087. letter for my fic-corner author
Dear writer,
Hello! Thank you in advance for your willingness to write me something from one of these fandoms. All of these books are dear to my heart and I am delighted to read something about any of them. With that said, here's some additional info on what I asked for:
Request #1: Gallagher Girls
Character(s): Rachel Morgan, Abby Cameron, Joe Solomon, Edward Townsend
Request: In a way, asking for the adults in a YA series feels like contravening the spirit of the challenge, but the heart wants what the heart wants, etc. And in this case, my heart is DESPERATE for more about the grown ups. It's not that I don't love the girls, I do, but the girls are so well served by the books. The grown ups on the other hand, are much more necessarily separate and I don't want that. I want them to get their time to shine.
So the first thing you should know is that I ship Abby/Townsend and Joe/Rachel. Please, please don't write against that. If you don't want to write shipfic, I'll be sad, but that's fine. If you want to send them all on a mission or whatever, that's cool. Just don't write me Abby/Joe and all will be well.
(Additionally, don't feel compelled to cram all four characters into a story. I will take just about any combo of these characters happily, whether that's something more sister-centric or the dudes comparing notes on the women or sisters threatening their sibling’s love interest or whatever.)
ANYWAY.
I like different things about the potential romantic relationships for these characters. For Joe/Rachel, I like the idea of this thing between them that never would have seen the light of day had her husband not died and them getting past that mental difficulty. It's a thing that they can't seem to help even if neither of them particularly wants to want it, and that's just a dynamic I am really into. Abby/Townsend is a much more classically bantering couple (WHAT HAPPENED IN BUENOS AIRES?), but possibly my favorite moment of theirs in the series is after they find Matthew's grave and they're back at Gallagher Academy and he offers to come inside and help her tell Rachel that her husband is really, truly gone. He doesn't offer to tell Rachel FOR Abby, he offers to tell Rachel WITH Abby. And that's a distinction that I think speaks volumes about their relationship.
Feel free to speculate about the events of book six, even though we'll have the actual book by the time reveals go live, I think. If the worst happens, and one of them is the dead character Ally Carter keeps talking about, I am sure I will be most grateful for anything where they live on.
I have probably talked about this enough now, haven't I? I'm sorry. I hope it was helpful.
Request #2: Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries
Characters: Nancy Drew, Frank Hardy
Request: Nancy and Frank give in to their long simmering UST. That's it, that's the request.
….
You didn't think that would actually be it, did you?
But really, there's not a whole lot more to say. I read a TON of these as a kid and by far the best part was the unbearable tension between Nancy and Frank. Their "we want to be together but love others and are too noble" dynamic REALLY worked for me. I just want more of that, with less nobility. No nobility, really. Guilt is welcome, but not necessary. The only thing necessary is them getting it on. Because really now. It's about fucking time.
Request #3: Austin-Murry-O'Keefes--Madeleine L'Engle
Characters: Vicky Austin, Adam Eddington
Request: I want the stuff after what happens in the books. I want the part where they're happy and together and settled, or even just the getting settled part, that would be fine too. Just happy. And together. Those are the two things I want.
(I've been trying to think of more specific suggestions, because I know this is really quite vague, but the only one that I keep coming back to is maybe something with Vicky going out to California to visit Adam and he meets Uncle Douglas too because Uncle Douglas is the best, and yeah. I'm sorry I can't do better than that.)
Feel free to use whatever other characters from the L'Engleverse that you want. I have a particular fondness for the absurdity that is Suzy and Dave ending up married with four kids, so if you want to use them in your story or John or Aunt Serena or whoever, I am down with that.
Request #4: Anne of Green Gables
Characters: Faith Meredith, Jem Blythe, Nan Blythe, Jerry Meredith
Request: I had a hell of a time choosing between these four characters and so said screw it and just went with all of them. One of them, all of them, other second generation characters, I am up for whatever.
But if you asked me what I wanted most, I would say that I wanted courtship stories. How do Jem and Faith get to the point of a presumed almost engagement before the announcement of war to Rilla's suspicions of their actual engagement when he leaves? What were they like together in Kingsport for college? What was their wartime romance like? What happens after the end of Rilla? Some of the same stuff applies for Nan and Jerry, obviously, like the what happens after, but what do they wrangle about in Rainbow Valley in their preferred method of courtship? Do they write each other letters, while Jerry is at college and Nan is teaching? When did it become something more?
L.M. Montgomery gave me a wonderful, perfect romance in Rilla and Ken, but she left so many tantalizing hints about what the lives of the rest of the second generation characters were life and left it at just hints. I want to know where the hints go.
Request #5: Heist Society
Characters: Katarina Bishop, W.W. Hale the Fifth, Simon, Gabrielle
Request: This is another request where I'm asking for four characters but you don't need to include all of them if you don't want to. In terms of shipping, I ship Kat/Hale like it's my job and I am very much into the idea that someday Simon and Gabrielle might hook up, based on a few passing mentions of things like them dancing that probably mean absolutely nothing.
If you decide to write about Kat/Hale, I'd love something post-Perfect Scoundrels that deals with them being on more even romantic footing and I would even more love something that involved the goats that Hale owes Kat's dad as per the thief code. If you wanted to do a whole thing with various thief courtship rituals, I might jump up and down in glee.
If you opt for something with Simon and Gabrielle, I think I like the idea of Gabrielle as the romantic aggressor, just because I can't imagine Simon ever thinking he had a chance with her in the first place. Or maybe they keep accidentally making out whenever Kat and Hale disappear to do the same because they're bored and things develop from there. I've never put a ton of thought into how it would happen between them, just that I really wanted it to. Use your imagination, I guess.
If you only match me on one character, I am open to possibilities! A story about Kat and her dad would be great. Something from when Hale was still in the game but Kat had walked away. Hale with Bobby Bishop after getting together with Kat would be AMAZING. What does Gabrielle really think of her constant parade of step-fathers? Anything about Simon, since we know basically nothing about him other than that he's a computer genius. Mix and match the characters at will, because really, it's Ocean's Eleven for teenagers. I love everything about that.
Request #6: American Girl - Samantha
Characters: Samantha Parkington, Eddie Ryland
Request: I think I saw this in a Yuletide letter once, but ever since then, I have really wanted to read fic with Samantha at college, bumping into her terrible old neighbor who has grown up into a dashing college student himself. The heart wants what the heart wants, etc.
BUT, if you don't like that idea, I am generally just a fan of this time period so whatever you see for Samantha's future, I am into it. Is she a suffragette? What happens to her during WWI? What's her life like at college? Does she get forced to be a debutante? Does she ever get to go up in an aeroplane?
Samantha, grown up. That's all I want.
*
And that's it! I hope that this is actually helpful and not terrifying. I promise that there are really very few things that you could do with these characters and fandoms that I would not love, because I love their worlds so much. I cannot wait to read whatever you wrote me on September 29.
Love,
Me