Dear Yuletide Author...

[thisisthemorning]

Dear Yuletide author,

Thank you so much for offering one of my fandoms! I can't wait to see what you're going to come up with - these are all canons I've loved for years and years, so I'm super excited for any new fic in any of them. If you've come to this letter via the letters post, my AO3 name is also thisisthemorning :D

I'm absolutely a believer in 'optional details are optional', so if none of my prompts spark your imagination, feel free to come up with something else! I just a have a few things I would love to see in general and a few things I generally don't like to read so I'll put those first of all:

In General

Likes - I'd be happy to see any of these!:
- long plotty fic
- pre- or post-canon
- happy endings (including AU/fix-it endings)
- friendships or relationships forged through sharing a dangerous situation
- hurt/comfort (including: people getting really beaten up/physically damaged/abused in some way and then being rescued by a loved one; people bravely soldiering on through illness or injury so that they don't let down their friends, winning the day, and finally being overcome by their ailment and having to be cared for, and this ultimately deepening a relationship into romance, deep friendship, or substitute parent relationship - especially if it causes a change of heart about a relationship!)
- unresolved sexual tension
- serious injury and recovery
- adventure!

Dislikes: 
- first person or second person narrative
- PWPs/lemons
- super fluffy fic
- porny/kinky fic (sex scenes should fade to black, please)
- AUs (eg hipster AU, high school AU, coffee shop AU etc)
- character bashing

Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce

Characters requested: Kel

Signup details: Kel is probably my favourite Tamora Pierce character, because I think we really see her grow into herself through the series, and she's portrayed as someone who has a lot of strengths but also has character flaws to overcome or learn to deal with. I would love to see any of the following (alone or in combination):

- Kel strengthening her relationship with any of the authority figures in her life, ideally post-canon - particularly Raoul, Wyldon, or Alanna. Maybe facing a new challenge with them, or helping each other through some danger or difficulty as equals and adults rather than as teacher/student? A mentor/mentee power dynamic is fine - I just like the idea of seeing more of the shift in those relationships in Kel's adulthood.
- Kel learning how to be a better commander, maybe trying to do the 'stubborn lone hero' thing one last time to protect those she loves, but ultimately learning that sometimes you have to let other people face danger too?
- Kel hurt/comfort - I love Kel's stoicism and stubborness in the face of danger, even when she gets hurt - she definitely does the 'carrying on despite being injured and facing terrible odds' thing well! Still, I would also love to see the aftermath of that - when she's won, and her friends make her sit down and be cared for. 
- Any story showing what happens next, post-canon, for Kel. What adventures does she face? Does she still feel she has to prove herself? How do her relationships grow and change?

I don't mind if Kel ends up in a romantic relationship with someone as part of the story (although I'd prefer not to see canon ships be broken up) but for this fandom I'd rather the story wasn't focused on romance. I've also read all of the Tortall books, so feel free to mention details from across the Tortall universe!

Things I would love: Kel character growth; cameos from Nealan, Wyldon, Raoul, Alanna, or Kel's animal friends; adventures! danger! excitement! 

Things I wouldn't enjoy so much: romance-centered fic, Kel being portrayed as helpless or always having to be rescued, crack

Long Live the Queen

Characters requested: Elodie

Signup details: I love this game, and I particularly love how you can twist Elodie's personality into so many different versions depending on your choices. I'd really be happy to see anything that deals with Elodie making those choices for herself, or responding to them in some way - maybe even a fic that in some way breaks the fourth wall and has Elodie wondering why she's chosing a certain way?

Or, something I would be really excited to see in this fandom would be a story that managed to incorporate time travel into Elodie's story somehow - not so much in the sense of a time loop (since I know that's been done!) but more in the sense of her being able to go back in time to try and fix specific things and then return to the present, Being Erica-style. Or maybe Elodie is able to go back in time to try and save her mother from dying in the first place with the skills she's learned from preparing for her coronation! Or perhaps even an AU where Elodie can see into the future and uses that knowledge to choose what to do.

Alternately, an AU where Elodie isn't preparing for the coronation for some reason would be really interesting - either because she's not a princess at all, or has an older sibling, or her family has already been deposed, or her father leaves the country with her, or some other reason - and yet still somehow gets drawn into the intrigues of the game's plot, maybe even still has the chance to become a lumen, and perhaps ends up on the throne anyway or ends up pulling the strings somehow in any case.

I don't mind if you want to ship Elodie with someone, so long as the ship develops as part of the plot rather than being established from the beginning! (Unless that's because there's a framing story with flashbacks or something)

Things I would love: references to the choice-making aspect of the gameplay, Elodie showing self-awareness, magic and adventures!

Things I wouldn't enjoy so much: an unhappy ending, a story that focused solely on romance

Emelan – Tamora Pierce

Characters requested: Daja Kisubo, Dedicate Frostpine

Signup details: I got two really amazing Emelan stories for last year's Yuletide (here!), but I love the series so much I just had to ask for it again! I've re-read the all the Emelan books again recently, and I really enjoyed how much we saw of Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy's travels. I'd love to see Daja and Frostpine's travels or experiences fleshed out more than in the books - or perhaps them travelling together post-canon, and facing some kind of danger where they work together as adults but where Frostpine is also still Daja's trusted mentor. Perhaps this could involve travelling with the Traders some more, so that Daja can explore her heritage with all its contradictions. I'd also love to see Daja get the opportunity to explore her sexuality, either pre- or post- Will of the Empress. 

Generally, any scenario where Daja and Frostpine have to get through a dangerous adventure together would be wonderful, with insights into their relationship and them having to work magic together. I love stories where characters succeed against the odds, especially if they're fighting through trauma of some kind to do so! (injury, terrifying experiences, fear for loved ones, etc).

Alternatively, I'd love to see Daja facing up to some of the aspects of her past as a Trader, then trangshi, then a Trader again, that she hasn't yet dealt with or faced up to, and Frostpine helping her through that as her friend and mentor.

Things I would love: Trader references/words, mentoring, character growth, Daja discovering her sexuality more, magical workings, a focus on The Circle Reforged era, cameos from the other characters (particularly Briar, Evvy, Lark, or Rosethorn), Daja mind-speaking with her friends

Things I wouldn't enjoy so much: anything super fluffy, because I don’t think it fits with the characters or the canon, or ship!fic between Daja and Frostpine (or Daja and any other male character)

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Thank you again, and feel free to get in touch with me here or via the mods if you want any more info or clarifications! Anonymous commenting is enabled on this entry :)