daisyninjagirl

My friend Morbane is sharing a meme where you list your five most popular stories, and also your five most favourite stories, which got me thinking about how some of the stories I'm most proud of had quite a small readership. That's the bonus of amateur writing - your primary audience is yourself.

Here goes...

Most Popular:

( Read more... )

My Favourites:

( Read more... )

I think the lessons I have to learn from this are that I'm most popular when I'm writing in the Regency period, and that I have a fondness for writing crack. Welcome Yuletide 2024!

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you for picking something I like! I hope you have a lovely time in this exchange, and also that someones writes something just as wonderful for you.

General Stuff About Me

( Read more... )

Welcome to Our Village - Please Invade Carefully (Any of Uljabaan, Katrina, Richard, Margaret)

( Read more... )

Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers (any of Miss Climpson, Miss Murchison, original characters from The Cattery are welcome)

( Read more... )

Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch (any of Thomas Nightingale, Augustus Berrycloth-Young, Cocoa, Worldbuilding)( Read more... )

A Civil Contract - Georgette Heyer (any of Adam Deveril, Jenny Chawleigh-Deveril, Lady Julia Oversley, Lydia Deveril)
( Read more... )

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty (any of Aurora, Leo, Count Lilac)
( Read more... )

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you for picking something I like! I hope you have a lovely time in this exchange, and also that someones writes something just as wonderful for you.

General Stuff About Me

I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes and canon divergence AUs, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. I think poetry and interactive fiction are supposed to be opt-in for this exchange - if you've got an idea that works best in these formats - go for it! Original characters are also fine, and I've seen some AUs and crossovers that have really blown me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love.

Squicks and Do Not Wants

I'm seriously not into non-consensual or underage sex. I also don't like graphic torture scenes or incest. I'm not much interested in reading a story about consensual BDSM; or where pregnancy or infertility is the main focus. I'm more interested in how characters' relationships work out with each other than erotica and I would rather not get an M or E rated story. I think it would be hard to link my current prompts to current world events, but please don't try, I want some escapism! (Ta :-) )

The Sparrow Parable (Bede's Historia Eccliastica de gentis anglorum)

(The Sparrow)

I asked for this in an exchange earlier this year, and got a story so lovely it's made me hungry for more in this microfandom! This is such a compelling image - the sparrow flying through a brief space of warmth and light, with darkness and storm both before and after. I'm not exactly sure what I would like? Maybe a literal retelling of the story in the canon setting of early mediaeval Britain, with the king and his advisors trying to grapple with this in real time (without a clever historian making them all sound eloquent)? Maybe move the point of view to the sparrow itself? Maybe go really meta and metaphorical? Maybe invert it like the poem Grendel does in this link? https://thijsporck.com/2020/07/27/from-bede-731-to-bone-1991-2004-a-sparrows-flight-through-the-ages/

Swan Lake - Bourne

(Any)

I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and it really really blew my mind. I had had no idea that ballet (dance theatre?) could be like that, I can just spend the whole show watching people's faces rather than looking at the dancing because this, and I have now come to find out, all of Bourne's choreographies focus on story and character, and the dance steps are in service to that, rather than a wall of women in tutus moving in unison, and counting how many fouettes. I love how there's always jokes and moments for the supporting characters being popped in every time there's a little gap in the main story, and I love the texture, how it's never clear how much of this is magical realism vs the Prince dissociating from reality, and I love how in this version it's the Prince who has to be rescued.

Prompts:

- I just love the Girlfriend so damn much! She's this happy, bubblegum pink girl breaking into the sordid dark red and grey life of the palace, as much of an intrusion into the Prince's unhappiness as the Swan/Stranger. I love how she alone, of all the guests at the ball, seems to be worried about the Stranger, and how, even with her self-interest, she does actually try to look out for the Prince time and time again. Tell me more about her! How did she get invited into the Prince's orbit in the first place? Does she survive the night of the ball? Would she believe what the Prince had to say about swans?

- This starts with the Prince having nightmares about swans, and ends with the same staging but as a peaceful embrace, a moment of grace. What are the Prince's dreams like as he's a child? How do they develop over time? What is the splendid view he was interrupted from watching as a child, so that he could go and shake hands instead?

AU Prompt:

- What if it didn't have to be a tragedy? What if the Prince and the Queen had managed to bring themselves to touch each other, just enough? What if the Stranger had been appreciated but turned down? What if the Swan had managed to defeat the other swans? What if the Girlfriend was just slightly less embarrassing? Or the Prince hadn't seen her take the money? What if...?

Brat Farrar - Josephine Tey
(any of Brat Farrar, Eleanor Ashby, Patrick Ashby)

This is such a satisfying detective story - and ghost story. I really love how this is an instance of an imposter plot that doesn't go all Prisoner of Zenda with the replacement being an improvement on the original - here, Brat is Patrick's champion. I'm really interested in the life that Brat and Eleanor (and the unnominated Aunt Bee) make for themselves in Ireland after the shouting is over - does Eleanor have any convincing to do to make Brat alright with things? Or would you like to do a character study of Brat and his urgent need to wander. Is finding his family enough for him to settle down again, or does he have to deal with more restlessness? Does Brat ever go back to visit Matron and the old orphanage? Would you like to show what Patrick was experiencing during his childhood? His perspective as a ghost?

AU Prompt:
What if 'Brat Farrar' really was Patrick, who had somehow managed to survive the murder attempt and fled. Does he come back remembering who he is? Or is some of it a blank and he's working on instinct?

Welcome to Our Village - Please Invade Carefully
(Any of Uljabaan, Lucy, Katrina)

I literally just found this fandom from the fandom promotion plot. It's great! So much absurdity, perfectly timed dialogue, and the inexorable pull of country village life thwarting the hostile invasion attempt. And the fact that Uljabaan, Katrina and Lucy are all Sworn Enemies (TM), but they're always in and out of each other's houses.

Would you like to go into another Enemy Plot/Foil and Thwart attempt between Uljabaan and Katrina and Lucy? Or go back and do a prequel of the events so efficiently summed up in the pilot episode and show what Uljabaan's arrival (as lost heir, and then alien commander) actually looked like? Katrina is supposed to have an ex-boyfriend who's an Arsenal fan - by some convoluted turn of events does he turn up at all? Does the outside world ever figure out what's going on? They're not nominated, but I'd also love more Minions-action, with their love of cake and Jane Austen and general good humoured incompetence. Do they get infected by humanity? Does Uljabaan? Is there a point where he gets a chance to leave and just...doesn't?

Love's Labours' Lost - RSC 2014
(Any of Rosaline, Berowne, Princess of France, Dumaine's Teddy Bear)

This specific production of Love's Labours' Lost is the version done in 2014 as a paired production with Much Ado About Nothing (which was advertised as Love's Labours' Won) as a way to memorialise the Great War. It's also the version where they thought hard about how to turn Shakespeare into an operetta, with beautiful singing, an extended musical theatre number for the play-within-a-play section at the end, and some demented dancing cossacks turning up at a key point. All of which is to say that it's a lot of fun, and I love it to bits, while also recognising the dark moment in history that they're building up to. (Here's a couple of internet primers of the plot for you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_xlbjxtP7I, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jLGj_pBQ8)

Prompts:

- Would you like to dig more into Berowne and Rosaline's relationship with each other? What happened when they danced in Brabante? Why does he think she 'does the deed'? (And does she?) Do they get to meet again after Berowne's year of service in a hospice? What would that service look like in the context of WWI? And what kind of feelings does he have about going into hospitals when Britain is trying to recruit as many fighters as it can get.

- I love the Princess of France, who has so much wit and poise when dealing with a group of overgrown schoolboys who think they're in a competition with her - and she's always winning. Would you like to talk about her career as a diplomat? Her relationship with her Ladies? Does she reconcile with the King of Navarre?

- I've asked for Dumaine's teddy bear because I love that scene with everyone in their pyjamas all having the same thought on where to go to have a quiet soliloquy, and the stage business with the teddy bear pretty much sums up all the absurdity that went into it (along with, frankly, Dumaine's hairnet and the, ahem, varying quality of the poetry displayed.) Would you like to bring in some more stage business with the teddy bear? Does it become a mascot for the soldiers gone to war? Is there a story about why Dumaine likes it so much? (Here's a short clip, but watching the whole thing is better ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGtgy6BCy20)

- Can you think of an excuse to wedge in another song and dance number? More is more!

- These are not nominated characters, but I also really love Moth's and Don Armado's friendship with each other - if you'd like to write them into your story, I'd love to see them.

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you for picking something I like! I hope you have a lovely time in this exchange, and also that someones writes something just as wonderful for you.

( Read more... )

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you for picking something I like! I hope you have a lovely time this festive season, and also that someones writes something just as wonderful for you.

General Stuff About Me

I've been participating in Yuletide for a while now and really enjoying it - both for the writing and the sheer cheerful juggernaut nature of the event. ;-) Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes and canon divergence AUs, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. Apparently, poetry and interactive fiction are supposed to be opt-in now - if you've got an idea that works best in these formats - go for it! Original characters are also fine, and I've seen some AUs and crossovers that have really blown me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love.

All my prompts are for Either/Any/Or use any combination of suggested characters that works for you.

Squicks and Do Not Wants

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen (Any)
I have thrown in some AU suggestions for funsies. As always, pick up anything you like, and don't mind the rest. (I do love a happy ending, though, even if we have to go through bittersweet to get there.)

Canon Prompts:
- I find it really interesting how the novel really really emphasises that Elinor and Brandon are very good friends, to the point where interested bystanders are expecting him to make an offer for her. What are their respective married lives like as platonic friends and neighbours? How do they manage potential jealousies in their spouses?
- For that matter, the climax of the novel doesn't win Marianne for Brandon, he wins the right to court her. What are those gentle two years in which she's visiting with his neighbour like? What are the things that change her opinions from pity to attachment?
- We hear about Brandon's ill-fated sister-in-law Eliza Brandon, and her not quite so ill-fated ward Eliza Williams, but we never get to see them directly. Their story line is so confrontationally gothic, so much so that whenever the very sensitive and well-mannered Brandon talks about them, his speech breaks out in emdashes. What were these two young women like? Can we see how the story happens from their point of view? Because the elder Eliza's story is so sad, hopefully if you choose this prompt, the story can end on at least the glimmer of a happy note.

AU Prompts:
- One of the nice background details I recently found out about the 1995 movie is that Emma Thompson and Greg Wise (the actor of Willoughby) met on the set and Fell In Love, and are married to this day. How would an AU in which Elinor and Willoughby get together work out? (Happy endings preferred.)
- Canonically, Elinor and Marianne are both dark in their hair and eyes, and Marianne has a brown complexion. What's the AU in which they either have, or are assumed to have, African ancestry? How would that fit in with the intense Abolition politics of the time?
- Eliza Brandon's marriage to Brandon's older brother was coerced, and therefore illegal, and therefore she could have got an annulment if she'd had a good lawyer on her side. What would it have been like if Brandon had come home early from India and helped her out? (Either back at the time, or in the time period of the novel in which he meets Elinor and Marianne?)

Twelfth Night 1996 - (Viola/Cesario, Olivia, Feste, Count Orsino)
I saw this Imogen Stubbs adaptation back when it originally came out (yes, I'm old), and it remains one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. I love the great delicacy of the adaptation in taking a laugh where there's a laugh to be had, but using it to counterpoint the savagery of the emotions that the characters are dealing with. I also love how Viola and Olivia are paired characters, who both need a reason to smile again, and how that works out through the machinations of their not-really romance with each other, and how Viola's interactions with Orsino are a series of moments where she has to go out of her comfort zone with smoking and fencing and horse riding, and literally learning how to throw her heart over a fence when she's riding. How does that need that both of them have follow them into married life? And, oh gosh, my favourite throwaway moment is when Viola and Orsino are playing billiards and she accidentally manages a trick shot and has to fake being nonchalant about it. Do they ever play billiards again?

Finally, Feste in this version is a very fractured individual - was he always like this? did something happen to him? He and Olivia find such obvious comfort in each other - how long have they known each other, how did Feste come to be attached to her household?

The Masqueraders - Georgette Heyer (Robin, Prudence)
I quite like this as an adventure story, and it has charm both for the fact that the menfolk get to wear brightly coloured coats and jewelled buckles just as much as the women do, and a general more louche, more dangerous feeling of the setting compared to Heyer's more delicate regency fare.

I really enjoy the fragmentary bits and pieces we hear of Robin and Prue's adventures with the old gentleman. I would love to read more about their shady past, or their married future. What was Prue's relationship with her mother like, and how is it different to Robin's? Also, Robin takes the failure '45 Rebellion much more to heart than Prue and their father do: would you like to write more about his involvement in the Rebellion? Had he already met Charles Stewart in Italy or France? How did he get on with Bonnie Prince Charlie? When Sir Tony is discussing his intention to marry Prue with Robin, Robin is really clear that he considers himself the responsible man of the family whose permission must be asked - what are some of the past butting heads incidents between him and his Dad? What's the AU in which Prue did have to fight that duel with Rensley?

Also, since I've separately asked for Twelfth Night - I'm a bit curious. Do Robin and Prue admire that play and its sister As You Like It, or do they critique it for technique?

The Windrose Chronicles (Joanna Sheraton, Stonne Caris, Pellicida)
I am just now rereading this series after some years and had a seriously bad moment when I realised that my copy of The Silicon Mage was permanently lost and it's out of print (found a SH copy, thankfully.) Man, the second novel in the series is so thoroughly bleak and cold and exhausting, with little moments of comfort tucked in every now and then, and a happy ending truly seized from the jaws of death. Reading it now I'm older: I'm always impressed how these novels are so tightly compressed and plotted: every named item in Joanna's capacious handbag/backpack is going to come in useful sometime, every minor incident along the way will turn out to be important to the plot.

Some prompts!
- Caris and Pella make a very odd odd couple. We hear a fragment about their ever after: rumours flying, but Pella was so very pregnant, and Caris so very stolid, that they weren't getting very far. Would you like to write more about what happens to them? Does Pella have any children by Caris? By the end of the second novel, Pella's husband seems to have started respecting her judgement and character - does she lean into having a governance role of the Empire?
- Caris changes from being an agent of death to wanting to be a healer. I love that ghost phrase we hear from Suraklin in his final showdown where he remembers the Archmage advising Caris to be a healer not a sasennan. How does this journey work out for him?
- Joanna several time talks about her relationship with her mother being difficult. Joanna reads to me like she's on the Autism Awesome end of the ASD spectrum (very detailed, very passionate, has a hard time figuring most people out), and, as I get older, the more I wonder if Joanna's mother was awkwardly trying to help out her awkward daughter, rather than being demanding for the sake of it. Does their relationship change over time? How does adding Antryg to the mix change things?
(While Magister Magus doesn't make the character list, any cameos by him will be much enjoyed.)

Lord Peter Wimsey - Dorothy L. Sayers (Miss Climpson)

Miss Climpson mentions once that she had wanted to be a lawyer, but her father had strong opinions about education for women. Tell me about the canon divergent AU in which this terrifying creature existed. Time and place AUs are welcome, I just want to bask in the awesomeness of Kitty Climpson, KC (or QC depending on period). More casefic with Miss Climpson would also be awesome, so would her beetling about apologising through Lord Peter's and Harriet's Happily Ever After.

Swan Lake - Bourne (The Girlfriend, The Prince)
I saw this for the first time a couple of years ago and it really really blew my mind. I had had no idea that ballet (dance theatre?) could be like that, I can just spend the whole show watching people's faces rather than looking at the dancing because this, and I have now come to find out, all of Bourne's choreographies focus on story and character, and the dance steps are in service to that, rather than a wall of women in tutus moving in unison, and counting how many fouettes. I love how there's always jokes and moments for the supporting characters being popped in every time there's a little gap in the main story, and I love the texture, how it's never clear how much of this is magical realism vs the Prince dissociating from reality, and I love how in this version it's the Prince who has to be rescued.

Prompts:
- I just love the Girlfriend so damn much! She's this happy, bubblegum pink girl breaking into the sordid dark red and grey life of the palace, as much of an intrusion into the Prince's unhappiness as the Swan/Stranger. I love how she alone, of all the guests at the ball, seems to be worried about the Stranger, and how, even with her self-interest, she does actually try to look out for the Prince time and time again. Tell me more about her! How did she get invited into the Prince's orbit in the first place? Does she survive the night of the ball? Would she believe what the Prince had to say about swans?
- This starts with the Prince having nightmares about swans, and ends with the same staging but as a peaceful embrace, a moment of grace. What are the Prince's dreams like as he's a child? How do they develop over time? What is the splendid view he was interrupted from watching as a child, so that he could go and shake hands instead?

AU Prompt:
- What if it didn't have to be a tragedy? What if the Prince and the Queen had managed to bring themselves to touch each other, just enough? What if the Stranger had been appreciated but turned down? What if the Swan had managed to defeat the other swans? What if the Girlfriend was just slightly less embarrassing? Or the Prince hadn't seen her take the money? What if...?

Yuletide exchange promotional image using a seaside painting. Text says Come for the Yule, Stay for the Tide.

Because we could all do with a little bit of fun to round out the year. Sign ups close in just over a day, btw.

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to the story you're going to write, and I hope you have a good time with this exchange.

General Stuff About Me

I've been participating in Yuletide for a few years now and really enjoying it - both for the writing and the sheer cheerful juggernaut nature of the event. ;-) Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. Apparently, poetry and interactive fiction are supposed to be opt-in now - if you've got an idea that works best in these formats - go for it! Original characters are also fine, and I've seen some AUs and crossovers that have really blown me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love.

( Read more... )

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to the story you're going to write, and I hope you have a good time with this exchange.

General Stuff About Me

I've been participating in Yuletide for a few years now and really enjoying it - both for the writing and the sheer cheerful juggernaut nature of the event. ;-) Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. Original characters are also fine, and I've seen some AUs and crossovers that have really blown me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love

( Squicks and Do Not Wants )

( Zog Series )

( The Hunting of the Snark - Mike Batt and Lewis Carroll )

( Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen )

( Women of NASA RPF )

( Ocean's 8 )

Hey la, hey la, Yuletide's back!

(But only of the very finest kind. :-) )

Also, five more days to nominate your favourite rare fandom!

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to the story you're going to write, and I hope you have a good time with this exchange.

( General Stuff About Me... )

I've been participating in Yuletide for a few years now and really enjoying it - both for the writing and the sheer cheerful juggernaut nature of the event. ;-) Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. Original characters are also fine, and I've seen some AUs and crossovers that have really blown me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love!

( Squicks )

( Their Finest (2016) )

( Please Don't Eat The Daisies (1960) )

( Frederica - Georgette Heyer )

Yuletide, the rare fandom exchange, has again lumbered into friendly, slightly obsessive in a good way, life. The thing is, while the bare bones of the exchange are you write and receive a story of at least a thousand words, there's all this discretionary activity that fans put in before or after in which they're busy making and organising spreadsheets, making recs, writing extra treats, making sure everyone gets at least one positive comment, and getting intensely precise about the exact format that tags should be to best fit in the taxonomy tree.

My current favourite is the incredibly learned and good natured discussion in the Nomination Comments section here on the competing merits of whether the Three Witches from Macbeth should be tagged as First Witch, Second Witch, Third Witch, or as a collective group "The Three Witches", or whether there should even be a set number of witches at all. Competing editions of Shakespeare and the various staging decisions of live performances over the years are getting cited. It's glorious.

Fanfiction writers are library nerds. Oh my, oh yes, I have found my tribe. :-)

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to the story you're going to write, and I hope you have a good time with Yuletide.

General Stuff About Me

I've been participating in Yuletide for a few years now and really enjoying it - both for the writing and the sheer cheerful juggernaut nature of the event. ;-) Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. Original characters are also fine, and I've seen some AUs and crossovers that have really blown me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write, and I'm happy for you to write for any of the characters selected (Either/Or instead of And) if that's your preference. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love!

( Squicks )

( The Circus is Coming - Noel Streatfeild )

( What's Your Number RPF )

( Postman Pat (TV 2004) )

The story of my heart is a genre mashup where Pat Clifton is a mild mannered postie in a country village where everybody likes getting together to make nice things for the village children and also the resident detective in a sleepy village with a statistically unusual rate of 'accidental' deaths and disappearances. Did Peter Fogg, George Lancaster, Granny Dryden and Sam Waldron move away, or is that just what everyone thinks happened? There's a sign in the post office to visit Garnier Hall, but when's the last time anyone actually saw the Major, eh? There's a lot of hand touching and "More tea, Vicar?" going on between Dr Gilbertson and Reverend Timms, but when it comes to the crunch, it's PC Selby who takes her to dances and plays the banjo for her - is this a well established polyamorous triad, or a love triangle filled with unrequited feelings and simmering resentment? What do Lucy Selby and Sarah Gilbertson think about all of this? Mr Pringle seems a bit of a hunk to be a single teacher - is he a target for the village maidens of Greendale? And what happened to Charlie's Mum? And what about those tunnels under the church - are they linked to the drawing of Vitruvian Man in the playground designs? Is there a secret cult in Greendale? Curious minds want to know!

If this is not your thing, we're cool. How about a story from Jess' point of view? Or the backstory of how Pat got his first job as postie? Did he ever have dreams to have some other job?

( Bride of the Rat God - Barbara Hambly )

( Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer )

Someone wrote me a villanelle! A villanelle, I say!

Six Days (1050 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Imagine A Day - Rob Gonsalves & Sarah L. Thomson
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: The Balloon Girl (Imagine a Day), Girl Building Skyscraper (Imagine a Day)
Summary:

Glimpses of a strange and shifting world.

Also a really nice "What happens next / Blade getting restless and also into DIY" for the Derkholm Series.

a place to hang your hat (3034 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Derkholm Series - Diana Wynne Jones
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Blade/Claudia (Derkholm), Elda/Flury (Derkholm)
Characters: Blade (Derkholm), Claudia (Derkholm), Titus (Derkholm), Flury (Derkholm), Shona (Derkholm), Querida (Derkholm), Derk (Derkholm), Mara (Derkholm), Kit (Derkholm)
Additional Tags: everything but the curtains
Summary:

“Mm-hm,” said Titus, ignoring the eye-roll with perfect dignity. “And if I recall correctly--” which he did “--your father owns quite an impressive estate these days. You, on the other hand--”

Happy Yuletide!

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you for writing a story for me! I'm really looking forward to it - and please take these prompts as suggestions only, if there's a different story that you think you'll enjoy writing more, write that one. I generally (but not exclusively) read at the Gen and Teen level, and I'm not much interested in BDSM/various shades of kink stories. I really don't want a story with graphic violence or non-consensual or underage sex in it. On the other hand, I am Just Peachy with original characters turning up, and prequels and sequels and inbetween scenes. (Please treat all the characters I've requested as OR rather than AND if that works better for you.)

( Postman Pat TV (2004) )

( Derkholm Series )

( Imagine A Day - Rob Gonsalves & Sarah L. Thomson )

( Sprig Muslin - Georgette Heyer )

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to the story you're going to write, and I hope you have a good time with Yuletide. (Also, my AO3 handle is DaisyNinjaGirl.)

General Stuff About Me
I've been participating in Yuletide for a few years now and really enjoying it - both for the writing and the sheer cheerful juggernaut nature of the event. ;-) Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. (Original characters are also fine.) AUs and crossovers are less my thing, although there have been some definite exceptions that really blew me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love!

( Squicks... )

( Territory - Emma Bull )

( What's Your Number? RPF )

( Derkholm Series )

( Emma - Jane Austen )

Thanks again, I hope you have a great time with the exchange.

Stephanie

Since now we're able to own up to what we wrote for the exchange, this was my story:

On Bigness (2828 words) by DaisyNinjaGirl
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: 莊子 | Zhuāngzǐ - 莊周 | Zhuāng Zhōu
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Relationships: 莊子 | Zhuāngzǐ & 惠子 | Huìzǐ, 莊子 | Zhuāngzǐ/Original Female Character
Characters: 莊子 | Zhuāngzǐ, 惠子 | Huìzǐ, Original Characters
Additional Tags: Chinese Philosophy, Alternative Interpretations, Yuletide 2013, Chromatic Yuletide
Summary:

In the darkness of the Northern Ocean, Zhuang Zhou muses on bigness...

Basically, around a year ago, I spent a lot of time reading the Zhuangzi/Chuang Tsu as preparation for Fragrant Harbour and got really into it. Plus, I found out in secondary research that the trope of the 'secret martial arts manual' in wuxia novels can indeed be a classic text such as the Zhuangzi - you just have to understand it correctly. (Seriously, it's in one of the Jin Yong novels.) In any case, the book starts with this really compelling image of the great fish Kun which transforms into an even greater bird Peng beating through the air which has always really stuck with me. That got paired with a prompt which asked for the relationship between Master Zhuang and his friend and opposing philosopher Master Hui who turned out to be really interested in distinctions of relative size, and this is what came out the other end.

And a gift for me, from the lovely Lizimajig - lets have a big old Muppet cheer for Gwen Stacey! Yaaaaaaay!!!

You Will Always Be In Front of Me, Even As I Disappear From View (7090 words) by lizimajig
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy
Characters: Peter Parker, Helen Stacy, Gwen Stacy, Cletus Kasady, Carnage, May Parker (Spider-Man)
Additional Tags: POV Female Character, Drama, Blood, Fights, Canon-Typical Violence
Summary:

It's not the best plan in the world, but she dives under Dr. Kasady's desk, and closes her eyes, wishing she had thought to grab something to improvise as a weapon. The flamethrower had worked really well last time. "Just stay with me as long as you can," she whispers, her stomach in knots.

"I will, I promise, long as I can."

Gwen is not the damsel in distress. She is the hero of her own story and doesn't need to be protected.

Dear Yuletide Writer,

I may (or may not) be Away From Keyboard when the Yuletide stories open up. (I'm due to have a baby around Christmas, but as is the way of things I have a four week window of When Exciting Things Might Happen.) In any case, I'm really looking forward to your story, just that there's a chance you might not hear from me straight away.

Stephanie

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to the story you're going to write, and I hope you have a good time with Yuletide. (Also, my AO3 handle is DaisyNinjaGirl. :-) )

General Stuff About Me
I'm relatively recent to the world of fan fiction (about two years, I guess?), although I've been enjoying myself wading through various archives (my AO3 handle is DaisyNinjaGirl). Some things I've noticed about myself is that I tend to enjoy more stories that are reasonably consistent with the original canon - so sequels and prequels and inbetween scenes, and I love it when a minor character gets their story expanded or someone does a nifty bit of world building on some little detail and makes it all make sense. AUs and crossovers are less my thing, although there have been some definite exceptions that really blew me away, so please take this paragraph as an 'optional details are optional' section and write the story that will make you happy. The prompts I've given are also optional, please have fun with what you choose to write. Also, stories that pass the Bechdel Test Are Love!

( Squicks )

( Territory - Emma Bull )

( Dan in Real Life (2007) )

( The Pirates' Mixed-Up Voyage - Margaret Mahy )

( The Amazing Spider-Man )

Thanks again, I hope you have a great time with the exchange.

Stephanie

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true/wonderful/awesome Yuletide authors gave to me...

Two awesome stories, one backstory for the Phouka in th War for the Oaks universe (true to Emma Bull's style - bright as a broken stained glass window, but it cuts) and a lovely, wonderful story about St Margaret of Antioch.

The Life of Saint Margaret of Antioch (The Hundred Thousand Maidens Remix) (1723 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Life of Saint Margaret of Antioch (Medieval Saint's Life)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Saint Margaret of Antioch, various cameos
Summary:

Her name is Margaret. She tells a story.

(Note on warnings: if it happens in the original canon, it happens here.)

Bookmarker's Notes:

A glorious story about St Margaret of Antioch.

In Kind (3459 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: War for the Oaks - Emma Bull
Rating: General Audiences
Warning: Major Character Death
Characters: Phouka (War for the Oaks), Original Female Character, Original Male Character
Summary:

Jazz Age prequel for War for the Oaks. Ruby Kind comes to Saint Paul looking to get away from life in Hibbing. She finds the Wabasha Street Speakeasy, Miss Winter, and Mr. Pook.

Dear Daisy Ninja Girl,

I dithered mightily about giving you this present. I dithered. But you said you appreciated that quality of Ms. Bull's works, in that they soar while they cut you. So. It's winter in Minnesota as I write this. It's beautiful. It also kills people.

(Heart-felt thanks to St. Aurafina, Lilacsigil, and Likeadeuce for assistance, hand-holding, and beta-reading.)

Honourable mention to a story written for my sister, Eddie Alvarez has a problem on his Christmas shopping trip, and the team step up for him.

The Precinct Gave To Me (1430 words) by Anonymous
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Unusuals
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Eddie Alvarez/Nicole Brandt
Characters: Eddie Alvarez, Nicole Brandt, Leo Banks, Eric Delahoy, Jason Walsh, Casey Shraeger, Allison Beaumont, Henry Cole, Harvey Brown
Summary:

It's the night before Christmas and, all through the Second Precinct, there's drama, bad puns and the case of the stolen Christmas shopping.

Thank you again!

I have so much love for everyone in Yuletide right now, about to do some mass reading, but wanted to share the awesome early.

Merry Christmas!

Hi there,

Thank you for writing for me! This is my second year in Yuletide and I had a ball last year - I'm really looking forward to seeing your story.

( General Stuff About Me )

( Squicks )

( The Life of St Margaret of Antioch )

Right, my other nominations are much easier, I promise!

( War for the Oaks )

( Dan in Real Life )

Anyway, thanks again for writing a story for me.

Stephanie

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