Oct. 23rd, 2021 12:35 pm
dear yuletide writer (2021)
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chicafrom3Dear Yuletide Writer:
Hello, welcome, and thank you for writing for me. ♥ All details in this letter are completely optional; just the fact that you're writing something for one of these fandoms makes you awesome. Write the story that's in your heart!
That said, if you want more from me, keep reading! And this probably doesn't need saying, but this is not a spoiler-free zone...
General stuff:
AO3: chicafrom3
Likes: Gen/het/femslash/slash, in no particular order. Character studies. Plot. AUs, both of the canon divergence and alternate setting kinds. Crossovers. Slice-of-life. Fluff. Angst. Darkfic. Crack. Futurefic. Backstory. Missing scenes. Outsider POV. Unusual or experimental style choices and formats.... Probably more that I'm forgetting.
DNW: Graphic sex. Graphic violence. Incest. References to or allegories of current US politics. References to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Requests
evermore - Taylor Swift (Album): champagne problems' narrator, champagne problems' narrator's ex
"This dorm was once a madhouse," I made a joke, "Well, it's made for me"
What is it: evermore is Taylor Swift's ninth studio album, released in December of 2020. champagne problems is the album's second track, and it tells the story of a marriage proposal between two college sweethearts; you can listen to it here (or on your preferred music streaming site, it's available everywhere).
Why this fandom: I've been obsessed with evermore since its release. It's an album full of character studies and narrative snapshots, a musical short story collection. champagne problems is one of the best examples of that, and I continue to be fascinated by how perfectly it captures a night full of unfulfilled hopes and mismatched expectations. It's a story about heartbreak, about letting go, about mental illness, about regret, about growing up. It's also less than 300 words long.
The request: Because the song is so concise, and because it's so tightly tied to the narrator's POV, I would love to see something from her ex's perspective, either on the night or looking back. How are they really feeling about it? Did they have any idea she was going to say no or were they completely blindsided? The narrator thinks that people are going to blame her mental illness ("what a shame she's fucked in the head they said") -- if they do, how does her ex respond to that? Do the two of them maybe meet again, and how does that go down? Or how does what happened with the narrator affect their next relationship? Essentially I'm just hoping to see something about how the events of champagne problems affected the narrator's ex -- go wild from there!
Fandom-specific stuff: The song does not specify a gender for the narrator's ex, and I'm okay with any gender you see fit for them. If you want to gender-flip the narrator, go for it. Gender dynamics here could be fun, that's what I'm saying.
Ships: Open to anything.
Everworld - K.A. Applegate: Worldbuilding
"I don't know why I keep saying this," Jalil muttered under his breath, "but none of this is possible."
What is it: Everworld is a twelve-book YA fantasy series by K.A. Applegate, better known as the author of Animorphs. It's about four kids from Chicago who, due to their connections to a girl named Senna Wales, end up drawn into Everworld, an all-myths-are-true alternate universe created by the gods of the Old World when humanity became increasingly rational and science-driven. It's currently out of print, but you can check out fan-compiled ebooks here.
Why this fandom: I've requested Everworld for Yuletide multiple times before, so if you are curious to read more of my rambling about the series feel free to check out my past Yuletide letters. As a kid, I was both a mythology geek and an Animorphs fan, so Everworld seemed like it was tailored for me when it came out. I revisited it a few years ago and found that I loved it even more as an adult, particularly for the core four and all their flaws and the way they form a band of true companions while continuing to not really understand how to get along with each other. These are four people who would absolutely not have chosen each other for anything, and even if they're dragged into a hellish nightmare together they don't magically get along just because they have to depend on one another.
The request: This year I am asking specifically for more of Everworld itself. I'm fascinated by the patchwork nature of the world, the haphazardness of the rules and Jalil's conviction that if he can just figure out the OS he'll solve all their problems. The gods of Everworld have trapped their citizens -- and themselves -- in an endless loop where nothing can change...except, as the kids prove with the introduction of electricity, some things can change. It's an incredible conundrum. I'd be interested in seeing more of the gods, heroes, creatures, and peoples from cultures the books didn't deal with directly. All the cultures the books did deal with directly could still use more fleshing out, too; I'm particularly fascinated by the Viking, Aztec, African, and Irish parts of the books, as well as the Coo-Hatch, but I'd love to see more detail on any of them. How you dive into that is up to you: maybe our core four (or a subset thereof!) get caught somewhere and have to spend more time actually getting to know a culture instead of just passing through in a panic? Maybe a peek at Jalil's notes? Maybe a look at Everworld through the eyes of a native instead of a real-world intruder? Everworld over the years?
Fandom-specific stuff: For this fandom, I would prefer not to receive any AUs that don't involve Everworld itself, though canon-divergent AUs are totally cool.
Ships: I'm open to anything, excluding Senna/April.
The Sandman Universe: John Constantine: Hellblazer (Comics): Noah Ikumelo
Look around. Better to stand behind a tiger than in front of wolves.
What is it: John Constantine: Hellblazer is third-most recent relaunch of the DC comic book Hellblazer, centering on magician and con man John Constantine. It started in Halloween of 2019 and unlike other relaunches, it is explicitly not a reboot and is intended to be in the same continuity as the original Hellblazer, although due to *handwavemagicbullshithandwave* John is significantly younger than he should be in 2019/2020. The series is also tonally much closer to the original series than previous relaunches, and not completely unexpectedly it was cancelled earlier this year. The final issue, #12, was released in November 2020.
Why this fandom: John Constantine is quite possibly my favorite comics character, mostly due to the original run of Hellblazer. The relaunches . . . a bit more hit and miss. But John Constantine: Hellblazer nails it. John is struggling but he tries; he's an asshole but he cares; he gets the people around him hurt but not out of malice. He's an aging punk in an increasingly rightwing world -- and the introduction of his future self as the antagonist is a work of bloody genius. And the supporting cast is A+ -- good-hearted neohippie Tommy Willowtree, badass lit major bartender Nat, no-holds-barred (and surprisingly flirty) Detective Dole, and subject of my request, mute ex-gang-member Noah Ikumelo, who visits his mum at least twice a week, who is capable of so much anger and so much empathy.
The request: Noah caught my interest as soon as he was introduced, hanging around a gang that treated him like shit and then forced into the role of John's reluctant tagalong, explicitly filling the role Chas used to play. But it was issue six that really sealed my love for him -- "lot harder to hold than to hate, Noah. But a fuckload more effective." He's a boy who's been through a lot -- his mutism is trauma-based; life with the Ri-Boys is far from safe or calm; he then becomes companion to Constantine, which is hardly low-risk or high-reward. But Noah, even at his angriest, even when he feels most powerless, still instinctively wants to help people. So I'd love to see backstory fic exploring that: How did he hold on to that in the seven years since the incident? What was life like for him before, with his mother? What was life like growing up? Or future fic: What happens to him ten, fifteen, twenty years from now, with everything that he's seen and lived through already? Does he follow John's footsteps and become deeper involved in magic? For that matter, does he ever find out that John is his father, and how does that affect his life? Does he try to avoid following John's path but find that magic follows him? Or something in the vein of canon: Noah helping John with a monster of the week, or dealing with one on his own, or partnering up with Nat or DS Dole. I'm open to literally anything!
Fandom-specific stuff: For this fandom only, the DNW on politics is lifted, given how much of a thing it is in canon. Feel free to reference current events.
Ships: I don't have any in this particular run. Feel free to include yours, whether involving Noah or background pairings; gen is also fine.
To conclude: Optional details are optional, write what you want to write, I desperately crave more/any fic in all of these fandoms so just writing in a fandom off the list is enough to endear you to me forever.
Thank you, and have a wonderful Yuletide!
-Chica
Hello, welcome, and thank you for writing for me. ♥ All details in this letter are completely optional; just the fact that you're writing something for one of these fandoms makes you awesome. Write the story that's in your heart!
That said, if you want more from me, keep reading! And this probably doesn't need saying, but this is not a spoiler-free zone...
General stuff:
AO3: chicafrom3
Likes: Gen/het/femslash/slash, in no particular order. Character studies. Plot. AUs, both of the canon divergence and alternate setting kinds. Crossovers. Slice-of-life. Fluff. Angst. Darkfic. Crack. Futurefic. Backstory. Missing scenes. Outsider POV. Unusual or experimental style choices and formats.... Probably more that I'm forgetting.
DNW: Graphic sex. Graphic violence. Incest. References to or allegories of current US politics. References to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Requests
evermore - Taylor Swift (Album): champagne problems' narrator, champagne problems' narrator's ex
"This dorm was once a madhouse," I made a joke, "Well, it's made for me"
What is it: evermore is Taylor Swift's ninth studio album, released in December of 2020. champagne problems is the album's second track, and it tells the story of a marriage proposal between two college sweethearts; you can listen to it here (or on your preferred music streaming site, it's available everywhere).
Why this fandom: I've been obsessed with evermore since its release. It's an album full of character studies and narrative snapshots, a musical short story collection. champagne problems is one of the best examples of that, and I continue to be fascinated by how perfectly it captures a night full of unfulfilled hopes and mismatched expectations. It's a story about heartbreak, about letting go, about mental illness, about regret, about growing up. It's also less than 300 words long.
The request: Because the song is so concise, and because it's so tightly tied to the narrator's POV, I would love to see something from her ex's perspective, either on the night or looking back. How are they really feeling about it? Did they have any idea she was going to say no or were they completely blindsided? The narrator thinks that people are going to blame her mental illness ("what a shame she's fucked in the head they said") -- if they do, how does her ex respond to that? Do the two of them maybe meet again, and how does that go down? Or how does what happened with the narrator affect their next relationship? Essentially I'm just hoping to see something about how the events of champagne problems affected the narrator's ex -- go wild from there!
Fandom-specific stuff: The song does not specify a gender for the narrator's ex, and I'm okay with any gender you see fit for them. If you want to gender-flip the narrator, go for it. Gender dynamics here could be fun, that's what I'm saying.
Ships: Open to anything.
Everworld - K.A. Applegate: Worldbuilding
"I don't know why I keep saying this," Jalil muttered under his breath, "but none of this is possible."
What is it: Everworld is a twelve-book YA fantasy series by K.A. Applegate, better known as the author of Animorphs. It's about four kids from Chicago who, due to their connections to a girl named Senna Wales, end up drawn into Everworld, an all-myths-are-true alternate universe created by the gods of the Old World when humanity became increasingly rational and science-driven. It's currently out of print, but you can check out fan-compiled ebooks here.
Why this fandom: I've requested Everworld for Yuletide multiple times before, so if you are curious to read more of my rambling about the series feel free to check out my past Yuletide letters. As a kid, I was both a mythology geek and an Animorphs fan, so Everworld seemed like it was tailored for me when it came out. I revisited it a few years ago and found that I loved it even more as an adult, particularly for the core four and all their flaws and the way they form a band of true companions while continuing to not really understand how to get along with each other. These are four people who would absolutely not have chosen each other for anything, and even if they're dragged into a hellish nightmare together they don't magically get along just because they have to depend on one another.
The request: This year I am asking specifically for more of Everworld itself. I'm fascinated by the patchwork nature of the world, the haphazardness of the rules and Jalil's conviction that if he can just figure out the OS he'll solve all their problems. The gods of Everworld have trapped their citizens -- and themselves -- in an endless loop where nothing can change...except, as the kids prove with the introduction of electricity, some things can change. It's an incredible conundrum. I'd be interested in seeing more of the gods, heroes, creatures, and peoples from cultures the books didn't deal with directly. All the cultures the books did deal with directly could still use more fleshing out, too; I'm particularly fascinated by the Viking, Aztec, African, and Irish parts of the books, as well as the Coo-Hatch, but I'd love to see more detail on any of them. How you dive into that is up to you: maybe our core four (or a subset thereof!) get caught somewhere and have to spend more time actually getting to know a culture instead of just passing through in a panic? Maybe a peek at Jalil's notes? Maybe a look at Everworld through the eyes of a native instead of a real-world intruder? Everworld over the years?
Fandom-specific stuff: For this fandom, I would prefer not to receive any AUs that don't involve Everworld itself, though canon-divergent AUs are totally cool.
Ships: I'm open to anything, excluding Senna/April.
The Sandman Universe: John Constantine: Hellblazer (Comics): Noah Ikumelo
Look around. Better to stand behind a tiger than in front of wolves.
What is it: John Constantine: Hellblazer is third-most recent relaunch of the DC comic book Hellblazer, centering on magician and con man John Constantine. It started in Halloween of 2019 and unlike other relaunches, it is explicitly not a reboot and is intended to be in the same continuity as the original Hellblazer, although due to *handwavemagicbullshithandwave* John is significantly younger than he should be in 2019/2020. The series is also tonally much closer to the original series than previous relaunches, and not completely unexpectedly it was cancelled earlier this year. The final issue, #12, was released in November 2020.
Why this fandom: John Constantine is quite possibly my favorite comics character, mostly due to the original run of Hellblazer. The relaunches . . . a bit more hit and miss. But John Constantine: Hellblazer nails it. John is struggling but he tries; he's an asshole but he cares; he gets the people around him hurt but not out of malice. He's an aging punk in an increasingly rightwing world -- and the introduction of his future self as the antagonist is a work of bloody genius. And the supporting cast is A+ -- good-hearted neohippie Tommy Willowtree, badass lit major bartender Nat, no-holds-barred (and surprisingly flirty) Detective Dole, and subject of my request, mute ex-gang-member Noah Ikumelo, who visits his mum at least twice a week, who is capable of so much anger and so much empathy.
The request: Noah caught my interest as soon as he was introduced, hanging around a gang that treated him like shit and then forced into the role of John's reluctant tagalong, explicitly filling the role Chas used to play. But it was issue six that really sealed my love for him -- "lot harder to hold than to hate, Noah. But a fuckload more effective." He's a boy who's been through a lot -- his mutism is trauma-based; life with the Ri-Boys is far from safe or calm; he then becomes companion to Constantine, which is hardly low-risk or high-reward. But Noah, even at his angriest, even when he feels most powerless, still instinctively wants to help people. So I'd love to see backstory fic exploring that: How did he hold on to that in the seven years since the incident? What was life like for him before, with his mother? What was life like growing up? Or future fic: What happens to him ten, fifteen, twenty years from now, with everything that he's seen and lived through already? Does he follow John's footsteps and become deeper involved in magic? For that matter, does he ever find out that John is his father, and how does that affect his life? Does he try to avoid following John's path but find that magic follows him? Or something in the vein of canon: Noah helping John with a monster of the week, or dealing with one on his own, or partnering up with Nat or DS Dole. I'm open to literally anything!
Fandom-specific stuff: For this fandom only, the DNW on politics is lifted, given how much of a thing it is in canon. Feel free to reference current events.
Ships: I don't have any in this particular run. Feel free to include yours, whether involving Noah or background pairings; gen is also fine.
To conclude: Optional details are optional, write what you want to write, I desperately crave more/any fic in all of these fandoms so just writing in a fandom off the list is enough to endear you to me forever.
Thank you, and have a wonderful Yuletide!
-Chica
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