Dear Yuletide author
Oct. 27th, 2019 01:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dolorosa_12Thank you for writing for me!
I'm pretty easygoing about what type of fic you want to write for me. I read fic of any rating, and would be equally happy with plotty genfic or something very shippy. I read gen, femslash, het and slash, although I have a slight preference towards femslash, het, and gen that focuses on female characters. I mainly read fic to find out what happens to characters after the final page has turned or the credits have rolled, so I would particularly love to have futurefic of some kind. Don't feel you have to limit yourself to the characters I specifically mention — I'm happy with others being included if they fit with the story you want to tell.
Feel free to have a look around my Ao3 profile, as it should give you a good idea of the types of things I like to read.
General likes
Found families and 'us against the world' dynamics
Human/non-human pairings
Relationships with power imbalances
People with vastly different backgrounds, perspectives, or life experience working together - especially grudging enemies/antagonists-to-allies/lovers stories
Explorations of characters' religious/philosophical beliefs, especially if they clash with the beliefs of other characters
Fairytale, folktale or mythology being incorporated into fic
Characters with a strong sense of home and place (whether that 'home' is a city, or other people)
Characters who are migrants or refugees, and for whom this is an important component of their identity
General dislikes
Fusions and crossovers
AUs, apart from canon-divergence AUs
Incest
Infidelity
Unrequested ships involving my requested characters (background pairings involving unrequested characters are fine though)
Several fandom-specific dislikes, which I will outline below
Fandom-specific prompts:
The Bone Season — Samantha Shannon
Requested characters: Warden | Arcturus Mesarthim, Paige Mahoney
Canon consists of three books (The Bone Season, The Mime Order, and The Song Rising) of what will eventually be a seven-book series. There are also several short stories, but they were limited releases and I would not expect them to be treated as canonical.
What I like about the series
The intricate alternate world, particularly Scion London, with its underworld of criminal clairvoyants trying to eke out an existence in the face of oppression, the uneasy shifting alliances, and all the little details about the urban geography and history of Soho, Covent Garden and so on.
The pervasive sense of threat and menace that permeates the series, and the choices this forces the characters to make.
Paige and Warden's relationship — the initial mistrust, the power imbalances, the secrets they keep from each other, the way they share dreams, and the way Warden makes Paige a bit more supernatural and she makes him a bit more human.
The tensions and contradictions in Paige's existence — becoming a criminal mollisher for Jaxon Hall gives her a measure of safety, but also puts her in greater danger, and in some ways the series represents her slow shift from pragmatism to risk-taking revolutionary leadership.
Prompts I'd love to see
Any fic that explores Paige and Warden's relationship, particularly the power imbalances, cultural differences, and the ways in which their relationship forces them to reflect on their respective identities as human and Rephaite. Missing moments from either their time together in Oxford or when Paige was in hiding in London would be fantastic. I'd also love to read futurefic set just after the end of events in The Song Rising — how are they coping on the run? Has Paige become unmoored without the familiarity of London and the syndicate to fall back on? I'd love to read fic set in another part of Samantha Shannon's alternate world — so far we've seen Scotland, England and Ireland, but nothing of the rest of the world. What are other Scion countries like? Alternatively, a fic that takes place entirely within shared dreamscapes would be absolutely amazing!
I'm happy for other characters from the series to feature in any fic you write, but I would prefer it if your fic didn't focus on Jaxon Hall.
The Daevabad series — S. A. Chakraborty
Requested characters: Alizayd al Qahtani, Nahri (Daevabad Series)
Canon consists of two books, City of Brass, of an eventual trilogy
What I like about the series
Nahri is such a joy of a character — I love her steely practicality, and how it wars with her desire for generosity and justice.
The fact that although various forms of discrimination are built into daeva/djinn society, different characters are attempting different approaches to combat them — but without making common cause or really listening to one another, they're doomed to be ineffectual. (So a potential prompt might be how such characters overcame this.)
The simmering historical grievances and inability of Daevabad's ruling elite to do anything to address them due to inertia and the enormity of the task.
The intricate setting, which is such a great blend of real-world nineteenth-century history, and Middle Eastern mythology. I love the city of Daevabad, in particular.
Prompts I'd love to see
I love any pairing that throws together one rules-following, earnest, honest character and one devious, rules-bending character whose self-interest wars with an innate desire to do good, so Nahri and Ali are firm favourites of mine. I ship them romantically, but would be happy with any fic about them — ship or gen — that focused on these two characters being forced to solve a problem which brought their clashing personalities to the fore. The ending of The Kingdom of Copper saw the pair trapped outside Daevabad back in nineteenth-century Egypt, and a fic in this setting (with Ali out of his depth and forced to rely on Nahri's local knowledge) would be excellent. Or, if you prefer something a bit more contemplative, why not delve into any of the mythology that underpins Chakraborty's world and frame a story around that?
I'm happy for other characters in the tagset to appear in your fic, but I don't ship Nahri/Dara so would prefer if your fic didn't focus on that pairing.
The Pagan Chronicles - Catherine Jinks
Requested characters: I've requested Pagan Kidrouk, Babylonne Kidrouk, and Isidore Orbus, but I'm happy for you to leave Pagan out if you don't want to write an AU where he lives long enough to meet Babylonne. Treat this as a request for either Babylonne AND Isidore, or Babylonne, Isidore AND Pagan.
Canon consists of five books (Pagan's Crusade, Pagan in Exile, Pagan's Vows, Pagan's Scribe, and Pagan's Daughter (published as Babylonne in the US)).
What I like about this series
The found families — this whole series is just one long story of hurt/comfort within found families, and I love it!
I love that it's this multigenerational story of broken, damaged orphans finding each other, healing each other and making each other whole.
The strong sense of history, and the way it makes forgotten episodes in world history come alive.
The fact that the series doesn't shy away from its characters' religious faith, but shows that their observance and understanding of religion was more flexible and pluralistic than is generally portrayed in popular fictional depictions of the Middle Ages.
The compassionate, empathetic, and forgiving way the characters deal with the realities of their world — they expect people to be flawed, and the strong to hurt the weak, but this doesn't stop them being kind, and imaginative, and skilled at talking their way out of difficult situations.
Prompts I'd love to see
I would be eternally grateful for futurefic set after Pagan's Daughter in which Isidore and Babylonne have adventures in Bologna. I'd also be very open to a fix-it fic where Pagan didn't die before the events of Pagan's Daughter, as I would really love to see him actually interacting with Babylonne (possibly with Isidore as a traumatised bystander to the inevitable extremities of emotion, cutting sarcastic exchanges and furious verbal gymnastics that would follow any such encounter). I'm a passionate shipper of Babylonne/Isidore as a romantic pairing, and I nurse a secret wish to see how Pagan would react to discovering that the two of them had paired up. (I don't mind if you don't ship them, however, and if you prefer to write about their relationship from a gen perspective I would be equally thrilled!) I love how clever, talkative, argumentative and downright wordy all the characters in this series are, and any fic which gave free rein to their loquaciousness, differing religious perspectives, or similar ideas would be absolutely marvellous.
Romanitas trilogy — Sophia McDougall
Requested characters: Marcus Novius Faustus Leo, Una
Canon consists of three books: Romanitas, Rome Burning, and Savage City
What I like about this series
The unflinching exploration of privilege and power
Characters (especially Marcus and Una) from vastly different backgrounds and experiences being thrown together and working towards common goals
Una's troubled relationship with her supernatural powers — how they force her into artificial closeness with strangers, and how traumatic she finds this
Una's experiences as a survivor of trauma, and her slow journey from terrified, cynical fugitive to fearless leader of a global resistance movement
The way that both Una and Marcus are intensely private people who would really rather just be left alone, but who are forced by circumstances to lead their lives in public, under intense scrutiny
Prompts I'd love to see
I got wonderful fix-it fic for Marcus and Una several years ago as a Yuletide gift, but I never tire of reading futurefic where Marcus lives, and he and Una end up living happily ever after. Any fic that did this while also sticking to the global resistance/abolitionist movement led by Una from the Library of Alexandria plot of Savage City would be extremely welcome. Alternatively, a missing moment taking place between the events of Romanitas or Rome Burning — one of those rare moments of happiness that Una and Marcus got, before everything went dark again — would be wonderful. I loved how we saw the pair enjoying a period of calm and peace in Greece at the beginning of Rome Burning, and any fic that took place during that time and explored Greece, or other corners of the modern Roman empire would be great. One of my favourite parts of canon is how uncomfortable Una is with the name Noviana being affixed to her name (but then claims the name, and all it represents, later on), and I would love if this struggle with her name and identity could be incorporated into the fic in some way.
I'm happy for any other characters in the tagset (or out of it) to show up in your fic, as long as the focus remains on Una and Marcus.
Something Dark and Holy series — Emily A. Duncan
Requested characters: Malachiasz Czechowicz, Nadezhda "Nadya" Lapshina, Serefin Meleski
Canon consists of one book of a trilogy, Wicked Saints
What I like about the series
The over-the-top, melodramatic magic system
Nadya's religious beliefs, and how they clash with her experiences in the company of Malachiasz, and later Serefin, and other blood mages
The clash of cultures and personalities of the three main characters
The fact that the narrative doesn't shame Nadya for being powerful, wanting power, and gravitating towards powerful people
Enemies to allies/friends/lovers, and vice versa, and all combinations thereof. I love these tropes, and I love how all are included at various points in Wicked Saints
Prompts I'd love to see
This is a really tropey book, so really tropey fic would be fantastic. Anything that explored the enemies to reluctant allies and/or friends and/or lovers journey that Nadya goes on with both Malachiasz and Serefin over the course of the book would be great. I also love the way Nadya experiences religion, particularly the way her own saints speak to her, and how that influences her religious beliefs, so fic that delved into this would be great. I'd also love anything that delved further into blood magic (especially shippy Nadya/Malachiasz or Nadya/Serefin/Malachiasz fic that incorporated blood magic), so feel free to go wild with that! If you want to go in a shippy direction, I ship both Nadya/Malachiasz and Nadya/Serefin/Malachiasz.
I'd be happy for any other characters in the tagset or outside it to feature in your fic, as long as the focus is on my three requested characters.
Don't feel you have to stick rigidly within the bounds of my prompts. As long as your fic is focused on the characters I requested, I will be thrilled to receive anything you write for me, as these really are some of my most beloved fandoms of the heart, and the existence of any fic for them will make me extremely happy.
I'm pretty easygoing about what type of fic you want to write for me. I read fic of any rating, and would be equally happy with plotty genfic or something very shippy. I read gen, femslash, het and slash, although I have a slight preference towards femslash, het, and gen that focuses on female characters. I mainly read fic to find out what happens to characters after the final page has turned or the credits have rolled, so I would particularly love to have futurefic of some kind. Don't feel you have to limit yourself to the characters I specifically mention — I'm happy with others being included if they fit with the story you want to tell.
Feel free to have a look around my Ao3 profile, as it should give you a good idea of the types of things I like to read.
General likes
General dislikes
Fandom-specific prompts:
The Bone Season — Samantha Shannon
Requested characters: Warden | Arcturus Mesarthim, Paige Mahoney
Canon consists of three books (The Bone Season, The Mime Order, and The Song Rising) of what will eventually be a seven-book series. There are also several short stories, but they were limited releases and I would not expect them to be treated as canonical.
What I like about the series
Prompts I'd love to see
Any fic that explores Paige and Warden's relationship, particularly the power imbalances, cultural differences, and the ways in which their relationship forces them to reflect on their respective identities as human and Rephaite. Missing moments from either their time together in Oxford or when Paige was in hiding in London would be fantastic. I'd also love to read futurefic set just after the end of events in The Song Rising — how are they coping on the run? Has Paige become unmoored without the familiarity of London and the syndicate to fall back on? I'd love to read fic set in another part of Samantha Shannon's alternate world — so far we've seen Scotland, England and Ireland, but nothing of the rest of the world. What are other Scion countries like? Alternatively, a fic that takes place entirely within shared dreamscapes would be absolutely amazing!
I'm happy for other characters from the series to feature in any fic you write, but I would prefer it if your fic didn't focus on Jaxon Hall.
The Daevabad series — S. A. Chakraborty
Requested characters: Alizayd al Qahtani, Nahri (Daevabad Series)
Canon consists of two books, City of Brass, of an eventual trilogy
What I like about the series
Prompts I'd love to see
I love any pairing that throws together one rules-following, earnest, honest character and one devious, rules-bending character whose self-interest wars with an innate desire to do good, so Nahri and Ali are firm favourites of mine. I ship them romantically, but would be happy with any fic about them — ship or gen — that focused on these two characters being forced to solve a problem which brought their clashing personalities to the fore. The ending of The Kingdom of Copper saw the pair trapped outside Daevabad back in nineteenth-century Egypt, and a fic in this setting (with Ali out of his depth and forced to rely on Nahri's local knowledge) would be excellent. Or, if you prefer something a bit more contemplative, why not delve into any of the mythology that underpins Chakraborty's world and frame a story around that?
I'm happy for other characters in the tagset to appear in your fic, but I don't ship Nahri/Dara so would prefer if your fic didn't focus on that pairing.
The Pagan Chronicles - Catherine Jinks
Requested characters: I've requested Pagan Kidrouk, Babylonne Kidrouk, and Isidore Orbus, but I'm happy for you to leave Pagan out if you don't want to write an AU where he lives long enough to meet Babylonne. Treat this as a request for either Babylonne AND Isidore, or Babylonne, Isidore AND Pagan.
Canon consists of five books (Pagan's Crusade, Pagan in Exile, Pagan's Vows, Pagan's Scribe, and Pagan's Daughter (published as Babylonne in the US)).
What I like about this series
Prompts I'd love to see
I would be eternally grateful for futurefic set after Pagan's Daughter in which Isidore and Babylonne have adventures in Bologna. I'd also be very open to a fix-it fic where Pagan didn't die before the events of Pagan's Daughter, as I would really love to see him actually interacting with Babylonne (possibly with Isidore as a traumatised bystander to the inevitable extremities of emotion, cutting sarcastic exchanges and furious verbal gymnastics that would follow any such encounter). I'm a passionate shipper of Babylonne/Isidore as a romantic pairing, and I nurse a secret wish to see how Pagan would react to discovering that the two of them had paired up. (I don't mind if you don't ship them, however, and if you prefer to write about their relationship from a gen perspective I would be equally thrilled!) I love how clever, talkative, argumentative and downright wordy all the characters in this series are, and any fic which gave free rein to their loquaciousness, differing religious perspectives, or similar ideas would be absolutely marvellous.
Romanitas trilogy — Sophia McDougall
Requested characters: Marcus Novius Faustus Leo, Una
Canon consists of three books: Romanitas, Rome Burning, and Savage City
What I like about this series
Prompts I'd love to see
I got wonderful fix-it fic for Marcus and Una several years ago as a Yuletide gift, but I never tire of reading futurefic where Marcus lives, and he and Una end up living happily ever after. Any fic that did this while also sticking to the global resistance/abolitionist movement led by Una from the Library of Alexandria plot of Savage City would be extremely welcome. Alternatively, a missing moment taking place between the events of Romanitas or Rome Burning — one of those rare moments of happiness that Una and Marcus got, before everything went dark again — would be wonderful. I loved how we saw the pair enjoying a period of calm and peace in Greece at the beginning of Rome Burning, and any fic that took place during that time and explored Greece, or other corners of the modern Roman empire would be great. One of my favourite parts of canon is how uncomfortable Una is with the name Noviana being affixed to her name (but then claims the name, and all it represents, later on), and I would love if this struggle with her name and identity could be incorporated into the fic in some way.
I'm happy for any other characters in the tagset (or out of it) to show up in your fic, as long as the focus remains on Una and Marcus.
Something Dark and Holy series — Emily A. Duncan
Requested characters: Malachiasz Czechowicz, Nadezhda "Nadya" Lapshina, Serefin Meleski
Canon consists of one book of a trilogy, Wicked Saints
What I like about the series
Prompts I'd love to see
This is a really tropey book, so really tropey fic would be fantastic. Anything that explored the enemies to reluctant allies and/or friends and/or lovers journey that Nadya goes on with both Malachiasz and Serefin over the course of the book would be great. I also love the way Nadya experiences religion, particularly the way her own saints speak to her, and how that influences her religious beliefs, so fic that delved into this would be great. I'd also love anything that delved further into blood magic (especially shippy Nadya/Malachiasz or Nadya/Serefin/Malachiasz fic that incorporated blood magic), so feel free to go wild with that! If you want to go in a shippy direction, I ship both Nadya/Malachiasz and Nadya/Serefin/Malachiasz.
I'd be happy for any other characters in the tagset or outside it to feature in your fic, as long as the focus is on my three requested characters.
Don't feel you have to stick rigidly within the bounds of my prompts. As long as your fic is focused on the characters I requested, I will be thrilled to receive anything you write for me, as these really are some of my most beloved fandoms of the heart, and the existence of any fic for them will make me extremely happy.