Dear 2016 Yuletide Writer...

[jedibuttercup]

So, I'm back from vacation... and it's that time of year again! This will be my eleventh year participating in yuletide; has it really been that many? Wow. I love the whole atmosphere of fannish glee that surrounds the challenge, and the opportunity to play in smaller or newer fandoms. And I also love waiting up to read whatever's been written for me: it adds an extra sparkle to my holiday season. So. Dear Yuletide Author! I look forward to reading whatever you gift me with!

In general, I prefer something mainly focused on plot and/or character interaction rather than PWP, though porn with plot would be dandy! But for theme: romance, humor, scifi, action, domestic moments, worldbuilding, etc.-- whatever you enjoy writing? I'll probably enjoy reading. I like people with layers, and watching them interact is always a good time for me, whatever they're up to. Fandom-specific notes below.

I do have a few no-go's, which I'd prefer you avoid: incest, deliberate betrayal of trust between partners, non-consensual sex, requested character death, and mundane AUs. Angst is OK, as long as the story is resolved positively somehow; I am not a crueltide participant.

If you want to stalk me, this is my main journal. My fic index posts, split for length, are at DW: Buffy-verse Centric and Everything Else. You can also find me at jedibuttercup on AO3. I am an extremely eclectic writer, mostly gen but with the occasional 'ships (including m/f, m/m, f/f, and OT3s) and frequent crossovers, across a very wide variety of fandoms. But don't sweat it; celebrate our mutual small fandom in whatever way pleases you, and it'll probably please me.

• Fandom 1: Commando (1985)
  Characters: Cindy, John Matrix
  
  I recently watched this classic Schwarzenegger Papa Wolf movie for the first time, and was unexpectedly delighted by the character of Cindy. In the middle of Matrix's gung-ho mission to rescue his daughter, he hijacks this stewardess to help him get to a bad guy, as an 80s action hero apparently does... but she turns out to have more common sense than most 80s damsels. Not only is she capable of rescuing herself (she calls the cops on him at first opportunity, then interferes with them when she finds out his story is true), she turns out to be integral to his success. She helps him get supplies, flies a plane, and snarks about testosterone poisoning while he's battling bad guys. And then at the end they sort of ... fly off toward the horizon with his daughter? I was left really wanting to know what came next, now that he's no longer laser-focused on his goal and can appreciate her properly.
  
  I'm a sucker for badass protective father figure type movies, but I missed this one when it came out due to being a little too young for R rated action at the time. Maybe competent damsels (of color, even) aren't as rare as I'm remembering for the era through the haze of nostalgia, but regardless, I fell in love with Cindy the moment she set the cops on Matrix-- and then turned right around and insisted on not being left behind once she had a better read on the situation. I really had to wonder, after having risked so much to help him and actually succeeding ... would she keep refusing to be left behind? What would them choosing to keep in contact look like? Shippy or otherwise. Does she make him work for it, after his high-handed behavior at the beginning? Is that the last time Matrix works for the general? I also liked Jenny, if you'd like to include her; I completely appreciated her arc too, frightened and crying at first like a real teenager would and then shaking it off and escaping like a second-generation badass to meet her dad halfway.



• Fandom 2: The Last Ship (TV)
  Characters: Rachel Scott, Sasha Cooper, Tex Nolan, Tom Chandler
  
  I'm all caught up through the end of season 3, fair warning; spoilery talk follows. I was in complete denial until we finally saw Tex again that Rachel wasn't dead, just very badly injured and recuperating somewhere out of the way under his protection, kept secret from almost everybody. She felt like the center of the emotional engine of the show to me in the first couple of seasons; I was a Tom/Rachel shipper, though I liked Rachel and Tex's interactions as well. I'd like to see a fic where she did survive. I included Sasha in the request list because I did kind of like her as well, and having Sasha and Rachel meet in front of an awkward Tom and amused Tex might be interesting! But if you'd prefer to only feature Tom and Rachel, or Rachel and Tex, I'm good with that, too (or even some combination of Tom/Rachel/Tex; Tom in the finale after Tex, just, ugh). Just... give me more saving the world drama, with Rachel still in it, and I'll be happy.
  
  My initial thought was that you could easily add Rachel into the plot of Season 3, at the point where the team meets up with Tex and his daughter, but there are lots of other potential split points; write the one that speaks to you. Maybe someone in the know contacts her when they're figuring out exactly what happened to the Japanese pirates? Or if you'd prefer to set it back in Season 2 or in a more drastic shift from the plot, I'd be okay with that too. Seriously; I just want Rachel to live, whatever form that takes.



• Fandom 3: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
  Characters: Rita Vrataski, William Cage
  
  Some quirk of that last unexpected time loop means Rita remembers it, too.
  
  Go with wherever that takes you - immediate reaction fic; a quieter what-it-means-to-her story in context of figuring out how to live a civilian life with the only other person in the world who's had the same bizarre experience she did; or some larger actiony or politicky 'she won't let anyone else write the last chapter of her story in this war' sort of fic; anything you like. I liked Cage and appreciated the growth of his character, and definitely want to see her interact with him; but I don't need him to be the plot leader. I figure it's Rita's turn to drive, after the movie. :) Whether they remain a gen in-the-same-weird-boat type of friendship or turn romantic, though, is entirely up to you.



• Fandom 4: Suicide Squad (2016)
  Characters: June Moone, Rick Flag
  
  I know most of this new fandom is probably focused on other characters, and that's fine by me! I've enjoyed a lot of the fic. But what I walked out of the movie really craving is Rick and June fic. The whole implications of how their relationship came about is more than a little sketchy to me, but they seem to have genuinely fallen for each other despite the obstacles. We don't get much more than a thumbnail sketch of each of their characters, but I liked Rick, despite not expecting to; and I wanted to know more about June and her skills, and what she saw in Rick that made her reach back despite being smart enough to know why he was assigned to her. So what comes next, with the Enchantress gone? Of all my requests, this is the one I least want a breakup fic for; if you can't see them remaining romantic partners, or feel the need to pair them with other people, do keep them part of each other's lives and front-and-center in the story in some supportive fashion!
  
  Some thoughts: what does their relationship look like, now that she has her autonomy back? (I'm not at all familiar with any comic portrayals of them, and don't care if you include any comicverse information.) Does Waller still have any control over what June does? Are there permanent side-effects-- does she become a part of the team-as-makeshift-family in some capacity going forward? I do like the rest of the Squad as well, including Harley and Deadshot, and I was very curious about how Rick knew Katana as well; so if you'd like to include any or all of them interacting with Rick and June or even do a full-on next-mission fic, feel free to do so!

I hope I've given you some things to be thoughtful about, rather than boxing you in. Just have fun writing whatever you're writing, and I'll love whatever you give me. Thank you again!