Dear Yuletide Writer 2012

Dear Yuletide Writer,

First, thank you so much for participating in Yuletide! I'm super excited about the holidays in general and the fic exchange in specific, so I'm really looking forward to what you have to write! In case you prefer more specific details, I included both some general likes/dislikes and some more specific information for the fandoms I requested below. Don't feel obligated to include any of this though, if you can't find a way to work it in or if it doesn't work for you. Though I hope that this information is useful in trying to figure out what sort of fic I would like, this is Yuletide! Anything you write for me I can already guarantee I will love.

While I love both angsty and happy fics generally, Yuletide is a really happy time (it's the most wonderful time of the year!) and because of that, I would prefer something that ends on a high note or is just generally upbeat. However, if you have an amazing idea that's angst, don't let that discourage you, I will still be totally happy with it!

Some generic plot ideas and storytelling cliches that I love are best friends as roommates, blackouts/stuck in a lift, families of choice, road trip, bodyswap, bodyshare/telepathy, genderswap, fuckbuddies, unexpected co-parenting, not realizing they're dating, running jokes that have been running for so long that people don't realize it's not reality, punchline callbacks and unrelated conversations that serendipitously end the same way, windows being used as doors and people being competent.

On the other hand, while I usually love crazy AUs, I would prefer fiction that is closer to the source material for Yuletide; I think the point of Yuletide is the rare fandoms, and getting too far away from that kind of defeats the purpose for me. Also, I do not mind sex or action scenes, but prefer fic that has plot or character development as well if you include them. One of the few triggers I do have is emotional blackmail/guilt trips.

 

The Saga of Tuck - Eugene 'Tuck' Tucker | Valerie Tucker, Deborah 'Debbie' Carstairs

 

I requested Tuck and Debbie for this, because I just love the dynamic between the two of them; I would totally be fine with them either as a couple or not, although I would definitely prefer them to be on the same side as opposed to in conflict. Beyond that, anything you want to write would be awesome; romance, pranking on the surreal level that makes other people doubt reality, crazy business opportunities, a trip/vacation that does not end in them wanting each other dead. Basically, throw the two of them into some wacky hijinks and show what happens and I will be in bliss.

 

This...is the fandom of my heart. I love everything about it; the unrepentant geekiness, the way everyone is insanely (appropriately) paranoid, the crazy shenanigans, the sheer competence of so many characters, the way that the entire series just tells gender to go and take a hike. There are scenes in here that can consistently make me cry every time I read them, which only a handful of other works can do. Really, this is the fandom where anything you can do with it will be amazing for me, because I just want to see more of this world.

 

Lowe's Phone Calls - Husband, Wife

 

I love the way this couple is so in love, and I really empathize with the whole becoming an adult and having NO CLUE what that involves. They're just so cute together, I want them to be great together and have a happy ending, but at the same time I want to inflict so much mayhem on their lives and see what happens. This canon is so tiny, you can really do anything with it; how they decided to buy a house (and that one), or exactly how "it was almost apocalyptic" and everything that breaks, or all the sleepless nights they had.

 

For the record, the commercial I'm talking about is this one:

 

This is the only commercial I ever liked to the point where I treated it like a show, and paid more attention when it was on and would stop flipping through channels when I saw it. I said it in the prompt, but I am totally right there with them with growing up and not having a clue what is involved in day to day life, because that was never something that I had to worry about or pay attention to until just recently. There's something about the way these two are making things work, despite not knowing what to do that I love; it reminds me of families of choice in that way. I know it says Husband and Wife in the character descriptions, and you can make out rings on their fingers if you squint, but feel free to give them any actual relationship you want; husband and wife, engaged couple, best friends, or even siblings if you want.

 

PS 238 - Tyler Marlocke

 

Tyler is such an amazing character because of how he gets put into all these ridiculous situations and just deals with it despite not having any superpowers (except common sense, of course). I especially like how Tyler seems to change to be whatever is needed of him at the time. I would be excited for any fic about him but if you're looking for specifics, I would especially be delighted by something about how he gets on in the future (either in high school or after he's an adult), or something about shop class with Angie (she's probably my favorite character to pair him with; I'm a sucker for super geniuses, especially females), or anything involving time travel shenanigans.

 

I love most of the characters in PS 238, even if it's just the characters that I love to hate. My favorites are Tyler, Angie, Prospero, Julie, Satori and Zodon and Victor. Tyler definitely has that sort of determination and resilience that I love in characters, where he refuses to surrender despite the increasingly impossible situations he is placed in. Also, I like Tyler because PS 238 is like Hogwarts in that it is the Land That Common Sense Forgot, and Tyler is one of the few people to retain it (he can see through masks!). I am aware that the print comic is ahead of the web version, but I'm only reading the web comic, so please don't add any spoilers beyond the point that the online version has reached.

 

The Middleman - Wendy Watson

 

I have a thing for competent female characters, and Wendy Watson definitely fits that profile. Middleman is such a great show because of the way it is aware of everything geeky and revels in it. Because the show is so diverse in what is available, there's so many possibilities for plots, so I am much more concerned with seeing Wendy portrayed as the strong individual she is. If you're looking for an exotic problem for the Middleman and/or Wendy to deal with, it would be awesome to see how they deal with a kaiju or having to work with time travel (maybe getting to see the Middleman from an earlier era?) or undead-demon-zombie-ghost pirates. And of course, nothing says Yuletide more than giant 80s lasers.

 

One of the great things about Middleman is the way that just about anything you can think of can fit in this world; every possible cliche and villain just works for this setting. Because of that, the relationships between the characters is probably more interesting than the specific crisis of the week, and the characters have such amazing relationships. Wendy is definitely my favorite character, but the rest of the characters are just as interesting, both on their own and in their relationships with her. I didn't include anyone else in the prompt not because I don't care for them, but because I didn't want to limit you in what you could write. And if all else fails, nothing says Yuletide like uncomfortable sweaters and giant lasers.