Yuletide Letter
Dear Awesome Yuletide Writer,
First of all, thank you! Thank you so much for taking on this challenge and writing a story for me - I will totally love any story you write, so please, do not fret! That would be my one big post-actual-request request: that you, lovely Yuletide writer, not worry too much about this, because I know I will love anything you come up with.
I understand that the details I included in my requests are totally, completely optional and I am not expecting you to write a story that contains any/some/all of what I rambled on about. For each fandom, I tried to explain why I chose the source material and give a few potential story ideas, but please don't feel bound by them. I included them in the hopes that if you needed a jumping-off point they would be helpful, but if you have something different in mind, go for it!
General Story Things I'm Okay With Either Way: Most of my requests feature characters that have either canonically been in a relationship or who I'd be interested to see exploring some kind of a romantic relationship, but if you aren't feeling those relationships as romances, then I'm okay with gen fics featuring any of these characters.
General Story Things I Like: hopeful endings, people making connections with each other, yearning, banter, people trying to be the best versions of themselves (and succeeding or failing).
General Story Things I Don't Go For: cruelty, characters hurting each other deliberately.
In conclusion: Thank you again, Yuletide writer! You are awesome!
Here's more about the specific requests I made:
למלא את החלל | Fill the Void (2012) - Shira Mendelman, Yochay Goldberg, Esther Goldberg
Prompt: I loved this movie so much that any story focusing on these characters will make me happy, but I'm particularly interested in Shira and her relationships with Yochay and Esther. A story exploring either of those dynamics would be wonderful to me - what were Esther and Shira like growing up as sisters? How does Esther linger in Shira's memory as she raises her son? How are Yochay and Shira doing a year or two (or more) after the movie? I would prefer something on the hopeful side.
Additional Notes: Oh, this movie! This movie slayed me. So many tears. SO MANY. The thing I loved most was how the movie treated Esther - how you could feel the depth of hers and Shira's relationship in the few scenes they shared and how Shira grieves for her afterward. I would love to see that honored, and not in a super-depressing way - even though I think the movie made it clear that Shira felt she grew up in Esther's shadow and worried that this would be true of her life as Yochay's wife, by the end I was hopeful for her.
North and South - Margaret Hale, John Thornton
Prompt: I loved this miniseries so much that when I was working a super stressful job a few years ago, I would watch five minutes from it every morning before leaving in the morning to put myself in a good mood. I'd be happy with a missing moment during the mini series, or a glimpse of what came after, all I really care is that it's true to the characters and the spirit of the miniseries.
Additional Notes: What do I love about North and South? Basically everything. I love how unapologetically it embraces the melodrama in the romance. (He receives a TEACUP from her HAND and it is a BIG DEAL!) I love how John Thornton loves Margaret from the start, can't help it and can't stop it, even after he's been rejected. I love how Margaret comes to regret her rejection when she comes to better understand and appreciate him. I love how ridiculous and unrealistic and thoroughly satisfying their reunion on the train platform is. Basically, I love all of it, most of all how this is a story about two really decent people who love each other and want to do the right thing and have a hard time coming to understand and see how each can fit in each other's world. I would love to see their wedding, their first Christmas, their children, or even a missing moment from the miniseries. Basically anything, really.
Remember WENN - Betty Roberts, Scott Sherwood
Prompt: I loved the energy between Betty and Scott on the show, and I would love a story featuring that. Even something as simple as the two of them eating lunch together at the station, or Scott forcing Betty to go out to dinner with him as a way of securing a sponsor for the station - anything! I so loved this show, and these two characters in particular.
Additional Notes: I haven't seen this show in ages but I still have such affection for it, and for these two characters in particular. I loved the dynamic between Betty and Scott, in particular what each brought out in the other. I always felt like when Scott was around, Betty was a more assured, confident version of herself; when Betty was around, I felt like Scott became a little more thoughtful and connected to his good heart. I keep trying to come up with more to say, but basically it boils down to, I love these two! I miss these two! Anything you write with these two characters will be a delight to me, I just know it.
The Way Way Back (2013)- Duncan (The Way Way Back), Susanna (The Way Way Back), Owen (The Way Way Back)
Prompt: I would love to see something about Duncan running into either of these characters again later, to see how life has shaped them after the movie. I don't need a perfect ending, but something in keeping with the movie - unexpected connections and how they can save a person - would be lovely.
Additional Notes: The thing I loved most about this movie was how it depicted the complicated, often wretched experience of being a teenager - how powerless you feel, how difficult every new experience can be to navigate, how much you still need your parents even though you want to be grown up. I also loved how all of the characters felt like multi-faceted, complete people, with complicated pasts and (at the end of the movie) hopeful futures. I would love a glimpse of any or all of these characters down the line, or even a missing moment from the movie. The only thing I wouldn't want is a romantic or sexual relationship between Duncan and Owen.
And again, thank you so much for taking part in this challenge and for writing a story for me. I'm super excited! Yay, Yuletide!!