2021 Yuletide Letter
Thank you for writing for me!
I am
donutsweeper. In general I like stories that focus on character development and interactions, hurt/comfort, competence (it's always great to read stories where people do their jobs and do it well even under extreme circumstances), missing scenes, and plotty adventures. Humor, snappy dialog and/or snark are all wonderful and canon type violence is fine.
Graphic violence and rape can be a trigger of mine, so I'd appreciate if you did not include either in a story written for me. Other DNWs include A/B/O, character death, genderswap, mpreg, covid/pandemic references or situations, or xeno.
All Souls (TV) Mitchell Grace, Glory St. Clair, WorldbuildingHaunted hospitals and unethical experimentation are perfect steppingstones for good storytelling and there was such potential in the ones we saw in "All Souls." There was so many things hinted at in this show that I'd loved to see explored further. What other sorts of ghosts wander the halls of All Souls? What other experiments had been done there? How does Mitch tie in to it all and what role does Glory play?
On the less supernatural side of things, I loved the interactions between Mitch and Grace and their implied, only briefly touched upon, history together. A story between Grace and a young Mitch from back then or something where they reminisce about his father would be wonderful as would just an everyday kind of slice of life snippet now that they've reconnected.
I'd be happy to receive something involving just Mitch or just Glory, or just a worldbuilding one focusing on the hospital itself. Both characters (or either) do not have to appear.
DNW A/B/O, character death, genderswap, graphic violence, mpreg, covid/pandemic references or situations, rape or xeno.
Only six episodes of this show were ever made, which is such a shame because the world it build in that short amount of time was fascinating but so much was left unexplained and unanswered. Just how prevalent were the hospital's hauntings? How is All Souls a "special place" and what did Glory mean when she said "the dead have power here"? Was Glory even real and if so (or if not) who/what was she? Why do we never see her talking with someone other than Mitch? How is she tied to All Souls? What was the story behind the black veiled lady with the pram? How often does Lazarus make appearances? Was Mitch really somehow the reincarnated doctor who had been there during the Civil War? Has Doctor Ambrosius really been there the whole time and if so what are his powers? What exactly was that creature he was commanding in "The Deal" and are there similar creatures he orders about? I have so many questions and I'd love to read a story that went into... well, any of that.
Unfortunately All Souls has never been released on DVD, but all the episodes have been put up on youtube. The order they aired was: the pilot, "Spineless", "The Deal", "Bad Blood", "Running Scared", and "One Step Closer to Roger".
Strange World (TV 1999) Lynne Reese, Paul Turner
This show was great for all the unusual and often criminal science cases it dealt with in its short run. The relationship between Paul and Lynne was also presented as such a cornerstone to everything because of their history and their friendship, but also the complicated nature of her feeling that she failed him and failed science by not listening to him back during the war. I would love to read about other cases they investigated (either before 1x13 or in some happy 'Paul got better' post-series future).
DNW A/B/O, character death (either ignore or change the show's implied ending), genderswap, graphic violence, mpreg, covid references, rape or xeno.
ABC commissioned this show about investigating criminal abuses of science but then cancelled it before showing nearly any of its episodes. Luckily, the old SciFi channel picked it up and aired it in its entirety a few years later. For a show that's over 20 years old it focused on a lot of subjects that are still issues today: people still worry about genetically modified food, AIs, medical advancements, technological developments, etc. Would their cases be different if it were set today? Would the 24 hour news cycle and social media alter how they found cases? What about how they solved them? What other cases might they have investigated if Paul hadn't relapsed? Or what other cases did they have during those months they worked together for USAMRIID that weren't shown?
I loved this show, anything more in its universe would be great to read. All thirteen episodes of Strange World are up on youtube (although possibly in the wrong order since the wiki has them in a slightly different one.)
What Ever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo - Gerald Kerch Corporal Cuckoo, Kerch, Worldbuilding What Ever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo is a fascinatingly different tale of immortality than how it's usually portrayed. He was just an ordinary guy, not overly smart or ambitious, who suddenly had immortality thrust upon him but unable to improve and therefore kind of just stuck, forever, as he was.
What other adventures does Cuckoo have? Does he keep trying to create the Digestive through the centuries, over millennia? In some far future is Cuckoo still scraping by, talking about the idea of raising space chickens on some distant planet? What about Kerch? Does anyone believe his story? Does he ever question if he misremembered the whole incident or invented it whole cloth? Does he become a scifi writer as a result?
I'd be happy to receive something involving just Corporal Cuckoo or just Kerch, or just a worldbuilding one focusing on this kind of immortality and the digestive that caused it itself. Both characters (or either) do not have to appear.
DNW A/B/O, character death, genderswap, graphic violence, mpreg, covid/pandemic references or situations, rape or xeno.
Fandom specific DNW: Cuckoo's immortality being discovered in a way that results in his being captured or experimented on.
I really don't know what to ask for besides what was in my optional details other than to say I'm just fascinated by Cuckoo and how his immortality is presented and the worldbuilding of it all so if you have any ideas other than what I've suggested, please run with them.
Whatever Happened to Corporal Cuckoo can be read here
盗墓笔记重启 | The Lost Tomb Reboot Wang Pangzi, Wu Xie, Zhang QilingI love the Iron Triangle and Wu Xie in particular. I love their crazy tomb raiding shenanigans and the amazing friendship between them. There's so much potential for a million different different kinds of stories ranging from the heart pounding escapes from whatever random monster the come across in random places to their crazy tomb hijinks to quiet moments traveling together to sweet slice of life stories where Pangzi and Wu Xie make Xiaoge a million different treats to try to figure out his favorite food.
DNW A/B/O, character death, genderswap, mpreg, covid references, rape or xeno.
Fandom specific DNW: Jokes about Pangzi's weight or the appearance of Li Cu (I haven't seen Tomb of the Sea yet).
The entire Lost Tomb franchise is wonderful and I love this drama in particular for how well they show the Triangle as a well oiled machine. They have their knocking language (which I'd love to read a story about, either its creation or use), the way they communicate with just looks sometimes and just how much they absolutely care for one another.
The plot involving Wu Xie's sickness is rife for story potential since there's his wanting to die on the road with his friends, Pangzi's comments about what will happen to the Triangle when its without one of its angles during the recrimination soup scene and all the ways they show Wu Xie's body failing him in general as everything plays out. Then there's Wu Xie's fall into the golden coffin, just what did that do to his body? It seems to have cured him but will it last, is it permanent? And if so how permanent? Could he be semi-immortal like Xiaoge (and Hei Xiazi) is now?
Regarding other characters in Reboot, I really love Hei Xiazi and his relationship with the Triangle so would be thrilled with his appearance in a fic for me and I have to admit to being curious about Huo Daofu's prior relationship with Wu Xie considering some of their interactions.
When it comes to shipping with this fandom, at this point in their lives, I'll happily read with them just friends, as platonic life partners, Wu Xie/Xiaoge/Pangzi or Wu Xie/Xiaoge & Pangzi, just please don't have strife between the Triangle or jealousy. Also, nothing rated E please.
Although I know generally what happened in Tomb of the Sea, I haven't seen it yet so I DNWed Li Cu. Please don't include him or other Tomb of the Sea exclusive characters in a story for me, I won't know who they are.
S1 is available on viki and S2 here. While the drama's wiki is linked above there's also an incredibly detailed, nearly complete spreadsheet a fan made linked on this tumblr post here with episodes broken down with timestamps, stuff cut by censors, and a full cast of characters.
绅探 | Detective L (TV) Běn Jié Míng, Luó Fēi, Qín Xiǎo MànLuo Fei's reputation in the police department, and in Shanghai in general, is rife for storytelling. What other cases has he worked on? What's the history between Luo Fei and Ben? Just how often do they hang out in the morgue together after hours? We saw a few of the shenanigans Luo Fei and Xiaoman got up to at the Sullivan Apartments but were there others? What about at the police station? Did Ben ever join in on them?
What sort of adventures did the three of them have? What were quiet moments between them like? Did Ben and Xiaoman ever gang up on Luo Fei to get him back for the way he teased Xiaoman when he introduced her to Ben?
Although I asked for all three characters, I'd be fine with a story where only Luo Fei (or Luo Fei and either Ben or Xiaoman) appears.
DNW A/B/O, character death, genderswap, graphic violence, mpreg, covid/pandemic references or situations, rape or xeno.
I love Luo Fei and how he doesn't seem to know how to properly sit on chairs. I love Ben's adorable awkwardness. I love Xiaoman and her strength and kick-ass attitude and I love how all three fit together so well in so many different ways.
I really liked how all three had specific things they brought to the investigations they worked on and they each weren't just pigeon holed into the detective, the muscle and the science geek and egos never got in the way of figuring things out. There were also a number of nice canon moments of both Ben and Xiaoman caring for Luo Fei in various ways. I'd love to see more of either of those things.
Although there doesn't seem to be a wiki anywhere, Detective L can be watched on wetv here or via this youtube playlist. If watching, make sure to catch the little extras at the end of the first five cases, especially the Xiaoman-centric ones after e3 and e6.
终极笔记 | Ultimate Note (TV) Wang Pangzi, Wu Xie, Zhang QilingWhat I love about Ultimate Note is that this is the period when it felt to me that Wu Xie, Pangzi, and Xiaoge became the Iron Triangle. Even though they weren't always together, there were so many times they helped and supported and worried over one another (and I would love to read many, many more similar situations).
What kind of other adventures did they get up to? Did Wu Xie have any other prophetic dreams other than foreseeing A-Ning's death? Was there anything Pangzi and Wu Xie did to help Xiaoge regain his memories other than take him to Banai? Just why did Pangzi get Xiaoge the chicken underwear?
DNW A/B/O, character death, genderswap, graphic violence, mpreg, covid/pandemic references or situations, rape or xeno.
Fandom specific DNW: Jokes about Pangzi's weight.
I realize it's a bit odd to ask for both this and Lost Tomb Reboot since they're basically the same characters at different points in their lives, but when watching I was amazed at how much the characters changed in the 12ish years that passed between Ultimate Note era to Reboot era. For me, here is where we first see the beginning of seamless relationship between the three even although sometimes they still don't interpret each other perfectly (i.e. Wu Xie not getting Xiaoge's "look" regarding CWJ when they first meet her in e2 or Pangzi not understanding Wu Xie's clues regarding the Huo training ground in e29+30), the trust and companionship and love is there which becomes the foundation of the DMBJ franchise as a whole.
I love the Iron Triangle. I love Wu Xie's cleverness and how much he cares for everyone, Xiaoge's capabilities and quiet concern, and how Pangzi's taken both under his wing even as he brings his own strengths to the table.
Shipping-wise I see them differently than I do for their Reboot versions, either as extremely good 'live out of each other's pockets' type friends or possibly with the beginnings of a not-quite-figured out 'Wu Xie/Xiaoge with possible Pangzi in there somehow' relationship but not much more than that yet.
Regarding other Ultimate Note characters, I also really like Panzi, Hei Xiazi and Xie Yuchen and their relationship with the various Triangle members and there's also a lot of explore with A-Ning, Sanshu and Chen Wenjin as well and would be happy for any to be included in a story for me.
Ultimate Note can be watched here. The drama's wiki is linked above but for more information here's a link to a tumblr post with a spreadsheet I put together when trying to figure out the show's timeline- it has every episode broken down scene by scene with timestamps, character appearances, significant quotes, and gifsets.
This entry was originally posted at https://donutsweeper.dreamwidth.org/607880.html. Please comment where you wish.