Sir_Bear 2025 dear yuletide letter

[sir_bear]

Hello, and thank you for reading my yuletide 2025 letter. I am Sir_Bear on ao3. Treats are always welcome, and I am open to art or unusual formats in treats.

I’m someone who prefers to start writing from detailed prompts or ideas, but I know that’s not how everybody works. I’ve tried to provide a mix of prompts/detail levels where I have ideas to help get you started. But please tinker with the ideas, combine them, pick only a few small details, or ignore them completely. Mess with them however you need for your own writing style to have something that works for you. I’m fairly easily pleased when it comes to fic, and am sure I'll like whatever you come up with for these characters.

Additional characters and ships from canon not mentioned in prompts are welcome to be included as well. I’ve selected my favorites as my picks, and would love works that center those favorites, but don’t want you to feel limited in cameos to only those characters I mention by name / have ideas for.

Most of all, I hope you have fun and this year’s yuletide is good for you.

Mini challenges:
(prompts in the relevant fandoms' sections)

Unconventionyule - unconventional formats - Chants of Sennaar, Pie in the sky, Magical diary.

Two for One - Crossover and Fusion Mini-Challenge - Pie in the sky, Enchanted forest,

Yulebuilding 2025 - worldbuilding - Chants of sennaar, pro-bots & robophobes 
 

MultiLingYule - non english works - Chants of Sennaar in game conlangs or fanmade conlangs.

General likes / favorites:

• Hurt/comfort
• Exploring character’s insecurities
• Exploring characters through a neurodivergent lens. 
• Loyalty and devotion, + loyalty taken to extremes. 
• Characters being self sacrificing idiots
• Found family, team as family
• Ace headcanons
• Queer platonic relationships
• Trans Headcanons
• Any other Queer Headcanons / readings of characters.
• Touch starved
• in 3+ character ships - when all characters are equally important to the dynamic, each bringing something unique so that they are all essential in their own way to the relationship.
• clockpunk / robots / sci-fi settings/AUs 
• Robots as a metaphor for queerness and/or neurodivergence
• cranky old man blorbos
• worldbuilding

DNW - do not wants: 

• Major character death
• unhappy endings
• hurt no comfort
• unrequited feelings in main ships or as a major plot point
• relationships happening out of pity for a character
• E rated fics - For these fandoms, I would prefer works be G-M rated, not sexually explicit. 
• fake dating
• school/university aus (canon school settings are fine/ an exception)
• body/weight shaming (characters with insecurities are fine, if thoughtfully explored) or plot lines focused on weight loss, 
• detailed gore (severe injuries are ok, so long as the gore isn't the focus.)
• Horses
• spiders
• Character bashing  
• Infidelity / cheating plot lines
• unsympathetic or uniformly "evil" robot characters.
• Mundane aus removing magic or making non human characters human.

Fandom specific thoughts:

Pie in the Sky (TV) - Ian Lefebvre

Ian Lefebvre is a single episode character from Pie in the sky S2 E8 “The mild bunch.” The episode stands well alone, and is in fact the only one I’ve seen. (character actor Con O’neill hyperfixation. Best known for his role as Izzy Hands in Our Flag Means Death, but with a fascinating back catalog of smaller roles.) 

I have so many strong feelings about this character. While the episode itself has aged poorly, (ableism Ian faces, among other things) Ian as a character has so much potential depth and nuance to be explored. As well as parallels with other of Con’s roles.  Anything exploring/about Ian would be welcome. My underappreciated lad.

For Ian, I DNW nondisabled AUs or disability cures. 

Ideas:

I’m open to any ships or gen works of Ian. I could certainly see Henry/Ian or Sophia/Ian from the episode. I’d also be open to Ian/original character(s). I headcanon Ian as bi, and would prefer a fic not to contradict that, but I’m open to any gender significant other if you go the OC route. 

Exploration of him after the end of the episode? Or a rewriting of the episode? reframing the perspective? 

His weed hat is such a strange costuming detail for them to include, seemingly anachronistic to the character. I am fascinated by it. I don’t know what you’d do with it. But it feels like there is a story in there somehow.

I’d also be open to crossovers with Ian and other Con roles. & or / with other Con roles would both be welcome. 

Mackenzie Bock (The batman) works well as a fairly blank slate character here. He’s a background role with less than 3 minutes of screentime. (compilation link) Still, Ian could have a fascinating dynamic with chief Bock. Both officers, but very different vibes and relationships with their work. Plus power and age dynamics between the two. (This pairing would be an exception to the E rated works DNW, if that’s where you’d like to go with it.) 

Jim Caxton (Midsommer murders) - my Autistic cheese boy. Also a single episode role that stands alone well. Midsommer Murders s15 E6 “Schooled in murder.” Another underappreciated man who deserved better and deserves some love. Not sure what his dynamic with Ian would be, but I am very here for it. 

Cliff Costello (Cucumber and Banana) and Izzy Hands (Our Flag Means Death) have the most obvious parallels with Ian, in queer (sub)text and disability. (DNW Izzy bashing.) 

Val Pearson (BBC Uncle)

(compilation link) I would have a mild preference to other crossovers or canon universe over Val, just because the only two Ian fics we already have are Val fics. But Val is still always delightful, a powerhouse, and I will never say no to more of them. (Any pronouns ok for Val.) Val/Ian will still be gladly accepted if that’s where you’re drawn. 

Or any other Con O’Neill role not mentioned. These are just the ones that spring to mind / I already had ideas written for. 

Another option I’d be interested in would be a Meta essay comparing/contrasting Ian Lefebvre and Izzy Hands (and Cliff Castello if you want to include him too.)  -  Like OFMD, Pie in the sky is theoretically a light-hearted comedy, but Con's character doesn't really experience it as such. How Izzy and Ian were let down by their source materials, the unexplored depth. The (mis)handling of disability as a theme, the messaging around moving on / letting go. Their queer subtext. How they’re set apart from the other characters. I think there’s a lot to dig into here, if you wanted. 

But really, anything focused on Ian Lefebvre would be an absolute delight. 

Magical Diary (Visual Novels) -  Hieronymous Grabiner

Canon deaths like Musette of Grabiner’s old girlfriend are exceptions to the major character death DNW. The fandom as a whole is also an exception to the school au dnw. 

I love him, he’s so crunchy. 

Horse Hall’s protagonist - Mary Sue

Wolf Hall’s Protagonist - Gary Stu

My Player Characters were named Emma Lark and ‘Charles Butler', but any names for Mary Sue and Gary Stu, including default, are fine.

I’m happy with anything anything focused on Grabby, with any other canon characters or ships, but possible prompts:

Grabiner investigating Gary Stu's claims about Musette’s death, and his emotional reaction / guilt / processing of that. Any actions he takes, policy changes he tries to enact, conflict with Potsdam as a result. (would be ok with this being an exception to the unhappy endings dnw. There’s a lot of angst potential and this is not something I think he would handle well, once he accepts it really happened. Though I'm not locked into there being no hope/ a bleak ending) 

Grabiner watches as you (Gary Stu) leave with Damien and make your "deal with the devil" - Grabiner pov/reactions to that ending? And/or his reaction, perspective on Mary Sue's Damien endings.

Gary Stu's Spring break Trip(s) with Grabiner that happen off screen could be fun, either focusing on one of the provided options or as a series of vignettes. 

Mary Sue and Gary Stu both being students at the same time. 2x the headaches for our poor dear Grabby. (would be open to background mary sue/ gary stu)

What might a Gary / Grabby romance route look like? 

Donald Danson & Grabby, how that dynamic, detentions, evolve in Donald's future years at iris academy.

Blaise Beshli & Hieronymous interactions? Or a close look at the relationship between any other character(s) & Grabby?

A much put upon grabby helping a student through a gender and/or sexuality crisis. With the help of Blaise Beshli? Or Aro/Ace Virginia Danson? 

A Meta essay comparing/contrasting Hieronymous and Severus Snape. Grabby is so clearly based on Snape, is a character inspired by him. But he deals with the themes, backstory, role and responsibility as a teacher, motivations, etc. in such a different way. Anything exploring those similarities/differences, their philosophies, etc, would be really interesting. 

Chants of Sennaar (Video Game)

characters, One or more of:

Worldbuilding and/or Monster

"Chants of Sennaar" is a language translation based puzzle game. I think it would be really neat to get a fic written partially or wholly in the in game languages. That may be tricky in ao3, formatting wise, and the vocabulary set is fairly limited, so it may make more sense as a madness idea. But if you’re up for the challenge, I’d also be so here for that as a the main gift. 

I would be ok if something written in the in game languages/a fanmade conlang based on the game / not in english was my only gift with this fandom. I have added this request to the MultiLingYule 2025 mini-challenge.

No strong ships vs. gen thoughts here. Warrior/Alchemist is cute? But anything goes. Similarly I found the tower as a whole, or those two cultures the most interesting, but am open to world building focusing on any of them / an original one if a writer wants to create their own / the entire thing. whatever scope works best for you.

DNW setting changes for Chants of Sennaar. stories taking place outside of the tower would be ok. Stories set in our world would not be.

Adding to the Yulebuilding 2025 worldbuilding minichallenge. I don’t have any specific ideas really, but there’s a whole lot of worldbuilding space here.

Also adding this to the unconventionyule minichallenge. I’d be open for Scientific writing, poetry, letters, more conversations / translated dialogue puzzles between the different people of the tower, or any other odd formats as part of worldbuilding and/or in game language. 

A robot-themed level / people / language in the tower could be a neat story? Or a different Original tower level if you've got ideas / want to create your own conlang based on the game systems.

Gender doesn't really seem to be a concept in the in game languages or (most?) of their societies. Explore that, these cultures where gender simply isn't a big deal?

And the monster’s whole deal/story is very interesting. 

But really down for whatever here. I’d like you to get funky with it, if you want.  

Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Patricia Wrede - Telemain

As a child, I really related to Telemain on an autistic level. (Though I didn't recognize that at the time.) So I would love anything exploring him as an autistic character.

I’d enjoy gen, Morwen/Telemain, Telemain/Mendanbar, or Morwen/Telemain/Cimorene/Mendanbar poly, (or queerplatonic versions of any of those). I’m not opposed to other ships if there's something you feel strongly about / would particularly enjoy writing. 

Morwen’s cats are a very fun point of view, but down for any pov. I liked book 4 and daystar's pov the least of canon. 

Telemain whump or hurt comfort. Or a comedic twist where someone kidnaps him to try to torture information out of him and gets far more than they bargained for infodumping wise? 

Telemain, working so hard and refusing to rest that he makes himself sick (again).

Telemain & or / Mendanbar. Weirdos and their weird magic shenanigans.

Crossover prompts: (or fusions)

Telemain and Spock? Or Scotty? Data? Telemain as a star trek scientist of some variety? There's some compatible energies there.

Young Wizards - Diane Duane crossover. Telemain responding to / studying Darryl McAllister’s co-location. He would be fascinated by it. Autistic & Autistic character relationship?
or Telemain in the young wizard universe, responding to that magic system through the lens of his own, or being part of that magic system. I would also be down for shipping Telemain and Darryl if Telemain were written as a teenager or Darryl aged up to an adult. 

Magical Diary crossover with Telemain & Hieronymous Grabiner, Telemain/Hieronymous, and/or Telemain as a professor at Iris Academy responding to that magic system. 

Discworld crossover with Telemain (& Morwen) interacting with the Disc witches, Wizards, responding to their magic system, philosophies, etc. 

Telemain & or / Jim Caxton.

Jim Caxton (Midsommer murders) - my Autistic cheese boy. a single episode role, that stands alone well. Midsommer Murders s15 E6 “Schooled in murder.” 

Pro-bots & Robophobes - Scandroid (Song) 

I’m an absolute sucker for robot characters in media, I relate to them so strongly. As a lens to discuss personhood, neurodivergence, queerness, and so much more. Or just as a cool sci-fi story with interesting aesthetics.

Worldbuilding, and/or a fic following / telling the story of the song, would both be very cool. No real thoughts for this one, so I’ll leave it very open ended. I’m down for most anything here.

Other Scandroid songs that could be paired interestingly with worldbuilding in this one: (not necessary, just an option if you find it fun.) 

The End of Time, Monochrome, Future bloodlines, The veil, Salvation code, Aphelion, Awakening with you, Obsolete, or Neo-Tokyo. 

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Thank you for however much of this you read, thank you for writing for me or someone else, and I hope you have an enjoyable yuletide!