Yuletide 2009

[eponymous_rose]

Hey, Yuletide Writer - we've got at least one small fandom in common! That's pretty awesome.

First and foremost, I'm just happy to see more new fic in these fandoms. My requests are more like suggestions - I always get nervous that I'm either going to be too specific or too general with my prompts, but the big secret is this: chances are, I'm going to absolutely adore anything you write me. So unless you need that lovely panicky feeling to get the fic written by deadline (goodness knows, that's how I operate), have fun with this! Relax! I'll love it.

If you're one of those Yuletiders who engages in the long-established practice of stalking your victim assignee, I'll save you the trouble:

Things that I absolutely adore: Genfic. Plotty genfic with action/adventurish elements that incorporates real science. Genfic that explores and expands the characters we see on screen, but isn't necessarily just A sitting around thinking about B. Fic that slots neatly into canon is swell, but I do have a soft spot for fic that blows canon out of the water, cackling madly the whole time. Crossovers are fun (you can check my icons or my fic archive to see what other fandoms I've explored, if you're game). Humour is wonderful. Angst that isn't wallowing for the sake of wallowing is great. I have a huge weakness for hurt/comfort. Low-rated het and/or slash and/or femslash are definitely fine as well.

Things I probably wouldn't seek out when left to my own devices, but could definitely be sold on: Het/slash/femslash above a rating of PG-13. I find that relationship stories in the bigger fandoms tend to tread over the same old ground way too often, so I'm a bit wary of them, but in a nice, small fandom like any of these, they'd certainly be welcome.

Things I'm none too keen on: Dub-con. PWP. Fannish clichés.

And that's gone and made me sound a lot pickier than I am. All of the above are just my experience to date! I'm willing to be sold on pretty much anything, honestly. Don't worry about it!

Request 1: MacGyver (Mac, Jack)

The friendship between Jack and Mac has always been one of my favourite parts of the series - I'd love to see anything from more standard fare (Jack embroils Mac in a wacky scheme), to something a bit outside of canon (pre- or post-series adventures), to something totally outside of canon (zany crossovers are a-ok). I'm definitely most fond of adventurish gen, but slash is certainly not a problem, nor is het with other characters brought in. It'd be great to see a fic that incorporated a few other familiar faces - as long as the focus is on these two, I'm easy.

That about covers everything, doesn't it? Mostly I'd just like to see some fic - any fic! - featuring these two. While plotty gen would be fabulous, I'd also be happy to see more introspective fic - quiet moments, that sort of thing.

Request 2: Arthur Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes series (Moriarty, Holmes, Watson)

I'd really like to read a Hiatus-era fic that ran with the notion that maybe Holmes wasn't being entirely truthful when he told Watson about Reichenbach in EMPT - that there was some other story to be told. And whether this omission was intentional on Holmes's part, the result of elaborate deception on Moriarty's part, or simply a case of Watson deciding the world was not yet ready to hear it, it's something I'd love to see expanded! I'd be happy whether or not you include Moriarty - it's Holmes and Watson I'm most interested in.

Just how did Holmes come alive out of that dreadful chasm? The possibilities are pretty much endless. I mention Holmes and Watson above, but I'd also be really happy with something that explored Holmes and Moriarty in that time period. As always, gen is preferred, but slash is just fine.

Request 3: The Middleman (tv) (Any)

I am a big, big fan of casefile-type fics in this fandom, especially if they emulate/approximate the quirky sense of humour of the series itself. That said, because casefiles are tricky things to write, I'd also be really pleased with a character study-type glimpse at any of the supporting characters - what does Ida do when our heroes are off saving the world? What kinds of things does Dr. Barbara Thornfield, MD PhD, do on her days off? What's the coolest thing Pip's ever done in his life (and why has he sworn to never tell anyone the details)?

I adore this fandom so much that the prospect of any new fic makes me all giddy. A casefile that focuses on Wendy and the Middleman would be lovely, but as I mentioned up there, the supporting cast deserves a lot of love as well. I don't think you could possibly do me wrong on this one - gen, het, slash, femslash, it's all fantastic.

(And if you're here for one of the other prompts, I will just point out that this is a comparatively tiny show to get caught up on - just the 12 episodes.)

Request 4: MASH (tv) (Margaret)

I'd love a fic that adds more depth to Margaret's character - either by expanding on some element of her backstory the series mentioned in passing, or by creating new elements to explore. Het and femslash would be be great, but I'm most interested in the development of Margaret as a character in her own right - as well as any obstacles along the way. Post-war fic would certainly be welcome, as would something that slotted neatly into canon - if you're feeling creative, AUs and crossovers would also be neat!

This is a very vague prompt, for which I apologize. We found out a lot about nearly every single regular character in the series, but somewhere in her transition from antagonist to one-of-the-good-guys, Margaret's backstory seems to have been misplaced. Is there an interesting reference in-canon that you could draw on to create a pre-war story? How about something that could come back after the war? Someone Margaret could meet up with right in the middle of things? Any other characters you'd like to bring into this would be fantastic.

And I guess that about sums it up! Sorry for the length, O Yuletide writer - last year, I was way too vague, and I guess I'm still finding that middle ground. I hope you enjoy writing this fic, whichever way you wind up spinning it, and I can't wait to read the end result.