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jenettIt's been two years since I signed up for Yuletide, but I'm looking forward to it this year!
Thank you so much for writing for me, and I hope you also have a fantastic Yuletide exchange, whatever that looks like for you. I've included both what I particularly like about each canon and a couple of prompt ideas, but I'm up for anything that doesn't hit my DNWs and includes the characters.
You can find past Yuletide letters in the things.I.like:yuletide tag, as well as some fic I've liked, if that's a helpful thing.
Treats are a lovely thing (and I'm saying this here so I can say I've turned on the option that allows them on AO3)
Worldbuilding, especially worldbuilding which makes canon make more sense, or clarifies something - those moments where everything lines up, and you go "Oh, that's how that works." If you're making a choice between plotty story and something focusing on character or world, please feel free to indulge in the latter.
People being competent, and I'm here for all kinds of competence, whether that's about skill, knowledge, problem-solving, or finding the best in other people. I'm also here for whatever kind of geekery you want to get up to - magical theory, folklore, obscure byways of knowledge, cooking, crafting, history, technology, etc.
People being good to each other. Drama and narrative tension are necessary things for the plot, but for Yuletide, I'd love a story that is fundamentally about people being good to each other and hopeful, at least at the end.
There are some things that don't work for me at Yuletide length, or that I'd rather not read. I've added notes to the canon sections where there might be any confusion, but please feel free to inquire through the mods if you're not sure.
1) No explicit sex, graphic violence, language choice, or bigotry beyond where the canon itself goes.
One of my canons has some period antisemitism, but I'd prefer to it to be touched on as relatively lightly as the canon does (i.e. it's not ignored that that's a thing people do or an attitude people have, but it's not focused on in dialogue more than it has to be.)
(The two K.J. Charles canons have explicit sex and if you want to go there for these canons, that's great. Though please a bit of plot or character moment in there too.)
2) Non-canon relationships, AUs, and crossovers depend a lot on setup for me, so please not for this exchange.
By AU I mean 'something that makes a fundamental change in the worldbuilding, arc of the work, or events of the work' And on the relationship front background changes to minor characters are fine, but please don't break anyone up, or write people out of the relationships they were in at that point in the canon.
3) No stories that focus entirely on despair or bad things happening.
Look, the world remains a mess out there in a lot of ways. Unpleasant plot events are fine (as is a bit of hurt/comfort and similar) but please, I want a fic that has hope in it, or people being good to each other in the aftermath, etc.
1. Gideon Grey (All of Us Murderers)
2. Zeb Wyckham (All of Us Murderers)
I devoured this as soon as it came out (as I do with anything K.J. Charles writes). I adored the Gothic aspects of this, and especially Zeb's genre awareness and how that played into the plot. I also loved how Zeb and Gideon figured out how to go forward from where they'd left each other, how there were good reasons for much of that, but they were able to figure out something new, better, and together.
- Zeb and Gideon coming back to London and getting set up together, what living together looks like for them, and how it gives them new ways of being in the world.
- More from either of their perspectives around when they met, before things went wrong.
- Gideon explaining Their Favourite Author to his nieces. (Either with Zeb there, or telling Zeb about it after. Some Zeb, please!)
1. Dr. Greta Helsing
2. Edmund Ruthven (Greta Helsing)
3. Sir Francis Varney (Greta Helsing)
(I am good with any combination as long as it includes Greta. I'm also great with Grisaille appearing, he's just not in my explicit request list.)
The background worldbuilding in this series is one of the things I most love about it - all the different kinds of supernatural beings that Greta ends up interacting with and doing her best to help. Even when that's complex, no one's done enough research, or they're trying out new techniques.
- I am entirely here just for Greta treating various magical beings in clinic and making things better, with whatever other commentary happens.
- Perhaps a trip to a conference with Varney where nothing particularly goes wrong, and that’s unusual for them?
- The way Ruthven (and Grisaille) take on more of a nexus point in London, and what that feels like over time in the aftermath of the novella, in particular and shifts patterns in the larger London community.
1. Archie Curtis (England series)
2. Daniel da Silva (England Series - KJC)
3. Fenella Carruth
4. Patricia Merton
Think of England has long been at the top of my favourite K.J. Charles list (All Of Us Murderers is also right up there now.) I particularly love how Daniel plays expectations and uses them for his goals and against other people, and how deftly he does that. I also adore Archie's utter loyalty and dedication to what (and who) he cares about, Fen's ability to use expectations about her for the benefit of people who need it, and Pat's skills and dedication to excellence (and the scope Fen gives her for that).
(This is the canon with the period anti-semitism. As noted above, the canon levels of it are fine, but I'd rather not have a story that lingers too much on that directly on the page, even though it's always part of Daniel navigating the world.)
- Always here for case fic shaped objects (detailed case not required, it’s fine to sketch the outline and focus on the interactions) that mean the four of them are working together.
- Perhaps Fen is obliged to be at a funeral (with Pat along, of course) and spots one of Archie or Daniel and then has to figure out what’s going on.
- Archie navigating dealing with his uncles (around Daniel) is something I love reading, and more of that is great. That's true whether it's them navigating their relationship, them dealing with an assignment that goes sideways, or anything else like that.
- The transition as Daniel moves into being a field agent into being the D.S. of the Will Darling books (and what that means for Archie, what Fen and Pat think about it, etc.)
1. Odysseus (The Odyssey - Homer)
2. Penelope (The Odyssey - Homer)
So, I ended up (for my own writing purposes) reading all of Emily Wilson's translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey in the last year, and I continue to have a lot of thoughts.
There is so tremendously much going on in this epic, but the parts I keep coming back to are what happens while Odysseus is gone, how Penelope handles that, and what happens after the necessary next journey. The interplay of what humans choose, what it means to come back after so long away, and the interactions with the Gods are endlessly fascinating to me.
- Penelope’s chain of thought and management as Odysseus is gone (especially when the suitors catch her unweaving and the previous plan is no longer working). She's such a cypher in the Odyssey, we don't see things from her perspective.
- Odysseus and Penelope as Odysseus tries to catch up on everything he missed while he was gone, and what that means.
- His return from his later mission, to go to where no one recognises an oar and what it means when he can come home and stay home.
Thank you so much for writing for me, and I hope you also have a fantastic Yuletide exchange, whatever that looks like for you. I've included both what I particularly like about each canon and a couple of prompt ideas, but I'm up for anything that doesn't hit my DNWs and includes the characters.
General notes
You can find past Yuletide letters in the things.I.like:yuletide tag, as well as some fic I've liked, if that's a helpful thing.
Treats are a lovely thing (and I'm saying this here so I can say I've turned on the option that allows them on AO3)
Things I love
Worldbuilding, especially worldbuilding which makes canon make more sense, or clarifies something - those moments where everything lines up, and you go "Oh, that's how that works." If you're making a choice between plotty story and something focusing on character or world, please feel free to indulge in the latter.
People being competent, and I'm here for all kinds of competence, whether that's about skill, knowledge, problem-solving, or finding the best in other people. I'm also here for whatever kind of geekery you want to get up to - magical theory, folklore, obscure byways of knowledge, cooking, crafting, history, technology, etc.
People being good to each other. Drama and narrative tension are necessary things for the plot, but for Yuletide, I'd love a story that is fundamentally about people being good to each other and hopeful, at least at the end.
Please don't (aka my do not wants)
There are some things that don't work for me at Yuletide length, or that I'd rather not read. I've added notes to the canon sections where there might be any confusion, but please feel free to inquire through the mods if you're not sure.
1) No explicit sex, graphic violence, language choice, or bigotry beyond where the canon itself goes.
One of my canons has some period antisemitism, but I'd prefer to it to be touched on as relatively lightly as the canon does (i.e. it's not ignored that that's a thing people do or an attitude people have, but it's not focused on in dialogue more than it has to be.)
(The two K.J. Charles canons have explicit sex and if you want to go there for these canons, that's great. Though please a bit of plot or character moment in there too.)
2) Non-canon relationships, AUs, and crossovers depend a lot on setup for me, so please not for this exchange.
By AU I mean 'something that makes a fundamental change in the worldbuilding, arc of the work, or events of the work' And on the relationship front background changes to minor characters are fine, but please don't break anyone up, or write people out of the relationships they were in at that point in the canon.
3) No stories that focus entirely on despair or bad things happening.
Look, the world remains a mess out there in a lot of ways. Unpleasant plot events are fine (as is a bit of hurt/comfort and similar) but please, I want a fic that has hope in it, or people being good to each other in the aftermath, etc.
All Of Us Murderers - K.J. Charles
1. Gideon Grey (All of Us Murderers)
2. Zeb Wyckham (All of Us Murderers)
I devoured this as soon as it came out (as I do with anything K.J. Charles writes). I adored the Gothic aspects of this, and especially Zeb's genre awareness and how that played into the plot. I also loved how Zeb and Gideon figured out how to go forward from where they'd left each other, how there were good reasons for much of that, but they were able to figure out something new, better, and together.
- Zeb and Gideon coming back to London and getting set up together, what living together looks like for them, and how it gives them new ways of being in the world.
- More from either of their perspectives around when they met, before things went wrong.
- Gideon explaining Their Favourite Author to his nieces. (Either with Zeb there, or telling Zeb about it after. Some Zeb, please!)
Greta Helsing Series - Vivian Shaw
1. Dr. Greta Helsing
2. Edmund Ruthven (Greta Helsing)
3. Sir Francis Varney (Greta Helsing)
(I am good with any combination as long as it includes Greta. I'm also great with Grisaille appearing, he's just not in my explicit request list.)
The background worldbuilding in this series is one of the things I most love about it - all the different kinds of supernatural beings that Greta ends up interacting with and doing her best to help. Even when that's complex, no one's done enough research, or they're trying out new techniques.
- I am entirely here just for Greta treating various magical beings in clinic and making things better, with whatever other commentary happens.
- Perhaps a trip to a conference with Varney where nothing particularly goes wrong, and that’s unusual for them?
- The way Ruthven (and Grisaille) take on more of a nexus point in London, and what that feels like over time in the aftermath of the novella, in particular and shifts patterns in the larger London community.
England Series - K. J. Charles
1. Archie Curtis (England series)
2. Daniel da Silva (England Series - KJC)
3. Fenella Carruth
4. Patricia Merton
Think of England has long been at the top of my favourite K.J. Charles list (All Of Us Murderers is also right up there now.) I particularly love how Daniel plays expectations and uses them for his goals and against other people, and how deftly he does that. I also adore Archie's utter loyalty and dedication to what (and who) he cares about, Fen's ability to use expectations about her for the benefit of people who need it, and Pat's skills and dedication to excellence (and the scope Fen gives her for that).
(This is the canon with the period anti-semitism. As noted above, the canon levels of it are fine, but I'd rather not have a story that lingers too much on that directly on the page, even though it's always part of Daniel navigating the world.)
- Always here for case fic shaped objects (detailed case not required, it’s fine to sketch the outline and focus on the interactions) that mean the four of them are working together.
- Perhaps Fen is obliged to be at a funeral (with Pat along, of course) and spots one of Archie or Daniel and then has to figure out what’s going on.
- Archie navigating dealing with his uncles (around Daniel) is something I love reading, and more of that is great. That's true whether it's them navigating their relationship, them dealing with an assignment that goes sideways, or anything else like that.
- The transition as Daniel moves into being a field agent into being the D.S. of the Will Darling books (and what that means for Archie, what Fen and Pat think about it, etc.)
The Odyssey - Homer
1. Odysseus (The Odyssey - Homer)
2. Penelope (The Odyssey - Homer)
So, I ended up (for my own writing purposes) reading all of Emily Wilson's translations of the Iliad and the Odyssey in the last year, and I continue to have a lot of thoughts.
There is so tremendously much going on in this epic, but the parts I keep coming back to are what happens while Odysseus is gone, how Penelope handles that, and what happens after the necessary next journey. The interplay of what humans choose, what it means to come back after so long away, and the interactions with the Gods are endlessly fascinating to me.
- Penelope’s chain of thought and management as Odysseus is gone (especially when the suitors catch her unweaving and the previous plan is no longer working). She's such a cypher in the Odyssey, we don't see things from her perspective.
- Odysseus and Penelope as Odysseus tries to catch up on everything he missed while he was gone, and what that means.
- His return from his later mission, to go to where no one recognises an oar and what it means when he can come home and stay home.
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