Yuletide Letter 2023

[dye_ann]

Dear Yuletide Writer,

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

I’ll do my best to give you an idea of what I like in general and what I particularly love about my requested fandoms, and prompts to use as inspiration if you’re so inclined. Prompting is also something I do for my own fun: don’t feel compelled by what I suggest, and please don’t think that if I prompt for one fandom more than another it means I want it more (some ideas here are recycled from previous exchanges, and sometimes inspiration just strikes too). My general likes can just as well provide some help.

Basically, I want you to have fun and create something you love. I’m always a bit awed by the idea of having someone writing for me specifically, and I trust you (because you have excellent taste!) so if you’re dying to write what you had in mind when you offered the relevant fandom, be my guest.

Here’s my AO3 account, if you’d like to know me better. My bookmarks are… a bit of a mess, but you can find things I tend to enjoy there, and some of the fandoms I’m familiar with if that’s an information you need.

Language note (though I doubt it will apply): I also read French (it’s actually my first language, I’m more familiar with the French of France variety), so I’m happy to receive something either in English or in French if you prefer to write in that language.

And since it’s best to specify, I’m very glad to receive treats and unplanned gifts!

 

General likes

(I use this list for all the exchanges I sign up to, so don’t conclude from it I’m only requesting slash fic – romance and/or sex–, I will also prompt for Gen fic for every Yuletide fandom in my letter: don’t feel pressured in any way by the presence of ship and smut likes).

Themes, atmosphere and tropes

Banter, future fics, fix-it, backstory, plottiness, world-building, character study, competent female characters, experimental writing, alternative story-telling forms (letters, found manuscripts or records if it works with the fandom, outsider point of view…), found intimacy, intimate body language, found families, queer narratives, conflicting world-views and people having their reasons, moral ambiguity, historical details, sensory notations, time-loops of the “Groundhog Day” kind, AU of the “what if” kind, heist fic, tropes subversion, humor, melancholy, a little psychological cruelty when it fits the story too.

Ships-wise: romantic and sexual tension (resolved or unresolved), pinning, slow burn, friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, love/hate relationships, fake/pretend relationships, angst, accidental proximity, subverting power dynamics, people falling in love While Trying Not To, things changing so gradually it’s hard to put it into words or name it, little touches and physical reactions, sensual things going on at a slow pace, first kiss/getting together (not a fan of established relationships, by which I mean that the characters are already together when the fic begins), porn used as character study, characters expressing their feelings by actions instead of words.

Smut-wise: praise, alternate power dynamics, desperation, teasing, repressed character letting go, dom/sub undertones or even full dom/sub dynamics depending on the context, sex in semi-public places, voyeurism and mirrors, overstimulation, dirty talk/banter during sex, body worship, phone sex, edging, intimacy issues, clothed sex. I’m fine with dubcon, but no non-con, please.

It’s worth noting that I’m very much open to sex scenes for every shippy request, but it’s by no mean mandatory if you don’t want to write them (fade to black is fine by me, as well as romance without sex scenes).

Opt-ins: your gender headcanons for the characters, ambiguous/bittersweet endings, any rating, any tense or point of view, experimental writing all the way if you like it.

 

All the Wrong Questions

Worldbuilding

I’m a big fan of both A Series of Unfortunate Events and All the Wrong Questions, and I have a particular fondness for the melancholic, fake-Noir atmosphere of the second one. I didn’t want to leave this town and its many inhabitants behind, and I’m fascinated with the whole idea of a place whose existence is very fragile. I’d love to read pastiche for this one, and anything that captures the quiet sadness of the coming of age story to take it in an original direction. Jazz, coffee, food, literary references and all that makes those books strangely “cozy” despite the rather hopeless story is very welcome. I’m also here for anything to do with Stain’d exceptional natural environment: the absent sea, the absurd weather, lighthouses and sea weeds, the make-do systems people have invented to survive. And for the existential and terrifying mystery of the Bombastic Beast and all it stands for. There’s a sort of poetry there that has always stayed with me.

I only nominated Worldbuilding myself, but I’m happy to see someone did nominate characters: feel free to include any set of characters in your fic, I’d be pleased to hear about the people. I basically love everyone in the tag set, and outside the tag set I guess I’m attached to Ellington and Kit and the Bellorophon brothers, but really anyone would be great. It’s also worth saying that I’m very interested in any crossover with A Series of Unfortunate Events, since they happen in the same universe and some characters appear in both works. I also think it’s a great fandom for in-universe documents, so if you’re into that be my guest (codes and ciphers welcome, of course).

I have a lot of specific prompts for this one, since I requested it some time ago for a worldbuilding exchange. That being said, I can’t think of everything, and as far as worldbuilding go I’m not very particular so if you had a different idea please go for it!
 

Prompts

- Any story that furthers the link between Stain’d-by-the-Sea and VFD. It’s clear that the town has its own problems, yet I can’t help but think volunteers would find their way into these problems one way or another. Lemony, Theodora and Kit certainly did. So a story tackling the relationship between the town and the various sides of the organization would be great: it could be a good occasion to explore the town’s history under a new light. For example: did volunteers have anything to do with the disappearance of the sea? Was any side of the Schism ever interested in Cleo’s ink? What about the local library? And so on.

- Stain'd-by-the-Sea local newspaper: I would absolutely love a story revolving around the publishing of an issue of Stain’d newspaper or just the actual issue itself. Just thinking about the various sections this newspaper could have is absolutely thrilling, given what the universe is like. Perhaps the various characters have all written for it at one point or another?

- The Bombinating Beast: myths and beliefs surrounding it, some lore about the traces the beast has left/will leave into the culture of this universe (sayings, sea shanties, etc); any exploration of the Beast that ties together its concrete reality and its philosophical meaning (linking it to the Great Unknown, or just embracing the mix of terror and awe the Beast produces, its link to nature).

- Anything that examines the history of Stain’d (on which you can elaborate) in an ecological perspective: I just like the sadness linked to the disappearance of the sea, and I think it calls for more narrative exploration. What about when the sea was there? What do the locals remember of it? What sort of life did they have then? What do they think of the town now? Does it really fade after Lemony’s departure, or does it somehow escape ruin, and by which means/at what cost?

- Crossover prompt with ASOUE: after the events of The End, the Baudelaires end up in Stain’d. Has anything changed? Who lives there? Is it still inhabited? What do they make of it after all their misfortunes?

DNW: gore, underage, non-con, A/B/O, watersports (sexual activites involving urine and/or feces), unrequested crossovers, soulmates and that brand of AU where you change the setting (coffee shop, space, vampires, etc.): canon divergences are fine.

 

A Room of One’s Own

No character nominated

Also known as: A Request of Your Own.

Look, we’re on Archive of Our Own. I’m a Woolf fan and a fanfic enthusiast. And I just had the revelation that it would be beautiful and symbolic to get a AROO fic for Yuletide.

My friend, this is an all-you-can-write woolfian buffet: I didn’t nominate characters because I’ll genuinely take anything you might imagine about this book. I guess my only real preference is that I’d like the core ideas of the essay to be used at face value and not in a satirical light, but I suppose that’s what most people offering this would have in mind anyway.

This is, I think, one of the texts that moves me the most. It tells such a quiet emotional tale of forgotten voices, broken lives, limited possibilities. I love the sense of sorority that comes from it, but also the speaker’s indignation that seeps through at various points. I love Woolf’s sense of rhythm, memorable sentences, and how fiction and reality perpetually blend together through the various figures of the essay: Judith Shakespeare, the three Marys (Mary Beaton, Mary Seton and Mary Carmichael), Chloe and Olivia, the speaker herself… I think the in-between state between full fictional characters (Judith has her whole life told, the various Mary have different personalities, Chloe and Olivia, you know, liked each other) and symbols (every forgotten woman artist is a Judith Shakespeare or a Mary, the Marys are taken directly from the ballad Mary Hamilton, Chloe and Olivia could stand for sorority or they’re lesbians, Harold) is very interesting, and opens up lots of opportunities for fic. I add that I’m very open to the idea of making Virginia Woolf, or some version of her (the speaker in this text doesn’t have to fully correspond to Woolf in an autobiographical sense) a character in this. Any story that shows sympathy for the struggles the essay evokes, tries to recreate its ring in different contexts, develops the characters through time and space, modernizes the obstacles that prevent women from creating and being heard, pays homage in any way to what was lost to time, would make me so, so happy.

So, does Judith Shakespeare write fanfiction? Are the Marys all sleeping together? What about a new Mary Hamilton ballad about how the speaker isn’t allowed to step on the grass, and it’s tragic somehow? I’m joking, but also I’m dead serious.

I’m going to prompt very broadly, but again if you think of something else, please go for it.

 

Prompts:

- An exploration of various incarnations of Judith Shakespeare or/and the various Marys, the various Chloe and Olivia across time and space. Since they are after all largely symbolic characters or masks for women all around the world and through the centuries, I would love to read about any different Judith or Mary or Chloe. Regarding Judith Shakespeare, I think that invites to consider what would be the equivalent of Shakespeare at various point in history and in various places, to diversify the literary figures of the essay (I’m very open to any deconstruction of the literary genius thing, by the way).

- A sort of fix-it for Judith Shakespeare’s tragic tale. I don’t particularly expect her to live happily ever after, but perhaps something a tiny bit hopeful, or less gloomy, with the idea that at least something of her lives on somewhere. What would have happened if she hadn’t die so early?

- What if the speaker lied about Judith’s story for some reason? Is there a secret society of women keeping her memory alive somewhere? In the same conspiracy vein: what if some major works of literature had actually been written by Judith?

- Lesbians everywhere: anything about Chloe and Olivia and who they might be. Bonus points if you keep the historical setting: I’d love a 20s romance, but any other point in time could be interesting too. Also, what if one Mary liked another Mary? What would have happened to Judith if she had met a woman instead of a man in London? Etc.

- Give any of the character a room of her own, see what happens. What sort of space would it be, how could she acquire it, what does it mean to her, is it an actual room or something else?

- An anthology of the Complete Works of Judith Shakespeare (edited by one of the characters, or the speaker maybe? I would love some in-universe document with notes and references).

- Magical AU where the Marys, Judith, and possibly the others are mysterious figures that travel through time with various incarnations. Are they cursed, stuck in a loop, and what sort of powers do they have?

- I think this is absolutely ripe for crossover, of any sort. I’m going to give you suggestions, but if you want to try something very metatextual with a lot of different characters pertaining to different universes, I’m open to it even if I don’t know all of the fandoms used. For example, it’s okay to travel through the multiverse to focus on several women writers from different fandoms, be they historical figures or fictional characters.

* I’m just putting this out there on the off-chance that someone would be willing to write for this and be familiar with Susanna Clarke’s works, but I figured that given some of the themes of Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell (access to knowledge, the erasure of women in magic’s history and the general role of minorities in the book), that would make an absolutely fantastic match. What if the Marys were forgotten female magicians? And Judith Shakespeare lived in the shadow of the Aureates? Do they have something to do with faeries? What can we make of the folk ballad where the Marys are named, in this context? Of course if you’re familiar with this, it also makes a lot of sense to build upon The Ladies of Grace Adieu.

* Do what you will with this but: what if Judith Shakespeare was the Mary Poppins of writers?

* Harry Potter: Judith Shakespeare, trans witch writer?

 

DNW: gore, underage, non-con, A/B/O, watersports (sexual activites involving urine and/or feces), soulmates.

 

 

La Locandiera – The Mistress of the Inn

Mirandolina; Cavaliere of Ripafratta

Look, I don’t know how I became fannish about an 18^th century Italian comedy, but here we are. I guess what got me hooked is how modern a character Mirandolina really is. She does whatever she has to in order to survive and gain relative independence in circumstances where that’s all she can hope for. Sure, she exploits her clients. But what choice does she actually have? Rich men will come and harass you, and you still have to eat. I like to think her announcing her marriage to Fabrizio in the end is just another trick: she needs it in the moment, but she wouldn’t actually renounce her freedom. Ripafratta on the other hand, with his absurdly simplistic views on women but otherwise upright character, intrigues me. He’s a jerk, sure, but he also demonstrates some good qualities, and he’s so helpless once Mirandolina seduces him that you have to feel a bit sorry (even though he’s a misogynistic asshole).

I love that the tone of the canon is complicated: it’s all played for comedy, but at the same time you could read more gravity at the heart of this, especially if you consider the characters’ future. I mean, how will Ripafratta evolve after this charade? What about Mirandolina’s freedom? I’m very much here for canon deviations here, and future fic as well as some form of fix-it for their relationship. In short, I think there is a lot of Enemies-to-Friends and/or Enemies-to-Lovers potential. Because they’re both very spirited (Ripafratta can be around others, but not around Mirandolina in the play, which I find quite interesting), intelligent, and there’s a sense of wit and mischief that I like between them.

I see their story in the play as sort of a failed romance with a serving of cruelty (on Mirandolina’s part) and bigotry (on Ripafratta’s) on top: where do we go from there is what interests me. How do you mend something like that? I think they both could evolve beyond what we see in the play, and after some growth, learn to communicate and meet in the middle. With potential resentment, banter and flirtation, of course. Or, and there I fall victim of one of my favourites tropes: maybe Mirandolina did perceive the baron’s qualities beyond his more obvious flaws during the events of the play, and her act ends up being more sincere than what she intended. Maybe that is why she got rid of him as harshly as she did. I would enjoy all sorts of things, from a romance to a confrontation scene that really let them challenge each other’s faults and opinions, because they never had the occasion to do that in the play and I think that’s a shame. In any case, they would probably be a certain degree of conflict, humiliation or even violence (she did burn him with an iron; he tried to break into her room) involved. To clarify on one of my DNW for this fandom, I cannot really see them married, but I’m absolutely up for an ultimately happy romance, and definitely up for sex too.

If you’ve seen a production that you liked, feel free to borrow from it (I’ve seen several and have no preference). And since it’s an Italian play and I originally read it in French, I’m not very particular about which exact names and titles you should use, because that often got changed in the various translations.

 

Prompts:

- Given the 18^th century context, one of my (very optional) headcanons for this is that one or both of them could get into philosophy and more specifically into the debates surrounding the education of women, which was quite prominent at the time. I could see Mirandolina getting rid of her suitors and welcoming writers and philosophers in her inn, while benefiting from their talks. Or maybe Ripafratta does some reading after his painful experience at the inn, and his views on women and his own actions evolve a bit? What I like in this idea is that is draws on the play’s emphasis on debate, but that could also help exploring the class difference, which is a very important part of their relationship.

- Canon divergence: Mirandolina accidentally falls from Ripafratta while trying to trick him. She then tries to get as far from him as possible to avoid confronting this, but he somehow finds out.

- More precise variation on the same idea: Ripafratta confronts Mirandolina about her lies, but something betrays that she isn’t really as indifferent to him as she claims, changing the dynamic of the scene (bonus point if Mirandolina does everything she can to hide that ‘weakness’/still tries to win the fight).

- An epistolary narrative could be interesting: maybe they wrote notes to each other when Ripafratta was staying at the inn, or/and maybe they wrote letters after he left (because they still needed to insult each other, and maybe things evolve?). I’d love them to become great pen pals and realising they need someone to talk to.

- Future fic: they meet by chance a few years later and reconsider what happened. Maybe they feel a bit different now? How are they changed?

- Revenge plot! Ripafratta comes back somehow, pretending it’s all fine and he’s never actually been in love with Mirandolina. And then he plots to seduce her like she did to him...I’ll let you imagine how that goes.

- Mirandolina looses her inn and has to look for employment as a maid. She ends up at Ripafratta’s estate… Maybe she tries to hide who she is, or he doesn’t pay attention at first, maybe he uses the occasion to humiliate her, or he immediately feels this is going to be more complicated than that… I’m not opposed to something a bit darker between them, since I find the play quite cruel in places and enjoy that too.

 

DNW: permanent character death, the characters ending up marrying each other (that sounds a bit too 'traditional' in their situation, but of course that doesn't mean they can't get together, and marriage can still be an option they discuss and discard, since I can't see Mirandolina getting into it), gore, underage, non-con, A/B/O, watersports (sexual activites involving urine and/or feces), unrequested crossovers, soulmates and that brand of AU where you change the setting (coffee shop, space, vampires, etc.): canon divergences are fine.

 

 
 

Mame

Mame Dennis; Vera Charles

Mame and Vera’s dynamic may be my favourite thing from this musical, and we’re speaking of a show where Angela Lansbury has starred, so that’s telling you something. I have to confess I nominated those two with shippy intent, but I just love the “frenemies throwing shades while being absurdly extravagant” vibe so much, and Gen will make me happy too. There’s just a thing about the historical period, the clothes, the way they bicker, and the whole hedonistic philosophy behind it that’s so out of date yet so alluring (that being said I think we can all agree the “southern Belle” fantasy of the musical is best left behind). This canon has such a general queer vibe you can probably see it from the moon, and even if you go with platonic exploration of their relationship I think the “found family” aspect of it remains interesting. Look, I just like that they’re not “normal” in any way and very unapologetic about it. In this house, we’re really digging this diva/queen vibe.

I really don’t mind if you ignore parts of canon for this, especially Mame’s marriage (but that could also create interesting situations with Vera, so it’s up to you). Feel free to explore gender and identity issues if you find the idea interesting: Jerry Herman and Bea Arthur will be proud of you.

 

Prompts

- In general, I’m very keen on scenarios where they just live the life, you know, as they do: give me extravagant clothes, settings, knickknacks, parties, what have you.

- Building on sexual tension while in rehearsal for Vera’s play would be great. “The Man in the Moon” is a very interesting song in that sense: that lady in the moon sure sounds lovely, according to Vera… Anything in the broader context of theatre world is sure to delight me.

- Mame defending Vera, or the other way around, and being caught at it: feelings ensue (could also be a Gen prompt). I’m very much in favour of the slap-slap-kiss trope, and all the love-hate relationship tropes, really.

- I like the idea of them taking care of each other in their own way, despite the barbs, or even through them perhaps. So I’m just putting it there.

- A drunk confession from Vera, perhaps leading to a series of comical and over the top misunderstandings (side note: if you’re uncomfortable with the alcohol theme in this canon, feel free to ignore it completely).

- If you’re more interested in Gen: how did they meet? I could picture them competing about love interests and realising they would rather be friends because of the intellectual challenge and the sense of kinship they develop (ditching the man/men in the process).

- The shippy version of the previous idea: Mame and Vera competing for a man and realising they’re more into each other.

- Perhaps my brain is being hacked by Murder She Wrote, but I think that would be hilarious to see them playing Junior Detectives together, whether there’s been an actual crime or they’re just panicking about something they blow out of proportions

 

DNW: permanent character death, the characters ending up with men for good, gore, underage, non-con, A/B/O, watersports (sexual activites involving urine and/or feces), unrequested crossovers, soulmates and that brand of AU where you change the setting (coffee shop, space, vampires, etc.): canon divergences are fine.

 

 

 
 

Pentiment

Mathieu of Neuchâtel, Rüdeger of Bad Tölz

 

I want to preface this by saying that even though I’m requesting those two characters, I’m absolutely happy to have any other character from the tagset to appear in the fic if you feel so inclined, as a supporting cast (especially if it’s Andreas, but I’m also very fond of Magda, and basically I love everyone in this town). I quite enjoy the very collective aspect of the narrative in Pentiment.

I’m not going to lie, I nominated those two with shippy intentions. However, if that’s not your thing, I’ll be very happy with something that explores their friendship and day-to-day life in the abbey. It’s just that I was so struck by the scene where we discover something is happening between them, and I’m fascinated with queer representation in that context, so my brain went full “yeah gay monks”.

In any case, if you’re a medieval nerd, know stuff about queer history, or the making of manuscripts, liturgical chant, etc.: by all means, unleash the beast. I love Pentiment for how true and nuanced it manages to be from a historical perspective, so I’m sure to like another dose of that in a story.

I think what made me so attached to them is how different they are, and the dynamic this difference creates. I love that Mathieu is a bit of an asshole, rigid, clearly quite ambitious, and how he seems to transform emotionally when he’s with Rüdeger. Besides he’s just, I mean, cute. You’ve got to love the size difference between those two. Rüdeger on the other hand is so sweet, and his singing is associated with some of the most emotional moments in the game, which makes him this gentle and somewhat tragic figure in the midst of the catastrophes. I was so pleased to see the game go out of its way to show us that they stick together for decades like an old married couple. I like to think about how such a bond can be established and endure in a religious context where every aspect of life is very ritualized and collective, and individual personalities aren’t supposed to be that relevant (even if they inevitably are).Intimacy between two persons, even platonic intimacy, seems very difficult to build. So anything exploring that tension would be amazing. Even better if they don’t see it or think of it exactly in the way we would.

In terms of tonality I’m open to a lot of things, I’d just prefer a story that doesn’t turn entirely bleak and hopeless for them (like breaking them up without hope of ever being reunited – temporary break up is more than fine, I do love drama). On the other hand, I’m very interested in the potential pains, contradictions and internalized homophobia the situation could trigger, so don’t be afraid to go there if you want. And I would also be happy with something very mundane, that explores how they work together, the little joys and minute details of daily life at the abbey, philosophical musing about friendship or “friendship”, etc.

 

Prompts:

- Story of how they got together. How do you navigate attraction and eventually acting on it when you’re in their position? Give me hesitations, misunderstandings, negotiation with their own beliefs, and various forms of tension.

- Their relationship through the eyes of various outsiders (your pick of characters, even better if it alternates between several of them)

- The various rituals they invented that build their intimacy, and how they mix or clash with the religious rituals they perform daily (I’m an atheist so I really don’t care about blasphemy or anything, but I’m interested in their beliefs and the historical aspect of that)

- 5 times +1 one of them helped the other

- Sexy times in the library! Also: I love that they meet there, so how the library came to shape their relationship?

- Something more light-hearted where Andrea’s habit of causing mayhem everywhere he goes puts them in increasingly comical situations, either because they’re not together yet and won’t acknowledge the attraction, or because they’re together and have to hide it convincingly.

 

DNW: either of the requested characters dying permanently in the fic, gore, underage, non-con, A/B/O, watersports (sexual activites involving urine and/or feces), unrequested crossovers, soulmates and that brand of AU where you change the setting (coffee shop, space, vampires, etc.): canon divergences are fine.

 

The Remains of the Day

Mr Stevens / Miss Kenton

 

I think what interested me here is the way the tragic and failed romance blends with social themes like service in England from the 30s to 60s, and the whole idea of sacrificing one’s autonomy in one way or another. I love how repressed the characters are, even if it drives me completely mad with frustration. And the way Miss Kenton and Mr Steven keep challenging each other, especially when it comes to values. I don’t think I’ll ever be tired of reading possible scenarios of how they finally get together (despite what my rational mind tells me), and I’m a big fan of the little things when it comes to them: touches, hidden emotions, unresolved tension that escalates, looks, etc. I’m very much here for any exploration of the emotional and/or sexual tension between them, through whatever mean you may think of. I’m interested in historical realism here, but on the other hand I’m not afraid of romance tropes either.
 

Prompts:

- What if she did come back after he offered her the job at the end of the book/movie? How does one go back to being a servant in the 60s after all this time and everything that happened? When you’re older? And how do you rekindle an old romance, especially when both parts are aware that your return has something to do with it but no one dares mention it at first?

- Any fake/pretend relationship/forced proximity scenario you can come up with: for example, their new employer only wants married staff and they concoct a lie, or they have to pretend for an event, or because an important guest of the house has taken a fancy to one of them and they need a cover.

- Miss Kenton is led to believe that Mr Stevens, as extraordinary as it sounds, is having an affair with someone (staff or someone in the village, perhaps a guest, I don’t know). It’s actually not the case but it drives her absolutely up the wall.

- Miss Kenton is offered a job elsewhere, and Stevens does everything in his power to convince her to stay (including perhaps resorting to his knowledge of romance novels, or being a decent human being for once).

- Something something “reversed book scene” something (after the book scene, a situation in which it’s Stevens who tries to initiate contact, and Miss Kenton who’s reluctant).

 

DNW: permanent major character death, gore, underage, non-con, A/B/O, watersports (sexual activites involving urine and/or feces), unrequested crossovers, soulmates and that brand of AU where you change the setting (coffee shop, space, vampires, etc.): canon divergences are fine.