Yuletide Letter 2020

[rhovanel]

Dear Yuletide author,

 

Thank you so much for creating something for me! I’m always thrilled to receive anything that someone has made for me, so don’t worry, I’ll be happy with whatever you come up with. All of my prompts are just possible prompts, and if you have your own idea or plot bunny, you are welcome to chase it. The story is yours. And I hope you are well in this horrible year, and that this exchange brings you joy.

General likes and DNWs  |  folklore  |  The Martian  |  Portrait of a Lady on Fire  |  This is How You Lose the Time War  |  What We Do in the Shadows

 

General likes:

• stories that play with form and narrative: epistolary, poetry, time loops, etc. 
• stories about storytelling and the power of narratives
• stories about women
• found families
• bittersweet endings
• stories about the power of hope and persevering through difficult times 
• ghost stories (and ghost romances)
• holiday stories - this is Yuletide, after all, and I am a sucker for stories set during the holidays (whether real or invented)
• character studies
• mutual pining-happy ending narratives
• relationships based in communication - talking, challenging and testing one another, wordy declarations/gestures of love
• banter and humour
• moments of quiet intimacy
• stars, trees, and the sea
• relationship tropes I am weak for (in no particular order): banter and bickering; gift giving; one person suddenly realising they’re in love with the other person; hurt/comfort; there’s only one bed; ‘holy shit they’re hot in that outfit’; fake dating; first time stories; talking/flirting/falling in love through dancing

DNWs:

• pandemics, illnesses, hospitals etc - not this year
• PWP - some sex is okay but I don't want a full story of smut
• A/B/O dynamics or mpreg
• non-con or dub-con
• incest
• underage (under 16s in sexual situations)
• stories with internalised prejudice as the main theme (homophobia, racism, sexism, transphobia, etc)
• de-aging characters
• student/teacher relationships

folklore (Taylor Swift)

This album was such a lovely surprise - moody, dreamy, full of rich imagery. It's an album that feels particularly suited to autumnal, wintery evenings, and good for Yuletide writing and reading. It's also an album that, to me, feels so much about femininity and womanhood and it does, like many of Taylor's songs, lend itself to a queer reading (i.e. F/F romances). So many of the songs are such vivid stories, and I'd be interested in anything that explores the world of a song, the imagery of the lyrics, or the general mood of the album. I'm not as interested in the teenage love triangle, which is why I've requested the album as a whole. 

I've included some general prompts, but I will leave this in your hands - write about whatever song you'd like, or combine multiple songs. Tell me the story of one particular song, take a lyric and run with it, write something that encompasses the album as a whole - there are so many options. I would particularly love F/F romances for these songs, but that is by no means a requirement. You might like to look at one of my Jukebox letters (also on my dreamwidth), to get a sense of things I like in stories based on songs. 

Possible prompts:

• The title of this album intrigues me. Can we imagine these songs, or one particular song, as fables or folk stories, being passed down the ages, told around the campfire, preserved in old books?
• The album gives me forest, fantastical vibes, and fantasy interpretations of a song/s would be really interesting
• The imagery in the album is so rich, and I'm always up for something that takes a line literally - how might the character in exile be physically exiled? Is the singer in mirrorball trapped in an actual circus, or some strange magic spell that makes them reflect everyone and hide themselves? What natural sanctuary is the singer in the lakes disappearing to? 
• There's a lot of references to death and eulogies (my tears ricochet, epiphany, the lakes), and there's real scope here for a ghost story - but please mind my pandemic DNW for epiphany.
• I'm interested in the references to cinema that recur throughout the album (the 1, exile, this is me trying), and there's something really interesting to explore here - is a character (or a lover) a director/actress? Is cinema significant for the romances in the songs? Are the songs themselves a series of films? 
• As I said above, so many songs give off queer vibes to me (illicit affairs, the lakes, betty), and I would adore anything that takes the longing and desire in these songs as queer, particularly F/F, desire.

The Martian

Mark Watney

I love space and I love stories about people being good at their jobs - so this ticks all the boxes. I love how it balances tension with humour, and how realistic the science feels. I am also extremely into botany and a hero space botanist is basically my dream. I'm happy with a range of stories here, from alternative narrative form (logs, diaries, messages, etc) to space adventure, from humour to more tense stories. I've just requested Mark Watney (mainly because I'd love more Mars), but am happy with cameos from other characters.

I'm a little more interested in the exploration side of this canon than the survival - if you are too and you feel like you need to lower the survival stakes, feel free to alter the canon! (maybe his potatoes don't blow up? etc) 

Possible prompts:

• Mark discovers something on Mars - maybe a sign of life, aliens, a space plant, a new kind of mineral, etc. I'd love to see more exploration of Mars beyond his habitat, and more descriptions of Mark finding his way on a strange planet
• More space botany! Give me Mark growing other species, or finding Martian algae, or discovering that certain plants grow differently on Mars, or making new hybrids.
• What other "firsts" might Mark get invested in? What else does he want to be the first to do in space?
• I loved his communications back to Earth, and I'd love to see more of these - does he start messing with the team at home? Does he spell out something for the satellite pictures? 
• I may or may not have got a bit choked up when he said goodbye to his rover. I'd love more adventures of Mark and his rover, or, if you're up for something more experimental, something from the rover's POV.
• I was always slightly frustrated that the film ended where it did - I'd love to see Mark when he just arrives back on Earth, and how he adjusts to being at home.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Héloïse, Marianne 

It's hard to put into words how much I adored this film - I may never quite recover. The bittersweet ending, the longing and the tragedy, the focus on women's desire and the female gaze, and the Eurydice and Orpheus myth - it is exquisite. I would love anything that takes me back to the world of the film, rich with queer desire and longing, art and stories, and the agency and power of women. 

Possible prompts:

• A fix-it is always welcome - I do love the bittersweet ending of the film and would be happy with something of a similar tone. Maybe they weave in and out of one another's lives, maybe they reunite far in the future, maybe they have one last encounter. But if you want to go full happy ending, I won't complain! 
• At the end of the film we see Héloïse posing with page 28 prominently displayed. I love the idea of this becoming a game between them, with each of them leaving hints for the other in painting, music, song, craft, etc.
• Marianne has her art, but I'd love to see Héloïse explore a creative pursuit, something that she could equally represent Marianne through. Music, embroidery, poetry - I would love to see each try to capture the truth of one another through art.
• I was really taken with "he doesn't make the lover's choice, but the poet's", and would love to see anything that explored that line or that idea.
• What if Héloïse's mother was delayed another week? What else might have unfolded between the two - dancing, swimming, running, singing? Give me some missing scenes, or the scenes that never were. 

This is How You Lose the Time War

Red, Blue

A queer, epistolary, time travelling romance? This novel feels like it was made for me. I loved the epistolary form; I loved the back and forth wordplay; I loved the world only seen in glimpses in the background and the mysterious stakes; I loved the playful and at times surreal relationship the characters had with the world. I would be happy with anything that adds to the novel, whether a missing scene, a post or pre-novel work, or worldbuilding. I'd be particularly interested in stories that play with form with the same joy as the novel - have fun!

Possible prompts:

• A missing scene from the novel - show me a new location Red and Blue travelled to, and letters they wrote to one another
• I was really taken with that final, triumphant line - how do Red and Blue win? What does their new 'double helix' look like?
• I am really interested in the world of this novel, and would love to hear your take on who the agencies are, and what they want - what is the world that they're trying to shape?
• And I know it breaks all the time travel rules, but I'd love to see Red and Blue run into past versions of themselves (or each other)

What We Do in the Shadows

This show was exactly what I needed this year. I love its dry sense of humour, and the culture clash of ancient vampires trying to live ordinary lives in the modern world. Generally, I'd love a story here about the characters encountering elements of the modern, ordinary world that they have to navigate, whether set in the present, or to see the vampires at other time periods (80s, 60s, 20s, even 1800s). I've requested my three favourite characters, and there are prompts in my letter for each of them, but I'd be equally happy with a story that focuses on one, or includes all three. Other characters are also welcome!

 And if you think one of my prompts below would fit another character, you can mix and match.

Colin Robinson

I wasn't sure about Colin in the first few episodes, but I adored him in season two. The idea of an energy vampire is just endlessly hilarious to me, and I'd love to see more situations with Colin.

• It would be cool to see Colin at other time periods. What does it mean to be boring in different times - the 1960s, the 1890s, etc? 
• I loved seeing him take on too much power - what if the opposite happened? What if he got really interested in something and lost all his power?
• A weekend in the life of Colin would be cool - what does he do when he's not at work? Does he talk through films? Does he spend ages at the train ticket machines? Show me Colin's weekend! 

Nadja

The queen. Nadja is my favourite of the vampires, and I'll gladly read anything about her.

• What if Nadja has to go on the run in "Jackie Daytona" style? Where would she go, and who would she become?
• Nadja goes on an evening outing somewhere - shopping at places open late in the evening (clothes, jewellery), a museum/art gallery visit on one of the late-night openings, a concert, the opera, etc.
• Like Colin, I'd love to see Nadja at in a different time period (or across multiple ones). 
• I would love to see Nadja navigating the internet.

Guillermo de la Cruz

Guillermo! Poor, long-suffering Guillermo. I would love anything that gives me Guillermo's sweet awkwardness, extreme competence, and quiet exasperation.

• What does Guillermo do during the day? We saw a bit of this in season two, but I'd love a "day in the life" style story.
• Guillermo stumbles upon/starts a "familiars support group", maybe online (possibly in the style of JustNo reddit group)
• How does Guillermo (and the vampires) celebrate the holidays? Does he dress up the house for Halloween? How does he explain Day of the Dead?