Dear Yuletide Author

[opalmatrix]

Thank you for signing up with me! And have fun with your project!

The Fandoms

きのう何食べた? | Kinou Nani Tabeta? | What Did You Eat Yesterday?

Dear author, are you also a fan of Yoshinaga's full canon? Did you enjoy her early surprisingly sweet porn-tastic yaoi works, such as Ichigenme -- The First Class Is Civil Law (my favorite) and The Moon and the Sandals? As much as I am enjoying What Did You Eat, what I was really hoping was that she would return to her roots and give Shirou and Ken a hot physical love scene, with a poignant framing that would give it the depth of (for example) the scene where Tohdou finally figures out what really turns Tamiya's crank. So if you are comfortable with this, I'd love to have a story involving such a scene, framed in the context of Ken and Shirou's usual everyday devotion and of course, the food! (Throwing in a recipe or two would be an awesome touch!)

However, I realize that not every author would be comfortable with this. If that's the case, let's have a wintertime story, perhaps a New Year's thing. Of course Shirou wants to be with his parents for the actual holiday, but what about a run-up to the holiday, with everyone remembering favorite foods and traditions? Perhaps Madam gives her staff some gifts and then goes home expecting to have a quiet evening with her beer and pork buns … and something else (something nice!) surprises her instead. Maybe Shirou and Ken help Kayoko get ready for a family celebration? Maybe Ken and Shirou think of special gifts and treats for each other, and celebrate when Shirou gets back? Make it happy and sweet but not saccharine: give it that Yoshinaga tartness. (And again, possibly recipes.)

The Circus Is Coming | Circus Shoes - Noel Streatfeild

Something I've wondered for a long, long time is what happens to the younger cast members during the Second World War. The Circus Is Coming was published in 1938, and it seems that Streatfeild would have had to be conscious of the growing tensions among the nations of Europe when she wrote of these English, Russian, German, and French children getting along against the background of Cobb's Circus. By the time the war was over, Peter would have been 18 or 19, Santa and the Schmidt twins a couple of years younger. What happened to these four during the war? The Schmidts might have been caught back visiting their relatives in Germany: France and Britain declared war on Germany early in autumn 1939. If not, then as Germans, they might have faced some tough reactions in Britain during the war. Santa and Peter would have been old enough to volunteer for any number of home front activities in Britain.

If you don't want to write about the actual war years (which I agree might take some delicate handling), then a reunion afterward would be lovely. Please feel free to add in any other canon characters you like. (And as always, I will be delighted by any cameos from other Streatfield books.)

Finally, it would be fun if there were a winter (and possibly Christmas) background to whatever you write. Seasonal celebrations and the challenges of buying gifts on a budget were so very typical of all these books.

The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells

I've only indicated Murderbot as a character because that's who I really want to see. If you want to work in some other canon characters, feel free, but I'm in this for Murderbot! Murderbot's point of view and self-analytical thought processes are what makes this fandom for me.

I'm thinking about Murderbot on the voyage after the first story ends. Tell me about something interesting that happens on the trip. Some ideas: Murderbot discovers and grudgingly bonds with a fan of Murderbot's favorite series. Murderbot encounters a pet animal that is fascinated by Murderbot. Murderbot interacts with some (realistically depicted) children. Murderbot inadvertently becomes a shoulder to cry on for some human who mistakes Murderbot's minimalist reaction to hir problems for good listening. Murderbot solves some very human sort of mystery. Or something else of your own devising, as long as it includes that tart Murderbot thought process in reaction to what happens.

The Broken Earth Series - N. K. Jemisin

I'm mostly in search of "what happens next" after the end of the series. The Castrima comm starting to make a world for themselves and their children, for example: Ykka, Tonkee, Hjarka and the rest, facing a problem that's resolved satisfactorily, leaving them better off than before (and if you could work in Danel, who got left out of the character set, I'd be more than pleased). Nassun starting a slow recovery from her childhood and making some actual friends would be great too. Finally, Hoa and the former Essun on a road trip, seeing what there is to see and mending what they can.

This is not a series that makes one think of happy endings … and yet what happened at the end was good, and made me smile through tears of resolved tension and sorrow. So likewise, please end whatever you write for me on an upward note.

The Divine Cities Series - Robert Jackson Bennett

I loved the richness of this series and its world building, plus the very vivid "modern" characters (in contrast with all the mythic, epic happenings) and the frequent undercurrent of deadpan humor.

This series also made me wonder "What happened next?" I love Mulughesh's getting stuck with looking after all the people with newly manifested godpowers. In fact, I love Mulughesh in general. Does Tatyana end up interacting with her? How about Restroyka? Tell me a story about them plus some OCs with such powers.

Otherwise, missing scenes from the past could be very satisfying too: an early mission for Shara and Sigrud, when they are first learning each other, or Sigrud and Signe together when she is small.

It would be fun if there were a winter background to whatever you write.

Preferences

Here are a number of optional details... and yes, they are optional.

I Don't Like:

• Sickly-sweet, coy, cutesy romantic stuff (anything in the "tee-hee-hee, is he looking at me?" category is definitely out)
• Extensive use of epithets, or epithets that don't match the character POV (no one should think of his or her long-time lover as "the green-eyed man," for example): these will throw me right out of a story
• "Ikea Erotica" sex (warning: link to TVTropes). Note that actual sex is fine (I love me some sexy stories) — just don't like it when the descriptions turn into a set of exact stage directions.
• Mpreg, rape, forced sex (including sex pollen and fuck-or-die), hatesex. Dubcon is OK, especially the sort when the reluctant partner really wants the other person but is just not quite feeling ready yet or doesn't think se wants it in this particular way but gets off on it anyway.
• Humiliation or betrayal (without a damn good plot reason) of a character by a friend or lover

I Like:

• Strong characterization (including character-appropriate dialog: no earthy, uneducated characters using $50 words)
• Positive emotional payoffs that are well-earned
• Passions that are strong without being mushy/fluffy
• Moments of realization — satori
• Friendships - although I am a romantic person, not every relationship must be romantic (I do like the trope of friends becoming lovers, however)
• Wry and even dark humor in the course of a more serious story
• And I like any of the following "cool bits," if appropriate to the story:
  • an autumn leaf or item of clothing as the only bit of color in a bleak landscape
  • being cozy indoors when it's rainy or snowing
  • brushing long hair, riffling fingers through short hair
  • family-of-choice, nakama, or True Companions
  • hurt-comfort
  • leaning comfortably against a friend or lover; feeling that one chuckle or speak
  • senses of smell and touch and memories attached to them
  • someone's profile silhouetted against the light
  • the sound of a song or tune (whistling definitely counts) that means something to the character hearing it
  • sudden realizations of feelings for another, or another's feelings for the POV character (doesn't have to be romantic: can be friendship, or how much someone needs someone else, or anything of that sort)

I'm quite content with both straight and gay relationships. I do tend to ship the canon relationships, unless it's a character who has had no clear relationships shown in the story.

Comments

[nenya_kanadka]

Yay, we both asked for Murderbot! (I can say with assurance that I was not matched with you, but hopefully somebody writes lots of Murderbot.)

Also, you are way more fucking concise than I am, OMG I fail at this. Ahaha.

<3!

YULETIDE! (My first, believe it or not.)