Yuletide Letter 2016
Dear Yuletide Writer,
This is my second year participating in Yuletide. I had a great time last time and I got a lovely story, so I'm really excited for this year too! If you're curious about what I've done, I'm over at A03 at SlowMercury, and at Twisting the Hellmouth at SlowMercury. There are stories on this livejournal, too.
I'm sorry! I was slow at posting my sign-up request info so only some of them got filled in before the deadline, but it is all here if you matched me on one of the sections I didn't properly finish. I'm really sorry!
Things I want:
I probably love gen fics best, but it's also okay if you want to write well thought out romance of any type. I'm good with het, femslash, slash and polyamory. I like humor, character pieces, stories focusing on friendships or on friends who are lovers, action adventures, mysteries, case fic, and earning your happy ending.
Things I don't want:
I'd rather not have an unhappy ending, although bittersweet is fine - I'd prefer not a complete downer, though. I don't like non-canon pairings when they're thrown together without any reasonable explanation nor do I like non-con. Incest and power differentials in relationships such as student/teacher also squick me.
If for whatever reason you don't want to write any of the prompts, don't worry! Go ahead and write whatever, although I'd prefer if you kept my dislikes in mind. If you get really stuck, feel free to look at/write for last year's prompt - there's at least one movie on there, so it's a small time commitment.
Thanks so much, and have a merry Yuletide!
Spy (2015)
Characters: Any
Prompt:
When I first saw the movie Spy, I wasn't expecting to like it nearly as much as I did; it wasn't a mean parody, but a funny, fresh take on the old spy tropes just with added feminism.
I really enjoyed how this movie showed women stretching themselves and growing, and the ways they helped or conflicted with each other. Characters I especially loved include: Susan Cooper, Rayna Boyanov, Nancy Artingstall, and Elaine Crocker. I did like the guys, too - Rick Ford, Aldo, even Bradley Fine - but mostly because they were hilarious and ridiculous and less because they had heart, if that makes sense.
Stories I would love to see, more or less organized by character (but if you'd rather write something else, go for it!):
For Susan, I'd love to see fic exploring pretty much any of her relationships with her friends, work or enemies. Specific Susan prompts are:
Jessica Jones
Characters: Any
Prompt:
Uh. So, I thought it'd be a few days before we actually received our assignments and that I could take longer to fill out why I love this series and what kind of story prompts I like, but yeah. No, I was late for this too, and I didn't get it done before I received my assignment. I hope you're a bit slower off the mark, Yuletide Writer, or at least that you're not actually matched for this fandom. But anyway.
I loved Jessica Jones, as a person and a hero. In fact, I like her as a hero much more because she's such a believably flawed person. I love the whole neo-noir feel to the series, as well.
Characters and Relationships I'd love to see more of:
Jessica & Trish, dealing with the (canon) abuse they suffered from Trish's mother. Jessica & Malcolm. Actually, anything at all with Malcolm, I think he's wonderful and amazing and kind, even to creepy neighbors, but it's clearly something he's also got to work at instead of being naturally superhumanly, perfect/nice. On the other hand, Kilgrave is horrifying, and while I don't want you to have to tone down his regular horrifying self in the fic, I'd rather not see him glorified, excused, or portrayed too sympathetically.
The Darkangel Trilogy
Characters: Any
Prompt:
There is so much to love about this trilogy, including but not limited to the beautiful imagery, occasionally-dreamlike tone, the wealth of cultures, the unexpected ending, the characters, and the fact that it's technically set after the great apocalypse type conflict.
My favorite character is Aeriel, and one of my favorite things about her (aside from her capacity to love and forgive) is how she is from start to finish almost never chosen first. From Ravenna's last second chance to her preferred/desired heir, to Irrylath's sulky "I guess I can't find a better bride this year" and his later preference of his cousin Sabr, to Aeriel's entire childhood with Eoduin, nobody wants Aeriel first. Whenever this trend is broken, it's *always* because Aeriel earned it somehow, often with kindness. Examples: She's Erin's first choice because Aeriel helped when no one else would; she's the gargoyles'/lons' choice because she fed and befriended them at great personal risk. The people she met and helped during her travels, and perhaps Irrylath's family (to whom she returned their son from an impossible prison) are the only ones who would pick her first This is interesting because the only reason the prophecy applied to Aeriel was because she buckled down and did the work, and not because it was destined. That's another reason why the ending is such a gut-punch for me; Ravenna didn't even really want Aeriel but still dragooned her from a mortal life of her choosing into a future of magical drudgery on the grounds that the preferred heir used the right of first refusal. I'd love to see this explored.
Other stories I'd like to see (but do not feel limited to):
Irrylath almost certainly married his last girlfriend, the queen-in-exile Sabr. He's probably going to spend their marriage pining after Aeriel and regretting his life. Someone - maybe Erin - should point out to him that this is exactly what he did to Aeriel. Constantly looking backwards, or forwards, or anywhere at all except at what (who) he already has. If he gives his wife a chance, he might find that he loves/values her more than he thinks. I would really love to see him learn this, because I suspect otherwise he's going to ruin both their lives, too.
The Avarclon picked his revenge on Irrylath and it's a pretty generous one. Is the Avarclon, on some level, glad at how it twists around to hurt Irrylath later? How did the Avarclon feel about the whole situation? What happened to him, those years he was reduced to a wandering ghost, and how has it changed him?
Aeriel and Erin set out to fix the world. One of the first things they're going to have to do is try and straighten out the water shortages. How will the planet react to having rain again? What other changes will Aeriel make, and how will the planet react to them?
How will history see the events of the war against the witch?
The Dark Is Rising
Characters: Any
Prompt:
The Dark Is Rising is one of the favorite book series of my childhood. It was, I think, one of the first things I read where even when the good guys won/were winning, there was still a feeling of sadness and loss beneath the surface. It was definitely one of the first series I read where there was a clear sense of capital G Good not at all being the same as nice or kind, although some of the Good people were both. My favorite characters are the Drew siblings, especially Jane, and Will Stanton, who all at least tried to be the nice and kind Good.
I've read a lot of extremely well done stories set post-series, where the forced amnesia screwed up everyone involved, Will because he alone remembers, Bran and the Drews because they're missing a vital piece of themselves and their history. But I'd like to see something different once; I'd like the see the story of how, even though no one except Will actually remembers what happened, everyone still knows. Like, all the skills they earned and the knowledge and friends they gained and the work they put in to save the world are still there, but just not on the surface anymore; they can draw on all their experiences, just not consciously.
Or I'd love to see Jane still getting on fantastically with Wild Magic. The Lady always liked her, and Jane was the Greenwitch's first and only friend. One head canon I've got is that whenever Jane goes to the seaside, the ocean always listens for her, because the Greenwitch loves her. Maybe Jane introduces her own daughter to the sea and/or the Greenwitch someday, and that girl will never drown.
I'm also curious about what would have happened if Bran had decided to go back to his birth family and take up his heritage as the Pendragon. (I'm sure Will would have kept visiting him anyway.) What kind of history would have resulted?
After the battle, when the Light has won and the Dark's been banished, the Wild Magic is still around. Part of Will's job as the last Old One is to mediate the Wild Magic. What exactly does that entail? Does he have to spend a lot of time in faerie Underhill, or is he constantly tripping through time, or does he have to spend a lot of time soothing sentient weather patterns or mountains out of temper tantrums that could flatten civilization? Do any of Will's friends ever tag along? Barney could probably paint some amazing pictures based on what he might see, and I'm convinced that Wild Magic everywhere thinks Jane is its BFF.
As always, if none of these ideas appeal to you, feel free to write whatever.
The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy
Characters: Any
Prompt:
To me, the Johnny Maxwell trilogy is funny, and sweet, and seeing real people even when you don't expect to. It's about listening to your friends, even the crazy ones, and trying to do the right thing. It's about solving problems by working together, with violence as a tragic and terrible last resort. It's about quietly persevering when things are awful but you still have to just get on with your life, be it because of divorce, death or the daily grind of school. I love basically every character in this entire series, but I'm especially fond of Johnny himself, the other kids, and every ScreeWee ever.
Stories I'd like to see (but don't feel obligated):
What happened that time that Johnny found the Loch Ness monster in a fish pond? I'm also curious about any other head-trippy adventures the kids may have had. Did they ever let Johnny play a video game again? What about board games, or urban legend games like Bloody Mary or Ouija boards?
I'd love to see a day (or temporal equivalent) of Mrs. Tachyon's life. Exactly how many people does she run over with her shopping cart, on average? Does she have a favorite era, or any other kind of temporal anchor? Does she have any friends or common hitchhikers, and if so how do they deal with her being out of synch with the rest of reality?
What are the kids like as grown-ups? Did they get married, have families? Is Johnny still frequently overlooked but still actually extremely weird? Has Bigmac admitted his love for math and gone on to be fabulously wealthy? Have time and experience softened some of Kirsty's edges? Is Wobbler taking better care of his health? Is Yo-less now an accountant? Do they sometimes get together and then get dragged off into space, or the past, or wherever?
What happened to the ScreeWee fleet, after they left the bounds of Earth's space? Did they make it home, and if so, what did they find there?
If you like writing crossovers, I could see it working here. Good Omens would be a fabulous mix. So would Young Wizards or Terry Pratchett's Nation or Discworld. (The Wee Free Men could cause absolute havoc in Johnny's quiet English town.) For some reason, I also think Batman could be fun...
This is my second year participating in Yuletide. I had a great time last time and I got a lovely story, so I'm really excited for this year too! If you're curious about what I've done, I'm over at A03 at SlowMercury, and at Twisting the Hellmouth at SlowMercury. There are stories on this livejournal, too.
I'm sorry! I was slow at posting my sign-up request info so only some of them got filled in before the deadline, but it is all here if you matched me on one of the sections I didn't properly finish. I'm really sorry!
Things I want:
I probably love gen fics best, but it's also okay if you want to write well thought out romance of any type. I'm good with het, femslash, slash and polyamory. I like humor, character pieces, stories focusing on friendships or on friends who are lovers, action adventures, mysteries, case fic, and earning your happy ending.
Things I don't want:
I'd rather not have an unhappy ending, although bittersweet is fine - I'd prefer not a complete downer, though. I don't like non-canon pairings when they're thrown together without any reasonable explanation nor do I like non-con. Incest and power differentials in relationships such as student/teacher also squick me.
If for whatever reason you don't want to write any of the prompts, don't worry! Go ahead and write whatever, although I'd prefer if you kept my dislikes in mind. If you get really stuck, feel free to look at/write for last year's prompt - there's at least one movie on there, so it's a small time commitment.
Thanks so much, and have a merry Yuletide!
Spy (2015)
Characters: Any
Prompt:
When I first saw the movie Spy, I wasn't expecting to like it nearly as much as I did; it wasn't a mean parody, but a funny, fresh take on the old spy tropes just with added feminism.
I really enjoyed how this movie showed women stretching themselves and growing, and the ways they helped or conflicted with each other. Characters I especially loved include: Susan Cooper, Rayna Boyanov, Nancy Artingstall, and Elaine Crocker. I did like the guys, too - Rick Ford, Aldo, even Bradley Fine - but mostly because they were hilarious and ridiculous and less because they had heart, if that makes sense.
Stories I would love to see, more or less organized by character (but if you'd rather write something else, go for it!):
For Susan, I'd love to see fic exploring pretty much any of her relationships with her friends, work or enemies. Specific Susan prompts are:
- What are some adventures Susan and Nancy have had in the secret spy basement, nursemaiding their idiot spy charges through the challenges of spy life, before the start of the film?
- How did Susan and Nancy become friends? Were they friends before they were coworkers, or did it start at the CIA?
- I would also love to see Susan's further thrilling spy adventures! Could Susan defuse a bomb on top of a skyscaper while dodging a swarm of genetically modified bees? (Yes.) Can Susan infiltrate the Westminster Kennel Club dog show and locate the secret plans hidden by the canine fanatic genius inventor before the rival spies kill everyone? (Still yes.) Will Susan ever be given a cool cover story? (Probably no.)
- For that matter, if she's ever given an assignment with Fine, how do they do working together in the field?
- What was Rayna's relationship with her dad really like?
- How does Rayna feel about Susan at the end of the film? To me, she seemed really annoyed but not actually mad. Was this perhaps some holdover from Rayna's misplaced affection for Bulgarian clowns?
- Rayna took over her father's business with very few hiccups that we saw in the film. How did she do it? Did she have to fight her way to the top, or was it smoothed over by her father's legacy?
- How's Rayna doing in prison? Does she have an escape plan, or is she planning on trading insider information for witness protection? Just how angry is she, anyway, and what's she planning on doing about it?
- Is 50 Cent still following her around? If so, what adventures do they go on?
- Post-film, does Nancy work for Bradley Fine or does she continue to be Susan's support? Does she do both? Or is Nancy planning on switching to fieldwork, too?
- How often does he "go rogue", and why? I sort of got the impression it was pretty common for him.
- Just how much of his behavior was he faking? All of it? Any of it? And where did he learn to drive?
Jessica Jones
Characters: Any
Prompt:
Uh. So, I thought it'd be a few days before we actually received our assignments and that I could take longer to fill out why I love this series and what kind of story prompts I like, but yeah. No, I was late for this too, and I didn't get it done before I received my assignment. I hope you're a bit slower off the mark, Yuletide Writer, or at least that you're not actually matched for this fandom. But anyway.
I loved Jessica Jones, as a person and a hero. In fact, I like her as a hero much more because she's such a believably flawed person. I love the whole neo-noir feel to the series, as well.
Characters and Relationships I'd love to see more of:
Jessica & Trish, dealing with the (canon) abuse they suffered from Trish's mother. Jessica & Malcolm. Actually, anything at all with Malcolm, I think he's wonderful and amazing and kind, even to creepy neighbors, but it's clearly something he's also got to work at instead of being naturally superhumanly, perfect/nice. On the other hand, Kilgrave is horrifying, and while I don't want you to have to tone down his regular horrifying self in the fic, I'd rather not see him glorified, excused, or portrayed too sympathetically.
- How did Hope's best friend from episode one react to the events of the series, when (if?) she learned that Hope didn't ditch her "because of some guy," or at least not the way the roommate thought Hope did. Any guilt there? There should be.
- Detective Oscar Clemons: I'd really love to see his POV for what was going on over the course of the series, how his impressions of the situations and people changed. And what would've happened if he hadn't been gratuitously killed off?
- A Trish & that boyfriend Will Simpson, au, what if he hadn't been completely awful?
- When Luke and Jessica sat down and talked about Reva after Luke was finally aware of how dangerous Kilgrave was, Luke forgave Jessica. Then it turns out that whole conversation was scripted by Kilgrave, and a still-injured Luke preferred to climb out a window rather than wait to talk with Jessica. How much of his forgiveness did Luke mean, if he even meant any of it? How does Jessica handle Luke's departure? (This bullet point is the last edit, I swear.)
The Darkangel Trilogy
Characters: Any
Prompt:
There is so much to love about this trilogy, including but not limited to the beautiful imagery, occasionally-dreamlike tone, the wealth of cultures, the unexpected ending, the characters, and the fact that it's technically set after the great apocalypse type conflict.
My favorite character is Aeriel, and one of my favorite things about her (aside from her capacity to love and forgive) is how she is from start to finish almost never chosen first. From Ravenna's last second chance to her preferred/desired heir, to Irrylath's sulky "I guess I can't find a better bride this year" and his later preference of his cousin Sabr, to Aeriel's entire childhood with Eoduin, nobody wants Aeriel first. Whenever this trend is broken, it's *always* because Aeriel earned it somehow, often with kindness. Examples: She's Erin's first choice because Aeriel helped when no one else would; she's the gargoyles'/lons' choice because she fed and befriended them at great personal risk. The people she met and helped during her travels, and perhaps Irrylath's family (to whom she returned their son from an impossible prison) are the only ones who would pick her first This is interesting because the only reason the prophecy applied to Aeriel was because she buckled down and did the work, and not because it was destined. That's another reason why the ending is such a gut-punch for me; Ravenna didn't even really want Aeriel but still dragooned her from a mortal life of her choosing into a future of magical drudgery on the grounds that the preferred heir used the right of first refusal. I'd love to see this explored.
Other stories I'd like to see (but do not feel limited to):
Irrylath almost certainly married his last girlfriend, the queen-in-exile Sabr. He's probably going to spend their marriage pining after Aeriel and regretting his life. Someone - maybe Erin - should point out to him that this is exactly what he did to Aeriel. Constantly looking backwards, or forwards, or anywhere at all except at what (who) he already has. If he gives his wife a chance, he might find that he loves/values her more than he thinks. I would really love to see him learn this, because I suspect otherwise he's going to ruin both their lives, too.
The Avarclon picked his revenge on Irrylath and it's a pretty generous one. Is the Avarclon, on some level, glad at how it twists around to hurt Irrylath later? How did the Avarclon feel about the whole situation? What happened to him, those years he was reduced to a wandering ghost, and how has it changed him?
Aeriel and Erin set out to fix the world. One of the first things they're going to have to do is try and straighten out the water shortages. How will the planet react to having rain again? What other changes will Aeriel make, and how will the planet react to them?
How will history see the events of the war against the witch?
The Dark Is Rising
Characters: Any
Prompt:
The Dark Is Rising is one of the favorite book series of my childhood. It was, I think, one of the first things I read where even when the good guys won/were winning, there was still a feeling of sadness and loss beneath the surface. It was definitely one of the first series I read where there was a clear sense of capital G Good not at all being the same as nice or kind, although some of the Good people were both. My favorite characters are the Drew siblings, especially Jane, and Will Stanton, who all at least tried to be the nice and kind Good.
I've read a lot of extremely well done stories set post-series, where the forced amnesia screwed up everyone involved, Will because he alone remembers, Bran and the Drews because they're missing a vital piece of themselves and their history. But I'd like to see something different once; I'd like the see the story of how, even though no one except Will actually remembers what happened, everyone still knows. Like, all the skills they earned and the knowledge and friends they gained and the work they put in to save the world are still there, but just not on the surface anymore; they can draw on all their experiences, just not consciously.
Or I'd love to see Jane still getting on fantastically with Wild Magic. The Lady always liked her, and Jane was the Greenwitch's first and only friend. One head canon I've got is that whenever Jane goes to the seaside, the ocean always listens for her, because the Greenwitch loves her. Maybe Jane introduces her own daughter to the sea and/or the Greenwitch someday, and that girl will never drown.
I'm also curious about what would have happened if Bran had decided to go back to his birth family and take up his heritage as the Pendragon. (I'm sure Will would have kept visiting him anyway.) What kind of history would have resulted?
After the battle, when the Light has won and the Dark's been banished, the Wild Magic is still around. Part of Will's job as the last Old One is to mediate the Wild Magic. What exactly does that entail? Does he have to spend a lot of time in faerie Underhill, or is he constantly tripping through time, or does he have to spend a lot of time soothing sentient weather patterns or mountains out of temper tantrums that could flatten civilization? Do any of Will's friends ever tag along? Barney could probably paint some amazing pictures based on what he might see, and I'm convinced that Wild Magic everywhere thinks Jane is its BFF.
As always, if none of these ideas appeal to you, feel free to write whatever.
The Johnny Maxwell Trilogy
Characters: Any
Prompt:
To me, the Johnny Maxwell trilogy is funny, and sweet, and seeing real people even when you don't expect to. It's about listening to your friends, even the crazy ones, and trying to do the right thing. It's about solving problems by working together, with violence as a tragic and terrible last resort. It's about quietly persevering when things are awful but you still have to just get on with your life, be it because of divorce, death or the daily grind of school. I love basically every character in this entire series, but I'm especially fond of Johnny himself, the other kids, and every ScreeWee ever.
Stories I'd like to see (but don't feel obligated):
What happened that time that Johnny found the Loch Ness monster in a fish pond? I'm also curious about any other head-trippy adventures the kids may have had. Did they ever let Johnny play a video game again? What about board games, or urban legend games like Bloody Mary or Ouija boards?
I'd love to see a day (or temporal equivalent) of Mrs. Tachyon's life. Exactly how many people does she run over with her shopping cart, on average? Does she have a favorite era, or any other kind of temporal anchor? Does she have any friends or common hitchhikers, and if so how do they deal with her being out of synch with the rest of reality?
What are the kids like as grown-ups? Did they get married, have families? Is Johnny still frequently overlooked but still actually extremely weird? Has Bigmac admitted his love for math and gone on to be fabulously wealthy? Have time and experience softened some of Kirsty's edges? Is Wobbler taking better care of his health? Is Yo-less now an accountant? Do they sometimes get together and then get dragged off into space, or the past, or wherever?
What happened to the ScreeWee fleet, after they left the bounds of Earth's space? Did they make it home, and if so, what did they find there?
If you like writing crossovers, I could see it working here. Good Omens would be a fabulous mix. So would Young Wizards or Terry Pratchett's Nation or Discworld. (The Wee Free Men could cause absolute havoc in Johnny's quiet English town.) For some reason, I also think Batman could be fun...