Dear Yuletide Writer...
Yuletide! Lucky number thirteen!
This surely doesn't need to be said, but since I've requested a couple current fandoms this year in which certain revelations and/or events are perhaps better discovered as one watches, better safe than sorry: Here there be spoilers for things that have aired in the past year.
Dear Yuletide Writer,
We share a little fandom! Go us! First of all, thank you for writing for me. I can't wait to see what you do! I firmly believe Yuletide is meant to be a fun and joyful experience, so don't stress about anything I've written here. I offer ideas and details to give you insight into the things that I like or the ways that I view the canon and characters, but they're all meant to inspire and not to limit. If none of it speaks to you, just take the fandom and character request and go your own way. I'm totally cool with that.
Overall, I have very broad tastes. Although there is a fondness in my heart for queer relationships (of all sorts), I enjoy character interaction and relationships of all kinds and in any combination of genders, romantic or otherwise. Porn is great. Gen is great. Action is great. Character study is great. Complicated plotty stories that include everything up to and including the kitchen sink are great. Long stories, short stories, screenplays, epic poems, mixed media: all good. Dark is good, funny is good, melancholy is good, joyful is good! This obviously doesn't offer much in the way of helpful parameters, but I wanted you to know that whatever tone or length or style your story comes out in, it's going to be something that I'm open to.
I'm fine with holiday stories (for any holiday) if that's your pleasure, but I'm not looking for that specifically. I also welcome original characters, if that's something you're into--I think the dynamic of introducing an original character as a significant other in particular can do really interesting things in terms of character and relationship development with existing friends and families in stories. I don't have an OTP in any fandom--there are pairings I like to explore more than others, but a good story can convince me of anything.
I absolutely enjoy AUs of the sort that are fork-in-the-road, or otherwise a divergence from canon ("What if Character Pi had chosen the red door instead of the blue door?"); when it comes to the other sort, recasting the characters in an entirely different scenario ("What if the Avengers were a baseball team?") I'm a lot more particular. Unless it's a coffeshop/bakery AU, which I will read in pretty much any canon ever, in infinite variations. We all have our weaknesses. I also am fine with crossovers with any canon that I know; since I can't really give an exhaustive list of canons I know, things I've discussed in my journal and elsewhere on the internet will have to do. I don't generally suggest crossovers because I feel like they're the kind of thing that needs to be inspired rather than forced or shoehorned, but if you're inspired, go with it.
Things I particularly enjoy (not all of which will necessarily be applicable or compatible): complex relationships (romantic and otherwise); the supernatural and paranormal; queer themes (including coming out) or even just worldviews that incorporate queerness; prominent and well-rounded female characters (whether or not they're the requested characters); interesting small details; apocalypses; roadtrips of all kinds
Things I don't particularly enjoy: bodyswap; amnesia; plots that revolve around misunderstandings, especially ones that are easily resolved if people just communicate; evil with no underlying motivation or logic; significant power imbalances in romantic or sexual relationships (including but not limited to D/s and teacher/student); serious or terminal illness, especially cancer
Most importantly, no matter what happens or what you write, you will not Ruin Yuletide. So don't sweat it. ♥
If you'd like to see my letters from previous years, the best place to look is at http://cjmarlowe.livejournal.com/tag/yuletide. (Because I didn't import my entire journal, the same tag on dreamwidth only covers the last few years.)
AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmarlowe
Tumblr: http://rocksaur.tumblr.com/
Twitter: @coollikebugs
Now, to the specific fandoms/requests, in no particular order:
:: Promised Land - Connie Willis & Cynthia Felice [ Delanna Milleflores, Cadiz Flaherty ]
What if Delanna had been betrothed to Cadiz and not Sonny? The more I think about it the possibility the more I want to know. How would those two personalities clash under those different circumstances? What would be the role of the Tanner boys or Jay Madog? How does it change everything? Or nothing?
That all said, I would love anything for this fandom. If the prompt doesn't do it for you, I'm interested in Delanna and Cadiz's friendship too, or a relationship under other circumstances, and there are so many worldbuilding roads to go down outside of that. What does the world look like through the eyes of someone raised there? What parts of the planet and the culture have we not seen yet?::
My perennial Yuletide request! Connie Willis's Oxford Time Travel universe is a Yuletide staple, but I love this little book too. I won't call it a guilty pleasure because there's absolutely nothing guilty about it, but it might be the only romance book I'd list among my favourites. The science fiction elements appeal to me a lot too: the interplanetary travel, the far-flung planet, the strange flora and fauna and culture. But for all its strangenesses, there's something very close and homey about it all. I am happy to see any of the characters from the book, so consider this permission to go afield of the requested characters if that's where your gut takes you.
:: Black Sails [ Thomas Hamilton, Captain Flint ]
Whatever came before and after--and during for that matter--Thomas was the love of Flint's life, and not only is their ending tragic but it hurts again and again as we see James McGraw transform into Captain Flint. What could have been if these two'd had a shot? My heart still holds a flicker of hope that Thomas didn't really die imprisoned and he'll show up again yet, so run with that if you like. Or maybe all three of them got away together before Thomas was taken. Or maybe they were never betrayed at all and things took a very different course. Or...something else. I would also be interested in some Thomas/Flint backstory, how they became what they were and the ways the relationship between the three of them--Thomas, Miranda and Flint--worked.
If you want to instead go forward from where canon left us, I also wouldn't flinch from an exploration of Flint in the wake of his second loss and discovery of his friend's betrayal, and how he moves on from that...or how he burns the world down. Either way. Whether Flint is restored or destroyed, his love for Thomas lives at the core of it. ::
Even though I thought I saw the relationship between the two of them building, I was still amazed when Black Sails went there. And not only did they go there but they'd always planned to, right from the first episode. It was always there. I haven't requested Miranda specifically but she is a huge part of both of their lives and they both cared deeply for her; she is basically an inextricable part of their story, whatever role she ends up playing. And it should be said that there are a lot of other aspects of Black Sails that I like (I mean...pirates! Anne Bonny!) so don't hesitate to use any other elements or characters from the show if that's where it goes; I chose to focus on Flint's relationship with Thomas--or the aftermath of Flint's relationship with Thomas--for the purposes of Yuletide, but it doesn't need to be to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.
:: Penny Dreadful [ Angelique ]
What I want here is fairly simple: Angelique lives. And I'm not particular about how it happens. She could have never gone exploring, or she escaped, or Dorian could have had a change of heart...or maybe she never met Dorian in the first place. Maybe she connected with someone else instead; maybe Ethan, or Vanessa. This is all about Angelique. (That said, Dorian is welcome, just not necessary. Dorian might be a despicable and damaged human being, but he's a great character.) So yes, just Angelique lives. What she does with that is entirely up to you. ::
I liked season one of Penny Dreadful more than season two, and a big part of that--though certainly not the only part--were two deaths in particular--Angelique and Sembene. It's a better show with them in it, if you ask me. As with pretty much all of my fandoms, I've focused my request on one or two characters but I like the others as well, so using the broader world of Penny Dreadful is welcome.
(I'm probably sounding like a broken record with that, but I don't want my focus to imply that I want nothing else. So let's just assume it said for the remainder of my requests as well. :)
:: Whitechapel [ Joseph Chandler, Emerson Kent ]
I miss this show, and I miss these characters. Whitechapel ended just when things were getting really interesting, the relationship between Chandler and Kent being just one of those things. Whether you read it as a crush on Kent's part, a potential relationship for both, or a hero worship/mentor situation, I want to see what happens next. It's not necessary to jump in right where the show left off (though there's a lot of potential there); any time in the future is good. I do ship them, but not to the exclusion of all other possibilities if you don't. And if you do, explicit is more than welcome; I couldn't say why, but in my head they lend themselves to it. Casefic, and casefic mixed with relationship building, are both also excellent. Really, I just want my boys back again. ::
I think the request just about says it all here. I like the vaguely mystical elements to the show too, both dark and light, whether one reads them as supernatural or as having explicable causes, which may or may not come into play depending on where the story takes you.
:: Twin Peaks [ Dale Cooper, Albert Rosenfield ]
One day very soon we will have new Twin Peaks canon. Before that happens, I'd love to see the further adventures of Dale Cooper and Albert Rosenfield, whether as platonic colleagues or life partners or something else. You can address the...problem...from the end of the series that is a, let's admit it, fairly substantial obstacle to romance and/or buddy comedy, or you can come up with a fait accompli solution and skip right on past it if you like. I would at least like some sort of positive resolution, though; maybe even a happy ending. I don't mind some darkness on the way there, as long as we get there in the end. ::
Twin Peaks aired when I was in high school and, though I didn't realise it at the time, would have a lasting impression on my interests and aesthetic. I loved the show, but I didn't know how deep that love ran until the years past and it didn't go anywhere. (And believe me, after Fire Walk With Me I never thought I'd see the day when we got more of it!) The blend of darkness and humour and surrealism is one of the things that I loved, and the show was at its best when it was able to balance them within the story (and at its worst when it didn't). Or when it lost sight of what the story was altogether. The further adventures of Dale and Albert implies that they move beyond Twin Peaks, and it's totally fine if they do, but it's also totally fine if they return. There's very little, if anything, about Twin Peaks that I wouldn't want to revisit. Yes, even some of the bizarre and inexplicable stuff from the second season. What can I say? The love, it runs deep. I should say, though, that I don't ship Dale and Audrey, even though I think they did have great chemistry and love to see them as friends or even future colleages.
Have fun, and I look forward to meeting you in January!
As I post this, I realise that I really only ever use this journal for Yuletide anymore. Maybe I'll have to change that in the coming year. In the meantime, even if you're not a Yuletider, some other ways to find me elsewhere on the internet are also under the cut.
This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/26641.html.
This surely doesn't need to be said, but since I've requested a couple current fandoms this year in which certain revelations and/or events are perhaps better discovered as one watches, better safe than sorry: Here there be spoilers for things that have aired in the past year.
Dear Yuletide Writer,
We share a little fandom! Go us! First of all, thank you for writing for me. I can't wait to see what you do! I firmly believe Yuletide is meant to be a fun and joyful experience, so don't stress about anything I've written here. I offer ideas and details to give you insight into the things that I like or the ways that I view the canon and characters, but they're all meant to inspire and not to limit. If none of it speaks to you, just take the fandom and character request and go your own way. I'm totally cool with that.
Overall, I have very broad tastes. Although there is a fondness in my heart for queer relationships (of all sorts), I enjoy character interaction and relationships of all kinds and in any combination of genders, romantic or otherwise. Porn is great. Gen is great. Action is great. Character study is great. Complicated plotty stories that include everything up to and including the kitchen sink are great. Long stories, short stories, screenplays, epic poems, mixed media: all good. Dark is good, funny is good, melancholy is good, joyful is good! This obviously doesn't offer much in the way of helpful parameters, but I wanted you to know that whatever tone or length or style your story comes out in, it's going to be something that I'm open to.
I'm fine with holiday stories (for any holiday) if that's your pleasure, but I'm not looking for that specifically. I also welcome original characters, if that's something you're into--I think the dynamic of introducing an original character as a significant other in particular can do really interesting things in terms of character and relationship development with existing friends and families in stories. I don't have an OTP in any fandom--there are pairings I like to explore more than others, but a good story can convince me of anything.
I absolutely enjoy AUs of the sort that are fork-in-the-road, or otherwise a divergence from canon ("What if Character Pi had chosen the red door instead of the blue door?"); when it comes to the other sort, recasting the characters in an entirely different scenario ("What if the Avengers were a baseball team?") I'm a lot more particular. Unless it's a coffeshop/bakery AU, which I will read in pretty much any canon ever, in infinite variations. We all have our weaknesses. I also am fine with crossovers with any canon that I know; since I can't really give an exhaustive list of canons I know, things I've discussed in my journal and elsewhere on the internet will have to do. I don't generally suggest crossovers because I feel like they're the kind of thing that needs to be inspired rather than forced or shoehorned, but if you're inspired, go with it.
Things I particularly enjoy (not all of which will necessarily be applicable or compatible): complex relationships (romantic and otherwise); the supernatural and paranormal; queer themes (including coming out) or even just worldviews that incorporate queerness; prominent and well-rounded female characters (whether or not they're the requested characters); interesting small details; apocalypses; roadtrips of all kinds
Things I don't particularly enjoy: bodyswap; amnesia; plots that revolve around misunderstandings, especially ones that are easily resolved if people just communicate; evil with no underlying motivation or logic; significant power imbalances in romantic or sexual relationships (including but not limited to D/s and teacher/student); serious or terminal illness, especially cancer
Most importantly, no matter what happens or what you write, you will not Ruin Yuletide. So don't sweat it. ♥
If you'd like to see my letters from previous years, the best place to look is at http://cjmarlowe.livejournal.com/tag/yuletide. (Because I didn't import my entire journal, the same tag on dreamwidth only covers the last few years.)
AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmarlowe
Tumblr: http://rocksaur.tumblr.com/
Twitter: @coollikebugs
Now, to the specific fandoms/requests, in no particular order:
:: Promised Land - Connie Willis & Cynthia Felice [ Delanna Milleflores, Cadiz Flaherty ]
What if Delanna had been betrothed to Cadiz and not Sonny? The more I think about it the possibility the more I want to know. How would those two personalities clash under those different circumstances? What would be the role of the Tanner boys or Jay Madog? How does it change everything? Or nothing?
That all said, I would love anything for this fandom. If the prompt doesn't do it for you, I'm interested in Delanna and Cadiz's friendship too, or a relationship under other circumstances, and there are so many worldbuilding roads to go down outside of that. What does the world look like through the eyes of someone raised there? What parts of the planet and the culture have we not seen yet?::
My perennial Yuletide request! Connie Willis's Oxford Time Travel universe is a Yuletide staple, but I love this little book too. I won't call it a guilty pleasure because there's absolutely nothing guilty about it, but it might be the only romance book I'd list among my favourites. The science fiction elements appeal to me a lot too: the interplanetary travel, the far-flung planet, the strange flora and fauna and culture. But for all its strangenesses, there's something very close and homey about it all. I am happy to see any of the characters from the book, so consider this permission to go afield of the requested characters if that's where your gut takes you.
:: Black Sails [ Thomas Hamilton, Captain Flint ]
Whatever came before and after--and during for that matter--Thomas was the love of Flint's life, and not only is their ending tragic but it hurts again and again as we see James McGraw transform into Captain Flint. What could have been if these two'd had a shot? My heart still holds a flicker of hope that Thomas didn't really die imprisoned and he'll show up again yet, so run with that if you like. Or maybe all three of them got away together before Thomas was taken. Or maybe they were never betrayed at all and things took a very different course. Or...something else. I would also be interested in some Thomas/Flint backstory, how they became what they were and the ways the relationship between the three of them--Thomas, Miranda and Flint--worked.
If you want to instead go forward from where canon left us, I also wouldn't flinch from an exploration of Flint in the wake of his second loss and discovery of his friend's betrayal, and how he moves on from that...or how he burns the world down. Either way. Whether Flint is restored or destroyed, his love for Thomas lives at the core of it. ::
Even though I thought I saw the relationship between the two of them building, I was still amazed when Black Sails went there. And not only did they go there but they'd always planned to, right from the first episode. It was always there. I haven't requested Miranda specifically but she is a huge part of both of their lives and they both cared deeply for her; she is basically an inextricable part of their story, whatever role she ends up playing. And it should be said that there are a lot of other aspects of Black Sails that I like (I mean...pirates! Anne Bonny!) so don't hesitate to use any other elements or characters from the show if that's where it goes; I chose to focus on Flint's relationship with Thomas--or the aftermath of Flint's relationship with Thomas--for the purposes of Yuletide, but it doesn't need to be to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.
:: Penny Dreadful [ Angelique ]
What I want here is fairly simple: Angelique lives. And I'm not particular about how it happens. She could have never gone exploring, or she escaped, or Dorian could have had a change of heart...or maybe she never met Dorian in the first place. Maybe she connected with someone else instead; maybe Ethan, or Vanessa. This is all about Angelique. (That said, Dorian is welcome, just not necessary. Dorian might be a despicable and damaged human being, but he's a great character.) So yes, just Angelique lives. What she does with that is entirely up to you. ::
I liked season one of Penny Dreadful more than season two, and a big part of that--though certainly not the only part--were two deaths in particular--Angelique and Sembene. It's a better show with them in it, if you ask me. As with pretty much all of my fandoms, I've focused my request on one or two characters but I like the others as well, so using the broader world of Penny Dreadful is welcome.
(I'm probably sounding like a broken record with that, but I don't want my focus to imply that I want nothing else. So let's just assume it said for the remainder of my requests as well. :)
:: Whitechapel [ Joseph Chandler, Emerson Kent ]
I miss this show, and I miss these characters. Whitechapel ended just when things were getting really interesting, the relationship between Chandler and Kent being just one of those things. Whether you read it as a crush on Kent's part, a potential relationship for both, or a hero worship/mentor situation, I want to see what happens next. It's not necessary to jump in right where the show left off (though there's a lot of potential there); any time in the future is good. I do ship them, but not to the exclusion of all other possibilities if you don't. And if you do, explicit is more than welcome; I couldn't say why, but in my head they lend themselves to it. Casefic, and casefic mixed with relationship building, are both also excellent. Really, I just want my boys back again. ::
I think the request just about says it all here. I like the vaguely mystical elements to the show too, both dark and light, whether one reads them as supernatural or as having explicable causes, which may or may not come into play depending on where the story takes you.
:: Twin Peaks [ Dale Cooper, Albert Rosenfield ]
One day very soon we will have new Twin Peaks canon. Before that happens, I'd love to see the further adventures of Dale Cooper and Albert Rosenfield, whether as platonic colleagues or life partners or something else. You can address the...problem...from the end of the series that is a, let's admit it, fairly substantial obstacle to romance and/or buddy comedy, or you can come up with a fait accompli solution and skip right on past it if you like. I would at least like some sort of positive resolution, though; maybe even a happy ending. I don't mind some darkness on the way there, as long as we get there in the end. ::
Twin Peaks aired when I was in high school and, though I didn't realise it at the time, would have a lasting impression on my interests and aesthetic. I loved the show, but I didn't know how deep that love ran until the years past and it didn't go anywhere. (And believe me, after Fire Walk With Me I never thought I'd see the day when we got more of it!) The blend of darkness and humour and surrealism is one of the things that I loved, and the show was at its best when it was able to balance them within the story (and at its worst when it didn't). Or when it lost sight of what the story was altogether. The further adventures of Dale and Albert implies that they move beyond Twin Peaks, and it's totally fine if they do, but it's also totally fine if they return. There's very little, if anything, about Twin Peaks that I wouldn't want to revisit. Yes, even some of the bizarre and inexplicable stuff from the second season. What can I say? The love, it runs deep. I should say, though, that I don't ship Dale and Audrey, even though I think they did have great chemistry and love to see them as friends or even future colleages.
Have fun, and I look forward to meeting you in January!
As I post this, I realise that I really only ever use this journal for Yuletide anymore. Maybe I'll have to change that in the coming year. In the meantime, even if you're not a Yuletider, some other ways to find me elsewhere on the internet are also under the cut.
This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/26641.html.