kim47 | Dear Yuletide Writer

Thank you so much for writing something for me, I’m sure I’ll love it no matter what! It’s been a few years since I did Yuletide and I’m absolutely stoked. Prompts are very much just meant to be helpful suggestions - if you have an idea in a different direction please run with it!

I'm on AO3 and tumblr, although I'm not sure either of them will be helpful as I'm not super active on tumblr anymore and I am very haphazard at using AO3 bookmarks!

In general, I prefer stories set in the world of the original canon, especially for works where there isn’t much fic around. I love twists on canon itself - role reversals, what if scenarios, canon divergence, pre- and post-canon, canon infused with magical elements, time travel, but I don’t go in much for totally different universes until I’ve had a chance to have my fill of canon. In that vein, I love stories that ring really true to characterisations (e.g. incorporate little quirks of speech or physical mannerisms) and explore the gaps and questions raised by the text.

I love both plotty and character-driven fic! Shorter works that explore a particular characteristic or relationship dynamic are just as precious to me as longer, plottier-focused fic.

I’m a big fan of humour and adventure stories; I can and do read and enjoy angstier stories, but my preference generally falls on the lighter side of things. Porn is great, although I generally enjoy it a lot more as part of something plottier or as an exploration of a particular character dynamic. For me, the build up to the porn is just as important as the smut itself.

General likes: good dialogue, sex with lots of talking (both before and during!!), relentless pining and slow burn, having sex but not talking about feelings, sex that’s a bit awkward but still enjoyable, fumbling BDSM, comedy, redemption arcs, fake dating / marriage of convenience, found family, second chances at relationships that failed the first time or never got going at all, outsider POVs on my favourite pairings, rivals-to-lovers, espitolary fic, time travel / time loops

DNW: non-con, underage (i.e. relationship between an adult a minor, or explicit sexual content between two characters under the age of 17), death fic, unhappy endings/tragedy, high school/coffee shop AUs, excessive internalised homophobia, a/b/o or mpreg

Fandom-specific content below!

Ted Lasso (TV)

Keely Jones, Rebecca Welton, Roy Keene, Jamie Tartt

This show took me by surprise as a complete delight. It’s so warm and funny and charming, even though it seems like it should be so cringey. There are so many great relationship dynamics and surprising character moments!

To highlight a couple of the things that I love about the show: Team vibes - nothing gets me like a team coming together, it’s the peak of my love of the found family trope; Keely’s everything - her personality, her energy, her ambition, how she totally subverts the expectation of the football WAG character; Roy and Jamie’s antagonistic relationship and the way it evolves over the course of the season while still being, well, antagonistic; Keeley and Roy’s relationship is just everything - I kept expecting them to have petty drama but they just...communicate healthily and resolve their conflicts! Unprecedented!; Ted’s relationships with everyone around him, from the lads at the pub, to Nate, to Rebecca and the warmth that he brings to them and how he continually defies people’s expectations of him (his response to Rebecca’s betrayal and his befriending of the journalist are two of my favourite examples of it).

The characters mentioned are very much an any or all situation - don’t feel like you have to include them all if the story you want to write doesn’t call for it! I know I didn’t nominate Ted, but I’m never going to be mad if he turns up in a story. In terms of pairings, I am honestly so flexible, I think there’s so much to explore. The only thing I probably wouldn’t jive with is Ted/Rebecca romantically, but literally anything else I could be into. Also more than happy to get gen fic here!

Prompts:

Keely was actually not kidding when she made a pass at Rebecca and they actually spend the time in Liverpool (or anywhere else, really) having a LOT of sex. I’ve never seen a woman who needs a night of genuine pleasure like Rebecca does, and I think the fact that she likes and respects and is thoroughly bemused by Keely would make them a delight together
I’d love some Keely backstory - how did she start dating footballers and why? Tell me about her family and her first girlfriend and what she’s always wanted to be when she grows up. How she feels about her life now and what she wants for the future?
Roy/Jamie competitive, kind of mean, but banter-y sex would be incredible, and Roy/Jamie/Keely because Keely gets what Keely wants is something I would honestly expect to see in canon (if you want a cute pic for some inspo)

Reading these prompts back, I realise I may have an unhealthy obsession with Keeley.

Emma (2020)

Emma Woodhouse, George Knightly, Jane Fairfax

Emma’s been one of my favourite books for about 15 years now and I’m always here for a new adaptation. What I love about this one was this version of Knightley and the obvious overflow of his affection for Emma and the clear distress it causes him. Lying on the floor because you have too many feelings? Iconic. In general, I love the comedy and aesthetics of this film. The pointed emphasis on the very obvious but apparently unseen servants is very good.

You don’t have to include all the characters listed (e.g. if you want to write something focused on Emma & Mr Knightley, don’t feel obligated to include Jane), any combo of them would be great!

Prompts:

As with every version of this story, I was left desperately wanting more Emma/Jane interactions and friendship post-resolution. Their relationship is so fascinating and has so much potential! I’d love to see them exploring their relationship after the events of the movie (swapping marital tips perhaps?). I’m happy with gen but if you want to take it in another direction, I’d love that too!
I’ve never seen a version of Emma that lent itself so well to smut. So with that in mind, Emma and Mr Knightley aren’t interrupted by Harriet’s incident and rescuing by Frank and literally go at it the morning after the ball like they so clearly wanted to. Or post-engagement they simply cannot keep their hands off each other.
There was a real tenderness to the portrayal of Harriet and Emma’s relationship in this adaptation, and I think...maybe they should kiss. Sorry, that’s the extent of my thoughts here.

One random DNW in this fandom: I simply cannot handle Emma referring to Mr Knightley, whether out loud or in her mind/narration, as just “Knightley”. Even George would be better than Knightley.

Murder Most Unladylike Series - Robin Stevens

Hazel Wong, Daisy Wells

I’ve only just read the last book in the series and seeing my favourite girl detectives all grown up got me real emotional. What I love most about this series is the relationship between Daisy and Hazel and how it evolves over the course of the series: it really stood out in the last book, particularly, how much Hazel had learned to stand up for herself and have faith in her own abilities. I love how intimately she knows Daisy and just how much she loves and trusts, and how much she’s learned to push back and boss Daisy around too sometimes. Their devotion to each other fills me with so much joy.

The supporting characters are also wonderful: George, Alexander, and Amina in particular, as well as Hazel’s father and sisters, and Bertie and Harold…. You get the point. Although I’ve nominated Hazel and Daisy, if you wanted to drop the other characters in I would be delighted.

Ship wise, I’m extremely about for Daisy/Hazel, but the canon pairings (Daisy/Amina and Hazel/Alexander) are lovely too.

Prompts:

What do they get up to during WW2? I can absolutely see Hazel as a codebreaker at Bletchley, and Daisy doing undercover work in the field. How do they communicate? Do they go for long periods without seeing each other? How does it affect them? Sorry this isn’t so much a prompt as an endless series of questions that I think about with these two constantly. I’d be interested in basically anything set in their future, that explores what they’re like as adults!
I’d love to see a conversation between Daisy and Hazel about Daisy’s feelings for Amina: Daisy is so cagey about it, but Hazel knows just when to push and I’d love to see them have it out. Post-DSS or even during!
I’d be interested to see Daisy’s POV on some of the events of the last couple of books: I’d love to see how she views Hazel, or how she thinks about Amina, or what she went through while she was dead for those two weeks.