Dear Yuletide Author

[fajrdrako]

Okay, I'm dipping my toes into the Yuletide waters. I've been looking for a few good prompts - or for stories written about the characters I love.

The template here is taken from triplesalto.

Hello and welcome to my Yuletide letter! Thank you in advance for writing for me.

AO3 name: fajrdrako
General Likes: Competence, heroism, adventures, slow burn romance, passionate feelings, first times, five-times fics, happy endings. Good grammar and good spelling and that more nebulous thing, good style, are all very important to me - more important than story content. I love in-character fanfic that makes me feel I know a character better than I did before.

Smut Likes: Detailed explicit sex, sex in which the characters are really eager for it, M/M, F/F, threesomes or sexual groupings of any configuration, bisexual characters, teasing, romantic sex, passionate feelings, bondage, sexual tension and/or delayed gratification.

DNWs: unhappy endings, character death, rape, extreme changes from canon characterisation, explicit gore and violence.

Fandoms: The Unstoppable Wasp (comics), Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner, Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Warchild Series - Karin Lowachee, Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Vikings (TV).

~
Fandom: The Unstoppable Wasp (Comics)

I loved Nadia Pym from the first page. I love her irrepressible energy, her optimism in the face of danger, her passionate response to the world. I love her friendships, especially with Ying, but also her deep need to be loved and accepted.

Aspects I find particularly interesting:

- Nadia's willingness to give her life for her friends
- Nadia's curiosity about Henry Pym and his works
- Nadia's past in Russia, especially as a dancer, and her relationship with the Winter Soldier

Themes I would like to see in a story about The Unstoppable Wasp:

- exploration of her relationship with, or reactions too, Bucky Barnes; or her memories of him; or her reactions on meeting him again
- Nadia learning something from Riri Williams
- her feelings about dancing
- her feelings about research, science, and experiments
- learning about American life, especially from Janet Van Dyne
- her feelings about sex and romance - possibly an unexplored relationship, or one that hasn't happened yet
- friendship with Peter Parker and/or Miles Morales
- Janet Van Dyne's feelings about Nadia. Does she remind Janet of Hank? Is she the daughter Janet never had? Is she a responsibilty? How would they react if they had a fight?

~~~

Fandom: Swordspoint Series - Ellen Kushner

I loved the world of Riverside from the beginning: the 18th century ambience, the swordplay, the relationships between individuals and class. I love the "fantasy of manners" aspect. I particularly loved Alec, Richard and Katherine. I find the characters in Tremontaine uninteresting in comparison.

Aspects I find particularly interesting:

- Katherine's personality, her relationships and her values (including her bisexuality)
- her learning responsibility and making a career despite her handicap of gender
- the logistics of swordsmanship as a career in Riverside

Themes I would like to see in stories about Swordspoint:

- exploration of the relationship between Alec and Katherine
- Katherine in a difficult an morally-challenging job or role - perhaps having to fight someone she likes?
- Katherine as a bodyguard
- Katherine in love, possibly with two people, possibly in way in which she feels conflicted
- Katherine being heroic

~~~

Fandom: Fantastic Four (Comicverse)

I'll never forget the day I found Fantastic Four #18 on the shelves at my local corner store. I have been a Marvel lover ever since - and I love the characters in the Fantastic Four, though not necessarily the way they have developed - I don't find Valeria and Franklin very interesting. Currently the most interesting is Ben Grimm, with his relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D., his antagonism to Victor von Doom (especially with Doom changed and trying to prove it), and his fondness for Johnny Storm.

Themes I would like to see in a story about Ben Grimm:

- exploration of his past friendship with Reed and the young Victor von Doon
- things that remind him of the FF
- his feelings as an outsider within S.H.I.E.L.D.
- his friendships with other superheroes
- things that make him angry in current continuity
- his ideas and ambitions
~~~

Fandom: Warchild Series - Karin Lowachee

Cairo Azarcon is one of my favourite heroes, the Macedon one of my favourite ships. I'd love to know more of his story. I also loved Yuri, Jos and Ryan.

Things I would like to see explored:

- Azarcon in any sort of emotional conflict - between his wife and his ship? in his relationship with Ryan? in his feelings regarding Yuri or Falcone?
- Azarcon's choosing crew for the Macedon - and how the individuals fit in with their various difficulties (PTSD, etc.)
- his conflict(s) with the government, and the reasons he makes the choices he makes

~~~

Fandom: Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch

Though I love many magic-weilders, there is something remarkable about Nightingale. What lies behind his calm exterior?

Things I would like to see explored:

- his past - especially his youth. How did he get into magical studies? what were his early and formative relationships? when did he realize he wouldn't age normally, and what did he think about it?
- his relationships with, well, anyone. I'd like to see him with another paracticioner - perhaps in a crossover story, perhaps someone from the books.
- something happens to Toby
- more about his relationship with the River Gods, or other supernatural entities
- his thoughts and feelings about Peter Grant - perhaps a falling out that is resolved?

~~~

Fandom: Vikings (TV)

Ahh, Ragnar. Sexy, smart and often enigmatic.

Relationships I would like to see explored (indiviually, not together, though that might be fun, too!):

- his relationship with Athelstan - and Athelstan's culture too
- his relationship with Lagertha, especially early on, and then later in the series
- his relationship with Ecbert
- his relationship with Floki

~~~

I might add that these are all guidelines, not rules!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

'I find the characters in Tremontaine uninteresting in comparison'

Maybe it's the multiple authors thing but I find that the characters in Tremontaine spend so much time explaining their motives to the reader in great detail that there's very little room for ambiguit. They don't have the intriguing dark corners of the characters in the other books. Plus the whole thing is, of necessity, very plot-driven, because there has to be a cliffhanger every week, whereas TPOTS especially is very character-driven.

[fajrdrako]

That would explain it - and maybe it's just that I like Ellen Kushner's writing style, but, diluted by the input of other authors, I just don't see it. There isn't much tension there.