Hiding fandom in the underwear drawer since 1977

Happy New Year! Let's hope 2023 doesn't suck

syrena_of_the_lake and I guessed each other's gifts by the summary. (btw, Syrena has written 6 awesome yuletide stories so do check them out).

I wrote one meager gift, though I had fun doing it and read 4 books and a Tor short story to do it.

Addendum to the Memoirs of Isabella, Lady Trent, F.P.C.
Casselthwaite, Lincolnshire
10 Floris 5663

So, against all sense and judgment, I've signed up for Yuletide.

First, thanks so much! I really appreciate you writing for me and I hope that you find something that inspires or interests you. Despite the character-centric match up, the fact is, I’m pretty agnostic as to characters. Whatever we've been matched on, don't worry because I like just about anything and what I don't like has to do with tone and characterization, not particular characters.

I've opted in for treats and gifts, yes, please and thank you!

Options are optional - What I love (totally optional):

• UST; witty banter and snark; politics, finance, history or military strategy; World War 2; worldbuilding; gap-filling; culture clash; natural history, healthy, normal, romantic relationship between consenting adults; someone being extraordinarily clever and getting out of a jam; anything sly, wry, and silly; rapid fire dialogue; a delightful sense of the absurd; madcap adventures
• A satisfying ending, delightful characterization, and to laugh at least once
• Pagan and/or mythological influences;
• I prefer humor over angst
• Cross-overs, AUs, and Fusion Fics! (You can look at my work to see my interests and xovers)
• Big monsters like sentient dragons, zords, dinosaurs, kaiju, transformers
• I’m an old lady liberal, so if you go political, which is totally cool and I really enjoy, please lean hard left.
• I generally prefer the ladies and/or POCs over the guys
• Outside perspective/pov -- a well written OC observing a canon character where we know more than they do

I prefer f/m and f/f over m/m if you go romantic.

Character death is harder -- I don't have a problem at all with loved ones long gone, for example Temeraire grieving for past riders.

DNW: it's a short list but pretty strongly held: excessive angst, gore or violence; body horror, any dub-con whatsoever. I have a strong preference for humor over angst and romance/sex rather than violence.


Indiana Jones

Anything with Marion and/or Indy. I have more thoughts on Marion, but have fun filling the enormous gaps for either of them. You could give Marion some backstory; where did she live? How did she end up in Mongolia? What did she do after she and Indy split? What happened after her father died? Invent a gal pal with some fem-slashy goodness on the side. She accidentally discovers Themyscira and learns a zillion languages. She becomes a Nazi hunter. She works with Peggy Carter. Handwave away Mutt if you need to.

For Indy and/or Marion, a story with smelly camels and donkeys, cursed tombs, loyal dogs, and finding lost cities and new species, and being good friends with the locals, drinking lots of gin and quinine to ward off malaria. Indy was in the OSS, so maybe Marion was too. Or in the SOE. What was she doing in the War? Was she a spy -- she'd be a great spy! Maybe they were spies together? I did a story where Indy was a Monuments Man at the end of the War -- you could build on that or give a role to Marion in scouring Europe for dangerous Nazi artifacts. Bonus for punching Nazis.

Or, maybe Marion and Indy are both eccentric professors and so you do an outside pov of their teaching assistants or administrators who are stuck covering for them all the time. Maybe Marion teaches the next class of lady adventurers. Most of all, have fun filling in the big gaps!

Jurassic Park

"Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth."
"Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
“We can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back.”
I selected any character because I'm fine with any of the characters because what I most want is any of those characters dealing with Dinosaurs. Or Kaiju. Or Dragons. More dinosaurs. Make them sentient. Do a fusion with Pern or Temeraire or Pacific Rim or Dinotopia. I love Ellie Sattler so great if you can include her, if you are so inclined. You could have Alan and Ellie kicking creationists from one end of the geological timeline to the next.  Or Ian being reluctantly coerced into another dino adventure -- he is SO over it.  Or Tim and Lex as adults Dealing With Dinosaurs. A key message of Michael Crichton's work is -- corporations and their lawyers are short sighted money grubbers.  So feel free to play with that.

Temeraire

Even Temeraire himself is optional, so long as there are dragons. OCs are terrific here, too! Dragons, dragons, dragons. Dragon mythology. Famous dragons in history. Dragons and AU history, dragons and wars, dragon politicians post League of Dragons, dragons and xovers, dragons and fusion fics.  Or Temeraire at the end of the story -- what does English society and the world look like with dragons as full participants? What do dragons think of Brexit?  Donald Trump? The current 2022 crisis?

Temeraire also lends itself well to culture clash, characters, often out of time and place, sharing a different, more inclusive view, and often gently or more aggressively schooling (and possibly enlightening) those around them. I love Temeraire’s radical point of view (why can’t dragons vote?).

Rogue Squad/X Wing books
I'm here for the banter and high jinks and the Star Wars movie we didn't get.  Yub, yub commander.  I have a special fondness for Wedge, Talon Karrde and Booster, but really just anybody in those books, so long as it's the typical mess they get into and have to get out of on the basis of just being too damned clever and great fliers.  I noted in the sign up that in Kenobi we learn that a Force sensitive child named Corran Horn ends up being smuggled with his mother onto the Jedi Path/refugee line to avoid Sith inquisitors.  It's a blink and you miss it moment.  (Mike Stackpole was thrilled).  So if you are interested in developing that, go for it. Feel free to add my beloved Mara Jade.  Add Luke, Leia, and/or Han if you want.  Or Chewbacca. 
1000 words of the Rogues drinking too much and getting thrown out of a bar is great by me.  Or they have to defend their funding to the Coruscant Senate and, like, put on a suit and someone is trying to school them in how not to piss off a Senator with subpoena power and control of the appropriations. 

Thank you again and drop an anon comment if you have questions.

Over and gone, but finally an update...
I got an AMAZING Marion Ravenwood/Narnia crossover!

But men, good ones or not, did one thing. They left her. As a result, Marion had seen so much more of the world than most women her age. Hell, she'd seen more of the world than most women alive. Her experiences were diverse, including things not right for "polite conversation." She would rather know more than be limited.

So I'm just back from nearly 10 days away and 3 time zones and so am behind on absolutely everything, including the December meme, which will probably be more of a January meme at this point. Also, I know that some have written things in response to my prompts and I will get to commenting and such. Thanks so much for sharing your theories, meta, personal stories, and all good fannish things.

So, Happy New Year! May this year be better than the last! I wish you all good things!

Did you get nice things?  Did you have a nice time?  Tell me more?

So, Yuletide. Oh my gosh, a huge thanks to heliopause for getting me through it! Helio was SO supportive.

I wrote one story, and one treat. The main story for parhelion was in Bujold's Chalion. I think my recipient liked it and I had fun doing it.
Communion of Saints (7300 words) by rthstewart
Chapters: 3/3
Fandom: Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: the Bastard (Chalion), the Mother (Chalion), the Father (Chalion), the Son (Chalion), Lupe dy Cazaril, Bergon dy Ibra, Paginine, Ista dy Chalion, Ser dy Ferrej, Umegat, Acolyte Clara
Additional Tags: Fictional Religion & Theology
Summary: When it is dark enough, you can see the stars. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Saints can find communion but may have to crawl over rough ground to get there.

My second was a treat for Port, writing, for the second year in a row, Mara Jade and Talon Karrde but not Mara/Karrde (that's not a ship I sail on).

Show Your Hand (1163 words) by rthstewart
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Mara Jade, Talon Karrde
Additional Tags: Nursing, Humor
Summary: Karrde is injured. Mara tenderly nurses him back to health.

I had in my head the desire to write a whole bunch of romance tropes where Karrde and Mara subvert them. This was just the first, where Mara "tenderly nurses" an injured Karrde back to health. Uh huh. There's always a YT request for Mara Jade plotty fic and that takes time and I really need to think about that and maybe next year.

I received 3 wonderful fics, 2 written by keerawa and another lovely story by glishara.  And I'm so happy that these stories are all doing well and are popular in YT.  It's nice to write something your recipient loves -- and I  loved all my shiny gifts.  It's even better when others love what you did!

All Disasters Out of Season (1103 words) by keerawa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Elementary (TV), Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Joan Watson (Elementary), Ms. Hudson (Elementary), Sherlock Holmes
Additional Tags: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, The Bastard - Freeform, Yuletide Treat, Yuletide 2014, Misses Clause Challenge, Case Fic, Character of Faith, Canon Trans Character
Summary:

At first, Curtis Atherton's death appeared a simple suicide. Of course, nothing is simple when the Bastard is involved.

Like a Dragon in a China Shop (2779 words) by keerawa
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Temeraire - Naomi Novik, Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, Temeraire
Additional Tags: Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Post-Canon, Dragons, Period-Typical Racism, Victorian, Yuletide 2014, Yuletide Treat
Summary:  When Holmes' investigation into a series of murders in Chinatown reaches an impasse, Watson must call upon an old acquaintance for help.

Birthings (1834 words) by Glishara
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Chalion Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold, Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Ista dy Chalion, Illvin dy Arbanos, Annaliss dy Teneret
Summary:While on assignment in the Archipelago, Ista and Illvin's band finds some truly unexpected spoils of war...

SO FAR BEHIND, but, let’s try and get caught up!

 

vialethe  wants me to talk about Lucy

 

Corellian_sugar asked about cooking successes and disasters (I’ve been waiting for this one)

Anon wants to know where I’d assign the Pevensies in Hogwarts houses

 

 

( All about Lucy )

 

Cooking disasters

 

( that time the sweet potato casserole blew up 3 times )

 

 

 

( Pevensies get it sorted )

 

 

Phew.  Still behind but there’s 3 days worth!!!  Thanks so much!!

Also, Yuletide in.  I'd love to try and get a treat done.  We'll see.  I baked about 14 hours this weekend, managed to miss a Christmas party and my hands are covered in burns and cuts.  I have chocolate in my hair and under my fingernails.
 

Dear Yuletide author

 Thanks so much for offering to write a story for me! I hope that you have fun with the suggestions and if you have a concern or worry, please know that I love everything to bits and have always been so happy with what I’ve received in exchanges. I do hope you have fun with the prompts.  I always worry thinking that my writer is unhappy and stressed.   

 General requests across all stories:  I prefer happy or contemplative endings to angst.  I love mixed media, OCs, humor, witty banter, competence, tricksters, worldbuilding,  fake history and invented theology, and historical and/or scientific detail fetish. I don’t like dub con and non-canonical character death and prefer romance and sex over violence and humor over angst. I love crossovers and stories where there are portals (magical, technological, or otherwise) to other places/times/dimensions.  I'm more interested in character than I am in continuity.  That last means I'll go along with just about anything, including gender bending, AU, the road not taken, and the same story told in new ways and new places, and from different points of view. 

 As to the specific requests:

 Temeraire:  Everything and anything is better with dragons.  I asked for Temeraire as a character, but really even he is optional.  I would be delighted with talking, sentient dragons of the Temeraire verse, any time or place, war or peace, AUs, OCs, and crossovers, too.  If you've ever wanted to do Dragons in Coffee Shop AU, Jo March’s dragon, General Eisenhower’s dragon, or classic ACD Sherlock Holmes with added dragon, now is your chance.  If you would rather stick to Temeraire himself during his known timeline, that's great, too!  Feel free to add any of the other nominated dragons, or Maximus and/or Lily. 

 

Elementary:  I adore the ladies of Elementary and Ms. Hudson is the special favorite with a fabulous untold backstory. Ms. Hudson is a housekeeper and so very much more (though I'm sure she takes great pride in being a wonderful housekeeper). She's an autodidact, has merit badges (was she an Eagle scout?), is a muse, and knits for Clyde, and surely took care of Romulus, and Remus. If you would like to add Joan, that's lovely because she is awesome. I'm sure they are very good friends. (Optional, there are two other women not nominated who I also love, Gay the gay geologist and Pam the snow plow driver.   Feel free to add them or others.  Perhaps they all get together on Saturdays for manis and pedis and go to the farmer’s market or go bowling or do something other than talk about Sherlock.  Maybe they solve a mystery!)  I do see this as a Gen story.

 

Indiana Jones:  I am going to request this again because this series is such fun.  I love Indy and/or Marion adventuring, whether separate or together.   I think Sallah, Henry, Sr., and Marcus have terrific, untold backstories and we know Indy was in the OSS. Marion did an awful lot in between her times with Indy.  I also love all the possibilities of a young Indiana Jones adventurer. I love historical events and historical figures. No aliens, please. Indy goes great with espionage, wild cross overs, magic, portals, World War 2, curses, archeology, natural history museums, and the Cold War.  Also, dragons (see above about Temeraire).

 

 Chalion: I received a wonderful Chalion treat in 2012 and so I’m going to ask again.  I have practically memorized Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls.   Any of the nominated characters would be terrific, in any combination, whether as point of view or observed from an outsider perspective.  I love the theology, Caz’s cunning and multi-faceted personality, how Ista finds so much after she has lost everything (I love her demon horse, Demon, too), and Iselle and Betriz’s friendship and adventuresome spirits, and the ways the romances with Bergon and with Illvin both unfold for daughter and mother respectively. Both stories are told so solidly from single points of view, there are lots and lots of ways to give us a fresh perspective.  I will love the little character insights, the backstories, the untold stories, worldbuilding, theology, and meta.   Anything with the Bastard (I love trickster gods) would be awesome.  I will gently ask that if you go romance here, please stick to the canon pairings. 

 

Thank you so much!  If you have any questions, feel free to leave me an anon message.

So, in a fit of holiday giving, and because there were SO MANY awesome prompts in a fandom I know well, I ended up picking up 2 treats.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Our holiday has been unexpectedly stressful for tedious reasons I won't go into but that involve lots of short tempers and food. Also, SO COLD, with highs the last two days of about 3 degrees Fahrenheit, -16 Celsius.

On the other hand, here are Padme and Prince Caspian battling with lightsabers. And Santa playing with the hand-knit dolls that Min23 made for me when she visited.


I hope you have a lovely day!
( pictures under the cut )

Dear Yuletide author

Thanks so much for offering to write a story for me! I made three requests:  Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, and Bujold’s Chalion series.

Indy:  I love Indy and/or Marion adventuring, whether separate or together.   I think Sallah, Henry, Sr., and Marcus have terrific, untold backstories and we know Indy was in the OSS. I also love all the possibilities of a young Indiana Jones adventurer. I love historical events and historical figures. I’m not a huge fan of Mutt, but maybe you can make me like him. No aliens, please. Indy goes great with espionage, wild cross overs, magic, portals, World War 2, curses, archeology, natural history museums, and the Cold War. 

Jurassic Park:  Dinosaurs. Any dinosaurs, chomping, stomping, thinking, running, smashing, and eating lawyers, investment bankers, and those who think dinosaurs went extinct because they weren't on the Ark.  [For a person of a certain sarcastic view, that last one has real possibilities].  I’m especially fond of Ellie, Alan, and Ian, but any characters from the books or films are good, so long as you can get some dinosaurs in there, somewhere.

Chalion: I have practically memorized Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. I’m not a huge fan of Hallowed Hunt, but maybe you can make me like it. The women of Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls are my special favorites but I love every single character in Paladin of Souls. Caz, Umegat, and the gods weren’t offered as characters in Yuletide, but I love them too. I love the theology, Caz’s cunning and multi-faceted personality, how Ista finds so much after she has lost everything, and Iselle and Betriz’s friendship and adventuresome spirits. Both stories are told so solidly from single points of view, there are lots and lots of ways to give us a fresh perspective.  I will love the little character insights, the backstories, the untold stories, worldbuilding and meta. 

General requests across all stories:  I prefer happy or contemplative endings to angst.  I love mixed media, OCs, humor, witty banter, and historical and/or scientific detail fetish. I don’t like dub con and non-canonical character death. I dearly love cross-overs where portals to other places/dimensions are part of the storyline, like Bujold’s Vorkosigan series, Narnia, Docor Who, Alice in Wonderland, and Warehouse 13, but I’m hard-pressed to see where one might occur here (except maybe Indy - but surprise me!). I'm more interested in character than I am in continuity.  That last means I'll go along with just about anything, including gender bending, AU,  the road not taken, and the same story told in new ways and new places.  

Thank you so much!