Dear Fic Corner Scribbler
Dear Fic Corner Scribbler,
Welcome! I want to thank you for offering to write in one of my fandoms, and I can't wait to read your story. What follows below are some thoughts on each of them and what kind of story I'd most love to see, but of course feel free to follow your muse -- none of this is meant as a straitjacket.
***
Fandom: Howl Series
Characters: Howl Pendragon
One day I found myself wondering, out of nowhere: how the heck did Howl get from Wales to Ingary in the first place?
It's one thing to study magic academically; it's another to make it work, especially when you're coming (as Howl seems to have done) from 12-A, where magic is not really a thing. I have this notion that it involved the castle door -- that Howl didn't make the door, he just installed it in his Porthaven house and tuned it to the locations he wanted. But how did he find the door in the first place? Does he know where it comes from? What happened when he first arrived in Ingary? (Other than "hilarious antics," of course.)
If that's too daunting for you, then I'd also love to see the tale of Howl and Calcifer meeting, with Howl convincing Calcifer to become his fire demon.
***
Fandom: The Magicians of Caprona
Characters: Benvenuto
Normally Caprona gets nominated as part and parcel of the Chrestomanci series, but. Well. Look at the character I've requested. :-P
Yes, dear Scribbler, I am asking for fic about the Montana family's cat. I have no idea why this idea came to me one day, but it did, and then it refused to go away again, even though I got a fic for it last year. DWJ wrote fabulous animals -- dogs and cats both! -- and Benvenuto isn't just a strong personality, he's a major part of the Montana family culture. I want fic about his badass adventures in Caprona, his victory over rivals and courtship of lady cats, and most of all how he and the other cats fit into the magic of the city.
So I nominated this separately because I didn't want anybody to look at the Chrestomanci character list with the intent of offering or requesting "any" and then go, "what the hell? A cat? I'm not interested in the bloody cat." If you offered this fandom, seeing the sole character on the tag list, you are awesome and I love you already. And if you're just browsing for treat possibilities: c'mon. Benvenuto! How can you not want fic starring the Montana family cat?
***
Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci
Characters: Christopher Chant, Cat Chant, Gabriel de Witt
While writing my Yuletide letter in a previous season, I came up with an idea that made me bounce in excitement at the mere thought of it. We know from the short story "Stealer of Souls" that Christopher took over as Chrestomanci and Cat arrived at the castle while Gabriel was still alive, which means that for a while there, you had no less than three nine-lived enchanters running around. How badass would it be if all three of them worked together on something? Especially given the wild differences in their personalities -- Cat earnest and young, Christopher sarcastic and adult, and Gabriel strict and old -- but all of them throwing around gobsmackingly large amounts of power, often in casual ways. I have no particular vision of what incident would involve all three of them; you can run with whatever suits your fancy. But I love the idea of seeing three Chrestomancis go to town on some problem, especially since it would give us a chance to see Christopher and Gabriel interacting when Christopher has grown out of being a twelve-year-old snot. :-P
I also have a (very optional!) crossover request involving this series, which is an idea that has really just possessed my brain and not let go. A passing reference in "Warlock at the Wheel" makes it clear that Chrestomanci's multiverse is the same as that in The Homeward Bounders. Which means that it's possible for Christopher to meet up with Jamie Hamilton.
I got a story for this in a previous year, and could probably read a dozen more takes on it without getting tired of the idea. What would Christopher (as an adult and Chrestomanci, not, I think, as a kid) say to Jamie? How long has Jamie been wandering, by the time the two of them run into each other? Do they meet up in Christopher's world, or somewhere out in the Anywheres? It isn't the sort of encounter that could fix anything, I imagine, though Christopher would probably offer to try; the anchor has to keep moving, and even Chrestomanci can't change that. But the encounter could be really intense. For all his sarcasm and flaws, I think Christopher would have a deep empathy for what Jamie's going through, and why. If that fires your imagination the way it did mine, then I'd love to read the result.
***
What follows are my standard "general notes" for fic exchanges, but in this instance I'll add that I'd like the level of violence and darkness to stay canon-compliant -- which means that stuff can be there (DWJ had a lot of surprisingly dark stuff in her work), but I don't want it to dominate the tone. I'm also not looking to see these books get sexed up.
Things That Are Yay: plot! (Casefic, etc. If you have the time and energy -- I know it can be a lot of work.) Exploration of character motivations, exploration/expansion of the setting. Fic that could fit into canon. Drama, up to and including aaaaaangst. Characters getting whumped on. Witty humour, especially if it's used as the jab to set up the dramatic roundhouse that follows.
Things That Are A-okay: violence, up to a point (see below). Non-explicit sex. AUs of the "what if this event went differently?" sort. Inclusion of nominated characters I didn't request. Inclusion of canonical characters who haven't been nominated. Original characters as needed for the story. Most povs, tenses, narrative formats, etc.
Things That Are Meh: straight-up character introspection. Nonfiction-style worldbuilding. Pure fluff. Second person pov without a really good reason.
Things That Are Nay: radical AUs like coffee shop, genderswaps, a/b/o, etc. Explicit smut and its associated kinks/tropes. "Five Things"-type stories (I've read some good ones, but that format rarely does it for me; I much prefer one continuous tale). Requested characters having only a cameo in the story, unless otherwise specified in the prompt. Gross-out humour. Humiliation. Characters being flat-out stupid. Character bashing. Torture porn, especially with female victims. Women being sidelined in general.
***
Thank you, and I hope you have fun!
Welcome! I want to thank you for offering to write in one of my fandoms, and I can't wait to read your story. What follows below are some thoughts on each of them and what kind of story I'd most love to see, but of course feel free to follow your muse -- none of this is meant as a straitjacket.
***
Fandom: Howl Series
Characters: Howl Pendragon
One day I found myself wondering, out of nowhere: how the heck did Howl get from Wales to Ingary in the first place?
It's one thing to study magic academically; it's another to make it work, especially when you're coming (as Howl seems to have done) from 12-A, where magic is not really a thing. I have this notion that it involved the castle door -- that Howl didn't make the door, he just installed it in his Porthaven house and tuned it to the locations he wanted. But how did he find the door in the first place? Does he know where it comes from? What happened when he first arrived in Ingary? (Other than "hilarious antics," of course.)
If that's too daunting for you, then I'd also love to see the tale of Howl and Calcifer meeting, with Howl convincing Calcifer to become his fire demon.
***
Fandom: The Magicians of Caprona
Characters: Benvenuto
Normally Caprona gets nominated as part and parcel of the Chrestomanci series, but. Well. Look at the character I've requested. :-P
Yes, dear Scribbler, I am asking for fic about the Montana family's cat. I have no idea why this idea came to me one day, but it did, and then it refused to go away again, even though I got a fic for it last year. DWJ wrote fabulous animals -- dogs and cats both! -- and Benvenuto isn't just a strong personality, he's a major part of the Montana family culture. I want fic about his badass adventures in Caprona, his victory over rivals and courtship of lady cats, and most of all how he and the other cats fit into the magic of the city.
So I nominated this separately because I didn't want anybody to look at the Chrestomanci character list with the intent of offering or requesting "any" and then go, "what the hell? A cat? I'm not interested in the bloody cat." If you offered this fandom, seeing the sole character on the tag list, you are awesome and I love you already. And if you're just browsing for treat possibilities: c'mon. Benvenuto! How can you not want fic starring the Montana family cat?
***
Fandom: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci
Characters: Christopher Chant, Cat Chant, Gabriel de Witt
While writing my Yuletide letter in a previous season, I came up with an idea that made me bounce in excitement at the mere thought of it. We know from the short story "Stealer of Souls" that Christopher took over as Chrestomanci and Cat arrived at the castle while Gabriel was still alive, which means that for a while there, you had no less than three nine-lived enchanters running around. How badass would it be if all three of them worked together on something? Especially given the wild differences in their personalities -- Cat earnest and young, Christopher sarcastic and adult, and Gabriel strict and old -- but all of them throwing around gobsmackingly large amounts of power, often in casual ways. I have no particular vision of what incident would involve all three of them; you can run with whatever suits your fancy. But I love the idea of seeing three Chrestomancis go to town on some problem, especially since it would give us a chance to see Christopher and Gabriel interacting when Christopher has grown out of being a twelve-year-old snot. :-P
I also have a (very optional!) crossover request involving this series, which is an idea that has really just possessed my brain and not let go. A passing reference in "Warlock at the Wheel" makes it clear that Chrestomanci's multiverse is the same as that in The Homeward Bounders. Which means that it's possible for Christopher to meet up with Jamie Hamilton.
I got a story for this in a previous year, and could probably read a dozen more takes on it without getting tired of the idea. What would Christopher (as an adult and Chrestomanci, not, I think, as a kid) say to Jamie? How long has Jamie been wandering, by the time the two of them run into each other? Do they meet up in Christopher's world, or somewhere out in the Anywheres? It isn't the sort of encounter that could fix anything, I imagine, though Christopher would probably offer to try; the anchor has to keep moving, and even Chrestomanci can't change that. But the encounter could be really intense. For all his sarcasm and flaws, I think Christopher would have a deep empathy for what Jamie's going through, and why. If that fires your imagination the way it did mine, then I'd love to read the result.
***
What follows are my standard "general notes" for fic exchanges, but in this instance I'll add that I'd like the level of violence and darkness to stay canon-compliant -- which means that stuff can be there (DWJ had a lot of surprisingly dark stuff in her work), but I don't want it to dominate the tone. I'm also not looking to see these books get sexed up.
Things That Are Yay: plot! (Casefic, etc. If you have the time and energy -- I know it can be a lot of work.) Exploration of character motivations, exploration/expansion of the setting. Fic that could fit into canon. Drama, up to and including aaaaaangst. Characters getting whumped on. Witty humour, especially if it's used as the jab to set up the dramatic roundhouse that follows.
Things That Are A-okay: violence, up to a point (see below). Non-explicit sex. AUs of the "what if this event went differently?" sort. Inclusion of nominated characters I didn't request. Inclusion of canonical characters who haven't been nominated. Original characters as needed for the story. Most povs, tenses, narrative formats, etc.
Things That Are Meh: straight-up character introspection. Nonfiction-style worldbuilding. Pure fluff. Second person pov without a really good reason.
Things That Are Nay: radical AUs like coffee shop, genderswaps, a/b/o, etc. Explicit smut and its associated kinks/tropes. "Five Things"-type stories (I've read some good ones, but that format rarely does it for me; I much prefer one continuous tale). Requested characters having only a cameo in the story, unless otherwise specified in the prompt. Gross-out humour. Humiliation. Characters being flat-out stupid. Character bashing. Torture porn, especially with female victims. Women being sidelined in general.
***
Thank you, and I hope you have fun!
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