#I'm a sucker for non-romantic love and find comfort in such dynamics | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

howlingmoonrise · 1 year ago

Text

Dear Yuletide Writer (2023)

Hello and welcome to my long rambling letter!

I hope you have a lot of fun participating this year, and the below is meant to help you with that! As usual, the only things that are hard lines are the squicks listed on the Yuletide form, but I'd prefer if you respected my other dislikes/squicks as well, even if our likes don't match and you chose not to use any of these prompts! Feel free to mix and match what you like ;)

I tried to place things mostly under bullet points in an effort to cut down on my rambling but, uh, I'm a very wordy person overall. I'd rather you have plenty to choose from and a good grasp on my likes/dislikes if you don't have an idea in mind already, than you wanting ideas and not finding any you like, though!!

I hope you have an excellent time!

GENERAL LIKES:

Truly egregious amounts of pining! Truly egregious amounts of increasingly obvious denial!

Non-established relationships - what I love most is the progression of the dynamics between two characters!

Fake dating! This applies to all the fandoms, it's one of my favourite tropes if you want to give it a whirl. Same for time loop fics;

Despite the first three items above, either gen or romance is fine! What really does it for me is the dynamics between the characters, and how they find unprecedented levels of kinship and trust and intimacy and comfort and understanding with each other, not necessarily romantic acts. In fact, I don't particularly like huge romantic acts either, and would love a more subtle sort of thing if you're going down the romance road!

Bickering/banter is great! Doubly so if the characters are already a bit petty by nature!

Sticking to the tone of the original characterizations/canon/humour is definitely a plus! I love when ways of speaking and running gags and references to the original material show up!

Casual intimacy! CASUAL INTIMACY! I'm a sucker for this and it's super fun, especially if placed amidst the bickering - it throws a whole different depth to their interactions and really shows how comfortable the characters are with each other. DOUBLY so if they have some enmity going on at that point since that makes it downright hilarious with the other half not really knowing how to react. A pair that communicates without needing to use words is also so intimate and great! I love this kind of thing;

Trope subversion all the way!!!

Usually smooth characters going tongue-tied when faced with the possibility of feelings or the presence of their crush, I'm so weak for that;

Characters getting roped into shenanigans, the wilder the better. Double points if they have no clue how they got themselves into this and are very much bewildered at how the situation went this sideways;

Enemies/rivals-to-reluctant-allies-(to-maybe-friends?)-to-lovers are *chef's kiss*;

Idiots to lovers. Idiots to lovers. It's really, really important and hilarious to me that they're huge dumbasses about it if your gift isn't the serious poetical prose sort, even if the "to lovers" part doesn't get all the way there;

I really need to emphasize how much I don't need a full romantic resolution or even a full story/ending resolution - like I said, what I like the most is how the dynamics between the characters evolve, both in gen and in romance! Ambiguous endings are fine both in terms of relationships and plot.

GENERAL YIKES:

Unhappy endings (ambiguous or hopeful endings are more than okay!);

On the completely opposite direction, the stereotypical 2.5 kids white picket fence sort of happy ending;

For these fandoms, I'd pass on playing around with gender when it comes to characters that aren't canonically prone to it (Loki), and even for those nothing permanent;

Most hard AUs (further detailed under each fandom) but you can assume stuff like merpeople AU or high fantasy AUs are a pass from me, they rely too much on setting and often lose all which makes the setting and the characters… them. Further specified under each fandom;

No going into the hows and whys of a character's sexuality or gender or huge discussions of it - if they're bi/ace/etc, then they're bi/ace/etc and that's that, going into the backstory of it and other people's reactions (including their own) is a no from me. I would prefer if there were no depictions of homophobia, sexism, racism, transphobia, etc, even from the mouths of villain/background antagonistic characters;

Huge dramatic declarations of love (unless it's for a con or a bit);

Huge time skips. Except for some specific situations it makes me feel as if I've missed way too much development, which is my favourite part when it comes to relationships and character development;

Angst is.... *waggles hand*. I don't dislike angst, but it really depends on the kind of angst and it can often be overdone (to my tastes, YMMV). I'll give it a hard pass on stuff to do with major character death (unless canon or they get better), sexual abuse, self-harm, gender/sexuality angst, and the like. I'd also rather not read one long torture/depression fic. Other than that, feel free to go ahead (but definitely don't give it an unambiguously bad ending!);

Huge non-canon past trauma;

Cheating and infidelity are HUGE no-nos;

Sickfics, dysphoria, deep dives into mental illness and other disorders;

Script-based or roleplay fic is not really my preferred format, I really enjoy prose instead of nearly 100% dialogue!

Tons of gore, permanent disabilitating injury (it's fine if it's like... one limb of your chosing or one eye getting fucked up, but more than that I'll pass), etc. I don't generally mind it, for these fandoms/characters in particular it's not really my scene. Note that I mean this for the main characters in particular, if you want to get really into writinh random Order people exploding into little bits in a Runemarks fic I'm not stopping you;

Fully unrequited love between the main characters;

Flashback/nightmare/dream sequences.

IF YOU'RE GOING FOR SMUT

Kinks

Moderate masochism (pain is nice - anything from spanking to knife-play is A-OK - but maiming or an actual beating not so much. Dry penetration with no prep is no good, but the character being underprepped/understretched or too little lube used if M/M is);

Bondage (especially predicament bondage or unconvencional bindings, AKA got stuck in a compromising position somewhere or some way normally no one would get stuck);

Breathplay, knifeplay (preferably no blood drawn during specifically this for these character sets except for Runemarks, would also rather not see knife-play in GSNK), nails digging/dragging on/breaking skin;

Edging/desperation play. If bottoming/subbing, David/Wakamatsu/Loki in particular being super flustered, red-faced, maybe a bit teary-eyed is *chef's kiss*;

Ladies topping and calling the shots!

Lowkey cannibalism imagery and hunger, biting.

Squicks

I already put an entire bucket list on the form so. yeah. those. I'll repeat some here just in case;

Scat, vomit, bed-wetting, farting, wound-fucking, castration, CBT (myth for Loki already went there so. pass in general);

Dehumanization, slavery, pet-play, A/B/O;

Mommy/daddy/baby kinks, age play, anything involving diapers, pregnancy kink, mpreg or pregnancy of any sort;

Praise kink (this one isn't exactly a hard line but I'd pass on this);

Forced feminization;

Stuff very involved with body hair;

Outright vore and/or shrinking;

Super big breasts (unless we're talking about Cobra Bubbles, in which case... further down in the section for that fandom), super small breasts, microdicks;

Humiliation or degradation to do with any physical characteristics of a character;

Non-con betwen these characters or with others. Dub-con such as fuck-or-die or sex pollen is fine;

Would rather have no anal sex if a female character is the one being penetrated.

RUNEMARKS

(That being said, please do disregard Runelight while writing my request. I didn't entirely dislike it, but not only do I not remember it well, there also were some iffy things about it that didn't fit my tastes (crazy!possessive!Sigyn, Maggie/Adam, the Big Betrayal with no further resolution, lack of major Loki&Maddy interaction outside of that), and for me the essence of Runemarks lays, in fact, with the original book). You can of course add in details from the books I haven't read, I just won't recognize them or appreciate your references properly. If you could avoid those things in particular I'd be thankful.

What do I like? Loki! Maddy! Loki and Maddy! Not even necessarily romantically, but their dynamic is the thing that most grabbed me about the books and had me crazy about them. We love two unhinged, super tricky individuals who aren't used to others seeing through them and who end up terribly fond of each other because they're both so dishonest that when you put them together it flips all the way back into actual honesty. They SEE each other, your honour!!! Not as archetypes or what others expect of them, but as people!!! Plus, the banter. Can't forget about the banter.

What I would like to see/possible prompts:

Exploration of the dynamics between those two. I really can't say this enough. I don't care if it's gen or romantic or somewhere ambiguously in between (in fact, somewhere ambiguously in between is my favourite), but the ideal fic would dive into the relationship between these two and how similar yet different they are to each other.

Soft AUs/Canon-verse AUs: the Runemarks world placed slightly to the left - an added, unseen scene that might have happened in canon, or a world where some of the canon events didn't happen, or even the Runemarks world minus all the plot with a different meeting. Examples:

Canon-verse Maddy running into "The Captain"/"Lucky" post-identity reveal in some other (potentially hilarious) situation where Loki is really really hoping he didn't piss Maddy off enough on their last meeting that she'll spill the beans, and her having the time of her life teasing him with double-meanings and puns about his identity to make him (deservedly) sweat a bit;

Canon-verse (or not) Loki and Maddy falling simultaneously into the same troublesome scenario, shenanigans ensue;

Soft AU where the canon plot didn't happen and Maddy may or may not have moved away from the village (the Order did not come for her, or they did and she got away, etc), and runs into Loki-as-Captain/Lucky, or under some other job he's lying low in (bartender, soldier down on his luck, charming thief, etc), and they get in and out of trouble together, as some fun alternate first meeting;

Soft AU where the Order did come for Maddy, and Loki (who was in the surroundings and may or may not have had a snarky altercation with Maddy just before, where he felt Seen™) is begrudgingly roped into helping her escape them;

Canon-verse or soft AU where Maddy and Loki are linked somehow (time loop, some supernatural/god bullshit, a curse/geas, etc) while pretty far apart and with no clue of what it means or possibly even who each other are (depending on whether or not they've met already, dealer's choice) and try to figure it out/find each other/get rid of it while growing close or empathetic to one another during it.

TONS of banter, if possible. That sardonic tone of canon is fantastic, and doubly so with underlying fondness;

If going down the romantic route, I do like things more subtle - no grand declarations of love, but that sense of comfort and belonging and understanding with each other that they don't get with anyone else. I would rather have pink ears and flustered feelings at a brushed touch or a more flirty-bantery remark rather than outright romantic kissing, but this is entirely up to you. What I really like is the journey getting there, and the relationship being already established tends to skip over all those parts;

That being said, I'm definitely not opposed to some sexual tension. I mean, *gestures vaguely towards their interactions* it's them;

Moral ambiguity! I think they should be gay-- er, bi, and do crime, or at least seriously annoy people. Especially Loki. I love that little bastard.

If you'd rather not write within the Runemarks universe, I'd rather not a full fantasy AU (merpeople AU, magic school AU, etc), but for example a modern era AU with the characters being placed into relatively equivalent roles/settings is OK too, so long as their dynamics remain the same! A role reversal AU could also be interesting if their personalities/roles in the story remained relatively the same but adapted to fit it (Loki is a trickster menace to the gods, Maddy upheaved the world as they know it and people/gods might not like her for it, much like the villagers in the OG version, but then stuff like the Maddy/Modi thing could parallel with the Loki/Lucky/Captain thing, for example). Overall, the focus should be on the relationships and the characters instead of the background setting.

What I wouldn't like to see:

Please no more humiliation and pain for Loki - give him a break! It's fine if he gets in a sticky situation (who is even Loki if he's not in some sort of trouble lmfao), but he should be able to get out of it basically unscathed (some light stabbing and jokes about it are fine, so long as he shakes it off easily and not too long is spent dwelling on the pain). This applies to Maddy too, but a special emphasis on Loki for this;

No female form/dress jokes, it's one thing for him to assume that form or wear a dress (that is fine), it's another to make it the butt of the situation or make it sound as if it's humiliating;

That being said, I wouldn't like to see a fic fully focused on gender-flipped Loki, or one that went super into gender or sexuality dynamics. Treat it as commonplace if possible!

Most hard AUs (such as a merpeople AU, magic school AU, etc) would not be favourites (check the section above for details on AUs I would not mind seeing);

Please no love triangles or unrequited love! (Unless it's Adam with a creepy crush on Maddy/Maggie getting what's coming to him, that is);

Full Maddy-as-Modi AUs. Which isn't really an AU, but I like Maddy as Maddy - an AU where she grew up as Modi, or a canon-verse continuation where she grows into that role isn't really my thing, except maybe on the role reversal AU I detailed above (in which it would be Modi growing into being Maddy instead of the other way around);

In that line, Loki-that-isn't-Loki. He can (and should!) be under disguise at some point, or under an alias, but even if there's no true reveal we should for sure know that it's him under there, and that person is a little redhead scar-lipped shit-stirrer;

No other ships involving these two! Past relationship mention is fine, though I'd pass on past Odin/Loki;

Would probably pass on heavy smut for this but not a hard line.

Other notes for this fandom:

No need to follow the plotline of Runemarks, honestly. You can, but it's definitely not a requirement, especially considering how complex it becomes! For me what matters most is really the character dynamics, I don't really need the plot (or any plot), so don't stress about writing an extremely plotty fic in line with it unless it's your kind of thing. I wasn't super into the Order plot Runelight went so far into anyway, but if you want to take any pieces of plot from the book anyway I'd rather you focused on the god drama and interdynamics, which are hilarious to me;

If you must bring Sigyn in, make her OOC - which is something I never thought I'd say about any character, ever! I am actually fond of Sigyn in myth despite there being so little on her (on past Yuletide requests, I've actually requested her and Loki on both the Prose Edda and the Ancient Norse Mythology and Religion fandoms). Be kinder to her than Joanne was! The crazy marriage-obsessed lady is a bit. Uh. Yeah, no. Better to leave her off of it than to bring all of that into the fic;

Bringing in Angrbod, Skadi, Hel, Jormungandr, and other god-related characters is obviously beyond fine, but more fun if Maddy is chill with everyone. Relationships with Loki may vary - possibly going down the disbelieving-look-at-Maddy route when she's clearly more than cool with him around (and would actively oppose it if someone tried to slice his head off, Skadi!) - and this contrast can be the inciting incident for the fic! No matter the relationship the other characters hold with Loki, negative or positive, they all question Maddy's life choices nonetheless, which is a mood.

LILO & STITCH

I'll be real with you, I was desperately looking for a third fandom that I hadn't 1) fallen out of touch to the point where I missed a fuckton of sequels/prequels/spinoffs being released, 2) completely forgot about like 80% of it so I'd write a very vague and nebulous letter among the lines of "I just really like those characters so I want to see more of them!", which would be very unhelpful if my writer (you!) didn't have any ideas in mind and was desperate for a prompt.

I passed by L&S once. I passed by it twice. On the third time, I actually took more than a two second look at the character list, glimpsed Cobra Bubbles and David listed next to each other, and my brain went ding! with "holy shit, new rarepair!!! i wanna read/write about this right the fuck now!". The rest, as they say, is history.

So! You're not here for my random backstory of how we got here! Let's get down to business.

Possible ship/gen configurations:

For gen: Nani&David, Nani&Cobra, Nani&David&Cobra;

For romance: David/Cobra, Cobra/David/Nani;

This is explained more thoroughly on the Yuletide assignment.

What I would like to see/possible prompts:

Canon-verse-ish instead of a huge AU would be great! Post the first movie or during the show (if possible ignore the movie sequels, I barely remember anything about them);

If you want to write an AU, keep the characters in roles/dynamics as similar as possible;

Would love to see some alien shenanigans (not restricted to the experiments). In general would love to see some more of Cobra Bubbles' work on the interplanetary level;

Lilo and Stitch should at least be referenced even if they've, idk, gone off to college or to go have wild space adventures together if you don't want to write them, since they are/were such a huge pat of the characters' lives;

I love the fixer-upper space tech DIY vibe of the house and equipment, bonus points for mentioning how they live with/around some of those modifications in a casual way instead of it being a normal human house;

FOR GEN FIC:

Ideally I'd love to see a fic of the three of them (or Nani and one of the boys) tiredly bonding over a day of alien shenanigans and raising Lilo;

Seriously, there are way too many plasma explosions involved on a so-called "normal day";

This is not covered in any parenting manuals;

Or government ones;

Alternatively, Nani and David accidentally-on-purpose get Cobra Bubbles (in denial about this) to lowkey adopt an experiment and it's adorable (bonus points if the experiment's appearance and personality is entirely at odds with what the average bystander would think Cobra Bubbles would tolerate. the average bystander would be very wrong);

FOR ROMANCE (DAVID/COBRA EDITION):

David is thirsty and extremely oblivious to this;

At some point he noticed one of these on Cobra Bubbles: his large hands, his massive tits, and his tender heart. Whichever one it was, the other two quickly followed;

Very likely, David is not exactly conscious of this. He just. Keeps looking? There is A Lot to look at. Cobra Bubbles is a big man. Objectively.

His hands are very big, objectively. And warm. And kinda calloused, but in a way different to his own, and Cobra picked him up and moved him aside like it was nothing one day and David now lies awake at night thinking about it all the time;

His heart is very soft and very tender and, like, hypotethically David already knew this by virtue of *gestures towards L&S movie end* but. Somehow it's a lot harder to face when you just had a hell of a day and your first instinct when you see a guy that scowl-y and intimidating and official looking is not great, but then you see him doing the equivalent of saving an alien kitty from a tree, or being really good with handling Lilo despite her not being an easy kid no matter how much you love her, and suddenly his heart is speeding up and his day is a whole lot brighter and it definitely doesn't mean anything, right?

Listen, I know I just wrote about the hands and the heart but the things David thirsts over are entirely negotiable other than the massive pecs, okay? Just. Huge titties. Big bahonkadonks. He walks into them once and almost says 'thank you' instead of 'sorry'. He might have actually said it, he doesn't remember. He spent all day walking into things afterwards. He wants to walk into them again;

Incidentally, the crush-that-is-not-a-crush makes him clumsy as hell;

He may or may not set himself on fire more than once. Again;

How he manages to keep being in denial despite having entire raging wet dreams of suffocating himself on Cobra's pecs is beyond human or alien comprehension;

And many many thoughts of the muscles that go all pillowy when relaxed but he's so BIG;

Meanwhile, Cobra Bubbles could be either extremely awkward in that quiet way of his OR panicking behind his stoic glasses but not letting the world see SHIT;

If you go the full idiots to lovers, Cobra could be completely oblivious to the way David is basically performing a bird of paradise mating dance while stumbling into things along the way;

Otherwise, a smooth operator kinda amused Cobra that just stoicly doesn't look like he's noticing anything until David shoves his foot too far into his mouth and then hms a monosyllable and handles everything David to its logical conclusion could also be funny as hell;

A possible prompt/inciting event: road trip! Some experiment or alien breaks free, Cobra is called to action (Lilo&Stitch usual team not available due to age/distance/whatever). Whether by accident or as the only backup that was left, David ends up coming along (for example, Cobra had to take a vehicle, David could have lended it or had been napping on it and only realized the van/spaceship/whatever was moving AGES after they were in hot pursuit, ergo no turning back), offering chips and terrible puns as his contribution to the chase. Cobra is extremely done and likely very annoyed, all the way until he's not.

Look, I don't have a lot of thoughts on smut for this other than: 1) David being super desperate is THE most important thing; 2) Cobra might have some alien body mods or alien tech at hand; 3) maybe predicament bondage with loose cables on a spaceship?; 4) neither of them should be mean/cruel about it, I think? unless you're writing an AU scenario where their relationship is not the same, but this would not be preferred; 5) alien plants can come in for predicament bondage and/or sex pollen, if that's your kind of thing;

FOR ROMANCE (COBRA/DAVID/NANI EDITION):

Most of the above applies;

David/Nani can be established or not, and Cobra is the one (eventually) brought into the fold;

Nani is very cool with David thirsting over Cobra Bubbles and thinks it's super fucking funny since he's even more of a disaster than he was with her;

The trio slowly starting to nest on the Pelekai house would be amazing. The kind of slow moving in you don't even realize until there's three brushes in the cup, and other people's clothes occupying full shelves in the closet, and they're there every morning cooking and eating breakfast with you and bringing you that thing you forgot to work without you having to say so.

What I wouldn't like to see:

Love triangles or cheating. As I said above, a poly relationship with Nani is fine though (all participants must be aware and OK with it, or at least this is implied);

Lilo, Stitch, or Cobra Bubbles in an established relationship;

Please no Nani/David unless it's pre-poly with Cobra Bubbles;

On a similar note, no Cobra Bubbles/Nani without David already being in the mix;

Would not love to see a focus on the Cobra/Nani even on a poly context (some is fine but not the majority);

No relationships between any of the tagged characters and other characters, or dwelling a lot on past relationships;

…Is it xenophobia if it applies to literal aliens? No xenophobia from either of the main family please, Cobra (especially!) included;

Cobra as a cop or cop-like character;

Species-bending? Is that a thing? Basically if you're writing an AU, the human characters should remain human, and the aliens should remain non-human.

GEKKAN SHOUJO NOZAKI-KUN

What I would like to see/possible prompts:

To put it short and sweet: let Waka lowkey bully Seo back 2k23! I cannot overstate how much I absolutely adore that Seo is weak to Waka's affection, we seem to have gotten past that point in the manga but the chapter where she kept getting flustered and running away when Waka flatly confessed over and over again is one of my favourites! There's no need to go to such great lengths as it happened in that chapter, but one (1) little moment where something like that happened for 0.5 seconds within the fic would make me super happy! Revenge! Vindication! Retribution rights for Waka! (cue him being super flustered when the situation reverses on him again);

That being said, if that particular dynamic is not how you vibe with those two, that's also fine! I LOVE how tsundere Waka is about the entire relationship, one moment complaining about being "forced" to hang out with Seo, and the next jealous over someone else getting to do it, or sulking because she hasn't texted him yet when she's away on a field trip, and don't get me started on the entire plushie chapter thing (incidentally another of my favourites). Needy Waka semi-permanently in denial is adorable;

And I love, love, LOVE how chill they've gotten with each other and how easily they fall into stride together or how they just immediately jump into the other's shenanigans;

THAT BEING SAID, how fucking unhinged is that? Especially in comparison to how they started out? Would love to see an exploration of that (could be an outsider's POV for example), especially since Waka has such good boy vibes and then... keeps sticking to Seo? That Seo? Everyone is trying to give you an out, Waka, why don't you take them?;

Best flavours of Waka: canon!tsundere!Waka, jealous-needy-puppy!Waka, sadistic streak!Waka;

Best flavours of Seo: flustered!Seo (versus sadistic!vengeful!Waka), canon!tsundere!Seo, mindlessly-patting-Waka's-head!Seo, casual-and-chill!Seo, downright-unhinged-cackling-maniac!Seo, canon-lowkey-sugar-mommy!Seo;

You know how sulky pets will pretend they don't want your affection even when they're shoving their face right into your body parts so you'll pet them? Yeah, that's Waka. We (by 'we' I mean 'I') love to see it. A fic where Waka is Like That and Seo comes to a realization while mindlessly indulging him (AKA noogie-ing him which transitions to hair petting or something of the sort) would be *chef's kiss*;

Lorelei reveal shenanigans where Waka desperately tries to conciliate his Lorelei fantasies with... Seo.

(depending on whether that's your thing, the above could be horny! Where Waka used to have pure nice fantasies of a siren singing on a rock suddenly it's Seo with a mermaid tail and sharp teeth and nails pulling him underwater and stealing his breath forever.... but hornily. Bonus points for man-eating mermaid imagery and Waka waking up with a "mark me down as scared AND horny" boner and immediately trying to suffocate himself in his pillow to NOT think about it ever again, because thinking about Seo-senpai that way is a fast track ticket to insanity);

Another soft prompt (pre or post-Lorelei reveal, might be the cause of the reveal itself): one of the times Seo accidentally (or not) puts Waka to sleep and then lets him sleep on her lap, he wakes up but is so slow at doing it that he doesn't move or open his eyes until registering where he is, soft thighs and nice scent and very soothing hair petting and all, and in a move that might or might not send a few bricks of his wall of denial crumbling down, elects to stay there pretending to be asleep for a bit longer;

Look, just give Waka some head pats/hair-petting, he deserves it!

If you're going for smut, Waka bringing his little game of flustering Seo when she doesn't have anywhere to run to would also be gr9;

Otherwise, Seo just barreling forward when it comes to "weird" sex stuff with Waka barely managing to keep up (and being very flustered about it but also reluctantly into it) is excellent. No need to actually go through with the things she'd bring up, could just serve to fluster Waka before going for something less wild or be fade to black for the laughs;

In particular for those two, it would be interesting to see pegging, or a bit of bondage just so Seo can unexpectedly be an extra super gentle dom with Waka while he doesn't know how to react and is flustered and sensitive and squirmy and desperate and a bit teary about it because he doesn't know what the hell is going on but it feels good and it's so tender (while presumably he would have been expecting something completely wild and lowkey unpleasant or embarrassing, but he definitely did not expect to feel this loved and cherished by Seo-senpai of all people, what the hell?).

What I wouldn't like to see:

Love triangles or past/established relationships;

UNLESS the past relationship was with the other, they broke up, and now in the fic they go through completely unhinged shenanigans and get back together, and overall the breakup and the getting back together were both for stupid reasons;

Same or similar amount of focus on non-main characters (such as double dates, same plotline is happening to Seo and Sakura at the same time while they're looking for/saving Waka and Nozaki, lots of time being spent on a B-plot that doesn't have to do with Waka or Seo);

No 100% "bullying" of Waka on Seo's part without the text at least somehow letting us know Waka is not entirely against it. He should get something out of the relationship, even if it's just a very confused/frustrated boner, or a sense of satisfaction at supposedly having triumphed even when it's to his own detriment (such as when he went around shouting love confessions at Seo so she'd run away blushing and flustered, or ended up killing his back to get pets from Seo just so she wouldn't pet his plushie instead);

Not a super hard line, but would rather not see big AUs. Mermaid/Siren!Seo AUs are pretty common, so if you really want to write something like that, a different twist would help sell it. (And if you MUST write a mermaid/siren!Seo AU, i like dangerous man-eating varieties of mermaid the most.) That being said, regardless of whether AU or canon-verse, the focus should be more on the characters and their dynamics than on the setting! These should remain more or less the same regardless of the AU.

Thank you so much for staying with me this far! I hope you have a fantastic time this Yuletide, and that you end up loving your own requested fic as well!

#dear yuletide writer #yuletide 2023 #howl rambles a lot #yuletide

2 notes · View notes

guinevere01 · 2 years ago

Text

Wheel of Time and Cosmere fanworks auctions in Fandom Trumps Hate

Here’s an overview of the offerings in the Wheel of Time (both books an tv show) and Cosmere fandoms for @fandomtrumpshate this year. Not familiar with Fandom Trumps Hate? In short it’s a yearly fanworks auction of which the proceeds go to charities supporting progressive causes. For the long version click below

Link to Fandom Trumps Hate - FAQ

Bidding is open and runs till March 5th at 8PM EST!

Wheel of Time - Fanfic

WoT Fanfic #1

Name auctioneer: Emjen Enla (link to auction), tumblr: @emjenwrites

Highest rating: M (Mature)

Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Minimum bid: $10

Current high bid: $20

Books or show: Book canon only

Especially interested in:

Characters: Moiraine, Galad, Egwene, Cadsuane, Aes Sedai in general, Logain, Lan, Rand if you're asking to whump him

Ships: Moiraine & Lan, Galad/Bornhald, Siuan/Leane

Other: positive portrayals of the Aes Sedai, Rand's unhealing side wound, the taint on saidin

WoT Fanfic #2

Name auctioneer: Roccolinde/Fire_Sign (link to auction), tumblr: @firesign23

Highest rating: E (Explicit)

Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Minimum bid: $5

Current high bid: $100

Books or show: TV canon only

Especially interested in:

Characters/ships: Anything centred around Lan, Nynaeve, and/or Moiraine, platonic or romantic or pre-romantic.

Other: Power/Battle couple dynamics and competence kink, exes/second chances/second loves, prickly characters being vulnerable, female characters finding common ground, snark and banter, character-driven stories/smut, hurt/comfort, narrative gender fuckery of all types, shifting power dynamics where they are both aware. Tenderness, vulnerability, and the mortifying idea of being known. I adore complicated and nuanced takes on the character's relationship with gender and identity, and lines getting blurred there.

Wheel of Time - Fanart

WoT Fanart #1

Name auctioneer: milesofheart (link to auction), tumblr: @miles-of-heart

Subtype: Drawing/painting/etc.

Highest rating: M (Mature)

Length/scope: A digital oil painting recreating a famous painting, but with blorbos from my shows

Minimum bid: $20

Current high bid: $20

Books or show: Unspecified (presumably both)

Especially interested in:

Ships: I prefer to stick to canon pairings & relationships.

Other: Most interested in paintings that tell some kind of story, or there are strong vibes between the chosen characters and the themes in the original masterpiece. Color palette and postures also need to vibe for it to work. My experience is mostly with American and European painting styles, but I'm open to considering others.

WoT Fanart #2

Name auctioneer: MxCaptain (link to auction), tumblr: this is me, hello, you’re here!

Subtype: Pixel art

Highest rating: T (Teen)

Length/scope: Pixel art of up to three characters (dependent on complexity - ie I'll do one detailed/complex character or up to three simple ones) of your choice, with a simple background (think solid colour, repeating pattern, gradient, simplistic landscape) I will do one character sprite + a simple background for the minimum bid of $10, additional characters (up to two extra) for a minimum of $5 each. <- The strike through part is actually an old thing that I failed to delete before the auction went live! Feel free to reach out with what you have in mind, I am quite flexible.

Minimum bid: $10

Current high bid: $20

Books or show: Both!

Especially interested in:

Egwene! But again hit me up with other stuff as well :D

Cosmere - Fanfic

Cosmere Fanfic #1

Name auctioneer: Ternary (link to auction), tumblr: @ternaryflower53

Highest rating: M (Mature)

Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Minimum bid: $5

Current high bid: $20

Especially interested in:

I love exploring trans identity and aspec identity through fic (and I am okay with this including external sources of queerphobia). I'm a huge sucker for hurt/comfort and found family feels. I'd love an excuse to play with non-standard omegaverse, which has been on my list of things to write forever.

#fth #fth 2023 #wot #wheel of time #cosmere #charity auction #fanworks auction #for the high bids: this post was made on March 2nd around 7am EST and will not be updated #last updated march 4th around 3am est

7 notes · View notes

mimikusu · 2 years ago

Note

3, 5 for whoever you feel like, and 9? :)

3. what are two skills you admire in other writers? what’s a skill you find personally irrelevant?

I think this has been said before by @sickromancer, but one definitely is language. Though for me, it's less the inability of using english in a proper way, but the fact, that being able to communicate about abstract matters using language is something so human and I think it's so fascinating. There seems to be the need to compete. Competition needs rules and the ones able to use them best will always shine the brightest... something like that. So I really admire people with a keen sense of what words to use in what context - with a large amount of adjectives and verbs to use and who are able to paint a picture.

To me, the writing I like is less like a movie and more like a drawing, a piece of art... it contains a lot of information on how the scenery looks, how people behave and what their motivations are... I don't care so much about what they do, but more about the how and why...

And the second... If a writer is able to drag me into the emotional world of their character, that really gets me... I struggle with emotions most of the time, so I always need them explained. So...

And I don't think any skill is irrelevant! If someone is really good at something and it shows, it will always be a good read.

5. what do you think fandom gets wrong about this character? if they’re an original character, what do you think a large fandom would get wrong?

That one is tricky, because I'm really bad at perceiving things through the eyes of others. So I might rather answer that one by telling you what I'm afraid of rather than I think what people actually would get wrong.

I'm actually afraid about Simon getting whumped. Maybe that sounds a little weird, but I think he's someone who's always very keen about being independend and perceived that way. He might be opening up a little with Nikolai, but still, until he's delirious or something he would never let him do more than get him a cup of tea. And I like him for being so stubborn, for not letting anyone close, not wanting to be loved. And if someone would change that... I don't know.

The thing I love most about Nikolai is all the drama, his affection and the ability to give Simon the space he needs to feel comfortable. I think he might be missunderstood for being a crybaby, because of all the whining, but he's actually just trying to cover up for the fact that he's awfully afraid of being alone.

9. what are some settings you wish you saw more often - temporal, geographical, social? what about character types or dynamics?

@groundcontrol21 and @empresskaze have said it before and I totally agree with them: there is not enough non-romantic snz! I'm a bit of a fray and therefore I'm not so much into long term stories and tenderness.

I would love to read more of either platonic friendship or shortlived desire.

Also I'm a total sucker for the romeo-and-juliett-cliche of a love that just can not be and therefore will not be pursued. So it's only desire and wanting but never getting to actually be able to show it in public and eventually have to break up... or one loves the other, but the other is not feeling as deeply for them in return.

For the temporal and geographical: I love everyone's historic fics! But I'm also a sci-fi nerd and I would love to see more space, astronauts and the good old eastern sci-fi cliche of the world being a great communist community at peace. And maybe it's my trouble with emotion, but I love AI characters... yes.

#thanks so much for asking these!! and sorry it got so long #i'll always ramble if one would let me...T^T #asks

9 notes · View notes

charrfie · 5 years ago

Note

Walton for the character ask thing? ^^

SOMEONE FINALLY ASKED FOR HIM THANK YOU

How I feel about this character:

Similarly to Victor, Walton is another huge comfort character of mine!!! He's such a sweet dude, and I genuinely think that a lot of his depth (character-wise I mean) is overlooked as well. Theres a lot to work with and a lot to find out about him despite there only being a few letters where the reader gets to see him directly rather than through his transcription of Victor's tale. I've actually written a little ramble (aka it's by no means well structured haha) about just how complex he is so you can read that here if you'd like. Long story short I would die for Walton at any given moment

Romantic ships:

Already said so on a previous ask about Victor, but waltonstein is for sure my favorite ship in the whole book!! It's so hopeless in canon, which is so upsetting, but you can tell just how much Walton cares for Victor nevertheless. And y'all know that I'm a sucker for hurt and broken characters getting the love they deserve since I cant cope with anything other than my faves being happy, so the fact that Walton so willingly does everything he can for Victor just makes me melt. And we're not even gonna get into the details but real quick- that one scene near the end where Victor squeezes Walton's hand on his deathbed, which is the first time that Victor's initiated any kind of affection (he likely doesnt before bc he's scared that by getting close to Walton he'll put him in danger)??? Oh fuck that gets me every single time. It hurts so badly. Ah they have so much potential

Non-romantic:

MARGARET AND WALTON!!! THEIR DYNAMIC IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES IN THE WHOLE BOOK!!!!!! While those two's relationship is largely based on personal hcs, canon does supply some evidence on how sweet they are too. As made clear in the book, they're very close with eachother. Margaret cares for him and makes sure hes alright no matter what kinda mess he gets himself into. I imagine they banter with eachother a lot. I don't think either of them view blood ties as the best kind of relationship one can have (despite that being a shared opinion by the public at the same time, still kind of is), rather, relationships with friends are the most important, and that's exactly what kind of relationship they have! Theyre both friends and family! I could go on bc I find a lot of comfort in their relationship but I'll stop here for now

Unpopular opinion:

Hmm not sure if this counts as an unpopular opinion but as I said earlier, he's really not just a supporting character, and his purpose for being in the story is much more than a way to show Victor's character development. I love characters that are foils for eachother, but a lot of people tend to reduce Walton to only serving the purpose of a foil for Victor and being an extremely flat character, when he's really much more than that. I kind of get into that a little bit more in the ramble I linked further up in this ask

One thing I wish would have happened:

I mean. You all KNOW what I'm going to say. I wished he would've written more in his letters about personal interactions with Victor!!! A lot of it is left up to the reader's imagination, and it's great to leave some things up to the reader when you're writing, but DAMN I'd be lying if I said I didn't want more moments between the two where Walton is just straight up gushing to Margaret in his letters about how much he loves the guy!!!! I know he's fairly oblivious to his own emotions; excusing his blatant pining as simple admiration for Victor, but that doesn't mean I can't dream about canonical scenes where he starts realizing "oh fuck do I actually love him??" My cheesy ass really out here wishing for the impossible smh

#THIS IS SO LONG IM SO SORRY I JUST LOVE ONE (1) SAILOR MAN AND IT IS /HIM/#HE DESERVES THE WHOLE WORLD GN #laika answers

12 notes · View notes

doctorsupernova-archive · 7 years ago

Note

Ok I'm gonna be really predictable: 1) Metroid 2) Samus x Madeline 3) hmmm... Samus?

well, you asked for it

Leaving out the third because I feel like it’d be redundant after the first two.

METROID

Favorite CharacterThe obvious answer here is Samus, since she’s everyone’s favorite, so I’m gonna go with my personal faves: Madeline and Melissa! I maintain that Other M should’ve had a much greater focus on them.

Least Favorite CharacterDoes the Boost Guardian count as a character? Also, I’m kind of behind on Samus Returns because of exams last week, but I’m dreading having to fight Diggernaut. (Apparently it’s a chase sequence and puzzle? That’s all I’ve heard, don’t spoil it for me)

5 Favorite Ships (canon or non-canon)Samus x Madeline, Kreatz x Mauk (from the manga), Samus x Not Losing Everyone She Cares About (will never be canon, ever), Melissa x Living (it’s canon shut up), Prime 4 x A Release Date…This series doesn’t give a whole lot of shipping material.

Character I Find Most Attractiveall the women are wonderful, this question is BS

Character I Would MarryMelissa. I’m a sucker for villains, what can I say?

Character I Would Be Best Friends WithI’d love the chance to hang out with Samus and Anthony! They have a fun dynamic that I wish we could’ve seen more of.

A Random ThoughtI was home from college for the weekend when Samus Returns came out, so I got to sit with my family and kitties while I played it! At one point early on I said “I don’t think I’m too good at this game yet” and my mom just looked at me and said “You’ve been playing it for ten minutes, Peyton”

An Unpopular OpinionI’m going to give two because I can’t decide which one to say:

I’m super excited about Prime 4 being announced, but I’m not so sure about the name they gave it. The trilogy was named after an entity called Metroid Prime that was pretty unambiguously annihilated in the third game. So, unless it’s meant as an interquel or something, I can’t help but feel like the name was just a publicity stunt.

I feel like I’ve already made it clear that the merits of Other M outweigh the faults for me personally. But when did a portion of the fandom decide that it’s complete trash and anyone who likes it at all is a moron? It got pretty good reviews for the most part, and the kind of people who police others’ tastes tend to be the same people who take reviews as objective truth. So what happened here? And can’t we all just get along?!

My Canon OTPI don’t actually remember any canon ships except for Rodney and Virginia Aran, and we all know what happened to them

Non-Canon OTP*sweats nervously* I think you can tell from the next section

Most Badass Characterthis is Metroid we’re talking about, could it be anyone besides Samus

Pairing I Am Not a Fan ofSamus and Adam. Writing missteps with troubling abusive undertones aside, it really does seem like it’s more of a parental relationship than a romantic one. Not hating on anyone who does ship them!

Character I Feel the Writers Screwed Up (in one way or another) Adam. And this isn’t so much the writers as the designers, but I feel like Samus outside her suit tends to be oversexualized to the point of it, ironically enough, being a turn-off? At least in my opinion. (She looked so much better in that green jacket at the end of OM.)

Favorite FriendshipSamus and Anthony, best bros

SAMUS X MADELINE

When or If I Started Shipping ItI honestly don’t remember. I think I cracked a joke to myself while playing and was like “heh, yeah, she wants her to come closer bby” and it kinda spiraled from there.

My ThoughtsThe best possible ship between Samus and a canon character, in my opinion. I feel like they have so many significant parallels - shared personality traits shown by their heroic actions, extremely similar traumas and struggles with surrogate motherhood, common interest in technology - that I’m surprised it seems like I’m the first to think of this ship!

What Makes Me Happy About ThemI haven’t seen anybody notice this, but it’s adorable how much Samus seems to admire Madeline! I mean, Samus praises her actions a lot, keeps her protection a top priority (despite the whole mess being partially her fault), and seems really sad when it looks like she’s about to be arrested. It seems like the makings of the “badass who’s a complete softie around their partner” trope, which is the good shit

What Makes Me Sad About ThemThey both lost their babies… (also, the fact that they only know each other for one cutscene in canon)

Things Done in Fanfic that Annoys Meum, what fanfic

Things I Look For in FanficIts existence? Y’know how some people say they don’t have a ship so much as a little rowboat? This isn’t even that. This is, like, a pool noodle.

My KinksI can’t decide if they’d have fluffy vanilla sex or be the kinkiest fuckers in the galaxy. Either way, they’d praise each other through the whole thing and there’d be an absurd amount of cuddling afterward.

Who I’d Be Comfortable Them Ending Up With, if Not Each OtherI’d be cool with Samus ending up with Anthony, because they’ve got a solid friendship that’d translate well into a healthy relationship for both of them. As for Madeline? …I don’t know.

My Happily Ever After For ThemWhen Samus isn’t off saving a civilization or blowing up a planet, they live a peaceful life on a restored Aether with an android daughter they made together.(this is so sappy holy shit)

#metroid #peyton speaks #eevee-nicks

8 notes · View notes

maquillagebookmark · 7 years ago

Note

(ChrisSolo-and-BethSkywalker) it says OR but I'm selfish so 001: Ashley/Chris and Jess/Beth & 002: Emily (If you aren’t up to all of them then I'm most curious for my big OTP so just 001: Ashley/Chris).

(I’m so up for this and I love you for it.)

Chris and Ashley (I immediately think of you with this ship, so I hope I answer this well.)

when I started shipping it if I did: Lowkey shipped them pretty much immediately, and the love just grew.

my thoughts:I love them. I’m such a sucker for friends hardcore crushing on each-other and everyone around them waiting for them to just DO IT ALREADY.

What makes me happy about them:They’re hard not to love. I like that they’re both total nerds but in two completely different ways. I love their shy/dorkiness around each-other. They’re just adorable.

What makes me sad about them:Outside of the possible TERRIBLE outcomes of the game? I feel bad that their relationship built up around a lot of trauma and I hope it brings them closer instead of just being a constant reminder.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:I have yet to read a really terrible fic? Although I’ve seen one or two where Ashley was so blank and really had no character outside this shy, little person with no personality. No good.

things I look for in fanfic:When I go for them, I usually am looking for something fluffy with maybe a bit of humor. I like fics where they’re in super awkward situations because flustered Chris and Ashley makes me so happy.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I mainly just ship them with each-other, not that I don’t like other ships, I just haven’t given them much thought? Although someone suggested Ashley and Emily and I thought it was a cute idea. Although I much prefer Crashley.

My happily ever after for them:There are so many outcomes I want for them. I want them to be in love but keep the great friend dynamic that they have already. That’s basically it. A future of being that couple everyone knows that are best friends and always embarrass each-other.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:I’m thinking Chris as little spoon. Because Ashley as a little jetpack is adorable. Although I also imagine Chris’s love of layers applying to his use of blankets too. I imagine him surrounded by a thick cocoon of blankets and sheets and Ashley trying to snuggle up to him and not being able to fit her arms around and being like “Seriously?”

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:I’m imagining them going to random stores and making jokes about the things they find there. Ashley pointing to an ugly sculpture in a home-decor store and saying “That’s you.” Chris taking candies off the shelf at a convenience store and making puns about the names. Etc.

Beth and Jess

when I started shipping it if I did:Sorry to tag @holeybubushka again. But I had never thought about Jess and Beth until she brought it up once, and I was like “Hey! I like that!”

my thoughts:They’re not a huge ship for me, but I do find them really cute.

What makes me happy about them:They’re so different from each-other! I love it. Plus I could see them having a really pure relationship where they brag about each-other all the time.

What makes me sad about them:Beth makes me sad in any instance. But with them in-particular. It makes me sad to imagine some of the issues they might have with their differences.

things done in fanfic that annoys me:I’ve never read a fic of them. :/

things I look for in fanfic:If I read a Beth/Jess fic, I wanna see something peppy, that acknowledges their differences and makes them work.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I’ve said this in previous asks, but I like Beth with Emily, too. But my favorite ship for Jess is her and Emily. Also slightly like her and Matt.

My happily ever after for them:I could see them having a nice life in a little house in the city. I’m sure Jess would host most of the parties and reunions and the both of them would probably together become a little bit of a ‘celebrity couple’ in their social group.

who is the big spoon/little spoon:I’m definitely gonna say Jess is little spoon here. I think Beth would make a great big-spoon. Who wouldn’t feel safe with Beth hugging them?

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:I like the idea of Beth dragging Jess off for hikes and long walks, and Jess huffing and puffing going “Why are you trying to murder me?!” but then when she actually sees the scenic views she gets all romantic about it and forgives her.

EMILY

How I feel about this character: I love Emily with all my heart. She’s one of my favorite characters in the world and I’m so gay for her it’s not even funny. She’s one of the characters I think of and my heart goes !!!.

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Primarily Jess, also Beth and then lowkey Matt and maybe Ashley. But I mostly like to ship Emily with girls. Maybe fulfilling my own fantasies. Who knows? Lol.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I think Emily and Sam would make awesome friends. They’re both such badasses. Also her and Matt as besties makes my heart warm.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I’m so completely done with people acting like she deserves to die because she’s not all nice? Also, it really gets under my skin when people act surprised that Emily is intelligent. It literally says so in her traits! They just assume that because she’s got an attitude she can’t be smart and… those things are not mutually exclusive!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon:I really wanted to see her make up with Jess a little in the game– and maybe another scene or two where we really get to see more into her slightly more caring side, because people often don’t believe me when I say that she does show it in some scenes.

my OTP:Jemily. God I love them!

my cross over ship:Once again, I like to imagine how she’d interact with some of my original characters (Particularly my kinda bratty lesbian… who would totally hit on her) but other than that, nothing.

a headcanon fact: I headcanon her as either closeted gay or bi and the kind that just cannot put two-and-two together and just tries to make up excuses as to why she feels this way. Like… “I can’t stop thinking about this girl from shop class… Well I must hate her, then.” Because I used to do that and the thought of Emily doing that makes me super happy.

#long post #As in really long #Thank you all for these asks I love them so much

4 notes · View notes

howlingmoonrise · 2 months ago

Text

Dear Yuletide Writer (2024)

Hello and welcome!

I'm a very wordy person overall, so I mostly tried to place things as bulletpoints. I'd rather you have plenty to choose from and a good grasp on my likes/dislikes if you don't have an idea in mind already, than you wanting ideas and not finding any you like!

As a warning, the fandom-specific sections are exactly as in the form! They're here mostly for treats and archiving, so there is no need to read them again if you already went through the assignment info!

I hope you have a great time!

GENERAL LIKES

Truly egregious amounts of pining! Truly egregious amounts of increasingly obvious denial!

Non-established relationships - what I love most is the progression of the dynamics between two characters! The "pre-relationship or gen" tag works great for me!

Fake dating - it's one of my favourite tropes if you want to give it a whirl. Same for time loop fics!

As more or less stated on the second item, either gen or romance is fine! What really does it for me is the development of the dynamics between the characters, and how they find unprecedented levels of kinship and trust and intimacy and comfort and understanding with each other, not necessarily romantic acts. In fact, I don't particularly like huge romantic acts either, and would love a more subtle sort of thing if you're going down the romance road! (also if you wanna do like REALLY messy crunchy love-hate-leaning-on-hate relationships i also love those, but there should be some genuine fondness somewhere beneath all the rest);

If the characters are already petty by nature feel more than free tokeep that in, I love petty bitches;

Sticking to the tone of the original characterizations/canon/humour is definitely a plus! I love when ways of speaking and running gags and references to the original material show up!

Casual intimacy! CASUAL INTIMACY! I'm a sucker for this and it's super fun, especially if placed amidst bickering or an otherwise negative relationship - it throws a whole different depth to their interactions and really shows how comfortable the characters are with each other. DOUBLY so if they have some enmity going on at that point since that makes it downright hilarious and/or really interesting imo. A pair that communicates without needing to use words is also so intimate and great (regardless if they have a friendly relationship at the moment)! I love this kind of thing;

Trope subversion all the way!!!

Usually smooth characters not really knowing how to react at the possibility of feelings or the presence of the person they may or may not have feelings for, I'm so weak for that;

Enemies/rivals-to-reluctant-allies-(to-maybe-friends?)-to-lovers are *chef's kiss*;

GENERAL YIKES

I really cannot overstate how much I don't want to see pregnancy or motherhood related stuff, mpreg and babies/toddlers included. Kidfics, babyfics, next gen fics, anything related to pregnancy or kids at all. This is my biggest squick alongside scat. Fandoms which have canon moments of this can reference it but I'd prefer if you didn't go super into it (and in the context of MJTY I'd rather it go unmentioned in general);

Unhappy endings (ambiguous or hopeful endings are more than okay!);

On the completely opposite direction, the stereotypical 2.5 kids white picket fence sort of happy ending;

For these fandoms, I'd pass on playing around with gender when it comes to characters that aren't canonly prone to it (RNZ and LQS), and even for those nothing permanent;

Most hard AUs (like merpeople AU or high fantasy AUs) are a pass from me. Further specified under each fandom;

A huge focus on a character's mental health/neurodivergence/physical disability; do feel free to include them (in particular if they exist in canon) but not center the entire fic on those issues;

Huge dramatic declarations of love (unless it's for a con or a bit);

Huge time skips. Except for some specific situations it makes me feel as if I've missed way too much development, which is my favourite part when it comes to relationships and character development;

Angst is.... *waggles hand*. I don't dislike angst, but it really depends on the kind. I'll give it a hard pass on stuff to do with major character death (unless they get better), sexual abuse, self-harm, gender/sexuality angst, and suchlike. I'd also rather not read one long torture/depression fic. Other than that, feel free to go ahead (but please don't give it an unambiguously bad ending!);

Huge non-canon past trauma;

Cheating and infidelity are HUGE no-nos, and even if you're not writing the characters as a ship please don't place them in other relationships;

Sickfics, dysphoria, deep dives into mental illness and other disorders;

Script-based or roleplay fic is not really my preferred format, I really enjoy prose instead of nearly 100% dialogue!

Tons of gore, permanent disabilitating injury (it's fine if it's like… one limb of your chosing or one eye getting fucked up, but more than that I'll pass), etc. I don't mind it, but I'd rather it not be the main focus of the fic. Note that I mean this for the main characters in particular, if you want to get really into background characters exploding into little bits I'm not stopping you;

Fully unrequited love between the main characters;

Flashback/nightmare/dream sequences.

IF YOU'RE GOING FOR SMUT

Kinks

Moderate masochism (pain is nice - anything from spanking to knife-play is A-OK - but maiming or an actual beating for sexual situations not so much. Dry penetration with no prep is no good (F/M or M/M), but the character being underprepped/understretched or too little lube used if M/M is fine!);

Bondage (especially predicament bondage or unconvencional bindings or paralysis, AKA got stuck in a compromising position somewhere or some way normally no one would get stuck);

Breathplay, knifeplay (would rather not see either of these two in KoD though), nails digging/dragging on/breaking skin, moderate bloodplay is also cool;

Edging/desperation play. If bottoming/subbing, RNZ or LQS in particular being super flustered, red-faced, maybe a bit teary-eyed is *chef's kiss*;

Ladies topping and calling the shots!

Lowkey cannibalism imagery and hunger, biting;

Cunnilingus (if M/F) or rimming (M/M only)

Squicks

I already put an entire bucket list on the form so. yeah. those. I'll repeat/elaborate on some here just in case, exceptions listed on the AO3 form under each specific fandom;

Scat, vomit, bed-wetting, farting, wound-fucking, castration (this last one more as applied to the main characters);

Dehumanization, slavery, pet-play, A/B/O;

Mommy/daddy/baby kinks, age play, anything involving diapers, pregnancy kink, mpreg or pregnancy of any sort;

Praise kink (this one isn't a hard line but I'd pass on this);

Forced feminization (exception: LQS's canon semi-forced crossdressing);

Stuff very involved with body hair;

Outright vore and/or shrinking;

Super big breasts (unless we're talking about Gong Shangjue, in which case... feel free to go ham on the man-boobs), super small breasts, microdicks;

Humiliation or degradation to do with any physical characteristics of a character;

Non-con betwen these characters or with others. Dub-con such as fuck-or-die or sex pollen is fine;

Would rather have no anal sex if a female character is the one being penetrated.

KALEIDOSCOPE OF DEATH (Ruan Nanzhu/Lin Qiushi)

Things I'd love to see:

Them being absolutely unhinged for each other (think LQS handing RNZ the axe barely after meeting them, RNZ trading the broken egg for his own, being willing to go hungry for the other's sake without letting them know, etc)

RNZ's canon gender fuckery and crossdressing, and LQS absolutely not being able to deal with it/being weak to Zhu Meng or Ruan Baijie; RNZ getting kind of jealous over himself; RNZ taking LQS's weakness to Zhu Meng/Ruan Baijie to get closer to him/flirt with him or fake-date LQS in front of others

The two of them being tender with each other while very much not being in a relationship (yet). Making everyone wrinkle their noses at them and assume they're together, especially if RNZ is the smuggest bitch on the planet and LQS remains permanently oblivious to how they come across; permanent heart-eyes

RNZ being possessive and clingy over LQS, bonus points if at some point LQS returns the possessiveness (bonus BONUS points if he doesn't even realize that that's what he's doing)

An exploration of the canon bed-sharing they keep doing inside the doors, how RNZ always loves eating LQS's noodles, etc; they trust each other more than anyone else your honour 🥺

RNZ being a bit of a masochist but ESPECIALLY if it comes to being marked by LQS (biting, bruises from getting forcibly dragged away from a door god, or he got cut by something sharp and LQS is cleaning it up/bandaging him and he's feeling Some Way about that pain, etc)

Any situation where they have to stay close together for a long amount of time (preferably if they have to huddle for warmth or space and get dazed by being so close to one another, or end up accidentally getting each other off due to the forced closeness)

Other considerations:

Frankencanon of the show/novel is great! Just please keep the names spelled as per novel canon, and don't use the ending of the show

DNWs:

Scat, emetophilia, bed-wetting, farting, wound-fucking, castration (last one okay for background characters in the doors)

Anything to do with pregnancy or kids whatsoever (unless it's for horror purposes on a background character)

Kid fic (characters as kids OR age play OR next gen/the characters having kids), or mommy/daddy/baby kink

Big time skips

Unhappy endings (open/ambiguous endings are fine)

Slavery or sexual slavery

Non-canon gender/sex/race changes to the characters (RNZ's canon gender fuckery is fine and encouraged)

Established relationship (with the exception of smut fics, but unestablished here is also preferred)

Hard AUs (AUs which change entirely the setting/characters, such as mermaid/pirate AUs, space AUs, flower shop AUs, etc). Obviously within the doors this isn't as strict since it's a part of the canon setting, but otherwise I like their canon situationship and I feel like a lot of it would be lost in a big AU.

Huge dramatic declarations of love (unless it's for a con or a bit)

Going into the hows and whys and backstory of a character's sexuality/gender/trauma/mental illness

Non-canon past or current rape/sexual abuse/trauma (other than door-induced trauma)

Cheating or infidelity of any sort

Other ships with these characters other than LQS/RNZ even if the fic is gen

Flashback/nightmare/dream sequences

A/B/O

Permanent character deaths for the main characters

Permanently physically damaging torture

ALIEN PREQUELS (David 8/Elizabeth Shaw)

Things I'd love to see:

Their post-Prometheus travel and how their relationship might have developed during that time and the difficulties that come with it;

David and Shaw learning to moderately trust/appreciate one another despite... well, everything. Growth!

Missing scene during Prometheus where they get to talk/debate some more and there's some mutual appreciation;

David trying to revive Shaw... and succeeding, to some extent. Either actually succeeding with no twist and having to deal with the fact he actually wants her to live, or bringing her back via experiments that might change her, or building a Shaw simulacrum as a fellow android or ship AI and having to deal with it not really being her anymore;

Shaw deciding to return home or to another colony because David is malfunctioning too much and they got close enough she can't make herself watch him "die" (and then have to deal with the void of space on her own);

A fucked up little relationship where they kind of loathe each other but also couldn't stand to think having to continue without the other;

Returning home for... reasons (David or the ship malfunctioning, Shaw getting sick, finding the Engineers turns out to be a dead end, etc) and Shaw/David having to deal with the terrible fact that they unfortunately want to stick together (whether they like each other or not is irrelevant, but David got used to her treating him like a person and no one else does, and to Shaw he's the only one who experienced everything she did that no one else can hope to believe or understand) and trying to figure out how to do so when Weyland Industries will surely try to get in the way, or how they try to go on to live a "normal" life after all that.

DNWs:

The fic set during/after Alien: Covenant, at least without changes to it to ensure Shaw's survival

Scat, watersports, emetophilia, farting, wound-fucking, castration

Anything to do with pregnancy or kids (characters as younger kids OR age play OR next gen/the characters having kids included, if you must include that part of canon please don't go super into it), or mommy/daddy/baby kink

Big time skips in the context of the fic (the fic starting after a 10 year cryosleep timeskip post-Prometheus is fine, but please no "10 years later" epilogues to the fic itself)

Unhappy endings (open/ambiguous endings are absolutely okay)

Non-canon gender/sex/race changes to the characters

Established relationship

Hard AUs (AUs which change entirely the setting/characters, such as mermaid/pirate AUs, space AUs, flower shop AUs, etc). Stuff like a different first meeting or the Prometheus mission going wildly different is okay

Huge dramatic declarations of love

Going deeply into the hows and whys and backstory of a character's sexuality/gender/trauma/mental illness

Non-canon past or current rape/sexual abuse/trauma

Cheating or infidelity of any sort, or side-ships with these characters even if you chose to write them as gen (references to past Shaw/Holloway are okay, but I'd rather not read about their relationship in depth)

Flashback/nightmare/dream sequences

A/B/O

David calling all the shots during sex or either of them coercing the other into it

Breathplay for those two, or David going for bloodplay/knifeplay without Shaw being at least a little into it; anal sex if Shaw is on the receiving end

Permanent character death for David or Shaw

Permanently physically damaging torture for Shaw (scars are fine, loss of more than one limb/eye are not, chronic pain shouldn't be entirely physically disabling but it's okay if it's a background ever-present thing)

MY JOURNEY TO YOU (Gong Shangjue/Shangguan Qian)

Things I'd love to see:

The spy vs spy game they're always playing with each other and their relationship is NUTS and I adore it and would love to see more interactions like that

Torture scene or post-torture scene interactions and exploration in regards to their mixed feelings at it happening and what came after (the near-touch, the recovery, the visit, etc)

SGQ and/or GSJ being conflicted about being reluctantly fond of the other despite all of his suspicions/her mission

Post-canon with them finding each other and having a situationship about it (they keep finding each other and spending the night together only for GSJ to keep waking up alone, or help each other when in predicaments/wounded and then run away before the other can catch them, or SGQ building a new identity solely so that she can openly flirt with him in public and him letting it happen, etc)

A slice of life scene of their sham marriage where they're actually fond/tender of the other and spend some time quietly together with mostly minimal scheming

SGQ topping, and this being a central point to their relationship in regards to them being honest with each other/to themselves regarding their own feelings towards the other (SGQ planning to leave; GSJ knowing she's a spy and doing it anyway; post-canon; etc)

GSJ gets wounded and SGQ is struck by how much she actually cares whether he lives or dies, maybe sneaks in for reluctant wound-tending while thinking he's unconscious (or, the other way around, post-torture scene wound-caring on GSJ's part)

Canon deviation FTW! For example, SGQ tried approaching him earlier, a scene went down differently, etc

DNWs:

Scat, watersports, emetophilia, farting, wound-fucking, castration (last one okay for background characters)

Anything to do with pregnancy or kids whatsoever (characters as younger kids OR age play OR next gen/the characters having kids included, if you must include that part of canon say she lost the child or lied or don't mention it at all (preferred)), or mommy/daddy/baby kink

Big time skips (in the context of these two, a year or two is fine, but please no "10 years later" continuations or epilogues)

Unhappy endings (open/ambiguous endings are fine AND kinda encouraged for this ship)

Non-canon gender/sex/race changes to the characters

Established ACTUAL relationship (being officially married or not is irrelevant to this)

Hard AUs (AUs which change entirely the setting/characters, such as mermaid/pirate AUs, space AUs, flower shop AUs, etc). I can deal with, idk, reincarnation and meeting again on another life as an epilogue at most. I like their messy canon relationship and I feel like a lot of it would be lost in a big AU.

Huge dramatic declarations of love (unless it's for a con put on for outsiders, or an inside joke)

Going deeply into the hows and whys and backstory of a character's sexuality/gender/trauma/mental illness

Non-canon past or current rape/sexual abuse/trauma

Cheating or infidelity of any sort, or side-ships with these characters even if you chose to write them as gen

Flashback/nightmare/dream sequences

A/B/O

Permanent character death for Gong Shangjue, Shangguan Qian, or Gong Yuanzhi

Permanently physically damaging torture for Gong Shangjue or Shangguan Qian (scars are fine, limb/eye loss are not, chronic pain shouldn't be entirely physically disabling but it's okay if it's a background ever-present thing)

I hope you have a fun time!

#yuletide #dear yuletide writer #yuletide 2024 #howl rambles a lot

0 notes

howlingmoonrise · 2 years ago

Text

Dear Yuletide Writer (2022)

Hi and welcome to my long rambling letter!

This year I tried to place things mostly under bullet points in an effort to cut down on my rambling but, uh, I don't think I succeeded. I'd rather you have plenty to choose from and a good grasp on my likes/dislikes, than you wanting ideas and not finding any, though!!

I hope you have an excellent time!

GENERAL LIKES:

Truly egregious amounts of pining! Truly egregious amounts of increasingly obvious denial!

Non-established relationships - what I love most is the progression of the dynamics between two characters!

Fake dating! This applies to all the fandoms, it's one of my favourite tropes if you want to give it a whirl. Same for time loop fics;

Bickering/banter is great! Doubly so if the characters are a bit petty!

Sticking to the tone of the original characterizations/canon/humour is definitely a plus! (though I definitely won't hold you to it when it comes to the Prose Edda, oof.) I love when ways of speaking and running gags and references to the original material show up!

Timestamp fics/missing scenes and "what-if" canon divergent situations are excellent and probably my favourite kind of fic, as well as continuations from canon! More details on this for each respective fandom on their sections below;

Trope subversion all the way!!!

Usually smooth characters going tongue-tied when faced with the possibility of feelings or the presence of their crush;

Not really applicable to Recess, but otherwise: enemies/rivals-to-reluctant-allies-(to-maybe-friends?)-to-lovers, I'm a slut for that kind of development!

GENERAL DISLIKES:

I really cannot overstate how much I don't want to see pregnancy or motherhood related stuff, mpreg and babies/toddlers included. Kidfics, babyfics, next gen fics, I could go on;

Unhappy endings (ambiguous or hopeful endings are more than okay!);

On the completely opposite direction, the stereotypical 2.5 kids white picket fence sort of happy ending;

Playing around with gender when it comes to characters that aren't canonically prone to it, and even for those nothing permanent;

No going into the hows and whys of a character's sexuality or gender or huge discussions of it - if they're bi/ace/etc, then they're bi/ace/etc and that's that, going into the backstory of it and other people's reactions is a no from me. I would prefer if there were no depictions of homophobia, sexism, racism, transphobia, etc, even from the mouths of villain/background antagonistic characters;

In general, unrequested, non-canon sexuality/gender/race/etc headcanons (unless it comes shapeshifters such as Loki, as specified further below);

Established relationships (marital status aside, as applicable to Loki and Sigyn). If you're more comfortable writing established, however, I'd prefer if it were more slice-of-life casual intimacy rather than outright declarations of love - something where the characters have clearly grown comfortable with each other and don't need that sort of thing because they know each other's care intimately, and just love to bask in each other's presence;

Huge time skips, unless you're writing for Recess (more on this on its specific section). Except for some specific situations it makes me feel as if I've missed way too much development, which is my favourite part when it comes to relationships;

Angst is.... *waggles hand*. I don't dislike angst, but it really depends on the sort and it can often be overdone. I'll give it a hard pass on stuff to do with major character death (unless canon or they get better), sexual abuse, self-harm, gender/sexuality angst, and the like. Other than that, feel free to go ahead (but definitely don't give it an unambiguously bad ending!);

Huge non-canon past trauma;

Cheating and infidelity are huge no-nos;

Sickfics, dysphoria, deep dives into mental illness and other disorders;

Script-based or roleplay fic is not really my preferred format, I really enjoy prose instead of nearly 100% dialogue!

Tons of gore, permanent disabilitating injury (it's fine if it's like… one leg or one eye getting fucked up, but more than that I'll pass), etc. I don't generally mind it, for these fandoms/characters in particular it's not really my scene;

Flashback/nightmare/dream sequences.

IF YOU'RE GOING FOR NSFW:

Kinks:

Moderate masochism (pain is nice but maiming or an actual beating not so much);

Bondage (especially predicament bondage or unconvencional bindings);

Breathplay, knifeplay (preferably no blood drawn during specifically this for these character sets), nails digging on skin;

Edging/desperation play;

Ladies topping and calling the shots!

Long silky hair;

Lowkey cannibalism imagery and hunger, biting;

If for Loki/Sigyn in particular, devoted cunnilingus for sure!

Squicks:

Scat, vomit, bed-wetting, farting, wound-fucking, castration, CBT (myth for Loki already went there so. pass in general);

Dehumanization, slavery, pet-play;

Mommy/daddy/baby kinks, age play, anything involving diapers, pregnancy kink, mpreg;

Praise kink (this one isn't exactly a hard line, I just think it's overdone and doesn't really do anything for me);

Alpha/Beta/Omega AU/dynamics;

Forced feminization;

Stuff very involved with body hair;

Outright vore and/or shrinking;

Super big breasts, super small breasts, lactation, microdicks;

Humiliation or degradation to do with any physical characteristics of a character;

Non-con betwen these characters or with others. Dub-con such as fuck-or-die or sex pollen is fine.

FANDOMS

RUNEMARKS

Runemarks! Runemarks, my beloved. It's been so long, and I didn't read the Loki prequels/sequels/spinoffs because it'd been so long I needed a reread of the series to properly appreciate them, and I have no clue where I placed Runelight. (That being said, please do disregard Runelight while writing my request. I didn't entirely dislike it, but not only do I not remember it well, there also were some iffy things about it that didn't fit my tastes (crazy!possessive!Sigyn, Maggie/Adam, the Big Betrayal with no further resolution, lack of major Loki&Maddy interaction outside of that), and for me the essence of Runemarks lays, in fact, with the original book). You can of course add in details from the books I haven't read, I just won't recognize them.

What I would like to see/possible prompts:

Canon-verse (or not) Loki and Maddy falling simultaneously into the same troublesome scenario, shenanigans ensue;

Canon-verse or soft AU where Maddy and Loki are linked somehow (soulmates link, some supernatural/god bullshit, a curse/geas, etc) while pretty far apart and with no clue of what it means or possibly even who each other are (depending on whether or not they've met already, dealer's choice) and try to figure it out/find each other/get rid of it while growing close or empathetic to one another during it.

TONS of banter, if possible. That sardonic tone of canon is fantastic, and doubly so with underlying fondness;

If going down the romantic route, I do like things more subtle - no grand declarations of love, but that sense of comfort and belonging and understanding with each other that they don't get with anyone else. I would rather have pink ears and flustered feelings at a brushed touch or a more flirty-bantery remark rather than outright romantic kissing, but this is entirely up to you. Start at pre-relationship if possible, please! What I like is the journey there, and being already established tends to skip over all those parts;

That being said, I'm definitely not opposed to some sexual tension. I mean, *gestures vaguely towards their interactions* it's them;

Moral ambiguity! I think they should be gay-- er, bi, and do crime, or at least seriously annoy people. Especially Loki. I love that little bastard.

What I wouldn't like to see:

No female form/dress jokes, it's one thing for him to assume that form or wear a dress (which is fine), it's another to make it the butt of the situation or make it sound as if it's humiliating;

That being said, I wouldn't like to see a fic fully focused on gender-flipped Loki, or one that went super into gender or sexuality dynamics. Treat it as commonplace if possible!

Most hard AUs (such as a merpeople AU, role reversal AU, etc) would also not be favourites, but something like a steampunk AU could work if the focus is more on the characters and the setting is merely the background;

Please no love triangles or unrequited love! (Unless it's Adam with a creepy crush on Maddy/Maggie getting what's coming to him, that is);

Established relationship is fairly meh to me, I don't really derive much enjoyment from it;

Maddy-as-Modi AUs. Which isn't really an AU, but I like Maddy as Maddy - an AU where she grew up as Modi, or a canon-verse continuation where she grows into that role isn't really my thing;

No other ships involving these two! Past relationship mention is fine, though I'd pass on past Odin/Loki;

Would probably pass on heavy smut for this.

Other notes:

No need to follow the plotline of Runemarks, honestly. You can, but it's definitely not a requirement, especially considering how complex it becomes! For me what matters most is really the character dynamics, I don't really need the plot (or any plot), so don't stress about it unless it's your kind of thing. I wasn't super into the Order thing Runelight went so far into anyway, but if you want to take any pieces of plot from the book anyway I'd rather you focused on the god drama and interdynamics, which are hilarious to me;

If you do bring Sigyn in, make her OOC - which is something I never thought I'd say about any character, ever! I am actually fond of Sigyn in myth despite there being so little on her (if you do check on my other requests, you'll see I'm actually requesting her and Loki on Prose Edda/Ancient Norse Mythology and Religion). Be kinder to her than Joanne was! The crazy marriage-obsessed lady is a bit. Uh. Yeah, no.

PROSE EDDA

There's SO LITTLE on Sigyn everywhere and yet. And yet. Despite her main mention in the Eddas being as the holder of the poison bowl and little else, you cannot imagine Loki would have a wife that 1) stuck with him, and 2) was devoted enough that she'd keep at the bowl thing towards infinity, without there being at least a little love, friendship, respect, and Sigyn for sure having a stronger sort of personality, regardless of the way it presents itself (cunning/sneaky/manipulative, shy yet stubborn as a mule, or super blunt, a troublemaker herself, etc), because no way in hell could anyone survive being married to Loki otherwise. Doubly so if they don't have at least a bit of personality in common.

HENCE. I would like an exploration of their relationship. How they met, or a moment where they realized there was that love/friendship/respect there, or a slice-of-life (as slice-of-life as you can get when Loki is involved, I guess) scene of their marriage - taking into consideration that marriage generally didn't begin with love in those days, but was more akin to a business negotiation between families - or even a series of shots on how their relationship develops.

I may possibly confuse events/characterization of the Prose and Poetic Eddas in the likes/dislikes below so please forgive me in advance.

What I would like to see/possible prompts:

Redhead beardless Loki, if it doesn't go against your preferences! Please just not a Marvel!Loki lookalike at least, it lowkey (heh) breaks my immersion to try and picture him that way;

Banter. Loki is Silvertongue, Liesmith, etc etc, and I cannot believe Sigyn would not give at least a little something back, and that she is also not at least a little (a lot!) cunning regarding words herself, having grown in Odin's court. Can start as a bit of an enmity/rivalry, depending on what you think the reasons for their marriage were, and develop into more friendly stuff. Progress!

A reason why Loki and Sigyn stuck together, how they came to be at least fond of each other;

How did the marriage come to be? Was it an ambiguous reward (or punishment) that neither of them wanted, did they know each other previously, did they stay out of each other's way at first or try to make it work? Was Loki frustrated at being tied down, initially? Did Sigyn have loftier, politically-inclined goals in mind, and hate that she was stuck with a wedding she hadn't planned for? Did she have someone else she wanted to marry (for political or romantic reasons), and this whole Loki business ruined it for her? Where does it go from here?

If they met before the whole marriage thing, how long ago was that? The fic could be a short sweet piece of them growing up as childhood/teenhood friends and getting into trouble together, and already having some fondness for each other far before marriages and alliances and suchlike ever came into play;

Divine retribution! Loki is not always the most well-treated god in the Eddas (though he's not the most well-behaved or kindest, either) and on some occasions (not always) it's pretty undeserved. A wife who holds some neutral-to-positive relationship with him would not stand for it (for either her own sake and reputation as his wife, or his), especially if she has a cunning or proud personality, and grew up as a child of Odin, who is also a trickster. A prompt could be Sigyn getting even with other gods for events in which Loki came out a little singed, or getting him out of them in the first place (this last one is preferrable since it spares him some pain - but if the situation is mostly harmless then either is cool!). This could even be the inciting factor that changes their relationship from enemies/frenemies/rivals/indifference to positive, since it would show off Sigyn in some interesting way and not have her just be some random placeholder lady Loki was roped into marrying, and whom he might not have been interested in getting to know so far (and vice-versa);

Moral ambiguity! On both sides! Give me trouble-maker Loki, and then throw at him trouble-maker Sigyn who is a LOT more subtle about it, to the point no one (including him) has realized how similar they actually are when it comes to mischief and cunning. Give me a couple who don't care if the world burns so long as the other is safe. Give me the Loki who plays the trickster role because the gods are too comfortable and pliant and must not remain that way for the sake of the realms, and a Sigyn who has become disillusioned with the gods due to that very issue (their marriage-as-punishment/unwanted-reward may have happened because of this) and who inwardly does agree they did need a kick in the butt as provided by Loki (regardless of what her relationship with him actually is);

A Sigyn who is one of the hundred thousand daughters of Odin and who was often overlooked, and who is seen as dutiful and compliant, and upon their marriage Loki does too, and she does nothing to disabuse him of that notion because why should she when they've agreed to stay out of each other's way? But as their relationship progresses, or an inciting incident happens, they come to realize how similar they actually are, and how they actually complement each other;

Alternatively, a well-known troublesome Sigyn who is one of the hundred thousand daughters of Odin and therefore has managed to fly under his radar anyway. Cue horror when people who actually know her (could be one of her siblings, like Thor) discover Odin has arranged her marriage to Loki of all people, and it's now too late to back out without causing offense;

Pre-marriage teen/young adult troublemakers Sigyn and Loki both unknowingly pulling a prank or similar at the same time and hiding in the same very cramped spot while trying desperately not to be seen;

Pre-wedding/childhood shy Sigyn who has no clue how to deal with boisterous, larger-than-life Loki but who does admire him in spite of or because of that. Bonus points if Loki is extra loud and boisterous and peacocky because he really wants her to like him but has no idea how to deal with shy people and it only makes it worse. They're dumbasses, your honour;

Tenderness! Respect! I don't mind if you don't go fully romantic or romantic at all with this gift, but an horribly tender fondness should work itself into their relationship and interactions somehow, when they get past a possible initial negative-to-indifferent relationship. They grow to love each other! Romantically or otherwise! They're best friends and allies and and and--

If you ARE going romantic, however, a flustered Loki when it comes to Sigyn would be my absolute favourite thing! The more he grows to like her, the more Loki Silvertongue gets tongue-tied and pink-eared, that would be so much fun!! Also a Loki that cannot successfully lie to Sigyn unless it's blatantly obvious she's supposed to know he's lying (or if you're going more plotty, if it plays into her own biases);

Going from the scenario directly above, Thor or some other friendlier god poking fun at Loki because it's the only time they've ever known him to lose his words/ability to lie;

Loki with the BIGGEST crush on Sigyn (works for pre or post-wedding). He keeps finding reasons to drop by Odin's court to make moon eyes at the tiniest glimpse of her. Others are very amused at this. Sigyn is entirely clueless, and may barely know who he is beyond the trickster/troublemaker reputation. In this situation, however, rather than insta-love it might have been a moment of kindness on Sigyn's part that was unnoticed by her but meant the world to him, or even encounters with Loki in an animal form so she doesn't know it's him but they've definitely hung out before.

What I wouldn't like to see:

Infidelity, of any kind. It's one thing if they have a poly arrangement (say, with Angrboda) but actual cheating is a big huge nope. The Angrboda thing could incite jealousy (on either side lol) but there shouldn't be catfights or cattiness in general over it (they all went into it knowing what they were getting into regardless of their actual feelings on the matter), and ultimately all members should be/end up chill with each other, even if the arrangement itself ends. Even if you make Sigyn jealous of Angrboda (or Loki jealous of Angrboda and/or Sigyn), the issue is not with the other person and they shouldn't treat each other badly over it;

Please no Loki/Odin even if poly;

No love triangles or unrequited love, please. References to past relationships are fine;

Iiiiiiii would rather not see pregnancy/children, at all. I know their kids show up in the Eddas, but motherhood in general is hugely squicky to me. Grown-up Loki kids from a previous relationship with Angrboda is fine though, just no ankle-biters or round bellies or a huge desire for either;

Stuff on women being inferior to men and having no say in marriages, being sold into them, their role being just a a childbearer, etc. That was not the case with the ancient Norse and I'd rather not see it.

Please no more humiliation and pain for Loki, dear gods - give him a break! It's fine if he gets in a sticky situation (who is even Loki if he's not in some sort of trouble), but he should be able to get out of it unscathed and not much more worse-off for it;

Gender-fuckery when it comes to Loki is fine, but never as the butt of the joke. That being said, I'd rather male Loki be present for the large portion of the fic, and no actual discussion on the hows or the whys of the gender-fuckery;

Even if you don't write them romantically with each other, neither should end with someone else. If a poly arrangement of sorts is involved, it should only remain until the end if both Loki and Sigyn are also at least romantically involved, otherwise it should end;

No huge age gap between the two - it's fine if there is some, but let us not put Loki at the same age as Odin or close to it;

No sex without consent between those two, even if for marriage consuming purposes. At least one of them is a liar and a trickster, and they could get around that easily, or an agreement could be reached. Even if at the start they don't like each other, they have enough respect for at least that;

Past rape is pretty much canon for Loki but I would hate to see it detailed in the fic. It can be mentioned, in particular in reference to the point above, but not actually going into it or it being brought up against him;

Hard AUs - modern era stuff with no gods is fine, but stuff like merpeople AU, Hogwarts AU, etc is a pass from me.

RECESS

Full disclaimer, it's been like a decade and a half since I last watched Recess. Even so! I was so happy to see it was a fandom for Yuletide with both my faves listed! I love how close they are in canon, and their dynamic with Spinelli as the right-hand kid to TJ's leader, and neither of them taking each other's shit is fantastic.

What I would like to see/possible prompts:

I do like some romantic tension between those two, but it's more than fine if you want to write friendship!

In addition to the above, the friendship and companionship and trust part of their dynamic should always be above any romance (if you're going for romance). This can be part of the conflict/issues with the characters before being resolved (i.e.: not wanting to lose your best friend if a possible romance turns sour, or wondering if even a hint of feelings is going to make their friendship awkward instead of comfortable like they're used to, etc)

Older TJ and Spinelli - it's fine if you'd rather write them in canon ages, but as older teens or college students or even young adults would be ideal. Why? Because then you can play with them having drifted apart because of circumstances out of their control OwO

Longing! Missing each other! Even when the other is right there! Like I said, this works either romantically or platonically, but you know that childhood best friend (and possible crush and/or person that understood you the best on the things that really mattered) that you haven't spoken to in years and haven't heard of for the longest time, and then you finally find each other again but you've spent so long apart you're not sure if you even know each other anymore? Y E A H. *makes grabby hands*

HUGE nostalgia vibes. They haven't come home in a long time (away for college/work/whatever) and every time they do more of their old favourite shops are closed, or Old Rusty was finally taken down, or the old school clock has long since stopped working, and their friends have all moved away, and kids don't know about Señor Fusion anymore, and there's this perception that everything changed but they feel the same. The two of them just sitting together late at night at an old childhood hang out they should definitely not be at and reminiscing.

Spinelli keeping her leather jacket and big-ass boots, and still kicking ass. The kind of handy person that always has a swiss knife and electrical tape in her pocket. I cannot overemphasize how important her big-ass boots are to me. Big-ass boots, my beloved. Big-ass boots, TJ's beloved. Bonus points if he's horribly fond of the super scruffy steel-toed pair she stomps around in the most. I may be projecting my love for big-ass boots.

Setups: they both came back home for a friend/family wedding. Or they're both on college break from different colleges. Or one of them moved away at some point but came back to visit family or their friends and the other is anxiously pacing around waiting for them to get there so they can see them for the first time in ages. Or some remnant of their childhood is being closed down/destroyed and the old kids are banding up together to stop it. Or they haven't seen each other in years but never lost touch and purposefully agreed to visit home at the same time just so they could hang out with each other again. Or they've been friends all the way through highschool and it's the summer before they're off to college, and it's the first time they'll be separated for such a long time and they don't want to watch each other go/want to hang out together one last time. Or they're grown-up and established and haven't seen each other in years, Spinelli having grown to be a secret agent like her father and her job this time around involving TJ somehow. Or--

Honestly, huge bonus points if you work in hints of Spinelli having taken up spy/secret agent work in some way or being headed in that direction, regardless of the fic or ages (unless you're writing them very young). If you're working with a fully adult and settled gang, TJ I can see in politics, or as a teacher working his way to principal (ironically enough). To build up on that last prompt from the last bullet point, it could be that he's a target because of information he holds, or being targeted and she needs to subtly keep him safe, or his opposition to some politic is of nation-wide interest, or he keeps accidentally stumbling into her while she's meant to be working on some Super Secret Mission or another and they flirt like flustered clueless dumbasses while Spinelli kicks a body or two further under the table before he notices: regardless of the scenario, they end up irrevocably tangled again;

TJ remains mischievous but sweet, and they're both huge wisecrackers. I keep saying this for all my fandoms but. Banter! They're best friends, your honour!!! What are even best friends without a little snark and light-hearted ribbing!

Extra kudos for TJ's hat having some significance to the story or showing up on a cameo: him finding it again after it was lost in the back of the closet for years, or passing it on to someone else, or Spinelli stealing it to tease him mid-conversation if he kept wearing it through the years. As nostalgic and fantastic as Spinelli's boots;

Bonus points for old jokes/gags/slang from the show to be referenced!

What I wouldn't like to see:

Having had past relationships within the old gang when it comes to TJ and Spinelli. Between the others it's fine;

Either of them having had a relationship with Randall at some point lmao, other people it's okay;

Pregnancy, marriages, divorce, kids;

Poverty or homelessness. Them being broke college students or having a minimum wage job is fine, but abject poverty is just depressing, and that episode where Spinelli dreams of her future as homeless and poor is just plain trauma-inducing. Them having lost a job or job-searching and coming to live with their parents meanwhile is fine;

No love triangles or unrequited love, please. References to past relationships are fine;

An already established relationship;

Outright declarations of romantic love (I love a more subtle way to go about it!);

Heavy smut in general or most AUs (imho these characters work best within their established world - though I suppose I could make an exception for something like space outlaws, but not much else).

Thank you so much for staying with me this far! I hope you have a fantastic time this Yuletide, and that you end up loving your own requested fic as well!

#yuletide 2022 #dear yuletide writer #howl rambles a lot

0 notes