Cold today, cold tomorrow

[yuuago]

For a while there, the weather was really nice. But now we've been hit with winter and it's hovering pretty close to -40. Eugh. I had things I was going to do in town, but I think I'll just... not.

Still working on getting through Yuletide stuff. I think I only have 7(?) left in tabs to read, though, which is nice. Sometimes it's hard to make myself sit down and read fic, but this year it has been good.

I've found it a little strange, though. I think my tolerance for fic might be higher in fandoms that I'm not invested in. With Hetalia, I backclick so damn much... but with the non-Hetalia stuff I've been reading lately, I've managed to get to the end of almost all of it. It might be that I just have too many peeves when it comes to Hetalia fic, but there is also the writing itself. Maybe Yuletide attracts writers that are a little more experienced than the Hetalia exchanges do.

Anyway. I've been enjoying what I've been reading, at least. And part of me wants to join this exchange next year, but I tend to be so busy around that time of year already. Not to mention that I haven't written for any other fandoms in ages and I don't know if I could do it. But maybe I should make a list of fandoms I'd want to request and/or write for, just in case. (So far it would probably be Valiant Hearts, Over the Garden Wall, and Pumzi. List subject to change/expansion of course.)

Comments

[gramarye1971]

I know that I have very specific things that I want out of Hetalia fic, so if one doesn't deliver then I don't feel compelled to keep reading. (I'm that way with Dark Is Rising fic, too, so it may have as much to do with fandom longevity as expectations.)

Yuletide has its great points (fic volume, wide range of participants, treat+extra fic potential) and its downsides (recipients who are impossible to write for, Western fandom bias, inevitable wank about something or other). I've done it since about 2009 and have been reasonably happy with the experience, but I can understand why it might not be for everyone, especially if that time of year is busy for you. Thankfully, it's a lot easier to default if you do so before the deadline, just because of the sheer volume of potential writers. Do at least consider it!

[yuuago]

Yeahhh going to have to agree with you on wanting specific things out of Hetalia fic. It's so disappointing when searching, but - oh well.

As far as Yuletide goes, I guess what I should do is just wait and see how the rest of the year turns out. If things aren't too crazy by the time it starts to come together, then maybe...!

[gramarye1971]

On further thought, one thing you might be interested in doing is working on a New Year's Resolution: you write a story based on someone else's Yuletide prompt, and post it to the NYR collection on AO3. No rush, no pressure -- it just has to be done before next year's Yuletide. This might give you a sense of the types of prompts and fandoms out there, and if anything piques your interest, it'll be good practice!