Dear Yuletide Writer!
Hello there! We got matched! Or you chose me for a pinch hit! And that means you're willing to write something in a tiny fandom of my heart, and I am delighted. Thank you so much! \o/
If you already have an idea you want to write, please do go ahead and have fun with it. I want you to have a good time and enjoy your own story. But if more thoughts about my likes would be helpful, here are some!
Some of my general preferences:
Happy or at least hopeful endings (that doesn't rule out bittersweet or melancholy tones, and needn't be fluffy…I’m just not in the headspace for dark/hopeless/tragic stuff).
Slash, though for me that doesn't require mandatory sex. I mean, sex is great if the story you're telling calls for it. But don't feel hemmed in; it's entirely up to you. For me, slash is first about the depth of connection between the characters, the discovery of a startling and unexpected intimacy, a willingness to open up to previously hidden layers and vulnerabilities.
Some of the tropes and approaches I enjoy: communicating between the lines, 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 best, unless there's a reason for present tense.)
Don't be afraid of classic frameworks if you like them! 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.
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): Peacemakers, Rejseholdet|Unit One, Shetland, Sinbad (TV), The Sting (1973).
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! And I love those 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 characters are welcome, especially Katie, of course. I'm not into het or the 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. (I’m particularly fond of how much they love geeking out about anatomy/autopsies together, while poor squeamish Stone is like "Uh I’ll be over here…" :D )
REJSEHOLDET | UNIT ONE
Fischer and La Cour seem to need each other so much, like there's something they just can't get anywhere else. But they also seem to run into communication blockages--like, Fischer wants so much to be close to La Cour that he'll...he'll...MOVE INTO HIS FLAT (when La Cour isn't even there). Or La Cour wants to touch Fischer so much that he'll...PET HIS HEAD AND COMPLAIN ABOUT ALL THE GEL. And as halotolerant has rightly pointed out, Fischer is an ambitious Bad Boy who doesn't do as he's told...unless La Cour complains about his hair, and then OFF IT ALL COMES.
They rely on the structure of the job to let them be together, work together, relax together, sit quietly in dark cars on stakeouts together, protect each other, rescue each other, talk about private and intimate things. And eventually, they rely on it to let them create a situation where literally Fischer's only lifeline is La Cour. They have this need to connect at very deep levels, and I would love to see them finally learn to create and savor this connection without needing to pretend it's about something else.
I love their high levels of competence, each with their own very different angle: Fischer the expressive extrovert who is so good at talking with people, and La Cour the tightly-wrapped introvert who loses himself in the tiniest crime scene details. I love how matter-of-fact and supportive Fischer is about La Cour's abilities, even when they get otherworldly and frighten La Cour himself. I love their humor and the way they enjoy poking at and needling each other. But also how much they share with each other, support each other, think of each other.
Other characters are welcome, especially Ingrid and IP. I love the team! But Fischer and La Cour on their own would be great too.
SHETLAND
I love Jimmy and Duncan’s relationship, both in its contrasts and its surprising unity. On the one hand, Jimmy has a thoughtful, protective, almost paladin-like urge to protect his community with the power of the law compassionately applied; whereas Duncan earns his bread with a more slippery, cynical, opportunistic, shades-of-gray approach to the law and to people alike. So they’re coming from very different places and personalities.
But when it comes to their domestic situation, they are both such honest-to-god grownups, doing their best to co-parent together. Duncan explicitly points out that while he’s the biological father, Jimmy’s the dad, and there’s none of that soap-opera dramaz or jealousy that too much TV relies on. They don’t always agree on the perfect approach, but they still do their best to communicate and to support each other, and I love seeing them manage that. I also love seeing that tenderness show up in parts of their lives that don’t have to do with Cassie-she was the original catalyst, but now Jimmy and Duncan might be able to use that connection with and trust in each other in other arenas as well.
Other characters are welcome, though I’m not really up for exploring the aftermath of Tosh’s season 3 plotline. If it matters, I haven’t read any of the books.
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 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.
THE STING (1973)
Henry and Johnny are the battle-worn veteran and the promoted minor-leaguer champing at the bit, whose competence and skill and risk-taking brings a little sweet justice into a hard world. They’re mentor and mentored, but also equal partners by the end of the movie, and I love either or both of those dynamics, so feel free to suit yourself--I enjoy Henry teaching and Johnny learning, but also Johnny opening Henry's eyes or otherwise keeping him on his toes.
Henry’s more of a realist, what with everything he’s seen and lost, and he’s a worrier--up all night before the sting, giving Johnny a secret bodyguard, taking on so much responsibility and feeling it heavy on his shoulders. Johnny’s more of a risk junkie, and until the end of the movie feels he has to keep aloof and look after himself (guilt over Luther?), but oh, the look on his face when he first sees Henry after the bodyguard reveal. Now he knows he has someone who feels so deeply about him, and he certainly seems to have deep feelings of his own in return.
I love the whole con-artist milieu, and feel free to include other characters-I especially love Twist, Billie, and Erie, but they’re all great, as is that feeling of the far-flung network of skilled grifters who network like one big shady extended family.
Have fun writing, and thank you! *\o/*
If you already have an idea you want to write, please do go ahead and have fun with it. I want you to have a good time and enjoy your own story. But if more thoughts about my likes would be helpful, here are some!
Some of my general preferences:
Happy or at least hopeful endings (that doesn't rule out bittersweet or melancholy tones, and needn't be fluffy…I’m just not in the headspace for dark/hopeless/tragic stuff).
Slash, though for me that doesn't require mandatory sex. I mean, sex is great if the story you're telling calls for it. But don't feel hemmed in; it's entirely up to you. For me, slash is first about the depth of connection between the characters, the discovery of a startling and unexpected intimacy, a willingness to open up to previously hidden layers and vulnerabilities.
Some of the tropes and approaches I enjoy: communicating between the lines, 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 best, unless there's a reason for present tense.)
Don't be afraid of classic frameworks if you like them! 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.
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): Peacemakers, Rejseholdet|Unit One, Shetland, Sinbad (TV), The Sting (1973).
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! And I love those 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 characters are welcome, especially Katie, of course. I'm not into het or the 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. (I’m particularly fond of how much they love geeking out about anatomy/autopsies together, while poor squeamish Stone is like "Uh I’ll be over here…" :D )
REJSEHOLDET | UNIT ONE
Fischer and La Cour seem to need each other so much, like there's something they just can't get anywhere else. But they also seem to run into communication blockages--like, Fischer wants so much to be close to La Cour that he'll...he'll...MOVE INTO HIS FLAT (when La Cour isn't even there). Or La Cour wants to touch Fischer so much that he'll...PET HIS HEAD AND COMPLAIN ABOUT ALL THE GEL. And as halotolerant has rightly pointed out, Fischer is an ambitious Bad Boy who doesn't do as he's told...unless La Cour complains about his hair, and then OFF IT ALL COMES.
They rely on the structure of the job to let them be together, work together, relax together, sit quietly in dark cars on stakeouts together, protect each other, rescue each other, talk about private and intimate things. And eventually, they rely on it to let them create a situation where literally Fischer's only lifeline is La Cour. They have this need to connect at very deep levels, and I would love to see them finally learn to create and savor this connection without needing to pretend it's about something else.
I love their high levels of competence, each with their own very different angle: Fischer the expressive extrovert who is so good at talking with people, and La Cour the tightly-wrapped introvert who loses himself in the tiniest crime scene details. I love how matter-of-fact and supportive Fischer is about La Cour's abilities, even when they get otherworldly and frighten La Cour himself. I love their humor and the way they enjoy poking at and needling each other. But also how much they share with each other, support each other, think of each other.
Other characters are welcome, especially Ingrid and IP. I love the team! But Fischer and La Cour on their own would be great too.
SHETLAND
I love Jimmy and Duncan’s relationship, both in its contrasts and its surprising unity. On the one hand, Jimmy has a thoughtful, protective, almost paladin-like urge to protect his community with the power of the law compassionately applied; whereas Duncan earns his bread with a more slippery, cynical, opportunistic, shades-of-gray approach to the law and to people alike. So they’re coming from very different places and personalities.
But when it comes to their domestic situation, they are both such honest-to-god grownups, doing their best to co-parent together. Duncan explicitly points out that while he’s the biological father, Jimmy’s the dad, and there’s none of that soap-opera dramaz or jealousy that too much TV relies on. They don’t always agree on the perfect approach, but they still do their best to communicate and to support each other, and I love seeing them manage that. I also love seeing that tenderness show up in parts of their lives that don’t have to do with Cassie-she was the original catalyst, but now Jimmy and Duncan might be able to use that connection with and trust in each other in other arenas as well.
Other characters are welcome, though I’m not really up for exploring the aftermath of Tosh’s season 3 plotline. If it matters, I haven’t read any of the books.
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 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.
THE STING (1973)
Henry and Johnny are the battle-worn veteran and the promoted minor-leaguer champing at the bit, whose competence and skill and risk-taking brings a little sweet justice into a hard world. They’re mentor and mentored, but also equal partners by the end of the movie, and I love either or both of those dynamics, so feel free to suit yourself--I enjoy Henry teaching and Johnny learning, but also Johnny opening Henry's eyes or otherwise keeping him on his toes.
Henry’s more of a realist, what with everything he’s seen and lost, and he’s a worrier--up all night before the sting, giving Johnny a secret bodyguard, taking on so much responsibility and feeling it heavy on his shoulders. Johnny’s more of a risk junkie, and until the end of the movie feels he has to keep aloof and look after himself (guilt over Luther?), but oh, the look on his face when he first sees Henry after the bodyguard reveal. Now he knows he has someone who feels so deeply about him, and he certainly seems to have deep feelings of his own in return.
I love the whole con-artist milieu, and feel free to include other characters-I especially love Twist, Billie, and Erie, but they’re all great, as is that feeling of the far-flung network of skilled grifters who network like one big shady extended family.
Have fun writing, and thank you! *\o/*