omg - i'm doing Yuletide
Hi there. This is my first Yuletide participation, so i'm pretty sure i'm gonna do SOMETHING screwy that makes my poor assigned writer tear his/her hair out. In an effort to minimize this - this is my post to tell you a bit about me, my likes/dislikes and some of my thoughts on the fandoms I requested. So here goes...
about the maus
First off, I am a polyamorous, bisexual, leather girl in RL with a strong background in Social Work, Sociology, and Criminal Justice. So, i like well written bdsm-leather-D/s relationships but have VERY STRONG feelings that kink MUST be consensual or it's NOT bdsm - it's abuse. I have no problems with characters in relationships with more than one partner AS LONG as everyone knows about the situation and is OKAY with the arrangement. Happy, multipartner relationships are WONDERFUL. Relationships where one partner is forced to choose between two people he/she loves isn't so okay. I also have NO PROBLEM with a character liking both men AND women. It doesn't have to be an Either/Or situation - there is an option for BOTH/Either in my world view.
In relation to that some very important likes/dislikes:
1) I am a Happy Ending Girl - PLEASE don't leave the characters broken, angsting and alone at the end of the fic - especially if the object of their affection goes off with someone else without a backward glance. HATE that. I want my characters to be if not completely Happy - at least happily Content when the story ends.
2) DO NOT LIKE/WANT DEATHFIC!! - yes, i have read some BEAUTIFUL death fic (my first fandom was Due South when the show was still on the air. AIDS was majorly in the news and a LOT of the early stories dealt with that - so yeah. some stunningly beautiful HEARTBREAKING stuff) - but for Yuletide especially, i'd rather not read a death fic.
3) I'm Cool With Consensual Kink. Pretty much ANY Consensual Kink except vore and scat... and I've got no problem with HEAVY kink.
4) I'm a Slash lover! Fade to black, pwp, full out explicit m/m or f/f love is ALL Good. (though i do like het as well - in all those permutations/explicitness ratings... and combine the two with multi partners and i'm a HAPPY mausy)
5) SLASH DOES NOT MEAN that a female character involved with one of the guys MUST BE TURNED INTO A STARK RAVING B**CH! See above comments about Polyamorous and Bisexual nature. I do not feel that One type of relationship must negate the other. If you want to have a male in a cannon het relationship move on to a slash relationship in fic - you don't have to make the cannon female a harridan to do it. There are things such as amicable partings and SHARING!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now on to the Fandom Specific Stuff
NOW please know that the "suggestions" below are just that, suggestions. Take and/or discard ideas as needed. YOU are the writer and I know who fickle a Muse can be sometimes. As long as you don't write something that i've noted as being a "no go" (ie death fic, unhappy endings, non-con masquerading as bdsm/consensual kink) than i'll be happy. Promise.
Thunderheart
This movie is the first time i ever saw Graham Greene and i absolutely fell in LOVE - and not just with Mr. Greene as an actor. I love the dynamics between Roy and Walter. Poor Walter waiting his whole life to have the "connection" that Ray has to their heritage. Ray fighting against his past and trying to deny the very connection that Walter wouldn't mind having. The way the two slowly find their way from antagonists to an uneasy partnership to a friendship filled with the amount of TRUST they share by the end of the movie is just STUNNING! Grandfather's comment about them "arguing like old married women" was just TOO telling and priceless. When Ray drives away from the reservation, there just a "feeling" that he'll be back someday, and Walter will be waiting for him. (or maybe that's just me)
Would love to see Walter comforting Ray after the events of the movie, or maybe something where Ray comes back to "see Grandfather" after a time away... while really being there to check in with/catch up with/check on Walter. Maybe even something where Walter is a "touchstone" for Ray while Ray is traveling after the movie trying to come to terms with the events of the movie.
slow developing relationship leading to smut would be GREAT. Slow developing friendship with the possibility of more is good too. Hurt/comfort is ALWAYS good too.
The Equalizer
Mickey Kostmayer is one of the most complex and fascinating characters I've ever enjoyed watching (and trying to figure out what's going on in his head). My favorite ep of the series is where Mickey is kidnapped and his captors try and condition him to kill Robert McCall. In the end, Mickey's connection with Robert overcomes some pretty SERIOUS conditioning (Splinters - season 4 ep 6)... and that to me said a LOT about the connection/relationship between these two enigmatic men. Mickey is quiet, devoted, but not afraid to cross McCall if he thinks McCall is out of line.
Would love to see Robert taking care of an injured Mickey (maybe after the above mentioned episode). Slash would be wonderful, but just a strong friendship would be ok too. Maybe a look at Mickey's view of his and Robert's connection/friendship/relationship. Maybe a look at Robert and Mickey's relationship from an outside POV (Robert's son, someone Robert has just helped, Control) - what does their friendship read to someone who doesn't know them? What about from someone who does - or thinks he/she does? I guess I'd really love to see Mickey get some tenderness for a change - even if he squawks about it at first or says he doesn't really need/deserve it. Just some suggestions - feel free to adjust as needed.
The Mummy Series
I enjoy a slightly befuddled Jonathan but NOT one that's written as a complete idiot and ne're do well. One of my favorite scenes between Jon and Ardeth is from the second movie where Jon saves Ardeth by shooting the bad guy coming up behind Ardeth. The look they share afterwards says so much. (Which is why i don't like the novelization because that shot is given to Evie not Jonathan. ::grump::) I see Jonathan as a good man who, when those he loves are at risk, will do anything to save them - but he also knows he's not the "smart" or "pretty" or "together" child (that's Evie) so he hasn't really found where he "fits" in the world.
I'd love to see a fic where Ardeth helps Jonathan find his "fit" in the world. Where Ardeth somehow shows Jonathan his strengths, skills, worth, value (beyond money, his connection to Evie and Rick, etc). I'm a sucker for stories where Ardeth "courts" an oblivious Jonathan, or a Jonathan who thinks he's misreading Ardeth's actions because "why would *he* be interested in *me*?" However, a story where Jonathan helps Ardeth adjust to life outside the desert, or cares for an injured Ardeth/nurses an injured/ill Ardeth back to health. Maybe just a piece of one musing on the worth/attractiveness/interest in the other. As long as there's a strong/developing friendship between the two men and Jon isn't written as a COMPLETE airhead, i'll be happy - though slash is always a plus.
The last two are some of my favorite characters/stories so be prepared for some serious rambling ::blush::
Cadfael Chronicles - Ellis Peters
Two Major Requests Here!
1.NO DEATH FIC PLEASE!
2.NO turning Aline into a stark raving shrew who makes Hugh choose between her and Cadfael.
Would prefer an ending that has all three of them Happy, preferably together in a healthy, happy "family" type bond. I'm a bit of an odd duck in that i love the idea of the three of these in a relationship. Yes... THAT type of relationship (romantic/familial/poly triad).
After reading "One Corpse Too Many" the idea that Hugh and Cadfael could be a romantic pair was just too... there (and it doesn't fade, for me anyway, through the rest of the books). Hugh and Cadfael would do anything for one another - and have in many instances. When I hit the END of "One Corpse Too Many" - and the idea of Hugh and Aline and Cadfael just... FIT.
the passage/situation in question: Hugh has challenged the bad guy to a duel to prove through combat that the guy is guilty. Hugh and Cadfael did not tell Aline because Hugh cares for her and the bad guy in question is accused of killing Aline's brother. Aline finds out and rushes to the site, coming up to Cadfael, worried for Hugh.
"Oh, Brother Cadfael, how could you let him?"
At least now, thought Cadfael, curiously eased, I know which of those two is "he" to her, without need of a name. I never was sure until now, and perhaps neither was she. "If ever you succeed," he said, "in preventing Hugh Beringar from doing whatever he's set his mind on doing, then come to me and tell me how you managed it. Though I doubt it would not work for me! He chose this way, girl, and he had his reasons, good reasons. And you and I must abide it, as he must."
"But we are three," she said vehemently. "If we stand with him, we must bring him strength..."
(and then a few paragraphs later - as Aline realizes that Hugh has been hurt but is still fighting)
"I love him," said Aline in a soft, deliberate whisper, releasing her bitten hand for a moment. "I did not know it until now, but I do love him!"
"So do I girl," said Cadfael, "so do I!"
Peters, One Corpse Too Many, 1979 - pg 206-207
Yes, i know it can be taken several different ways, but for me... it just screams a potential triad. And as you continue in the books you see that Cadfael is very much welcome into the Beringars' lives and, in fact, encouraged to come to them at any time.
Now, I know that Cadfael's vows might/would keep him from "worldly pleasures", but as a man of the world and a man of the sword for so long, I don't see Cadfael being adverse to physical and/or romantic relationships between men and/or "unusual" relationships. I think he would feel that love is too precious to be something to be ashamed of, even if it isn't "standard". And I think Aline is the type of woman who wouldn't stand by and let the men in her life suffer/ignore the connection between them if she thought it would bring both of them peace/comfort. I also don't see Hugh as being someone who would betray Aline (who he clearly loves) or cast her aside because of a connection with Cadfael (or vice versa). Again, that may just be because of my own poly mindset - but there you go. ::shrug::
I would love to see something with Hugh and Aline caring for Cadfael. Maybe after he's come back from the Holy Lands and is debating returning to the Order, or before he leaves ("Brother Cadfael's Penance"). Maybe in his caring for the ill, Cadfael is taken ill himself and Hugh brings him home uncertain how Aline will react. Or maybe Aline is the one who notices that Cadfael isn't as well/happy as he'd like everyone to believe and sets about making sure Cadfael knows just how much she and her husband love/value him. Maybe Hugh is taken ill and Aline calls for Cadfael and she sees for herself the love Cadfael has for Hugh - and tries to decide what she's going to do with the knowledge.
Basically, I don't want an evil or dead/dying Aline, any "deathbed confessions of love", or "i love you but it can never be because of (x)" and parting in sorrow. I want something with Cadfael, Hugh and Aline being happy and sweet and tender with each other. A bit of Hurt/Comfort wouldn't be amiss either. And if you want to get explicit - feel free... but it's not necessary.
Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
NO DEATH FIC PLEASE
This is perhaps my all time favorite book series and one of the ones i go back to time and again, Especially "Busman's Honeymoon". Peter Wimsey is the ultimate "gentle soul" with the heart of a tiger and the protective instincts of a mother bear about those he cares for. His courtship and winning of Harriet Vane is a romance that feels so... real and heartfelt. I love it. And I love the relationship between the pair of them both before and after their marriage (Busman's Honeymoon, short story Tall Boys, even the books written by Jill Patton Walsh from Dorothy Sayers' notes). It's one of the most romantic courtships i've ever read.
As a side note - i'm also a firm believer in a Peter/Harriet/Bunter poly relationship - but that's beside the point. So I would love Bunter to be included because for me, Bunter is such a part of the stories and a part of their lives - but, since he's not a nominated character, it's not something that HAS to be included. There are some interesting cannon stories where Bunter isn't involved, so that's okay too. ::grin::
I would love to see some gentle, tender affection between this pair. After Harriet finally accepts, before the wedding, after the insanity that is "Busman's Honeymoon", after their children are born... any of the above or whatever you, as the writer, deem appropriate. Maybe Peter taking care of a pregnant Harriet. Peter being there to soothe Harriet's nerves as they plan the wedding. Maybe Harriet's reactions during or after soothing Peter through his bout of nerves at the end of "Busman's Honeymoon"... or after some other case (or even after just a Bad Day). Maybe just a "day in the life" of the pair, before children, after children, while Harriet's pregnant... or while she been trying to GET pregnant (or while Peter's dealing with his fear of GETTING Harriet pregnant after the birth of their first child. See Peter's reaction to his first child's birth in "The Haunted Policeman".). Sweet, tender, loving interactions between a very unconventional, but beautifully suited to one another, husband and wife.
OKAY... that's my list and my comments on my requests. Remember, the suggestions are just suggestions and as the writer you should feel free to go where the Muse takes you. Just no death fics, and give me a happy ending. That's all I ask and I can not WAIT to see what you come up with.
Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and for being willing to take on my requests.
Pax and happy writing,
kendermaus
about the maus
First off, I am a polyamorous, bisexual, leather girl in RL with a strong background in Social Work, Sociology, and Criminal Justice. So, i like well written bdsm-leather-D/s relationships but have VERY STRONG feelings that kink MUST be consensual or it's NOT bdsm - it's abuse. I have no problems with characters in relationships with more than one partner AS LONG as everyone knows about the situation and is OKAY with the arrangement. Happy, multipartner relationships are WONDERFUL. Relationships where one partner is forced to choose between two people he/she loves isn't so okay. I also have NO PROBLEM with a character liking both men AND women. It doesn't have to be an Either/Or situation - there is an option for BOTH/Either in my world view.
In relation to that some very important likes/dislikes:
1) I am a Happy Ending Girl - PLEASE don't leave the characters broken, angsting and alone at the end of the fic - especially if the object of their affection goes off with someone else without a backward glance. HATE that. I want my characters to be if not completely Happy - at least happily Content when the story ends.
2) DO NOT LIKE/WANT DEATHFIC!! - yes, i have read some BEAUTIFUL death fic (my first fandom was Due South when the show was still on the air. AIDS was majorly in the news and a LOT of the early stories dealt with that - so yeah. some stunningly beautiful HEARTBREAKING stuff) - but for Yuletide especially, i'd rather not read a death fic.
3) I'm Cool With Consensual Kink. Pretty much ANY Consensual Kink except vore and scat... and I've got no problem with HEAVY kink.
4) I'm a Slash lover! Fade to black, pwp, full out explicit m/m or f/f love is ALL Good. (though i do like het as well - in all those permutations/explicitness ratings... and combine the two with multi partners and i'm a HAPPY mausy)
5) SLASH DOES NOT MEAN that a female character involved with one of the guys MUST BE TURNED INTO A STARK RAVING B**CH! See above comments about Polyamorous and Bisexual nature. I do not feel that One type of relationship must negate the other. If you want to have a male in a cannon het relationship move on to a slash relationship in fic - you don't have to make the cannon female a harridan to do it. There are things such as amicable partings and SHARING!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now on to the Fandom Specific Stuff
NOW please know that the "suggestions" below are just that, suggestions. Take and/or discard ideas as needed. YOU are the writer and I know who fickle a Muse can be sometimes. As long as you don't write something that i've noted as being a "no go" (ie death fic, unhappy endings, non-con masquerading as bdsm/consensual kink) than i'll be happy. Promise.
Thunderheart
This movie is the first time i ever saw Graham Greene and i absolutely fell in LOVE - and not just with Mr. Greene as an actor. I love the dynamics between Roy and Walter. Poor Walter waiting his whole life to have the "connection" that Ray has to their heritage. Ray fighting against his past and trying to deny the very connection that Walter wouldn't mind having. The way the two slowly find their way from antagonists to an uneasy partnership to a friendship filled with the amount of TRUST they share by the end of the movie is just STUNNING! Grandfather's comment about them "arguing like old married women" was just TOO telling and priceless. When Ray drives away from the reservation, there just a "feeling" that he'll be back someday, and Walter will be waiting for him. (or maybe that's just me)
Would love to see Walter comforting Ray after the events of the movie, or maybe something where Ray comes back to "see Grandfather" after a time away... while really being there to check in with/catch up with/check on Walter. Maybe even something where Walter is a "touchstone" for Ray while Ray is traveling after the movie trying to come to terms with the events of the movie.
slow developing relationship leading to smut would be GREAT. Slow developing friendship with the possibility of more is good too. Hurt/comfort is ALWAYS good too.
The Equalizer
Mickey Kostmayer is one of the most complex and fascinating characters I've ever enjoyed watching (and trying to figure out what's going on in his head). My favorite ep of the series is where Mickey is kidnapped and his captors try and condition him to kill Robert McCall. In the end, Mickey's connection with Robert overcomes some pretty SERIOUS conditioning (Splinters - season 4 ep 6)... and that to me said a LOT about the connection/relationship between these two enigmatic men. Mickey is quiet, devoted, but not afraid to cross McCall if he thinks McCall is out of line.
Would love to see Robert taking care of an injured Mickey (maybe after the above mentioned episode). Slash would be wonderful, but just a strong friendship would be ok too. Maybe a look at Mickey's view of his and Robert's connection/friendship/relationship. Maybe a look at Robert and Mickey's relationship from an outside POV (Robert's son, someone Robert has just helped, Control) - what does their friendship read to someone who doesn't know them? What about from someone who does - or thinks he/she does? I guess I'd really love to see Mickey get some tenderness for a change - even if he squawks about it at first or says he doesn't really need/deserve it. Just some suggestions - feel free to adjust as needed.
The Mummy Series
I enjoy a slightly befuddled Jonathan but NOT one that's written as a complete idiot and ne're do well. One of my favorite scenes between Jon and Ardeth is from the second movie where Jon saves Ardeth by shooting the bad guy coming up behind Ardeth. The look they share afterwards says so much. (Which is why i don't like the novelization because that shot is given to Evie not Jonathan. ::grump::) I see Jonathan as a good man who, when those he loves are at risk, will do anything to save them - but he also knows he's not the "smart" or "pretty" or "together" child (that's Evie) so he hasn't really found where he "fits" in the world.
I'd love to see a fic where Ardeth helps Jonathan find his "fit" in the world. Where Ardeth somehow shows Jonathan his strengths, skills, worth, value (beyond money, his connection to Evie and Rick, etc). I'm a sucker for stories where Ardeth "courts" an oblivious Jonathan, or a Jonathan who thinks he's misreading Ardeth's actions because "why would *he* be interested in *me*?" However, a story where Jonathan helps Ardeth adjust to life outside the desert, or cares for an injured Ardeth/nurses an injured/ill Ardeth back to health. Maybe just a piece of one musing on the worth/attractiveness/interest in the other. As long as there's a strong/developing friendship between the two men and Jon isn't written as a COMPLETE airhead, i'll be happy - though slash is always a plus.
The last two are some of my favorite characters/stories so be prepared for some serious rambling ::blush::
Cadfael Chronicles - Ellis Peters
Two Major Requests Here!
1.NO DEATH FIC PLEASE!
2.NO turning Aline into a stark raving shrew who makes Hugh choose between her and Cadfael.
Would prefer an ending that has all three of them Happy, preferably together in a healthy, happy "family" type bond. I'm a bit of an odd duck in that i love the idea of the three of these in a relationship. Yes... THAT type of relationship (romantic/familial/poly triad).
After reading "One Corpse Too Many" the idea that Hugh and Cadfael could be a romantic pair was just too... there (and it doesn't fade, for me anyway, through the rest of the books). Hugh and Cadfael would do anything for one another - and have in many instances. When I hit the END of "One Corpse Too Many" - and the idea of Hugh and Aline and Cadfael just... FIT.
the passage/situation in question: Hugh has challenged the bad guy to a duel to prove through combat that the guy is guilty. Hugh and Cadfael did not tell Aline because Hugh cares for her and the bad guy in question is accused of killing Aline's brother. Aline finds out and rushes to the site, coming up to Cadfael, worried for Hugh.
"Oh, Brother Cadfael, how could you let him?"
At least now, thought Cadfael, curiously eased, I know which of those two is "he" to her, without need of a name. I never was sure until now, and perhaps neither was she. "If ever you succeed," he said, "in preventing Hugh Beringar from doing whatever he's set his mind on doing, then come to me and tell me how you managed it. Though I doubt it would not work for me! He chose this way, girl, and he had his reasons, good reasons. And you and I must abide it, as he must."
"But we are three," she said vehemently. "If we stand with him, we must bring him strength..."
(and then a few paragraphs later - as Aline realizes that Hugh has been hurt but is still fighting)
"I love him," said Aline in a soft, deliberate whisper, releasing her bitten hand for a moment. "I did not know it until now, but I do love him!"
"So do I girl," said Cadfael, "so do I!"
Peters, One Corpse Too Many, 1979 - pg 206-207
Yes, i know it can be taken several different ways, but for me... it just screams a potential triad. And as you continue in the books you see that Cadfael is very much welcome into the Beringars' lives and, in fact, encouraged to come to them at any time.
Now, I know that Cadfael's vows might/would keep him from "worldly pleasures", but as a man of the world and a man of the sword for so long, I don't see Cadfael being adverse to physical and/or romantic relationships between men and/or "unusual" relationships. I think he would feel that love is too precious to be something to be ashamed of, even if it isn't "standard". And I think Aline is the type of woman who wouldn't stand by and let the men in her life suffer/ignore the connection between them if she thought it would bring both of them peace/comfort. I also don't see Hugh as being someone who would betray Aline (who he clearly loves) or cast her aside because of a connection with Cadfael (or vice versa). Again, that may just be because of my own poly mindset - but there you go. ::shrug::
I would love to see something with Hugh and Aline caring for Cadfael. Maybe after he's come back from the Holy Lands and is debating returning to the Order, or before he leaves ("Brother Cadfael's Penance"). Maybe in his caring for the ill, Cadfael is taken ill himself and Hugh brings him home uncertain how Aline will react. Or maybe Aline is the one who notices that Cadfael isn't as well/happy as he'd like everyone to believe and sets about making sure Cadfael knows just how much she and her husband love/value him. Maybe Hugh is taken ill and Aline calls for Cadfael and she sees for herself the love Cadfael has for Hugh - and tries to decide what she's going to do with the knowledge.
Basically, I don't want an evil or dead/dying Aline, any "deathbed confessions of love", or "i love you but it can never be because of (x)" and parting in sorrow. I want something with Cadfael, Hugh and Aline being happy and sweet and tender with each other. A bit of Hurt/Comfort wouldn't be amiss either. And if you want to get explicit - feel free... but it's not necessary.
Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers
NO DEATH FIC PLEASE
This is perhaps my all time favorite book series and one of the ones i go back to time and again, Especially "Busman's Honeymoon". Peter Wimsey is the ultimate "gentle soul" with the heart of a tiger and the protective instincts of a mother bear about those he cares for. His courtship and winning of Harriet Vane is a romance that feels so... real and heartfelt. I love it. And I love the relationship between the pair of them both before and after their marriage (Busman's Honeymoon, short story Tall Boys, even the books written by Jill Patton Walsh from Dorothy Sayers' notes). It's one of the most romantic courtships i've ever read.
As a side note - i'm also a firm believer in a Peter/Harriet/Bunter poly relationship - but that's beside the point. So I would love Bunter to be included because for me, Bunter is such a part of the stories and a part of their lives - but, since he's not a nominated character, it's not something that HAS to be included. There are some interesting cannon stories where Bunter isn't involved, so that's okay too. ::grin::
I would love to see some gentle, tender affection between this pair. After Harriet finally accepts, before the wedding, after the insanity that is "Busman's Honeymoon", after their children are born... any of the above or whatever you, as the writer, deem appropriate. Maybe Peter taking care of a pregnant Harriet. Peter being there to soothe Harriet's nerves as they plan the wedding. Maybe Harriet's reactions during or after soothing Peter through his bout of nerves at the end of "Busman's Honeymoon"... or after some other case (or even after just a Bad Day). Maybe just a "day in the life" of the pair, before children, after children, while Harriet's pregnant... or while she been trying to GET pregnant (or while Peter's dealing with his fear of GETTING Harriet pregnant after the birth of their first child. See Peter's reaction to his first child's birth in "The Haunted Policeman".). Sweet, tender, loving interactions between a very unconventional, but beautifully suited to one another, husband and wife.
OKAY... that's my list and my comments on my requests. Remember, the suggestions are just suggestions and as the writer you should feel free to go where the Muse takes you. Just no death fics, and give me a happy ending. That's all I ask and I can not WAIT to see what you come up with.
Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and for being willing to take on my requests.
Pax and happy writing,
kendermaus