Yuletide Letter 2018

Dear Yuletide author,

Thank you so much for writing for me this Yuletide! I’m always thrilled to receive anything that someone has created for me, so don’t worry, I’ll be happy with whatever you come up with.

General likes:

• stories that play with form and narrative: epistolary, poetry, time loops, etc
• angst - break my heart, author
• bittersweet endings
• women with various types of strength and agency and power
• characters who are competent and unapologetic about who they are
• relationships based in communication - talking, challenging and testing one another, wordy declarations of love
• mutual pining-happy ending narratives
• unreliable narrators
• holiday stories - this is Yuletide, after all, and I am a sucker for stories set during the holidays (whether real or invented)
• found families

Dislikes:

• not hugely into stories that revolve around sex - if it does feature, that's fine, but nothing too smutty and definitely no PWP
• no A/B/O dynamics
• no professor/student (or a similar dynamic i.e. age kink) relationships
• no underage/high school stories
• no non-con or dub-con
• no character bashing
• no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia, racism, sexism, transphobia
• no abuse (physical or emotional)


Most importantly, have fun - if you’ve enjoyed creating this, I’ll enjoy receiving it.

Onto my specific requests! Prompt ideas are just ideas, feel free to go where your muse takes you.

A Little Life - Jude St Francis, Harold Stein

I am happy to have a combination of characters here.

 

Found families are my JAM, and this one breaks my heart beautifully. For Jude and Harold, I’d love to see something earlier in their relationship, before or around the time of the adoption, or something set after the events of the book (break my heart, author). For Andy and Jude, something set outside of the doctor's surgery, where they relate to one another outside of the doctor/patient dynamic. And for Harold and Andy, uniting over their shared love/concern for Jude. Possible prompts: holiday or celebration - a birthday party, Christmas (Jude gets a Christmas stocking!!!); Jude reacting to being casually claimed as family in public; a late night phone conversation; a surprise meeting on the street; a visit to a gallery/park/museum; Harold and/or Andy adjusting to life without Jude. Cameos from other characters are welcome.

God, I love this book. It is the most life-affirming, poignant, utterly devastating book I have ever read and I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone, because it seriously messed me up. I will never get over just how much love there is between the characters, and love in all sorts of different shapes and forms (particularly love for Jude). That's really what I'm looking for here - stories about love, and how our lives get entangled with others in ways that irrevocably change us. 

DNW: No non-canon romantic/sexual relationships, and please don’t put Jude in any kind of explicitly sexual situation. No AUs, no PWP, no rape or dubcon, no character bashing, no character death (unless canonical), no a/b/o or mpreg, no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia.

Lawrence of Arabia - Ali ibn el Kharish, T. E. Lawrence

I saw this film for the first time this year and it absolutely destroyed me. The relationship between Ali and Lawrence is so romantic and so heartbreakingly sad, and I need more. Show me a tender scene between the two of them: a declaration of love; a moment alone in the desert; their growing respect for one another; or even a fix-it where one returns to find the other.

I do read their relationship as romantic/sexual, but feel free to make as shippy or as gen as you want. I love the slow build of this relationship, and the palpable sense of trust between them. I love how they're not afraid to call out another out on their bullshit. I'd be particularly interested in something from Ali's point of view, because the film is filtered through Lawrence's perspective, and I'd love to see Lawrence through his eyes.

DNW: No AUs, no PWP, no rape or dubcon, no character bashing, no a/b/o or mpreg, no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia. And for this one specifically, please don’t sympathise with colonisation.

Terra Ingota - Ojiro Cardigan Sniper

I am absolutely Team Sniper forever, and would love to see something from their point of view (like Sniper’s chapter from Seven Surrenders). Possible prompts: a Rashomon-style retelling of an existing chapter or moment; Sniper at the Olympics; the bullseye signs; Sniper manipulates the media; the call to revolution; loneliness and leadership. Cameos from other characters are welcome.

Mycroft is the most unreliable narrator I have ever encountered, and I LOVE it. This is why I'm particularly interested to see alternative perspectives, because I trust nothing Mycroft says. I love the complicated politics and the incredible worldbuilding - I am kind of obsessed with the hive system - and would love to see something that fleshes that out. Palmer has created an amazing sandbox - go and play in it, author! I do love the prose style of the novels, but don't feel beholden to it (particularly if you're writing from Sniper's POV). 

Final note: they/them pronouns for Sniper, please.

DNW: No AUs, no PWP, no rape or dubcon, no character bashing, no a/b/o or mpreg, no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia.

Annihilation - Josie Radek

I was really taken with Josie’s character - her quiet agency, her openness to change - and I’d love to see more scenes with her. I’m particularly interested in what happens to her after the events of the film (aren’t we all?) but I’d also be happy with a piece that explores her life before the mission, or something set during the events of the film. Possible prompts: a moment of wonder in the Shimmer, the five stages of grief, a non-linear story; home and belonging. Cameos from other characters are welcome.




DNW: No AUs, no PWP, no rape or dubcon, no character bashing, no a/b/o or mpreg, no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia.

Prey - Morgan Yu

This was one of the best games I’ve played recently and I adored how it handled themes of humanity, empathy, and corporeality. The ending messed me up and I’d particularly love to see something post-game, but I’m also good with anything during or before the game. I’d prefer a female Morgan. Possible prompts: Morgan lives and watches the typhons with her memories; Morgan-typhon tries to unite body and mind; the dark beauty of space; the power of empathy. Cameos from other characters are welcome.

DNW: No AUs, no PWP, no rape or dubcon, no character bashing, no a/b/o or mpreg, no non-canon compliant levels of homophobia.