Dear Yuletide Writer (2019)

[primeideal]

Dear Yuletide writer,

The colors now change on the trees
The rain is cold in the fall breeze
(At least over here
In the north hemisphere)
As I ponder stars, children, disease!

(Optional details are optional! Write whatever you like, I'm looking forward to reading it, but maybe something here can be a jumping-off point if you'd like inspiration.)

 

Previous dear author letters, from which much of this is copy-pasted:

Also, a previous writeup on the amusing parallels between Children of the Star and Star Child! I'll admit the similarities are a part of why I'm requesting both. :)

I'm also primeideal on Ao3 (and Tumblr), and Ember Nickel on FFN.

 

General likes:

-canon-divergence AUs

-five things

-worldbuilding

-dialogue

-wit and wordplay

-nonstandard formats (documentation, epistolary, etc.)

-time travel

-happy endings

-sad endings (when providing some measure of closure or melodrama; I'm fine with character death)
 

General dislikes

-explicit sex

-underage sex

-rape/noncon

-issue-fic

-second person POV

-character or religion bashing

-cliffhanger endings

-themes of cynicism or futility, or that the (canon's) main plotlines "are for nothing"

Children of the Star:

Any character (Noren, Stefred, the First Scholar, Talyra nominated)

-Noren: an expansion of any of the scenes fast-forwarded through in the last few chapters? (The Archpriest, being an outcast even among the Scholars, new ceremonies like drinking groundwater and how they change in future generations.) Interacting with the First Scholar via memories/computers? Helping Lianne or another recruit through the visions? Post-canon shippiness with Lianne?
-Stefred: his youth and his own path to heresy! How did he become a leader? What happens to him on the starships post-canon? Does he find a new OC partner?
-Talyra: her choice following Noren into exile? How does she adapt to life as a Technician? What rituals are important to her? What if she hadn't died--would Noren have ever begun researching genetics some other way?
-the First Scholar: what's his name? Does he watch over Noren and Stefred from some afterlife? Does he ever interact with the "savages" after his partner's exile? What are the little things he misses from the Six Worlds?
-anybody: worldbuilding or in-universe documentation? Non-heretic villagers' views of the City? I definitely don't expect anybody to be familiar with both this and Star Child, but a compare-and-contrast crossover could be hilarious!

Pandemic Legacy:

Any character (no characters nominated for this fandom)

Prompts are spoilery for both games, beware!

 

Any kind of worldbuilding. In-universe documentation from behind the scenes in the first game, the second, the haven years in-between? (Like the "recon reports" or "archives.")

 

The story of (any part of) your campaign, or the campaign you wish you'd had ;)

 

The point of view of a normal civilian.

 

S1: Sagittarius' thoughts during the infiltration? The fallout (literal or otherwise) of the nuclear option? What brought about Michael Davidson's change of heart? What's the deal with Team Bravo?

 

S2: The endgame from Jade's point of view? The Hollow Men's experience reaching the Havens? Rumors of the lost havens in the (searchable) mainland cities? What happened to India?

Star Child:

Any character (Taya, Kort, Cyron, Gallestari nominated)

-Cyron and/or Gallestari: their reactions to the scientific advances in the "afterworld"? How they react to returning to Azure, and the reforms they brought about? What lead Gallestari to plot betrayal? I'd like to see a shippy vibe to their dynamic, but gen is also great!
-Taya and/or Kort: learning experiences with the other children in the years between "Silver Shoes" and "Gods from the Sky"? Dealing with their changing place in Azure culture? What would Taya's relationship be like with Samir if he had survived? How do the other mecminds view Kort as he ages? Adjusting to the afterlife? Please, no Taya/Kort as a romantic pairing.
-everybody: the Mecminds arguing over something that seems natural for humans? More inversions of "creationist" arguments? I don't expect anybody to be familiar with both this and Children of the Star, but a compare-and-contrast crossover could be hilarious!

--
Again, all of this is optional, so if you have your own idea I'd love to see that too. Thanks for writing for me!