[Daf Yomi] Zevachim perek 6-8
Dec. 6th, 2025 05:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lannamichaelsMy notes on these. Still not much to say but it's been, quite frankly, better than Nashim.
( Read more... )
lannamichaelsMy notes on these. Still not much to say but it's been, quite frankly, better than Nashim.
( Read more... )
some good things (a post)
Dec. 6th, 2025 11:28 pmkaberett- Breakfast in bed, accompanied by completing my first ever playthrough of the main body of Monument Valley. I think I wound up getting two prompts from A, who also spent a significant chunk of the afternoon attempting to get it working on two different large-format touchscreen devices -- I'd been struggling with the trackpad, and was gratified when A reported that they'd had a go at playing the very first level with a trackpad and it really was kind of wretched. (Made it to approximately halfway through Appendix 1 before deciding I needed to call it for the day...)
- smitten kitchen's braised chickpeas with zucchini and pesto continues fantastic.
- 'tis The Season for my current Favourite Chocolate (I'm not sure if it's available year-round but the company we get groceries from only carries them during the winter, and I honestly probably enjoy them more because of the Seasonal Availability). I am writing this post with one of them + a mug of warm milk.
- The box of meds I dropped in an airport this Monday gone has successfully been picked up! First step in a pass-the-parcel that will hopefully conclude weekend after next...
- Got a substantial increase on my highest score in one of the silly clicky games in Flight Rising :)
Pinch Hit #81
Dec. 6th, 2025 04:49 pmyuletidemods posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
yuletide_pinch_hitsWe have one pinch hit remaining, #81. It's due at the main assignment deadline of Wednesday 17 December at 9pm UTC.
Comments are turned off for this community. To claim a pinch hit, please email the mods at yuletideadmin@gmail.com and:
For example, if your AO3 username is yuletidehippo and you want to claim Pinch Hit #42 for AwsomRecip, you might email us with the subject line “PH 42 for AwsomRecip” and “I’m yuletidehippo on AO3” in the body of the email. As was the case previously, if you don’t receive a reply you did not get the pinch hit.
Also! We now have a pinch hitters' prompts post! If you weren't signed up and you're pinch hitting, your rare fandom prompts are very welcome!
For your original assignments and earlier assignments - keep in mind the default deadline of 9pm UTC 10 December. It's coming up fast, as is the main deadline.
Request 1 by redgear
Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter
Characters: Hollós Gyula (Hallo itt Mátyás király)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
---
I love everything about Gyula - I'd love to hear the story of where and how he learned any of the things he knows, including whatever digs he was on with Károly where he learned so much about the Iazyges! I'm also obsessed by how much he wants to just get shit done and how dedicated he is to changing things, even when Károly and the Professor try to talk him down, even when all the rest of them accept life as it is, he just never gives up. I'd love him to be narratively allowed to do the industrial revolution he dreams of :3 Maybe they all (or Gyula alone) time travels to earlier in history, when Mátyás was less constrained by war and necessity and had more time to deal with them? Of course Gyula alone would have difficulties of his own, since he's not exactly a historian, but he'd put his head down and get on with it I'm sure :D
I will happily ship Gyula with anyone and everyone, including OCs <3
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 2 by redgear
Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi (TV 2006)
Characters: Hunyadi László (Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Mátyás or Erzsébet death
---
I love this version of László - how his grief turns to anger turns to menace so fast when he's dealing with Ulrich and Ladislaus, how passionate he is with Maria, and how sweet he is with Matthias, coaxing him on that of course he'll find some girl who likes him someday :D He contains multitudes! I completely adore how he's so capable, and yet there's still that streak of impulsive overconfidence and that trust that leads him to disaster.
I'd love anything more about him - precanon fic with his parents? More about his relationship with Maria, or his relationship with Matthias? Or AU where he doesn't die (permanently) is also very welcome! Maybe he's imprisoned or banished (I always love a gay-marriage-disinheritance-AU)? I also love ghosts and other supernatural ways for people to not perma-die, as well as time travel! If you're continuing past the point where he dies, feel free to either follow the continuity of the series or go as divergent-AU as you'd like.
I will happily ship László with anyone except King Ladislaus or Ulrich and gen is of course always welcome.
I'm also very fond of the messenger that comes to tell Erzsébet that Ulrich is dead, that poor guy lol. I'd love to know more about him if you'd like to include him. Maybe he was with János and László for a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 3 by redgear
Mátyás király | Matthias Rex - Kubinyi András
Characters: I. Mátyás magyar király | Matthias I of Hungary (Matthias Rex - Kubinyi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
- Romantic love between Matthias and Beatrice (a political marriage is very welcome, I adore scheming and political maneuvering on both sides!)
---
There are so many just narratively fascinating stories in this bio that I'd love fic about! Tell me more about Matthias doing his own army's recon, getting captured, and talking himself out of it by pretending to be a local groom! Or what it was like for those months trapped alone in Prague after Ladislaus died, not knowing what was going to happen to him. Or struggling with Mihály for control of the government, or deciding he couldn't risk war with the Ottomans and had to imprison Vlad, or finding out just in time about any of the plots against him... I love terrible things happening to him and him coming back from them stronger, colder, more resilient <3
I'm also very interested though in more slice of life stuff: tell me about a day in the life of the roman military history nerd, the renaissance art superfan, the soldier, the diplomat, the propagandist, the guy who fell in love at first sight at a dance. I am really into the speculations Kubinyi makes about his personality/motivations throughout all these!
And I always love time travel, any variety of it, from historical characters going to the future, people from the future coming back, or people time traveling back to their younger selves.
I'll ship Matthias with anyone who isn't DNWed; ocs are welcome in ship as well as gen fic.r a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Comments are turned off for this community. To claim a pinch hit, please email the mods at yuletideadmin@gmail.com and:
- Include the pinch hit number in the subject line
- Include the recipient’s AO3 name in the subject line
- Include your AO3 username in the body of the email
For example, if your AO3 username is yuletidehippo and you want to claim Pinch Hit #42 for AwsomRecip, you might email us with the subject line “PH 42 for AwsomRecip” and “I’m yuletidehippo on AO3” in the body of the email. As was the case previously, if you don’t receive a reply you did not get the pinch hit.
Also! We now have a pinch hitters' prompts post! If you weren't signed up and you're pinch hitting, your rare fandom prompts are very welcome!
For your original assignments and earlier assignments - keep in mind the default deadline of 9pm UTC 10 December. It's coming up fast, as is the main deadline.
PH #81: Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter, Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi (TV 2006), Mátyás király | Matthias Rex - Kubinyi András
Request 1 by redgear
Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter
Characters: Hollós Gyula (Hallo itt Mátyás király)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
---
I love everything about Gyula - I'd love to hear the story of where and how he learned any of the things he knows, including whatever digs he was on with Károly where he learned so much about the Iazyges! I'm also obsessed by how much he wants to just get shit done and how dedicated he is to changing things, even when Károly and the Professor try to talk him down, even when all the rest of them accept life as it is, he just never gives up. I'd love him to be narratively allowed to do the industrial revolution he dreams of :3 Maybe they all (or Gyula alone) time travels to earlier in history, when Mátyás was less constrained by war and necessity and had more time to deal with them? Of course Gyula alone would have difficulties of his own, since he's not exactly a historian, but he'd put his head down and get on with it I'm sure :D
I will happily ship Gyula with anyone and everyone, including OCs <3
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 2 by redgear
Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi (TV 2006)
Characters: Hunyadi László (Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Mátyás or Erzsébet death
---
I love this version of László - how his grief turns to anger turns to menace so fast when he's dealing with Ulrich and Ladislaus, how passionate he is with Maria, and how sweet he is with Matthias, coaxing him on that of course he'll find some girl who likes him someday :D He contains multitudes! I completely adore how he's so capable, and yet there's still that streak of impulsive overconfidence and that trust that leads him to disaster.
I'd love anything more about him - precanon fic with his parents? More about his relationship with Maria, or his relationship with Matthias? Or AU where he doesn't die (permanently) is also very welcome! Maybe he's imprisoned or banished (I always love a gay-marriage-disinheritance-AU)? I also love ghosts and other supernatural ways for people to not perma-die, as well as time travel! If you're continuing past the point where he dies, feel free to either follow the continuity of the series or go as divergent-AU as you'd like.
I will happily ship László with anyone except King Ladislaus or Ulrich and gen is of course always welcome.
I'm also very fond of the messenger that comes to tell Erzsébet that Ulrich is dead, that poor guy lol. I'd love to know more about him if you'd like to include him. Maybe he was with János and László for a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 3 by redgear
Mátyás király | Matthias Rex - Kubinyi András
Characters: I. Mátyás magyar király | Matthias I of Hungary (Matthias Rex - Kubinyi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
- Romantic love between Matthias and Beatrice (a political marriage is very welcome, I adore scheming and political maneuvering on both sides!)
---
There are so many just narratively fascinating stories in this bio that I'd love fic about! Tell me more about Matthias doing his own army's recon, getting captured, and talking himself out of it by pretending to be a local groom! Or what it was like for those months trapped alone in Prague after Ladislaus died, not knowing what was going to happen to him. Or struggling with Mihály for control of the government, or deciding he couldn't risk war with the Ottomans and had to imprison Vlad, or finding out just in time about any of the plots against him... I love terrible things happening to him and him coming back from them stronger, colder, more resilient <3
I'm also very interested though in more slice of life stuff: tell me about a day in the life of the roman military history nerd, the renaissance art superfan, the soldier, the diplomat, the propagandist, the guy who fell in love at first sight at a dance. I am really into the speculations Kubinyi makes about his personality/motivations throughout all these!
And I always love time travel, any variety of it, from historical characters going to the future, people from the future coming back, or people time traveling back to their younger selves.
I'll ship Matthias with anyone who isn't DNWed; ocs are welcome in ship as well as gen fic.r a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Three Print Editions Available for Pre-order
Dec. 6th, 2025 08:41 pmdouqi posting in baihe_mediaPre-orders have opened for the print editions of three baihe novels. All three are from Taiwanese publishers, so will be in traditional Chinese and uncensored.
The first is Spring Remains the Same (春如旧, pinyin: chun ru jiu) by Ruo Hua Ci Shu (若花辞树), a historical court intrigue novel with a cross-dressing main character. This is coming out from Taiwanese publisher morefate, and has a striking and unusual cover design. The web version of the novel can be read here.
The second is Our Happiness (属于我们的幸福, pinyin: shuyu women de xingfu), which collects two (novella-length?) contemporary romances, authored by Li Zi Li (李子李) and Ling Ling Ren (零零人) respectively. Li Zi Li seems to have a profile on Taiwanese webnovel platform Popo, which features a mixture of mostly danmei and yanqing works. I couldn't find much information about Ling Ling Ren on a cursory search. This edition is published by Caiyi Books.
The third is Whispers After the Spotlight (在流量引爆以后, pinyin: zai liuliang yinbao yihou) by Liu Li (琉璃), a contemporary romance between a cafe owner and an ex-YouTube star. This edition is published by Qianyu. Liu Li (author page here) writes across a range of romance and non-romance genres; her romance-focused titles are predominantly baihe, but there is also some danmei and yanqing. She previously published on JJWXC under the name Liu Li Xing Ren (琉璃星人), and has since terminated her relationship with them. However, a couple of her works (including a femslash fic for Jin Yong's The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre (倚天屠龙记, pinyin: yitian tulong ji), can still be read there.
All three titles can be pre-ordered via Feiqin. The latter two can also be pre-ordered via books.com.tw, which also carry the ebook versions.
The first is Spring Remains the Same (春如旧, pinyin: chun ru jiu) by Ruo Hua Ci Shu (若花辞树), a historical court intrigue novel with a cross-dressing main character. This is coming out from Taiwanese publisher morefate, and has a striking and unusual cover design. The web version of the novel can be read here.
The second is Our Happiness (属于我们的幸福, pinyin: shuyu women de xingfu), which collects two (novella-length?) contemporary romances, authored by Li Zi Li (李子李) and Ling Ling Ren (零零人) respectively. Li Zi Li seems to have a profile on Taiwanese webnovel platform Popo, which features a mixture of mostly danmei and yanqing works. I couldn't find much information about Ling Ling Ren on a cursory search. This edition is published by Caiyi Books.
The third is Whispers After the Spotlight (在流量引爆以后, pinyin: zai liuliang yinbao yihou) by Liu Li (琉璃), a contemporary romance between a cafe owner and an ex-YouTube star. This edition is published by Qianyu. Liu Li (author page here) writes across a range of romance and non-romance genres; her romance-focused titles are predominantly baihe, but there is also some danmei and yanqing. She previously published on JJWXC under the name Liu Li Xing Ren (琉璃星人), and has since terminated her relationship with them. However, a couple of her works (including a femslash fic for Jin Yong's The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre (倚天屠龙记, pinyin: yitian tulong ji), can still be read there.
All three titles can be pre-ordered via Feiqin. The latter two can also be pre-ordered via books.com.tw, which also carry the ebook versions.
Update to a fustercluck
Dec. 6th, 2025 12:59 pmysobel posting in agonyaunt[Originally posted in chat; I have added paragraphs for readability]
My brother has organized an ill-advised surprise party for my father's 75th birthday.
Our father is a complete introvert and also very exacting. He likes things to be a certain way, and gets tense and angry if everything is not perfectly to his taste. He hates loud places and large groups of people. Unfortunately, he's always used excessive alcohol to handle social engagements and gets belligerent when drunk.
Because of all of this, I was surprised when my brother, "James" told me that he'd planned a surprise birthday party of 30 guests for my dad at a new restaurant. The guest list includes the following extremely awkward confirmed attendees: our aunt (dad's semi-estranged sister) who is an overbearing religious fanatic none of us can stand; our mother (dad's ex-wife) who is resented by our dad and hated by our aforementioned aunt because of the divorce; and a number of neighbors who our dad has been feuding with off and on for the last 20 years.
I asked my mom why she was going along with this and she said James called in a big favor she owed him and she felt like she couldn’t say no, so he’s pulling out all the stops to make this happen.
I don't know how James could possibly think this is a good idea, except that he has a huge ego and believes this will be some fairy tale reunion where everyone will suddenly make nice. I don't mean that James is a bad guy but he has a tendency to steamroll over people and do things "for their own good." Every argument I've made against this party has prompted him to lecture me and act like he knows so much better because he's 7 years older than me.
It's true that my Dad can be difficult but I don't want him to feel ambushed on his birthday. If James keeps refusing to cancel should I warn my dad? Or do I just kick back with a glass of wine and watch the drama unfold?
( response and update )
My brother has organized an ill-advised surprise party for my father's 75th birthday.
Our father is a complete introvert and also very exacting. He likes things to be a certain way, and gets tense and angry if everything is not perfectly to his taste. He hates loud places and large groups of people. Unfortunately, he's always used excessive alcohol to handle social engagements and gets belligerent when drunk.
Because of all of this, I was surprised when my brother, "James" told me that he'd planned a surprise birthday party of 30 guests for my dad at a new restaurant. The guest list includes the following extremely awkward confirmed attendees: our aunt (dad's semi-estranged sister) who is an overbearing religious fanatic none of us can stand; our mother (dad's ex-wife) who is resented by our dad and hated by our aforementioned aunt because of the divorce; and a number of neighbors who our dad has been feuding with off and on for the last 20 years.
I asked my mom why she was going along with this and she said James called in a big favor she owed him and she felt like she couldn’t say no, so he’s pulling out all the stops to make this happen.
I don't know how James could possibly think this is a good idea, except that he has a huge ego and believes this will be some fairy tale reunion where everyone will suddenly make nice. I don't mean that James is a bad guy but he has a tendency to steamroll over people and do things "for their own good." Every argument I've made against this party has prompted him to lecture me and act like he knows so much better because he's 7 years older than me.
It's true that my Dad can be difficult but I don't want him to feel ambushed on his birthday. If James keeps refusing to cancel should I warn my dad? Or do I just kick back with a glass of wine and watch the drama unfold?
( response and update )
New story in anthology -- out now!
Dec. 6th, 2025 03:29 pmgenartiI have various longer posts to make (job transition news, a write-up of a truly hilarious theater experience, etc), but in the meantime, a quick post to let you know that the Murderfish anthology, which I have a story in, is now officially out and available for purchase!
Murderfish is, as it says on the tin, an anthology of stories about murderous fish. (Its predecessors were Murderbirds and Murderbugs, which cracks me up every time I think about it.) Each story features a different kind of sea life, as well as very cool art of them all! I haven't read all the rest yet, but I'm excited to, and it looks like there are a whole lot of genres involved. My story, "In Sheets of Seaweed," is about a woman in the simultaneously privileged and precarious position of being a prince's mistress, who dreams increasingly of sharks calling to her; I called it my "shark selkie" story for a long time before I thought of a title, and in fact after. I'm very fond of this story, and I'm delighted it's found a home at last.
The ebook is available here and the paperback here. The audiobook is coming soon, but hasn't been unveiled quite yet.
Those are both Amazon links, though not affiliate ones. If you're like me and prefer to avoid buying things through Amazon, full support, but for the moment that's all I have. I've asked if it'll be available on other sites as well, and I'll update when I get an answer.
Murderfish is, as it says on the tin, an anthology of stories about murderous fish. (Its predecessors were Murderbirds and Murderbugs, which cracks me up every time I think about it.) Each story features a different kind of sea life, as well as very cool art of them all! I haven't read all the rest yet, but I'm excited to, and it looks like there are a whole lot of genres involved. My story, "In Sheets of Seaweed," is about a woman in the simultaneously privileged and precarious position of being a prince's mistress, who dreams increasingly of sharks calling to her; I called it my "shark selkie" story for a long time before I thought of a title, and in fact after. I'm very fond of this story, and I'm delighted it's found a home at last.
The ebook is available here and the paperback here. The audiobook is coming soon, but hasn't been unveiled quite yet.
Those are both Amazon links, though not affiliate ones. If you're like me and prefer to avoid buying things through Amazon, full support, but for the moment that's all I have. I've asked if it'll be available on other sites as well, and I'll update when I get an answer.
PHs #81-89 [just 81 left]
Dec. 7th, 2025 09:23 amyuletidemods posting in yuletide_pinch_hitsThis post is no longer being updated, but see below for request details if you are interested in treating! For all pinch hits currently needed, see https://yuletide-pinch-hits.dreamwidth.org/tag/currently-needed
We have one repeat pinch hit and 8 new pinch hits, numbered #81-89. These pinch hits are due at the main assignment deadline of Wednesday 17 December at 9pm UTC.
Comments are turned off for this community. To claim a pinch hit, please email the mods at yuletideadmin@gmail.com and:
For example, if your AO3 username is yuletidehippo and you want to claim Pinch Hit #42 for AwsomRecip, you might email us with the subject line “PH 42 for AwsomRecip” and “I’m yuletidehippo on AO3” in the body of the email. As was the case previously, if you don’t receive a reply you did not get the pinch hit.
Also! We now have a pinch hitters' prompts post! If you weren't signed up and you're pinch hitting, your rare fandom prompts are very welcome!
For your original assignments and earlier assignments - keep in mind the default deadline of 9pm UTC 10 December. It's coming up fast, as is the main deadline.
Request 1 by redgear
Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter
Characters: Hollós Gyula (Hallo itt Mátyás király)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
---
I love everything about Gyula - I'd love to hear the story of where and how he learned any of the things he knows, including whatever digs he was on with Károly where he learned so much about the Iazyges! I'm also obsessed by how much he wants to just get shit done and how dedicated he is to changing things, even when Károly and the Professor try to talk him down, even when all the rest of them accept life as it is, he just never gives up. I'd love him to be narratively allowed to do the industrial revolution he dreams of :3 Maybe they all (or Gyula alone) time travels to earlier in history, when Mátyás was less constrained by war and necessity and had more time to deal with them? Of course Gyula alone would have difficulties of his own, since he's not exactly a historian, but he'd put his head down and get on with it I'm sure :D
I will happily ship Gyula with anyone and everyone, including OCs <3
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 2 by redgear
Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi (TV 2006)
Characters: Hunyadi László (Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Mátyás or Erzsébet death
---
I love this version of László - how his grief turns to anger turns to menace so fast when he's dealing with Ulrich and Ladislaus, how passionate he is with Maria, and how sweet he is with Matthias, coaxing him on that of course he'll find some girl who likes him someday :D He contains multitudes! I completely adore how he's so capable, and yet there's still that streak of impulsive overconfidence and that trust that leads him to disaster.
I'd love anything more about him - precanon fic with his parents? More about his relationship with Maria, or his relationship with Matthias? Or AU where he doesn't die (permanently) is also very welcome! Maybe he's imprisoned or banished (I always love a gay-marriage-disinheritance-AU)? I also love ghosts and other supernatural ways for people to not perma-die, as well as time travel! If you're continuing past the point where he dies, feel free to either follow the continuity of the series or go as divergent-AU as you'd like.
I will happily ship László with anyone except King Ladislaus or Ulrich and gen is of course always welcome.
I'm also very fond of the messenger that comes to tell Erzsébet that Ulrich is dead, that poor guy lol. I'd love to know more about him if you'd like to include him. Maybe he was with János and László for a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 3 by redgear
Mátyás király | Matthias Rex - Kubinyi András
Characters: I. Mátyás magyar király | Matthias I of Hungary (Matthias Rex - Kubinyi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
- Romantic love between Matthias and Beatrice (a political marriage is very welcome, I adore scheming and political maneuvering on both sides!)
---
There are so many just narratively fascinating stories in this bio that I'd love fic about! Tell me more about Matthias doing his own army's recon, getting captured, and talking himself out of it by pretending to be a local groom! Or what it was like for those months trapped alone in Prague after Ladislaus died, not knowing what was going to happen to him. Or struggling with Mihály for control of the government, or deciding he couldn't risk war with the Ottomans and had to imprison Vlad, or finding out just in time about any of the plots against him... I love terrible things happening to him and him coming back from them stronger, colder, more resilient <3
I'm also very interested though in more slice of life stuff: tell me about a day in the life of the roman military history nerd, the renaissance art superfan, the soldier, the diplomat, the propagandist, the guy who fell in love at first sight at a dance. I am really into the speculations Kubinyi makes about his personality/motivations throughout all these!
And I always love time travel, any variety of it, from historical characters going to the future, people from the future coming back, or people time traveling back to their younger selves.
I'll ship Matthias with anyone who isn't DNWed; ocs are welcome in ship as well as gen fic.r a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by misspamela
Worlds Beyond Number (Podcast)
Characters: Suvirin "Suvi" Kedberiket, Ame (Worlds Beyond Number), Eursulon Toma, Worldbuilding (Worlds Beyond Number: The Wizard the Witch and the Wild One)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
A day in the life of the fox! Scenes from the children's adventure! Futurefic using the Witch class and the Wizard of the Citadel class! And adventure rooted in D&D knowledge! More of the wonderful, magical world! Anything exploring the trio's friendships in any combination.
Dislikes: Humiliation, scat, watersports, unresolved pining, unhappy endings, major character death. Normally I like AUs but I would really prefer canon for all these prompts. Please no modern AUs
No letter
Request 2 by misspamela
Astreiant Series - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett
Characters: Nicolas Rathe, Philip Eslingen
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I love themmmmmm, I would love casefic that also includes their relationship, POV from either Philip or Nico as they are getting together, explicit fic from after they've gotten together, any exploration of their feelings that we only get a glimpse of in canon.
Likes: Canon compliant for these particular fandoms, mutual pining, character studies, pining while fucking, banter, exploration of magic systems getting together, angst with a happy ending.
Dislikes: Humiliation, scat, watersports, unresolved pining, unhappy endings, major character death. Normally I like AUs but I would really prefer canon for all these prompts.
No letter
Request 3 by misspamela
Dimension 20 (Web Series) - Campaign 17: Mentopolis
Characters: Hunch Curio (Campaign 17: Mentopolis), The Fix (Campaign 17: Mentopolis)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
Mentopolis was one of my all time favorite seasons of D20! I loved how the worldbuilding wove all the brain structures in there with the mystery, and I loved the glimpses of what happens in the outside world as the characters react.
I would love: In-universe casefic. More of Imelda Pulse. A cameo by Dan Fucks! Maybe The Big Guy goes on a date? I would also love the story of the REAL Stacy Fakename
Do Not Want: Anything darker in tone than canon, unhappy endings.
No letter
Request 4 by misspamela
Hades II (Video Game)
Characters: Melinoë (Hades II Video Game), Nemesis (Hades II Video Game)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
My ideal fic would be explicit, antagonistic Mel/Nem hot springs action, but if you aren't comfotable with that, that's ok! I'd also like Nemesis POV on Melinoe and their developing relationship, as well as fun Mel/Zag sibling banter.
Want: Heat and humor, fun with the canon
Do not want: Any modern day or other setting AU, unhappy endings
No letter
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by XenomorphLiebe
The Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff Vandermeer
Characters: Control | John Rodriguez, Whitby Allen
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I would love a fic about Control and Whitby (see my letter for more details). Their relationship is so ??? I love how Control is all "what a weirdo" at Whitby while literally insisting everyone call him "Control." They have a weird affinity for each other: Whitby wanted to show the mural to Control on his first day (why?), and Control is too empathetic to not feel something akin to pity for Whitby, even as he's totally creeped out by Whitby's ~*~everything~*~
Prompts:
- AU where John fails to escape Area X in time when it expands in Authority.
- Retelling of Authority (maybe *that* scene) from Whitby's perspective.
- Somehow, bunny!John survives and stumbles across Whitby. This would be great for exploring the post-series world and the perspective of humans that have turned into animals.
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
Request 2 by XenomorphLiebe
Blackwell Series (Video Games)
Characters: Joey Mallone, Rosangela Blackwell
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
The Blackwell Epiphany has the honour of being the only video game that has ever made me cry. I love everything about Blackwell: the art, the humour, the character writing, the clever puzzles, the voice acting. And the core of it all is Joey and Rosa's relationship. They're literally stuck with each other, but you can feel the devotion and care and familiarity that they share. My heart is so full of love for them. I don't really ship them, but I don't have strong feelings either way.
I don't have any specific prompts for Blackwell, but I'd love to see a case fic set some time between Legacy and Epiphany. Or, a day in the life of Rosa and Joey would be great. I've played all the WadgetEye releases in the same universe (The Shivah, Unavowed, Old Skies), so a crossover between any of these and Blackwell would be very appreciated.
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
Request 3 by XenomorphLiebe
The Sopranos (TV)
Characters: Tony Soprano, Christopher Moltisanti
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I don't know where to start. I am obsessed with Chris and Tony's relationship. I have written thousands upon thousands of words in my notes app about these two. They are the absolute fucking worst. I can't stop posting about them (see my letter for links). I have so many thoughts, I could write a book about Chris and Tony.
First off, I absolutely ship Chris/Tony, so any Chris/Tony fic is very, very welcome. But I'd love literally anything about their fucked up relationship, especially pre-series fic. There is so much love there, but it's a possessive, insecure love, which in C. S. Lewis's terms, transforms into a "natural hate." Tony cannot stand the idea of Chris leaving him, and he'd rather see Chris dead than gone from him. It takes the slightest thing for Tony to feel rejected, and then he lashes out. And Chris is so... he's so desperate for Tony's love, even at his own expense. And he's so insecure in his relationship with Tony. Even at the start of the series, he's quick to believe that Tony wants him dead. They are both so psycho about each other, and I need a fic about them stat.
I'm totally here for series typical realism, but I'd love to see crazy, out there mash-ups (Arthurian/fairytale retellings, anyone?) and supernatural stories (in the vein of Macbeth, for instance). Spooky Sopranos is best Sopranos.
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
Request 4 by XenomorphLiebe
Twin Peaks (TV 1990)
Characters: Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks), Albert Rosenfield
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Twin Peaks is a strange, magical series that can be best labelled "cozy horror." I'm pretty certain that this year will be the last that it qualifies for Yuletide, so I thought it best to request it. Twin Peaks is a series I love for its gorgeous Pacific North West setting, for its horror elements, for the mystery angle, and for its complex characters, such as Audrey, Laura, and Albert.
I love Albert. I love how clear-sighted Albert is about the Laura's death, and I love his speech about pacifism. I like how Albert provides the "bitter" to Cooper's "sweet." Despite their differences, Cooper and Albert's relationship is built on an obvious mutual respect. I do ship Dale/Albert, but I'd be happy with a story about their platonic relationship.
I don't have specific prompts, but I'd love any kind of case fic featuring these two (pre-series, or maybe post-series with possessed!Coop). I also welcome crossovers with this fandom, especially crossovers with my other requested fandoms. (I will give my firstborn child to whoever writes a Blackwell-verse and Twin Peaks crossover). Or, some kind of fairytale retelling featuring these two (I'm thinking Tam Lin---instead of the Faerie Queen, Albert must face BOB to rescue Dale).
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by Trobadora
绅探 | Detective L (TV)
Characters: Luo Fei (Detective L), Huo Wensi
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: submissive or exclusive bottom Huo Wensi; unrequited romantic and/or sexual interest between Luo Fei and Huo Wensi.
Canon link: Youtube
Request details/Prompts:
I adore Luo Fei - he's quick and smart; he's sometimes sweet, sometimes abrasive; he can be a total mess (particularly regarding Captain). And Huo Wensi's calm cleverness and amused reaction to Luo Fei intrigued me from the start, but what particularly hit me was seeing him being beaten up in a prison courtyard while the look on his face said he was exactly where he'd planned to be. Together, the two of them absolutely fascinate me.
Dr Huo brings out very intriguing reactions in Luo Fei. Luo Fei is prickly and rude towards him without apparent reason, right from the start. He distances himself during their interactions, standing or sitting off to the side, looking away, or walking right out. He claims not to believe in psychology, but at the same time repeatedly puts considerable stock in Dr Huo's professional opinion, even after Dr Huo is in prison. Luo Fei wants nothing to do with Dr Huo - but doesn't turn him down when Dr Huo asks him to help him court Xiaoman. And when Luo Fei desperately wants someone to confirm his theory that Captain is faking, he appeals to Dr Huo. Their dynamic doesn't change even after Dr Huo is arrested. I'm very into the tangle of intense emotion/frustration/(dis)trust/obsession/intellectual appreciation between them, love and desire included if you want, and I'd love anything that plays on it or explores where it's coming from, whether it's slash or gen. Anything that involves them having lots of tension, and/or resolving that tension - and regardless of how it goes, some genuine connection - would be great. Plot or PWP or character exploration, it's all good!
Some ideas: A missing case or a moment from one where they're are forced to work more closely together? I also love the parallels between them, right down to them solving cases from the same clues, and would love something that leaned into that. Or what's Dr Huo's take on Luo Fei's behaviour towards him, as a psychologist? Do they have backstory that explains Luo Fei's attitude? Were they lovers once? A bad breakup could explain a lot! How about a missing scene where they have a relapse? Maybe Dr Huo manipulates Luo Fei into it, or maybe he's carried away himself. (Maybe both.) Or something about Dr Huo's role as a psychologist, in a case that has nothing to do with his extracurricular affairs. I'd also love to see them dancing - literally or metaphorically.
At the end of the show, Luo Fei is certain he has outwitted Dr Huo. Has Dr Huo lost control of his own plan? When he detonates the bombs, is he choosing suicide as his only way out? (Does he survive despite that?) Or is Dr Huo that good an actor, and it's still all going according to plan? He has previously demonstrated a willingness to get himself arrested and beaten up in order to achieve his purposes, after all. And if Captain was faking all this time - what if they end up working together against the real Captain after the bridge, despite everything? Or what about an alternate ending where things go differently after Dr Huo's escape from prison? Or some post-canon cat-and-mouse push-and-pull between them would be fantastic. Something twisty and evil on Dr Huo's part that's directed at Luo Fei is also welcome, so long as it doesn't end entirely unhappily for either character. Likewise, redemption for Dr Huo would be great, but them remaining on opposite sides is also good, so long as there's some genuine mutual connection there.
Also, in most of their scenes, Qin Xiaoman is stuck right in the middle of it all, talking to Dr Huo when Luo Fei won't, and being almost-courted by Dr Huo. She trusts his good intentions, for the most part, but doesn't always accept his conclusions. I'd love to see her perspective, or how her inclusion might affect any of the scenarios Luo Fei and Huo Wensi might find themselves in.
More thoughts: episode reactions up to episode 18
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 2 by Trobadora
Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling
Characters: Kashtiliash (Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling), Raupasha (Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters (except for Kashtiliash with his wife and concubines); humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: Kashtiliash and Kathryn breaking up.
Request details/Prompts:
Ever since I discovered these books back in 2010, I've been fascinated with the culture clash in the trilogy - between people from the present and people from the Bronze age (historical or original), and later also between second-generation Nantucketers and everyone else. But what especially caught my imagination was the experience of the "downtimers" whose world and culture are changing right around them, and who are adapting to this new world.
Kashtiliash, as an actual historical figure whose history is radically changed by the arrival of people from the future, is right at the heart of it all - and as prince and then king, he's one of the people in a position to shape these changes. Raupasha is propelled into the centre of events in a different way when the changed history puts her in position to make a significant difference for her own life, for her people, and for Kashtiliash, whose enemy Tukulti-Ninurta she kills and whose father she saves. I would love a story that has these two interacting!
Kashtiliash is smart and adaptable and open to the new, but never to the point of forgetting the realities of the situation - the problems caused by the changes as much as the good. He sees the inevitability of change, and he's quick to adapt where necessary, but he's also very aware of the imbalance of power between his people and the Nantukhtar, and determined not to let them take too much control from him. I'd love to see more of him navigating all this. For Raupasha and her people, on the other hand, the Nantukhtar and Kenneth Hollard in particular are saviours, opening up an entire world of possibilities as she learns to navigate both the political situation and the strange context of conflicting cultures she finds herself in. Between her feelings for Kenneth and her drive to improve her people's situation, her missteps and successes, she grows into someone capable of having significant impact on the future of their world. I would love to see more of her growth.
Both Kashtiliash and Raupasha end up in a relationship with someone from Nantucket, and with siblings at that. I'd love to see anything about the culture clash in those relationships, perhaps a time when their different cultural context puts extreme strains on them. Or perhaps they find support in each other for the kinds of things that neither can truly talk about to outsiders? Anything that involves these two dealing with the balancing act between old and new would be great.
I'd also love something about Kashtiliash's views on women changing, not just through Kathryn Hollard in particular and the Nantukhtar in general, but also through Raupasha. Or something about politics regarding Mitanni, and Raupasha taking an active role in the planning. What if she had become queen of Mitanni after all? Or what happens to the alliance between Babylon and Nantucket once there's no longer a clear common enemy? What if Babylon's relationship with Nantucket becomes soured at some point? Or would post-series Raupasha, even if she can't be queen, really turn her back on her people and leave? What could she do instead? What if her ideas don't fit with Kenneth's? Or what if Kashtiliash has plans for her that don't agree with Kenneth's - how would Raupasha handle being caught in the middle?
Or for something more experimental, maybe a history written in the future of this 'verse, examining Kashtiliash's and Raupasha's roles and impact?
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 3 by Trobadora
Ring of Swords - Eleanor Arnason
Characters: Ettin Gwarha, Sanders Nicholas
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters (except for Nicky with other hwarhath); humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for imitating the canon voice with Nicky's diary, or for unusual media such as other in-universe documents).
Request details/Prompts:
When I discovered this book in December 2011, it completely swept me away. I love so many things about it, from the clashing gender dynamics to the canonical m/m, from the truly alien hwarhath culture to the possibly-but-probably-not intelligent alien sea creatures Anna studies, from the Shakespeare (Mats's version of Macbeth!) to Nicky's journal and Gwarha's glosses. Most of all I'm fascinated with the culture clash between the humans and the hwarhath, and in particular Nicky's history among them, from being captured 20 years ago to the end of the book and beyond, and how much of it is bound up with Gwarha in particular. So I'm requesting Sanders Nicholas (to use the hwarhath name order), and Ettin Gwarha, and would love any story that gives me these two at any point during their timeline.
Nicky is particularly dear to my heart. He's one of those characters with a rare lack of ego. I often say that my preference is for the control freaks, but that's only because the other type of character I love every bit as much is so vanishingly rare. That's the kind of person whose main trait is adaptability and lack of pridefulness - the kind who can give in, mould themselves around circumstances, pragmatically do whatever needs to be done without letting pride get in the way, but also without being diminished by it or losing their grounding within themselves. Nicky the liar, who twists himself around circumstances and always, always tries to find the right angle, can be every bit as subtle and scheming as other Machiavellian characters I've loved, and he has sarcasm to spare, but if he were a control freak he'd never have survived. And I adore that Gwarha, despite his cultural conditioning and almost despite himself, has come to love and appreciate the twistier traits in Nicky.
I would adore a story that showed some part of how these two arrived at that point, or during the book, or where they go after. Anything about their history together - from Gwarha watching Nicky being tortured, and being the one to tell Nicky it's over, to their established relationship at the beginning of the book, during the events we see, and after. How did they go from first encountering each other under those circumstances to becoming lovers? How did their relationship develop? How does Nick learn to navigate the gender-segregated hwarhath society? (Gwarha POV on this might be cool.) Or a slice-of-life story somewhere during the pre-book or post-book years together? Nicky's first encounter with Gwarha's aunts? Or anything about the two of them learning to understand each other, and each other's background, better. Or more about the inherent inequalities in their relationship, and how they navigate those in public vs. in private. Or something during the negotiations shown in the book? And I'm very curious about their first meeting after Nicky returns to Gwarha toward the end of the book, which the book tragically skipped. I always wanted to see that scene! Where do they go from there? Or more from Nicky's journal, with Gwarha commenting on it? Just something about those two, please. :)
(Also, I'm generally not fond of alien species whose entire civilisation is organised according to cultural clichés of violence as a masculine trait, but I like how the book deconstructs it for the hwarhath at least inside the masculine sphere, and would definitely be interested if you wanted to include some deconstruction for the female sphere as well, so far as that's possible in a story focusing on male characters.)
For more of my general thoughts on the book, this excellent article is spot on in my opinion.
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 4 by Trobadora
Starfire Series - Various Authors
Characters: Zhaarnak'diaano | Zhaarnak'telmasa, Raymond Prescott
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Request details/Prompts:
I love space battles and military SF, but in the Starfire 'verse I'm most fascinated by the relationship between Terrans and Orions in general (the whole enemies-turned-allies aspect is right up my alley), and between Zhaarnak'telmasa (or Zhaarnak'diaano, early on) and Raymond Prescott in particular. (I really love Crusade, In Death Ground and The Shiva Option, but I'm not that fond of the later Starfire books, and I'd appreciate it if we could set them aside. Since I'm only requesting characters from IDG/TSO, that shouldn't be a problem.)
I love unlikely pairs like Zhaarnak and Prescott, and I love the way their interactions develop, from their early uneasy cooperation to the vilkshatha brothers whose closeness is palpable on the page. I love the way they balance and mirror each other - even in an inherently hierarchical context, they constantly switch roles and manage to make a rotating command structure work for them. And the same in other respects - for example, it's generally Zhaarnak who pushes both of them to rush into danger, with Prescott the voice of caution, except when Prescott starts to push, and then Zhaarnak starts playing the voice of caution. I couldn't say which of them I loved more right from the start - Zhaarnak the prideful bigot who overcomes his bigotry because he doesn't let his prejudices blind him to what's happening right in front of his face, or Prescott the lover of Orion culture who can, without any resentment, decide to accept Zhaarnak's command because it's the most practical thing to do. (Prescott actually exemplifies one of my favourite character types - I generally say that my preference is for the control freaks, but that's only because the other type of character I love every bit as much is so vanishingly rare. That's the kind of person whose main trait is adaptability and lack of pridefulness - the kind who can mould themselves around circumstances, do whatever needs to be done without letting pride get in the way, but also without being diminished by it or losing their grounding within themselves.)
Anything with these two interacting would make me happy. A missing scene from any point in their relationship, futurefic, or a canon divergence AU; gen or slash - it's all good. A few ideas: What is it like, early on, for Prescott to serve under Zhaarnak? Does he ever doubt his decision? And Zhaarnak himself finds out about what Prescott did just before the Bugs attack, but we never get to see the scene where he tells Prescott he knows. How does it go? Or during their years of joint fleet command in Zephrain, how do they make their rotating command structure work? What happens the first time they actually disagree? I'd particularly love to see this while Zhaarnak is in command. Outsider POV on this might be cool - someone expecting a clash of the titans, and not getting it? (Honestly, I'd be here for outsider POV on every aspect of their relationship, and how unusual it is and how obviously it works even when it really shouldn't.) Or the aftermath of Operation Pesthouse - when did Zhaarnak find out about it? How did their first meeting afterwards go? Some h/c might be in order. Or something set post-TSO - what do they do after the war? How do they manage to keep in touch, once they're no longer working closely together? Something about Prescott meeting (and perhaps fitting into) Zhaarnak's family would be delightful. (Is Zhaarnak married? How does his wife or other family react to his changed opinions about Terrans? What about Zhaarnak's father, who we know is a bigot?) So would be anything that delves deeper into Orion culture, and what it means for Prescott to actually become part of it with the vilkshatha oath. When Zhaarnak'diaano becomes Zhaarnak'telmasa, he's establishing a new clan, and Prescott is part of it. What role does he play for other clan members? Or how about an AU - what would have happened if they'd met for the first time under different circumstances? What if they'd met as enemies? Seriously, anything!
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 5 by Trobadora
长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng (Web Series)
Characters: Li Yunzhen, Gu Xuanqing
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters (except for Li Yunzhen with her guards); humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: submissive Li Yunzhen; Li Yunzhen not enjoying dominating her partner.
Canon link: combined video
(Note: The English subs misspell some of the character names - the princess is 李云贞 Li Yunzhen, not -zheng, and the emperor is 李承临 Li Chenglin, not -ling.)
Request details/Prompts:
This mini-drama crams so much into its short runtime - enough for a full-length drama with all the spy shenanigans (trust, loyalty, betrayal!), the political intrigue and the insanely charged interactions between Li Yunzhen and Gu Xuanqing, the slow development of their relationship. It's an absolute delight. And the condensed format means that everything is distilled down to its most crucial and dramatic moments, which leaves a great deal of space for fic - both expanding on the drama itself, and what might happen afterwards.
Li Yunzhen is brilliant and scheming and kinky, and deceives everyone - I love the complex plan she devises, with everything hinging on her own ability to play her part, and she never falters, pulling it off perfectly all on her own even while falling for the man sent to spy on her. I love how even her own servants never suspect what she's really up to, much less her enemies. And I love Gu Xuanqing gradually realising the princess's public image and her character as he gets to know her don't add up, falling for her while seeing through part of her façade but not nearly all. I love his dedication and loyalty to his duty/the Emperor (he never considers betraying his mission, even while deceiving Li Yunzhen is increasingly weighing on him), but more and more also to the princess (even believing her to be corrupt, he still chooses to return to her and put himself into her hands), and the conflict between those sides, tension and divided loyalties and all. I love the dynamics between them and how they develop, the unapologetic kinkiness of it all. Li Yunzhen so clearly enjoys herself playing/being the dominant seducer - and Gu Xuanqing is entirely unprepared for finding himself actually into it, and wanting to hand himself over to her for real. And the only way he can balance things, at one point, is to keep deceiving her while accepting whatever punishment she hands out ...!
Seriously, I want more of anything and everything - the romance, the BDSM, the spy shenanigans, the loyalty kink, the political intrigue. :D
Some ideas: moments in between the scenes, adding more build-up to the tension or lingering on the fallout of events? Li Yunzhen's thoughts and feelings as she incorporates Gu Xuanqing into her plans, perhaps changing plans as she gets to know him and starts falling for him/trusting him? More of Gu Xuanqing's dilemma, and how he deals with discovering he wants to hand himself over to this apparently corrupt princess? How does she feel about that? All the loyalty issues, questions of trust, punishment tropes, that sort of thing - lean into this stuff and I will be very happy! Or if you'd like to incorporate backstory, maybe something with flashbacks to how Li Yunzhen came up with her plan, how she pulled it all off and built her reputation? Maybe post-canon, she tells Gu Xuanqing about it all? I'm also curious about her and her harem of bodyguards - what has she been doing with them? How did she gain her sexual confidence? What does Gu Xuanqing think about all of that? How do things change after the two of them get together - do they change? I'd also love anything about Li Yunzhen enjoying herself dominating Gu Xuanqing, or maybe her discovering just how much Gu Xuanqing is into it. Porn would be very welcome here. But non-sexual kink would be just as delightful! Or anything these two get up to together, in and out of bed. Post-canon, what do they do long-term? Li Yunzhen says she'll withdraw from court, but I can't imagine her being into a life of leisure, and I'd love to see any scheming she could do for her brother, and what part Gu Xuanqing might play in that.
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 6 by Trobadora
L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials
Characters: Time Engraver (L'Oreal "Time Engraver" Commercials), Worldbuilding (L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: submissive or exclusive bottom Time Engraver.
Canon links: 2019 commercial | 2020 commercial
Request details/Prompts:
I love these commercials. Despite also being a vehicle for an "O NOES NOT THE WRINKLES" product, they're fantastic little mini-films. Back when the first commercial came out in 2019, I immediately fell in love with the character and concept of the Time Engraver> - the mythology, the way he chats at and about his subjects, the way he relates to the world. All the worldbuilding possibilities of what can be done with a concept like that, and a character who could exist anywhere, interact with anyone.
I'd love anything about the Time Engraver and his world, about the people he encounters, about him actually interacting with the world. Something plotty or introspective or romantic, more mythic or more grounded - gen, het, slash, anything would be great. There's fascinating worldbuilding to play with and expand on: Who/what is the Time Engraver? Is he an anthropomorphic personification of time? One of many aspects of such, each with their own workshop? Something else? Does he interact with other supernatural entities? What powers exactly does he have? Why does he present himself as a craftsman? He's talking at his subjects, but has he ever talked to humans directly? Does he sometimes venture out into the human world - can he? What if one of his subjects wakes up, or otherwise finds out about him? What happens if he develops an interest in a mortal? What if he falls in love?
I've always been fascinated by mortal/immortal relationships, romantic or otherwise, so I'd love to see some of that. Whether with someone who's leading an ordinary life, or someone who's already immersed in the non-mundane, either would be equally fascinating. And for something shippy, I would absolutely love the Time Engraver falling in love with a mortal, and vice versa. Tragedy is sort of baked into the concept of this kind of pairing, and I'm all here for a lot of angst, but would very much prefer a hopeful ending. Reincarnation tropes would be awesome for this - I'd love to see the Time Engraver waiting for his lover's reincarnation, or finding them again and again across time.
For relationships, it could be anyone the Time Engraver meets. From the commercials, I have a particular fondness for "Sunny", the woman in the second (2020) commercial who doesn't show emotions, and would love to see more of her, and the role of the Time Engraver in her life. What if she remembers him? He's had a huge effect on her; how does she feel about that? What if she seeks him out? What if she wakes up the next time the Time Engraver brings her into his workshop?
I'd also totally be here for a crossover with various characters played by Bai Yu, if that's of interest of you. (Luo Fei? Jiang Yang? The version from the Pizza Hut commercials? Zhao Yunlan, in a Guardian drama fusion where Shen Wei is the Time Engraver rather than the Black-Cloaked Envoy? I'd love any of these!)
For sex scenes, if applicable I prefer the Time Engraver topping or domming.
I preferred the first commercial's aesthetic, but find the white aesthetic in the second one intriguing. I'd also love an exploration of why his workshop looks so different - minimalist, and more like a museum - in the 2020 commercial. (Which one is earlier in his timeline? I could see it going either way.) And if you'd like to subvert the "O NOES WRINKLES" aspect of the commercial somehow, that would be great too. :)
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 7 by Trobadora
1632 Series - Various Authors
Characters: John Chandler Simpson
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: Simpson and his wife breaking up.
Canon links: 1632 | 1633 | In the Navy
Request details/Prompts:
Yes, I'm (once again) requesting two modern-place-thrown-into-the-past series. *g* But my request here is rather different from the one for the Nantucket trilogy. I'm less interested in the general uptime/downtime clash here, maybe because the 17th century is nowhere near as far from modern day as the Bronze age, and also because I don't feel the series always does so well with actual 17th century mentality.
Instead, there's another aspect that captured my interest. I dithered over this request for a while, because in 1632, John Chandler Simpson is not only an out-and-out villain, but a very unpleasant, all too real one, the kind that has only become less tolerable to me in fiction given real-life political developments over the last decade. But I'm still very much interested in what drew me in the first place, and the theme of even people who were truly awful growing and becoming better.
In the sequel, 1633, Simpson is given much more depth and gets excellent character development, and he becomes fascinating and compelling to me. I'm very interested in the idea of someone turning himself into a villain in the worst way by going all-out with a strict end-justifies-the-means strategy ... only to fail, and then to discover those means weren't actually necessary after all. And then to have to grapple with the awfulness of what he actually did. Now he's living with the consequences, and that's a theme that very much speaks to me. (He's also an introverted control freak, which is a character type I have always loved.) I also enjoy watching competent characters be competent, and unexpected competence is even better - which is possibly why I enjoy Simpson so much in David Weber's short story In the Navy. It also hits another of my buttons, characters defying expectation. (See also: Simpson as a sci-fi fan, which never fails to amuse me.) So I would love a story about Simpson that lets his positive qualities shine without diminishing his faults.
Some ideas: I very much appreciate Simpson's wife, Mary Simpson, who is cut from the same cloth as he and walked that path right into villainy with him in 1632, and like him, now has to deal with the aftermath, and finding a place for herself/themselves in their new circumstances. Their marriage nearly breaks under the strain of it - I'd love to see more about how they get past that. They're a great match, and I'd like to see them interact more - maybe plotting some bit of joint social/political manipulation? Mary helping him navigate society? Or the reconciliation with their son that we never actually got to see in the books. Anything about how to move forward after what they both did, how to do better, how to even begin to try and make up for it in any meaningful sense. I also enjoy Simpson's interactions with Eddie Cantrell very much, so more of that would be great. More Simpson mentoring a reluctant Eddie? Or something about the other people under his command, particularly the Germans, who obviously have every reason to hate his guts, to start with. Or just Simpson by himself, trying to come to terms with what he did, and learning to admit the awfulness of it to himself.
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by Pegasus143
Growing Up (Video Game)
Characters: Jake Fletcher (Growing Up Video Game), Buddy (Growing Up Video Game)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: incest, pregnancy, first person POV (unless epistolary), setting-change AUs, infidelity
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, impact play, rape/noncon, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 2 by Pegasus143
Signs of the Sojourner (Video Game)
Characters: Main Character | Rhea (Signs of the Sojourner), Anais (Signs of the Sojourner)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
DNWs: incest, graphic depictions of violence, first person POV (unless epistolary), death of a requested character, setting-change AUs
Prompts:
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 3 by Pegasus143
群青のファンファーレ | Gunjou no Fanfare | Fanfare of Adolescence (Anime)
Characters: Houshou Hayato, Sakuraba Soujirou
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: incest, pregnancy, first person POV (unless epistolary), setting-change AUs, character death, graphic depictions of violence, infidelity
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, impact play, rape/noncon, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 4 by Pegasus143
The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards
Characters: Rune Saint John, Addam Saint Nicholas, Brand Saint John
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: pregnancy, on-screen character death, setting-change AUs
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, impact play, rape/noncon (references to Rune's backstory are fine), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 5 by Pegasus143
Tetro Danganronpa Series (Web Series)
Characters: Tei Atsushi (Tetro Danganronpa), Akiba Taku (Tetro Danganronpa)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: pregnancy, first person pov (unless epistolary), death of a requested character
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, rape/noncon (references to canonical backstories are fine), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by cuethesun
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Characters: Ed Exley, Bud White, Lynn Bracken
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Please check the letter!
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 2 by cuethesun
Heat (1995)
Characters: Vincent Hanna, Neil McCauley
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 3 by cuethesun
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Characters: Nicholas Angel, Danny Butterman
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 4 by cuethesun
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Characters: Mr. White | Lawrence "Larry" Dimick, Mr. Orange | Freddy Newendyke
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 5 by cuethesun
Ready or Not (2019)
Characters: Daniel Le Domas (Ready or Not (2019)), Grace Le Domas (Ready or Not (2019))
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 6 by cuethesun
Magic Knight Rayearth
Characters: Shidou Hikaru, Eagle Vision, Lantis (Magic Knight Rayearth)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 7 by cuethesun
The Fugitive (Movies)
Characters: Samuel Gerard (The Fugitive (Movies)), Richard Kimble (The Fugitive (Movies))
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 8 by cuethesun
Scrubs (TV)
Characters: John "JD" Dorian, Perry Cox
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by Phlyarologist
Lord Ermenwyr Series - Kage Baker
Characters: Ermenwyr of House Kingfisher, Worldbuilding (Lord Ermenwyr Series)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
I really enjoy dudes who are just awful little weasels. If they have some hidden depths and some surprising competencies, it just makes the weaseliness even better by contrast. So... ... ...that Ermenwyr, huh??? Alternatively, or in the context of an Ermenwyr-related fic if you like, I'd love more exploration of the strange world of this series.
Optional prompts at my letter!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Fandom-specific DNW exceptions: I'm fine with Ermenwyr's incestuous infatuation with Svnae as long as she doesn't reciprocate. Fine with the fact that he's had underage sex with adults, I just don't want to read anything about his sex life before the age of 15.
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
Request 2 by Phlyarologist
新・世界樹の迷宮2 ファフニールの騎士 | Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Fafnir Knight
Characters: Bertrand de Gervaise
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I really like this tired, depressed, suspicious old man and I think you should make him suffer. He's the tank, suffering is his job.
Optional prompts at my letter!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Fandom-specific DNWs: Fafnir/Arianna (Fafnir/Flavio/Arianna is okay though!); any romantic/sexual content involving Chloe (even in futurefic with adult Chloe)
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
Request 3 by Phlyarologist
Final Fantasy V
Characters: Galuf Halm Baldesion (Final Fantasy V)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
"Play FFV," people told me, "it's got Gilgamesh. It's got a hot pirate." These things are both true. Gilgamesh is there and the pirate is hot. But my surprise fave is this awesome and charming old guy. He's dealt with a lot, but he stays funny and never loses hope and I submit that there's a lot of fun dramatic-irony stuff you could do with Galuf during his amnesia era.
Optional prompts at my letter!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
Request 4 by Phlyarologist
The Face in the Frost - John Bellairs
Characters: Prospero (Face in the Frost), Roger Bacon (Face in the Frost)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I don't have a lot of specific prompts here, I was just absolutely charmed by these two and their adventures and would love to see more in a similar vein. But especially if it's shippy. See my letter for more vague nattering to this effect!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by blindmadness
Sinners (2025)
Characters: Elijah "Smoke" Moore, Elias "Stack" Moore, Mary (Sinners 2025), Annie (Sinners 2025)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
I've requested my four favorite characters, but I'm really open to basically anything for this fandom; pretty much the only thing I wouldn't want is something that focuses predominantly on any of the white characters (though I don't object to any of them showing up in the same capacity that they do in canon, I just don't want them to be central to the story). But otherwise I'm super flexible! Backstory -- Smoke and Stack growing up with Mary, or their time as soldiers or mobsters? Smoke and Annie's courtship? How Smoke and Stack befriended the Chows? Anything shippy, be it Smoke/Annie or Stack/Mary or twincest or femslash or all four of them together in some messy loving configuration--truly any combination of characters fucking would be grand. Future scenes from Stack and Mary's life between the end of the movie and the mid-credits scene! If you could think of a fun canon-divergent AU premise or even a wholecloth AU that preserves the relevant atmosphere of the canon setting (a tall order, but I'm intrigued by the prospect!), I'm down for it. I'm here for a canon-typical amount of fucked up content, anything explicit, light-hearted moments or heavier introspection -- wherever things lead you, I just want to live in this world for any additional amount of time I'm able.
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 2 by blindmadness
Rutherford Falls (TV)
Characters: Reagan Wells, Nathan Rutherford
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
This is a classic "I want more" canon for me, a show that I'm thrilled we got as much of as we did but that was cancelled way too soon! I've only nominated Nathan and Reagan because they're the heart of the story for me and I do love them best, but I'd honestly be pretty happy with anything here. Give me backstory -- how did Nathan and Reagan first become friends? How did Nathan and Bobbie meet? How about Reagan and Ray's relationship and its breakdown? Give me missing scenes from canon -- explicit sex scenes! Nathan coming home after S1 and Reagan reconciling with and also hiding him! Epistolary Reagan/Josh! Give me WHAT HAPPENS NEXT -- what does Mayor Bobbie look like? Do Nathan and Deirdre work things out? How does the Reagan-Josh-Nelson situation shake out (I have to admit to preferring Josh, but I'm fine with her ending up with either of them! or both! or neither!)? Moments from the lives of any of the other main or minor characters! Canon-divergent AUs! Role reversal AUs -- what would Reagan Rutherford and Nathan Wells look like?? Really, I just want to spend at least a little more time in this universe than canon gave us.
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 3 by blindmadness
Dirt Man - Carter Vail (Song)
Characters: Any
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
So much lore in such a short space! I welcome absolutely any direction you'd like to go here. Worldbuilding: who is the Dirt Man? Where did he come from (where did he go)? Is he a benevolent trickster or a horrifying abomination? How did this discrepancy in how well he's known come about? How long has he been around? What's the purpose of the dirt and what happens if he takes you down to his lair? The mood can be fairy-tale-y or horror-adjacent (I'd prefer nothing too explicitly horrifying, but am very much here for creepy vibes) or funny or sexy -- maybe being taken by the Dirt Man is a secret fantasy for some people! Feel free to involve some romance -- is the Dirt Man just a jilted ex about whom the guy in the video is making up a story to make him sound way worse than he is? Are the two in the video a couple and one has to rescue the other from the Dirt Man? Truly, there's SO many potential story avenues here and I welcome any combination of them.
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 4 by blindmadness
Only Murders in the Building (TV)
Characters: Will Putnam
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I feel like we don't get nearly enough Will on this show -- I know a lot is going on, but he should be way more central! He grew up directly adjacent to Mabel! His dad's relative fame and regular shenanigans should really affect his life! So I would just really, really like more of him, in any capacity. Backstory! Missing scenes of his reactions to what's going on with canon! Any feelings whatsoever about learning that Teddy Dimas is his biological father, which I am desperate to see!! Any interaction with Mabel, which the show is truly crying out for!! Also, I didn't request him because I really predominantly want a focus on Will, but I'm also desperate for any interaction between him and Theo; they also grew up together and they're half brothers! What was their relationship like as kids? As adults? Again, I really just want to see more of a character that I think the show is massively underutilizing!
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 5 by blindmadness
Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute - Make Some Noise Sketch
Characters: Guy 1 (Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute), Guy 2 (Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
These two packed so much chemistry into such a short sketch, I am absolutely obsessed with this dynamic and I need more!! Backstory about both of them leading up to their meeting -- did they notice each other prior to the fight? What happens next -- give me the scene of their meet cute in more detail, or I absolutely welcome detailed sex! Future fic -- do they keep going after Guy 2 moves to LA? Does he change his mind? Do they meet up again years later having never really forgotten about each other? I need so much more of these two than the beautiful minute and a half we got!
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 6 by blindmadness
Cyclist Friend Explains Necessity Of $35 Socks - The Onion
Characters: Kevin Washburn, Ethan Coseglia, Journalist (Cyclist Friend Explains Necessity Of $35 Socks - The Onion)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Okay, WHAT A FREAKING TREAT THIS ARTICLE WAS. I never saw the twist coming!! I am obsessed!! I desperately need to see that threesome actually happen. I'd love to see explicit sex, but would also be fine with seeing the emotional development. Had Ethan and/or Kevin been pining for a while, or did it all just suddenly kind of ... happen? Did they feel attracted to the journalist at first or is he the only one sensing the tension and making it happen? What happens afterward -- do Ethan and Kevin start dating (or does one of them start dating the journalist?!) and they try to pretend the feelings for the third person aren't there? Do they all just try to move on with their lives but can't stop thinking about it? I would just love elaboration on this totally wacky premise and I need a happy ending for these three one way or another!
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Request 1 by kathryne
Frauds (TV 2025)
Characters: Sam (Frauds TV), Bert (Frauds TV)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form
Happy to receive treats! My non-specific likes are in my letter; my DNWs are here:
I do not want to read: rape; animal abuse or death; illness or caretaking (see Frauds section for caveats); self-harm; kid!fic. I am okay with violence in service to the story; I am okay with canon-typical violence. I'm also not interested in complete AUs (ie, coffee-shop-type AUs). I do enjoy AUs where one thing in canon is changed and we explore the ramifications of it.
I’m not a big fan of the heteronormative assumption that there’s only one way to progress a relationship and anyone in a relationship must necessarily want co-habitation and homeownership and marriage and children. In fact, I’m really not interested in stories about child-rearing at all, though dealing with adult children established in canon can be interesting.
Canon-specific:
I am writing this having only watched the first three eps, sorry! I will add to my letter once I've finished the series but please, don't feel like you have to wait for that. If you have an idea you want to run with go for it. I would love a story about Bert and Sam together or either of them apart, as you wish.
I do NOT want to dwell too deeply on Bert's illness, please - the level we see in the first three eps is fine, but no, say, deep dives into Sam's feelings about it and her fears about how much sicker Bert will get, etc.
I do ship them and would love to read something on that line, but I also ADORE the fucked-up friendship as a friendship, so either is great. (The physicality of them, though... Bert tearing her shirt off, their fight in the pool... IJS, there's something there.)
I would love to read a story about Bert and her time in jail. I'd love to read about the times Sam wanted to visit Bert and didn't. A glorious heist before the one that got Bert caught? Their first big fuckup on a job? Fights they had and ways they made up? Or even something silly and domestic that's also about them showing off to each other. I am deeply a sucker for Kate Fleetwood so if there is a way to include Celine, that would be fun, but obvs no pressure.
I will watch the rest of the eps before reveal, so if you have a post-season story you want to write, go for it.
Letter:
https://tellitslant.dreamwidth.org/2731559.html
Request 2 by kathryne
Ocean's 8 (2018)
Characters: Debbie Ocean, Lou Miller (Ocean's)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Happy to receive treats! My specific likes are in my letter but here are my DNWs:
I do not want to read: rape; animal abuse or death; illness or caretaking (see Frauds section for caveats); self-harm; kid!fic. I am okay with violence in service to the story; I am okay with canon-typical violence. I'm also not interested in complete AUs (ie, coffee-shop-type AUs). I do enjoy AUs where one thing in canon is changed and we explore the ramifications of it.
I’m not a big fan of the heteronormative assumption that there’s only one way to progress a relationship and anyone in a relationship must necessarily want co-habitation and homeownership and marriage and children. In fact, I’m really not interested in stories about child-rearing at all, though dealing with adult children established in canon can be interesting.
Canon-specific:
Unhinged option: Did Debbie and Lou pull the Louvre job? (Or your unsolved theft of choice?) But, okay, really: just tell me about more jobs they pulled together. Whether in the past or after the film, whether just the two of them or with a bigger crew, whether they succeeded or failed. Just more of them, please, and a little crime. I would love them to be gay and do crime but I am fine if the gay is not there as long as the crime is. I am happy to read about other characters from the film as long as Debbie and Lou and their relationship are central.
Letter:
https://tellitslant.dreamwidth.org/2731559.html
Request 3 by kathryne
Riot Women (TV 2025)
Characters: Yvonne (Riot Women), Kitty (Riot Women), Holly (Riot Women), Beth (Riot Women)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form
Happy to receive treats! My specific likes are in my letter but here are my DNWs:
I do not want to read: rape; animal abuse or death; illness or caretaking (see Frauds section for caveats); self-harm; kid!fic. I am okay with violence in service to the story; I am okay with canon-typical violence. I'm also not interested in complete AUs (ie, coffee-shop-type AUs). I do enjoy AUs where one thing in canon is changed and we explore the ramifications of it.
I’m not a big fan of the heteronormative assumption that there’s only one way to progress a relationship and anyone in a relationship must necessarily want co-habitation and homeownership and marriage and children. In fact, I’m really not interested in stories about child-rearing at all, though dealing with adult children established in canon can be interesting.
Canon-specific:
I kind of just want something joyful for any or all of the characters? Please mix and match to your heart's content (including Jess, if you want). I would prefer at least two of them be included, because I really do love how they all build their brilliant tentative flourishing relationships. Somewhat to my surprise, I don't particularly ship any of them, but if you do I would LOVE to be persuaded, except not really by Kitty and Beth. (I do think Kitty deserves to be treated nicely by someone for once, though, redemptively - and I definitely read her as openly queer.)
I would prefer not to have a lot about any of the band's kids or parents. Also if you don't go the femslash route, I would prefer not to focus on a het relationship.
Have you got a subject you think they should write a song about? Tell me about them working on it - night in the pub sharing stories, trying to work out their next topic? How do the rest of them mine their trauma? Album listening party? Another gig - and/or another adrenaline-induced horniness emergency? Another recording session? I don't want something so fluffy it's unbelievable - I think part of the genius of Sally Wainwright is that she is so good at melding the dark and the light - but if we could end on a note of hope, that would be great.
Letter:
https://tellitslant.dreamwidth.org/2731559.html
We have one repeat pinch hit and 8 new pinch hits, numbered #81-89. These pinch hits are due at the main assignment deadline of Wednesday 17 December at 9pm UTC.
Comments are turned off for this community. To claim a pinch hit, please email the mods at yuletideadmin@gmail.com and:
- Include the pinch hit number in the subject line
- Include the recipient’s AO3 name in the subject line
- Include your AO3 username in the body of the email
For example, if your AO3 username is yuletidehippo and you want to claim Pinch Hit #42 for AwsomRecip, you might email us with the subject line “PH 42 for AwsomRecip” and “I’m yuletidehippo on AO3” in the body of the email. As was the case previously, if you don’t receive a reply you did not get the pinch hit.
Also! We now have a pinch hitters' prompts post! If you weren't signed up and you're pinch hitting, your rare fandom prompts are very welcome!
For your original assignments and earlier assignments - keep in mind the default deadline of 9pm UTC 10 December. It's coming up fast, as is the main deadline.
PH #81: Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter, Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi (TV 2006), Mátyás király | Matthias Rex - Kubinyi András
Request 1 by redgear
Hallo itt Mátyás király! - Bogáti Péter
Characters: Hollós Gyula (Hallo itt Mátyás király)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
---
I love everything about Gyula - I'd love to hear the story of where and how he learned any of the things he knows, including whatever digs he was on with Károly where he learned so much about the Iazyges! I'm also obsessed by how much he wants to just get shit done and how dedicated he is to changing things, even when Károly and the Professor try to talk him down, even when all the rest of them accept life as it is, he just never gives up. I'd love him to be narratively allowed to do the industrial revolution he dreams of :3 Maybe they all (or Gyula alone) time travels to earlier in history, when Mátyás was less constrained by war and necessity and had more time to deal with them? Of course Gyula alone would have difficulties of his own, since he's not exactly a historian, but he'd put his head down and get on with it I'm sure :D
I will happily ship Gyula with anyone and everyone, including OCs <3
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 2 by redgear
Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi (TV 2006)
Characters: Hunyadi László (Mátyás a sosem volt királyfi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Mátyás or Erzsébet death
---
I love this version of László - how his grief turns to anger turns to menace so fast when he's dealing with Ulrich and Ladislaus, how passionate he is with Maria, and how sweet he is with Matthias, coaxing him on that of course he'll find some girl who likes him someday :D He contains multitudes! I completely adore how he's so capable, and yet there's still that streak of impulsive overconfidence and that trust that leads him to disaster.
I'd love anything more about him - precanon fic with his parents? More about his relationship with Maria, or his relationship with Matthias? Or AU where he doesn't die (permanently) is also very welcome! Maybe he's imprisoned or banished (I always love a gay-marriage-disinheritance-AU)? I also love ghosts and other supernatural ways for people to not perma-die, as well as time travel! If you're continuing past the point where he dies, feel free to either follow the continuity of the series or go as divergent-AU as you'd like.
I will happily ship László with anyone except King Ladislaus or Ulrich and gen is of course always welcome.
I'm also very fond of the messenger that comes to tell Erzsébet that Ulrich is dead, that poor guy lol. I'd love to know more about him if you'd like to include him. Maybe he was with János and László for a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
Request 3 by redgear
Mátyás király | Matthias Rex - Kubinyi András
Characters: I. Mátyás magyar király | Matthias I of Hungary (Matthias Rex - Kubinyi)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Do Not Want:
- Permanent death of requested characters (Temporary character death like undeath, time loops, time travel, immortality, etc is welcome, as is death in a bad end of cyoa/interactive fiction that isn't implied to be the true end)
- Setting Change AU (everyone has always been baristas, omegaverse, modern AU, etc)
- Unrequested gender identity hcs, neurodivergent hcs, or genderswaps
- Characters going to therapy, anachronistic therapyspeak
- Completely bad/unhappy/hopeless ending (hopeful/bittersweet is welcome)
- Ageplay (time travel to younger self is fine, amnesia is fine)
- Kink negotiations, safewords, color checks.
- Heroic portrayal of Ladislaus the Posthumous or Ulrich of Celje; also, either of those two shipped with anyone
- AUs where a Hunyadi explicitly does not/will not ever become king (any Hunyadi is fine, and works set before such a thing might happen are also fine)
- Time travel being just a game. (Works set entirely before any time travel occurs are fine!)
- Romantic love between Matthias and Beatrice (a political marriage is very welcome, I adore scheming and political maneuvering on both sides!)
---
There are so many just narratively fascinating stories in this bio that I'd love fic about! Tell me more about Matthias doing his own army's recon, getting captured, and talking himself out of it by pretending to be a local groom! Or what it was like for those months trapped alone in Prague after Ladislaus died, not knowing what was going to happen to him. Or struggling with Mihály for control of the government, or deciding he couldn't risk war with the Ottomans and had to imprison Vlad, or finding out just in time about any of the plots against him... I love terrible things happening to him and him coming back from them stronger, colder, more resilient <3
I'm also very interested though in more slice of life stuff: tell me about a day in the life of the roman military history nerd, the renaissance art superfan, the soldier, the diplomat, the propagandist, the guy who fell in love at first sight at a dance. I am really into the speculations Kubinyi makes about his personality/motivations throughout all these!
And I always love time travel, any variety of it, from historical characters going to the future, people from the future coming back, or people time traveling back to their younger selves.
I'll ship Matthias with anyone who isn't DNWed; ocs are welcome in ship as well as gen fic.r a long time? :D
Letter:
https://redgear.dreamwidth.org/12001.html
CLAIMED - PH #82: Worlds Beyond Number (Podcast), Astreiant Series - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett, Dimension 20 (Web Series) - Campaign 17: Mentopolis, Hades II (Video Game)
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Worlds Beyond Number (Podcast)
Characters: Suvirin "Suvi" Kedberiket, Ame (Worlds Beyond Number), Eursulon Toma, Worldbuilding (Worlds Beyond Number: The Wizard the Witch and the Wild One)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
A day in the life of the fox! Scenes from the children's adventure! Futurefic using the Witch class and the Wizard of the Citadel class! And adventure rooted in D&D knowledge! More of the wonderful, magical world! Anything exploring the trio's friendships in any combination.
Dislikes: Humiliation, scat, watersports, unresolved pining, unhappy endings, major character death. Normally I like AUs but I would really prefer canon for all these prompts. Please no modern AUs
No letter
Request 2 by misspamela
Astreiant Series - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett
Characters: Nicolas Rathe, Philip Eslingen
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I love themmmmmm, I would love casefic that also includes their relationship, POV from either Philip or Nico as they are getting together, explicit fic from after they've gotten together, any exploration of their feelings that we only get a glimpse of in canon.
Likes: Canon compliant for these particular fandoms, mutual pining, character studies, pining while fucking, banter, exploration of magic systems getting together, angst with a happy ending.
Dislikes: Humiliation, scat, watersports, unresolved pining, unhappy endings, major character death. Normally I like AUs but I would really prefer canon for all these prompts.
No letter
Request 3 by misspamela
Dimension 20 (Web Series) - Campaign 17: Mentopolis
Characters: Hunch Curio (Campaign 17: Mentopolis), The Fix (Campaign 17: Mentopolis)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
Mentopolis was one of my all time favorite seasons of D20! I loved how the worldbuilding wove all the brain structures in there with the mystery, and I loved the glimpses of what happens in the outside world as the characters react.
I would love: In-universe casefic. More of Imelda Pulse. A cameo by Dan Fucks! Maybe The Big Guy goes on a date? I would also love the story of the REAL Stacy Fakename
Do Not Want: Anything darker in tone than canon, unhappy endings.
No letter
Request 4 by misspamela
Hades II (Video Game)
Characters: Melinoë (Hades II Video Game), Nemesis (Hades II Video Game)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
My ideal fic would be explicit, antagonistic Mel/Nem hot springs action, but if you aren't comfotable with that, that's ok! I'd also like Nemesis POV on Melinoe and their developing relationship, as well as fun Mel/Zag sibling banter.
Want: Heat and humor, fun with the canon
Do not want: Any modern day or other setting AU, unhappy endings
No letter
CLAIMED - PH #83: The Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff Vandermeer, Blackwell Series (Video Games), The Sopranos (TV), Twin Peaks (TV 1990)
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
The Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff Vandermeer
Characters: Control | John Rodriguez, Whitby Allen
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I would love a fic about Control and Whitby (see my letter for more details). Their relationship is so ??? I love how Control is all "what a weirdo" at Whitby while literally insisting everyone call him "Control." They have a weird affinity for each other: Whitby wanted to show the mural to Control on his first day (why?), and Control is too empathetic to not feel something akin to pity for Whitby, even as he's totally creeped out by Whitby's ~*~everything~*~
Prompts:
- AU where John fails to escape Area X in time when it expands in Authority.
- Retelling of Authority (maybe *that* scene) from Whitby's perspective.
- Somehow, bunny!John survives and stumbles across Whitby. This would be great for exploring the post-series world and the perspective of humans that have turned into animals.
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
Request 2 by XenomorphLiebe
Blackwell Series (Video Games)
Characters: Joey Mallone, Rosangela Blackwell
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
The Blackwell Epiphany has the honour of being the only video game that has ever made me cry. I love everything about Blackwell: the art, the humour, the character writing, the clever puzzles, the voice acting. And the core of it all is Joey and Rosa's relationship. They're literally stuck with each other, but you can feel the devotion and care and familiarity that they share. My heart is so full of love for them. I don't really ship them, but I don't have strong feelings either way.
I don't have any specific prompts for Blackwell, but I'd love to see a case fic set some time between Legacy and Epiphany. Or, a day in the life of Rosa and Joey would be great. I've played all the WadgetEye releases in the same universe (The Shivah, Unavowed, Old Skies), so a crossover between any of these and Blackwell would be very appreciated.
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
Request 3 by XenomorphLiebe
The Sopranos (TV)
Characters: Tony Soprano, Christopher Moltisanti
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I don't know where to start. I am obsessed with Chris and Tony's relationship. I have written thousands upon thousands of words in my notes app about these two. They are the absolute fucking worst. I can't stop posting about them (see my letter for links). I have so many thoughts, I could write a book about Chris and Tony.
First off, I absolutely ship Chris/Tony, so any Chris/Tony fic is very, very welcome. But I'd love literally anything about their fucked up relationship, especially pre-series fic. There is so much love there, but it's a possessive, insecure love, which in C. S. Lewis's terms, transforms into a "natural hate." Tony cannot stand the idea of Chris leaving him, and he'd rather see Chris dead than gone from him. It takes the slightest thing for Tony to feel rejected, and then he lashes out. And Chris is so... he's so desperate for Tony's love, even at his own expense. And he's so insecure in his relationship with Tony. Even at the start of the series, he's quick to believe that Tony wants him dead. They are both so psycho about each other, and I need a fic about them stat.
I'm totally here for series typical realism, but I'd love to see crazy, out there mash-ups (Arthurian/fairytale retellings, anyone?) and supernatural stories (in the vein of Macbeth, for instance). Spooky Sopranos is best Sopranos.
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
Request 4 by XenomorphLiebe
Twin Peaks (TV 1990)
Characters: Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks), Albert Rosenfield
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Twin Peaks is a strange, magical series that can be best labelled "cozy horror." I'm pretty certain that this year will be the last that it qualifies for Yuletide, so I thought it best to request it. Twin Peaks is a series I love for its gorgeous Pacific North West setting, for its horror elements, for the mystery angle, and for its complex characters, such as Audrey, Laura, and Albert.
I love Albert. I love how clear-sighted Albert is about the Laura's death, and I love his speech about pacifism. I like how Albert provides the "bitter" to Cooper's "sweet." Despite their differences, Cooper and Albert's relationship is built on an obvious mutual respect. I do ship Dale/Albert, but I'd be happy with a story about their platonic relationship.
I don't have specific prompts, but I'd love any kind of case fic featuring these two (pre-series, or maybe post-series with possessed!Coop). I also welcome crossovers with this fandom, especially crossovers with my other requested fandoms. (I will give my firstborn child to whoever writes a Blackwell-verse and Twin Peaks crossover). Or, some kind of fairytale retelling featuring these two (I'm thinking Tam Lin---instead of the Faerie Queen, Albert must face BOB to rescue Dale).
I accept treats.
DNWs: rape, pedophilia, mpreg, scat/watersports/vomitplay, cnc, Dom/sub kink, trans headcanons, soulmate aus, a/b/o fic, aus set in radically alternate settings (e.g., coffee shop au)
Letter:
https://www.tumblr.com/apparitional-lesbian/798305647558082560/yuletide-letter-2025?source=share
CLAIMED - PH #84: 绅探 | Detective L (TV), Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling, Ring of Swords - Eleanor Arnason, Starfire Series - Various Authors, 长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng (Web Series), L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials, 1632 Series - Various Authors
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
绅探 | Detective L (TV)
Characters: Luo Fei (Detective L), Huo Wensi
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: submissive or exclusive bottom Huo Wensi; unrequited romantic and/or sexual interest between Luo Fei and Huo Wensi.
Canon link: Youtube
Request details/Prompts:
I adore Luo Fei - he's quick and smart; he's sometimes sweet, sometimes abrasive; he can be a total mess (particularly regarding Captain). And Huo Wensi's calm cleverness and amused reaction to Luo Fei intrigued me from the start, but what particularly hit me was seeing him being beaten up in a prison courtyard while the look on his face said he was exactly where he'd planned to be. Together, the two of them absolutely fascinate me.
Dr Huo brings out very intriguing reactions in Luo Fei. Luo Fei is prickly and rude towards him without apparent reason, right from the start. He distances himself during their interactions, standing or sitting off to the side, looking away, or walking right out. He claims not to believe in psychology, but at the same time repeatedly puts considerable stock in Dr Huo's professional opinion, even after Dr Huo is in prison. Luo Fei wants nothing to do with Dr Huo - but doesn't turn him down when Dr Huo asks him to help him court Xiaoman. And when Luo Fei desperately wants someone to confirm his theory that Captain is faking, he appeals to Dr Huo. Their dynamic doesn't change even after Dr Huo is arrested. I'm very into the tangle of intense emotion/frustration/(dis)trust/obsession/intellectual appreciation between them, love and desire included if you want, and I'd love anything that plays on it or explores where it's coming from, whether it's slash or gen. Anything that involves them having lots of tension, and/or resolving that tension - and regardless of how it goes, some genuine connection - would be great. Plot or PWP or character exploration, it's all good!
Some ideas: A missing case or a moment from one where they're are forced to work more closely together? I also love the parallels between them, right down to them solving cases from the same clues, and would love something that leaned into that. Or what's Dr Huo's take on Luo Fei's behaviour towards him, as a psychologist? Do they have backstory that explains Luo Fei's attitude? Were they lovers once? A bad breakup could explain a lot! How about a missing scene where they have a relapse? Maybe Dr Huo manipulates Luo Fei into it, or maybe he's carried away himself. (Maybe both.) Or something about Dr Huo's role as a psychologist, in a case that has nothing to do with his extracurricular affairs. I'd also love to see them dancing - literally or metaphorically.
At the end of the show, Luo Fei is certain he has outwitted Dr Huo. Has Dr Huo lost control of his own plan? When he detonates the bombs, is he choosing suicide as his only way out? (Does he survive despite that?) Or is Dr Huo that good an actor, and it's still all going according to plan? He has previously demonstrated a willingness to get himself arrested and beaten up in order to achieve his purposes, after all. And if Captain was faking all this time - what if they end up working together against the real Captain after the bridge, despite everything? Or what about an alternate ending where things go differently after Dr Huo's escape from prison? Or some post-canon cat-and-mouse push-and-pull between them would be fantastic. Something twisty and evil on Dr Huo's part that's directed at Luo Fei is also welcome, so long as it doesn't end entirely unhappily for either character. Likewise, redemption for Dr Huo would be great, but them remaining on opposite sides is also good, so long as there's some genuine mutual connection there.
Also, in most of their scenes, Qin Xiaoman is stuck right in the middle of it all, talking to Dr Huo when Luo Fei won't, and being almost-courted by Dr Huo. She trusts his good intentions, for the most part, but doesn't always accept his conclusions. I'd love to see her perspective, or how her inclusion might affect any of the scenarios Luo Fei and Huo Wensi might find themselves in.
More thoughts: episode reactions up to episode 18
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 2 by Trobadora
Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling
Characters: Kashtiliash (Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling), Raupasha (Nantucket Trilogy - S.M. Stirling)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters (except for Kashtiliash with his wife and concubines); humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: Kashtiliash and Kathryn breaking up.
Request details/Prompts:
Ever since I discovered these books back in 2010, I've been fascinated with the culture clash in the trilogy - between people from the present and people from the Bronze age (historical or original), and later also between second-generation Nantucketers and everyone else. But what especially caught my imagination was the experience of the "downtimers" whose world and culture are changing right around them, and who are adapting to this new world.
Kashtiliash, as an actual historical figure whose history is radically changed by the arrival of people from the future, is right at the heart of it all - and as prince and then king, he's one of the people in a position to shape these changes. Raupasha is propelled into the centre of events in a different way when the changed history puts her in position to make a significant difference for her own life, for her people, and for Kashtiliash, whose enemy Tukulti-Ninurta she kills and whose father she saves. I would love a story that has these two interacting!
Kashtiliash is smart and adaptable and open to the new, but never to the point of forgetting the realities of the situation - the problems caused by the changes as much as the good. He sees the inevitability of change, and he's quick to adapt where necessary, but he's also very aware of the imbalance of power between his people and the Nantukhtar, and determined not to let them take too much control from him. I'd love to see more of him navigating all this. For Raupasha and her people, on the other hand, the Nantukhtar and Kenneth Hollard in particular are saviours, opening up an entire world of possibilities as she learns to navigate both the political situation and the strange context of conflicting cultures she finds herself in. Between her feelings for Kenneth and her drive to improve her people's situation, her missteps and successes, she grows into someone capable of having significant impact on the future of their world. I would love to see more of her growth.
Both Kashtiliash and Raupasha end up in a relationship with someone from Nantucket, and with siblings at that. I'd love to see anything about the culture clash in those relationships, perhaps a time when their different cultural context puts extreme strains on them. Or perhaps they find support in each other for the kinds of things that neither can truly talk about to outsiders? Anything that involves these two dealing with the balancing act between old and new would be great.
I'd also love something about Kashtiliash's views on women changing, not just through Kathryn Hollard in particular and the Nantukhtar in general, but also through Raupasha. Or something about politics regarding Mitanni, and Raupasha taking an active role in the planning. What if she had become queen of Mitanni after all? Or what happens to the alliance between Babylon and Nantucket once there's no longer a clear common enemy? What if Babylon's relationship with Nantucket becomes soured at some point? Or would post-series Raupasha, even if she can't be queen, really turn her back on her people and leave? What could she do instead? What if her ideas don't fit with Kenneth's? Or what if Kashtiliash has plans for her that don't agree with Kenneth's - how would Raupasha handle being caught in the middle?
Or for something more experimental, maybe a history written in the future of this 'verse, examining Kashtiliash's and Raupasha's roles and impact?
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 3 by Trobadora
Ring of Swords - Eleanor Arnason
Characters: Ettin Gwarha, Sanders Nicholas
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters (except for Nicky with other hwarhath); humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for imitating the canon voice with Nicky's diary, or for unusual media such as other in-universe documents).
Request details/Prompts:
When I discovered this book in December 2011, it completely swept me away. I love so many things about it, from the clashing gender dynamics to the canonical m/m, from the truly alien hwarhath culture to the possibly-but-probably-not intelligent alien sea creatures Anna studies, from the Shakespeare (Mats's version of Macbeth!) to Nicky's journal and Gwarha's glosses. Most of all I'm fascinated with the culture clash between the humans and the hwarhath, and in particular Nicky's history among them, from being captured 20 years ago to the end of the book and beyond, and how much of it is bound up with Gwarha in particular. So I'm requesting Sanders Nicholas (to use the hwarhath name order), and Ettin Gwarha, and would love any story that gives me these two at any point during their timeline.
Nicky is particularly dear to my heart. He's one of those characters with a rare lack of ego. I often say that my preference is for the control freaks, but that's only because the other type of character I love every bit as much is so vanishingly rare. That's the kind of person whose main trait is adaptability and lack of pridefulness - the kind who can give in, mould themselves around circumstances, pragmatically do whatever needs to be done without letting pride get in the way, but also without being diminished by it or losing their grounding within themselves. Nicky the liar, who twists himself around circumstances and always, always tries to find the right angle, can be every bit as subtle and scheming as other Machiavellian characters I've loved, and he has sarcasm to spare, but if he were a control freak he'd never have survived. And I adore that Gwarha, despite his cultural conditioning and almost despite himself, has come to love and appreciate the twistier traits in Nicky.
I would adore a story that showed some part of how these two arrived at that point, or during the book, or where they go after. Anything about their history together - from Gwarha watching Nicky being tortured, and being the one to tell Nicky it's over, to their established relationship at the beginning of the book, during the events we see, and after. How did they go from first encountering each other under those circumstances to becoming lovers? How did their relationship develop? How does Nick learn to navigate the gender-segregated hwarhath society? (Gwarha POV on this might be cool.) Or a slice-of-life story somewhere during the pre-book or post-book years together? Nicky's first encounter with Gwarha's aunts? Or anything about the two of them learning to understand each other, and each other's background, better. Or more about the inherent inequalities in their relationship, and how they navigate those in public vs. in private. Or something during the negotiations shown in the book? And I'm very curious about their first meeting after Nicky returns to Gwarha toward the end of the book, which the book tragically skipped. I always wanted to see that scene! Where do they go from there? Or more from Nicky's journal, with Gwarha commenting on it? Just something about those two, please. :)
(Also, I'm generally not fond of alien species whose entire civilisation is organised according to cultural clichés of violence as a masculine trait, but I like how the book deconstructs it for the hwarhath at least inside the masculine sphere, and would definitely be interested if you wanted to include some deconstruction for the female sphere as well, so far as that's possible in a story focusing on male characters.)
For more of my general thoughts on the book, this excellent article is spot on in my opinion.
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 4 by Trobadora
Starfire Series - Various Authors
Characters: Zhaarnak'diaano | Zhaarnak'telmasa, Raymond Prescott
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Request details/Prompts:
I love space battles and military SF, but in the Starfire 'verse I'm most fascinated by the relationship between Terrans and Orions in general (the whole enemies-turned-allies aspect is right up my alley), and between Zhaarnak'telmasa (or Zhaarnak'diaano, early on) and Raymond Prescott in particular. (I really love Crusade, In Death Ground and The Shiva Option, but I'm not that fond of the later Starfire books, and I'd appreciate it if we could set them aside. Since I'm only requesting characters from IDG/TSO, that shouldn't be a problem.)
I love unlikely pairs like Zhaarnak and Prescott, and I love the way their interactions develop, from their early uneasy cooperation to the vilkshatha brothers whose closeness is palpable on the page. I love the way they balance and mirror each other - even in an inherently hierarchical context, they constantly switch roles and manage to make a rotating command structure work for them. And the same in other respects - for example, it's generally Zhaarnak who pushes both of them to rush into danger, with Prescott the voice of caution, except when Prescott starts to push, and then Zhaarnak starts playing the voice of caution. I couldn't say which of them I loved more right from the start - Zhaarnak the prideful bigot who overcomes his bigotry because he doesn't let his prejudices blind him to what's happening right in front of his face, or Prescott the lover of Orion culture who can, without any resentment, decide to accept Zhaarnak's command because it's the most practical thing to do. (Prescott actually exemplifies one of my favourite character types - I generally say that my preference is for the control freaks, but that's only because the other type of character I love every bit as much is so vanishingly rare. That's the kind of person whose main trait is adaptability and lack of pridefulness - the kind who can mould themselves around circumstances, do whatever needs to be done without letting pride get in the way, but also without being diminished by it or losing their grounding within themselves.)
Anything with these two interacting would make me happy. A missing scene from any point in their relationship, futurefic, or a canon divergence AU; gen or slash - it's all good. A few ideas: What is it like, early on, for Prescott to serve under Zhaarnak? Does he ever doubt his decision? And Zhaarnak himself finds out about what Prescott did just before the Bugs attack, but we never get to see the scene where he tells Prescott he knows. How does it go? Or during their years of joint fleet command in Zephrain, how do they make their rotating command structure work? What happens the first time they actually disagree? I'd particularly love to see this while Zhaarnak is in command. Outsider POV on this might be cool - someone expecting a clash of the titans, and not getting it? (Honestly, I'd be here for outsider POV on every aspect of their relationship, and how unusual it is and how obviously it works even when it really shouldn't.) Or the aftermath of Operation Pesthouse - when did Zhaarnak find out about it? How did their first meeting afterwards go? Some h/c might be in order. Or something set post-TSO - what do they do after the war? How do they manage to keep in touch, once they're no longer working closely together? Something about Prescott meeting (and perhaps fitting into) Zhaarnak's family would be delightful. (Is Zhaarnak married? How does his wife or other family react to his changed opinions about Terrans? What about Zhaarnak's father, who we know is a bigot?) So would be anything that delves deeper into Orion culture, and what it means for Prescott to actually become part of it with the vilkshatha oath. When Zhaarnak'diaano becomes Zhaarnak'telmasa, he's establishing a new clan, and Prescott is part of it. What role does he play for other clan members? Or how about an AU - what would have happened if they'd met for the first time under different circumstances? What if they'd met as enemies? Seriously, anything!
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 5 by Trobadora
长公主在上 | Zhǎng Gōng Zhǔ Zài Shàng (Web Series)
Characters: Li Yunzhen, Gu Xuanqing
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters (except for Li Yunzhen with her guards); humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: submissive Li Yunzhen; Li Yunzhen not enjoying dominating her partner.
Canon link: combined video
(Note: The English subs misspell some of the character names - the princess is 李云贞 Li Yunzhen, not -zheng, and the emperor is 李承临 Li Chenglin, not -ling.)
Request details/Prompts:
This mini-drama crams so much into its short runtime - enough for a full-length drama with all the spy shenanigans (trust, loyalty, betrayal!), the political intrigue and the insanely charged interactions between Li Yunzhen and Gu Xuanqing, the slow development of their relationship. It's an absolute delight. And the condensed format means that everything is distilled down to its most crucial and dramatic moments, which leaves a great deal of space for fic - both expanding on the drama itself, and what might happen afterwards.
Li Yunzhen is brilliant and scheming and kinky, and deceives everyone - I love the complex plan she devises, with everything hinging on her own ability to play her part, and she never falters, pulling it off perfectly all on her own even while falling for the man sent to spy on her. I love how even her own servants never suspect what she's really up to, much less her enemies. And I love Gu Xuanqing gradually realising the princess's public image and her character as he gets to know her don't add up, falling for her while seeing through part of her façade but not nearly all. I love his dedication and loyalty to his duty/the Emperor (he never considers betraying his mission, even while deceiving Li Yunzhen is increasingly weighing on him), but more and more also to the princess (even believing her to be corrupt, he still chooses to return to her and put himself into her hands), and the conflict between those sides, tension and divided loyalties and all. I love the dynamics between them and how they develop, the unapologetic kinkiness of it all. Li Yunzhen so clearly enjoys herself playing/being the dominant seducer - and Gu Xuanqing is entirely unprepared for finding himself actually into it, and wanting to hand himself over to her for real. And the only way he can balance things, at one point, is to keep deceiving her while accepting whatever punishment she hands out ...!
Seriously, I want more of anything and everything - the romance, the BDSM, the spy shenanigans, the loyalty kink, the political intrigue. :D
Some ideas: moments in between the scenes, adding more build-up to the tension or lingering on the fallout of events? Li Yunzhen's thoughts and feelings as she incorporates Gu Xuanqing into her plans, perhaps changing plans as she gets to know him and starts falling for him/trusting him? More of Gu Xuanqing's dilemma, and how he deals with discovering he wants to hand himself over to this apparently corrupt princess? How does she feel about that? All the loyalty issues, questions of trust, punishment tropes, that sort of thing - lean into this stuff and I will be very happy! Or if you'd like to incorporate backstory, maybe something with flashbacks to how Li Yunzhen came up with her plan, how she pulled it all off and built her reputation? Maybe post-canon, she tells Gu Xuanqing about it all? I'm also curious about her and her harem of bodyguards - what has she been doing with them? How did she gain her sexual confidence? What does Gu Xuanqing think about all of that? How do things change after the two of them get together - do they change? I'd also love anything about Li Yunzhen enjoying herself dominating Gu Xuanqing, or maybe her discovering just how much Gu Xuanqing is into it. Porn would be very welcome here. But non-sexual kink would be just as delightful! Or anything these two get up to together, in and out of bed. Post-canon, what do they do long-term? Li Yunzhen says she'll withdraw from court, but I can't imagine her being into a life of leisure, and I'd love to see any scheming she could do for her brother, and what part Gu Xuanqing might play in that.
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 6 by Trobadora
L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials
Characters: Time Engraver (L'Oreal "Time Engraver" Commercials), Worldbuilding (L'Oréal "Time Engraver" Commercials)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: submissive or exclusive bottom Time Engraver.
Canon links: 2019 commercial | 2020 commercial
Request details/Prompts:
I love these commercials. Despite also being a vehicle for an "O NOES NOT THE WRINKLES" product, they're fantastic little mini-films. Back when the first commercial came out in 2019, I immediately fell in love with the character and concept of the Time Engraver> - the mythology, the way he chats at and about his subjects, the way he relates to the world. All the worldbuilding possibilities of what can be done with a concept like that, and a character who could exist anywhere, interact with anyone.
I'd love anything about the Time Engraver and his world, about the people he encounters, about him actually interacting with the world. Something plotty or introspective or romantic, more mythic or more grounded - gen, het, slash, anything would be great. There's fascinating worldbuilding to play with and expand on: Who/what is the Time Engraver? Is he an anthropomorphic personification of time? One of many aspects of such, each with their own workshop? Something else? Does he interact with other supernatural entities? What powers exactly does he have? Why does he present himself as a craftsman? He's talking at his subjects, but has he ever talked to humans directly? Does he sometimes venture out into the human world - can he? What if one of his subjects wakes up, or otherwise finds out about him? What happens if he develops an interest in a mortal? What if he falls in love?
I've always been fascinated by mortal/immortal relationships, romantic or otherwise, so I'd love to see some of that. Whether with someone who's leading an ordinary life, or someone who's already immersed in the non-mundane, either would be equally fascinating. And for something shippy, I would absolutely love the Time Engraver falling in love with a mortal, and vice versa. Tragedy is sort of baked into the concept of this kind of pairing, and I'm all here for a lot of angst, but would very much prefer a hopeful ending. Reincarnation tropes would be awesome for this - I'd love to see the Time Engraver waiting for his lover's reincarnation, or finding them again and again across time.
For relationships, it could be anyone the Time Engraver meets. From the commercials, I have a particular fondness for "Sunny", the woman in the second (2020) commercial who doesn't show emotions, and would love to see more of her, and the role of the Time Engraver in her life. What if she remembers him? He's had a huge effect on her; how does she feel about that? What if she seeks him out? What if she wakes up the next time the Time Engraver brings her into his workshop?
I'd also totally be here for a crossover with various characters played by Bai Yu, if that's of interest of you. (Luo Fei? Jiang Yang? The version from the Pizza Hut commercials? Zhao Yunlan, in a Guardian drama fusion where Shen Wei is the Time Engraver rather than the Black-Cloaked Envoy? I'd love any of these!)
For sex scenes, if applicable I prefer the Time Engraver topping or domming.
I preferred the first commercial's aesthetic, but find the white aesthetic in the second one intriguing. I'd also love an exploration of why his workshop looks so different - minimalist, and more like a museum - in the 2020 commercial. (Which one is earlier in his timeline? I could see it going either way.) And if you'd like to subvert the "O NOES WRINKLES" aspect of the commercial somehow, that would be great too. :)
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
Request 7 by Trobadora
1632 Series - Various Authors
Characters: John Chandler Simpson
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: permanent death of requested characters; partner betrayal; unrequested pairings for requested characters; humiliation; noncon; woobification; mundane/modern AUs and other unrequested changes to the canon setting or premise; unrequited pining; fake dating; soulmates (except in the zhiji sense); omegaverse; mpreg; immortals becoming mortal/nonhuman characters becoming human; unmitigated fluff where all the characters' problems don't exist; permanent separation of requested ships; unhappy endings; first or second person narration (except for unusual media such as in-universe documents).
Fandom-specific DNWs: Simpson and his wife breaking up.
Canon links: 1632 | 1633 | In the Navy
Request details/Prompts:
Yes, I'm (once again) requesting two modern-place-thrown-into-the-past series. *g* But my request here is rather different from the one for the Nantucket trilogy. I'm less interested in the general uptime/downtime clash here, maybe because the 17th century is nowhere near as far from modern day as the Bronze age, and also because I don't feel the series always does so well with actual 17th century mentality.
Instead, there's another aspect that captured my interest. I dithered over this request for a while, because in 1632, John Chandler Simpson is not only an out-and-out villain, but a very unpleasant, all too real one, the kind that has only become less tolerable to me in fiction given real-life political developments over the last decade. But I'm still very much interested in what drew me in the first place, and the theme of even people who were truly awful growing and becoming better.
In the sequel, 1633, Simpson is given much more depth and gets excellent character development, and he becomes fascinating and compelling to me. I'm very interested in the idea of someone turning himself into a villain in the worst way by going all-out with a strict end-justifies-the-means strategy ... only to fail, and then to discover those means weren't actually necessary after all. And then to have to grapple with the awfulness of what he actually did. Now he's living with the consequences, and that's a theme that very much speaks to me. (He's also an introverted control freak, which is a character type I have always loved.) I also enjoy watching competent characters be competent, and unexpected competence is even better - which is possibly why I enjoy Simpson so much in David Weber's short story In the Navy. It also hits another of my buttons, characters defying expectation. (See also: Simpson as a sci-fi fan, which never fails to amuse me.) So I would love a story about Simpson that lets his positive qualities shine without diminishing his faults.
Some ideas: I very much appreciate Simpson's wife, Mary Simpson, who is cut from the same cloth as he and walked that path right into villainy with him in 1632, and like him, now has to deal with the aftermath, and finding a place for herself/themselves in their new circumstances. Their marriage nearly breaks under the strain of it - I'd love to see more about how they get past that. They're a great match, and I'd like to see them interact more - maybe plotting some bit of joint social/political manipulation? Mary helping him navigate society? Or the reconciliation with their son that we never actually got to see in the books. Anything about how to move forward after what they both did, how to do better, how to even begin to try and make up for it in any meaningful sense. I also enjoy Simpson's interactions with Eddie Cantrell very much, so more of that would be great. More Simpson mentoring a reluctant Eddie? Or something about the other people under his command, particularly the Germans, who obviously have every reason to hate his guts, to start with. Or just Simpson by himself, trying to come to terms with what he did, and learning to admit the awfulness of it to himself.
Letter:
https://trobadora.dreamwidth.org/1241136.html
CLAIMED - PH #85: Growing Up (Video Game), Signs of the Sojourner (Video Game), 群青のファンファーレ | Gunjou no Fanfare | Fanfare of Adolescence (Anime), The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards, Tetro Danganronpa Series (Web Series)
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Growing Up (Video Game)
Characters: Jake Fletcher (Growing Up Video Game), Buddy (Growing Up Video Game)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: incest, pregnancy, first person POV (unless epistolary), setting-change AUs, infidelity
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, impact play, rape/noncon, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
- In the ending where Jake dies from a drug overdose, what if Buddy figured out that he was still using before that, and had to decide what to do about it?
- Buddy and the player character just cannot get along, leading to the scene in elementary school where Jake says he's sticking with Buddy, and the player character stops being friends with Jake... leading to Buddy dealing with everything from then on by himself.
- Buddy's at college out of state when the idea of the future starts making him feel like he's dying again. He calls Jake.
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 2 by Pegasus143
Signs of the Sojourner (Video Game)
Characters: Main Character | Rhea (Signs of the Sojourner), Anais (Signs of the Sojourner)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
DNWs: incest, graphic depictions of violence, first person POV (unless epistolary), death of a requested character, setting-change AUs
Prompts:
- Did Matilde ever read tea leaves for Anais? What did she see -- and if it was something bad, what did she lie and tell him it was instead?
- How does Rhea deal with some of the people who really liked her mother (especially Elias, since they've been friends for so long) while knowing that her mother basically exploited Anais' knowledge and abilities during the events in Hara?
- Does Anais ever bring Rhea farther north from Long Gate, into the world he's from?
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 3 by Pegasus143
群青のファンファーレ | Gunjou no Fanfare | Fanfare of Adolescence (Anime)
Characters: Houshou Hayato, Sakuraba Soujirou
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: incest, pregnancy, first person POV (unless epistolary), setting-change AUs, character death, graphic depictions of violence, infidelity
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, impact play, rape/noncon, alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
- A fic taking place during Soujirou's second year when he's at his father's training center and Hayato is figuring out what to do now that he's no longer at the Horse Riding School. Maybe they keep in touch and try to help each other out.
- Post-canon fic where Soujirou eventually figures out what Hayato meant by "I see why girls like you" and reciprocates.
- A more recovery-oriented fic about Hayato learning to love his body/seeing the good things that it can do for him (with Soujirou's help of course).
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 4 by Pegasus143
The Tarot Sequence - K.D. Edwards
Characters: Rune Saint John, Addam Saint Nicholas, Brand Saint John
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: pregnancy, on-screen character death, setting-change AUs
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, impact play, rape/noncon (references to Rune's backstory are fine), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
- Rune and Addam get in the habit of making up from fights with sex. Then Rune and Brand get in a fight, and for a moment Rune forgets who he’s talking to
- We know that Rune and Brand both had crushes on Lord Tower -- what if this is a result of the companion bond causing confusion, and now Brand feels like he has feelings for Addam? How do they come to this realization, and does it matter to the three of them whether or not Brand's feelings for Addam are "true", or if they're part of the bond?
- Some exploration of Rune's feelings surrounding the prophecy of him being the most "beautiful" of his generation, and the way that might intersect with how he sees himself/his appearance, and how it might affect his boundaries with partners
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
Request 5 by Pegasus143
Tetro Danganronpa Series (Web Series)
Characters: Tei Atsushi (Tetro Danganronpa), Akiba Taku (Tetro Danganronpa)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
General DNWs: pregnancy, first person pov (unless epistolary), death of a requested character
Explicit DNWs: ageplay, rape/noncon (references to canonical backstories are fine), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, transmasculine characters being vaginally penetrated, smut involving characters under 14
Prompts:
- A "soulmates feel each other's pain" AU, considering that Akiba has fibromyalgia and the fact that him and Tei both take painful punishments during the killing game.
- Akiba tries to send thirst pics to someone, but either messes up the number or was given a fake one, so Tei ends up receiving them instead.
- After Ninomiya and all his old roommates split up, he needs some new roommates! Enter the rest of the group from [Weight Limit].
Treats welcome!
Letter:
https://pegasus143.dreamwidth.org/5387.html
CLAIMED - PH #86: L.A. Confidential (1997), Heat (1995), Hot Fuzz (2007), Reservoir Dogs (1992), Ready or Not (2019), Magic Knight Rayearth, The Fugitive (Movies), Scrubs (TV
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Characters: Ed Exley, Bud White, Lynn Bracken
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Please check the letter!
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 2 by cuethesun
Heat (1995)
Characters: Vincent Hanna, Neil McCauley
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 3 by cuethesun
Hot Fuzz (2007)
Characters: Nicholas Angel, Danny Butterman
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 4 by cuethesun
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Characters: Mr. White | Lawrence "Larry" Dimick, Mr. Orange | Freddy Newendyke
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 5 by cuethesun
Ready or Not (2019)
Characters: Daniel Le Domas (Ready or Not (2019)), Grace Le Domas (Ready or Not (2019))
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 6 by cuethesun
Magic Knight Rayearth
Characters: Shidou Hikaru, Eagle Vision, Lantis (Magic Knight Rayearth)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 7 by cuethesun
The Fugitive (Movies)
Characters: Samuel Gerard (The Fugitive (Movies)), Richard Kimble (The Fugitive (Movies))
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
Request 8 by cuethesun
Scrubs (TV)
Characters: John "JD" Dorian, Perry Cox
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
No prompts
Letter:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jA6cQapG4cFD3trdfaqPwFkbH8WOe-5-/view?usp=sharing
CLAIMED - PH #87: Lord Ermenwyr Series - Kage Baker, 新・世界樹の迷宮2 ファフニールの騎士 | Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Fafnir Knight, Final Fantasy V, The Face in the Frost - John Bellairs
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Lord Ermenwyr Series - Kage Baker
Characters: Ermenwyr of House Kingfisher, Worldbuilding (Lord Ermenwyr Series)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
I really enjoy dudes who are just awful little weasels. If they have some hidden depths and some surprising competencies, it just makes the weaseliness even better by contrast. So... ... ...that Ermenwyr, huh??? Alternatively, or in the context of an Ermenwyr-related fic if you like, I'd love more exploration of the strange world of this series.
Optional prompts at my letter!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Fandom-specific DNW exceptions: I'm fine with Ermenwyr's incestuous infatuation with Svnae as long as she doesn't reciprocate. Fine with the fact that he's had underage sex with adults, I just don't want to read anything about his sex life before the age of 15.
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
Request 2 by Phlyarologist
新・世界樹の迷宮2 ファフニールの騎士 | Etrian Odyssey Untold 2: The Fafnir Knight
Characters: Bertrand de Gervaise
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I really like this tired, depressed, suspicious old man and I think you should make him suffer. He's the tank, suffering is his job.
Optional prompts at my letter!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Fandom-specific DNWs: Fafnir/Arianna (Fafnir/Flavio/Arianna is okay though!); any romantic/sexual content involving Chloe (even in futurefic with adult Chloe)
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
Request 3 by Phlyarologist
Final Fantasy V
Characters: Galuf Halm Baldesion (Final Fantasy V)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
"Play FFV," people told me, "it's got Gilgamesh. It's got a hot pirate." These things are both true. Gilgamesh is there and the pirate is hot. But my surprise fave is this awesome and charming old guy. He's dealt with a lot, but he stays funny and never loses hope and I submit that there's a lot of fun dramatic-irony stuff you could do with Galuf during his amnesia era.
Optional prompts at my letter!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
Request 4 by Phlyarologist
The Face in the Frost - John Bellairs
Characters: Prospero (Face in the Frost), Roger Bacon (Face in the Frost)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I don't have a lot of specific prompts here, I was just absolutely charmed by these two and their adventures and would love to see more in a similar vein. But especially if it's shippy. See my letter for more vague nattering to this effect!
General likes: Humor, friendship, adventure, worldbuilding, missing scenes, character study, interactions between characters who don't normally share a lot of page- or screentime, bittersweetness, hope in the face of adversity. Dirtbags, scoundrels, weasely little bastards, etc. Women menacing people with bladed weapons. Men getting menaced with bladed weapons. Angst, complicated family dynamics, body horror, deathfic.
DNWs: Explicit sexual content (implied or fade-to-black is fine), non-con, unrequested incest, unrequested adult/underage ships; mundane AUs for canons with supernatural elements; modern AUs for non-modern canons; pregnancy; non-canonical child characters; gender or sexual orientation as sources of angst/conflict; non-canonical death by suicide (canonical suicides or suicides-by-proxy are fine; ideation or attempts not resulting in death are fine); vomit, feces
Letter:
https://faustian-bargain-bin.neocities.org/yuletide2025.html
CLAIMED - PH #88: Sinners (2025), Rutherford Falls (TV), Dirt Man - Carter Vail (Song), Only Murders in the Building (TV), Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute - Make Some Noise Sketch, Cyclist Friend Explains Necessity Of $35 Socks - The Onion
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Sinners (2025)
Characters: Elijah "Smoke" Moore, Elias "Stack" Moore, Mary (Sinners 2025), Annie (Sinners 2025)
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
I've requested my four favorite characters, but I'm really open to basically anything for this fandom; pretty much the only thing I wouldn't want is something that focuses predominantly on any of the white characters (though I don't object to any of them showing up in the same capacity that they do in canon, I just don't want them to be central to the story). But otherwise I'm super flexible! Backstory -- Smoke and Stack growing up with Mary, or their time as soldiers or mobsters? Smoke and Annie's courtship? How Smoke and Stack befriended the Chows? Anything shippy, be it Smoke/Annie or Stack/Mary or twincest or femslash or all four of them together in some messy loving configuration--truly any combination of characters fucking would be grand. Future scenes from Stack and Mary's life between the end of the movie and the mid-credits scene! If you could think of a fun canon-divergent AU premise or even a wholecloth AU that preserves the relevant atmosphere of the canon setting (a tall order, but I'm intrigued by the prospect!), I'm down for it. I'm here for a canon-typical amount of fucked up content, anything explicit, light-hearted moments or heavier introspection -- wherever things lead you, I just want to live in this world for any additional amount of time I'm able.
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 2 by blindmadness
Rutherford Falls (TV)
Characters: Reagan Wells, Nathan Rutherford
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
This is a classic "I want more" canon for me, a show that I'm thrilled we got as much of as we did but that was cancelled way too soon! I've only nominated Nathan and Reagan because they're the heart of the story for me and I do love them best, but I'd honestly be pretty happy with anything here. Give me backstory -- how did Nathan and Reagan first become friends? How did Nathan and Bobbie meet? How about Reagan and Ray's relationship and its breakdown? Give me missing scenes from canon -- explicit sex scenes! Nathan coming home after S1 and Reagan reconciling with and also hiding him! Epistolary Reagan/Josh! Give me WHAT HAPPENS NEXT -- what does Mayor Bobbie look like? Do Nathan and Deirdre work things out? How does the Reagan-Josh-Nelson situation shake out (I have to admit to preferring Josh, but I'm fine with her ending up with either of them! or both! or neither!)? Moments from the lives of any of the other main or minor characters! Canon-divergent AUs! Role reversal AUs -- what would Reagan Rutherford and Nathan Wells look like?? Really, I just want to spend at least a little more time in this universe than canon gave us.
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 3 by blindmadness
Dirt Man - Carter Vail (Song)
Characters: Any
My gift must feature one or more of my chosen character tags (giver's choice)
So much lore in such a short space! I welcome absolutely any direction you'd like to go here. Worldbuilding: who is the Dirt Man? Where did he come from (where did he go)? Is he a benevolent trickster or a horrifying abomination? How did this discrepancy in how well he's known come about? How long has he been around? What's the purpose of the dirt and what happens if he takes you down to his lair? The mood can be fairy-tale-y or horror-adjacent (I'd prefer nothing too explicitly horrifying, but am very much here for creepy vibes) or funny or sexy -- maybe being taken by the Dirt Man is a secret fantasy for some people! Feel free to involve some romance -- is the Dirt Man just a jilted ex about whom the guy in the video is making up a story to make him sound way worse than he is? Are the two in the video a couple and one has to rescue the other from the Dirt Man? Truly, there's SO many potential story avenues here and I welcome any combination of them.
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 4 by blindmadness
Only Murders in the Building (TV)
Characters: Will Putnam
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
I feel like we don't get nearly enough Will on this show -- I know a lot is going on, but he should be way more central! He grew up directly adjacent to Mabel! His dad's relative fame and regular shenanigans should really affect his life! So I would just really, really like more of him, in any capacity. Backstory! Missing scenes of his reactions to what's going on with canon! Any feelings whatsoever about learning that Teddy Dimas is his biological father, which I am desperate to see!! Any interaction with Mabel, which the show is truly crying out for!! Also, I didn't request him because I really predominantly want a focus on Will, but I'm also desperate for any interaction between him and Theo; they also grew up together and they're half brothers! What was their relationship like as kids? As adults? Again, I really just want to see more of a character that I think the show is massively underutilizing!
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 5 by blindmadness
Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute - Make Some Noise Sketch
Characters: Guy 1 (Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute), Guy 2 (Two Guys From Brooklyn's Fight Turned Meet Cute)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
These two packed so much chemistry into such a short sketch, I am absolutely obsessed with this dynamic and I need more!! Backstory about both of them leading up to their meeting -- did they notice each other prior to the fight? What happens next -- give me the scene of their meet cute in more detail, or I absolutely welcome detailed sex! Future fic -- do they keep going after Guy 2 moves to LA? Does he change his mind? Do they meet up again years later having never really forgotten about each other? I need so much more of these two than the beautiful minute and a half we got!
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
Request 6 by blindmadness
Cyclist Friend Explains Necessity Of $35 Socks - The Onion
Characters: Kevin Washburn, Ethan Coseglia, Journalist (Cyclist Friend Explains Necessity Of $35 Socks - The Onion)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Okay, WHAT A FREAKING TREAT THIS ARTICLE WAS. I never saw the twist coming!! I am obsessed!! I desperately need to see that threesome actually happen. I'd love to see explicit sex, but would also be fine with seeing the emotional development. Had Ethan and/or Kevin been pining for a while, or did it all just suddenly kind of ... happen? Did they feel attracted to the journalist at first or is he the only one sensing the tension and making it happen? What happens afterward -- do Ethan and Kevin start dating (or does one of them start dating the journalist?!) and they try to pretend the feelings for the third person aren't there? Do they all just try to move on with their lives but can't stop thinking about it? I would just love elaboration on this totally wacky premise and I need a happy ending for these three one way or another!
[My major DNWs are needles (I have a huge phobia and would deeply rather no mention of them at all, but if it does come up, please please please keep it brief and be sure to clearly warn for me!) and significant involvement of serious issues beyond those explored in canon (e.g. racism, homophobia, character death, serious assault/injury, etc. etc.). Basically, let the tone of canon be your guide here -- canon-typical serious issues the characters have already experienced is totally fine, bringing more serious issues into a lighthearted canon would very much not be my jam.]
Letter:
https://blindmadness.dreamwidth.org/185808.html
CLAIMED - PH #89: Frauds (TV 2025), Ocean's 8 (2018), Riot Women (TV 2025)
This pinch hit has now been claimed, but you are welcome to write a treat!
Frauds (TV 2025)
Characters: Sam (Frauds TV), Bert (Frauds TV)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form
Happy to receive treats! My non-specific likes are in my letter; my DNWs are here:
I do not want to read: rape; animal abuse or death; illness or caretaking (see Frauds section for caveats); self-harm; kid!fic. I am okay with violence in service to the story; I am okay with canon-typical violence. I'm also not interested in complete AUs (ie, coffee-shop-type AUs). I do enjoy AUs where one thing in canon is changed and we explore the ramifications of it.
I’m not a big fan of the heteronormative assumption that there’s only one way to progress a relationship and anyone in a relationship must necessarily want co-habitation and homeownership and marriage and children. In fact, I’m really not interested in stories about child-rearing at all, though dealing with adult children established in canon can be interesting.
Canon-specific:
I am writing this having only watched the first three eps, sorry! I will add to my letter once I've finished the series but please, don't feel like you have to wait for that. If you have an idea you want to run with go for it. I would love a story about Bert and Sam together or either of them apart, as you wish.
I do NOT want to dwell too deeply on Bert's illness, please - the level we see in the first three eps is fine, but no, say, deep dives into Sam's feelings about it and her fears about how much sicker Bert will get, etc.
I do ship them and would love to read something on that line, but I also ADORE the fucked-up friendship as a friendship, so either is great. (The physicality of them, though... Bert tearing her shirt off, their fight in the pool... IJS, there's something there.)
I would love to read a story about Bert and her time in jail. I'd love to read about the times Sam wanted to visit Bert and didn't. A glorious heist before the one that got Bert caught? Their first big fuckup on a job? Fights they had and ways they made up? Or even something silly and domestic that's also about them showing off to each other. I am deeply a sucker for Kate Fleetwood so if there is a way to include Celine, that would be fun, but obvs no pressure.
I will watch the rest of the eps before reveal, so if you have a post-season story you want to write, go for it.
Letter:
https://tellitslant.dreamwidth.org/2731559.html
Request 2 by kathryne
Ocean's 8 (2018)
Characters: Debbie Ocean, Lou Miller (Ocean's)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags (if 0: any from tag set)
Happy to receive treats! My specific likes are in my letter but here are my DNWs:
I do not want to read: rape; animal abuse or death; illness or caretaking (see Frauds section for caveats); self-harm; kid!fic. I am okay with violence in service to the story; I am okay with canon-typical violence. I'm also not interested in complete AUs (ie, coffee-shop-type AUs). I do enjoy AUs where one thing in canon is changed and we explore the ramifications of it.
I’m not a big fan of the heteronormative assumption that there’s only one way to progress a relationship and anyone in a relationship must necessarily want co-habitation and homeownership and marriage and children. In fact, I’m really not interested in stories about child-rearing at all, though dealing with adult children established in canon can be interesting.
Canon-specific:
Unhinged option: Did Debbie and Lou pull the Louvre job? (Or your unsolved theft of choice?) But, okay, really: just tell me about more jobs they pulled together. Whether in the past or after the film, whether just the two of them or with a bigger crew, whether they succeeded or failed. Just more of them, please, and a little crime. I would love them to be gay and do crime but I am fine if the gay is not there as long as the crime is. I am happy to read about other characters from the film as long as Debbie and Lou and their relationship are central.
Letter:
https://tellitslant.dreamwidth.org/2731559.html
Request 3 by kathryne
Riot Women (TV 2025)
Characters: Yvonne (Riot Women), Kitty (Riot Women), Holly (Riot Women), Beth (Riot Women)
My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form
Happy to receive treats! My specific likes are in my letter but here are my DNWs:
I do not want to read: rape; animal abuse or death; illness or caretaking (see Frauds section for caveats); self-harm; kid!fic. I am okay with violence in service to the story; I am okay with canon-typical violence. I'm also not interested in complete AUs (ie, coffee-shop-type AUs). I do enjoy AUs where one thing in canon is changed and we explore the ramifications of it.
I’m not a big fan of the heteronormative assumption that there’s only one way to progress a relationship and anyone in a relationship must necessarily want co-habitation and homeownership and marriage and children. In fact, I’m really not interested in stories about child-rearing at all, though dealing with adult children established in canon can be interesting.
Canon-specific:
I kind of just want something joyful for any or all of the characters? Please mix and match to your heart's content (including Jess, if you want). I would prefer at least two of them be included, because I really do love how they all build their brilliant tentative flourishing relationships. Somewhat to my surprise, I don't particularly ship any of them, but if you do I would LOVE to be persuaded, except not really by Kitty and Beth. (I do think Kitty deserves to be treated nicely by someone for once, though, redemptively - and I definitely read her as openly queer.)
I would prefer not to have a lot about any of the band's kids or parents. Also if you don't go the femslash route, I would prefer not to focus on a het relationship.
Have you got a subject you think they should write a song about? Tell me about them working on it - night in the pub sharing stories, trying to work out their next topic? How do the rest of them mine their trauma? Album listening party? Another gig - and/or another adrenaline-induced horniness emergency? Another recording session? I don't want something so fluffy it's unbelievable - I think part of the genius of Sally Wainwright is that she is so good at melding the dark and the light - but if we could end on a note of hope, that would be great.
Letter:
https://tellitslant.dreamwidth.org/2731559.html
Meh
Dec. 6th, 2025 11:36 amsusandennisVolleyball was a mess. We have one very bad actor and he was on his worst behavior this morning and several of the regulars were there so we quit early. Elbow coffee was not horrible but not great either. Again, good people missing and we did not quit early.
Sigh.
Yesterday I broke a light bulb and did not have a replacement but did have a couple of things on my list for Dollar Store so went there and got a bulb that kind of works. But mostly could not find stuff on my list. The Amazon smart bulbs do not work in my bedside sconces because they are dimmable fixtures. The bulb I got at Dollar Store says it's non-dimmable right on the box but I bought it anyway. Instead of stopping at Lowe's or Home Depot or even fucking Safeway, like a normal person, I just came home. The Dollar Store bulb at least doesn't flicker like the Amazon bulb but I still need better ones - one for each. Why am I being punked by light bulbs???
Anyway, Hazel and John need a new calendar and they always get their calendars at the Dollar Store and they came to elbow coffee to ask us to get them one next time we are there. So Bonny and I are going this afternoon.
I started writing this entry and hour ago and keep getting distracted - squirrel!
I have an Instagram account and scroll through daily. I rarely post anything but I do enjoy looking. There's a dude in London who has two sisters who sent him a giant box of advent adventures. Every day he must deliver a gift to the person on the card. Generally it's a first name and destination. He posts videos of his finding someone with that name in that place. It's charmingly delightful. fridgeplug
While I keep a short list of people I follow, most of my feed is people Instagram thinks I need to follow. I get a lot of 'babies with their Dads' and 'dogs with babies' and lately, it's Tai Chi for old fat people (kind of on point, that last one). At least, for now, I'm out of the fat boobs that need bras phase.
Dinner's ordered for pickup downstairs and Bobby's probably about ready to go so I'm done for now.
Sigh.
Yesterday I broke a light bulb and did not have a replacement but did have a couple of things on my list for Dollar Store so went there and got a bulb that kind of works. But mostly could not find stuff on my list. The Amazon smart bulbs do not work in my bedside sconces because they are dimmable fixtures. The bulb I got at Dollar Store says it's non-dimmable right on the box but I bought it anyway. Instead of stopping at Lowe's or Home Depot or even fucking Safeway, like a normal person, I just came home. The Dollar Store bulb at least doesn't flicker like the Amazon bulb but I still need better ones - one for each. Why am I being punked by light bulbs???
Anyway, Hazel and John need a new calendar and they always get their calendars at the Dollar Store and they came to elbow coffee to ask us to get them one next time we are there. So Bonny and I are going this afternoon.
I started writing this entry and hour ago and keep getting distracted - squirrel!
I have an Instagram account and scroll through daily. I rarely post anything but I do enjoy looking. There's a dude in London who has two sisters who sent him a giant box of advent adventures. Every day he must deliver a gift to the person on the card. Generally it's a first name and destination. He posts videos of his finding someone with that name in that place. It's charmingly delightful. fridgeplug
While I keep a short list of people I follow, most of my feed is people Instagram thinks I need to follow. I get a lot of 'babies with their Dads' and 'dogs with babies' and lately, it's Tai Chi for old fat people (kind of on point, that last one). At least, for now, I'm out of the fat boobs that need bras phase.
Dinner's ordered for pickup downstairs and Bobby's probably about ready to go so I'm done for now.
(no subject)
Dec. 6th, 2025 01:33 pmskygiantsI am home! with my own cats! and my own computer!! This is very exciting because I have spent most of the last two weeks traveling, including last Monday when I spent about 24 hours total stumbling through different airports getting rerouted onto different flights before finally getting to achieve my dearest wish at that point, Be Horizontal.
In the course of that extremely long day I watched two French movies on planes:
( Au revoir là-haut/See You Up There )
( La venue de l'avenir/Colors of Time )
In the course of that extremely long day I watched two French movies on planes:
( Au revoir là-haut/See You Up There )
( La venue de l'avenir/Colors of Time )
At Midnight Comes the Cry by Julia Spencer-Fleming
Dec. 6th, 2025 03:55 pmlightreadsAt Midnight Comes the Cry
3/5. Tenth in this series of mysteries about the episcopal priest and the police chief (they are married with baby at this point).
I’m always happy to spend more time with these characters, but I’m gonna be honest here: I come to this series for small town stuff and mysteries and a light but intense approach to relationships. I do not come for white nationalist terrorism or action movie stuff. And yet, guess what I got here.
This also feels like a final book, with a weirdly pasted on ‘five years later’ epilogue. Which is fine if that’s how it is, but I was disappointed in the treatment that a secondary couple got. She is so good at relationships that shouldn’t work but do. In this case, a divorced woman in her thirties with young kids and a history in the porn industry, and an early twenties rookie on the police force. She does messy but magnetic so well, and she let them develop over many books. So I found the conclusion(?) to their story here, and how little attention was paid to the thorny emotional stuff between them, to be uncharacteristic and disappointing. Same take on the resolution(?) of the addiction plotline.
Content notes: White nationalism of several flavors, violence (domestic and otherwise)
3/5. Tenth in this series of mysteries about the episcopal priest and the police chief (they are married with baby at this point).
I’m always happy to spend more time with these characters, but I’m gonna be honest here: I come to this series for small town stuff and mysteries and a light but intense approach to relationships. I do not come for white nationalist terrorism or action movie stuff. And yet, guess what I got here.
This also feels like a final book, with a weirdly pasted on ‘five years later’ epilogue. Which is fine if that’s how it is, but I was disappointed in the treatment that a secondary couple got. She is so good at relationships that shouldn’t work but do. In this case, a divorced woman in her thirties with young kids and a history in the porn industry, and an early twenties rookie on the police force. She does messy but magnetic so well, and she let them develop over many books. So I found the conclusion(?) to their story here, and how little attention was paid to the thorny emotional stuff between them, to be uncharacteristic and disappointing. Same take on the resolution(?) of the addiction plotline.
Content notes: White nationalism of several flavors, violence (domestic and otherwise)
also recent reading
Dec. 6th, 2025 11:46 amthistleingrey(Formerly stalled drafts have been nudged by end-of-term exams, in progress.)
Sonali Dev, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, The Rajes 1 (2019)
Recipe for Persuasion, The Rajes 2 (2020)
Incense and Sensibility, The Rajes 3 (2021)
Beyond the pairwise romance ostensibly cranking its plot, the first book is a love letter to third-culture kids whose lives have been bent by contradictory familial expectations, and an acknowledgment of bits of the wreckage wrought by postcolonial aspiration. Light touch, relatively, but I appreciate that these books say some of the quiet things aloud about costs and---better---that several characters encourage each other to speak to someone specific.
"Raje" isn't ordinarily a surname, which makes it a good choice.
Perhaps the most important feature of the setting, as a fix-it, is that when the kids who figure in these books as adult characters were growing up, several older relatives were local. I also appreciate the queer side-character situationship, whose arc suits the books' setting.
Anyway, four books total---none for Mansfield Park, which I think would be tough to fit. The fourth is The Emma Project (2022), which I've begun.
Sonali Dev, Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors, The Rajes 1 (2019)
Recipe for Persuasion, The Rajes 2 (2020)
Incense and Sensibility, The Rajes 3 (2021)
Beyond the pairwise romance ostensibly cranking its plot, the first book is a love letter to third-culture kids whose lives have been bent by contradictory familial expectations, and an acknowledgment of bits of the wreckage wrought by postcolonial aspiration. Light touch, relatively, but I appreciate that these books say some of the quiet things aloud about costs and---better---that several characters encourage each other to speak to someone specific.
"Raje" isn't ordinarily a surname, which makes it a good choice.
Perhaps the most important feature of the setting, as a fix-it, is that when the kids who figure in these books as adult characters were growing up, several older relatives were local. I also appreciate the queer side-character situationship, whose arc suits the books' setting.
Anyway, four books total---none for Mansfield Park, which I think would be tough to fit. The fourth is The Emma Project (2022), which I've begun.
Sunday Online Chat
Dec. 6th, 2025 09:25 amsartoriasI need to remember to mention these (rare) things in case one or two of you have free time at 9:00a.m. Pacific time Sunday the 7th. B Cubed Press Sunday Brunch, on Youtube, hosts a live chat. Tomorrow I'm to be included, for what will begin as a chat about preparing for readings, but might go in any direction.
Thirty Six Years
Dec. 6th, 2025 08:19 ammuccamukkThirty-six years ago today, a lone gunman murdered fourteen women at Polytechnique Montréal, before taking his own life.
The names of the women were:
Geneviève Bergeron
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz
CBC: Montreal to honour 14 victims of Polytechnique massacre at ceremony.
Globe & Mail: Progress on combatting intimate-partner violence stalling under new government, advocates fear.
The names of the women were:
Hélène Colgan
Nathalie Croteau
Barbara Daigneault
Anne-Marie Edward
Maud Haviernick
Maryse Laganière
Maryse Leclair
Anne-Marie Lemay
Sonia Pelletier
Michèle Richard
Annie St-Arneault
Annie Turcotte
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz
CBC: Montreal to honour 14 victims of Polytechnique massacre at ceremony.
Globe & Mail: Progress on combatting intimate-partner violence stalling under new government, advocates fear.
Deth of Siv, etc
Dec. 6th, 2025 03:57 pmoursinWhat is this that this thing is, when, okay, one is aware of all the woozing and grumbling about the various delivery services, but here is the ROYAL MAIL being pretty bad.
Yesterday I had an email saying they had delivered a parcel.
There was no parcel.
I looked at the proof of delivery and behold, that was Not Our Front Door they were sticking it through, it was the wrong colour and one could see the corner of a glass panel (ours is solid wood).
So I went on to their site to try and delve a bit further and, my dears, it is HORRENDOUS, one suspects it is designed to make people Just Give Up.
For example, the 'contact us' link, that actually goes to a 'Help and Support' page that lists a whole range of possible contingencies that one has to sort through to discover one that matches the occasion.
And once I had come across the Advice relating to item (presumably) misdelivered to wrong address, advice was, to contact the sender.
I have no bloody idea who the sender was being as how I was not even expecting a Royal Mail delivery, have been back over my emails and texts and no, I did not receive any previous message involving that particular tracking code.
There is a passing allusion to possible scanning errors.
The only means of contacting them is by phone, and when I tried, and had made my way through the menu options, the wait to speak to a person was 50 minutes.
I am leaving all this pro tem in case a) it was misdelivered and gets put back into the system b) it never actually existed in the first place.
But, really.
And in other, perhaps more minor (?) annoyances of Modern Life, what is this thing that this thing is of 'Cooking Instructions on Back of Label'? that you then have to detach, in the hope that it will actually come off in one piece that one can actually decipher....
ETA Parcel has now turned up, either in today's post or popped through letter box by neighbour to whom it was delivered in error.... Is friend's book I was in anticipation of.
can't sleep, prestige TV will eat me
Dec. 6th, 2025 09:41 amthe_shoshannaI have watched the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry, and omg it is so much fun (and I find it better than the book tbh; the book sometimes felt awkwardly written and the show just smooths out and amplifies so many great moments). I haven't watched the third episode yet and am desperate to, but I also kind of want to reread Game Changer first, just slam through it this morning, so I can better recognize the ways it's been adapted. (And of course I want to reread the book of Heated Rivalry as well, just to see if my memory is betraying me!) And I just learned twenty minutes ago that a sequel series to Spartacus just dropped and I'm dying to check it out. And how did I miss that there was a third series of Leverage: Redemption? (And on top of all those things that are sitting on my hard drive absolutely alluring me, I'm watching The Pitt with a friend -- her first time through it; my second -- and watching the current series of Shetland both with Geoff and with another friend, and already counting the days until the Call the Midwife Christmas special drops -- and omg it's specials, plural, we get one on the 25th and a second one on the 26th and then the new series presumably sometime in the spring.)
I have to prep to help lead service at church tomorrow morning, and all I want to do today is read Rachel Reid and watch TV. Can't I just stay home and worship at the Church of Bubble Butts?
I have to prep to help lead service at church tomorrow morning, and all I want to do today is read Rachel Reid and watch TV. Can't I just stay home and worship at the Church of Bubble Butts?
École Polytechnique: We Still Remember
Dec. 6th, 2025 09:39 amdewlineGeneviève Bergeron (b. 1968), civil engineering student.
Hélène Colgan (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968), chemical engineering student.
Maud Haviernick (b. 1960), materials engineering student.
Maryse Laganière (b. 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department.
Maryse Leclair (b. 1966), materials engineering student.
Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961), mechanical engineering student.
Michèle Richard (b. 1968), materials engineering student.
Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Annie Turcotte (b. 1969), materials engineering student.
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958), nursing student.
Hélène Colgan (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968), chemical engineering student.
Maud Haviernick (b. 1960), materials engineering student.
Maryse Laganière (b. 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique's finance department.
Maryse Leclair (b. 1966), materials engineering student.
Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961), mechanical engineering student.
Michèle Richard (b. 1968), materials engineering student.
Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
Annie Turcotte (b. 1969), materials engineering student.
Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958), nursing student.
