Two lingering pinch hits, two new ones
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fic_cornerAll pinch hits in this post have been claimed!
I haven't gotten any responses for the first two from the mailing list, so I'm cross posting these to both comms and to the Yuletide comms. These pinch hits are due August 26th. Please dm the mod or email fic.corner@gmail.com to claim a pinch hit to preserve anonymity. Include both the pinch hit you are claiming AND your AO3 user name in your message.
Pinch hit 1: Charlie Joe Jackson, Infamous Ratsos, Once There Was a Boy
Request 1 by DWEmma
Charlie Joe Jackson Series - Tommy Greenwalt
Charlie Joe Jackson, Katie Friedman
I want to know what Charlie Joe is up to, now that he's accepted that he has to grow up and can't be a kid forever. I'd love to see him the summer before college or the summer after his first year of college when all his friends come back to town and catch up on their lives.
Request 2 by DWEmma
The Infamous Ratsos - Kara LeReau
Ralphie Ratso, Louie Ratso
I'm open to a lot of things, but a prequel before their mom died would be really nice. No need to use restricted vocabulary, but keep it kid friendly.
Request 3 by DWEmma
Once There Was a Boy - Oliver Jeffers
The Penguin (Once There Was a Boy), The Boy (Once There Was a Boy), The Martian (Once There Was a Boy)
I want a story with both the Martian (alien?) and the Penguin involved, please.
Pinch hit 2: Memories of Summer, The Pigman, Betsy-Tacy
Request 1 by SaraJaye
Memories of Summer - Ruth White
Any Character
Letter: http://sarajayechan.dreamwidth.org/2637454.html
Request 2 by SaraJaye
The Pigman - Paul Zindel
Any Character
Letter: http://sarajayechan.dreamwidth.org/2637454.html
Request 3 by SaraJaye
Betsy-Tacy Series - Maud Hart Lovelace
Any Character
Letter: http://sarajayechan.dreamwidth.org/2637454.html
Pinch hit 3: Chalet School, Harry Potter, Worst Witch
Request 1 by badger79
Chalet School - Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Josephine Bettany Maynard, Len Maynard, Con Maynard, Mary-Lou Trelawney, Robin Humphries
How does Jo cope with being a mother of triplets during the war? Being at Girl Guide camp (either Jo or her children). How would Jo or Len deal with a problem when they were Head Girl? Helping a new girl settle into Boarding School for the first time.
Request 2 by badger79
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley
Set after the 7th book what is next for our heroes? How does Hermione cope after she goes back to Hogwarts after the war? What happens when their children are in danger?
Request 3 by badger79
The Worst Witch Series - Jill Murphy
Mildred Hubble, Maud Spellbody, Ethel Hallow, Enid Nightshade, Hardbroom (Worst Witch)
When disaster hit's Cackles Academy how do Mildred and her friends help the school get out of trouble? When one of Mildred's spells goes wrong and affects other members of the school how can she reverse the spell and get everything back to normal?
Pinch hit 4: Diana Winthrop, Enola Holmes, Ice Ghosts Mystery, Planet Builders, Young Wizards
Request 1 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Diana Winthrop series - Kate Chambers
Any Character
BACKGROUND: The Winthrop books are a teen-sleuth series (six slim paperbacks from the mid-'80s) set mostly in New York and New England, with "Kate Chambers" being a pen name for versatile writer Norma Johnston -- a fact I didn't learn till much later. The individual mysteries are dedicated to (and often cleverly plotted in the style of) various classic and then-famous mystery authors, the characterizations are much more nuanced than is usual for this category, and there’s a strong ongoing ensemble cast (including a major and well-rendered secondary character who’s blind).
NOTES: We move this year from the well-nigh impossible match to the merely difficult (I have evidently sold at least one new reader on the series sometime in the last little while), so I probably ought to give an actual prompt or two this time out -- although I am going to be delighted with pretty much any story at all here, as this is one of those canons where "more" in and of itself is a thing greatly to be wished.
PROMPTS: This is one of my nano-fandoms and my Oliver Twist request -- which is to say, what I'm looking for is simply "more". That said, one of the really nifty things about Diana's adventures was the multi-generational family dynamic, and that's a big reason that I chose Gran Culhaine, Jacintha (who's clearly an adult here, though clearly pretty new-minted; I see her as mid-twenties at the outside), and Lydian Sinclair (who looks likely to become part of the Winthrop clan ere long) to represent the ensemble. I'd like to see more of the familial texture here, whether in the context of a case/adventure or in a more personal sort of tale. A writer should feel free to bring in others from the extended cast as appropriate, and to look for story ideas both from Diana's past (the Boston contingent as kids? Diana's original "acting" days?) and future (what do she and Brad end up doing career-wise?) as well as in the series' present.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: The crossover junkie in me points out that Diana's NYC/Boston home base and detective interests make for plausible run-ins with a great variety of other source canons, including at least one of my other current requests, and someone (other than me!) has already nudge-winked a connection between Diana's Ross cousins and a certain family of MCU military and espionage professionals. More generally, see (1) my works and gifts received on AO3, and (2) all entries tagged “Dear Santa” in my DW journal, and assume that any fandom represented therein is welcome.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 2 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Enola Holmes Series - Nancy Springer
Cecily Alistair
NOTES: While I've specifically tagged Cecily for matching purposes, rest assured that I also want to see any and all of the rest of Enola's cast in whatever story you may choose to tell.
PROMPTS: We see entirely too little of Cecily in action in her appearances; I want to see her come into her own side by side with Enola, matching wits with the Holmes men on her own terms, or otherwise exerting her will and asserting her independence in Springer's version of the Holmesian universe. I am flexible on the matter of possible romance between Enola and Cecily; such subtext as Springer provides certainly seems to hint at the idea, but stops well short of raising the subject in any direct way. If your muse thinks it's destined, feel free to follow those instincts, but do *not* feel obligated to do so.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: I'd be intrigued by seeing Cecily (and Enola, as appropriate) cross into Irene Adler's orbit; I am surprised we didn't get anything in that line from Springer's own tales. OTOH, for more fireworks (and the everlasting amusement of my inner crossover fiend), one might substitute Harriet Vane (from Sayers) or Amelia Peabody (from the Elizabeth Peters series) as colleagues and co-conspirators....
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 3 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
The Ice Ghosts Mystery - Jane Louise Curry
Any Character
BACKGROUND: This was a one-off mystery thriller for young readers (this being before “middle grade” and “YA” were categories) published back in 1972, which might best be described as a sort of L’Engle/Trixie Belden fusion (L’Engle for the science-fictional elements, which are clearly in the same neighborhood as Arm of the Starfish and Young Unicorns; Belden for the cheerfully determined family-of-sleuths dynamic). Curry is better (but not nearly well enough) known for a wide range of children’s fantasy, and I kept hoping for a sequel to this that never arrived. Curry has been gradually bringing her backlist out in Kindle editions, and at one point this was available that way; I’m not clear on whether it still is. If not, it’s findable – and a quick read – via the usual used channels and possibly still in larger and/or kid-friendlier libraries.)
PROMPTS: This book is such an ensemble piece that I've not tried to pick among the available characters. Just give me a solid "further adventures" story -- whether of foiling another Evil Science Plot, coping with school/academic politics, or simply wreaking cheerful familial havoc on some unsuspecting foreign metropolis. Romance between Oriole and Gabriel is definitely on the table, too – or, perhaps, more ordinary correspondence in which Oriole snarks about the mischief her younger siblings are getting into.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: Yet again, my crossover bias rears its head. As I note above, I feel a resonance between Curry’s Bird family and L’Engle’s Austin and/or O’Keefe clans – and I have to wonder at what sort of scientific conference (or in the context of what mad-scientific scheme) the Birds and L’Engle’s characters might actually meet one another.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 4 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Planet Builders - Robyn Tallis
Any Character
BACKGROUND: The "Planet Builders" books were a 10-book paperback series (also from the '80s) involving a large teen cast on a colony world with ongoing mysteries involving psi powers, mysterious native aliens, and light interplanetary intrigue. "Robyn Tallis" was a combine with authors including Sherwood Smith, Bruce Coville, Mary Frances Zambreno, and collaborators Debra Doyle & James Macdonald. The overall tone was akin to classic space opera with modern sensibilities and a touch of Tom Swift (not unlike A. C. Crispin's Starbridge series), and character-driven humor was skillfully integrated to keep the tone fairly light. Also, while the teens are the stars, there are well-characterized grownups in the mix as well -- an unusual touch for this genre.
NOTES & PROMPTS: If you know the books at all, you likely glommed onto them for the same reasons I did, and have a good idea of what will make me go SQUEE with the greatest and most squeeful volume. Lost cities, clever plans gone amusingly and comic-disastrously (but not too painfully) wrong, gentle romance, swashbuckling action -- it's all there, and this is really truly a case where I'm like Oliver Twist, and "please sir, may I have some more" will do very nicely indeed. Feel free to set a story inside/between canon events or after (even long after) the series concludes, as the muse demands. Making use of Daphne's theatrical interests counts as a definite bonus but in no way a requirement.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 5 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Any Character
NOTES: I am fully conversant with both the “claic” and New Millennium timelines (and happy to receive fic set on either or both sides of that line), and have read all the canonical material *except* THE BIG MEOW and the second ON ORDEAL compilation (although I expect to have the latter finished by the time reveals roll around).
PROMPTS: This is a really oddball character list; what I find in the wake of Games Wizards Play, though, is that I'm more and more intrigued by the interaction between wizardly life and traditional family life, and the effects it has on wizards and non-wizards alike. Thus I am interested in how Irina's job as Planetary complicates and complements her life as a mother, how Harry copes with having not one but two wizards in his house, and how Mr. Millman as a non-wizard helps keep things glued together for everyone involved. I've seen a couple of very good Millman stories, but I don't think I've yet seen one that tosses Irina into his orbit; likewise, I am particularly curious about how Irina and Harry might interact given some time with one another -- although I emphasize that I do not want to unduly tamper with Irina's home life, to the degree that we know about it.
As to Dairine and Carmela: canon gives us very little that puts them together with one another -- which I find surprising, even granting the age difference. I would very much like to see how they interact given an excuse and/or opportunity. With WIZARDS IN PLAY out, we have many of the answers we've wanted relative to Dairine and Roshaun, so I'm no longer deeply worried about excessive angst arising from that quarter. It does occur to me that Dairine might find it easier to talk to Carmela about Roshaun than to have the same conversations with Nita, perhaps especially now that his situation's been resolved. (Or you could set such a tete-a-tete earlier in canon, while things are still unsettled....) Other possible tacks: Dairine getting one up on Nita with Carmela’s help, or the girls and the Alien Study Group having an adventure (I’ve seen a fair bit of fic in this line set in the Crossings, not so much here on Earth). I would also be very much on board for quality father-daughter bonding.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: If you’ve been reading all the requests in order, you know what’s coming here. (If not, feel free to skip upstream and come back....) Young Wizards is by nature a decidedly crossover-friendly fandom; I’ve done just a bit with that myself, and would totally be on board with a crossover here. And there are any number of other New York-centric fandoms to draw on – TV’s Castle is a
particularly good prospect, I'd think, it might explain a lot in Spider-Man: Homecoming if Aunt May were a wizard, and those are just the tip of the iceberg.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Pinch hit 1: Charlie Joe Jackson, Infamous Ratsos, Once There Was a Boy
Request 1 by DWEmma
Charlie Joe Jackson Series - Tommy Greenwalt
Charlie Joe Jackson, Katie Friedman
I want to know what Charlie Joe is up to, now that he's accepted that he has to grow up and can't be a kid forever. I'd love to see him the summer before college or the summer after his first year of college when all his friends come back to town and catch up on their lives.
Request 2 by DWEmma
The Infamous Ratsos - Kara LeReau
Ralphie Ratso, Louie Ratso
I'm open to a lot of things, but a prequel before their mom died would be really nice. No need to use restricted vocabulary, but keep it kid friendly.
Request 3 by DWEmma
Once There Was a Boy - Oliver Jeffers
The Penguin (Once There Was a Boy), The Boy (Once There Was a Boy), The Martian (Once There Was a Boy)
I want a story with both the Martian (alien?) and the Penguin involved, please.
Pinch hit 2: Memories of Summer, The Pigman, Betsy-Tacy
Request 1 by SaraJaye
Memories of Summer - Ruth White
Any Character
Letter: http://sarajayechan.dreamwidth.org/2637454.html
Request 2 by SaraJaye
The Pigman - Paul Zindel
Any Character
Letter: http://sarajayechan.dreamwidth.org/2637454.html
Request 3 by SaraJaye
Betsy-Tacy Series - Maud Hart Lovelace
Any Character
Letter: http://sarajayechan.dreamwidth.org/2637454.html
Pinch hit 3: Chalet School, Harry Potter, Worst Witch
Request 1 by badger79
Chalet School - Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Josephine Bettany Maynard, Len Maynard, Con Maynard, Mary-Lou Trelawney, Robin Humphries
How does Jo cope with being a mother of triplets during the war? Being at Girl Guide camp (either Jo or her children). How would Jo or Len deal with a problem when they were Head Girl? Helping a new girl settle into Boarding School for the first time.
Request 2 by badger79
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley
Set after the 7th book what is next for our heroes? How does Hermione cope after she goes back to Hogwarts after the war? What happens when their children are in danger?
Request 3 by badger79
The Worst Witch Series - Jill Murphy
Mildred Hubble, Maud Spellbody, Ethel Hallow, Enid Nightshade, Hardbroom (Worst Witch)
When disaster hit's Cackles Academy how do Mildred and her friends help the school get out of trouble? When one of Mildred's spells goes wrong and affects other members of the school how can she reverse the spell and get everything back to normal?
Pinch hit 4: Diana Winthrop, Enola Holmes, Ice Ghosts Mystery, Planet Builders, Young Wizards
Request 1 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Diana Winthrop series - Kate Chambers
Any Character
BACKGROUND: The Winthrop books are a teen-sleuth series (six slim paperbacks from the mid-'80s) set mostly in New York and New England, with "Kate Chambers" being a pen name for versatile writer Norma Johnston -- a fact I didn't learn till much later. The individual mysteries are dedicated to (and often cleverly plotted in the style of) various classic and then-famous mystery authors, the characterizations are much more nuanced than is usual for this category, and there’s a strong ongoing ensemble cast (including a major and well-rendered secondary character who’s blind).
NOTES: We move this year from the well-nigh impossible match to the merely difficult (I have evidently sold at least one new reader on the series sometime in the last little while), so I probably ought to give an actual prompt or two this time out -- although I am going to be delighted with pretty much any story at all here, as this is one of those canons where "more" in and of itself is a thing greatly to be wished.
PROMPTS: This is one of my nano-fandoms and my Oliver Twist request -- which is to say, what I'm looking for is simply "more". That said, one of the really nifty things about Diana's adventures was the multi-generational family dynamic, and that's a big reason that I chose Gran Culhaine, Jacintha (who's clearly an adult here, though clearly pretty new-minted; I see her as mid-twenties at the outside), and Lydian Sinclair (who looks likely to become part of the Winthrop clan ere long) to represent the ensemble. I'd like to see more of the familial texture here, whether in the context of a case/adventure or in a more personal sort of tale. A writer should feel free to bring in others from the extended cast as appropriate, and to look for story ideas both from Diana's past (the Boston contingent as kids? Diana's original "acting" days?) and future (what do she and Brad end up doing career-wise?) as well as in the series' present.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: The crossover junkie in me points out that Diana's NYC/Boston home base and detective interests make for plausible run-ins with a great variety of other source canons, including at least one of my other current requests, and someone (other than me!) has already nudge-winked a connection between Diana's Ross cousins and a certain family of MCU military and espionage professionals. More generally, see (1) my works and gifts received on AO3, and (2) all entries tagged “Dear Santa” in my DW journal, and assume that any fandom represented therein is welcome.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 2 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Enola Holmes Series - Nancy Springer
Cecily Alistair
NOTES: While I've specifically tagged Cecily for matching purposes, rest assured that I also want to see any and all of the rest of Enola's cast in whatever story you may choose to tell.
PROMPTS: We see entirely too little of Cecily in action in her appearances; I want to see her come into her own side by side with Enola, matching wits with the Holmes men on her own terms, or otherwise exerting her will and asserting her independence in Springer's version of the Holmesian universe. I am flexible on the matter of possible romance between Enola and Cecily; such subtext as Springer provides certainly seems to hint at the idea, but stops well short of raising the subject in any direct way. If your muse thinks it's destined, feel free to follow those instincts, but do *not* feel obligated to do so.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: I'd be intrigued by seeing Cecily (and Enola, as appropriate) cross into Irene Adler's orbit; I am surprised we didn't get anything in that line from Springer's own tales. OTOH, for more fireworks (and the everlasting amusement of my inner crossover fiend), one might substitute Harriet Vane (from Sayers) or Amelia Peabody (from the Elizabeth Peters series) as colleagues and co-conspirators....
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 3 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
The Ice Ghosts Mystery - Jane Louise Curry
Any Character
BACKGROUND: This was a one-off mystery thriller for young readers (this being before “middle grade” and “YA” were categories) published back in 1972, which might best be described as a sort of L’Engle/Trixie Belden fusion (L’Engle for the science-fictional elements, which are clearly in the same neighborhood as Arm of the Starfish and Young Unicorns; Belden for the cheerfully determined family-of-sleuths dynamic). Curry is better (but not nearly well enough) known for a wide range of children’s fantasy, and I kept hoping for a sequel to this that never arrived. Curry has been gradually bringing her backlist out in Kindle editions, and at one point this was available that way; I’m not clear on whether it still is. If not, it’s findable – and a quick read – via the usual used channels and possibly still in larger and/or kid-friendlier libraries.)
PROMPTS: This book is such an ensemble piece that I've not tried to pick among the available characters. Just give me a solid "further adventures" story -- whether of foiling another Evil Science Plot, coping with school/academic politics, or simply wreaking cheerful familial havoc on some unsuspecting foreign metropolis. Romance between Oriole and Gabriel is definitely on the table, too – or, perhaps, more ordinary correspondence in which Oriole snarks about the mischief her younger siblings are getting into.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: Yet again, my crossover bias rears its head. As I note above, I feel a resonance between Curry’s Bird family and L’Engle’s Austin and/or O’Keefe clans – and I have to wonder at what sort of scientific conference (or in the context of what mad-scientific scheme) the Birds and L’Engle’s characters might actually meet one another.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 4 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Planet Builders - Robyn Tallis
Any Character
BACKGROUND: The "Planet Builders" books were a 10-book paperback series (also from the '80s) involving a large teen cast on a colony world with ongoing mysteries involving psi powers, mysterious native aliens, and light interplanetary intrigue. "Robyn Tallis" was a combine with authors including Sherwood Smith, Bruce Coville, Mary Frances Zambreno, and collaborators Debra Doyle & James Macdonald. The overall tone was akin to classic space opera with modern sensibilities and a touch of Tom Swift (not unlike A. C. Crispin's Starbridge series), and character-driven humor was skillfully integrated to keep the tone fairly light. Also, while the teens are the stars, there are well-characterized grownups in the mix as well -- an unusual touch for this genre.
NOTES & PROMPTS: If you know the books at all, you likely glommed onto them for the same reasons I did, and have a good idea of what will make me go SQUEE with the greatest and most squeeful volume. Lost cities, clever plans gone amusingly and comic-disastrously (but not too painfully) wrong, gentle romance, swashbuckling action -- it's all there, and this is really truly a case where I'm like Oliver Twist, and "please sir, may I have some more" will do very nicely indeed. Feel free to set a story inside/between canon events or after (even long after) the series concludes, as the muse demands. Making use of Daphne's theatrical interests counts as a definite bonus but in no way a requirement.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
Request 5 by Gray Cardinal (Gray_Cardinal)
Young Wizards - Diane Duane
Any Character
NOTES: I am fully conversant with both the “claic” and New Millennium timelines (and happy to receive fic set on either or both sides of that line), and have read all the canonical material *except* THE BIG MEOW and the second ON ORDEAL compilation (although I expect to have the latter finished by the time reveals roll around).
PROMPTS: This is a really oddball character list; what I find in the wake of Games Wizards Play, though, is that I'm more and more intrigued by the interaction between wizardly life and traditional family life, and the effects it has on wizards and non-wizards alike. Thus I am interested in how Irina's job as Planetary complicates and complements her life as a mother, how Harry copes with having not one but two wizards in his house, and how Mr. Millman as a non-wizard helps keep things glued together for everyone involved. I've seen a couple of very good Millman stories, but I don't think I've yet seen one that tosses Irina into his orbit; likewise, I am particularly curious about how Irina and Harry might interact given some time with one another -- although I emphasize that I do not want to unduly tamper with Irina's home life, to the degree that we know about it.
As to Dairine and Carmela: canon gives us very little that puts them together with one another -- which I find surprising, even granting the age difference. I would very much like to see how they interact given an excuse and/or opportunity. With WIZARDS IN PLAY out, we have many of the answers we've wanted relative to Dairine and Roshaun, so I'm no longer deeply worried about excessive angst arising from that quarter. It does occur to me that Dairine might find it easier to talk to Carmela about Roshaun than to have the same conversations with Nita, perhaps especially now that his situation's been resolved. (Or you could set such a tete-a-tete earlier in canon, while things are still unsettled....) Other possible tacks: Dairine getting one up on Nita with Carmela’s help, or the girls and the Alien Study Group having an adventure (I’ve seen a fair bit of fic in this line set in the Crossings, not so much here on Earth). I would also be very much on board for quality father-daughter bonding.
EXTREMELY OPTIONAL BONUS POINTS: If you’ve been reading all the requests in order, you know what’s coming here. (If not, feel free to skip upstream and come back....) Young Wizards is by nature a decidedly crossover-friendly fandom; I’ve done just a bit with that myself, and would totally be on board with a crossover here. And there are any number of other New York-centric fandoms to draw on – TV’s Castle is a
particularly good prospect, I'd think, it might explain a lot in Spider-Man: Homecoming if Aunt May were a wizard, and those are just the tip of the iceberg.
Letter: http://graycardinal.dreamwidth.org/53875.html
