Dear Yuletide Author
Dear Yulewriter,
thank you so much for writing a story for me! I’ll try to give you an impression of both what I like to read in general, and what I like about the fandoms I’ve requested, but please don’t worry if you have a different story idea or are drawn to different aspects of canon. Any story you write in one of these fandoms will make me happy.
Generally speaking, I like:
Casefic, action/adventure, AUs (especially canon divergence), missing scenes, first times, established relationships - really, I enjoy most types of stories. I tend to look for plot, character interactions, relationship development, angst (with a good reason), and/or romance between very different people who make it work anyway. I have a particular weakness for enemies to lovers plots, love against the odds, and unlikely allies/friends/lovers.
I love slash, but sex scenes are entirely optional for me. If there is sex, I am happy with any level of explicitness. My main interest in sex scenes isn’t the mechanics, but the emotional impact - I love it when the sex shows something about the characters, develops their relationship and/or advances the plot.
I do not like:
Non-canon deaths, character bashing, non-con/dub-con, plots hinging on non-communication, noble idiocy, woobification, kidfic, wedding/marriage fics, A/B/O, mpreg, AUs in mundane real-world settings.
Guardian (TV)
This is my latest fannish love, and it will probably not surprise you that I am in it mainly because of Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. The worldbuilding has charmed me, too, as over-the-top and ridiculous as it is, and I am extremely fond of the team, and even Zhao the Elder’s resident demon, though not the man himself… but the main couple is definitely the real draw.
Zhao Yunlan is so smart, open-minded, passionate and competent - for all that he puts on a careless and sometimes silly façade, he is a protector and guardian down to the bone. I love the lollies and the quirkiness. The way he seems perhaps a bit too eager to sacrifice himself, or at any rate doesn’t take nearly as much care of himself as he does of others - I find that fascinating, and it makes so much sense with what we know of his family background. (And the immensely macho fire-engine-red monster truck makes me giggle every time.)
I see Shen Wei as a protector of a different kind, though just as committed and passionate. He tries to be self-contained and entirely controlled, he wants to play everything so close to the vest - but that becomes more and more impossible once Zhao Yunlan comes back into his life. I love how ridiculously bad Shen Wei is at lying, at least to Zhao Yunlan, and how he immediately jumps into the caretaker role without ever trying to interfere with Zhao Yunlan’s decisions, because he respects him too much for that. (I love the look on his face when Zhao Yunlan does something ridiculously reckless or says something silly, and Shen Wei just can’t help losing another sliver of his heart even while being appalled at himself.)
The two of them working together to solve cases and save the world, while falling ever more hopelessly in love despite the fact both of them thought their heart would never move (again) - that is what makes this fandom irresistible to me. (Yes, I know the TV version was supposedly toned down to a bromance, but that is so not a bromance, guys.)
Almost Human
This series touches on one of my favorite themes: the question of what what truly defines a person, and what differentiates a person from a non-person. It also features so many other things that I love - massive identity issues, mismatched partners, growing to like/love each other across a divide, and more.
I like how John is so adamant and absolute in his hate for synthetics at the start, and then caves utterly and completely upon getting to know Dorian. This is a man who doesn't know how to deal with non-absolutes, or what emotional middle ground is. And I like everything about Dorian. His curiosity, how he grows into himself or perhaps rediscovers himself as a person, how he feels his way into the partnership with John, how he so very clearly slowly grows to like John as he gets to know him... his vulnerability and his toughness, his self-sufficiency and the way he automatically tries to connect with others, both humans and synthetics.
I like the captain and how competent and badass she is, and how much John trusts and respects her.
I like the way the relationship between Dorian and John progresses, with Dorian the relentless partner who keeps prodding and pushing the envelope, and John the gruff reticent one who is initially mostly taken aback, and then increasingly pleased that someone is making the effort of trying to pry him out of his shell. It's adorable how John never retaliates and never puts up any real fight. He just grumps a bit, not-so-secretly soaking up the familiarity and affection Dorian's teasing implies. This - teasing, affectionate insults, gentle bullying - is probably the only way John can accept affection, and Dorian picks up on it immediately.
The series left so many things unresolved that to me, it cries out for fanfic. The relationship between John and Dorian is endlessly fascinating to me, and the world remains largely unexplored, too.
And another thing… what about the MXes? What is their true range of emotional and intellectual capacity? Can they develop an individual personality if given time? What kind of bonds do cops and MXes form? (As a sidenote: To me there's no doubt that some of the cops are fucking their MXs. Humans will have sex with almost anything. Something that looks human, is fairly attractive, works with you, talks to you, and brings you coffee? HELLO, baby. So they don't have genitals, so what. They have mouths, fingers and strap-ons.)
Winnetou
This is my oldest fandom, and I was always in it for two things.
One: The relationship between Old Shatterhand and Winnetou. I could easily see them as romantic partners, but I don’t actually need to go beyond the bromance with these two - the emotional connection is already so strong that it’s hard to imagine romance adding to it in any way but the purely physical. If you are interested in writing a romantic story that pairs these two, though, I would be very on-board with that! One aspect of their relationship that I find fascinating - and that the books never really address after the first near-fatal misunderstandings - is the cultural differences between them, which are certain to lead to a lot of issues even after the trust and love has been established.
Two: The Wild West adventure plots, with all the May-typical Wild West landmarks, the various Native American tribes, the iconic guns (and fists), sneaking around soundlessly, eavesdropping on (potential) enemies, scouting, being captured, escaping/rescuing each other, going undercover as a greenhorn rather than a famous hero, recognizing the sound of each others gun from a distance… all of that. ;-)
My ideal story in this fandom would be an adventure plot with a lot of relationship thrown in - bromance or romance would both make me happy. But really, if you have a different vision, go for it!
(And if anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the canon, here is a post I made ages ago with tons of pics from the movies - though it’s a book fandom, and I am a fan of the books rather than the movies.)
I hope this is helpful! And if in doubt, please remember that these are all only suggestions. If you are inspired to go in a different direction, write the story you want to write!
thank you so much for writing a story for me! I’ll try to give you an impression of both what I like to read in general, and what I like about the fandoms I’ve requested, but please don’t worry if you have a different story idea or are drawn to different aspects of canon. Any story you write in one of these fandoms will make me happy.
Generally speaking, I like:
Casefic, action/adventure, AUs (especially canon divergence), missing scenes, first times, established relationships - really, I enjoy most types of stories. I tend to look for plot, character interactions, relationship development, angst (with a good reason), and/or romance between very different people who make it work anyway. I have a particular weakness for enemies to lovers plots, love against the odds, and unlikely allies/friends/lovers.
I love slash, but sex scenes are entirely optional for me. If there is sex, I am happy with any level of explicitness. My main interest in sex scenes isn’t the mechanics, but the emotional impact - I love it when the sex shows something about the characters, develops their relationship and/or advances the plot.
I do not like:
Non-canon deaths, character bashing, non-con/dub-con, plots hinging on non-communication, noble idiocy, woobification, kidfic, wedding/marriage fics, A/B/O, mpreg, AUs in mundane real-world settings.
Guardian (TV)
This is my latest fannish love, and it will probably not surprise you that I am in it mainly because of Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. The worldbuilding has charmed me, too, as over-the-top and ridiculous as it is, and I am extremely fond of the team, and even Zhao the Elder’s resident demon, though not the man himself… but the main couple is definitely the real draw.
Zhao Yunlan is so smart, open-minded, passionate and competent - for all that he puts on a careless and sometimes silly façade, he is a protector and guardian down to the bone. I love the lollies and the quirkiness. The way he seems perhaps a bit too eager to sacrifice himself, or at any rate doesn’t take nearly as much care of himself as he does of others - I find that fascinating, and it makes so much sense with what we know of his family background. (And the immensely macho fire-engine-red monster truck makes me giggle every time.)
I see Shen Wei as a protector of a different kind, though just as committed and passionate. He tries to be self-contained and entirely controlled, he wants to play everything so close to the vest - but that becomes more and more impossible once Zhao Yunlan comes back into his life. I love how ridiculously bad Shen Wei is at lying, at least to Zhao Yunlan, and how he immediately jumps into the caretaker role without ever trying to interfere with Zhao Yunlan’s decisions, because he respects him too much for that. (I love the look on his face when Zhao Yunlan does something ridiculously reckless or says something silly, and Shen Wei just can’t help losing another sliver of his heart even while being appalled at himself.)
The two of them working together to solve cases and save the world, while falling ever more hopelessly in love despite the fact both of them thought their heart would never move (again) - that is what makes this fandom irresistible to me. (Yes, I know the TV version was supposedly toned down to a bromance, but that is so not a bromance, guys.)
Almost Human
This series touches on one of my favorite themes: the question of what what truly defines a person, and what differentiates a person from a non-person. It also features so many other things that I love - massive identity issues, mismatched partners, growing to like/love each other across a divide, and more.
I like how John is so adamant and absolute in his hate for synthetics at the start, and then caves utterly and completely upon getting to know Dorian. This is a man who doesn't know how to deal with non-absolutes, or what emotional middle ground is. And I like everything about Dorian. His curiosity, how he grows into himself or perhaps rediscovers himself as a person, how he feels his way into the partnership with John, how he so very clearly slowly grows to like John as he gets to know him... his vulnerability and his toughness, his self-sufficiency and the way he automatically tries to connect with others, both humans and synthetics.
I like the captain and how competent and badass she is, and how much John trusts and respects her.
I like the way the relationship between Dorian and John progresses, with Dorian the relentless partner who keeps prodding and pushing the envelope, and John the gruff reticent one who is initially mostly taken aback, and then increasingly pleased that someone is making the effort of trying to pry him out of his shell. It's adorable how John never retaliates and never puts up any real fight. He just grumps a bit, not-so-secretly soaking up the familiarity and affection Dorian's teasing implies. This - teasing, affectionate insults, gentle bullying - is probably the only way John can accept affection, and Dorian picks up on it immediately.
The series left so many things unresolved that to me, it cries out for fanfic. The relationship between John and Dorian is endlessly fascinating to me, and the world remains largely unexplored, too.
And another thing… what about the MXes? What is their true range of emotional and intellectual capacity? Can they develop an individual personality if given time? What kind of bonds do cops and MXes form? (As a sidenote: To me there's no doubt that some of the cops are fucking their MXs. Humans will have sex with almost anything. Something that looks human, is fairly attractive, works with you, talks to you, and brings you coffee? HELLO, baby. So they don't have genitals, so what. They have mouths, fingers and strap-ons.)
Winnetou
This is my oldest fandom, and I was always in it for two things.
One: The relationship between Old Shatterhand and Winnetou. I could easily see them as romantic partners, but I don’t actually need to go beyond the bromance with these two - the emotional connection is already so strong that it’s hard to imagine romance adding to it in any way but the purely physical. If you are interested in writing a romantic story that pairs these two, though, I would be very on-board with that! One aspect of their relationship that I find fascinating - and that the books never really address after the first near-fatal misunderstandings - is the cultural differences between them, which are certain to lead to a lot of issues even after the trust and love has been established.
Two: The Wild West adventure plots, with all the May-typical Wild West landmarks, the various Native American tribes, the iconic guns (and fists), sneaking around soundlessly, eavesdropping on (potential) enemies, scouting, being captured, escaping/rescuing each other, going undercover as a greenhorn rather than a famous hero, recognizing the sound of each others gun from a distance… all of that. ;-)
My ideal story in this fandom would be an adventure plot with a lot of relationship thrown in - bromance or romance would both make me happy. But really, if you have a different vision, go for it!
(And if anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the canon, here is a post I made ages ago with tons of pics from the movies - though it’s a book fandom, and I am a fan of the books rather than the movies.)
I hope this is helpful! And if in doubt, please remember that these are all only suggestions. If you are inspired to go in a different direction, write the story you want to write!