2020 Dear Yuletide Writer

[triplesalto]

Hello and welcome to my Yuletide letter! Thank you in advance for writing for me. :) Real life ate me a couple years ago, and it has been forever since I've been in fandom, so I'm really excited about dipping my toe back in.

AO3 name: triplesalto
General Likes: Competence, adventures, slow burn romance, first times, five-times fics, canon-divergence AUs, happy couples, happy endings.
Smut Likes: laughter and banter leading to and/or during sex, sex that's fun as well as hot, sex between characters who really like each other, wooing/seduction, praise kink, fun sex roleplays, characters who chatter during sex, suit/tie/clothing/regalia kink, enthusiastic cunnilingus.
DNWs: unhappy endings, darkfic, bodily fluids (minor wounds are ok, just no dwelling on fluids please), requested characters dying (even if they die in canon - please set before the canon death or go AU), noncon/dubcon (including references to canon events*), infidelity by requested characters, Republicans, unrequested ships for requested characters, modern or setting-divergence AUs, miscarriages (a miscarriage in canon doesn't have to be AU-ed, but please don't dwell on it), a focus on infertility (unless the fic has a baby happy ending).

*For Reign, the only fandom I've requested this year where this applies, this comes up pretty often in canon, sadly. To be more specific with the DNW (spoilers ahead!), I am fine with references to Colin's attempted rape in "Pilot" and with references to "Left Behind" (the one where Mary and her ladies are threatened by the Italian Count), and with Henry being a bit dubconny towards ladies (if you want). However, I am not okay with references to Mary's actual rape and its repercussions, with Mary being additionally sexually menaced in any way, with Henry being lecherous towards Mary "on-screen" (references by Francis to Henry's joust behavior being one of the reasons for regicide are ok), or with any added non-canon noncon/dubcon.

General note: For all of my fandoms holiday-fic is welcomed but certainly not required. I do ask that the story not focus on religion or the religious aspects of a holiday, however. (Exception: imagery/allusions to a pregnant!Mary being like the Madonna are fine.)

Fandoms: Reign (TV), The Crown (TV), Political RPF - US 21st c.

~
Fandom: Reign (TV)
Requested Characters: Mary Queen of Scots, Francis

Canon-specific likes: Mary/Francis, ahistorical whimsy, Catherine, the friendship between Mary & her ladies, Francis & Bash friendship, pregnancy & baby fic
Canon-specific dislikes: any other Mary or Francis ship, historical truth getting in the way of things, modern AUs, pretty much everything past S2E4, threesomes

I really enjoy this show, but the later seasons make me sad. Basically I just want Mary & Francis to be happy? This doesn’t have to go FULL history-be-damned (although honestly, I’d be fine with that). A happy story set during their courtship or honeymoon period would work great for me, if you’re not in the mood for a “Mary & Francis have a baby and sign a peace with England” kind of fic.

Shenanigans involving Catherine and/or Mary and her ladies always amuse me. (I’m not interested in Francis/Lola, but if the fic is set after that situation has been resolved and Mary & Lola are friends again, you don't have to ignore Jean-Philippe or anything.) Comic fun is great.

Angsty/dramatic fic, as long as Mary & Francis aren’t angsty and feuding with each other, is fine too! Like, if Francis just wants to frickin’ tell Mary about his regicide way earlier, instead of breaking her heart by lying about it being her fertility that’s on his mind, that would be great. Anything where Mary & Francis have to be a team and save the day, I would love.

Smut works well for me too!

Specific ideas I’d love to see:
• Nostradamus gets a new vision. For once, it’s a damn happy one.
• Mary and Francis have to deal with a scandal/save the day when Catherine unexpectedly turns up pregnant long enough after Henry’s death that it can’t be his. (Or alternatively, she turns up pregnant after Henry’s death and everyone assumes it’s not his, but actually it is.)
• Francis tells Mary about the regicide when it happens, or shortly afterwards
• Mary is heavily pregnant but Francis doesn’t care that it’s a little taboo to make love to your heavily pregnant wife. Bonus if it scandalizes someone.
• Five times Mary & Francis scandalized someone, and one time they got scandalized themselves.
• Mary and Francis’s first trip to Scotland together. Bonus: Francis defers to Mary, since she’s the Queen of Scots, and she enjoys it.
• Mary negotiates a peace with Elizabeth. Perhaps they have to join together against some other foe? (Whether human, supernatural, or disease/natural disaster.) Maybe they agree that Mary will not lay claim to the English throne, but her child will be Elizabeth’s heir? Maybe Mary sends Elizabeth a handsome gay French lord/prince (who’s not interested in stealing Elizabeth’s power) to be her consort so the English will get off Elizabeth’s back about marrying? However it goes, I’d love a little Francis-commentary on it afterwards. And Elizabeth’s first visit to French court would be fun!
• Mary doesn’t miscarry and Mary and Lola’s little boys basically grow up like twins.
• Five different fertility treatments/sexual positions/sexual aids/etc. that Mary and Francis tried, and one that worked. (Both comic and pure-smut takes are good!) I particularly enjoy the contemporary theory that fertility was boosted if the woman had an orgasm too.
• Mary or Francis averts an assassination attempt on the other. (Or: Catherine averts an assassination attempt on Mary, having come around to grudgingly supporting her.)
• Catherine as a grandmother, with Mary and Francis as the amused (alarmed?) parents. (What might Catherine teach a grandchild? Particularly a granddaughter?)
• Instead of having fertility issues, Mary and Francis have the opposite problem, and end up pregnant after their premarital fooling around in "Left Behind", forcing Henry and Catherine’s hand. (Please end up happy, though!)
• During Mary of England’s reign, there’s an assassination attempt on Elizabeth and she thinks it’s her sister’s doing. Elizabeth flees, and Henry gives her refuge at the French court. Does he try to get her married to Francis, to gain England? How does she get along with Mary and Francis? Does a different French noble/prince (or lady) gain her heart? (Anybody is great except Mary or Francis!) (Oh, and Henry, dnw actual Henry/Elizabeth - though Henry considering it would be very predictable - unless it’s “Mary, Francis, and Catherine (and Elizabeth?) avert a nightmare in which Henry annuls his marriage and marries Elizabeth”.)
• Mary and Catherine team up to surprise Francis about something
• Mary and Francis are trying to keep her second pregnancy a secret as long as possible from Catherine, until Mary's a little further along and feels safer. Will they succeed? What subterfuges are required? Does Catherine actually know all along?
• Mary and Francis together at Christmas.

These are just some ideas – if there’s another plotbunny that grabs you that has a similar “feel” to any of these, I will love it too. <3

Also, looking back at these prompts, I feel that I should note -- while I would love a Mary/Francis baby, I absolutely do not require one! Please don't feel backed into a corner on that. :) Mary & Francis happy together is the only paramount concern.

~

Fandom: The Crown (TV)
Requested Characters: Elizabeth II, Philip Duke of Edinburgh

Canon-specific dislikes: dom!Philip, laddish Philip

I love this show! I’ve always loved Elizabeth – I watched Helen Mirren’s portrayal of her in The Queen at a formative age - and while Matt Smith’s Philip annoys the heck out of me sometimes (get over yourself, Philip!), I do ship them mightily.

One thing I’d love to read about is how they fell in love. I was intrigued by the conversation between Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth after the wedding about how Princess Elizabeth set everyone on their heads by insisting on her love match with Philip. And of course there’s the war as a backdrop! I’ve always been a sucker for Elizabeth the War Mechanic (and for all of Elizabeth’s attempts to be normal-ish during this time period, like sneaking out on V-E Day with Margaret to experience the celebrations in the streets). And Philip did have shore leaves when he wasn’t off bravely fighting and getting mentioned in despatches. So falling-in-love fic set during the late-war time period would be right up my street! (I note late-war because although I know Elizabeth started having a crush on Philip when she was 13, I’d prefer a fic set later. I believe Philip started to return her affections when she was 17, and I’m more comfortable with that.) What was it like to woo a princess? (Or was it the other way around?) What was their first kiss like? How did Elizabeth break it to her parents that she wasn’t interested in Porchey et al., but in the handsome penniless homeless foreigner Philip? Did they ever escape out into London together and try to be incognito, just a young Naval officer on shore leave with his girl?

I’d also love fic set during Season 1! I’d prefer to read about happy moments, or a time where they had mutual respect for each other, or a time where their dramatic tension was (temporarily or permanently) resolved, rather than focusing on the simmering fight the show sets up about Philip feeling emasculated and acting out/being cold to Elizabeth. Some ideas:

• little moments where they share private glances/inside jokes
• them just being very comfortable with each other; their lives must get very lonely at times, and the idea of them having each other against the world resonates with me
• arguments that resolve into affection
• Philip putting his foot in his mouth and Elizabeth rescuing him/being exasperated but laughing anyways
• Elizabeth teaching Philip something he isn’t good at yet
• A time Elizabeth caught Philip by surprise (in a little or big way), and/or Philip ended up genuinely respecting Elizabeth/her actions
• Smut, if you’re up for it! Some ideas: a happy romp at Treetops the night before she became Queen, or the way they finally resolved the kneeling fight (might it have involved sexy kneeling from Philip?), or just some good old-fashioned power-dynamic porn with Elizabeth wearing the crown. Or something involving Philip’s penchant for sleeping nude! (NB: while I’m totally okay with Philip taking the lead in bed, if that’s what you like, I’m not thrilled with the dynamic of the “get on your knees” exchange in the show, and would prefer nothing that ‘punishes’ Elizabeth for being a powerful woman or kinks on her meekly giving up power. Power-exchange/taking turns giving up power, otoh, could be hot. And Philip submitting to and/or serving Elizabeth in bed is entirely relevant to my interests.)

I’d also be interested in reading an AU in which Edward and Wallis were allowed to have a morganatic marriage and he stayed King. Elizabeth would still have eventually succeeded to the throne, but I think a lot of dynamics would have drastically changed. (For one thing, since Edward was much healthier than George, Elizabeth would have had much longer as Princess – in our world, Edward didn’t die until 1972, twenty years after Elizabeth became Queen.) How does this change Elizabeth and Philip’s relationship, the course of their lives, and how they were able to have a “life” before the Crown descended on them?

~

Fandom: Political RPF - US 21st c.
Requested Characters: Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris

Canon-specific likes: fix-it fic (aka 2016!AU), happy-ending fic (aka “we win 2020”), pantsuits, the Obamas
Canon-specific dislikes: Bill Clinton, Republicans (especially Agent Orange), Hillary/Kamala

For this canon, I would be interested in Hillary, Kamala, or Hillary & Kamala. Whichever of the above suits your fancy works for me! If you’d prefer to focus on just one of Hillary or Kamala, that’s fine. I have ideas & Thoughts for each of them individually as well as together. :)

Just Hillary

I’ve talked in past letters about my thoughts on Hillary. Here is my Yuletide 2016 letter (written before the election), and here is my FemslashEx letter, both of which should give you a clearer idea of me and Hillary. Spoiler: I love her.

Ideas:
• Hillary wins the 2016 election.
• Instead of her career path diverting because of her marriage to Bill and his political success, Hillary doesn’t date/marry him, and her star never stops rocketing upward. It’s her who becomes President in 1992, not Bill.
• Hillary has always been a very private person. During her Presidency she never talked about her private life, even when the media pushed. Now she’s retired and can do as she pleases, and the day equal marriage is handed down by the Supreme Court, she marries her long-time partner. (Or she marries her in the Rose Garden as soon as they can arrange it, with Obama there beaming happily.)
• President Hillary has known she was a lesbian for forever, but always had her eye on her career, never wanting to jeopardize it (and, let’s be real, never having the time). But now she finds herself unexpectedly falling in love…
• Hillary didn’t marry Bill, and she didn’t keep her relationship with her partner a secret. She’s been one of the foremost lesbian politicians in America all her life, a passionate Senator from Illinois, and now America is ready to embrace her. She defeats Trump in the 2016 election (maybe her wife is a computer science geek and the whole shitty emails thing never happened?), and takes her oath with her wife beaming by her side. (And yes, I would read a loving celebratory porn scene set on Hillary’s first night as President. I have no shame.)
• Hillary on Inauguration Day 2017. What was her first day in office like?

Just Kamala

I have been Team Kamala FOREVER, back before she even ran for Senator. Her autobiography is amazing, and I just really love and support her and her vision, dreams, and passion. I mourned when she dropped out of the 2020 race, and rejoiced when she became the VP pick. I am fully, fully behind an eventual President Kamala.

Ideas:
• What was the conversation like when Joe asked Kamala to be his VP?
• Anything with Kamala and either of the Obamas!
• Kamala after a long day on the campaign trail, exhausted but exhilarated
• The day Kamala truly believes for the first time that she could be President one day
• The day Kamala becomes President
• Kamala dealing with a crisis as VP
• Kamala’s first day on the job cleaning up the Mess the previous administration left behind

Hillary and Kamala

Ideas:
• It’s bittersweet, but ultimately Hillary is so proud of Kamala on Inauguration Day. (Either as VP or President.)
• President Hillary appoints Kamala as a Supreme Court Justice.
• President Hillary meets with Democratic nominee (or President-Elect) Kamala.
• Hillary and Kamala team up to take down Republicans/aliens/anything really.
• Does Kamala hero-worship Hillary, just a little? Or even have a small lady-crush? (I'm not interested in full-blown Hillary/Kamala, though, as Kamala & Doug's relationship is super cute and I can't imagine breaking them up.)
• The first conversation Hillary and Kamala have after Joe picks Kamala as VP.
• Kamala is dealing with a crisis (as VP or President) and Hillary comes in to help.
• Five times Hillary gave advice to Kamala (starting when she became a Senator, maybe?)
• Hillary and Kamala (& Michelle?) getting ready for the Inauguration and having a friendly and frank discussion about the hell of the last four years

These are just some ideas – if there’s another plotbunny that grabs you that has a similar “feel” to any of these, I will love it too. <3

And if you love The West Wing as much as I do, feel free to have cameos from any of the WW characters! Definitely not required, just a fun option if you want. :)

~

Thank you so much for writing for me! I’m really looking forward to reading your fic. :)