, from "happily ever after" to stories of death and grieving.
There are, though, a few things I'd prefer not to read. Please don't write rapefic or anything graphically violent. I'd also prefer no breakup stories, no BDSM or kink beyond mild bondage, no mpreg or kidfic, and no AUs of the "all the characters are vampires/pirates/American high school students" kind (I like the canon settings). Finally, although references to canonical het relationships are perfectly fine, please don't make heterosexual romance the focus of the story.
Below are a few additional comments on the requests I made. Just to re-emphasize, please do take all this stuff as optional. (I know that's part of the Yuletide rules anyway, but I also know that many writers try very hard to do exactly what the prompt asks for.) And feel free to include other canon characters I didn't list, although I'd rather the focus stayed on the ones I did.
Request 1: China Miéville - Bas Lag series (Uther Doul and the Brucolac)
I love the fraught personal and political relationship between these two, and I'd be especially delighted with a story about their apparent reconciliation after the mutiny. Slash would be great if you felt so inclined but is certainly not a requirement. Really, I'd love any exploration of the many intriguing gaps in canon, whether it's backstory, a missing scene, futurefic, or something else entirely.
About all I would add is that if you choose to slash them, I'd very much like a story in which sex (or love) complicates, rather than solves, the tensions between them. I don't mean that I think their relationship would necessarily be doomed, but it wouldn't be sweet and easy, either. A lot of what I love about their interactions in canon is that there's affection and respect and distrust and anger all swirling around all the time.
Request 2: Lisa A. Barnett and Melissa Scott - Point series (Nicolas Rathe, Philip Eslingen, and Istre b'Estorr)
Although I've listed Nicolas, Philip, and Istre, feel free to pick just one or two of them as the center of the story if you like, so long as the others aren't totally left out. I'd love a closer look at the Nicolas/Philip relationship than we got in canon; an established-relationship rather than a first-time story would be my preference. Something Istre-centric would also be great, perhaps focusing on his work at the university. I'd be delighted if Istre got a romance of his own (with a man; het just isn't my thing). Basically-gen stories are welcome so long as the canonical Nicolas/Philip relationship isn't ignored or broken up.
Points, like Bas Lag, is a fandom where I love the worldbuilding with a passionate intensity. I'm fascinated by the decidedly non-utopian matriarchal social structure of Chenedolle, the recognized but unequal status of same-sex relationships, the stories' focus (uncommon in fantasy) on middle-class city life, and the complex magical/astrological system and its integration into characters' everyday lives. I would absolutely adore more exploration of any of this stuff or of things only hinted at in canon, such as the university or Istre's background at the Chadroni court.
Request 3: Terry Pratchett - Discworld (Rufus Drumknott and Havelock Vetinari)
A Drumknott-centric story would be fabulous. I'd love something that filled in gaps of canon (like what Drumknott did during Vetinari's absence in Jingo) or a slice-of-life story giving Drumknott's perspective on working for the Patrician or a look at what he does on his day off. Comedy is optional: I enjoy the serious aspects of the Discworld books as much as the funny ones, and sometimes more. Either Drumknott/Vetinari slash or gen is great, but please don't pair either character with anyone else.
Expanding on what I said about comedy being optional: although I adore Terry Pratchett's writing style, I don't think all Pratchett fanfic has to imitate it. Please feel free to use a different style if you'd like.
As you can probably tell, Drumknott is a character I'm very fond of despite his lack of development in canon. He's intelligent, highly competent, loyal, and one of the few people who genuinely likes Lord Vetinari. A story that built on that, giving him additional depth and three-dimensionality, would make me extremely happy. If you'd like more Drumknott info, I have an essay on my journal that examines what we canonically know about him (with quotations and page references), and also argues the case for Drumknott/Vetinari as a viable pairing.
Request 4: China Miéville - Bas Lag series (Tanner Sack)
A story about Tanner's life before Armada would be lovely--I wonder about all aspects of his background, from his vast stock of folk tales to his arrest on a charge we never learn about in The Scar. Alternatively, I'd love a look at his complicated relationship with Shekel, which you could take in either a slash or gen direction. Futurefic would be great too. Does he leave Armada or eventually readjust to life there?
Tanner Sack is another character I'd be thrilled just to know more about, so as I said, any story about any part of his life is more than welcome. I tend to see his feelings for Shekel (if you choose to write about that) as both paternal and romantic/erotic, so anything from UST to unrequited love to a counter-canonical sexual relationship works for me. If you mention Angevine, please don't bash her, but Tanner's feelings about her are very mixed in canon and I'm fine with that.
Thanks again, anonymous writer! I hope you have a good time writing the story. I can't wait to read it.
ETA: I just saw my request go out on the pinch-hit list, so dear pinch hitter, whoever you are, you are awesome! I hope the stuff in my letter is helpful to you, but if it isn't, please ignore it. I really appreciate that you've taken on a request so close to the deadline, and whatever you write, I'll be thrilled to get it.