OH HAI IZ YOOLTIDE!
Oct. 19th, 2007 06:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tzikehETA: Please don't comment with "I'm not your Santa, but...". All of it is supposed to be secret; that's why these kind of gift exchanges are also known as "Secret Santa"!
Ahem.
Now--to my dear wonderful Yuletide author - thank you so much for everything! I know I already gave some details in my request, so you can ignore this post if you like. I'm serious - under the cut is heap big yakkety info. If it's going to make your head asplode, no need to click. But if you feel like reading about my likes and dislikes and wishes and hopes and dreams 'til you want to write a story in which rocks fall and everyone dies, including me, go ahead. Please remember, though, that nothing under the cut is necessary for the story; it's just an info dump for your delectation. The single most important thing in all of this is that you love writing the story. Please don't twist yourself into knots trying to make something that doesn't please you at all.
(Oddly, many of these things wouldn't be true at any other time; there are lots of stories I've read and loved that go against nearly everything I've said here. I seem to have a certain set of criteria for the Yuletide challenge that I don't at any other time. Weird.)
Oh, one more note. Just because this is for Yuletide doesn't mean it has to be a holiday-themed story. In fact, as someone said over in the community, we always get plenty of stories with people unwrapping gifts or putting up trees, so don't feel like you've got to set the story around that (unless you darned well want to and it fits your idea).
LOVES:
Competent people being competent. (Sounds like a LOLCAT caption *g*)
Banter.
Massively angsty plots, followed by happy endings.
Massively happy plots, followed by happy endings.
Friendships and romances with a bit of salt in them (partners who mercilessly mock one another are awesome when *they* know that they aren't truly being hurtful to one another).
A nice long lead-up to a Big Decision or a Big Action.
People being super-comfortable around one another, and in one another's personal space (i.e. mi casa es su casa).
First-time stories, het or slash, with yummy sex.
Long-time friendships turning into first-time stories, het or slash, with yummy sex.
Cluelessness on the part of one person, followed by cluefulness, followed by yummy sex.
LIKES:
Stories where one character reveals a personal secret or desire to another character which they've never told anyone else, or which is potentially embarrassing to admit.
Misunderstandings which are solved and lead to happiness.
Stories in which characters leave their usual surroundings (vacation, investigation, curiosity, flight from danger, etc.) and have to stick together.
Stories that "sound" like the source material - following the style of writing in the book / show / movie works for me big-time.
Stories that have sex but not sex scenes, per se (the drawn curtain, as it were).
Stories with no sex or sexual tension in them are totally fine, though yes, I prefer sex in most of my fanfiction (of course, there are plenty of stories with no sex or mention of sex at all which I adore. It all depends.).
Stories where sex is not the be-all/end-all of the story -- that there is actually more plot after sex (shocking, I know!). And speaking of plot --
Plot, plot, plotty plotness. Mmm. With extra plot.
Hurt/comfort.
Someone bathing someone else (what?!).
DISLIKES:
"Aliens made us do it!"
"Oh no we're trapped in this elevator / storage closet / escape pod / fallout shelter / whatever, so why not pass the time having sex, even though we never have before."
"What luck; even though we've been running through the jungle for two days and lost all our supplies, I just happen to have condoms and/or lube in my pocket."
I guess what I'm saying is, I like stories that progress naturally. I don't like coincidences / happy accidents / contrivances for the sake of furthering the plot.
PLEASE DON'T, IF YOU CAN SEE YOUR WAY CLEAR TO AVOIDING IT:
Death.
Death.
Also death.
Sad endings (see: death).
S&M. Light bondage is okay with me (wrists tied to bedposts etc.), but please, not ball-gags and chains and the like. Pain during sex = eek. (Pain to be *rescued from* = yay.)
Mpreg, wingfic, "I was once a rent-boy / prostitute", and other types of AUs.
Incest.
Winking to the audience ("heh heh, 'cuz they're in a *movie*, get it?" or "heh heh, 'cuz the actor playing this part also played *this part*, get it?"). Oh, please don't do that.
Wow. And you thought we were done, didn't you. Now comes the stuff about the individual requests!
BATMAN BEGINS
I have a thing -- a great big awesome thing -- for Jim Gordon as portrayed in this movie. He is All That. I'd love to see a story furthering his tentative, weird alliance with Batman into some kind of friendship or mutual admiration society. I'd love to see him wind up having to work closely with Bruce, and how Bruce would deal with the two different relationships he has with Gordon. I'd love to see Gordon *find out*, after knowing both of them, and his reaction, and Bruce's reaction.
I know that Gordon is a devoted family man and I do not like adultery in general, but... well, look, it's fantasy time in fanfiction-land, and if you dig on the idea of Gordon/Batman or Gordon/Bruce or a reveal of "Hang on, I'm *sleeping* with half of you", I say go for it.
I love Alfred, and I love Lucius, and anywhere you want to include them is fine by me.
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Robin and Barney. I sense that they are meant for each other. Ever since Laser Tag, I've been wanting it to happen. The have so much in common, in a weird kind of way, and they went from Barney's "I think I hate you" to "Suit up, Scherbotsky!". The Dad!Ted refers to them as "Aunt Robin" and "Uncle Barney", and neither of them are related to Ted. I know that it's often a way to talk about parents' friends to kids, but when I was a kid, "Aunts" and "Uncles" may not have been related to Mom and Dad, but they sure were married to each other. Poor Barney, realizing that he's actually *fallen in love*. He'd go to *everyone* for advice on how to fall *out* of love, and make them swear not to tell Robin, and and and....
And he's a great match for Robin IMO because um, can you see Barney with children?
I love everyone on the show, so go ahead and include anyone in the story who you want.
DEAD LIKE ME
One day, ONE DAY, someone will write me a George/Rube story. Back before George slept with That Guy, I had story ideas about her going to Rube and asking him to sleep with her because, well, she's *dead* now, and she never got a chance while she was alive. It would be just fine by me for you to write something like that set in Season One. :) But if you cannot go there (and many, many people can't, so no worries), that's also entirely fine -- their odd little relationship offers up plenty of fabulous story fodder in an entirely gen way.
I love everyone in this show, so involve any and all as necessary. :D
WITHOUT A CLUE
What. A. Goofy. Movie. I love it so much. I want to hug it. I want to take Watson and Reginald!Holmes and squeeeeeeeze them. I'd love to see them off on another misadventure. I'd love to see them take on a case in which Reginald is the expert (probably would have to involve the theater, gambling, or drinking). I'd love to see them a few years later having completely settled into Baker Street. I'd love to see Reginald's reaction the first time Watson calls him "Holmes" in their rooms when no one else is around, so it's clear Watson isn't doing it to keep their cover, and Watson's reaction when he realizes same. I'd, naturally, love to see them fall for one another.
Invent as many characters as you need to tell your story -- I love seeing Holmes and Watson play off of people I've never met!
WHEW. And, dearest Yuletide writer, if you've made it this far, then you are even more wonderful than I could have hoped for.
Remember. YOU SHOULD HAVE FUN.
The end!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2007-10-19 11:34 pm (UTC)But one of these days, I just might write you that George/Rube. You mentioned that a while ago, and I turn it over in my head every now and then.
Just FYI. :)
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Date: 2007-10-19 11:37 pm (UTC)*HEART*
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Date: 2007-10-19 11:40 pm (UTC)Yup. It's in the back of my mind. I think I have a few things scribbled down somewhere; when life slows down a bit (HA!), hm...
(And I still need to get back with you on scheduling Dexter.)
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Date: 2007-10-20 02:45 am (UTC)Also I fear you.
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Date: 2007-10-20 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-10-20 06:30 pm (UTC)Sorry -- not mad at you. Just wondering why everyone feels the need to say that when the comments don't need it.