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squeequegHello Yuletide Author!
I'm thrilled you'll be writing for me this year! This is my second time doing Yuletide, and I had such a blast last year that I jumped right in this year. (Of course, now that I've got my assigment, I've realized just how far in over my head I am...but that's not your problem right now, is it?)
What's most important to me is that you have fun writing your Yuletide piece. However, since it often helps to have a little extra background, here's an introduction to the kind of work I like. I'm a relative newbie in fandom -- aside from Yuletide, I have not completed any fanfic (no, not even the Big Weird Crossover that I've been promising myself I'll write for ages now). I tend to lurk around the edges rather than contribute. (Yay, I'm a fandom remora!) Overall, I prefer het or gen to slash, but could be persuaded otherwise; I prefer wit and tension to explicit acts, and I'll ignore everything else if there's a good plot. I am a total plot junkie. When it comes to squicks, lack of consent is my biggest one. I'm also less fond of jokes that rely on someone not realizing how badly they're embarrassing themselves. But again, good plot trumps all.
I love fanfic when it explores undiscovered parts of the narrative. In last year's Yuletide letter, I said that my favorite fanfic "explores the gaps -- the what-happened-afters, the unwritten but present dynamics, the really cool stuff that's alluded to but never quite given full form." That's still the case, really. And this year, two of my requests concern those unexplored places. The other two requests are just for more -- more anything!
Fandom-specific notes: 20th Century Boys: I've asked for one particular character, Yoshitsune, and really, anything about him would be fantastic. (The poor guy needs a hug.) When I first read this manga, I was struck by how he wants to step away from the role of a leader -- he continually protests that he's not, and that he's just waiting for one of the others to come back and take over -- and yet I think he's a very good leader. He doesn't think much of his own abilities, and yet he's still very strong.
Carnivale: This is the only one I requested that there be nothing explicit about, and that's mainly because I have trouble thinking of Management as embodied at all, let alone anything else. Samson and Management have a weird, antagonistic friendship -- Management's clearly using Samson, and I think Samson acknowledges it, but there's still a deep bond there. I'd like to see something about them over the years.
Barry Hughart - Master Li and Number Ten Ox: I love this series. I love the pseudo-Chinese mythology (and please, please include some of that!), I love Number Ten Ox's narrative voice, I love the sage with a slight flaw in his character...hell, I just love everything about this series. What I'd really like is a small mystery, or perhaps a slice of life ("GOLD! EAT! GOLD! EAT!"), just so long as it preserves that rich, merry tone.
Middleman: Sensei Ping! The Clan of the Pointed Stick! The Wu-Han Thumb of Death! I'd say feel free to go over the top with this, except as far as The Middleman is concerned there is no top. I'd love anything about our favorite member of a paranoid celibate society of martial artists, especially if it's in keeping with the tone of the show.
Most of all, I want you to have fun. If you're excited by your story and enjoy writing it, then there's no question that I'll enjoy reading it. And now I'm off to immerse myself in canon, so that I can figure out what the heck I'm writing.
I'm thrilled you'll be writing for me this year! This is my second time doing Yuletide, and I had such a blast last year that I jumped right in this year. (Of course, now that I've got my assigment, I've realized just how far in over my head I am...but that's not your problem right now, is it?)
What's most important to me is that you have fun writing your Yuletide piece. However, since it often helps to have a little extra background, here's an introduction to the kind of work I like. I'm a relative newbie in fandom -- aside from Yuletide, I have not completed any fanfic (no, not even the Big Weird Crossover that I've been promising myself I'll write for ages now). I tend to lurk around the edges rather than contribute. (Yay, I'm a fandom remora!) Overall, I prefer het or gen to slash, but could be persuaded otherwise; I prefer wit and tension to explicit acts, and I'll ignore everything else if there's a good plot. I am a total plot junkie. When it comes to squicks, lack of consent is my biggest one. I'm also less fond of jokes that rely on someone not realizing how badly they're embarrassing themselves. But again, good plot trumps all.
I love fanfic when it explores undiscovered parts of the narrative. In last year's Yuletide letter, I said that my favorite fanfic "explores the gaps -- the what-happened-afters, the unwritten but present dynamics, the really cool stuff that's alluded to but never quite given full form." That's still the case, really. And this year, two of my requests concern those unexplored places. The other two requests are just for more -- more anything!
Fandom-specific notes: 20th Century Boys: I've asked for one particular character, Yoshitsune, and really, anything about him would be fantastic. (The poor guy needs a hug.) When I first read this manga, I was struck by how he wants to step away from the role of a leader -- he continually protests that he's not, and that he's just waiting for one of the others to come back and take over -- and yet I think he's a very good leader. He doesn't think much of his own abilities, and yet he's still very strong.
Carnivale: This is the only one I requested that there be nothing explicit about, and that's mainly because I have trouble thinking of Management as embodied at all, let alone anything else. Samson and Management have a weird, antagonistic friendship -- Management's clearly using Samson, and I think Samson acknowledges it, but there's still a deep bond there. I'd like to see something about them over the years.
Barry Hughart - Master Li and Number Ten Ox: I love this series. I love the pseudo-Chinese mythology (and please, please include some of that!), I love Number Ten Ox's narrative voice, I love the sage with a slight flaw in his character...hell, I just love everything about this series. What I'd really like is a small mystery, or perhaps a slice of life ("GOLD! EAT! GOLD! EAT!"), just so long as it preserves that rich, merry tone.
Middleman: Sensei Ping! The Clan of the Pointed Stick! The Wu-Han Thumb of Death! I'd say feel free to go over the top with this, except as far as The Middleman is concerned there is no top. I'd love anything about our favorite member of a paranoid celibate society of martial artists, especially if it's in keeping with the tone of the show.
Most of all, I want you to have fun. If you're excited by your story and enjoy writing it, then there's no question that I'll enjoy reading it. And now I'm off to immerse myself in canon, so that I can figure out what the heck I'm writing.
