Pollute the Air

[heavensqueen]

Did your favorite fandom get rejected because it was one fic over the limit?
Have you just fallen in love with a new fandom the day after nominations ended?
Or are you morbane?

Tell us all


Also:
In the last post the idea came up to create a community where you can post your most shameful yuletide requests anonymously. Check out youwantwhat 

Comments

If you want to let people know you really want a treat

[(Anonymous)]

I'm not sure if people will use it or not, but there it is. I see no harm, and say go for it! BTW, if the URL gets spread around places like the Yuletide comm and elsewhere, then it won't appear to be all people from coal, yo.

http://treats-for-yuletide.dreamwidth.org/

Re: If you want to let people know you really want a treat

[(Anonymous)]

DA

I hope people indicate if they're a) newbies or b) people who've never received a Yuletide treat before, or only rarely. I'd particularly like to treat such people. :D

Best v Worst

[(Anonymous)]

Without outing yourself, tell us about the best Yuletide fic you ever received, and the worst coal. Or the best and worst you wrote.

Re: Best v Worst

[(Anonymous)]

My best fic made my recipient - and other people - cry in a good way, and was praised for being a fitting coda to canon.

My worst fic - well, I don't think I've given anyone something really bad. But I feel guilty about that 1.5k character study I wrote for my assignment in the year I also wrote a treat above 10k.

Best received - toss-up between two treats. Haven't yet received coal; am probably due some. Did receive a treat where I wondered why they'd bothered putting my name on it, as it had nothing to do with my requests, but it wasn't my main gift, so it didn't bother me.

Mentors!

[(Anonymous)]

This is my jam: characters with a vaguely teacher and student relationship who really care about each other.

Please rec me canons that are good for this?

Can be romantic, can be not - although it might be helpful to indicate which is which for people with a power differential or teacher/student squick. I'm just here for the loyalty aspects and one trying to please or impress the other and each of them having each other's back. Angst OK too.

Re: Mentors!

[(Anonymous)]

Nikita and Alex in the TV show, Nikita.

Thoughts While Reading Letters

[(Anonymous)]

What kind of random things enter your head while reading letters?

I just read a person's request and realized that the fic they were asking for already existed. I don't know if they've seen it and would link them as a solid rec, but they have anon disabled on their letter. C'est la vie. :(

Any other non-treat/assignment matching thoughts pass through your head while reading letters?

Re: Thoughts While Reading Letters

[(Anonymous)]

Damn, that might be me! It still says anon commenting is off, but you can actually comment anon. Or if you want to link it here, please do!

Unlinked Letters

[(Anonymous)]

Has anyone looked through the LJ and DW comm friends lists? Have people been posting letters in their journals but not to the post? I'm hungry for more!

Re: Unlinked Letters

[(Anonymous)]

I'm sitting on mine. It's been done since, uh, last week. It's private right now but maybe I'll make it public and add a yuletide tag so people can find it if they want to dig.

I want the ~official~ post to go up already so I can plant it on the second page and enjoy the true influx of letters.

[(Anonymous)]

Hands up if you're totally shocked that the very first, and so far only, hockey letter posted asks for Sidney Crosby as part of a pairing.

[(Anonymous)]

They want it focused on Fleury NOT as a background character or as a straight dude. That's rare enough as it is. The letter sounds like they want Ovi/Fleury, which is a crackship and a rarepair.

The self-hating hockey rpfers here are kinda sad.

Enthusiastic Consent

[(Anonymous)]

What do people generally mean when they say they want enthusiastic consent in their smutfic, coalies?

Is writing two characters who are not inebriated or otherwise impaired in their judgment in any way and are mutually enjoying the experience a whole lot enough? Do they want an explicit "would you like to have sex?" "yes" scene? A whole negotiation scene with limits discussed and everything?

Re: Enthusiastic Consent

[(Anonymous)]

I'm always drawn back to the Scarleteen article when I heard that terminology: http://www.scarleteen.com/article/abuse_assault/drivers_ed_for_the_sexual_superhighway_navigating_consent (sorry for the sex ed _coal but, uh, it's a good site?).

I take it to mean both characters are receptive and giving in both foreplay and sex, possibly with verbal consent, and negotiation if it's a first time/trying out something new.

About DNWs

[(Anonymous)]

Some people think that saying something like "no scat" is ridiculous, since no one would write scat for a person who hasn't specifically asked for it. Where do you stand? Do you keep your DNWs to the bare mininum? Do you just kinda trust your writer?

Re: About DNWs

[(Anonymous)]

I objectively look at what people are likely to write when it doesn't come from my 'likes' list, and typically decide that things such as scat, non-con, and bestiality don't fall under that.

Exception is my one major squick. And there's a couple of unlikely-to-be-written kinks that I also include because some of my likes are typically combined with them (major one is dub-con: some parts of that I really like, others are squicks for me).

[(Anonymous)]

LETTERS TOMORROW.

[(Anonymous)]

Is the "official" post going up then?

[(Anonymous)]

THERE'S A CHANCE FOR ME TO TRAVEL ABROAD FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! BUT BUT IT WOULD INCLUDED GOING WITH MY MOM AND STAYING AT HER FRAND'S HOUSE. IS THAT A RECIPE FOR DISASTER?

[(Anonymous)]

SA
That's... totally the wrong meme. I'M SORRY.

Images in dear writer letters

[(Anonymous)]

How do you feel about that, coalies? Should we, should we not? When is it too much?

Re: Images in dear writer letters

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think it adds informational content, myself, but I'm not going to have a hissy fit about it.

Help!

[(Anonymous)]

There are three Paul Newman & Robert Redford fandoms nominated: The Sting, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, and RPF. Two of my favourite films, and my favourite bff actors. I only have one space left. Which do I request?!

Re: Help!

[(Anonymous)]

Sock up.

Porn-loving coalies?

[(Anonymous)]

Are there any fandoms that you can offer the two leads or two men/women, where most of the requests are historically for porn?

Do you look over the letters super carefully before offering to raise the likelihood of getting porn?

My sock wants to write all the porn, and to do her best to avoid getting other requests. I'll do my usual writing if the request is something non-porny, I won't give coal or default, but I'd like to raise the odds of getting porn requests. I'm going to analyze the Yuleporn post carefully, for that reason (and for treats from my other name). But is there anything else I can do?

Your tips and tricks are needed and welcome, please and thanks!

Re: Porn-loving coalies?

[(Anonymous)]

I pore over letters obsessively and in the past have almost exclusively offered the two leads or the juggernaut pairing in my fandoms (not necessarily to get a porn assignment, because I am happy to write gen or shipfic of any rating; it's more to try and control the themes, plots, relationship dynamics, and other stuff like that), and yet I've been foiled really often by the "requests one character, wants them written alone or with a character I didn't offer, and hates the other character I offered, who happens to be the way more difficult character to excise while still writing anything halfway decent" thing >:(

So at this point, I've given up on the idea of relying on probability and have moved on to trying for certainty. For instance, last year I only found one fandom I write in which all the people requesting it posted letters before signups closed and all the letters were things I wanted to write, so I gamed my signup and made my other three offers for fandoms there was no way I would be assigned. That was the first Yuletide where I actually really enjoyed writing my assignment, but it was kind of an extreme thing to do.

Don't wanna sock because you want your story under your name--

[(Anonymous)]

I can't find it now, but I remember reading here the other day that someone wanted to sock, but then didn't want a story written there to show up under another name that nobody knows is her.

Write the assignment and gift it with your regular name. Default the sock, early enough that you can sign up with it again if you want. You get to keep the story under your name, your recipient has the chance at two stories, and somebody on the PH list will be made happy. Win-win.

Re: Don't wanna sock because you want your story under your name--

[(Anonymous)]

Or even easier, during the anonymous period, add you main account as a co-author, remove the sock as an author, and boom you've got soul ownership of the fic in two easy steps.

how to say that you leave a lot of feedback?

[(Anonymous)]

Dumb question maybe, but ... I always leave very long, detailed, excited comments on fics written for me. I know that a lot of people complain about only getting short comments from their recipients even if the recip seemed to like the fic. Is there any not whiny/needy way to mention in your letter that you would be appropriately grateful for any treats written for you and that you'd probably leave a very long comment on any extra fic? Because I know that I would be more likely to treat someone who I know is going to appreciate it than someone who'll only say "I liked this fic, thank you".

Re: how to say that you leave a lot of feedback?

[(Anonymous)]

I don't think there's a good way. People who care may click through to your gifts anyway, and see this.

I think it's a little awkward to beg nakedly for treats in your letter, because the main person who'll be reading it is your assigned author, and to me that sends a message that their fic isn't going to be good enough on its own. But I think my opinion may be in the minority?

Request Worries

[(Anonymous)]

We always worry about what requests we'll be assigned to, but is there anything in your own letter/request that you're worried your assigned writer will be displeased with?

Re: Request Worries

[(Anonymous)]

I'd have my letter up already, but I haven't figured out how to phrase my (unusual for me, too) non-con prompt.

Who to treat?

[(Anonymous)]

Do you view a treat as a gift to a specific person, or do you see it as a prompt you want to write that just happens to be gifted to someone?

Just wondering! I've seen coalies saying they're more likely to treat someone who's on that top treaters list, or who are on the first letters post, or who leave good comments, or whatever. I, uh, never view it like that. I only treat if there's a good prompt, and I only do a very vague check on the person I'm treating to check they're not a jackass.

Re: Who to treat?

[(Anonymous)]

Depends. Sometimes I have an idea for a fic I want to write and then hunt around for a person who's requests sound like a good fit. Other times I get inspired by one particular person's prompt.

However, I basically never go, "I'm going to treat this person because they're awesome," because my ability to write anything depends too much on the fandoms and prompts requested.

Dislike treats?

[(Anonymous)]

I've heard that some people don't write letters because they purposely don't want treats.

WHY would you not want treats?

Re: Dislike treats?

[(Anonymous)]

I love them, getting and writing, but there's a whole school of thought that treats killed Yuletide, people shit out coal to get their assignment out of the way so they can pick and choose treats to write (which is easier, let's face it, than writing a random assignment) and that the treat-culture pushes people toward quantity instead of quality.

I think the shortish list of treaters last year disproves the latter idea. It's a pretty small percentage of the whole.

Posted but still editing?

[(Anonymous)]

Has anyone else posted their letter but kept tinkering?
I'm the coalie who asked whether there was a non-annoying way to indicate topping preferences. I initially included other coalies' awesome suggestions re: phrasing, but I still felt bad about being so explicit about my preferences. I think my writer would still be able to tell from what I wrote, but at least now it's a lot more open!

Re: Posted but still editing?

[(Anonymous)]

I think my fandom requests are all good but I'll probably edit my general likes and dislikes because that section is a bit messy right now.

Patterns in Letters

[(Anonymous)]

Notice any letters that seem to favor certain tropes/genres/character types in all fandoms?

Re: Patterns in Letters

[(Anonymous)]

I know my personal letter is kind of heavy on AI and robots.

I'm at peace with this.

Letters You Want to See?

[(Anonymous)]

Brought to you by one of the Backdraft nonnies, who's very excited that two out of three, or four, or....who knows?! letters have been posted, but wants to see more.

Re: Letters You Want to See?

[(Anonymous)]

Diana Wynne Jones requesters, lend me your letters!

Friendly way to say you dislike a common fanon

[(Anonymous)]

A lot of people have said (understandably) that it's offputting when a letter goes on about how much they hate how fandom writes a character. But ... what if I do hate how fandom writes a certain character? Or if I hate a common fan theory and don't want it included in my fic? How would you go about saying that when you know that there's a good chance that the person writing for you likes that fanon?

I was thinking of something like "I've seen theory X a lot, but I'd rather not have it be part of my fic".

Re: Friendly way to say you dislike a common fanon

[(Anonymous)]

How about "I've seen theory X a lot, but I'd LOVE to see it handled a different way! A new take would be fantastic to read!"

Try making it sound more enthusiastic and eager for something outside the standard box. That could help your author be excited to think of a new spin for theory X, rather than potentially being bogged down in "OHNOES they don't like the way everyone writes it! What do I DO?!?!" anxiety.

[(Anonymous)]

So Australians don't use tumblr...?

[(Anonymous)]

That was my question, too.

Lopsided Letters

[(Anonymous)]

Coalies, how do you deal with your letter being lopsided by necessity? It's a lot harder to keep the fandom sections relatively even when you're requesting one character in a fandom vs. any in an eight-character fandom.

I know most people would understand and wouldn't take it as only wanting the any-character fandom, but man, it looks wrong for one section to be twice as long as the others.

Re: Lopsided Letters

[(Anonymous)]

I have the same problem. One of my fandoms is a book series with a vast world and I have a lot of ideas for that fandom; the other two are movies and since there is a lot less canon material to work with, I also have fewer prompts. I try to boost the shorter sections with longer explanations about why I like these characters and what I enjoy about the canon, but they're still much shorter.

You could mention in the beginning of your letter that you're equally excited about all of these fandoms despite the unequal section lengths.

Best/Worst Prompt Ideas

[(Anonymous)]

Because as much as I'd love to read a steampunk Longmire AU IN SPAAAACE I think it would give my writer a heart attack to see that in my letter.

What's your best/worst prompt idea?

Re: Best/Worst Prompt Ideas

[(Anonymous)]

My best prompt ideas are usually for plotty post-canon fics in which all the things finally happen that I already wanted to happen in canon.

My worst prompt idea this time around is a cracky time travel idea that makes no sense and would be impossible to pull off unless you do a lot of canon and historical accuracy handwaving (more details would out me). I will probably include it in my letter, after a long list of sensible prompts my author can choose from.