Yuletide 2021

[briarlily]

Dear Author,

 

I've been around fandom for a bit, but this is my first time finally doing Yuletide, so apologies if my requests aren't quite right! You can find me here, as briarlily and thewayofthetrashcompactor on ao3, briartrash on twitter, briarlily as my main on tumblr (with several fandom specific sideblogs linked on desktop)(anon should be open), and thelastjedi on pillowfort.

 

General Notes:

 

General tropes and elements I enjoy: snark/banter, monsters, fairy tales, angst that gets better, pining, badass couples, competence kink, happy endings! I do primarily read for romance, but I'm happy to just see my fave characters together. 

 

AUs: For my Yuletide requests, I'm very happy with the canon universes, but I'm also open to canon divergence if you're inspired in that direction. For fic in general, I enjoy any and all aus, though for modern aus I prefer those with additional flair (soulmates, magic, monsters, etc), though simple fluff is very good too! 

 

(NSFW) I'm open to all ratings! I have no problems with explicit content, but you don't have to go that direction either. My only kink limits are the opt-in type: mutilation, vore, waste play, etc. But again, any rating is welcomed.

 

Queer stuff: I know most of my ships and fics fall in the m/f category, so I wanted to make a note that I don't personally hc them as straight/cishet. (I'm bi ace and I hc most of my characters on those spectrums.) This does not have to play into the story at all! Just additional info based on questions from past exchanges. 

 

Favorite books: Iron and Magic, by Ilona Andrews; Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

Favorite movies: Ever After, Labyrinth 

 

DNWs:

Triggers: self-harm, suicide

Squicks: cheating, extreme BDSM (permanent harm caused), water sports

Do Not Wants: tragic or bittersweet endings, character bashing, high school aus, 2nd person POV

 

Request specific notes:

Time Princess (Elizabeth Colvin, Vittorio Puzo):

I did not expect this story from a dress up game to wreck me like it did, but I'm so invested. I had not considered two characters pining while one has to go undercover as their enemy's lover, and the angst is exquisite. Pining is always one of my favorite tags, and this is next level. 

 

Things I like about the characters: I love how they're both trying to accomplish the same things in their own ways. They want justice and for the people around them to be safe, but struggle to see the other's version of that goal as realistic. I like that Elizabeth is smart, quick, and willing to put it all on the line, but still vulnerable, willing to take help, and to help people she didn't think she would. I like Puzo's determination, curiousity, and willingness to do what needs to be done to protect his people while also holding to his standards. I really like how they challenge each other's assumptions and how that takes them to places they didn't expect.

 

These aren't very specific prompts, but: 

I know there's been a few fics already that progress their relationship mid-canon, filling in what IGG won't show on screen, but I will read all versions of those all the time. 

 

I'd love to read anything post-canon for them, whether that's the Mafia Couple ending or otherwise. Just very invested in seeing them figuring things out post-story!

 

I'm also open to any sort of "what-ifs" on this one, how they might have met and gotten close if things had been slightly different.

 

(If you're interested in this fandom but don't play, the game is pretty accessible, but it does take up a lot of space if you have an older phone. I do not recommend starting with the Gotham Memoirs book, since the crafting is harder. (Start with Queen Marie) It took me at least a month to get through all four chapters of Gotham Memoirs with crafting, but there are a good amount of playthroughs on YouTube.)

 

Kate Daniels (Elara Harper, Hugh d'Ambray):

Iron and Magic is one of my all time favorite books. I listened to it three times in a week once, and it did not get old. Every aspect of it has my favorite things: cool fantasy worldbuilding, angry woman with eldritch powers, powerful guy who gets absolutely wrecked but still can't keep himself from being a smartass. Especially to his love interest, who can 100% keep up with him and give back every inch. I actually read this one before the main Kate Daniels books and then fell down the rabbit hole from there. 

 

I don't really have any specific prompts for this request. It's been years since the sequel was supposed to come out and I will read absolutely anything with the two of them. I love how they play off each other, with all the snark while still acknowledging each other's significant abilities. There's so much ridiculous pining potential in the time between Iron and Magic and Magic Triumphs, with them trying to keep their people alive while definitely not at all caring about each other. I have their moments in Magic Triumphs bookmarked because the dynamic they reach is so fantastic. There's also all that narrative space after Magic Triumphs, returning home after defeating the Big Bad and what that means. Anything is good with these two!

 

I'm open to any other characters being included! But just them is good too, whatever you're feeling. 

(I still haven't finished Blood Heir, but I swear I'm going to. I have it both physical and ebook but I keep getting distracted.)

 

Innkeeper Chronicles (Maud Demille, Arland Krahr):

I enjoyed the main Innkeeper books, (especially the crossover with the Edge books, which are some of my faves) but Sweep of the Blade is the one I keep coming back to. I have a serious weakness for oldest daughter characters in the first place, and I loved the complexity of Maud's character. It completely won me over, even though second chance romances and kid characters aren't usually my favorites. But I really liked Maud being able to remember the good things from her first marriage and also knowing how fucked up it became, and still taking another chance, for Helen, while also protecting her. It's something I love about Ilona Andrews' characters in general, that they're knowledgeable and good at what they do, but still fuck up realistically or have things they can't reasonably overcome and have to grapple with that. They always feel very relatable in their fantasy worlds, and Maud exemplified that in a big way for me. 

 

Arland also appealed to me for the way Ilona Andrews avoided all the stereotypes that come along with a vampire romantic rival. He's complex and interesting, stubborn but also willing to admit he's wrong, both protective and strategic. I like that, even when he makes dumb choices and almost gets himself killed, he's still trying to do his best by Maud and Helen, and they're always a priority for him. 

("Sensitive warlord" is also a weakness, see request above XD.) The worldbuilding for the vampire society is also so fascinating to me! "Space vampires" is a hard concept to turn down.

 

Prompts:

I love their book, but all the plot keeps getting in the way of their time together, so I'd definitely be interested in a fic that gives them a little more time to themselves. 

 

I'd also be interested in anything exploring Maud's Innkeeper abilities! I loved that aspect and could definitely read more of her and Arland figuring more out about that. 

 

The book ends with this great new collaboration between the different allies, starting out on their unprecedented project, and I think there's also a lot of potential there! Maybe a snapshot of Maud and Arland trying to navigate these changes and adjusting to how that's interacting with their roles and vampire society (while also having time for each other)? 

 

I'm happy to see any other characters from the books, no particular preferences there, but I'm also happy with just the tagged characters! (and maybe Helen)

 

Apologies for the delay! I hope I've given you something to be inspired by, but please let me know if you need more or want to lean in a different direction. I'm really looking forward to reading whatever you write!

 

Briar