Yuletide 2015
Oct. 27th, 2015 04:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
desertscribeSorry, anonymous author, it has been an unexpectedly busy week, so this is still a work in progress, but here is what I have so far. The rest is coming soon.
Dear Yuletide 2015 Writer,
I'm so happy that we share a common fandom, and I look forward to reading whatever you want to write. All optional details are optional, and a story that you had fun writing will probably turn out better for both of us than one where you had to torture yourself trying to shape it into something against the will of your muse. If you already have an idea that you really want to write for whatever fandom/characters we matched on, then you should go with that. Otherwise, keep reading for some general preferences of mine and some random story prompts. Sorry it's so ridiculously long. Just skip however much of it you want. It's all optional.
Some of my likes:
- happy endings
- bittersweet endings
- unavoidably tragic endings
- stories that give a good view of a character's thought process
- women who aren't afraid to ask for what they want in bed
- lovers who have fulfilling sexlives without sex being the sole basis for their relationship
- foreplay
- sex which occurs as a natural progression of the plot
- fading to black if the sex would disrupt the flow of the rest of the story
- cuddling, either between lovers or platonically between close friends
- found families
- quiet domestic scenes
- wild action scenes
- banter
- humor
- horror
- scheming villains
- creative problem solving
- partnerships of equals (or at least something close)
- characters being at least as competent as they were in canon
- character growth
- people learning from their mistakes (and then sometimes going on to make completely different mistakes)
- people playing to their strengths and acknowledging their weaknesses (at least to themselves, unless that level of self-awareness would be OOC)
- people attempting to communicate with each other even if they don't always succeed
- good-natured verbal sparring/banter
- earned respect, with or without earned friendship
- rivals-to-friends story arcs
- a sense of place
- situations where what a person doesn't say is just as important as what they do say
- backstory
- missing scenes from canon
- post-canon adventures
- casefic
- slice of life stories
- canon-divergent AUs (AKA, stories exploring what would have happened if a character made a different decision at some point and changed everything that happened after)
- daemon AUs (AKA, everyone has a physical manifestation of their soul shaped like an animal which represents their personality)
- time travel
- monsters that aren't as bad as they seem
- monsters that are even worse than they seem
- genre-savvy characters
- genre-bending weirdness
- occasional moral ambiguity
- subverted tropes or clichés
- tropes or clichés played straight but lampshaded
- cracktastic premises played straight
- crossovers
- fictional characters interacting with historical figures
- characters dealing with the consequences of having been in situations which brought out aspects of their personalities, either positive or negative, which they had not previously realized they had
- storytelling and/or stories as either a theme or a plot point
- characters comparing scars, either literally or metaphorically
- vacations gone awry
Dislikes:
- porn without plot
- scat/watersports
- intentional sexual humiliation
- rape/non-con/dub-con portrayed in a positive light
- alpha/beta/omega dynamics
- 24/7 lifestyle D/s
- incest
- underage
- infidelity
- mundane AUs
Fandom: Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Requested Characters: Any (nominated characters = Aleksander of Hohenberg, Deryn Sharp, Lilit, Nora Barlow)
Fandom: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Requested Characters: Tilly
I requested Tilly because of all the nominated characters for this fandom she is the one who I'm most curious about, but this is one of those fandoms where I love pretty much everybody, so feel free to throw in whatever other characters you want as supporting cast for the story. I would be perfectly happy with a gen story. However, if you wanted to include romantic elements as either a major plot point or just in the background, I ship Tilly/Laaa, Jedediah/Octavius, Sacajawea/Teddy, and Larry/McPhee. I also ship Ahkmenrah/assorted crossover characters including Susan Pevensie, Evy Carnahan, and Methos, though not all at once unless you really wanted to go there.
I would love to see a story dealing with what happens to Tilly at any point after Larry tells her that tomorrow she's going to have the best job ever. How does she keep her job after all the destruction that happened in the museum that first night? Which of the museum exhibits does she make friends with, and which ones does she always fight with? Do Ahkmenrah's parents and/or Lancelot accept her authority as guardian? Does she learn to be a mediator like Larry did, or does she keep everyone in line by threatening them with her hammer, or does she learn some entirely different method? Do any of the exhibits teach her any new skills? Does she ever have to deal with any other magical artifacts besides the tablet? Does she maintain regular contact with Larry or did they not talk to each other again until he learned she was coming to New York? How long does it take her to figure out what Laaa is, and how do they make their relationship work once they're reunited in New York? What other cities did she visit with the touring collection and what kind of trouble did she participate in along the way? Does she ever share the secret with any friends or family, or is McPhee the first person she has ever told? Does she end up living permanently in New York, or does the tablet go back to London at the end of the tour? Does she have any dreams big enough to get her to leave the magic behind like Larry did, or is she in this for the long haul? Tell me anything.
Fandom: The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
Requested Characters: Any (nominated characters = John Bly, Brisco County Jr, Comet, Dixie Cousins, Lord Bowler, Pete Hutter, Socrates Poole)
This is a fandom where I would be happy with anything. Really. I have been very, very lucky in regards to recieving stories for this fandom in other fic exchanges (Seriously, if we matched on this fandom and you haven't read my previous gifts yet, then you should go take a look, because what's not to love?), but I am going to be greedy and continue to request it, because there are so many fun characters and the show provides such a big sandbox to play in that people could write thousands of stories without repeating each other. Heck, even just the term 'casefic' could cover any combination of genres including action/adventure, western, scifi, steampunk, supernatural, mystery, courtroom drama, piccaresque, romance, martial arts, buddy-cop, historical RPF, and probably a bunch of others I'm forgetting, and I would welcome any of them.
As far as shipping preferences go, my favorites are Dixie/Brisco, Dixie/Brisco/Bowler, Bowler/Lenore Raymond, Bowler/Socrates, Pete Hutter/Aaron Viva, and, for pre-canon stories, Dixie/Big Smith/Pete Hutter. However, for this fandom I am open to pretty much any combination that isn't incest or bestiality, so if there is some other pairing you want to explore, whether the characters were nominated or not, then go for it. Socrates/Ellie? They'd probably be pretty cute together. Whip Morgan/Dolly Cousins? The attraction is canon. Pete/Pete's Piece? That's pretty much canon too. Iphegenia Poole/Amanda Wickwire? They could set up house together in No Man's Land and live happily ever after. John Bly/his entire Gang of Twelve? Okay, so I mostly threw that one in as a joke, but I'm kind of surprised no one seems to have written it at any point in the past twenty years.
For character specific prompts:
I would love to see backstory for John Bly. What set him on the path toward world domination by way of time travel? Had he tried to plan everything down to the last detail, or was he just making it up as he went along? Did he ever have any ridiculous moments of culture shock due to research-fail? How did he go about recruiting people into his gang, and why did he choose such an assortment of oddballs? How long had he been in the past before the events of the pilot episode? Did he have any actual feelings for Jenny Taylor, or was getting a girlfriend (and having old-timey portraits taken with her) just another part of his game/cover story? What were some of the highlights of the alternate timeline where he succeeded in getting the Orbs and having his centuries long reign of terror?
For Brisco, we got a few little mentions of what his childhood, teens, and early adulthood was like, and I would love to see those expanded upon. Or, how did Brisco talk Harvard into letting him come back for a law degree after being such a horrible student as an undergrad? What random shenanigans did he get up to during his years spent wandering around, looking for the coming thing? Show me anything from his gradually forming friendship with Bowler or how his relationship with Dixie went from a one night stand to an actual relationship to realizing that she was The One. Show me his reunion with Dixie when she finally gets back from China and where they go from there. Or Show me his reunion with Dixie when he goes to visit her in China Show me Brisco helping Professor Wickwire with his latest invention. Show me Brisco's reaction to the latest dime novel about his adventures.
For Comet, does he ever go on any adventures without Brisco, either on his own or with Dixie, Bowler, or someone else? Where did he learn to play chess? Did he ever disapprove of Brisco not talking to his father enough the way that Brisco Sr. disapproved of Brisco talking to his horse too much? Does he still hold a grudge against Pete for calling him a pachyderm? Does he ever gossip with the other horses he shares a stable with? Why is it that some people are completely shocked at how smart he is while others see nothing strange about bribing a horse to get information about Brisco? Is there any story behind his fancy (looks like it might be Navajo made?) horse blanket?
For Dixie, I would love an adventure from her time running with Big Smith, or her time as the lady of the revolution, or as ambassador to China, or whatever came next for her, with or without Brisco. How often does she see her sister? Dixie must have spent at least a little time around Bly. What did she think of him? How did she get into show business? What does she do in her free time when she's not working or helping revolutionaries or getting involved in Brisco's shenanigans?
For Lord Bowler, what exactly is the story behind his comment about having a friend once but it didn't work out? Or show me scenes from his pre-canon romance with Lenore. Or, where did he learn his amazing tracking skills? Or, where did he find his butler? Does he ever get talked into singing for anyone besides Brisco? Maybe Dixie needs a male co-star on short notice for whatever reason, and Bowler is the only one available. Or show me one of the bounties Bowler brings in on his own, without help (or interference, depending when in canon you set the story) from Brisco.
For Pete Hutter, what trouble was he getting up to between times we saw him on the show? What are your most cracktastic theories for why he won't stay dead? What's up with him and his gun? Does he manage to take advantage of the presidential pardon after High Treason, or does he go back to his criminal ways? Or, you could just give me one thousand words of Pete expounding on life, the universe, and art criticism, because pretty much anything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious thanks to his slightly skewed world view.
For Socrates Poole
Fandom: Justified
Requested Characters: Loretta McCready
Fandom: The Last Ship (TV)
Requested Characters: Bernie "Bacon" Cowley, Carlton Burk, Ravit Bivas, Tex Nolan
Fandom: Z Nation (TV)
Requested Characters: Cassandra, Murphy, Serena
Dear Yuletide 2015 Writer,
I'm so happy that we share a common fandom, and I look forward to reading whatever you want to write. All optional details are optional, and a story that you had fun writing will probably turn out better for both of us than one where you had to torture yourself trying to shape it into something against the will of your muse. If you already have an idea that you really want to write for whatever fandom/characters we matched on, then you should go with that. Otherwise, keep reading for some general preferences of mine and some random story prompts. Sorry it's so ridiculously long. Just skip however much of it you want. It's all optional.
Some of my likes:
- happy endings
- bittersweet endings
- unavoidably tragic endings
- stories that give a good view of a character's thought process
- women who aren't afraid to ask for what they want in bed
- lovers who have fulfilling sexlives without sex being the sole basis for their relationship
- foreplay
- sex which occurs as a natural progression of the plot
- fading to black if the sex would disrupt the flow of the rest of the story
- cuddling, either between lovers or platonically between close friends
- found families
- quiet domestic scenes
- wild action scenes
- banter
- humor
- horror
- scheming villains
- creative problem solving
- partnerships of equals (or at least something close)
- characters being at least as competent as they were in canon
- character growth
- people learning from their mistakes (and then sometimes going on to make completely different mistakes)
- people playing to their strengths and acknowledging their weaknesses (at least to themselves, unless that level of self-awareness would be OOC)
- people attempting to communicate with each other even if they don't always succeed
- good-natured verbal sparring/banter
- earned respect, with or without earned friendship
- rivals-to-friends story arcs
- a sense of place
- situations where what a person doesn't say is just as important as what they do say
- backstory
- missing scenes from canon
- post-canon adventures
- casefic
- slice of life stories
- canon-divergent AUs (AKA, stories exploring what would have happened if a character made a different decision at some point and changed everything that happened after)
- daemon AUs (AKA, everyone has a physical manifestation of their soul shaped like an animal which represents their personality)
- time travel
- monsters that aren't as bad as they seem
- monsters that are even worse than they seem
- genre-savvy characters
- genre-bending weirdness
- occasional moral ambiguity
- subverted tropes or clichés
- tropes or clichés played straight but lampshaded
- cracktastic premises played straight
- crossovers
- fictional characters interacting with historical figures
- characters dealing with the consequences of having been in situations which brought out aspects of their personalities, either positive or negative, which they had not previously realized they had
- storytelling and/or stories as either a theme or a plot point
- characters comparing scars, either literally or metaphorically
- vacations gone awry
Dislikes:
- porn without plot
- scat/watersports
- intentional sexual humiliation
- rape/non-con/dub-con portrayed in a positive light
- alpha/beta/omega dynamics
- 24/7 lifestyle D/s
- incest
- underage
- infidelity
- mundane AUs
Fandom: Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Requested Characters: Any (nominated characters = Aleksander of Hohenberg, Deryn Sharp, Lilit, Nora Barlow)
Fandom: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Requested Characters: Tilly
I requested Tilly because of all the nominated characters for this fandom she is the one who I'm most curious about, but this is one of those fandoms where I love pretty much everybody, so feel free to throw in whatever other characters you want as supporting cast for the story. I would be perfectly happy with a gen story. However, if you wanted to include romantic elements as either a major plot point or just in the background, I ship Tilly/Laaa, Jedediah/Octavius, Sacajawea/Teddy, and Larry/McPhee. I also ship Ahkmenrah/assorted crossover characters including Susan Pevensie, Evy Carnahan, and Methos, though not all at once unless you really wanted to go there.
I would love to see a story dealing with what happens to Tilly at any point after Larry tells her that tomorrow she's going to have the best job ever. How does she keep her job after all the destruction that happened in the museum that first night? Which of the museum exhibits does she make friends with, and which ones does she always fight with? Do Ahkmenrah's parents and/or Lancelot accept her authority as guardian? Does she learn to be a mediator like Larry did, or does she keep everyone in line by threatening them with her hammer, or does she learn some entirely different method? Do any of the exhibits teach her any new skills? Does she ever have to deal with any other magical artifacts besides the tablet? Does she maintain regular contact with Larry or did they not talk to each other again until he learned she was coming to New York? How long does it take her to figure out what Laaa is, and how do they make their relationship work once they're reunited in New York? What other cities did she visit with the touring collection and what kind of trouble did she participate in along the way? Does she ever share the secret with any friends or family, or is McPhee the first person she has ever told? Does she end up living permanently in New York, or does the tablet go back to London at the end of the tour? Does she have any dreams big enough to get her to leave the magic behind like Larry did, or is she in this for the long haul? Tell me anything.
Fandom: The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.
Requested Characters: Any (nominated characters = John Bly, Brisco County Jr, Comet, Dixie Cousins, Lord Bowler, Pete Hutter, Socrates Poole)
This is a fandom where I would be happy with anything. Really. I have been very, very lucky in regards to recieving stories for this fandom in other fic exchanges (Seriously, if we matched on this fandom and you haven't read my previous gifts yet, then you should go take a look, because what's not to love?), but I am going to be greedy and continue to request it, because there are so many fun characters and the show provides such a big sandbox to play in that people could write thousands of stories without repeating each other. Heck, even just the term 'casefic' could cover any combination of genres including action/adventure, western, scifi, steampunk, supernatural, mystery, courtroom drama, piccaresque, romance, martial arts, buddy-cop, historical RPF, and probably a bunch of others I'm forgetting, and I would welcome any of them.
As far as shipping preferences go, my favorites are Dixie/Brisco, Dixie/Brisco/Bowler, Bowler/Lenore Raymond, Bowler/Socrates, Pete Hutter/Aaron Viva, and, for pre-canon stories, Dixie/Big Smith/Pete Hutter. However, for this fandom I am open to pretty much any combination that isn't incest or bestiality, so if there is some other pairing you want to explore, whether the characters were nominated or not, then go for it. Socrates/Ellie? They'd probably be pretty cute together. Whip Morgan/Dolly Cousins? The attraction is canon. Pete/Pete's Piece? That's pretty much canon too. Iphegenia Poole/Amanda Wickwire? They could set up house together in No Man's Land and live happily ever after. John Bly/his entire Gang of Twelve? Okay, so I mostly threw that one in as a joke, but I'm kind of surprised no one seems to have written it at any point in the past twenty years.
For character specific prompts:
I would love to see backstory for John Bly. What set him on the path toward world domination by way of time travel? Had he tried to plan everything down to the last detail, or was he just making it up as he went along? Did he ever have any ridiculous moments of culture shock due to research-fail? How did he go about recruiting people into his gang, and why did he choose such an assortment of oddballs? How long had he been in the past before the events of the pilot episode? Did he have any actual feelings for Jenny Taylor, or was getting a girlfriend (and having old-timey portraits taken with her) just another part of his game/cover story? What were some of the highlights of the alternate timeline where he succeeded in getting the Orbs and having his centuries long reign of terror?
For Brisco, we got a few little mentions of what his childhood, teens, and early adulthood was like, and I would love to see those expanded upon. Or, how did Brisco talk Harvard into letting him come back for a law degree after being such a horrible student as an undergrad? What random shenanigans did he get up to during his years spent wandering around, looking for the coming thing? Show me anything from his gradually forming friendship with Bowler or how his relationship with Dixie went from a one night stand to an actual relationship to realizing that she was The One. Show me his reunion with Dixie when she finally gets back from China and where they go from there. Or Show me his reunion with Dixie when he goes to visit her in China Show me Brisco helping Professor Wickwire with his latest invention. Show me Brisco's reaction to the latest dime novel about his adventures.
For Comet, does he ever go on any adventures without Brisco, either on his own or with Dixie, Bowler, or someone else? Where did he learn to play chess? Did he ever disapprove of Brisco not talking to his father enough the way that Brisco Sr. disapproved of Brisco talking to his horse too much? Does he still hold a grudge against Pete for calling him a pachyderm? Does he ever gossip with the other horses he shares a stable with? Why is it that some people are completely shocked at how smart he is while others see nothing strange about bribing a horse to get information about Brisco? Is there any story behind his fancy (looks like it might be Navajo made?) horse blanket?
For Dixie, I would love an adventure from her time running with Big Smith, or her time as the lady of the revolution, or as ambassador to China, or whatever came next for her, with or without Brisco. How often does she see her sister? Dixie must have spent at least a little time around Bly. What did she think of him? How did she get into show business? What does she do in her free time when she's not working or helping revolutionaries or getting involved in Brisco's shenanigans?
For Lord Bowler, what exactly is the story behind his comment about having a friend once but it didn't work out? Or show me scenes from his pre-canon romance with Lenore. Or, where did he learn his amazing tracking skills? Or, where did he find his butler? Does he ever get talked into singing for anyone besides Brisco? Maybe Dixie needs a male co-star on short notice for whatever reason, and Bowler is the only one available. Or show me one of the bounties Bowler brings in on his own, without help (or interference, depending when in canon you set the story) from Brisco.
For Pete Hutter, what trouble was he getting up to between times we saw him on the show? What are your most cracktastic theories for why he won't stay dead? What's up with him and his gun? Does he manage to take advantage of the presidential pardon after High Treason, or does he go back to his criminal ways? Or, you could just give me one thousand words of Pete expounding on life, the universe, and art criticism, because pretty much anything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious thanks to his slightly skewed world view.
For Socrates Poole
Fandom: Justified
Requested Characters: Loretta McCready
Fandom: The Last Ship (TV)
Requested Characters: Bernie "Bacon" Cowley, Carlton Burk, Ravit Bivas, Tex Nolan
Fandom: Z Nation (TV)
Requested Characters: Cassandra, Murphy, Serena
