It's been a while since I last posted any faction icons. However, during the factioneering back in September, there was actually quite a flurry of interest among the Vaqueras. Vachon's motorcycle and guitar are particularly cherished; and they wanted to create factions for them. Nor did I have much difficulty coming up with designs for the icons.

Nevertheless, there has been quite a delay, for—as the Vaqueras themselves would be the first to admit—they are a slackerly lot. Oh, the name "Triumphants", which I suggested might be suitable for the motorcycle faction, proved immediately acceptable. (Vachon's motorcycle is a Triumph.) A name for the guitar faction was another matter.

One obvious possible name was "Gibson Girls" (for Vachon's guitar is a Gibson). However, this has a fatal flaw: it is really only appropriate for female faction members. Admittedly, there do seem to be only women in the group at the moment. However, it was generally agreed that that is no excuse for excluding potential male members. Then waltd came up with quite a little list of possible alternatives. Among them, "G-Strings" (referring, of course, to guitar strings) immediately struck the eye. However, it elicited a strongly polarized response, with a few people loving the pun, while others found the name quite offensive.

So all had to wait while the membership was polled at their leisure—and, as I said, the Vaqueras are a slackerly lot! They have eventually decided, though, on the non-sexist "Gibsons".

( So here are the icons.... )

Dear Author, let me thank you right up front for the story you are going to write. I know that many people like a bit more to go on than just the prompt; and, if so, I hope this letter will prove helpful. Whatever you write, I'm sure I will love it!

Being lazy, I'm going to copy part of this from last year's letter, starting with some general likes and dislikes.

What I Like:
* Plot and/or character (both being the ideal, of course!)
* A sense of humour and being able to recognize the ridiculous when it pops up; also wit and wordplay, if the story calls for them. (Having said that, I totally leave it up to you whether you write a serious or comic story—or a serious story with comic interludes.)
* Stories that are true to canon (though I've certainly enjoyed some flat-out AUs)

What I Dislike:
* Poor spelling, bad grammar and punctuation, and blatant Americanisms uttered by British characters (unless they're aware of what they're doing, which is another matter entirely)
* Explicit sex, especially if long and detailed. No objection to hints, but I'm not into plumbing.

My Own Writing
If you want to have a look at some of my own stories, you can find them on my website.


( And a bit about my requests.... )