Dear Yulewriter (2023)

[graycardinal]

Greetings, O YuleScrivener, and welcome!

First of all, thank you! As a longtime requester of Seriously Obscure Fandoms™, I'm constantly amazed when the matching process succeeds in finding authors who have actually heard of and fallen in love with the canons I so persistently request. I am also invariably delighted on Christmas morning when wonderful and wondrous stories land in my AO3 gift-folder. In particular, I've gotten some truly excellent treats in recent years, as well as a stream of gorgeous gifts - it boggles my mind that the Yuletide community is as consistently productive - and as consistently talented - as it is, and the fact that some of those stories are written just for me never ceases to amaze me.

With the evolution in Yuletide customs over the last few years, my detailed fandom requests, prompts and all, are mirrored straight from the signup itself. Anyone needing further details regarding a specific request should email the Yuletide mods. (As far as I'm concerned, this goes both for assigned writers and prospective creators of treats - to which I remain very much open - unless and until the mods tell us otherwise.)

My AO3 dashboard is linked to your left; feel free to cruise it looking for fandoms of mutual interest (or just to see what all I've written for). Here on DW, all my fic-exchange letters are tagged "dear santa" as well as to the relevant exchanges, Yuletide included. For those of you willing and able to feed my endless desire for crossovers and fusions, let those listings be your guide to prospective combinations.

Now, then: here's what you need to know about my reading tastes:

Things I like:
Text-driven pluses for me include effective use of wit (aka banter aka snark, etc.), as well as strong characterization & dialogue. I value both respect for and clever use of canon, including well-developed canon-divergence AUs. I thrive on UST (heavy on both U and T), and am mostly neutral where gen/het/slash is concerned; if the pairing is well-developed, I'll read with an open mind.

I am also a sucker for the well-executed crossover, whether via oblique allusion or head-on fandom collision. Yuletide being Yuletide and Optional Details Being Optional, I have absolutely no expectations along this line...but that's why I include the Extremely Optional Bonus Points section in all my requests, because I live in a state of perpetual hope and enthusiasm. Feel free to take up these challenge or set them aside as you prefer.
DNWs:
I've resisted writing specific DNWs for years – not because I don’t have preferences, but because I hate framing them as absolute negatives. I’m a flexible reader, and the story I want most out of Yuletide is the one you want to tell me rather than the one that’s living in my own head (that one, if I want it badly enough, I can always write myself). But here too, both Yuletide customs and a few of my own boundaries have shifted, So, a few general notes beyond those in the signup proper.

On explicit sex generally: The DNW text in my requests is meant to discourage gratuitous smut/PWP; it is not meant to forbid frank treatment of sexual matters when that's appropriate for the story you're telling, especially in those cases where I may have brought up romantic or sex-related prompts on my own nickel. In general, if your muse takes you into explicit territory in the context of a prompt I've given, or if there's context for it in source canon, I am willing to come along for the ride.

Specific sex-related squicks: non-con, incest, or adult/child kinks; power-imbalanced sex/romantic partnerships (teacher/student, boss/underling, etc.) Romantic partnerships explicitly inconsistent with canon: that is, please don't break up an established canon pairing, or invalidate a character's established preferences/identity; please do feel free to thoughtfully establish or expand a character's preferences in ways that amplify canon. (Also see specific fandoms for notes.)

Alt-setting AUs (baristas/high-schoolers/etc.): I fall for worlds; transplanting characters out of those worlds just isn't my jam.

Now for the specific requests:

Diana Winthrop series - Kate Chambers (any character)
Admin:
* A story about any one or more of the nominated characters will satisfy this request.
* Treats are both welcome and encouraged!

Background:
The Winthrop books are a teen-sleuth series (six slim paperbacks from the mid-'80s) set mostly in New York and New England, with "Kate Chambers" being a pen name for versatile writer Norma Johnston -- a fact I didn't learn till much later. The individual mysteries are dedicated to (and often cleverly plotted in the style of) various classic and then-famous mystery authors, the characterizations are much more nuanced than is usual for this category, and there’s a strong ongoing ensemble cast (including a major and well-rendered secondary character who’s blind).

DNW:
Just in case: please, no Lydian/Diana slash. Between canon’s implied Lydian/Rob Winthrop (which I approve of) and Lydian’s mentor/protegé vibe with Diana, that hits my squick radar multiple ways.

Notes:
As obscure as this series is, I've evidently managed to sell at least one or two new readers on these books over the past couple of years, so there are now more actual prompts in this request than there used to be. Nonetheless, this is what I tend to describe as an "Oliver Twist" request -- what I really and truly want most is simply more, and I am pretty much guaranteed to be delighted whether or not you actually follow any of the prompts given.

Prompts:
One of the really nifty things about Diana's adventures was the multi-generational family dynamic. That's a big reason that in addition to Diana herself, I chose Jacintha (who's clearly an adult here, if pretty new-minted; I see her as mid-20s at the outside), Gran Culhaine, and Lydian Sinclair (who looks likely to become part of the Winthrop clan ere long) to represent the ensemble. I'd like to see familial texture here, whether in the context of a case/adventure or a more personal sort of tale. Feel free to bring in others from the extended cast as appropriate, and to look for story ideas both from Diana's past (the Boston contingent as kids? Diana's original "acting" days?) and future (what does she end up doing career-wise?) as well as the series' present.

Extremely Optional Bonus Points:
The crossover junkie in me points out that Diana's NYC/Boston home base and detective interests make for plausible run-ins with a great variety of other source canons, including at least one of my other current requests, and someone (other than me!) has already nudge-winked a connection between Diana's Ross cousins and a certain family of MCU military and espionage professionals. More generally, see (1) my works and gifts received on AO3, and (2) all entries tagged “Dear Santa” in my DW journal, and assume that any fandom represented therein is welcome.*

Enola Holmes series - Nancy Springer (Cecily Alistair)
Admin
* Treats are welcome and encouraged.

DNW:
I'm open to romantic themes for this request, but not to explicit sex, and not to noncon or power-imbalanced pairings of any kind. Characters may and should speak frankly about their feelings and desires, but any actual consummation should occur offscreen. Also, please avoid character-bashing except where it's consistent with canon (as, for instance, in the climax of Elegant Escapade).

Notes: I generally like the films, but this request is specifically for the prose characters. As of signups, I've finished Elegant Escapade and will have Mark of the Mongoose read by the time stories are due.

The fact that I've specified Cecily alone should not be taken to mean that I'm not interested in seeing other characters appear; quite the contrary. I'm just looking here for a story in which Cecily is the focus/anchor/catalyst, wherever and with whomever that idea may lead.

Prompts: In the first six books, Cecily Alistair is a cipher; Springer never quite commits to a specific portrayal. Elegant Escapade changes that equation, more directly acknowledging her dual nature and its catalyst. I'd like to see more of this evolution, especially from Cecily's own perspective. The one frustrating element of Elegant Escapade is (for all that it makes decent clinical sense) is the choice to separate Cecily and Enola as the book concludes; feel free to work around that event as much as you can, or to go fully off into a canon-divergent AU.

Springer also dodges any direct confirmation of either Cecily's or Enola's romantic inclinations (unlike the second movie, darnit!). It's clear that Enola and Cecily are very close to one another emotionally; I'm open to that bond being either platonic or romantic, so long as the relationship is thoughtfully developed. Alternately - and optionally, given that neither appears in the tag set - it would be fascinating to see Cecily interacting with either Mary Morstan Watson or Florence Nightingale.

Extremely Optional Bonus Points:
As usual, this is where I point out potential crossovers of highly variable degrees of improbability...noting as i go that any such thing is well above and beyond the call of duty. In the "relatively more probable" class, one might have a look at how Cecily could fit into the Mary Russell universe. An unlikelier but potentially exotic match would be to put Cecily in the path of Elizabeth Peters' Emerson/Peabody clan. And a really obscure observation: it's been an age since I re-read the book, but I suddenly recall that there is a family of Alistairs in Richard Boyer's Holmesian pastiche The Giant Rat of Sumatra (one of my two favorite "giant rat" explanations, Fred Saberhagen's Holmes-Dracula File being the other - and wouldn't that be an intriguing if cracktastic blending of universes?).

Jackie Chan Advantures (any character)
Admin:
* A story about any one or more of the nominated characters will satisfy this request.
+ Treats are both welcome and encouraged.

DNW
Per usual, avoid explicit sex (not that it's a likely issue with this fandom and character set). I also like Jade better as her original young self, not as Future Jade from very late in canon.

Prompts:
This series is all about the capers, the action, and the snappy comebacks. Here, there are two natural duos in the tag set - Daolon Wong vs. Uncle (even bet as to whether the chi magic or the one-liners score the most damage) and Jade & Viper (girls' night out, undoubtedly featuring shenanigans - no, not THAT kind!). That said, you're absolutely welcome to mix things up and bring in whichever series character(s) you like to play off of whichever nominated player strikes your fancy. Optional details being optional, I'll save specific ideas for the next section....

Extremely Optional Bonus Points:
First, some thoughts on what to do with one tag set character plus guests from canon: sic Tohru's mother on Uncle, have Viper match wits with Captain Black, see if SuperMoose can take down Daolon Wong. (Can you tell I'm optimizing for snark here?) But I wouldn't be me if I didn't also suggest that Jackie and his friends are also prime candidates for crossover action - the artifact-hunt series premise takes in a lot of territory, and it would be immensely fun to see one or more J-Team members play the competing-heist game with the Leverage crew or the Librarians, or find themselves on SG-1's radar, et cetera.

Planet Builders - Robyn Tallis (any character)
Admin:
* A story about any one or more of the nominated characters will satisfy this request.
* Treats are both welcome and encouraged.

DNW
In keeping with the PG/PG-13 tone of the books, romance should be kept within canon-consistent bounds - in particular, do not pair Dr. Ives with any of the teen characters. EXCEPTION: see below.

Background
The "Planet Builders" books were a 10-book paperback series (from the '80s, like the Winthrop books) involving a large teen cast on a colony world with ongoing plots involving psi powers, mysterious native aliens, and light interplanetary intrigue. "Robyn Tallis" was a combine with authors including Sherwood Smith, Bruce Coville, Mary Frances Zambreno, and collaborators Debra Doyle & James Macdonald. The overall tone was akin to classic space opera with modern sensibilities and a touch of Tom Swift (not unlike A. C. Crispin's Starbridge series), and character-driven humor was skillfully integrated to keep the tone light. Also, while the teens are the stars, there are well-characterized grownups in the mix as well - an unusual touch for this genre.

Prompts
If you know the books at all, you likely glommed onto them for the same reasons I did, and have a good idea of what will make me go SQUEE with the greatest and most squeeful volume. Lost cities, clever plans gone amusingly and comic-disastrously (but not too painfully) wrong, gentle romance, swashbuckling action - it's all there, and this is really truly a case where I'm like Oliver Twist, and "please sir, may I have some more" will do very nicely indeed. Feel free to set a story inside/between canon events or after (even long after) the series concludes, as the muse demands. Making use of Daphne's theatrical interests counts as a definite bonus but in no way a requirement.

Extremely Optional Bonus Points:
EXCEPTION to DNWs: If you have access to and can duplicate the tone of the Highly Apocryphal Book #11, which I have admittedly never seen save as occasionally alluded to way back on GEnie's SFRT, go for it (just be sure to indicate clearly that that's where you're going)! (And if you do have access and permission to circulate, I want a copy!)

Power Rangers Dino Thunder (Tommy Oliver)
Admin:
* Treats are both welcome and encouraged.

DNW
Not looking for romance/sexual content here, though mention of canonical relationships is certainly OK. Also not looking for excessive angst/tragedy/etc. Primary focus should be on he Dino Thunder era and characters, as opposed to the character's extended history in franchise continuity, except as specifically discussed below.

Prompts:
Yes, this is absolutely me being nostalgic about Jason David Frank in general and this particular Ranger team in particular; as such, I am definitely looking for something relatively upbeat here - and for all that this request names Tommy alone, you're welcome and encouraged to bring in others from the ensemble (and not necessarily the obvious ones). Some thoughts: either a pre- or post-series encounter with Elsa. A story involving Tommy actually teaching (we don't get nearly enough of Dr. O in the classroom onscreen), maybe featuring Derrick, whom I had to look up (and can thereby see why he's in the tag set). A background tale involving Tommy and Hayley, or maybe one with Tommy and Dr. Mercer before the latter becomes Mesogog. Feel free to use any of these or none, and to bring in any or all of the actual Rangers even though I've not given them much attention here.

Extremely Optional Bonus Points:
I do have a couple of thoughts on Tommy-centric stories that, strictly speaking, fall outside the Dino Thunder orbit. One would be an epistolary piece in which he's corresponding (during the events of DT) with another Ranger from earlier on. Another would be Tommy's initial meeting and bonding with Wes from Time Force, as these two seem to know each other fairly well by the time we see Tommy reappear much later in extended canon. A third would be Tommy's acquisition of the Master Morpher (unless that's a thing he got as a result of contact with Time Force...).

Stealing the Elf-King's Roses - Diane Duane (any character)
Admin:
* A story about any one or more of the nominated characters will satisfy this request.
* Treats are both welcome and encouraged.

DNW
Romance is just fine if kept to canonical and canon-consistent pairings and movie-ratings; in particular, let's not give any undue screen time to Lee's ex.

Background
Possibly one of Diane Duane's most obscure books ever, and yet I think it's one of her very best. The concept is more or less a riff on Randall Garrett's "Lord Darcy" concept (magic as science) with modern sensibilities a la the CSI or Law & Order franchises, with a political thriller plot and a bonus romantic element thrown in - and the climax is an extended multiversal rollercoaster ride like WHOA. Really fortunately, one can easily get the Author's Preferred Edition as an ebook from Duane's Web-store.

Prompts:
Either pre-canon (how did Lee choose her profession, and how did she become successful in it?) or post (featuring either Lee's personal or professional life) would be entirely welcome, with or without Gelert and/or the Laurin. Alternately, a solo turn for Gelert could be fascinating, or perhaps a closer look at the Laurin being the Laurin and what an Elf-King's day job actually looks like. This is very much an "Oliver Twist" request - when I say "please, may I have some more", the more in and of itself is a reward all on its own.

Extremely Optional Bonus Points:
If you're so inclined - and this is way out into Optional Details Being Optional territory - I would be inordinately fascinated with anything that manages to formally interweave this canon and the Young Wizards universe. It seems relatively clear from certain context in the climax that the two are at least nearish neighbors, but there's not a whole lot to go on even in the ebook's preferred text.