touchofstrange | Dear Yuletide Writer

Dear Yuletide Writer/Yulegoat/Santa,

*Waves*

Hello! Welcome to my oft-recycled, but newly repackaged, and probably far-too-wordy letter! (Apologies in advance for the wordiness...).

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First and foremost, I know it's cliché, but I'm just thrilled that you'll be writing for one of my chosen fandoms. That in itself is fabulous, and I'm appreciative and excited and I certainly hope your assignment is something that you enjoy!

If it helps you at all - I'm on tumblr as touchofstrange and have anon turned on. I'm on AO3 as skitz_phenom (DV-Skitz) and I have an LJ, that hasn't been updated in about 5 years, also as skitz_phenom - if you're someone who really likes to get to know your recipient. :)

Now, I know that there are many different ways that writers like to work, and while I'm not particularly picky about anything (well, except perhaps with characters) and I pretty much welcome whatever interpretation and direction you choose to go in I'm also more than happy to provide some general thoughts, feelings and preferences for you to build off of as well.

I'll start off with more of a general description of my likes and dislikes in fandom and fic, and then I'll move on to more specifics for each of my selections. Please be assured though, that I'm open to almost anything - so this information is by no means 'absolute'. I want you to have fun writing this; I wouldn't want it to be a chore. So please do whatever is most comfortable for you. If, upon reading the fandom/characters you were matched on, an idea sparked in your mind: run with it! You don’t even have to keep reading! (Although I wouldn't mind if you did just skim the 'do not want' portion *grin*).

General ‘Stuff I like’:

• I absolutely love some of the really 'tropey' kinds of scenarios so please don't be afraid of using them (or subverting them). Here are a few that are awesome:

o Soulbonding
o Forced closeness (trapped together)
o Magic gone awry

o Crashed on a desert island

o Pretend couple/marriage of convenience

• I love friendships, found-family and romance. Slow-build, first-time is one of my absolute favorite relationship tropes.

• And, considering that sometimes those situations can result in strong emotions, I'm obviously not afraid of angst, but I also enjoy action/adventure, plotty case-fic, and humor.
• Hurt/comfort is dandy as well, and considering a couple of my fandoms, violence could be expected. I'll admit it though: I'm a sucker for a happy ending.
• Crossovers might be okay, but I'd have to know the other fandom (although, feel free to crossover ANY of Tanya Huff's works/universes).
• Length of story doesn’t matter to me – but I’m not afraid of long fic.
• If you do run into questions/concerns - please don't hesitate to have a mod ask me (or send me an anon ask on tumblr)!

The ‘Stuff I like Ratings/Sex-wise’:

• I’m entirely open when it comes to Gen, Het, Slash, Femslash, Threesomes/Moresomes (it's always fun to include a fandom where 'moresomes' are a possibility) as they suit the fandom.
• I'll enjoy everything from G-rated gen all the way up to hardcore NC-17.
• Porn is great. I love porn. But it’s definitely not a must. (I’m including some PWP type prompts – but again – I’m 100% on board with gen!)
• If things get do porny - plain ol' vanilla sex is great, but I enjoy kinky stuff as well. A couple of things I’m particularly fond of:

o A character face-forward against a wall/door/bulkhead being sexed-up from behind.
o Love frottage, rimming and fingering in any/all gender combinations.
o Pegging is lots of fun.
o Dual penetration.
o Where it could be applicable to the fandom, I’m not opposed to xeno or tentacles…

The ‘What I’m Not So Fond of’:

So that being said, there are a few other things that aren’t really my cup of tea:

• I’d prefer if you’d avoid the more extreme kinks (watesports, scat, vore, bestiality, age-play, daddy-kink, infantilism, etc...).
• I pretty much love all the characters I’ve requested so please no character bashing.
• I’m as much a fan of the universes I’m requesting as the characters, so I’d prefer not to see much in the way of AU.
• I do like my POV to stay similar to the source material.
• I don’t mind if you go darkside, but I appreciate avoiding killing anyone off (permanently – temporary death for plot purposes is A-Okay).
• Partner betrayal makes me uncomfortable, as does incest (unless it’s canon) and humiliation.
• Sorry to say I’m not fond of A/B/O type verse or always-a-girl/boy (temporary genderswap is totally fine though) or D/s lifestyle 24/7.
• Lastly, I’d prefer to avoid noncon and steer away dubcon.
• All this with the caveat that I do expect some of this to be applicable in the canons I’ve selected - e.g. Tony Foster's past could easily edge into noncon territory, and consent with regard to the di’Tayan could easily be dubious.

Alrighty, I realize all of that is pretty general - if it's enough to get you started, great! But if you'd like more fandom-specific thoughts, keep on reading! I’ll also provide a bit more about what I love about each fandom, some general things I’d be interested in, as well as a couple of specific prompts (which are complete suggestions!)

The Silvered - Tanya Huff (Any)

From my Sign-up Details: "I'm extremely open minded on this one! As much as I loved the main characters and their development, I also found the concept of this book fascinating and would love to see it explored. So yeah - anything to do with any of the nominated characters (individually, or any combo shipped) would be fantastic. This can absolutely include worldbuilding, OC Mage-pack &/or Pack, or exploring some of the secondary characters (during the events of the book or post)... Like I said - extremely open minded!"

The reason I love this fandom: I thought this book did a great job of taking a kind of overused concept (werewolves) and giving it a unique spin. The characters were especially fleshed-out and sympathetic and the way that Huff has developed the world and the society between the Mage-pack and pack and the whole culture is just fascinating to me.

I truly don't want to be wishy-washy in my request for this fandom, but I could really go for anything here. I didn't specify any characters - because I'd love anything involving any of those nominated! I love the characters, and seeing what happens post-book for Mirian and Tomas and Sean Reiter, as well as Danika and any of the remaining Six would be great! The whole idea of 'Ghost Pack' more than lends itself to plenty of adventures! But, at the same time I would absolutely not object if you wanted to just play around with the world itself and tell a story about an original Mage or a Were or what have you.

Specific Prompts:

• Tell me about Sean Reiter's integration into the 'Ghost Pack' and what he has to do to earn the trust of the Silvered and how he deals with his own adjustments to his change in status/lifestyle.

• Sean knows there’s a delicate balance between him and the powerhouse that is Mirian and Tomas, but he can’t help but be intrigued when they start to hint that they’d like to find a way to make it work between the three of them. Could be gen or PWP.

• Worldbuilding: After the events of the book, the city needs rebuilding and that means new Were will be needed to restore the ranks. Danika and the other widows of the Mage-Pack are all too busy with rebuilding or grieving to consider new mates. But a new Were comes to the city and can’t get one of their scents out of his/her nose.

Blood/Smoke Series - Tanya Huff (Tony Foster, Lee Nicholas)

From my Sign-up Details: "I'm pretty open on this request. I'd love something Lee-centric. Whether that's exploring his thoughts during the events of the books, or looking at his and Tony's relationship after, or even just some wacky CB Productions hijinks from his POV. I love all the characters from the books - so including any of them is great."

The reason I love this fandom: Oh geez, where to start? The characters first and foremost. Tanya Huff has a way of writing characters that makes me fall in love with them. Tony and Lee are two of those characters. I love that Tony is an openly gay protagonist and that Lee’s sexuality isn’t just hand-waved away to make room for sexy-fun-times. I also love the urban fantasy aspect of these books, where magic and vampires and demons are a really real thing, and people surrounding Tony are freaked out about all the weird supernatural shit going on, until they’re just not anymore.

Basically, I love these books, so I'm going to enjoy whatever you write. I adore Lee and wish we'd gotten more of him throughout (as I imagine Tony does as well!). I love fun case-fic type of stories. And all kinds of supernatural shenanigans. Magic-gone-awry could be great here. I also enjoy slice-of-life character pieces and just some Lee being awesome (and perhaps not the damsel-in-distress this time)! At the same time, I’ve always been struck by some of the references to Tony's past (the Scout troop leader for instance, those scars on Tony’s chest) and wonder what Lee would make of it. I love that he and Lee got together in the end, but I started to wonder what might happen if some of Tony's past snuck up on him and how Lee might deal with that. He & Lee have gotten pretty used to crazy/supernatural/magical things happening, so how might they deal with something that's mundane, but equally difficult?

Specific Prompts:

• Lee gets an offer to do a small indy film that takes him to a remote island. When things start getting weird he wants to handle it on his own and doesn’t want to have to call Tony in to rescue him.

• How does Lee finally find out the truth about Henry? Does Tony let it slip? Is it on a case? Does he walk in on Henry and CB? And does it change anything about his relationship with Tony?

• When someone from Tony’s past recognizes him, he tries to get to Tony through Lee and threatens to expose some of Tony’s secrets and/or his previous occupation.

• PWP: Tell me about Lee and Tony’s first time… in lots of Technicolor detail!

Valor Series - Tanya Huff (Werst, Ressk, Binti Mashona, Torin)

From my Sign-up Details: "I simply adore these books. I’ve read all the books multiple times, so any setting/time-frame that fits with the characters requested would be great; but I particularly love the idea of Torin's new 'team’ of Wardens being kick-ass and going on awesome ex-space marine adventures. But post-series isn’t a must - I'd pretty much love anything to do with any of these folks or even the different alien species/societies. Fun action/adventure, mystery, intrigue, 'day in the life', smutty di'taykan fun... it's all good. I'm also extremely partial to Ressk/Werst and their relationship."

The reason I love this fandom: I feel a bit ‘broken record here’ but it’s definitely Huff’s characters that drew me into the Valor books in the first place, and they’re the reason I reread them so often. I love the sprawling space-opera aspect of these books and the various alien species we’ve been introduced to and the even the politics of the war with the Primacy. There are lots of tropes in these books, but I love that so often they’re subverted/averted/lampshaded. Oh, and the Taykan… cuz how can you not adore a race of sexually indiscriminate space elves with matching hair and eyes…

It bears repeating that I adore everything about these books. Please absolutely feel free to include other characters. I love Space Marines and the team/found-family vibe of Torin’s crew. I'll be honest: Ressk/Werst is my Valor OTP. So basically if you write something with the two of them involved, I'll adore it (even if it's not shippy). Plus, Binti is so kick-ass and we know so little about her! And Torin is about as badass as they come. Whether they're fighting pirates, or running into new and weird aliens, or stranded in space in the Promise and forced to live in each other’s pockets (and have wild orgies)... just have fun with 'em!

Specific Prompts:

• The crew of the Promise has been hard at work in their new role as Wardens and need a break. But even their down-time on a space station that’s touted as the ‘happiest place in space’ is plagued by the same kinds of shenanigans that always seem to follow Torin around.

• Ressk and Werst return to the Krai homeworld to complete some kind of ceremony (‘bonding, marriage, joining, etc…) and get to invite their closest friends.

• Binti competes in some intergalactic games and while she’s focusing on trying to win the sharpshooting events, the rest of the team are behind-the-scenes trying to prevent something bad from happening.

• PWP: Orgy aboard the Promise! Di’Taykan pheromone fun and games where everyone wants to play. Mix & Match! Binti and Torin get some quality lady-time, while Ressk and Werst engage in some weird Krai antics that involve all those opposable digits (and Craig finally puts poor Alamber out of his misery).

Ladyhawke (1985) (Etienne Navarre, Isabeau d'Anjou, Philippe Gaston)

From my Sign-up Details: “This is a movie that I’ve always adored (cheesy soundtrack not withstanding) but it’s only recently that I’ve watched again with an eye towards looking beyond the scope of the film. I’ll admit, it’s the varying interplay between Navarre and Philippe, and Philippe and Isabeau, and Isabeau and Navarre that really intrigues me; but especially the possibilities for all three of them together. Whether it’s romantic, or just friendship and found-family, I’m totally on board.”

The reason I love this fandom: When I first saw this movie I was rather young (pre-teen) and it had everything that made my little heart go pitter-pat: fantasy setting, a really charming/roguish POV character, a neat story, and some of my favorite animals (yeah – a wolf, a hawk and a gorgeous freakin’ horse? I was a goner). And even now – nearly 30 years later, it still hits all those buttons. Of course, now I watch it with a rather, uh… mature eye?

The dynamics between the three main characters are really what I’d love to see explored. Whether that’s how their relationship grows as a family or how Navarre and Isabeau make room for Philippe in the more intimate aspect of their lives. The idea of Philippe being a proxy for both Isabeau and Navarre is also one I’ve seen explored and find pretty fascinating. Oh, and I still adore Goliath. 

Specific Prompts:

• After the events of the movie, Navarre and Isabeau settle down into a quiet life away from Aquila, but they soon realize that their happy home is too quiet. Perhaps they need a mouse in their house? Could totally be gen, or entirely porny.

• What if there’s another aspect to their curse that makes itself known after they think things are finally over? What would Philippe do in order to ensure that Navarre and Isabeau get their happily ever after?

• Something/someone from Philippe’s past shows up and Navarre and Isabeau find out he’s in trouble. Navarre takes up his father’s sword once again, and Isabeau is right beside him when they set out to rescue Philippe from whatever trouble he’s gotten himself into.

The Eagle | The Eagle of the Ninth (2011) (Esca Mac Cunoval, Marcus Flavius Aquila)

From my Sign-up Details: I hate to be cliché, but I am all about Marcus/Esca here. I would pretty much love anything that involves the pair of them. Whether that starts at the beginning of their relationship in antagonism and progresses from there, or well after when they’re living happily on a little farm, I will be totally happy.”

The reason I love this fandom: Pretty much the first thought I had after watching this movie was ‘did they intend for it to be so slashy?’, because, damn. It just hit me over the head with the UST between these two characters. It hits a lot of buttons for me that I certainly wasn’t expecting: slow-build relationships, and enemies-to-friends(-to-lovers) and people overcoming their learned behaviors and prejudices to see beyond the surface. I do find the setting fascinating (and the visuals of the movie were like, absolute scenery porn) but I’m not a history buff so while I’d very much appreciate the effort of historical accuracy, it’s not a requirement here.

I should also mention that I’ve not read the Sutcliffe books.  So, while I’ve read some great fic based on that canon, I’m just not all that familiar with it, so my knowledge of the characters is pretty much from the movies. I’m absolutely flexible if some book-details are included as long as they don’t require knowing too much (ex: I know who Cottia is from context and additional follow-up reading, but I’m not familiar with her as a character). Hope that isn’t too confusing! This is definitely a fandom where I’d adore first-time fic. If you do wish to include sex, I have no preference about who’s on top/bottom.

Specific Prompts:

• Marcus and Esca have settled onto a bit of land and are attempting to start their horse farm. It’s a struggle to get things started, but even more of a struggle to ignore the feelings they’re starting to have for each other.

• Still maintaining a bit of celebrity status from their adventure to return the Eagle, Marcus and Esca are asked to go on another mission for Rome. This one takes them into a different landscape where they’ll have to rely on each other to survive.

• Esca teaches Marcus about one of the legends/celebrations/rituals of the Brigantes people and it leads Marcus to realize certain things about how he feels about Esca (or vice versa). </cut>

Well, I hope that helps - and sorry for babbling so much! I already know I'll be happy with whatever you do! I just want you to not let it stress you, and I hope you have fun with it. I absolutely can't wait to see what you come up with!

Happy Yuletide!!

Dear Yuletide Writer - 2014!