Dear Yuletide Writer
Oct. 23rd, 2014 10:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
samyazazDear Yuletide Author,
Thank you so much for writing for me! I am so excited to see what you come up with, and I want to say that aside from anything that I say below, so long as you don't hit any of my really strong dislikes, I am pretty much guaranteed to love whatever you write. I am very easy to please, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you do!
Also, I have a terrible time thinking up prompts off the cuff, I freeze up and get terrible writer's block, so please don't hesitate to write something that isn't listed here. If you want a little more information about anything, you can always drop by my tumblr askbox and inquire. I always have anon turned on, but if you'd rather I be surprised, Nell knows me very well and would be happy to give you some guidance.
General Preferences
Likes: Happy endings, please. I don't mind angst or heartbreak along the way (at all, I thing some angst can make a happy ending even more satisfying!), but please please, an ending that is hopeful at the very least. I love love love shippiness and romance, but if that's not your thing I'd be super happy with friendfic or character studies or other genfic as well. I do really really love strong friendships and people who feel an intense bond with each other without it being romantic. I have a huge, huge choice kink -- write me a fic about choosing to be together, choosing to love each other (romantically or not) and I will love you forever. I love people being competent and clever, wit, banter, strong fabulous ladies (and the men -- or women -- who watch them be their fabulous selves with hearts in their eyes). I love tropes, and AUs of all flavors, but I am always impressed by a great canonfic, too! I love hurt/comfort and UST, first times and developing relationships and getting-together fics, fake married or pretend married or marriage of convenience. I love fairy tale or mythology AUs. If you're inclined to write something shippy, I adore smut, though if you're uncomfortable or uninterested in writing something explicit, I find a good kissing scene to be hugely satisfying as well. I love a good threesome or other poly dynamics, and if you do go for smut, I'm fine with as kinky or as vanilla as you care to make it. On the kink side, though, I would prefer no watersports, scat, or humiliation.
Dislikes: Sad endings, major character death, non-con, infidelity, abusive relationships. Don't feel the need to avoid these things if they happen in canon, but I'd prefer they not be introduced where they don't already exist, and that they not be the focus of the fic either way.
Now for the specifics...
How to Get Away With Murder
A new TV show about a group of law students and the professor/defense lawyer they're interning for. It's only a few episodes in at the time I'm writing this, and so far they're all available here on Hulu, and should be pretty quick to catch up on if we got matched on other fandoms but you're not feeling my prompts.
I love how clever everyone on this show is, it really hits my competency kink. I also love love love what Slytherins everyone is, how they can be ruthless and strategic to get what they want. I requested Connor because I kind of love him, he is such a little shit and he loves to stir shit up but I love him all the same. I love how compley he is, and I love how he plays cool and aloof but cares more than he thinks he does and more than he wants to. I love his relationship with Oliver, and I am super super invested in Oliver teaching him how to make emotional connections like a real boy. I also really love the dynamics between him and Michaela, if you'd like to explore that instead. I would love a fic where their complicated, maybe even antagonistic BFFs.
Sleepy Hollow
Ichabod vs the 21st century is one of my very favorite things. If you want to write a fic exploring that, I'd be more than delighted. If you want to write something shippy with Ichabod and Abbie, that would be great, too, though I would be equally happy for gen friendship fic. I love how much these two care about each other and how they refuse to give up on each other even when they've given up on themselves, as well as the sense of fate binding them together with the whole Witness thing. I greatly dislike jealousy and love triangles, so if you're going to do do something shippy and keep Katrina's presence around, I'd much prefer something that ends in happy threesome poly times than something that requires Ichabod to choose between them. (Complicated poly is just fine, it doesn't have to be an equal relationship between all three of them, just so long as everything is done with everyone's consent.)
Maybe casefic? I love this whole ensemble and would be happy with anything that shows off the team. Abbie and Ichabod get a day off and spend it goofing around being adorable dorks? An exploration of the year of false memories of Abbie and Ichabod's "year" together in the S2 premiere? An AU of any stripe at all? There's such a great team here that exploring them in any sort of AU setting would be such a blast.
Vikings
This is a complicated one for me, because I love the dynamics of early S1 but Ragnar's questionable life choices in the first half of S2 are really difficult for me to swallow. I love Ragnar and Lagertha being awesome marrieds who adore each other unreservedly, and I love them both admiring Athelstan together. I definitely prefer these as an OT3, and this is a fandom where I tend to go for AUs over canonfic just because it's so much easier to ignore the part where Ragnar lost his mind. I would love just about any fandom-staple (or not-so-staple!) AU you cared to throw these three into. I'm a big fan of soulbonding (for this fandom or any of the others), so long as it's handled carefully. As I said above, I've got a huge choice kink, so if you want to run with a soulbonding AU I'd be much happier with one where things are complicated and the characters to be with/love each other because they choose it, rather than simple because fate/the soulbond decreed it.
Major Crimes
I started watching this show thinking it was a poor substitute for The Closer, and got completely blown away by the strength and depth of my love for Sharon and Rusty and the relationship developing between them. I love how prickly and defensive Rusty is, and how careful Sharon is, how aware she is of his boundaries and how she tries so hard to juggle respecting them with looking out for him and doing what's best for him. I love how much they love one another, and how difficult it is for them to say or show it sometimes, and how Rusty comes to trust her enough to be emotionally vulnerable with her.
This is one where I would definitely prefer no romance, at least not between Rusty and Sharon. Futurefic exploring the development of their relationship could be fun. Maybe a happy fluffy family piece after Rusty's adoption has gone through. Or past-fic exploring the development of their relationship. Five times Rusty couldn't bring himself to tell Sharon he loved her, and one time he didn't have to say anything at all. Or, again, just about any AU could be a blast here. Major Crimes in Space, where Rusty is a stowaway on a ship who gets discovered and unwittingly adopted by the brusque-but-caring Captain Raydor and her crew. Western AU where Rusty comes to town to hide and Sheriff Raydor takes him under her wing.
The Quest
This is another show that shouldn't be too hard to catch up on, should we have been matched in other fandoms but you're not feeling my prompts. The whole season is up on hulu here, and it's only 10 episodes long.
This show is like the Platonic ideal of reality TV and I cannot get over it. It's basically reality TV meets the fantasy genre, and I started watching it expecting it to be ridiculous and mostly good for background noise, and the next thing I knew I was clutching at my heart. I love that everyone on this show is so good (barring Christian, and the Vizier), I love that the focus is on helping each other rather than only looking out for yourself.
I love Ralia, her kindness and her quiet strength, and Angsar the Grumpy General With A Marshmallow Heart. I love when we get to see his warmth show through his grumpiness and the obvious affection between him and Ralia. I would love some Ralia/Ansgar, or even Ralia/Ansgar/Crio because Crio is super adorable.
Maybe pre-show fic showing Ralia and Ansgar growing closer? (If you do this, the death of Ansgar's wife would obviously be a factor, but I'd prefer something that didn't dwell on the grief and tragedy. I'd be happier with something showing Ansgar healing and moving on, rather than suffering.) Futurefic in which the two (or three) work to rebuild Saenctum after Verlox's defeat? The tables get turned and the Quest characters find themselves in our world, having to figure their way around and maybe complete some sort of task before the Fates will allow them to return?
If you want to include any of the Paladins, I'd be okay with that. Bonnie is my absolute, hands-down favorite. I adore her so much, how good she is, and how kind, and how much all the other Paladins obviously adore her. I love love love the friendship between her and Patrick, and if you felt like writing a fic where Bonnie stays in / comes back to Everealm I would be 1000% behind that.
Ever After
As I said above, I love a good fairy tale AU, so this film is very very close to my heart. I love Danielle's love of books and her independence, I love how she just can't help but speak her mind even when she knows she shouldn't, and I love how much Henry loves and admires and is intrigued by that about her.
I also really love Jacqueline and how kind she is, especially in the face of her mother's obvious favoritism. Her little B-plot romance with Laurent was adorable, and I love the scene at the ball where they're both dressed as horses and neigh at each other across the table.
I'd be happy with either Danielle/Henry or Jacqueline/Laurent, or Danielle and Jacqueline sister/friendfic if you'd prefer gen. I really love the scene where Jacqueline is taking care of Danielle after her lashing, and something exploring that scene in further detail, and the obvious concern and caring Jacqueline feels for her, could be great. Maybe after she's finished tending to Danielle's wounds, Danielle confesses what's been going on with Henry and her growing feelings, and there's some sisterly advice/bonding? Or futurefic where Jacqueline and Laurent continue to be adorable dorks together. I really adore the scene with Danielle and Henry and the gypsies, and would love a fic that incorporated them. Maybe a missing scene exploring Danielle and Henry's stay with them? Or what happens when Danielle and Henry invite the gypsies to the wedding? Foursome friendship fic showing how Danielle and Jacqueline's relationship changes and settles after the movie's end? I'd even enjoy Danielle/Jacqueline if you're so inclined.
Thank you so much again, author! I hope this letter has been helpful, and I'm sorry if I didn't get specific enough with my prompts for you. If you'd like more, or if you'd like any sort of guidance at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to either me or Nell, we'd both be more than happy to help.
Thank you so much for writing for me! I am so excited to see what you come up with, and I want to say that aside from anything that I say below, so long as you don't hit any of my really strong dislikes, I am pretty much guaranteed to love whatever you write. I am very easy to please, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you do!
Also, I have a terrible time thinking up prompts off the cuff, I freeze up and get terrible writer's block, so please don't hesitate to write something that isn't listed here. If you want a little more information about anything, you can always drop by my tumblr askbox and inquire. I always have anon turned on, but if you'd rather I be surprised, Nell knows me very well and would be happy to give you some guidance.
General Preferences
Likes: Happy endings, please. I don't mind angst or heartbreak along the way (at all, I thing some angst can make a happy ending even more satisfying!), but please please, an ending that is hopeful at the very least. I love love love shippiness and romance, but if that's not your thing I'd be super happy with friendfic or character studies or other genfic as well. I do really really love strong friendships and people who feel an intense bond with each other without it being romantic. I have a huge, huge choice kink -- write me a fic about choosing to be together, choosing to love each other (romantically or not) and I will love you forever. I love people being competent and clever, wit, banter, strong fabulous ladies (and the men -- or women -- who watch them be their fabulous selves with hearts in their eyes). I love tropes, and AUs of all flavors, but I am always impressed by a great canonfic, too! I love hurt/comfort and UST, first times and developing relationships and getting-together fics, fake married or pretend married or marriage of convenience. I love fairy tale or mythology AUs. If you're inclined to write something shippy, I adore smut, though if you're uncomfortable or uninterested in writing something explicit, I find a good kissing scene to be hugely satisfying as well. I love a good threesome or other poly dynamics, and if you do go for smut, I'm fine with as kinky or as vanilla as you care to make it. On the kink side, though, I would prefer no watersports, scat, or humiliation.
Dislikes: Sad endings, major character death, non-con, infidelity, abusive relationships. Don't feel the need to avoid these things if they happen in canon, but I'd prefer they not be introduced where they don't already exist, and that they not be the focus of the fic either way.
Now for the specifics...
How to Get Away With Murder
A new TV show about a group of law students and the professor/defense lawyer they're interning for. It's only a few episodes in at the time I'm writing this, and so far they're all available here on Hulu, and should be pretty quick to catch up on if we got matched on other fandoms but you're not feeling my prompts.
I love how clever everyone on this show is, it really hits my competency kink. I also love love love what Slytherins everyone is, how they can be ruthless and strategic to get what they want. I requested Connor because I kind of love him, he is such a little shit and he loves to stir shit up but I love him all the same. I love how compley he is, and I love how he plays cool and aloof but cares more than he thinks he does and more than he wants to. I love his relationship with Oliver, and I am super super invested in Oliver teaching him how to make emotional connections like a real boy. I also really love the dynamics between him and Michaela, if you'd like to explore that instead. I would love a fic where their complicated, maybe even antagonistic BFFs.
Sleepy Hollow
Ichabod vs the 21st century is one of my very favorite things. If you want to write a fic exploring that, I'd be more than delighted. If you want to write something shippy with Ichabod and Abbie, that would be great, too, though I would be equally happy for gen friendship fic. I love how much these two care about each other and how they refuse to give up on each other even when they've given up on themselves, as well as the sense of fate binding them together with the whole Witness thing. I greatly dislike jealousy and love triangles, so if you're going to do do something shippy and keep Katrina's presence around, I'd much prefer something that ends in happy threesome poly times than something that requires Ichabod to choose between them. (Complicated poly is just fine, it doesn't have to be an equal relationship between all three of them, just so long as everything is done with everyone's consent.)
Maybe casefic? I love this whole ensemble and would be happy with anything that shows off the team. Abbie and Ichabod get a day off and spend it goofing around being adorable dorks? An exploration of the year of false memories of Abbie and Ichabod's "year" together in the S2 premiere? An AU of any stripe at all? There's such a great team here that exploring them in any sort of AU setting would be such a blast.
Vikings
This is a complicated one for me, because I love the dynamics of early S1 but Ragnar's questionable life choices in the first half of S2 are really difficult for me to swallow. I love Ragnar and Lagertha being awesome marrieds who adore each other unreservedly, and I love them both admiring Athelstan together. I definitely prefer these as an OT3, and this is a fandom where I tend to go for AUs over canonfic just because it's so much easier to ignore the part where Ragnar lost his mind. I would love just about any fandom-staple (or not-so-staple!) AU you cared to throw these three into. I'm a big fan of soulbonding (for this fandom or any of the others), so long as it's handled carefully. As I said above, I've got a huge choice kink, so if you want to run with a soulbonding AU I'd be much happier with one where things are complicated and the characters to be with/love each other because they choose it, rather than simple because fate/the soulbond decreed it.
Major Crimes
I started watching this show thinking it was a poor substitute for The Closer, and got completely blown away by the strength and depth of my love for Sharon and Rusty and the relationship developing between them. I love how prickly and defensive Rusty is, and how careful Sharon is, how aware she is of his boundaries and how she tries so hard to juggle respecting them with looking out for him and doing what's best for him. I love how much they love one another, and how difficult it is for them to say or show it sometimes, and how Rusty comes to trust her enough to be emotionally vulnerable with her.
This is one where I would definitely prefer no romance, at least not between Rusty and Sharon. Futurefic exploring the development of their relationship could be fun. Maybe a happy fluffy family piece after Rusty's adoption has gone through. Or past-fic exploring the development of their relationship. Five times Rusty couldn't bring himself to tell Sharon he loved her, and one time he didn't have to say anything at all. Or, again, just about any AU could be a blast here. Major Crimes in Space, where Rusty is a stowaway on a ship who gets discovered and unwittingly adopted by the brusque-but-caring Captain Raydor and her crew. Western AU where Rusty comes to town to hide and Sheriff Raydor takes him under her wing.
The Quest
This is another show that shouldn't be too hard to catch up on, should we have been matched in other fandoms but you're not feeling my prompts. The whole season is up on hulu here, and it's only 10 episodes long.
This show is like the Platonic ideal of reality TV and I cannot get over it. It's basically reality TV meets the fantasy genre, and I started watching it expecting it to be ridiculous and mostly good for background noise, and the next thing I knew I was clutching at my heart. I love that everyone on this show is so good (barring Christian, and the Vizier), I love that the focus is on helping each other rather than only looking out for yourself.
I love Ralia, her kindness and her quiet strength, and Angsar the Grumpy General With A Marshmallow Heart. I love when we get to see his warmth show through his grumpiness and the obvious affection between him and Ralia. I would love some Ralia/Ansgar, or even Ralia/Ansgar/Crio because Crio is super adorable.
Maybe pre-show fic showing Ralia and Ansgar growing closer? (If you do this, the death of Ansgar's wife would obviously be a factor, but I'd prefer something that didn't dwell on the grief and tragedy. I'd be happier with something showing Ansgar healing and moving on, rather than suffering.) Futurefic in which the two (or three) work to rebuild Saenctum after Verlox's defeat? The tables get turned and the Quest characters find themselves in our world, having to figure their way around and maybe complete some sort of task before the Fates will allow them to return?
If you want to include any of the Paladins, I'd be okay with that. Bonnie is my absolute, hands-down favorite. I adore her so much, how good she is, and how kind, and how much all the other Paladins obviously adore her. I love love love the friendship between her and Patrick, and if you felt like writing a fic where Bonnie stays in / comes back to Everealm I would be 1000% behind that.
Ever After
As I said above, I love a good fairy tale AU, so this film is very very close to my heart. I love Danielle's love of books and her independence, I love how she just can't help but speak her mind even when she knows she shouldn't, and I love how much Henry loves and admires and is intrigued by that about her.
I also really love Jacqueline and how kind she is, especially in the face of her mother's obvious favoritism. Her little B-plot romance with Laurent was adorable, and I love the scene at the ball where they're both dressed as horses and neigh at each other across the table.
I'd be happy with either Danielle/Henry or Jacqueline/Laurent, or Danielle and Jacqueline sister/friendfic if you'd prefer gen. I really love the scene where Jacqueline is taking care of Danielle after her lashing, and something exploring that scene in further detail, and the obvious concern and caring Jacqueline feels for her, could be great. Maybe after she's finished tending to Danielle's wounds, Danielle confesses what's been going on with Henry and her growing feelings, and there's some sisterly advice/bonding? Or futurefic where Jacqueline and Laurent continue to be adorable dorks together. I really adore the scene with Danielle and Henry and the gypsies, and would love a fic that incorporated them. Maybe a missing scene exploring Danielle and Henry's stay with them? Or what happens when Danielle and Henry invite the gypsies to the wedding? Foursome friendship fic showing how Danielle and Jacqueline's relationship changes and settles after the movie's end? I'd even enjoy Danielle/Jacqueline if you're so inclined.
Thank you so much again, author! I hope this letter has been helpful, and I'm sorry if I didn't get specific enough with my prompts for you. If you'd like more, or if you'd like any sort of guidance at all, please don't hesitate to reach out to either me or Nell, we'd both be more than happy to help.
