Yuletide Letter
Dear wonderful Yuletide writer,
Hi! This is my first time doing Yuletide, and I am very, very excited. Which is why I've written a lot here. But before you dive in to this craziness, I just want to say: Despite all the the ramblings, I'm easy. If you write a fic for any of these fandoms with a character I like, I'll pretty much be thrilled. But hopefully some of these thoughts will be useful to you. Or at least interesting. Hey, maybe I'll convince you (or someone else) to check something new out!
My requests:
Revenge (Nolan Ross):
Revenge is the smartest prime-time soap in years, packed with all the deliciously twisted characters, snappy plots, and fascinating relationships you could ever want.
Why I love the show:
I recently made a pimp post for this show. It should hopefully give you some insight into what I love about it, and especially about the character of Nolan. If you don't know the show, I hope you go read it anyway -- even if you don't plan to write it for Yuletide, I have made it my goal in life to spread this show as far and wide as possible.
What I want in fic:
Well, Nolan, obviously. Beyond that, I'm very flexible.
If you're interested in writing ship fic, Nolan's rather my fandom bicycle. I'm particularly interested by the idea of Nolan/Emily* as a twisted, semi-hateful, semi-"you're the only one who knows the real me" ship. I like them as allies, but am also interested in the idea of there being a split at some point. One-sided Nolan-->Emily or Emily using him (particularly if he half realizes it but denies it to himself) would also be good.
* (By Emily here I mean the main character, not the actual Emily Thorne -- though hey, if a Nolan/real!Emily plotbunny strikes, go for it. Or hey, Nolan/Emily/real!Emily).
I'd also love to see an exploration of Nolan/Tyler(/Ashley)'s messed up relationship. Or maybe something sweeter with Nolan/Jack actually developing a bromance turned romance. (Nolan/Jack/Emily is also of interest.) Or really any ship you can see him in. Seriously.
I'd be happy if sex were involved (though it's in no way required), and with Nolan I'm fine(/into) it getting pretty kinky if you're interested in that. (See general likes/dislikes below for more details on my preferences if this is a route you're interested in).
OTOH, if you want to do gen, I'd be more than happy with that! Some things I'd be interested in seeing:
-- More on Nolan's backstory. How did he end up meeting/working with/getting close to Daniel Clarke? What has he been doing between giving Amanda the infinity box and the start of the series? Why was he still in the Hamptons in the first place?
-- Anything that explores the Nolan-Emily relationship. What does he think about her? What does she think about him? More plotting sessions between them. Could their relationship develop into a real partnership based on respect on both sides? What happens if they wind up enemies or he decides she's crossed one too many lines?
-- Something exploring other Hamptionite's opinions about him. What do they see vs. what we see?
--Nolan-Jack friendship fic. I also like his dynamic with Declan, and the dynamic with all three of them.
-- Why is Ashley SO annoyed by him? I could see there being a funny story here.
-- I find Nolan's bodyguard awesome and hilarious. What do they do when no one else is around? I have an image of Nolan pestering him for company. Or maybe they develop a real friendship. IDK, this could be a fun thing to explore.
For reference, my other favorite characters are Emily and Victoria, and I adore their complex antagonistic relationship. So Nolan interacting with either of them (shippy or not), or something showing his POV on either character and/or their relationship, or a plottier fic that involves all three would be very loved. I'm also fascinated by Emily + real!Emily's relationship and the concept of Emily/real!Emily.
But again, I just really adore Nolan, and this show and really all of the characters. So anything that involves Nolan either on his own or with anyone else will make me squee. I promise.
TL;DR version: I love Nolan. Ship him with whoever, write gen, write a different character's POV when interacting with him, etc. etc. I'll be happy
As of this note, Hulu has all of the episodes of the show up. It's still in its first season, so there are only 8 (maybe 9 by the time you read this) episodes out.
The Wire (Any)
Far more than just another cop show, The Wire takes TV realism to a new level with its grounded sense of place, deeply complicated characters (each with fully realized lives, emotions, and motivations), sprawling plots, and bleakly realist look at the way the system works -- or, for the most part, doesn't -- in inner city America. It's not just one of the greatest TV show of all time, it's one of the best stories in any medium.
Why I love the show:
This show is one of my favorite shows ever. Ever ever ever. Things I love about it: Its commitment to realism. Its complex characters who are almost all never all good or bad. Its grounded sense of place. Its vast, sprawling plots and its true-to-life small character moments. The fact that it is both heartbreaking and hopeful -- it doesn't gloss over anything, but also knows there is good in life.
What I want in fic:
In some ways, The Wire is already a perfect as is -- but at the same time, there are so many elements, characters, plots, etc. left to explore. I'd be happy with basically everything that you can come up with, but here are some things I'd especially love to see:
-- Stringer and Avon's relationship is as incredible and touching as it is heartbreaking and destructive, so anything exploring the Stringer-Avon OR Stringer/Avon relationship would be fantastic. In fact, it's probably my very top choice for The Wire fic (though if it's not your thing, that's totally fine). I ship it a LOT and would die for some shippy fic, but I'm also really into the friendship -- the depth of love that eventually isn't enough. I'd love backstory on their relationship. On the flip side, I'd also be interested in what went through Avon's mind after he realized Stringer betrayed him. (Or vica versa, though obviously Stringer didn't have very long to reflect). If you do want to do shippy, I'd be more than fine with higher rated stuff.
-- Stringer Bell is one of my favorite characters of all time. I find him fascinating -- the man of the streets trying to become respectable, and failing despite his obvious intelligence. Any sort of Stringer character piece or plotty story around him would be great. Or: What did the politicians see when they looked at him? Obviously they weren't afraid to screw him over, so they must not see the same deadly gangster we see.
-- Omar, Omar, Omar. I love Omar. Omar being a badass. Omar having hot sex. Omar as a kid. Anything.
-- Anything with any of the Season 4-5 kids. Where are they in 10, 20, 50 years?
-- I adore Bubbles, and especially his friendship with Kima, so anything about that would be great. How did they meet? Random sweet moments. What's their interaction like after he's been sober for a while?
-- I also really like Kima, Carver, Bodie and Snoop, so stories with any of them would be cool.
-- How does Maurice Levy feel about what he does, or think about it? How did he get into business with the Barksdale Organization in the first place?
-- There are so many awesome minor/tertiary characters, I could list names all day. If there is someone you're really interested in exploring, go for it -- I'm sure I'd love to see your take.
Final note: I'm actually from Baltimore, and I love the little details that remind me of home. DON'T let that freak you out -- I'm not at all nit-picky, and honestly the Baltimore most of these characters live in is not my Baltimore, so I'd probably not even know if you put the wrong two streets next to each other, or something. But if you're the kind of person who likes to research details like brands/street names/slang/etc, your efforts will definitely be noticed and appreciated. FYI, Utz chips are great. You should eat some.
TL;DR: Realism, character/friendship moments or character-centric plots. Stringer/Avon, Stringer & Avon, Omar, Bubbles & Kima, the kids, Carver, Bodie, Snoop -- these are things I really like.
Community: Troy and Abed
A sitcom that breaks all of the rules of sitcoms, Community is the TV-lovers TV show. Rife with references, genre play, and meta jokes, Community's biggest strength is its ability to blend its meta humor with loveable characters that are, at their cores, very relatable.
Why I love the show:
Oh god, this show owns my heart and soul. The combination of deeply flawed but lovable characters, meta/referential humor, and general wacky delighfulness makes me so, so happy. I like this show for being willing to be weird while having a huge amount of heart.
What I want in fic:
I requested Troy and Abed because yes, I am a huge shipper. I would love nothing more than to get shippy fic with them, or with Troy/Abed/Annie. But don't worry -- I'd be happy with gen too, or some other ships. Here, have a bunch of thoughts on the matter:
-- Troy/Abed(/Annie): I especially love love LOVE first kiss/getting together/general beginning of the relationship stuff for this ship. How do they end up turning their friendship into something more? Who realizes they want to make the change? How does Abed's emotional inaccessibility play into it? What about Troy's immaturity and/or struggle to figure out who he is as an adult? Feel free to go smutty if you want, but it's definitely not something I feel a need for -- I'd rather have the focus be on the emotional development -- and for this ship I prefer keeping kinkiness to a minimum.
-- Alternatively, seeing Troy/Abed work through more series relationship issues further into a romantic relationship would be interesting. Or: What would their marriage look like? One request: If you do T/A fic, please have a happy ending. I can't really deal with the idea of these two breaking up.
-- Other ships I'd be interested in seeing: Abed/Jeff (definitely not a fluffy or functional ship in my head, but it could be very interesting/hot), Abed/Annie, hell, Abed/Shirley if you have an idea for it. I'm also a fan of Jeff/Annie, though I see it as pretty messed up and not particularly sweet. Feel free to have unhappy endings for these ships if you want -- it's only Troy/Abed I can't see broken up.
Here are some other things I'm interested in, either in conjunction with one of the above ships or as gen:
-- The Troy-Jeff relationship. The combination of admiration, disillusionment and competition going on here is really interesting to me. In general, Troy's process of growing up is one of my favorite things about the character.
-- The Abed-Jeff relationship. I like that in some weird way, they are peers who learn from each other. I'd like to see more of that. Their moments at the end of Contemporary American Poultry and Critical Film Studies are some of my favorite on the show.
-- Group adventures/bonding! Or just Troy & Abed adventures. Or any combination of Troy & Abed & another character, especially Annie, Britta, or Jeff. (Though what would Troy & Abed & Shirley look like? I'm not sure, but it would be interesting).
-- What happens if the group gets stoned? Or some subset of the group? We know Britta likes pot...
-- Wacky meta fun -- either about the show, or about genre/storytelling in general.
-- Crossovers! This is a fandom where I think crossovers would be a lot of fun. I've always wanted to see a Community/Sherlock (BBC) crossover -- Sherlock trying to solve a crime in the non-logical Community world would be hilarious, and I'd love to see him and Abed interact. (FYI, I ship Sherlock/John if that matters to you). I've also always wanted to see Troy & Abed go on an adventure with The Doctor -- or Inspector Spacetime!
Other crossover ideas: Veronica Mars comes to Greendale to solve a crime, the new biology professor actually is Omar from The Wire (requires some fudging on The Wire canon, but I'd be okay with that), the Fringe team has to investigate a strange occurrence at Greendale (another zombie outbreak?).
-- In general I prefer things not to get TOO dark for Community fic. Some angst or bittersweet endings are fine, but this show is my happy place. The one exception is if you want to explore the darkest timeline. Feel free to go crazy with the angst there.
TL;DR: Troy/Abed(/Annie) is love, but so is gen! Wacky adventures, crossovers, bonding, fun times. Please don't break my heart too badly.
Wilfred (Any)
The story of a man and his dog other man in a dog costume, Wilfred is part stoner comedy, part surrealist think-piece, and part just plain weird. It's hard to define, but it's definitely one of the most creative comedies to hit American TV in years. Bonus: It stars Elijah Wood.
What I love about the show:
I love how god damn weird this show's whole concept is -- Elijah Wood is a depressed stoner who sees his neighbor's dog as a man in a dog suit -- and I love that they just go for it, full force. I love that it manages to be bizarre and crude, but also surprisingly thought provoking. I love the stoner-humor. I really enjoy Ryan and Wilfred's relationship -- the friendship, and the dark, destructive undercurrents. I find Ryan really fascinating. He's sympathetic and often nice, but he can also be a selfish jerk and he is, legitimately, a bit of a loser. He's great.
What I want in fic:
I'm open to anything, except for Wilfred shipped with anyone because I can't get past the part where he's a dog. I really just want to see fic for this show. That said, here are some things I'd especially enjoy seeing explored:
-- Random Wilfred & Ryan hijinks. This is one of the few fandoms where my enjoyment of (fun/funny) drug-related stories fits, so I'd enjoy seeing pot or hallucinogen fueled adventures. (Try http://www.erowid.org/ for research if this is of interest).
-- Either with hijinks or separately, I'd love an exploration of what Wilfred really is, and what his intentions are towards Ryan. Is he devilish? A Tyler Durden figure? Just a dog who can sometimes be seen as a man? Likewise, an exploration of Ryan's darker side would be cool. How bad a guy was he back when he was a lawyer? How far is he able to be pushed by Wilfred? How dirty is he willing to fight? Is he truly capable of reforming?
-- Bruce -- the guy who claimed to be Wilfred's old owner is "Doubt" -- interests me. WTF was up with him? What happens if he comes back? What's his backstory?
-- What does Jenna see when she looks at Wilfred and Ryan interacting? I'd love a funny story about her POV on a situation that makes sense to Ryan, but seems crazy if you think Wilfred is just a dog.
-- I'm not a Jenna/Ryan shipper in the sense that seeing them together inherently makes me happy, but I like the pairing when mixed with some of these other elements. A fic about the trials and tribulations of Ryan/Jenna starting or having a relationship with Wilfred interfering would be tons of fun.
-- The season finale was absolutely crazy. If you want to set the fic before it, or some time after with an assumption that things resolve back to normalish, that's fine by me. OTOH, if you want to tackle it head on (or obliquely, or any way you see fit), that would be really cool. Feel free to go dark, to go philosophical, to go totally weird. I don't know where the show is going, but I'd love to see your take on it.
-- Crossovers would be fine if you have an idea for one that you think would be funny. Ryan and Wilfred getting caught up in an adventure with The Doctor would probably be the greatest thing ever.
TL;DR: Ryan and Wilfred, drugs. WTF is up with Bruce? How does Jenna fit it? Who are these people? Be weird, be dark, be fun, be whatever you think fits.
Note: As of this writing, all 13 episodes are on Hulu.
Some thoughts on general likes and dislikes:
Some general thoughts:
-- I don't like AUs of the "the characters are all in high school together" variety. In general, I'm not big on any AUs, except for the occasional "What if X thing had happened differently?" fic. If you have some What If you're just dying to explore, that would be fine by me.
-- I'm not in anyway tied to the idea of explicit sex, but I'm open to it. In a couple of the above prompts I said I'm open to kinky. A little more explination of that:
+ I'm not into non-sex related body fluids
+ I'm not so interested in well-thought out, established and healthy BDSM relationships.
+ I AM interested in D/s dynamics in bed that just develop. For instance, I could totally see Emily just dominating the shit out of Nolan, or Omar being a boss in the sack. Ropes, some pain, etc. could be part of that.
Other dislikes: I'm not big on cracky fics - or at least, no more cracky than the canon itself. I'm also not that into schmoop (unless it's Troy/Abed). I'm not big on mpreg, fantasy added into non-fantastical worlds, or anything that diverges from canon too too much in terms of tone.
Likes: Strong character voices, first times, characters realizing how much someone else means to them, H/C, morally ambiguous characters, character trying to figure out who they are, small moments that having significance for the people involved, twisty plots, romantic moments that are very individualized, dysfunctional relationships that somehow work anyway, destructive relationships that don't work, hate!sex where appropriate (but also sweet!sex for nicer ships), friends who will always have each others backs, being made to think, being made to laugh, being made to cry.
A final note: I will be on vacation between Christmas and New Years and won't have internet access. So, this is just a heads up that a lack of comment from me during that period doesn't mean anything. I promise I'm very much looking forward to reading the fic as soon as I'm home -- it's going to be a very physically demanding trip, and I plan on spending my first day back curled up in bed reading Yuletide fics, starting with yours :)
Hi! This is my first time doing Yuletide, and I am very, very excited. Which is why I've written a lot here. But before you dive in to this craziness, I just want to say: Despite all the the ramblings, I'm easy. If you write a fic for any of these fandoms with a character I like, I'll pretty much be thrilled. But hopefully some of these thoughts will be useful to you. Or at least interesting. Hey, maybe I'll convince you (or someone else) to check something new out!
My requests:
Revenge (Nolan Ross):
Revenge is the smartest prime-time soap in years, packed with all the deliciously twisted characters, snappy plots, and fascinating relationships you could ever want.
Why I love the show:
I recently made a pimp post for this show. It should hopefully give you some insight into what I love about it, and especially about the character of Nolan. If you don't know the show, I hope you go read it anyway -- even if you don't plan to write it for Yuletide, I have made it my goal in life to spread this show as far and wide as possible.
What I want in fic:
Well, Nolan, obviously. Beyond that, I'm very flexible.
If you're interested in writing ship fic, Nolan's rather my fandom bicycle. I'm particularly interested by the idea of Nolan/Emily* as a twisted, semi-hateful, semi-"you're the only one who knows the real me" ship. I like them as allies, but am also interested in the idea of there being a split at some point. One-sided Nolan-->Emily or Emily using him (particularly if he half realizes it but denies it to himself) would also be good.
* (By Emily here I mean the main character, not the actual Emily Thorne -- though hey, if a Nolan/real!Emily plotbunny strikes, go for it. Or hey, Nolan/Emily/real!Emily).
I'd also love to see an exploration of Nolan/Tyler(/Ashley)'s messed up relationship. Or maybe something sweeter with Nolan/Jack actually developing a bromance turned romance. (Nolan/Jack/Emily is also of interest.) Or really any ship you can see him in. Seriously.
I'd be happy if sex were involved (though it's in no way required), and with Nolan I'm fine(/into) it getting pretty kinky if you're interested in that. (See general likes/dislikes below for more details on my preferences if this is a route you're interested in).
OTOH, if you want to do gen, I'd be more than happy with that! Some things I'd be interested in seeing:
-- More on Nolan's backstory. How did he end up meeting/working with/getting close to Daniel Clarke? What has he been doing between giving Amanda the infinity box and the start of the series? Why was he still in the Hamptons in the first place?
-- Anything that explores the Nolan-Emily relationship. What does he think about her? What does she think about him? More plotting sessions between them. Could their relationship develop into a real partnership based on respect on both sides? What happens if they wind up enemies or he decides she's crossed one too many lines?
-- Something exploring other Hamptionite's opinions about him. What do they see vs. what we see?
--Nolan-Jack friendship fic. I also like his dynamic with Declan, and the dynamic with all three of them.
-- Why is Ashley SO annoyed by him? I could see there being a funny story here.
-- I find Nolan's bodyguard awesome and hilarious. What do they do when no one else is around? I have an image of Nolan pestering him for company. Or maybe they develop a real friendship. IDK, this could be a fun thing to explore.
For reference, my other favorite characters are Emily and Victoria, and I adore their complex antagonistic relationship. So Nolan interacting with either of them (shippy or not), or something showing his POV on either character and/or their relationship, or a plottier fic that involves all three would be very loved. I'm also fascinated by Emily + real!Emily's relationship and the concept of Emily/real!Emily.
But again, I just really adore Nolan, and this show and really all of the characters. So anything that involves Nolan either on his own or with anyone else will make me squee. I promise.
TL;DR version: I love Nolan. Ship him with whoever, write gen, write a different character's POV when interacting with him, etc. etc. I'll be happy
As of this note, Hulu has all of the episodes of the show up. It's still in its first season, so there are only 8 (maybe 9 by the time you read this) episodes out.
The Wire (Any)
Far more than just another cop show, The Wire takes TV realism to a new level with its grounded sense of place, deeply complicated characters (each with fully realized lives, emotions, and motivations), sprawling plots, and bleakly realist look at the way the system works -- or, for the most part, doesn't -- in inner city America. It's not just one of the greatest TV show of all time, it's one of the best stories in any medium.
Why I love the show:
This show is one of my favorite shows ever. Ever ever ever. Things I love about it: Its commitment to realism. Its complex characters who are almost all never all good or bad. Its grounded sense of place. Its vast, sprawling plots and its true-to-life small character moments. The fact that it is both heartbreaking and hopeful -- it doesn't gloss over anything, but also knows there is good in life.
What I want in fic:
In some ways, The Wire is already a perfect as is -- but at the same time, there are so many elements, characters, plots, etc. left to explore. I'd be happy with basically everything that you can come up with, but here are some things I'd especially love to see:
-- Stringer and Avon's relationship is as incredible and touching as it is heartbreaking and destructive, so anything exploring the Stringer-Avon OR Stringer/Avon relationship would be fantastic. In fact, it's probably my very top choice for The Wire fic (though if it's not your thing, that's totally fine). I ship it a LOT and would die for some shippy fic, but I'm also really into the friendship -- the depth of love that eventually isn't enough. I'd love backstory on their relationship. On the flip side, I'd also be interested in what went through Avon's mind after he realized Stringer betrayed him. (Or vica versa, though obviously Stringer didn't have very long to reflect). If you do want to do shippy, I'd be more than fine with higher rated stuff.
-- Stringer Bell is one of my favorite characters of all time. I find him fascinating -- the man of the streets trying to become respectable, and failing despite his obvious intelligence. Any sort of Stringer character piece or plotty story around him would be great. Or: What did the politicians see when they looked at him? Obviously they weren't afraid to screw him over, so they must not see the same deadly gangster we see.
-- Omar, Omar, Omar. I love Omar. Omar being a badass. Omar having hot sex. Omar as a kid. Anything.
-- Anything with any of the Season 4-5 kids. Where are they in 10, 20, 50 years?
-- I adore Bubbles, and especially his friendship with Kima, so anything about that would be great. How did they meet? Random sweet moments. What's their interaction like after he's been sober for a while?
-- I also really like Kima, Carver, Bodie and Snoop, so stories with any of them would be cool.
-- How does Maurice Levy feel about what he does, or think about it? How did he get into business with the Barksdale Organization in the first place?
-- There are so many awesome minor/tertiary characters, I could list names all day. If there is someone you're really interested in exploring, go for it -- I'm sure I'd love to see your take.
Final note: I'm actually from Baltimore, and I love the little details that remind me of home. DON'T let that freak you out -- I'm not at all nit-picky, and honestly the Baltimore most of these characters live in is not my Baltimore, so I'd probably not even know if you put the wrong two streets next to each other, or something. But if you're the kind of person who likes to research details like brands/street names/slang/etc, your efforts will definitely be noticed and appreciated. FYI, Utz chips are great. You should eat some.
TL;DR: Realism, character/friendship moments or character-centric plots. Stringer/Avon, Stringer & Avon, Omar, Bubbles & Kima, the kids, Carver, Bodie, Snoop -- these are things I really like.
Community: Troy and Abed
A sitcom that breaks all of the rules of sitcoms, Community is the TV-lovers TV show. Rife with references, genre play, and meta jokes, Community's biggest strength is its ability to blend its meta humor with loveable characters that are, at their cores, very relatable.
Why I love the show:
Oh god, this show owns my heart and soul. The combination of deeply flawed but lovable characters, meta/referential humor, and general wacky delighfulness makes me so, so happy. I like this show for being willing to be weird while having a huge amount of heart.
What I want in fic:
I requested Troy and Abed because yes, I am a huge shipper. I would love nothing more than to get shippy fic with them, or with Troy/Abed/Annie. But don't worry -- I'd be happy with gen too, or some other ships. Here, have a bunch of thoughts on the matter:
-- Troy/Abed(/Annie): I especially love love LOVE first kiss/getting together/general beginning of the relationship stuff for this ship. How do they end up turning their friendship into something more? Who realizes they want to make the change? How does Abed's emotional inaccessibility play into it? What about Troy's immaturity and/or struggle to figure out who he is as an adult? Feel free to go smutty if you want, but it's definitely not something I feel a need for -- I'd rather have the focus be on the emotional development -- and for this ship I prefer keeping kinkiness to a minimum.
-- Alternatively, seeing Troy/Abed work through more series relationship issues further into a romantic relationship would be interesting. Or: What would their marriage look like? One request: If you do T/A fic, please have a happy ending. I can't really deal with the idea of these two breaking up.
-- Other ships I'd be interested in seeing: Abed/Jeff (definitely not a fluffy or functional ship in my head, but it could be very interesting/hot), Abed/Annie, hell, Abed/Shirley if you have an idea for it. I'm also a fan of Jeff/Annie, though I see it as pretty messed up and not particularly sweet. Feel free to have unhappy endings for these ships if you want -- it's only Troy/Abed I can't see broken up.
Here are some other things I'm interested in, either in conjunction with one of the above ships or as gen:
-- The Troy-Jeff relationship. The combination of admiration, disillusionment and competition going on here is really interesting to me. In general, Troy's process of growing up is one of my favorite things about the character.
-- The Abed-Jeff relationship. I like that in some weird way, they are peers who learn from each other. I'd like to see more of that. Their moments at the end of Contemporary American Poultry and Critical Film Studies are some of my favorite on the show.
-- Group adventures/bonding! Or just Troy & Abed adventures. Or any combination of Troy & Abed & another character, especially Annie, Britta, or Jeff. (Though what would Troy & Abed & Shirley look like? I'm not sure, but it would be interesting).
-- What happens if the group gets stoned? Or some subset of the group? We know Britta likes pot...
-- Wacky meta fun -- either about the show, or about genre/storytelling in general.
-- Crossovers! This is a fandom where I think crossovers would be a lot of fun. I've always wanted to see a Community/Sherlock (BBC) crossover -- Sherlock trying to solve a crime in the non-logical Community world would be hilarious, and I'd love to see him and Abed interact. (FYI, I ship Sherlock/John if that matters to you). I've also always wanted to see Troy & Abed go on an adventure with The Doctor -- or Inspector Spacetime!
Other crossover ideas: Veronica Mars comes to Greendale to solve a crime, the new biology professor actually is Omar from The Wire (requires some fudging on The Wire canon, but I'd be okay with that), the Fringe team has to investigate a strange occurrence at Greendale (another zombie outbreak?).
-- In general I prefer things not to get TOO dark for Community fic. Some angst or bittersweet endings are fine, but this show is my happy place. The one exception is if you want to explore the darkest timeline. Feel free to go crazy with the angst there.
TL;DR: Troy/Abed(/Annie) is love, but so is gen! Wacky adventures, crossovers, bonding, fun times. Please don't break my heart too badly.
Wilfred (Any)
The story of a man and his dog other man in a dog costume, Wilfred is part stoner comedy, part surrealist think-piece, and part just plain weird. It's hard to define, but it's definitely one of the most creative comedies to hit American TV in years. Bonus: It stars Elijah Wood.
What I love about the show:
I love how god damn weird this show's whole concept is -- Elijah Wood is a depressed stoner who sees his neighbor's dog as a man in a dog suit -- and I love that they just go for it, full force. I love that it manages to be bizarre and crude, but also surprisingly thought provoking. I love the stoner-humor. I really enjoy Ryan and Wilfred's relationship -- the friendship, and the dark, destructive undercurrents. I find Ryan really fascinating. He's sympathetic and often nice, but he can also be a selfish jerk and he is, legitimately, a bit of a loser. He's great.
What I want in fic:
I'm open to anything, except for Wilfred shipped with anyone because I can't get past the part where he's a dog. I really just want to see fic for this show. That said, here are some things I'd especially enjoy seeing explored:
-- Random Wilfred & Ryan hijinks. This is one of the few fandoms where my enjoyment of (fun/funny) drug-related stories fits, so I'd enjoy seeing pot or hallucinogen fueled adventures. (Try http://www.erowid.org/ for research if this is of interest).
-- Either with hijinks or separately, I'd love an exploration of what Wilfred really is, and what his intentions are towards Ryan. Is he devilish? A Tyler Durden figure? Just a dog who can sometimes be seen as a man? Likewise, an exploration of Ryan's darker side would be cool. How bad a guy was he back when he was a lawyer? How far is he able to be pushed by Wilfred? How dirty is he willing to fight? Is he truly capable of reforming?
-- Bruce -- the guy who claimed to be Wilfred's old owner is "Doubt" -- interests me. WTF was up with him? What happens if he comes back? What's his backstory?
-- What does Jenna see when she looks at Wilfred and Ryan interacting? I'd love a funny story about her POV on a situation that makes sense to Ryan, but seems crazy if you think Wilfred is just a dog.
-- I'm not a Jenna/Ryan shipper in the sense that seeing them together inherently makes me happy, but I like the pairing when mixed with some of these other elements. A fic about the trials and tribulations of Ryan/Jenna starting or having a relationship with Wilfred interfering would be tons of fun.
-- The season finale was absolutely crazy. If you want to set the fic before it, or some time after with an assumption that things resolve back to normalish, that's fine by me. OTOH, if you want to tackle it head on (or obliquely, or any way you see fit), that would be really cool. Feel free to go dark, to go philosophical, to go totally weird. I don't know where the show is going, but I'd love to see your take on it.
-- Crossovers would be fine if you have an idea for one that you think would be funny. Ryan and Wilfred getting caught up in an adventure with The Doctor would probably be the greatest thing ever.
TL;DR: Ryan and Wilfred, drugs. WTF is up with Bruce? How does Jenna fit it? Who are these people? Be weird, be dark, be fun, be whatever you think fits.
Note: As of this writing, all 13 episodes are on Hulu.
Some thoughts on general likes and dislikes:
Some general thoughts:
-- I don't like AUs of the "the characters are all in high school together" variety. In general, I'm not big on any AUs, except for the occasional "What if X thing had happened differently?" fic. If you have some What If you're just dying to explore, that would be fine by me.
-- I'm not in anyway tied to the idea of explicit sex, but I'm open to it. In a couple of the above prompts I said I'm open to kinky. A little more explination of that:
+ I'm not into non-sex related body fluids
+ I'm not so interested in well-thought out, established and healthy BDSM relationships.
+ I AM interested in D/s dynamics in bed that just develop. For instance, I could totally see Emily just dominating the shit out of Nolan, or Omar being a boss in the sack. Ropes, some pain, etc. could be part of that.
Other dislikes: I'm not big on cracky fics - or at least, no more cracky than the canon itself. I'm also not that into schmoop (unless it's Troy/Abed). I'm not big on mpreg, fantasy added into non-fantastical worlds, or anything that diverges from canon too too much in terms of tone.
Likes: Strong character voices, first times, characters realizing how much someone else means to them, H/C, morally ambiguous characters, character trying to figure out who they are, small moments that having significance for the people involved, twisty plots, romantic moments that are very individualized, dysfunctional relationships that somehow work anyway, destructive relationships that don't work, hate!sex where appropriate (but also sweet!sex for nicer ships), friends who will always have each others backs, being made to think, being made to laugh, being made to cry.
A final note: I will be on vacation between Christmas and New Years and won't have internet access. So, this is just a heads up that a lack of comment from me during that period doesn't mean anything. I promise I'm very much looking forward to reading the fic as soon as I'm home -- it's going to be a very physically demanding trip, and I plan on spending my first day back curled up in bed reading Yuletide fics, starting with yours :)