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Yuletide Letter (2022)
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, incest (including step/adopted family members), 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. 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!
Per this Yuletide post about AO3 treat settings, I am open to treats.
Alpha and Omega - Patricia Briggs - Chelsea Sani (Alpha and Omega): I love all the characters in the series, but I chose Chelsea because I was very intrigued by her character in Dead Heat. Werewolf society is often pretty sexist, so I would love to see post-canon fic about Chelsea being a very dominant female werewolf and how she and the pack react to each other. She and Hosteen seem to have reached a truce by the end of the book, but I imagine that it won't always be smooth sailing and that they'll clash from time to time.
And does the pack's Second feel threatened by the fact that she's more dominant than him? As a female werewolf with a human mate, what's her rank in the pack? Would she even want to be Second, or would she rather not be bothered with the responsibility?
I think I remember reading in either the Mercy books or the author's blog that there are no female pack leaders, which made me want to see one, and Chelsea seems like a good candidate once she's more experienced at being a werewolf. Maybe she and Hosteen aren't getting along, or she finds pack life too restrictive so she decides to go lone wolf (while remaining with Kage and their kids), but finds herself acquiring some stray wolves who also don't fit into traditional pack life for whatever reason. Or maybe Bran decides it's time for a change and asks her to lead a pack of female werewolves who don't feel comfortable (maybe because of past abuse) living under a male leader.
I only requested Chelsea, but feel free to include any other characters from the Alpha and Omega series or the Mercy books if you like as long as Chelsea is the main focus. Maybe she's having trouble adapting to being a werewolf and the tense relationship with Hosteen doesn't help, so she spends some time with Bran's pack (or Adam's) to ease the transition--possibly with Anna's help? I'd also be curious to see how she and Leah would get along--or not. (I feel like it could go either way; Leah might be hostile to a new female wolf, or she might be sympathetic towards someone who like her was turned without consent to save her life.) It would be fun to see Chelsea and Mercy meet, too!
Of course, any unrequested characters are completely optional.
If you'd rather not write a post-canon fic, I'd love to see a story about how Chelsea and Kage met and fell in love. I remember being very amused hearing that Max wanted her to marry Kage because he owns horses, so I'd be delighted if you could work that in somehow!
I know some of the reviews for Dead Heat said they found all the horse information boring, but I was horse crazy as a little girl, so if you want to include stuff about riding/training/caring for horses, bring it on! I promise that I was not at all bored by all the descriptions of beautiful Arabian horses and how they're bred and trained! Of course, if you're not into all the horsey stuff, feel free to leave it out, but I thought I'd mention it just in case you are.
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Dungeon Critters (Graphic Novels) - 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 last year's 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?
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Elemental Blessings Series - Sharon Shinn - Corene (Elemental Blessings), Garameno (Elemental Blessings): I really loved Jeweled Fire, in part for seeing the way that Corene grew from a reckless teenager into a more mature and confident (though still impulsive) young woman who found a purpose in life. And as always with this series, I loved the worldbuilding and political intrigue--and double the pleasure in this book, because we got to see a new royal court with more scheming nobles!
I chose Garameno in addition to Corene because I was intrigued by his character: ambitious and scheming, but also sympathetic and mostly a good person at heart. I like the banter and verbal sparring between him and Corene, and I also liked how sometimes she didn't like him because he is so much like her father. And I like the exchange between Corene and Jiramondi where he says that she doesn't notice that Garameno is in a wheelchair, and she replies that of course she notices, but what really interests her isn't that but how clever he is, how close he is to Filomara, and how well-informed he is about everything that happens in Malinqua. Garameno isn't present for this conversation, but he's intelligent and observant, so I'm sure he has also noticed and appreciated that Corene isn't repulsed by his supposed disability.
That quality might make him appreciate her as a potential bride, though he might regard her recklessness as a liability. And Corene likes him as a friend, though he's too much like Darien for her to want to marry him--which ironically, make me ship them all the more, because that tension would make for an interesting if not necessarily peaceful marriage.
If you don't see them as a couple, that's fine--I'd be just as happy with gen fic of them interacting because they still make a great combination as friends and/or political allies (or possibly adversaries if you set the fic during the period that the princesses are being held hostage). I am okay with the canonical ship of Corene/Foley, so it's fine to mention it in passing, as long as the main focus of the story is on Corene and Garameno.
Suggested prompts (though as always, feel free to run with your own ideas if you come up with something different):
-An AU in which Corene does marry Garameno, perhaps in an attempt to prove her independence and find a place of her own to belong. Or perhaps post-Unquiet Land, the Empress of Malinqua wants a marriage to further cement the alliance with Welce (possibly due to a new threat of war). Perhaps it starts off as purely political, but slowly matures into love. Or maybe Garemeno decides that he needs a queen who can help him change Malinquan society (including the prejudices that he and Jiramondi experienced), and he sets out to woo and win over Corene.
-For a gen story, post-canon fic in which Corene returns to Malinqua as Welce's ambassador, perhaps to negotiate some sort of treaty or trade agreement. Or Garameno visits Welce for similar negotiations.
-Darien still holds a grudge over Garameno holding his daughter hostage, though he was willing to set aside his personal feelings to make the alliance in Unquiet Land. As a show of good faith, Filomara sends Garameno to Welce as a hostage of sorts, though the official story is that he's there on a diplomatic mission to promote good relations between the two countries, which is true enough. He and Corene renew their friendship, and/or if you ship them, friendship develops into something more.
-Or if you'd like to set the story during Jeweled Fire, you could write a story about Corene and Garameno having an adventure together. Maybe they're on one of the official trips showing the princesses around the city when an attack happens. Or maybe they have a quiet moment just talking about their families and the pressures they feel being potential heirs--or the loss that Corene feels no longer being an heir now that Zoe has a child.
I love pretty much all the characters in the Elemental Blessings series, so feel free to include anyone else you want, especially the other princesses and Jiramondi if you set the story during the Jeweled Fire timeline.
***
England Series - K. J. Charles - Fenella Carruth (England Series), Patricia Merton (England Series): To be honest, I started reading this series for the Archie/Daniel pairing and I do love them, but I fell absolutely head over heels for Pat and Fen! I love how much Fen admires Pat, and how Pat was initially a little envious/contemptuous of how pretty and floofy Fen is, until she realizes that Fen isn't at all shallow, and realizes how clever and awesome she is. I really wanted more Pat and Fen adventures after I finished the books, so that's why I'm requesting this series for Yuletide!
Pretty much anything about Pat and Fen would make me happy, but if you need some ideas, here are a few prompts:
-Post-canon fic about Pat and Fen having adventures. Unofficially solving more murders at country house parties as they did in Proper English, or perhaps they are recruited by Archie and Daniel to help with some sort of spy mission. Perhaps they need to infiltrate some sort of setting like a women-only spa/health retreat, for whatever reason? Maybe to get close to the wife or mistress of a suspected spy or blackmailer, or maybe the woman is the suspect?
-Pat entering a shooting competition with Fen cheering her on. Maybe a competitor gets shot not so accidentally, and they have to find the killer.
-Pat and Fen having a romantic evening or weekend getaway. Smut is very welcome, but PG romance is equally welcome--I just love them being in love with each other!
-Pat and Fen visiting one or both of Pat's brothers, maybe going to the Merton family home for Christmas? Or if you prefer, they can be visiting Fen's family. Maybe some sort of trouble ensues that they need to help resolve, and/or they try to steal some time alone together?
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Fish Girl - David Weisner and Donna Jo Napoli - Fish GIrl (Fish GIrl): I love this graphic novel so much, and I love that there's so much potential for worldbuilding, backstories, and future fic! I only requested Fish Girl (aka Mira) to maximize chances of matching, but feel free to include any of the other characters if you want.
Some suggested prompts, but as always, they're only suggestions and if you have an idea of your own, go for it!
-Where did Fish Girl/Mira come from? Is she really an orphaned mermaid, or somehow got separated from her family and they come looking for her post-canon? How did Octopus come to be baby Fish Girl's companion/caretaker?
-A story about young Fish Girl being raised by Neptune. Did he always see her as a meal ticket, or did he actually have some fatherly feelings for her in the early days?
-What if Neptune really was the god Neptune? Maybe his powers have been weakened because no one believes in the gods anymore, which is why he's reduced to running a boardwalk aquarium? If you're familiar with the Percy Jackson series and want to do a crossover, I'd be cool with that.
-Post-canon fic. What happens to Mira after the book ends? Does she go to live with Human Girl (aka Livia) and her mom? How does she adjust to normal human life? Does she ever go back to the sea, possibly regaining the power to switch between human and mermaid? Or she remains fully human, but is drawn back to the water, maybe pursuing some ocean-related career as an adult, like marine biologist or working on a ship or even becoming a pro surfer? Does she ever meet Octopus again?