Dear Yuletide Writer...
Yuletide time again!
Dear Yuletide Writer:
Yay, we share a little fandom! I offer ideas and details here 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 pretty open to different interpretations and enjoy being convinced of things I might not have thought of myself.
Overall, I have pretty broad tastes, both in terms of content and in terms of style. I enjoy character interaction and relationships of all kinds and in any combination of genders, romantic or otherwise. From porn to gen, from shoot-em-up action to character study, and from domestic to dark, it's all something I'm open to. I'm also interested in both traditional narrative styles and more experimental formats (with a particular fondness for epistolary when it comes to experimental).
I'm fine with holiday stories (for any holiday) if that's your pleasure; while I'm not looking for them specifically, some canons lend themselves to it. 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 into an existing friend- or family-group can be really interesting. I don't tend to have an OTP in any fandom; while there might be pairings I like to explore more than others, a good story can convince me of anything.
I enjoy fork-in-the-road or divergence from canon AUs ("What if Fred had chosen the red door instead of the blue door?") and often suggest them as options; when it comes to AUs that recast the characters in an entirely different scenario ("What if the Avengers were a baseball team?") I really only lean towards them in RPF fandoms. Crossovers and fusions are tricky because they're hard to enjoy if I don't know the second fandom, and it's hard to know if I know the second fandom, but I certainly don't object to them if you can be confident that I do.
I tend to narrow my requests to one or two characters, but that doesn't mean I'm looking for them to the exclusion of everyone or everything else. It's just a focal point. :)
Things I particularly enjoy (not all of which will necessarily be applicable or compatible): complex relationships, romantic and otherwise; the supernatural and paranormal; LGBTQ themes (including coming out) and general worldviews that still incorporate LGBTQ people when they're not the focus; vivid or well-realised settings; roadtrips of all kinds; found family
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
If you're new to Yuletide, or if you're stressing at all, the most important thing to remember is no matter what happens or what you write, you will not Ruin Yuletide for me. So don't sweat it. ♥
AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmarlowe
Tumblr: http://rocksaur.tumblr.com/
Twitter: @coollikebugs
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/859095-tyrannosaurus-regina
DW: http://cj.dreamwidth.org
LJ: http://cjmarlowe.livejournal.com
Now, to the specific fandoms/requests, in no particular order:
Murdoch Mysteries [ Emily Grace ]
:: I was really sad to see Emily leave the show right when her story was getting really interesting to me--not that she wasn't interesting to me before, but her involvement with Lillian and the suffragette movement took her new places I was really happy to see her go. What I'd love from Yuletide is to see where Emily's story goes next. Does she make a real splash in London? How radical does she get? Does she find love? Does she stay in touch with George or Julia? Do they visit? Does she return to Toronto? Does she reconnect with her old life? It could be any of these things or none of them, sky's the limit, really. ::
I've loved this show for a long time, and I've requested it before (with different characters), so the entire time period and location is something I'm into (and even when it's silly and anachronistic I love when Murdoch invents a prototype for a future technology). If you're not inspired by Emily's future, anything during her time as coroner would be great too, and her relationships/interactions with anyone at Station House No. 4, especially Murdoch, Dr. Ogden, Brackenreid and Crabtree. Casefic in this fandom would be delightful too.
The Good Place [ Tahani Al-Jamil ]
:: I love everyone in this bar! It was torture deciding who to ask for, but since the fifth episode just aired as I write this, Tahani's really at the forefront of my mind. I would love to see more about of her relationship with her sister Kamilah, whether it's exploring their lives before Tahani's death or whether it's exploring the influence of their relationship on Tahani's new (after)life. Maybe Tahani talks about it with Eleanor or Michael. Maybe some new event or disaster happens that parallels something in her life before. Completely different directions could include Tahani and Jianyu--what happens when she finds out? Maybe Jason really is her soulmate, somehow, and not whoever was originally supposed to be there. Tahani relating to literally anyone in The Good Place, from Eleanor to Chidi to Michael to Janet to Gunnar, would be something I expect I would enjoy. :) There's so much we don't know yet, and so many things that could happen, from the outrageous to the domestic. ::
Active canons are hard, I know, especially this early in their runs. We learn so much every new episode. Right now I'm of the position that things are very much not as they seem, when it comes to just what The Good Place and, indeed, The Bad Place are. The numbers just don't add up. Chidi's lesson on Utilitarianism applies directly to the numerical calculations used to determine just who gets a spot in The Good Place, and I would not be at all surprised to see that become a thing on the show. When I say I love everyone, I mean I love everyone. There is not a single character I wouldn't want to see. I say this because things can change very quickly over the next weeks and you may come up with something very different and I encourage that, as long as Tahani has a part in it.
Galavant [ Richard, Uncle Keith ]
:: I'd love to see more about Richard's relationship with his "Uncle Keith", which seems to really lend itself to three different time periods, any one of which I would be happy with: his childhood, when his father and Keith were spending (somewhat discreet) time together and Richard had a close enough relationship to him that he called him uncle; the time Richard and Galavant spent at the Enchanted Forest, with or without the entire cast of characters that entails; and anything after the final battle or post-series with them reconnecting after Richard has finally realised what Keith's relationship to his father really was. What were they to one another, what adventures did they have? Or how do they begin to relate to one another as adults, afterwards? ::
This was a silly, irreverant, meta show that I loved very much. (There may never be another episode title as delightful as "Suck It, Cancellation Bear".) As much as Galavant was imprisoned at the Enchanted Forest (let's be honest, Richard could've walked out the front door), everyone else there seemed pretty happy with the situation and were free to come and go. I'm looking at you, Jean Hamm. It played on stereotypes, but also undermined them, much as the rest of the show did. This is where we're introduced to Uncle Keith, with whom Richard had a clearly very fond relationship from a young age, and both of them seem very happy to finally see each other once again. I'd love to see where that comes from, or where it goes.
Promised Land - Connie Willis & Cynthia Felice [ Delanna Milleflores, Cadiz Flaherty ]
:: What if Delanna had been betrothed to Cadiz and not Sonny? 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?
If the prompt doesn't do it for you, I'm absolutely interested in Delanna and Cadiz's existing friendship, or a relationship between them without anything to do with the betrothal, 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? Really, I would love anything for this fandom. ::
My perennial Yuletide request! The science fiction elements appeal to me as much as the relationships: 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.
Have fun, and I look forward to meeting you in January!
This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/27572.html.
Dear Yuletide Writer:
Yay, we share a little fandom! I offer ideas and details here 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 pretty open to different interpretations and enjoy being convinced of things I might not have thought of myself.
Overall, I have pretty broad tastes, both in terms of content and in terms of style. I enjoy character interaction and relationships of all kinds and in any combination of genders, romantic or otherwise. From porn to gen, from shoot-em-up action to character study, and from domestic to dark, it's all something I'm open to. I'm also interested in both traditional narrative styles and more experimental formats (with a particular fondness for epistolary when it comes to experimental).
I'm fine with holiday stories (for any holiday) if that's your pleasure; while I'm not looking for them specifically, some canons lend themselves to it. 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 into an existing friend- or family-group can be really interesting. I don't tend to have an OTP in any fandom; while there might be pairings I like to explore more than others, a good story can convince me of anything.
I enjoy fork-in-the-road or divergence from canon AUs ("What if Fred had chosen the red door instead of the blue door?") and often suggest them as options; when it comes to AUs that recast the characters in an entirely different scenario ("What if the Avengers were a baseball team?") I really only lean towards them in RPF fandoms. Crossovers and fusions are tricky because they're hard to enjoy if I don't know the second fandom, and it's hard to know if I know the second fandom, but I certainly don't object to them if you can be confident that I do.
I tend to narrow my requests to one or two characters, but that doesn't mean I'm looking for them to the exclusion of everyone or everything else. It's just a focal point. :)
Things I particularly enjoy (not all of which will necessarily be applicable or compatible): complex relationships, romantic and otherwise; the supernatural and paranormal; LGBTQ themes (including coming out) and general worldviews that still incorporate LGBTQ people when they're not the focus; vivid or well-realised settings; roadtrips of all kinds; found family
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
If you're new to Yuletide, or if you're stressing at all, the most important thing to remember is no matter what happens or what you write, you will not Ruin Yuletide for me. So don't sweat it. ♥
AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/users/cjmarlowe
Tumblr: http://rocksaur.tumblr.com/
Twitter: @coollikebugs
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/859095-tyrannosaurus-regina
DW: http://cj.dreamwidth.org
LJ: http://cjmarlowe.livejournal.com
Now, to the specific fandoms/requests, in no particular order:
Murdoch Mysteries [ Emily Grace ]
:: I was really sad to see Emily leave the show right when her story was getting really interesting to me--not that she wasn't interesting to me before, but her involvement with Lillian and the suffragette movement took her new places I was really happy to see her go. What I'd love from Yuletide is to see where Emily's story goes next. Does she make a real splash in London? How radical does she get? Does she find love? Does she stay in touch with George or Julia? Do they visit? Does she return to Toronto? Does she reconnect with her old life? It could be any of these things or none of them, sky's the limit, really. ::
I've loved this show for a long time, and I've requested it before (with different characters), so the entire time period and location is something I'm into (and even when it's silly and anachronistic I love when Murdoch invents a prototype for a future technology). If you're not inspired by Emily's future, anything during her time as coroner would be great too, and her relationships/interactions with anyone at Station House No. 4, especially Murdoch, Dr. Ogden, Brackenreid and Crabtree. Casefic in this fandom would be delightful too.
The Good Place [ Tahani Al-Jamil ]
:: I love everyone in this bar! It was torture deciding who to ask for, but since the fifth episode just aired as I write this, Tahani's really at the forefront of my mind. I would love to see more about of her relationship with her sister Kamilah, whether it's exploring their lives before Tahani's death or whether it's exploring the influence of their relationship on Tahani's new (after)life. Maybe Tahani talks about it with Eleanor or Michael. Maybe some new event or disaster happens that parallels something in her life before. Completely different directions could include Tahani and Jianyu--what happens when she finds out? Maybe Jason really is her soulmate, somehow, and not whoever was originally supposed to be there. Tahani relating to literally anyone in The Good Place, from Eleanor to Chidi to Michael to Janet to Gunnar, would be something I expect I would enjoy. :) There's so much we don't know yet, and so many things that could happen, from the outrageous to the domestic. ::
Active canons are hard, I know, especially this early in their runs. We learn so much every new episode. Right now I'm of the position that things are very much not as they seem, when it comes to just what The Good Place and, indeed, The Bad Place are. The numbers just don't add up. Chidi's lesson on Utilitarianism applies directly to the numerical calculations used to determine just who gets a spot in The Good Place, and I would not be at all surprised to see that become a thing on the show. When I say I love everyone, I mean I love everyone. There is not a single character I wouldn't want to see. I say this because things can change very quickly over the next weeks and you may come up with something very different and I encourage that, as long as Tahani has a part in it.
Galavant [ Richard, Uncle Keith ]
:: I'd love to see more about Richard's relationship with his "Uncle Keith", which seems to really lend itself to three different time periods, any one of which I would be happy with: his childhood, when his father and Keith were spending (somewhat discreet) time together and Richard had a close enough relationship to him that he called him uncle; the time Richard and Galavant spent at the Enchanted Forest, with or without the entire cast of characters that entails; and anything after the final battle or post-series with them reconnecting after Richard has finally realised what Keith's relationship to his father really was. What were they to one another, what adventures did they have? Or how do they begin to relate to one another as adults, afterwards? ::
This was a silly, irreverant, meta show that I loved very much. (There may never be another episode title as delightful as "Suck It, Cancellation Bear".) As much as Galavant was imprisoned at the Enchanted Forest (let's be honest, Richard could've walked out the front door), everyone else there seemed pretty happy with the situation and were free to come and go. I'm looking at you, Jean Hamm. It played on stereotypes, but also undermined them, much as the rest of the show did. This is where we're introduced to Uncle Keith, with whom Richard had a clearly very fond relationship from a young age, and both of them seem very happy to finally see each other once again. I'd love to see where that comes from, or where it goes.
Promised Land - Connie Willis & Cynthia Felice [ Delanna Milleflores, Cadiz Flaherty ]
:: What if Delanna had been betrothed to Cadiz and not Sonny? 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?
If the prompt doesn't do it for you, I'm absolutely interested in Delanna and Cadiz's existing friendship, or a relationship between them without anything to do with the betrothal, 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? Really, I would love anything for this fandom. ::
My perennial Yuletide request! The science fiction elements appeal to me as much as the relationships: 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.
Have fun, and I look forward to meeting you in January!
This entry was originally posted at http://cj.dreamwidth.org/27572.html.