dreemyweird

Dear Yuletide writer,

merry Yuletide and thank you for writing for me <3 This is one of my favourite exchanges of the year, so there's a certain thrill of excitement in writing this letter. Hope it's clear and helpful, but don't hesitate to reach out through the mods if you have questions!

Dear FFFX author,

My AO3 username is plumedy. This is my first FFFX and I'm super hyped for it ^---^ I hope that you're having a good time, too, and that you end up getting the gift of your dreams. And now I'm going to settle in with some spiced apple tea and write you a letter.

Here are some of my general preferences:

1. DNWs.

- Smut and eroticized noncon. I don't mind sex or characters having sexual thoughts if it's clearly relevant to the story or adds something to the characterization (for exceptions, see specific fandoms).

- Death of requested characters.

2. Opt-ins (these are things you should feel free to include in your work if you like).

- AUs (wingfic, soulmates,  coffee shop, etc. Go wild)

- Animal death and harm to animals

- Gore

- References to or descriptions of noncon

- Abuse

- Mental illness

- Physical illness of any sort (this includes pandemics and epidemics)

- Harm to children

- Identity headcanons (including trans, nb, and ace)

- In-universe bigotry of any kind

- Any POVs (including 1st and 2nd)

- Any tenses

- Generally any non-traditional writing devices

- For art, there's nothing I mind either; any style and approach is welcome

3. General likes.

I'm a fan of intense, angsty, h/c-flavoured friendships, which is what most all of my requests will be. Sometimes they will skew fluffier, sometimes darker. In general, all I want is for the characters to be unquestionably devoted to each other. Specific interpretations are up to you!

My likes for platonic relationships:

- Repressed stoics love each other too much to succeed at fully repressing their emotions

- Characters angsting about being unworthy of and undeserving of their friend/characters believing that they're a harmful presence in their friend's life

- Impulsive gestures of affection

- Characters trying desperately to repress their affection and desire for someone's friendship because it is not socially/hierarchically appropriate. They are Not Good At It

- Hugs

- Characters getting tearful and being ashamed of it

- Hand touching

- Forehead kisses

- Hand kisses, as an expression of extreme loyalty and/or gratitude

- Meaningful gifts

- Quasi-familial relationships; characters yearning for another to be their family, especially if it's because their original family was shit

- Hurt/comfort, physical or emotional

- The classic "A is terrified for B's life or wellbeing and this brings out Emotions" is a favourite

- Characters feeling like All Is Right With The World, at least for a time, because their BFF is with them

- Characters affirming each other's identities and providing support and friendship in that regard (ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, sexuality identities, etc)

- Hierarchical and/or social differences between characters

- Character A believes character B is dead and is desperate/in total denial/suicidal/murderous over this

- Character A hurts character B and angsts about it endlessly (physically or emotionally, accidentally or because they were forced to)

- Character A realizes that character B actually cares deeply for them and this causes them to be MindblownTM

- Character A angsting because they're unsure if their affection for B is fully reciprocated

My narrative and art likes:

- Slice of life and character studies. Don't worry about writing these, I love them. If you want to write 10k words of some minor hurt/comfort-y nonsense, I will enjoy it.

- Casefic - I'm a big fan of mysteries and crime solving (or of committing elaborate crimes, considering the nature of some of my canons...)

- Music (mostly classical), art, literature, fashion, and architecture references

- Sciencey things. Whether they're scientifically plausible or handwavey, I love them!

- Human anatomy in any way, shape or form. This is my field of study

- Food and cooking. Throw in a good description/depiction of a tasty dish, and I'm yours mind body and soul

- Cozy domestic scenes in general. Characters having a cup of tea with each other next to a fireplace after a hard day's work? Yes please

- On the other hand, Gothic shit. I'm weak for Gloomy Weather Reflecting The Hero's Mood and for dark forests and angsty philosophical conundrums and so forth. Convoluted flower symbolism and emotional repression ftw.

- For art specifically, I like symbolism in general. It's my catnip tbh

- If a character has a canon marginalized identity that is meaningful to them, or if you headcanon them as having one, I like small nods to that in art/fic

And now to my requests!!


I. Hitman (Video Games). Requested relationship: Agent 47 & Diana Burnwood.

Fandom-specific DNWs:
- Anything 47 and Diana have done to each other being treated like a real betrayal by the other character or by the narrative. 47 and Diana angsting about the things they did to each other (but finding that the other one doesn't blame them and still trusts them) is more than welcome <3 <3 <3

Anyway I recently fell into a very Hitman-shaped hole. I love these two SO MUCH ugh. I have played Hitman: Blood Money, Hitman: Absolution, and HITMANs 1 through 3. Haven't read the comic but I do broadly know what happens in it. Have read "Overachievers" and found it delightful.

I'm just so weak for their friendship and for how they trust each other even after having shot and poisoned each other a bunch of times... They're messed up but they're doing their best with the cards they're given, and I love every bit of it.

And I love that 47 is clearly more and more aware of experiencing emotions as the series goes on, even if he can't necessarily put a name to them.

It is obvious to me that 47 and Diana need to HUG. Or just. Quit being so damn repressed for a minute and express their affection for each other.

I headcanon 47 as autistic but I don't care if you write him as allistic, either, or if you just don't concern yourself with this either way.

I do like almost every secondary character in the franchise (Victoria, Lucas, Olivia), so feel free to include any of them if you think it appropriate.

Some potential prompts are:

- Something connected to the assassination of Diana's family? Maybe they're hunting someone connected to that, or perhaps someone tries to get them to kill a family of similar targets, or a dilemma arises about keeping a target's family alive, or something like that. Featuring 47 doing some painful reflection, of course >:)

- Role reversal AU? Diana as the assassin and 47 as the handler! I imagine Diana to be quite proactive and creative in the field, specifically in ways that reflect her moral judgement. Meanwhile, 47 would be all about efficiency, at least to begin with. I can see some conflict arising from this.

- Daemon AUs, platonic soulmate AUs, any AUs you want, I'll eat it all with a spoon. Ooh, maybe Diana's daemon is a bunny! Or a canary! And there's Meaningful Angst. And their daemons eventually snuggle each other and it makes them happy ajdvjfvekfv

- Post-canon stuff. What are they up to immediately after H3? How has their relationship changed? Are they unsure of or fearful about anything?

- 47 says he's not 47 anymore. What name does he choose and why? Does he just keep calling himself Tobias Rieper, or does he adopt a different pseudonym? Diana being nice to him about it and going out of her way to use his new name. This is not necessarily enough for an entire story, but you could incorporate it into another plot if you'd like :>


II. Dragon Age (Video Games). Requested relationships: Inquisitor & Blackwall; Female Lavellan & Solas.

Fandom-specific DNWs:

- Inky rejecting Blackwall over his betrayal/leaving him in prison.

- Inky being super angry at & vengeful about Solas' actions.

Inky & Blackwall: I'm just really into this friendship, specifically in a way where Blackwall keeps angsting about being awful and unworthy of the Inquisitor. And where he's super devoted to Inky and protective of them. The scene in the Val Royeaux prison did Things to me. How are they so heartwrenchingly emotional about each other?? UGH.

I will read most anything about them as long as it's friendshippy. I just want them to spend time together and for Inky to be affectionate towards him. That said, here are some potential prompts:

- Inky accompanies Blackwall to meet with one of the men Blackwall betrayed. Maybe he's in some difficulty and they need to help him or something. Cue Inky being badass and kind to Blackwall and Blackwall being all over the place about it. The guy they're helping definitely approves of Blackwall's Actually Decent Friend, even if he still doesn't approve of Blackwall lol.

- Blackwall worrying about the Anchor and/or angsting when Inky comes back from their meeting with Solas without an arm. Not necessarily as a standalone story, but maybe as a part of a larger plot :)

- Blackwall and Inky post-Trespasser doing some adventuring. I don't buy a befriended!Blackwall just up and leaving Inky for good. They definitely keep meeting up. Maybe they didn't initially plan to and there was an emotional farewell, but their love for each other something keeps bringing them together and they're secretly very happy about that ;)

I usually play as female Adaar but I don't mind other backstories for the Inquisitor, either.

Inky&Solas: so. Solas angsting because Inky made him see other people as people. Because Inky IS a person. Solas just being completely all over the place about it and being unable to handle it. Inky and Solas post-Trespasser. INKY REDEEMING SOLAS THROUGH THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP.

Okay, I realize THIS would probably take a whole other game's worth of plot. So all I really want is an optimistic ending, where the fact that Solas is on his way to changing his mind is heavily implied.

I just want them to love each other like siblings and be very angsty about it ugh.

Befriended Solas' dialogue at the end of Trespasser in response to Inky saying that she'll redeem him especially broke into my house and stole my plants.

I'm a big fan of the "Do you have a moment?" cutscene too. Like obviously Solas is being super racist but also I adore it. I think he's deluding himself a lot in this one. Compare what he says about the Qunari as a people (that they're savage and brutish) to his dialogue reminiscing about the Qunari baker he saw in the Fade, for instance. He's clearly very fond of individual people and fully capable of empathy. He just tries really hard to deny this because acknowledging that he likes people will throw a serious wrench into his plan. But in this cutscene, he can't contain himself because of the Inquisitor and how much he's come to respect her, and the truth comes spilling out, even if he's still being a jerk about the Inquisitor's race while he's at it. 

This is what really gets me about their relationship, that the Inquisitor caused him to see others as people through the sheer power of being a great person. And I think even as he comes to realize that he does see all the current inhabitants of Thedas as people, he still thinks of the Inquisitor as exceptional in the sense that she did to him what thousands of others could not.


III. Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes. Requested relationship: Joseph Bell & Arthur Conan Doyle (Murder Rooms).

For the purposes of this fandom, I waive the "smut and eroticized noncon" DNW as I feel it may be too restrictive if you want to touch on the topic of sexual attraction (such as if writing Doyle as bi). Just make a good faith effort to not write me a PWP, and we're good. I trust you. Handle this as you see fit.

Fandom-specific DNWs: none.

I've had this brOTP for a very long time and honestly I would read absolutely anything about them? I don't even care, you could write 10k words of them window shopping and I'd be happy.

I love how incredibly angsty they are about each other (and about everything else) and how their friendship helps them remain sane. I love that Bell makes Doyle tea to soothe him. I love that Doyle keeps writing him letters. I love Doyle's weirdo obsessive narration at the end of The White Knight Stratagem where he says he can't forget Bell. I love their father and son relationship and how even that is kind of messed up because Doyle already has an actual father and being all "this is now my dad" about his professor is not exactly hierarchically appropriate. Even if he really wants to.

I do love basically every other character in the series, too, so feel free to include any of them you like.

Some potential prompts:

- I'd love some riff on a Canon story. A version of The Hound set in the Scottish Highlands? A bleaker and more RealisticTM version of The Copper Beeches (this is my favourite SH story and I love Violet Hunter)? A Christmassy Blue Carbuncle remix?

Or maybe we could have Three Garridebs >:D

- We've had a Reichenbach in the books but I feel a distinct lack of it in the TV series. Or, alternatively, a distinct lack of Doyle being presumed dead. Or both. Just, one of them fake dying for whatever reason and the other one being AngstyTM about it.

- Modern AU! Detective noir AU! I got a daemon AU before and it was splendid, I'd definitely go for another one! Coffee shop AU! Space AU! Someone stop me

- Doyle and getting into an actually happy romantic relationship! Possibly with a guy since I hc Doyle as bi. Bell being super nice and supportive about it in a way Doyle's own parents never would be >:) Bell being Doyle's best man at a wedding! Possibly a secret wedding if his partner is a man. But still. A wedding. And Bell being there.

- Them reuniting post-TWKS! They seem so heartbroken when they part and then Doyle proceeds to obsess over Bell like there's not tomorrow, lol. Maybe he believes they won't meet again! Maybe Bell believes Doyle wouldn't want to meet him again! Because basically all his presence ever did was get Doyle's girlfriend killed and then drag him into a bunch of super depressing cases that were bad for his mental health, right? >:) But now they HAVE to work on a new case together, and it's distinctly AngstyTM.


IV. 1954 Holmes. Requested relationship: Sherlock Holmes & John Watson.

Fandom-specific DNWs:
- Jam Watson, although with this canon I feel like this almost doesn't need to be specified.

- Canon-typical bigoted stereotypes (I recognize this series has a few pretty racist episodes, but please don't riff on them; actually, if you depicted H & W being explicitly more sensitive about marginalization than the canon, that'd be nice).

- Any background ships involving Holmes. If you want to give Watson a LI of any gender, that's fine.

I'm obsessed with this series and I can't lie. The boyish, earnest, failboat-y Holmes portrayed by Ronald Howard is honestly my favourite Holmes ever. And H. Marion Crawford's BAMF temperamental but kind-hearted Watson who punches every villain in the face is also amazing. And I love how nice they are to their clients and to each other, and all their domesticity, drinking tea together, going on holidays together, you name it. They're so damn adorable.

So naturally I want ANGST >:D Well, not necessarily wall to wall angst and nothing else - fluff and hurt/comfort are more than welcome too. But The Christmas Pudding episode really did something to me. Holmes being completely all over the place and flailing while clumsily lying to Watson in an attempt to protect him... That got me good.

Just give me them being affectionate with each other and angsty and then a happy ending, and I will love you forever.

Again, like with Murder Rooms, riffs on the Canon are very welcome. My favourite stories are COPP, BLUE, and HOUN. And 3GAR is really awfully written, lol, but it has a special place in my heart for obvious reasons. And of course, takes on FINA and Reichenbach are always great.

For this canon I would also be quite interested in various magic AUs and how their worldbuilding interacts with the Victorian society. Daemons? Platonic soulmates? Wingfic? Magical powers? How does this work in the Victorian era and how do Holmes and Watson interact within this context?

I would also very happily read a modern AU of the series :D


V. The Murder Rooms book series - David Pirie. Requested relationships: Joseph Bell & Arthur Conan Doyle.

For the purposes of this fandom, I waive the "smut and eroticized noncon" DNW as I feel it may be too restrictive if you want to touch on the topic of noncon. Just make a good faith effort to not write me a PWP, and we're good. I trust you. Handle this as you see fit.

Fandom-specific DNWs: none.

Oh I adore these books so much. They're so Gothic and iddily OTT and full of angst and philosophical musings on the nature of the Victorian era. There's so much potential for hurt/comfort. Bell and Doyle's relationship is so messy and yet offers so much hope to them. Doyle is constantly bitter about Bell but then when Bell is presumed dead, he basically becomes suicidal over it. I love it.

I just want them to work through at least some of their difficulties. They're so frustratingly repressed and traumatized and there's entirely too much miscommunication going on. They need to hug understand each more. They definitely need to hug though

anyway prompts!!!
- When Cream kidnaps Doyle, he also sexually assaults him (not necessarily full-on rape, maybe it's just touching and extreme sleaziness. But actual rape is fine too). Sexual assault recovery. And Bell is the only one who can get Doyle out of the dark pit of ensuing mental health and self-esteem issues, because he can be very sensitive when he needs to and because they love each other that much. Salvation and recovery through the power of friendship and kindness. Possibly Bell specifically drags Doyle along on a case that involves someone else being sexually violated so that Doyle and the victim could offer each other support and realize they're not alone.

- Reverse Reichenbach. We've seen Doyle's reaction to Bell fake dying, and it was spectacular. How about Bell's reaction to Doyle fake dying for whatever reason? >:D Does he go on a murderous rampage against the perps? Sink into depression? Go full-on denial?

- Again, riffs on the Canon!! Excellent stuff!! As I have mentioned above, my faves are COPP, BLUE, HOUN, and 3GAR, but really feel free to pick any of the original stories, I've read it all and am enthusiastic about any references to them.


VI. Original Work. Requested relationship: Mentor & Their Protégé.

Fandom-specific DNWs: the central relationship being super toxic. Moderately or even strongly messed-up is fine, just don't make the relationship emotionally destructive to them and don't make it better for them to split up than to stay together.

Basically just put this into a cup together with some of my general likes, shake it, and give me whatever comes out. This dynamic in all its iterations is my silver bullet, I will adore whatever you write for me.

The genders of the characters are not important - write me m&f, m&m, f&f, nb&nb, or whatever else you yourself may enjoy. They also don't have to be human. Any alien species or interdimensional beings are more than welcome :D

The ages are also not super important - any developmental stage from, like, 12 human years upwards is acceptable.

Some potential setting and plot ideas:

- They're dead. Maybe they're ghosts, maybe they exist in some kind of afterlife dimension. They're trying to resolve some kind of unfinished business and inadvertently end up befriending each other in the process. The mentor instructs the protege in the Ways of Being Dead or in Navigating the Dangers of the Afterlife.

- They're space spies, doing recon and procuring intelligence for their faction. An older alien and a young human. The alien slowly comes to realize that Humans Are Not So Bad, Actually. Or maybe it's only this specific human that they now seem inexplicably fond of in spite of the fact that humans are fragile and rather prone to dying...

- The mentor is actually some minor local deity but their protege doesn't know that. The deity just walks about in human form one day when they run into a younger human and befriend them. At first they just didn't mention being a deity, but now this omission has spiralled out of control and they don't know how to even bring it up.

Dear Yuletide writer,

thank you for offering one of my fandoms, and I hope you have a beautiful Yuletide <3 I'm really buzzing with excitement for this one. There are so many things I can't wait to write, read, and/or comment on!

• My AO3 handle is plumedy. Some bits of this letter will be copied, with some minor adjustments, from the DYW letters I wrote in the past; other bits will be entirely new

• DNW: porn. I define this as sex that's not happening for plot reasons. Sex happening for plot reasons is okay. Characters having sexual thoughts as a part of their characterization (e.g. to denote their orientation, or wrt sexual trauma) is fine.

Other than that, go wild. Mental illness, physical illness, self-harm, gore, noncon (as long as it abides by the aforementioned DNW), abuse, trauma are all acceptable topics.

• Specific opt-ins (not necessarily things I specifically want - rather, these are things that you're free to include): crossovers (as long as they're with fandoms I know); identity headcanons, including trans, nb, ace and others; graphic harm to animals and animal death; in-universe bigotry (i.e. characters being racist or homophobic or antisemitic, as long as they're clearly written as being in the wrong. This is largely about OCs since for most of my requested characters, that won't be IC, but e.g. for some like Cream it definitely is IC.)

• Likes: intense. Platonic. Relationships. I'm just incredibly into people of any gender loving each other platonically.

I'm not necessarily allergic to romance, but I'm not keen on it being the centre of attention. The general rule of thumb is that you may include romantic subplots (any gender combinations are welcome) as long as the main plot revolves around a platonic relationship. I do enjoy identity exploration and characters affirming each other's feelings, so in fanfic, feel free to e.g. make character A gay and center the story around B supporting them and helping them feel good about that.

I love fluff and angst, and hurt/comfort (either emotional or physical) makes me fall to the floor and roll around. I love it when characters try not to be obvious about their feelings for each other but fail!! I have such a thing for stiff upper lip (that eventually results in an epic breakdown or ten). All my canons are full of people who desperately need to hug each other but are prevented from doing so by social conventions, hierarchy, or straight up shame 8_8 And the resulting angst is so delicious.

In addition to that, I enjoy extreme expressions of love (whether in the characters' inner thoughts or openly to each other). You may choose to use the more healthy ones (e.g. about how much they mean to each other and the fact that they're each other's adoptive family) or the less healthy ones (e.g. that they're pretty much willing to literally murder/die/sell their immortal soul for each other). Both are great!

Also, awkwardness, especially for characters who are not great at expressing emotion. Just being awkward and clueless and self-conscious about it, LOL.

My misc interests include music (classical, but I also like other kinds), historical fashion, art, horror, human anatomy (this being my degree path), botany and zoology, and a bunch of other things. Generally, if you'd like to include something nerdy, artsy, or sciencey into your work, do not hesitate :D But it is by no means a requirement.

I love canon setting fic and AU fic about equally. Fantasy, mundane, historical, canon divergence, magical realism, daemons - go to town. Elements of supernatural are perfectly welcome! I mentioned horror as my general interest above; that means that I will also enjoy horror tropes in fic even if the original canon doesn't belong to the genre. That goes double for canons that do actually have horror tropes in them (such as Murder Rooms and Planescape: Torment).


1. Planescape: Torment. Requested characters: Fall-from-Grace, Dak'kon the Pariah, Morte, and The Nameless One.

- I have a huge weakness for Grace's friendship with Dak'kon. A couple of Yuletides ago I wrote a fic about them and that may have made me fall into a distinctly Dak'kon & Grace-shaped hole. They're just so... repressed... and so fond of each other... Well, if you've read my likes and/or any of my other letters, you know where this is going. I want them to platonically Love each other.

When it comes to Grace and Dak'kon, I'm really delighted by the idea that Dak'kon is one of the few people around Grace who don't think about her sexually or romantically, at all, and yet love her. It just doesn't occur to him at all. He loves her so much but not in that way. I think it must make Grace very happy, considering that she's a succubus. I'd love to see exploration of her maybe questioning his affection and thinking that he might be non-platonically attracted to her, only to be stunned to find out that he sees her as one of his closest friends.

And when it comes to physical gestures of platonic affection, there's so much here that can be explored. Grace letting him handle her wings - maybe because they're injured, or just because they need grooming and it's difficult for her to do it on her own. Dak'kon entrusting her with the Circle of Zerthimon. Them using their respective powers to protect each other and keep each other safe, especially if these powers are something they wouldn't use for any other purpose!! Just them being very Protective of each other and deeply understanding of each other's suffering.

Maybe they can never fully undo what was done to them, but their unique friendship can make it that much more bearable <3 <3

- Morte and the Nameless One were my baby's first brOTP when I played Planescape!! The extent to which Morte is loyal to TNO even despite being, let's admit it, a coward with questionable morals (I say this very lovingly) makes me happy. And obviously the canon talks about his immense sense of guilt binding him to TNO the way the other companions' suffering binds them, but I think there's more to it than that. I think in TNO's kinder incarnations, they're pretty close, or as close as a flying skull can be to a decaying undead dude. And in TNO's more fucked up incarnations, they're also close but in a toxic way.

The way my Neutral Good TNO kept banging on about his friends in the Fortress of Regrets really got to me, too. He and the Transcendent One were like, "bow before me, pathetic creature," - "don't touch my companions!" - "I didn't even say anything about your companions..." - "they're my friends!" - "yeah well not for long, I plan on-" - "mY cOmPaNiOnS" :'D

He loves them, okay <3 He loves Morte ✿♥‿♥✿

There are just so many complex feelings here and I'd love to see them explored. The bit in my likes that refers to emotional awkwardness is definitely applicable here. TNO and Morte wouldn't know how to express mutual affection and respect in a normal way if it came with an instruction manual.

My preference is generally for Good or Neutral TNO who's specifically nice to his friends, although other alignments and incarnations can be brought up, too.

2. Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes. Requested characters: Arthur Conan Doyle and Joseph Bell. Optional characters: Samuel Fergusson is in the tagset, but also feel free to include literally anyone else from the series.

First of all, honestly, I'll read anything in this fandom. If you want to ODAO, that wouldn't be a problem at all. Write whatever the hell you want, I'll be overjoyed in any event. But if you want specific prompts, here's a list of some ideas:

- Who the fuck is Samuel Fergusson? How's he the only one who gets to call Bell by his first name, and yet we hardly know anything about their relationship? They must've met when Bell was younger, and the prospect of learning more about Young and Vulnerable Bell is just so appealing to me. I love it when Bell is vulnerable. He's such a stoic, he deserves some warmth and comfort for everything he's gone through. What does Samuel Fergusson know about him? When did they switch to first-name basis? Will Bell's adopted son Arthur Doyle ever find out??

I mean, he has to find out, really... Otherwise who will give Bell the hugs he clearly needs?

Casefic welcome but by no means a requirement!

- AUs!! Wingfic! Platonic soulmates! Daemons (I am also an HDM fan)! I would adore any of that. I got a few AU fics for Rooms in Yuletides past and loved them hell out of them. I have such a weakness for Emotions Manifesting Through Magic (where Magic can be wings, or daemons, or soulbonds). Or just for characters doing their thing in different settings, not necessarily magical. Steampunk! Noir! Hell, if you want to write a mundane AU or a coffee shop AU, go to town!! I want to know everything about Bell's coffee preferences!

- When I was writing the bit in my general likes that pertains to sexual orientations, it also occurred to me that I'd actually be pleased to read something like this about Rooms. I mean, I think Bell hasn't been attracted to anyone else since he'd met Edith, but Doyle could well be bi and I feel like that would be a cool idea to explore. Him feeling anxious about that, what with this being the Victorian era, and Bell being supportive ^--^ If you choose to do this, though, please don't make it too depressing, because Doyle deserves some happiness romantic relationships-wise.

If you don't want to write, like, an Identity Exploration thing, you're also absolutely free to just make Doyle Casually Bi in a story that's not about his bisexuality. It'd make me happy!

For the purposes of this prompt, sexual fantasies and conversations, as well as sex scenes, are fine to include as long as the friendship is equally centered. I'm still not looking for a PWP but sexual content is fine and appropriate here.

- Something taking place post-canon! I'm big mad that the show was cancelled, so I want to know all about them meeting again and their friendship evolving further <3 <3 <3

3. Christmas Cottage (Thomas Kinkade painting). Requested characters: none.

Right. So, for this fandom, disregard what I said about wanting my gifts to be focussed on a relationship between two characters. I mean, if you want to introduce an OC protag and their BFF being adorable with each other, I'll love that, but that's not the focus of the prompt. The reason I'm requesting this is because I saw someone's genius observation about how Kinkade's (endearingly awful) paintings always feature houses that look like they're on fire from the inside due to him overdoing it with the lighting.

As a horror fan, I got an immense kick out of this observation and immediately decided that I would request Christmas Cottage for Yuletide.

So what I want for this fandom is a Kinkade painting being haunted or coming to life. Or perhaps not even anything that explicitly magical - the owner could just notice a increasing amount of disturbing details in the painting that seem to gradually reveal themselves.

Maybe the house is actually on fire and tormented screams faintly echo in the surrounding landscape. Or perhaps the house is a portal to Hell. Or perhaps it's alive and the fic is written from its POV. I know two things: I want it to be horror, and I want it to be disturbing. The exact extent to which it's disturbing is up to you, dear writer.

4. Monday Begins on Saturday, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Requested characters: Aleksandr Privalov and Roman Oira-Oira. Optionally: Fyodor Simeonovich Kivrin.

Full disclosure: I'm an Eastern European (not wholly Russian, but Russian among other things) who spent most of her life in the region. I really adore the Strugatskys, and Monday Begins on Saturday holds a special place in my heart. It's just so warm and funny and sadly hopeful. And it reflects the nature of academia in EE so well, with all its Vybegallos and its bureaucracy and its lack of proper organization and at the same time, its spirit of genuine scientific passion :D

It also contains a lot of Classic Mentor-Protege friendships <3 <3 I'm very weak for these, ever since I first read Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog as a child. There's just something about a more academically experienced person befriending and nurturing a less academically experienced younger person that is extremely satisfying to me. Roman is so nice to and so protective of Sasha, especially in the final showdown!! And Kivrin! Kivrin is such a warm quasi-parental figure to all of them ;__;

I'm not even particularly sure what I want for this fandom. Perhaps a casefic? Not necessarily epic and long, it can just be a brief exploration of a magical problem they encounter. Perhaps someone's life is in danger and someone else protects them! I can just imagine Oira-Oira being incredibly badass. Or Sasha being very brave and looking pretty stupid while doing that.

Or pehraps it's not a life-threatening problem at all! Perhaps they're just trying to solve a complex issue. And Sasha comes up with some great idea and Oira-Oira and/or Kivrin are super proud of him.

Or, or, in the best traditions of Russian literature and Russian life... perhaps it's just characters sitting in a kitchen, drinking tea from faceted glasses, and having an interminable conversation about politics and personal feelings <3 <3 <3 X) "Bear in the North" chocolates optional (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ru/c/c5/Mishka_na_severe_Big.jpg).

5. Murder Rooms (Book Series) - David Pirie. Requested characters: Joseph Bell, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Thomas Neill Cream.

I have a few ideas!! Pls read and choose whatever you want! Or ODAO and write me something completely different!

- Doyle just having massive PTSD/emotional issues in the aftermath of being captured by Cream (or in the aftermath of any Cream-related episode, honestly - it's all so traumatizing for poor Doyle), and Bell being the only one who can help and make him feel better and like he could actually heal from this someday. Maybe there's only emotional stuff involved; maybe it's about the physical torture, or maybe something noncon-flavoured occurred between Cream and Doyle (not necessarily outright rape, sexual assault/hints/general sleaziness also work). Either way, Suffering and Hurt/Comfort ensue!!

For the purpose of this prompt, it's fine to make a lot of things in the story sexual in nature and to include sexual aspects in flashbacks and conversations, as long as they're treated as clearly traumatizing.

- (not necessarily featuring Cream) Just any moment of emotional closeness where these two utter morons realize how much they care about each other. I love them so much, but I swear to g-d their friendship is the most interminable platonic slow-burn to ever grace this earth,,,

Feel free to borrow from/remix/spoof a Canon story, as is traditional for Murder Rooms :D

- (also not necessarily featuring Cream) On that note, I'll love anything that plays with a Canon story in-universe. How did something get written? What were the characters' reactions? What does Bell think of "his" portrayal as Holmes? How does Doyle feel about writing what is essentially iddy self-insert fanfic about Bell? XD Some of my favourite stories are BLUE, COPP, and HOUN. And, of course, 3GAR is a classic and there's a whole tradition of remixing it in Holmesian fandoms, so I'll always be delighted by a 3GAR exploration...

- In one of previous exchanges, I requested the freeform "Aftermath Of One Character Discovering That the Other Wouldn't Sacrifice Them For the Greater Good". I really want a confrontation over the fact that even though they swore to capture or kill Neill at any cost, neither of them is actually willing to sacrifice the other for that purpose. And one of them trying to give their life for the Greater Good (be it removing Neill or dealing with another similarly overwhelming threat) would make the other have a total ugly meltdown. Like, Doyle has always known one of them might die, but when he thinks Bell actually died, he loses his shit. And Bell says his life would be "unendurable" if Doyle got killed by one of Neill's surprises. They think they're SO prepared for this, but they're just. Really Not, lol. And I can just imagine them furiously shouting at each other, "so what, he gets to live?!" - "yes, if that means you live!"

It's just darkly hilarious to me that when they go, "yeah, we're totally prepared to die for this", what each of them actually means is "I will die for this so that he may live".

Dear FGE author,

I hope you have a great time participating in this exchange <3 Being focused on tiny to non-existent fandoms, FGE is, I think, particularly important to many of its participants. It's a rare and wonderful occasion when you get to gift and receive works in the rare fandoms of your heart! So I am very excited for every step of it, of which writing this letter is the first.

• I would be very happy with either art or fic for this exchange! Whichever suits you best :D This general information about me and my tastes is copied, with some minor amendments, from my last Yuletide letter. It applies to both art and fic:

My AO3 handle is plumedy, and I'm here for intense platonic relationships between characters of any gender ^-^ I'm not necessarily allergic to romance, but I'm not keen on it being the centre of attention. The general rule of thumb is that you may include romantic subplots/themes (any gender combinations are welcome) as long as the main plot/art theme revolves around a platonic relationship. I do enjoy identity exploration and characters affirming each other's identities (including sexual, gender, ethnic, and cultural identities), so in fanfic, feel free to e.g. make character A gay and center the story around B supporting them and helping them feel good about that. In fanart, any identity portrayals and symbols are also welcome!

I love fluff and angst, and hurt/comfort (either emotional or physical) makes me fall to the floor and roll around. I love it when characters try not to be obvious about their feelings for each other but fail!! I have such a thing for stiff upper lip (that eventually results in an epic breakdown or ten). All my canons are full of people who desperately need to hug each other but are prevented from doing so by social conventions, hierarchy, or straight up shame 8_8 And the resulting angst is so delicious.

In addition to that, I enjoy extreme expressions of love (whether in the characters' inner thoughts or openly to each other). You may choose to use the more healthy ones (e.g. about how much they mean to each other and the fact that they're each other's adoptive family) or the less healthy ones (e.g. that they're pretty much willing to literally murder/die/sell their immortal soul for each other). Both are great! For fanart, this could involve portraying different types of situations - darker ones could lend themselves better to portraying codependency, for example.

• I don't have any particular DNWs except for porn - gore, violence, depictions of abuse and other trauma etc. are fine - and I welcome fanfic of any length and fanart of any style and level of detail.

My misc interests include music (classical, but I also like other kinds), historical fashion, art, horror, human anatomy (this being my degree path), botany and zoology, and a bunch of other things. Generally, if you'd like to include something nerdy, artsy, or sciencey into your work, do not hesitate :D But it is by no means a requirement.

AUs of any kind are grand. Fantasy, mundane, historical, canon divergence, magical realism, daemons - go to town. Elements of supernatural are perfectly welcome! I mentioned horror as my general interest above; that means that I will also enjoy horror tropes in fic and art even if the original canon doesn't belong to the genre. That goes double for canons that do actually have horror tropes in them (such as Murder Rooms and Planescape: Torment).

Now on to my fandom-specific requests.

• 1. Star Wars Legends: Jedi Knight (Video Games). By this I primarily mean Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy (which I only played recently but already love with all my heart), although inclusion of any elements from the previous games is also perfectly welcome.

Relationship: Kyle Katarn & Jan Ors. Optionally, feel free to include Kyle Katarn & Jaden Korr and Kyle Katarn & Luke Skywalker; I'm quite fond of these, too. My Jaden is female, but that's not a requirement.

Fanfic: ANYWAY I really fucking love Kyle's relationship with Jan, but specifically as a friendship. Their romance was okay, but I prefer to ignore it. All I really want is for them to be BFFs who love and care about each other deeply. Deeply. Kyle's suffering when he thought Jan was dead really hit my id, so I'd maybe like to see some more exploration of that.

Maybe on the next mission he thinks she's in danger and gets really jittery, and she has to calm him down by hugging him a lot. And he could also suffer because he's a Tough Guy who isn't supposed to show affection, especially not platonic affection, but he really really wants to. I'd love that. And the whole Jedi angle could add to that. Like, I definitely think Jan is a big part of why Kyle isn't ever a ""proper"" Jedi - how could he renounce his attachment to her? Their bond is too strong and they suffered too much to let go of each other.

They banter with each other so much, and they're both so outwardly tough and unaffected by anything. I just want the depth of love behind this facade explored. I want them to totally break down and show each other as much affection as possible, even as they feel ashamed of being so open and insecure about whether their feelings are mutual! I mean, they never really talk about what they feel for each other - how could they know that they both feel equal affection towards each other? This seems like a great excuse to make them super insecure about it! I love platonic insecurity 。.:☆*:･'(*⌒―⌒*)))

Kyle's relationship with Luke is also one that gives me warm fuzzies a lot. Kyle is so loyal to Luke despite his constant lighthearted mockery of Luke's seriousness ("you always feel a disturbance in the Force", LOL). And I think Luke knows a lot about how Kyle feels and thinks, even when Kyle wants to put on a metaphorical mask. Luke doesn't have to use the Force to read Kyle's mind to know him because Kyle is kind of an open book to him anyway. Except for the depth of Kyle's friendship towards Luke, of course. Luke's too humble to recognize it :D

And Jaden being kind of Kyle's adopted kid is really adorable. He and Luke are totally their dads. I d'awwed at how warm Kyle was towards them at the end of JA (well, given a light-sided playthrough, of course). I bet they have some kind of tragic backstory that makes their relationship with Kyle and Luke especially poignant for them!

I'm also a huge nerd when it comes to Star Wars lore and I love all the worldbuilding and the botany and the zoology of Star Wars, so if you want to add any details about SW animals or plants or scientific concepts, I'd love that, too.

Fanart: hugs. All of them. Or Kyle and Jan defending and protecting each other. However you want to interpret that. It can be defense from danger in the heat of battle, or it can be defense from the rain when out on a walk. Or it can be defense from the acidic rain from JA :D Alternatively/in addition: yes, any and all background elements of SW worldbuilding would make me very happy. Like, if you want to draw Kyle and Jan riding a tame rancor or partaking of traditional Wookie cuisine... I would be chuffed.

Or you could draw Kyle, Jan, Luke, and Jaden as a found family! Two dads and a mom is totally what a lonely mysterious Jedi kid needs!

• 2. Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes. Optional relationships: Arthur Conan Doyle & Joseph Bell, Arthur Conan Doyle & Joseph Bell & Samuel Fergusson.

Fanfic: First of all, honestly, I'll read anything in this fandom. If you want to ODAO, that wouldn't be a problem at all. Write whatever the hell you want, I'll be overjoyed in any event. But if you want one specific prompt, my primary question would be: who the fuck is Samuel Fergusson? How's he the only one who gets to call Bell by his first name, and yet we hardly know anything about their relationship? They must've met when Bell was younger, and the prospect of learning more about Young and Vulnerable Bell is just so appealing to me. I love it when Bell is vulnerable. He's such a stoic, he deserves some warmth and comfort for everything he's gone through. What does Samuel Fergusson know about him? When did they switch to first-name basis? Will Bell's adopted son Arthur Doyle ever find out??

I mean, he has to find out, really... Otherwise who will give Bell the hugs he clearly needs?

Casefic welcome but by no means a requirement!

For another specific prompt, I can suggest this: when I was writing the bit in my general likes that pertains to sexual orientations, it also occurred to me that I'd actually be pleased to read something like this about Rooms. I mean, I think Bell hasn't been attracted to anyone else since he'd met Edith, but Doyle could well be bi and I feel like that would be a cool idea to explore. Him feeling anxious about that, what with this being the Victorian era, and Bell being supportive ^--^ If you choose to do this, though, please don't make it too depressing, because Doyle deserves some happiness romantic relationships-wise.

If you don't want to write, like, an Identity Exploration thing, you're also absolutely free to just make Doyle Casually Bi in a story that's not about his bisexuality. It'd make me happy!

Fanart: alllll the Victorian symbolism. I can never have enough. Just stuff your work full of Victorian symbols for friendship, loyalty, and familial love, and I'll be a happy camper. Or just portray them being super affectionate towards each other. In whatever way you want! One of them nursing the other during an illness? Awesome <3 <3 One giving the other a gift? Amazing!! Bi Doyle and his boyfriend visiting Bell? Yes!! Bell and Doyle tearing up from sheer affection for each other? Yes please!!

Really, the main thing I want to say about Murder Rooms is that I love this canon so much and it was so formative to me that it's impossible to disappoint me when writing a Rooms fic or drawing Rooms art.

• 3. Murder Rooms (book series) - David Pirie. Relationships: Arthur Conan Doyle & Joseph Bell.

Fanfic: The books are so deliciously, terribly dark. I love them and I hate them for putting me through all this pain! Reading the kind of heavy Gothic angst they're about is a kind of painful joy. All the h/c opportunities that were briefly touched on but never fully explored drive me positively mad. I get it, I get it, this relationship is complicated, but they love each other just as much as the show version. Can't they get even a moment of openness and honesty? After Bell tries to kill Macandrew? After Doyle escapes a situation when he was fucking kidnapped and drugged by their archenemy? After their version of Reichenbach? How are they not falling into each other's arms for comfort yet? >:(

I love their repression so much and at the same time I just want them to be unable to keep up the facade anymore and to break down even despite the shame and guilt they'd undoubtedly feel about that. C'mon! Doyle was distraught to the point of being suicidal when he thought Bell was dead! Bell basically attempted to sacrifice himself to save Doyle! Can't they... just... TALK when this is the kind of love they feel for each other?
I mean, I think their main problem is just that they have completely different love languages and a completely different understanding of what it means to show affection. But I wish someone or something fucking translated for them so that they'd understand each other even for a minute.

Fanart: again, all the Victorian symbolism (although probably darker than for the show version, considering how incredibly Gothic these books are). But also, I just want them clinging onto each other like hell. Just totally losing it because they're each other's only salvation. Go on, artist, destroy me. These idiots have needed to physically cling onto each other for the past 453.5 years.

• 4. Planescape: Torment. Relationship: Fall-From-Grace & Dak'kon the Pariah.

Fanfic: Last Yuletide I wrote a fic about them and that may have made me fall into a distinctly Dak'kon & Grace-shaped hole. They're just so... repressed... and so fond of each other... Well, if you've read my likes and/or any of my other requests, you know where this is going. I want them to platonically Love each other.

When it comes to Grace and Dak'kon, I'm really delighted by the idea that Dak'kon is one of the few people around Grace who don't think about her sexually or romantically, at all, and yet love her. It just doesn't occur to him at all. He loves her so much but not in that way. I think it must make Grace very happy. I'd love to see exploration of her maybe questioning his affection and thinking that he might be non-platonically attracted to her, only to be stunned to find out that he sees her as one of his closest friends.

And when it comes to physical gestures of platonic affection, there's so much here that can be explored. Grace letting him handle her wings - maybe because they're injured, or just because they need grooming and it's difficult for her to do it on her own. Dak'kon entrusting her with the Circle of Zerthimon. Them using their respective powers to protect each other and keep each other safe, especially if these powers are something they wouldn't use for any other purpose!! Just them being very Protective of each other and deeply understanding of each other's suffering.

Maybe they can never fully undo what was done to them, but their unique friendship can make it that much more bearable <3 <3

Fanart: see the fanfic section on the subject of physical affection. That. All of that. Let Dak'kon groom Grace's wings 2k19 tbh

Dear Yuletide writer,

my AO3 handle is plumedy, and I'm here for intense platonic relationships between characters of any gender ^-^ I'm not necessarily allergic to romance - hence e.g. my nominating some married couples this Yuletide - but I'm not keen on it being the centre of attention.

I love fluff and angst, and hurt/comfort (either emotional or physical) makes me fall to the floor and roll around. I love it when characters try not to be obvious about their feelings for each other but fail!! I have such a thing for stiff upper lip. All my canons are full of people who desperately need to hug each other but are prevented from doing so by social conventions, hierarchy, or straight up shame 8_8 And the resulting angst is so delicious.

I don't have any particular DNWs except for porn - gore, violence, etc. are fine - and I welcome fanfic of any length. Don't feel like you have to write a story over or under a certain wordcount.

My misc interests include music, historical fashion, art, horror, human anatomy (this being my degree path), botany and zoology, and a bunch of other things. Generally, if you'd like to include something nerdy, artsy, or sciencey into your work, do not hesitate :D But it is by no means a requirement.

AUs of any kind are grand. Fantasy, historical, canon divergence, magical realism, daemons - go to town. Elements of supernatural are perfectly welcome!

My specific requests are as follows:

1. Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes. Characters: Joseph Bell and Arthur Conan Doyle; inclusion of Daniel Blaney and/or Innes Doyle is more than welcome.

First of all, just know that pretty much anything written for this fandom will make me happy. Pretty much anything. That being said, if you'd like a particular idea, I've always wanted a post-canon reunion fanfic. I totally headcanon Bell's final words ("drive these memories from your mind") as an implicit offer for Doyle to forget him, and this provides potential for SO MUCH INSECURITY AND ANGST. AND THEN SO MUCH ANGSTY FLUFF. AND AWKWARD INTENSE INTERACTIONS LEADING TO THEM TOTALLY BREAKING DOWN. asjksfbewhgbfkr

If you want to include any elements of casefic into this, or straight-up write an unrelated casefic, I'd also be absolutely delighted. If you wish to borrow any elements of canon stories, my top favourites are The Copper Beeches, The Blue Carbuncle, The Hound, and, of course, The Three Garridebs :D

Feel free to add daemons (MURDER ROOMS+DAEMONS IS LOVE), or to make them investigate magical crimes, or to turn them into paranormal detectives!! Or anything!!

2. The King's Speech. Characters: Bertie Windsor, Lionel Logue, potentially Myrtle Logue and Elizabeth Windsor.

I LOVE BERTIE&LIONEL SO MUCH AND THEY BOTH HAVE SUCH LOVELY FAMILIES. And I've always thought it's such a shame that though Bertie and Lionel share this incredible bond that transcends social hierarchy, their worlds don't otherwise intersect much. Wouldn't it be awesome if Lionel's family and Bertie's felt, well, a little less separated? Maybe write a post-war thing where Elizabeth softens a bit and becomes less awkward in the Logues' company! And where Myrtle comes to see her and Bertie as people first and royalty second.

and also I want lots of awkward Lionel&Bertie fluff,,, Lionel trying to show Myrtle what he appreciates about Bertie and accidentally moving Bertie to tears ^-^ Bertie convincing Elizabeth to be friends with the Logues and waxing poetic about how good Lionel is to him!! Maybe Lionel doubting whether Bertie needs him post-war and Bertie trying to make sure that Lionel knows that he'll always need him <3

Feel free to realize this familial dynamics in any non-canonical settings or under any non-canonical circumstances. You could make them a team in a survival horror scenario, or a bunch of mages in a fantasy land - I'll eat it all with a spoon! I think this fandom is definitely in need of some good AUs. It'd be very interesting to see the power dynamics between the Logues and the Windsors explored from different angles after it's been transplanted into a different universe.

3. Back to the Future (the movies). Characters: Emmett "Doc" Brown, Marty McFly, Einstein the dog.

This is going to sound a bit strange, but can I have something Einie-centric (maybe Doc makes him his own portable time machine attached to his collar and he goes on temporal adventures...) or even from Einie's POV? I somehow friendship all three of them and would love to read about Einie's role in Doc's and Marty's lives and their relationship. Any dog owner knows how important a dog's presence in their life is, and how it sometimes brings new friends or strengthens existing bonds (e.g. if the other person is also a dog owner or loves dogs). I'm somehow sure Marty is a thoroughly dog person, otherwise he wouldn't have got on with Doc as well as he did.

ALSO EINIE FRIENDSHIPS THE HELL OUT OF THEM, OKAY. Well, maybe he's a little jealous sometimes. But he still sees how much happiness Marty brings to Doc and happy Doc=happy dog (I've wanted to make this absolutely atrocious pun from the second I started writing this prompt).

I'm familiar with and love the game canon, so any references to that that you'd like to add will work for me! On the other hand, I'm not a big fan of the comics, so I'd prefer to keep most of the comics storylines out of my gift.

If you need a source of angst for this, have Doc&Marty have a falling-out for some reason and Einie try anxiously to reconcile them :D Or have one of them be in mortal danger while the other has to save him with Einstein's help!! I love mortal danger->hurt/comfort storylines so much.

I have a great fondness for the Citizen Brown game storyline and for dystopian!Hill Valley in general (also for its Tannen-governed alternate version), so if you can somehow work Einstein into either of these timelines, you may also write something darker with Marty&Doc having a more angsty but still super deliciously intense friendship.