I want to live, I want to experience the universe and I want to eat pie!

Check back tomorrow for your letter, dear author!

PS: hi LJ, haven't posted since 2013.

LETTER!

Hello Yuletide Author!

Sorry about the delay. Let me fill you in on my likes and dislikes and all that jazz.

If you want to know about me, you can find me at @mightystickbug on Twitter and Tumblr.

Here are a few insights into what makes me happy fic-wise.

General stuff I like: missing scenes, pre-canon, post-canon, behind the scenes (thoughts, insights we don't get to see on screen/paper), world-building, character dialogue.

General stuff I don't like: schmoopy relationships (the kind that are out of character and change the characters into relationship stereotypes), incest, PWP

Now for the fandom-specific stuff.

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
Anything to do with this universe is gold for me. I would love to see Carmen take on a ridiculous caper in the present day. My favourite thing she would steal in the old games was Hudson Bay. When Canada's real life maple syrup reserve had some swiped, I was sure it was her. I've played all the games and seen parts of all the shows, so feel free to fold in any other characters that come to mind for you. I'm really just keen to see a stint in this universe!

Travelers (TV)
I'm equally in love with the characters and the world-building for this show. If you want to write about them back before they came to the 21st, I'm down with that. If you want to write about a major event here and now being dealt with, I'm down with that. If you want to write about them in our future after having been here for a very long time, I'm down with that too.

The Thrilling Adventure Hour
Beyond Belief is my fave out of the lot, but I've listened the entirety of the show several times over and have the comics, etc, so any of the sketches is fine - write what you know and love! Christmas fic is awesome. Something about a character's past or future would be awesome. Internal cross-overs are great. Jib Janeen the Jupiter Spy is awesome and you all know it, my buddies. I would love for you to write whatever idea you've had over the years that you really wanted the show to cover but never did.

Captain Planet and the Planeteers
Planeteers in 2018 PLEASE. That would be the best. Whether they're much older now or got sucked into a time vortex and spat out now and are horrified at what we've done. Can Cap even work here? Have we ruined everything? Can they save us? Will their overly optimistic campaigning fall on completely disinterested, negative and apathetic ears here? Hit me with your environmental snark, dear author. Also would not be opposed to Gaia giving us all what for.

The Adventure Zone: Amnesty
I'm just getting into this after the TAZ Balance arc, so I would love to see a cryptid you want to see covered by the show or a glimpse of the future after our trio have been at it for a long time or maybe take a crack at the worst day they've had so far.

That said, if none of these inspire you and you have an idea you really want to try, go for it. I'm keen to read what come up with! I want you to have fun with this above all else. Looking forward to seeing what you've got!

Mostly.

As you can see, I don't use my LJ much anymore so you can see my previous Dear Yuletide Author letters and know that I'm absolutely stealing from last year's letter.

ONWARD!

Thanks for writing for me. I really hope you have a good time writing whatever you write!

Here are a few insights into what makes me happy.

General stuff I like: missing scenes, pre-canon, post-canon, dialogue, behind the scenes stuff (like thoughts) that we don't always see in scene, comedy, drama, strong character voices, character exploration, snark, action and world-building.

General stuff I don't like: schmoopy relationships (the kind that are out of character and change the characters into relationship stereotypes), incest, PWP


Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
If not Eddie and Jane (though not necessarily Eddie/Jane, I just love their banter and weird dynamic, so Eddie or Jane is fine too!), then I would love to see some worldbuilding stuff. If you're a Ffordian fan, then I have faith in you to pull off something suitably odd and colourful. Yes, that was intentional. Sorry.

Terminator (Movies)
I specifically put in the character Kyle Reese, but that's just because I think Kyle is awesome. If you have an idea for a Terminator fic you've had rolling around in your head that isn't Kyle-centric, by all means punch that out! Even a mention of Kyle by another character would be wonderful.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
What the hell happened after the series? What happened before? What happened during? How do you be John Connor and not be completely messed up? Basically, I would very much love some insight into John. He fascinates me. Go wild. I am bound to love it.

Newsflesh Trilogy - Mira Grant
You might notice the characters I requested are post-trilogy from the novella How Green This Land, How Blue This Sea. It wasn't enough for me! I am Australian, so getting to see some of Australia's bloggers out and about was kickass. I would love more of that and more of the worldbuilding. Hell, if you want to do Australia during the Rising, I might pass out from glee. HOWEVER! If you're not comfortable with that and you've been assigned this on account of Mahir, go with Mahir. Anything Mahir. He's the man. The very messed up man who has to deal with everything now. I really, really enjoy reading about Mahir.

Best of luck, Yuletide Author! More than anything, I will enjoy something that you had fun writing. Your enthusiasm will come out in your writing and I will enjoy that more than anything I've written above. Talk to you soon.

Hi Yuletide Author!

Thanks for writing for me. I really hope you have a good time writing whatever you write!

Here are a few insights into what makes me happy.

General stuff I like: missing scenes, pre-canon, post-canon, dialogue, behind the scenes stuff (like thoughts) that we don't always see in scene, comedy, drama, strong character voices, character exploration, snark, action and world-building.

General stuff I don't like: schmoopy relationships (the kind that are out of character and change the characters into relationship stereotypes), incest, PWP

Specifics!

Shades of Grey - Jasper Fforde
If not Eddie and Jane (though not necessarily Eddie/Jane, I just love their banter and weird dynamic, so Eddie or Jane is fine too!), then I would love to see some worldbuilding stuff. If you're a Ffordian fan, then I have faith in you to pull off something suitably odd and colourful. Yes, that was intentional. Sorry.

Archer
Lana. Lana. Lana. Hey Lana. Lana. LAAANAAAAAAAAAAAA! WHAT? Danger zone. What the hell ever you want to write, Author. Make it snarky, witty, irreverent, completely inappropriate and in character and you will have made my Yuletide. Use whatever characters you want. Any situation you want. If it's the same tone as the show, I will love it.


Phineas & Ferb
There's 104 days of summer vacation then school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to speeeeeeend it! This cartoon is one of my favourite TV shows. Phineas, Ferb, Candace, the Fireside Girls, Doofenschmirtz, Perry, Major Monogram and Carl, Mom and Dad...I don't care who the fic is about. If you can make this hit the tone of the series, you've made me one very happy Yuletide recipient.

Montmaray Journals - Michelle Cooper
Post-canon would be fabulous, but missing scenes would be great too. Or or or or...I don't know! The things I enjoy about this series are (in no particular order): Montmaray itself, the characters, the time period. Ooh what about Montmaray more recently? Or the family as adults? Or what went on outside of Sophie's point of view?


Thank you, Author! I look forward to thanking you for your gift!

Dear Yuletide Author,

Hello! Welcome to my journal and thank you for stopping by. Your offer to write for me is the highlight of my month and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Now, if you'll allow me, I'll explain a bit about what rocks my world fic-wise in general first and then with specific reference to my requests.

General Stuff I Like: Missing scenes, pre-canon, post-canon, dialogue, delving a bit into what we can't always see in scene, comedy, drama, strong character voices, character exploration, snark, action and world-building. Holy cow do I love world-building.

General Stuff I Don't Like: Schmoopy relationships (especially the kind in fic that changes the characters into relationship stereotypes), incest, PWP.


1) Terminator (Movies)
I specifically put in the character Kyle Reese, but that's just because I think Kyle is awesome. If you have an idea for a Terminator fic you've had rolling around in your head that isn't Kyle-centric, by all means punch that out! Even a mention of Kyle by another character would be wonderful.

The reason I love the Terminator series is because of its story. The world is going to end. It has ended. It might not end. No really, it's probably going to end. How would you deal with knowing that? How would you deal with knowing you could try to change it? Time travel is also one of my fiction kinks. Artificial intelligence too. I used to help develop what I called Skynet's inbred cousin, so the AI love has leaked into the real world too. Dearest author, please tell me a story about this world the series has shown us. Before J-Day, after, while it's happening, whatever works. I care about how people deal with the end of the world.


2) Mighty Ducks (Movies)

I would love to see a story about any of the kids a little older and making it to the NHL. But I'll be honest here, as long as it involves hockey, I'll be happy!


3) Oregon Trail (Video Game)

The first time I signed up for Yuletide, I offered Oregon Trail fic as a part of "OFFER ALL THE THINGS!" and, of course, that's the assignment I got. All I could do was laugh at first, because how the hell do you write Oregon Trail fic? Turns out it was one of the most fun things I've ever written. So, if you happen to get Oregon Trail my dear author, the best of luck to you. Go all out. If you want to make it in-world and make up characters on the journey, go for it. If you want to make it about playing Oregon Trail, go for that too! Want to write a fic of a particular genre? Apply it to the Oregon Trail world! The most game in-jokes you throw in, the better. Try not to die of dysentery.


4) 99 Red Balloons (Song)

Yeah, dear author, now I'm messing with you. I care not if it's the English version or the original German. This song is badass. It's apocalyptic pop-rock! BALLOONS CAUSE A NUCLEAR WAR. WE'RE ALL DOOMED. You have your work cut out for you, so I won't request anything more specific than taking this song and its story and writing a kickass fic based on it. May the Force be with you, dear author.


You will be amazing. Your fic will be amazing. You know how I know? Because you've gone out of your way to offer to write me something for Yuletide. That's pretty amazing right there. Don't stress. Don't fret. I want above all else for you to have fun doing this! If none of my extras above help, then ignore them and write something that makes you happy. I know I'll have fun reading it if you do that. Best of luck!

Dear kind sirs and madams,

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to the Antipodean Books Against Floods Drive! As of February 10, 2011 we have all recovered 862 books from Sharron's library and many more not in the library. None of this could have happened without the overwhelming thoughtfulness and generosity of each and every one of you. The boxes and packets of books have started flowing in to Emily in Michigan and myself here. I'm getting to know my postman very, very well! There are many more books to come from those who have put in donation claims and we're looking forward to stacking them all up and presenting them to Sharron as soon as she's able to move back into her home. We'll do our best to reply to our donors as soon as your books arrive or as soon as the PayPal notification arrives. If you're concerned that your package hasn't been acknowledged yet, please feel free to contact us!

We would love to send all of the drive contributors a thank you note, so please remember to include your return address and a little note telling us your online alias so we can be sure that we can get in touch with you!

Sharron has been told of your contributions and she is completely overwhelmed. She's busy preparing her house for rebuilding (so soon! She's thrilled!) but she did want me to pass on to each and every one of you her heartfelt thanks. To remember your contributions, she plans on using our record of who sent what in order to write the name or online alias of each donor inside the book cover so that she can always remember the people who dug deep and were kind to her when she lost everything.

Sharron's insurance company has decided that she was not covered specifically for this type of flood, so she's starting from scratch. Her mortgage that was paid off will now be brought back to life in order to fund the rebuilding of the house. The good news is that local builders, plasterers, electricians, plumbers and many other handymen of all sorts are doing their very best to do right by these flood victims and give them the best possible deal they can afford. The house's frame has now dried and construction on the house will begin this week! It's still a long road ahead, but things are getting going for her and hopefully she'll soon be able to think about buying new bookcases to shelve her new library.

If you find yourself with more books that might be on the list, it's not too late to contribute! If you find that you can no longer send a book that you claimed, thank you for trying and for your good intentions! Please just let us know as soon as you can so we can put it back on the needed list for someone else to claim. We're still collecting and will be in coming months. All books sent to the Australian address are being stored here on the Gold Coast. All books collected locally are being stored either here or in Brisbane. All books sent to the US address are being stored in Michigan until such time that we can start mailing them off in the most economical way and until such time that the flash flooding and humidity here in south-east Queensland backs off a bit!

Thank you again so much for restoring a lot of peoples' faith in humanity. When lit geeks unite, you'd better believe we do it with gusto.

Until next time, happy reading!

The inestimable Sharron of former Fandom High fame, friend and all-around geekily awesome person is currently experiencing some of the worst parts of the Queensland Floods. Thankfully she and her kitties evacuated but her two story townhouse has been completely submerged by the flood waters. Which means a loss of everything, but most importantly to a geek, her books. All her books. 2070 of them. (Seriously just thinking of that is making me shiver in horror)

Luckily for us, she has some of those OCD tendencies that most of us share and has catalogued her entire collection on LibraryThing. I doubt this was the purpose when she did, but it gives us a fantastic place to start.

What we'd like to do is try to re-collect Sharron's books, and we'd like to take up your offers on Twitter to help. Used books are perfectly fine. Those in her collection are preferred, but if you run across something she needs to have, that'd be awesome too.

Books can be mailed to Emily's house for shipping on to Australia (with all credit given to those who collected the books). Why Emily's house? It's moderately central in the US, US people can send the books via media mail instead of paying for overseas shipping, and Emily can get a discount on overseas shipping through her work. The books will then be collected and stored by Ang until such time that Sharron is able to move back into her home. If you live elsewhere in the world and would like to send your donated books directly to Australia, they can be mailed to Ang's house. If you don't have the time or inclination to go hunting for books, you can absolutely donate to the 'overseas shipping fund' through PayPal using the address stargaterpg@gmail.com.

The ideal time frame for this is to collect the books to send off by mid-February. If you would like to send books, please comment to this post and we'll send you a screened comment back with the mailing address of your choice (US or Australia).

As books are received, we're going to keep track of which books are checked off the list here. If you would like to claim a book that you know you have and can send, please let us know and we'll mark that on the spreadsheet. If we receive a duplicate, one of them will be redeemed at a local used book shop and another book purchased with the money.

Are there any questions? Anything we didn't think of? Anything that needs to be covered?

***

Information About the Queensland Floods

Queensland, a state in Australia, has had widespread flooding for the past 3 weeks. There was recently a flash flood in the town of Toowoomba that's being called an inland tsunami because of the severity and suddenness of the water flow. This has led to flooding in the Brisbane River system from Toowoomba to Ipswich and down to the state capital, Brisbane, located on the Pacific Ocean. Flood waters reached 85 feet in some rural areas, 65 feet in Ipswich (completely sinking the entire city) and 54 feet at Sharron's place in Redbank halfway between Ipswich and Brisbane. Brisbane city was completely shut down and the city's downtown area looks abandoned. Power is out and unlikely to be restored for some time. Supplies are running low. To understand the vastness of this flooding problem, 75% of Queensland has been declared a disaster zone. That's twice the size of Texas and 5 times the size of the United Kingdom. They had to tie down crocodiles at Australia Zoo to make sure they didn't swim away and a bull shark was spotted in the flood waters inland. Below you'll find some footage and photos of the flooding.

http://twitpic.com/3pavn3
http://www.abc.net.au/news/video/2…
http://inapcache.boston.com/univer…
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2…
http://yfrog.com/h7oye3j
http://www.mobypicture.com/user/so…
http://yfrog.com/h56e6rj
http://twitpic.com/3pbkz3
http://resources0.news.com.au/imag…
http://www.news.com.au/pictures/ga…
http://yfrog.com/h7mm5bsj
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIp…

ETA: We have the first picture of Sharron's 2 storey townhouse now. This was taken by Sharron from a boat. Those trees reach the roof. Needless to say, she's in a bit of shock right now. http://plixi.com/p/69615463

Dear Yuletide Author,

Hello! Thank you so much for offering to write in a fandom that is clearly awesome since both you and I are fond of it. I hope that you have fun writing your story. I'm writing this letter to give you some inspiration, but if you think of something better that goes off on a tangent, don't be afraid to follow that lead!

Things I Like: Missing scenes, future scenes, past scenes, dialogue, pushing at the edges of established worlds to see what else is out there, plot, snark, action, slight AUs, action figures, the tango, pie. Those last few aren't fic related, but pie is delicious.

Things I Am Not Fond Of: Schmoopy relationships, shipping for the sake of shipping (in context of a greater story, it's good though!), gratuitous sex (sex in context is A-OK!), incest, Charles Dickens' work. I just don't like it.


Now let me tell you why I love the fandoms I've requested.


The Newsflesh Trilogy (Feed) by Mira Grant
I'm not gonna lie to you, Dear Author. I love zombies. Zombies are a great vehicle for a story and Feed is no exception. Things that are awesome about this book include:
* Georgia
* Shaun
* Buffy
* Senator Ryman and his family
* THE WHOLE MESSED UP WORLD

There are two things here I would love to see which are polar opposites of each other, so go with what your gut tells you, Dear Author.
1) Georgia and Shaun. They rock my socks off and seeing them interact, even in a post-book setting (look, May is too far away for Book 2, okay?) would be delicious.
2) Something that doesn't involve the main characters at all but expands this weird, messed up universe that Grant has built. If you get an idea that would flesh out (pun totally intended) the Newsflesh universe, go go go go!

I have no problems with violence or swearing or wanting to throw things across the room, as may be evidenced by my love for this book. So by all means, go all out. I can't wait to read what you come up with.


Terminator
(movies, comics, TSCC, if it's Terminator, I love it)
I've been in love with the Terminator series for as long as I can remember. It fuels my deep fear of the end of the world and a post-nuclear existence and a mistrust of really smart computers. I used to program AI, Dear Author, but I justified it by assuring myself that I would sabotage their projects if they ever got too smart. I still feel guilty about participating at all. But this isn't about my issues, this is about your story. I love time travel and the mess it makes. I love the epic story before and after Judgment Day and the desperate need of the characters to try to prevent it timeline after timeline. I would love especially to read a story about Kyle Reese, who is my favourite Terminator character. Young Reese, old Reese, movie Reese, Reese who has a brother named Derek, Reese who's about to go back in time, Reese who's already been sent back or even Reese who is still young and dealing with losing his friend. Heck, Kyle doesn't even have to be the focal point of the story, but I would love to see him attended to in some way.


Phineas & Ferb
There's 104 days of summer vacation then school comes along just to end it. So the annual problem for our generation is finding a good way to speeeeeeend it! This cartoon is one of my favourite TV shows. Phineas, Ferb, Candace, the Fireside Girls, Doofenschmirtz, Perry, Major Monogram and Carl, Mom and Dad...I don't care who the fic is about. If you can make this hit the tone of the series, you've made me one very happy Yuletide recipient.

Mighty Ducks movies
I would love to see a story about any of the kids a little older and making it to the NHL. But I'll be honest here, as long as it involves hockey, I'll be happy!


Thank you, Dear Author! I look forward to reading what you come up with and to thanking you directly after the reveal!

I'm still alive! Standard activities apply - job search, arranging web design contract work, learning C#, fixing my back, playing video games, RPing and watching hockey.

I'm especially distracted because it's hockey playoffs time. The Canucks had an interesting first round and managed to get through after Game 6 against LA and they get to take on Chicago again (they lost to them in Round 2 last year), which is set to be a fantastic series. The Red Wings are playing Game 7 against the Phoenix Coyotes today to determine their fate. In the OHL (major junior hockey in Ontario), the Barrie Colts (who I got to see live twice this year!) have made it to the final and are playing the Windsor Spitfires in a 7 game series.

It's an awesome time to be a hockey fan.




Some Canucks stats for you...

Played in: 40 seasons
Did not make playoffs: 16 seasons
Lost in Round 1: 13 seasons
Lost in Round 2: 7 seasons
Lost in Round 3: 0 seasons
Lost in Stanley Cup Final: 2 seasons
Lockout: 1 season
To Be Determined: 1 season

GO CANUCKS GO!

So, Ryan Miller. He's a goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, so I don't get to see him a whole lot, but when I do I've noticed he's pretty badass. He just has a crappy team. So what happens when he gets a good team in front of him? Like, say in the Olympics? He's even more badass. That's what happens. Badass goaltenders deserve picspams. Here, have one!

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