Dear Yuletide Writer (2023)

[chiralove]

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Wow, the last time I wrote one of these was in 2018 - not sure how I let 5 years go by, but well, pandemic I guess! It's grand to be back and I am really excited to be doing Yuletide again.

Firstly, I already adore you and I just know that I will love whatever you write! I am thrilled to find someone else who likes one of my tiny little fandoms!

Optional prompts are optional, of course - please write the story that is in your heart! We both love this tiny fandom, and I want to know why you love it too.

But, on the off-chance that you’ve wandered here because you’re looking for inspiration or like writing from a prompt, I hope that some of this letter may be helpful. (Absolutely do ignore it if it’s not helpful!)

In general, lists of prompts/inspo/etc. are just that - a "hey here are some ideas if you're stuck" - by no means a request for all of those things crammed into one fic. Take what you like from them, ignore what you dislike, write what's in your heart.

Some of my general fannish likes/dislikes:

• Hurt/comfort
• Relationship angst (infidelity, jealousy, possessiveness, break-ups/unrequited love, forced bonding, misunderstandings)
• Exploring the limits of unconditional love, obsessive love. Sacrifice and redemption. Character-driven plot.
• AU, or unusual settings that play with the boundaries of the universe. time travel (especially if it is to an unusual time). stories set after canon/in the margins, stories set in unusual locations, characters with unusual careers
• realistic happy endings, hopeful endings, ambiguous endings
• intelligent dialogue, geekiness, accurate science. Characters being clever and figuring things out.
• In terms of relationships/sex (if you feel like you want to include anything like that in the story - but by no means feel obliged to! I love gen just as well as shippy fics!)
• UST, tenderness, first time, flirtation, courtship/seduction
• wall!sex, public or semi-public sex (voyeurism), sex in unusual places or at inappropriate times in public
• light bondage, sex toys, mistaken/disguised identity

Some of my general fannish dislikes:

• established relationships
• Magic or deus ex machina as a plot device
• sappy or saccharine endings, extreme fluff
• Curtain fics
• excessive internal monologues and over-explanation
• crack
• suicide and self-harm, lots of pain, torture, unrelenting angst
• Non-con or dub-con, power imbalances, student/teacher, chan, age play
• Mpreg
• incest
• Hate-sex
• heavy BDSM, torture, watersports, scat, beastiality
• AUs that alter the basic nature of the universe (i.e. transposing the characters into a coffee shop, university, modern era away from their normal canon universe. I love AUs that change canon history (e.g. "what ifs"), but tend to dislike complete transplantation AUs.)

A few specific notes on the fandoms in my request:

The Bedlam Stacks
The world-building here is amazing and the magical realism is imho perfect. I love all of the little touches like the description of coffee, the Tremayne home being at Heligan (the Lost Gardens! swoon!), the exploding trees, the Martayuk. I love the moral complexity that isn’t simplified: the dealings of the East India Company, the decision that Merrick makes about Clem, the shades of gray. I am absolutely in love with Merrick and Raphael, and the slow burn of their relationship, and the angst behind Merrick having to leave Raphael and wait so long for him.

Exiles Saga and Galactic Milieu
There is just something so romantic about Marc's character and the way he spent six million years atoning for the mistakes that he made. I'd love anything focused on Marc, really. Bonus points for including Catholicism and the Remillards speaking French.

I am also not a really huge fan of incest, so it would be okay by me if we didn't have to think too much about Marc/Cynthia. Also not a super-huge fan of Hydra, Fury, Victor, or any of the ways of killing people with your brain.

I do love Denis/Lucille, Paul/Teresa, and Marc/Elizabeth - there's something about the way the Remillard men deal with their sexuality that's kind of fascinating to me, from Denis's cluelessness to Paul's promiscuity and Marc's repression. I love the Remillards in general, though, so any fic focused on the family in general would make me happy, too - does not need to be a shippy fic.

Father Brown
There is just something so charming about this universe. I really love Father Brown for his cleverness and compassion and ability to follow the dictates of his own conscience, whatever his superiors may say. (That said, not the hugest fan of the scenes where he gets in trouble with his superiors!) I love all the characters in this universe, but there is just something especially sparky about the chemistry between Fr. Brown and Flambeau, for me. (Would love the idea that Flambeau's putting on a front with Lady Felicia or someone else as a cover for his deep enduring love for Fr. Brown - or, equally happy for Lady Felicia to be left out of the story altogether. Or for you to write gen instead of slash!)

Obviously the war is part of Fr. Brown's backstory, but I've got to confess, the world is shite enough as it is nowadays, I would prefer a story that didn't focus too heavily on war or combat-related bits.

Agatha Christie's PoirotAgain for this one, I just really love the interactions between Hastings and Poirot. Sort of love how clueless Hastings can be, while thinking he's got it cracked and Poirot is past his best. And also as above, would really prefer not much focus on war or combat.

I really like Poirot's need for precision and order, his finickyness and fussiness, and would appreciate a sympathetic portrayal of these. I appreciate when Hastings (and other characters) accept Poirot for who he is, all his quirks included. Really like his intelligence/insight, as well, of course (if you've not guessed by now I have something of a competence!kink and really like clever characters who are really good at what they choose to do.) Somehow though Hastings and Poirot do seem to click together really well for me, I'd love to see something that explored their chemistry a little bit more.

Moon is a Harsh Mistress
I really love Mycroft/Mike/Michelle/etc. and the exploration of what it means to be human. The joke about what a laser and a goldfish have in common has stuck with me for years! And I love seeing the relationship between Mike and Mannie. Interested in seeing more about what life on Luna is like, or what life after the revolution might look like, or anything you'd like to explore, really.

It may be a bit cliche, but honestly dear author, I will love absolutely anything, and I really really hope that you have fun - that's the most important thing!