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jenettHello, dear Yuletide writer! Thank you so much for writing for me.
If seeing previous letters and recs is helpful, they're all in my Yuletide tag. I am![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
jenett if you want to look at what I've written.
Treats are very welcome.
In keeping with this year's revisions to character requests, I've gone lightly on my requested characters but suggested other people in the optional details that might be fun. Go with what works for the story you want to tell!
Worldbuilding, especially worldbuilding which makes canon make more sense, or clarifies something - those moments where everything lines up, and you go "Oh, that's how that works." If you're making a choice between plotty story and something focusing on character or world, feel free to indulge in the latter.
People being competent, and I'm here for all kinds of competence, whether that's about skill, knowledge, problem-solving, or finding the best in other people. I'm also here for whatever kind of geekery you want to get up to - magical theory, folklore, obscure byways of knowledge, cooking, crafting, history, technology, etc.
People being good to each other. Drama and narrative tension are necessary things for the plot, but for Yuletide, I'd love a story that is fundamentally about people being good to each other and hopeful, at least at the end.
(aka my do not wants)
There are some things that don't work for me at Yuletide length, or that I'd rather not read. I've added notes to the canon sections where there might be any confusion, but please feel free to inquire through the mods if you're not sure.
1) No explicit sex, graphic violence, language choice, or bigotry beyond where the canon itself goes.
One of my canons has some period antisemitism, but I'd prefer to it to be touched on as relatively lightly as the canon does (i.e. it's not ignored that that's a thing people do or an attitude people have, but it's not focused on in dialogue more than it has to be.)
2) Non-canon relationships, AUs, and crossovers depend a lot on setup for me, so please not for this exchange.
By AU I mean 'something that makes a fundamental change in the worldbuilding, arc of the work, or events of the work' And on the relationship front background changes to minor characters are fine, but please don't break anyone up, or write people out of the relationships they were in at that point in the canon.
3) No situations where every teacher (including professors) is stupid, entirely unobservant, abusive, etc.
Obviously, not all teachers are great, but narratives where every teacher is lousy at their profession or has no care for their students are awful for me.
4) No stories that focus on despair or bad things happening.
Look, the world remains a mess out there in a lot of ways. Unpleasant plot events are fine, just please focus on a hopeful note, or people being good to each other in the aftermath, etc.
Requested characters
- Luke Doomsday
What I love about this series:
I really love the whole gloriously entangled bit of Kent that Charles has laid out here. Seeing how the two books in this series overlap (some 15 years apart), and the implications of that is one of the things that particularly delighted me, but also how the characters interact with the landscape, the history, the family opinions.
Canon specific notes:
Happy to have explicit scenes in fic in this canon (though I am as much here for the characters and interesting details as I am for that.)
Ideas:
- I'm fascinated by Luke's past history. What was it like for him to go to school (and in that period?) He glancingly refers to it a few times.
- What was it like for Luke to talk to Gareth about some of those experiences - learning things that are outside Luke's family experiences, and that Gareth at least has some more experience of?
- Of course the mention of Lord Corvin pricked my ears right up, as one of Luke's previous employers. (If you haven't read Charles's Band Sinister, that's where Corvin and the rest of the Murder appear.)
If you're so inclined, I'd love to see a bit of Luke's employment here, whether that's about when he first arrives, when he first ends up in bed. Or even about why he doesn't think of going back to them when things go horribly wrong. (I can't assume it was an awful 'never show your face again' ending, it's got to be that they're up to their necks in something else, and Luke knows it.)
- I am also honestly here for Luke interacting with anyone, and for his very competent very demanding self.
Requested characters
Daniel Da Silva
Bill Merton
(I've selected that featuring either one of them is just fine, you don't need to include both.)
Canon specific notes:
This would be where the canon antisemitism note might apply: the levels it occurs in canon around Daniel are fine, just don't make it the focus of the story.
What I love about this series:
The time and place (especially the time) of all of the consequences of choices in the Great War coming home to roost. I also love the pulp fiction aspect of the plot (the Zodiac stuff, so over the top, but also so true to certain fiction of the period!)
Ideas:
1) Apparently my brain is just at "How is Daniel these days?" about this series this year. I'm fascinated by his shift from what we see in the England books, where he's an independently minded difficult but brilliant agent to him running things. I'd love a case that illuminates how that changes (including Archie is glorious, of course).
2) I'd also love to see more about how Daniel's relationships with other people in the Bureau change. That's especially true for Bill Merton.
What's it like for Bill, given where he's now working? (And who he's working for?) In some ways, the shift to his current work is fairly straightforward (he was already heading that way in Think of England) but one suspects he has had to get slightly more pragmatic about getting things done, in the process. What was that like for him?
3) One of the things I found fascinating in the trilogy is the point where Bill turns up, Will considers it and then decides to share information. Utterly not what Kim would do, but a good decision.
What was Daniel and Bill's conversation about that like? (Likewise, what were some of their conversations during any of the epic chaos of, well, okay a lot of the trilogy when Kim was out of contact for one reason or another.)
4) Related to the epilogue that ties the England series to the Will Darling Adventures (link to the PDF on Charles' site): I'm fascinated by what future conversations between Kim and Daniel might bring up. They're from utterly different worlds, and yet they're very much alike in how they use their cleverness, the trouble it gets them into, and the ways they are self-deprecating or cutting to themselves before anyone can do it to them, and the way they are utterly committed to excelling in what they do.
Give me future conversations about that, where they're too much alike or one where Daniel has to pull Kim up short because Kim is going down a road that absolutely cannot end well and Daniel has experience with exactly why.
Requested character
Kira Darvis
What I love about this movie:
Honestly, it's just a delightful romp that enjoys its source material to the hilt, and knows what to do with it. I love the different kinds of relationships we see, the way that those matter, and the way they change everything.
Ideas:
For this request, honestly, I'm really interested in Kira. Everyone else is great, but all these events happen at such a key stage in Kira's life. (In other words, include whoever else you want, so long as she's also a meaningful part of what's going on.)
- What's it like for her during the years she's living with Forge? (and while he's scheming his way into his position once the plot picks up?) Does she spot things that are off? Is she dubious of Sofina? Do other people in her environment want to get her favour, and what does she think of that?
- After the events of the movie, what does she do with herself? These people aren't just going to settle down entirely, obviously.
- I also love basically all her interactions with Holga, and I'd love to see them talking through things more once there's a quiet minute.
Requested character
Lady Isabel
What I love about this ballad:
There's just plain so much context that doesn't get mentioned here. Who is Lady Isabel? Why is she even going out the window with this Elf Knight? Why is he insistent on murdering the daughters of kings by drowning them?
Ideas:
I'll be honest here and say that part of my reason for requesting this one has to do with a current (modern, with fantasy elements) gaming character, named Isobel, who has recently discovered that yes, she was named for the song. She has all sorts of thoughts about that since she's also discovered magic, knows about number of people who might reasonably be described as "elf knight", and so on.
I obviously don't expect you to do anything with any of that specific data - but I would love a story that gets into the ballad's Isabel's head about what choices she's making, what she's weighing at each point.
Does she ever find out why he's been killing princesses?
Or what happens when she comes home in the morning, or when people find out what she's done. And what sort of world is she living in where this is a thing that happens, she has a plan once it becomes clear what's going on, etc.
If seeing previous letters and recs is helpful, they're all in my Yuletide tag. I am
Treats are very welcome.
General notes
In keeping with this year's revisions to character requests, I've gone lightly on my requested characters but suggested other people in the optional details that might be fun. Go with what works for the story you want to tell!
Things I love
Worldbuilding, especially worldbuilding which makes canon make more sense, or clarifies something - those moments where everything lines up, and you go "Oh, that's how that works." If you're making a choice between plotty story and something focusing on character or world, feel free to indulge in the latter.
People being competent, and I'm here for all kinds of competence, whether that's about skill, knowledge, problem-solving, or finding the best in other people. I'm also here for whatever kind of geekery you want to get up to - magical theory, folklore, obscure byways of knowledge, cooking, crafting, history, technology, etc.
People being good to each other. Drama and narrative tension are necessary things for the plot, but for Yuletide, I'd love a story that is fundamentally about people being good to each other and hopeful, at least at the end.
Please don't
(aka my do not wants)
There are some things that don't work for me at Yuletide length, or that I'd rather not read. I've added notes to the canon sections where there might be any confusion, but please feel free to inquire through the mods if you're not sure.
1) No explicit sex, graphic violence, language choice, or bigotry beyond where the canon itself goes.
One of my canons has some period antisemitism, but I'd prefer to it to be touched on as relatively lightly as the canon does (i.e. it's not ignored that that's a thing people do or an attitude people have, but it's not focused on in dialogue more than it has to be.)
2) Non-canon relationships, AUs, and crossovers depend a lot on setup for me, so please not for this exchange.
By AU I mean 'something that makes a fundamental change in the worldbuilding, arc of the work, or events of the work' And on the relationship front background changes to minor characters are fine, but please don't break anyone up, or write people out of the relationships they were in at that point in the canon.
3) No situations where every teacher (including professors) is stupid, entirely unobservant, abusive, etc.
Obviously, not all teachers are great, but narratives where every teacher is lousy at their profession or has no care for their students are awful for me.
4) No stories that focus on despair or bad things happening.
Look, the world remains a mess out there in a lot of ways. Unpleasant plot events are fine, just please focus on a hopeful note, or people being good to each other in the aftermath, etc.
The Doomsday Books - K.J. Charles
Requested characters
- Luke Doomsday
What I love about this series:
I really love the whole gloriously entangled bit of Kent that Charles has laid out here. Seeing how the two books in this series overlap (some 15 years apart), and the implications of that is one of the things that particularly delighted me, but also how the characters interact with the landscape, the history, the family opinions.
Canon specific notes:
Happy to have explicit scenes in fic in this canon (though I am as much here for the characters and interesting details as I am for that.)
Ideas:
- I'm fascinated by Luke's past history. What was it like for him to go to school (and in that period?) He glancingly refers to it a few times.
- What was it like for Luke to talk to Gareth about some of those experiences - learning things that are outside Luke's family experiences, and that Gareth at least has some more experience of?
- Of course the mention of Lord Corvin pricked my ears right up, as one of Luke's previous employers. (If you haven't read Charles's Band Sinister, that's where Corvin and the rest of the Murder appear.)
If you're so inclined, I'd love to see a bit of Luke's employment here, whether that's about when he first arrives, when he first ends up in bed. Or even about why he doesn't think of going back to them when things go horribly wrong. (I can't assume it was an awful 'never show your face again' ending, it's got to be that they're up to their necks in something else, and Luke knows it.)
- I am also honestly here for Luke interacting with anyone, and for his very competent very demanding self.
The Will Darling Adventures - K.J. Charles
Requested characters
Daniel Da Silva
Bill Merton
(I've selected that featuring either one of them is just fine, you don't need to include both.)
Canon specific notes:
This would be where the canon antisemitism note might apply: the levels it occurs in canon around Daniel are fine, just don't make it the focus of the story.
What I love about this series:
The time and place (especially the time) of all of the consequences of choices in the Great War coming home to roost. I also love the pulp fiction aspect of the plot (the Zodiac stuff, so over the top, but also so true to certain fiction of the period!)
Ideas:
1) Apparently my brain is just at "How is Daniel these days?" about this series this year. I'm fascinated by his shift from what we see in the England books, where he's an independently minded difficult but brilliant agent to him running things. I'd love a case that illuminates how that changes (including Archie is glorious, of course).
2) I'd also love to see more about how Daniel's relationships with other people in the Bureau change. That's especially true for Bill Merton.
What's it like for Bill, given where he's now working? (And who he's working for?) In some ways, the shift to his current work is fairly straightforward (he was already heading that way in Think of England) but one suspects he has had to get slightly more pragmatic about getting things done, in the process. What was that like for him?
3) One of the things I found fascinating in the trilogy is the point where Bill turns up, Will considers it and then decides to share information. Utterly not what Kim would do, but a good decision.
What was Daniel and Bill's conversation about that like? (Likewise, what were some of their conversations during any of the epic chaos of, well, okay a lot of the trilogy when Kim was out of contact for one reason or another.)
4) Related to the epilogue that ties the England series to the Will Darling Adventures (link to the PDF on Charles' site): I'm fascinated by what future conversations between Kim and Daniel might bring up. They're from utterly different worlds, and yet they're very much alike in how they use their cleverness, the trouble it gets them into, and the ways they are self-deprecating or cutting to themselves before anyone can do it to them, and the way they are utterly committed to excelling in what they do.
Give me future conversations about that, where they're too much alike or one where Daniel has to pull Kim up short because Kim is going down a road that absolutely cannot end well and Daniel has experience with exactly why.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
Requested character
Kira Darvis
What I love about this movie:
Honestly, it's just a delightful romp that enjoys its source material to the hilt, and knows what to do with it. I love the different kinds of relationships we see, the way that those matter, and the way they change everything.
Ideas:
For this request, honestly, I'm really interested in Kira. Everyone else is great, but all these events happen at such a key stage in Kira's life. (In other words, include whoever else you want, so long as she's also a meaningful part of what's going on.)
- What's it like for her during the years she's living with Forge? (and while he's scheming his way into his position once the plot picks up?) Does she spot things that are off? Is she dubious of Sofina? Do other people in her environment want to get her favour, and what does she think of that?
- After the events of the movie, what does she do with herself? These people aren't just going to settle down entirely, obviously.
- I also love basically all her interactions with Holga, and I'd love to see them talking through things more once there's a quiet minute.
Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight (Traditional Ballad)
Requested character
Lady Isabel
What I love about this ballad:
There's just plain so much context that doesn't get mentioned here. Who is Lady Isabel? Why is she even going out the window with this Elf Knight? Why is he insistent on murdering the daughters of kings by drowning them?
Ideas:
I'll be honest here and say that part of my reason for requesting this one has to do with a current (modern, with fantasy elements) gaming character, named Isobel, who has recently discovered that yes, she was named for the song. She has all sorts of thoughts about that since she's also discovered magic, knows about number of people who might reasonably be described as "elf knight", and so on.
I obviously don't expect you to do anything with any of that specific data - but I would love a story that gets into the ballad's Isabel's head about what choices she's making, what she's weighing at each point.
Does she ever find out why he's been killing princesses?
Or what happens when she comes home in the morning, or when people find out what she's done. And what sort of world is she living in where this is a thing that happens, she has a plan once it becomes clear what's going on, etc.
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Date: 2024-01-03 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2024-01-03 04:08 am (UTC)