Yuletide 2021 Letter

[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 after another tough year, and that this exchange brings you joy.

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; talking/flirting/falling in love through dancing

DNWs:

• explicit sex
• 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

For All Mankind (Margo Madison, Molly Cobb)

I loved this show in a way I haven’t loved a TV show for many years, and I am so grateful for it for filling the science fiction space in my heart. I love the alternate history, I love the characters, and I cannot get enough of space. It has such a quiet sense of wonder about it, and more than any space show I've watched recently, it captures that feeling of looking up at the stars and knowing that there's something else out there, something bigger and better.

I’ve requested Molly and Margo, but I am happy with a story that features both or only one, and I'm more than happy with cameos from other characters. I loved each of them individually - both so stubborn and determined, both so utterly competent at their jobs, and yet both with rich private lives they keep hidden - and I loved the scenes with the two of them butting heads even more. There are so many interesting parallels between the two of them.

And I am equally happy with something shippy or gen - I absolutely ship them, but you can go wherever your muse takes you. If you're writing something shippy, I'm not super interested in a story about infidelity, but otherwise you can address Wayne however you like - a best friend, an ex, or simply leave him out. 

Possible prompts:

• I am eternally annoyed that we didn’t get to see much of Molly in space / on the moon. Give me any of her adventures - discovering things, pushing the limits of the mission brief (to Margo's chagrin or even support?)
• I loved the scene between Molly and Margo at the end of season one, where Margo decides to sacrifice Molly. I’d love to see something that explores the fallout from this in more detail - maybe another scenario where Molly is in danger, or even the opposite (what happens if the Russians capture Margo and Molly has to get her out?)
• Forever fascinated that Margo seems to live in her office. What is going on there? Does she even have a house? Do people know about this, and if not, what happens when they find out?
• I also loved the little moment between the two of them in the jazz club. Does Molly keep coming back, and how does Margo react to letting her into this part of her world?
• I can never get enough of NASA mission control and all the science/technology/logistics behind space travel, and will be more than happy with a whole story that explores one or both of them solving problems and being good at their jobs.
• What happens when Margo finds out about Molly's dose of radiation, and the side effects?
  
   

The Galactic Federation Interviews Earth (any)

This is a short sketch originally published on Twitter - you can find it here. I knew as soon as I saw this last year that I had to request it for Yuletide. We have a beautifully realised science fiction world, a cutting critique of all the failures of Earth, and utterly hilarity - what more could you ask for? I would love anything that explores this universe in more detail.

Possible prompts:

• Tell me more about the Galactic Federation! What are the requirements for membership, and what are the other planets/civilisations like? What does membership even entail? This could be anything from stories of other applications with the interviewer, to an account of the rules/regulations/federation meetings - whatever takes your fancy.
• What are some of the other failed applications, from planets worse and weirder than ours? 
• I’d love to know more about Jason, our long-suffering assistant. Vinny Thomas suggested in a reply that Jason was a small sphere - give me a day in the life of Jason, or Jason’s perspective of events.
• What if the interviewer decided to visit Earth, to see all its horrors (and possible wonders) for themselves? Is it every bit as horrible as they expected, or do they surprise themselves?
• What’s happening on Earth: what is the reaction to the failed application? I can imagine lots of memes/jokes based on the interview clip (if it gets leaked), which might be fun to explore.

moon’s haunted (any)

Thank you to whoever requested this! I want to know everything about this scenario. Feel free to take this story in whatever direction you’d like: realistic or weird, fact or science fiction, hilarious, spooky, or sad.

Possible prompts:

• Explain the haunting: are there ghosts on the moon, and if so, whose? A previous civilisation? Aliens?) Or is the moon itself haunted by something (memories, a lost love)?
• Nothing decays or decomposes on the moon - could this contribute to the haunting?
• NASA: what is happening in mission control? Is this some poor employee’s first day on the job (who did not sign up for haunted moons)? Does NASA have some secret “moon ghosts” procedure that can be implemented? 
• How do the astronauts get back early? Is space travel more advanced, or is there something preventing communication between space and earth? 
• The pistol: why are the astronauts bringing guns to the moon?? Do guns even work in zero gravity? What are they hoping to achieve when they go back to the moon?
• The astronauts: I love the nonchalance of “moon’s haunted”. Are these astronauts who have been waiting all their lives to become galactic ghost hunters? Are they acting cool for cameras (surely the whole world is watching) while secretly panicking? Did the NASA employee accidentally mistake a visiting film crew for their real astronauts (it would explain the 'back early' thing), and has sent them back to the moon?
• Earth: moon’s haunted is an iconic tweet - the scenario in real life would undoubtedly produce an even more iconic reaction. I’d love to see what’s happening on Earth once the news leaks that the moon is haunted!