this is my winter song
Dear Yuletide Author,
Hi! I'm so excited that you're writing a story for me. I love all four of these fandoms, and I can't wait to read whatever you write! Also, I apologize in advance. This letter is LONG. I know. So please feel free to ignore it if you need to and just go by my basic requests from my sign up form.
I do tend to lean towards shipping and canon/het pairings, which I think will be evident in my requests. If that's not your thing, though, then I am always just as thrilled with a really great gen/friendship story. Female characters are almost always my favorites, so anything about the ladies will make me happy. I love slow burn UST, best friends falling in love, banter, romance, porn (if appropriate -- it's not necessary), and backstory or missing scene fics. I read all genres. I do prefer at least somewhat upbeat/hopeful endings, but as long as the ending fits the story, then I'll be happy. If none of my requests inspire you, please feel free to go with what works! These are just ideas/suggestions.
A few basic dislikes: noncon, character bashing, misogyny/generally hating on the ladies. When in doubt, probably dubcon, too.
If you'd like to see what I've written to get a better idea, my master list is here.
Anyway, enough of my general ramblings... Onto the requests!
Request #1: Betsy-Tacy Series - Maud Hart Lovelace (Tacy Kelly, Harry Kerr)
I would really love anything about what happened off-page in their relationship during the series. We only got bits and pieces in the books, I just want anything that fills in the gaps!
I do not think there's a major character in this series that I dislike, but Tacy has always been a favorite of mine. My six year old self fell in love with her because she was quiet and bashful and hated having the knots brushed out of her hair every morning. BUT ANYWAY. I reread these books last year because this was my Yuletide assignment, and I realized as I was reading that I wanted more about Tacy and Harry. We get a few scenes and mentions in Betsy and Joe and then the next thing we know, Betsy is sailing off to Europe alone and Tacy and Harry are married! The one thing I wish the series included was a fourth Deep Valley book about Tacy and Harry (like Carney's), so I will love absolutely ANYTHING written about Tacy and Harry's relationship. What exactly drew them to each other, how their relationship progresses, how he gets along with her friends* and her family (especially the two siblings I think we get the most about, Katie and Paul), when they decide to get married, what their marriage is like. Even how Tacy felt going from the girl who wasn't interested in boys and dances (and I've always loved that about her, because it's okay not to be interested in exactly what your friends are interested in) to the girl who ends up getting married first.
*Betsy and Tib are a given, but Tacy seemed to have a special relationship with Alice Morrison in the Crowd, so I'd also love to see that.
I'm so sorry if this seems specific or overwhelming! I've just been thinking about this particular request for a year now. If you don't want to write about Tacy and Harry, I'd also be thrilled with any story you write that's just Tacy-centric.
FYI: Even if you've never read the books before, katayla and I are hosting a reread of the series at belovedbooks. We just got underway, so it's not too late to take a look and maybe even join in if you'd like!
Request #2: Heist Society - Ally Carter (Katarina Biship, W.W. Hale the Fifth)
Kat and Hale's relationship, either friendship or romance, is one of my favorite things about this series. What happened when Kat came to steal the Monet? What happens between Kat and Hale after Uncommon Criminals? Will he ever tell her what the W's in his name are?
Pretty much what I said in my request! I've wondered about how their relationship evolved from the night she came to steal Hale's Monet, but I would also love to read about how their relationship changes after Uncommon Criminals.
Request #3: Pan Am (Colette Valois, Dean Lawrey Dean Lowrey)
What happens next!? Obviously things will change between now and December 22nd, but I would love to explore the beginnings of a romance between these two. What problems do they face? Where do they go from here? That kind of thing.
This was a late add to my Yuletide request list, but that was even before Unscheduled Departure aired. Colette is my favorite, and I have really enjoyed the way her relationship with Dean has developed on screen so far and I would love to read fic that explores that further. Particularly in how their relationship might hold up with the way things were left unresolved between Dean and Bridget (have we seen the last of her? if not, does Kate play into that -- and speaking of Kate, she is ALSO MY FAVORITE, so if she happened to work into this story in a particular way, that would be awesome).
I don't dislike Laura or Maggie or Ted, but I also am not particularly invested in them, either. My love for this show pretty much focuses on Colette and Kate. So if you would rather write a gen/friendship piece about Colette and/or Kate, that would also be EQUALLY FABULOUS.
Request #4: Revenge (TV) (Amanda Clarke | Emily Thorne, Jack Porter, Daniel Grayson)
I am completely fascinated by the dynamic between the three of them, and I do ship both Amanda(Emily)/Jack and Emily/Daniel. We know that Jack and Amanda knew each other as children, but what about Daniel? He probably didn't know Jack, but did he know Amanda? Or if you don't want to go the backstory route, something that explores the dynamics between them in the present would also be great.
Fair warning. I have also thought about this request A LOT. As far as I know and have been led to believe, there is no significant age gap between these three characters, so I am working under that assumption. This is one of my favorite shows at the moment -- not just of the new shows, but of current shows in general -- and I ship both Emily/Jack and Emily/Daniel. I think my heart probably runs endgame Emily/Jack, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be JUST as happy reading a story that is strictly Emily/Daniel or that explores the dynamic of all three of them/both ships.
I've been thinking a lot about what happened preseries before David Clarke was arrested, particularly because of Nolan's line about how Jack is still carrying a torch for little Amanda Clarke. What does that mean, and how does Jack reconcile that with what he's feeling towards Emily Thorne now? What were Jack and Amanda to each other when they were younger? And when this was happening, where was Daniel and what was he doing? We don't know anything about younger!Daniel, and while he probably didn't know Jack, did he ever meet Amanda? If so, how does this play into their relationship now? Does she remember him?
In terms of potential present stories, does Jack suspect anything about Emily Thorne? How does that work with his still carrying a torch for Amanda Clarke? If/when he finds out about Emily's true identity, what happens next? I also like to believe that Emily/Daniel is not completely part of her plan and that at least some of it is real, so I would also love to read a story abou that!
And with that, I swear I am done. I hope this was helpful for -- or at least not detrimental to -- your writing process. These are just a few things I've been thinking about, but they are by no means a complete picture of the kinds of stories I like to read. I will love whatever you write in ANY of these fandoms, whether you use any of my somewhat detailed and long-winded suggestions or not!
Thank you so much again!!
Happy Yuletide,
spyglass_
Hi! I'm so excited that you're writing a story for me. I love all four of these fandoms, and I can't wait to read whatever you write! Also, I apologize in advance. This letter is LONG. I know. So please feel free to ignore it if you need to and just go by my basic requests from my sign up form.
I do tend to lean towards shipping and canon/het pairings, which I think will be evident in my requests. If that's not your thing, though, then I am always just as thrilled with a really great gen/friendship story. Female characters are almost always my favorites, so anything about the ladies will make me happy. I love slow burn UST, best friends falling in love, banter, romance, porn (if appropriate -- it's not necessary), and backstory or missing scene fics. I read all genres. I do prefer at least somewhat upbeat/hopeful endings, but as long as the ending fits the story, then I'll be happy. If none of my requests inspire you, please feel free to go with what works! These are just ideas/suggestions.
A few basic dislikes: noncon, character bashing, misogyny/generally hating on the ladies. When in doubt, probably dubcon, too.
If you'd like to see what I've written to get a better idea, my master list is here.
Anyway, enough of my general ramblings... Onto the requests!
Request #1: Betsy-Tacy Series - Maud Hart Lovelace (Tacy Kelly, Harry Kerr)
I would really love anything about what happened off-page in their relationship during the series. We only got bits and pieces in the books, I just want anything that fills in the gaps!
I do not think there's a major character in this series that I dislike, but Tacy has always been a favorite of mine. My six year old self fell in love with her because she was quiet and bashful and hated having the knots brushed out of her hair every morning. BUT ANYWAY. I reread these books last year because this was my Yuletide assignment, and I realized as I was reading that I wanted more about Tacy and Harry. We get a few scenes and mentions in Betsy and Joe and then the next thing we know, Betsy is sailing off to Europe alone and Tacy and Harry are married! The one thing I wish the series included was a fourth Deep Valley book about Tacy and Harry (like Carney's), so I will love absolutely ANYTHING written about Tacy and Harry's relationship. What exactly drew them to each other, how their relationship progresses, how he gets along with her friends* and her family (especially the two siblings I think we get the most about, Katie and Paul), when they decide to get married, what their marriage is like. Even how Tacy felt going from the girl who wasn't interested in boys and dances (and I've always loved that about her, because it's okay not to be interested in exactly what your friends are interested in) to the girl who ends up getting married first.
*Betsy and Tib are a given, but Tacy seemed to have a special relationship with Alice Morrison in the Crowd, so I'd also love to see that.
I'm so sorry if this seems specific or overwhelming! I've just been thinking about this particular request for a year now. If you don't want to write about Tacy and Harry, I'd also be thrilled with any story you write that's just Tacy-centric.
FYI: Even if you've never read the books before, katayla and I are hosting a reread of the series at belovedbooks. We just got underway, so it's not too late to take a look and maybe even join in if you'd like!
Request #2: Heist Society - Ally Carter (Katarina Biship, W.W. Hale the Fifth)
Kat and Hale's relationship, either friendship or romance, is one of my favorite things about this series. What happened when Kat came to steal the Monet? What happens between Kat and Hale after Uncommon Criminals? Will he ever tell her what the W's in his name are?
Pretty much what I said in my request! I've wondered about how their relationship evolved from the night she came to steal Hale's Monet, but I would also love to read about how their relationship changes after Uncommon Criminals.
Request #3: Pan Am (Colette Valois, Dean Lawrey Dean Lowrey)
What happens next!? Obviously things will change between now and December 22nd, but I would love to explore the beginnings of a romance between these two. What problems do they face? Where do they go from here? That kind of thing.
This was a late add to my Yuletide request list, but that was even before Unscheduled Departure aired. Colette is my favorite, and I have really enjoyed the way her relationship with Dean has developed on screen so far and I would love to read fic that explores that further. Particularly in how their relationship might hold up with the way things were left unresolved between Dean and Bridget (have we seen the last of her? if not, does Kate play into that -- and speaking of Kate, she is ALSO MY FAVORITE, so if she happened to work into this story in a particular way, that would be awesome).
I don't dislike Laura or Maggie or Ted, but I also am not particularly invested in them, either. My love for this show pretty much focuses on Colette and Kate. So if you would rather write a gen/friendship piece about Colette and/or Kate, that would also be EQUALLY FABULOUS.
Request #4: Revenge (TV) (Amanda Clarke | Emily Thorne, Jack Porter, Daniel Grayson)
I am completely fascinated by the dynamic between the three of them, and I do ship both Amanda(Emily)/Jack and Emily/Daniel. We know that Jack and Amanda knew each other as children, but what about Daniel? He probably didn't know Jack, but did he know Amanda? Or if you don't want to go the backstory route, something that explores the dynamics between them in the present would also be great.
Fair warning. I have also thought about this request A LOT. As far as I know and have been led to believe, there is no significant age gap between these three characters, so I am working under that assumption. This is one of my favorite shows at the moment -- not just of the new shows, but of current shows in general -- and I ship both Emily/Jack and Emily/Daniel. I think my heart probably runs endgame Emily/Jack, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't be JUST as happy reading a story that is strictly Emily/Daniel or that explores the dynamic of all three of them/both ships.
I've been thinking a lot about what happened preseries before David Clarke was arrested, particularly because of Nolan's line about how Jack is still carrying a torch for little Amanda Clarke. What does that mean, and how does Jack reconcile that with what he's feeling towards Emily Thorne now? What were Jack and Amanda to each other when they were younger? And when this was happening, where was Daniel and what was he doing? We don't know anything about younger!Daniel, and while he probably didn't know Jack, did he ever meet Amanda? If so, how does this play into their relationship now? Does she remember him?
In terms of potential present stories, does Jack suspect anything about Emily Thorne? How does that work with his still carrying a torch for Amanda Clarke? If/when he finds out about Emily's true identity, what happens next? I also like to believe that Emily/Daniel is not completely part of her plan and that at least some of it is real, so I would also love to read a story abou that!
And with that, I swear I am done. I hope this was helpful for -- or at least not detrimental to -- your writing process. These are just a few things I've been thinking about, but they are by no means a complete picture of the kinds of stories I like to read. I will love whatever you write in ANY of these fandoms, whether you use any of my somewhat detailed and long-winded suggestions or not!
Thank you so much again!!
Happy Yuletide,
spyglass_