Dear Yuletide Writer

[partypaprika]

Dear Yuletide writer,

Thank you for writing for me! I’ve included some thoughts below on my preferences and fandoms. Please don’t stress too much if you’re inspired to write something else (although I’d prefer if you didn’t delve into my DNWs). I’ve given some specific prompts, but feel to take a general theme from my general likes if that’s more inspiring!

 I'm not active on LJ/Dreamwidth anymore, although you're welcome to poke around here. I'm slightly active on tumblr and you can also check out my pinboard. I'm on ao3 as partypaprika.

For this year, I've requested the following fandoms: Guns of the Dawn by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Marsden Series by Sherry Thomas, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley, The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye, Miss Scarlet and the Duke (TV 2020) and the Yudah Cohen series by Rebecca Fraimow.
 

 

General likes:

-Hurt/comfort
-Conflict
-Slow burn
-Pining and UST
-Sacrifices, especially if characters are making big sacrifices on behalf of someone that they care deeply about
-Angst (ideally ending in a HEA)
-Having dysfunctional relationships
-Enemies being forced (either directly or by circumstances) to work together
-Enemies to lovers
-Opposites attracting or coming to understand each other
-Marriages of convenience, fake dating, etc.
-People being thrown together in wildly unexpected situations
-Magical realism and magical powers
-Time travel, time loops, time do-overs etc.
-Modern royalty AUs
-Secret identities and identity porn
-Settings that have a sense of mystery: cemeteries, forests, abandoned temples etc.
-Epistolary and non-linear storytelling
-Canon divergence
-Mythology
-Hidden displays of affection

 

DNWs:

-Major character death
-Noncon
-Incest
-Painplay
-Torture
-Humiliation kink
-A/b/o
-Dom/sub
-Mpreg
-Knotting
-Coffee shop AUs
-High school AUs
-Unrequested poly ships

 

 

 

Guns of the Dawn - Adrian Tchaikovsky
Cristan Northway, Emily Marshwic

Canon: It's a book about (kind of) a fantasy Napoleonic-era land war, combined with the never-ending decimation of WWI, and then a dash of magic. The story focuses on a woman who watches as the war depletes her country's resources and men, ultimately getting drafted into the war effort herself where she must face what it means to be at war. This book nails some of my favorite tropes: competence, people being thrust into extreme situations, a slightly messy slow burn romance that happened very organically. I loved it!

I find Emily and Cristan such interesting characters. They both are forced to change due to the war and they have become more complicated people as a result of it—or perhaps they were always complicated and the war has exposed that.

I like Emily’s mental transition as she goes from seeing Cristan as the killer of her father to realizing that the world is more nuanced and her father made his own decisions. I like how she comes to value honesty and Cristan is the only person who fully gives her the truth and an outlet to be totally herself. I love her character journey and how she changes from a lady of leisure to someone who is intrinsically a soldier and she’s not sure if she will ever be able to change back from that.

I like how Cristan is one hundred percent ok with dirty dealings and being the bad guy. I also really love how he is forced into actually doing what is needed for the town during the war. (I also like to think that Emily’s influence has rubbed off here—he could always be totally derelict in his duty and he chooses not to be.) I also love just how much he is willing to change for Emily—he observes that Emily can be bought with good deeds, and as much as he doesn’t want to, he finds himself doing good things because of her. I also love his wry humor in his letters (“your obedient villain”!) and how Emily is able to really see beyond his words when he writes to her.

I love Emily’s slowly burgeoning feelings for Cristan as well as the long-running torch that Cristan has clearly held for Emily. The little glimpses that Emily sees of this—like when Cristan asks her to dance at Deerlings and Emily notes that Cristan has had to work up the nerve, but he has already accepted that Emily will reject him. Then the surprise and unlooked for happiness when Emily accepts a dance with him. When Emily leaves for the front and Cristan goes to the train station—he is ostensibly there on official business, but he tells Emily that he’s there to see her and talk to her—but mostly to see her. My heart breaks for him.

I also love that because of his feelings for Emily, he’s willing to do whatever it takes for her—kill the Ghyer, commit treason (over and over again)—even before she returns his feelings or when knowing that she might have feelings for someone else. I would love to see Cristan’s feelings explored—we see so much of what Emily feels and why. How does he feel when he realizes that Emily has picked Cristan over Giles? How did Cristan first come to fall in love with Emily?

I would also love to see their first time together—I like that Emily may have the more experience of the two (although potentially not). Who initiates between the two of them?  

Cristan and Emily communicate through a lot of letters and missives—I would love to see an epistolary story between them, perhaps some of their communications that we didn’t see during the war or maybe their notes to each other after the war.

I’d love to see them get something of a happy ending—does Cristan underhandedly work his way farther up the chain even as Emily moderates him and does her own good? Do they ever get married and live together? Does Emily play any kind of role in the building up of Denland and Lascanne? Is Emily’s role in the death of the king discovered and she’s forced to flee—maybe Cristan has to help her escape without him and they’re only able to be together much later.

Emily says that she wonders if in another time, there would be cults or religions springing up around her. If she and Cristan found themselves immortal as a result of a belief in Emily, what would they do through the ages?

I would be interested in era-appropriate crossovers—for example, this is often described as a Jane Austen take on Napoleonic era fighting, what if Emily and/or Cristan comes across characters from a Jane Austen novel?

Return to top

The Marsdens series - Sherry Thomas
Bryony Asquith, Leo Marsden

Canon: Dr. Bryony Asquith is a doctor working in a remote area of India at the turn of the 20^th century. She’s devoted to her work, very much an introvert and also very estranged from her ex-husband, Leo, who she hasn’t seen in a few years. Imagine her surprise when Leo shows up at her family’s request when she’s needed back home.

I love the angst in Leo and Bryony's relationship—how Leo's always had feelings for Bryony (in one form or another, for so long), how Bryony thought that Leo hung the world when they got together initially (and continues to love Leo, even though it's incredibly painful for her). And just how they fell into the many traps that they encountered. They both had baggage that they both brought into the relationship that they weren't able to overcome during their first go of it. I love how incredibly flawed both Bryony and Leo are and how that’s influenced the course of their relationship, including how difficult they’ve found it to communicate with each other.

What happens after the events of Not Quite A Husband? When and how do they get remarried? Do they take a honeymoon (that turns into an adventure)? How goes the process of telling everyone that they are together again (and are there any funny mishaps)?

Now that they can communicate better with each other, how do they continue to grow closer? Do they continue to rock each other’s world in the bedroom?

I would love to see Bryony and Leo working together—are they on a trip when something goes awry and they’re stuck somewhere and have to make their way back? Is one of them implicated in a professional issue and they have to unmask the real culprit?

If you're a fan of other Sherry Thomas books, feel free to have them meeting characters from her other works--maybe Bryony and Charlotte Holmes end up knowing each other! I would also be interested in other canon-era appropriate crossovers—for example, does Bryony or Leo come across Juli and/or Ash in their travels in India?

I would also be interested in a canon-divergent second get together—maybe they meet again later and they’re forced to pretend that they are still married or the government needs them both to do something, so they have to work together. Maybe they both end up as professors somewhere and have to keep interacting with each other.

I would also love a look at Leo’s perspective as he fell in love with Bryony back when they were younger, before Bryony even thought of Leo in that way.

Return to top

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street Series – Natasha Pulley
Grace Carrow, Akira Matsumoto

Canon: The first book is about a telegraphist in Victorian England who finds his life changing quite rapidly when he seems to coincidentally come in contact with a Japanese watchmaker and they become close friends. The second book, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow takes place some time after the first and is set in Japan.

My heart completely breaks for Grace in the first book—yes, she makes very bad decisions but she’s also impossibly constrained and just trying to find a way out for herself. I love the glimpses that we get of her in The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, that she’s teaching in Japan and married to Akira. I also liked the bits that we see of Akira—how concerned he is about Grace when she goes missing. How protective he is upon her return!

I would love to see more of them! What happens in between the first and second book? When and how do they officially get together? What is it like when Grace meets Akira’s family? Is Akira super protective in his Akira way when Grace has to interact in Japanese high society?

Do they go on adventures together in Europe or Asia? Do they have any crazy experiences traveling to Japan (feel free to make it as supernatural or fantastical as you like)? What happens after the events of the second book—how do they end up back in England? Does Grace go on to invent some really crazy things due to her imprisoned research (like…a time machine?)?

One of the many things that I liked about their relationship in the first book is how Akira pays attention to all the little things about Grace—he makes sure to drag her out of her laboratory at least once a day (although he mocks her about it), he lets her borrow his clothes all the time, he even checks to make sure that someone’s filled Grace in on the birds and bees prior to her wedding night. He’s very thoughtful and seems to work hard to make it seem like it’s in a very off-hand manner (but it’s not). I would love to see more of Akira watching out and caring for Grace and I would love to see how Grace shows her love for Akira.

I’m also up for some canon divergence! Instead of Akira and Grace presumably getting together soon after the events of the first book, do they go different directions and then reconnect later in life when Akira is a famous ambassador or diplomat and Grace has become famous for her inventions or scientific discoveries? Or maybe their roles reverse from the book and Akira needs help and Grace comes to his rescue.

If you would like to focus on Grace or Akira separately, I would love a look at what happens to that person after the events of the first book—how does Akira handle becoming a duke? How does Grace get a professorship as a foreign woman in 1880s Japan?

I would be open to crossovers—do Grace, Eliza Scarlet (Miss Scarlet) and Bryony (The Marsden series) all know each other? I am also all about the magical realism in this book, so feel free to go as far with it as you like!

Return to top

The Far Pavilions
Anjuli-Bai, Ashton “Ashok” Pelham-Martyn

Canon: An epic novel set in 19^th century India about a British officer who grew up in India, believing he was Indian. However, when his parentage is revealed, he is taken back to England. As an adult, he returns to India as part of the British Indian Army and finds himself torn between his upbringing and his status as a British man.

I love the angst and pining in this book—the seemingly unbridgeable divide between Juli and Ash, their brief interlude in the desert and then the horrible events that bring them back together. I love how deeply they connect with each other, both as children and then meeting again as adults. I love how compassionate both of them are—how strongly they feel about doing their duty, whether to the army or family/friends, as well as how loyal they each are.

I would love to see more of them finally getting their deserved happy ending together—maybe a look at them right after they get married either onboard the ship or as they make their way towards the Guides base.

I would also love to see what their future lives are like after they leave Afghanistan for the Himalayas. Do they go on more adventures, just the two of them? I feel like it’s a long way between Kabul and the Himalayas and all sorts of things could happen to them. Maybe Ash gets in trouble and Juli has to rescue him or the two of them find themselves in some not great company and have to find their way out.

I would also love to see them raising a family together—what are their kids like? Do Ash and Zarin ultimately reconnect and reconcile? I love the blossoming that we saw of Juli after she married Ash and her friendships—I would love to see her make more friends (she deserves all the friends!) and thrive, without having to feel like she needs to hide.

Feel free to go canon divergent as well—does Wally somehow survive and he finds Ash and Juli later in life? From a much earlier perspective, what if Ash and Juli had escaped together as children with Sita?

What would Ash and Juli be like in an alternate universe? Do they meet in a different life or perhaps modern day? I would also be open to crossovers—do Ash and Juli come across Leo and/or Bryony on their travels?

Return to top

Miss Scarlet and the Duke
Eliza Scarlet, Moses, William “Duke” Wellington

Canon: A tv show about a Victorian-era lady detective who tries to make a living solving crime and is, at turns, assisted by and at odds with an old acquaintance who is a detective at Scotland Yard. (Available to watch on PBS)

I love Eliza—she’s determined and smart and constantly getting herself into trouble. I also love her relationships with William and Moses. She has a deep shared history with William and I love how she trades on that and how William is both enchanted and so incredibly frustrated by her. Moses is one of the few people who really sees Eliza and her potential clearly and I love how they start to form a team. I also love that Moses and William do not get along from the get go!

I would love to know more about William’s backstory—how did he come to be mentored by Eliza’s father? What is his background and how did he grow up? Tell me more about this infamous kiss between William and Eliza from their youth!

Moses is also fascinating—we get such interesting glimpses about him. How did he come to be working at the burlesque (and then the gentleman’s club)? I would love to see him and Eliza working together—they have such great chemistry together, I feel like they’d make a great team. I love how he, like William is not afraid to speak his mind with Eliza.

I would be very into seeing Eliza continuing solving cases (perhaps even digging deeper into her father’s death) and working with William and Moses. Maybe something more dire happens (someone is kidnapped?) and a rescue is called for.  

I am also very much open to Eliza/Moses/William, so if you’d like to explore that, I am all for it! If someone’s been kidnapped and a rescue is needed, I am definitely here for some hurt/comfort in the aftermath of that. There were some very tense moments between various members of Eliza/William, Eliza/Moses, Moses/William in the show that I would love to see explored (and potentially end in a mutually satisfying way for everyone?).

You could also go in a more supernatural direction—are there strange things afoot and the three of them are the only people who notice and investigate?

I would also be interested in a crossover between similar era canons—for example, do Eliza, Bryony (The Marsden series) and Grace (The Watchmaker of Filigree Street) know each other? Is there a professional lady organization that they’re all members of?

Return to top

Yudah Cohen Series – Rebecca Fraimow
Any

Canon: A series of short stories featuring a wonderfully expressive Yiddish family, specifically a couple, a cousin and some family friends, with some fantastical elements. You can find the first story here, the second story here and the third story here.

I love these short stories—there is so much excellent snark, so much atmosphere and ambience in a historical period that is not really explored in modern day fiction. I love how practical Yudah can be (as well as how frustrating) and I love Yudah’s and Bluma’s bickering but clearly loving relationship.

I love the hints that we get at how deep their relationship, even before they’re together together. I’d love to see how they initially connected (or what drew Yudah to Bluma). We find out from Shaina that Bluma initially turned down Yudah (as well as Hershel) before then accepting Yudah the next day—what happened there? Also, I really want to know—is Bluma’s mother’s condition inheritable—does Bluma also suffer from the same affliction?

What happens with Yudah and Bluma’s son, especially as he gets older? It seems like he’s probably able to perceive other spirits, based on his reaction to the orchestra—do he, Yudah and Bluma all get into trouble because of that? I would also love to see some more of the stories’ mythology—do we see more of other demons or other spirits? Other mythological elements or beings? Do they ever see the demon (who gave birth to the son) again?

Shaina is a hilarious narrator. What happens when Shaina visits Bluma and Yudah again? What trouble does she get into next time? She also seems a little lonely now that her friends have started getting married and starting families—what is her next step?

I’d also love to know more about Gitl and Mirele—we get just bits and pieces of their relationship from Shaina, how did Gitl fall in love with Mirele? What happens as Mirele tries to get into theater? Do they keep having adventures with other dybbuks? Do Gitl and Mirele see Blume and Yudah again?

I’m also super intrigued by the ghost klezmer band—they’ve apparently been in Lodz for quite a while. How did they end up as a band and what adventures have they had? I’d be super interested to see what else goes on in Lodz with other dybbuks who might be wandering around.

Return to top