Dear Yuletide author
Oct. 7th, 2017 03:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eccentric_hatHello author, and thank you for signing up for one of these tiny and wonderful fandoms!
My Yuletide letters get shorter every year, because I keep getting pleasantly surprised by gifts I didn't think to prompt, which makes the prompts feel kind of tangential to the process. I often say that I'm mostly interested in gen, but I've spent this year reading a lot of large-fandom tropey romance (this is how I found Course of Honour in the first place). I still like gen, and I think gen is the most likely interpretation of these prompts, but if you want to write any of these characters a love story that could be awesome. I like ponderous thinky fic and I like fic that's all about feelings. I don't mind if you want to write in first, second or third person, or the past or present or future tense. I don't have any triggers. I'd rather not read about rape or murder--in general for any of these fandoms, I'd say let's not vastly exceed the level of violence included in canon. But sad stories, or stories about troubling things and things going wrong and life being hard, are A-OK.
The Course of Honour - Avoliot
Character: Gairad
I would be happy to read just about anything in this fandom, honestly--I like the worldbuilding, I love the main characters, and I love the decent heart of the story. But I especially thought it would be fun to learn more about Gairad since she's from a different part of the universe, with a different perspective from any of the main characters. Backstory, or her perspective on canon events, or post-canon stories, would all be fun; I'm interested in her relationship with Jainan but would also be happy to read about her with other people or alone.
I think that says it all, but if we matched on something else and you haven't read this, I highly recommend it--it's available for free on the AO3. I keep thinking about different people Gairad could interact with, and just about all of them are gold: imagine her meeting the Emperor. Imagine her reluctantly allowing Kiem to befriend her. Imagine just what her conversations with Bel would be like! Or imagine her academic work with the Professor, that sounds like fun. I dunno, this is a great tiny fandom, enjoy it.
Anathem - Neal Stephenson
Characters: Any (nominated are Erasmas, Cord, Fraa Orolo, Fraa Jad, and Jules Verne Durand)
I'm submitting almost exactly the same request as last year, except this year I also got the protagonist nominated to increase the chances that someone would take a crack at this fandom. Mostly I just love this book a lot and want to spend some more time with this universe. I'm not expecting anybody to write in as much cosmology as Stephenson does (not by a long shot!) but if you'd like to write about the people who are thinking about it, and the way the life of the mind is conducted in this world, I'd enjoy that very much. More specific character thoughts in my letter if you want them!
Okay here are my thoughts on all these characters, though I cannot stress strongly enough that ANY ANATHEM FIC WHATSOEVER would be a surprise and a delight.
Erasmas is, as my friend epershand has pointed out, a remarkably empathetic character. Every time he doesn't understand someone else, he thinks about what their experiences have been like and he figures out why they are the way they are. This makes him a nice POV character because he tends to understand a lot of what is going on. But he can be personally oblivious also! And he's embarking on a whole new life at the end of this novel. I'd really enjoy reading about that. Alternately, anything about his relationship to his life before entering the math. I'm especially interested by how completely he has discarded his old name and similarly how removed from his family he is.
Fraa Jad: Backstory! Hijinks in the Millenarian Math! Warping the relative positions of the multiverse by sheer use of the human brain! Designing a sextant from first principles! Singing in a creepy low rumbling voice!
Cord: Seeing the math from the outside; seeing Erasmas go in as a child and wondering about what life he is having; holding her own in the machine shop and also making jewelry with the tools there; finally having a chance at an adventure and a bit of the life of the mind.
Fraa Orolo: "Nothing is more important than that you see and love the beauty that is right in front of you, or else you will have no defense against the ugliness that will hem you in and come at you in so many ways.” Bless this earnest goofy man. Early life in the math, or wandering the earth after his Anathem, perhaps?
Jules Verne Durand: I'm rather fond of how French he is. And he has a keen sense of exile that seems like fruitful ground for storytelling. It seems like political life is awfully complicated aboard the Daban Urnud; lots to explore there.
Compendium of World Knowledge - John Hodgman
Character: Actuaries (Compendium of World Knowledge - John Hodgman)
I got fic in this fandom last year but I'm always looking for more. Want to tell me something about the mystic fellowship of actuaries? And what happens to one who gets struck from the records? Does he have to wander the earth knowing the time and place of his own death unable to do anything about it, or is someone able to help him escape his fate?
Alternately, anything else related to these books would also be met with delight, so in this case please feel free to discard the character request if you decide you want to do something else.
It may also be useful to note that you can easily fulfill this prompt having read only the first couple chapters of Areas of my Expertise, so this is probably the easiest fandom to pick up between now and the deadline if you want to.
Family Man (Graphic Novel)
Characters: Ruza, Veronika Levy
Let's talk about mothers! Luther's troubled relationship to both Jewishness and Christianity has a ton to do with his mother's strict Protestantism, and I'd like to learn more about that, and her. And then Ariana and her mother's Family is still in some ways a mysterious relationship, but it's so compelling. I miss this story right now while it's on hiatus--if you could give me a little piece of this world to help tide us over that would be grand!
I know these characters don't meet (OR DO THEY) so if you're finding it too hard to write about both of them, you can go ahead and pick one. I'm just really interested in the motherhood angle on this whole story.
My Yuletide letters get shorter every year, because I keep getting pleasantly surprised by gifts I didn't think to prompt, which makes the prompts feel kind of tangential to the process. I often say that I'm mostly interested in gen, but I've spent this year reading a lot of large-fandom tropey romance (this is how I found Course of Honour in the first place). I still like gen, and I think gen is the most likely interpretation of these prompts, but if you want to write any of these characters a love story that could be awesome. I like ponderous thinky fic and I like fic that's all about feelings. I don't mind if you want to write in first, second or third person, or the past or present or future tense. I don't have any triggers. I'd rather not read about rape or murder--in general for any of these fandoms, I'd say let's not vastly exceed the level of violence included in canon. But sad stories, or stories about troubling things and things going wrong and life being hard, are A-OK.
The Course of Honour - Avoliot
Character: Gairad
I would be happy to read just about anything in this fandom, honestly--I like the worldbuilding, I love the main characters, and I love the decent heart of the story. But I especially thought it would be fun to learn more about Gairad since she's from a different part of the universe, with a different perspective from any of the main characters. Backstory, or her perspective on canon events, or post-canon stories, would all be fun; I'm interested in her relationship with Jainan but would also be happy to read about her with other people or alone.
I think that says it all, but if we matched on something else and you haven't read this, I highly recommend it--it's available for free on the AO3. I keep thinking about different people Gairad could interact with, and just about all of them are gold: imagine her meeting the Emperor. Imagine her reluctantly allowing Kiem to befriend her. Imagine just what her conversations with Bel would be like! Or imagine her academic work with the Professor, that sounds like fun. I dunno, this is a great tiny fandom, enjoy it.
Anathem - Neal Stephenson
Characters: Any (nominated are Erasmas, Cord, Fraa Orolo, Fraa Jad, and Jules Verne Durand)
I'm submitting almost exactly the same request as last year, except this year I also got the protagonist nominated to increase the chances that someone would take a crack at this fandom. Mostly I just love this book a lot and want to spend some more time with this universe. I'm not expecting anybody to write in as much cosmology as Stephenson does (not by a long shot!) but if you'd like to write about the people who are thinking about it, and the way the life of the mind is conducted in this world, I'd enjoy that very much. More specific character thoughts in my letter if you want them!
Okay here are my thoughts on all these characters, though I cannot stress strongly enough that ANY ANATHEM FIC WHATSOEVER would be a surprise and a delight.
Erasmas is, as my friend epershand has pointed out, a remarkably empathetic character. Every time he doesn't understand someone else, he thinks about what their experiences have been like and he figures out why they are the way they are. This makes him a nice POV character because he tends to understand a lot of what is going on. But he can be personally oblivious also! And he's embarking on a whole new life at the end of this novel. I'd really enjoy reading about that. Alternately, anything about his relationship to his life before entering the math. I'm especially interested by how completely he has discarded his old name and similarly how removed from his family he is.
Fraa Jad: Backstory! Hijinks in the Millenarian Math! Warping the relative positions of the multiverse by sheer use of the human brain! Designing a sextant from first principles! Singing in a creepy low rumbling voice!
Cord: Seeing the math from the outside; seeing Erasmas go in as a child and wondering about what life he is having; holding her own in the machine shop and also making jewelry with the tools there; finally having a chance at an adventure and a bit of the life of the mind.
Fraa Orolo: "Nothing is more important than that you see and love the beauty that is right in front of you, or else you will have no defense against the ugliness that will hem you in and come at you in so many ways.” Bless this earnest goofy man. Early life in the math, or wandering the earth after his Anathem, perhaps?
Jules Verne Durand: I'm rather fond of how French he is. And he has a keen sense of exile that seems like fruitful ground for storytelling. It seems like political life is awfully complicated aboard the Daban Urnud; lots to explore there.
Compendium of World Knowledge - John Hodgman
Character: Actuaries (Compendium of World Knowledge - John Hodgman)
I got fic in this fandom last year but I'm always looking for more. Want to tell me something about the mystic fellowship of actuaries? And what happens to one who gets struck from the records? Does he have to wander the earth knowing the time and place of his own death unable to do anything about it, or is someone able to help him escape his fate?
Alternately, anything else related to these books would also be met with delight, so in this case please feel free to discard the character request if you decide you want to do something else.
It may also be useful to note that you can easily fulfill this prompt having read only the first couple chapters of Areas of my Expertise, so this is probably the easiest fandom to pick up between now and the deadline if you want to.
Family Man (Graphic Novel)
Characters: Ruza, Veronika Levy
Let's talk about mothers! Luther's troubled relationship to both Jewishness and Christianity has a ton to do with his mother's strict Protestantism, and I'd like to learn more about that, and her. And then Ariana and her mother's Family is still in some ways a mysterious relationship, but it's so compelling. I miss this story right now while it's on hiatus--if you could give me a little piece of this world to help tide us over that would be grand!
I know these characters don't meet (OR DO THEY) so if you're finding it too hard to write about both of them, you can go ahead and pick one. I'm just really interested in the motherhood angle on this whole story.
