kangeiko

Go have a read of tkp's List of 101 Fictional Kinks, which makes me suspect that there is a common pool of fandom kinkiness that we're all tapping into, possibly in a Jungian manner. But with more pens, obviously.

I don't have the time/patience to do a list of my very own, mainly because most of the things on tkp's list would end up on mine as well, so, instead, I'm going to focus on things that I would really, really love to read, a.k.a a fandom wishlist. This is partly because Xmas is coming up and so I'm hoping that people take advantage of the break to write some more stuff and get inspired as a result, but also because I've been noticing that a large number of my fandom posts are quite negative in nature - things I hate, things that piss me off, stuff like that. Now, while there are many annoyances, the reason that I stay in fandom is because I adore it, and I adore the stuff that it produces. So, yes - some things I love.

5 Things I'd love to read:
1. I'd love to read some journalism-related fics done in an article style. So Transmet, Lois & Clark, Sex & the City, even Smallville - something that breaks the narrative mould. Alternatively, an investigative fandom producing a report-style fic - so, a medical report from House, M.D., a report from C.S.I., or even something cop-related. Non-standard approaches to narrative really ping all my bells, and so few writers use them, it's a damn shame.

2. Episode-style fics make me happy beyond compare. I'm not a real fan of scripts as a form, but you don't need to write a script to write a convincing episode of something. I'm thinking of things along the lines of A:TS 'No Limits' Virtual Season 6 or the L&C virtual seasons 5 & 6 available online. I'm not asking for entire seasons, but a story written in the style of the show would be awesome.

3. Non-perfect sex. I get bored with perfect sex scenes anyway, so the only thing holding my interest nowadays is non-perfect sex. I'm not talking about emotional issues, or post-sex angst, but actual break in the sex scene itself, with, say, elbows in the wrong place, inappropriate giggling fits, interruptions - the works. It makes everything so much sexier when the characters are dealing with a more 'real-world' setting - i.e. things will not go according to plan - rather than perfect soft focus lovin'. I'm thinking in particular that what would make me happy beyond compare is a clumsy, inappropriate 'first time' fic, where the 'first time' is not the focus of the fic but is slotted in almost as a side-effect of what else is happening, and involves an unconventional couple. That would be... tops.

4. Real-world issues. I read the newspapers, I read political and economic magazines, I subscribe to on-line webpages that track various political movements in the world and keep up to date on what's happening with the environment and scientific development. Someone actually setting things in the here-and-now and tackling recent events would be an absolute hero to me. I know that fandom is often an escapist's dream, but it also offers such rich opportunities for exploring things that concern you about the real world that it seems like a shame to not take them up on it. Now, I know that this runs the danger of belittling real life tragedies by using them as inspiration for fic, but it doesn't have to be that way. I'm thinking of Marguerite's work here, in The West Wing fandom, particularly the stories she wrote about euthanasia and the Yugoslavian conflicts. I was very impressed with the way that she managed to tackle the way those subjects would affect characters we know and love in an immediate and heartfelt way.

5. Bad days. Bad day fics are my guilty pleasure. A very old fic written anonymously lampooned Ivanova's 'No Good, Very Bad Day'. It was possibly a little out of character, and the situation was certainly more sit-com than sci-fi drama, but it was fun, and it was great to read. Something similar in a fandom where a great many traumatic things happen - a fandom that's all about the Big Things - would be great. So, Jack having a really, horribly, tediously bad day in Alias, or Locke coping with a teething Aaron & everything going wrong in LOST, or Kara having One of Those Days in BSG - dealing with the small stuff the world throws your way humanises characters that otherwise are in danger of becoming only archetypes and nothing more.

I have a million and one things on my wishlist, but let's start with the above, shall we? Links to fics that might already exist would be very gratefully received!

Teaching teenagers conflict resolution skills. This is so cool. The numbers are small, yes, but it's a project that actually appears to be well thought out and - shock! horror! - working.

November 25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. What will you be doing to mark it? (Read more about the week-long VAW awareness-raising campaign). If you do organise something don't forget to add a link here, and pimp it the hell out.

Some links people might be interested in, both VAW-related and not:

- Refuge: a UK-based Domestic Violence charity.
- Women's Aid: UK-based, they are currently launching a 12 month campaign with The Body Shop.
- Amnesty International has a list of seven women who are currently at risk of stoning.
- Womankind Worldwide is seeking a Communications and Information Manager.
- Or you could have a look at vacancies in any other charities, compiled at idealist.org
- Can't switch careers but want to do something practical anyway? Try the International Voluntary Service.
- The Sudanese Organisation Against Torture issues periodic emailed updates on goings-on within the region, and provides addresses for officials for the purposes of protests and letter-writing. ( One recent bulletin reported the rape of 17 women outside a Kalma IDP camp )