the wrong end of the telescope

yuletide placeholder

2024-10-10T09:24:59Z

letter coming!

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Yuletide letter

2023-10-20T19:32:52Z

It is YULETIDE. Best and most terrifying time of the year, huh?

First! Thank you for offering one of my fandoms, and I'm so excited to see what you come up with. Please write something you're excited about - any prompts offered here are only meant to help, not hinder.

Things I like in no particular order:

OT3s if the fandom lends itself to them, well-earned happy endings (I love a bit of conflict and complications), found families, AUs, spies, pining (if a pairing fic), plotty gen, mystery stories, hurt/comfort, cuddling for warmth, heist stories, cleverness, magic, unexpected crossovers, action, a story about people having food together and talking, etc. I'm eclectic in what fandoms I read and what genres I read.

Particular fandom things I like:

Mary Russel - Laurie King
Gabriel, Alistair and Iris Hughenfort (story must feature all of them)

When I saw this fandom offered and these characters in particular, I shrieked. I have wanted fix-it fic for this book (Justice Hall) since I read it - it's a fantastic book, but the tragic backstory of it cries out for a kindly fic writer to make sure Gabriel doesn't die. The thought of that poor kid, dying alone--augh. So. some way of fixing this would be lovely. Whether that's his uncle showing up in the nick of time - maybe the priest managed to write to him? - or his mum, or anything. (I'd be fine with fic also including Henry Hughenfort, obviously, he wasn't in the Yuletide tagset but I love this little unconventional family quite a lot, so feel free to include him as well.) So if you fix this for me, Yuletide writer, you will have my undying gratitude.

Green Men series - KJ Charles
Saul Lazenby and Randolph Glyde (story must feature both of them)

God I love these two. They found each other after so much awfulness, and now they get to save the world, I guess. I love Green Men case fic (I've chatficced some), I also love quiet moments, the lull of the storm, and a particular favorite is when a fic writer figures out a way to let them save the world. (We want the rest of the series, yes we do, but we can't have it (yet? I live in hope), so we must write it.) I also adore this setting and all the weird magic/old ghosts. Love sex between these two, so if you want to write that, I'd be delighted.

Dark is Rising
Bran Davies and Will Stanton

Oh, another two people who found each other in the midst of a very difficult time. I LOVE THEM. I kind of want this to be post-canon, because I particularly adore them as adults, but if you've carried around a plot bunny for a fic set during Silver on the Tree, or something else, by all means, go for it, I'm sure it's wonderful (Yuletide is a great time for writing those things). I ship them (quite madly) but if you do not, gen is totally fine. But yes, post-canon Bran Remembers fic is a favorite genre, and maybe the Dark IS rising again and the son of Pendragon is needed (again). Or perhaps it's just an ordinary day and Bran remembers because of the way the light falls on their breakfast table. Or perhaps they meet again randomly and--yeah, anything in this genre would thrill me.

DNWS: Rape, explicit torture, bleakness - specifically situations where there's no light at all, so to speak, major character death, bashing female characters. And no centering a story on grief, please, though it can absolutely be present in the story. I also cannot do major illness right now, particularly cancer, though moderately serious injuries are fine.

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Yuletide letter 2021

2021-10-22T15:32:50Z

First things first: I want you to write something you enjoy writing. So anything I mention here is mostly for inspiration and just general thoughts I have about these fandoms, and the only emphatic no-can-dos are the following:

Rape, explicit torture, bleakness - specifically situations where there's no light at all, so to speak, major character death, bashing female characters. And no centering a story on grief, please, though it can absolutely be present in the story. I also cannot do major illness right now, particularly cancer, though not-too-serious injuries are fine.

Things I like in no particular order:

OT3s if the fandom lends itself to them, well-earned happy endings (I love a bit of conflict and complications), found families, AUs, spies, pining (if a pairing fic), plotty gen, mystery stories, hurt/comfort, cuddling for warmth, heist stories, cleverness, magic, unexpected crossovers, action, a story about people having food together and talking, etc. I'm eclectic in what fandoms I read and what genres I read.

Here are the fandoms:

Twelfth Night - Shakespeare

Somehow Orsino didn't get nominated! Ah well. What my heart truly desires here is a foursome, somehow, or various permutations of polyamory (if you don't want to write siblings in love, I'm totally okay with that), which can be set in canon or in an AU. My very favorite fic of all time is a modern Austen AU where Mary Bennet ends up with Henry Crawford, so you see I'm down with idiosyncratic approaches to canon. And I love solving love triangles with OT3s or OT4s. But if you want to write me something else, I'd also love anything to do with gender exploration, or Sebastian's adventures prior to coming back, or whatever your heart desires. This play was a very early love of mine, so I'm thrilled if this is what I get.

Birds of Prey (Comic 1999-2009)

BARBARA GORDON queen of my soul. I wanted to be her when I was nine, so much so that my eyes changed color from blue to green (I doubt that was the actual cause, but it did happen, and I was very pleased). And it's Barbara in these comics (Gail SImoooone) that I love the most. Any story centered on her - preferably as Oracle - will make me happy. Dinah/Oracle? YAY. Oracle/Dick? YESSS. Oracle being awesome? YAY (my favorite comic is the one where she's kidnapped and fatally underestimated by the criminal). Oracle and the Bat family? Fantastic.

What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger? (Cartoon 2021)

AHHH. This cartoon OWNED ME when I watched it. Peggy! She's my favorite Marvel Character by miles, and I absolutely loved this take. So. Anything set in this verse - or in the future when she comes back, and Steve has somehow survived (so the only thing I don't want is extended dwelling on grief, because for personal reasons I can't quite cope with that right now) - will make me absolutely overjoyed. It can be gen, I've literally rewatched Agent Carter at least four times and enjoy Peggy in mystery-solving or villain-beating mode so much; it can be OTP (STEEEVE) or OT3 (I do enjoy Bucky/Steve/Peggy more than a little). You can also do a crossover with Agent Carter, obviously. Go to town. I'm going to love it.

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Yuletide letter 2020

2020-10-25T10:51:08Z

YAY YULETIDE. As always, one of the better parts of the holiday season.

First things first: I want you to write something you enjoy writing. So anything I mention here is mostly for inspiration and just general thoughts I have about these fandoms, and the only emphatic no-can-dos are the following:

Rape, explicit torture, bleakness - specifically situations where there's no light at all, so to speak, major character death, bashing female characters. And no centering a story on grief, please, though it can absolutely be present in the story.

Things I like in no particular order:

OT3s if the fandom lends itself to it, well-earned happy endings (I love a bit of conflict and complications), found families, spies, pining (if a pairing fic), plotty gen, mystery stories, hurt/comfort, cuddling for warmth, heist stories, cleverness, magic, unexpected crossovers, action, a story about people having food together and talking, etc. I'm eclectic in what fandoms I read and what genres I read.

Here are the fandoms:

Enola Holmes

Well, this movie appeared and cheered me up so much in the middle of a fairly tough autumn! I loved it. As I said in the prompt, one of my favorite genres is the British mystery, so if you want to tug on that thread of this canon, I'll be thrilled, especially if it would involve any of the brilliant women that surrounded Enola's mother. If you want to write some Enola/Viscount cross-dressing, I'm 100% down with that. If you want Enola and her brothers on a caper in London - by all means. I think this movie did an excellent job of having things both be hard, interesting and joyful, in addition to leaning into social issues in a really interesting way. And it was also just such fun.

Green Men Series - K. J. Charles

This book! I've reread this book so many times. I think it's fantastic - both an excellent love story and a really well-wrough fantasy (always a favorite - the Dark is Rising is one of my favorite series, for example). You're not required to include all the characters here, and you can branch out in any way you want, I just want MORE. Some of my particular favorite things about the book include: the way Saul and Randolph develop a partnership gradually, both coming from a position of not trusting people, the way real history is so effortlessly intertwined with the mythical and magical aspects of the story Charles is telling, Hugo and Max as the cavalry that can turn a defeat into a victory all by themselves, the hints of a larger magical community that is fighting so very hard against both government corruption and dark forces. Also, it's a very sexy book. Whatever part of it is your favorite, I think you should run with it and write it for me.

The Second Tetralogy - Shakespeare

Hal and Hotspur, man. I've been absolutely fascinated ever since I first read the play, and the Hollow Crown did not help there. I don't want grief and I would like Hal not to kill Hotspur, but otherwise tug on any thread you want regarding these two (including bringing in Hotspur's magnificent wife, I'm an OT3 fan in general and will never complain about that), and I'll be thrilled. You could write them in a modern AU, at university, as rivaling sports stars or politicians or anything you desire, or you could take the canon approach and exploit that marvelous tension there (there's so much to exploit, after all). Run with it, and enjoy it.

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Yuletide 2019!

2019-10-27T09:48:01Z

*sings* It's the moooost wonderful time of the yeaaaar!

It's Yuletide! This is my most favorite fic exchange because I get to write tiny book fandoms and receive things that would never see the light of day otherwise. It's the best. So you're already my favorite (reference to one of my nominated fandoms unintended) for agreeing to write one of these. I like a wide variety of things - my current favorite fic is an HP/FMA gen WIP that lives on hilarious dialogue and the inner desire of the POV character to murder the incompetent people around him, but I've also been known to enjoy your garden variety coffee shop AU or Avengers canon-related Bucky/Steve, as well as reading fic for fandoms I've never encountered in the wild. It's mostly about the writing quality, really.

Things I like:

OT3s if the fandom lends itself to it, well-earned happy endings (I love a bit of conflict and complications), found families, spies, pining (if a pairing fic), plotty gen, mystery stories, hurt/comfort, cuddling for warmth, heist stories, cleverness, magic, unexpected crossovers.

Things I don't enjoy:

Rape, explicit torture, bleakness - specifically situations where there's no light at all, so to speak, major character death, bashing female characters.

Here are the fandoms:

The Favourite (2018)

Oh, these three. Abigail! Sarah! THE QUEEN. I specifically don't want anything where they end up unhappy, but gen, OT3, whatever, as long as they get to be their delightful selves and be HAPPY. And intrigue is fine - intrigue where they outmaneuver some fucking men would be ace. I want them all to win the game, essentially, and if that happens via getting Abigail pregnant and passing her child off as Anne's somehow (I realize royal succession is complicated) that also works. They could also just spend the entire story having delightful sex and enjoying one another. The movie was so gorgeous and so sexy, and the women were so compelling. I adored it so much.

Rocketman (2019)

Ray was the most darling bit of sunshine, incredibly in love with Elton, and so tragically quiet about it. My fucking heart, essentially. The one thing I don't want is tragic pining and no happy ending, because there's so much tragic queer stuff out there and while it's beautiful I need a little more joy in my life. That isn't to say it can't be sad along the way but I want Ray to be happy at the end, please. With Elton, if possible. All the movie was missing (for me) was a duet between the two of them before they rode into the sunset (I'm aware Elton's actual husband turned up later, but poetic license, please, he COULD have been named Ray, I mean, the movie had plenty of more fantastical things happening).

Green Men Series - K. J. Charles

Somehow Max didn't get nominated. I wish I'd known! You're not required to include all the characters here - what I super would adore would be the Hugh/Max sequel to Green Men, micro (just a day in the life) or macro (they're the cavalry, after all), or how they get together as a couple, or the expanded prequel (we got how Randolph recruited them in a KJ Charles short, but an extended version of that would be amazing - how did they start trusting him?). I'd ALSO be thrilled with Saul and Randolph, because this is my very favorite KJ Charles book and more - just more! - would be excellent.

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Yuletide 2018 letter

2018-10-15T18:54:03Z

Dearest writer!

Yuletide is my favorite fic exchange of the year, and rest assured that whichever of the below fandoms we have matched on, I shall be happy to receive the gift. I'm truly SUPER EXCITED.

Some general YAY/NAY things:

YAY: OT3s if the fandom lends itself to it, well-earned happy endings (I love a bit of conflict and complications), found families, spies, pining (if a pairing fic), plotty gen, mystery stories, hurt/comfort, cuddling for warmth, heist stories, cleverness, magic, unexpected crossovers.

NAY: torture or rape described in detail, an absence of hope, bashing female characters, major character death, grief.

Fandom-specific:

The Reluctant Widow

The first time I read this book, I found it a little dull. The lead couple is not the MOST compelling of Heyers (apologies if we've matched and you love them, you're super welcome to convince me otherwise). Then I read it again, and realized Francis Cheviot was hilarious, competent, coded sort of queer, and trying very hard to bring things off while the lovers got in his way. SO. Write me ANYTHING with Francis. How he was recruited to be a spy for the Crown (as I sort of made up my mind he was), how he fell into bed with a man for the first time, his work behind the scenes during the book, etc. Anything. I love him.

Derkholm Series

Kit and Blade - oh man. I've wanted more of their story since I first read the books. (This is perhaps the set of Wynne Jones books that I've reread the most, which says quite a lot.) I love the way magic works in this universe, and I love growing up-stories, and I love sibling stories, and I adore the two of them. So! ANYTHING GOES. How did they become the competent duo we see in the Ella book? What happens after, when Blade falls for Claudia? Could there be a magical detective story in there, or a crossover with another Wynne Jones book?

Green Men Series

One of my all-time favorite books, this one. Hugh and Max are fascinating. I'd love anything to do with their backstory, how they found Randolph, how they fell for one another (as is implied they have), what happens after the book and how they contribute, etc. My caveat against torture described in detail still stands, but there is much you can do even so. Feel free to write about any of the other characters offered in the fandom as well, I love them all, but I'd prefer the focus to be on Hugh and Max.

The Course of Honour

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. This story. Like I said before, pining is a favorite trope, and this story represents one of the most skillful pining lovestories I've ever read. It is ALSO a mystery, which of course makes me love it even more. They have their well-earned happy ending, so feel free to write me utter teeth-rotting fluff here, like how they learn to trust one another more deeply, how they figure out they're both competent as fuck even though the world has told them differently, how the first diplomatic mission goes...

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