Dear Yuletide Writer
Oct. 15th, 2018 19:13![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mimmHello Yuletide person,
It can't be Yuletide yet! I swear we just had one a couple months ago. I still have fic I haven't read.
If you're a total stranger, hi, I'm a fairly easy recipient and I don't bite! If you come here after getting your assignment and you have a feeling you know what to write, go ahead and create. You don't have to read this. You'll be fine. But if you have no idea or are otherwise curious then I'll try to explain how my brain works.
MY DO NOT WANTS (for every fandom unless otherwise specified, more in fandom section if applicable)
Heavy kinks (bdsm, fisting, scat, animal play, bestiality etc.), size/daddy/age kink, rape between requested people, unrequested pairings, A/B/O, permanent genderswap, mpreg, kidfic, recreational drug use
Further explanation for some of these:
Acknowledging differences in size and age is obviously fine. I just don't get any particular kicks out of either one.
I really like mentor/ward relationships and protectiveness when it fits the characters. It's the literal use of "daddy" in dialogue that's a major DNW for me. Being a father figure type is fine.
Recreational drug use (anything other than alcohol and tobacco) is only a DNW if it's treated as unproblematic. If the usage is canonical you don't need to erase it. I don't consider getting drugged or roofied as recreational because it's unintentional, and if you create a made up substance that's also fine.
The next bit is copied from last year with a few minor tweaks. Not much has changed.
GENERAL LIKES:
This is hardly a complete list, but it should give you an idea of something I might like. It's a bit shipping-heavy and they might not fit the fandom we matched on, but many would work for friendships as well, or you can use them in a gen way.
Examples of things I tend to go for: Dialogue, drama, angst, hurt/comfort (mental and physical, esp. tending to wounds/injuries or holding close after some emotional hurt), bonding, pining, UST/RST, getting together, first times, romance, humour and banter, sweetness and happy/hopeful endings, fix-its, what-ifs, canon divergence or alternate endings, missing scenes, adventure, mission/casefic, various scifi tropes where applicable (for example: wormholes, time travel, reliving bits of time, telepathy, invisibility due to accident, clones, androids, alien tech, alternate timelines/universes). Also other tropes like confined spaces, forced intimacy, accidentally finding out secrets, enemies and/or friends to lovers, masquerades or other types of hidden identities, going undercover, redemption for bad guys. If you have a trope in mind and it's not listed here, I probably like it but didn't think of it just now.
GENERAL DISLIKES:
Apart from DNWs, mostly AUs of the coffeeshop/highschool/band kind, or supernatural creatures like werewolves and winged humans in a fandom where they don't exist. Magical realism is always welcome, though. Not into genderswap and crossdressing, or overly sweet fluff (complete with cutesy nicknames) or focus on domesticity. Also, and this is very unlikely, maybe don't torture animals? I've recently noticed even fictional animal torture is bad for my head. People? No problem. Though I'm not into gore for the sake of gore.
OTHER FIC-RELATED INFO
I'm fine with any rating, from G to NC-17, and this goes for both sexual content and violence. I tend to prefer 3rd person POV, but 1st and 2nd person POVs aren't a problem if you feel the fic needs to be that way. Any tense goes. So basically, don't feel too restrained by stylistic choices. I'll read whatever you write. :) Well, except I twitch at then/than, your/you're, there/their/they're, to/too mix-ups. I can't help it.
Fandoms and characters under the cut in no particular order:
Sagaen om Isfolket | Legend of the Ice People - Margit Sandemo [Any: Heike, Ingrid, Targenor, Tiili, Tova]
Insatiable (TV 2018) [Bob Armstrong, Bob Barnard]
The Strain (TV) [Any: Dutch Velders, Ephraim Goodweather, Quinlan, Vasiliy Fet]
The Terror (TV 2018) [Francis Crozier]
Whitechapel (TV) [Emerson Kent, Joseph Chandler]
Dark Matter - Michelle Paver [Gus Balfour, Jack Miller]
SIGN-UPS, PROMPTS AND OTHER THOUGHTS
SAGAEN OM ISFOLKET | LEGEND OF THE ICE PEOPLE - MARGIT SANDEMO
Any: Heike, Ingrid, Targenor, Tiili, Tova
DNW: Heavy kinks (bdsm, fisting, scat, animal play, bestiality etc.), size/daddy/age kink, rape between requested people, unrequested pairings, A/B/O, permanent genderswap, mpreg, kidfic, recreational drug use
I would love any fic with any of these characters, one or all of them, or even someone not on this list! I've adored this book series in all its flawed glory for over two decades. If a character is a part of this family at any point in time then I love them dearly (well, Sölve not so much love as love to despise and hope he rots in hell, but I like him for doing the hateable bad guy so well). Write me 1000 words of whatever and I'll be happy. :)
Give me something about Targenor's or Tiili's younger years, or their life together. Include Dida if you want. How was Targenor's trip to the south? Or give me something with Targenor and Heike from the time between Heike's childhood and adulthood (i.e. the time we don't get to see in the books), or something from their later years.
Give me Tiili's POV on the horrors she had to endure (go as dark as you feel, I'm fine with anything as long as there's eventual light at the end of the tunnel). Tell me what Tiili does afterwards, after canon. I have a hard time seeing her with Marco, to be honest, so no Tiili/Marco. Maybe Tiili/OFC? I love the idea of her getting a girlfriend.
Heike is one of my most dear ones. There's his tragic childhood that should've broken him, but instead he becomes someone strong and powerful, and he never loses his kindness. I like the part of his story when he's finding his way towards his family, making a few friends along the way and fighting supernatural things. Tell me more about those adventures. Create a new one. Tell me about his romantic feelings before he had Vinga in his life.
Ingrid, ah, that witch. :D Give me questionable magic spells she uses to protect those she holds dear, give me canon or non-canon romances, give me Ingrid at her absolute (and most delightful) worst. Or her sweetest.
And Tova. So relatable. I only want happy things for her. Angst is fine as long as it doesn't end in angst. Give me flirty (or more) Tova/Marco, or Tova/Ian, or Tova/your own choice. Give me futurefic. Give me time travel. Anything's welcome.
All the family feels and strong bonds! Moments in their daily lives. Little peeks at something the books glossed over. Missing scenes. Romances (m/m, f/f or m/f) we didn't see in canon but you wish were there. I really do mean anything.
I also love the way the living and the dead can interact with each other. I would be thrilled to get a story that includes friendships and/or romances that are cross-dimensional and cross-generational. People who never met in real life. Or take the character(s) of your choosing on a trip with Saga, Lucifer and/or Marco to visit their place.
Shipwise I'd be open for a lot. Yes, I'm easy. :D Just to sum up what comes to my mind: Targenor/Tiili, Targenor/OMC, Targenor/Heike, Tiili/OFC, Tiili/choose-a-canon-female, Heike/Vinga, Heike/the male friend from the woods, Heike/Ingrid, Ingrid/anyone, Tova/Marco, Tova/Ian, and a whole lot more. (Note: As some of the ships indicate, yes, I'm fine with incest, if that needs to be specifically clarified. Siblings or cross-generational, though preferably not direct parent/child ones.) And obviously any of these ships would be wonderful as strong friendships.
I requested this fandom and some of the same characters last year, and whatever I said then still applies. :) This really is a fandom where I'd be excited to get anything. It's such a tiny fandom that getting anything is nothing short of a miracle.
INSATIABLE (TV 2018)
Bob Armstrong, Bob Barnard
Ahaha, I don't even know what to say here. :D This first season was so extra in so many ways. I want more! I don't care that it gets problematic at points, it's so on crack that getting offended by anything feels almost silly.
Over the years I've gotten so used to getting slashy teasing as an ongoing joke in comedies (think Friends) that I was totally prepared to just wallow gleefully in all the slashy scenes thrown at us without getting any actual payoff. Like, I absolutely adored the show number they did together (I love Dirty Dancing) and could have watched it a dozen times on repeat, and I'd read 1000 words of a training/performance gone differently. But then we got the scene in the bathroom, and I think my heart literally melted because omg I wasn't prepared! Which sound so silly but it's true.
I just want BobA to be happy with his decision, whatever it is. I admit my preference, if asked, is for BobA/BobB over BobA/Coralee. Not because I dislike Coralee (nonono, I like her, and it's Alyssa so I can't not like her) but because of how overjoyed BobA became at the thought of BobB liking him. So if you only included one ship, that's the one I'd choose.
But! That threesome was perfect. Omg. It gives me what I wanted most, which is a happy BobA getting what he wants, because if he loves them both (and he does) then having them both is the ideal solution. Plus BobB/Coralee is lovely as well, so a balanced threeway with all three equally into each other would be amazing. (Alas, BobB doesn't seem to be into it. Please make him into it? Or have them settle for something else that leaves them all content. I just want it all to work in some way.)
Shipping aside, I love the crackiness and OTTness of the canon. I'd love something including lawyering, not necessarily srs business (though it can be) but maybe a wacky case that may or may not be related to their lives/works. The pageant stuff is ok, though not my absolute favourite thing in the canon (I'm so sorry), but I like random sabotage attempts and other scheming done in the background, so more of that would be fun. Is there a ball? A masquerade? Drag queens (and/or drag kings) involved in any way would be wonderful! Maybe something they have to arrange at a nightclub? Or a very dry and boring fundraising event gone totally wrong. Angry clients coming at them with literal pitchforks and forcing them to stay in whatever place they're in (office, bathroom, elevator). Honestly, anything goes.
You want a more serious take on the canon instead of comedy? Don't worry, I want that, too! It's all fun and games until it's not, so the characters taking a moment to be adults about it all would also be nice, so don't feel forced to keep the style 100% canon-compliant and nothing but funny. I love it when there are changes to the style and genre of the original, and I feel like this show is perfect for that. It already has elements of both drama and comedy. Turn it into a soap opera. Add supernatural elements. Make it horror. Does either one have a camera crew following them and making a documentary about them? It's all welcome, really, as long as it has these guys in it.
I feel like I said everything in the sign-up. Go forth and write! All the other characters are fun and free to show up when necessary. I'm not a big fan of Patty's infatuation with BobA so I'd prefer to have as little of that as possible.
THE STRAIN (TV)
Any: Dutch Velders, Ephraim Goodweather, Quinlan, Vasiliy Fet
Canon-specific DNWs: Dutch being raped by the strigoi in any shape or form, Zach
I chose any because I like all of these characters on their own and in various combinations at any point in the canon. I'm fine with absolutely any other characters showing up, except I'd like any references to Eph's kid to be minimal, preferably nonexistent if possible. My reasons would probably sound like character bashing, so let's leave it at that. But! The others! Yes, please. Even vampire nazi baddies, especially if someone's kicking their asses.
I don't have any clear and particular prompts for this one, but it's not for lack of interest. I'd just be open to pretty much anything in this fandom if it has these people in it.
Tell me about the early days when the world wasn't quite as post-apocalyptic as it became. Or something even before that, before any of them were introduced to us. Missing scenes, a day in the life when they're fighting, a very satisfying win we didn't get to see, different takes on scenes we saw on the show, or total canon divergence at any point in canon? Especially in the earlier days, creating a totally new timeline? I'd love all of that. A happier ending with fewer casualties? This would make me extremely happy.
If you're into ships, yes, I ship them too. :) I'd be very happy with any of these: Dutch/Eph, Dutch/Fet, Eph/Fet, Quinlan/Fet, Quinlan/Eph. I don't know if Quinlan/Dutch would work but if you feel you can convince me somehow? Consider me curious. I'd also love Dutch/OFC (or one from canon) if f/f is more your thing. Quinlan's past romance was sweet (and sad), but I don't know if I'd want more of it.
I'm fine with canon-level of gore and blood, though they don't give me any particular thrills. I'm fascinated by the idea of vampires getting their kicks in a different way from humans, but if you want to make them (or just Quinlan) more human? I'd be fine with that, as well.
This show was fun. Less horror than post-apocalyptic adventure for me, which is not a bad thing. :) I enjoyed the first season when things were still under control and we barely knew anything about these little maggot-like things. I enjoyed the way the story started unraveling, we got an interesting take on the vampire lore, glimpses of the past (concentration camp, various eras of Quinlan's history), and a cool ensemble of people fighting the war against these creatures. Even good guy vampires! I liked Vaun and wish he could've stayed with us. I also liked the ending for the most part, though of course I would've preferred my good guys to all stay alive. Boo.
Btw, I use both strigoi and vampire and obviously mean the same thing. In my head they're roughly the same, but you can call them whichever you want.
THE TERROR (TV 2018)
Captain Francis Crozier
Canon-specific DNWs:
Necrophilia, excessive body horror, detailed focus on eating people's insides, spanking/whipping/amputation/mutilation presented as erotic, dark and gloomy or other unhappily ever after end
This was so tough to request! I wanted so many but not quite all. In the end I went with Crozier alone, because no matter what you write, as long as he's there I'm bound to like it.
First, I'm sorry if you're here eager to write more body horror, cannibalistic feasts and characters being monstrous and everything ending in a horrible, depressing mess all over again. I'm more into canon divergence and fix-its and making things a bit easier for these poor guys while not completely erasing the horrors of their ordeals. Sorry? But I promise I'm fine with cannibalism and killing animals in this canon, even when I'd normally DNW them to some extent. Nothing on the show grossed me out to the point of squicking me. The cannibalism caused more sadness at their distress than disgust.
I'm fine with dark themes. They're canon. Unless of course your story takes place during a happier time (pre-canon or during the early hopeful days), in which case less darkness is perfectly ok. You could create a little oasis of happiness in the middle of all the horror. Or maybe there's a hallucination or someone's just euphoric for medicational reasons and therefore oblivious to their situation.
My tastes are shippy, I can't lie, but I'd also very much like something gen like a character study or a missing scene about Crozier's everyday life or his thoughts on other people, or take a particular scene from canon and expand on it. Pre-canon, during, post-canon, all is welcome, esp. the latter two. His friendships or conflicts and hateships with others? Awesome! A letter or a diary entry he writes that nobody's ever going to read? Give! Learning the new ways of living in the arctic? Yes, especially if you have firsthand experience on snow/ice/cold winters. Possibly returning to England and living incognito until his last breath at a very old age? Do want!
Or add some more supernatural horror. Is Tuunbaq alone? Does it have cubs? Is it truly behind everything or is there something more we didn't see? Now that it's dead, is there balance between good and evil, or did killing it create something even worse? (I know there are explanations in the novel. I've read some of them. You can ignore some or even all of them if you feel like you have a cooler idea that fits the tv version.)
For all of these, whether gen or shippy, I'd love to have even one other person (up to a handful of your own choosing) survive besides Crozier. Just so he wouldn't be so alone when no one else speaks his language and truly understands his western lifestyle he had to leave behind.
Francis Crozier and James Fitzjames: I love how they slowly start to form a friendship, and I would love to see it go even further. Yes, I love the enemies to friends to lovers trope and it would fit nicely here. I'd be fine with more focus on James as well, if that's where your muse takes you. What if he also survived?
Francis Crozier and Thomas Jopson: OMG! I'm here for all the withdrawal hurt/comfort, heavy on the comfort! Hurt him more in new ways! I absolutely loved the way Jopson cared for him, and I don't think it was because it's his job but because of genuine affection. I wouldn't say I have a loyalty kink but I'm pretty sure I have some kind of a kink related to it. :D All that dressing and butlering and what have you. It got even better when later their roles were reversed. Good god, I want more of it, the sharing of stories, the domesticity, the concern, the friendship they've formed even when they're not exactly equal. I want it all. Let him be alive when Crozier finds him, delirious and dying but not quite, and create a miracle that saves him. Anything. (Or even a death scene where they get to say goodbye. This loyal man dying alone broke me. And give him a burial, mark his grave, something. I would die from crying but it's still a fix-it, and how sad is that?)
Francis Crozier and Silna: I haven't read the book and would prefer you to keep references to that canon (if you know of it) to a minimum, but I know some of it. That said, I did enjoy their relationship a lot. The bond they began to create, the mutual respect, the way Silna is at home in the cruel, almost endless cold and Crozier learns from her. What were the couple of years spent together like? How do the others relate to Crozier who's an outsider? Or if the end inspires you, go for it. I'd also be happy with something romantic between them, so don't feel like you have to keep it out.
The next are completely optional, and I'm perfectly aware none of them need to show up in the fic in any shape or form because they're not in my official requests. But if you're curious to know what else I liked in the tag set and would've added if it hadn't risked my matchability becoming very very low, here's a short list:
Goodsir and Silna, either on their own or together, friendship or more. They were the sweetest. Or rather, Goodsir was the sweetest. :) Silna was just her awesome strong self. Which I suppose is sweet in its own way.
Bridgens and Peglar and their relationship. Oh, I wish we could've gotten more focus on them. They made me so curious. Any cameo by either one (or both) would be fun.
And yes, Hickey's a cool villain. I liked him a lot at first, but then he went nuts and he was still cool but also a bit less charming. :D Sorry, I like my guys to not think I have the juiciest thighs for all the wrong reasons. I totally wouldn't mind having him in the story, just maybe not as its focus. And I'd like to think he liked Billy for real, not just because it was convenient. The ring moment? D'awww.
WHITECHAPEL (TV)
Emerson Kent, Joseph Chandler
Joe is a big reason I enjoyed this show. He's a conflicted character with personal demons, he's good at his job, and he's flawed which makes him interesting to me. His OCD, especially when it worsens, makes me want to hug him and fix him. Can you please ease his mind and make him a bit better? It's killing him. I like his dynamics with Miles, so i'm definitely fine with having him around as well. (I kind of ship it? As in I can see it, at least as one-sided if not quite mutual. You don't have to.)
I also like Kent a lot. He's so charming and sweet, still a novice but so willing to learn, and I love how he looks up to Joe and takes cues from him like a proper little fanboy. I loved the way he sort of asked Joe out, so if you want to go there and further I'd be happy to follow you! In general I want him to find confidence, to learn and become competent at his job, and generally just advance in life and in his career.
I loved the possibility of supernatural in this show, so you can take that and run with it wherever you heart desires! Devil walking on the street, ghostly possessions and haunted buildings, poltergeists, returning murderers, voodoo dolls, whatever comes to your mind. Whether it's barely there and easy to explain away as a natural occurrence or something truly in your face unnatural, it's all good!
I'd love case fic, tropey or not, but I'd also take a bit of gen friendship with the two of them having a pint and discussing a very boring case of, I don't know, a tax evasion related killing. Anyone else from the team (or family members) is welcome to join. I'll take anything where someone (either of these or someone else) has to work undercover, maybe they have to play a couple and Joe's really uncomfortable with it while Kent is freaking out for the opposite reason. I love the idea of oblivious Joe who's so pigheadedly determined he's straight that he's missing all the signs (or maybe he's just ashamed of it for some reason and therefore in massive denial, I don't know). All the tropey bar and nightclub plots, or overnight visits to other towns for a case, falling asleep at work, whatever.
I don't really have much to add here. I'd take something set during an episode on any season or something post-series. I like most of the cast and they seem to have nice families for the most part, so feel free to take your fic out of the work place completely. Or tell me about younger Kent and/or Joe. That could be fun.
DARK MATTER - MICHELLE PAVER
Gus Balfour, Jack Miller
I'm fine with both canon compliance and canon divergence, so whichever appeals to you more, go for it! My main wish is for Jack (and Gus if applicable) to find peace and some semblance of happiness.
Keep the ending: What's Jack's life after that? We only see a bit of it but what else is there? Does he ever find someone else, and what's that other person like? Are there supernatural elements still around, does he see ghosts, is something still following him and hunting him? What about Isaak? Does he take even more dogs?
Change the ending: Gus survives. How do they continue from there? Where do they go, where do they live? Can they ever actually live together? Will they break up? Do they ever revisit this awful place? Do you have an idea for just one of them, Gus or Jack, without the other? I want to know what it is.
Pre-canon: Tell me about Gus and his life before the book. Has he dated anyone? What's his coming out (or just figuring out) story like? How is he with his friends?
I've previously said that since the whole story is given to us via journal entries, it means it's very subjective and perceived through the writer, so it's coloured with that person's thoughts, emotions and beliefs. I'm so curious to know what really happened, the parts no one wrote down for whatever reason (fear, disbelief, privacy), the objective stuff. Is all that Jack's telling us the truth, or is there something else?
Obviously I love Jack/Gus, but honestly I'd also be happy with Jack/OMC and/or Gus/OMC, so don't feel restricted by their OTPness. :)
I love this book and I love this world. It's claustrophobic and it's beautiful, and the horror is subtle but so creepy in the right way. The end, well, I love to hate it? Ok, not quite hate. But it hurts. It's beautiful and tragic but it's also both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time.
I do enjoy a good tragedy, I do, but I can't help feeling like it's just another doomed gay relationship that's the most beautiful when it remains unconsummated. Plus it's a handy way to avoid dealing with a same sex relationship in that era. I'm by no means blaming Paver for anything, definitely not, but it's a feeling I sometimes get when thinking about this ending. It's the main reason I want all the fix-its even when the original is already good on its own. Life was already hard back then being different even without drowning/losing your first love at a young age, you know?
I'm not the biggest fan of Algie but as long as he's not in a major role I'm ok with him being there. They're all friends, after all. And while I didn't mention Eriksson, I do kind of like the guy based on what little we know about him, so don't feel like you should avoid him.
Apart from what I put in my sign-up, I also wouldn't mind a bit of worldbuilding. Are there other legends or horror stories that the locals have passed down from person to person? Older lore from generations ago, or something more recent? Does Gus create a new one? (This possibility makes my skin crawl. Jesus.) Is the place safe and lovely during summers or are there other mysteries lurking around the corner when the ground is exposed and the night doesn't fall?
It can't be Yuletide yet! I swear we just had one a couple months ago. I still have fic I haven't read.
If you're a total stranger, hi, I'm a fairly easy recipient and I don't bite! If you come here after getting your assignment and you have a feeling you know what to write, go ahead and create. You don't have to read this. You'll be fine. But if you have no idea or are otherwise curious then I'll try to explain how my brain works.
MY DO NOT WANTS (for every fandom unless otherwise specified, more in fandom section if applicable)
Heavy kinks (bdsm, fisting, scat, animal play, bestiality etc.), size/daddy/age kink, rape between requested people, unrequested pairings, A/B/O, permanent genderswap, mpreg, kidfic, recreational drug use
Further explanation for some of these:
The next bit is copied from last year with a few minor tweaks. Not much has changed.
GENERAL LIKES:
This is hardly a complete list, but it should give you an idea of something I might like. It's a bit shipping-heavy and they might not fit the fandom we matched on, but many would work for friendships as well, or you can use them in a gen way.
Examples of things I tend to go for: Dialogue, drama, angst, hurt/comfort (mental and physical, esp. tending to wounds/injuries or holding close after some emotional hurt), bonding, pining, UST/RST, getting together, first times, romance, humour and banter, sweetness and happy/hopeful endings, fix-its, what-ifs, canon divergence or alternate endings, missing scenes, adventure, mission/casefic, various scifi tropes where applicable (for example: wormholes, time travel, reliving bits of time, telepathy, invisibility due to accident, clones, androids, alien tech, alternate timelines/universes). Also other tropes like confined spaces, forced intimacy, accidentally finding out secrets, enemies and/or friends to lovers, masquerades or other types of hidden identities, going undercover, redemption for bad guys. If you have a trope in mind and it's not listed here, I probably like it but didn't think of it just now.
GENERAL DISLIKES:
Apart from DNWs, mostly AUs of the coffeeshop/highschool/band kind, or supernatural creatures like werewolves and winged humans in a fandom where they don't exist. Magical realism is always welcome, though. Not into genderswap and crossdressing, or overly sweet fluff (complete with cutesy nicknames) or focus on domesticity. Also, and this is very unlikely, maybe don't torture animals? I've recently noticed even fictional animal torture is bad for my head. People? No problem. Though I'm not into gore for the sake of gore.
OTHER FIC-RELATED INFO
I'm fine with any rating, from G to NC-17, and this goes for both sexual content and violence. I tend to prefer 3rd person POV, but 1st and 2nd person POVs aren't a problem if you feel the fic needs to be that way. Any tense goes. So basically, don't feel too restrained by stylistic choices. I'll read whatever you write. :) Well, except I twitch at then/than, your/you're, there/their/they're, to/too mix-ups. I can't help it.
Fandoms and characters under the cut in no particular order:
Sagaen om Isfolket | Legend of the Ice People - Margit Sandemo [Any: Heike, Ingrid, Targenor, Tiili, Tova]
Insatiable (TV 2018) [Bob Armstrong, Bob Barnard]
The Strain (TV) [Any: Dutch Velders, Ephraim Goodweather, Quinlan, Vasiliy Fet]
The Terror (TV 2018) [Francis Crozier]
Whitechapel (TV) [Emerson Kent, Joseph Chandler]
Dark Matter - Michelle Paver [Gus Balfour, Jack Miller]
SIGN-UPS, PROMPTS AND OTHER THOUGHTS
SAGAEN OM ISFOLKET | LEGEND OF THE ICE PEOPLE - MARGIT SANDEMO
Any: Heike, Ingrid, Targenor, Tiili, Tova
DNW: Heavy kinks (bdsm, fisting, scat, animal play, bestiality etc.), size/daddy/age kink, rape between requested people, unrequested pairings, A/B/O, permanent genderswap, mpreg, kidfic, recreational drug use
I would love any fic with any of these characters, one or all of them, or even someone not on this list! I've adored this book series in all its flawed glory for over two decades. If a character is a part of this family at any point in time then I love them dearly (well, Sölve not so much love as love to despise and hope he rots in hell, but I like him for doing the hateable bad guy so well). Write me 1000 words of whatever and I'll be happy. :)
Give me something about Targenor's or Tiili's younger years, or their life together. Include Dida if you want. How was Targenor's trip to the south? Or give me something with Targenor and Heike from the time between Heike's childhood and adulthood (i.e. the time we don't get to see in the books), or something from their later years.
Give me Tiili's POV on the horrors she had to endure (go as dark as you feel, I'm fine with anything as long as there's eventual light at the end of the tunnel). Tell me what Tiili does afterwards, after canon. I have a hard time seeing her with Marco, to be honest, so no Tiili/Marco. Maybe Tiili/OFC? I love the idea of her getting a girlfriend.
Heike is one of my most dear ones. There's his tragic childhood that should've broken him, but instead he becomes someone strong and powerful, and he never loses his kindness. I like the part of his story when he's finding his way towards his family, making a few friends along the way and fighting supernatural things. Tell me more about those adventures. Create a new one. Tell me about his romantic feelings before he had Vinga in his life.
Ingrid, ah, that witch. :D Give me questionable magic spells she uses to protect those she holds dear, give me canon or non-canon romances, give me Ingrid at her absolute (and most delightful) worst. Or her sweetest.
And Tova. So relatable. I only want happy things for her. Angst is fine as long as it doesn't end in angst. Give me flirty (or more) Tova/Marco, or Tova/Ian, or Tova/your own choice. Give me futurefic. Give me time travel. Anything's welcome.
All the family feels and strong bonds! Moments in their daily lives. Little peeks at something the books glossed over. Missing scenes. Romances (m/m, f/f or m/f) we didn't see in canon but you wish were there. I really do mean anything.
I also love the way the living and the dead can interact with each other. I would be thrilled to get a story that includes friendships and/or romances that are cross-dimensional and cross-generational. People who never met in real life. Or take the character(s) of your choosing on a trip with Saga, Lucifer and/or Marco to visit their place.
Shipwise I'd be open for a lot. Yes, I'm easy. :D Just to sum up what comes to my mind: Targenor/Tiili, Targenor/OMC, Targenor/Heike, Tiili/OFC, Tiili/choose-a-canon-female, Heike/Vinga, Heike/the male friend from the woods, Heike/Ingrid, Ingrid/anyone, Tova/Marco, Tova/Ian, and a whole lot more. (Note: As some of the ships indicate, yes, I'm fine with incest, if that needs to be specifically clarified. Siblings or cross-generational, though preferably not direct parent/child ones.) And obviously any of these ships would be wonderful as strong friendships.
I requested this fandom and some of the same characters last year, and whatever I said then still applies. :) This really is a fandom where I'd be excited to get anything. It's such a tiny fandom that getting anything is nothing short of a miracle.
INSATIABLE (TV 2018)
Bob Armstrong, Bob Barnard
Ahaha, I don't even know what to say here. :D This first season was so extra in so many ways. I want more! I don't care that it gets problematic at points, it's so on crack that getting offended by anything feels almost silly.
Over the years I've gotten so used to getting slashy teasing as an ongoing joke in comedies (think Friends) that I was totally prepared to just wallow gleefully in all the slashy scenes thrown at us without getting any actual payoff. Like, I absolutely adored the show number they did together (I love Dirty Dancing) and could have watched it a dozen times on repeat, and I'd read 1000 words of a training/performance gone differently. But then we got the scene in the bathroom, and I think my heart literally melted because omg I wasn't prepared! Which sound so silly but it's true.
I just want BobA to be happy with his decision, whatever it is. I admit my preference, if asked, is for BobA/BobB over BobA/Coralee. Not because I dislike Coralee (nonono, I like her, and it's Alyssa so I can't not like her) but because of how overjoyed BobA became at the thought of BobB liking him. So if you only included one ship, that's the one I'd choose.
But! That threesome was perfect. Omg. It gives me what I wanted most, which is a happy BobA getting what he wants, because if he loves them both (and he does) then having them both is the ideal solution. Plus BobB/Coralee is lovely as well, so a balanced threeway with all three equally into each other would be amazing. (Alas, BobB doesn't seem to be into it. Please make him into it? Or have them settle for something else that leaves them all content. I just want it all to work in some way.)
Shipping aside, I love the crackiness and OTTness of the canon. I'd love something including lawyering, not necessarily srs business (though it can be) but maybe a wacky case that may or may not be related to their lives/works. The pageant stuff is ok, though not my absolute favourite thing in the canon (I'm so sorry), but I like random sabotage attempts and other scheming done in the background, so more of that would be fun. Is there a ball? A masquerade? Drag queens (and/or drag kings) involved in any way would be wonderful! Maybe something they have to arrange at a nightclub? Or a very dry and boring fundraising event gone totally wrong. Angry clients coming at them with literal pitchforks and forcing them to stay in whatever place they're in (office, bathroom, elevator). Honestly, anything goes.
You want a more serious take on the canon instead of comedy? Don't worry, I want that, too! It's all fun and games until it's not, so the characters taking a moment to be adults about it all would also be nice, so don't feel forced to keep the style 100% canon-compliant and nothing but funny. I love it when there are changes to the style and genre of the original, and I feel like this show is perfect for that. It already has elements of both drama and comedy. Turn it into a soap opera. Add supernatural elements. Make it horror. Does either one have a camera crew following them and making a documentary about them? It's all welcome, really, as long as it has these guys in it.
I feel like I said everything in the sign-up. Go forth and write! All the other characters are fun and free to show up when necessary. I'm not a big fan of Patty's infatuation with BobA so I'd prefer to have as little of that as possible.
THE STRAIN (TV)
Any: Dutch Velders, Ephraim Goodweather, Quinlan, Vasiliy Fet
Canon-specific DNWs: Dutch being raped by the strigoi in any shape or form, Zach
I chose any because I like all of these characters on their own and in various combinations at any point in the canon. I'm fine with absolutely any other characters showing up, except I'd like any references to Eph's kid to be minimal, preferably nonexistent if possible. My reasons would probably sound like character bashing, so let's leave it at that. But! The others! Yes, please. Even vampire nazi baddies, especially if someone's kicking their asses.
I don't have any clear and particular prompts for this one, but it's not for lack of interest. I'd just be open to pretty much anything in this fandom if it has these people in it.
Tell me about the early days when the world wasn't quite as post-apocalyptic as it became. Or something even before that, before any of them were introduced to us. Missing scenes, a day in the life when they're fighting, a very satisfying win we didn't get to see, different takes on scenes we saw on the show, or total canon divergence at any point in canon? Especially in the earlier days, creating a totally new timeline? I'd love all of that. A happier ending with fewer casualties? This would make me extremely happy.
If you're into ships, yes, I ship them too. :) I'd be very happy with any of these: Dutch/Eph, Dutch/Fet, Eph/Fet, Quinlan/Fet, Quinlan/Eph. I don't know if Quinlan/Dutch would work but if you feel you can convince me somehow? Consider me curious. I'd also love Dutch/OFC (or one from canon) if f/f is more your thing. Quinlan's past romance was sweet (and sad), but I don't know if I'd want more of it.
I'm fine with canon-level of gore and blood, though they don't give me any particular thrills. I'm fascinated by the idea of vampires getting their kicks in a different way from humans, but if you want to make them (or just Quinlan) more human? I'd be fine with that, as well.
This show was fun. Less horror than post-apocalyptic adventure for me, which is not a bad thing. :) I enjoyed the first season when things were still under control and we barely knew anything about these little maggot-like things. I enjoyed the way the story started unraveling, we got an interesting take on the vampire lore, glimpses of the past (concentration camp, various eras of Quinlan's history), and a cool ensemble of people fighting the war against these creatures. Even good guy vampires! I liked Vaun and wish he could've stayed with us. I also liked the ending for the most part, though of course I would've preferred my good guys to all stay alive. Boo.
Btw, I use both strigoi and vampire and obviously mean the same thing. In my head they're roughly the same, but you can call them whichever you want.
THE TERROR (TV 2018)
Captain Francis Crozier
Canon-specific DNWs:
Necrophilia, excessive body horror, detailed focus on eating people's insides, spanking/whipping/amputation/mutilation presented as erotic, dark and gloomy or other unhappily ever after end
This was so tough to request! I wanted so many but not quite all. In the end I went with Crozier alone, because no matter what you write, as long as he's there I'm bound to like it.
First, I'm sorry if you're here eager to write more body horror, cannibalistic feasts and characters being monstrous and everything ending in a horrible, depressing mess all over again. I'm more into canon divergence and fix-its and making things a bit easier for these poor guys while not completely erasing the horrors of their ordeals. Sorry? But I promise I'm fine with cannibalism and killing animals in this canon, even when I'd normally DNW them to some extent. Nothing on the show grossed me out to the point of squicking me. The cannibalism caused more sadness at their distress than disgust.
I'm fine with dark themes. They're canon. Unless of course your story takes place during a happier time (pre-canon or during the early hopeful days), in which case less darkness is perfectly ok. You could create a little oasis of happiness in the middle of all the horror. Or maybe there's a hallucination or someone's just euphoric for medicational reasons and therefore oblivious to their situation.
My tastes are shippy, I can't lie, but I'd also very much like something gen like a character study or a missing scene about Crozier's everyday life or his thoughts on other people, or take a particular scene from canon and expand on it. Pre-canon, during, post-canon, all is welcome, esp. the latter two. His friendships or conflicts and hateships with others? Awesome! A letter or a diary entry he writes that nobody's ever going to read? Give! Learning the new ways of living in the arctic? Yes, especially if you have firsthand experience on snow/ice/cold winters. Possibly returning to England and living incognito until his last breath at a very old age? Do want!
Or add some more supernatural horror. Is Tuunbaq alone? Does it have cubs? Is it truly behind everything or is there something more we didn't see? Now that it's dead, is there balance between good and evil, or did killing it create something even worse? (I know there are explanations in the novel. I've read some of them. You can ignore some or even all of them if you feel like you have a cooler idea that fits the tv version.)
For all of these, whether gen or shippy, I'd love to have even one other person (up to a handful of your own choosing) survive besides Crozier. Just so he wouldn't be so alone when no one else speaks his language and truly understands his western lifestyle he had to leave behind.
Francis Crozier and James Fitzjames: I love how they slowly start to form a friendship, and I would love to see it go even further. Yes, I love the enemies to friends to lovers trope and it would fit nicely here. I'd be fine with more focus on James as well, if that's where your muse takes you. What if he also survived?
Francis Crozier and Thomas Jopson: OMG! I'm here for all the withdrawal hurt/comfort, heavy on the comfort! Hurt him more in new ways! I absolutely loved the way Jopson cared for him, and I don't think it was because it's his job but because of genuine affection. I wouldn't say I have a loyalty kink but I'm pretty sure I have some kind of a kink related to it. :D All that dressing and butlering and what have you. It got even better when later their roles were reversed. Good god, I want more of it, the sharing of stories, the domesticity, the concern, the friendship they've formed even when they're not exactly equal. I want it all. Let him be alive when Crozier finds him, delirious and dying but not quite, and create a miracle that saves him. Anything. (Or even a death scene where they get to say goodbye. This loyal man dying alone broke me. And give him a burial, mark his grave, something. I would die from crying but it's still a fix-it, and how sad is that?)
Francis Crozier and Silna: I haven't read the book and would prefer you to keep references to that canon (if you know of it) to a minimum, but I know some of it. That said, I did enjoy their relationship a lot. The bond they began to create, the mutual respect, the way Silna is at home in the cruel, almost endless cold and Crozier learns from her. What were the couple of years spent together like? How do the others relate to Crozier who's an outsider? Or if the end inspires you, go for it. I'd also be happy with something romantic between them, so don't feel like you have to keep it out.
The next are completely optional, and I'm perfectly aware none of them need to show up in the fic in any shape or form because they're not in my official requests. But if you're curious to know what else I liked in the tag set and would've added if it hadn't risked my matchability becoming very very low, here's a short list:
Goodsir and Silna, either on their own or together, friendship or more. They were the sweetest. Or rather, Goodsir was the sweetest. :) Silna was just her awesome strong self. Which I suppose is sweet in its own way.
Bridgens and Peglar and their relationship. Oh, I wish we could've gotten more focus on them. They made me so curious. Any cameo by either one (or both) would be fun.
And yes, Hickey's a cool villain. I liked him a lot at first, but then he went nuts and he was still cool but also a bit less charming. :D Sorry, I like my guys to not think I have the juiciest thighs for all the wrong reasons. I totally wouldn't mind having him in the story, just maybe not as its focus. And I'd like to think he liked Billy for real, not just because it was convenient. The ring moment? D'awww.
WHITECHAPEL (TV)
Emerson Kent, Joseph Chandler
Joe is a big reason I enjoyed this show. He's a conflicted character with personal demons, he's good at his job, and he's flawed which makes him interesting to me. His OCD, especially when it worsens, makes me want to hug him and fix him. Can you please ease his mind and make him a bit better? It's killing him. I like his dynamics with Miles, so i'm definitely fine with having him around as well. (I kind of ship it? As in I can see it, at least as one-sided if not quite mutual. You don't have to.)
I also like Kent a lot. He's so charming and sweet, still a novice but so willing to learn, and I love how he looks up to Joe and takes cues from him like a proper little fanboy. I loved the way he sort of asked Joe out, so if you want to go there and further I'd be happy to follow you! In general I want him to find confidence, to learn and become competent at his job, and generally just advance in life and in his career.
I loved the possibility of supernatural in this show, so you can take that and run with it wherever you heart desires! Devil walking on the street, ghostly possessions and haunted buildings, poltergeists, returning murderers, voodoo dolls, whatever comes to your mind. Whether it's barely there and easy to explain away as a natural occurrence or something truly in your face unnatural, it's all good!
I'd love case fic, tropey or not, but I'd also take a bit of gen friendship with the two of them having a pint and discussing a very boring case of, I don't know, a tax evasion related killing. Anyone else from the team (or family members) is welcome to join. I'll take anything where someone (either of these or someone else) has to work undercover, maybe they have to play a couple and Joe's really uncomfortable with it while Kent is freaking out for the opposite reason. I love the idea of oblivious Joe who's so pigheadedly determined he's straight that he's missing all the signs (or maybe he's just ashamed of it for some reason and therefore in massive denial, I don't know). All the tropey bar and nightclub plots, or overnight visits to other towns for a case, falling asleep at work, whatever.
I don't really have much to add here. I'd take something set during an episode on any season or something post-series. I like most of the cast and they seem to have nice families for the most part, so feel free to take your fic out of the work place completely. Or tell me about younger Kent and/or Joe. That could be fun.
DARK MATTER - MICHELLE PAVER
Gus Balfour, Jack Miller
I'm fine with both canon compliance and canon divergence, so whichever appeals to you more, go for it! My main wish is for Jack (and Gus if applicable) to find peace and some semblance of happiness.
Keep the ending: What's Jack's life after that? We only see a bit of it but what else is there? Does he ever find someone else, and what's that other person like? Are there supernatural elements still around, does he see ghosts, is something still following him and hunting him? What about Isaak? Does he take even more dogs?
Change the ending: Gus survives. How do they continue from there? Where do they go, where do they live? Can they ever actually live together? Will they break up? Do they ever revisit this awful place? Do you have an idea for just one of them, Gus or Jack, without the other? I want to know what it is.
Pre-canon: Tell me about Gus and his life before the book. Has he dated anyone? What's his coming out (or just figuring out) story like? How is he with his friends?
I've previously said that since the whole story is given to us via journal entries, it means it's very subjective and perceived through the writer, so it's coloured with that person's thoughts, emotions and beliefs. I'm so curious to know what really happened, the parts no one wrote down for whatever reason (fear, disbelief, privacy), the objective stuff. Is all that Jack's telling us the truth, or is there something else?
Obviously I love Jack/Gus, but honestly I'd also be happy with Jack/OMC and/or Gus/OMC, so don't feel restricted by their OTPness. :)
I love this book and I love this world. It's claustrophobic and it's beautiful, and the horror is subtle but so creepy in the right way. The end, well, I love to hate it? Ok, not quite hate. But it hurts. It's beautiful and tragic but it's also both satisfying and unsatisfying at the same time.
I do enjoy a good tragedy, I do, but I can't help feeling like it's just another doomed gay relationship that's the most beautiful when it remains unconsummated. Plus it's a handy way to avoid dealing with a same sex relationship in that era. I'm by no means blaming Paver for anything, definitely not, but it's a feeling I sometimes get when thinking about this ending. It's the main reason I want all the fix-its even when the original is already good on its own. Life was already hard back then being different even without drowning/losing your first love at a young age, you know?
I'm not the biggest fan of Algie but as long as he's not in a major role I'm ok with him being there. They're all friends, after all. And while I didn't mention Eriksson, I do kind of like the guy based on what little we know about him, so don't feel like you should avoid him.
Apart from what I put in my sign-up, I also wouldn't mind a bit of worldbuilding. Are there other legends or horror stories that the locals have passed down from person to person? Older lore from generations ago, or something more recent? Does Gus create a new one? (This possibility makes my skin crawl. Jesus.) Is the place safe and lovely during summers or are there other mysteries lurking around the corner when the ground is exposed and the night doesn't fall?
