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skew_whiff) wrote2012-10-26 01:59 pm
skew_whiff) wrote2012-10-26 01:59 pm
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Dear Yuletide Author
Hello, Yuletide author!
How's it going? I hope my requests haven't left you too baffled or daunted - at any rate, you are clearly a person of excellent taste, and I'm really looking forward to seeing whatever it is you come up with. Here's some extra details and hints which I hope'll be useful.
Pretty much all my requests this year are along the lines of 'this is this thing I really like! Can I have some more of that, please?'. I love character-driven fic, things which delve into somebody's past or speculate on their future or just have lots of moments of them doing the things they do best. I'm hopelessly sentimental - I like Christmas stories, and happy endings, and best friends helping each other and couples who love each other in a quiet and devoted way, and all of that cosy, heart-warming nonsense. I also love it when an author makes me laugh; not that you have to go for that, if that's not your genre, but I do have a particular soft spot for all varieties of funny fic, from dryly witty dialogue to over-the-top ridiculousness.
As for stuff I don't like much - well, I'd rather not have anything involving one of the characters dying (unless it's a ghost or zombie AU or something), likewise sexual violence, torture, that kind of stuff. Dark themes and sad moments are perfectly fine, though, I'd just rather the story at least ended on a reasonably upbeat note.
Now, onto specifics -
The Thin Man (1934)
Nick Charles, Nora Charles
Really, I just want more of what makes the film such a joy - Nick and Nora being witty and charming, solving crimes and knocking back drinks. Honestly, as long as there's acres of banter, I don't mind if it's an intensely twisty-turny plot-driven adventure or an inconsequential bit of fluff about Nick trying to make Nora breakfast in bed without burning the house down (for example).
If you'd like some plot suggestions, though, I'd quite like to hear the story of how they met and the trouble they no doubt got into together before their engagement. Alternatively, I am always up for AUs and crossovers, the sillier the better - anything goes, though I am particularly tickled by the idea of them as Time Lord (or Lady) and companion, with Asta in the place of K-9.
I don't have much to add to that, really. This is the most overtly shippy of my requests - the romance can be a central part of it or just in the background, but I do want it to be about both of them being awesome together. Can be as fluffy or as explicit as you like; I don't want a fic where smut is the sole focus, but I imagine that their sex life is probably hilarious and involves a running commentary (and periodic breaks to chase the damn dog out of the room).
Oh, and another potential crossover/AU idea I couldn't resist noting - maybe it's the snarkiness, the constant drinking, or the little moustache, but Nick Charles reminds me so much of Tony Stark it's ridiculous.
Round The Twist
No characters specified
It's only a pity I couldn't request more characters, because I really like everybody in this series, and I could honestly be happy reading fic about any of them. I ended up going for the kids in the end, though - I'd really like something set in the present day about one of them, having grown up and moved away to the city, coming back to visit Port Niranda and finding it still as weird as ever. Did any of the Twists stay to look after the lighthouse, or does it still belong to their dad? Has James Gribble reformed, or is he now as much of a pain in the arse for the townspeople as his father was? Why is a small seaside town so full of magical artefacts and restless spirits anyway?
This is my long-shot request - I'm not sure this has a fandom besides me and the person who got me watching it, whom I don't think is doing Yuletide. So I will be really impressed and amazed if someone does take this one on.
I've only seen the first two seasons - I don't really regard the later two as being quite the same show - and I've got a slight preference for the version of Gribble and his mates from series 1, but it doesn't really matter what you pick; the casting changes mostly affect the way they look, not how they act. There's most, but not all, of the first two series up on Youtube, if you want to brush up on the canon.
Captain Britain and MI:13
Faiza Hussain
Faiza is one of my favourite characters in the Marvel universe and I wish she was in more things. We've seen her working with the team, but I'd like to see her at a point in time where she's a little more settled and comfortable with her abilities, and goes off on a solo superheroing adventure. Maybe there's something mysterious going on in the hospital that she decides to investigate, or Dane gets into trouble and Faiza's the only one who can rescue him. Or maybe one day she gets a call from SHIELD and suddenly she's embroiled in international intrigue and an extended argument with Agent Coulson over whether Captain Britain is better than Captain America...
Again, not much to add - I just want a fic about Faiza being as generally awesome and adorable as she is in canon, and as long as the focus is on her, I'm happy. Any other characters you want to add into the mix are fine by me - I have a particular soft spot for Dane and her relationship with him, and more backstory about Faiza's family is alway welcome, but I'm also happy for you to add in any other characters from the Marvel universe you think'd work well in the story. Preferably 616-verse, though as per my mention of Coulson, movieverse crossovers are also fine by me!
Temeraire - Naomi Novik
William Laurence, Temeraire
Temeraire and Laurence's odd-couple interspecies bromance is completely adorable and my favourite thing about the series. My second favourite thing about the series is Temeraire's failure to grasp human social norms. I'm also a major sucker for seasonal fic, so I'd love something about the first Christmas they spend together, with Laurence trying to deal with the twin problems of feeling guilty about being away from his family and trying to get a dragon with no respect for tradition to understand that there's more to Christmas than shiny presents.
Or alternatively, I love AUs, and I'd love to see fic that puts them in a different time period. Your choice, from ancient history to the present day, although I'd be particularly interested in seeing them in the Roman Empire or one of the world wars.
Important note: So far, I haven't read beyond Empire of Ivory, so please avoid spoilers for anything later in the series.
I definitely have said everything I wanted to say in the request with this one. Again, any side characters you want to add are fine by me - Jane, Granby, Tharkay, whoever - as long as they're not from one of the books I haven't read yet, but I'd like the focus to be on Laurence and Temeraire.
And that's pretty much it! Thank you in advance for whatever you write, and happy Yuletide.
How's it going? I hope my requests haven't left you too baffled or daunted - at any rate, you are clearly a person of excellent taste, and I'm really looking forward to seeing whatever it is you come up with. Here's some extra details and hints which I hope'll be useful.
Pretty much all my requests this year are along the lines of 'this is this thing I really like! Can I have some more of that, please?'. I love character-driven fic, things which delve into somebody's past or speculate on their future or just have lots of moments of them doing the things they do best. I'm hopelessly sentimental - I like Christmas stories, and happy endings, and best friends helping each other and couples who love each other in a quiet and devoted way, and all of that cosy, heart-warming nonsense. I also love it when an author makes me laugh; not that you have to go for that, if that's not your genre, but I do have a particular soft spot for all varieties of funny fic, from dryly witty dialogue to over-the-top ridiculousness.
As for stuff I don't like much - well, I'd rather not have anything involving one of the characters dying (unless it's a ghost or zombie AU or something), likewise sexual violence, torture, that kind of stuff. Dark themes and sad moments are perfectly fine, though, I'd just rather the story at least ended on a reasonably upbeat note.
Now, onto specifics -
The Thin Man (1934)
Nick Charles, Nora Charles
Really, I just want more of what makes the film such a joy - Nick and Nora being witty and charming, solving crimes and knocking back drinks. Honestly, as long as there's acres of banter, I don't mind if it's an intensely twisty-turny plot-driven adventure or an inconsequential bit of fluff about Nick trying to make Nora breakfast in bed without burning the house down (for example).
If you'd like some plot suggestions, though, I'd quite like to hear the story of how they met and the trouble they no doubt got into together before their engagement. Alternatively, I am always up for AUs and crossovers, the sillier the better - anything goes, though I am particularly tickled by the idea of them as Time Lord (or Lady) and companion, with Asta in the place of K-9.
I don't have much to add to that, really. This is the most overtly shippy of my requests - the romance can be a central part of it or just in the background, but I do want it to be about both of them being awesome together. Can be as fluffy or as explicit as you like; I don't want a fic where smut is the sole focus, but I imagine that their sex life is probably hilarious and involves a running commentary (and periodic breaks to chase the damn dog out of the room).
Oh, and another potential crossover/AU idea I couldn't resist noting - maybe it's the snarkiness, the constant drinking, or the little moustache, but Nick Charles reminds me so much of Tony Stark it's ridiculous.
Round The Twist
No characters specified
It's only a pity I couldn't request more characters, because I really like everybody in this series, and I could honestly be happy reading fic about any of them. I ended up going for the kids in the end, though - I'd really like something set in the present day about one of them, having grown up and moved away to the city, coming back to visit Port Niranda and finding it still as weird as ever. Did any of the Twists stay to look after the lighthouse, or does it still belong to their dad? Has James Gribble reformed, or is he now as much of a pain in the arse for the townspeople as his father was? Why is a small seaside town so full of magical artefacts and restless spirits anyway?
This is my long-shot request - I'm not sure this has a fandom besides me and the person who got me watching it, whom I don't think is doing Yuletide. So I will be really impressed and amazed if someone does take this one on.
I've only seen the first two seasons - I don't really regard the later two as being quite the same show - and I've got a slight preference for the version of Gribble and his mates from series 1, but it doesn't really matter what you pick; the casting changes mostly affect the way they look, not how they act. There's most, but not all, of the first two series up on Youtube, if you want to brush up on the canon.
Captain Britain and MI:13
Faiza Hussain
Faiza is one of my favourite characters in the Marvel universe and I wish she was in more things. We've seen her working with the team, but I'd like to see her at a point in time where she's a little more settled and comfortable with her abilities, and goes off on a solo superheroing adventure. Maybe there's something mysterious going on in the hospital that she decides to investigate, or Dane gets into trouble and Faiza's the only one who can rescue him. Or maybe one day she gets a call from SHIELD and suddenly she's embroiled in international intrigue and an extended argument with Agent Coulson over whether Captain Britain is better than Captain America...
Again, not much to add - I just want a fic about Faiza being as generally awesome and adorable as she is in canon, and as long as the focus is on her, I'm happy. Any other characters you want to add into the mix are fine by me - I have a particular soft spot for Dane and her relationship with him, and more backstory about Faiza's family is alway welcome, but I'm also happy for you to add in any other characters from the Marvel universe you think'd work well in the story. Preferably 616-verse, though as per my mention of Coulson, movieverse crossovers are also fine by me!
Temeraire - Naomi Novik
William Laurence, Temeraire
Temeraire and Laurence's odd-couple interspecies bromance is completely adorable and my favourite thing about the series. My second favourite thing about the series is Temeraire's failure to grasp human social norms. I'm also a major sucker for seasonal fic, so I'd love something about the first Christmas they spend together, with Laurence trying to deal with the twin problems of feeling guilty about being away from his family and trying to get a dragon with no respect for tradition to understand that there's more to Christmas than shiny presents.
Or alternatively, I love AUs, and I'd love to see fic that puts them in a different time period. Your choice, from ancient history to the present day, although I'd be particularly interested in seeing them in the Roman Empire or one of the world wars.
Important note: So far, I haven't read beyond Empire of Ivory, so please avoid spoilers for anything later in the series.
I definitely have said everything I wanted to say in the request with this one. Again, any side characters you want to add are fine by me - Jane, Granby, Tharkay, whoever - as long as they're not from one of the books I haven't read yet, but I'd like the focus to be on Laurence and Temeraire.
And that's pretty much it! Thank you in advance for whatever you write, and happy Yuletide.