Dear Yuletide Writer...

[flamebyrd]

Previous Yuletide letter: 2009

General Guidelines

I provided a few prompts, but feel free to ignore them if they're not working for you! I'm sure I'll be thrilled with whatever I get for my requests.

Things I Like

- As a general rule, I like things light-hearted. It doesn't have to be fluffy, just a generally positive feel.
- First-times rather than established relationships
- Happy or at least hopeful endings. Very important! Don't make me sad.
- Character interaction and team dynamics. Snark, bonding over mutual interests, that sort of thing.
- Deep affection between characters that slowly turns to love.
- Case fic, if it's a crime show. Best when combined with some kind of emotional progression.
- "Downtime" fic, ie. where the characters do something fairly mundane, like go shopping (as long as it's in character!)
- Future fic, particularly where the characters haven't seen each other in a while
- Other tropes I am partial to: amnesia, road trips, family reunions / high school reunions

Things I Dislike
- Breakups, particularly of canon couples.
- Definitely no: graphic violence, non/dub-con, BDSM, humiliation. I'm very easily squicked.
- This is probably unlikely to be a problem, but graphic torture and/or mutilation can and has caused me faint.
- Zombies. Just... don't.

Fandoms and Prompts

Drina Series - Jean Estoril

Medium: Children's books from the 50s and 60s (although, oddly, the final two were published in the 90s)
Summary: School series about Drina Adams, who is studying at a dedicated ballet school. Her mother was a famous ballerina but, after discovering this in her early teens she decides not to tell anybody and to succeed on her own merits.

Tell me happy future fic! Maybe Drina and Jenny's daughters meet at school? Or a Rose and Drina moment?

This is the obligatory nostalgia request. Despite not really caring about ballet at all I loved these books as a kid.

At the end of the series there was a bit of a rift growing between Rose and Drina. I would really like to see that resolved! If you go the kid-fic route, Drina's daughter would clearly have inherited her temper and would leap wildly to the defense of other children.

Harley Quin - Agatha Christie

Medium: Short stories from the 20s and 30s
Summary: In every story, the elderly and observant Mr. Satterthwaite unexpectedly encounters the mysterious Mr. Quin, and something unusual happens. There is usually a romantic situation involved that they manage to resolve.

I admit it, I really want these two to get together romantically in some fashion. But if not, casefic all the way! Quin mysteriously appears and helps Satterthwaite reunite young lovers, as is the way of things.

I love Quin's entire role; how mysterious he is and how quaint and charming his love of lovers is.

Circle of Magic - Tamora Piece

Medium: Novels for young adults
Summary: Four children are brought together and due to various circumstances and become very close friends (they refer to each other as siblings). They all have different types of powerful elemental magic. Hijinks ensue.

I would really like for Daja to find a girlfriend! You could bring back Rizu somehow, or find her an OFC, either would be lovely.

If you're not comfortable writing romance, I'd like to see Daja working on a new magic+metal project. (Or both of these combined! :D)

In summary, just make Daja happy.

I love all of the kids, but Daja is my favourite. I like how calm and pragmatic she is. Feel free to include as much as the others as possible, though!

Mimi wo Sumaseba | Whisper of the Heart

Medium: Movie (Japanese animation)
Summary: It's about a teenaged girl who follows a cat she sees catching the train to a beautiful old antiques shop. Also, every book she's been reading in the town library has previously been taken out by one guy and she really wants to meet him. Plus, she's trying to rewrite "Take Me Home Country Roads" into Japanese but it's not working very well. And then there's this annoying boy who makes fun of her...

In conclusion, teen movie of my heart. (And I didn't even get to the bit with marathon novel-writing.)

Wouldn't it be awesome if while he was in Europe Seiji managed to find his grandfather's lost love? Yes, it's sappy, but hey, this is Yuletide!

If that's not your cup of tea, I'd like to see Shizuku writing while Seiji works on an instrument. Go from there however you wish.

If my summary wasn't enough to clue you in, what I love about this movie is that it has all these fabulous elements that come together to form a wonderfully geeky kind of romance. (They read the same books! It must be love!)