2019 Dear Yuletide Writer

[touchofstrange]

Dear Yuletide Writer,

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



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!

Second and uh, secondmost?, I love all of my fandoms equally, so I’ll love whichever one you end up writing for. I'll try to prompt equally, but sometimes my brain is all 'any fic for these characters, omg' and fails hard at the prompt thing - so, regardless of prompt quantity/quality, I’m honestly just excited to get fic in any of these fandoms! Oh, and if - by chance - you've written for me before and recognize prompts, it's not recycled because I didn't love what you wrote - I'm just greedy and want more!

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 7 years, also as skitz_phenom - if you're someone who really likes to get to know your recipient. :)

I'll start off with more of a general description of my likes and dislikes/DNWs 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 and I want you to have fun writing this. If, upon reading the fandom/characters you were matched on, an idea sparked in your mind: run with it (just please keep the 'not fond of/DNW' list in mind)! Also please note that my details and/or prompts may contain spoilers.

General ‘Stuff I like’:

• Slow-build/burn, first-time is one of my absolute favorite relationship tropes. Friends-to-lovers, or enemies-to-lovers or anything in-between.

• I’m also a total sucker for lots of the really tropey plots & scenarios so please don't be afraid of using them (or lampshading/subverting them). Here are a few that are awesome:

 

   · Bed-sharing/Huddling for warmth/forced closeness

   · Magic gone awry

   · Stranded together/Crashed on a desert island

   · Pretend couple/marriage of convenience
 

• I love friendships, found-family and romance.

• Characters who go to BAMFy, ends-of-the-earth, extremes for the other - to save them, or get vengeance on someone who hurt them - is pure catnip.

• I also really enjoy action/adventure, plotty case-fic, and humor.

• Angst & Hurt/comfort is terrifically 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. And Canon-adjacent AU is welcome.

• 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 Het, Slash, Femslash, Threesomes/ Moresomes (it's always fun to include a fandom where 'moresomes' are a possibility) as they suit the fandom & characters.

• For the most part, if I've requested two characters, I'm in it for the relationship between them and their interactions. Yeah, most/(almost all) of the time I'm definitely interested in their relationship being romantic/sexual in nature. If you can't give me overt 'shipping', I'd be grateful if you could give me depth of their connection and meaning to each other.

• Rating-wise, I'll enjoy everything from General Audiences to Explicit and everything in between.

• Porn is great. I absolutely love porn. But it’s definitely not a must. (I’m including some PWP type prompts – though I think any of the other prompts could lend themselves to porn happening!)  I'm definitely more of a 'side of porn w/ my plot, please' kind of person.

• I also signed-up for Yuleporn <a https://yuletide.dreamwidth.org/185513.html?thread=2080681#cmt2080681 -

• If things get do porny - plain ol' vanilla sex is great, but I enjoy kinky stuff as well (more deets in my Yuleporn sign-up).

• I like top/bottom switching. I'm not picky on who does what to who and the more variety the better.

• A couple of kinks/things I’m particularly fond of (in any/all gender combinations):
 

· A character face-forward against a wall/door/bulkhead being sexed-up from behind.

· Frottage

· Rimming

· Fingering

· Biting/Marking.

· Pegging.

· Dual penetration.

· Intercural.

· Xeno or tentacles (where applicable to the fandom).
 

The ‘What I’m Not So Fond of’ aka DNWs:

My 'hardstop, probably won't read' DNWs are in my sign-up (and copied below). That being said, there are a few other things that aren’t really my cup of tea:

From my Signup- DNWs include: certain extreme kinks (ex: underage, watesports, scat, vore, bestiality, age-play, daddy-kink, infantilism, emetophilia, inflation, feeding, lactation/pregnancy, amputation), noncon btwn requested characters, partner betrayal, humiliation (esp. public), permanent char. death, suicide, vampire/werewolf AU, slave AU, seme/uke dynamics, disability fic, issue-fic, trans or ace headcanons, A/B/O type verse, Mpreg, always-a-girl/boy, or D/s lifestyle 24/7.

• Please no overt/purposeful animal cruelty. (Hunting/fishing is fine as they fit the fandom).

• Regarding the 'extreme kinks', I think I've covered a range of things that fall under the YKINMKATO setting, and use your best judgement if there's a kink that feels more opt-out than opt-in, but if you have any questions about other kinks, please feel free to ask/have a mod ask! 

• Please no character bashing. Even if I didn’t request the characters, I pretty much like them all.

• 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 non-canon AU (i.e coffee shop, tattoo parlor, etc...) Alternate canon types of AUs are great though.

• Not a huge fan of 1st or 2nd person POV, or of epithets.

• No permanent character death or suicide, but I don’t mind if you go darkside, and temporary death for plot purposes is fine, I'd just appreciate avoiding killing anyone off permanently (at least the requested characters).

• Unless it's canon, incest is something I'd rather avoid at least overtly.

• Lastly, I’d prefer to avoid explicit noncon (DNW between the nominated characters), and steer away from dubcon w/out feelings and/or consequences (i.e. Okay would be Sex Pollen w/ 'OMG what did I/You/We do?!'). Reference to past history is also acceptable

• All this with the caveat that I do expect some of this could be applicable in the canons I’ve selected - and I've modified my DNWs where applicable.

Canon specific details & prompts!

Cardinals (2017)

Characters: Mark Loekner

Why I love this fandom: Well, there isn't exactly a fandom, but this is one of those movies I saw and immediately wanted 'more'. Specifically about Mark. I mean, all the Walker family dynamics are fascinating, but I was honestly a bit frustrated that Mark never got the truth. Or, maybe he did...it's rather implied in the ending, I guess? Although the ending does allow for interpretation. Are Zoe and Eleanor bringing Valerie back to jail? Or is Mark getting locked up for holding the family hostage? This is a grim, slow-paced movie and I like the moodiness of it as well. I would really just like to know more about Mark and how he fits into everything that happened, see how it affected him either then or now and explore his reactions to finding out the truth. And very dark interpretations/reactions/explorations are welcome here.

Note: My DNWs are different for this request: due to the film's content, I've removed noncon and underage.

From my Signup: Quick ideas/suggestions/notes: I just want to know everything about Mark. Have him find out the truth, or change up the end so that he's got a real gun, or explore what things must've been like for him as a child to lose his father like that. Note: My DNWs are a bit different here due to the content of this movie. Go dark if you wanna.

Specific Prompts:

•  Instead of the bb gun, Mark brings a real gun to his confrontation with Valerie. How does that change the outcome?

•  Waking up in the hospital after the events of the movie, Mark finds Eleanor at his bedside. She's there to finally give him the truth he's after - truth that's new to her as well - but can they move past it to continue their friendship and maybe help each other heal?

•  During the standoff, Zoe doesn't get the jump on him or knock him out with the statue and Valerie ends up telling him the truth, finally. How does he react in that moment?

•  Mark was only a child when his father was killed, but maybe he knew more about his father's perversions than he realizes. What if he's repressed memories of things that he witnessed or were done to him and finding out the truth triggers him to remember.

•  What was Mark's childhood like before and after the 'accident'. Did his mother know the truth? Is that why she basically gave up on life?

•  Things take a darker path than in the movie. Maybe Mark is quite a bit more disturbed by losing his father than anyone realizes and his attempts to get the truth go too far.

The Exorcist (TV)

Characters: Marcus Keane, Tomas Ortega

Why I love this fandom: I’d heard of this show but didn’t watch it until after the first two seasons had already aired… and then I pretty much binge-watched both seasons over the matter of a weekend. I don’t know why I didn’t watch sooner because it’s utterly my jam! I love the mentor/student vibe as well as the forbidden nature of being Priests. And, Ben Daniels?! Yes. Just yes. One of my favorite things is the devotion they develop towards each other. Plus, Marcus’ tragic backstory is catnip. Oh, and although I’m all for Marcus/Tomas endgame, I also did love Peter… he was so sweet and kind to Marcus, so any involvement of him would be totally welcome. Also, I didn't nominate Verity - as I'd like a Marcus/Tomas focus... but I adored her character. Any of the characters from either season are welcome.

From my Signup: Quick ideas/suggestions/notes: This fandom is catnip for hurt/comfort and Tomas and Marcus being all self-sacrificing for one another (+bonus for first time, too). Is it a challenging exorcism, or does one of them get possessed or perhaps it's something prosaic that throws a wrench into their lives while they're living on the road, on the run, and only relying on each other...Oh, and the mentor/student vibe and the catholic guilt would be fun to explore as well. Also - I didn't request Peter specifically, but I absolutely don't mind reference to him/Marcus.

Specific Prompts:
 

•  At the end of the 2nd season, Marcus is given a ‘vision’ of Tomas. There’s such anguish in his voice when he calls out Tomas’ name. Whatever he saw sends Marcus on a desperate hunt to find Tomas and save him.

•  Something or someone else from Marcus’ past causes troubles for him during an exorcism, forcing Tomas to work through it with him. They have to balance the feelings it starts to bring to the surface – shame, guilt – and work through what it means for the two of them, at the same time as succeeding in completing a complicated exorcism.

•  A demon tries to stir trouble between Marcus and Tomas while they work to exorcise it from an innocent woman, taunting Tomas with Marcus’ attraction. After they’re done, managing to save the woman, Tomas assumes the demon was lying and is ready to move on, but Marcus doesn’t realize and tries to explain… baring some truths he hadn't intended for Tomas to know.

•  In a last-ditch effort to stop Tomas, the demon-controlled church excommunicates him, hoping this will keep him from getting deeper into the troubles plaguing their leadership. Tomas is bereft, but Marcus is there to support him through it… including helping him to indulge in some things he’s denied himself.

•  In those three months that pass after Marcus walks away from Tomas, he tries to settle into a ‘normal’ life. Maybe he even sticks around with Peter for a while? But, his old life catches him up when Tomas shows up again. (Would be open to Marcus/Peter here – if endgame is Marcus/Tomas).

•  Marcus and Tomas have been reunited once again and -although there is tension that's never seemed to resolve -continued their mission, together. After several months of this 'status quo', they are contacted by Verity and find out she's gotten into the exorcism game (maybe even partnered up with Mouse?) - and she's in over her head and needs help.  They rush to the rescue and Verity helps them figure themselves out, while they help her with a troubling case (or to rescue Mouse).

Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game)

Characters: Geralt of Rivia, Vernon Roche

Why I love this fandom: Witcher III pretty much stole my soul for a ridiculous amount of time. I’d not played any of the Witcher games before but RPGs & MMORPGs are my jam, so I bought all 3 bundled, played through I & II fairly quickly so that I could immerse myself in III; and boy howdy, did I! I’ve not read the books, so my knowledge is purely from the Video Game series. I love Geralt because he’s got an emotional depth buried beneath such a hard façade. When I played him, I most often choose solutions or scenarios that tended towards kinder outcomes and/or were greyer in morality – and he definitely didn’t always choose to slay the monster. Sometimes he tried to understand and help them. I don’t know how much – if any- of a role Roche plays anywhere other than the games, but I kind of adore him. His history is so dark and desperate. I feel like he tries to do what’s right for his country, above all else, even when it ends up backfiring for him terribly. (In my playthrough of Witcher II, he totally assassinated Henselt. Oh, and I also killed Letho. And in III we killed Djikstra together.)

I think he and Geralt could be wonderfully broken together, bonding over their failed relationships, and poor decisions in trying to eventually do the right thing. Any mention of video-game canon characters is totally fine as well (except Emhyr, please - I don't care for him)! In my play-through, Geralt ended up alone (once with Witcher!Ciri and once with Queen!Ciri), though I don’t dismiss his relationships with Triss & Yennifer. Then again, he also had flings with Kiera, Shari and Syrana (and pretty much every prostitute … I just liked getting Geralt ‘naked’). I esp. loved Ciri, Dandelion, Regis, Zoltan and Ves. So, please don’t feel like you can’t include any of them, but I’d like the focus to be on Geralt and Roche and their relationship!

From my Signup: Quick ideas/suggestions/notes: Action/adventure/romance & tropey/USTy scenarios that put Geralt and Roche together to very BAMFily defeat a monster, solve a mission, undo some magic, save a life, etc... are my jam. Throw in some manly hurt/comfort or some reluctant expression of feelings while the chips seem down, or someone going to extremes to protect the other or get vengeance on their behalf and I'll be in heaven. Also - I really don't care for Emhyr, so I'd appreciate him not being involved in any way (except maybe in a passing mention in regard to Ciri).

Specific Prompts:
 

•  Geralt is tasked to complete a mission (maybe something associated to Witcher-school lore) that will require him to venture into some kind of spirit/other realm, leaving his body behind. He needs someone he trusts to watch over him while he does this and asks Roche. Naturally things don’t go as planned and Roche needs to follow him into this other realm/Geralt’s mind/etc... to rescue him.

•  PWP: Geralt encounters Roche while on a mission to dispatch an incubus. Inhibitions lowered, Geralt and Roche give in to their desires and lots of hot, sweaty sex ensues. They try to blame it on the incubus… only to find out it wasn’t an incubus after all.

•  Roche shows up at Geralt’s villa in Toussaint needing a place to lay low. Though he’s close-mouthed about it at first, Geralt convinces him to talk about his troubles, and the two work together to get Roche out of his latest political conundrum.

•  Roche's fate seemed rather questionable in some of the game outcomes. Geralt learns (perhaps from Ciri) that there's a bounty on Roche's head and he can think of only one way to save him: smuggle him to Kaer Morhan.

•  Roche enlists Geralt's help after some men under his command disappear and he fears some kind of beast/monster. Together they dispatch the creature, but Roche is horribly injured, forcing Geralt to make the decision to try to use Witcher decoctions to try to save his life. Hurt/comfort to the max!

•  Getting on the wrong side of a sorceress has never worked out well for Geralt. This time, Vernon gets caught up as well and the pair of them are sent on a journey to impossible lands where survival is just the tip of the iceberg!
 

 

Killjoys (TV)

Characters: Johnny Jaqobis, Pree, Gared

Why I love this fandom:  I'm not 'new' to the fandom, but I haven't really gotten into fic for it yet, so I'm excited about the possibility. I hate being one of those 'I love the actor, therefore I love his character' types, but it's rather true with Johnny (I adored Aaron in Warehouse 13). So, he was kind of my gateway into this show, but then I was won over on the shows own merits. I genuinely enjoy all the characters but Pree is the type of scoundrel with a heart of gold that I'm ridiculously fond of, so I gravitated toward him right away. And, I love his relationship with Gared. I am totally open to any Killjoys characters making an appearance and I'm good with Johnny and Pree/Gared or Johnny/Pree/Gared or other permutations as long as no one is betraying anyone else.

From my Signup: Quick ideas/suggestions/notes: Space adventures and found family and any kind of action/adventure would be totally up my alley. I'd like a focus on Pree/Gared w/Johnny included in some fashion (romantically, non-romantically, their lifecoach/new bar-back, whatev.) Fun and lighthearted, angsty and emotional or straight-up porny shenanigans are all welcome! Note: I love all the characters on this show, so they're all welcome to peek their heads in as they fit the plot.

Specific Prompts:

• Post-series, Johnny goes off to live his own life away from Dutch & D'av, but after some time alone, he finds himself restless and lonely and drawn back to Westerly and The Royale. Pree and Gared are there to comfort him and give him just enough familiarity, but maybe something new as well.

• Pree and Gared decide to take a much needed vacation somewhere safe and away from it all. So, naturally there's trouble in paradise, and it comes in the form of Johnny Jaqobis.

• When someone from Pree’s past recognizes him, he tries to get to Pree through Gared and kidnaps him. Pree enlists Johnny's help to rescue his husband.

• Johnny receives a message from a concerned Gared: Pree went to visit an old colleague but hasn't been in contact in a few days. He says he's only looking to see if Johnny's heard from Pree, but Johnny knows a call for help when he hears one.

• PWP: Someone is smuggling inhibition-reducing drugs and they end up at the Royale where Johnny's been working while he figures out what he wants out of his life during his 'hiatus' from Dutch & D'av. Pree and Gared are there to keep him safe and provide some other services as well.

• Pree has made jokes about lusting after Johnny (and D'avin) but Gared knows there's a kernel of truth in there. After Johnny confesses his curiosity during an alcohol laden conversation, Gared decides to make things happen.

The Fire's Stone - Tanya Huff

Characters:  Aaron, Darvish, Chandra

Why I love this fandom: I feel like this book would've gotten a lot more attention had it been published recently, rather than 20 years ago. It's just got everything: a reluctant, slow build M/M romance, fantastic use of tropes, characters who are anything but perfect but so damn likeable, terrific worldbuilding, and a fun, adventurous story. I love everything about these characters! I love the relationship between all three of them, and I'm open to interpretation on Chandra sexuality.

Note: I removed ace headcanons from my DNWs for this one.

From my Signup: Quick ideas/suggestions/notes: I just adore these three in whatever way you want to write about them! Give them another adventure, separate them for some angst, explore how they manage ruling a kingdom as a not quite 'technical' triumvirate. Note: I see Chandra as too 'wizard of the nine' to be interested in sex - as it's a distraction, but I'm not locked into that, so if you want to explore how she fits into Aaron & Darvish's physical relationship, I'd be open to that!)

Specific Prompts:

•  Sometimes being a Wizard of the Nine can preoccupy Chandra to the exclusion of all else. Dar and Aaron are there to pull her out of her workshop (and her head) with clever manipulations.

•   Just when things are getting settled between the three of them in their new position in Chandra's homeland, someone from Aaron's past shows up that may throw everything out of balance.

•  Chandra's cousin Kesin isn't thrilled that she's stepped up to inherit after her father. But he knows that Chandra needs an heir and he's heard plenty of rumors about Prince Darvish, so he sets about trying to drag Darvish back into his old lifestyle.

•  Though Aaron had teased about stealing a child someday to be Chandra and Darvish's heir, her lack of children starts to cause whispering among the populace. Darvish is torn, as he'd like to be a father, but he doesn't want to force Chandra into something she's not interested in.

•  When Darvish doesn't return from a ride to visit a nearby village, Aaron frets and Chandra tries to use her magic to track him down. But something is preventing that, and the two need to use other means to track down their missing third.

•  PWP: Worried that her naivety when it comes to sex might prove to be something that can be manipulated by enemies, Chandra asks Dar and Aaron to familiarize her with the topic, so she won't ever be caught off guard. Dar and Aaron, meanwhile, are keen to show Chandra why she shouldn't put aside her own pleasure (whether or not it involves the two of them) and how it can help her focus her magic, instead of being a distraction.

 

 

Thank you so much & Happy Yuletide! :D