That MTYG meme

[pensnest]

It's High Time I got to posting this, but before I do, I must ensure that you have all seen the Glitter And Be Gay Popslash Swap that happened, in a quiet but adorable way, this Christmas, here on LiveJournal. I have not, to my shame, managed to read all the stories yet, but brandywine28 has produced her customary comic masterpiece in That's What Makes Christmas Bright. There are more in store!

Anyway. MTYG. Time for a self-indulgent retrospective on stories we have loved, etc, and I think it's probably best to start with the easy* ones.

For the Writers: Of all the stories you've written for MTYG, which is your favourite?

For the Recipients: Of all the stories written for you for MTYG, which is your favourite?


* On reflection, I'm not sure that the answers will be at all easy to find.


You're welcome to answer in comments here, or to post to your own journal and link in comments. Let's talk about this entirely awesome challenge!

If you want to check through the probable questions-to-come, the post is here. And subject to change, so do suggest questions if any occur to you.

Comments

[pensnest]

And in the spirit of getting things started, my answers are:

For the Writers: in porco, veritas

For the Recipients: Pulp Friction

The longwinded version is here: https://pensnest.dreamwidth.org/617735.html

I'll play!

[jacieleigh]

Oh, it's always so difficult for me to pick just one! As almost no one reads my personal journal on DW, I'll be wordy here...LOL

For the Writers: Of all the stories you've written for MTYG, which is your favourite?
I'll go with my 2008 backup story, A Centaur's Journey written for Ephemera
http://www.maketheyuletidegay.org/appthena.do?o.action=view_story&o.key=140
I wrote a few backup stories over the year. One year, I picked up a backup assignment on a Friday night. I stayed up and wrote about 5000 words Friday night, another 5000 on Saturday and another 5000 on Sunday. I have no idea why the assignment immediately sparked a story, but it was flowing so well, I was able to keep writing it through with no writer's blocks popping up along the way. Actually, if I'd had more time, it likely would have gone on another 3K-5K, but I had to end it so I could get it ready to post on time. I remember I was so panicky about getting a beta for it, that I emailed one person on Sunday afternoon, when they didn't answer in an hour or so, I sent another request to someone else, an hour later I sent another request to a third person. I wasn't sure anyone would be up to the challenge of doing a beta on a 15K story that was due...NOW. And of course, all three betas responded within about 10 minutes of each other! I decided to let them all have a go at it, thinking it was unlikely all three would get it done. They all did! So I stayed up for hours on Tuesday going through all three beta copies. I remember having some errors in it as I had stayed up all night rushing to get it edited and posted. I'm pretty sure I delayed the Wednesday morning "go-live" by an hour or so that year. Some of the errors miraculously seem to have disappeared (Thank you Fixit!Elf).


For the Recipients: Of all the stories written for you for MTYG, which is your favourite?
I'll have to go with Heart of the Jungle, by Patchwork Dragon from 2006.
http://www.juppy.org/santa/stories.php?ForAuthorID=46&Year=2006
I remember being so very thrilled with this one. It's so different from anything else I'd read. Of course, it's was written in 2006 and I haven't read it in years. But just thinking about this wonderful gift makes me smile.

Re: I'll play!

[pensnest]

I don't know if I was one of the betas, but I'm sure I remember something about the rush job on that story! It's quite exciting doing pinch-hits, I think, as you don't have time to worry about what the recipient will lovelovelove, you just have to get on and write like mad. And if it works out, you just have the memory of the rush, and no awkward period of trying to decide what to write.

I remember that Heart of the Jungle story fondly, too - lovely use of language. Strictly speaking, of course, if it was in 2006 it was DWNOGA, not MTYG, but I think we can stretch that point.

Re: I'll play!

[jacieleigh]

Yes, it was you, Nopseud and Musicboxgirl! I was so afraid I'd run out of time with no beta, and then was thrilled when all three replied. I was even more thrilled when everyone had it back to me within 24 hours (...and then I stayed up all night going through them all and editing). Good memories.

Ack, you're quite right! I always think of MTYG as a continuation of DWNOGA. I almost did two anyway...So I can easily give my favorite MTYG story. And not just saying this because it's yours. While I enjoyed each and every one of my gift stories, these two stories (Heart of the Jungle being the other) are definite true standouts for me that made me feel like I got the best SeSa story of the year for the years I received them.

So, for a true MTYG favorite, I would definitely have to go with The Pussycat and the Porcupine by Pensnest, from MTYG 2010 - which was the final year I participated.
http://www.maketheyuletidegay.org/appthena.do?o.action=view_story&o.key=193
A story that I love to pieces. First, because Kitten! Such an adorable little kitten. But also that Chris is just so Chris, so funny. And JC is so caring to rescue the poor kitty from a dumpster and care for it. I loved how Chris tried lying to Howie and was busted because he was JC's roommate and of course JC told him everything. And it was quite lovely when Chris introduced JC to Lance. Definitely a feel-good story that I totally adore. *G*

Re: I'll play!

[pensnest]

Aww! Well, good. I enjoyed writing that story, even though I didn't manage to get as much actual cuddling into it as I'd intended. :-)

[brandywine28]

You know I'm always down to talk about some popslash, but these two questions are impossible to answer!

For the Writers (aka, my own stuff): Ugh. Honestly, I'm so faithless. My most *and* least favorite fic is always gonna be whichever one I've finished most recently. But if audience response is a factor, the McBass "Christmas Eve in NYC" AU I wrote two years ago brought a lot of friendly faces out of the woodwork. Mucho, mucho feedback in my inbox. So that was fun.

In hindsight, the Choey mental hospital/time travel thing I wrote for Ephemera could've used A LOT of streamlining. It just had soooo much going on! But at the same time, I kind of love that I went for it, even if the results were less than perfect, you know?

For the Recipients: I swear I'm not just being diplomatic when I say I never once received an MtYG fic I didn't like. But...the rom-com AU I got from Sperrywink in 2017 was a special kind of wonderful. She rewrote The Holiday for me -- and totally excised the suckier half! It was a masterful bit of mind reading, 'cos she had no way of knowing I prefer the Winslet-y half of that movie, and I'm still amazed when I think about it.

If I'd known at the time that it was gonna be our last MtYG, I would've said it was the perfect note to go out on. And it was. :)

[pensnest]

It is very difficult to choose between stories, even when (for me, anyway) the MTYG pool does limit the number of my babies stories to pick from. Funnily enough, I think my choice has plenty of imperfections, not least because I didn't get my usual beta on the job!

I think the last MTYG was the perfect note to go out on for me, too. *sniffs woefully*