Dear Yuletide Writer!
Hello! We got matched! (Or you chose me for a pinch hit!) You're willing to write something in a tiny fandom of my heart, and I am delighted. If you already have an idea you want to write, go ahead and have fun with it. If more thoughts about my preferences would be helpful, here are some!
I prefer slash if I can get it, but for me slash doesn't automatically equal porn. For me it's about the depth of the bond between the characters, the discovery of a startling and unexpected intimacy. I like a subtle, nuanced, gradual approach, the characters getting closer maybe even despite themselves, and figuring things out as they go. It's not that I have anything against sex scenes, but I prefer if a sex scene has a reason to exist within its story, that it goes somewhere and says something and is about more than just Tab A and Slot B.
Some of the tropes and approaches I enjoy: happy or at least hopeful endings, words that camouflage deeper/unspoken meanings, protectiveness, worry, extreme competence (with honest weakness), hurt/comfort, chosen families, uncovering a secret, partners against the world, nurturing via food/drink/warmth. (Also, I must admit I like past tense, unless there's a reason for present tense.)
Don't be afraid of classic frameworks if you like 'em! I mentioned hurt/comfort, but I also won't turn up my nose at Having To Share A Bed, Huddling for Warmth, Pretend Couple, Undercover as Rentboy, situations where one suffers or sacrifices for the other, rescues, stranded somewhere (idyllic or non-), etc.
I love both members of each pair equally, and I especially love how each of them brings such different and complementary things to the relationship, together making a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts.
If you're the sort of writer who'd like to hear a few more thoughts on my chosen characters, here are some details about my fandoms this year (in alphabetical order):I Spy, Invisible Man (TV 2000), Peacemakers, Sinbad, Trapeze.
I SPY
Kelly and Scotty are the most "us against the world" of my requests this year. They count on each other, protect and trust each other, work and live together. The bosses vary in their support (including some actual traitors from within), and the Department is strongly pragmatic to the point of being callous or even cruel.
I love their unselfconscious intimacy, their ability to communicate in their own secret language but also in few words or silences. They can argue and even fight (especially when one is putting himself in unnecessary danger, as in e.g. 'Tatia' or 'Laya'), but eventually get past it without grudges. They're cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and well-matched, but each has his own definite weaknesses and bad decisions.
Other canon characters are welcome. Some I particularly like are Russ (my fave boss, who is experienced and deadpan and has no truck with nonsense), Lindy McGowan (from 'A Room With A Rack'), Jimmy (their Hong Kong fixer, from 'The Loser' and 'No Exchange On Damaged Merchandise'), and Bessie McGivney (an older agent, from 'Lisa', sniff!), but that's just off the top of my head, and if there's someone else who'll help your story, feel free.
INVISIBLE MAN (TV 2000)
Bobby and Darien were thrust together by circumstances and then grew into the closest of the close, another pair who speak in their own rhythms and can read each other like a book. They're demonstrative, ready to find humor anywhere, and surprisingly open in their vulnerabilities. They come from such different places/histories/mindsets, and it seems to me they boggle at each other and admire each other profoundly at the same time. And they come to love each other so much, they'd die for each other and they both know it.
Bobby is from a military & intelligence culture that denigrates mental illness, but he's worked hard to succeed and find an even keel despite how he's been treated, and he's open about his struggles. I find it so refreshing, a character who actually canonically looks after his mental health and isn't embarrassed about therapy and meds and other helpful things. Note: competent-Bobby is important to me--I don't like him being turned into a clown. He can be goofy and funny just like Darien can, he can make mistakes, but at base it's important to me that he be a 3-D competent character.
Darien defined himself as a permanent and purposeful underachiever, as his only way of competing with someone like Kevin. But whether he likes it or not, he's also someone special; he has an outsider's creativity and flexibility, not to mention his ability to cope with the very strange ups and downs of his power. I think someone without Darien's strong inner streak of weirdness would never have survived.
Before the end of the series, there was that very dark thread to his situation, where he was in a way being held hostage as a host for the treasured gland, and kept addicted to the counteragent as a means of control. Angstier themes along those lines are welcome, but so are post-series adventures where that's not an issue anymore. Other canon characters are welcome, except Alex Monroe--frankly I think we've all had enough of her as it is.
PEACEMAKERS
Stone and Finch are so different, and initially present themselves as so set in their different ways. No-nonsense old-school sheriff! Cutting-edge technological scientist! Never the twain shall meet! They sort of hissed at each other in their early meetings like two tomcats, and I can't imagine they'd have thought they'd be dropping that bristling business so fast.
I love their differences, but also the underlying things they have in common that get them to mesh those differences so very quickly. I mean, neither of them ever drops what's important to him. But they find out that they share deeper things that are even more important--an enormous curiosity, a drive for justice, a need to protect others--and that they're both the quickest one on their particular block. It's like, competence calls to competence, and they end up finding such satisfaction in working in harness together. Their different surface approaches are taking them in the same direction.
But we also see them running into problems because of the depth of those differences. Underestimating each other, for instance--how Finch's physical abilities surprise Stone; how Stone's thoughtfulness surprises Finch. Even after they've realized they're not the City Slicker or the Brutal Rube, they can rasp against each other when they're not expecting it (especially as the season progresses and Stone seems to get more depressed, seeing Finch as entirely pro-new-technology and feeling that he himself and his ways are being left behind).
Other canon characters are welcome; Katie, of course, but the others too. I'm not into an OT3, I admit, but I love Katie having a profound platonic dynamic with Finch or Stone or both. She and Stone have known each other longer and respect/rely on each other, but she and Finch have that instant Nerd Bond and will gladly science together all day.
SINBAD (TV)
Sinbad and Gunnar are part of the larger crew-family, with Sinbad gradually emerging as the actual leader as he gains experience and maturity--but there's something about their dyad in particular that I love. They're very different--Gunnar so serious and focused and steady and repressed; Sinbad so quick and creative and impulsive and emotional. Gunnar has suffered and faced terrible consequences for his past, and though he's wiser he's also still quietly feeling the pain and shame; Sinbad is just now encountering major suffering and consequences for the first time in his life and has a lot to learn.
I love Gunnar's protectiveness, and the times he refuses to draw his sword or to fight unless it's to protect someone else. But his refusals to fight are a conscious choice, and underneath it he still has a powerful capacity for violence that he's well aware of. From the very beginning he has his eye on Sinbad, and falls naturally into step at his shoulder as soon as Sinbad steps up to lead. Sinbad, in turn, takes chances and thinks around corners, throwing himself forward with a devil-may-care optimism that gets them out of seeming no-win situations; being such a risk-taker, he really benefits from having someone like Gunnar watching his back, while Gunnar benefits from learning to trust and hope again.
Other canon characters are welcome--I love the found-family aspect of the show!--or it could be Gunnar and Sinbad off on their own. If it matters, I prefer Nala over Tiger.
TRAPEZE
I posted a picspam and recap (though the downloads vanished in the wind with Megaupload, alas), if you're interested in hearing me squee in more detail.
Mike and Tino live with the throttle turned all the way up, it seems--a blend of artist, athlete, and daredevil, with the intensities and perfectionism of all of those things. I love the way they started to connect from the very first moment, despite Mike's resistance and Tino's hard-sell. I love how skilled they are in their craft, and how intensely they work and concentrate on making it better. I love how passionate they are, how deeply they feel (about the act, but even more, about each other), and their sheer delight and admiration for one another. I love Mike's pain, yearning, and hard won knowledge/experience; I love Tino's courage, eagerness, and tenacity. I love how, when they're both focused on the work/craft/art that they live and breathe, smaller concerns disappear: from a bloody nose to a broken heart, it ends up fading away before the power and beauty of the act they can bring to life together.
I think Mike's decision at the end can definitely be changed and upended, especially given how stubborn Tino is when he's going after what he really wants, but I don't think it'll be easy. I think Lola hit Mike right where he lives, in saying he was using Tino for the triple. Mike loves Tino, but he also loves the work, and he loves striving toward something as difficult and amazing as the triple. I think there was something in him that needed to face the triple again, after what it did to him and his whole life. So Lola's jab very well might have made him wonder whether he was using Tino in some way (and, given how much he loves him now, he might wonder if that would only be using Tino too). In any case, Mike surely (if wrongly) believes that Tino will be better off without him. But we've seen Tino win him over before! (With Rosa's assistance!)
Speaking of Rosa: I quite like her, and she's welcome in the story as Mike and Tino's good friend, along with other canon characters if you want. But no Lola, please, or at least minimal--I don't need her to be bashed, as she has understandable reasons for what she does, but in the end while I understand why she manipulates and uses people (her former acrobatic team as well as Mike and Tino), I don't have to like it.
Have fun writing, and thank you! *\o/*
(P.S. When I say "other canon characters are welcome", I don't mean that original characters aren't welcome, because they are. Suit yourself!)
I prefer slash if I can get it, but for me slash doesn't automatically equal porn. For me it's about the depth of the bond between the characters, the discovery of a startling and unexpected intimacy. I like a subtle, nuanced, gradual approach, the characters getting closer maybe even despite themselves, and figuring things out as they go. It's not that I have anything against sex scenes, but I prefer if a sex scene has a reason to exist within its story, that it goes somewhere and says something and is about more than just Tab A and Slot B.
Some of the tropes and approaches I enjoy: happy or at least hopeful endings, words that camouflage deeper/unspoken meanings, protectiveness, worry, extreme competence (with honest weakness), hurt/comfort, chosen families, uncovering a secret, partners against the world, nurturing via food/drink/warmth. (Also, I must admit I like past tense, unless there's a reason for present tense.)
Don't be afraid of classic frameworks if you like 'em! I mentioned hurt/comfort, but I also won't turn up my nose at Having To Share A Bed, Huddling for Warmth, Pretend Couple, Undercover as Rentboy, situations where one suffers or sacrifices for the other, rescues, stranded somewhere (idyllic or non-), etc.
I love both members of each pair equally, and I especially love how each of them brings such different and complementary things to the relationship, together making a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts.
If you're the sort of writer who'd like to hear a few more thoughts on my chosen characters, here are some details about my fandoms this year (in alphabetical order):I Spy, Invisible Man (TV 2000), Peacemakers, Sinbad, Trapeze.
I SPY
Kelly and Scotty are the most "us against the world" of my requests this year. They count on each other, protect and trust each other, work and live together. The bosses vary in their support (including some actual traitors from within), and the Department is strongly pragmatic to the point of being callous or even cruel.
I love their unselfconscious intimacy, their ability to communicate in their own secret language but also in few words or silences. They can argue and even fight (especially when one is putting himself in unnecessary danger, as in e.g. 'Tatia' or 'Laya'), but eventually get past it without grudges. They're cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and well-matched, but each has his own definite weaknesses and bad decisions.
Other canon characters are welcome. Some I particularly like are Russ (my fave boss, who is experienced and deadpan and has no truck with nonsense), Lindy McGowan (from 'A Room With A Rack'), Jimmy (their Hong Kong fixer, from 'The Loser' and 'No Exchange On Damaged Merchandise'), and Bessie McGivney (an older agent, from 'Lisa', sniff!), but that's just off the top of my head, and if there's someone else who'll help your story, feel free.
INVISIBLE MAN (TV 2000)
Bobby and Darien were thrust together by circumstances and then grew into the closest of the close, another pair who speak in their own rhythms and can read each other like a book. They're demonstrative, ready to find humor anywhere, and surprisingly open in their vulnerabilities. They come from such different places/histories/mindsets, and it seems to me they boggle at each other and admire each other profoundly at the same time. And they come to love each other so much, they'd die for each other and they both know it.
Bobby is from a military & intelligence culture that denigrates mental illness, but he's worked hard to succeed and find an even keel despite how he's been treated, and he's open about his struggles. I find it so refreshing, a character who actually canonically looks after his mental health and isn't embarrassed about therapy and meds and other helpful things. Note: competent-Bobby is important to me--I don't like him being turned into a clown. He can be goofy and funny just like Darien can, he can make mistakes, but at base it's important to me that he be a 3-D competent character.
Darien defined himself as a permanent and purposeful underachiever, as his only way of competing with someone like Kevin. But whether he likes it or not, he's also someone special; he has an outsider's creativity and flexibility, not to mention his ability to cope with the very strange ups and downs of his power. I think someone without Darien's strong inner streak of weirdness would never have survived.
Before the end of the series, there was that very dark thread to his situation, where he was in a way being held hostage as a host for the treasured gland, and kept addicted to the counteragent as a means of control. Angstier themes along those lines are welcome, but so are post-series adventures where that's not an issue anymore. Other canon characters are welcome, except Alex Monroe--frankly I think we've all had enough of her as it is.
PEACEMAKERS
Stone and Finch are so different, and initially present themselves as so set in their different ways. No-nonsense old-school sheriff! Cutting-edge technological scientist! Never the twain shall meet! They sort of hissed at each other in their early meetings like two tomcats, and I can't imagine they'd have thought they'd be dropping that bristling business so fast.
I love their differences, but also the underlying things they have in common that get them to mesh those differences so very quickly. I mean, neither of them ever drops what's important to him. But they find out that they share deeper things that are even more important--an enormous curiosity, a drive for justice, a need to protect others--and that they're both the quickest one on their particular block. It's like, competence calls to competence, and they end up finding such satisfaction in working in harness together. Their different surface approaches are taking them in the same direction.
But we also see them running into problems because of the depth of those differences. Underestimating each other, for instance--how Finch's physical abilities surprise Stone; how Stone's thoughtfulness surprises Finch. Even after they've realized they're not the City Slicker or the Brutal Rube, they can rasp against each other when they're not expecting it (especially as the season progresses and Stone seems to get more depressed, seeing Finch as entirely pro-new-technology and feeling that he himself and his ways are being left behind).
Other canon characters are welcome; Katie, of course, but the others too. I'm not into an OT3, I admit, but I love Katie having a profound platonic dynamic with Finch or Stone or both. She and Stone have known each other longer and respect/rely on each other, but she and Finch have that instant Nerd Bond and will gladly science together all day.
SINBAD (TV)
Sinbad and Gunnar are part of the larger crew-family, with Sinbad gradually emerging as the actual leader as he gains experience and maturity--but there's something about their dyad in particular that I love. They're very different--Gunnar so serious and focused and steady and repressed; Sinbad so quick and creative and impulsive and emotional. Gunnar has suffered and faced terrible consequences for his past, and though he's wiser he's also still quietly feeling the pain and shame; Sinbad is just now encountering major suffering and consequences for the first time in his life and has a lot to learn.
I love Gunnar's protectiveness, and the times he refuses to draw his sword or to fight unless it's to protect someone else. But his refusals to fight are a conscious choice, and underneath it he still has a powerful capacity for violence that he's well aware of. From the very beginning he has his eye on Sinbad, and falls naturally into step at his shoulder as soon as Sinbad steps up to lead. Sinbad, in turn, takes chances and thinks around corners, throwing himself forward with a devil-may-care optimism that gets them out of seeming no-win situations; being such a risk-taker, he really benefits from having someone like Gunnar watching his back, while Gunnar benefits from learning to trust and hope again.
Other canon characters are welcome--I love the found-family aspect of the show!--or it could be Gunnar and Sinbad off on their own. If it matters, I prefer Nala over Tiger.
TRAPEZE
I posted a picspam and recap (though the downloads vanished in the wind with Megaupload, alas), if you're interested in hearing me squee in more detail.
Mike and Tino live with the throttle turned all the way up, it seems--a blend of artist, athlete, and daredevil, with the intensities and perfectionism of all of those things. I love the way they started to connect from the very first moment, despite Mike's resistance and Tino's hard-sell. I love how skilled they are in their craft, and how intensely they work and concentrate on making it better. I love how passionate they are, how deeply they feel (about the act, but even more, about each other), and their sheer delight and admiration for one another. I love Mike's pain, yearning, and hard won knowledge/experience; I love Tino's courage, eagerness, and tenacity. I love how, when they're both focused on the work/craft/art that they live and breathe, smaller concerns disappear: from a bloody nose to a broken heart, it ends up fading away before the power and beauty of the act they can bring to life together.
I think Mike's decision at the end can definitely be changed and upended, especially given how stubborn Tino is when he's going after what he really wants, but I don't think it'll be easy. I think Lola hit Mike right where he lives, in saying he was using Tino for the triple. Mike loves Tino, but he also loves the work, and he loves striving toward something as difficult and amazing as the triple. I think there was something in him that needed to face the triple again, after what it did to him and his whole life. So Lola's jab very well might have made him wonder whether he was using Tino in some way (and, given how much he loves him now, he might wonder if that would only be using Tino too). In any case, Mike surely (if wrongly) believes that Tino will be better off without him. But we've seen Tino win him over before! (With Rosa's assistance!)
Speaking of Rosa: I quite like her, and she's welcome in the story as Mike and Tino's good friend, along with other canon characters if you want. But no Lola, please, or at least minimal--I don't need her to be bashed, as she has understandable reasons for what she does, but in the end while I understand why she manipulates and uses people (her former acrobatic team as well as Mike and Tino), I don't have to like it.
Have fun writing, and thank you! *\o/*
(P.S. When I say "other canon characters are welcome", I don't mean that original characters aren't welcome, because they are. Suit yourself!)