Dear Yuletide Writer
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Thank you in advance, you're amazing! First of all don’t stress out. I’m sure I will love whatever you write so please relax and have fun! All optional details and prompts are only if you wanted any inspiration or clarification. Write the story that seems fun to you not the one that seems like a chore.
Blackadder
Edmund Blackadder
I love all the incarnations of Blackadder from goofy Prince Edmund to sharply cynical Captain Edmund of the trenches. The banter between Blackadder and his group of acquaintances, the cunning plans, the creeping sense of doom, all of these things are dearly loved about the source material but don’t feel pressured to replicate the show’s writing. Anything you want to write would be loved! Come up with your own cunning plan for Blackadder and his crew to enact, an internal monologue of Captain Edmund in the trenches, Queenie’s silly pranks and whims, whatever strikes your fancy go for it!
Gen or canon ships are great, but slash would be dearly loved for the pairings of Edmund I/Percy, Edmund II/Lord Percy, Edmund II/Lord Flashheart, Edmund III/Prince George, or Edmund IV/Kevin Darling (absolute favorite!). You could also do Lieutenant George/General Melchett slash if that appeals. I love Baldrick to pieces, but I’m not really into shipping him with any of the mains, though feel free to write the love story of a Baldrick and a Mrs. Baldrick-to-be.
I’m most familiar with Seasons 1-4, the Blackadder Christmas Carol, and Blackadder Back & Forth. The other specials I’m not as familiar with but you can include details from that if you like! You can also write about a Blackadder descendant in a period of history not covered by the show and specials. This is a series where AU possibilities are endless and I’d be happy with any of them. Blackadder of Roman occupied Britain? Go for it. Boarding school AU? Let’s do it. Blackadder III visiting France or the American colonies? Why not?
The Venture Brothers
Any
Anything in the fantastic wacky world of the Venture Brothers would be gold! I love the whole cast and their crazy adventures.
My only real request is I would prefer fic focusing on the Venture family and their allies. A lot of great fic has already been written about their enemies and especially the Mr. & Mrs. The Monarch. I've seen all the episodes including the specials, so feel free to incorporate any of the newer characters or revelations.
Feel free to set a story in any season - feel free to canon diverge and go AU if you’ve got a fun idea! I do really like the new direction and twists we’ve gotten in the fifth season so major bonus points if you expand on those.
I love how Hank and Dean have grown into different people with different interests. I miss Dr. Venture’s domesticity with Brock (that people outside the super-science/super villain scene assumed was a gay partnership and co-parenting). I love Billy and Pete trying to make it big even though it never quite works out. Augustus St. Cloud and Pi Wai stole every scene they were in and I loved every minute of it.
Notes on Pairings:
Gen is perfectly fine and happily welcomed considering the canon! I have a terrible love for Brock x Rusty slash and no it’s not really romantic, it’s domestic and comfortable yet prickly. I have a crack pairing of Orpheus x Rusty based on their interaction during the first Myra episode (hey Orpheus needs a new project and the Triad is dysfunctional on a GOOD day).
How would Nancy and Drew react to the Venture twins now that they’re so different? I adore Shore Leave x Al and St. Cloud x Pi Wai as well as Billy x Pete. Is Hank really as gay/bi as other characters have long assumed? I really love Hank x Dermott and Hank x LeTeur, but I won’t say no to different pairings. I don’t ship Hank and Dean romantically, but I do love their brotherly interactions.
Shoujo Kakumei Utena
Any
I love the Utena TV anime series to itty bitty pieces. I love the characters, the themes, the surrealism, and the world itself. Anything you write would be amazing, author! You don't have to include the above characters, feel free to write about any of the cast!
Pre-, during series, and post-series fic is equally wonderful. Gen, slash, femslash, and het are all welcomed. Any genre you want to write, go for it. Do you want to delve into the origins of Anthy and Akio? Or maybe you want to write about what you feel Ohtori's other hidden secrets are? The epic surreal romantic comedy get together of a crack pairing? If you love this show as much as I do then I'm sure I'll love whatever you write.
My favorite pairings are Utena x Anthy, Touga x Saionji, and Nanami x Juri, but if none of those appeal to you don't feel pressured to write them. I'm pretty much okay with any pairing you'd like to write with only three exceptions: Akio x Utena, Touga x Utena, Ruka x Juri, I find these really disturbing and abusive as presented in series and would rather not see a story revolving around those pairings.
I don't need pairing fic, I'm equally happy with a character study or hidden history of Ohtori. You can write about the POV of a normal student during the dueling years or delve into mystery of the Boys of the Black Rose - what did they think they were studying? Write what you like about the series.
Wise Child Series by Monica Furlong
Juniper, Wise Child
I haven't read the Colman book yet, sorry Yuletide author! I have read and re-read 'Juniper' and 'Wise Child' many times since childhood. Any idea you have that you want to run with would be grand as long as it centers on either Juniper or Wise Child.
I always found it difficult to reconcile the two books as part of the same universe since the tale Juniper tells to Wise Child of her past doesn't fit AT ALL with what happened in 'Juniper.' Are they alternate universes? Was Juniper omitting or altering her past to Wise Child for some reason? I know 'Juniper' was written after 'Wise Child' which accounts for some discrepancy, but feel free to make it work for in-universe reasons.
I love Juniper and Wise Child's mother-daughter mentor-pupil relationship just as it is. I'd prefer no romance for Wise Child herself unless she's aged up to at least sixteenish. As for pairings I have to admit I always shipped Juniper x Trewyn, Gamal x Finar, and Juniper x Gamal. I love the powerful women of all moralities - Meroot, Euny, Angharad, and Maeve. Feel free to explore the POV of any of the characters! You don't have to limit yourself to just Juniper or Wisechild. Where did Trewyn go after her apprenticeship? Did Gamal ever try to have Juniper to come back to court to advise him when he ascended the throne? Where does Finbar go on his journeys? What does Wise Child end up doing with her power? How were Euny and Angharad in their apprentice days?
While I love the medieval settingI know it can be hard to replicate, so if you want to go AU go for it as long as the major character dynamics stay the same. The only thing I ask is that their basic spiritual identity as dorans/druids/animistic shamans be respected. No instant conversions to a monotheistic organized religion please.
The Wicked Years by Gregory Maguire
Any
These books, oh these books. I love them to pieces. I love Maguire's homages to Baum's original series as well as his own worldbuilding. I love the characters even when they make awful life decisions.
I adore the whole tangled Thropp family line and their nearest & dearest Glinda, Ozma Tippetarius, Turtleheart, Trism, and just everyone. Feel free to set your fic pre-, during, or post series, make it an AU fix-it, make it some other kind of AU, add in other Oz characters from Baum's books.
I admit I have a preference for fic focusing more on the later books than earlier ones as I feel there is less fic for Oziandra Rain's era. I ship Rain x Tip/Ozma hardcore and I loved how Maguire portrayed their budding relationship and friendship. Do you think Rain will ever return to Ozma? Where does Rain go at the end anyway? I love Liir x Trism and fervently hope that Trism did return to Liir because they do love each other despite Liir's many stupid decisions. I like Candle as an independent Quadling woman, but her relationship with Liir is not my cup of tea considering it began with weird magical rape and turned into a Florence Nightingale thing. No character bashing, I just prefer her out doing her own thing rather than be with Liir.
How will Tip/Ozma's reign affect Oz after everything Tip and Oz have been through? How does Tip's perspective change learning both his/her/zir own identity as well as the truth of Rain's lineage? So much could be written on Tip's identity crisis in so many ways.
If you're more focused on Books 1-2 here are some different prompts! What would have happened if Fiyero wasn't killed and tried to bring Elphaba and Liir to Kiamo Ko? What if Liir was adopted after Elphaba's death? How was Trism's childhood in Gilikin? How did Melena's affair with Turtleheart turn into a loving polyamorous with Frex? How would Elphaba, Nessa, & Shell have turned out if they were raised in the Thropp manor in Munchkinland or in a three parent household in Quadling country?
Please no characterizations or plot points from the musical. The musical is fine and dandy, but it's a completely separate universe from the books and I like to keep it that way.
Tsuritama
Any
I love this series to pieces. I love the friendships and familial bonds, I love the fishing and the aliens, if you love this series as much as I do then I'm sure I'll adore whatever you write!
One of the things I loved about this series was how it balanced the bizarre alien invasion and eccentric alien hunter plot with real life issues like anxiety disorders, blended families, isolation, and building friendships. You don't have to give the heroes a new threat to fight unless that appeals to you. I love the relaxed lifestyle of Enoshima and the boys reveling in their newfound friendship and strengths.
Ensemble, gen, pairing, or genre fic are all great! Do the boys have a yearly reunion post-series? Does Coco come back to Japan? What does Urara think of Enoshima now that he's on the land rather than the sea? Does he like to hang around the shrine and talk about the good ol' days with Gramps? Does Kate welcome both Haru and Urara back into her and Yuki's home now that they've returned? How does Natsuki like living/fishing in America? Has Akira found any more aliens to track down? Does little Sakura ever get bitten by the fishing bug?
Notes on pairings:
Yuki x Haru is nearest and dearest to my heart, I want them to get married and go splashing in the ocean every day. Yuki x Natsuki is okay, I don't love it as much as the former, but I know it's a popular one in fandom and if it's your thing please show off what you love best about it! I adore Akira x Urara because Awkward Virgin Alien Hunter x Coy Alien Mer-dragon, what's not to love? If none of these appeal to you feel free to frolic in the oceans of gen fic and I shall happily splash along with you.
In general I really like:
- Stories that are generally upbeat or end on a positive note
- Fill in the blanks! Backstories, post-series speculative stories, or missing scene stories
- Character interactions, all of these fandoms have some great character dynamics
- AUs can be amazing
- Genre pastiches are fun as heck
- M/M, F/F, F/M, gen, & OT3s
- Alpha/Omega AUs, they are my new guilty pleasure
I generally dislike:
- Rape/Graphic violence/Suicide
- Non-canon character death
- Second person narrative
Any rating is okay, I'm more than fine with anything from G to NC-17 or AO3's General to Explicit rating. You can write smut or gen or anything in between. Sexually explicit content in a short story is fine too, author! Any pairings you want to write are awesome. If you have fun writing it I promise you I will enjoy reading it! I genuinely enjoy participating in Yuletide and I know I’ll adore whatever you choose to write.
In short, have fun! None of this was written to stress you out. If you have a story idea that seems fun to you, go for it! I have very eclectic reading tastes and enjoy many different styles and genres so do what inspires you!
Happy writing and have a merry Yuletide! <3
Jougetsu
PS Feel freel to go through my tumblr or check out my AO3 profile if you want to get more of an idea of my fannish tastes!