Dear Yuletide Writer 2022!
Here are some things I think are rad: snark. friendships. sneaky twisty endings. stories with bite. characters with personalities. stories that make their writers happy. mythology. humor. stories that dig into and expand on the canon, whether that’s backstory or minor characters or worldbuilding. brown paper packages tied up with string.
Stuff I’m not so keen on: rape, incest, mentions of RL pandemics/quarantines or cancer? more into het and femslash than slash. no modern AUs for the fandoms I’ve selected this year, as I’m interested in the canon settings; AUs that preserve the canon setting (either canon divergence or trope-based [soulmate, daemons, fantasy elements in non-fantasy canons]) are not just fine but would be much adored!
Treat Policy: Yes, please!
Fandoms Requested: Ponniyin Selvan (2022), Regency Faerie Tales- Olivia Atwater, Spymaster series- Joanna Bourne
Ponniyin Selvan
Characters Requested: Kundavai, Nandini
Where to Find Source Material: currently playing in theaters, but supposedly coming to streaming (Prime?) in November 2022
I love so many characters in this movie (and the source material), but to exactly no one's surprise, I loved Kundavai and Nandini best. I'd really love to see anything more about one, or both, of them (writer, you do have explicit permission to only feature one character in your fic, if that is what works better); but also here are some prompts that may help!
A quick note, though: while I'm familiar with the novel, the movieverse seems very different--starting from the fact that everyone is aged up in this adaptation to bigger details (Kundavai is implied to be solely responsive for Nandini's adolescent banishment, Vanathi's...entire personality). I'm totally fine with incorporating elements of the novel, but a fic based only on what we see in the movie is fine, too!
Another quick note: for people familiar with the novel, certain revelations and fakeouts about Nandini's backstory skirt the no-incest DNW. If including it is necessary for your fic, that's fine; but I ask you don't center the fic around that particular tension.
For Kundavai:
Kundavai is my historical (and fictional!) favorite, and I loved how the movie showcases her political competence and general smarts--so tell me more about that! 5 times fic for Kundavai backstory? Love it. Kundavai having to solve a mystery and save the day? Amazing. Kundavai's political and moral development, taking into account her very real blinders about class/caste that we see? Please!
In terms of shipping, if you want to stick with canon verse: Kundavai and Vandiyadevan have pretty great chemistry, and I'd love to see something that explored their relationship further, since most of their novel scenes establishing their attraction got cut (though Karthi did a phenomenal job in quickly conveying that *this* crush/flirtation was serious). What actually did happen during the offscreen scene where Kundavai gives him her message for Arunmozhi?
For Nandini:
Nandini is unsurprisingly such a clever, mercurial, magnetic character-- one of my favorite scenes is the compression of 3 chapters in the book, where she faces down 3 different men confronting her, all into the space of 5 minutes; she handles each differently, easily swinging from amused indifference to indignant earnestness to furious authority. Also fascinating: her unapologetic "Yes, I have [grown accustomed to luxury]" to Ravidasan, her co-conspirator, her tangled feelings for Aditya (unlike book Nandini, who isn't nearly as venomous about him), but, more than anything the scene where Nandini is staring at the throne. Not only does she seem far more longing than we've seen her look at any man around her, but I adore the choice to have her picture her younger self (alone, rather than as royal consort) enthroned, rather than her present self: is this because her present self is no longer worthy of it? Who knows? Nandini could easilyfuel a thousand character studies by herself, and certainly all of those questions would be great to include.
Or: again, while Kundavai's protegees got cut, Nandini's handmaidens are very prominently around--and clearly involved in her scheming, both in terms of her husband's plans, but also the Pandya plot? Why? Are they also ex-Pandyas, or (the more interesting option, IMO), is Nandini, with her experience of being looked down upon, actually a phenomenal boss who inspires incredible loyalty? Exploring their relationship and who these women are and how they interact with her would also be fantastic.
For both together:
One of the things that intrigues me the most are the years just pre-canon where Kundavai and Nandini are technically both part of the royal court; we know Kundavai spends most of her time away, but surely she must have made other, earlier visits. While their verbal sparring is ever- delightful (and one of my favorite things about their relationship), I'd particularly love something about them being forced to work together to solve a problem--political intrigue? a mystery at court? a conspiracy? They'd be a startlingly brilliant team despite (or because) how much they clash, and I'd love to see them together.
Or, naturally, their troubled backstory. Aditya accuses Kundavai (both in the novel and in the film) of being motivated by jealousy only, while her defense is her duty/her internalized casteism/classism, but what if there was more that inspired her to act?
Finally: if you want to acknowledge the incredible chemistry between them, and pair them together (as enemies-to-...still-enemies-but-now-with-benefits?), absolutely go for it!
Regency Faerie Tales- Olivia Atwater
Characters Requested: Dora Ettings, Elias Wilder
Where to Find Source Material: Your local library, bookstore, or ebook supplier!
This fandom, along with the next, were two surprise discoveries this year, both amazing in their own ways! The Regency Faerie Tales are such lovely comfort reads, with truly likeable, pleasant characters --though paired with an honest look at the social inequalities of the time period, and the chilling nature of Faerie. Consider:
That last paragraph of the epilogue and its implications! How does that come about, after their previous distaste for Lord Hallowvale’s world? How do Elias and Dora adjust to a rejoined Dora, and how is that different from their previous relationship, if in any way? How do they adjust to life in the faerie realm?
Or: each of the books is clearly vaguely based on a fairy tale--"Rumplestilskin" " Cinderella" "Goose Girl"--so maybe something that centers around another fairy tale? The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast/East of the Sun West of the Moon, and Snow White would all be interesting given the themes and backstories that the characters have, and I'd love to see a take on them!
Or, an exploration of Faerie would be so intriguing! Tell me more how its alien customs and structures really work. In particular, while I haven’t requested her specifically, I’d be totally fine with the inclusion of Lady Hallowvale, even if you wish to set it prior to the Epilogue. I’m also fascinated by the similarities and differences between her and Dora, but also the parallels between her and Elias, especially given his backstory.
Finally, if you are interested in worldbuilding, and/or other cultures, I would love to see a more inclusive look at characters, magic systems/entities, fairy tales from other countries! How do they play into this world? How does (or doesn't) magic change this world? How do Elias and Dora react to storytelling tropes from another culture altogether?
Spymaster series- Joanna Bourne
Characters Requested: Justine DeCabrillac, Adrian "Hawker" Hawkhurst
Where to Find Source Material: Your local library, bookstore, or ebook supplier!
In contrast to that last fandom--while they share a nominal setting in the Regency period--the Spymaster series is all brilliant characterization and intrigue. The action plots are superbly paced, where the romance doesn't take up too much from the main plot, and the limited perspective works so well--the Annique twist in the first book took me utterly by surprise, and then delighted me.
So writer, if your long standing dream has been to write canon-typical plotfic, I would be so ecstatic! Couples working and bantering together is always one of my favorite things to read, and the espionage aspect of this series is a particular strength . While we see a lot of glimpses of the Adrian-Justine relationship, I think there's always room for more, so whether you want to add a post-canon adventure, or invent one we didn’t see between flashbacks, it would be great!
I also love these characters, and their relationship--I love the pining in the face of duty, the very real tragedy* I love how it extends in bits and pieces of the years, I love how it's frequently interpreted and misinterepreted through outsider POVs. Something that plays with outsider POVs would also be so fascinating, again, at any time during the series; or, what a happily ever after looks like for these two crazy kids.
*again, DNW caveat: it's okay to acknowledge canon-accurate mentions of prior assualt in this case, but I would really prefer that it be kept to a minimum, with no on-screen incidences.
Finally, although I haven't formally requested, Annique (and her irreverent narration) is always a delight. I love her instant platonic-soulmates friendship with Adrian, and I am intrigued by Joanna Bourne's words on her blog on how Annique compares with Justine:
When I was writing Annique, I was making her the other side of the coin with Justine. They were both child spies, about the same age. Both raised by Lucille. One relatively protected, innocent, a child of the light, one who had not killed. The other abandoned and debauched, a child with little light inside her, a willing killer.
And they knew each other, of course, as they were growing up. They were more than a little jealous. When Annique makes the remark about the doppleganger, she's thinking of Justine.
Adrian, in TSL, come fresh from one side of the coin to the other and neither Annique nor Adrian realize this.
This is such an amazing dynamic we never see on-screen, and I would love to dig into it further at both ends.
I hope at least some of these prompts help! Thank you in advance and have a wonderful Yuletide yourself:D