Dear Yuletide Author,
Oct. 16th, 2015 11:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eirenical(Updated 10/24/2015 to include Yuleporn prompts at the bottom of each section and a link to my Crueltide prompt for Request #1. This should be the last major update, apart from me catching typos. ^_^)
Dear Yuletide Author,
First and foremost I'd like to offer up a huge "Thank You!!" to you for writing a story for me. I know how difficult it can be to put any part of your creative process into the hands of another individual, so I will treat that trust with the care and respect it deserves by trying not to be too greedy or selfish in my requests.
AO3: eirenical (chibi1723)
tumblr: eirenical
Rating and kink:
Any rating can fly. Really. Any rating. And my general reading preferences tend towards slash or femslash and polyamory. ^_^
If M or E ratings are your writing drinks of choice, that is more than cool with me! ;D I'll try to specify within fandoms if there are any particular kinks I might be interested in for those pairings. (To be on the safe side, if you'd like to include a kink and you aren't sure I'll be OK with it, please ask the mods to contact me and ask. I'm pretty approachable and I really won't mind being spoiled with something like that. If anything, it will only heighten my gleeful anticipation. ^_^)
General likes and dislikes:
Likes:
I like fluff. I like angst and hurt/comfort (emotional or physical) and sickfic. I like ship-fic. I like plotty fic. I like long fic. I like short fic. I like character studies. I like AUs of the "What if?" variety (i.e. what if character A had made a different decision here; what if character B hadn't died). I like explorations of things beyond canon which still adhere to canon (i.e. continuations, deeper explorations of things only mentioned in passing in canon, expanding on the stories of minor characters, backstory).
I like a whole lot more than that, but in the interest of not writing a 20,000 word letter, here's the punch line to all of this babbling: I'm in fandom for the character development and relationships (romantic and otherwise), so if you keep the story focused on the characters and how they feel and interact, I'll generally be happy with whatever else falls around them.
DNWs (do not wants):
1) I prefer to keep other kinds of AUs (i.e. coffeehouse, high school, gender swaps, etc.) to my larger fandom explorations. For Yuletide, I prefer to stay closer to actual canon, because there is usually so little canon based fic for these tiny fandoms.
2) I have a huge fealty/loyalty kink, and discussions of infidelity/cheating/going behind someone's back/etc., make me very sad and highly uncomfortable. So, if you could avoid that kind of thing, I'd appreciate it.
3) I’m a veterinarian and an animal lover and any talk of animal abuse or animal death makes me really upset. So, if there are any animals in your stories, I’d appreciate it if none of them were hurt or killed, and that they are all treated with care and respect. Thanks!
Specific Requests (in no particular order):
You are free to utilize any prompt I toss out there or none of them. If reading what I like about the characters/worlds sparks a fic idea in your head, feel free to ignore the prompts and run with it. ^_^
Also, length of babble in no way indicates my fandom preferences. It’s just that I’ve been requesting some of these longer than others and that’s given me time to try to streamline things down. I promise I’m equally excited about the possibility of all six of these requests. ^_^
1. Cal Leandros -- Rob Thurman
Characters: Robin Goodfellow (Cal Leandros), Ishiah (Cal Leandros), Caliban Leandros
Link to Canon: Again, I don’t have a free link to canon, but here are the books on Goodreads and on Amazon. (Only the first 10 are in that Amazon link, but really that’s more than enough to get you started if you need a refresher. ^_^)
Japanese cover art of Madhouse
I’ve been working my way through a re-read of this entire series since last month. By the time we get to Yuletide proper, I’ll probably be finished with said re-read, but as of when I’m writing this letter, I just finished Blackout (#6) and three things really struck me as I’ve been going through:
1) I really love Robin. I mean, I love all of them, but Robin has a special place in my heart and always has. There’s something about a lonely, immortal character, who puts a good face on being immortal, on being untouchable, on being shallow and too good for the likes of humanity to do more than brush against… but at the core just wants people to call his own, wants a family, wants to be touched. Robin breaks my heart in all of the best ways and there is so much depth to his character to explore.
2) I really love the growing friendship between Robin and Cal. Because Cal is another one who just wants to skim the surface of the rest of humanity. He has his brother, and that’s enough for him, thank you very much. But then he has Robin. And suddenly he’s thrust into this situation where he wants to reach out to someone else and he doesn’t even know how. And Robin is equally abysmal at it, but they both TRY. And it’s so awkward, but so completely endearing – like watching kittens try to wrestle but they just keep tripping over their own feet and landing in a heap and chewing on each others’ ears for a bit. ^_^
3) And then there’s Ishiah. And let me tell you, if I ever had him figured out, it wasn’t by book 5, because on re-read I STILL don’t have him figured out. O_o;;; But there’s something about the contradiction of him that I really enjoy. He’s the one who’s righteous and holier than thou and long live monogamy and all that jazz, but he has this massive temper and between he and Robin he is definitely the less gushy and romantic of the two, even though he’s the one who first wants monogamy from Robin.
And because this is all narrated from Cal's POV, we get VERY little of the story of Robin and Ishiah. One minute they hate each other's guts, the next minute there's angry!sex, then they're falling into monogamy. And because Cal pays so little attention to that sort of thing, it seems to happen just that fast. So, another thing I wouldn't mind seeing is more of their story, either backstory -- because that's a HELL of a lot of feeling and there must be a fire under all that smoke somewhere, right? ^_~ -- or even just fleshing out their current courtship origin. How DID they go from HATE YOU to WANT YOU to LOVE YOU? And it was clear how panicked Ishiah was when Robin got stabbed -- more opportunity for some good old hurt/comfort! ^_~
More specific prompt thoughts:
So, what do I want out of all of this for Yuletide? Well, what I’m seeing here is Robin slowly but surely forming a little family of his own. Niko is part of it and Salome, too, and others, I’m sure, but the core of his own little family is Ishiah and Cal. I would love to see fic exploring that, either during canon… or post-canon. Because part of me really, really wants to know what happens when Niko eventually dies. *eg* What happens if Cal DOES stick around? Is having Robin and Ishiah enough to offset Niko’s loss (at least until Niko comes round again in a new incarnation, since I seem to recall that being a thing that comes up in later books)? How does that play out?
And I really run the gamut of things that would make me happy for this request. If you want to go with deep, angst-ridden, post-canon (i.e., post-Niko’s death), dark!fic where Cal goes off the deep end and carves a swath of murderous Auphe mayhem for a while until Robin and Ishiah reel him back in? I’d be so down for that. Or this is a perfect opportunity for some sick!fic or h/c – that scene when Cal goes to visit Robin when Robin’s been poisoned and Cal has all those confused/sad/angsty thoughts about Robin being ill when he’d thought nothing could touch him? Love that scene. ^_^ I’d love to see something exploring that in more depth or just something similar (or more life threatening ^_~). Or if you wanted to do some future world-building, what does this world look like 1000 years from now? 10,000? It’s implied that Cal could have an Auphe-like life span and possibly last as long as Robin or Ishiah. What does that trio of relationships look like far in the future? Does Cal ever connect to anyone else the way Robin did to him? Or if you want to go in the fluff direction, I’d love some Found Family Feels. ^_^ Maybe Robin drags Ishiah and Cal over for some festive holiday family goodness that involves fireplaces and hot cocoa and gift exchanges of the happy and gushy variety? Or out for drinks? Or to the Caribbean or some posh Italian villa for a vacation? I’m totally down for that, too (and if this is within canon and you want to include Niko even though I didn't request him, feel free). ^_^
(…as a side note, it’s also been greatly amusing me on this re-read how often Cal mentions the size of Robin’s dick once he’s seen it once. Like… really amusing me. Generally speaking I don’t ship the three of them and I’m pretty happy with Robin/Ishiah, but, NGL, sometimes I wonder what would happen if Robin teased Cal about it one time too many and Cal took him up on it. ;D)
Anyway, I'm going to stop babbling now, I promise. -.-;;; Basically I’d love to see some kind of exploration of this little family that Robin is forming around himself, however you choose to do that, whether by angst or by fluff. ^_^
Yuleporn prompts:I don't have any specific kinks in this fandom I'd like, but I'd love to see some Robin/Ishiah. Since Cal is often our narrator, we get so little of that relationship and it's fascinating to me. I mean, Robin is voracious in his sexual appetites. He's the freaking orgy king. And he gave all that up for monogamy with Ishiah. And then we never get to see it! So... I'd like to. ^_^ (Also, I can't help but notice how many times Cal gets stuck thinking about Robin's dick once he's seen it once, and then he'll go on to loudly proclaim his heterosexuality. A case of "the lad doth protest too much" I think. ^_~ So, there's a part of me that would really like to see Robin call him out on it and Cal just deciding to throw heterosexuality to the wind and have threesome fun ensue. ;D)
Crueltide prompts: I do also have some Crueltide prompts for this request, but I'm not going to list them here, at the risk of triggering anyone. If you'd like to see them, here is my comment on the Crueltide post. ^_^ (Rape TW, Torture TW in the link)
2. Doctrine of Labyrinths -- Sarah Monette
Characters: Mehitabel Parr, Enid Lemeria, Stephen Teverius
Link to Canon: I don’t know a free link to canon, but here they are on Goodreads and Amazon?
About a year ago, I reread these books, and I don’t know if it’s because I’m in a different place in my life than I was before, or if my interests have shifted, or I’ve just read them so many time now that I’m noticing things I wasn’t before, but something happened on this particular reread – I fell in love with Mehitabel.
I had always liked Mehitabel, but she was never one of my go-to characters, never someone I wanted to know more about than what was given to me in the books. This time through, though? HOLY SHIT, I LOVED HER. I LOVED HER SO SO SO MUCH. And at the end of the Mirador, when Felix and Mildmay rode off into the sunset and I knew we were going to follow them, for a minute I was really, REALLY disappointed because I wanted to know what was going to happen next for Mehitabel and Stephen and I knew I wasn’t going to get that. And furthermore, I found myself wanting to know more about Enid, too.
In particular, I’m fascinated by the complex tangle of relationships that Mehitabel, Enid, and Stephen are currently in. Because Enid has a bit of a celebrity crush on Mehitabel, and they’re shown to be in collusion with each other (in a way that seems almost casual and completely nonchalant) when it comes to Enid’s half brother, Semper. And Enid doesn’t strike me as the type to rock the boat as regards Stephen having a mistress, especially given the way such things are handled in Melusine.
So, you have Stephen in strong like/lust with Mehitabel and resigned to Enid but not having strong feelings for her even though they are to marry. You have Enid also resigned to her situation (and perhaps looking forward to it?) in marrying Stephen and already forming the base of what could be a strong friendship with Mehitabel. And you have Mehitabel working with Enid’s half-brother, also forming the base of a strong friendship with Enid and respecting and possibly even liking Stephen. That whole situation just FASCINATES ME. Like, I really, really want to know how that develops. Do they all become fast friends? Hold small intimate soirees? …land in happy threesome territory? I mean… I WANT TO KNOW MORE.
So, anything involving the three of them and how their relationship develops would make me really happy. I’d be OK with a look at this from a platonic or romantic perspective – like I said, that’s an extraordinary tangle of relationships you have there, so you can untangle it (or tangle it further ^_~), however you like.
Yuleporn prompts:Threesomes really seem to be my thing this year. ^_^ We already have a set-up of Mehitabel basically teaching Stephen to be a better lover. Then we throw Enid into the ring, too, and she's pretty much an innocent, sheltered young woman, so I can't imagine she knows much about sex. Stephen is the Lord Protector but a student of Mehitabel's as regards sex. Enid is Stephen's soon to be second wife and even more inexperienced as regards sex, but more experienced in navigating the court. And then there's Mehitabel who has learned to navigate the court, but is still somewhat naive about the ways of courtiers, but is an expert actress and well-practiced in bed, and Stephen's official mistress... and is shaping up to end up good friends with Enid. That's such a brilliant power dynamic and I'd love to see it play out in the bedroom. I could just imagine a wedding night going maybe not so well and Enid slyly suggesting inviting Mehitabel to join them, and she might be exasperated at first, but then really end up getting into the teaching role. Or maybe she and Enid have a little fun for themselves someday and Stephen walks in on them and can't believe that all this time he's been keeping his time with his Wife and his Official Mistress separate when he could have been watching and enjoying them Together. ^_^
3. Island City (1994)
Characters: Greg 23, Connie Sealle, Andy Sealle
Link to Canon: Youtube or watch embedded video below
This show had such promise and I’m sorry it never actually saw the light of day as a full series. The relationships set forth in the pilot alone are so rich and complex that it's a veritable breeding ground for plotty ideas. ^_^ And last year I GOT AN ISLAND CITY FIC. (Technically two, if you count the one that was written for someone else, as well, WHICH I DO. ^_^) This is one of those perennial requests that I never thought would get filled, and I thought that once it did, I’d be done, but… nope. That experience was so awesome it just whetted my appetite for more! :D
Since last year I got those glorious 23 x Mindy stories, this year I thought I’d focus on the other character set: 23 and Andy & Connie Sealle.
I love the entire relationship between the three of them–as noted above, I have a fealty/loyalty kink. Well, I also have a thing for found families, and the way the three of them support, love and nurture each other into this tight knit little found family is one of the central draws for me to this movie. I would love to see an exploration of that relationship in some way, either from a platonic viewpoint or as… something more. ^_~
i.e., Are threesomes your thing? Because I sure wouldn't mind seeing one between Andy, Connie, and 23 -- even if it's unrequited. 23's body language around Connie and the way he talks about Andy when he's missing and how desperate 23 is to find him… Well. There's a fertile ground for a pining story if you ever wanted one. And 23 pining after both Andy AND Connie would be lovely. ^_^ Of course, if you're going to go the requited route, there's the added dynamic that 23 and Connie can't risk reproducing since he’s a Green and she’s a Red. There are the obvious ways to handle that and I would definitely enjoy the hell out of those ways, but… if pegging or toys are your thing, those are also kinks I enjoy and would be a neat way for a threesome to happen with no risk of a 23/Connie pregnancy. Just saying. ^_~
Another thing I’d love to see explored about these three: JFC, I love Connie. She is the ultimate power in that family and she has this intuitive knowledge for when to chain that power up and when to unleash it that is amazing. How does someone with that much force of personality and passion of physicality willingly chain herself to a desk? What was her life like when she did? Did she resent it? Or did she channel all that force into her administrative tasks like some raging lion in the assembly to better their entire society? After the pilot, does she stay with the unit, helping people one on one, or does she return to the government, determined to end up in charge and improve things for everyone? I JUST LOVE CONNIE, OK?
And, on a more general note, if you wanted to do some world building, they gave us so little of the world outside of the rescue units and a bit of the social scene and medbays. What's the government like? Do they have a President? A council? Is their society even a democracy? If that's you're kind of thing, I've always wanted to know more about their world. What part of the world even is this? Are there other cities tucked away around the world or is Island City really it? For that matter, did this really affect everyone? Or is this happening say… in the US and all of Europe is totally unaffected? So, if you wanted to play a little with world-building aspects, that would be cool with me, too. ^_^
Yuleporn prompts:Oh gosh. These three. (Yes, another threesome. ^_^) First of all, there's another interesting dynamic at play here. 23 and Connie can't risk having a child together. And Connie is unquestionably the strongest personality among these three. Andy is "laid-back" incarnate and 23, while snarky, is so eager to please when it comes to Connie that it's ridiculous. They're such a tightly knit found family, too, and I love that. What I'd really love to see here is either some 23 x Andy with Connie watching and directing the proceedings or some 23 x Connie PEGGING. Because this would be perfect for it. *_* And if you really want to go all out, maybe start off in the first scenario and then have Connie wanting to get in on that action and discovering the world of strap-ons and deciding to fuck 23, herself. Another possibility: even though I didn't nominate Michael this year, I do also ship he and 23. So, another scenario I enjoy is the idea of 23 deciding he's maybe in love with Michael but being terrified of the idea of sex with another man (or anyone, for that matter), and having Andy and Connie invite him to their bed to show him how it's done. ^_^ And if threesomes aren't your thing, I wouldn't mind some 23/Connie emotional hurt/comfort sex when Andy is lost in the Wastelands.
4. Jeremiah (TV)
Characters: Markus Alexander, Jeremiah (Jeremiah), Erin (Jeremiah), Theo Coleridge
Link to Canon: Hulu
First, here is the section of my DYA letter for Jeremiah from YT 2012 and from YT 2014. Again, I'm trying to prune this letter down (though I'm not sure I'm succeeding -.-;;;) because this section, in particular, is a big, gigantic sprawling MESS and there are more pictures and favorite quotes and such in the older letter. ^_^
Oh... Jeremiah. ^_^ Your dystopian, disaster-ridden, well-intentioned, mommy/daddy-issued, f'ed up plottiness gets me every time. The idea of an entire world full of people who grew up from childhood with no guiding parental force is not entirely original (Peter Pan, Star Trek TOS's "Miri", the list goes on), but how they handled it in this show, I thought, was particularly brilliant. I love how you have a range in attitude from those old enough to remember the days before the Big Death and thus endlessly angst and wish after those lost technologies and the easy lives they had and those who were so young at the time that this screwed up remnant of a world is all they know and they embrace it. I love how there are pockets of people trying to reclaim civilization and others that embrace the utter lawlessness of a world with no rules. Most of all I love how every single person in this world has a touch of the sulky and rebellious teenager in them and how, ironically, it's the oldest ones who cling to each other most desperately to assuage their fears of abandonment.
NGL, my request for this fandom causes me angst every time I request it. -.-;;; Here’s why: what I’d really like is fic about Jeremiah and Markus OR Erin and Theo and I’m never sure if people who are willing to offer all four offer them with that possible split in mind. -.-;;; So I always go through this round of angst about whether or not I should only request one set of those characters and just leave the other in the letter, or if I should request all four of them and just hope it all works out. So, here’s the story: I’m going to set this up in two pieces and if you only want to write for one set of the characters, I’m perfectly OK with that. If you want to write for both, I’m OK with that, too, but it’s not necessary. Did that make any sense? -.-;;; OK MOVING ON, NOW.
1) Jeremiah/Markus
I don’t know what it is about those two that I love so. By all rights a relationship between them should not work, hell, even a friendship between them shouldn't work, but somehow it does. There are moments between them when you see that Jeremiah is the only one that Markus lets his guard down around -- the time he gets drunk and Jeremiah is the one to find and take care of him, the way that Jeremiah is the only one he's comfortable enough around to show his rage and frustration, the way that Jeremiah doesn't believe in anyone… yet he believes in Markus. I love that. Everything about it.
The truth is, I have a bit of a fealty/loyalty kink, and Jeremiah and Markus exemplify that trope in a very unique way. Jeremiah is loyal to Markus and, more importantly, to the ideals that Markus is almost too afraid to have in the beginning, but wants to have. And Markus recognizes early on that the only way to keep Jeremiah's loyalty is to give him complete freedom and autonomy, to deny him even the trappings of that fealty. It's the epitome of "if you love something let it free," and it's fascinating watching that play out and watching Jeremiah slowly but surely accept a more traditional form of loyalty -- even when that means protecting Markus from himself.
I'd love to see something exploring that relationship and how it changes, even just looking at a snapshot of it along the way. Markus carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and has always acted far older than his age. Jeremiah is the only one who consistently gets him to drop that, even if only for a moment, and act like he's no older than the rest of them. Markus accepts things from Jeremiah in a way he doesn't from anyone else -- if he's not Jeremiah's leader, he doesn't have to stay strong, after all -- and maybe that allows him to accept comfort from Jeremiah after Meghan's death.
Some more specific prompt thoughts:
What was going through Jeremiah's head when Markus got shot? Maybe you want to look at what happens after the finale. Does Markus stay in charge? What does he do if he doesn't? Maybe you just want to look at a slice of life at Thunder Mountain.
Yuleporn prompts:For Markus/Jeremiah, I'd honestly love to see Markus just running off the rails with self-doubt/stress/what-have-you and basically Jeremiah fucking him right out of his own head as a form of stress relief. Because Markus has been the one in charge for so long and he never really hands those reins over to anyone else... except Jeremiah. Even if only briefly.
Again, I'd love it if this went in a slashy direction with these ideas, but if that's not your thing, I'd be perfectly happy with an exploration of those ideas from a platonic/friendship direction.
2) Erin/Theo
Season 2, Episode 5:
If women/femslash is more your cup of tea, then I love these two just as much as Jeremiah and Markus. There's something about a pair of women who are each practically competence porn incarnate, yet straddle opposite sides of the good/evil line. I just love that. ^_^ I love how Theo is so evil and just revels in it, yet when she decides to stand up and put her foot down for what's right… holy hot damn does everyone sit up and listen and follow. And yet, at the same time, because of her season 2 situation, she ends up vulnerable. Then you have Erin -- the warrior woman, standing for all that is good and right, but not afraid to get her hands dirty to accomplish it. And after all the men in the series prove that they are woefully inadequate at dealing with Theo, Erin just walks right up and slams all of Theo’s shit right back into her teeth. And Theo takes it. Then when they recognized that kindred spirit in each other and became fast, though uneasy, friends, every male in Thunder Mountain probably dove for cover when those two joined forces. ^_^ So. Yeah. Love.
More specific prompt thoughts:
I'd love to see a snapshot of future life for them -- what are their new roles in the government once it's in place? Is Theo's baby a boy, a girl, or the feared twins? Do they grow closer? Does Erin do as offered in 2.05 and help Theo raise her child? Do they ever become more than friends? Or maybe the future domestic bliss scene isn't your cup of tea? I'd also love to see something looking at their shared traits and how they present so differently in each woman. They are both warriors. They are both leaders. They are both fiercely protective individuals. At the core, they have so much in common, but they couldn't be more different. I'd love to see how that dichotomy plays out in their friendship/relationship. We know that Theo has been brought into Erin's world during the series. Does Theo ever bring Erin into hers? There is so much potential to explore between the two of them, either as friends or as lovers, and so little fic devoted to them and I'd love to see more!
Yuleporn prompts:Oh, gosh, my greatest desire with them is just to see them taking care of each other. Slow, gentle, sweet sex. Because neither one of them has ever had the time or the opportunity to really let themselves be pampered. I just want to see them happy and taking their time with each other. Like, a day away from the mountain and all responsibilities woudl be lovely. Maybe Theo found a hot spring somewhere and drags Erin along or something? The one thing I ask is that either no big deal be made of Theo's pregnancy or (preferably) that this take place after she's already had the baby. I think the two of them and the baby making a little found family would be lovely, but pregnancy sex isn't a kink I really enjoy.
5. Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Characters: Conner McKnight, Derrick (Power Rangers), Eric McKnight
Link to Canon: Netflix
I got an amazing NYR story for this request this year and I really debated requesting it again, because I didn’t want to seem too greedy, but like with Island City, I realized that greedy-seeming or not, that one story definitely whetted my appetite for more, so here we are. ^_^ This was the season that got me back into Power Rangers after I'd left it post-Power Rangers in Space. And it was Conner who pulled me in. They drop so many interesting tidbits about him in the series and still he often gets brushed aside as the token dumb jock. This is a problem that PR has had in the past -- pigeon-holing characters into their stereotypes -- but if you look behind the surface of what's there, there is a lot to see.
Conner is a soccer player. He's no great shakes in school. He often jumps to conclusions before examining the evidence. But during the episode Leader of the Whack (episode 15), a meteor reveals hidden aspects to the Rangers' personalities. Conner is revealed to be highly intelligent and sensitive and (oddly) to wear glasses. O_o;;; (I have a theory there, too -- because revealing a hidden part to your personality won't suddenly make you need glasses, and becoming highly intelligent and sensitive likely wouldn't make you want to wear fake ones as an affectation, either. So I think Conner usually wears contact lenses and when this part of his personality comes out, he opts for his glasses instead. Just a minor personal headcanon. ^_~)
What else do we know about Conner? He plays on the school soccer team, which I believe is intramural? He's friends with Derrick and, presumably, everyone else on the team. He's popular. Yet, somehow he manages to hang out with Kira and Ethan, two people on the "fringe" of high school society, without putting a dent in his own popularity. In "A Bully For Ethan" (#18; the ep. the above capture is from), he's clearly torn between wanting to help Ethan and wanting to maintain his friendship with Derrick.
The point is, he has a life outside of the Rangers. He has a twin. He plays soccer. He has an entire set of friends that aren’t involved in Ranger business. And he gets torn in every which way all over the place throughout the series between those opposing responsibilities.
More specific prompt thoughts:
How does he deal with that? What is his life like outside of Ranger business? Do Derrick and the others on the team ever suspect something unusual is going on? Are they supportive? Do they help cover for him when he has to duck out of practice? And what about Eric, his twin brother? Does he suspect anything? How does he react? Given that Conner knew about his "super secret ninja academy" training, does Eric know that Conner is a Ranger? Do they have any of the stereotypical twin behaviors and connections? Does Eric know when Conner is hurt?
What I’m basically getting at is that I'm fascinated with Conner's character and how he presents this front of being a dumb jock when that clearly isn't all there is to him. He's the most sensitive and easily hurt of the entire group and for some reason, he never lets that show and I'm dying to know why he feels like he has to hide it. So, any exploration of that would be awesome. ^_^
(And if you want to just write about Conner and Eric or Conner and Derrick (or, for that matter, just Conner) I'd be OK with that. And if you're slash minded, twincest is definitely a kink I enjoy and there are SO many fun twin tropes to explore down that road. ^_^ I could also make a case for something going on between Conner and Derrick. After all, Derrick's body language is oddly possessive of Conner when it looks like Conner may choose Ethan over him, even though Conner is clearly the one leading that situation. So, I certainly wouldn't object to you looking at these things from either of those angles. ;D)
Yuleporn prompts:This is another either/or situation. First of all, twincest is TOTALLY my jam and I would love to see some Conner/Eric. REALLY. I don't know that I have any more specific prompts for them, but hurt/comfort is another kink I enjoy and if Conner had gotten hurt and Eric was looking after him, I certainly wouldn't mind that being tossed in there. ;D Your choice whether Eric knows Conner is a Ranger or not, because I like both sides of that dynamic. As for Conner/Derrick, it always seems to me like Derrick is a little possessive of his friendship with Conner. And he's built kind of muscular and stocky to Conner's lean and lanky musculature. And I love the idea of him being a bit physically possessive of Conner, too, especially because Conner (once he's a Ranger) could easily get out of whatever hold Derrick has him in and chooses to submit to him, anyway. I'm not looking for negotiated BDSM here, but some roughhousing as foreplay or a little manhandling would be welcome. ^_^
*deep breath* And I think that's it. Like I said, if any of the details I provided don't work for you, feel free to toss them out the window and write what's most comfortable for you. If you are happy and excited about what you're writing, I'm sure I will love it. Passion comes across and I do not in any way want to dampen yours. ^_^ I certainly won't object if you want to accommodate me in my far-too-verbose additional requests, but as stated many times -- totally not a requirement. ^_^ Go with your gut. The fact that you're writing something for me is plenty enough to have me thrilled and excited and bouncing for joy. ^_^
Thank you, again, and HAPPY YULETIDE! :D
A grateful recipient
Dear Yuletide Author,
First and foremost I'd like to offer up a huge "Thank You!!" to you for writing a story for me. I know how difficult it can be to put any part of your creative process into the hands of another individual, so I will treat that trust with the care and respect it deserves by trying not to be too greedy or selfish in my requests.
AO3: eirenical (chibi1723)
tumblr: eirenical
Rating and kink:
If M or E ratings are your writing drinks of choice, that is more than cool with me! ;D I'll try to specify within fandoms if there are any particular kinks I might be interested in for those pairings. (To be on the safe side, if you'd like to include a kink and you aren't sure I'll be OK with it, please ask the mods to contact me and ask. I'm pretty approachable and I really won't mind being spoiled with something like that. If anything, it will only heighten my gleeful anticipation. ^_^)
General likes and dislikes:
I like fluff. I like angst and hurt/comfort (emotional or physical) and sickfic. I like ship-fic. I like plotty fic. I like long fic. I like short fic. I like character studies. I like AUs of the "What if?" variety (i.e. what if character A had made a different decision here; what if character B hadn't died). I like explorations of things beyond canon which still adhere to canon (i.e. continuations, deeper explorations of things only mentioned in passing in canon, expanding on the stories of minor characters, backstory).
I like a whole lot more than that, but in the interest of not writing a 20,000 word letter, here's the punch line to all of this babbling: I'm in fandom for the character development and relationships (romantic and otherwise), so if you keep the story focused on the characters and how they feel and interact, I'll generally be happy with whatever else falls around them.
DNWs (do not wants):
1) I prefer to keep other kinds of AUs (i.e. coffeehouse, high school, gender swaps, etc.) to my larger fandom explorations. For Yuletide, I prefer to stay closer to actual canon, because there is usually so little canon based fic for these tiny fandoms.
2) I have a huge fealty/loyalty kink, and discussions of infidelity/cheating/going behind someone's back/etc., make me very sad and highly uncomfortable. So, if you could avoid that kind of thing, I'd appreciate it.
3) I’m a veterinarian and an animal lover and any talk of animal abuse or animal death makes me really upset. So, if there are any animals in your stories, I’d appreciate it if none of them were hurt or killed, and that they are all treated with care and respect. Thanks!
Specific Requests (in no particular order):
You are free to utilize any prompt I toss out there or none of them. If reading what I like about the characters/worlds sparks a fic idea in your head, feel free to ignore the prompts and run with it. ^_^
Also, length of babble in no way indicates my fandom preferences. It’s just that I’ve been requesting some of these longer than others and that’s given me time to try to streamline things down. I promise I’m equally excited about the possibility of all six of these requests. ^_^
1. Cal Leandros -- Rob Thurman
Characters: Robin Goodfellow (Cal Leandros), Ishiah (Cal Leandros), Caliban Leandros
Link to Canon: Again, I don’t have a free link to canon, but here are the books on Goodreads and on Amazon. (Only the first 10 are in that Amazon link, but really that’s more than enough to get you started if you need a refresher. ^_^)
1) I really love Robin. I mean, I love all of them, but Robin has a special place in my heart and always has. There’s something about a lonely, immortal character, who puts a good face on being immortal, on being untouchable, on being shallow and too good for the likes of humanity to do more than brush against… but at the core just wants people to call his own, wants a family, wants to be touched. Robin breaks my heart in all of the best ways and there is so much depth to his character to explore.
2) I really love the growing friendship between Robin and Cal. Because Cal is another one who just wants to skim the surface of the rest of humanity. He has his brother, and that’s enough for him, thank you very much. But then he has Robin. And suddenly he’s thrust into this situation where he wants to reach out to someone else and he doesn’t even know how. And Robin is equally abysmal at it, but they both TRY. And it’s so awkward, but so completely endearing – like watching kittens try to wrestle but they just keep tripping over their own feet and landing in a heap and chewing on each others’ ears for a bit. ^_^
3) And then there’s Ishiah. And let me tell you, if I ever had him figured out, it wasn’t by book 5, because on re-read I STILL don’t have him figured out. O_o;;; But there’s something about the contradiction of him that I really enjoy. He’s the one who’s righteous and holier than thou and long live monogamy and all that jazz, but he has this massive temper and between he and Robin he is definitely the less gushy and romantic of the two, even though he’s the one who first wants monogamy from Robin.
And because this is all narrated from Cal's POV, we get VERY little of the story of Robin and Ishiah. One minute they hate each other's guts, the next minute there's angry!sex, then they're falling into monogamy. And because Cal pays so little attention to that sort of thing, it seems to happen just that fast. So, another thing I wouldn't mind seeing is more of their story, either backstory -- because that's a HELL of a lot of feeling and there must be a fire under all that smoke somewhere, right? ^_~ -- or even just fleshing out their current courtship origin. How DID they go from HATE YOU to WANT YOU to LOVE YOU? And it was clear how panicked Ishiah was when Robin got stabbed -- more opportunity for some good old hurt/comfort! ^_~
More specific prompt thoughts:
So, what do I want out of all of this for Yuletide? Well, what I’m seeing here is Robin slowly but surely forming a little family of his own. Niko is part of it and Salome, too, and others, I’m sure, but the core of his own little family is Ishiah and Cal. I would love to see fic exploring that, either during canon… or post-canon. Because part of me really, really wants to know what happens when Niko eventually dies. *eg* What happens if Cal DOES stick around? Is having Robin and Ishiah enough to offset Niko’s loss (at least until Niko comes round again in a new incarnation, since I seem to recall that being a thing that comes up in later books)? How does that play out?
And I really run the gamut of things that would make me happy for this request. If you want to go with deep, angst-ridden, post-canon (i.e., post-Niko’s death), dark!fic where Cal goes off the deep end and carves a swath of murderous Auphe mayhem for a while until Robin and Ishiah reel him back in? I’d be so down for that. Or this is a perfect opportunity for some sick!fic or h/c – that scene when Cal goes to visit Robin when Robin’s been poisoned and Cal has all those confused/sad/angsty thoughts about Robin being ill when he’d thought nothing could touch him? Love that scene. ^_^ I’d love to see something exploring that in more depth or just something similar (or more life threatening ^_~). Or if you wanted to do some future world-building, what does this world look like 1000 years from now? 10,000? It’s implied that Cal could have an Auphe-like life span and possibly last as long as Robin or Ishiah. What does that trio of relationships look like far in the future? Does Cal ever connect to anyone else the way Robin did to him? Or if you want to go in the fluff direction, I’d love some Found Family Feels. ^_^ Maybe Robin drags Ishiah and Cal over for some festive holiday family goodness that involves fireplaces and hot cocoa and gift exchanges of the happy and gushy variety? Or out for drinks? Or to the Caribbean or some posh Italian villa for a vacation? I’m totally down for that, too (and if this is within canon and you want to include Niko even though I didn't request him, feel free). ^_^
(…as a side note, it’s also been greatly amusing me on this re-read how often Cal mentions the size of Robin’s dick once he’s seen it once. Like… really amusing me. Generally speaking I don’t ship the three of them and I’m pretty happy with Robin/Ishiah, but, NGL, sometimes I wonder what would happen if Robin teased Cal about it one time too many and Cal took him up on it. ;D)
Anyway, I'm going to stop babbling now, I promise. -.-;;; Basically I’d love to see some kind of exploration of this little family that Robin is forming around himself, however you choose to do that, whether by angst or by fluff. ^_^
Yuleporn prompts:
Crueltide prompts: I do also have some Crueltide prompts for this request, but I'm not going to list them here, at the risk of triggering anyone. If you'd like to see them, here is my comment on the Crueltide post. ^_^ (Rape TW, Torture TW in the link)
2. Doctrine of Labyrinths -- Sarah Monette
Characters: Mehitabel Parr, Enid Lemeria, Stephen Teverius
Link to Canon: I don’t know a free link to canon, but here they are on Goodreads and Amazon?
I had always liked Mehitabel, but she was never one of my go-to characters, never someone I wanted to know more about than what was given to me in the books. This time through, though? HOLY SHIT, I LOVED HER. I LOVED HER SO SO SO MUCH. And at the end of the Mirador, when Felix and Mildmay rode off into the sunset and I knew we were going to follow them, for a minute I was really, REALLY disappointed because I wanted to know what was going to happen next for Mehitabel and Stephen and I knew I wasn’t going to get that. And furthermore, I found myself wanting to know more about Enid, too.
In particular, I’m fascinated by the complex tangle of relationships that Mehitabel, Enid, and Stephen are currently in. Because Enid has a bit of a celebrity crush on Mehitabel, and they’re shown to be in collusion with each other (in a way that seems almost casual and completely nonchalant) when it comes to Enid’s half brother, Semper. And Enid doesn’t strike me as the type to rock the boat as regards Stephen having a mistress, especially given the way such things are handled in Melusine.
So, you have Stephen in strong like/lust with Mehitabel and resigned to Enid but not having strong feelings for her even though they are to marry. You have Enid also resigned to her situation (and perhaps looking forward to it?) in marrying Stephen and already forming the base of what could be a strong friendship with Mehitabel. And you have Mehitabel working with Enid’s half-brother, also forming the base of a strong friendship with Enid and respecting and possibly even liking Stephen. That whole situation just FASCINATES ME. Like, I really, really want to know how that develops. Do they all become fast friends? Hold small intimate soirees? …land in happy threesome territory? I mean… I WANT TO KNOW MORE.
So, anything involving the three of them and how their relationship develops would make me really happy. I’d be OK with a look at this from a platonic or romantic perspective – like I said, that’s an extraordinary tangle of relationships you have there, so you can untangle it (or tangle it further ^_~), however you like.
Yuleporn prompts:
3. Island City (1994)
Characters: Greg 23, Connie Sealle, Andy Sealle
Link to Canon: Youtube or watch embedded video below
Since last year I got those glorious 23 x Mindy stories, this year I thought I’d focus on the other character set: 23 and Andy & Connie Sealle.
I love the entire relationship between the three of them–as noted above, I have a fealty/loyalty kink. Well, I also have a thing for found families, and the way the three of them support, love and nurture each other into this tight knit little found family is one of the central draws for me to this movie. I would love to see an exploration of that relationship in some way, either from a platonic viewpoint or as… something more. ^_~
i.e., Are threesomes your thing? Because I sure wouldn't mind seeing one between Andy, Connie, and 23 -- even if it's unrequited. 23's body language around Connie and the way he talks about Andy when he's missing and how desperate 23 is to find him… Well. There's a fertile ground for a pining story if you ever wanted one. And 23 pining after both Andy AND Connie would be lovely. ^_^ Of course, if you're going to go the requited route, there's the added dynamic that 23 and Connie can't risk reproducing since he’s a Green and she’s a Red. There are the obvious ways to handle that and I would definitely enjoy the hell out of those ways, but… if pegging or toys are your thing, those are also kinks I enjoy and would be a neat way for a threesome to happen with no risk of a 23/Connie pregnancy. Just saying. ^_~
Another thing I’d love to see explored about these three: JFC, I love Connie. She is the ultimate power in that family and she has this intuitive knowledge for when to chain that power up and when to unleash it that is amazing. How does someone with that much force of personality and passion of physicality willingly chain herself to a desk? What was her life like when she did? Did she resent it? Or did she channel all that force into her administrative tasks like some raging lion in the assembly to better their entire society? After the pilot, does she stay with the unit, helping people one on one, or does she return to the government, determined to end up in charge and improve things for everyone? I JUST LOVE CONNIE, OK?
And, on a more general note, if you wanted to do some world building, they gave us so little of the world outside of the rescue units and a bit of the social scene and medbays. What's the government like? Do they have a President? A council? Is their society even a democracy? If that's you're kind of thing, I've always wanted to know more about their world. What part of the world even is this? Are there other cities tucked away around the world or is Island City really it? For that matter, did this really affect everyone? Or is this happening say… in the US and all of Europe is totally unaffected? So, if you wanted to play a little with world-building aspects, that would be cool with me, too. ^_^
Yuleporn prompts:
4. Jeremiah (TV)
Characters: Markus Alexander, Jeremiah (Jeremiah), Erin (Jeremiah), Theo Coleridge
Link to Canon: Hulu
Oh... Jeremiah. ^_^ Your dystopian, disaster-ridden, well-intentioned, mommy/daddy-issued, f'ed up plottiness gets me every time. The idea of an entire world full of people who grew up from childhood with no guiding parental force is not entirely original (Peter Pan, Star Trek TOS's "Miri", the list goes on), but how they handled it in this show, I thought, was particularly brilliant. I love how you have a range in attitude from those old enough to remember the days before the Big Death and thus endlessly angst and wish after those lost technologies and the easy lives they had and those who were so young at the time that this screwed up remnant of a world is all they know and they embrace it. I love how there are pockets of people trying to reclaim civilization and others that embrace the utter lawlessness of a world with no rules. Most of all I love how every single person in this world has a touch of the sulky and rebellious teenager in them and how, ironically, it's the oldest ones who cling to each other most desperately to assuage their fears of abandonment.
NGL, my request for this fandom causes me angst every time I request it. -.-;;; Here’s why: what I’d really like is fic about Jeremiah and Markus OR Erin and Theo and I’m never sure if people who are willing to offer all four offer them with that possible split in mind. -.-;;; So I always go through this round of angst about whether or not I should only request one set of those characters and just leave the other in the letter, or if I should request all four of them and just hope it all works out. So, here’s the story: I’m going to set this up in two pieces and if you only want to write for one set of the characters, I’m perfectly OK with that. If you want to write for both, I’m OK with that, too, but it’s not necessary. Did that make any sense? -.-;;; OK MOVING ON, NOW.
1) Jeremiah/Markus
I don’t know what it is about those two that I love so. By all rights a relationship between them should not work, hell, even a friendship between them shouldn't work, but somehow it does. There are moments between them when you see that Jeremiah is the only one that Markus lets his guard down around -- the time he gets drunk and Jeremiah is the one to find and take care of him, the way that Jeremiah is the only one he's comfortable enough around to show his rage and frustration, the way that Jeremiah doesn't believe in anyone… yet he believes in Markus. I love that. Everything about it.
The truth is, I have a bit of a fealty/loyalty kink, and Jeremiah and Markus exemplify that trope in a very unique way. Jeremiah is loyal to Markus and, more importantly, to the ideals that Markus is almost too afraid to have in the beginning, but wants to have. And Markus recognizes early on that the only way to keep Jeremiah's loyalty is to give him complete freedom and autonomy, to deny him even the trappings of that fealty. It's the epitome of "if you love something let it free," and it's fascinating watching that play out and watching Jeremiah slowly but surely accept a more traditional form of loyalty -- even when that means protecting Markus from himself.
I'd love to see something exploring that relationship and how it changes, even just looking at a snapshot of it along the way. Markus carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and has always acted far older than his age. Jeremiah is the only one who consistently gets him to drop that, even if only for a moment, and act like he's no older than the rest of them. Markus accepts things from Jeremiah in a way he doesn't from anyone else -- if he's not Jeremiah's leader, he doesn't have to stay strong, after all -- and maybe that allows him to accept comfort from Jeremiah after Meghan's death.
Some more specific prompt thoughts:
What was going through Jeremiah's head when Markus got shot? Maybe you want to look at what happens after the finale. Does Markus stay in charge? What does he do if he doesn't? Maybe you just want to look at a slice of life at Thunder Mountain.
Yuleporn prompts:
Again, I'd love it if this went in a slashy direction with these ideas, but if that's not your thing, I'd be perfectly happy with an exploration of those ideas from a platonic/friendship direction.
2) Erin/Theo
If women/femslash is more your cup of tea, then I love these two just as much as Jeremiah and Markus. There's something about a pair of women who are each practically competence porn incarnate, yet straddle opposite sides of the good/evil line. I just love that. ^_^ I love how Theo is so evil and just revels in it, yet when she decides to stand up and put her foot down for what's right… holy hot damn does everyone sit up and listen and follow. And yet, at the same time, because of her season 2 situation, she ends up vulnerable. Then you have Erin -- the warrior woman, standing for all that is good and right, but not afraid to get her hands dirty to accomplish it. And after all the men in the series prove that they are woefully inadequate at dealing with Theo, Erin just walks right up and slams all of Theo’s shit right back into her teeth. And Theo takes it. Then when they recognized that kindred spirit in each other and became fast, though uneasy, friends, every male in Thunder Mountain probably dove for cover when those two joined forces. ^_^ So. Yeah. Love.
More specific prompt thoughts:
I'd love to see a snapshot of future life for them -- what are their new roles in the government once it's in place? Is Theo's baby a boy, a girl, or the feared twins? Do they grow closer? Does Erin do as offered in 2.05 and help Theo raise her child? Do they ever become more than friends? Or maybe the future domestic bliss scene isn't your cup of tea? I'd also love to see something looking at their shared traits and how they present so differently in each woman. They are both warriors. They are both leaders. They are both fiercely protective individuals. At the core, they have so much in common, but they couldn't be more different. I'd love to see how that dichotomy plays out in their friendship/relationship. We know that Theo has been brought into Erin's world during the series. Does Theo ever bring Erin into hers? There is so much potential to explore between the two of them, either as friends or as lovers, and so little fic devoted to them and I'd love to see more!
Yuleporn prompts:
5. Power Rangers Dino Thunder
Characters: Conner McKnight, Derrick (Power Rangers), Eric McKnight
Link to Canon: Netflix
Conner is a soccer player. He's no great shakes in school. He often jumps to conclusions before examining the evidence. But during the episode Leader of the Whack (episode 15), a meteor reveals hidden aspects to the Rangers' personalities. Conner is revealed to be highly intelligent and sensitive and (oddly) to wear glasses. O_o;;; (I have a theory there, too -- because revealing a hidden part to your personality won't suddenly make you need glasses, and becoming highly intelligent and sensitive likely wouldn't make you want to wear fake ones as an affectation, either. So I think Conner usually wears contact lenses and when this part of his personality comes out, he opts for his glasses instead. Just a minor personal headcanon. ^_~)
What else do we know about Conner? He plays on the school soccer team, which I believe is intramural? He's friends with Derrick and, presumably, everyone else on the team. He's popular. Yet, somehow he manages to hang out with Kira and Ethan, two people on the "fringe" of high school society, without putting a dent in his own popularity. In "A Bully For Ethan" (#18; the ep. the above capture is from), he's clearly torn between wanting to help Ethan and wanting to maintain his friendship with Derrick.
The point is, he has a life outside of the Rangers. He has a twin. He plays soccer. He has an entire set of friends that aren’t involved in Ranger business. And he gets torn in every which way all over the place throughout the series between those opposing responsibilities.
More specific prompt thoughts:
How does he deal with that? What is his life like outside of Ranger business? Do Derrick and the others on the team ever suspect something unusual is going on? Are they supportive? Do they help cover for him when he has to duck out of practice? And what about Eric, his twin brother? Does he suspect anything? How does he react? Given that Conner knew about his "super secret ninja academy" training, does Eric know that Conner is a Ranger? Do they have any of the stereotypical twin behaviors and connections? Does Eric know when Conner is hurt?
What I’m basically getting at is that I'm fascinated with Conner's character and how he presents this front of being a dumb jock when that clearly isn't all there is to him. He's the most sensitive and easily hurt of the entire group and for some reason, he never lets that show and I'm dying to know why he feels like he has to hide it. So, any exploration of that would be awesome. ^_^
(And if you want to just write about Conner and Eric or Conner and Derrick (or, for that matter, just Conner) I'd be OK with that. And if you're slash minded, twincest is definitely a kink I enjoy and there are SO many fun twin tropes to explore down that road. ^_^ I could also make a case for something going on between Conner and Derrick. After all, Derrick's body language is oddly possessive of Conner when it looks like Conner may choose Ethan over him, even though Conner is clearly the one leading that situation. So, I certainly wouldn't object to you looking at these things from either of those angles. ;D)
Yuleporn prompts:
*deep breath* And I think that's it. Like I said, if any of the details I provided don't work for you, feel free to toss them out the window and write what's most comfortable for you. If you are happy and excited about what you're writing, I'm sure I will love it. Passion comes across and I do not in any way want to dampen yours. ^_^ I certainly won't object if you want to accommodate me in my far-too-verbose additional requests, but as stated many times -- totally not a requirement. ^_^ Go with your gut. The fact that you're writing something for me is plenty enough to have me thrilled and excited and bouncing for joy. ^_^
Thank you, again, and HAPPY YULETIDE! :D
A grateful recipient
