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Dear Yuletide Writer letter - 2022
Dear Yuletide Writer,
First, thank you so much for this! Here are general notes, and some ideas for each fandom. This may seem long, but I'm just trying to make it as detailed as possible in case that makes it easier for you. I adore each and every one of these fandoms, so getting fic for any of them will make me a very, very happy person!
General stuff:
A character piece, a plotty story, an exploration of friendship or romance, an adventure, a quiet moment, a missing scene, a different POV to the canon... Any and all of these are great! Gen, het, slash, femslash, are all fine. Ratings-wise, I’m fine with anything. I’m happy with (of age, consensual) sex scenes if that’s where the story’s going - though gen fic is equally awesome! I’m not too fond of highly detailed graphic violence, but if it’s absolutely necessary to your fic, go ahead.
Feel free to look through my journal for inspiration :) You can also find me on AO3 and on Tumblr.
Things I like: friendship, friends helping each other out, humour, banter, nerdiness, science, happy (or happy-ish at least, not overwhelming despair) endings, sibling love (and family interactions in general), found families, friends-to-lovers, mutual pining that resolves in friends-to-lovers… and a great many other things! These were just the first that came to mind.
Do Not Wants: suicide - I’d prefer it if you didn’t kill any major characters (other than canon deaths), but if you absolutely must, please avoid suicide! - , noncon/dubcon, incest, gratuitous graphic violence, underage sex, unrelieved gloom and angst, character/ship bashing, AUs. While I'm fine with “reasonable” crossovers with fandoms I know (same world and time period, canonical time/world change shenanigans - from the ones I'm requesting, "Chalet School" and "Swallows and Amazons" could overlap, and while they're ~40 years apart "Swallows and Amazons" and "Left-Handed Booksellers of London" do share Coniston being important), please keep the main focus on the requested fandom.
A brief “where do I find these things” in case you’d like to check out any of the other things I've requested:
Fandom specific:
Listed in alphabetical order. Obviously, all optional details are optional! I'm just giving them in case you're interested (or utterly stuck for ideas and wondering why you ever offered to write this fandom :P). For the “ideas” lists, they’re absolutely not intended to be mutually exclusive, nor exhaustive - mix, blend, combine, as you like, or throw them out the window! I include them in my letters because I’ve found them really useful myself :) Spoilers abound I’m afraid, so if there’s something on here you’re interested in reading/watching and haven’t yet, I’d avoid that section. Feel free to include any other characters, nominated or not.
Chalet School series - Eustacia “Stacie” Benson
If you're a frequent Yuletider, you may be startled to see a not Nell & Hilda CS request from me ;) I’ve always loved Stacie (and as someone who had back surgery as a kid, loved reading and Greek myths and hated sports, very much sympathised with her), and on re-reading recently decided I had to request her.
A few ideas:
What I love about this fandom: I’ve always liked school stories in general, but since I started reading the Chalet School they’ve become some of my favourites in the genre. I love how much personality the teachers have, rather than being simply authority figures; how we get to hear about old characters; the way the school grows and evolves, but remains true to its ideals; the way (especially in Tirol) the locale is such a huge part of the story; the war books; and so on and so forth.
What I love about this character: I love how even from the start, it’s clear there is a lot of good in Eustacia, as well as a lot of unfortunate raising. I love how she still keeps her genuine scholarly-ness, her interest in Ancient Greece, once she’s reformed into Stacie, and gets to make it her career. I like how she gets to be a Dr herself instead of having to marry one ;)
High Rollers (Aerois campaign) - Qillek Ad Khollar, Lucius Virion-Elluin Elenasto
I would be delighted to see any or all of the main cast as co-stars, I love them all! This is a tricky one because it’s an ongoing canon (I won’t update the letter so you don’t have to re-check it, you can probably find me yelling on tumblr if there are any huge developments!), but here are a few ideas:
What I love about these characters: Quill, my darling bird boi, I loveand may identify just a bit with his worrying and nervousness, how he tries to plan for every eventuality. I also love how he’s slowly grown in confidence, both in his abilities and in his friends. I like his game-breakingly ridiculous perception and how it still never saves them from getting brookstoned ;) Lucius, I love how very much he loves his friends, how he’ll risk anything for them (even as it utterly terrifies me at times with how very squishy he is). I love how much he’s grown from the sheltered daddy’s boy he was at the start, but also how he still sometimes has that endearing naivete, still loves his shiny hair and fancy clothes. And with both of them, I love how much they support each other and how highly they think of each other - how Lucius repeatedly praises Quill’s intelligence, how Quill goes all starry-eyed when Lucius does cool magic things like mind-controlling a mindflayer.
High Rollers (Lightfall campaign) - Reynard Ferehorn, Grunka
I would be delighted to see any or all of the main cast as co-stars, I love them all! A few ideas:
What I love about these characters: I love Grunka’s straightforwardness and refusal to take any bullshit, her willingness to punch her way through any problems. And equally I love Reynard's bullshit and boasting! But also how he does actually become the hero he always wanted to be. I love how Grunka teases him, but also protects him when Cam is teasing him, and worries about him getting hurt on his adventures; and how much Reynard admires her, how she’s so often the first person Reynard thinks of when they need help. And how adorable and awkward they are together!
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Susan Arkshaw, Merlin St. Jacques, Vivien St. Jacques
Feel free to focus on any two of the three, I love them all! Some ideas:
What I love about these characters: I love Susan’s quickness on her feet even in impossible circumstances, her steadiness in the face of horror, how she teases Merlin. I love Merlin’s cheerful ego and swank, how he does have the skills to back up that casual self-confidence, but also the moments (like when he talks about his mother, or when he thinks Susan is actually turning him down) where it falters. I love Vivien’s focus and drive, her voice of reason to her brother’s impulsiveness, how she teases and argues with him but ultimately always backs him up. I love how all three of them interact with each other, the swift friendship they form, how they look out for each other.
Swallows and Amazons - Titty Walker
It was incredibly hard to choose a character for this fandom, so feel free to bring in any and all others you like as co-stars! A few ideas:
What I love about this fandom: It’s one of my favourite book series ever. I love the way there’s never a sense of just “playing pretend” – they are (to themselves, at least) pirates or explorers or miners or an arctic expedition or martyrs or picts... I like how everyone works together, and how hard they work – how they all bring something to the team, and how they’re all valued. I like how they can be friends without having to be all the same; how they respect each other, even if they don’t see eye to eye on some things.
What I love about this character: I love Titty’s steadfastness, how when she’s certain of something (like hearing the “pirates” in S&A) she will not waver; her imagination, both when it works for her and when (like with the wax GA) it terrifies her; her courage, nerving herself to do the right thing like with the dowsing.
If you've made it all the way down here, well done ;) And happy writing!
First, thank you so much for this! Here are general notes, and some ideas for each fandom. This may seem long, but I'm just trying to make it as detailed as possible in case that makes it easier for you. I adore each and every one of these fandoms, so getting fic for any of them will make me a very, very happy person!
General stuff:
A character piece, a plotty story, an exploration of friendship or romance, an adventure, a quiet moment, a missing scene, a different POV to the canon... Any and all of these are great! Gen, het, slash, femslash, are all fine. Ratings-wise, I’m fine with anything. I’m happy with (of age, consensual) sex scenes if that’s where the story’s going - though gen fic is equally awesome! I’m not too fond of highly detailed graphic violence, but if it’s absolutely necessary to your fic, go ahead.
Feel free to look through my journal for inspiration :) You can also find me on AO3 and on Tumblr.
Things I like: friendship, friends helping each other out, humour, banter, nerdiness, science, happy (or happy-ish at least, not overwhelming despair) endings, sibling love (and family interactions in general), found families, friends-to-lovers, mutual pining that resolves in friends-to-lovers… and a great many other things! These were just the first that came to mind.
Do Not Wants: suicide - I’d prefer it if you didn’t kill any major characters (other than canon deaths), but if you absolutely must, please avoid suicide! - , noncon/dubcon, incest, gratuitous graphic violence, underage sex, unrelieved gloom and angst, character/ship bashing, AUs. While I'm fine with “reasonable” crossovers with fandoms I know (same world and time period, canonical time/world change shenanigans - from the ones I'm requesting, "Chalet School" and "Swallows and Amazons" could overlap, and while they're ~40 years apart "Swallows and Amazons" and "Left-Handed Booksellers of London" do share Coniston being important), please keep the main focus on the requested fandom.
A brief “where do I find these things” in case you’d like to check out any of the other things I've requested:
- Chalet School: at 50-odd books depending on which publisher's numbering you take, this is a long canon! And may be hard to find as most haven’t been reprinted… The best advice I can give you is to point you in the direction of http://the-cbb.co.uk/, the folks there are very helpful.
- High Rollers Aerois: Another long canon, at 162 and counting 3h episodes. On youtube and twitch as videos, also available as a podcast. And we have a Wiki! Still a work in progress, but we have Mark's recaps transcribed for all episodes and are working on full recaps, plus character pages, items, and so on.
- High Rollers Lightfall: Comparatively somewhat more manageable at 87 total 3h episodes, on youtube (no podcast, I’m afraid) - plus a Grunka/Reynard supercut! The Wiki linked above is for all of High Rollers, so there's Lightfall content there too.
- The Left-Handed Booksellers of London: a single book! Fairly recent and thus available in print and ebook formats! Absolutely shocking, I know.
- Swallows and Amazons: 12 book series, all in print and available as ebooks I believe.
Fandom specific:
Listed in alphabetical order. Obviously, all optional details are optional! I'm just giving them in case you're interested (or utterly stuck for ideas and wondering why you ever offered to write this fandom :P). For the “ideas” lists, they’re absolutely not intended to be mutually exclusive, nor exhaustive - mix, blend, combine, as you like, or throw them out the window! I include them in my letters because I’ve found them really useful myself :) Spoilers abound I’m afraid, so if there’s something on here you’re interested in reading/watching and haven’t yet, I’d avoid that section. Feel free to include any other characters, nominated or not.
Chalet School series - Eustacia “Stacie” Benson
If you're a frequent Yuletider, you may be startled to see a not Nell & Hilda CS request from me ;) I’ve always loved Stacie (and as someone who had back surgery as a kid, loved reading and Greek myths and hated sports, very much sympathised with her), and on re-reading recently decided I had to request her.
A few ideas:
- Her recovery - what was it like spending all that time alone - or how alone was she? I’m sure Madge would have mothered her all she could, and tried to make sure she wasn’t lonely, and we know some of the girls would come up on weekends. Did she spend time with Robin, and/or the babies?
- Editing the Chaletian - what did she enjoy most about it? What was the hardest? Did she find new sides to any of the girls, like a hearty sports fan sending in poetry?
- Her friendship with Evadne - I love Evvy, with her pranks and nonsense and her kind heart.
- Her relationship with her aunt and uncle and cousins - did they ever really grow close? Does she keep in touch with them as an adult?
- Her studies at Oxford, and her time as an academic there - what other CS girls did she cross paths with? Did her research touch on her father’s in any way, or did she stay away from what he’d worked on? Did she go back to look at her old family home?
- Teaching at the Chalet School in “Challenge” - did she enjoy it, or was she glad to give it up?
What I love about this fandom: I’ve always liked school stories in general, but since I started reading the Chalet School they’ve become some of my favourites in the genre. I love how much personality the teachers have, rather than being simply authority figures; how we get to hear about old characters; the way the school grows and evolves, but remains true to its ideals; the way (especially in Tirol) the locale is such a huge part of the story; the war books; and so on and so forth.
What I love about this character: I love how even from the start, it’s clear there is a lot of good in Eustacia, as well as a lot of unfortunate raising. I love how she still keeps her genuine scholarly-ness, her interest in Ancient Greece, once she’s reformed into Stacie, and gets to make it her career. I like how she gets to be a Dr herself instead of having to marry one ;)
High Rollers (Aerois campaign) - Qillek Ad Khollar, Lucius Virion-Elluin Elenasto
I would be delighted to see any or all of the main cast as co-stars, I love them all! This is a tricky one because it’s an ongoing canon (I won’t update the letter so you don’t have to re-check it, you can probably find me yelling on tumblr if there are any huge developments!), but here are a few ideas:
- Quill let his family think he was dead after the lightning strike - did Lucius losing his family make him rethink that decision at all? And now we have met Mireeka, who I utterly love! Her Sendings, we know where Quill gets his passive-aggressive snippiness from now; her “you are not nothing, you are my son!” and “this is a good child” lines; how thrilled Lucius was to meet her… So if you want to bring her in, please go ahead, I will be delighted! Mireeka tells the gang adorable/embarrassing baby Quill stories? Quill tries - maybe with Lucius’s urging/support - to reconnect with her and the rest of his family?
- The whole “Elenasto fiasco” arc was such a pivotal part of Lucius’s character growth, anything set around there, or looking back on it later, could be interesting (I love Edea, Nanny, and Aridan, if you want to bring any/all of them in; I’m not so keen on Belanor).
- Similarly, the Valley of Storms arc was huge for Quill, if you want to look at that! Or Quill getting his new wing, that was such a beautiful and moving moment :) We didn’t see Sentry or Lucius’s reactions to it, if you want to look at those?
- There’s been a few “big” time skips, in Gusthaven, on the Stormchaser, on the Twinstar Longbow, the month after the Horizon/Voracitor stuff - what did they do in those? But there’s also just the natural gaps of travelling, camping, and so on; I love quiet conversations and missing moments.
- I very much ship Quill and Lucius! So anything shippy between the two of them would delight me :) I also really like Quill/Lucius/Aridan - Lucius has two hands and deserves two boyfriends and all the love and support! I love Faeth and her relationship with Lucius, as a platonic, asexual one, so so much - that representation is important to me.
- The party meeting on the Sparrowblade? How have Quill and Lucius’s opinions of each other, and everyone else, changed over time?
- Lucius. Talk. To. Your. Friends. About. Your. Trauma. PLEASE. Honestly, they could both do with talking to their friends - Lucius has been dealing with losing his parents, the dragon-turtle encounter, and all his insecurities; and Quill with H’esper sacrificing himself for him, and all his anxiety… Since they probably won’t in canon, I’d love to see it in fic!
- Quill teaching Lucius how to bird after the Wish incident - he did say he’d have to teach him to fly and take dust baths!
What I love about these characters: Quill, my darling bird boi, I love
High Rollers (Lightfall campaign) - Reynard Ferehorn, Grunka
I would be delighted to see any or all of the main cast as co-stars, I love them all! A few ideas:
- Right from the start, their first meeting is so good, Grunka calling him “Pretty boy” and Reynard describing her fanged grin as “adorable” and eventually getting punched in the face for laughing at her name!
- The letters Reynard wrote to Grunka! What did they say? Did she ever consider replying? How many did he send?
- How did their opinions of each other change over time? When did Reynard realise he’d fallen for Grunka? When did she realise she’d fallen for him?
- Reynard introducing Grunka to his family? The Ferehorns are so much fun! Does Grunka have any family and/or old friends she introduces him to?
- Their life together in Greybell, after the end of the campaign? Their undoubtedly chaotic wedding?
- Does Grunka get a ride on the bronze griffon like she wanted at some point?
- How does Reynard feel about Grunka's tusks, really? ;)
What I love about these characters: I love Grunka’s straightforwardness and refusal to take any bullshit, her willingness to punch her way through any problems. And equally I love Reynard's bullshit and boasting! But also how he does actually become the hero he always wanted to be. I love how Grunka teases him, but also protects him when Cam is teasing him, and worries about him getting hurt on his adventures; and how much Reynard admires her, how she’s so often the first person Reynard thinks of when they need help. And how adorable and awkward they are together!
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London - Susan Arkshaw, Merlin St. Jacques, Vivien St. Jacques
Feel free to focus on any two of the three, I love them all! Some ideas:
- Merlin and Vivien at Wooten - what sort of shenanigans did they get up to? I suspect the “do you have a plan?” “My plan was for you to have a plan” exchange was quite typical!
- Being left-handed or right-handed seems to have some element of choice - why did Vivien go from left to right? Does it link to her wish to be even-handed? Does that wish come from her mother having been that? Or maybe she went right-handed to be a better team with Merlin, or to distinguish herself more from him? What about Merlin, did he ever want to go right-handed?
- Did her immersion in the cauldron affect Susan, Great-Aunt Evangeline to the contrary? How do the powers she inherited affect her?
- Merlin and Susan finally getting that drink! And Vivien being pleased and amused by it all? Teasing them about how it seems unnecessary when they've just had a couple of weeks together at Jassmine's? Showing up with “I hate to interrupt but we have a problem”?
- Merlin and Susan recovering at Jassmine’s, getting to know each other without constant peril? How do Susan’s water, earth, and air protectors react to a St. Jacques (or two, maybe Vivien and/or other booksellers visit) hanging around?
- Silvermere - why does Susan remember everything but it messes with the St. Jacques’s memory? Is it because of who Susan is, or because the St. Jacques expect it to mess with them, or a bit of both? Does Susan get to return and see the St. Jacques side of it?
- Post-canon adventures in the Old World, or the New, or the intersection of both - did Merlin talk his way onto another stint in the shopfront? Did Susan manage to go back to her pub? Find a focus for her art degree? Where does she live now Mrs London is gone? What sort of Old World nuisances start rising up without Southaw keeping them quiet?
- I love the way they all play with gender a bit - Merlin the most, of course (does he go for the change? What did he mean by their being “shape-shiftery”?), but also Susan with her buzzcut and overalls, and Vivien with her suits.
What I love about these characters: I love Susan’s quickness on her feet even in impossible circumstances, her steadiness in the face of horror, how she teases Merlin. I love Merlin’s cheerful ego and swank, how he does have the skills to back up that casual self-confidence, but also the moments (like when he talks about his mother, or when he thinks Susan is actually turning him down) where it falters. I love Vivien’s focus and drive, her voice of reason to her brother’s impulsiveness, how she teases and argues with him but ultimately always backs him up. I love how all three of them interact with each other, the swift friendship they form, how they look out for each other.
Swallows and Amazons - Titty Walker
It was incredibly hard to choose a character for this fandom, so feel free to bring in any and all others you like as co-stars! A few ideas:
- Childhood adventures at the lake? A missing moment from any of the books would be lovely… Another houseboat battle, like the one Nancy was planning at the end of Pigeon Post? Going up to the mine again to see how it’s progressed? Another trip to Secret Water? The first part of the Sea Bear trip?
- An encounter with the Coots? Not necessarily a la Coots in the North, I’d love her (and the rest of them) to meet Tom and the twins!
- Titty’s in a bit of a unique position in her family and the group, as the “eldest of the young ones” (well, Dot may well be older than her, but Titty gets more authority/responsibility) - she often gets responsibility over the other young ones, and we see her doubt her capability for it rather more than John or Susan doubt themselves - could be interesting to look at?
- Growing up and leaving schooldays behind - what’s it like, as the elders start leaving? Does Titty become Captain of the Swallow? How does she manage without John and Susan?
- As an adult, pre, during, or post war – what does she do, how does the war affect her? I can see her nursing, or in the WRENS, maybe a naval nurse? In the SOE, even?
- If you’re pulled in a shippy direction, I do love Titty/Dick very much, but can also see Titty/Dot. And I will be equally delighted with gen-fic!
What I love about this fandom: It’s one of my favourite book series ever. I love the way there’s never a sense of just “playing pretend” – they are (to themselves, at least) pirates or explorers or miners or an arctic expedition or martyrs or picts... I like how everyone works together, and how hard they work – how they all bring something to the team, and how they’re all valued. I like how they can be friends without having to be all the same; how they respect each other, even if they don’t see eye to eye on some things.
What I love about this character: I love Titty’s steadfastness, how when she’s certain of something (like hearing the “pirates” in S&A) she will not waver; her imagination, both when it works for her and when (like with the wax GA) it terrifies her; her courage, nerving herself to do the right thing like with the dowsing.
If you've made it all the way down here, well done ;) And happy writing!