Yuletide Letter (2021)

[geri_chan]

Thank you so much for volunteering to write a fic for me!

My name on A03 is geri_chan, the same as here on DW/LJ/IJ.

Likes: Happy endings (for both romance and gen). Romantic fluff is fine, but I also like angsty fics--as long as they eventually end happily. For gen, I have a soft spot for stories about family or friendship. For both romance and gen: humor, drama, hurt/comfort--it's all good, as long as it ends happily, or at least hopefully. (Actually, I have a pretty big narrative kink for emotional hurt/comfort in particular.) If you decide to write romance, I'm generally fine with any rating--explicit, steamy sex scenes are great, but I'm happy even if it doesn't go beyond a kiss or fade-to-black. (Exception noted below for Dungeon Critters.) The emotions that the characters share are more important to me than the level of physical affection.

Do Not Wants: Character death, noncon, BDSM, underage (meaning under 18) explicit fic, infidelity, threesomes/poly, mpreg.

Listed below are some prompt ideas for my chosen fandoms in case you'd like some suggestions, but I want to stress that these are only suggestions and you should feel free to follow your muse, so please don't be intimidated by my long comments! (I love character/meta discussion and tend to get carried away when talking about my favorite fandoms.) If you come up with an idea that's completely different, it will be all the more exciting for me because it's a surprise, and I'm sure I'll be thrilled with whatever you write!

Please be aware that my letter may contain spoilers for the various canons.

Dungeon Critters - Natalie Riess & Sara Goetter - Goro (Dungeon Critters), Horseboy (Dungeon Critters): I used to be an avid D&D player, so when I heard about this graphic novel, I knew I would love it and I was right! You can check out my promo post to see what I love about it, but basically it's about a group of D&D style adventurers who are anthropomorphized animals who are all very nice but tend to cause mayhem wherever they go.

I love them all, but my favorite is the stoic snake-man warrior Goro, who has a boyfriend named Horseboy. I like the way that Goro's personality contrasts with his physical appearance: you might expect him to be stern and tough, but he's actually very sweet and sentimental. He blushes adorably whenever he thinks about Horseboy, and he wears a locket with Horseboy's picture in it, something Horseboy gave Goro to remember him by. There are only a few brief mentions of Horseboy in the book, but we see enough to know that he loves Goro as much as Goro loves him, and there's a separate comic that features him, available as a "set your own price" download that you can buy here if you're interested. (It's not part of the graphic novel, so it is of course 100 percent optional.)

I love all the characters in Critters, from Goro's fellow adventurers, to the King and Queen and Baron and Verona, so feel to include any of them in the story if you want to.

I would love some shippy Goro/Horseboy fic, but for this fandom, I'd prefer it not to be explicit and kept on canon level, basically not going beyond kissing and holding hands.

Some suggested prompts (but feel free to come up with your own):

-At the end of the book, we find out Horseboy has been kidnapped by eels--how does Goro (either solo or accompanied by his friends) save him? And why did the eels take Horseboy in the first place? (The extra comic, while technically not a sequel, does address these questions, but I'd love to see your own take on it!)

-How did Goro and Horseboy meet and fall in love? And/or maybe we could see them out on a date together? Or getting married?

-What does Horseboy do for a living, since he seems to stay at home while Goro is out adventuring?

-Horseboy accompanies Goro (and maybe the other Critters) on an adventure.

-If you'd like to include Prince Chirp and/or her parents...I am very curious about why Chirp's parents know that Goro has a boyfriend when Chirp doesn't. How did that come about? Did he know them before he met Chirp--maybe he did some work for them in the past? Or maybe they just made the effort to learn more about their daughter's friend? Or maybe they knew Horseboy before he met Goro?

Graceling Realm Series - Kristin Cashore - Adventure Fox (Graceling Realm), Bitterblue (Graceling Realm), Lovisa Cavenda (Graceling Realm): As you can probably tell from the requested characters, I absolutely loved Winterkeep and am asking for fic related to that book. You can see my promo post for Graceling Realm/Winterkeep if you're interested, but basically I love the characters, the political intrigue, and most of all, the telepathic blue foxes, especially Adventure! He's clever and sneaky and compassionate, trying so hard to do what he thinks is right, which includes helping Bitterblue and Lovisa even if it means going against his bonded human and breaking the rules of foxkind.

Which makes him a great deal like Lovisa, who is also struggling to do the right thing while not always being sure of what that is. I really feel for her, and it breaks my heart to see how badly her parents have emotionally damaged her, while at the same time I admire her for still being a good person in spite of that, and how she risks herself to protect her brothers and eventually Bitterblue.

Bitterblue herself is an old favorite whom I've loved since the beginning of the series, and it was so gratifying to see her in this book, having matured from a frightened child into a strong, competent, and compassionate ruler. I love how her friendship with Adventure develops, and I'd absolutely love to see them having adventures (no pun intended) together when they go back to Monsea.

I nominated these three particular characters because I'm interested in Winterkeep-era fic, but feel free to include other Graceling Realm characters if you want. For example, I'm absolutely fine with it if you want to include Giddon, Hava, and/or Nev, or the other Graceling characters that don't appear in Winterkeep, like Katsa and Po. I'm fine with the canon ship of Bitterblue/Giddon if you want to include it, and also with Lovisa/Nev.

Suggested prompts:

-Canon-divergence AU in which Adventure reveals the truth to Lovisa and bonds with her after the events of the book are settled. While I love how Adventure decides to go to Monsea with Bitterblue, he also cares a great deal about Lovisa--he bonded to Ferla in order to protect her, after all. And I feel sad that Lovisa hates him for being her mother's spy when all along he's secretly been trying to protect her as best he can. Or if you prefer, he still leaves with Bitterblue, but at some point reveals the truth to Lovisa, either before they leave, or maybe during a post-canon visit that Lovisa makes to Monsea. Perhaps Lovisa accidentally spots Adventure, and he and Bitterblue are forced to explain why he is still alive.

-Canon-divergence AU in which Lovisa decides to leave Winterkeep at the end of the book, and Bitterblue is more than happy to offer her a home in Monsea. I assume Lovisa wouldn't leave her brothers behind, but since they aren't nominated, you can handwave that they're doing fine offscreen--maybe they're at school or playing with friends while Lovisa and Bitterblue (and maybe Adventure) are doing whatever they're doing. Discussing zilfium and airships, maybe? Sneaking out of the palace to have a little adventure? Or just relaxing and hanging out? I just love seeing them interact together, so anything is fine with me!

-Post-canon fic in which Lovisa decides, as in the book, to try and change Winterkeep for the better. Perhaps she becomes a politician or scholar, and she and Bitterblue and Adventure meet again several years later during some sort of diplomatic or trade mission between Monsea and Winterkeep. Or if you like, you could write about her trying to figure out what she wants to do with her future. And/or she continues to meet and talk with the silbercows, if you want to include them?

-As mentioned above, a story about Adventure and Bitterblue when they return to Monsea. I'd love to see him exploring his new home with Bitterblue, and perhaps meeting some of her trusted friends. Maybe there are some other foxes back in Winterkeep who aren't happy with the status quo there, and somehow they find a way to emigrate to Monsea (smuggled by the Council, perhaps) and join Adventure to start a blue fox colony there.

It's okay to have your fic focus more on Lovisa, or on BItterblue and Adventure and give the other character(s) a minimal role, if that's where your muse takes you, especially for fic where Lovisa remains in Winterkeep while the other two go to Monsea.


Heart of Gold - Sharon Shinn - Kerk Socast (Heart of Gold): I love the Heart of Gold universe and all the intricacies of Indigo and Gulden society. And I especially loved Kerk in the "Blood" novella--he has some of the prejudices that come from being raised as Gulden man, but he's a good person at heart, and I love how is able to become more open-minded and change his views after meeting Jalci. I think being something of an outsider himself--fatherless and dependent on the kindness of Tess and Brolt--allows him to be more compassionate to the women and children in the Lost City than your average Gulden man.

My only complaint is that "Blood" was too short! I wanted to know more about Kerk and his family and Jalci, and the ways in which Indigo and Gulden societies are changing after the events of the novel. I only requested Kerk, but absolutely feel free to include any other character(s) from the series, because I love Kerk's relationships with just about everyone in the story. And if you want to include characters from the novel, that's fine as well--it would be amazing to see him meet Jalci's famous Aunt Kitrini!

Anything about Kerk and the Heart of Gold world will make me happy, but here some suggested prompts if you want them:

-Are Kerk and Jalci ever able to openly have a relationship? Brolt says it would be "difficult to tolerate" Kerk having a romance with an Indigo woman, although this is before he learns that Jalci is a Candachi. With time, perhaps societal views relax enough that Brolt will give his approval.

-I'd love to see more of Kerk getting to know his sister Coe, if you want to include her. I love how cheerful and open and immediately accepting of him she is, and how meeting her heals the pain his mother has caused him. Speaking of which, is he ever able to reconcile with his mother? (It's okay if the answer is "no".)

-I'd love to see more of Kerk's relationship with his stepfamily--past, present, or future. What was it like for young Kerk after Tess married Brolt? He clearly loves and respects Brolt, but also seems a little uncertain of his place in the family, worrying about what might happen after Makk becomes an adult. (And I was so touched when Brolt told him that Makk wanted to be sure that Kerk continued to have a place in the family business!) Or maybe you could write about Kerk and Brolt working together?

-I would also happily read more about Kerk continuing to volunteer in the Lost City and teach the boys baltreck. Do they ever form a real team and play against other schools? Maybe at some point the Gulden girls want to start playing, too?

-Or just something about Kerk exploring the city, possibly with Jalci, and discovering new and interesting places like the restaurant where they met the Indigo/Gulden couple.


Transplant (TV 2020) - Bashir Hamed, Theo Hunter: As I said in my promo post, I really love Bash and how devoted he is to his sister and his job as a doctor, and how he's always trying so hard to do the right thing. I also love how sometimes he takes on too much responsibilty and tries to handle everything by himself, and how he gradually is able to learn to trust and rely on the friends he makes at the hospital.

For example, friends like Theo. I absolutely love their friendship, and how close they become, especially after Bash and Amira move in with him. I also love that it's not just out of pity and that he clearly enjoys having them around, to the point where he tells Bash that they can just keep living with him and don't have to bother looking for another place. I started shipping them after that, but if you don't, that's cool because I love their canonical friendship as well.

It's up to you whether you want to include the mystery woman who showed up at the end of the final episode--I assumed she was Bash's mother, but recaps and reviews say that it was never actually stated whom she was. If she is his mother or another family member, she might want Bash and his sister to live with her, which would separate Bash and Theo. OTOH, maybe Amira could go live with their mother and Bash could remain with Theo, which would make any shippy scenarios easier. Or you can just ignore the ending and the mystery woman if you want.

I don't have as much to say about this fandom as the others, but I assure you, I love it just as much! Pretty much anything about Bash and Theo either being friends or lovers will make me happy. If you do choose to ship them, please handwave that Theo and his wife have gotten divorced, which seemed to be a likely possibility given that she wanted to remain in their hometown and he wanted to continue working at the hospital.

Also, feel free to include any of the other Transplant characters if you want--I love them all!

Suggested prompts:

-For shippy stuff, Theo and Bash go out on a date. Maybe it goes great, or maybe it's kind of a disaster where a medical emergency interrupts the date, but everything turns out okay in the end. Or maybe they're trying to find some privacy for some intimate time, which is difficult with Amira around. Or maybe Bash is worried about how Amira will react to their relationship, but she is actually totally cool with it.

-Bash and Theo dealing with some sort of crisis at the hospital--maybe one of Theo's patients requires emergency surgery. (I'd like for the patient to be okay in the end, please.)

-They say that doctors make the worst patients, so Bash gets sick and insists he doesn't need someone looking after him but Theo does anyway, or vice versa.

-Theo and Bash hanging out on their day off...what do they do for fun? We mostly see them at work in the TV show, and I don't recall them mentioning any hobbies, so feel free to make up whatever you want.