Dear Yuletide author--
Oct. 10th, 2016 09:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kaberett-- thank you so much; I am so looking forward to seeing the story you want to tell.
In general terms: I have a lot of feelings about families lost & found & chosen, and about loyalty, and about being fiercely alive, and about being othered and monstered and embracing that and defining what it means rather than letting it define you. I like fluff and intensity and delicious angsty pining (I was in Check, Please! fandom before The Kiss okay) and character studies and... honestly pretty much everything. Sweeping descriptions of mountains? Yep I will take those too. Whatever you would like to write. <3
In terms of sex-related squicks (should you feel moved to write sex; I really don't mind either way), pretty much the only restriction is that I would like there to be enthusiastic informed consent for any on-screen sex. Elsewise I'd rather not read descriptions of broken bones (especially hands) or damage to teeth; particularly for the Craft Sequence respectful (by which I mostly mean "sincere and good faith") handling of gender, trauma and disability matters to me.
I include slightly more detailed specific notes below in case you'd like something to bounce off, but as I say: really I am just looking forward to the story you have to tell.
Akata Witch - Nnedi Okorafor
If you are not familiar: this is YA-ish fantasy in a world where all the tech is organic, in the sense of "cultivated from plant-based life forms", and it is sun-drenched and gorgeous and I strongly recommend basically everything by her. (Except -- have a care for Lagoon, in which she is... trying to be inclusive about sex workers and trans people and really doesn't manage? The intent is obvious but the specifics made me wince a bit.)
I love the botany and the tech and the solarpunk and the CHARACTERS and I honestly don't have anything specific in mind for this, just, I will be endlessly delighted and entranced by absolutely anything set in this world or this nexus of worlds. World-building? Food? Characters? Yes, any or all! (I am sorry that this is brief enthusiasm. It is nonetheless very enthusiastic, but also, please do not worry, I am this enthusiastic about everything I have requested.)
The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater
ENORMOUS WILD CARNIVOROUS HORSES MADE OUT OF OCEAN YES PLEASE.
... er.
... Rugged Landscape (I am a geologist; I have spent a nontrivial amount of time getting snowed on in Rugged Scottish Landscape), and FOOD, and HORSES, and the awful awful truth that the things you need and love might be utterly incompatible with the things people you love need and love -- and landscape and horses both that will literally eat you -- and food and family and community -- and, yeah, again, pretty much anything. I was a horsey child so I am very pro Tedious Detailed Minutiae Of Horses And Their Body Language And How These Horses Are Subtly Wrong, but I would also be entirely happy with cosy domestic, or people working out how to relate to each other, or... just something set on this island with completely original characters, or whatever. I just find the whole thing very soothing.
Craft Sequence - Max Gladstone
Okay so I particularly adore Kai, being as I'm a queer trans crip (seriously the way Gladstone handles dysphoria and gender in this book led to me crying into the celeriac I was chopping up -- I had to go back and reread several times to make sure I'd correctly understood that he was being good), but I also love Tara and (for my sins) Mal. I love the tensions, between people and ethics and loyalties; I love the pragmatism; I love the arcana; I love the detailed worldbuilding.
I was also deeply entertained by the text-adventure game.
I love the women and the stories and the way power works and, just, everything. Yes. Please. This. Anything at all. Really. Geology or sex or plot or odd scientific investigations and papers or poetry or, really, anything. I would be so excited.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Caine has found pack. He has found his pack and he has found how to have a family and he has the immense relief of belonging, and of belonging to Stinger and Kiza and Jupiter and Jupiter's clan, and it is a relief and a comfort and basically anything at all involving how he is settled and grounded and knows what he is and is looked after will hit me right in the feels. Also? There exists not a single trope about subby space-angel werewolves that I won't enjoy if you write it for me.
I'm also very into Jupiter's relationships with the people and especially the women around her, space bureaucracy, and ridiculous science.
... I think it is very likely that there is no crackfic too cracky for it to hit my id in this fandom.
Rules of Summer - Shaun Tan
Shaun Tan is amazing. He writes weird little picture books that I find very difficult to describe, but see for example the trailer to The Lost Thing, a fantastic short film. Whimsical and saturated colours and odd; in Rules of Summer I particularly love (to the surprise of nobody who has ever met me) the large blue robot dinosaur, but also the small blue robot dinosaur and the parade in general; and, again, the sense of losing and finding and choosing. Yes. Something small and strange, perhaps?
The Middleman (TV)
There are twelve 40-minute episodes of this fantastic little Paranormal Investigations Bureaucracy TV show. (I... did not realise quite so many of my requests featured bureaucracy until I... put them all in one place, whoops.)
I Am Very Into Modern Sculpture these days, it turns out, so idk, ART CRAWL? Ladies interacting and people looking out for each other and terribly earnest (with a twinkling of the eye) deadpanning. Yes. I adore this ridiculous little show and every single one of their ridiculous faces.
In general terms: I have a lot of feelings about families lost & found & chosen, and about loyalty, and about being fiercely alive, and about being othered and monstered and embracing that and defining what it means rather than letting it define you. I like fluff and intensity and delicious angsty pining (I was in Check, Please! fandom before The Kiss okay) and character studies and... honestly pretty much everything. Sweeping descriptions of mountains? Yep I will take those too. Whatever you would like to write. <3
In terms of sex-related squicks (should you feel moved to write sex; I really don't mind either way), pretty much the only restriction is that I would like there to be enthusiastic informed consent for any on-screen sex. Elsewise I'd rather not read descriptions of broken bones (especially hands) or damage to teeth; particularly for the Craft Sequence respectful (by which I mostly mean "sincere and good faith") handling of gender, trauma and disability matters to me.
I include slightly more detailed specific notes below in case you'd like something to bounce off, but as I say: really I am just looking forward to the story you have to tell.
Akata Witch - Nnedi Okorafor
If you are not familiar: this is YA-ish fantasy in a world where all the tech is organic, in the sense of "cultivated from plant-based life forms", and it is sun-drenched and gorgeous and I strongly recommend basically everything by her. (Except -- have a care for Lagoon, in which she is... trying to be inclusive about sex workers and trans people and really doesn't manage? The intent is obvious but the specifics made me wince a bit.)
I love the botany and the tech and the solarpunk and the CHARACTERS and I honestly don't have anything specific in mind for this, just, I will be endlessly delighted and entranced by absolutely anything set in this world or this nexus of worlds. World-building? Food? Characters? Yes, any or all! (I am sorry that this is brief enthusiasm. It is nonetheless very enthusiastic, but also, please do not worry, I am this enthusiastic about everything I have requested.)
The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater
ENORMOUS WILD CARNIVOROUS HORSES MADE OUT OF OCEAN YES PLEASE.
... er.
... Rugged Landscape (I am a geologist; I have spent a nontrivial amount of time getting snowed on in Rugged Scottish Landscape), and FOOD, and HORSES, and the awful awful truth that the things you need and love might be utterly incompatible with the things people you love need and love -- and landscape and horses both that will literally eat you -- and food and family and community -- and, yeah, again, pretty much anything. I was a horsey child so I am very pro Tedious Detailed Minutiae Of Horses And Their Body Language And How These Horses Are Subtly Wrong, but I would also be entirely happy with cosy domestic, or people working out how to relate to each other, or... just something set on this island with completely original characters, or whatever. I just find the whole thing very soothing.
Craft Sequence - Max Gladstone
Okay so I particularly adore Kai, being as I'm a queer trans crip (seriously the way Gladstone handles dysphoria and gender in this book led to me crying into the celeriac I was chopping up -- I had to go back and reread several times to make sure I'd correctly understood that he was being good), but I also love Tara and (for my sins) Mal. I love the tensions, between people and ethics and loyalties; I love the pragmatism; I love the arcana; I love the detailed worldbuilding.
I was also deeply entertained by the text-adventure game.
I love the women and the stories and the way power works and, just, everything. Yes. Please. This. Anything at all. Really. Geology or sex or plot or odd scientific investigations and papers or poetry or, really, anything. I would be so excited.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Caine has found pack. He has found his pack and he has found how to have a family and he has the immense relief of belonging, and of belonging to Stinger and Kiza and Jupiter and Jupiter's clan, and it is a relief and a comfort and basically anything at all involving how he is settled and grounded and knows what he is and is looked after will hit me right in the feels. Also? There exists not a single trope about subby space-angel werewolves that I won't enjoy if you write it for me.
I'm also very into Jupiter's relationships with the people and especially the women around her, space bureaucracy, and ridiculous science.
... I think it is very likely that there is no crackfic too cracky for it to hit my id in this fandom.
Rules of Summer - Shaun Tan
Shaun Tan is amazing. He writes weird little picture books that I find very difficult to describe, but see for example the trailer to The Lost Thing, a fantastic short film. Whimsical and saturated colours and odd; in Rules of Summer I particularly love (to the surprise of nobody who has ever met me) the large blue robot dinosaur, but also the small blue robot dinosaur and the parade in general; and, again, the sense of losing and finding and choosing. Yes. Something small and strange, perhaps?
The Middleman (TV)
There are twelve 40-minute episodes of this fantastic little Paranormal Investigations Bureaucracy TV show. (I... did not realise quite so many of my requests featured bureaucracy until I... put them all in one place, whoops.)
I Am Very Into Modern Sculpture these days, it turns out, so idk, ART CRAWL? Ladies interacting and people looking out for each other and terribly earnest (with a twinkling of the eye) deadpanning. Yes. I adore this ridiculous little show and every single one of their ridiculous faces.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-10-10 01:50 pm (UTC)hey, you're in, that's the important bit, yes?
(feel free to delete this comment when the post stops having the quoted text in)
(no subject)
Date: 2016-10-13 09:07 am (UTC)I then DIDN'T ACTUALLY FILL OUT MY LETTER until 24 hours later (because WOW that matching algorithm worked fast), but -- dear Author: I am sorry that I gave you a completely blank sign-up sheet and then a link to a mostly-blank letter; I am very very grateful to you.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-10-11 11:29 pm (UTC)Also thanks for the aggregation: Craft Sequence sounds like something I need to read now.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-10-13 09:09 am (UTC)The Craft Sequence is absolutely amazing and I recommend it particularly strongly. I've been reading in publication order but at this point there's no reason you can't read it in chronological order; here are details!
(Three Parts Dead opens with a nervous bro chain-smoking in a religious context. I gave up on it on the first attempt because of this. Once I got to the second chapter, though, I was hooked.)
(no subject)
Date: 2016-10-14 06:00 am (UTC)