Dear Yuletide writer,
Thank you in advance for writing for me! I've written a little about what I love about the canons I've requested and included some prompts, because I know I love reading about peoples' thoughts and prompts, but if you have a totally different idea, go for it! I’m excited to read what you write.
Likes: Pining (mutual or otherwise), hurt/comfort especially when it's heavy on the comfort, pretending to be married/dating, fake dating turns real in general, happy endings, soulbonding/soulmates/any kind of weird psychic connection bonding scenario. I'm a fan of AUs, especially ones that manage to transpose the characters’ backgrounds onto a new setting, so if you want to write one, I'll be happy to receive it. (With the exception that I'm not a huge fan of cyberpunk or zombie scenarios.) I also love all the canons I requested for themselves and am more than happy to receive a fic rooted firmly within them. I love weddingfic, if that’s something you’re also into. I love any stage of it – the chaotic planning phase (tell me all about our mutual fave’s Horrible Wedding Planning Pinterest Board), family and friends getting involved, proposals, the actual wedding, it’s all good. I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so if it it’s not yours, no worries, but if it is yours, I’m listening. I also like kidfic and accidental baby acquisition, but again, in no way a requirement. I love mysticism and magical realism. One of my fandoms feature spiders, and one features snakes – I have zero fear of either snakes or spiders and I think they’re cool, but if you don’t want to include them, I’m also fine without mentions of them. I'm cool with any rating.
DNWs: Permanent major non-canonical character death (I’m fine with canon character deaths and past plot important character deaths like Louise as she pertains to Kaine's story) or grievous injury (I’m fine with Hollywood level), infidelity between the main couple in case of shipfic, watersports/scat, non-canon harm to animals (AKA mentions of canonical snake fighting rings are fine), unhappy endings, incest between either biological or adopted siblings. Please no unrequested identity headcanons. For my Marvel fandom requests, please no references to MCU events or MCU-based characterization.
I'm Traincat at Ao3 and tumblr and @traincat.bsky.social if you want to poke around. I tag everything on tumblr by series name at the very least.
Treats are welcome!
Scarlet Spider (Marvel Comics)
Kaine Parker, Flash Thompson, Maria Aracely Penalba
You don't have to use all my requested characters for this request, although you are welcome to do so. I do request that Kaine is included.
I love Kaine Parker, the reason I have to say “permanent” with my non-major character death DNW. “Broody clone of the hero” is such a quintessentially comics trope, but at the same time Kaine is very much his own character and not just Peter But Edgier. His Scarlet Spider run did such a good job of growing his character beyond who he was in the Clone Saga and letting him explore what life could offer him once the clone degeneration was cured: a home, a family, and his own blossoming identity. And a huge part of that is his relationship with Aracely. It's clear that initially Kaine sees a lot of himself in Aracely, whether he wants to or not, and his saving her is in a way saving his younger self, but I love how their bond grows out of that and how devoted they are to each other. Kaine is her champion! She knows he would never hurt her! He fought werewolves to protect her! They have a psychic bond!
Kaine and Flash only have one relatively brief interaction, but their chemistry was so good and I think they should kiss on the lips. I loved their Minimum Carnage banter -- if you can call Flash attempting to get along and Kaine struggling like a cat about to get a bath every step of the way banter. I do headcanon both Flash and Kaine as being attracted to men, although I think Flash is much more aware of this than Kaine, who was grown in a basement lab and raised for like two whole months by the only father figure he ever had, an abusive professor in a fursuit who tried to kill him, and so is maybe not very good at self-reflection as a result of that. For shipfic, I only ship Kaine and Flash together, but I’m also happy to get gen dynamics, especially for Kaine&Aracely, or character-focused pieces about either Kaine or Aracely. I view Kaine and Aracely as having a strictly familial relationship and DNW a romantic relationship for them.
· I would love to see more exploration of Kaine and Aracely’s psychic bond, of the connection between them and possibly how it ties into Kaine's own former psychic abilities. I'm also very good with them having a spa day in Houston or ordering everything off the room service menu. Superhero and civilian shenanigans are also good – I love Aracely being delighted to drag Kaine to restaurants or to the rodeo, or being annoyed with him because he doesn’t want to be a superhero.· If you do want to use all three of my requested characters, I would love Flash/Kaine fic where Flash is convinced he has to win Aracely over and Aracely takes shameless advantage, much to Kaine's chagrin. Or anything with Flash and Aracely interacting, honestly. We know he’s good with teenage girls with powers, so let her run roughshod over him. He can handle it.· I also wouldn't say no to a non-powers AU where Kaine's always had a crush on football star Flash but is convinced he only sees him as Peter's moody little brother.· I think Kaine has, understandably, issues with intimacy and touch and trust, stemming from the Jackal's abuse of him but also in more recent canon from being assaulted by Shathra in the guise of Annabelle, and generally from believing he doesn't deserve to be touched kindly because he views himself as a worthless monster. So I would also love fic where Kaine explores touch and intimacy with Flash and learns what he does and doesn't like, and maybe that he really enjoys surrendering on his own terms and letting Flash be in charge for a while.· Kaine can talk to spiders! This is such a fun power and I don’t think enough is done with it. Like, yeah, he doesn’t have spider-sense, but he can summon an army of ten thousand spiders to your backyard barbecue if you even slightly annoy him. I would love to see his relationship with his spider network – how do they feel about him, this spider who looks like a man and can speak to them through the web?· Any post-Shathra incident angst, especially with how Kaine’s transformation is forced in front of everyone, and how he sees how they react to his more monstrous form. I really love how Aracely runs in front of him and tries to protect him from that response, the way she holds his hand and says she doesn’t understand why this is bad.
Scarlet Spider (2012) ran for 25 issues, and Kaine and Aracely were next featured in New Warriors (2014). I don't mind New Warriors canon popping up, but I also don't mind if you choose to disregard it entirely. The entirety of Flash and Kaine's interaction can be found in the Minimum Carnage storyline. I'm also always very partial to Kaine with longer hair, as much as I appreciate his character development buzzcut. (But honestly it's not a deal breaker.)
Fantastic Four (2015)
Johnny Storm, Sue Storm
This is my favorite Fantastic Four movie. Wait, come back. Yes, I’m aware of all of that and also of the fact that it is, on a storytelling level, Not Very Good, which is a great way to sell why it’s my favorite, but it’s the potential of the movie that I enjoy. I liked First Steps just fine, and the 2005-2007 movies will always have “but this is Dolce.” But there’s so much interesting stuff to explore here, even just in the concept of the Fantastic Four’s origin story as a horror story. I love the struggle between the core cast of characters and the forces that want to exploit and militarize their work as explorers, and I love the relationship between Sue and Johnny – strained, but you can see how deeply they care for each other under there.
I love the entire Fantastic Four, so I'm happy to see Reed and Ben included, but I'd prefer the focus remain on the siblings.
· Both Sue and Johnny clearly have a love of music. Sue says it helps her focus, and Johnny is introduced with the most Johnny song of all time, The Four Tops’ Standing in the Shadows of Love, playing during his race. I’m a big Motown fan, so if you want, I would love fic centered around Johnny and Motown, or just Johnny or Sue or Sue and Johnny and music in general!· There’s a scene from the trailer that never made it into the movie of Sue cradling an injured Johnny and crying, which looks like it was probably supposed to have been in the battle with Doom. I’d love to see a take on that, whether it’s in that fight or a future one.· I always love fic exploring superheroes’ powers. In the comics, Sue manages to weaponize her inherently defensive powers, while Johnny exerts such control over his destructive ones that he’s able to siphon off excess body heat from other people and take the sting out of burns. This Sue and Johnny still have a lot of trouble controlling their powers where we leave them at the end of the movie, so I’d love to see fic of them working together to learn how to control their powers.· Similarly, Johnny and Sue have very different relationships with their powers, with Johnny wanting to use his, whereas Sue initially at least believes their powers as something to be cured. I’d love more exploration of that, maybe in Central City, or just in them becoming the Fantastic Four. (“I gotta say, it’s fantastic.”)· The Mole Man was supposed to be in this movie. I am perfectly happy to read about Sue and Johnny having a sibling day fighting the Mole Man.
Fantastic Four (Original Ultimateverse)
Johnny Storm, Sue Storm, Bobby Drake
You do not have to use all my requested characters for this request, although you are welcome to do so. I do request that Johnny is included.
Oh, Ultimate Fantastic Four, you beautiful, glorious mess. Have you ever wanted to read a comic book that is only 60 issues long but can’t remember facts it established on page one of issue #1. Have you ever looked at Greg Land art and thought, you know, it could be even more obvious this was traced off porn. Have you ever wondered “what if Dr. Doom got Johnny Storm teen pregnant with an alien parasite a prerequisite for his scheme to bodyswap himself with Reed Richards?” This is the comic for you.
In the interests of transparency, I’ve posted an Ultimate JohnnyBobby WIP on my tumblr that covers some of what I’m requesting here, but I’m requesting it because I would love to read it, too.
· Ultimate Johnny has it rough, even for a Johnny Storm, and that’s saying something. I would love to see him get some comfort after all the hurt. Whether that’s with his sister or Bobby, or both, I’m happy with either! · While I do think Johnny was in love with Peter in this universe, I view it as pretty one-sided. I like the idea of him slowly learning how to move forward after everything, maybe with Bobby’s help.· Fire and ice! I would love to see their powers played with, however you want to interpret that.· Would love to know Bobby’s thoughts about Johnny’s upbringing, whether that’s being raised the dumb kid at a military-sponsored think tank or the time his dad made him go to his mother’s fake funeral as a toddler. Incredible parenting there, Franklin. Ultimate Bobby had a rough time of it, too, so I’d love to see some comparing and contrasting and some mutual comforting.· I love Ultimate Mary Storm, the Worst Woman in the World, and I think she’s very fun in her general terrible-ness – if you want to disregard some, uh, stuff (cough Ultimatum #5 and it’s retcon in Ultimate FF #5 cough), I would love to see Bobby meet his mother-in-law. I would also love to see Johnny and Sue just deal with their mother, whether it's in person or with the aftermath of any of their run-ins with her. How does Sue feel about her mother considering her the same as herself, a genius, while she relegates Johnny to a lesser category?· I’m also just interested in Johnny and Sue’s sibling relationship. They’re much closer in age to each other here than in a lot of Fantastic Four canons, and that clearly effects their relationship, but I’d love to see some general sibling bonding.· I’m really intrigued by the way Johnny and Sue’s powers are combined in UFF #37, with Dreamcatcher noting that syncing their powers like that is something that they could learn to do themselves. I love playing around with powers, and Sue and Johnny are both great for that, so I would love to see them learning to combine their powers.Ultimate Fantastic Four’s original run ran for 60 issues, give or take some annuals that crossover with Ultimate X-Men, and it is a mess the entire way through, but it’s a fascinating kind of mess, the kind that makes you want to go dumpster diving. There’s genuinely good ideas in here, buried under the Land art and the comics’ inability to remember basic facts, like its main characters’ ages. Do not get me wrong, I love this comic. I’ve read it all the way through like five times. I’m delighted to get any take on it.
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four (Comics)
Johnny Storm, Lord Wyatt Wingfoot
Fantastick Four: 1602 is such a fun comic. My problem with any Marvel universe ever is “not enough Fantastic Four,” so this really remedied that for me. I loved that it wasn’t afraid to be a little weird and ridiculous. Johnny and Wyatt are so immediately ride or die for each other in 616, so it’s interesting to see a version of them where their relationship is not initially harmonious.
I’m fine with my writer discarding/ignoring any main series 1602 canon if they choose. I’m also fine with bringing in other 1602 Fantastick Four characters, like the remaining three, Medusa, Shakespeare, or Doris Evans.
· 1602 is already an AU, but if you want to mix up the setting even more, go for it! 1602 but in space! 1602 but Shakespeare founds a coffee shop and Johnny is the barista always getting too creative with Lord Wingfoot’s order! 1602 but mermaids! Different mermaids. Go wild.
· This is to say if you want to put more dinosaurs into canon I’m cool with it.
· For reasons, Johnny and Lord Wingfoot have entered into an arranged marriage. They’re off to a pretty rocky start at the beginning of the series, but seem to have settled into a “This is the Start of a Beautiful Friendship” phase by the end, so how do they react?
· Every Johnny Storm’s lot in his life is “beautiful man in peril.” Put that man in peril. Let a dinosaur kidnap him. Have Wyatt save him! Or vice versa!
· Other historical AU of your choice, possibly still with dinosaurs. The only setting I would prefer not to get here is modern day because, well, that’s just regular Fantastic Four, which also has dinosaurs in it.
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four is a five issue miniseries that is part of the larger Marvel 1602 universe, but it can be read on its own.
逆爱 | Revenged Love (TV)
Guo Chengyu, Jiang Xiaoshuai
This was the romance of the summer for me. I was sick for a chunk of the summer and this show was such a fun watch and a great thing to look forward to. It gave me everything. Snakes. Conspiracy walls. Exes of varying degrees of toxicity. Men with earrings. Food as love. Beating the shit out of your beloved’s ex in your gay little club room. Did I mention the snakes. Loved the snakes.
I love the main couple and all the different dynamics, but these two absolutely stole the show for me. I’m a total hurt/comfort freak, so their developing relationship was so, so good, especially as that element developed. I love how protective Chengyu was over Xiaoshuai (Wang Shuo’s “You’re so protective of him, you were never that protective over me” line, and Chengyu pressing Xiaoshuai's face into his chest during the snake killing scene so he couldn't see, and everything with Meng Tao), and also just how extremely down bad he was the whole time. You can give me basically anything and I’ll adore it.
I love Wu Suowei and Chi Cheng, the besties (manipulation but adorable), and the worsties (Jesus Christ), as well as the snake polycule vibes, so feel free to include them if you want! They should all be unbearably weird about each other forever. Snakes, schemes, and exes, I’m good with it all.
· Cooking and food as love. I really love that Chengyu wooed Xiaoshuai with food, and I also love stories that have to do with food as love in general.
· Anything with the BTS footage from episode 21 with Xiaoshuai wearing Chengyu’s ring.
· Xiaoshuai’s fear of the dark explored, with or without exploration into its origins. Chengyu doesn’t seem surprised when Xiaoshuai calls him – is he already aware of his fear? Was there a previous incident he witnessed? Is it easier for Xiaoshuai to handle in the future with Chengyu?
· Look, the scary movie scene is like ridiculously cute. I love everything about that set up, including the "I'll protect you" line. I'm very happy with domestic movie nights, with or without apprentices interrupting things.
· I mentioned in my general likes that I love weddings and proposals, so of course I feel Completely Normal about the “I’m saving up for marriage” scene and hug in episode 20, and the second mention of betrothal gifts in episode 24. Like, literally, give me anything, I’ll scream and clap like a trained seal. It doesn’t even have to be actual wedding fic – the expansion of the clinic is labeled a betrothal gift, so I’d love to see anything immediately post-canon about that. Could you be a Bridezilla about refitting cabinets? Guo Chengyu could.
· I love the canon setting, but I’m also happy to get AUs, so if you have something in mind, go for it! In general I really love AUs that take characters' existing canon backstories and shape them into a new setting, which I think could be really interesting for these two in particular. A culinary AU could be really fun.
· They’re so sweet. You can just write them being sweet towards each other and I will be very happy.
Revenged Love is a 24 episode series currently available at this YouTube playlist.
Thank you for writing for me, Yuletide writer, and I'm excited to read your fic! ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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