Dear Yuletide Author
I'll just say what I like best and then mention a few things for the specific fandoms, I guess -- hope this isn't too picky! Basically, what follows is my general take on things, but write something you feel comfortable with.
I tend to like fics that explore the canon world (if not our own), and use it as a given rather than as a sort of general idea -- though if you want to poke about in its dusty corners and/or head off in surprising directions, more power to you. Plot is definitely appreciated.
I'm not bothered about shipping one way or the other -- so stories with or without shippy plotlines are both fine, any rating. With ships, I do much prefer stories that are fairly specific to the characters and their situation though. Het's of more interest to me, but slash away if it works with the source (e.g. see below under Psmith). I've no real interest in kinkfic.
Specific fandoms:
Mordant's Need -- Stephen Donaldson
Tons of scope here -- this is a series where I'd love to see some "missing scenes" type stories. A plot that turns on the theory and practice of Imagery would be great. Or something that looks at what the world of the Cares, Alend, and Cadwal looks like 5 or 10 years later. Or fill in some of the details of Kragen/Elega, or Myste/Darsint, or Joyse's kingdom-building, or Havelock's time in Vagel's cabal. Really, anything works given that it provides a bit more Mordant, since hardly anyone seems to write fanfic for this even at Yuletide!
Mote Novels - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
This is another pair of books where the interest is as much about the world as about the specific characters -- a story about what happens in the Mote system or the Empire between the books or after the end of the second book would be great, as would something that explores the Motie take on things. Again, I went looking to see if there was fic and didn't find any, so lots of fannish scope!
The New Avengers
Would just be great to see Steed, Purdey and Gambit riffing off each other again as they did in the show, while either investigating some bizarre borderline-scifi happenings and/or playing Cold War spy-vs-spy.
Psmith -- PG Wodehouse
Any era works here, although for preference after Psmith has left school, getting himself into some sort of scrape while talking at great length! Mix in other Wodehouse characters at will if desired. As for ships, I can't really take Psmith/Mike that seriously, though anything goes otherwise (this is the PGverse, after all).
I tend to like fics that explore the canon world (if not our own), and use it as a given rather than as a sort of general idea -- though if you want to poke about in its dusty corners and/or head off in surprising directions, more power to you. Plot is definitely appreciated.
I'm not bothered about shipping one way or the other -- so stories with or without shippy plotlines are both fine, any rating. With ships, I do much prefer stories that are fairly specific to the characters and their situation though. Het's of more interest to me, but slash away if it works with the source (e.g. see below under Psmith). I've no real interest in kinkfic.
Specific fandoms:
Mordant's Need -- Stephen Donaldson
Tons of scope here -- this is a series where I'd love to see some "missing scenes" type stories. A plot that turns on the theory and practice of Imagery would be great. Or something that looks at what the world of the Cares, Alend, and Cadwal looks like 5 or 10 years later. Or fill in some of the details of Kragen/Elega, or Myste/Darsint, or Joyse's kingdom-building, or Havelock's time in Vagel's cabal. Really, anything works given that it provides a bit more Mordant, since hardly anyone seems to write fanfic for this even at Yuletide!
Mote Novels - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
This is another pair of books where the interest is as much about the world as about the specific characters -- a story about what happens in the Mote system or the Empire between the books or after the end of the second book would be great, as would something that explores the Motie take on things. Again, I went looking to see if there was fic and didn't find any, so lots of fannish scope!
The New Avengers
Would just be great to see Steed, Purdey and Gambit riffing off each other again as they did in the show, while either investigating some bizarre borderline-scifi happenings and/or playing Cold War spy-vs-spy.
Psmith -- PG Wodehouse
Any era works here, although for preference after Psmith has left school, getting himself into some sort of scrape while talking at great length! Mix in other Wodehouse characters at will if desired. As for ships, I can't really take Psmith/Mike that seriously, though anything goes otherwise (this is the PGverse, after all).