Dear Yule Writer,

[reflectedeve]

Hello! Thanks so much for being my writer this year. I’m deeply excited to see what you come up with, and I hope you have fun with it. I am really into all these canons, and I’m delighted that we have that in common!

(And hello to any random browsers or window-shoppers. I hope you’re having a good time too! Since this is a thing now: I am absolutely open to treats - and giddily grateful if you feel inspired in that direction.)

All my requested fandoms are in the “Books & Literature” category, but they range in length from a fairy tale that would barely meet the Yuletide minimum word count to a four-book series (although my request focuses on one particular volume). There’s a darker trend to them, with a lot of themes around abuse, repressive circumstances and troubled interpersonal relationships. My Yuletide tastes tend to run in the direction of hope and positive change for the characters (even if stuff is pretty messy or creepy, and almost certainly complicated on the way there) - though the degree to which this is possible obviously depends a good deal on the details!

I’ll save any additional rambling for the individual canons; there are thoughts and prompts (and in most cases, links to promo posts) below. (Sometimes there are a LOT of thoughts and/or prompts. I absolutely do not expect you to adhere to them - they’re there for you to use if you want to, or if not, not!) I’ll just end the letter portion by noting that Yuletide is a long, longtime favorite seasonal tradition for me, and I’m just really happy to be back for another year. I hope you have a fantastic Yuletide - whatever that means to you!

General Likes | DNWs | The Echo Wife | Fitcher’s Bird
The Girls I’ve Been | LitenVerse | Wayfarers

General Likes

close tone/style matches to canon*

humor

non-traditional languages/demonstrations of love/friendship

team/group/found family dynamics and bonding

close and/or complex sibling relationships and dynamics

focus on female characters and their relationships with each other (romantic, platonic, mentors, rivals, nemeses)

focus on canonically gender non-conforming characters

V-shaped polyamorous relationships, with amicable metamours or interesting explorations of those dynamics

expanded worldbuilding

canon divergence AUs; fix-its, what-ifs, alternate endings, etc etc

caper fic, adventures and plot in general

pastiche, parody, playing with genre conventions, trope subversions, role reversals, metafiction

playing with power dynamics in romantic relationships (not only in a sexual context)

consequences, negotiation, communication, relationship work

smut

happy/hopeful endings

*in most cases! fairy tales like Fitcher’s Bird are an exception.

DNWs:

setting/time period AUs

"mundane"/"modern" AUs

fated or biologically determined romantic or sexual relationships*

unrequested crossovers

homophobia, racism, etc as a driving aspect of the plot (some era-typical reference in the background is fine)

non-canon character death

excessive (i.e. non-canon-typical) violence

grim or excessively dark overall tone/endings

child or animal harm

unrequested non-canonical pairings

infidelity (ethical non-monogamy is welcome)

incest

PWP (“porn without plot”)**

”on-screen” non-consensual sex

explicit sex scenes involving characters under 16 (or equivalent)

infantilization

Daddy/Mommy kink or terminology

kinks involving serious injury, bodily wastes, pregnancy, inflation, impossible penetration, fantastical anatomy except where canon-appropriate, and so forth

*Omegaverse, soulmates, etc
**I’m not against receiving something with explicit, smutty scenes, but I’m not really in the mood for it as the overall premise/full content of a story this year.

[Back To Top]



The Echo Wife - Sarah Gailey
Evelyn Caldwell, Martine

Promo Post

I love this book for (among other things) its subtle build-up of all the various horrors that lie beneath both of these women's lives, and the ways in which Evelyn is simultaneously an explicitly awful person and often quite relatable - which gets pretty uncomfortable when you remember that she routinely creates and then kills sentient clones people, and doesn’t exactly treat any of the non-clone people in her life well, either. The way Martine's existence and personhood keep challenging her ideas about herself and her work ... the painfully hopeful moments when she seems able to value Martine as a partner and full person, and the ultimate, final backsliding that places her not only in a position of authority and control the way she was in her lab, but also into a mirror image of her father, is quite a breathtaking, fascinating and horrifying experience.

More than anything, what I want from fic is Martine's perspective as she keeps growing into herself and navigating the series of traps that constitute her short life so far. Maybe she can escape the cycle of abuse that Evelyn hasn't?

So here are my thoughts/prompts:

A look into Martine’s perspective during canon--or even starting pre-canon, so we can see her development from an apparently perfect(ly programmed) sort of modern-day Angel in the House to an individual capable of her own opinions, critical thinking, and even rage. What is it like for her, spending time with Evelyn - her "original," so much like and unlike her, shaped by (often traumatic) lived experiences instead of programming - and also the originator of the process that created her, with all its implications and abuses? And up to the end of the book ... how does she feel about this "family" life that Evelyn has essentially coerced her into?

Life in the Caldwell house post-canon (Martine POV). How does she continue to develop, and what is her take on her "agreement" with Evelyn? How might she find ways to challenge Evelyn's control, to push for more of her own autonomy - bodily and otherwise? (The last line in the book makes me think that Evelyn isn't really interested in freeing Martine from the constraints her programming and design still place on her. How might she be convinced otherwise?) What are those question sessions like - in that space, where Martine is in the role of neither subject nor housewife, what is their dynamic like? And does she gather up everything she's learning and make her own plans? How does their arrangement evolve? Does Martine have any hope of leaving—and does she want to? If not, is there any for her to take more control over her life and her own body?

I was tantalized by the times when the two of them actually felt like they might be a functional partnership, and sometimes the ways in which Evelyn described Martine's body were ... well ... very intimate. The bit towards the end about their breath syncing up in bed managed to hit a sweet note for me, right in the midst of an otherwise very disturbing description of a troubled and abusive situation. I don't know if it's possible for Evelyn to really change (she has built her entire life around making people she can control, use, and dispose of, after all - while keeping most others at an arm’s length), and I'm not sure whether I'm comfortable with something in a shippy vein with their terrible, abusive power dynamic and Evelyn's evident satisfaction with the new fucked up framing of their relationship as those things stand at the end of the novel. But if you'd like to make an attempt, I'd be interested in seeing how that goes. I'm up for some discomfort. Just please don't sugar-coat how messed up so many things between them (and about Evelyn) are.

If you'd rather take Evelyn's perspective, it would be interesting to read a post-canon story where life ... does not exactly go as she seems to expect, at the end of the book. Where Martine keeps surprising her, challenging her, forcing her to see her as a person. (In some ways, her instincts towards Martine mid-book are the most human ones she shows the whole time. It would be interesting to explore that. Is it because she literally sees herself in Martine?) Can she get there? Can she change - or let Martine go? Does she double down on the position she's taken? I'm very here for more of her as an unreliable narrator.

Many years post-canon, a young adult Violet begins piecing together the secrets of her parents’/family’s past (and her own) - with whatever interim developments you like. (I'm a fan of alternating past/present narratives, so it could be fun to blend this with a more immediate post-canon story).

Oh, a note regarding my child harm DNW: given the way Evelyn falls more or less neatly into her father's role, little Violet may not be in for the healthiest upbringing. However, I'd appreciate it if the plot didn't revolve specifically around harm to her, whether physical or psychological (unless it’s from the perspective of a future where she has survived and begun to heal).

[Back To Top]



Fitchers Vogel | Fitcher’s Bird (Fairy Tale)
First Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister

Promo Post | Canon Link

Fitcher’s Bird is a sadly often-overlooked permutation of the Bluebeard tale, one which combines horror elements with a resourceful, determined, clever heroine who rescues both herself and other women. In its sparse prose, it includes so many things I love: strong sibling bonds, mystery and murder, and turning the tabels on a misogynistic antagonist in a delightfully thorough fashion (I’m thinking in particular of the part where he has to carry his former victims home on his back).

It’s also full of such delightfully weird details. The odd, disconnected avian theme: what is up with Fitcher asking his victims to carry an egg around, of all things? Does Fitcher have a gigantic (talking?) bird, making the youngest sister’s ruse so convincing? If so, is it connected to the egg trap? Also, the resurrection of the sisters by reassembling their dismembered body parts is just kind of a delightfully macabre touch, as is the bride decoy made from an actual human skull.

(I love birds, and I usually DNW animal harm in fic, but … you have my permission if you want the sister to harm the sorcerer’s bird in pursuit of her scheme, preferably because it’s a somehow evil bird or a willing helper/sacrifice.)

Some thoughts:
I don’t really have a series of different prompts here; what I’m most interested in is a retelling of the fairy tale. (I’m a big fan of retellings by the likes of Angela Carter, Emma Donoghue, T. Kingfisher, Robin McKinley, Daniel M. Lavery, etc.) So instead of prompts, here are some of the things I’d be most interested in seeing included/played with:

the third sister’s ingenuity (did she plan to get caught all along? Once at Fitcher’s house, how does she figure things out?)

the bond/relationship between the three sisters

the egg, the “bird” disguise, and how these various things might be linked thematically

I always imagine her sewing her sisters back together, although the tale really just implies that she lays them down in the right sequence - do with that what you will (or not). Also, what about all those other dead women? Time for a bloody sewing party, where each newly reassembled woman starts to help with the rest?

... really, anything involving the sisters/women working together to bring down Fitcher. I appreciate the third sister’s heroism and cleverness, but I’m a big fan of cooperative efforts

I’m up for more of an adventure vibe, OR more of a horror vibe - dealer’s choice as to how you’d like to approach that

I’d prefer to have the victorious/vengeful ending intact, although if you want to write a creepier, more horror-flavored take where that ending is a bit more ambiguous/disturbing in some fashion, that’s great too. (Just please give Fitcher his cathartic comeuppance at the hands of the women he victimized, one way or another!)

[Back To Top]



The Girls I’ve Been - Tess Sharpe
Nora O’Malley, Lee Ann O’Malley, Agent Marjorie North

Promo Post

This book is full of things I love (parallel narratives, evoked chosen family, capers, cons and trickery, a lack of/building/exercising communication skills, complex and often painful character growth). While I do absolutely loved the relationship between the kids (and would welcome the inclusion of Iris and Wes if you feel so moved), I was especially drawn to the self-defined sisterhood between Nora and Lee Ann, and the complicated, painful history that Lee Ann had with the FBI agent she ruthlessly used to help free and protect her sister (unswervingly, in spite of falling in love with her in the process). There was such an obvious iceberg of history underneath what we saw of “Amy” and Marjorie; unresolved feelings, history, betrayal … the book barely scratched the surface. And while Lee and Nora’s bond was a (favorite) feature, I think there’s quite a lot left to explore in the difficult, devoted relationship between sisters who barely knew each other for years, whose lives were based very deliberately around lies, and who managed to build something real together in spite of it all.

SO tantalizing to me, seriously.

Optional thoughts/prompts:

The Amelia and Marjorie story, from either perspective (or both), in whole or in part. Amelia’s long con (and how intentional/planned from the beginning it was - seems like something of an open question). Marjorie falling in love with this somewhat prickly, difficult (but charming when she wanted to be) PI (was she already a PI?), only to have things get stranger and stranger as she’s manipulated, mined for information, and finally betrayed/used as a tool for Amelia’s goals. And the pain/recriminations/regrets/love between them in the aftermath (the hotel post-escape, the trial, the sisters’ disappearance). Do they ever see each other again? Is there any kind of closure?

The sisters’ relationship/history from Lee’s perspective. Finding out about Nora; seeing what her mother was doing to her; working to connect with her; working to save her; creating a home and a life together and coping with their shared (and separate) baggage. Any piece or portion you like. Structured around creating some kind of tradition together, perhaps? I’m a fan of parallel narratives (one of the ways the book got me)!

Just … early days in California, from Nora’s perspective. Adjusting to living with someone who (for all her own challenges) genuinely loves her and isn’t trying to manipulate her or force her to manipulate others. How she and Lee coped with Wes’s gradual inclusion. Various “real life” challenges in the hands of girls who aren’t used to “real.”

At the end of the novel, Nora has partially outed herself to her mother (and therefore, her stepfather/a wider criminal community). What if Agent North gets wind of something? What if she finds them? What happens when she comes crashing (back) into Lee’s--Amy’s--Amelia’s life?

Note that it’s fine not to use the three characters evenly! I’m fine with a Lee Ann(Amelia)/Marjorie story that only includes Nora in a second-hand or peripheral way, and I’m fine with a Lee Ann & Nora story sans Marjorie. Whatever you feel like running with!

[Back To Top]



LitenVerse - Nino Cipri
Derek, Darkness, Delilah, Dex

Promo Post

These novellas are a delightfully clever and sometimes emotionally affecting send-up of capitalist/corporate culture, which a whole lot more people should read. I enjoyed the first one a lot--especially because weird alternate universe versions of familiar things, like big box stores, are always fun--but the second one went and really knocked me on my ass. I had all the feelings about poor, naive Derek, the straight-laced true believer dude who unwillingly discovers that he’s actually not the perfect (literal) model employee he thought he was … but also that maybe finding a place with his fellow outsiders and rejects is more fulfilling, if also more dangerous, than he could have dreamed. There is just a TON of material to work with here; character backstories, perspectives and possible futures, endless alternate-universe worldbuilding, endless potential monstrous mutant furniture, revolutionary possibilities, and of course, lovely team/found family dynamics, which is why I ultimately requested the four characters I have (although I love everyone in this bar store, except for the managers). And it’s all so queer on multiple levels, so that’s a huge bonus as well.

Some thoughts/prompts:

A fleshed-out origin story for Darkness, Delilah and/or Dex (possibly up to/including their formation into a team/relationship up to the point of canon)! Defekt is the story of how Derek found out (or started to find out) who he really is; what about the others?

Derek/Darkness-centric post-canon fic, probably with adorable nervousness and uncertainty and mistakes on Derek’s part and Darkness helping him … explore and being delightedly surprised now and again (whether by Derek’s enthusiasm and increasing confidence, or by interesting things his body does, his new senses). All in the context of their little revolution, and possibly with annoying/strange interruptions from other defekta. (I’d prefer makeouts and groping to full-fledged porn, I think, in this case. Something tantalizing, leaving the reader--and Derek!--wanting more.)

The above, except that Darkness is more literally helping Derek explore his new body/senses and poking into some of the alternate realities - instead of their bodies. (A little tenderness and kissing/handholding would be lovely, however.)

(non-ship-centric) post-canon fic about the establishment of the new semi-autonomous subsidiary or division for discordant and defekt LitenVärld models in a pocket dimension. What works? What doesn’t? Clashes with corporate, unexpected interactions with pocket dimension denizens, organization and interaction between the discordant and defekt models (i.e., humans and furniture) … etc.

I think there’s a really fun opportunity for multimedia and epistolary/alternate format play with this one - inspired by the last chapter of Defekt. Dex’s SnappyApp posts, social media buzz, company memos, meeting minutes, emails, video transcripts, employee handbook amendments ... (ooh, and what does Derek post on his new SnappyApp account?)

This would be pretty trippy, but … a story from one of the defecta-furniture items’ perspectives. Maybe their take on canon events, or the aftermath? How might they comment on the human(ish) characters’ personalities, actions and interactions? What kind of society, communications, organization do they already have amongst themselves?

Post-canon crossover with characters from Finna! Derek worked with Ava and Jules before their various adventures started, after all. It would be interesting if Ava stumbled into the new pocket dimension set aside for discordant and defekt models in her cross-dimensional search for Jules, for example! Or what if Jules and Captain Nouresh showed up to help fight off an incursion from one of the scarier LitenVärld alts?

(Apologies for any misspellings of in-universe/Swedish names or terminology; I only have access to the audio versions of these right now.)

[Back To Top]



Wayfarers Series - Becky Chambers
Sidra, Tak, Pepper, Owl

No promo post for this one - I figure it’s better known (or established?) in fandom circles, and anyway, I’ve made this particular request a few times now!

Here’s a quick description instead: Wayfarers is a series of four loosely-connected novels, all wonderful; however, for Yuletide purposes I’m focused on the second book, A Close and Common Orbit. It’s one of my favorite books … of all time, actually. Dual narratives about two characters (a newly-installed AI navigating a humanoid body she was never designed to inhabit, and a genetically-engineered factory slave who escapes and survives and grows up to escape the rest of the way), featuring themes around creating family/a life out of nothing, disability and access, trauma and basically learning to be a person. All within the context of the wider Wayfarers universe, where fucked up things happen and various ruling institutions certainly suck, but a wide variety of species from across the galaxy manage to live together more or less in the spirit of curiosity, cultural exchange, and cooperation. (Happy sigh.)

You don’t need to focus on all four requested characters. I love them all and I certainly wouldn’t object if they all appeared. I will admit that Sidra is my favorite character, so I’m particular, any combination with her is particularly welcome. (I’d also be thrilled if other characters from the series were featured - as much or as little as you want.) Pepper and Owl’s relationship is also a favorite, and something I’d love to see developed more post-canon.

In shippy terms, I definitely ship Sidra with any/all three of the others to varying degrees. However: I would never want to see Pepper and Blue broken up (but I think Blue and Sidra would make interesting metamours).

This fandom is exempt from my PWP DNW, in that I am very interested in explorations of what sex might be like for Sidra, especially via her sensory analogs and her methodical, curious way of approaching and exploring new experiences - and I'd absolutely be down with a story that focused wholly on that experience.

Thoughts/prompts:

just … a “typical” night at Home (with any number of new and weird patrons, interpersonal drama, experimentation with using petbots for whatever, handling a rush, or what have you) would be lovely … I adore the whole idea of the space and would really enjoy seeing it in action.

One night at Home, Captain Gapei Tem Seri is there having a drink during shore leave and observes Sidra and Tak being clueless about each other. Maybe she gives Tak some friendly advice/encouragement on the whole taboo interspecies dating front? Maybe Sidra seeks out HER advice (after an introduction/some background from Pepper and/or Blue)?

Sidra decides to explore the concepts of dating and/or sex, to see whether/how they're for her. Tak, her usual partner in social exploration, takes her on a date - and is surprised (or not surprised) by how much it’s not “just an exercise” for zir? Sidra winds up navigating social conventions AND very real feelings (Tak’s, and maybe hers too)?

Sidra explores the .. range of her sensory analogues, picking up from that one dance scene with the Aandrisks, with either Tak or Pepper as a partner in exploration.

I am so fascinated by Sidra’s petbots. A story exploring the way they operate would be fabulous. What is it like for her to transition to and from the way she exists at Home, as opposed to out in the world? How does she experience her inputs on a typical evening? How do unsuspecting customers interact with the bots, and what is that like? What about her friends? Do they tease her through them in some way? Does she use them to flirt?

what is it LIKE for two unusual AIs with very different life experiences to share memory banks? That seems like a rather intense level of intimacy. What do Sidra and Owl learn from each other, and how does that relationship evolve? Please feel free to get atmospheric.

How does reconnecting work for Pepper and Owl, after that initial joyful reunion? How is it for Owl, getting to know this grown-up version of her Jane? How does having her maternal figure back in her life change things for Pepper? Show me the road from Owl waking up in the shuttle to her establishment at Home!

the others support Sidra in confronting her confusing earliest beginnings … reaching out for some kind of connection/cathartic interaction with Jenks, or maybe stumbling into it when the Wayfarer crew shows up at Home? (Please do not link those two up romantically. Sidra very much isn’t Lovey, and Jenks would have to know that. But Lovey’s death affected them both so profoundly … and Sidra’s earliest memories are learning about this impossible-seeming love affair and tragedy, of that as a POSSIBILITY she wasn’t programmed to consider, and of her unexpected, painful failure to be someone else entirely.)

[Back To Top]