Azure Jane Lunatic (Azz) 🌺 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azurelunatic) wrote2015-10-26 11:12 pm
azurelunatic) wrote2015-10-26 11:12 pm
Entry tags:
Yuletide!!!
Dear Yuletide Writer,
I am delighted that you are playing this year!
I always dearly hope that I get ~The Fic~ that will make angels sing and fill some niche in my heart that I hardly realized was missing, but that's a lot of pressure to put on an author and kind of an unrealistic expectation. I do thoroughly enjoy fic that seems like the author had a lot of fun writing it. If you have a bunny that grabs you, totally run with it even if you're not sure it fits what I'm hoping for.
Some things I like, in no particular order:
Slices of life
Worldbuilding
Digressions about minor characters
escalating shenanigans
intricately woven plots leading up to an explosive finale in which they all come crashing together (a la Bujold)
intricately woven plots leading up to a hilariously explosive finale in which they all come crashing together (a la Korman)
mood pieces
the gennest gen that ever genned
unabashed smut
sweet, sweet lovemaking
opposite-sex couples
same-sex couples
polyamorous groups of any configuration
terrible misunderstandings which get resolved after some hard work
The rarely-discussed history behind something that the main canon takes for granted
Technical writing
Epistolary fic
things that go in a direction that surprises me completely
Comedy of manners
appalling behavior from characters who you'd expect to be appalling
political maneuvering
identity porn
identity porn with gaslighting
things that make people question their loyalties
stolen moments of sweetness in the middle of otherwise kind of terrible situations
fictional versions of things which are very very bad for me irl like will-they-won't-they forbidden romance with a power imbalance a la Mulder/Scully in the early X-Files (there's a long story associated with that)
dubious consent and other forms of inept communication that nonetheless work out for the best (speaking of things which don't go so well in the real world)
a long-awaited caress with the power of years of yearning behind it
sex that doesn't treat rod-in-hole as inevitable pinnacle of sexual pleasure (no condom? this is a creative exercise to be solved! no penis? WE CAN WORK WITH THIS.)
close professional relationships
passing the broccoli test
close professional relationships behaving unprofessionally
the weird conversations that happen when two people are up way too late
clever crossovers
footnotes and other adventures in markup
alternate universes or other takes on canon
man'chi*.
that sweet spot where man'chi and the dominance/submission game of courtly love intersect
power games
poetry
epic poetry
weird and/or experimental literary formats
* If you haven't read any of the Foreigner series, don't worry too much about this word; if you have read Cyteen and dig the weird compelled-loyalty and politicking that drove Denys to his ultimate betrayal, it's that stuff (and so much more).
This year I have requested:
Star Trek: Dwellers in the Crucible - Margaret Wander Bonanno (T'Shael & Cleante)
Escape | The Pina Colada Song - Rupert Holmes
The Changeover - Margaret Mahy (Laura)
Foreigner Series - C. J. Cherryh (Bren)
Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh (Ari II & Florian II)
Bugs Potter - Gordon Korman (Bugs & Adam)
I am okay with other characters if you feel like including them. In Dwellers in the Crucible and Alliance-Union especially, feel free to treat the character request as an era/locale request if you feel like worldbuilding.
I am immensely earnest about five out of six of these. Most of those are teenage favorites, and all were exceptionally formative.
The sixth is, of course, the Pina Colada Song.
This is a tiny fandom which you can pick up in the course of one YouTube video.
This is not my favorite song. This is so far from my favorite song. I have flipped back and forth as to whether it's so romantic that they rediscovered each other, or if they're really sort of assholes. Right now I'm at "assholes, really". Unfortunately, my local Dad Rock station is really into pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, so there was a while that I was in the middle of the parking lot that is 101 coming out of Redwood City towards SFO and unable to escape this song. Any and all weird explorations of this song are gleefully welcomed.
From #yuletide:
@Azz: whee, I have submitted The Pina Colada Song as a fandom... :D
@woggy: eee hee hee :D
@kristin: hihi
@Lanna|353: PINA COLADA SONG FANDOM OMG
CAN I WRITE YOU A DECONSTRUCTION AZZ
CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW THINGS LIKE ENJOYING PINA COLADAS AND BEING CAUGHT IN THE RAIN AREN'T REALLY THINGS TO BASE RELATIONSHIPS OFF OF
@Lanna|353: AND IF YOU ARE ALREADY SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR LADY, ENJOYING A WALK IN THE RAIN ISN'T GOING TO HELP
CAN I WRITE YOU A CAPTAIN AWKWARD CROSSOVER
oh man, I think I need to request this fandom
no wait, I want to cross ito ver with Born To Run
@LeaperSonata: ...Now it's stuck in my head.
IF YOU'RE NOT INTO YOGA
@Lanna|353: IF YOU HAVE HALF A BRAIN
@thedevilchicken: Oh dear. I'm going to be humming that foreeeeeeever!
@Lanna|353: (but not a ful lbrain)
(what if you have half a brain... in a jar on oyur desk?)
@Azz: THIS IS A SONG BEGGING FOR DECONSTRUCTION
@Lanna|353: (can it be a brain of a different species?)
@Azz: POSSIBLY FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE PINA COLADA
@Moltres: the pina colada deoncstruction sounds fun
@LeaperSonata: omg
@Azz: OR THE PERSONAL ADS EDITOR
@Moltres: Azz ohmygod
@Lanna|353: I DID NOT ASK TO BE THE DRINK CHOICE OF INFIDELITY
So, um, yeah.
My fruity drinks lawyer recommends that I mention that my love for the other five fandoms is ~pure~ enough that they might not cross over well with the pina colada. I think Bugs and Adam could probably get away with many things since the canon is so devotedly cracky. Goodness knows that Bren would have a hell of a time explaining that song outside of Mospheira, and I'm not opposed to some lighthearted human-atevi cultural misunderstandings. The Aris are not great at functional 1:1 relationships at the best of times, but I'd sort of hope that Ari II wouldn't betray Florian II that way? (If she did, though, I could go for some dark-chocolate-bitter angst. So good.) I'm not sure how it could be crossed over with either Dwellers in the Crucible or The Changeover without altering the things I love so much about those.
I've listed my squicks and the exceptions in my signup. General overview:
Emetophobia.
Do not want cannibalism.
Do not want father/daughter incest or daddy kink.
Homophobia is complicated: I would far rather have a character battling external homophobia than brushing off possible romantic implications of their very intimate same-sex friendships with "but I'm straight" or worse "that would be Morally Wrong". I am okay with a character starting out with homophobic attitudes and coming around, especially when the canonical starting place is kinda homophobic.
Do not want fat-shaming.
In conclusion:
THANK YOU SO MUCH for playing Yuletide this year, and I hope this letter was vaguely inspiring and you have a whole lot of fun.
I am delighted that you are playing this year!
I always dearly hope that I get ~The Fic~ that will make angels sing and fill some niche in my heart that I hardly realized was missing, but that's a lot of pressure to put on an author and kind of an unrealistic expectation. I do thoroughly enjoy fic that seems like the author had a lot of fun writing it. If you have a bunny that grabs you, totally run with it even if you're not sure it fits what I'm hoping for.
Some things I like, in no particular order:
Slices of life
Worldbuilding
Digressions about minor characters
escalating shenanigans
intricately woven plots leading up to an explosive finale in which they all come crashing together (a la Bujold)
intricately woven plots leading up to a hilariously explosive finale in which they all come crashing together (a la Korman)
mood pieces
the gennest gen that ever genned
unabashed smut
sweet, sweet lovemaking
opposite-sex couples
same-sex couples
polyamorous groups of any configuration
terrible misunderstandings which get resolved after some hard work
The rarely-discussed history behind something that the main canon takes for granted
Technical writing
Epistolary fic
things that go in a direction that surprises me completely
Comedy of manners
appalling behavior from characters who you'd expect to be appalling
political maneuvering
identity porn
identity porn with gaslighting
things that make people question their loyalties
stolen moments of sweetness in the middle of otherwise kind of terrible situations
fictional versions of things which are very very bad for me irl like will-they-won't-they forbidden romance with a power imbalance a la Mulder/Scully in the early X-Files (there's a long story associated with that)
dubious consent and other forms of inept communication that nonetheless work out for the best (speaking of things which don't go so well in the real world)
a long-awaited caress with the power of years of yearning behind it
sex that doesn't treat rod-in-hole as inevitable pinnacle of sexual pleasure (no condom? this is a creative exercise to be solved! no penis? WE CAN WORK WITH THIS.)
close professional relationships
passing the broccoli test
close professional relationships behaving unprofessionally
the weird conversations that happen when two people are up way too late
clever crossovers
footnotes and other adventures in markup
alternate universes or other takes on canon
man'chi*.
that sweet spot where man'chi and the dominance/submission game of courtly love intersect
power games
poetry
epic poetry
weird and/or experimental literary formats
* If you haven't read any of the Foreigner series, don't worry too much about this word; if you have read Cyteen and dig the weird compelled-loyalty and politicking that drove Denys to his ultimate betrayal, it's that stuff (and so much more).
This year I have requested:
Star Trek: Dwellers in the Crucible - Margaret Wander Bonanno (T'Shael & Cleante)
Escape | The Pina Colada Song - Rupert Holmes
The Changeover - Margaret Mahy (Laura)
Foreigner Series - C. J. Cherryh (Bren)
Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh (Ari II & Florian II)
Bugs Potter - Gordon Korman (Bugs & Adam)
I am okay with other characters if you feel like including them. In Dwellers in the Crucible and Alliance-Union especially, feel free to treat the character request as an era/locale request if you feel like worldbuilding.
I am immensely earnest about five out of six of these. Most of those are teenage favorites, and all were exceptionally formative.
The sixth is, of course, the Pina Colada Song.
This is a tiny fandom which you can pick up in the course of one YouTube video.
This is not my favorite song. This is so far from my favorite song. I have flipped back and forth as to whether it's so romantic that they rediscovered each other, or if they're really sort of assholes. Right now I'm at "assholes, really". Unfortunately, my local Dad Rock station is really into pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, so there was a while that I was in the middle of the parking lot that is 101 coming out of Redwood City towards SFO and unable to escape this song. Any and all weird explorations of this song are gleefully welcomed.
From #yuletide:
@Azz: whee, I have submitted The Pina Colada Song as a fandom... :D
@woggy: eee hee hee :D
@kristin: hihi
@Lanna|353: PINA COLADA SONG FANDOM OMG
CAN I WRITE YOU A DECONSTRUCTION AZZ
CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW THINGS LIKE ENJOYING PINA COLADAS AND BEING CAUGHT IN THE RAIN AREN'T REALLY THINGS TO BASE RELATIONSHIPS OFF OF
@Lanna|353: AND IF YOU ARE ALREADY SICK AND TIRED OF YOUR LADY, ENJOYING A WALK IN THE RAIN ISN'T GOING TO HELP
CAN I WRITE YOU A CAPTAIN AWKWARD CROSSOVER
oh man, I think I need to request this fandom
no wait, I want to cross ito ver with Born To Run
@LeaperSonata: ...Now it's stuck in my head.
IF YOU'RE NOT INTO YOGA
@Lanna|353: IF YOU HAVE HALF A BRAIN
@thedevilchicken: Oh dear. I'm going to be humming that foreeeeeeever!
@Lanna|353: (but not a ful lbrain)
(what if you have half a brain... in a jar on oyur desk?)
@Azz: THIS IS A SONG BEGGING FOR DECONSTRUCTION
@Lanna|353: (can it be a brain of a different species?)
@Azz: POSSIBLY FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE PINA COLADA
@Moltres: the pina colada deoncstruction sounds fun
@LeaperSonata: omg
@Azz: OR THE PERSONAL ADS EDITOR
@Moltres: Azz ohmygod
@Lanna|353: I DID NOT ASK TO BE THE DRINK CHOICE OF INFIDELITY
So, um, yeah.
My fruity drinks lawyer recommends that I mention that my love for the other five fandoms is ~pure~ enough that they might not cross over well with the pina colada. I think Bugs and Adam could probably get away with many things since the canon is so devotedly cracky. Goodness knows that Bren would have a hell of a time explaining that song outside of Mospheira, and I'm not opposed to some lighthearted human-atevi cultural misunderstandings. The Aris are not great at functional 1:1 relationships at the best of times, but I'd sort of hope that Ari II wouldn't betray Florian II that way? (If she did, though, I could go for some dark-chocolate-bitter angst. So good.) I'm not sure how it could be crossed over with either Dwellers in the Crucible or The Changeover without altering the things I love so much about those.
I've listed my squicks and the exceptions in my signup. General overview:
Emetophobia.
Do not want cannibalism.
Do not want father/daughter incest or daddy kink.
Homophobia is complicated: I would far rather have a character battling external homophobia than brushing off possible romantic implications of their very intimate same-sex friendships with "but I'm straight" or worse "that would be Morally Wrong". I am okay with a character starting out with homophobic attitudes and coming around, especially when the canonical starting place is kinda homophobic.
Do not want fat-shaming.
In conclusion:
THANK YOU SO MUCH for playing Yuletide this year, and I hope this letter was vaguely inspiring and you have a whole lot of fun.
no subject
Fandom:Star Trek: Dwellers in the Crucible - Margaret Wander Bonanno - Fandom
No rating
Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
No category
Request Unfulfilled
18 Oct 2015
Tags
T'shael (Dwellers in the Crucible)Cleante al-Faisal (Dwellers in the Crucible)
Summary
In 1996, I had a cheap glass "ruby" stud earring. I got swimmer's ear. I refused to take the earring out, long after I should have. To this day, I have unfortunate metal allergies that I did not have before 1996. I feel this sums up my long-held and nearly irrational love for this fandom. T'Shael and Cleante's love is so beautiful and pure. I would be delighted to see them at any point -- before the abduction, during their ordeal, after, or in any sort of alternate setting. I am happy with them as friends or lovers, or even estranged from each other, as long as the focus is on their relationship or how they have been changed by their ordeal and their friendship.
If they are not your jam, I still really really enjoy that view of their universe, and would be happy if you ignored them and dove into worldbuilding, or other minor characters that we haven't seen much of. I love Abide in Fire by Karen Rohmer Guerreri exactly as much as I love Dwellers in the Cruicible, down to the page reference, if you feel inclined to wander that far afield.
General squicks:
father/daughter incest and daddy kink
emetophobia
cannibalism
Fandom-specific squick:
I would be very bummed out to have the subtle homophobia of the original carried over into Yuletide, although I am A-OK with storylines in which confronting homophobia is a thing (external or internalized). If your vision of them does not include a sexual element to their relationship, that's okay! Don't justify why they must Only Be Friends, just dive straight in to the friendship and have a great time.
tl;dr if you go for the canonical "but I'm not into ladies that way" internal commentary, I would expect her to in fact realize that she is into *this* lady that way, by the end of the fic.
Dear Yuletide Author Letter http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/7487290.html
Request 2 by azurelunatic
Fandom:Escape | The Pina Colada Song - Rupert Holmes (Song)
No rating
Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
No category
Request Unfulfilled
18 Oct 2015
Tags
Any Character
Summary
This song is inescapable. I think the narrator is a complete, but not irredeemable, tool. In self-defense, I began shredding it to pieces when trapped in the commute from hell listening to it back in 2012. I would love any exploration of the untold stories behind this song: what does the Lady think of all this? What else has gone down at O'Malley's? Has the Narrator tried to cheat before? What happens next week? Perhaps there are other people who could do with a good pina colada and a romantic picnic interrupted by a rainstorm. Worldbuilding, tangents, crossovers, crackfic, and crueltide are all welcome.
Bulletproof squicks:
father/daughter incest and daddy kink
emetophobia
cannibalism
Dear Yuletide Author Letter http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/7487290.html
Request 3 by azurelunatic
Fandom:The Changeover - Margaret Mahy
No rating
Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
No category
Request Unfulfilled
18 Oct 2015
Tags
Laura Chant
Summary
This is a fandom of my heart. Every time I see any story for it, no matter who it's written for, I feel like it's a gift that's been written especially for me.
Bulletproof squicks:
father/daughter incest and daddy kink
emetophobia
cannibalism
Dear Yuletide Author Letter http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/7487290.html
Request 4 by azurelunatic
Fandom:Foreigner Series - C. J. Cherryh
No rating
Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
No category
Request Unfulfilled
18 Oct 2015
Tags
Bren Cameron
Summary
I am especially fond of the earlier books, where Bren is still finding his feet and bumbling into cultural misunderstandings left and right. I would *adore* worldbuilding.
Bulletproof squicks:
father/daughter incest and daddy kink (though if seeing this as a restriction immediately makes you go "but if they're atevi do the same cultural squicks even apply?!?!?!" and get bunnied hard with some weird and cool quirk of man'chi, *go for it*.)
human cannibalism
emetophobia
Dear Yuletide Author Letter http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/7487290.html
Request 5 by azurelunatic
Fandom:Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh
No rating
Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
No category
Request Unfulfilled
18 Oct 2015
Tags
Ariane Emory IIFlorian AF-9979 I
Summary
Ari II is my problematic fave. I love the Ari-Florian-Catlin dynamic. I love House politics. I love Justin and Grant. I love worldbuilding. Psychogenesis hits me where I live.
Bulletproof squicks:
father/daughter incest and daddy kink
emetophobia
cannibalism
Fandom-specific squicks:
An Ari who reflects on the Inherent Wrongness of same-sex love will 100% no kidding throw me out of the fic angrily. I wouldn't mention this EXCEPT I STUMBLED ACROSS A FIC WHERE SOME DEEPLY MISGUIDED SOUL WROTE SOME OF THAT ONCE WITH ARI THINKING ABOUT HOW SHE WOULDN'T HAVE SEX WITH CATLIN BECAUSE IT WAS WRONG AND THAT WAS YEARS AGO AND I'M STILL NOT OVER IT. Given that Catlin wasn't nominated, if you don't want to write Ari having sex with Catlin, it would be *super easy* to avoid.
Denys/food is a canonical love. I would prefer to avoid gratuitous fat-shaming.
Dear Yuletide Author Letter http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/7487290.html
Request 6 by azurelunatic
Fandom:Bugs Potter - Gordon Korman
No rating
Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
No category
Request Unfulfilled
18 Oct 2015
Tags
Bugs PotterAdam Webb
Summary
It's cool if you ship them, but my favorite thing in any Korman book is the caper. I love escalating slapstick with a bang-up ending.
Bulletproof squicks:
father/daughter incest and daddy kink
emetophobia
cannibalism
Dear Yuletide Author Letter http://azurelunatic.dreamwidth.org/7487290.html