Dear Yuletide Santa
Oct. 11th, 2013 03:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhHello!
Thank you so much for offering one of my fandoms! You clearly have excellent taste. I am a firm believer of "optional details are optional", so feel free to use these comments as inspiration, or write something entirely else. Most of all, I'd like you to write a story that you're happy with.
In general, I really admire any story that can do plot, action, and/or humor well, because I personally am bad at writing those things. On the other hand, I also like character studies, poetic language (which is my polite term for purple prose; it is hard to be too purple for my taste), angst, and introspection, which is why I write them. I like dark themes and happy endings (though probably not in the same story). I like fun stories, the sort that make you smile to read them, but am not so fond of fluff. I like nuances (hmm, that is probably the worst request ever. I like it when authors complicate things?). I really love stories that dig deep, exploring a world or a character's interior. Most of the characters I love are pretty fucked up on the inside, but are also capable of great strength. I like that balance, not a woobie but not a standard hero either. Most of my favorite characters can be encapsulated by the Hemingway quote, "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places". That's what really gets me: the refusal to give up, even when it's pointless.
I tend to like a lot of dysfunction in my fictional relationships. They can be happy, but I'm not terribly fond of lots of sap or schmoop, or really any sort of overt romance. I much prefer the unspoken to the outright-stated. Pretty much all of my requests revolve around a relationship (whether you chose to write that as gen or romantic), and I really love reading about how people work (or don't) together. How do they help one another? How do they hurt? How do they understand or misunderstand? What is easy between them, and what is complicated; what is spoken and what is not? Etc. In general, I like my couples to succeed together, but I like it to be hard to get there.
Do not feel obligated to include Christmas (or whatever fantasy-equivalent winter holiday is appropriate to the fandom), but if you want to, feel free. I absolutely adore AUs, whether completely different universes (everyone's in high school! everyone has daemons! everyone is a pirate! And also a vampire!), or the "what if this character had made a different choice?" sort. I think AUs are a fantastic way of exploring what is essential to a character's personality, and what is merely surface, and that's what I find most interesting about them. It's so interesting to explore how a different setting/upbringing/choice might or might not change a person.
Porn is always welcome, of any variety (m/m, f/m, f/f, poly, kinky, vanilla, monogamous or not), and I have a comment elaborating on some of the things I like here. I don't have any squicks or triggers, so write whatever appeals to you. However, don't feel obligated if you don't like to write it. I like G-rated shippy or gen stories too!
Several of the canons I've requested deal with fraught real-life issues (slavery, racism, sexism, religious oppression, to name just a few), and if you want to write a story that tackles these head-on, I would be very into that. If you'd like to avoid them and write happy shipfic, I would like that too! I would, however, prefer not to get issuefic, which I define as a story more interested in teaching a lesson than in the characters themselves.
There's very little in fic that I outright refuse to read; a good story will convince me to like almost anything.
I've written several meta posts about the sort of things that I love in stories. You can use these for inspiration, if you like:
My Top 10 Story Kinks
My favorite 'cool bits'
What I look for in OTPs
If you're interested, my own stories are (mostly) on AO3, but the complete list of them is collected here. I've written for some of the fandoms I requested, though that doesn't mean you have to write the same sort of stories that I do! One of my favorite things is to see the way different people have different takes on the same story.
Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
AHHHH BENJAMIN JANUARY LOVE LOVE LOVE.
What I love most here is the trio of Ben/Rose/Hannibal, or any combination of two of the three, and I am equally happy to have you write them as platonic or romantic. I would be completely happy to read domestic fluff involving the three of them cooking and playing music and making dumb Latin jokes and critiquing opera. Case-fic and mysteries and adventures would also be great! I'm convinced that the three of them fighting the zombie apocalypse (brain-eating zombies, not voodoo zombies) would be an amazing fic. If you do want to write sex with them: yay! I see them as mooostly vanilla, but would love a pegging fic. I have also become convinced that Hannibal is into breathplay. You could probably talk me into other kinks if you tried. Or vanilla! Vanilla is good.
Some other prompts: how did Hannibal and Rose's first meeting go? How about Hannibal teaching Rose to pick locks (and/or the two of them attempting to teach Ben!). What did Rose and Hannibal get up to while Ben was in DC during 'Good Man Friday'? The world needs Ben/Hannibal huddling-for-warmth fic set during 'The Shirt on His Back'. Also furtive Ben/Hannibal make-outs in the backroom of some opera/ball/private party. Are there backstories to the nicknames Hannibal uses for them, Athene and amicus meus?
Outside of my OT3, Rose-backstory about her time at school in New York would be AMAZING. I would also love a story about Hannibal and Minou hanging out and being flirtatious gossiping BFFs. I love so much of the world-building and so many of the minor characters (Marie Laveau! The Mayerlings! Ayasha! Chloe!) that you really could write about anything in this fandom and I would love it.
I have a tag for this fandom, if you'd like to see some other things I've written about it: http://wordsofastory.livejournal.com/tag/ben%20january
Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner
I LOVE SWORDSPOINT SO MUCH OMG. Which is a loud way of saying, if this is the fandom we were matched on, you already have made me so happy! This fandom is like my id, seriously. Some things I love in particular are: the madness and dangerousness of both Richard and Alec; the careful compromise of their relationship; the disintegrating, violent Riverside; the politics of it all; and the way everything is always taking place just below the surface, and nothing is ever quite obvious. I adore Kushner's writing style, the way she almost never directly states what anyone is feeling or meaning, but rather hints at it through body language and misdirection.
Richard/Alec is the big pairing for me here, but I am also open to stories about either guy individually, or about either of them in another relationship. Some suggestions: Richard/Jessamyn, Alec/another student from the University. I'd love to read about a threesome with these two and someone else. I'm also really interested in the fact that Alec is sleeping around a lot in TPotS; how does Richard feel about that? Does Richard ever sleep with someone else, and if so, how does Alec react? Would it be different if Alec had slept around earlier in the relationship? Do they even think of it as 'cheating', and if not, what would they define as 'cheating'?
I particularly love stories set early in Alec and Richard's life, during the time they're still living in Riverside. At one point Richard mentions that he's been a highwayman; I WOULD LOVE A STORY ABOUT THAT YESSS. Either in his youth, or if for some reason he decides to go back to it after knowing Alec (or with Alec? So awesome!). However, I also love stories about Richard and Alec scandalizing high society after Alec becomes the Duke. Some other suggestions: something exploring daily life in Riverside, what the dangerous part of the city is *really* like to its inhabitants. Richard and Alec's first meeting stories are always interesting (I know there is now an official version! I still love other tellings, or a story weaving around "The Duke of Riverside"). Porn will be deeply appreciated, although is not required. Something that explores kink between these two would be very neat (bloodplay/knifeplay, yes. D/s stuff, yes). Basically, if the story involves Alec and/or Richard, you will have given me a happy Yuletide.
I have a tag for this fandom, if you'd like to see some other things I've written about it: http://wordsofastory.livejournal.com/tag/swordspoint
Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon
GOD, HOW AMAZING IS THIS BOOK? I am in absolute love with its lush purple prose, and if you are capable of writing in that style, I will love you forever (if you're not, don't worry about it; I couldn't do it either).
I love the relationship between Zelikman and Amram, and if you wanted to add sex to that, I would definitely not be opposed. A story about how they work around to that would be wonderful. I will be just as happy with platonic friendship fic, though! I would love a story about another adventure of theirs on the road, particularly if it involved being conmen or thieves or general underhanded-ness. I love sneaky plots and twists.
I do love a lot of the more silly elements of the book- hats and grumpy horses and impolite parrots- and I adore the snarky banter between Zelikman and Amram. That said, something dealing with the more serious elements would also be very welcome.
Titus Andronicus - Shakespeare
You have signed up to write Shakespeare! YOU ARE SO IMPRESSIVE, YULETIDE SANTA!
Basically, I love Aaron. I love his anger, I love his arrogance (that swagger! ♥ He basically drops a 'yo mamma' joke, how amazing is that?), I love his relationship with Tamora, and I love how he sacrifices everything he has to try and save his son and yet still refuses to admit wrong-doing: "If one good deed in all my life I did, / I do repent it from my very soul." AH LOVE. He is a complicated, stubborn, self-centered villain, and I adore him.
A story elaborating on any of this, or giving him more backstory (or a future!) would be so fantastic.
Django Unchained (2012)
I never thought I would like this movie as much as I do! I put off seeing it for ages, but now I LOVE IT. I love Django learning to be a hero, I love snarky, unlikely Schultz, and I love Broomhilda managing to keep up with the two of them.
I would love more back-story on Broomhilda; we don't really get to see too much of her in the movie, and I'd really, really like for you to flesh it out some more. A story about the Django/Broomhilda relationship either pre- or post-movie would also be great. I'd love to hear about how they got together or what their early lives were like. I adore their 'Troublemaker' nicknames- what's the backstory of that? I'd also love to see where they go and what they do after the movie, and I'd especially like it if Broomhilda got to be a hero in her own right. Does she join up with Django in the bounty-hunting business? Or do they do something else?
I also have a great fondness for the OT3 of Django/Broomhilda/Schultz, though the ending makes that difficult. Uh, feel free to fudge the events of the movie. Or take things AU!
Thank you so much for offering one of my fandoms! You clearly have excellent taste. I am a firm believer of "optional details are optional", so feel free to use these comments as inspiration, or write something entirely else. Most of all, I'd like you to write a story that you're happy with.
In general, I really admire any story that can do plot, action, and/or humor well, because I personally am bad at writing those things. On the other hand, I also like character studies, poetic language (which is my polite term for purple prose; it is hard to be too purple for my taste), angst, and introspection, which is why I write them. I like dark themes and happy endings (though probably not in the same story). I like fun stories, the sort that make you smile to read them, but am not so fond of fluff. I like nuances (hmm, that is probably the worst request ever. I like it when authors complicate things?). I really love stories that dig deep, exploring a world or a character's interior. Most of the characters I love are pretty fucked up on the inside, but are also capable of great strength. I like that balance, not a woobie but not a standard hero either. Most of my favorite characters can be encapsulated by the Hemingway quote, "The world breaks everyone and afterward many are stronger at the broken places". That's what really gets me: the refusal to give up, even when it's pointless.
I tend to like a lot of dysfunction in my fictional relationships. They can be happy, but I'm not terribly fond of lots of sap or schmoop, or really any sort of overt romance. I much prefer the unspoken to the outright-stated. Pretty much all of my requests revolve around a relationship (whether you chose to write that as gen or romantic), and I really love reading about how people work (or don't) together. How do they help one another? How do they hurt? How do they understand or misunderstand? What is easy between them, and what is complicated; what is spoken and what is not? Etc. In general, I like my couples to succeed together, but I like it to be hard to get there.
Do not feel obligated to include Christmas (or whatever fantasy-equivalent winter holiday is appropriate to the fandom), but if you want to, feel free. I absolutely adore AUs, whether completely different universes (everyone's in high school! everyone has daemons! everyone is a pirate! And also a vampire!), or the "what if this character had made a different choice?" sort. I think AUs are a fantastic way of exploring what is essential to a character's personality, and what is merely surface, and that's what I find most interesting about them. It's so interesting to explore how a different setting/upbringing/choice might or might not change a person.
Porn is always welcome, of any variety (m/m, f/m, f/f, poly, kinky, vanilla, monogamous or not), and I have a comment elaborating on some of the things I like here. I don't have any squicks or triggers, so write whatever appeals to you. However, don't feel obligated if you don't like to write it. I like G-rated shippy or gen stories too!
Several of the canons I've requested deal with fraught real-life issues (slavery, racism, sexism, religious oppression, to name just a few), and if you want to write a story that tackles these head-on, I would be very into that. If you'd like to avoid them and write happy shipfic, I would like that too! I would, however, prefer not to get issuefic, which I define as a story more interested in teaching a lesson than in the characters themselves.
There's very little in fic that I outright refuse to read; a good story will convince me to like almost anything.
I've written several meta posts about the sort of things that I love in stories. You can use these for inspiration, if you like:
My Top 10 Story Kinks
My favorite 'cool bits'
What I look for in OTPs
If you're interested, my own stories are (mostly) on AO3, but the complete list of them is collected here. I've written for some of the fandoms I requested, though that doesn't mean you have to write the same sort of stories that I do! One of my favorite things is to see the way different people have different takes on the same story.
Benjamin January Mysteries - Barbara Hambly
AHHHH BENJAMIN JANUARY LOVE LOVE LOVE.
What I love most here is the trio of Ben/Rose/Hannibal, or any combination of two of the three, and I am equally happy to have you write them as platonic or romantic. I would be completely happy to read domestic fluff involving the three of them cooking and playing music and making dumb Latin jokes and critiquing opera. Case-fic and mysteries and adventures would also be great! I'm convinced that the three of them fighting the zombie apocalypse (brain-eating zombies, not voodoo zombies) would be an amazing fic. If you do want to write sex with them: yay! I see them as mooostly vanilla, but would love a pegging fic. I have also become convinced that Hannibal is into breathplay. You could probably talk me into other kinks if you tried. Or vanilla! Vanilla is good.
Some other prompts: how did Hannibal and Rose's first meeting go? How about Hannibal teaching Rose to pick locks (and/or the two of them attempting to teach Ben!). What did Rose and Hannibal get up to while Ben was in DC during 'Good Man Friday'? The world needs Ben/Hannibal huddling-for-warmth fic set during 'The Shirt on His Back'. Also furtive Ben/Hannibal make-outs in the backroom of some opera/ball/private party. Are there backstories to the nicknames Hannibal uses for them, Athene and amicus meus?
Outside of my OT3, Rose-backstory about her time at school in New York would be AMAZING. I would also love a story about Hannibal and Minou hanging out and being flirtatious gossiping BFFs. I love so much of the world-building and so many of the minor characters (Marie Laveau! The Mayerlings! Ayasha! Chloe!) that you really could write about anything in this fandom and I would love it.
I have a tag for this fandom, if you'd like to see some other things I've written about it: http://wordsofastory.livejournal.com/tag/ben%20january
Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner
I LOVE SWORDSPOINT SO MUCH OMG. Which is a loud way of saying, if this is the fandom we were matched on, you already have made me so happy! This fandom is like my id, seriously. Some things I love in particular are: the madness and dangerousness of both Richard and Alec; the careful compromise of their relationship; the disintegrating, violent Riverside; the politics of it all; and the way everything is always taking place just below the surface, and nothing is ever quite obvious. I adore Kushner's writing style, the way she almost never directly states what anyone is feeling or meaning, but rather hints at it through body language and misdirection.
Richard/Alec is the big pairing for me here, but I am also open to stories about either guy individually, or about either of them in another relationship. Some suggestions: Richard/Jessamyn, Alec/another student from the University. I'd love to read about a threesome with these two and someone else. I'm also really interested in the fact that Alec is sleeping around a lot in TPotS; how does Richard feel about that? Does Richard ever sleep with someone else, and if so, how does Alec react? Would it be different if Alec had slept around earlier in the relationship? Do they even think of it as 'cheating', and if not, what would they define as 'cheating'?
I particularly love stories set early in Alec and Richard's life, during the time they're still living in Riverside. At one point Richard mentions that he's been a highwayman; I WOULD LOVE A STORY ABOUT THAT YESSS. Either in his youth, or if for some reason he decides to go back to it after knowing Alec (or with Alec? So awesome!). However, I also love stories about Richard and Alec scandalizing high society after Alec becomes the Duke. Some other suggestions: something exploring daily life in Riverside, what the dangerous part of the city is *really* like to its inhabitants. Richard and Alec's first meeting stories are always interesting (I know there is now an official version! I still love other tellings, or a story weaving around "The Duke of Riverside"). Porn will be deeply appreciated, although is not required. Something that explores kink between these two would be very neat (bloodplay/knifeplay, yes. D/s stuff, yes). Basically, if the story involves Alec and/or Richard, you will have given me a happy Yuletide.
I have a tag for this fandom, if you'd like to see some other things I've written about it: http://wordsofastory.livejournal.com/tag/swordspoint
Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon
GOD, HOW AMAZING IS THIS BOOK? I am in absolute love with its lush purple prose, and if you are capable of writing in that style, I will love you forever (if you're not, don't worry about it; I couldn't do it either).
I love the relationship between Zelikman and Amram, and if you wanted to add sex to that, I would definitely not be opposed. A story about how they work around to that would be wonderful. I will be just as happy with platonic friendship fic, though! I would love a story about another adventure of theirs on the road, particularly if it involved being conmen or thieves or general underhanded-ness. I love sneaky plots and twists.
I do love a lot of the more silly elements of the book- hats and grumpy horses and impolite parrots- and I adore the snarky banter between Zelikman and Amram. That said, something dealing with the more serious elements would also be very welcome.
Titus Andronicus - Shakespeare
You have signed up to write Shakespeare! YOU ARE SO IMPRESSIVE, YULETIDE SANTA!
Basically, I love Aaron. I love his anger, I love his arrogance (that swagger! ♥ He basically drops a 'yo mamma' joke, how amazing is that?), I love his relationship with Tamora, and I love how he sacrifices everything he has to try and save his son and yet still refuses to admit wrong-doing: "If one good deed in all my life I did, / I do repent it from my very soul." AH LOVE. He is a complicated, stubborn, self-centered villain, and I adore him.
A story elaborating on any of this, or giving him more backstory (or a future!) would be so fantastic.
Django Unchained (2012)
I never thought I would like this movie as much as I do! I put off seeing it for ages, but now I LOVE IT. I love Django learning to be a hero, I love snarky, unlikely Schultz, and I love Broomhilda managing to keep up with the two of them.
I would love more back-story on Broomhilda; we don't really get to see too much of her in the movie, and I'd really, really like for you to flesh it out some more. A story about the Django/Broomhilda relationship either pre- or post-movie would also be great. I'd love to hear about how they got together or what their early lives were like. I adore their 'Troublemaker' nicknames- what's the backstory of that? I'd also love to see where they go and what they do after the movie, and I'd especially like it if Broomhilda got to be a hero in her own right. Does she join up with Django in the bounty-hunting business? Or do they do something else?
I also have a great fondness for the OT3 of Django/Broomhilda/Schultz, though the ending makes that difficult. Uh, feel free to fudge the events of the movie. Or take things AU!
