Dear Yuletide writer:

[jain]

Thanks very much for participating in this exchange and writing for me! Particularly relevant to Yuletide: I don't want any Christmas/Christianity-themed fic, regardless of the characters' canonical religions. If you want further details on my fic preferences, you can check out my general fic kinks and squicks post or browse my fic exchanges tag. Have fun, and I'm sure I'll love whatever you end up creating!

For your reference: I'm Jain on AO3. Also, here are my comments to the Yuleporn and the Wrapping Paper challenge posts.


The Bone Key - Sarah Monette
Kyle Murchison Booth, John Pelham Ratcliffe

What is it?
A historical horror mystery short story collection set in interbellum America...though which wars and where in America are left ambiguous. A number of the stories are available for free online (search this page for Kyle Murchison Booth), though unfortunately not the story in which Ratcliffe appears.

Prompts:
Slash, please. I love their brief partnership in "Drowning Palmer": how Booth keeps reaching out for human connection despite expecting to be rebuffed every time, and Ratcliffe just takes the whole situation in stride and gives him the support and advice he needs (while indulging his own curiosity, of course). Does Ratcliffe ever pay a friendly visit to Booth afterwards? Do they find themselves brought together by work? Or does Ratcliffe get into a supernatural difficulty of his own and ask for Booth's help?


Hexworld - Jordan L. Hawk
Isaac

What is it?
A m/m historical fantasy mystery series set in an alternate history 19th century United States with witches and familiars (people who can transform into animals) and the magical soulbonds between them.

Prompts:
I know he's barely appeared in the series so far, but Isaac's my faaavorite. (What can I say? He's a queer Jewish character with an angsty past. Hawk would've had to work hard to make me not love him.) I'm especially interested in the disaster that was Isaac finding his witch; or friendship fic about Isaac and Cicero--backstory, future fic, or anything in between; or Isaac's POV on the events of Hexbreaker; or first time fic involving Isaac finding himself a newer, better witch--either Bill Quigley or an OMC, it's up to you.


James Asher Vampire series - Barbara Hambly
Basilio Occhipinti, Antonio Pentangeli

What is it?
A historical dark fantasy series with vampires and zombies, set in late 19th/early 20th century Europe.

Prompts:
Confession: I found the vampire ambulance horribly funny. (Genuinely horrible--as though wounded WWI soldiers didn't have enough awful shit in their lives already without vampires preying on them at their most vulnerable. But also funny in a horribly ironic way, and really quite clever of Antonio and Basilio.) I'd love to see more of the two of them being awfully amoral yet devoted to each other: how they fell in love, a slice of "life" fic, how they navigate the cutthroat world of vampire politics together...pretty much anything exploring their relationship prior to the events of Pale Guardian.

Alternatively, I'm intrigued by the suggestion that Basilio and Antonio were able to get revenge even after their deaths--that the small bits of their lingering consciousnesses were able to subvert Francesca from within--and would love to see that explored in greater depth. If you choose to write this prompt, then it's completely fine to write about just Basilio or Antonio, rather than both characters. Not too happy an ending for this scenario, please! I prefer the tone cast by canon: melancholic yet viciously satisfying.


Lynes and Mathey series - Amy Griswold & Melissa Scott
Cordelia Frost

What is it?
A m/m historical fantasy mystery series set in an alternate history Victorian England in which magic is commonplace.

Prompts:
Miss Frost is hands down my favorite character in this series: competent, intelligent, highly sensible, and not quite what people expect her to be. I'd love a story about her university days, or her life outside of the office, or the progression of her career, or case fic in which she either solves the case by herself or is instrumental in helping Julian and Ned solve it.

Gen or Miss Frost/OFC, please. Based on things she's said in the books, I don't think Miss Frost had a female lover in university, but I'd be interested in first time fic in which she becomes romantically involved with a friend from her club, or with one of Julian's or Ned's clients, or perhaps with a woman whom she and/or Ned consults on a case. Background Julian/Ned is also very welcome.


The Magnus Archives
Martin Blackwood, Jonathan Sims

What is it?
A horror podcast set in the modern UK, about a research institute that collects statements from people who've had supernatural encounters. Episodes can be listened to for free on the Rusty Quill website, on Youtube, or through the podcast app on your smartphone.

Prompts:
Slash, please. My absolute favorite part of canon is the two largely unrelated personal journeys Jon is on, in which he's becoming a better person--allowing himself to care for his assistants, recognizing that he has to be able to trust people and ask them for help when he needs it, empathizing more with people in general, etc.--even as he's losing at least some part of his humanity. Fic addressing those personal journeys in the context of a Martin/Jon relationship would be awesome.

Or how Jon and/or Martin feel about the various scars Jon's been collecting. Or Jon is trying to find a better work-life balance in response to Georgie's wakeup call, and Martin is a surprisingly helpful source of support in this endeavor. Or Martin and Jon have yet another argument about spiders.

Alternate prompts:
I requested just Jon and Martin for ease of matching, but if you're interested in writing about Karolina Górka instead, then that's also an option. You don't need to include Jon or Martin in the fic if you choose to write about Karolina (though you certainly may if you like).

I fell hard for Karolina during her statement--her self-possession and sensibleness and compassion. Anything exploring her further would be fantastic, but some burning questions I'm left with are: What does the dust she left behind in the Magnus Institute mean? Is she a follower of the Buried who wanted to see the Institute/the Archivist in person for some particular purpose?

Alternatively, could Karolina's remarkable matter-of-factness indicate that she's lost her capacity to feel fear (either specifically when she's buried/trapped or in general) just as Georgie has? Gen and Georgie/Karolina are both very welcome. Just please don't make Karolina evil, even if she's not quite what she seems.


The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Kamet, Costis Ormentiedes

What is it?
A young adult fantasy series set in an early modern alternate universe Greek peninsula.

Prompts:
Slash, please. Post-canon first time fic, set either in Attolia or their house in Magyar, would be fantastic. If the story's set in Magyar, then alt!Hungary worldbuilding is a huge plus.

One of my favorite things in canon was the very different sets of expectations that the two of them were working with, and I would love to see more of that--anything from a simple comparison of their different perspectives on a situation to full-blown cultural misunderstandings. Other possibilities to explore: Kamet finally gets glasses; Kamet and Aristogiton get to know each other; Costis and Kamet find danger (or it finds them) in Magyar.