Dear Yuletide Writer
Recycling the bits that are still relevant from last year with some additions:
Thanks in advance for the story you're going to write for me! I'm pretty easy to please, so don't be anxious at all. The main thing I hope is that you will have as much fun writing this story as I will have reading it. So, I'm going to give you some general info about what I like, as well as some specific prompts for each fandom I chose. Hopefully among them you'll find something that grabs you.
While I tend to lean towards gen, I've included a few slash and het prompts that I'd also like to see (depending on the fandom). Themes/tropes I enjoy include mysteries, action/adventure, humor (inc. crack!fic), character studies, drama, angst, bromance, friendship, dark!fic, exploration of character back stories, arch-enemies teaming up for a common cause, reincarnation, and post-death reunions. I don't particularly like things like mpreg (with a few specific exceptions), gender swap (although trans and non-binary characters are fine), kid!fic, schmoop, fluff, or domestic fics - nothing tooth-achingly sweet, please. ;-) Any rating is fine. Also, length-wise I do tend to prefer shorter fics. Somewhere between 1K-6K is best for my attention span.
Edited to add: Crueltide friendly for Maleficent and Snowpiercer. Yuleporn friendly for Gladiator, Maleficent, and Wizards and Warriors.
For the specific fandoms I've requested (in alphabetical order):
Gladiator (2000) - Maximus Decimus Meridius
So here's where I really diverge from my preference for gen, because I have a serious and under-indulged gladiator fetish, and I will continue to request this every Yuletide until I get it. However, if that's not your thing, any of the alternatives would be just as welcome.
I loved the look of this film and, despite some clunky bits, I really enjoyed the story and the world that the film presented. Angelina Jollie and Elle Fanning were absolutely perfect (and so where the younger versions of their characters!), and Diaval was a delight. I hated Phillip, so let's just leave him out of this, shall we?
I have never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones, so this isn't some ploy to get GoT characters into yuletide through the back door. I've no interest in the show, but I think this idea for an AU is hilarious, as is the bad lip reading dialogue.
Snowpiercer (2013) - Any
Snowpiercer was by far the most intriguing film I saw this year. The beautiful cinematography, the allegory of the train, the weird and wonderful characters - it was thoroughly disturbing and I loved it. Even though I don't have prompts for all of them, I do mean you can write about absolutely any characters that were nominated. Here are just a few ideas:
Wizards and Warriors (TV) - Dirk Blackpool
If you've never seen the show, or if you have only the vaguest of recollections from 30 years ago, never fear - some kind soul uploaded an episode to Vimeo: Episode 4. Unfortunately, WB yanked the three episodes that were on YouTube, but they did finally put them on DVD if you're inclined to purchase the series. And there are video clips and episode transcripts here.
It is terrible - in a way that only low-budget fantasy television shows made in 1983 can be terrible. But I loved this show with all my heart back when I was a wee lass. I adore Duncan Regehr, and he's definitely the highlight here (Julia Duffy is pretty great, too). Dirk has a pretty interesting character arc, particularly in the later episodes. He's sort of presented as this stereotypical villain at first, but he becomes somewhat more conflicted about his evil-doing in later episodes. He talks a big game, but even when the Princess is under his power, he threatens but never actually harms her, so he's occasionally capable of having a conscience. And he's hilarious. Anyway, I'd love a Dirk-centric fic along these lines:
Thanks in advance for the story you're going to write for me! I'm pretty easy to please, so don't be anxious at all. The main thing I hope is that you will have as much fun writing this story as I will have reading it. So, I'm going to give you some general info about what I like, as well as some specific prompts for each fandom I chose. Hopefully among them you'll find something that grabs you.
While I tend to lean towards gen, I've included a few slash and het prompts that I'd also like to see (depending on the fandom). Themes/tropes I enjoy include mysteries, action/adventure, humor (inc. crack!fic), character studies, drama, angst, bromance, friendship, dark!fic, exploration of character back stories, arch-enemies teaming up for a common cause, reincarnation, and post-death reunions. I don't particularly like things like mpreg (with a few specific exceptions), gender swap (although trans and non-binary characters are fine), kid!fic, schmoop, fluff, or domestic fics - nothing tooth-achingly sweet, please. ;-) Any rating is fine. Also, length-wise I do tend to prefer shorter fics. Somewhere between 1K-6K is best for my attention span.
Edited to add: Crueltide friendly for Maleficent and Snowpiercer. Yuleporn friendly for Gladiator, Maleficent, and Wizards and Warriors.
For the specific fandoms I've requested (in alphabetical order):
Gladiator (2000) - Maximus Decimus Meridius
So here's where I really diverge from my preference for gen, because I have a serious and under-indulged gladiator fetish, and I will continue to request this every Yuletide until I get it. However, if that's not your thing, any of the alternatives would be just as welcome.
- Gladiator porn. Just straight up M/M porn about whatever they've got going on between bouts in the arena - the raunchier and filthier the better. PWP is fine. I don't have any preferred pairings, but I'd like to keep it between gladiators, so no Maximus/Commodus. Although if you wanted to do a dub-con gladiator orgy orchestrated and watched by Commodus, that would be grand - just not from Commodus' POV.
- Maximus/Juba: some exploration of their relationship, maybe showing the evolution from Juba's first impression/encounter with Maximus (which may have been negative) through to their developing friendship and mutual loyalty and respect. Can be slashy or gen.
- Maximus' influence on Lucius - what impact did he have on the man Lucius eventually became?
- Post-death reunion between Maximus and his wife and son - as angsty and heart-wrenching and/or as joyful as you'd like to make it. I am a total sucker for post-death reunions.
I loved the look of this film and, despite some clunky bits, I really enjoyed the story and the world that the film presented. Angelina Jollie and Elle Fanning were absolutely perfect (and so where the younger versions of their characters!), and Diaval was a delight. I hated Phillip, so let's just leave him out of this, shall we?
- I kind of love the sassy, beloved minion trope, so a story focused on the development of Diaval and Maleficent's relationship would be grand. Could be gen, or if you wanted to explore a more physical relationship between the two, I'd definitely be up for that. D/s undertones (or overtones) are also welcome, though I prefer the psychological aspects over the physical/pain aspects of it.
- Young Maleficent - who was she, really? She appears to have been the self-appointed guardian of her land, but how did that come about? Was she just a natural leader, or was there something in her lineage that caused the other fairies and creatures to look to her for guidance/protection? What happened to her parents? In what ways does she see herself - her true self, before she lost her wings - in Aurora?
- Just give me more of Aurora melting Maleficent's cold, stony heart.
- I realize the three fairies weren't nominated, but if you really had your heart set on them here's your chance to write that poly femslash co-parenting fic. ;-)
I have never seen a single episode of Game of Thrones, so this isn't some ploy to get GoT characters into yuletide through the back door. I've no interest in the show, but I think this idea for an AU is hilarious, as is the bad lip reading dialogue.
- "Theme park manager Eddie Stark has one week to whip his lackluster group of employees into shape before the park's grand opening."
Click to viewSnowpiercer (2013) - Any
Snowpiercer was by far the most intriguing film I saw this year. The beautiful cinematography, the allegory of the train, the weird and wonderful characters - it was thoroughly disturbing and I loved it. Even though I don't have prompts for all of them, I do mean you can write about absolutely any characters that were nominated. Here are just a few ideas:
- So Curtis almost ate baby Edgar. It would be impossible for everyone in the back of the train to successfully conspire to keep a secret like that for all those years - people are blabber mouths. So Edgar knows, but Curtis doesn't know he knows. How did Edgar find out? How did that change his relationship to Curtis? Why did he idolize and follow him, either because of this or in spite of it?
- I was so happy to see the creepy as fuck Teacher nominated. So if you could write a creepy as fuck story about the creepy as fuck Teacher, that would be awesome!
- Namgung Yona - she survives. What are some of the stories she tells her children about the train? Train-based fairy tales, if you will.
- A Tanya-focused story about the loss of her son and her determination to get him back.
- AU in which Curtis accepts Wilford's offer to be his replacement.
- Gilliam and Wilford's telephone calls.
- Mason's creepy, cult-like adoration of Wilford - is it genuine? Does she have doubts? Give me conflicted Mason, swallowing and sublimating and projecting those doubts.
- If you want to just focus on worldbuilding the daily life of the various train compartments, knock yourself out!
Wizards and Warriors (TV) - Dirk Blackpool
If you've never seen the show, or if you have only the vaguest of recollections from 30 years ago, never fear - some kind soul uploaded an episode to Vimeo: Episode 4. Unfortunately, WB yanked the three episodes that were on YouTube, but they did finally put them on DVD if you're inclined to purchase the series. And there are video clips and episode transcripts here.
It is terrible - in a way that only low-budget fantasy television shows made in 1983 can be terrible. But I loved this show with all my heart back when I was a wee lass. I adore Duncan Regehr, and he's definitely the highlight here (Julia Duffy is pretty great, too). Dirk has a pretty interesting character arc, particularly in the later episodes. He's sort of presented as this stereotypical villain at first, but he becomes somewhat more conflicted about his evil-doing in later episodes. He talks a big game, but even when the Princess is under his power, he threatens but never actually harms her, so he's occasionally capable of having a conscience. And he's hilarious. Anyway, I'd love a Dirk-centric fic along these lines:
- Episode 6 - Caverns of Chaos has one of my favorite tropes - the mortal enemies joined together (in this case, literally) for a common cause or to defeat a common foe. So I'd like a story using that trope - preferably not a re-hash of the episode, but a different scenario altogether. I'm open to whatever you come up with. And I'm even going to waive the "no mpreg" rule for this, because a magically mpreg-ed Dirk, with Erik helping to either deliver the baby or find a cure before he actually goes into labor, could be hilarious.
- If you want to go the slashy route, a young Dirk/Erik fic with Dirk's affections being unrequited (possibly leading to their fall-out - in one of the episodes, it's mentioned that they grew up together).
- Pretty much anything else you would like to do in this universe, so long as it's primarily focused on Dirk.