vaznetti | Yuletide Letter!

Dear Yuletide author,

Thank you for writing a story for me! I love Yuletide, and I hope you have a good time writing a story in one of these fandoms – they’re here because I really like them and wish that there were more stories for them, and so I’m sure I'll be happy with anything you write.

General likes and dislikes: I like gen, het, f/f and m/m. I really like relationships between equals, rather than relationships marked by power differentials. I’m equally happy with humor and with angst, with adventure and with introspection. I like all these fictional canons and characters for themselves, so I’m not very interested in non-canon AUs, but I really love canon-divergent AUs if that’s the kind of thing you want to write. I read fic rated G to NC-17, but if I’m being honest I would have to admit I mostly prefer fic that stops at around R. But if you want to write porn for one of these fandoms or prompts, go for it! I like porn best when it tells me something about the characters, or helps develop the plot or the relationship.

My major DNWs are incest, D/s and non-con (but dubcon is OK). I don’t like stories in which children are harmed or put in danger. And I love pretty much all the characters in these fandoms, so please no character-bashing.

I have added a few crossover prompts at the end of the letter, because I love crossovers. I know that some people think that crossovers are not kosher for Yuletide, though, and if you feel that way, please just ignore that whole section. Optional details are optional, and these are even more optional than most.

Specific Requests:

1. The Flashman Papers - George MacDonald Fraser: Elspeth Flashman

Elspeth! I love Elspeth! She is a perfect match for Flashman, isn’t she? I also love the hints that even Flashman realizes that she isn’t quite the innocent she’s supposed to be. I would really really love an Elspeth’s-eye view of their marriage, or of Flashman’s career, or of one of their adventures together. Maybe she can compare one of her other lovers to Flashman? Although I really believe that despite their regular (or in Elspeth’s case, regularly implied) unfaithfulness, they really do love each other, as far as they are able. I’m not sure I'd love a story in which Elspeth left Flashman permanently – for me the hole draw here is that they're perfect for each other. But I would happily read an Elspeth story in which Flashman just doesn't appear (i.e. he's off adventuring, and she's busy seducing Queen Victoria or Count Dracula or something.)

I realize that Elspeth and Flashman are terrible people, so you don't have to make a big deal about that in your story if you don’t want to.

2. Nashville (TV): Juliette Barnes, Rayna Jaymes

The relationship between Rayna and Juliette is my favorite thing about this show – I love the way they went from more or less open enmity, to respect, to a kind of friendship. I like it best when they don’t have a mother-daughter relationship, because frankly, neither of them needs someone in that position in their lives, but they both need an equal and a friend. Actually, I ship them, and would be really happy to read a Rayna/Juliette story. Maybe some hatesex in their S1 tour? Or a relationship developing in S3? (Which I haven’t seen yet, because it hasn’t started airing here yet, but I will!) But if that’s not what you want, that’s fine too – and I do like their other relationships perfectly well. I would love a slice of life, or a heart-to-heart about relationships, or motherhood, or the industry. Or they could band together to destroy Jeff Fordham! Or anyone else you think they might want to. I would read a story about how Rayna and Juliette banded together to rule the world.

3. Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch: Abigail Kamara, Beverley Brook, Cecelia Tyburn Thames, Miriam Stephanopoulos

Do not feel obligated to put all these characters into your story! But they are all characters I like and find interesting in their own right, and I’d love to see an encounter between any of them. What would happen if Abigail met Lady Ty? Would it be hate at first sight? (I’d love if it wasn’t, actually.) Or if Miriam met either of them? Some of these characters (like Miriam) feel just sketched-in to me, but what does the world look like to them? What does Miriam think about magic, and gods, and all this stuff? I would really love any story that broke away from Peter’s view of this world.

I will have read Foxglove Summer by the time Yuletide happens, but don’t feel that you have to.

4. Forever (TV): Abraham (Forever), Henry Morgan

I’m really enjoying this show, and the thing I like best about it is the relationship between Henry and Abraham. It's just all so charming! and feels sort of old-fashioned to me, I'm not sure why. I’d be fascinated to know how their relationship has changed over time – they’ve gone from father and son to equals, and are now moving back toward father and son as Abe gets older – but they’re still taking care of each other. I don’t ship it (the father-son relationship is a dealbreaker for me), but I would happily see them just hang out together. Abe can beat Henry at chess! Henry can help Abe catalogue antiques! Other people (i.e. Jo) can assume they’re a couple, and they can laugh about it! Or you can give me the inevitable heartbreaker, when Abe dies and Henry doesn’t.

Crossover Prompts:

1. Rivers of London/Forever – These two canons could easily be crossed over – Henry and Nightingale met during World War Two. They meet again, when Henry is in London for some pathology-related conference, and there are awkward explanations about aging, or not aging. Meanwhile, Abe and Walid go for a drink. Maybe a lot of drinks, actually. Hijinks should definitely ensue.

2. Rivers of London/Scott and Bailey – Miriam had a fling with Gill, or Julie, or both of them? There’s a case in Manchester involving magic, and Peter has to go up there and help out? Rachel’s crappy track record with relationship is actually the result of a curse? I don’t know, but I am convinced that this crossover would be PRICELESS.

3. Forever/Highlander – The set-up and backstory given to Abe and Henry here is suspiciously similar to that given to Connor and Rachel in the Highlander movie. Although I think that Rachel is a couple years older than Abe? And she and Connor are in the antiques business too. So anyway, she and Abe should date! Ben and Connor can interfere! Nobody dies! At least, not permanently.