Dear Yuletide Writer
That you like the same books I do means you're literate and awesome. Thank you.
I see Yuletide as an opportunity for creative storytelling, and that's what I'm interested in. I like fics that have strong narratives and that something happens in - i.e. I'm not that into internal monologues/scenic descriptions. I like stories that explore something new about the world, and I tend to prefer longer pieces. I have few squicks left - RPF, extreme bondage, maiming of animals. I want a fic that leaves me happy or feeling content - while angst is fine in the story itself, I want resolution that doesn't leave the characters in a horrible place.
As for the requests:
President's Daughter series - Ellen Emerson White
Preston Fielding/Meghan Powers
Preston/Meghan is really what I want. I love the two together and actually approach OTP status for them.
I read these books as a teenager in the nineties (they were dated then) and I also read them when Long May She Reign came out. The difference in the versions was slightly startling to me.
These were some of my favorites as a teenager. Now that I think on it, I love the elements because of the same reasons I loved The West Wing. I like politics and intellectual debate grounded in characters I enjoy reading about. I like detail and I like optimism - I'm really sick of this election cycle, and would like the feeling of a political narrative that draws the people together.
If you're not into shipping, I'd be happy with a fic set when Meghan is about thirty - where does she end up after her mother's terms in office? I want the "after Meghan is out of the White House" story... maybe she follows a parallel path to some other first daughter, maybe she becomes a hermit, maybe she ends up as a member of a thinktank. Creativity would be a plus, but I want to know that she survived and thrived.
Bonus if you want to incorporate both together. It would be interesting to see her as First Lady to Preston's President (ohhhh, the gender politics...).
Twelve Houses - Sharon Shinn
Cammon (Twelve Houses)
Sharon Shinn is an author I love, love, love.
What I like about Shinn's writing is the storytelling. There's always an undercurrent of romance in her work, but the worlds are so vividly created with such interesting detail that the romance doesn't overwhelm the story.
Cammon's my favorite character - I enjoy his sweet wisdom. I would love fic set with him as king, perhaps something post Fortune and Fate, or perhaps something about his first days as Amalie's official Consort. I would be interested in his relationship with Rappengrass (Ariane!), since this is one of the sections I reread a couple of times.
I also like Wen quite a bit if you'd rather move in that direction.
Blossom Culp - Richard Peck
I am on a nonfiction history reading kick right now (I've been reading about the Titanic from umpteen million authors), and that brought to mind my love for this childhood series. I want something rooted in the time period - something with a sense of history that gets the detail right. I'd like something set during Blossom's earlier life - prior to the 1940s, because WWII just depresses the heck out of me.
I love Blossom's quirk and confidence, and I love her and Alexander together (friends are fine if you don't want to go a romantic route - I don't actually want a full-blown romance for them). I'd like something with a twist of supernatural that fits into the time period - while I did specifically sign up with a request for no RPF, I would make an exception for Rasputin because I'm sure she'd click with him and his "powers" in interesting ways. Maybe something about Blossom being involved with the Romanov family - adding another legend to what happens to one of the missing daughters (and it'd be more interesting if it was not Anastasia).
I see Yuletide as an opportunity for creative storytelling, and that's what I'm interested in. I like fics that have strong narratives and that something happens in - i.e. I'm not that into internal monologues/scenic descriptions. I like stories that explore something new about the world, and I tend to prefer longer pieces. I have few squicks left - RPF, extreme bondage, maiming of animals. I want a fic that leaves me happy or feeling content - while angst is fine in the story itself, I want resolution that doesn't leave the characters in a horrible place.
As for the requests:
President's Daughter series - Ellen Emerson White
Preston Fielding/Meghan Powers
Preston/Meghan is really what I want. I love the two together and actually approach OTP status for them.
I read these books as a teenager in the nineties (they were dated then) and I also read them when Long May She Reign came out. The difference in the versions was slightly startling to me.
These were some of my favorites as a teenager. Now that I think on it, I love the elements because of the same reasons I loved The West Wing. I like politics and intellectual debate grounded in characters I enjoy reading about. I like detail and I like optimism - I'm really sick of this election cycle, and would like the feeling of a political narrative that draws the people together.
If you're not into shipping, I'd be happy with a fic set when Meghan is about thirty - where does she end up after her mother's terms in office? I want the "after Meghan is out of the White House" story... maybe she follows a parallel path to some other first daughter, maybe she becomes a hermit, maybe she ends up as a member of a thinktank. Creativity would be a plus, but I want to know that she survived and thrived.
Bonus if you want to incorporate both together. It would be interesting to see her as First Lady to Preston's President (ohhhh, the gender politics...).
Twelve Houses - Sharon Shinn
Cammon (Twelve Houses)
Sharon Shinn is an author I love, love, love.
What I like about Shinn's writing is the storytelling. There's always an undercurrent of romance in her work, but the worlds are so vividly created with such interesting detail that the romance doesn't overwhelm the story.
Cammon's my favorite character - I enjoy his sweet wisdom. I would love fic set with him as king, perhaps something post Fortune and Fate, or perhaps something about his first days as Amalie's official Consort. I would be interested in his relationship with Rappengrass (Ariane!), since this is one of the sections I reread a couple of times.
I also like Wen quite a bit if you'd rather move in that direction.
Blossom Culp - Richard Peck
I am on a nonfiction history reading kick right now (I've been reading about the Titanic from umpteen million authors), and that brought to mind my love for this childhood series. I want something rooted in the time period - something with a sense of history that gets the detail right. I'd like something set during Blossom's earlier life - prior to the 1940s, because WWII just depresses the heck out of me.
I love Blossom's quirk and confidence, and I love her and Alexander together (friends are fine if you don't want to go a romantic route - I don't actually want a full-blown romance for them). I'd like something with a twist of supernatural that fits into the time period - while I did specifically sign up with a request for no RPF, I would make an exception for Rasputin because I'm sure she'd click with him and his "powers" in interesting ways. Maybe something about Blossom being involved with the Romanov family - adding another legend to what happens to one of the missing daughters (and it'd be more interesting if it was not Anastasia).