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nonesensedGreetings, kind Yulegoat!
I hope this letter will be inspiring for you to read :D I am so excited for whatever fandom you'll be writing for and can't wait to read what you'll create~!
If you want to go the really advanced route, I have a very long list of favorite tropes and kinks over here. It's a list of both smut-related likes and gen-related likes. On AO3 I'm![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
Nonesensed, if you want to take a look at my own fics and/or bookmarks for inspiration :) You can also find me on tumblr as ![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
nonesensed.
I'll be starting with my squicks and do-not-wants, just to get them out of the way. If one of my squicks happens to be one of your favorite tropes or kinks, no judgement! These things just happen to not me my thing.
Not my cup of tea & Squicks
- A/B/O aka Alpha/Beta/Omega. I have read interesting A/B/O-stories, but mostly as subversions of the tropes associated with A/B/O - it mostly don't work for me. I know A/B/O is more of an "opt-in" thing, but since I've listed "messing with gender roles and heteronormativity" as things I like, I thought I'd specify that A/B/O isn't what I'm looking for.
- Animal abuse leading to death and Bestiality. By bestiality, I mean humans having sex with animals, not sentient/sapient alien creatures. Xenophilia I'm down with (though unless it's with a humanoid alien like in Star Trek I prefer fade-to-black sex scenes). I also wish to avoid animal abuse if it's explicit and the animal dies. I can deal with animals being mistreated if they get rescued from said mistreatment, but would otherwise very much prefer to avoid all such scenarios.]
- Daddy or Mommy kink. Not my thing, whether there's actual incest involved or not. Guardian/child romances or sexual situations are really not my cup of tea, be they play-pretend or not. Same goes for using "daddy" and "mommy" as pet names.
- When the main plot is a person having amnesia, characters suddenly age regressing into children and characters switching bodies, I tend to stop reading. This is simply because I've seen those tropes done so many times before in fanfiction. That said, I have nothing against these tropes being delved into and explored if they're part of canon.
- High school AUs. Meaning that I'm completely fine with school-related things if they are canon.
- Underage. No explicit sex scenes or sexual situations involving children, please. And I am Old(tm) so I mean everyone under 18 when I say children. This said, I will not be squicked out if it's implied or threatened (e.g. two teenagers "off screen" having had sex with each other, adults mentioning having had an early sexual debuts, characters having had past traumatic experiences, a villain saying creepy things about someone's children, etc.) It's only explicit sex scenes involving people under 18 that I'd rather avoid.
- Vore. Don't mind it implied, but an explicit sex scene of this will be horror and squick to me, not sexy.
- Women always being the submissive partner in D/s scenarios between a man and a woman. No hate on submissive women! They just tend to be the default in fiction, and I'd love for there to be more Dominant women if there is to be a BDSM and/or D/s dynamic between a man and a woman <3 For other gender combinations I've got no particular preference. Please just avoid the "all women and fem-presenting people are automatically submissive in bed, even if they start out taking the initiative"-trope that permeates most of media (I say as a very much not submissive woman who rarely see myself reflected in any fiction).
- Watersports and scat (i.e. urine & feces involved during sex).
And that's it for Do-Not-Wants! Now come the things I greatly enjoy! Of course, feel free to ignore stuff you'd rather not write :)
Genres
Since it's the holidays I'd love for there to be hurt/comfort or a happy ending if your story takes an emotionally harsh path. This said, if your chosen genre is horror, a happy ending is 100% optional! I enjoy all manner of fic from fluff to horror. I love creepy/eerie horror and cosmic horror, am more 'meh' about slasher-horror and religious horror.
Mini-Challenges
I'd love the following (links to my comments on the different challenges):
Ratings
Anything goes! I have no trouble reading (and enjoying) anything from the kid-safest of fics to the most explicit of sex and violence. Oh, and while I'm not requesting a fic with rape in it, know that I'm okay if your story goes there. Basically, even if your story needs the rape/noncon warning on AO3, it won't upset me, especially not if the reason for the tag is related to events in canon.
Writing styles
Almost anything goes! Third person? Second person? First person? Present or past tense? Future tense? Epistolary? Twitter conversation? Outsider POV? I'm here for it all! The only thing that isn't my thing is "choose your own adventure"-stories; no hate for them, I just have trouble making up my mind on what choices to pick and I thus end up never finishing them XD
Things that make me smile (SFW)
- Anticipation, tension and suspense. Be it unresolved sexual tension, a manhunt for a dangerous killer, or a race against time to save someone's life – if it keeps me on the edge of my seat, I'm happy.
- Character introspection. I adore an engaging mystery or conflict, but I also enjoy slice-of-life and stories that focus on the inner life of one or more characters. If made to pick between focus on characters I love or focus on an intricate plot, I'll pick character focus every time <3
- Culture-clashes, where both cultures are seen as equals by the narrative - aka not "Oh, look at these poor uneducated barbarians, we must enlighten them!" but more "They've been courting me??".
- Found family. Characters who slowly go from strangers to "I would die for you all" are a delight!
- Messing with and questioning heteronormativity and gender roles, in any way.
- Kidnappings, for any reason. It's more for the rescue part of the plot that I enjoy it, especially if it's an "unexpected" character saving a more "rescuer"-like character.
- Loyalty in all its shapes and forms! I especially love characters who are a little too loyal; maybe to people they shouldn't be loyal to, maybe to a point where they value that person/those people's life more than their own. Buuuut, I also love when loyalty is rewarded! When trusting someone and relying on someone is the best thing to do - especially if contrasted with past badly placed loyalty. Just...people being devoted to other people, it floats all my boats~!
- Mysteries, be it a "who did it?", a "what is the meaning of this old text" a "who at court is gossiping about the main character?" or whatever else kind of mystery you can think up, I'll happily read it!
- Pairings or gen. I've listed pairings for some of my fandoms, and I adore all kinds of pairing-focused fics, be they couples, threesomes, moresomes, etc. This said, I also enjoy fics that have no pairings or only implied pairings. So if my ships happen to not be your ships, gen is very welcome!
- Role reversals (usual rescuer being rescued, “weaker” character saves the day, otherwise more worldly character is courted/seduces/approached by otherwise more “naive” character, etc.) Since who I consider the "usual X" might be tricky to guess, I'll try to elaborate on this for each fandom.
- Characters getting to show off their skills. All scenarios where a character who's really skilled at something (e.g. magic, diplomacy, detective work, medicine, etc.) getting to use that skill to solve a problem and solve it well.
- Vulnerability especially when it comes from otherwise "closed off" characters. Through being wounded, kidnapped, drugged, bested (even if said person just is pretending to lose to please someone else), being open about something meaningful to them, or in any other scenario you can think of. I'll try to add more info for each fandom further down.
- If you like writing AUs and crossovers I'm happy to receive such fic! All AUs but high school AUs make me smile, though my favorites are fantasy/science fiction/solarpunk/cyberpunk AUs. If you choose to set the fic IN SPAAAAACE for a non-space fandom I'm soooo here for that :D. Here's a list of fandoms I'm familiar with to some degree, in case you should happen to want to write a crossover with a fandom other than the ones I've requested for Yuletide.
Other things that make me smile (only relevant to smut)
- Consent play aka when two people pretend one of them isn't into the scene, but they definitely are. Love this best when it's very clear to the reader that it's all play-pretend.
- Foreplay and teasing/tempting (both verbal and otherwise). Doesn't actually have to lead to sex – the teasing is fun in itself.
- Hot Spots - when a character has a spot on their body that makes their knees go weak; i.e. when someone bites their ear, pulls their hair, kisses their neck, etc.
- Kink negotiations. I adore when characters discuss what they're into as a form of foreplay <3
- Overstimulation, as in people being overwhelmed by pleasure, especially when combined with orgasm delay <3
- People having fun, especially if it's First Time Sex we're talking and if you feel it works with the characters' personalities and situation. Just a relaxed, laughing-with-you-not-at-you, friendly mood to go with a very fun activity!
- Playful dominance/submission + bondage. Extra great when initiated by the submissive partner. Small gestures, such as holding the other's hands still, biting, rough play, verbally dominating someone... And in pairings involving both men and women, I do love femdom, if that works with the personality of the woman in question. I'm also down for painplay and pretty much anything that is included under the BDSM-umbrella, as long as everyone involved in the sex scene are into it (or haven't tried it yet and turn out to really love it).
- Roleplaying, be it super serious or super silly. I'm all for playacting in the bedroom <3
- Vanilla sex. Although kinky is wonderful, I don't require it to like a sex scene. I love when there's a clear difference between "D/s scene" and "people just deciding to have sex" because sex can definitely happen without anyone taking the lead - something I feel a lot of mainstream erotica forgets, especially when it comes to m/f couples.
Fandom specifics!
Beware of spoilers for all fandoms listed below!
The Codex of Desire - Lauren Alder
(Characters: Any)
Where you can find the canon: It's available as both printed book and ebook. Goodreads link for help to find it.
Why I love the canon: I mean, it's a book about how aliens influence dinosaurs to gain sapience and then there is a huge patriarchy VS matriarchy conflict; it's basically tailor-made to catch my interest XD Plus, the dinosaurs have actual feathers! The world building really grabbed me as did all the mythology and stories and the different cultures of the two big Greatest civilizations. This is a world I'd love to roleplay in! The tragedy of the story was heart-breaking and I'd love for a fix-it or pre-canon look at the world, because I really love the setting! Also, love how the canon plays with gender and gender roles!
Why I love the characters:
Pairings?: I'm open to any kind of pairing in this fandom, canon or not, healthy or not! Go for whatever inspires you or no pairing at all :D.
Story prompts: I'm super curious about the setting of this book! Not post-book, 'cause then everything is just a radioactive wasteland, but I'm very curious about what life was like for the different groups of Greatest before the ending. Are there groups outside of these two main ones that are less violent and more at peace with life, farther from the first impact of the alien influence? More additions to the Greatest's two different cultures in forms of myths, songs and traditions are also super interesting! I'm also very open to What-Ifs, either close to canon or way off: What would have happened if the alien overlord hadn't come back to guide the patriarchal Greatest? What if there had been no final attack, where would the different characters have ended up then - is there a way to find a better balance between the two cultures or a third (less sexist and violent) option? What if the Greatest had been brought into a space empire instead of being left on their planet (dinosaurs in SPAAACE!!)? There's so much to explore here! If you'd prefer to focus on a character specifically, I'd love to see a story about any or any combination of the nominated characters or original Greatest characters you've made up yourself!
Yuletide sign-up info: The setting of this story grabbed and pushed its hooks into me - I mean, how could I resist "sapient dinosaurs partially controlled by aliens caught up in a patriarchy VS matriarchy war"? It's utterly bananas in the best of ways! The story itself is of course terribly tragic, but despite that I love it and its characters. Most of all I love the setting, so I'm up for any kind of story set in this world! Additional mythology, songs and traditions! A slice-of-life story about any of the nominated characters or an original character you've come up with yourself! Also, I'm super open to canon-divergent AUs in large or small ways (e.g. fix-it fic when they don't all die! dinosaurs in space! dinosaurs with magic!)
DNWs for this fandom: age regression, amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death (I'm okay with hunting scenes), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, explicit sex (scenes similar to the fade-to-black and build-up found in canon are fine), high school AU (other AUs welcome!), characters who aren't considered adults shown in explicit sexual situations, vore, watersports & scat.
Cordelia (Movie Poster 2020)
(Characters: Man & Woman)
Where you can find the canon: The whole of canon is the movie poster shown here above XD
Why I love the canon: I'm sure the movie the poster is promoting is a perfectly fine movie, buuuuut I (along with many, it would seem) am starved for period romance femdom, not modern psychological thrillers. I love that so many people saw the poster and (like me) thought "Yes! Finally a period romance with a woman taking the lead!" I have no idea what the PR-people for this movie were thinking, but clearly they didn't get the idea of the actual film across. I'm greatly looking forward to whatever stories can be thought up to suit the poster better! Mainly hoping for femdom m/f romance in a period setting, but as long as there's femdom I'm down for whatever this poster inspires <3
Why I love the characters: Can't really write anything here as the characters can be summed up as "expressions & poses on poster" + "your imagination". But I LOVE the pose, A+++, all romance novel covers should copy it shamelessly!
Pairings?: Man/Woman please :).
Story prompts: The sky's the limit! Is this modern time, a period piece, an alternate universe? Is there magic? The setting I'm very flexible on, as much fun as a period piece (with or without magic) would be. What I'd love for the story to focus on is a romance between Man & Woman, whatever their names end up being in the story. Is Woman a widow in search for a new husband? Or are Woman and Man both new to relationships? Did they meet at a ball? In battle? During a heist? Introduced by mutual friends? Are they from "our" world or from a world where it's expected for women to take the lead in m/f relationships? And is their interest immediately mutual or does it take time to grow? I'm ever so curious as to what you'll come up with!
Yuletide sign-up info: I'm so happy that I wasn't the only one who saw this poster and immediately thought "Pride, Prejudice & Pegging"! Not that I'm demanding pegging, but I am utterly starved for m/f romance content that explores less heteronormative dynamics. What I'm wishing for is a romance story between Man and Woman where Woman takes the lead in the relationship. How much of a lead? Well, anything from her being the one to initiate the relationship to full on BDSM, whatever floats your boat! As long as Woman doesn't end up being submissive (in the BDSM-sense of submissive), I'm fine with however family-friendly or explicit you want to make the leading/following in this relationship. I'd also love a period setting, just because that's where the poster takes my mind (even though the poster is depicting two people in "present time" dress), BUT I'm open to modern setting, scifi setting, fantasy setting (especially open to period setting with magic because I'm always down for magic!) - whatever you're inspired to write!
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of Man or Woman, vore, watersports & scat, Woman being submissive or a switch if there is to be D/s dynamics.
The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
(Character: Thara Celehar)
Where you can find the canon: Goodreads can help you find where you can buy or borrow this book.
Why I love the canon: I went into The Goblin Emperor expecting grimdark Song of Ice and Fire-style intrigue. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a positive view on people instead! Yes, there are rotten people at court and outside it in this story, but Maia never has to "lower himself to their standards" to win. Staying kind and making wise choices, trusting the right allies, that's what sees Maia to victory. Because most people care about each other, and I love it when stories remember that! That's why I love this book – it's so refreshing read a story where being a descent, kind person can gain you success. Thara's situation is a big part of this optimism; a man in his situation must have been expecting to fade into obscurity at best, be made a mockery and cruelly punished for just being who he is at worst. Having him gain both a respectable position and the favor of the current Emperor is wonderful and I love it.
Why I love the character:
Pairings?: I'd love to see Thara find new love! I read him as homosexual based on the text, so please don't pair him up with someone that goes against his sexuality. Don't get me wrong, I'm very pro-bisexual headcanons (I happen to be bi myself), pansexual-headcanons and so on! I just feel that if Thara had the "option" to fall in love with a more 'acceptable' person I think there would have been no tragedy for him. He's such a duty-bound person and elven society is clearly super homophobic, so if he could settle down with a woman I think he would have. This said, I've got no particular person I ship him with, only people I'd rather not see him get with, because I'm difficult like that XD. I'd be perfectly happy to see him paired up with an OC or a crossover character! I would prefer that Thare not end up with Maia (I ship him with Csethiro), Beshelar or Cala (I ship Cala & Beshelar with each other). Or, well, I'd be fine with there being some consensual threesome or moresome arrangement, if that's your thing too. Just please don't break up my OTPs <3.
Story prompts: Is there a crime Thara is called in to investigate? Is there a conspiracy against the Emperor that Thara must reveal or fight back against? Does Maia as an Emperor make it easier for wIw and mIm people to live in the elven empire and if so, how does Thara react to that? Does Thara end up falling in love again, and if so, how does he deal with that? Does he have more encounters with the Emperor and his people, and if so, how and why?
Yuletide sign-up info: I love this world, I love all the characters, I love the conflict, I love how formal language is used to show distance/intimacy, and I love, looove how Thara's tragic situation is turned around by Maia's kindness. I want to know more about what happens to Thara after the events of the book. Being made a Witness vel ama aka for those things that cannot speak for themselves - what kind of situations does he end up in thanks to that position? What new enemies and allies does he make? What connections with the court does he keep? Does Maia ever call on his aid post-canon? Does Thara ever find love again? Will that be easier under the rule of the new Emperor? Just, more Thara!
Other reasons I love him: 1) Loyalty: Thara is dedicated to truth and justice to a point where it's clearly detrimental to him. 2) He's the "strong and silent" type in the sense that he has very few people he can honestly confide in. 3) His position as a Witness and how that involves both detective work and speaking to the dead. I'd love to see these aspects of him explored and/or challenged, or a "role reversal" situation with him comforting someone or being the victim of a crime someone else must investigate or save him from. Suggestions for this: Thara being put in another situation where justice and truth might not be the best way to go but him feeling compelled to do so anyways, or maybe he's caught between two loyalties. Or the other way around, Thara's focus on justice being a boon to him in some way. Thara feeling comfortable enough with someone to show vulnerability. Thara being the one in trouble and having to ask for help - maybe even getting aid from the dead?
Oh, and as a quick aside, should you go down the romance route, I ship Maia/Csethiro and Beshelar/Cala, so please don't "break up" those couples to ship one of them with Thara - that said, I'm up for threesomes, moresomes, and any other canon character, crossover character or OC that you feel would work with Thara.
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of canon characters who lived to the end of the book, Thara romantically paired with a woman (or paired with Maia, Beshelar or Cala in a way that breaks up Maia/Csethiro or Beshelar/Cala), vore, watersports & scat.
Killjoys (TV)
(Character: Fancy Lee)
Where you can find the canon: Here in Sweden it's no longer available on Netflix or HBO, but I'm sure you can find it streaming somewhere - or you can buy it on DVD or Blu ray~!
Why I love the canon: Killjoys is exactly my kind of story! Great world building that is shown not told, an interesting mystery, lovable characters and Big Damn Hero moments <3 My absolute favorite parts where how close the main characters were to each other, how competent they were, and how they were aiming to do as much good as they could despite their less than fortunate circumstances. Loyalty and friendship is wonderful <3 This said, I am endlessly cursed to find my favorite characters outside of the main cast, almost always when I find a fandom. In Killjoys my favorites ended up being Alvis Akari and Fancy Lee. Seeing as Alvis didn't make it to the end of the show, Fancy Lee is the character in the final season I was most interested in (and I was so glad we got him back after his "death"!). As much as I love the main cast, and I wish there had been even more of Fancy!
Why I love the character:
Pairings?: I can ship Fancy with Alvis, D'avin+Dutch & Johnny (aka Fancy/D'avin/Dutch but not D'avin or Dutch together with Johnny) and I'm up for crossover character ships and OC ships of any gender! I really like the Fancy/Alvis ship but seeing as Alvis is dead that's pretty much not an option unless the story is set pre-Alvis' death or in a fix-it fic (though I'm open to both of those!) Basically, if any of those options sounds interesting to you, dear Yulegoat, ship away! But gen is also very welcome :) Oh, and if you pair Fancy with a female character I'd love it if there's either no D/s dynamic or the female character is more dominant - no hate on submissive female characters but I am starved for both femdom content and "no D/s dynamic whatsoever" content when it comes to m/f pairings.
Story prompts: I'd love a story where Fancy Lee gets to show off his skills and/or where Fancy is the one who is getting helped out! Everything from early series to post-series, canon compatible to what-if AUs! If you want to make my day, I'd love an AU where Alvis Akari survives to have that conversation with Fancy that was hinted at right before Alvis died, because I really want to know what could have been said in that talk! But since I didn't pick Alvis for this request and if you prefer to stick closer to canon, I'd love a case fic where Fancy has to track down someone who's extra bad news and maybe he gets in too deep and has to be helped out (likely without him actually asking for any help)? Or if you want to go the romance route, what if someone decides to starts hitting on/courting Fancy? I'd love this whether said person is the person Fancy ends up with or not (maybe this admiration from a third party inspires the person you'd like to ship Fancy with to also make a move?) I'd love to see Fancy get showered in positive attention - I don't think he'd quite know what to do with sincere appreciation, if it's more than a "good job", even though he plays at being super self-centered and confident at all times. And if none of those prompts inspire, please let me know what you think Fancy gets up to post-series!
Yuletide sign-up info: Ah, Killjoys! How I love this show <3 The world building, the found family, the mystery, the competent people getting to show off their skills~! It's everything I ever could want and more <3<3<3 Well, other than Fancy Lee being part of the main cast at all times, that is. I have this thing where I rarely find my favorite characters among a work's main cast, and for Killjoys my faves ended up being Fancy Lee and Alvis Akari. Seeing as what happened to Alvis happened to him, I've picked Fancy for my character request this year (but if you somehow want to bring Alvis into this story too, that is more than welcome!) I'd love a story either focused on Fancy Lee being extremely competent while doing his job and/or Fancy needing help from someone else. I'd also love a closer look at Fancy's own brand of loyalty - where his lines are drawn, what he sees as 'just', and maybe have someone let him know that he doesn't have to 1) try to fix things on his own so much, and 2) challenge him on his methods (aka the whole 'being an asshole because the world needs assholes who can get shit done'-attitude). If you want to write something shippy, I'm all for Fancy/Alvis, Fancy/D'avin/Dutch, Fancy/Johnny, Fancy/character from other fandom or Fancy/OC (of any gender).
I'm usually super fond of AUs, but I love the world building of Killjoys so much and feel there's so much left to explore that the only AUs I'm looking for (right now at least) are canon divergent AUs. I am, however, very much up for crossovers! Either 'fusion' crossovers where characters from another fandom belong in the Killjoys-setting (e.g. Fancy meets another killjoy who happens to be named "James T. Kirk") or where the Killjoys universe and another fandom setting turn out to be part of the same universe or there's a rift in space time or what have you (e.g. Fancy runs into Starfleet while traveling outside his usual territory). See my Yuletide Letter for a list of fandoms I'm familiar with, in case you'd like to write a crossover but not with any of the other fandoms I've requested for Yuletide. If you happen to be familiar with "The Locked Tomb" series by Tamsyn Muir, I think Fancy encountering any character from that series for any reason would be fascinating!
DNWs: A/B/O, age regression, non-canon amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death (I'm fine with implied animal death & animals being rescued from abuse), AUs that changes the setting aka high school AU or coffee shop AU, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, death of characters who aren't dead by the end of canon, people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, vore, watersports & scat, women always automatically being submissive in sexual situations when the pairing is male character/female character.
Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
(Characters: Ajewen Cheris, Garach Jedao Shkan, Jedao Two)
Where you can find the canon: Available as both book and ebook! Here's a Goodreads link to the first book.
Why I love the canon: I adore the unique setting (though I know very little of higher level math) and I adore stories where there is revolution against terrible governments! I didn't quiet get into the first book, even though I enjoyed it, but the second book grabbed me so much that I actually went back and reread the first book after reading 40 pages of the second book. The utterly messed up ways of the hexarchate and the way Cheris and the many forms of Jedao choose to combat the horrific system grabbed me and dragged me along for the ride; the cosmic horror here and there was a great bonus, along with the strong undercurrents of fandom shown here and there (Cheris' love of dramas, our dear AMV-making servitor, etc.). Revolution, justice, human rights and also Messed Up Cosmic Horror Stuff = I'm immediately won over!
Why I love the characters:
Pairings?: Up for pretty much any pairing in this fandom, healthy or not!
Story prompts: I'd love another confrontation between Cheris and the different versions of Jedao, post-series, in whatever fashion you can think up! Is Jedao Two and Cheris ever in the same place again (possibly because of outside machinations?) Will Cheris ever learn the truth of what actually happened between Jedao Two and the crew he had under Kujen? Will Garach Jedao Shkan's memories ever be fully assembled, and if so how/in who? Would such a reassembling change or kill Cheris or Jedao Two? Inquiring minds wish to know! That said, I'd also just want to see these three having a good day, pre- or post-canon, and you can definitely choose to focus on one of these three and leave the other two out of the story, or have one of them be more important to the story than the other two. Also, I am sooooo curious about what happens to the space moths! Does Jedao Two help them further? Is Cheris and her servitor friends made aware of the plight of the banner moths? Is something done about their enslavement?! Anything involving moths is very very welcome! Oh, and if you want to go the horror route, the Hafn freak me out in the best of ways! Will the people of the new hexarchate have to deal with them or other horrific enemies out there in the universe?
Yuletide sign-up info: Cheris and the different versions of Jedao are what drew me into this series. I admit that the first book confused me a little, being very show-don't-tell to the point where I couldn't quite keep the exotic effects, math terms and factions straight, but once I'd begun the second book and reread the first one I was hooked! I love the characters most of all and my absolute favorites are Cheris, original!Jedao and Jedao Two <3 I love how they fight back against horrific oppression with all they've got. If you want to focus only on one of the characters I've requested, I'm perfectly fine with that! I'd love almost any kind of story involving one or all of them: them having a Really Good Day (because they deserve it!), Cheris finding out out about what actually happened between Jedao Two and the Kel Kujen had him command, anything regarding the continued enslavement of the banner moths, anything horror related (the Hafn creep me out in the best of ways!), just, more of this world and the wonderful characters in it!
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, non-canon amnesia (dealing with canon amnesia is definitely okay with me!), animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of canon characters who lived until the end of the trilogy, vore, watersports & scat, women always automatically being submissive in sexual situations when the pairing is male character/female character.
Sapphire and Steel
(Characters: Lead, Sapphire, Steel)
Where you can find the canon: There are 6 "Assignments" in this series, and you can find them all on Youtube. Here's a link to one of the Assignment 1 compilations out there. Not so sure where you can find the audio recordings though, sorry. Update: I have been made aware of a place to download the audio episodes~! Thank you so muchthisbluespirit <3
Why I love the canon: I have a deep love for non-humans who actually seem like they aren't human, and the Elements in this show hit that mark square in the center! I love how they interact with the humans they encounter, I love how they reason and make decisions based on their own logic and needs. Also, I love the Things That Are Trying To Get In – they are so wonderfully creepy!
Why I love the characters:
Pairings?: Open to pretty much anything between the Elements. If you want to include an Element I didn't pick (like Silver) in a pairing I'd be fine with that. The only request I have is that Steel be part of the pairing, whatever it turns out to be, and that Element-relationships be different from humans – I love how alien yet relate-able the Elements are :)
Story prompts: Would love a case fic! Or if that's not your thing, maybe a slice-of-life fic with the Elements trying to fit in with humans/other sentient creatures during down-time – or just trying to exist together wherever their "home" is (which could be wonderfully trippy depending on what you think the Elements are when not taking human form). Oh, and I'm always a sucker for kidnapping fic, so if anything/anyone happens to kidnap Steel, and Sapphire calls in Lead to back her up in saving him, that would make me a very happy camper. Whether Steel is in any actual danger or if he's just accidentally gotten himself trapped by a group of very confused and very ineffective human (or non-human) scientists I don't care; both scenarios could be thrilling or funny! If you'd rather go the creepy and/or horror route with your story, this sure is one canon tailored for it! Bring me all the eldritch abominations, cosmic horror and just general weirdness you feel like adding in~ :D I'm all for Outsider POV in this fandom, and while I'd actually like the Elements to survive the story, feel free to kill off (or worse) as many human characters as you please.
Yuletide sign-up info: The creepy, alien atmosphere is so great here. I love how Sapphire and Steel are clearly not human. I love how the 'cases' they go on are a mix of cosmic horror and detective work. A 'case fic' would be great, but I'd also love to see what their lives are like when they're not on Earth. Is there life on other planets they also help? What is their own home like? Do they have a 'home'? Also, I love how Sapphire and Steel's interaction is affected by the presence of other Elements, Lead most of all. I'd love for Steel's relationship with Lead to be explored more, since we only got to see them interact during one of the six original assignments. Lead seems to be the person Sapphire calls in when Steel is being unreasonable (at least when he's unreasonable about his own personal safety), but are there other moments Lead is helpful? And are there situations where Lead calls Sapphire and Steel for help? Oh, and if you want to go pure horror with this one, I'd be super happy with that too! All I ask is that none of the Elements are dead (can they even die??) by the end of the story, otherwise feel free to add in as many fates worse than death as you please for the human characters <3
If you like writing crossovers I think this is a series that lends itself well to that. If you ship Sapphire and Steel or other Elements, I'm down with that, but if so I'd love that to be combined with their "not human" qualities; i.e. I don't think Elements do romance exactly like alloromantic humans do it. With all of them being so not-human, does the Elements' culture have such things as romance and friendship? Or something akin to it? And do they reproduce at all?
I've seen the TV episodes, not listened to any of the audio stories, so feel free to go completely AU after that, but I don't mind spoilers (I might just not understand them). Also, my favorite character is Steel, because I'm a sucker for grumpy characters who're secretly super devoted to their work and companions.
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, non-canon amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of nominated characters, vore, watersports & scat, women always automatically being submissive in sexual situations when the pairing is male character/female character.
I hope this letter will be inspiring for you to read :D I am so excited for whatever fandom you'll be writing for and can't wait to read what you'll create~!
If you want to go the really advanced route, I have a very long list of favorite tropes and kinks over here. It's a list of both smut-related likes and gen-related likes. On AO3 I'm
I'll be starting with my squicks and do-not-wants, just to get them out of the way. If one of my squicks happens to be one of your favorite tropes or kinks, no judgement! These things just happen to not me my thing.
Not my cup of tea & Squicks
- A/B/O aka Alpha/Beta/Omega. I have read interesting A/B/O-stories, but mostly as subversions of the tropes associated with A/B/O - it mostly don't work for me. I know A/B/O is more of an "opt-in" thing, but since I've listed "messing with gender roles and heteronormativity" as things I like, I thought I'd specify that A/B/O isn't what I'm looking for.
- Animal abuse leading to death and Bestiality. By bestiality, I mean humans having sex with animals, not sentient/sapient alien creatures. Xenophilia I'm down with (though unless it's with a humanoid alien like in Star Trek I prefer fade-to-black sex scenes). I also wish to avoid animal abuse if it's explicit and the animal dies. I can deal with animals being mistreated if they get rescued from said mistreatment, but would otherwise very much prefer to avoid all such scenarios.]
- Daddy or Mommy kink. Not my thing, whether there's actual incest involved or not. Guardian/child romances or sexual situations are really not my cup of tea, be they play-pretend or not. Same goes for using "daddy" and "mommy" as pet names.
- When the main plot is a person having amnesia, characters suddenly age regressing into children and characters switching bodies, I tend to stop reading. This is simply because I've seen those tropes done so many times before in fanfiction. That said, I have nothing against these tropes being delved into and explored if they're part of canon.
- High school AUs. Meaning that I'm completely fine with school-related things if they are canon.
- Underage. No explicit sex scenes or sexual situations involving children, please. And I am Old(tm) so I mean everyone under 18 when I say children. This said, I will not be squicked out if it's implied or threatened (e.g. two teenagers "off screen" having had sex with each other, adults mentioning having had an early sexual debuts, characters having had past traumatic experiences, a villain saying creepy things about someone's children, etc.) It's only explicit sex scenes involving people under 18 that I'd rather avoid.
- Vore. Don't mind it implied, but an explicit sex scene of this will be horror and squick to me, not sexy.
- Women always being the submissive partner in D/s scenarios between a man and a woman. No hate on submissive women! They just tend to be the default in fiction, and I'd love for there to be more Dominant women if there is to be a BDSM and/or D/s dynamic between a man and a woman <3 For other gender combinations I've got no particular preference. Please just avoid the "all women and fem-presenting people are automatically submissive in bed, even if they start out taking the initiative"-trope that permeates most of media (I say as a very much not submissive woman who rarely see myself reflected in any fiction).
- Watersports and scat (i.e. urine & feces involved during sex).
And that's it for Do-Not-Wants! Now come the things I greatly enjoy! Of course, feel free to ignore stuff you'd rather not write :)
Genres
Since it's the holidays I'd love for there to be hurt/comfort or a happy ending if your story takes an emotionally harsh path. This said, if your chosen genre is horror, a happy ending is 100% optional! I enjoy all manner of fic from fluff to horror. I love creepy/eerie horror and cosmic horror, am more 'meh' about slasher-horror and religious horror.
Mini-Challenges
I'd love the following (links to my comments on the different challenges):
- Two for One 2020 (aka The Crossover Challenge) - open to crossovers in all my requested fandoms!
- Yuleporn: 20XX(X) - would love explicit content for all fandoms but Codex of Desire (would prefer any dino-sex to fade to black).
- Yulebuilding - would love to see more of the worlds of Codex of Desire, Killjoys & Machineries of Empire!
- Wrapping Paper Challenge 2020! - always happy to be gifted art for any of my requested fandom!
Ratings
Anything goes! I have no trouble reading (and enjoying) anything from the kid-safest of fics to the most explicit of sex and violence. Oh, and while I'm not requesting a fic with rape in it, know that I'm okay if your story goes there. Basically, even if your story needs the rape/noncon warning on AO3, it won't upset me, especially not if the reason for the tag is related to events in canon.
Writing styles
Almost anything goes! Third person? Second person? First person? Present or past tense? Future tense? Epistolary? Twitter conversation? Outsider POV? I'm here for it all! The only thing that isn't my thing is "choose your own adventure"-stories; no hate for them, I just have trouble making up my mind on what choices to pick and I thus end up never finishing them XD
Things that make me smile (SFW)
- Anticipation, tension and suspense. Be it unresolved sexual tension, a manhunt for a dangerous killer, or a race against time to save someone's life – if it keeps me on the edge of my seat, I'm happy.
- Character introspection. I adore an engaging mystery or conflict, but I also enjoy slice-of-life and stories that focus on the inner life of one or more characters. If made to pick between focus on characters I love or focus on an intricate plot, I'll pick character focus every time <3
- Culture-clashes, where both cultures are seen as equals by the narrative - aka not "Oh, look at these poor uneducated barbarians, we must enlighten them!" but more "They've been courting me??".
- Found family. Characters who slowly go from strangers to "I would die for you all" are a delight!
- Messing with and questioning heteronormativity and gender roles, in any way.
- Kidnappings, for any reason. It's more for the rescue part of the plot that I enjoy it, especially if it's an "unexpected" character saving a more "rescuer"-like character.
- Loyalty in all its shapes and forms! I especially love characters who are a little too loyal; maybe to people they shouldn't be loyal to, maybe to a point where they value that person/those people's life more than their own. Buuuut, I also love when loyalty is rewarded! When trusting someone and relying on someone is the best thing to do - especially if contrasted with past badly placed loyalty. Just...people being devoted to other people, it floats all my boats~!
- Mysteries, be it a "who did it?", a "what is the meaning of this old text" a "who at court is gossiping about the main character?" or whatever else kind of mystery you can think up, I'll happily read it!
- Pairings or gen. I've listed pairings for some of my fandoms, and I adore all kinds of pairing-focused fics, be they couples, threesomes, moresomes, etc. This said, I also enjoy fics that have no pairings or only implied pairings. So if my ships happen to not be your ships, gen is very welcome!
- Role reversals (usual rescuer being rescued, “weaker” character saves the day, otherwise more worldly character is courted/seduces/approached by otherwise more “naive” character, etc.) Since who I consider the "usual X" might be tricky to guess, I'll try to elaborate on this for each fandom.
- Characters getting to show off their skills. All scenarios where a character who's really skilled at something (e.g. magic, diplomacy, detective work, medicine, etc.) getting to use that skill to solve a problem and solve it well.
- Vulnerability especially when it comes from otherwise "closed off" characters. Through being wounded, kidnapped, drugged, bested (even if said person just is pretending to lose to please someone else), being open about something meaningful to them, or in any other scenario you can think of. I'll try to add more info for each fandom further down.
- If you like writing AUs and crossovers I'm happy to receive such fic! All AUs but high school AUs make me smile, though my favorites are fantasy/science fiction/solarpunk/cyberpunk AUs. If you choose to set the fic IN SPAAAAACE for a non-space fandom I'm soooo here for that :D. Here's a list of fandoms I'm familiar with to some degree, in case you should happen to want to write a crossover with a fandom other than the ones I've requested for Yuletide.
Other things that make me smile (only relevant to smut)
- Consent play aka when two people pretend one of them isn't into the scene, but they definitely are. Love this best when it's very clear to the reader that it's all play-pretend.
- Foreplay and teasing/tempting (both verbal and otherwise). Doesn't actually have to lead to sex – the teasing is fun in itself.
- Hot Spots - when a character has a spot on their body that makes their knees go weak; i.e. when someone bites their ear, pulls their hair, kisses their neck, etc.
- Kink negotiations. I adore when characters discuss what they're into as a form of foreplay <3
- Overstimulation, as in people being overwhelmed by pleasure, especially when combined with orgasm delay <3
- People having fun, especially if it's First Time Sex we're talking and if you feel it works with the characters' personalities and situation. Just a relaxed, laughing-with-you-not-at-you, friendly mood to go with a very fun activity!
- Playful dominance/submission + bondage. Extra great when initiated by the submissive partner. Small gestures, such as holding the other's hands still, biting, rough play, verbally dominating someone... And in pairings involving both men and women, I do love femdom, if that works with the personality of the woman in question. I'm also down for painplay and pretty much anything that is included under the BDSM-umbrella, as long as everyone involved in the sex scene are into it (or haven't tried it yet and turn out to really love it).
- Roleplaying, be it super serious or super silly. I'm all for playacting in the bedroom <3
- Vanilla sex. Although kinky is wonderful, I don't require it to like a sex scene. I love when there's a clear difference between "D/s scene" and "people just deciding to have sex" because sex can definitely happen without anyone taking the lead - something I feel a lot of mainstream erotica forgets, especially when it comes to m/f couples.
Fandom specifics!
Beware of spoilers for all fandoms listed below!
The Codex of Desire - Lauren Alder
(Characters: Any)
Where you can find the canon: It's available as both printed book and ebook. Goodreads link for help to find it.
Why I love the canon: I mean, it's a book about how aliens influence dinosaurs to gain sapience and then there is a huge patriarchy VS matriarchy conflict; it's basically tailor-made to catch my interest XD Plus, the dinosaurs have actual feathers! The world building really grabbed me as did all the mythology and stories and the different cultures of the two big Greatest civilizations. This is a world I'd love to roleplay in! The tragedy of the story was heart-breaking and I'd love for a fix-it or pre-canon look at the world, because I really love the setting! Also, love how the canon plays with gender and gender roles!
Why I love the characters:
- Ev'ora~Nal'Ur: A character I love to hate! Ev'ora is impressive in her manipulations and I can sympathize with her life situation and her need to retain her position as Nal'Ur. She's a great villain! Though getting a look at her before she gained her position as Nal'Ur or in a what-if AU where she loses her position or never gained it would also be interesting.
- Girn'ash | The Lowest: My absolute fave of this bunch <3 Poor Girn'ash, so very loyal and so bright and yet so miserable due to her circumstances ;_; I see her infatuation with Tir'at more as a projection of her own hopes than as actual romantic love, her living out her own dreams of freedom through trying to rescue him. I adore her for her loyalty and I want all the best for her #Girn'ashDeservedBetter
- La'leet~R'ral'Ur: It's so rare to see a character in media that has an intellectual disability (at least that's how I read La'leet) where the focus isn't on said disability even though it is an influence on how the character acts and thinks. I really love La'leet and feel so sorry for what happened to her (and, well, all of the characters). Her interest in Tir'at is sweet and I really liked that she wasn't infantilized when it came to sex and relationships. She's definitely an adult and treated so by the narrative, even though she (like many others) is being manipulated.
- Tir'at~Esk: I love how clever he is and how he refuses to submit to anyone's rule that he doesn't agree with. I'm always a sucker for the "I have you now, my pretty!"-trope getting the genders switched up a bit, and that definitely happened here. I was definitely rooting for him to escape and for him to gain a better understanding of who La'leet is as a person (I do think he has a huge crush on her but I'd love to see how that would develop once he gets to know her better - since he's not given that opportunity in canon). Oh, and as much as I love his cleverness, I do think he could do with being taken down a peg or two by someone decent (aka not Ev'ora XD), because he is ridiculously arrogant at times.
Pairings?: I'm open to any kind of pairing in this fandom, canon or not, healthy or not! Go for whatever inspires you or no pairing at all :D.
Story prompts: I'm super curious about the setting of this book! Not post-book, 'cause then everything is just a radioactive wasteland, but I'm very curious about what life was like for the different groups of Greatest before the ending. Are there groups outside of these two main ones that are less violent and more at peace with life, farther from the first impact of the alien influence? More additions to the Greatest's two different cultures in forms of myths, songs and traditions are also super interesting! I'm also very open to What-Ifs, either close to canon or way off: What would have happened if the alien overlord hadn't come back to guide the patriarchal Greatest? What if there had been no final attack, where would the different characters have ended up then - is there a way to find a better balance between the two cultures or a third (less sexist and violent) option? What if the Greatest had been brought into a space empire instead of being left on their planet (dinosaurs in SPAAACE!!)? There's so much to explore here! If you'd prefer to focus on a character specifically, I'd love to see a story about any or any combination of the nominated characters or original Greatest characters you've made up yourself!
Yuletide sign-up info: The setting of this story grabbed and pushed its hooks into me - I mean, how could I resist "sapient dinosaurs partially controlled by aliens caught up in a patriarchy VS matriarchy war"? It's utterly bananas in the best of ways! The story itself is of course terribly tragic, but despite that I love it and its characters. Most of all I love the setting, so I'm up for any kind of story set in this world! Additional mythology, songs and traditions! A slice-of-life story about any of the nominated characters or an original character you've come up with yourself! Also, I'm super open to canon-divergent AUs in large or small ways (e.g. fix-it fic when they don't all die! dinosaurs in space! dinosaurs with magic!)
DNWs for this fandom: age regression, amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death (I'm okay with hunting scenes), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, explicit sex (scenes similar to the fade-to-black and build-up found in canon are fine), high school AU (other AUs welcome!), characters who aren't considered adults shown in explicit sexual situations, vore, watersports & scat.
Cordelia (Movie Poster 2020)
(Characters: Man & Woman)
Where you can find the canon: The whole of canon is the movie poster shown here above XD
Why I love the canon: I'm sure the movie the poster is promoting is a perfectly fine movie, buuuuut I (along with many, it would seem) am starved for period romance femdom, not modern psychological thrillers. I love that so many people saw the poster and (like me) thought "Yes! Finally a period romance with a woman taking the lead!" I have no idea what the PR-people for this movie were thinking, but clearly they didn't get the idea of the actual film across. I'm greatly looking forward to whatever stories can be thought up to suit the poster better! Mainly hoping for femdom m/f romance in a period setting, but as long as there's femdom I'm down for whatever this poster inspires <3
Why I love the characters: Can't really write anything here as the characters can be summed up as "expressions & poses on poster" + "your imagination". But I LOVE the pose, A+++, all romance novel covers should copy it shamelessly!
Pairings?: Man/Woman please :).
Story prompts: The sky's the limit! Is this modern time, a period piece, an alternate universe? Is there magic? The setting I'm very flexible on, as much fun as a period piece (with or without magic) would be. What I'd love for the story to focus on is a romance between Man & Woman, whatever their names end up being in the story. Is Woman a widow in search for a new husband? Or are Woman and Man both new to relationships? Did they meet at a ball? In battle? During a heist? Introduced by mutual friends? Are they from "our" world or from a world where it's expected for women to take the lead in m/f relationships? And is their interest immediately mutual or does it take time to grow? I'm ever so curious as to what you'll come up with!
Yuletide sign-up info: I'm so happy that I wasn't the only one who saw this poster and immediately thought "Pride, Prejudice & Pegging"! Not that I'm demanding pegging, but I am utterly starved for m/f romance content that explores less heteronormative dynamics. What I'm wishing for is a romance story between Man and Woman where Woman takes the lead in the relationship. How much of a lead? Well, anything from her being the one to initiate the relationship to full on BDSM, whatever floats your boat! As long as Woman doesn't end up being submissive (in the BDSM-sense of submissive), I'm fine with however family-friendly or explicit you want to make the leading/following in this relationship. I'd also love a period setting, just because that's where the poster takes my mind (even though the poster is depicting two people in "present time" dress), BUT I'm open to modern setting, scifi setting, fantasy setting (especially open to period setting with magic because I'm always down for magic!) - whatever you're inspired to write!
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of Man or Woman, vore, watersports & scat, Woman being submissive or a switch if there is to be D/s dynamics.
The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
(Character: Thara Celehar)
Where you can find the canon: Goodreads can help you find where you can buy or borrow this book.
Why I love the canon: I went into The Goblin Emperor expecting grimdark Song of Ice and Fire-style intrigue. I was pleasantly surprised to find such a positive view on people instead! Yes, there are rotten people at court and outside it in this story, but Maia never has to "lower himself to their standards" to win. Staying kind and making wise choices, trusting the right allies, that's what sees Maia to victory. Because most people care about each other, and I love it when stories remember that! That's why I love this book – it's so refreshing read a story where being a descent, kind person can gain you success. Thara's situation is a big part of this optimism; a man in his situation must have been expecting to fade into obscurity at best, be made a mockery and cruelly punished for just being who he is at worst. Having him gain both a respectable position and the favor of the current Emperor is wonderful and I love it.
Why I love the character:
- Thara Celehar: This poor man - lover dead and Thara the one to find him guilty, left at the mercy of an uncaring and powerful patron, and then charged with solving the murder of an Emperor. Thara being so focused on justice and the truth is both heartbreaking and impressive. I'd love to see how he develops now that he has a kind benefactor (aka Maia) and a position he (hopefully) enjoys. Also, will he find love again?
Pairings?: I'd love to see Thara find new love! I read him as homosexual based on the text, so please don't pair him up with someone that goes against his sexuality. Don't get me wrong, I'm very pro-bisexual headcanons (I happen to be bi myself), pansexual-headcanons and so on! I just feel that if Thara had the "option" to fall in love with a more 'acceptable' person I think there would have been no tragedy for him. He's such a duty-bound person and elven society is clearly super homophobic, so if he could settle down with a woman I think he would have. This said, I've got no particular person I ship him with, only people I'd rather not see him get with, because I'm difficult like that XD. I'd be perfectly happy to see him paired up with an OC or a crossover character! I would prefer that Thare not end up with Maia (I ship him with Csethiro), Beshelar or Cala (I ship Cala & Beshelar with each other). Or, well, I'd be fine with there being some consensual threesome or moresome arrangement, if that's your thing too. Just please don't break up my OTPs <3.
Story prompts: Is there a crime Thara is called in to investigate? Is there a conspiracy against the Emperor that Thara must reveal or fight back against? Does Maia as an Emperor make it easier for wIw and mIm people to live in the elven empire and if so, how does Thara react to that? Does Thara end up falling in love again, and if so, how does he deal with that? Does he have more encounters with the Emperor and his people, and if so, how and why?
Yuletide sign-up info: I love this world, I love all the characters, I love the conflict, I love how formal language is used to show distance/intimacy, and I love, looove how Thara's tragic situation is turned around by Maia's kindness. I want to know more about what happens to Thara after the events of the book. Being made a Witness vel ama aka for those things that cannot speak for themselves - what kind of situations does he end up in thanks to that position? What new enemies and allies does he make? What connections with the court does he keep? Does Maia ever call on his aid post-canon? Does Thara ever find love again? Will that be easier under the rule of the new Emperor? Just, more Thara!
Other reasons I love him: 1) Loyalty: Thara is dedicated to truth and justice to a point where it's clearly detrimental to him. 2) He's the "strong and silent" type in the sense that he has very few people he can honestly confide in. 3) His position as a Witness and how that involves both detective work and speaking to the dead. I'd love to see these aspects of him explored and/or challenged, or a "role reversal" situation with him comforting someone or being the victim of a crime someone else must investigate or save him from. Suggestions for this: Thara being put in another situation where justice and truth might not be the best way to go but him feeling compelled to do so anyways, or maybe he's caught between two loyalties. Or the other way around, Thara's focus on justice being a boon to him in some way. Thara feeling comfortable enough with someone to show vulnerability. Thara being the one in trouble and having to ask for help - maybe even getting aid from the dead?
Oh, and as a quick aside, should you go down the romance route, I ship Maia/Csethiro and Beshelar/Cala, so please don't "break up" those couples to ship one of them with Thara - that said, I'm up for threesomes, moresomes, and any other canon character, crossover character or OC that you feel would work with Thara.
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of canon characters who lived to the end of the book, Thara romantically paired with a woman (or paired with Maia, Beshelar or Cala in a way that breaks up Maia/Csethiro or Beshelar/Cala), vore, watersports & scat.
Killjoys (TV)
(Character: Fancy Lee)
Where you can find the canon: Here in Sweden it's no longer available on Netflix or HBO, but I'm sure you can find it streaming somewhere - or you can buy it on DVD or Blu ray~!
Why I love the canon: Killjoys is exactly my kind of story! Great world building that is shown not told, an interesting mystery, lovable characters and Big Damn Hero moments <3 My absolute favorite parts where how close the main characters were to each other, how competent they were, and how they were aiming to do as much good as they could despite their less than fortunate circumstances. Loyalty and friendship is wonderful <3 This said, I am endlessly cursed to find my favorite characters outside of the main cast, almost always when I find a fandom. In Killjoys my favorites ended up being Alvis Akari and Fancy Lee. Seeing as Alvis didn't make it to the end of the show, Fancy Lee is the character in the final season I was most interested in (and I was so glad we got him back after his "death"!). As much as I love the main cast, and I wish there had been even more of Fancy!
Why I love the character:
- Fancy Lee: I love all the hints we get that Fancy is more than he seems. By this I mean that he comes off as this arrogant asshole but it's clearly hinted that he cares. Not only that he cares about his fellow killjoys but that he's a decent person who's set himself up to play the villain/antihero so that other people can have peace of mind. To me this was especially underlined in that scene where Alvis Akari goes up to Fancy and says how he should have checked in with Fancy more (I'm paraphrasing here). In short, I love how competent Fancy is, I love his snarky humor, I love how he sticks to his own code of conduct, and I love how loyal he is - in his own way.
Pairings?: I can ship Fancy with Alvis, D'avin+Dutch & Johnny (aka Fancy/D'avin/Dutch but not D'avin or Dutch together with Johnny) and I'm up for crossover character ships and OC ships of any gender! I really like the Fancy/Alvis ship but seeing as Alvis is dead that's pretty much not an option unless the story is set pre-Alvis' death or in a fix-it fic (though I'm open to both of those!) Basically, if any of those options sounds interesting to you, dear Yulegoat, ship away! But gen is also very welcome :) Oh, and if you pair Fancy with a female character I'd love it if there's either no D/s dynamic or the female character is more dominant - no hate on submissive female characters but I am starved for both femdom content and "no D/s dynamic whatsoever" content when it comes to m/f pairings.
Story prompts: I'd love a story where Fancy Lee gets to show off his skills and/or where Fancy is the one who is getting helped out! Everything from early series to post-series, canon compatible to what-if AUs! If you want to make my day, I'd love an AU where Alvis Akari survives to have that conversation with Fancy that was hinted at right before Alvis died, because I really want to know what could have been said in that talk! But since I didn't pick Alvis for this request and if you prefer to stick closer to canon, I'd love a case fic where Fancy has to track down someone who's extra bad news and maybe he gets in too deep and has to be helped out (likely without him actually asking for any help)? Or if you want to go the romance route, what if someone decides to starts hitting on/courting Fancy? I'd love this whether said person is the person Fancy ends up with or not (maybe this admiration from a third party inspires the person you'd like to ship Fancy with to also make a move?) I'd love to see Fancy get showered in positive attention - I don't think he'd quite know what to do with sincere appreciation, if it's more than a "good job", even though he plays at being super self-centered and confident at all times. And if none of those prompts inspire, please let me know what you think Fancy gets up to post-series!
Yuletide sign-up info: Ah, Killjoys! How I love this show <3 The world building, the found family, the mystery, the competent people getting to show off their skills~! It's everything I ever could want and more <3<3<3 Well, other than Fancy Lee being part of the main cast at all times, that is. I have this thing where I rarely find my favorite characters among a work's main cast, and for Killjoys my faves ended up being Fancy Lee and Alvis Akari. Seeing as what happened to Alvis happened to him, I've picked Fancy for my character request this year (but if you somehow want to bring Alvis into this story too, that is more than welcome!) I'd love a story either focused on Fancy Lee being extremely competent while doing his job and/or Fancy needing help from someone else. I'd also love a closer look at Fancy's own brand of loyalty - where his lines are drawn, what he sees as 'just', and maybe have someone let him know that he doesn't have to 1) try to fix things on his own so much, and 2) challenge him on his methods (aka the whole 'being an asshole because the world needs assholes who can get shit done'-attitude). If you want to write something shippy, I'm all for Fancy/Alvis, Fancy/D'avin/Dutch, Fancy/Johnny, Fancy/character from other fandom or Fancy/OC (of any gender).
I'm usually super fond of AUs, but I love the world building of Killjoys so much and feel there's so much left to explore that the only AUs I'm looking for (right now at least) are canon divergent AUs. I am, however, very much up for crossovers! Either 'fusion' crossovers where characters from another fandom belong in the Killjoys-setting (e.g. Fancy meets another killjoy who happens to be named "James T. Kirk") or where the Killjoys universe and another fandom setting turn out to be part of the same universe or there's a rift in space time or what have you (e.g. Fancy runs into Starfleet while traveling outside his usual territory). See my Yuletide Letter for a list of fandoms I'm familiar with, in case you'd like to write a crossover but not with any of the other fandoms I've requested for Yuletide. If you happen to be familiar with "The Locked Tomb" series by Tamsyn Muir, I think Fancy encountering any character from that series for any reason would be fascinating!
DNWs: A/B/O, age regression, non-canon amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death (I'm fine with implied animal death & animals being rescued from abuse), AUs that changes the setting aka high school AU or coffee shop AU, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, death of characters who aren't dead by the end of canon, people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, vore, watersports & scat, women always automatically being submissive in sexual situations when the pairing is male character/female character.
Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
(Characters: Ajewen Cheris, Garach Jedao Shkan, Jedao Two)
Where you can find the canon: Available as both book and ebook! Here's a Goodreads link to the first book.
Why I love the canon: I adore the unique setting (though I know very little of higher level math) and I adore stories where there is revolution against terrible governments! I didn't quiet get into the first book, even though I enjoyed it, but the second book grabbed me so much that I actually went back and reread the first book after reading 40 pages of the second book. The utterly messed up ways of the hexarchate and the way Cheris and the many forms of Jedao choose to combat the horrific system grabbed me and dragged me along for the ride; the cosmic horror here and there was a great bonus, along with the strong undercurrents of fandom shown here and there (Cheris' love of dramas, our dear AMV-making servitor, etc.). Revolution, justice, human rights and also Messed Up Cosmic Horror Stuff = I'm immediately won over!
Why I love the characters:
- Ajewen Cheris: I love how she goes from very invested in being accepted as part of the empire to full revolutionary, even before taking on Jedao's memories. I love how she's a fan of dramas, how she's such an ordinary, caring person, and how she's one of the few humans to ever consider befriending servitors. Love how so many servitors are looking out for her and how she's looking out for them in turn. It's extra fascinating when she takes on Jedao's memories and sort of becomes him, except not. She really had me while playacting as Jedao in the second book!
- Garach Jedao Shkan: The antiheroes tend to get me. Jedao spending his whole life and undeath trying to outsmart both Kel Command and Kujen, trying his best to overthrow a horrific government as well as trying to keep himself in check = A+++, will fave again!
- Jedao Two: My beloved little Mothman <3 I adore how he goes from "I have no idea where I am" to "REVOLUTION!" in about five minutes. The horror of realizing you're not fully human, on top of the horror of losing so many years of your life, pluuuus the realization that you've been working with people under mind control and that you've also got the hots for an immoral monster? *chef's kiss*
Pairings?: Up for pretty much any pairing in this fandom, healthy or not!
Story prompts: I'd love another confrontation between Cheris and the different versions of Jedao, post-series, in whatever fashion you can think up! Is Jedao Two and Cheris ever in the same place again (possibly because of outside machinations?) Will Cheris ever learn the truth of what actually happened between Jedao Two and the crew he had under Kujen? Will Garach Jedao Shkan's memories ever be fully assembled, and if so how/in who? Would such a reassembling change or kill Cheris or Jedao Two? Inquiring minds wish to know! That said, I'd also just want to see these three having a good day, pre- or post-canon, and you can definitely choose to focus on one of these three and leave the other two out of the story, or have one of them be more important to the story than the other two. Also, I am sooooo curious about what happens to the space moths! Does Jedao Two help them further? Is Cheris and her servitor friends made aware of the plight of the banner moths? Is something done about their enslavement?! Anything involving moths is very very welcome! Oh, and if you want to go the horror route, the Hafn freak me out in the best of ways! Will the people of the new hexarchate have to deal with them or other horrific enemies out there in the universe?
Yuletide sign-up info: Cheris and the different versions of Jedao are what drew me into this series. I admit that the first book confused me a little, being very show-don't-tell to the point where I couldn't quite keep the exotic effects, math terms and factions straight, but once I'd begun the second book and reread the first one I was hooked! I love the characters most of all and my absolute favorites are Cheris, original!Jedao and Jedao Two <3 I love how they fight back against horrific oppression with all they've got. If you want to focus only on one of the characters I've requested, I'm perfectly fine with that! I'd love almost any kind of story involving one or all of them: them having a Really Good Day (because they deserve it!), Cheris finding out out about what actually happened between Jedao Two and the Kel Kujen had him command, anything regarding the continued enslavement of the banner moths, anything horror related (the Hafn creep me out in the best of ways!), just, more of this world and the wonderful characters in it!
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, non-canon amnesia (dealing with canon amnesia is definitely okay with me!), animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of canon characters who lived until the end of the trilogy, vore, watersports & scat, women always automatically being submissive in sexual situations when the pairing is male character/female character.
Sapphire and Steel
(Characters: Lead, Sapphire, Steel)
Where you can find the canon: There are 6 "Assignments" in this series, and you can find them all on Youtube. Here's a link to one of the Assignment 1 compilations out there. Not so sure where you can find the audio recordings though, sorry. Update: I have been made aware of a place to download the audio episodes~! Thank you so much
thisbluespirit <3Why I love the canon: I have a deep love for non-humans who actually seem like they aren't human, and the Elements in this show hit that mark square in the center! I love how they interact with the humans they encounter, I love how they reason and make decisions based on their own logic and needs. Also, I love the Things That Are Trying To Get In – they are so wonderfully creepy!
Why I love the characters:
- Lead: His first and only appearance in Assignment 1 made me want to know more about him! He's so cheerful, but seems to have this grim/wise-old-man side to him, and he's clearly the go-to-person if Steel needs some sense knocked into him. What does Lead do when he's not answering distress calls from Steel and Sapphire? Does he ever need their help in his turn? Do they ever spend time together without anyone's life being in danger?
- Sapphire: I like her kindness tempered by "alien-ness". Sure, she'll try to bond with and calm down any victims of the cases she and Steel accept, but she's still very much an Element and not human. This said, I'd love to see her react to a human (or other sentient creature) that isn't a threat but that she still really, really doesn't get on with.
- Steel: My love for grumpy-with-a-heart-of-gold characters is showing. Steel is easily my favorite character because he will grumble and moan about having to fix things, but will lay down his life to protect others (especially Sapphire it seems). Though I like that his view of time and space not always leaves him thinking of other sentient creatures' death as the worst tragedy that ever could happen – it's clear there are worse things than death out there in this universe.
Pairings?: Open to pretty much anything between the Elements. If you want to include an Element I didn't pick (like Silver) in a pairing I'd be fine with that. The only request I have is that Steel be part of the pairing, whatever it turns out to be, and that Element-relationships be different from humans – I love how alien yet relate-able the Elements are :)
Story prompts: Would love a case fic! Or if that's not your thing, maybe a slice-of-life fic with the Elements trying to fit in with humans/other sentient creatures during down-time – or just trying to exist together wherever their "home" is (which could be wonderfully trippy depending on what you think the Elements are when not taking human form). Oh, and I'm always a sucker for kidnapping fic, so if anything/anyone happens to kidnap Steel, and Sapphire calls in Lead to back her up in saving him, that would make me a very happy camper. Whether Steel is in any actual danger or if he's just accidentally gotten himself trapped by a group of very confused and very ineffective human (or non-human) scientists I don't care; both scenarios could be thrilling or funny! If you'd rather go the creepy and/or horror route with your story, this sure is one canon tailored for it! Bring me all the eldritch abominations, cosmic horror and just general weirdness you feel like adding in~ :D I'm all for Outsider POV in this fandom, and while I'd actually like the Elements to survive the story, feel free to kill off (or worse) as many human characters as you please.
Yuletide sign-up info: The creepy, alien atmosphere is so great here. I love how Sapphire and Steel are clearly not human. I love how the 'cases' they go on are a mix of cosmic horror and detective work. A 'case fic' would be great, but I'd also love to see what their lives are like when they're not on Earth. Is there life on other planets they also help? What is their own home like? Do they have a 'home'? Also, I love how Sapphire and Steel's interaction is affected by the presence of other Elements, Lead most of all. I'd love for Steel's relationship with Lead to be explored more, since we only got to see them interact during one of the six original assignments. Lead seems to be the person Sapphire calls in when Steel is being unreasonable (at least when he's unreasonable about his own personal safety), but are there other moments Lead is helpful? And are there situations where Lead calls Sapphire and Steel for help? Oh, and if you want to go pure horror with this one, I'd be super happy with that too! All I ask is that none of the Elements are dead (can they even die??) by the end of the story, otherwise feel free to add in as many fates worse than death as you please for the human characters <3
If you like writing crossovers I think this is a series that lends itself well to that. If you ship Sapphire and Steel or other Elements, I'm down with that, but if so I'd love that to be combined with their "not human" qualities; i.e. I don't think Elements do romance exactly like alloromantic humans do it. With all of them being so not-human, does the Elements' culture have such things as romance and friendship? Or something akin to it? And do they reproduce at all?
I've seen the TV episodes, not listened to any of the audio stories, so feel free to go completely AU after that, but I don't mind spoilers (I might just not understand them). Also, my favorite character is Steel, because I'm a sucker for grumpy characters who're secretly super devoted to their work and companions.
DNWs for this fandom: A/B/O, age regression, non-canon amnesia, animal abuse that leads to animal death, bestiality (but I'm okay with xenophilia), body-switching, daddy or mommy kink, high school AU (other AUs welcome!), people under 18 in explicit sexual situations, permanent death of nominated characters, vore, watersports & scat, women always automatically being submissive in sexual situations when the pairing is male character/female character.
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But I do! Some kind soul on tumblr has uploaded them all here. (All working last time I tried). I wouldn't normally link to stuff like that for Big Finish, but since they no longer have the rights and the only other way to get them is through second-hand copies of the CDs, it seems like a good thing.
I have a deep love for non-humans who actually seem like they aren't human, and the Elements in this show hit that mark square in the center! I love how they interact with the humans they encounter, I love how they reason and make decisions based on their own logic and needs.
They are so weird and great like that. <3
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But there are some creepy gems, and I liked David Warner and Susannah Harker, and with S&S the idea that they suddenly sound different seems perfectly reasonable. Plus, a little more actual Silver, and David Collings was always especially good in audio stuff.
So, yeah, enjoy if you haven't had your hands on them before. (I think from your overview here you may share my Elemental reservations, but OTOH, some of the theories are also interesting to maybe steal bits from if I feel like.)
XD
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Although as a consequence, I do find that Steel in my head looks like David McCallum but sounds like David Warner. But I don't think that's anything to complain about... XD
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