Yuletide Letter 2014

[flamebyrd]

Previous Yuletide Letters: 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

Edits to this letter: October 30, 2014 I added some mini-prompts to the Fortress in the Eye of Time section.

Things I Like
- As a general rule, ending on a positive note. It doesn't have to be fluffy, and some angst is okay, but I like a happy/hopeful resolution by the end.
- Character interaction and team dynamics. Snark, bonding over mutual interests, that sort of thing.
- "Downtime" fic, ie. where the characters do something fairly mundane, like go shopping.
- Case fic (for whatever passes as a case in that canon)
- Future fic, particularly where the characters haven't seen each other in a while
- AUs, but if the canon is paranormal (eg. magic, psychic powers, non-humans) in any way, I strongly prefer its paranormal elements be preserved or transmuted into something setting-appropriate.
- Other tropes I am partial to: amnesia, road trips, family reunions / high school reunions.

Things I Dislike
- I have a fairly strong embarrassment/humiliation squick.
- Anything that would require an AO3 warning.
- Injuries to fingers/hands/feet.
- Zombies.

For the record, I like all kinds of relationships - f/f, f/m, m/m, poly, etc. Just no incest or underage, please, and I prefer that you avoid infidelity (unless agreed upon beforehand by all parties affected). I have a tendency to skim-read explicit sexual content so please only include it if you think the story requires it.

I've made a few "what happened next" prompts here, but I want to emphasise that if you want to write a missing scene from canon or a prequel or anything else that crosses your mind, I would be absolutely delighted with that. These are all canons I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to see expanded.


Juuichinin Iru | They Were Eleven (Read online)
Characters: Tadatos Lane, Frolbericheri

I would love to see Tada and Frol a few years down the line, exploring space and bickering the whole time. (Romance or gen are both fine.)

Some mini-prompts:
- Reuniting with one of the others of their "eleven" sometime in the future
- A Star Trek style space exploration mission
- Dealing with cultural differences: courting customs, foods, music, whatever you can think of

Note: Frol declares that he will become a woman for Tada, but I would rather he make that decision based on his own desires.

This movie/manga had a lot of elements I love, all put together - strong characters, adorable romance, and a SF plot!

(In last year's letter I used gender neutral pronouns; this year I've switched to "he" to match canon, but go with your heart.)


Fortress Series - C. J. Cherryh
Characters: Tristen Sihhë

I just love Tristen, the way he is in the world but not really a part of it - or perhaps too much a part of it. Anything about him would be lovely, but I'd particularly like to see him interacting with the people of his world (canon or original, whatever you like).

Note: If you want to write a romance, I'd prefer you don't break up Cefwyn and Ninevrise, but OT3 or pre-negotiated poly is fine. I'm also happy with any other pairing (Crissand, etc).

Some mini prompts I didn't manage to come up with before signups closed:
- It must be weird for the people who have known Tristen since the beginning to see how he's changed and grown.
- I love the awkward relationship Tristen has with the church, so it would be interesting to see him dealing with that.
- An outsider's perspective on Tristen from the time when he's Lord of Amefel.

I bought this book on impulse as a teenager, and I read it over and over and over. It's one of my favourites. "Learning to be human" is a trope I really love, and this series is full of it.

PS: I haven't read Fortress of Ice yet, but I don't mind spoilers, so feel free to include or not include canon from that book as you like.


Golden Age of Mystery Author RPF
Characters: Dorothy L. Sayers, Agatha Christie

I love the Golden Age of Mystery, and particularly the novels by these two women. (For the record, my favourite Christie 'detective' is Mr. Harley Quin, followed by Miss Marple.)

Some mini-prompts:
- A conversation at the Detection Club. (As an aside - both of them have self-insert detective novelist characters! :D)
- On Wikipedia it says, of Agatha Christie's mysterious disappearance in 1926, "Dorothy L Sayers visited the house in Surrey, later using the scenario in her book Unnatural Death." (If you want to explain Christie's disappearance, go wild. Aliens? Did she fall into a parallel universe?)
- And, the obvious: they solve a mystery together.

I found this in my list of potential nominations, and I liked it so much I decided to keep it, even though I can't remember the original inspiration.

Both of these ladies seem to have led very interesting lives, but feel free to use as much or as little of their personal lives as you like. Alternate universes are also welcome.


The Death of the Necromancer - Martha Wells
Characters: Arisilde Damal

There is something I find so compelling about Arisilde - his power, the tragedy of his decline, the sheer audacity of developing an opium addiction as revenge...

My only caveat here is that while I am definitely all about Arisilde feelings, maybe try not to make me cry?

Some mini-prompts:
- Arisilde as the one who remembers Nicolas and/or Edouard 'before'
- Nicolas consulting with Arisilde for a job, pre-canon
- A timestamp for the period between Death of the Necromancer and Fall of Ile-Rien (young Tremaine, researching the spheres, addiction recovery...)

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou
Characters: Alpha

Cozy apocalyptic story of my heart. I'd love to see Alpha out on her own again - but I'd also love to see her in her cafe, serving customers.

Some mini prompts:
- In contrast to most android stories, Alpha seems most comfortable around humans and finds other robots to be confusing, so that would be an interesting dynamic to explore.
- Something to resolve the situation with Alpha's owner. As far as I can tell they never appear again in canon, so it would be nice to see her deal with that. (I would also be happy for her Owner to make another appearance.)
- What else is nature trying to duplicate from the human world? (Beyond street lights etc.)

(I don't have any ships for this fandom, but if you do, go for it. :D)