Dear Yuletide Author (2024)

[rsadelle]

Hi! I'm excited you're writing me a story! Thank you for taking on one of these requests.

First up, what I do and don't like in fic. I'm cool with gen or pairing fic, sex or no sex. I've tried to give you a variety of ideas for each fandom if you want somewhere to start from, but please feel free to go somewhere else with your story if there's something else you want to write. I want this to be fun for you!

Likes: Clothes sharing, d/s, women, relationships between equals, people being smart/competent, people acting like adults, cuddling, happy endings, kids and babies, dialogue, slowly developing relationships, relationship negotiations of all kinds, kink negotiation, unconventional parenting arrangements, people making reproductive choices (no matter what the outcome), non-creepy possessiveness, nonsexual intimacy (sex is also good), power dynamics, feminist themes, hand-holding, food sharing.

Dislikes: Embarrassment (especially teenage embarrassment), misogyny, an overabundance of teenage angst, stories designed to make the reader feel anxious or full of dread (I like things that are prickly and difficult, just not in a doom is coming or embarrassment sort of way), graphic on-screen violence (the aftermath of violence is fine).

Now on to specific fandoms:

Home Again (2017) - Any.

This was such a charming figuring out your life/found family movie! I loved everyone and their journeys. I would be happy with any pairings/threesomes or found family gen.

Some specific things I would read:

• Harry grows up, and when he's older and has lived through his wild times stage of life, he and Alice have a chance at a relationship that works for both of them.


• George/Teddy, either as its own thing or as part of an Alice/Harry story.


• Found family dinner, either a specific one or some kind of five times type story.


• George/Alice in a future time when he's had time to really live his life and see that this is what he most wants.


• Alice/Harry, George/Alice polyamorous V.

If Books Could Kill (Podcast) - Michael Hobbes, Peter Shamshiri

I love that this is in the tagset! If you offered this because there's something you want to write, please write whatever is fun for you. Here are some things I think would be fun:

Format:
This is a fandom where something in a creative format would be really fun:

• An episode transcript.


• A selection of segments from episode transcripts, maybe just a bunch of digressions, or a collection that builds some sort of narrative or ongoing joke.


• One or more bonus episodes represented only by the initial Patreon post and its comments.

Content:
Here are some possible things I think could make for a fun story:

• I love fictional non-fiction. Michael and Peter covering some sort of in-world non-fiction, particularly something sci fi or fantasy, would be great. It could be non-fiction in an existing fictional world or something you make up. Or maybe just the digressions from some episodes in a fictional world.


• Feel free to anachronistically put If Books Could Kill in a different time period discussing a book contemporary to that time, no explanation needed for why the podcast exists at that time.


• A totally normal book episode with one completely wild element (like aliens or mages).


• Maybe there's a pundit or news article you've encountered recently that needs the If Books Could Kill treatment.


• Really, please feel free to be as creative and absurd as you want with this.

Other Notes:

• I've listened to all of the episodes, including bonus episodes. It has been my relistening thing of choice over the past few months (I can't even tell you how many times I've listened to "The Meme Stock Cult" episode), so I'm very familiar with the whole show.


• I have also listened to all of Maintenance Phase (including bonus episodes), most of Mike's time on You're Wrong About, and a couple dozen 5-4 episodes, so if you want to include callbacks to their other podcasts, I would probably understand that reference.


• I have mixed feelings about the shelf. I get that it's an ongoing joke, and it also sometimes makes me anxious in a your wife asked you to do one thing kind of way, but the way they talk about relationships means probably that's an exaggeration for effect.

Fandom-Specific Do Not Wants: Harry Potter, Michael/Peter sex/romance (canon-typical "have you ever had bisexual thoughts" jokes are fine), current wars.


Quest For A Maid - Frances Mary Hendry - Meg Wright.

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I would love post-canon fic. If you want to turn their story into something like a space AU, I would be into that. I only requested Meg because she's the only one I absolutely want in a story, but I love everything about this book and its world, so feel free to include any or all of the other characters.

Some specific things I would read:

• Meg and Peem's wedding night.


• The power dynamics of Meg and Peem's relationship.


• Meg, Peem, and Davie making their way as quality goods merchants in Bruges.


• Do Meg and Peem have reunions when he returns from traveling, or does she travel with him?


• Meg, Peem, and Davie handling a young man courting Marie.


• Surely Meg and Peem will have children. How do Davie and Marie handle having additional children in the house?


• A successful business will eventually mean Meg runs a large household. Does she think back on what she learned from Mother Alison? How much of her household is run like a Scottish or Norse house versus the style in Bruges?


• Outsider pov. Maybe the combination of the way Peem can make himself look completely harmless and his continuing to call Meg "Mistress Meg" means that some new employee or servant is surprised to find out that they're married.


• Meg's potential for supernatural powers in the aftermath of Inge's death. Do they require worship of the same god as Inge's, or are they a different type? Does she go it alone, or does she find a mentor/teacher? Does she choose not to pursue it but put her knowledge when she knows something is going to happen to good use?

I hope that gives you some good ideas to start from, and I hope you have a good Yuletide experience! ♥