Dear Yuletide Author 2014

[calliopes_pen]

The fandoms I am requesting this time around include: Bewitched, Dark Shadows (1991), Ghostbusters (Movies), Legend (1985), Mockingbird Lane, and Sleepy Hollow (TV). Some of the instructions as to my likes and dislikes are copied over from my previous Dear Yuletide Author letters.

First of all: Please remember that you are not bound to follow each and every letter of what I give as prompts. If inspiration takes you on a different route than what I’ve given you, that’s fine. I tried to provide as many prompts as I could, in an effort to help spark an idea for whoever is writing for me this year. Above all, have fun with it.

Thank you for choosing to write me a story for Yuletide. I’m usually easy to please when it comes to fanfic written for me. My likes and dislikes, copied from a Yuletide letter I wrote a few years back: I’m fine with fanfic that’s a bit of a darker tone, so long as it doesn’t include what is on my list of dislikes, which can be found below.

I am equally fine with fluff or hurt/comfort, as well as people causing massive amounts of mayhem while possessed. I love dark and twisted fairy tales, and urban legends/folklore, ghosts, creepy situations, haunted houses, gothic horror, suspense, and obscure horror film references sprinkled throughout random places if it works. I am fine with gen, het, or slash. If you want to do anything pairing free, that is completely fine with me. For me, the characterization is the most important aspect of the story, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s humor or angst and darkness or somewhere in between--so just do your best. Use your own judgment for what works from the prompts I’ve provided, and I’m sure I’ll love it the end result.

Dislikes: PWP, BDSM, rape, incest, graphic sex, child abuse, mpreg, bestiality.

On to the fandoms:

Bewitched
Characters: Darrin Stephens. Endora, Samantha Stephens, Dr. Bombay.

This year marks the show’s 50th anniversary. I used to watch on Nick At Nite long, long ago, and recently fell in love with it again due to its airing on Antenna TV (which had a couple days of a 50th anniversary marathon) and FamilyNet several times a day.

Prompts:

In Season 2, episode 7’s, “Trick or Treat*” Darrin was turned into a werewolf by a spell. What would their life be like from this point in the series if Endora genuinely did not remember how to reverse the spell, and he was stuck as a werewolf? Or what if he were turned into a vampire instead on that fateful night? Would Samantha and Endora be able to catch him when the blood lust was at its peak? Would he look like Orlok in Nosferatu and terrify small children, or classic caped style? Your choice. What’s Abner’s reaction if he or Gladys see the werewolf on that first full moon or Gladys is bitten by the vampire? Would he just throw caution to the wind even after learning the truth, and help Sam catch her husband?

Dr. Bombay doesn’t show up (according to IMDB) until season 3, episode 33. But if you want to bring Endora to bring him in for a consultation, I’m all for it. You don’t need to worry about canon knowledge (or Tabitha really, since she wasn’t born just yet) beyond season 2 with this prompt.

Another prompt suggestion: If you want to have Abner ask them to stop gaslighting Gladys if he learns the truth, that’s fine. I liked Gladys, the way she was with the original actress, when she wasn’t too shrill. If you feel the urge to bring in someone else that wasn’t nominated (aside from Abner and Gladys, as previously mentioned) then I’m fine with Maurice, Aunt Clara, or Larry popping up.

*While I don’t see the episode I mention on Hulu at the moment, it is available in separate pieces on Youtube.

Dark Shadows (1991)
Characters: Angelique Bouchard, Barnabas Collins, Maggie Evans, Victoria Winters, Julia Hoffman, Quentin Collins.

Prompts: At the end of the 1991 series, Maggie was still possessed by Angelique and Victoria knew Barnabas was a vampire. How would everyone deal with Angelique? Would Victoria shelve the vampire 'Barnabas is a vampire' revelation for now, or make everyone deal with it right then, at the height of the emotion? Make the outcome of Angelique as scary as you wish, hopping from body to body, or whatever you so desire. If Angelique possessed Maggie for a prolonged period of time, how would she deal with the fallout of what she had done?

I see that Quentin Collins was nominated as a character this year. Since Quentin was slated to appear in season 2 before the show was cancelled, would his ghost have played a role in Angelique’s defeat? Would it have caused worse horrors?

Any fanfic from this version of the series is welcome. Another idea: How would the Leviathan storyline be handled in this version? Would those possessed by Angelique in the past somehow be more vulnerable to their control? If you aren’t familiar with the 60’s version of Dark Shadows, then you don’t have to do this one. Just do whichever you feel most comfortable with, and I’m sure that I will enjoy it.

You can watch the twelve available episodes on Hulu.

Ghostbusters (Movies)
Characters: Dana Barrett, Egon Spengler, Peter Venkman, Walter Peck, The Library Ghost.

I have many prompts for this fandom, so just pick and choose what you feel like doing. Just consider them a jumping off point, if any of them help you to arrive at another idea.

Prompt #1:
What if Peter hadn’t phoned Egon after finding Dana possessed by Zuul and didn’t knock her out? What if he tried to lure her from the apartment and take her to the firehouse? He arrived via taxi—how weird would that ride have been with Zuul back there? What did the rest of Dana’s building think was happening with her snarling? What would Zuul have done near that amount of energy at the firehouse, since she wasn’t at the temple? Would she have killed Walter Peck and gone straight to open the containment unit herself?

Prompt #2:
Peter gets possessed by something big that wants to destroy humanity, and Dana is the only one to see the possession happen. What does she do, if she doesn’t know where the guys are? Does she trick it to get information? Your choice as to whether it’s Vigo, or some other creature.

Prompt #3:
When they cross the streams, there’s always another outcome. The closest to the portal is sucked inside, trapped inside Gozer’s realm for who knows how long. Is it Peter? Is it Ray? How does whoever it is survive to get back, and how much has he changed? Are they forced to learn things that corrupt them in small ways, only noticeable to their friends and Dana as they head back to the (now mostly ruined thanks to Walter Peck) firehouse? Could be years on the other side, while a few mere moments pass for us. Make it as dark or out there as you wish, and I’m sure I’ll be fine with it.

Prompt #4: The guys finally bust that Librarian…by helping her achieve peace. If they can’t speak to her via talking with all her shushing, could a ouija board work? Another method Egon or Ray dreams up could be fine.

Have fun with it, work in humor even when things are at their darkest, and I’ll probably be fine with anything in this fandom. I don’t happen to have a specific pairing that I'm dead set on seeing in whatever gets written. If you need to work with pairings, I’m fine with Peter/Dana, or Egon/Janine. I love the friendship of the guys, so anything with that is good.

Legend (1985)
Characters: Darkness, Lily (correct spelling is Lili), Oona, Blix.

Prompts:

What if Darkness only let everyone think he was dead, as part of a larger plot? What if it wasn’t really over? What if he (or the Father he spoke of, likely Lucifer) returned to corrupt Lili completely and irrevocably, and she couldn’t resist the lure of his evil? Perhaps in her dreams over a prolonged period at first, as Darkness did brag he influenced mankind through them. Would she be able to resist? Or have her possessed by something he sent at first to weaken her, or going willingly to his side, and I’ll be happy. It would be harder to get her back this time, after her last flirtation with evil. Would the fairy magic of Oona be able to help bring her back? You can blame this prompt on me writing for this fandom in last year’s Yuletide. I grew to love it.

Other possible prompts you could work with: Oona betrays everyone to Darkness—how does everyone fare? Does Darkness win? If you want to tell what happened to Blix after he fled the attempted unicorn sacrifice, I would enjoy that, too. Did the fairy people get rid of him after they left Jack, or before taking him to Lili? Even the original script doesn’t say where Blix went.

There are multiple versions of the movie available: the American version with Tangerine Dream for a soundtrack as well as a different ending, the European version, and then there’s the Director’s Cut. You can watch what appears to be the European cut on Viooz. The Director’s cut has Lili going off on her own way, and she doesn’t see the fairy people with Jack.

With this movie, it would be best to use the Director’s cut or European cut, given they’re a bit longer and reveal more than the American version. The Director’s cut has completely different takes in places, so it’s up to you. No pressure.

If you wish to consult the shooting script (since I had to last year, to keep track of various versions) then you can find it over on the Legend FAQ site. The Director’s Cut Shot-By-Shot Breakdown. The American version’s breakdown. The European one.

Mockingbird Lane
Characters: Grandpa, Lily Munster.

Prompt: In an interview, Bryan Fuller said that had the series been picked up, there were plans to look into the pasts of various characters. How did Grandpa and Lily meet and befriend the Phantom of the Opera, or some other monster in the past? How much wonderful mayhem did they cause throughout history? Stick with the overall tone of the pilot, and I’m sure I’ll love whatever you come up with.

If you didn’t match with this one, but are curious, there isn’t much canon to get through.

Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Chararcters: Ichabod Crane, Abbie Mills, Jenny Mills, Frank Irving

Prompts:

Ichabod was threatened by Moloch through the mirror in season 1. What if he had been possessed by him or a lesser demon in order to hasten along a perceived betrayal? How would things be different as they tried to stop or exorcise Ichabod? Would he have tried to open up a portal to allow Moloch to come through permanently? Go as dark as you think it would go in the context of the series.

If you don’t want Moloch (or Ancitif, the one that possessed Jenny and Macey) to possess Ichabod, I would be just as happy with something else. So long as you end up with something in keeping with the spirit/general offbeat and bizarre tone of the series as it's gone so far, I’m sure that I’ll enjoy it. It doesn’t have to be the exorcism prompt—it can just as easily be a quiet evening with the characters--feel free to have a Monster of the Week and/or evil object of some sort messing with the town if you want. If you feel like writing Ichabod learning how to drive so he won’t have to ruin another car, or him consulting with Yolanda for whatever reason, I would love that, too.

While I’m not a fan of (and really have no opinion of her, given how badly she’s used) Katrina, if you can work her in in such a way that she can actually remember to use her magic in a useful way against the forces of evil, that would be a nice bonus.