Yuletide Letter
Oct. 1st, 2017 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakDear Yuletide Writer,
thank you so much for creating a story for me! I hope you'll enjoy the experience and appreciate the work you're doing - writing a story in a tiny fandom we share is absolutely lovely, and I'm guaranteed to be pleased by your gift, so don't fret. My prompts are just that, prompts, not absolutes; if you have an idea that doesn't fit with any of them, but features the characters I asked for, I'll love it with added joyful surprise.
Some general do's and don'ts:
Canon: generally I prefer stories to adher to it. Now some AUs are fascinating and great ways to examine a character further, and I love the "Five things" format both as a writer and reader, so if you're struck by an idea which necessitates a departure from canon, don't let that stop you. It's just that if the story needs a long note explaining all that is different in this AU as an introduction, it's probably too far from canon for me. After all, I feel in love with this particular fictional universe and the characters in it for a reason.
Sex: whatever works best for you when writing the story. None at all, i.e. gen, slash, het, poly, I'm good either way as a reader. If there are any pairings I absolutely don't want to read about, I'll mention them in the prompts. No A/B/O in any case, though.
Character bashing: is a strict do not want. Though let me clarify a bit, because some of the characters in the fandoms I've requested hate other characters' guts, and it would be downright ooc for them to suddenly feel fair-minded and friendly towards them. So: in such a case, if, say, the pov character is canonically full of ire towards X, I wouldn't call this character making negative statements about X either in dialogue or in thoughts bashing. Otoh, if all the characters in the story follow suit and declare how much X sucks, while X never gets a positive word out, I'd call that bashing. If you yourself loathe a character - and it happens, to me, too - who'd usually be present in the story and feel uncomfortable writing them in a non-negative manner, I'd rather you declare that character absent from canon for whatever reason works best.
Character death: if it serves the story, go for it. It wouldn't be a problem for me.
Requests:
The Last Kingdom: I've gone from being mildly fond of to definitely loving this tv series based on Bernard Cornwell's books, and would be thrilled to receive a story set in it. Especially if it focuses on the female characters. One of the many things which makes me prefer tv canon over book canon is the way the tv show adds dimension to them and lets them interact with each other. Aelswith, who from Uthred's pov in the books is described in purely negative terms but on the tv show comes across as far more interesting, is but one case in point, so I'd love some more exploration of her. By the second season, her marriage to Alfred comes across as strong, with Aelswith acting as councillor as much as consort, but how did they get there? What was it like for her at the start, given his early infidelities (complete with bastard son)? She's pretty ruthless herself (see advice to Mildrith to pray for Uthred's death); was she ever tempted to deal with, say, the Aethelwold problem by having him assassinated, or does she agree with Alfred's reasoning why not to? Her dislike of Uthred: founded solely in religious reasons, or are there others? What does she hope for her daughter Aethelflaed? I loved her scene with Hild in s1; what does she make of Hild in general, both in Hild's warrior nun stage and later? Did they have further conversations, say, during the year when Uthred was a slave?
As for Hild: any interaction between her and Aeslwith, or her and Aethelflaed (we see Aethelflaed being taught how to fight by Steapa, but Hild may be the sole woman Aethelflaed knows who both is able to fight and a Christian, plus Hild has been with them in the fens, so it would make sense for Aethelflaed to seek her out both before and after her marriage) would be great. And given Mildrith becomes a nun herself at the end of s1, maybe their paths cross later? What would they make of each other? Or: exploration of Hild reconciling (or not) being a warrior to being a nun. What motivates her once she's past the initial need for revenge? TV canon is different from book canon as to why she eventually goes back to a non-warrior life. A story showing the period of transition, and how she founds/assembles a new convent would be great as well.
Mildrith: her pov both before, during and after canon. The tv show gives us some of it, but I want more. Her relationships with the Oddas, father and son. What it was like for her when her marriage to Uthred deteriorated. How she coped during the Danish invasion, alone, with her son dying. How she adjusted to life as a nun later.
Aethelflaed: anything that doesn't focus on her relationship with Erik. Not that I have something against it, but much of what already exists as fanfic for The Last Kingdom is Aetheflaed/Erik, and I want something different in focus. Given Aethelflaed will end up as a ruler herself; what lessons does she learn while growing up through her parents and others? Does she feel responsible for Wessex and Mercia? If Erik and Uthred hadn't provided an alternative to the terrible "get ransomed and ruin Wessex, or get gangraped in public forever" choice, what would have been her plan? Did she consider suicide a la Odda? What does she make of the Danes (other than just Erik), and does she see Uthred as a Saxon, a Dane, or neither?
Where to get the canon: both seasons are on Netflix.
Borgia: Faith and Fear:
This year, I finally got to marathon the other recent show focused on the Borgias; you can find my thoughts on all three seasons here. There hardly seems to be any fanfic inspired by it, though, and maybe you, dearest writer, can change that? Some ideas:
The Farnese siblings: Alessandro Farnese is as close as the show gets to presenting a good guy, which means he's still presented as a Renaissance cleric, mistress, illegitimate offspring, and eventual enrichment treated as a given. Still, I did love the future Paul III trying to be stay sane and (relatively) decent while also staying alive amidst the Borgia madness. (And felt with him when he threw up his hands and told Cesare while attempting to save the later's life again he's tried being his friend, his enemy, indifferent to him, and nothing ever works in late s3.) I also loved his relationship with Giulia as the other important sibling relationship on the show, how her being the Pope's mistress both helps and damages him, but is always a factor in his life, while their mutual affection goes through some crisis but remains steadfast, how Giulia is far more ruthless than Alessandro but also with less people instincts. (The epilogue to the show points out she's depictured as Justice on his tomb, which is... interesting, given this show's Alessandro knows this show's Giulia did some pretty dark things. And it must have been his choice when commissioning the tomb; he outlived her by many years.) Just when does Giulia decide working for Alessandro to become Pope one day would be her endgame? Given she's got a front row seat to how that worked out for Rodrigo and his family, did she ever doubt this course for the Farnese, or was the awareness too strong that if you don't make it to the top, you could be destroyed by those who do instead? Anyway: anything focused on Alessandro and Giulia Farnese at any point in canon (or after) would be lovely.
Francesc Gacet, gay former (and future) Muslim and consigliere extraordinaire, is the show's most important OC, and I'm fascinated by him, and his relationship with Rodrigo. We get such intriguing hints about their shared background in Spain, and life long friendship/alliance/whatever you want to call it. When they were boys and Rodrigo didn't care that Francesc was a converted Muslim, were there already rumors about the Borgias themselves being marrano (converted Jews), or didn't they start until Rodrigo's papacy? "You're the head and I'm the heart, this is how this works", Rodrigo describes their life long team up at one point in the show, but between them, when did they decide Rodrigo would go for the Papacy? How frustrating must it have been for Gacet seeing Rodrigo having an uninhibited sex life while he himself had to live either celibate or risk a cruel death? Given that Gacet the man of reason is lured into trusting the same untrustworthy Rovere-sponsored honeypot not once but twice, I assume the former might have been the case, but if your headcanon is different, by all means go for it. After the intrigues against Gacet finally succeed and he leaves Rome, he returns to his Muslim faith and has himself appointed ambassador to Rome by the Ottoman sultan; what is his motivation here, anger towards Rodrigo (not to mention his enemies), the wish to be there regardless (and indeed he and Giulia are in this version the only ones to be with Rodrigo at the later's gruesome funeral), both? Was either conversion real to him, or a matter of survival? Again, anything focused on Gacet and Rodrigo at any point before, during and after canon would be awesome.
Where to get the canon: all three seasons are on Amazon Prime.
Logan: that movie was heartbreaking to me in the best way. So naturally I want more. Logan, Charles and Caliban in the immediate aftermath of what had gone down at Westchester: how did Caliban join them, anyway? (Especially knowing that as opposed to Logan he wouldn't survive if it happened again.) Between age, the ravages of his illness, getting drugged up (again, and this time not by a co-dependent Hank at his own request), and intermittent awareness of what was going on, how does Charles cope with being bundled across the country and ending up in Mexico in a tank? Is Logan at any point tempted to leave Charles? How does he see Charles anyway, having known him now for decades (plus a time trip where he encountered young and anything but wise Charles), meaning the pedestal is gone? Charles is physically older but Logan is mentally, does that even matter anymore at this point? What are they to each other?
I adored their road trip with Laura; this is one fandom where I wouldn't mind an AU where all three (or four, if you find a way for Caliban to join) keep travelling so that their developing relationships with Laura and Laura's pov can be explored as well.
Class: I loved this show and am sad it got cancelled, but here you are, Yuletide writer, giving me more! Andra'ath/Miss Quill: what was it like for her, going from being forcibly bonded to the future ruler of her enemies, to seeing both their people wiped out? (Just how much time passed between the defeat of the Quill and thus her getting enslaved via symbiont and the annihilation of both Quill and Rodians by the Shadow Kin?) What were those first few months on Earth pre-pilot of the show like? Her jibes at April in the pilot come across as crueller than her general snark to me; why does Quill have it in for April in particular at this point? Once April has (temporarily) defeated the Shadowkin and become their ruler, it practically begs for a scene with Quill and her which never happened, so give me that. Quill's feud against the Shadowkin, after all, is at this point in the show still her main raison d'etre. Lastly, Tanya being the first to point out that what the Rodians did to Quill is slavery, and Tanya and Quill bonding in the season finale was great, but what happens next? Especially given Tanya has just become an orphan at age 14, doubts her only friends really like her and has to explain what the hell happened to their mother to her brothers. Martial arts lessons by Quill are undoubtedly good for rage venting (and helpful the next time villains come calling), but she needs a bit more parenting/mentoring than that, while Quill hails from a culture where offspring eat their parents. How does their relationship develop further?
In conclusion: no matter which of these you'll pick, you'll make me a happy recipient. Again, thank you so much - and see you at Yuletide!
thank you so much for creating a story for me! I hope you'll enjoy the experience and appreciate the work you're doing - writing a story in a tiny fandom we share is absolutely lovely, and I'm guaranteed to be pleased by your gift, so don't fret. My prompts are just that, prompts, not absolutes; if you have an idea that doesn't fit with any of them, but features the characters I asked for, I'll love it with added joyful surprise.
Some general do's and don'ts:
Canon: generally I prefer stories to adher to it. Now some AUs are fascinating and great ways to examine a character further, and I love the "Five things" format both as a writer and reader, so if you're struck by an idea which necessitates a departure from canon, don't let that stop you. It's just that if the story needs a long note explaining all that is different in this AU as an introduction, it's probably too far from canon for me. After all, I feel in love with this particular fictional universe and the characters in it for a reason.
Sex: whatever works best for you when writing the story. None at all, i.e. gen, slash, het, poly, I'm good either way as a reader. If there are any pairings I absolutely don't want to read about, I'll mention them in the prompts. No A/B/O in any case, though.
Character bashing: is a strict do not want. Though let me clarify a bit, because some of the characters in the fandoms I've requested hate other characters' guts, and it would be downright ooc for them to suddenly feel fair-minded and friendly towards them. So: in such a case, if, say, the pov character is canonically full of ire towards X, I wouldn't call this character making negative statements about X either in dialogue or in thoughts bashing. Otoh, if all the characters in the story follow suit and declare how much X sucks, while X never gets a positive word out, I'd call that bashing. If you yourself loathe a character - and it happens, to me, too - who'd usually be present in the story and feel uncomfortable writing them in a non-negative manner, I'd rather you declare that character absent from canon for whatever reason works best.
Character death: if it serves the story, go for it. It wouldn't be a problem for me.
Requests:
The Last Kingdom: I've gone from being mildly fond of to definitely loving this tv series based on Bernard Cornwell's books, and would be thrilled to receive a story set in it. Especially if it focuses on the female characters. One of the many things which makes me prefer tv canon over book canon is the way the tv show adds dimension to them and lets them interact with each other. Aelswith, who from Uthred's pov in the books is described in purely negative terms but on the tv show comes across as far more interesting, is but one case in point, so I'd love some more exploration of her. By the second season, her marriage to Alfred comes across as strong, with Aelswith acting as councillor as much as consort, but how did they get there? What was it like for her at the start, given his early infidelities (complete with bastard son)? She's pretty ruthless herself (see advice to Mildrith to pray for Uthred's death); was she ever tempted to deal with, say, the Aethelwold problem by having him assassinated, or does she agree with Alfred's reasoning why not to? Her dislike of Uthred: founded solely in religious reasons, or are there others? What does she hope for her daughter Aethelflaed? I loved her scene with Hild in s1; what does she make of Hild in general, both in Hild's warrior nun stage and later? Did they have further conversations, say, during the year when Uthred was a slave?
As for Hild: any interaction between her and Aeslwith, or her and Aethelflaed (we see Aethelflaed being taught how to fight by Steapa, but Hild may be the sole woman Aethelflaed knows who both is able to fight and a Christian, plus Hild has been with them in the fens, so it would make sense for Aethelflaed to seek her out both before and after her marriage) would be great. And given Mildrith becomes a nun herself at the end of s1, maybe their paths cross later? What would they make of each other? Or: exploration of Hild reconciling (or not) being a warrior to being a nun. What motivates her once she's past the initial need for revenge? TV canon is different from book canon as to why she eventually goes back to a non-warrior life. A story showing the period of transition, and how she founds/assembles a new convent would be great as well.
Mildrith: her pov both before, during and after canon. The tv show gives us some of it, but I want more. Her relationships with the Oddas, father and son. What it was like for her when her marriage to Uthred deteriorated. How she coped during the Danish invasion, alone, with her son dying. How she adjusted to life as a nun later.
Aethelflaed: anything that doesn't focus on her relationship with Erik. Not that I have something against it, but much of what already exists as fanfic for The Last Kingdom is Aetheflaed/Erik, and I want something different in focus. Given Aethelflaed will end up as a ruler herself; what lessons does she learn while growing up through her parents and others? Does she feel responsible for Wessex and Mercia? If Erik and Uthred hadn't provided an alternative to the terrible "get ransomed and ruin Wessex, or get gangraped in public forever" choice, what would have been her plan? Did she consider suicide a la Odda? What does she make of the Danes (other than just Erik), and does she see Uthred as a Saxon, a Dane, or neither?
Where to get the canon: both seasons are on Netflix.
Borgia: Faith and Fear:
This year, I finally got to marathon the other recent show focused on the Borgias; you can find my thoughts on all three seasons here. There hardly seems to be any fanfic inspired by it, though, and maybe you, dearest writer, can change that? Some ideas:
The Farnese siblings: Alessandro Farnese is as close as the show gets to presenting a good guy, which means he's still presented as a Renaissance cleric, mistress, illegitimate offspring, and eventual enrichment treated as a given. Still, I did love the future Paul III trying to be stay sane and (relatively) decent while also staying alive amidst the Borgia madness. (And felt with him when he threw up his hands and told Cesare while attempting to save the later's life again he's tried being his friend, his enemy, indifferent to him, and nothing ever works in late s3.) I also loved his relationship with Giulia as the other important sibling relationship on the show, how her being the Pope's mistress both helps and damages him, but is always a factor in his life, while their mutual affection goes through some crisis but remains steadfast, how Giulia is far more ruthless than Alessandro but also with less people instincts. (The epilogue to the show points out she's depictured as Justice on his tomb, which is... interesting, given this show's Alessandro knows this show's Giulia did some pretty dark things. And it must have been his choice when commissioning the tomb; he outlived her by many years.) Just when does Giulia decide working for Alessandro to become Pope one day would be her endgame? Given she's got a front row seat to how that worked out for Rodrigo and his family, did she ever doubt this course for the Farnese, or was the awareness too strong that if you don't make it to the top, you could be destroyed by those who do instead? Anyway: anything focused on Alessandro and Giulia Farnese at any point in canon (or after) would be lovely.
Francesc Gacet, gay former (and future) Muslim and consigliere extraordinaire, is the show's most important OC, and I'm fascinated by him, and his relationship with Rodrigo. We get such intriguing hints about their shared background in Spain, and life long friendship/alliance/whatever you want to call it. When they were boys and Rodrigo didn't care that Francesc was a converted Muslim, were there already rumors about the Borgias themselves being marrano (converted Jews), or didn't they start until Rodrigo's papacy? "You're the head and I'm the heart, this is how this works", Rodrigo describes their life long team up at one point in the show, but between them, when did they decide Rodrigo would go for the Papacy? How frustrating must it have been for Gacet seeing Rodrigo having an uninhibited sex life while he himself had to live either celibate or risk a cruel death? Given that Gacet the man of reason is lured into trusting the same untrustworthy Rovere-sponsored honeypot not once but twice, I assume the former might have been the case, but if your headcanon is different, by all means go for it. After the intrigues against Gacet finally succeed and he leaves Rome, he returns to his Muslim faith and has himself appointed ambassador to Rome by the Ottoman sultan; what is his motivation here, anger towards Rodrigo (not to mention his enemies), the wish to be there regardless (and indeed he and Giulia are in this version the only ones to be with Rodrigo at the later's gruesome funeral), both? Was either conversion real to him, or a matter of survival? Again, anything focused on Gacet and Rodrigo at any point before, during and after canon would be awesome.
Where to get the canon: all three seasons are on Amazon Prime.
Logan: that movie was heartbreaking to me in the best way. So naturally I want more. Logan, Charles and Caliban in the immediate aftermath of what had gone down at Westchester: how did Caliban join them, anyway? (Especially knowing that as opposed to Logan he wouldn't survive if it happened again.) Between age, the ravages of his illness, getting drugged up (again, and this time not by a co-dependent Hank at his own request), and intermittent awareness of what was going on, how does Charles cope with being bundled across the country and ending up in Mexico in a tank? Is Logan at any point tempted to leave Charles? How does he see Charles anyway, having known him now for decades (plus a time trip where he encountered young and anything but wise Charles), meaning the pedestal is gone? Charles is physically older but Logan is mentally, does that even matter anymore at this point? What are they to each other?
I adored their road trip with Laura; this is one fandom where I wouldn't mind an AU where all three (or four, if you find a way for Caliban to join) keep travelling so that their developing relationships with Laura and Laura's pov can be explored as well.
Class: I loved this show and am sad it got cancelled, but here you are, Yuletide writer, giving me more! Andra'ath/Miss Quill: what was it like for her, going from being forcibly bonded to the future ruler of her enemies, to seeing both their people wiped out? (Just how much time passed between the defeat of the Quill and thus her getting enslaved via symbiont and the annihilation of both Quill and Rodians by the Shadow Kin?) What were those first few months on Earth pre-pilot of the show like? Her jibes at April in the pilot come across as crueller than her general snark to me; why does Quill have it in for April in particular at this point? Once April has (temporarily) defeated the Shadowkin and become their ruler, it practically begs for a scene with Quill and her which never happened, so give me that. Quill's feud against the Shadowkin, after all, is at this point in the show still her main raison d'etre. Lastly, Tanya being the first to point out that what the Rodians did to Quill is slavery, and Tanya and Quill bonding in the season finale was great, but what happens next? Especially given Tanya has just become an orphan at age 14, doubts her only friends really like her and has to explain what the hell happened to their mother to her brothers. Martial arts lessons by Quill are undoubtedly good for rage venting (and helpful the next time villains come calling), but she needs a bit more parenting/mentoring than that, while Quill hails from a culture where offspring eat their parents. How does their relationship develop further?
In conclusion: no matter which of these you'll pick, you'll make me a happy recipient. Again, thank you so much - and see you at Yuletide!
