Dear Yuletide Santa
Dear Yuletide Santa,
First of all, thank you for writing for me! I hope my prompts give you something to work with, and I hope you enjoy writing my story as much as I'll enjoy reading it!
I'm really easy to write for. I'm pretty much up for anything, so don't be afraid to try something crazy or ambiguous or what have you. I like everything - action-packed, quiet and introspective, twisty plots, vignettes, character studies, smut, angst, fluff... everything. I'm cool with character death, violence, explicit sex, all the usual squicks - which is not to say that I want any of those things, but certainly don't refrain from writing what inspires you because you're afraid it'll squick me. For these particular fandoms I would prefer the crack to be kept at a minimum, but I'm not diametrically opposed to crack if you've got an awesome idea for it. I mostly read het, and I do base most of my requests on the pairings I ship, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy a good gen story, as long as it focuses on the relationship between my two characters. (This obviously doesn't apply in the case of Like Water for Chocolate. If you're going to write LWfC, disregard the previous sentence.) I truly love each of these fandoms and characters and as long as you're true to them, I'm sure I'll love whatever you cook up. The prompts here are just suggestions to give you some inspiration. Don't feel beholden to them! Go wherever your muse takes you!
And if, by any chance, you are snooping around here for potential stocking stuffing purposes, none of my original prompts (except for Dollhouse) are reproduced here because all the important info is already in this letter. =)
I'm not very good at prompt-writing, but I can give you a general idea of what I love about each fandom and pairing. So beware: TL;DR ahead!
Like Water for Chocolate.
What it is: A novel and a 1992 movie, both in Spanish, set in Mexico during the Revolution. It's a love story that revolves around three sisters, their domineering mother, and the man who loves one sister but is married to another. I've only seen the movie, but as I understand it, the novel is similar enough that it doesn't matter which 'verse the fic is set in. The movie, at least, is seriously awesome. If you're interested, check out the Wikipedia page for more info. I know there are torrents available, but I haven't found one with English subtitles yet.
What I want: Gertrudis made that movie for me. She's one of the most badass female characters I've ever seen. After burning down the outhouse with her body heat, she goes running across the plains naked, is whisked away by a Mexican revolutionary, and returns years later as a captain in the freaking revolutionary army. Everybody else in the movie has a largely miserable life except Gertrudis, and she seems to be the only member of her family who is relatively unscathed in the end (with the possible exception of Esperanza). The other characters are all prisoners of the times and society they live in, but Gertrudis escapes from the rules and expectations of her family and society to create her own destiny. I want a story set in the span of time we don't see in the movie, after she runs away to join the army. What was life at war like? What role did she play on the battlefield? How did she deal with being a woman in the army? How did she become a captain? If het's your thing, you could explore her relationship with her revolutionary. What exactly happened after he pulled her onto his horse and rode away with her? How did he explain bringing a naked girl home to the other soldiers, and how did they adjust to her presence? Don't feel obligated to do anything long and plotty, though. Just "scenes in the life" would be wonderful. Basically I just want something that does justice to the brave, badass woman she is.
Valentine.
What it is: A woefully short-lived TV show that aired on the CW in 2008. Unabashedly cheesy and cheery and fun, it told the story of the Valentine family, aka the gods of ancient Greece living in Los Angeles in modern times, going by modern names. There's Grace (Aphrodite), her son Danny (Eros), his best friend Leo (Hercules), Grace's lover Ray (Hephaestus), and the Titan Phoebe. Other gods also make appearances, including Grace's estranged husband Ari (Ares), Circe, and the Egyptian goddess Bast. The Valentines' job is to bring soulmates together, which they do with the help of mortal romance novelist Kate Providence. Each episode features a different couple of soulmates that must be brought together, and there's a central mystery throughout that involves a sinister plot to kill the Olympian gods. It's heartbreaking that this show was canceled; the dialogue is zingy, the storylines are sappy-sweet, and the characters are so lovable you want to eat them up - and if that's not enough, episodes often end in song-and-dance numbers. The final episode even features a couple of lesbian soulmates! The Wikipedia entry is here. There are only eight episodes, all of which are available to stream and also as a torrent.
What I want: Oh, Danny and Kate, oh. They had the potential to be such a classic TV couple. They're a myriad of archetypes all rolled into one. God and mortal, the man-child and the woman who tames him, the incorrigible ladies' man and the woman who finally captures his heart. I love their dynamic - they're always sniping at each other, but somewhere along the short course of the show, they become a team. They're the only ones who stick up for each other when one of them screws up. It kills me that we won't get to see their relationship develop - especially after that epic kiss in the last episode! I would love something that picks up after that kiss. They had to keep pretending to be married, so there must have been toasts and slow dances, the works - it could have turned into quite a cozy night for them had Bast not ruined everything. I'd be totally up for wedding night AU that ignores Bast, or if you wanted to write the fallout from the canon ending, that'd be awesome too. Do they figure out that Jezebel was really Bast? Do they blame Kate, and if so, does Danny stand up for her, or does he blame himself for inviting her into the house in the first place? It's somewhat hard to imagine anything simple and fluffy taking place after the canon ending, because you'd almost have to deal with the fact that Bast is running around trying to kill everybody. But if you'd like to set the fic sometime in the future and just assume that Ari lived and Bast was caught and everything was good, that's fine too. I'm totally down with angst too, though. I'd especially like angsty fic that deals with the mortality question. Kate's a mortal and Danny's a god. Could they ever be together? In mythology, Cupid actually does marry a mortal girl, Psyche, which may provide some alternate inspiration for you to go on. Finally, if they do get together, how does it happen? Does it take a long time for Danny to give up his womanizing ways and for Kate to reconcile the fact that she's dating a god? What do the others think? Do Ari and Grace approve (assuming Ari's still alive)? And does Danny ever find out that Ari threatened to kill Kate and punch his dad in the jaw? Alternately, you could forget the heavy stuff and just write some Danny/Kate shenanigans set earlier in the season. I love the two of them teaming up to get a job done, bickering through a cloud of UST all the way. The show left us with plenty of blank space to fill and pretty much anything is possible in the Valentine universe, so go wild! If you absolutely don't do het, feel free to explore some of these questions anyway. Or I would also adore a Danny backstory, in which case you've got 3000 years to play with!
Dollhouse.
What it is: Joss Whedon's newest show. Recently canceled, much to my chagrin. It's pretty complicated, but the gist is that there's this secret corporation with an underground headquarters called the Dollhouse. The "dolls" are people whose memories have been wiped. The Dollhouse can imprint the dolls with any personality imaginable - for a price. The Wikipedia entry is here. All the episodes should be readily available on Hulu and on any torrent site, and the first season is out on DVD.
What I want: I've been a sucker for Adelle and Topher as a couple ever since they got high together in "Echoes," but there's precious little fic for them. I'd like a het fic. Other than that, I don't really care what genre it is or when it takes place. I just want to see the possibility of them together explored. Their relationship is endlessly fascinating to me. They're very much alike, both amoral and brilliant. In the end, they're the only two constants in the Dollhouse, and they depend on each other in ways that they don't even realize themselves. She takes care of him, and he adores her. I just want to explore how adorable and complex their relationship is.
I don't really have much to add to the original prompt because I don't really know what I want. I just love the idea of Adelle and Topher being cute and codependent, and I wish they could always be as happy together as they were in "Echoes," but angst hurts soooo good. ♥
National Treasure.
What it is: Okay, I'm pretty sure you know what this one is. Just know that I consider both movies canon, so future-fic needs to take them both into account. I'm totally cool with fic set at any point in time, though - first movie, between the two, second movie, post-movies, etc. All I ask is that it look at the relationship between Ben and Abigail in a realistic way. I love their relationship and trying to find fic for them is like finding a needle in a haystack. I would prefer that you not write future fic in which they go their separate ways, though. Fic about the inter-movie breakup is fine, but I don't want them broken up for good.
What I want: People often complain that Ben and Abigail have no chemistry on screen, but I don't find that to be true. In any case, I love Ben and Abigail precisely because they're so understated. They're no power couple, no great love story, no star-crossed lovers. They're just like a normal couple who happened to come together under extraordinary circumstances. They have their fights and their miscommunications, no doubt exacerbated by the fact that they're both such eccentric people (him more so than her). And yet their eccentricities make them perfect for each other. I think Abigail's been waiting her whole life for the history geek equivalent of a fairytale prince, and she's excited by his sense of living and creating history rather than just studying it. And she, of course, keeps him grounded and sane - keeps him from losing himself in his work, from turning bitter, from turning into his father. There are a lot of complexities under the surface of their relationship. Some come from the circumstances they find themselves in - not many couples have to negotiate custody of priceless antiques bought with the finder's fee from an underground treasure. And others are just the consequences of the kinds of people they are. Studying history all the time makes you think a certain way - makes you consider small things in the context of the broad sweep of history, and makes you value things like honor, tradition, ancestry, and the weight of posterity in ways that most people don't. I think the interplay between these factors and their more mundane couples' troubles is fascinating to explore. I know that was really tl;dr, though; basically I love them for their problems and their successes, and I think they're a refreshing example of a film couple actually having to put in the work to keep a relationship alive, so I'd love something that looks at that side of them. But then I'd also love an action-packed adventure story, or a vignette set after Ben almost died in the last movie, or whatever else your muse hits upon. Just so long as Ben and Abigail are together, I'm happy.
First of all, thank you for writing for me! I hope my prompts give you something to work with, and I hope you enjoy writing my story as much as I'll enjoy reading it!
I'm really easy to write for. I'm pretty much up for anything, so don't be afraid to try something crazy or ambiguous or what have you. I like everything - action-packed, quiet and introspective, twisty plots, vignettes, character studies, smut, angst, fluff... everything. I'm cool with character death, violence, explicit sex, all the usual squicks - which is not to say that I want any of those things, but certainly don't refrain from writing what inspires you because you're afraid it'll squick me. For these particular fandoms I would prefer the crack to be kept at a minimum, but I'm not diametrically opposed to crack if you've got an awesome idea for it. I mostly read het, and I do base most of my requests on the pairings I ship, but that doesn't mean I won't enjoy a good gen story, as long as it focuses on the relationship between my two characters. (This obviously doesn't apply in the case of Like Water for Chocolate. If you're going to write LWfC, disregard the previous sentence.) I truly love each of these fandoms and characters and as long as you're true to them, I'm sure I'll love whatever you cook up. The prompts here are just suggestions to give you some inspiration. Don't feel beholden to them! Go wherever your muse takes you!
And if, by any chance, you are snooping around here for potential stocking stuffing purposes, none of my original prompts (except for Dollhouse) are reproduced here because all the important info is already in this letter. =)
I'm not very good at prompt-writing, but I can give you a general idea of what I love about each fandom and pairing. So beware: TL;DR ahead!
Like Water for Chocolate.
What it is: A novel and a 1992 movie, both in Spanish, set in Mexico during the Revolution. It's a love story that revolves around three sisters, their domineering mother, and the man who loves one sister but is married to another. I've only seen the movie, but as I understand it, the novel is similar enough that it doesn't matter which 'verse the fic is set in. The movie, at least, is seriously awesome. If you're interested, check out the Wikipedia page for more info. I know there are torrents available, but I haven't found one with English subtitles yet.
What I want: Gertrudis made that movie for me. She's one of the most badass female characters I've ever seen. After burning down the outhouse with her body heat, she goes running across the plains naked, is whisked away by a Mexican revolutionary, and returns years later as a captain in the freaking revolutionary army. Everybody else in the movie has a largely miserable life except Gertrudis, and she seems to be the only member of her family who is relatively unscathed in the end (with the possible exception of Esperanza). The other characters are all prisoners of the times and society they live in, but Gertrudis escapes from the rules and expectations of her family and society to create her own destiny. I want a story set in the span of time we don't see in the movie, after she runs away to join the army. What was life at war like? What role did she play on the battlefield? How did she deal with being a woman in the army? How did she become a captain? If het's your thing, you could explore her relationship with her revolutionary. What exactly happened after he pulled her onto his horse and rode away with her? How did he explain bringing a naked girl home to the other soldiers, and how did they adjust to her presence? Don't feel obligated to do anything long and plotty, though. Just "scenes in the life" would be wonderful. Basically I just want something that does justice to the brave, badass woman she is.
Valentine.
What it is: A woefully short-lived TV show that aired on the CW in 2008. Unabashedly cheesy and cheery and fun, it told the story of the Valentine family, aka the gods of ancient Greece living in Los Angeles in modern times, going by modern names. There's Grace (Aphrodite), her son Danny (Eros), his best friend Leo (Hercules), Grace's lover Ray (Hephaestus), and the Titan Phoebe. Other gods also make appearances, including Grace's estranged husband Ari (Ares), Circe, and the Egyptian goddess Bast. The Valentines' job is to bring soulmates together, which they do with the help of mortal romance novelist Kate Providence. Each episode features a different couple of soulmates that must be brought together, and there's a central mystery throughout that involves a sinister plot to kill the Olympian gods. It's heartbreaking that this show was canceled; the dialogue is zingy, the storylines are sappy-sweet, and the characters are so lovable you want to eat them up - and if that's not enough, episodes often end in song-and-dance numbers. The final episode even features a couple of lesbian soulmates! The Wikipedia entry is here. There are only eight episodes, all of which are available to stream and also as a torrent.
What I want: Oh, Danny and Kate, oh. They had the potential to be such a classic TV couple. They're a myriad of archetypes all rolled into one. God and mortal, the man-child and the woman who tames him, the incorrigible ladies' man and the woman who finally captures his heart. I love their dynamic - they're always sniping at each other, but somewhere along the short course of the show, they become a team. They're the only ones who stick up for each other when one of them screws up. It kills me that we won't get to see their relationship develop - especially after that epic kiss in the last episode! I would love something that picks up after that kiss. They had to keep pretending to be married, so there must have been toasts and slow dances, the works - it could have turned into quite a cozy night for them had Bast not ruined everything. I'd be totally up for wedding night AU that ignores Bast, or if you wanted to write the fallout from the canon ending, that'd be awesome too. Do they figure out that Jezebel was really Bast? Do they blame Kate, and if so, does Danny stand up for her, or does he blame himself for inviting her into the house in the first place? It's somewhat hard to imagine anything simple and fluffy taking place after the canon ending, because you'd almost have to deal with the fact that Bast is running around trying to kill everybody. But if you'd like to set the fic sometime in the future and just assume that Ari lived and Bast was caught and everything was good, that's fine too. I'm totally down with angst too, though. I'd especially like angsty fic that deals with the mortality question. Kate's a mortal and Danny's a god. Could they ever be together? In mythology, Cupid actually does marry a mortal girl, Psyche, which may provide some alternate inspiration for you to go on. Finally, if they do get together, how does it happen? Does it take a long time for Danny to give up his womanizing ways and for Kate to reconcile the fact that she's dating a god? What do the others think? Do Ari and Grace approve (assuming Ari's still alive)? And does Danny ever find out that Ari threatened to kill Kate and punch his dad in the jaw? Alternately, you could forget the heavy stuff and just write some Danny/Kate shenanigans set earlier in the season. I love the two of them teaming up to get a job done, bickering through a cloud of UST all the way. The show left us with plenty of blank space to fill and pretty much anything is possible in the Valentine universe, so go wild! If you absolutely don't do het, feel free to explore some of these questions anyway. Or I would also adore a Danny backstory, in which case you've got 3000 years to play with!
Dollhouse.
What it is: Joss Whedon's newest show. Recently canceled, much to my chagrin. It's pretty complicated, but the gist is that there's this secret corporation with an underground headquarters called the Dollhouse. The "dolls" are people whose memories have been wiped. The Dollhouse can imprint the dolls with any personality imaginable - for a price. The Wikipedia entry is here. All the episodes should be readily available on Hulu and on any torrent site, and the first season is out on DVD.
What I want: I've been a sucker for Adelle and Topher as a couple ever since they got high together in "Echoes," but there's precious little fic for them. I'd like a het fic. Other than that, I don't really care what genre it is or when it takes place. I just want to see the possibility of them together explored. Their relationship is endlessly fascinating to me. They're very much alike, both amoral and brilliant. In the end, they're the only two constants in the Dollhouse, and they depend on each other in ways that they don't even realize themselves. She takes care of him, and he adores her. I just want to explore how adorable and complex their relationship is.
I don't really have much to add to the original prompt because I don't really know what I want. I just love the idea of Adelle and Topher being cute and codependent, and I wish they could always be as happy together as they were in "Echoes," but angst hurts soooo good. ♥
National Treasure.
What it is: Okay, I'm pretty sure you know what this one is. Just know that I consider both movies canon, so future-fic needs to take them both into account. I'm totally cool with fic set at any point in time, though - first movie, between the two, second movie, post-movies, etc. All I ask is that it look at the relationship between Ben and Abigail in a realistic way. I love their relationship and trying to find fic for them is like finding a needle in a haystack. I would prefer that you not write future fic in which they go their separate ways, though. Fic about the inter-movie breakup is fine, but I don't want them broken up for good.
What I want: People often complain that Ben and Abigail have no chemistry on screen, but I don't find that to be true. In any case, I love Ben and Abigail precisely because they're so understated. They're no power couple, no great love story, no star-crossed lovers. They're just like a normal couple who happened to come together under extraordinary circumstances. They have their fights and their miscommunications, no doubt exacerbated by the fact that they're both such eccentric people (him more so than her). And yet their eccentricities make them perfect for each other. I think Abigail's been waiting her whole life for the history geek equivalent of a fairytale prince, and she's excited by his sense of living and creating history rather than just studying it. And she, of course, keeps him grounded and sane - keeps him from losing himself in his work, from turning bitter, from turning into his father. There are a lot of complexities under the surface of their relationship. Some come from the circumstances they find themselves in - not many couples have to negotiate custody of priceless antiques bought with the finder's fee from an underground treasure. And others are just the consequences of the kinds of people they are. Studying history all the time makes you think a certain way - makes you consider small things in the context of the broad sweep of history, and makes you value things like honor, tradition, ancestry, and the weight of posterity in ways that most people don't. I think the interplay between these factors and their more mundane couples' troubles is fascinating to explore. I know that was really tl;dr, though; basically I love them for their problems and their successes, and I think they're a refreshing example of a film couple actually having to put in the work to keep a relationship alive, so I'd love something that looks at that side of them. But then I'd also love an action-packed adventure story, or a vignette set after Ben almost died in the last movie, or whatever else your muse hits upon. Just so long as Ben and Abigail are together, I'm happy.