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Dear Yuletide Writer
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Thank you so much for volunteering to write a story for me! I’m so looking forward to seeing what you come up with! You obviously have amazing taste in fandoms ;), and I’m sure you’ll create something brilliant. I hope some of my incoherent ramblings below are useful to you; if they aren’t, feel free to ignore any of them you wish.
I write and read fic for the characters, mostly, so strong characterization is a must for me. I love banter/snark, though angst is my favorite genre. I don’t like smut; romance is a lovely, lovely thing, and sex has its place, but I admire a writer who can tell you more about characters’ emotional interactions without giving you an anatomy lesson, you know? The physical act often gets in the way in fic, and since I’m only interested in what the physical act reflects about the character’s emotions, this can drive me crazy. So please, no strong NC-17, and nothing too kinky, please.
Even though I’m more of a het reader and I discuss pairings and such below, I’m a huge fan of well-written gen fic, so if my pairings aren’t to your taste, never fear: your gen contribution will be loved. I love fics that explore dynamics between characters who may not have had much time to interact in canon, and I love crossovers, fill-in-the-blank kind of fics, and AUs of the type where you get to explore how canon would have been different had someone made a different decision than the one he or she did.
Did I mention angst? I truly love anything post-apocalyptic, so if you feel the need to have the staff of the Junior Gazette being the only survivors of an alien attack or Ria kicking zombie ass, go right ahead. Just make it nice and angsty, not silly, and I’ll be happy.
I also love unique style, so don't feel like you have to write straightforward narrative; if you want to be experimental, go for it! I'm one of those people who uses lots of random italics and strikethroughs and parentheses and smooshes words together and does strange things with punctuation, so I totally get it. I'm also rather fond of looking at my favorite characters/pairings through the eyes of others, especially the eyes of someone unexpected. I love unexpected or shifting perspectives and the use of unreliable narrators--Faulkner is my favorite author, if that tells you anything. On the other hand, don't feel like you have to do something weird stylistically if you're uncomfortable with that; I just want to give you the chance if you want it.
Likes: Strong characterization, snark, banter, angst, het, gen, post-apocalyptic anything, h/c, moments of understanding between unlikely characters,and I may have a guilty-kink in the form of babyfic. But only good babyfic. Feel free to ignore this bit.
Dislikes: Character-bashing, OOCness, incest, PWP, mpreg, non-con, etc.
Press Gang - Anything Spike/Lynda or the whole gang (with an emphasis on Kenny and Sam), het or gen. I love our main couple being really snarky and yet domestic, but I also love the angsty stuff. Your choice. I really love the dynamic between Spike and Lynda that emphasizes the way they defy their surface stereotypes of uptight, bossy girl and rebellious boy: she's the amoral one who makes bad calls, and he nearly always does the right thing. I adore any moment in canon in which Spike is the one to call her out on a bad decision; he really is her moral compass. So a fic in which you explore that dynamic would make me very happy. I also have a bit of a soft spot for Kenny and Sam, together or apart or any way at all. But I love every member of the cast, so feel free to use as many as you wish, in any capacity you wish, and I think it would be very fun to read something involving them all being together and snarking and racing against a deadline to produce an issue while Spike and Lynda flirt and Colin gets into trouble and Kenny looks put out. As for time period, I would love to read either a post-series ficmaybe with Spike and Lynda as parents or something set within the canon of the show.
Monsoon Wedding - Anything Ria-centric, het or gen. I’d love to see something that examines what happens between her and the hot guy who shows up late to the wedding and/or a piece about her going to get that creative writing degree that she wanted and starting down the path toward being a great writer, but a more introspective or family-driven piece would be lovely as well. Anything that celebrates her as the strong, smart, sexy woman that she is.
Bright Star - John Keats/Fanny Brawne, het or gen. Beauty. Sadness. Keats never saw a contradiction between the two, and neither do I. What I most want is a fic that recreates the atmosphere of the movie, where everything is very beautiful and melancholy and quiet but intense. I'm sorry I have nothing more specific than that!
M.M. Kaye - Shadow of the Moon - Winter/Alex and/or Alex&Niaz bonding, with Lou Cotter as a supporting character if you wish, het or gen. I would sell my soul for Shadow of the Moon fic. Anything involving Alex/Winter would make me smile, but I also love Lou and Niaz. I think a scene involving Winter and Niaz interacting has the potential to be very fascinating; perhaps he recognizes her feelings for Alex long before she does. If you want to go the gen route, I’d love to see Winter somehow communicating with the ghost of her mother Sabrina (something that’s hinted at in the text, but unfortunately never had much follow-through) or some Alex&Niaz fraternal bonding. And I have to mention that the idea of an older and happily-married Captain and Mrs. Randall meeting a certain Ashton Pelham-Martyn won’t leave me alone….
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to create a fic just for me! I hope you enjoy the writing process, and have a wonderful holiday season!
- Lirazel
Thank you so much for volunteering to write a story for me! I’m so looking forward to seeing what you come up with! You obviously have amazing taste in fandoms ;), and I’m sure you’ll create something brilliant. I hope some of my incoherent ramblings below are useful to you; if they aren’t, feel free to ignore any of them you wish.
I write and read fic for the characters, mostly, so strong characterization is a must for me. I love banter/snark, though angst is my favorite genre. I don’t like smut; romance is a lovely, lovely thing, and sex has its place, but I admire a writer who can tell you more about characters’ emotional interactions without giving you an anatomy lesson, you know? The physical act often gets in the way in fic, and since I’m only interested in what the physical act reflects about the character’s emotions, this can drive me crazy. So please, no strong NC-17, and nothing too kinky, please.
Even though I’m more of a het reader and I discuss pairings and such below, I’m a huge fan of well-written gen fic, so if my pairings aren’t to your taste, never fear: your gen contribution will be loved. I love fics that explore dynamics between characters who may not have had much time to interact in canon, and I love crossovers, fill-in-the-blank kind of fics, and AUs of the type where you get to explore how canon would have been different had someone made a different decision than the one he or she did.
Did I mention angst? I truly love anything post-apocalyptic, so if you feel the need to have the staff of the Junior Gazette being the only survivors of an alien attack or Ria kicking zombie ass, go right ahead. Just make it nice and angsty, not silly, and I’ll be happy.
I also love unique style, so don't feel like you have to write straightforward narrative; if you want to be experimental, go for it! I'm one of those people who uses lots of random italics and strikethroughs and parentheses and smooshes words together and does strange things with punctuation, so I totally get it. I'm also rather fond of looking at my favorite characters/pairings through the eyes of others, especially the eyes of someone unexpected. I love unexpected or shifting perspectives and the use of unreliable narrators--Faulkner is my favorite author, if that tells you anything. On the other hand, don't feel like you have to do something weird stylistically if you're uncomfortable with that; I just want to give you the chance if you want it.
Likes: Strong characterization, snark, banter, angst, het, gen, post-apocalyptic anything, h/c, moments of understanding between unlikely characters,
Dislikes: Character-bashing, OOCness, incest, PWP, mpreg, non-con, etc.
Press Gang - Anything Spike/Lynda or the whole gang (with an emphasis on Kenny and Sam), het or gen. I love our main couple being really snarky and yet domestic, but I also love the angsty stuff. Your choice. I really love the dynamic between Spike and Lynda that emphasizes the way they defy their surface stereotypes of uptight, bossy girl and rebellious boy: she's the amoral one who makes bad calls, and he nearly always does the right thing. I adore any moment in canon in which Spike is the one to call her out on a bad decision; he really is her moral compass. So a fic in which you explore that dynamic would make me very happy. I also have a bit of a soft spot for Kenny and Sam, together or apart or any way at all. But I love every member of the cast, so feel free to use as many as you wish, in any capacity you wish, and I think it would be very fun to read something involving them all being together and snarking and racing against a deadline to produce an issue while Spike and Lynda flirt and Colin gets into trouble and Kenny looks put out. As for time period, I would love to read either a post-series fic
Monsoon Wedding - Anything Ria-centric, het or gen. I’d love to see something that examines what happens between her and the hot guy who shows up late to the wedding and/or a piece about her going to get that creative writing degree that she wanted and starting down the path toward being a great writer, but a more introspective or family-driven piece would be lovely as well. Anything that celebrates her as the strong, smart, sexy woman that she is.
Bright Star - John Keats/Fanny Brawne, het or gen. Beauty. Sadness. Keats never saw a contradiction between the two, and neither do I. What I most want is a fic that recreates the atmosphere of the movie, where everything is very beautiful and melancholy and quiet but intense. I'm sorry I have nothing more specific than that!
M.M. Kaye - Shadow of the Moon - Winter/Alex and/or Alex&Niaz bonding, with Lou Cotter as a supporting character if you wish, het or gen. I would sell my soul for Shadow of the Moon fic. Anything involving Alex/Winter would make me smile, but I also love Lou and Niaz. I think a scene involving Winter and Niaz interacting has the potential to be very fascinating; perhaps he recognizes her feelings for Alex long before she does. If you want to go the gen route, I’d love to see Winter somehow communicating with the ghost of her mother Sabrina (something that’s hinted at in the text, but unfortunately never had much follow-through) or some Alex&Niaz fraternal bonding. And I have to mention that the idea of an older and happily-married Captain and Mrs. Randall meeting a certain Ashton Pelham-Martyn won’t leave me alone….
Again, thank you so much for taking the time to create a fic just for me! I hope you enjoy the writing process, and have a wonderful holiday season!
- Lirazel