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jenett(This is my first year doing Yuletide, though I’ve been reading cheerfully along for quite a few.)
There's a lot of stuff below the cut, because I mostly thing more information is better than less. I've tried to make it easy to follow. Short version: stories are awesome. You doing Yuletide is awesome. Whatever you come up with in whichever of these fandoms is extremely likely to be awesome. See? All good.
But if you're the kind of person for whom more info is helpful, amusing, or inspiring, I can do that too.
Inside, you will find:
- A brief general note
- Stuff I like in fiction
- Stuff I do not care for in my fiction
- Stuff that kicks me out of a story's enjoyment
- Prompts plus things I really particularly like in each canon.
General notes:
In all cases, if you come up with some totally awesome idea that’s in one of these fandoms, that is not in a prompt, feel free to run with it. I have expanded below on stuff I like in fiction, don’t like in fiction, and stuff that kicks me out of the story, in case it’s helpful, as well as more about what I like in each canon.
Stuff I like in fiction
I read for character and setting far more than for plot. I am delighted when there is character development, insight, backstory, development of consequences from past actions, and general expansion of the world and the people in it. As long as a plot mostly hangs together, I am generally happy. I do not need it to be speedy, thrill-packed, or amazingly witty. Or, y'know, really there. Character studies, or quiet moments are also fine.
For Yuletide purposes, gen or canon relationships please. (I do read and love some slash and non-canon relationships, but it’s all about the set-up for me, and that tends to require either a fair bit of length or an well-developed AU. This is not a reliably good fit for Yuletide.)
Expression of those canon relationships, however, can happily be more varied as long as it fits with the relationship. (I believe that sex between characters can be a great way to develop or show their interactions, though in general, I prefer plot and other interactions along with it. Kink is fine if it makes sense in the story.)
I also think that deep ongoing (but non-romantic/non-sexual) friendships are an awesome and undervalued part of a lot of fiction, and there being more of that in the world is never a bad thing.
Happy narrative buttons(some of which are not relevant with these prompts, but hey, might inspire something) include:
- coming of age stories (especially school stories, or ‘people learning about magic’ stories.)
- people coming to terms with aspects of identity that they might not have picked if they’d had the choice (past events in their life, etc.)
- people being highly competent at some of what they do, and working to become more competent at other things.
- stories that expect me to be intelligent, engaged with what I’m reading, noticing the small awesome bits. (Fluff is nice sometimes, but I mostly prefer the stuff that stretches me a bit and rewards my attention to detail.)
- thoughtful and internally-consistent symbol and sense-sets. (The way magic has scents in the Toby Daye books is a good example here or the Chalion deity symbol/associations.)
- fiction with a variety of relationships. I’m fond of romances in my reading, but caring friendships, mentor/student relationships, professional peers supporting another’s work, and so on are all things I like to see too.
- the question of wielding power and privilege responsibly: one of the things that’s fascinating to me about all of the fandoms I’ve requested in is how there are characters who see problems of their world, and then look for how they can do something different - sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small ones.
I am fine with hard and difficult things happening to characters I care about. I prefer for there to be some way forward at the end of it. (Not “*poof* everything is all better” but “things improve. we keep going.”)
I also have a certain fondness for epistolary fiction.
Stuff I do not care for in my fiction
(And that will generally make me put that down, and go do something else.)
- weight-loss focused conversation
- death from cancer
- people neglecting their friends, commitments, etc. for the passion of the moment.
- all teachers/responsible adults in an equivalent setting being stupid, neglectful, or singlemindedly self-centered. (One or two, fine. It’s when it’s the majority that I start getting cranky.)
- stuff that takes a historical event and tromps all over it with large pointy boots, unless it’s doing it for good reason and with careful set-up. (Smaller passing mentions that are not quite on target tend to be fine for me - it’s when it’s the center of the story, and still So Very Wrong that I get cranky.) Thoughtful AUs are awesome, but they're hard to set up briefly.
Things that will kick me out of a story
I’m a geek about lots of things (I’m a librarian by profession). I try to turn off the fact-geeking bit of my brain when I can while reading, but a few things will throw me bodily out of enjoyment in a story: unrealistic horses upon whom the plot hangs, technology that just doesn’t work like that, internally inconsistent magical theory or ritual theory, or really stupidly done history/archaeology/etc.
(You can see an example of stuff that irked me enough to write about in my post at http://jenett.dreamwidth.org/1283049.html, where an episode of, Bones (which I otherwise largely enjoy) managed to hit pretty much every one of my major peeves except for the horses in a single episode.)
Fear not! I have requested fandoms where these things should all be easily avoidable: in the cases where the canon has magical or ritual systems, the way they’re described in canon works well for me.
Some prompts:
1) Harriet Vane, interacting with other women and showing something of her interior life. (Sylvia and Eiluned would be awesome. Or Miss Climpson. But so are the Dowager Duchess, or any number of people in Oxford.)
I am happy to have Peter, Bunter, or other characters show up or not, as suits the story, and for it to be set at any point in the chronology. (And I am happy to include the Jill Paton Walsh chronology as well or plausible alternate approaches.)
Alternately, Harriet’s comments, talking to someone (Peter, or someone else) after one of their first big public social occasions after their marriage. Or the event itself. Perhaps with bonus small mystery to solve.
Stuff I really like in canon: the understatedness of a lot of the emotions. Falling into references I have to think about. Plots that are take attention and thought. The varied kinds of relationships and interactions. _Busman’s Holiday_ is my favorite of the series, followed by _Murder Must Advertise_, both because of the character depth shown in unexpected ways. I love Harriet’s fierce independence and her steady commitment to her profession, Peter’s quiet desire to make the world better, somehow, even when he’s not actually sure he’s doing it, and Bunter’s deep competence.
2) October Daye, including a conversation that is not about an immediate and urgent crisis (and that is also not about a romance). I am particularly fond of Sylvester, Quentin, Raj, or Jazz as characters, but am pretty much open to anything. There could be actual plot involved too, of course, but I’m thinking slice-of-daily-life, not urgent-must-act-now. Could be set anywhere in the series timeline (and yes, I’ve read One Salt Sea and spoilers are fine.)
I’m hesitant to ask for Quentin-specific stuff, because there’s so much we don’t know in canon yet, but Quentin asking intelligent questions and listening/observing intently is always awesome.
Stuff I really like in canon: A mythically rich and complicated world. How Toby keeps going forward, even when it’s the hardest thing ever. The interplay of trust and making choices based on incomplete knowledge. How relationships aren’t easy, but people keep trying anyway. (Friendships, liege/vassal, romance, whatever.)
3) Iselle and Bergon, sometime in the first year or so of their reign, having to solve a (relatively) minor but still complicated issue about which they initially have quite different opinions. Caz, Betriz, and Umegat are all especially welcome additions.
Or, alternately, them separated temporarily for some reason, and their letters to each other (and possibly other characters) about why and what they're doing.
Stuff I really like in canon: Varied kinds of relationships (I particularly love Iselle and Betriz, and Cazaril and Palli, and then Caz and Bergon). I adore the religious structure, and Umegat always makes me think. (So does Ista). The importance of listening to intuition, even when you’re not sure why on earth you should. The power and pains of sacrifice for an unknown. Iselle’s deep intelligence, learning things in a swoop and integratrating them on the fly, Betriz’s caring pragmatism, Caz’s willingess to fling himself into what needs to be done.
4) "The Mummy" movies
Evie's adventures in learning to be a librarian. Or her being asked how to become a librarian, later in her career, and the answer she gives.
(As noted above: I am a librarian. I love poking at my own profession, and how it works, and how it could work better. I also adore this movie, for the sheer fun of it.)
Examples of stories I really like
- As an example of Harriet with friends: "Moving On" wherein Sylvia and Eiluned help her pack before her wedding. (short, too!)
- An AU (A Deeper Season) Miles Vorkosigan story "A Place to Stand": this is sort of long, but if you get into the initial discovery of the room, you'll get most of why I like this sort of story that combines history, investigation, people being competent, and character development.
- An example of sex extending character understanding (M rating, but not terribly explicit) at "Consummate". Also short.
There's a lot of stuff below the cut, because I mostly thing more information is better than less. I've tried to make it easy to follow. Short version: stories are awesome. You doing Yuletide is awesome. Whatever you come up with in whichever of these fandoms is extremely likely to be awesome. See? All good.
But if you're the kind of person for whom more info is helpful, amusing, or inspiring, I can do that too.
Inside, you will find:
- A brief general note
- Stuff I like in fiction
- Stuff I do not care for in my fiction
- Stuff that kicks me out of a story's enjoyment
- Prompts plus things I really particularly like in each canon.
General notes:
In all cases, if you come up with some totally awesome idea that’s in one of these fandoms, that is not in a prompt, feel free to run with it. I have expanded below on stuff I like in fiction, don’t like in fiction, and stuff that kicks me out of the story, in case it’s helpful, as well as more about what I like in each canon.
Stuff I like in fiction
I read for character and setting far more than for plot. I am delighted when there is character development, insight, backstory, development of consequences from past actions, and general expansion of the world and the people in it. As long as a plot mostly hangs together, I am generally happy. I do not need it to be speedy, thrill-packed, or amazingly witty. Or, y'know, really there. Character studies, or quiet moments are also fine.
For Yuletide purposes, gen or canon relationships please. (I do read and love some slash and non-canon relationships, but it’s all about the set-up for me, and that tends to require either a fair bit of length or an well-developed AU. This is not a reliably good fit for Yuletide.)
Expression of those canon relationships, however, can happily be more varied as long as it fits with the relationship. (I believe that sex between characters can be a great way to develop or show their interactions, though in general, I prefer plot and other interactions along with it. Kink is fine if it makes sense in the story.)
I also think that deep ongoing (but non-romantic/non-sexual) friendships are an awesome and undervalued part of a lot of fiction, and there being more of that in the world is never a bad thing.
Happy narrative buttons(some of which are not relevant with these prompts, but hey, might inspire something) include:
- coming of age stories (especially school stories, or ‘people learning about magic’ stories.)
- people coming to terms with aspects of identity that they might not have picked if they’d had the choice (past events in their life, etc.)
- people being highly competent at some of what they do, and working to become more competent at other things.
- stories that expect me to be intelligent, engaged with what I’m reading, noticing the small awesome bits. (Fluff is nice sometimes, but I mostly prefer the stuff that stretches me a bit and rewards my attention to detail.)
- thoughtful and internally-consistent symbol and sense-sets. (The way magic has scents in the Toby Daye books is a good example here or the Chalion deity symbol/associations.)
- fiction with a variety of relationships. I’m fond of romances in my reading, but caring friendships, mentor/student relationships, professional peers supporting another’s work, and so on are all things I like to see too.
- the question of wielding power and privilege responsibly: one of the things that’s fascinating to me about all of the fandoms I’ve requested in is how there are characters who see problems of their world, and then look for how they can do something different - sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small ones.
I am fine with hard and difficult things happening to characters I care about. I prefer for there to be some way forward at the end of it. (Not “*poof* everything is all better” but “things improve. we keep going.”)
I also have a certain fondness for epistolary fiction.
Stuff I do not care for in my fiction
(And that will generally make me put that down, and go do something else.)
- weight-loss focused conversation
- death from cancer
- people neglecting their friends, commitments, etc. for the passion of the moment.
- all teachers/responsible adults in an equivalent setting being stupid, neglectful, or singlemindedly self-centered. (One or two, fine. It’s when it’s the majority that I start getting cranky.)
- stuff that takes a historical event and tromps all over it with large pointy boots, unless it’s doing it for good reason and with careful set-up. (Smaller passing mentions that are not quite on target tend to be fine for me - it’s when it’s the center of the story, and still So Very Wrong that I get cranky.) Thoughtful AUs are awesome, but they're hard to set up briefly.
Things that will kick me out of a story
I’m a geek about lots of things (I’m a librarian by profession). I try to turn off the fact-geeking bit of my brain when I can while reading, but a few things will throw me bodily out of enjoyment in a story: unrealistic horses upon whom the plot hangs, technology that just doesn’t work like that, internally inconsistent magical theory or ritual theory, or really stupidly done history/archaeology/etc.
(You can see an example of stuff that irked me enough to write about in my post at http://jenett.dreamwidth.org/1283049.html, where an episode of, Bones (which I otherwise largely enjoy) managed to hit pretty much every one of my major peeves except for the horses in a single episode.)
Fear not! I have requested fandoms where these things should all be easily avoidable: in the cases where the canon has magical or ritual systems, the way they’re described in canon works well for me.
Some prompts:
1) Harriet Vane, interacting with other women and showing something of her interior life. (Sylvia and Eiluned would be awesome. Or Miss Climpson. But so are the Dowager Duchess, or any number of people in Oxford.)
I am happy to have Peter, Bunter, or other characters show up or not, as suits the story, and for it to be set at any point in the chronology. (And I am happy to include the Jill Paton Walsh chronology as well or plausible alternate approaches.)
Alternately, Harriet’s comments, talking to someone (Peter, or someone else) after one of their first big public social occasions after their marriage. Or the event itself. Perhaps with bonus small mystery to solve.
Stuff I really like in canon: the understatedness of a lot of the emotions. Falling into references I have to think about. Plots that are take attention and thought. The varied kinds of relationships and interactions. _Busman’s Holiday_ is my favorite of the series, followed by _Murder Must Advertise_, both because of the character depth shown in unexpected ways. I love Harriet’s fierce independence and her steady commitment to her profession, Peter’s quiet desire to make the world better, somehow, even when he’s not actually sure he’s doing it, and Bunter’s deep competence.
2) October Daye, including a conversation that is not about an immediate and urgent crisis (and that is also not about a romance). I am particularly fond of Sylvester, Quentin, Raj, or Jazz as characters, but am pretty much open to anything. There could be actual plot involved too, of course, but I’m thinking slice-of-daily-life, not urgent-must-act-now. Could be set anywhere in the series timeline (and yes, I’ve read One Salt Sea and spoilers are fine.)
I’m hesitant to ask for Quentin-specific stuff, because there’s so much we don’t know in canon yet, but Quentin asking intelligent questions and listening/observing intently is always awesome.
Stuff I really like in canon: A mythically rich and complicated world. How Toby keeps going forward, even when it’s the hardest thing ever. The interplay of trust and making choices based on incomplete knowledge. How relationships aren’t easy, but people keep trying anyway. (Friendships, liege/vassal, romance, whatever.)
3) Iselle and Bergon, sometime in the first year or so of their reign, having to solve a (relatively) minor but still complicated issue about which they initially have quite different opinions. Caz, Betriz, and Umegat are all especially welcome additions.
Or, alternately, them separated temporarily for some reason, and their letters to each other (and possibly other characters) about why and what they're doing.
Stuff I really like in canon: Varied kinds of relationships (I particularly love Iselle and Betriz, and Cazaril and Palli, and then Caz and Bergon). I adore the religious structure, and Umegat always makes me think. (So does Ista). The importance of listening to intuition, even when you’re not sure why on earth you should. The power and pains of sacrifice for an unknown. Iselle’s deep intelligence, learning things in a swoop and integratrating them on the fly, Betriz’s caring pragmatism, Caz’s willingess to fling himself into what needs to be done.
4) "The Mummy" movies
Evie's adventures in learning to be a librarian. Or her being asked how to become a librarian, later in her career, and the answer she gives.
(As noted above: I am a librarian. I love poking at my own profession, and how it works, and how it could work better. I also adore this movie, for the sheer fun of it.)
Examples of stories I really like
- As an example of Harriet with friends: "Moving On" wherein Sylvia and Eiluned help her pack before her wedding. (short, too!)
- An AU (A Deeper Season) Miles Vorkosigan story "A Place to Stand": this is sort of long, but if you get into the initial discovery of the room, you'll get most of why I like this sort of story that combines history, investigation, people being competent, and character development.
- An example of sex extending character understanding (M rating, but not terribly explicit) at "Consummate". Also short.
