Dear Fic Corner Scribbler letter

[elen_nare]

Dear Fic Corner Scribbler,

First, thank you so much for this! Here are things I like or dislike in general, and ideas for each fandom. I know this looks rather 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 books, so getting fic for any of them will make me a very, very happy person!

General stuff:

Ratings-wise, I’m fine with anything. I’m fine 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 LJ for inspiration :) There's a masterlist of fic and a link to tumblr on the sidebar, too.

Story-wise: A good plot, a character piece, 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, femmeslash, are all fine. I'm not a huge fan of AUs. With crossovers it depends on the fandoms; the four I’m requesting here all seem like they could work together rather nicely if you should feel inclined to cross any of them over.

Things I like: friendship, friends helping each other out, humour, banter, nerdiness, science, happy (or happy-ish at least, not overwhelming despair) endings, worldbuilding, sibling love (and family interactions in general)...and a great many other things! These were just the first that came to mind.

Things I dislike: suicide (I’d prefer it if you didn’t kill anyone - other than canon deaths - but if you absolutely must, please avoid suicide!), noncon/dubcon, incest, gratuitous violence, underage sex, unrelieved gloom and angst, character/ship bashing.

Fandom specific:
obviously, all optional details are optional! I'm just giving them in case you're interested :) . I seem to have written more about some than others, but I love them all! Spoilers abound I’m afraid, so if there’s something on here you’re interested in reading and haven’t yet, I’d avoid that section. In all of them, feel free to include any other characters, nominated or not.


Swallows and Amazons series

I’d love to see some childhood adventures we didn’t see in the books (or missing moments from the books). A few ideas:

• A return to Secret Water – they did promise the Eels they'd go back!


• What happens when the elders have finished school? Do they still go to the Lakes for holidays? Maybe it's just the younger ones – is Amazon left out of the water, or does someone sail her? How do the ranks change as the oldest ones leave?


• Pigeon Post after the fire – do they go and camp on Wild Cat? Capture the houseboat again and make Timothy walk the plank?


• Meeting the Coots – not necessarily “Coots in the North” style (I don’t consider that entirely part of canon, since it’s unfinished, and anyway it only has the Death and Glories, while I liked Tom, Port and Starboard best!); perhaps the Swallows, Amazons and Ds go to the Broads one holiday?

Or you could look at them as grown-ups, before, during, or after WWII. If you like to use the Altounyans as a starting point for the Walkers, go ahead!

I tend to ship John/Nancy and Dick/Titty when writing, but will read any ships - I write my own headcanon but enjoy reading other people’s, if that makes sense?


Chalet School series (Hilda Annersley, Nell Wilson)

I just love these two women. They’re quite different in many ways, but they complement each other perfectly. I haven’t actually read all the books (there’s a list here, the ones I have are crossed out), but I can always look up references! A few ideas (though honestly, you can sum it up as “pretty much anything will make me happy”, it’s just here for inspiration):

• Their first meeting and the start of their friendship, back in Tirol.


• Dealing with unruly schoolgirls (in any stage of the school’s life)! The middles’ absurd pranks are always fun.


• The challenges either or both of them faced when they first took up the Headship of the school.


• A holiday together (perhaps not the ill-fated one in “Gay from China” - or if you like that one, please don’t end with the accident and everyone despairing of Hilda surviving! I wouldn’t mind the accident being in it, or even being the focus, but don’t end it there, please).


• Hilda’s recovery - there’s Nell’s visit to her at half-term mentioned in “Mystery”, and she shows up for the play, but really we don’t get much of it! She seems to return between books, too. (ETA: Oops, messed up my timeline! She returns at the start of "Rosalie", of course - still, we don't exactly see much of it from her perspective).


• Learning to work together as co-Heads - how easy or hard was it? Did they clash a lot?


• Reuniting after the first term of the Oberland branch (ie, between “Shocks”/ “Oberland” and “Bride”).


• Retiring - did they stay in Switzerland, go back to England, split time between the two, go somewhere else entirely? Perhaps they travel before settling down, visit Old Girls scattered around the globe... how do the School and St Mildred’s say goodbye to them? Who takes over as Head?

Oh, and a final note: while I write them as a romantic (and sexual) couple, I’d be equally happy with (and have equally enjoyed fics with) them portrayed as friends, a platonic relationship, a romantic one, anything in between... so write them as you see them!

Journey to the River Sea

There is no fic for this book, so anything would make me happy! A few ideas:

• Missing moments during the book: Exploring the Amazon, teaching Clovis to take Finn’s place, moments between Miss Minton and Professor Glastonberry...


• What happens after the book ends? Do they find the Xanti again? Does Professor Glastonberry ever find the giant sloth? What does the Amazon bring Miss Minton?


• Their plan to build a new House of Rest and live there in the rainy season - does that work out? Does Maia take up her dancing lessons again during those times? How does Finn get on with other children, like the Kemiskys?


• What do the kids do when they grow up? Is Clovis happy as heir of Westwood? Does Maia go to music college, or Finn become a doctor, in the end?


• Are Clovis, Maia and Finn ever all together again?


• Does Finn marry Maia, and Clovis one of the Banshee’s daughters, as they anticipate, or do things turn out differently?

The Dragonfly Pool

Again, a so far non-existent fandom!

There’s all sorts of gaps in the book to fill in, if you feel like tackling one:

• Matteo’s past beyond the bits we get, his boyhood in Bergania, his travels, his arrival at Delderton. Or his mysterious war years, and his future job.


• Julia’s life before Tally came to the school; how her friendship with Tally helps her; how she relates to her mother, now Gloria’s not a star any more.


• the time between Karil’s grandfather’s death and the Persephone play.


• the school years before the epilogue.


• the future, after the end of the book...

Or maybe you could look at the events in the book from someone else’s perspective?

That's the end; I hope some of it helps, and I'm looking forward to reading your story!

Comments

[bluealoe]

Is this a Yuletide-type event?

It sounds like whatever fic you end up receiving, it'll be good. :) The last two books you mentioned sounds very interesting.

[elen_nare]

*tacklehugs* I was just thinking today I hadn't heard from you for a while! How are things with you?

Yes, it's very similar (in fact it takes a lot of rules from Yuletide) but it's exclusively aimed towards kids' and teens' books - so almost made for me, lol.

The last two books - both by Eva Ibbotson - are fantastic, and I completely recommend them and anything else by her! She has adult (or you may find them as YA) novels too. Of course the first two series are also great, but I have a faint feeling I may have told you that before ;)

[bluealoe]

Things are going pretty well. Work is ridiculously busy, and we're busy packing and getting ready to move to another apartment at the end of the month (but it's across the hall, so an easy move), and the cat has a vet appointment tomorrow (pray for me). But overall, can't complain. :)

I hope you get an awesome story from the exchange! I've heard of Eva Ibbotson before, but haven't read any of her books. I'll check them out. And yes, I think you may have mentioned Swallows and Amazons and Chalet School once or twice. :) (BTW, I'm not ignoring your Chalet School story, I'm just waiting until I have time to sit down and read it all at once.)

[elen_nare]

I'm glad things are going well :) Good luck with the move! I take it your cat objects to the vet? My grandma got us to help her put iodine on a scratch her cat had today... I thought we were all going to be shredded by claws! (He is not a sociable cat at the best of times). But she got hold of his front paws first and it was fine.

Thank you! Of course I'm indulging in my traditional "what do I write???" fic exchange panic :P
*overdramatic voice* How dare you not read my story????!!!! *end overdramatic voice* Seriously, don't worry about it! Anyway, technically you can't read it all at once yet because I haven't quite finished crossposting :)

[bluealoe]

We survived the vet appointment, just barely...my cat peed all over me, threw up, and hissed at the vet. Yeah, she doesn't like vets. But it's over for another year.

I'll read your story as soon as I can, I promise. :)

[elen_nare]

Poor you! And poor cat! I'm glad you survived the experience :) (You could use it as inspiration for fic - I can't imagine Crookshanks, say, taking kindly to vets :P)

I know you will, and I know you're busy, so don't worry about it :)