Dear Yuletide Writer

Dear Yuletide writer,

First of all, thanks a million – no, strike that: thanks a billion for signing up, and having offered to write in one of those fandoms I so adore. This is my third Yuletide (with a brief hiatus last year due to real-life shenanigans) and I've had such lovely experiences the prevous two times that I assure you, I am jumping with joy knowing I'll be finding a gift story from you under the tree! Mainly I'd like for you to enjoy writing this story as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy reading it - everything else is a bonus, including those Optional Details. If any of them inspire you, that would be great, but if you have a different idea for something you think I'd also enjoy, it would make me just as happy! Don't hesitate to follow your muses wherever they choose to take you!

My requests were already pretty (optionally! :) ) detailed, so I'll refrain from piling on a lot of extra detail here. The reason why I'm listing so many options is just that, for myself, I prefer specific prompts to work with rather than "anything goes!" but please don't feel restricted by anything I listed! As I said, any story you write involving my requested characters is guaranteed to make me happy. All I'd like to ask is that you work around my squicks/dislikes if you can - in particular, I'm pretty picky about gen versus het versus slash, depending on the fandom and characters. I love gen, so that's always a safe option, and I've tried to indicate my preferences in terms of pairings, if any, in my prompts. I'd also prefer if there'd be no non-con, underage, character bashing, mpreg, or hard kink. As for genre: I’m pretty much a canon girl, so I tend to prefer stories that are consistent with canon over AUs. Beyond that any genre would be lovely, except perhaps for pure fluff, which isn't really my thing. I do have a thing for stories with a hurt/comfort element, but once again, no obligation at all. Endings can be happy or sad, whatever you feel like writing at the moment; I love both.

Something that might be helpful as well: a few years ago I put together a pretty random list of things I love in fanfic, you'll find it right here. Random list is random and hopelessly incomplete, so whether or not you use any of it is entirely up to you!

My requests are Boston Legal, Crossing Jordan, and Babylon 5. In all three cases I've requested several characters, but with two of them (CJ and B5) my main interest goes to a single character, so you're free to consider the other ones (which I've put between brackets) as optional.

Crossing Jordan: Garret Macy, (Jordan Cavanaugh)

I'd love a fic showcasing Garret - his flaws, his strengths, his personal demons, what makes him tick. I requested Jordan as a second character because their friendship is one of my favorite aspects on this show, and I'd love a story where they support each other through a rough experience (where the "each other" is an important one - I'd prefer not to see either Jordan or Garret written off as the "weak" one, because imho they're both BAMFs if they need to be). I'd particularly like to see a story dealing with a Garret outside his comfort zone - be it digging it into a case that affects him more than it should, or coping with parenthood, or his alcoholism, or relationships... Should you prefer to explore other characters than Jordan, please go for it! I'd be equally thrilled to see interaction between Garret and Abby, or Lily, or Renée, or ensemble fic if that's your thing - as long as Garret is the main protagonist, anything goes! I should mention that I haven't seen the entire series yet - only the first season, and what other episodes I managed to get hold of from the second and third seasons. I do have a general idea of the events from the later seasons, though, so don't be afraid write me fic set during that timeline; it's just that if you refer to very specific events from the later seasons, I might get confused. Oh, and I'd prefer it if the Garret and Jordan relationship could be kept non-romantic, please; I adore them as buddies (he's her "bestest girlfriend", right?), not as lovers. Also, there's already a lot of Woody/Jordan fic out there, so I'd prefer it if Woody didn't feature too prominently in this story (as a minor character is fine, though).

Boston Legal: Alan Shore, Denny Crane

I realize I'm not being very original when I say Alan and Denny's relationship is my favorite thing about Boston Legal - you'd probably have to look pretty far to find a fan of the show for whom that isn't the case. But fics that really do justice to the complexity of their relationship, both the deep and the light, and both the serious and the hilarious... those are rare and precious things. I'd love to see a fic where these two dance around each other's insecurities - can be something specific like a tough case that reopens old scars, or more general themes like loneliness, mortality, intimacy, love. I love Alan at his most dysfunctional and Denny at his most stubborn; but I also love it when in the eye of the storm they meet each other halfway. I have a weakness for vulnerable Alan (though not for Alan being "woobified" or whumped - I like him to be a protagonist in his own story) and for Denny coming up with unexpected bits of wisdom. I would love to see a story about them that makes me both crack up with laughter and weep for them both - which is what this show, at its best, does to me. And if you'd like to bring in other characters, please do; this doesn't need to be an exclusive Alan 'n Denny thing - I really love the whole ensemble! So a fic dealing with Alan's and Denny's mutual attraction to Shirley, or Denny's jealousy over Alan's friendship to Jerry, would also be great! I'm not looking for anything explitly sexual between these two; friendship, UST or mild pre-slash are all fine, but no all-out slash, please - I prefer their banter to remain platonic. And I should mention I haven't seen all of the seasons yet - I discovered the show a few months ago and am now working my way through season three. I'm already spoiled for the series' ending, though, so please don't hesitate to reference it if you want to. 

Babylon 5: Timov, (Londo Mollari, G'Kar, Vir)

I requested these four characters because I'd be thrilled to see any of them pop up in this story, but what I'm really looking for here is a Timov-centered fic. I've always regretted how we never got to see more of her on the show. In those 30 minutes or so of screentime, she's struck me as a fierce, independent woman, endowed with unshakable principles and a strong sense of fair play, not to say more than a match for Londo... but also as a woman capable of genuine love and a fierce kind of loyalty. I'd love post-canon fic about her interacting with any or all of the other characters I mentioned. For instance, showing her reaction to Londo's ascension to the throne and Centauri Prime seceding from the Alliance, or Londo's later death by G'Kar's hands and his succession by Vir. Or should you prefer to write something set during the timeline of the show itself, that'd be great too: maybe Timov visited Londo on the station sometime in the later seasons and got acquainted with G'Kar, or maybe there was some interaction between her and Londo while Londo was on Centauri Prime as Cartagia's advisor (and later accomplice to his assassination)? I'd be happy to get either Londo/Timov het or gen between Timov and any other characters, or a combination of those. I'm a Londo/G'Kar shipper too, so should that be your thing, feel free to throw it in as a pairing as well (though please, no dissing Timov in favor of Londo/G'Kar. Londo is hardly a monogamous person, so there's no reason why both pairings couldn't work simultaneously. :) ). One final thing: please don't kill Timov off - I'd like to think she got some measure of a happy ending (and I still haven't got over Peter David depriving us of that in his Legions of Fire Trilogy - which, in case you're wondering, I've read but don't consider canon, so there's no need to stick to it). Apart from that, anything goes!