Dear Yuletide Writer, 2013 (YAY!!)
Oct. 9th, 2013 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
touchofstrangeDear Yuletide Writer/Yulegoat/Santa,
*Waves*
Hello! Welcome to my oft-recycled, but newly shined-up and probably far-too-wordy letter! (Apologies in advance for the wordiness...)
First and foremost, I know it's cliche, but I'm just thrilled that you'll be writing for one of my chosen fandoms. That in itself is fabulous, and I'm appreciative and excited and I certainly hope your assignment is something that you enjoy!
Now, I know that there are many different ways that writers like to work, and while I'm not particularly picky about anything (well, except perhaps with characters) and I welcome whatever interpretation and direction you choose to go in; I'm also more than happy to provide some general thoughts, feelings and preferences for you to build off of as well.
I'll start of with more of a general description of my likes and dislikes in fandom and fic, and then I'll move on to more specifics for each of my selections. Please be assured though, that I'm open to almost anything - so this information is by no means 'absolute'. I want you to have fun writing this - I wouldn't want it to be a chore. So please do whatever is most comfortable for you. If, upon reading the fandom/characters you were matched on, an idea sparked in your mind - run with it! You don’t even have to keep reading! (Although I wouldn't mind if you did just skim the 'do not want' portion *grin*).
That being said, I'm pretty easy to please. While it is definitely not applicable to all my fandoms - my absolute favorite fannish trope would definitely be 'First Time' fic. The types of situations where the character(s) finally come to awareness / understanding / terms with how they feel about each other. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing and it can simply be about just admitting feelings, or it can absolutely include first time sex, or sexual activities.
So, obviously I don't mind teh porn. Het, slash, femslash, threesomes/moresomes (it's always fun to include a fandom where 'moresomes' are a possibility) - but I'm not insistent upon it. I'll enjoy everything from G-rated gen all the way up to hardcore NC-17. And if things get porny - plain ol' vanilla sex is great, but I'm not too easily squicked and I don't mind mild to moderate kinks (everything from toys, to food play, to mild BDSM).
That said, there are a few things I'd prefer not to see: please no character bashing, deathfic, partner betrayal, noncon, incest, permanent injury, hardcore BDSM, extreme kink (watesports, scat, vore, bestiality, age-play, daddy-kink, infantilism, etc...), A/B/O type verse, humiliation or permanent genderswap. (All this with the caveat that I do expect some of this to be applicable in the canon - e.g. The cousincest in Enchantment Emporium, or how Tony Foster's past could easily edge into noncon territory, but I'd prefer that to not be the focus of the fic).
I actually love some of the really 'tropey' kinds of scenarios (magic gone awry, life-saving cuddling, crashed on a desert island, etc...), so please don't be afraid of using them (or subverting them) - as I mentioned, first-time fic is a favorite. And, considering that sometimes those situations can result in strong emotions, I'm obviously not afraid of angst, but I also enjoy action/adventure, plotty case-fic, humor and most definitely romance. Hurt/comfort is dandy as well, and considering a couple of my fandoms, violence could be expected. Please, no death though (except as it happens in canon). I love these characters and wouldn't want to see any of them die. And, I'll admit: I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Crossovers might be okay, but I'd have to know the other fandom (although, feel free to crossover ANY of Tanya Huff's works... ). If you do run into questions/concerns - please don't hesitate to have a mod ask me!
I realize all of that is pretty general - if it's enough to get you started, great! But if you'd like more specific thoughts, I'll list them below as they relate to each fandom.
The Silvered - Tanya Huff (Any)
From my Sign-up Details: "I'm extremely open minded on this one! As much as I loved the characters (especially Sean Reiter) and their development, I also found the concept of this book fascinating and would love to see it explored. So yeah - anything Mirian/Tomas/Reiter post book is great (shippy or not), or worldbuilding would be fantastic, or OC Mage-pack &/or Pack would be neat, or exploring some of the secondary characters (during the events of the book or post)... Like I said - extremely open minded!"
I truly don't want to be wishywashy in my request for this fandom, but I could really go for anything here. The way that Huff has developed the world and the society between the Mage-pack and pack and the whole culture is just fascinating to me. I do love the characters, and seeing what happens post-book for Mirian and Tomas and Sean Reiter, as well as any of the remaining Six would be great (and the whole idea of 'Ghost Pack' more than lends itself to plenty of adventures!) - But, at the same time I would absolutely not object if you wanted to just play around with the world itself and tell a story about an original Mage or a Were or what have you.
If you'd like a specific prompt - I'd love to see something about Sean Reiter's integration into the 'Ghost Pack' and what he has to do to earn the trust of the Silvered and how he deals with his own adjustments to his change in status/lifestyle.
Again - though - please just have fun with this fandom and write what feels good to you!
Blood/Smoke Series - Tanya Huff (Lee Nicholas)
From my Sign-up Details: "I'm pretty open on this request. I'd love something Lee-centric. Whether that's exploring his thoughts during the events of the books, or looking at his and Tony's relationship after, or even just some wacky CB Productions hijinks from his POV. I love all the characters from the books - so including any of them is great."
Basically, I love these books, so I'm going to enjoy whatever you write. I adore Lee as a character and wish we'd gotten more of him throughout (as I imagine Tony does as well!). I love fun case-fic type of stories. Supernatural shenanigans. Magic-gone-awry could be great here. I also enjoy slice-of-life character pieces. Just some Lee being awesome (and perhaps not the damsel-in-distress this time!)
If you're looking for more specific prompts, when I reread both the Blood books and the Smoke books some time ago, I was really struck by some of the references to Tony's past (the Scout troop leader for instance). I love that he and Lee got together in the end, but I started to wonder what might happen if some of Tony's past snuck up on him and how Lee might deal with that. He & Lee have gotten pretty used to crazy/supernatural/magical things happening, so how might they deal with something that's mundane, but equally difficult? I'm not opposed to some angst/hurt comfort here, but please don't hurt either of them too badly.
Valor Series - Tanya Huff (Werst, Ressk, Binti Mashona, Alamber)
From my Sign-up Details: "I love the idea of Torin's new 'team' being kick-ass and going on awesome ex-space marine adventures (much as I love Torin and Craig, the crew were my favorite thing about the last book) - so I'd pretty much love anything to do with any of them. Fun action/adventure, mystery, intrigue, 'day in the life', smutty di'taykan fun... it's all good. I'm also extremely partial to Ressk/Werst and their relationship."
I'll be honest: Ressk/Werst is my Valor OTP. So basically if you write something with the two of them involved, I'll adore it (even if it's not shippy). Plus, Binti is so kick-ass, and Alamber seems like a little shit, but I think he'll fit well with the crew! Whether they're fighting pirates, or running into new and weird aliens, or stranded in space in the Promise and forced to live in each others pockets (and have wild orgies)... just have fun with 'em!
If you'd like some specific prompts, I think that any kind of hijinks they might get up to while on 'shore leave' from the Promise would be awesome. Maybe someone ends up in jail and they have to break him/her out? Or perhaps Torin and Craig decide to take a little vacation and leave the inmates to run the asylum and Werst starts making modifications to the ship, and Binti goes a little stir-crazy and Alamber just wants someone to have sex with him, and Ressk is trying to be responsible but really doesn't give a shit...
Robotech Novels - Jack McKinney (Lancer | Yellow Dancer)
From my Sign-up Details: "It's been quite a long time since I've read the Robotech novels (though I do own all of them... somewhere - and 'Lonely Soldier Boy' is still on my ipod!) - but I do recall how much I loved Lancer as a character. So, Lancer-centric fic would be adored. Pre-series, exploring his persona of Yellow Dancer, and how he used her during the war would be great, or how he's had to change after traveling with Scott & the rest. Anything that really focuses on Lancer would be fantastic."
This is probably the most 'specific' of my fandom requests (and I hope it doesn't cause you any trouble). I'm more familiar with Robotech from the novelizations rather than the anime (though I have seen all the episodes). I've read the entire Robotech Saga (although I kind of refuse to acknowledge parts of The End of the Circle) - and Lancer is definitely my favorite character from all of it combined. So, I'd really love to see something that focuses on him. We know a bit about his past, but I wouldn't mind knowing more! Explore his time in the military before he crashed and had to go into hiding. Tell a story that happens sometime in the midst of the books - some adventure he ends up on with the team. Or - feel free to go completely AU and explore what his life would've been like if the Invid weren't around. I liked Sera enough, but I feel like there are many facets to who Lancer is and who he might be with - so pair him up with anyone (seriously, I had this goofy story in my head for ages that paired him up with Gambit from X-men... ) - and please feel free to include any of the characters canon to the novels.
If you'd like some specific prompts: The novels talk about his history with Carla, but they could've gone into much more detail. Especially regarding her help in getting him to 'transform' into Yellow Dancer. Or, fix the mention of his 'death' in The End of the Circle - where he wasn't killed in an accident. Maybe he just lost his memory and can only remember being Yellow Dancer? Or explore the lyrics to Lonely Soldier Boy and how they fit him/he fits them...
Enchantment Emporium - Tanya Huff (Michael, Alysha Gale)
From my Sign-up Details: "I love the friendship between Michael and Allie and how it evolved and what it grew into. I also adored Michael as a character and don't think we got enough of him! I'd love just something that focuses on their friendship, or sends the two of them on an adventure, or even just the pair of them in their PJs, eating ice cream (and pie), dishing about their love lives. Of course, I love all of the other characters from the books as well, so feel free to include them - but something that keeps Allie & Michael the center of things would be great!"
Once again, Ms. Huff has created a really awesome world/environment/concept with characters that I just love. I am, admittedly, partial to Michael and Allie, but I don't want it to seem as if I wouldn't love something that includes other characters. I also really do love the whole 'Gale Family' concept. So, if you could keep Michael and Allie central, then honest... free reign on whatever else happens (up to and including threesomes/moresomes w/ various cousins).
If you'd like some specific prompts: Something happens to Graham (or Charlie) and Allie enlists Michael to help find him (or her). Or someone from Allie and Michael's past needs their help and it ends up being all kinds of magical-crazy nuttiness. Maybe Michael gets caught up in something magical and needs one of the male cousins to, uh... help him out, but Allie has trouble with being a little territorial over him (how would they work through it).
Well, I hope that helps - and sorry for babbling so much! I already know I'll be happy with whatever you do! I just want you to not let it stress you, and I hope you have fun with it. I absolutely can't wait to see what you come up with!
Happy Yuletide!!
ETA: I'm on tumblr as touchofstrange and have anon turned on. I'm on AO3 as skitz_phenom (DV-Skitz) and I have an LJ that hasn't been updated in about 5 years... also skitz_phenom - if you're someone who really likes to get to know your recipient. :)
*Waves*
Hello! Welcome to my oft-recycled, but newly shined-up and probably far-too-wordy letter! (Apologies in advance for the wordiness...)
First and foremost, I know it's cliche, but I'm just thrilled that you'll be writing for one of my chosen fandoms. That in itself is fabulous, and I'm appreciative and excited and I certainly hope your assignment is something that you enjoy!
Now, I know that there are many different ways that writers like to work, and while I'm not particularly picky about anything (well, except perhaps with characters) and I welcome whatever interpretation and direction you choose to go in; I'm also more than happy to provide some general thoughts, feelings and preferences for you to build off of as well.
I'll start of with more of a general description of my likes and dislikes in fandom and fic, and then I'll move on to more specifics for each of my selections. Please be assured though, that I'm open to almost anything - so this information is by no means 'absolute'. I want you to have fun writing this - I wouldn't want it to be a chore. So please do whatever is most comfortable for you. If, upon reading the fandom/characters you were matched on, an idea sparked in your mind - run with it! You don’t even have to keep reading! (Although I wouldn't mind if you did just skim the 'do not want' portion *grin*).
That being said, I'm pretty easy to please. While it is definitely not applicable to all my fandoms - my absolute favorite fannish trope would definitely be 'First Time' fic. The types of situations where the character(s) finally come to awareness / understanding / terms with how they feel about each other. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing and it can simply be about just admitting feelings, or it can absolutely include first time sex, or sexual activities.
So, obviously I don't mind teh porn. Het, slash, femslash, threesomes/moresomes (it's always fun to include a fandom where 'moresomes' are a possibility) - but I'm not insistent upon it. I'll enjoy everything from G-rated gen all the way up to hardcore NC-17. And if things get porny - plain ol' vanilla sex is great, but I'm not too easily squicked and I don't mind mild to moderate kinks (everything from toys, to food play, to mild BDSM).
That said, there are a few things I'd prefer not to see: please no character bashing, deathfic, partner betrayal, noncon, incest, permanent injury, hardcore BDSM, extreme kink (watesports, scat, vore, bestiality, age-play, daddy-kink, infantilism, etc...), A/B/O type verse, humiliation or permanent genderswap. (All this with the caveat that I do expect some of this to be applicable in the canon - e.g. The cousincest in Enchantment Emporium, or how Tony Foster's past could easily edge into noncon territory, but I'd prefer that to not be the focus of the fic).
I actually love some of the really 'tropey' kinds of scenarios (magic gone awry, life-saving cuddling, crashed on a desert island, etc...), so please don't be afraid of using them (or subverting them) - as I mentioned, first-time fic is a favorite. And, considering that sometimes those situations can result in strong emotions, I'm obviously not afraid of angst, but I also enjoy action/adventure, plotty case-fic, humor and most definitely romance. Hurt/comfort is dandy as well, and considering a couple of my fandoms, violence could be expected. Please, no death though (except as it happens in canon). I love these characters and wouldn't want to see any of them die. And, I'll admit: I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Crossovers might be okay, but I'd have to know the other fandom (although, feel free to crossover ANY of Tanya Huff's works... ). If you do run into questions/concerns - please don't hesitate to have a mod ask me!
I realize all of that is pretty general - if it's enough to get you started, great! But if you'd like more specific thoughts, I'll list them below as they relate to each fandom.
The Silvered - Tanya Huff (Any)
From my Sign-up Details: "I'm extremely open minded on this one! As much as I loved the characters (especially Sean Reiter) and their development, I also found the concept of this book fascinating and would love to see it explored. So yeah - anything Mirian/Tomas/Reiter post book is great (shippy or not), or worldbuilding would be fantastic, or OC Mage-pack &/or Pack would be neat, or exploring some of the secondary characters (during the events of the book or post)... Like I said - extremely open minded!"
I truly don't want to be wishywashy in my request for this fandom, but I could really go for anything here. The way that Huff has developed the world and the society between the Mage-pack and pack and the whole culture is just fascinating to me. I do love the characters, and seeing what happens post-book for Mirian and Tomas and Sean Reiter, as well as any of the remaining Six would be great (and the whole idea of 'Ghost Pack' more than lends itself to plenty of adventures!) - But, at the same time I would absolutely not object if you wanted to just play around with the world itself and tell a story about an original Mage or a Were or what have you.
If you'd like a specific prompt - I'd love to see something about Sean Reiter's integration into the 'Ghost Pack' and what he has to do to earn the trust of the Silvered and how he deals with his own adjustments to his change in status/lifestyle.
Again - though - please just have fun with this fandom and write what feels good to you!
Blood/Smoke Series - Tanya Huff (Lee Nicholas)
From my Sign-up Details: "I'm pretty open on this request. I'd love something Lee-centric. Whether that's exploring his thoughts during the events of the books, or looking at his and Tony's relationship after, or even just some wacky CB Productions hijinks from his POV. I love all the characters from the books - so including any of them is great."
Basically, I love these books, so I'm going to enjoy whatever you write. I adore Lee as a character and wish we'd gotten more of him throughout (as I imagine Tony does as well!). I love fun case-fic type of stories. Supernatural shenanigans. Magic-gone-awry could be great here. I also enjoy slice-of-life character pieces. Just some Lee being awesome (and perhaps not the damsel-in-distress this time!)
If you're looking for more specific prompts, when I reread both the Blood books and the Smoke books some time ago, I was really struck by some of the references to Tony's past (the Scout troop leader for instance). I love that he and Lee got together in the end, but I started to wonder what might happen if some of Tony's past snuck up on him and how Lee might deal with that. He & Lee have gotten pretty used to crazy/supernatural/magical things happening, so how might they deal with something that's mundane, but equally difficult? I'm not opposed to some angst/hurt comfort here, but please don't hurt either of them too badly.
Valor Series - Tanya Huff (Werst, Ressk, Binti Mashona, Alamber)
From my Sign-up Details: "I love the idea of Torin's new 'team' being kick-ass and going on awesome ex-space marine adventures (much as I love Torin and Craig, the crew were my favorite thing about the last book) - so I'd pretty much love anything to do with any of them. Fun action/adventure, mystery, intrigue, 'day in the life', smutty di'taykan fun... it's all good. I'm also extremely partial to Ressk/Werst and their relationship."
I'll be honest: Ressk/Werst is my Valor OTP. So basically if you write something with the two of them involved, I'll adore it (even if it's not shippy). Plus, Binti is so kick-ass, and Alamber seems like a little shit, but I think he'll fit well with the crew! Whether they're fighting pirates, or running into new and weird aliens, or stranded in space in the Promise and forced to live in each others pockets (and have wild orgies)... just have fun with 'em!
If you'd like some specific prompts, I think that any kind of hijinks they might get up to while on 'shore leave' from the Promise would be awesome. Maybe someone ends up in jail and they have to break him/her out? Or perhaps Torin and Craig decide to take a little vacation and leave the inmates to run the asylum and Werst starts making modifications to the ship, and Binti goes a little stir-crazy and Alamber just wants someone to have sex with him, and Ressk is trying to be responsible but really doesn't give a shit...
Robotech Novels - Jack McKinney (Lancer | Yellow Dancer)
From my Sign-up Details: "It's been quite a long time since I've read the Robotech novels (though I do own all of them... somewhere - and 'Lonely Soldier Boy' is still on my ipod!) - but I do recall how much I loved Lancer as a character. So, Lancer-centric fic would be adored. Pre-series, exploring his persona of Yellow Dancer, and how he used her during the war would be great, or how he's had to change after traveling with Scott & the rest. Anything that really focuses on Lancer would be fantastic."
This is probably the most 'specific' of my fandom requests (and I hope it doesn't cause you any trouble). I'm more familiar with Robotech from the novelizations rather than the anime (though I have seen all the episodes). I've read the entire Robotech Saga (although I kind of refuse to acknowledge parts of The End of the Circle) - and Lancer is definitely my favorite character from all of it combined. So, I'd really love to see something that focuses on him. We know a bit about his past, but I wouldn't mind knowing more! Explore his time in the military before he crashed and had to go into hiding. Tell a story that happens sometime in the midst of the books - some adventure he ends up on with the team. Or - feel free to go completely AU and explore what his life would've been like if the Invid weren't around. I liked Sera enough, but I feel like there are many facets to who Lancer is and who he might be with - so pair him up with anyone (seriously, I had this goofy story in my head for ages that paired him up with Gambit from X-men... ) - and please feel free to include any of the characters canon to the novels.
If you'd like some specific prompts: The novels talk about his history with Carla, but they could've gone into much more detail. Especially regarding her help in getting him to 'transform' into Yellow Dancer. Or, fix the mention of his 'death' in The End of the Circle - where he wasn't killed in an accident. Maybe he just lost his memory and can only remember being Yellow Dancer? Or explore the lyrics to Lonely Soldier Boy and how they fit him/he fits them...
Enchantment Emporium - Tanya Huff (Michael, Alysha Gale)
From my Sign-up Details: "I love the friendship between Michael and Allie and how it evolved and what it grew into. I also adored Michael as a character and don't think we got enough of him! I'd love just something that focuses on their friendship, or sends the two of them on an adventure, or even just the pair of them in their PJs, eating ice cream (and pie), dishing about their love lives. Of course, I love all of the other characters from the books as well, so feel free to include them - but something that keeps Allie & Michael the center of things would be great!"
Once again, Ms. Huff has created a really awesome world/environment/concept with characters that I just love. I am, admittedly, partial to Michael and Allie, but I don't want it to seem as if I wouldn't love something that includes other characters. I also really do love the whole 'Gale Family' concept. So, if you could keep Michael and Allie central, then honest... free reign on whatever else happens (up to and including threesomes/moresomes w/ various cousins).
If you'd like some specific prompts: Something happens to Graham (or Charlie) and Allie enlists Michael to help find him (or her). Or someone from Allie and Michael's past needs their help and it ends up being all kinds of magical-crazy nuttiness. Maybe Michael gets caught up in something magical and needs one of the male cousins to, uh... help him out, but Allie has trouble with being a little territorial over him (how would they work through it).
Well, I hope that helps - and sorry for babbling so much! I already know I'll be happy with whatever you do! I just want you to not let it stress you, and I hope you have fun with it. I absolutely can't wait to see what you come up with!
Happy Yuletide!!
ETA: I'm on tumblr as touchofstrange and have anon turned on. I'm on AO3 as skitz_phenom (DV-Skitz) and I have an LJ that hasn't been updated in about 5 years... also skitz_phenom - if you're someone who really likes to get to know your recipient. :)
