Dear Yuletide Writer

Thank you so much for writing for me! I congratulate your taste in small fandoms, and I can't wait to see where your inspiration will take you.

Here are some of my general preferences when it comes to fics, not in any particular order, to help you figure out my taste!

•  I'm a big fan of banter, and dialogue in general, so don't be afraid to heap it in!
•  Gen, het, and slash of all varieties, it's all good.
•  Mixing vulnerability with self-confidence is extremely attractive to me. Cocky bastards revealing their secret weak spots, meek characters screwing their courage to a sticking place to save a friend -- absolutely my catnip.
•  Pregnancy and childbirth as anything but background details is not something I'm interested in. I have few squicks, but graphic birthing is one of them.
•  I'm absolutely okay with holiday-themed fics.
•  Canon-typical adventures and cases -- if you can write them, or scenes taking place in the middle of them, please do! Many of my favourite characters express themselves best by doing something concrete, and I like seeing this reflected in fic.
•  Pining is my guilty pleasure. As long as the way it manifests fits the characters it's always going to delight me. Throw in some UST and a good reason why they can't just talk about it and sort it out straight away, and I'm in heaven.
•  Unlikely friendships and unexpected conversations: there can never be enough of these. "How did we end up here?" is one of my favourite beginnings to a story.
  
•  Wedding scenes or marriage proposals don't generally make me gooey inside. I prefer more understated romantic gestures.
•  I'd like to see sparks of humanity even in the darkest settings. The ending needn't be happy, but I find that angst is the most effective when it's seasoned with warmth and hope.
•  I tend to grow fond of most of the characters in a canon I like. If you don't like a canonical character, leave them out of the fic rather than forcing yourself to write them.
•  I'm not easily squicked by violence or gore in action or horror scenes, as long as it fits the canon and setting. Go for it, if you're so inclined!
•  I don't mind serious discussion of difficult social topics if they fit the characters and the story, but I'd like to read a fic, not a lecture.
•  I love dinosaurs, strange beasts, cryptids and aliens, so feel free to use them whenever applicable.
•  I'm okay with AUs that help explore the characters more but keep to the general themes and tone of the original canon. "What if" scenarios can be great starting places for a story! Canon-divergent AUs are preferred, but even in a different universe or setting, I would still like the story to feel like a Fandom A story and the characters to be recognisable.
• Crossovers are fine if the two canons are easily intertwined, for example, if both take place in the same city and time, or deal with similar themes. Please check with me beforehand (via the mods, of course) to make sure I know the canon you intend to use for crossover purposes! I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have.

Since I'm asking for smut in at least one request this year, here's a list specifically about my kinks:
 

• Laughter and banter during sex. I'm not big on humiliation humour, so awkwardness should be something to be laughed at together. I like it when people reach new levels of intimacy through trial and error, and are clearly having fun. I also like it when chatty characters are still chatty in bed.
• D/s scenes are great, possibly with bondage, orgasm denial and some pain play. I like service tops and overeager subs; enthusiasm and a need to please are key components. An everyday D/s relationship is a bit too intense for my tastes.
• Threesomes or moresomes. Jealousy and possessiveness are not attractive to me, so I like it when the characters don't mind sharing, or at least are willing to give it a try under specific circumstances (or with specific people). It can be just for one night, or a regular thing. I have many OT3s, and while they all have different dynamics, I never want to see a tired old love triangle when there could be a whole circle instead.
• Clothed or partially clothed sex, especially if desperation is part of the scene. Frottage is wonderful and I don't get to read about it in fic often enough.
• Toys -- strap-ons, vibrators, feathers, cuffs and other bondage gear. Please no nipple clamps or nipple torture, though!
• Emotional hurt/comfort. This is a counterpoint to the fun, chatty kind of sex; I like my comfort sex intense and highly emotional, with the characters too overwhelmed to form whole sentences or pay attention to anything else but each other.
• And since I mentioned intense feelings... loyalty kink. Loyalty beyond any rhyme or reason, and unbreakable bonds between people that might go just a little too far and stem from the characters' own issues. There's a pinch of us-against-the-world and a generous helping of confused super-intense feelings in the mix. Friendship, love, duty, whatever it is that binds the characters to each other, it's stronger than the characters themselves. Pining, my long-time guilty pleasure, fits together with loyalty kink particularly well. I have a total weakness for characters who really would do anything for the one they're loyal to, and who they pine for in secret. It may not be 100% healthy, but it's always complicated, always intense, and I'll always be fascinated by it.
• Extreme kink like scat play or vore or necrophilia is not really my cup of smut. When in doubt, check with me first (via the mods). As for rape scenes, just, please don't write me that. I'd rather not read it on merry Yule. Dubious consent due to alcohol consumption is fine, but I don't kink on non-con.

If some of my suggestions and ideas make you uncomfortable or don't inspire you, go for what sparks up your interest in the fandom and characters in question. What do you like about them? What would you like to write about them? What would you like to read in a fic? This letter is by no means a shopping list that I expect you to follow word by word. Take the good, leave the rest, and have fun! The reason this stuff is here is that I don't want to leave you hanging with no idea where to start.

Now for the fandom-specific details...


The Gate (1987)
-Characters: Al, Glen, Terrence "Terry" Chandler



This isn't a nostalgic fandom for me, as I first saw The Gate only a few years ago, but I know I would have loved it when I was around the same age as the protagonists. I really like films with child protagonists that keep the focus on the kids and show how resourceful and brave they can be, while still keeping them flawed and acting in age-appropriate ways. For example, Al gives in to peer pressure at first, like any teen would, but when her little brother is in trouble she immediately checks her priorities. Terry may in fact be the coolest little demonologist the 80s have produced but he gets things wrong sometimes and does get scared along with the others. I love that Glen's bravery that saves the day in the end doesn't come easily for him. These are surprisingly complex characters for a horror comedy. I wanted them to succeed and survive.

What I also find refreshing is that the important relationships in this film are based on friendship and family. Glen's love for his big sister is what saves them in the end (well, a rocket helps, too). You can tell that Terry and Glen are best friends from their easy and natural interaction. You can probably guess by now that I'm mainly looking for gen fic here, and I don't think that should be a problem, seeing as these are kids we're talking about. However, if your inspiration takes you there, I'm open to the idea of adding future love interests in post-canon fics -- I was quite fond of The Gate II, which you can also use in your fic if you like, because Terry's love interest was a fully fledged character first and potential girlfriend second, and central to the plot.

More importantly, though, Al, Glen and Terry are a great team, and I'd love to read more about them together! The film did a fantastic job showing their team skills through action, but in a less visual medium like fic the focus could also shift to less frantic scenes. Just having the three sit down for ice cream and talk about their experiences after the film would be great. I'd love to hear more about Terry's theories; he's probably my favourite of the lot. That kid has a bright future as a slightly unhinged geeky demon hunter ahead of him!

Which brings me to this alternate ending idea. Now, I don't usually suggest AUs for Yuletide - I don't know you, after all, dear Yuletide writer, and I don't know what kind of things you like and are comfortable with. But this one wouldn't let me be; I have to share it with you. The main divergence from the canon is this: what if Glen was too late? What if the rocket didn't work? Assuming Al and Terry survived, of course (I do want my team to be there in full force!), the kids would now find themselves in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by demons. They can't be the only ones who survived, but life changes drastically for everyone on Earth. Imagine our team, a few years on, armed with shotguns and self-made weapons. Perhaps Al is the best shot. Perhaps Terry wears a cool eyepatch to cover his missing eye. Perhaps Glen is an explosives expert. If you like post-apocalyptic demon-hunting shenanigans, I'd love a snippet of their lives on the run. I know it's essentially a "bad ending", but you could still weave humour into it, or turn it into an over-the-top splatter fest. It needn't be just dark and gloomy -- the film isn't, after all.

Also, if you happen to be fond of Lovecraftian horrors, you could easily mix in some elements from the Cthulhu Mythos. I think The Gate and the Mythos are very compatible, and I'd be intrigued and delighted to see that explored. I bet Terry could find some interesting books that could shed light on the squamous things that go bump in the night. Lovecraft's tales desperately need humour injections sometimes, and The Gate's characters could provide that. Stranger Things is another Yuletide fandom that could offer very easy crossover material; I think The Gate has inspired it a lot. You could have the kid teams meet and team up against new terrors from beyond! I'm not usually quite this crossover-inclined, but what can I say, The Gate has plenty of potential in that regard.

But in the end, it comes down to three resourceful kids who fought demons and won. Give them some attention, have them interact, and I'm more than happy.


Strangers in Paradise
-Characters: Casey Bullocks-Femur, Tambi Baker


"Anybody can boil a pancake!"

SiP pocket book 4. That was when I fell in love with Casey, and ever since she's been my favourite character. I love how bubbly and excitable and kinky she is. The last volume made me happy beyond belief. There's so much to Casey we didn't know, and so much that has only been hinted at -- like that she's from Chicago, Becky's sister, into rough sex, dyslexic... Take any of the little facts about her and go exploring! I just want to know more about Casey! SiP isn't always the greatest when it comes to continuity, so if you feel you need to tweak something said about her in the earlier books to make the later revelations make sense, go right ahead. We have only had a few scenes where she's completely let down her guard and just been herself. There's plenty of ground to cover.

And I can't really talk about Casey without mentioning Tambi (or Mary Beth), since their paths are so intertwined. Tambi's another character who has a lot of things bubbling under the surface. The self-harming, for one thing. She's super intimidating and bad at letting herself be vulnerable. It's easy to find similarities in Casey and Tambi's pasts. Both had sisters working in the same, dirty business with them. Both love working out. Tambi has been unable to be herself for a long time, too, and she's clearly enjoying being in control of her own life now. Control is a big thing with her, obviously. She cares for her girls, but being their friend instead of boss is something she's going to need help with. Casey fits the bill; she has a big heart and is trusting and open to a fault. She's pushy and endlessly optimistic and stands up for herself. In short, she's the friend Tambi needs.

I make no bones about it: I ship these two, and would love a steamy, rough sex scene, with some kink and unexpected awkwardness and newly revealed vulnerabilities. It seems their kinks could fit together quite well. I like first times, when the characters are learning each other, and I'd love to read about how these two get together in the first place, but I have nothing against an established relationship, either. If you're not comfortable writing anything explicit, it's perfectly okay! There's plenty of shippy stuff I'd love to read about. How do they work out the fact that Tambi is technically Casey's boss? What kind of things do they do together? Casey might suggest a weekly boxing session, or a jog, to get Tambi out of her shell and talking to her. After all, she likes to get physical.

If you're not aboard the ship, no worries! Scenes with these two interacting with each other and perhaps with Tambi's girls would be just as great. The process of becoming friends could work out much the same way as becoming girlfriends -- doing sports together, being each other's confidants, navigating around touchy subjects and old hurts. A bit of H/C would be wonderful and called for, given both of their pasts. Also, I adore Cherry Hammer, and would like to read more about Becky. Do they have something to say about boss getting soft on Casey? Does Becky have objections or concerns about her sister? Perhaps one of them gets in trouble, and the rest have to come up with a plan to rescue them. It would be a fun twist if it was Tambi who needed rescuing for a change. Feel free to use the characters that aren't in the tag set, too, but I'd like the story to focus on Casey and Tambi and their interaction.


Preacher (TV)
-Characters: Jesse Custer (Preacher TV), Proinsias Cassidy (Preacher TV), Tulip O'Hare (Preacher TV)


Ah, Preacher. This is one of my favourite comics adaptations, because it took the time to establish its characters and kept the relationships at the central stage. I love the madcap humour and the well-executed action scenes, but it's the unholy trinity of Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy that hooked me. Because of the slowburn nature of character and relationship development in the show I'm mainly looking for fic taking place between the seasons, or during season two, but you can certainly find hidden moments for the three before that as well. There are a lot of potential sidetracks you could follow with them -- problems and pitstops during the early part of their roadtrip (I love roadtrip fics in general, so this part of the show delighted me), the parts of barhopping to find God that we didn't see in the show... I'd love to see them get in trouble somehow, since they're so good at it, and have to work together to pull through.

Mostly, though, I'd just like something character-centric for this request. I love the complex and ever-shifting dynamic of this trio, and would definitely want all three to get an equal share of attention. Although I love these characters, and the excellent cast adds to their appeal, let's face it  -- Tulip, Jesse and Cassidy are all flawed, selfish bastards in their own ways. They are not good people, they are not often even good for each other, but there is some kind of love and loyalty there that can't be denied, and they have their moments of sincerity and compassion. I do ship them as an OT3, and would adore a potentially kinky sex scene, but if that ship is not your cup of tea that's fine; just don't focus on the love triangle in that case, because that's not a dynamic that appeals to me in fic. I do love a dose of good pining, but if it's entirely unrequited, no thank you. I'd rather you focused on the friendship and loyalty issues these three have with each other, since there's plenty of emotional payoff to find there. How much is Cassidy hiding behind his laid-back attitude? Tulip has a tendency to fall into self-destructive patterns, and she hates it -- she doesn't want to be predictable. And Jesse is constantly struggling to balance the demands of his ego and his code of ethics. Put all this together, and you get either a messy, painful explosion, or the greatest night out ever. Whether you want to focus on the romantic and sexual aspects or the friendship is up to you -- either way, I'm here for the ride that is this team dynamic. Make it tumultuous, make it less than perfect, less than ordinary, and I will be thoroughly satisfied.

I mentioned that I love this adaptation, so much so that I actually prefer it to the original comics. The main reason is, you guessed it, the characterization. I love the TV show versions of Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy, and although I have read the comics and don't mind it if you borrow small details from them, please stick to the TV canon for the most part. The show has certainly demonstrated it has the courage to go beyond the comics if necessary. Like DeBlanc said, "It's all right, my dear. Leave 'em behind."