Dear Yuletide Writer

[antigravitydevice]

Thank you so much for writing for me, and offering such excellent canons! I can't wait to see what you'll be inspired to write, and I wish you a merry Yule filled with all things exciting and delicious.

Here are some of my general fic preferences. Please keep in mind, these are not here to restrict you but to help you figure out my taste! I lurk at Yuletide under a different pseud from what I use for my other fannish activities, and I'm afraid this makes friendly stalking kind of difficult.

• 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.
• I love threesomes and moresomes, and poly ships. I have an OT3 in most of my fandoms.
• 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.
• Adventures and exciting action scenes -- if you can write them, please, please do! I love having the characters do more than sit around and ponder. Many of my favourite characters express themselves best by doing something concrete, and I like seeing this reflected in fic.
• Domination kink is fine, but embarrassment or humiliation humour is not my favourite kind.
• Pining is my guilty pleasure. I especially love it when one party of an OT3 wants the other two but sees how good they are together and is afraid of messing that up for them. I don't know why, but I eat up that stuff with a big spoon!
• Unlikely friendships and unexpected conversations: there can never be enough of these.
• Wedding scenes or marriage proposals don't generally make me gooey inside.
• I prefer sparks of humanity even in the darkest settings. The ending needn't be happy, but I like my angst seasoned with warmth and hope.
• Some kink is fab, but extreme kink like scat play or vore or necrophilia is not really my cup of smut. When in doubt, check with me first. As for rape scenes, just, please don't write me that. I'd rather not read it on merry Yule.
• No character bashing, please! I tend to grow fond of most 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.
• Swashbucklery and dashing rescues -- always a highlight for me!
• I'm not easily squicked by violence or gore in action or horror scenes. 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 don't like feeling I'm being lectured to.
• I love dinosaurs, strange beasts and aliens of all kinds, 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 if you've got your heart set on a specific universe or setting, I would still like the story to feel like a Fandom A story.
• 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.

Please don't be intimidated by having to write world-building or OT3 smut or anything else I've suggested. If it's really something that makes you uncomfortable or doesn't inspire you, I'll always be happy with a simple conversation scene, or a slice of life, or anything else that catches your interest. Take the good, leave the rest, and have fun! This is a long letter because I don't want to leave you hanging with no idea where to start. If you've already got an idea for a story that fits my request that you're itching to write, go for it and never mind my prattling!

Next, some fandom-specific details...

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV 2008)
-Ahsoka Tano

I was so excited to see The Clone Wars in the list of fandoms this year! I watched all of it in quick succession this autumn, so I'm right in that first flush of new fandom squee. Not that Star Wars is a new fandom for me; I'm a pretty big Star Wars nerd, so don't be afraid of including some obscure Jedi powers or alien species or planets, I love this pulp-y space opera universe! The Clone Wars took Star Wars into some unexpected directions for a supposed kids' show, and I'd love it if you'd keep the morally grey tone.

I picked Ahsoka because I very quickly fell in love with her bravery and her resilience, not to mention her sense of humour. She's flawed and brash, and it's great that the show never shoved her into a "smug invincible brat" box but let her grow and learn from her mistakes. I love the fact that she has so many wonderful friendships with other women in the show -- the films are not exactly bursting with female characters and their interaction. Post-canon adventures are an obvious prompt (where did she go, and what did she do?), but I'd also love scenes of her interacting with other women, especially Barriss. I ship Ahsoka and Barriss both as friends and as potential lovers, and if you were to write a post canon fic of the two of them meeting again after leaving the Order and reconciling while having adventures, I'd be over the moon! Perhaps the reason for Barriss's fall to the Dark Side was her confusion about her feelings for Ahsoka? I'm a multi-shipper at heart, however, and would be perfectly happy with a gen fic. Please no Anakin/Ahsoka; I'd prefer it if you'd keep him in the background, although I do like their master-padawan -relationship.

The Clone Wars is full of great characters, many of them clones, and I'd love to read about Ahsoka interacting with them on an assignment in a strange alien world. Fives, Waxer and Hardcase are some of my favourite clones (yes, I tend to go for the rebellious types!), and as for the antagonists, I'm very fond of Asajj Ventress. I also love Hondo Ohnaka, and have a soft spot for scoundrels in general. Perhaps Ahsoka has to make a deal with pirates or bounty hunters? Have fun exploring the rich Star Wars universe! I'm sure Ahsoka will persevere and survive anything you throw her way.


The Walking Dead (Video Games)
-Christa

Warning: this section includes SPOILERS for both seasons of the game!

This game is my favourite spin on a zombie apocalypse because of its focus on the human cost. (Max Brooks's World War Z -- the book, definitely not the film -- was also great in this aspect, if you're looking for inspiration.) Sure, kicking undead ass can be fun -- I'm not a complete killjoy -- but TWDG explores the psychological and social implications so, so well. I adore Clementine, and most of the characters, really, even the morally questionable ones like Kenny. The game is full of broken people barely keeping it together, and for this reason I find it pretty easy to understand and even sympathise with them. In my playthroughs, I tend to go for very sympathetic and understanding choices, trying not to pick sides and save as many as I possibly can without giving up the character's humanity just to survive. I never forget that Clementine is a child, no matter what she has to go through and what she has to learn in order to survive. I like to believe she can still afford to have a heart and not lose her hope in humanity.

Christa is one of my favourite characters, and the second season really left us hanging when it came to her fate. I'd love a fic about her and Clementine's reunion! Christa was a great guardian for Clementine, like Lee, and I feel Clementine could really use a dependable adult like her around. Jane and Kenny both have their own emotional baggage that results in them depending on Clementine, especially Kenny, and I'd like Christa to balance out the situation. (My Clementine left Wellington with Kenny and AJ, but if you picked a different ending, work with what works for you best!) Clementine is competent, but still a child, and AJ deserves a strong mother, too. I also think Christa enjoys being in charge, and having someone to protect and teach. The fic could also be set in the time between the seasons, when Omid was still alive. He and Christa had an adorable relationship, and I'd love to read about their and Clementine's adventures together. Perhaps a scene where she teaches Clementine, similar to the one in the first episode of season two, but a little more optimistic in tone? Some Christa/Omid shippy fic with plenty of bantering would be very welcome, too.

I've been compiling a bit of a fanmix for this game, so I'll add some links to songs here. Who knows, maybe they'll inspire you!
Elbow: Mercy Street (Peter Gabriel cover)
Soulsavers: Longest Day
Slow Static: In Case of Zombies Press Play
Mark Lanegan: I Am the Wolf
Heather Nova: Until the Race Is Run
 

Shadows of the Apt - Adrian Tchaikovsky
-te Schola Taki-Amre

I really like the world-building aspects of Tchaikovsky's writing, and the different societies and powers the insect kinden have. The world has a wonderfully post-apocalyptic feel. The Exalsee area is especially fascinating, with its aviators and age-old customs. If you can shed light on an aspect of the local culture, like a peculiar custom or a celebration, I'd love to read all about it! I picked Taki because while the series is full of compelling characters, she just grabbed me right away and wouldn't let go. I love the way she isn't afraid of throwing herself into new experiences and going where the winds might take her. She's upbeat and clever and a joy to read about. Flight fascinates me, so air battles never fail to excite me, and I love how flight is used as a metaphor for so many things in the series -- the gulf between the Inapt and the Apt, for one. Speaking of, I adore Cheerwell Maker and would love to read about her and Taki's friendship. Perhaps a moment taking place between Salute the Dark and The Scarab Path where they're both dealing with loss in their own way? Flight means so much to them both, and I love how quick they are to trust each other. Taki's a Fly, Che's a Beetle -- what does that mean to them? Not much is known about Taki's past, so how about a story from pre-canon times, when she's just spreading her wings? Little snot-nosed Taki is just too adorable to contemplate.

I should mention here that I'm currently reading The Scarab Path, and might add some prompts here as I read further! Feel free to assume I've finished Air War by the reveals, at least! And if I find the final two books somewhere cheap, I'll probably finish the entire series, too. Sorry about the inconvenience, and of course you don't have to keep checking back here if the above is enough to get you started! I won't be changing anything, just adding new things as I read along.

If you'd like some music to inspire you, I quite like listening to E.S. Posthumus while I read this series.


Imajica - Clive Barker

I'm a long-time fan of Barker's, starting from short horror stories and stretching to Abarat and Imajica, and enjoy his effortless prose. He's an easy and enjoyable read; I love how weird his imagination can get, and how he can say so much with so few words. Not that Imajica is a short book, of course, and this is where my request comes in: there are so many Dominions here to cover that are only briefly glanced at in the canon. So, please, dear Yule writer, show me the wonders of Imajica! I love its goddesses, its people, its weird social conventions and laws - grab whatever interests you the most, and elaborate! For an example of a bit of world-building mixed with action and drama, I adored the Cradle sequence.

I didn't request any specific characters, but I'm quite fond of them all. If I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be Pie'oh'pah. Please, if you offered this canon for the characters and the relationships, use them to your heart's content. I found Pie and Gentle's romance to be very touching, and the book was full of heart-warming, complicated relationships - my favourite kind. Use them in missing scenes, pre-canon stories, anything you come up with.

If you're crossover-inclined, this canon could easily be intertwined with Hal Duncan's The Book of All Hours. Play with the metaphysics and the alternate timelines and universes! Have the characters meet! Phreedom meeting Judith would be a dream come true. The Cthulhu Mythos might make another intriguing choice for a canon fusion. Your imagination sets the limit.


Road to El Dorado (2000)
-Tulio, Miguel, Chel

This film has my favourite flavour of humour -- perfectly timed wordplay and witty bantering. Half the film is quotable! I'm so glad Tulio and Miguel's voice actors recorded their dialogue together, because they're in perfect synch and the chemistry and energy just oozes off the screen. I'm definitely looking for something fun and relatively light-hearted here. I have such a weakness for rogues and scoundrels, and these three all fit the description to a tee. It's so easy to ship them together, because there's no tedious jealousy drama and their goals are so very compatible: get rich and have fun trying. They all seem to also fancy each other in canon. I admit that out of all my prompts this year, this is the shippiest; a steamy threesome scene would definitely warm up my Yule. Or perhaps they can try to test the limits of their budding relationship in the middle of some dastardly clever plan? I can't imagine them sitting down and calmly negotiating anything; they're all about the dramatic gestures and action and excitement. Big sweeping gestures mixed with awkward moments of vulnerability is how I see them coming together.

If you don't ship them, or ship only Tulio/Chel or Tulio/Miguel, no worries! Just have them all be equal partners in crime when it comes to adventuring, and I'll be happy. Post-canon opens up a world of possibilities for the three -- take them anywhere you like! Will it be adventurous? Will they get rich? I'm sure nothing will go according to plan, no matter how good Tulio's plans are. Luckily the trouble is half the fun.

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Whew, that's it! I hope you'll have fun with the assignment -- I can't wait to get my hands on mine. Thank you for reading, and may your Yuletide bring you heaps of squee!