The Dirty Energy Source

[heavensqueen]

Do you want to make a spreadsheet about spreadsheets?
Do you still need to figure out what two other fandoms you should request beside the only one you really want fic for?
Or are you trolling ALL the letter posts for placeholders, just so you can write those people some nice, dry coal?

We want to know all about it.

Comments

Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Have you come across letters that seem intimidating or really demanding? Do you like those kinds of letters?

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Here's from one that I came across:

DON’T WANT:
Kinks, MPREG, A/B/O, incest, underage, etc.
Rape/non-con/dub-con, torture, abuse, other egregious forms of bodily or mental harm and suffering — canon-typical levels and forms of violence only, please. If rape, etc. is part of a character’s canon experiences or background, it’s fine to reference it if the story needs it, but I’d prefer not to have the story dwell on it.
Dwelling on bodily fluids, toilet humor, extreme intoxication/magical spells/temporary insanity/soulmate markings
Fluffity fluff fluff. Or schmoop. Sorry, I’d rather not.
AUs (unless you have an awesome idea for a canon divergence which fits some of my “wants”), crossovers or fusions
Ideological, philosophical or religious diatribes, lectures or open bias — unless displayed by a character in canon.
Death of major characters in fic, though you might maybe explore a character’s feelings and thoughts after another character has died “off screen”
Character bashing. I’ll mention below if there are characters I’d prefer not to see or not to have play a big role, but I don’t want them bashed either.
OOC
Fics written in the first or second person
OCs, unless you really need them for worldbuilding purposes and confine them to supporting and walk-on parts
Shippiness/romance/UST/RST as the lynchpin of the story. Making clear that characters have feelings/are developing feelings/are in relationships/are getting sexed up with and for other characters is fine, especially where it fits the canon, but I’d prefer that to be just a part of the fic, not the main attraction or the whole show.
Characters agonizing over/analyzing/dwelling on their or others’ sexuality as if it’s the sum total of their existence; also, characters acting as in-fic shippers like it’s a full-time job
Smut/porn/PWP. My interest in smut fics varies from fandom to fandom. As you can see from my AO3 page, I do write smut in my current primary fandom, but I’m just not that interested in it in the six fandoms nommed here.
I hope I haven’t scared you yet. :-)

I don't know about anyone else but I wouldn't want to match on her. Why, oh why, do people put "OOC" in their DNWs?

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Ha! I was just looking at the one and sighing in relief that we'd never match on characters so it's fine if I offer a fandom they requested. It's not just the crazy DNW section, the whole letter is the definition of tldr. I love long letters usually and I'm not even saying they need to trash what they have, but if ever a letter needed a condensed highlights for people whose eyes glaze over...

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I tuned out after the tl;dr DNW section and unoffered a character we might have matched on.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I don't want most of those things but I don't really expect people to write them unless I've specifically asked for them. I mean, maybe this person has had a bad experience with fic exchanges in the past, but unless your actual canon involves scat most people aren't going to go there.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I used to put OOC as a DNW - back when I was young and naive and kind of up myself. Now I don't!

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Why, oh why, do people put "OOC" in their DNWs?

I'm tempted to do so, mostly because the last exchange fic I got was wildly, offensively OOC.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Oh nooooo I saw Borgen was in the signup summary and went to find the letter for it, and it turned out to be that one. Sad times, I was hoping to offer it.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I was literally JUST reading this one!

I find long lists of DNWs kind of intimidating (or annoying, depending on the content) but at least I get a more specific idea of what my recip wants.

I have a super short list of DNWs on my own letter, and I'm actually concerned that my writer will think I didn't give them enough guidance, but there's no way I could write a list this detailed!

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

To me this is less 'intimidating' and more 'shitty letter' category. I'm not going through that giant wall of DNWs, even for my assignment.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I can't answer the OOC question, but it looks like what the requester really wants is fic that hews very close to the canon.

Truth? If I liked their fandoms, the only thing I'd find off-putting about this letter is the "no first person POV". Then again, maybe all of the relevant canon here is in third person. Personally, I'm not a fan of second person POV, but first person usually works for me. I can't think of a story I've read in first person that would have been any better in third person.

I'd write the OOC bit off as cluelessness (a lot of people who do OOC don't know they're doing it) and some of the DNWs off either as a noob unreasonably afraid of getting those things or an old-timer who's been burned in the past.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

OOC bothers me. So I put it in.

DNW's are for beta readers too. They won't be checking for it if no one asks. That generally takes care of the unknowing author situation.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

who honestly writes OC-as-main-character fics anymore?? on AO3 at least. I've seen maybe two or three total in all my fandoms in the past, like, two years.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I love them. Love, love, love.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Why? I'm curious.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I love those kind of letters. Lemme at 'em!

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

One person requesting a fandom I wanted to treat put this in their letter:

"on-point use of music, cultural/geographic details about southwest Louisiana."

The second thing is something I have no chance in hell of writing, and the first thing just confused me. It's not a bad letter, don't get me wrong! Just... intimidating, yes.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Last year, someone said in their letter that they'd love Serbian language/culture/etc., but it would have to be done correctly or it'd make them wince. It totally inspired me to go out and get a Serb-picker on FFA and write them a treat featuring Serbian profanity, and I still really like how that fic turned out. :D (So did the recip, I believe.)

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I don't even know what "culturally/Ideologically offensive subjects" in a DNW section means. Also good luck getting any of those "bittersweet endings that hurt so good" you want when angst and drama and downer endings all appear on the list of subjects that you tell us would obliterate your ability to enjoy a fic.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

That letter is ridiculous. Half the things in the DNWs are things that the canons they requested are BASED ON. You hate character death and angst and gratuitous violence but you want fic about stories where teenagers get locked into a school or island together and gruesomely murder each other? How did you even get through the source materials?

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

I haven't come across a letter like that, but I sure prefer them to the ones that give no details.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

The Black Widow requester finally posted their letter! They...only want fic about Natasha's cat. Presumably from the cat's POV. That is not something I can do.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

Is it a protest at having Natasha rejected from her own comic?

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

If I knew the canon I'd love to write that.

Re: Intimidating letters

[(Anonymous)]

There's at least one other person who'd been intending to request Black Widow: http://veleda-k.dreamwidth.org/400209.html

It looks as though she's still planning to request it even though she's upset about Natasha's disqualification, but (and maybe this is a misinterpretation of her post) she doesn't seem 100% decided on that to me. I hope she does, though. I would be so happy to write her a treat in which Natasha is one of the main characters along with Isaiah and/or Yelena.