betony

Hello! You've stumbled across the Dreamwidth account of Betony. Most of my fic is archived elsewhere; this is mostly for the occasional fannish rambling.

Another year, another Yule! Thank you so much for writing for me, or at least taking the interest in my requests to check this letter out! This continues to be the year/exchange of asking for the obscure but incredibly dear books of my childhood! Which is to say, Author, if you know or love any of these--cheers! I applaud your taste.

Requests are all arranged alphabetically by fandom name, and all equally beloved and woefully rare in the wild. Most important of all, I hope you write something you love and enjoy creating; but if you'd like a bit more guidance, read on:

AO3 name: betony

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. Slow-burn relationships and wry banter. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

Treats: Absolutely welcome!

General dislikes/DNWs (please see fandom specific clarifications in their own section): E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on angst/hopelessness.

Dragon Chronicles - Susan Fletcher
Any (Kaeldra, Jeorg, Kara, Worldbuilding)

I was lucky enough to recieve an amazing gift for this for Candy Hearts, which has also served to convince me that the world could use more fic for this series! I loved the world of this book, and Jeorg and Kaeldra both individually and as a couple ("People ought to stare at you" was one of the impossibly romantic lines my preteen self swooned over). They--understandably-- don't get much buildup, but are an impressive example of enemies-to-lovers done so well; the tension between them as well as the reasons why they can't (and then can) be together is painfully clear. We also don't get much of Jeorg's perspective, and while the book's perspective requires him to be opaque, feel free to explore what he is thinking during canon, and what pulls him towards and against Kaeldra. Or: I'd love to see something about their happily-ever-after. The glimpses we see of them make it clear that they are able to blend their cultures and backgrounds, but how was that process? How does Kaeldra adjust from being always thought of as an unwanted outsider? Or, if you like AUs, I'd be fascinated by a canon-divergence AU for these two. Maybe Jeorg lets things slip earlier? Maybe Kaeldra chooses differently? Tell me about any and all of the what-ifs that strike you about this book!

Alternatively, if you are into Kara-- I'd love something that explores the links between her and Kaeldra, aside from that tiny easter egg at the end of FotDK. Timey wimey shenanigans so that either of them end up in the other's time period? Kaeldra trying to piece together her ancestor's life from conflicting evidence? Amazing, love it.

For any of these characters-- I love faux academia and myth/legends (especially the ways they twist from the truth), so something that explores how Kara's stories, or Jeorg and Kaeldra's, are explored by future generations would be so neat! Show me all the exasperated historians arguing over whether the dragon references are metaphor or not; or how to reconcile three different accounts of where someone was supposed to be at any given date. Any and all of that would be so fun!

Goddess of Yesterday - Caroline B. Cooney
Any (Anaxandra, Andromache, Cassandra, Helen)

This book was an utter best beloved, and one of the gateways into my abiding love of Greek mythology, and specifically the Trojan War cycle. My prompts, therefore, might be lacking, but that is just because I have a hard time articulating what I'd adore from the series, except MORE. I love Anaxandra's perspective, fresh and familiar all at once, and I love this book's original takes on such well-known mythological characters. I would adore to know what happens next--or, as a particular delight, what the rest of the Trojan war and the returns look like in this universe! (If you want to borrow characters or stories from Euripedes or Aeschylus and put them in this universe, that is absolutely fine, even if it features characters other than those in the tagset). Anaxandra's point of view would be incredible, particularly given her unique position as knowing and understanding so many of these women-- but I love the characterizations of all the other three women in the tagset, whether cheerful Andromache, or a startling sinister Helen, or darling Cassandra fighting so hard to reclaim her agency (and recovering it for a brief glorious instant at the book's end). I also love the way the prose of this book is so wonderfully lived-in, the way Anaxandra's descriptions of the world around are intriguingly slantwise-- tell me worldbuilding about the myths, and how they differ in this universe! Is the truth as Anaxandra knows it already being twisted and altered, and if so, what is her reaction to it? Alternatively, tell me more about this version of Hector and Andromache (sweet in all of their appearances, but especially as kind but naive adolescents in this version), or Helen and Paris (a dark AU of their usual depictions), or this Cassandra finding a happier ending than the one she usually gets!

Fandom specific DNW clarification: Obviously assault and unhappiness are very much a part of Greek myth, so I ask only that the story not feature any graphic, on-page assault. I also understand and am ok with a darker fic than in other fandoms for this fandom.

The Squire's Tales
Gawain, Terence, Eileen

My beloved eternal Yuletide fandom; I love the snarkiness, I love the characters and inclusion of obscure Arthuriana, and most of all I love the way it very much buys into the idealism of the mythos while savagely picking it apart. This is another where I would really just crave one more adventure in the style of canon, perhaps adapting an Arthurian tale that isn't covered by canon. I really do adore almost all the characters, so feel free to have any cameos you enjoy! Naturally any canon-typical adventures would be lovely, but also, if you like shipfic: five times Terence and Eileen's marriage/relationship wasn't discovered and once it was? Or: a canon-divergence AU that's fascinated me has been Ganscotter's declaration that Terence would have been changed if he had been raised in knowledge of his true otherwordly/royal origins--so what if just that had happened anyway? How would Terence come to meet Gawain and Eileen in this universe, and what would his relationships with them look like?

Dear author, I hope at least some of these prompts were helpful! I'm sure I'll love anything you produce for one of these fandoms. Thank you, once again, and I hope you have a seriously fantastic Yuletide as well!

Thank you so much for writing for me, or at least taking the interest in my requests to check this letter out!
Requests are all arranged alphabetically by fandom name, and all equally beloved and woefully rare in the wild. Most important of all, I hope you write something you love and enjoy creating; but if you'd like a bit more guidance, read on:

AO3 name: betony

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on angst/hopelessness.

Exiles Series- Melanie Rawn
Sarra Liwellan| Sarra Ambrai, Collan Rosvenir
This series was one I only recently discovered, but what a fun surprise! The worldbuilding is so enjoyable, and I love how Sarra and Collan in particular both play on and subvert the larger character archetypes from which they're derived. If you would like to write inter-book slice-of-life for these two, with bickering and banter and plenty of political scheming, I would be delighted; and just so if you are inspired to write a post-book 2 fix-it. Or, if you are a fan of AUs: tell me more about the AUs where the Ambrai sisters are raised together, or swap childhood circumstances with each other, and what becomes of their relationships as a result, whether with each other, or with other significant characters. Or, as mentioned above, with any AU that you might have come up with to explore the worldbuilding or relationships of this universe in more detail!
Of note: consent issues do show up in backstories and as references in canon itself. I am okay with canon-typical references, but would prefer that this not be the main focus of the story.

The Squire's Tales

Terence, Eileen, Gawain

My beloved eternal Yuletide fandom; I love the snarkiness, I love the characters and inclusion of obscure Arthuriana, and most of all I love the way it very much buys into the idealism of the mythos while savagely picking it apart. I really do adore almost all the characters, so feel free to have any cameo, or stick in any references to other Arthurian legends or stories the series doesn't cover. Naturally any canon-typical adventures would be lovely, but also, if you like shipfic: five times Terence and Eileen's marriage/relationship wasn't discovered and once it was? Or: a canon-divergence AU that's fascinated me has been Ganscotter's declaration that Terence would have been changed if he had been raised in knowledge of his true otherwordly/royal origins--so what if just that had happened anyway? How would Terence come to meet Gawain and Eileen in this universe, and what would his relationships with them look like?

Vicky Bliss series - Elizabeth Peters
Vicky Bliss, John Tregarth
Oh man, these two. It's not even so much the mysteries as much as I love Vicky's horribly deadpan humor, and John's snark, and how incredibly adorable these two are together. As much as I love Amelia Peabody, I'm even more disappointed there won't be another Vicky Bliss adventure out, and as is usually the case when I realize these things, I turn to you, Yuletide, to fill the gap! Which is to say, any Vicky/John adventure in the flavor of the books would be much appreciated. Or: John and Vicky lend themselves to any number of wacky tropes, such as accidental or faked marriage, heist romp, and something playing with that would be lovely! Or--any AU at all: what would a role-reversal AU, with canon personalities intact, look like? (Answer: terrifying.) Or: Kidfic. Because any offspring of Vicky and John is bound to be terrifying and a trouble magnet, and put on this earth to pay back his or her parents for the misery they caused others. Imagine an oblivious! kid POV, as Vicky and John's past returns for the three of them!

Dear author, I hope at least some of these prompts were helpful! I'm sure I'll love anything you produce for one of these fandoms. Thank you, once again, and I hope you have a seriously fantastic Yuletide as well!

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on angst/hopelessness.

Georgian History RPF
David Soslan,Tamar Queen of Georgia

(Please note no knowledge exceeding the Wikipedia article is necessary for this prompt! I have a great deal to learn myself.)I can't help but think that Queen Tamar was awesome, omigosh, but I must admit that there is still a great deal I could stand to learn about her, so anything you want to teach me about her would be great! I find her relationship with David Soslan really interesting too, particularly as compared with her relationship with her first husband; unlike Yuri, David was notable for his complete support of her (he seems to be satisfied with the status of prince consort), and what's more, he was apparently a student of Tamar's Aunt Rusudan, which means it's possible for them to have known each other when younger. So something dealing with their relationship would be neat--but I must admit Tamar fascinates me far more, so if you want to focus more on her, I will absolutely not complain.

The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Elena de la Vega, Alejandro Murrieta
I would really like something Elena-centric; I always have to wonder why the creators never spend much time, in either this movie or the sequel, on the character who arguably undergoes the most upheavals during the running time. How in the world does Elena react to finding out that her father isn't really her father, the random servant she's been talking to actually is her biological father, the man who's been courting her is a peasant instead of a nobleman (and also, y'know, Zorro.) More intriguingly, she also gets a chance to reevaluate her impression of her mother--what does she find out about Esperanza? How do any or all of these affect her? Judging from the sequel, it seems Alejandro was the one to inherit the de la Vega title; how, why, and how does Elena feel about that?If you're up for plotty adventure fic, Alejandro implies in the sequel that she joined him on his exploits as Zorro, and certainly her behavior implies she's no stranger to self-defense, so Elena being heroic and awesome, either with Zorro or on her own? If you like AUs, a story where Diego isn't identified/imprisoned, Esperanza lives, and Elena (either with or without her parents' blessing) takes up the masked fight for justice, maybe crossing paths along the way with a horse bandit named Alejandro Murrieta? (I think Elena/Alejandro also needs a fair bit of development, in both canon and AUs, to get us to where they are in Legend of Zorro, so dealing with that is also something I'd be interested in!) Finally, I love AUs, so a soulmate/daemon/etc fusion would also be much appreciated!

Vicky Bliss series - Elizabeth Peters
Vicky Bliss, John Tregarth
Oh man, these two. It's not even so much the mysteries as much as I love Vicky's horribly deadpan humor, and John's snark, and how incredibly adorable these two are together. As much as I love Amelia Peabody, I'm even more disappointed there won't be another Vicky Bliss adventure out, and as is usually the case when I realize these things, I turn to you, Yuletide, to fill the gap! Which is to say, any Vicky/John adventure in the flavor of the books would be much appreciated. Or: John and Vicky lend themselves to any number of wacky tropes, such as accidental or faked marriage, heist romp, and something playing with that would be lovely! Or--any AU at all: I was lucky enough to get the Hogwarts AU of my dreams, which has made me crave a Regency/Victorian/historical time period swap AU or or a soulmate/daemon/Pacific Rim fusion AU are also possibilities that strike me as so much fun! Or: Kidfic. Because any offspring of Vicky and John is bound to be terrifying and a trouble magnet, and put on this earth to pay back his or her parents for the misery they caused others. Imagine an oblivious! kid POV, as Vicky and John's past returns for the three of them!

I apologize for how long this is, and hope this helped somewhat! Again, though, more than anything I hope you find something that you have fun writing, and I'm sure I'll love anything you produce for one of these fandoms. Thank you, once again, and I hope you have a seriously fantastic Yuletide as well!

Another year, another Yule! Thank you so much for writing for me, or at least taking the interest in my requests to check this letter out!
Requests are all arranged alphabetically by fandom name, and all equally beloved and woefully rare in the wild. Most important of all, I hope you write something you love and enjoy creating; but if you'd like a bit more guidance, read on:

AO3 name: betony

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on angst/hopelessness.

Georgian History RPF
David Soslan,Tamar Queen of Georgia

(Because my brain has this bizarre tendency to cross fandoms, a simpler way to explain this might be as follows: I sometimes find myself thinking of Tamar as a rather nicer Irene of Attolia, with David as her Attolis--with the rocky road to queenship and the backstabbing, antagonistic nobles, and even the disastrous first marriage! Er, not that I see Tamar and David as having the same sort of ah, history or relationship, but a version of their story with the same sort of feel would be really great. But if you're not familiar with the Queen's Thief series, feel free to ignore this! That said, if you're not and you like cleverly written novels of intrigue, do check them out for your own enjoyment!)

Hazard (Short Story)- Georgette Heyer
Helen Morland, Granville Marquis of Carlington
For one of Heyer's shorter works, "Hazard" involves a surpringly lot of plot, and a couple who--despite the reader's less than promising introduction to them--actually seem to like and respect each other. Helen in particular is a delight--steely and jaded and <i>angry</i> in a way few Heyer heroines are allowed to be. At first, the prospect of a woman being won at the card table was decidedly offputting, and certainly I have to wonder why Carlington associated with Helen's horrible half-brother and his cronies, but then! the implied mutual pining in the backstory (tell me more about that! How did they fall so in love that drunk Carlington behaves so outrageously, and that Helen seem supremely confident in taking her bets with him over Brother Ralph?), and the turn into hilarious farce with Carlington's fiance (I laughed through the scene of them talking at cross-purposes as much as Helen did)--basically, "Hazard" is a set up both for tropey delight and silly humor, and I would be so pleased to read more of both!

The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Elena de la Vega, Alejandro Murrieta
I would really like something Elena-centric; I always have to wonder why the creators never spend much time, in either this movie or the sequel, on the character who arguably undergoes the most upheavals during the running time. How in the world does Elena react to finding out that her father isn't really her father, the random servant she's been talking to actually is her biological father, the man who's been courting her is a peasant instead of a nobleman (and also, y'know, Zorro.) More intriguingly, she also gets a chance to reevaluate her impression of her mother--what does she find out about Esperanza? How do any or all of these affect her? Judging from the sequel, it seems Alejandro was the one to inherit the de la Vega title; how, why, and how does Elena feel about that?If you're up for plotty adventure fic, Alejandro implies in the sequel that she joined him on his exploits as Zorro, and certainly her behavior implies she's no stranger to self-defense, so Elena being heroic and awesome, either with Zorro or on her own? If you like AUs, a story where Diego isn't identified/imprisoned, Esperanza lives, and Elena (either with or without her parents' blessing) takes up the masked fight for justice, maybe crossing paths along the way with a horse bandit named Alejandro Murrieta? (I think Elena/Alejandro also needs a fair bit of development, in both canon and AUs, to get us to where they are in Legend of Zorro, so dealing with that is also something I'd be interested in!)

Hopefully at least one of these prompts fired the imagination! More than anything I hope you find something that you have fun writing, and I'm sure I'll love anything you produce for one of these fandoms. Thank you, once again, and I hope you have a seriously fantastic Yuletide as well!

Thank you so much for writing for me, and/or presumably sharing fannish love for these fandoms! As ever, my chief request is that you have fun with whatever you create; I've found that honestly leads to the best fics. On the other hand, if you'd like a bit more guidance, feel free to read on:

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

(Of note, I've reused many of these prompts, often because the authors who wrote using them in the past created such wonderful fics for them that I hope that they were helpful and useful!)

Ancient Greek Religion and Lore
Odysseus/Penelope
Andromache/Hektor

I really love all the fic retellings of Greek myth authors produce, and in past exchanges, the authors I've been lucky enough to have write something for me have usually produced works more amazing than anything I could think to request, so first off, if there is an idea that calls to you, please go for it! If you'd like more direction, though, some notes: what I really crave this year is getting-together fic, preferably with a side of snark or political intrigue. Whether you want to have an unexpected meeting when courting Helen (badly)--or a long-standing childhood snarky sweetheart romance, adaptations--when they mention it at all--are inconsistent when it comes to the circumstances that led to Odysseus famously trading the Oath of the Horse for Tyndareus' support of his marriage. Which of course leaves the door open for anything from plotty adventure to pure fluff, and I'D LOVE TO SEE IT ALL. The Spartan princesses having adventures -- or trying to rescue Helen from Theseus, perhaps--and running into a young Odysseus! Odysseus attempting to win over Penelope's cousins/sisters, even scarier than getting Ikarios's blessings! The couple bonding over stealth-mockery of every other guest of Tyndareus--the possibilities are endless!
On the other hand, with our other couple: I'd love to see light-hearted with them; there's no rule saying Hektor, Tamer of Horses, can't have a sense of humor:) Or, alternatively, consider a wacky AU—Hogwarts? Soulmark? Drift-compatibility? All or more of the above?

Arang and the Magistrate
Arang/Kim Eun-oh
I would LOVE post-canon fic about Arang and Eun-Oh; my heart initially sank when I saw where things were heading in the finale, but Arang, as always, lifted my spirits once she started chewing Eun-Oh out again. So tell me the story of Arang following Eun-Oh around, earnestly and terrifyingly bent on filling him in on all that he's missed ( Or, tell me the story of him trolling her for YEARS on end, with his pretend amnesia!) How the heck do his parents react when he tells them who he wants to marry? Or fill in the plot hole of when she would have been able to tell him not to drink the water of forgetfulness in the first place - apparently both of them must have met up at some point during the time skip which happened off screen, but was there more to that than just a simple conversation? Was there even a grand adventure in heaven that we never got to see?

Cruel Beauty-Rosamund Hodge
Marcus Valerius Lux/Nyx Triskelion

I confess to being skeptical when picking this book up, but in the end I couldn’t resist a dark Cupid and Psyche retelling. That said, I still don’t feel as though I have a very clear idea of what changes came about in the altered universe of the ending, or even where Shade/Ignifex and Nyx go from here, so anything either exploring how history was changed, or what happens next would be great. Otherwise, how do you recover from doubled-memories, or a life spent tormenting others? Are there any other pseudo-Greek-myth stories that exist and make up the worldbuilding of this universe? Finally, outsider POV from the perspective of a future canon next-gen trying to piece together the past, or their parents’ relationship is a trope I enjoy, so feel free to use that as a prompt!

Georgian History RPF
David Soslan/Tamar Queen of Georgia

The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Alejandro Murrieta/Elena de la Vega

I would really like something Elena-centric; I always have to wonder why the creators never spend much time, in either this movie or the sequel, on the character who arguably undergoes the most upheavals during the running time. How in the world does Elena react to finding out that her father isn't really her father, the random servant she's been talking to actually is her biological father, the man who's been courting her is a peasant instead of a nobleman (and also, y'know, Zorro.) More intriguingly, she also gets a chance to reevaluate her impression of her mother--what does she find out about Esperanza? How do any or all of these affect her? Judging from the sequel, it seems Alejandro was the one to inherit the de la Vega title; how, why, and how does Elena feel about that?If you're up for plotty adventure fic, Alejandro implies in the sequel that she joined him on his exploits as Zorro, and certainly her behavior implies she's no stranger to self-defense, so Elena being heroic and awesome, either with Zorro or on her own? If you like AUs, a story where Diego isn't identified/imprisoned, Esperanza lives, and Elena (either with or without her parents' blessing) takes up the masked fight for justice, maybe crossing paths along the way with a horse bandit named Alejandro Murrieta? (I think Elena/Alejandro also needs a fair bit of development, in both canon and AUs, to get us to where they are in Legend of Zorro, so dealing with that is also something I'd be interested in!)

In conclusion, dear chocolatier , I hope at least some of these prompts manage to fire your imagination (and also that your eyes haven’t glazed over reading this awfully long letter. Sorry again about that!), and also that you have a wonderful time in this exchange as well! Thank you once again for having the impeccable taste to sign up for one of these fandoms, and I look forward to being able to squee about them together after reveals!

AO3 Name: betony

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

(Of note, I've reused some of these prompts, often because the authors who wrote using them in the past created such wonderful fics for them that I hope that they were helpful and useful! Also, fandoms are all equally beloved.)

Arang and the Magistrate
Arang, Kim Eun-oh, Jade Emperor
Even after all these years, this show always brings a smile to my face with its quirky worldbuilding and prickly characters. Anyway, I would LOVE post-canon fic about Arang and Eun-Oh; my heart initially sank when I saw where things were heading in the finale, but Arang, as always, lifted my spirits once she started chewing Eun-Oh out again. So tell me the story of Arang following Eun-Oh around, earnestly and terrifyingly bent on filling him in on all that he's missed ( Or, tell me the story of him trolling her for YEARS on end, with his pretend amnesia!) How the heck do his parents react when he tells them who he wants to marry? Or fill in the plot hole of when she would have been able to tell him not to drink the water of forgetfulness in the first place - apparently both of them must have met up at some point during the time skip which happened off screen, but was there more to that than just a simple conversation? Was there even a grand adventure in heaven that we never got to see? Which brings me to my second request: if your muse is absolutely not able to cooperate with writing about those two, I adored the mythology in the series and world building about the politics of heaven and hell would be grand. If it's not apparent, tricksy but benevolent gods are....kind of one of my favorite narrative tropes, and the Jade Emperor certainly delivers.

The Mirror Visitor Quartet- Christelle Dabos

Any

I have been utterly charmed—with the quirky worldbuilding, the intricate characterization, Thorn/Ophelia's grumpy romance, and the delicate political and personal struggles in the background—to the point of quite simply craving more. That said, while half-remembered school French might get me through the basic plot of Book Four, it’s not enough for me to appreciate the intricacies, so my only real request is that familiarity with the yet untranslated novel not be necessary for your fic (If you are lucky enough to have access and understanding of Book Four, however, incorporating spoilers is perfectly fine!) But otherwise: Thorn/Ophelia, and their complicated relationship in a canon-divergence AU of your choice! Any of the above, as well as other characters in a wacky AU of your choice (ie, Hogwarts, soulmark, etc.) Have at it!

The Odyssey - Homer
Odysseus, Penelope
Honestly, largely because of having been lucky enough to receive amazing fic for these two in the past, what I really crave this year is getting-together fic, preferably with a side of snark or political intrigue. Whether you want to have an unexpected meeting when courting Helen (badly)--or a long-standing childhood snarky sweetheart romance, adaptations--when they mention it at all--are inconsistent when it comes to the circumstances that led to Odysseus famously trading the Oath of the Horse for Tyndareus' support of his marriage. Which of course leaves the door open for anything from plotty adventure to pure fluff, and I'D LOVE TO SEE IT ALL. The Spartan princesses having adventures -- or trying to rescue Helen from Theseus, perhaps--and running into a young Odysseus! Odysseus attempting to win over Penelope's cousins/sisters, even scarier than getting Ikarios's blessings! The couple bonding over stealth-mockery of every other guest of Tyndareus--the possibilities are endless!

Vicky Bliss series - Elizabeth Peters
Vicky Bliss, John Tregarth
Oh man, these two. It's not even so much the mysteries as much as I love Vicky's horribly deadpan humor, and John's snark, and how incredibly adorable these two are together. As much as I love Amelia Peabody, I'm even more disappointed there won't be another Vicky Bliss adventure out, and as is usually the case when I realize these things, I turn to you, Yuletide, to fill the gap! Which is to say, any Vicky/John adventure would be much appreciated. Or: John and Vicky lend themselves to any number of wacky tropes, such as accidental or faked marriage, heist romp, and something playing with that would be lovely! Or--any AU at all: I was lucky enough to get the Hogwarts AU of my dreams, which has made me crave a Regency/Victorian/historical time period swap AU or or a soulmate/daemon/Pacific Rim fusion AU are also possibilities that strike me as so much fun! Or: Kidfic. Because any offspring of Vicky and John is bound to be terrifying and a trouble magnet, and put on this earth to pay back his or her parents for the misery they caused others. Imagine an oblivious! kid POV, as Vicky and John's past returns for the three of them!
Or: if you love angst, and both of the above options are way too fluffy for you, John's perspective during Night Train to Memphis. Because like most Vicky Bliss fans, I find this the best book of the lot. (Consider this an exception to the no-angst DNW above!)

I apologize for how long this is, and hope this helped somewhat! Again, though, more than anything I hope you find something that you have fun writing, and I'm sure I'll love anything you produce for one of these fandoms. Thank you, once again, and I hope you have a seriously fantastic Yuletide as well!

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

(Of note, I've reused some of these prompts, often because the authors who wrote using them in the past created such wonderful fics for them that I hope that they were helpful and useful! Also, fandoms are all equally beloved.)

Arang and the Magistrate
Arang, Kim Eun-oh
Seeing this in the tagset was a pleasant surprise, as was the realization that other people are equally fannish about this wonderful show. Anyway, I would LOVE post-canon fic about Arang and Eun-Oh; my heart initially sank when I saw where things were heading in the finale, but Arang, as always, lifted my spirits once she started chewing Eun-Oh out again. So tell me the story of Arang following Eun-Oh around, earnestly and terrifyingly bent on filling him in on all that he's missed ( Or, tell me the story of him trolling her for YEARS on end, with his pretend amnesia!) How the heck do his parents react when he tells them who he wants to marry? Or fill in the plot hole of when she would have been able to tell him not to drink the water of forgetfulness in the first place - apparently both of them must have met up at some point during the time skip which happened off screen, but was there more to that than just a simple conversation? Was there even a grand adventure in heaven that we never got to see?

The Dalemark Quartet- Diana Wynne Jones
Manaliabrid, Old Ammet, Libby Beer, The One

I am particularly fascinated by the Undying: Manaliabrid, her relationships with the Adon, her mother, and her children Almet and Tanabrid and Kastri. The truth behind Libby Beer and Ammet's backstories, or at least their relationship: the scene where Libby Beer laughs at Mitt's concern was one of those that always stuck with me. The One and his twistiness and kindness--contradictory, but both part of his character. (I also adore Robin, Cennoreth, Mitt, and maybe-Maewen? So adding them would be a delight, if you would want.) Otherwise, once again, author, I really will adore anything and everything you produce, up to and including an in-universe and self-contradictory collection of Dalemark myths--the worldbuilding of this series is a great love of mine!

The Squire's Tales

Lynet, Roger|Gaheris

My beloved eternal fandom; I've specifically focused on Lynet and Gary, stars of my favorite book. Lynet and her practicality and steadfast unromantic nature is a delight, as is her banter with Gary, so anything that bridges the gap between SD&D and Lioness and her Knight would be amazing. How do they find their lands when they first move in and get used to building a life together? Exactly how dramatic is Lynet's pregnancy and Luneta's birth and early childhood? Or, if you want to cross them over with another Arthurian tale, that would be great -- I admit, I would LOVE to see what Lynet would make of Geraint and Enid (or Gary, for that matter.) I adore both Arthur and Gawain, as well as Terence and Eileen, and I'd love to also see them feature, if you also adore them! Cameos from Lyonesse, Gareth, or Morgan would also be fantastic! 

First off, thank you so much for agreeing to write for one of these stories! Honestly, having any fic centering around them is a delight, so I'm sure I'll adore whatever you write. I hope my requests aren't too confusing, and that you find something you'd enjoy writing in them! I've tried to combine both things I find interesting about the canon, as well as prompt ideas in this letter, but if you already have an idea in mind, go for it!

Fandoms are alphabetized by name, and equally beloved.

DNW: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

( Cupid and Psyche- Apuleius )

( �stenfor sol og vestenfor m�ne | East of the Sun and West of the Moon )

( The Cat Who Became A Queen )Again, thank you so much for writing for me, and I look forward to reading your wonderful fic, come reveals!

AO3 Name: betony

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

Ancient Greek Religion and Lore
Eros/Psyche
Andromache/Hector

Eros/Psyche

The versions of this story, both pro- and fan- fic, that I've read include a vampire AU, an ancient Japan AU, and a Regency AU, among others--and I've loved them all. Pretty much any AU, therefore, whether it's another version of those above, or something new (Everyone in fandom! Hogwarts! Soulmates!) is something I will adore to bits. If possible, I would prefer not to receive a straightfoward modern AU (i.e., a coffeeshop or high school AU, without some other twist as noted above)--not because I dislike them by any means, but I've just read so many of them for this fandom recently that I'd love to see something different!
As I've said before, one of my favorite characteristics about Psyche is her grit. While many adaptations emphasize her love and devotion, understandably, I've always been fascinated by her sheer audacity in the tasks she completes: in my rough mythology timeline, Psyche is actually the first person to make it to the Underworld alive (and regardless of when you see her story taking place, she's certainly the first woman, and the only one to go in not armed with any divine blood whatsoever, given that even Odysseus is distinctly descended from Hermes.) A retelling that gives her more agency and personality would be fantastic.
Alternatively, Eros/Cupid often gets glossed over in retellings. What, exactly is he thinking? What leads him to fall in love with a mortal to the point of marrying her and defying his mother, as opposed to having the brief liaisons the other gods have? How long was Psyche meant to stay in the dark, literally and figuratively, and why? How is it that his anger cools at last, in time for him to save Psyche; or, many versions have Eros be the source of Psyche's supernatural help during her quests, and if so, why doesn't he help before then?
Finally, Psyche and Eros' future means that a crossover with other parts of Greek mythology would be very easy to bring about. I've been lucky to receive lovely crossovers with Andromeda and Ariadne, and something more along those lines would be great--or, with any other Greek myths you would like to include!

Andromache/Hector

Hektor/Andromache are definitely my Iliad OTP. This Yuletide I was lucky enough to receive the fic of my heart for them, and so I'll paraphrase my previous request here, in hopes that the prompts below were helpful (but by all means, if you’d like to create something completely different, feel free! I will still adore it!): I love Andromache, and her relationship with Hektor, but also those glimmers of further characterization: her giving tactical advice to Hektor, Hektor's later mention of her as specifically tending to his horses out of love to them, her being the only sister of a houseful of brothers. While I love the way people give a more traditional Andromache so much strength, I'm equally fascinated by the possibility of a horse-mad, military-minded Theban princess that no one in Troy, except possibly Hektor, knows what to do with; or, what if Andromache didn't follow Hektor's advice to leave the war to the men quite as completely as we imagine?. My only particular request with these two is that I'd love to see something pre-canon, rather than the terrible misery that awaits them- heck, I'd love to see light-hearted with them; there's no rule saying Hektor, Tamer of Horses, can't have a sense of humor:) Or, alternatively, consider a wacky AU—Hogwarts? Soulmark? Drift-compatibility? All or more of the above?

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell-Susanna Clarke
Arabella Strange/Jonathan Strange

Jonathan is an arrogant, obsessive failboat, particularly when it comes to his relationship with Arabella, but I find them both fascinating despite the bumps in their marriage. One of the images that sticks with me is that of Arabella driving their carriage in TLOGA—despite everything, they seem perfectly happy and unconventional together, and their supportiveness ans spark of banter between each other is something I love in their marriage. We know that Jonathan and Henry were childhood friends, and so Jonathan probably knew Arabella from a young age too, but I confess I'd love to see something about their early courtship--you'll never be able to convince me it was anything but hilarious. Or there is so much that the series glosses over with regards to their life--a missing adventure featuring both during which Arabella saves the day would be amazing!

The Sherwood Ring
Barbara Grahame/Peaceable Drummond Sherwood
This is such a delightful book, and I adore the interactions between the two! In particular I love Barbara's cleverness and Peaceable's banter, but both have such endearing narrative voices that I am charmed anew with every re-read. I am particularly curious how plain-spoken, patriotic Barbara will fit into Peaceable's aristocratic world, and something exploring that, with continued intrigue and adventures, would be excellent! Or: Peaceable sneaking into the Grahame wedding reception is one of my favorite parts, so a canon divergence where he does get to meet Barbara during those three years? Or, this couple lends itself particularly well to one (or more!) fusions/AUs! I would be delighted to see how these two find each other in other worlds, and how or whether that changes their interactions: does magic make Barbara more crafty? Do dragons make Peaceable even more outrageous and jaded? Etc., etc. (As a note, I love Richard and Eleanor, too, and would be delighted to see them feature as well. I would prefer no incest or adultery, though.)

Thank you once again, and I look forward to discovering what you’ve been kind enough to create on Valentine’s Day!

AO3 Name: betony

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

The Iliad - Homer

Hektor, Andromache

Hektor/Andromache are definitely my Iliad OTP. Again, I'll paraphrase a previous request here: I love Andromache, and her relationship with Hektor, but also those glimmers of further characterization: her giving tactical advice to Hektor, Hektor's later mention of her as specifically tending to his horses out of love to them, her being the only sister of a houseful of brothers. While I love the way people give a more traditional Andromache so much strength, I'm equally fascinated by the possibility of a horse-mad, military-minded Theban princess that no one in Troy, except possibly Hektor, knows what to do with; or, what if Andromache didn't follow Hektor's advice to leave the war to the men quite as completely as we imagine?. My only particular request with these two is that I'd love to see something pre-canon, rather than the terrible misery that awaits them- heck, I'd love to see light-hearted with them; there's no rule saying Hektor, Tamer of Horses, can't have a sense of humor:) Or, alternatively, consider a wacky AU—Hogwarts? Soulmark? Drift-compatibility? All or more of the above?

The Squire's Tales

Lynet, Roger|Gaheris

My beloved eternal Yuletide fandom; this year I've specifically focused on Lynet and Gary, stars of my favorite book. Lynet and her practicality and steadfast unromantic nature is a delight, as is her banter with Gary, so anything that bridges the gap between SD&D and Lioness and her Knight would be amazing. How do they find their lands when they first move in and get used to building a life together? Exactly how dramatic is Lynet's pregnancy and Luneta's birth and early childhood? Or, if you want to cross them over with another Arthurian tale, that would be great -- I admit, I would LOVE to see what Lynet would make of Geraint and Enid (or Gary, for that matter.) I adore both Arthur and Gawain, as well as Terence and Eileen, and I'd love to also see them feature, if you also adore them! Cameos from Lyonesse, Gareth, or Morgan would also be fantastic! 

The Mirror Visitor Quartet- Christelle Dabos

Any

I plunged into the first two books of this series and have been utterly charmed—with the quirky worldbuilding, the intricate characterization, and the delicate political and personal struggles in the background—to the point of quite simply craving more. That said, while half-remembered school French might get me through the basic plot of Book Three, it’s not enough for me to appreciate the intricacies, so my only real request is that familiarity with the yet untranslated novel not be necessary for your fic (If you are lucky enough to have access and understanding of Book Three, however, incorporating spoilers is perfectly fine!) But otherwise: Thorn/Ophelia, and their complicated relationship in a canon-divergence AU of your choice! Farouk and Berenilde and their complicated relationship pre-canon! Any of the above, as well as other characters in a wacky AU of your choice (ie, Hogwarts, soulmark, etc.) Have at it!

Once again, thank you so much for writing for me! I hope you have fun, and absolutely cannot wait to read your gift on Christmas morning!

DNW: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

( Cupid and Psyche- Apuleius )( Østenfor sol og vestenfor m�ne | East of the Sun and West of the Moon )( Kupti and Imani )( The Cat Who Became A Queen )( The Lute Player )

Again, thank you so much for writing for me, and I look forward to reading your wonderful fic, come reveals!

Thank you so much for writing for me, and/or presumably sharing fannish love for these fandoms! As ever, my chief request is that you have fun with whatever you create; I've found that honestly leads to the best fics. On the other hand, if you'd like a bit more guidance, feel free to read on:

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, ALL THE AUs, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.

General dislikes: E-rated sex/violence/gore (M or milder is fine), consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.

(Of note, I've reused many of these prompts, often because the authors who wrote using them in the past created such wonderful fics for them that I hope that they were helpful and useful!)

Greek Mythology
Andromache/Hektor
Odysseus/Penelope

With regards to Andromache/Hector, I love the glimpses of their relationship we get in canon: her giving tactical advice to him, his later mention of her as specifically tending to his horses out of love to them, her being the only sister of a houseful of brothers. I'm equally fascinated by the possibility of a horse-mad, military-minded Theban princess that no one in Troy, except possibly Hektor, knows what to do with; or, what if Andromache didn't follow Hektor's advice to leave the war to the men quite as completely as we imagine?. Again, my only particular request with these two is that I'd love to see something pre-canon, rather than the terrible misery that awaits them- heck, I'd love to see light-hearted with them; there's no rule saying Hektor, Tamer of Horses, can't have a sense of humor:)

I love Odysseus and Penelope together, outwitting each other and everyone else around them, so: tell me about their courtship, one outwitting the other, or even Telegony fix-it fic (because honestly, I can't help but find that a terribly disappointing end for these two).

For both or either couple, political intrigue is something I find fascinating, as well as couples who are extraordinarily competent at ruling/manipulating/getting stuff done, so exploring that would be wonderful, too!

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (TV)
Arabella Strange/Jonathan Strange
Yuletide spurred a rewatch of the series, and rekindled all my love for it!
Jonathan is an arrogant, obsessive failboat, particularly when it comes to his relationship with Arabella, but I find them both fascinating despite the bumps in their marriage. We know that Jonathan and Henry were childhood friends, and so Jonathan probably knew Arabella from a young age too, but I confess I'd love to see something about their early courtship--you'll never be able to convince me it was anything but hilarious. Or there is so much that the series glosses over with regards to their life--a missing adventure during which Arabella saves the day would be amazing!
(NB: This is, of course, a prompt for the series version, but I am familiar with the novel as well and would be absolutely fine with incorporating novel canon.)

The Sherwood Ring
Barbara Grahame/Peaceable Drummond Sherwood
This is such a delightful book, and I adore the interactions between the two! In particular I love Barbara's cleverness and Peaceable's banter, but both have such endearing narrative voices that I am charmed anew with every re-read. I am particularly curious how plain-spoken, patriotic Barbara will fit into Peaceable's aristocratic world, and something exploring that, with continued intrigue and adventures, would be excellent! Or: Peaceable sneaking into the Grahame wedding reception is one of my favorite parts, so a canon divergence where he does get to meet Barbara during those three years? Or: like Vicky and John below, this couple lends itself particularly well to one (or more!) fusions/AUs! I would be delighted to see how these two find each other in other worlds, and how or whether that changes their interactions: does magic make Barbara more crafty? Do dragons make Peaceable even more outrageous and jaded? Etc., etc. (As a note, I love Richard and Eleanor, too, and would be delighted to see them feature as well)

I very much hope some of these prompts inspire you! Thank you once again for writing for me, and I eagerly look forward to reading your wonderful fic soon :)

Dear author, as I wade my way back to Yuletide after some time away, I just want to say: before all else, thank you in advance for loving these fandoms enough to offer them. I would be ecstatic beyond words to receive fic for any of these fandoms, so as always my first request is: please write something that you will enjoy.

General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, canon pairings, retellings or resonance with myth/folklore/etc., worldbuilding, idealism, playing with or twisting tropes, AUs, backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, outsider perspectives. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.
General dislikes: consent issues, fics that hinge solely on angst/hopelessness. (Angsty fic is perfectly fine! I would prefer at least a glimmer of hope/positivity, though, if not necessarily a happy ending.)

If you should want more details, here are some more thoughts about the fandoms and characters I've requested:

The Sherwood Ring
Peaceable Sherwood, Barbara Grahame
This is such a delightful book, and I adore the interactions between the two! In particular I love Barbara's cleverness and Peaceable's banter, but both have such endearing narrative voices that I am charmed anew with every re-read. I am particularly curious how plain-spoken, patriotic Barbara will fit into Peaceable's aristocratic world, and something exploring that, with continued intrigue and adventures, would be excellent! Or: Peaceable sneaking into the Grahame wedding reception is one of my favorite parts, so a canon divergence where he does get to meet Barbara during those three years? Or: like Vicky and John below, this couple lends itself particularly well to one (or more!) fusions/AUs! I would be delighted to see how these two find each other in other worlds, and how or whether that changes their interactions: does magic make Barbara more crafty? Do dragons make Peaceable even more outrageous and jaded? Etc., etc. (As a note, I love Richard and Eleanor, too, and would be delighted to see them feature as well)

The Squire's Tales
Lynet, Roger|Gaheris
My beloved perennial Yuletide fandom; this year I've specifically focused on Lynet and Gary, stars of my favorite book. Lynet and her practicality and steadfast unromantic nature is a delight, as is her banter with Gary, so anything that bridges the gap between SD&D and Lioness and her Knight would be amazing. How do they find their lands when they first move in and get used to building a life together? Exactly how dramatic is Lynet's pregnancy and Luneta's birth and early childhood? Or, if you want to cross them over with another Arthurian tale, that would be great -- I admit, I would LOVE to see what Lynet would make of Geraint and Enid (or Gary, for that matter.) I adore both Arthur and Gawain, and I'd love to also see them feature, if you also adore them! Cameos from Lyonesse, or Morgan would also be fantastic! 

Vicky Bliss series - Elizabeth Peters
Vicky Bliss, John Tregarth
Oh man, these two. It's not even so much the mysteries as much as I love Vicky's horribly deadpan humor, and John's snark, and how incredibly adorable these two are together. As much as I love Amelia Peabody, I'm even more disappointed there won't be another Vicky Bliss adventure out, and as is usually the case when I realize these things, I turn to you, Yuletide, to fill the gap! Which is to say, any Vicky/John adventure would be much appreciated. Or: John and Vicky lend themselves to any number of wacky tropes, such as accidental or faked marriage, and something playing with that would be lovely! Or--any AU at all: I have a soft spot for Hogwarts AUs, but a Regency/Victorian/historical time period swap AU or a soulmate AU are also possibilities that strike me as so much fun! Or: Kidfic. Because any offspring of Vicky and John is bound to be terrifying and a trouble magnet, and put on this earth to pay back his or her parents for the misery they caused others.
Or: if you love angst, and both of the above options are way too fluffy for you, John's perspective during Night Train to Memphis. Because like most Vicky Bliss fans, I find this the best book of the lot.

That said, dear author, I very much hope you find something that inspires you! Thank you once again for writing for me, and I eagerly look forward to reading it on Christmas Day!

I can hardly believe it's that time of the year again--but it is! Dear author, I love Yuletide, and I love all of these fandoms, and YOU (!) for requesting and/or treating for them, so before all else, thank you in advance. I am ecstatic beyond words to receive fic for any of these fandoms, so as always my first request is: please write something that you will enjoy. In my experience, this leads to the most amazing fics of all. If you should want more details, here are some more thoughts about the fandoms and characters I've requested:

Arang and the Magistrate
Arang, Kim Eun-oh, Jade Emperor, Yeom-ra
Seeing this in the tagset was a pleasant surprise, as was the realization that other people are equally fannish about this wonderful show. Anyway, I would LOVE post-canon fic about Arang and Eun-Oh; my heart initially sank when I saw where things were heading in the finale, but Arang, as always, lifted my spirits once she started chewing Eun-Oh out again. So tell me the story of Arang following Eun-Oh around, earnestly and terrifyingly bent on filling him in on all that he's missed ( Or, tell me the story of him trolling her for YEARS on end, with his pretend amnesia!) How the heck do his parents react when he tells them who he wants to marry? Or fill in the plot hole of when she would have been able to tell him not to drink the water of forgetfulness in the first place - apparently both of them must have met up at some point during the time skip which happened off screen, but was there more to that than just a simple conversation? Was there even a grand adventure in heaven that we never got to see? Which brings me to my second request: if your muse is absolutely not able to cooperate with writing about those two, I adored the mythology in the series and world building about the politics of heaven and hell would be grand. If it's not apparent, tricksy but benevolent gods are....kind of one of my favorite narrative tropes, and the Jade Emperor certainly delivers.

梁山伯與祝英台 | The Butterfly Lovers (Chinese Folklore)
Liang Shangbo, Zhu Yingtai
I just really love this story--it's so darling! (Wikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_Lovers -
summarizes it nicely but briefly: It's Sungkyunkwan Scandal meets Romeo and Juliet.) But moreover, it's so delightfully trope-y: Oh, you want your heroines geeky and determined? Check. You like your heroes ridiculously dense, to the point where they don't realize their best bro is definitely a girl crushing on him despite her anvil-sized hints? We can do that too. You want hilarious cross-dressing hijinks to obtain a traditionally male eduction? Yeah, that's there too. And then it all ends in horrible tragedy. (Whoops.)
But seriously, though, I love so much about this story--that the heroine's original goal is to study and learn, that she, not the hero, is the aggressor in the romance, that you can write comedy and tragedy about the characters and still have it remain true to the characters. So expanding on any of the story would be awesome!

Kate and Cecelia - Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
Kate Schofield, Thomas Schofield
Now, before all else, I do love Cecelia and James to bits as well -- I just love Kate (!) and Thomas, and their relationship, just a wee bit more and I'd love something that focused more on that. But Cecelia and James would be very, very welcome additions as well! Moreover, Kate is my especial favorite and I'd love something that filled in her learning magic, for example, or balancing the demands of Society with her knack for trouble, or more about their rowdy children.

The Squire's Tales
Lynet, Roger|Gaheris
My beloved perennial Yuletide fandom; this year I've specifically focused on Lynet and Gary, stars of my favorite book. Lynet and her practicality and steadfast unromantic nature is a delight, as is her banter with Gary, so anything that bridges the gap between SD&D and Lioness and her Knight would be amazing. How do they find their lands when they first move in and get used to building a life together? Exactly how dramatic is Lynet's pregnancy and Luneta's birth and early childhood? Or, if you want to cross them over with another Arthurian tale, that would be great -- I admit, I would LOVE to see what Lynet would make of Geraint and Enid (or Gary, for that matter.) I adore both Arthur and Gawain, and I'd love to also see them feature, if you also adore them! Cameos from Lyonesse, or Morgan would also be fantastic! 

Vicky Bliss series - Elizabeth Peters
Vicky Bliss, John Tregarth
Oh man, these two. It's not even so much the mysteries as much as I love Vicky's horribly deadpan humor, and John's snark, and how incredibly adorable these two are together. As much as I love Amelia Peabody, I'm even more disappointed there won't be another Vicky Bliss adventure out, and as is usually the case when I realize these things, I turn to you, Yuletide, to fill the gap! Which is to say, any Vicky/John adventure would be much appreciated. Or, if you would like firmer prompts, I actually have a few scenarios dreamed up:
(1) Vicky and John are getting married! Or really they're not; it's just a ploy to throw off John's old comrades - or actually they are, John just knows that's the only way to get Vicky to agree - or ha, if only does he realized that Vicky is too clever not to see through him - but in fact it's all a clever scheme facilitated by....etc. etc. to your heart's content, dear author.

(2) Kidfic. Because any offspring of Vicky and John is bound to be terrifying and a trouble magnet, and put on this earth to pay back his or her parents for the misery they caused others.

(3) Or if you love angst, and both of the above options are way too fluffy for you, John's perspective during Night Train to Memphis. Because like most Vicky Bliss fans, that is clearly the best book of the lot.

That said, dear author, I very much hope you find something that inspires you! Thank you once again for writing for me, and I eagerly look forward to reading it on Christmas Day!

Dear Author and fellow history geek,
Hello! And thank you in advance for writing something for me. I'm delighted we share an interest in these people and time periods and am delighted to learn from any insights you can offer me about them!
General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, canon pairings, retellings or resonance with myth/folklore/etc., worldbuilding, idealism, playing with or twisting tropes, AUs with subtle callbacks to canon, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.
General dislikes: explicit sex/violence/gore, consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.
Anne Neville Queen of England
Anne Neville, my forever girl :D. I love her to bits, and ship her with Richard like there's no tomorrow, but other aspects of her life I'd love to see explored: dealing with being the privileged Kingmaker's daughter (and Princess of Wales) to a traitor trapped in her brother-in-law's estate/the infamous cookery shop. Her relationship with her mother, which could have only become more twisted when the widowed Countess came north (on the one hand, she was declared legally dead one year after; and on the other, there's this hilarious anecdote four years later about her ordering a fancy golden tablet, likely the Middleham Jewel, and pissing off Richard, which I would dearly love to see Anne's involvement in.) Her sisterhood with Isabel, of course, but also Margaret, her half-sister who was also a participant in her coronation. And/or just give me snarky Richard/Anne banter and I shall be a happy gel:)
Hatshepsut of Egypt
The original woman king. I first met Hatshepsut in Mara, Daughter of the Nile, and as negative as that portrayal is, I loved her nonetheless. I love her success, her cleverness, and her grandeur. But I confess what I'd most love to see explored is her relationship with Senenmut and/or with her daughter Neferure. I find Neferure's assistance of her mother fascinating - she seems to have taken on the ceremonial aspects of the queenship - as well as her sudden disappearance from the historical record. Whatever happened to her? What was her relationship with her mother like? And Senenmut - to me, he and Hatshepsut were the meeting of two equally brilliant and witty minds (yes, I ship them, too, and would love something from their first, sparky meetings as young people) - but what also intrigues me is that in all the portraits I've seen, it's always Senenmut portrayed with Neferure. I've always thought of the three of them making up their own family, even if Neferure and Senenmut aren't biologically related, and also of Senenmut having the more gender-stereotypical role of being associated with the children as compared to Hatshepsut.
Edith Swannesha
This is probably the request I know the least about, but the one that's always puzzled me: Edith Swan-Neck, as I discovered her, was Harold's long-term mistress and effectively his wife, only to be put away for another Edith, Edith of Mercia - but at the same time, Harold seems to have very little interest in his official wife, and apparently returned to Edith Swan-Neck the night before Hastings. At any rate, she's supposedly the one who identified his body - and how awful must that have been. That said, though, before I could think of Edith Swan-Neck as a poor, down-trodden girlfriend, she was apparently one of the richest women in all England and clever and bold enough to rescue Harold's body when even Harold's mother couldn't ransom it. Add to that the proposed identification with Richeldis, who apparently had a vision of the Virgin Mary at Walsingham and established a chapel there, and I am officially intrigued. I'd love anything about her: a young Edith being wooed and won by Harold, her reaction to his (re-)marriage, and/or her walking the battlefield to find and bury his body.
In conclusion, I hope at least some of these prompts help you, dear author, and I look forward to eagerly reading whatever you're created upon reveals!

This is my second (!) year participating in this exchange, and I am still overjoyed that that there are so many people out there who want to geek out over fairy tales and myths. I am quite sure I will love whatever you write for these fandoms, dear author, so please, more than anything, I want to be sure that you have a great time writing whatever you choose to write. If you have an idea that speaks to you, go ahead! That said, if you would like a few more prompts....
General likes: humor/snark, plotty fic, canon pairings, retellings or resonance with myth/folklore/etc., worldbuilding, idealism, playing with or twisting tropes, AUs with subtle callbacks to canon, and women being awesome in multiple (not just Strong Female Character, to quote Kate Beaton) ways. I also adore backstory or behind-the-scenes fic, and will always, always love outsider POVs and unreliable narrators. I'm a quick reader, so long fic is totally fine, should the question come up, and I have no particular preferences for POV or tense.
General dislikes: explicit sex/violence/gore, consent issues, fics that hinge solely on hurt/comfort or angst/hopelessness.
The Butterfly Lovers
I just really love this story--it's so darling! (The link on the main exchange page covers most of the basics, but you can also refer to the wikipedia article about for a quick summary. To put it briefly: It's Sungkyunkwan Scandal meets Romeo and Juliet.) But moreover, it's so delightfully trope-y: Oh, you want your heroines geeky and determined? Check. You like your heroes ridiculously dense, to the point where they don't realize their best bro is definitely a girl crushing on him despite her anvil-sized hints? We can do that too. You want hilarious cross-dressing hijinks to obtain a traditionally male eduction? Yeah, that's there too. And then it all ends in horrible tragedy. (Whoops.)
But seriously, though, I love so much about this story--that the heroine's original goal is to study and learn, that she, not the hero, is the aggressor in the romance, that you can write comedy and tragedy about the characters and still have it remain true to the characters. So expanding on any of the story would be awesome!
The Iliad - Homer
Hektor/Andromache are definitely my Iliad OTP. I've been lucky enough to receive many, many phenomenal pics for them in prior exchanges (but um, selfishly I still crave more and more....). Again, I'll paraphrase a previous request here: I love Andromache, and her relationship with Hektor, but also those glimmers of further characterization: her giving tactical advice to Hektor, Hektor's later mention of her as specifically tending to his horses out of love to them, her being the only sister of a houseful of brothers. While I love the way people give a more traditional Andromache so much strength, I'm equally fascinated by the possibility of a horse-mad, military-minded Theban princess that no one in Troy, except possibly Hektor, knows what to do with; or, what if Andromache didn't follow Hektor's advice to leave the war to the men quite as completely as we imagine?. My only particular request with these two is that I'd love to see something pre-canon, rather than the terrible misery that awaits them- heck, I'd love to see light-hearted with them; there's no rule saying Hektor, Tamer of Horses, can't have a sense of humor:)
The Odyssey- Homer
I think it is absolutely no surprise that Odysseus/Penelope are my OTP for this fandom, and I've shamelessly gone ahead and requested them despite receiving and reading multiple brilliant fics in the past(But there is always a need for more, say I!) To paraphrase a previous request/prompt: I love Odysseus and Penelope together, outwitting each other and everyone else around them, so: tell me about their courtship, one outwitting the other, or even Telegony fix-it fic (because honestly, I can't help but find that a terribly disappointing end for these two). I am always a fan of humor/banter/snark! Political intrigue is also something I find fascinating, as well as couples who are extraordinarily competent at ruling/manipulating/getting stuff done, so exploring that would be wonderful, too, if that is your thing! . That said, I would prefer, as in the Hektor/Andromache prompt above, more of a focus on pre-canon (or post-) instead of the unrelenting angst and tragedy that follows later.
Robin Hood
I don't know what it is about these legends, but I love them, every one--all the cheeky (or not so cheeky) Robins and lion-hearted Marians (though I confess to a soft spot for noblewoman secretly helping the outlaws! Marian rather than out-and-out Merry Man! Marian). For what it's worth, the versions I imprinted on were the Disney animal version and Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood, which....makes for an odd combination, I admit. But truly, anything you wish to write about these two would be much appreciated!
An alternate prompt: the Abbess of Kirklees. I've prompted this before in the 3SF on LJ, and got a very interesting fill out of it, but just what is her deal? She's supposed to be Robin's kinswoman, but just how did she come to loathe him that much?
Once again, dear Writer, I only hope that you find something that inspires you from one of my prompts. I look forward to reading whatever marvel you produce on Reveal Day, and once again, thank you so, so much!

...thank you so much for having signed up to write one of these fandoms/pairings! More than anything else, I hope you will enjoy writing at least some of these prompts/ideas. That said:
( Read more... )

Hello! I'm so glad we matched on (presumably) one of these fandoms. I will most likely love whatever it is you write (somehow, my assigned authors always work magic with the silly prompts I provide), so please don't worry about anything but writing something that you enjoy. Of course, if you'd prefer a bit more guidance, a few more prompts follow:
( Read more... )

Hello! And thank you for offering/writing one of these prompts for me. Before anything else, I'd like to make sure that you have fun with these prompts, above all else--I love these stories, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you produce! And so, more about my suggested prompts (in alphabetical order, not any sort of preference):
The Butterfly Lovers
I just really love this story--it's so darling! (The link on the DW page covers most of the basics, but you can also refer to the wikipedia article about for a quick summary.) But moreover, it's so delightful trope-y: Oh, you want your heroines geeky and determined? Check. You like your heroes hilarious dense, to the point where they don't realize their best bro is definitely a girl crushing on him despite her anvil-shaped hints? We can do that too. You want hilarious cross-dressing hijinks to obtain a traditionally male eduction? Yeah, that's there too. And then it all ends in horrible tragedy. (Whoops.)
But seriously, though, I love so much about this story--that the heroine's original goal is to study and learn, that she, not the hero, is the aggressor in the romance, that you can write comedy and tragedy about the characters and still have it remain true to the characters. So expanding on any of the story would be awesome!
The Odyssey- Homer
I think it is absolutely no surprise that Odysseus/Penelope are my OTP for this fandom, and I've shamelessly gone ahead and requested them despite receiving two fantastic fics about them in Yuletide 2013. (But there is always a need for more, say I!) To paraphrase a previous request/prompt: I love Odysseus and Penelope together, outwitting each other and everyone else around them, so: tell me about their courtship, one outwitting the other, or even Telegony fix-it fic (because honestly, I can't help but find that a terribly disappointing end for these two). I am always a fan of humor/banter/snark! Political intrigue is also something I find fascinating, as well as couples who are extraordinarily competent at ruling/manipulating/getting stuff done, so exploring that would be wonderful, too, if that is your thing! . Or, alternatively, see below under the "Royal House of Sparta" section for additional prompts!
Robin Hood
I don't know what it is about these legends, but I love them, every one--all the cheeky (or not so cheeky) Robins and lion-hearted Marians (though I confess to a soft spot for noblewoman secretly helping the outlaws! Marian rather than out-and-out Merry Man! Marian). For what it's worth, the versions I imprinted on were the Disney animal version and Robin McKinley's The Outlaws of Sherwood, which....makes for an odd combination, I admit. But truly, anything you wish to write about these two would be much appreciated!
An alternate prompt: the Abbess of Kirklees. I've prompted this before in the 3SF on LJ, and got a very interesting fill out of it, but just what is her deal? She's supposed to be Robin's kinswoman, but just how did she come to loathe him that much?
Robin Hood’s Birth Breeding Valor and Marriage (Ballad)
...And imagine my surprise, when, as a kid, I stumbled across this ballad, where Marian never agrees, there's significantly less of the taking-from-the-rich-and-giving-to-the-poor but Robin winds up with a whole lot more backstory than he does in other sources. Of course, in time I learned about how the whole Robin Hood mythos had undergone changes over time, including the shuffling of love interests, etc., but Clorinda, and how to work her in, always bothered me. Is she a past companion of Robin's (but her marriage makes writing her off difficult unless she's unceremoniously killed off)? A platonic friend who has no idea where this wife thing came from? An alter ego for Marian herself? Something exploring Clorinda, or smashing her with either or both of my general Robin Hood prompts would be great.
Royal House of Sparta - The Odyssey
So the other part of The Odyssey that I love are the snippets of the Spartan princesses' childhood (and as the person who originally nominated, I'd included Penelope, and somehow she got switched into the Odyssey's tag set...somehow? But I'd love to see her included too, if you don't mind my terrible manners in plopping in a character who technically wasn't requested. If not, it's absolutely no problem!) together. If nothing else, imagine the personalities: Clytemnestra, with the capacity for great anger and great determination; Helen, The Most Beautiful Woman in the World (TM); Penelope, Cleverest Woman in all of Greece (TM), and Iphthime, who is apparently so trustworthy that Athena takes her form when conveying Odysseus's return to Penelope (...but how would Iphthime be expected to know? And why?) The daughters of Ikarios traditionally are guests/dependants in the palace of Sparta; how does that affect how they look at things. Anything of them growing up together, their relationships and interactions would be wonderful. And, if you like, you can add in other daughters of Leda and Tyndareus: Timandra, who also spectacularly jilted her husband and eloped with her lover (with no consequences, apparently, unlike Helen); Philonoe, who Artemis apparently made immortal; and Phoebe, who's...just there. No seems to know anything about her except her parentage and her name.
Or alternatively, if you also matched on the Odyssey: as mentioned, I love Odysseus/Penelope, so if you want to throw that in, too (Odysseus attempting to win over Penelope's cousins/sisters, even scarier than getting Ikarios's blessings! The Spartan princesses having adventures and running into a young Odysseus), I would be delighted.
All in all, I hope some of these prompts caught your fancy! Once again, thank you so much in advance for whatever you choose to write, and I look forward to reading it!

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betony

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