#yuletide 2024

[guzhuangheaven]

The most wonderful time of the year is here - Yuletide Fic Exchange is open for nominations until 9am UTC 20 September!

Yuletide is an annual fic (1000+ words) exchange for rare and obscure fandoms run through this community and through the Archive of Our Own. Many Chinese dramas are eligible to be nominated for Yuletide, so go forth and start by nominating your favourite dramas for Yuletide. Who knows...someone might write a fic for it!

[forthegothicheroine]

Woohoo, got all my Yuletide nominations in!

BraveStarr

The Wrong Earth

John the Balladeer

And the one I was worried about them approving,

Dracula and Miss Lucy in the style of Don Bluth - Jozef Szekeres

[diana-fortyseven]

I still need to finish my Yuletide sign-up. Still have a bit more than three days until sign-ups close though, so, yolo.

Please don't forget to sign up, Hitman crew! I don't want to be unmatchable and/or an initial pinch hit (not that there's anything wrong with being an IPH, but I don't want to be perceived xD)

Here's the link to the Dreamwidth post!

[a-sea-with-no-shores]

Good news from @yuletidetreasure everybody!

The tagset is up and includes

莲花楼 | Mysterious Lotus Casebook (TV) (15)

Yun Biqiu (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Di Feisheng

Fang Duobing

He Xiaofeng

He Xiaohui

Huli Jing (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Jiao Liqiao

Li Lianhua | Li Xiangyi

Liangyi Xianzi

Princess Zhaoling (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Qiao Wanmian

Shan Gudao

Shi Shui (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Wuyan (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Zhan Yunfei

少年歌行 | The Blood of Youth (Live Action TV) (14)

Baili Dongjun (The Blood of Youth)

Jin Xian (The Blood of Youth)

Lei Wujie (The Blood of Youth)

Sikong Changfeng (The Blood of Youth)

Sikong Qianluo (The Blood of Youth)

Xiao Lingchen (The Blood of Youth)

Ye Ruoyi (The Blood of Youth)

Yin Luoxia (The Blood of Youth)

Ji Xue (The Blood of Youth)

Luo Mingxuan (The Blood of Youth)

Tang Lian (The Blood of Youth)

Xiao Chong | Prince Bai

Xiao Se | Xiao Chuhe

Zang Ming (The Blood of Youth)

成化十四年 | The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty (TV) (8)

Ding Rong

Dong'er (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty)

Duo Erla

Jia Kui (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty)

Sui Zhou

Tang Fan

Wang Zhi (The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty)

Wu Yun Bolage

与凤行 | The Legend of Shen Li (TV) (8)

Jin Niangzi (The Legend of Shen Li)

Shang Bei (The Legend of Shen Li)

Shen Li (The Legend of Shen Li)

Shen Muyue (The Legend of Shen Li)

Xing Yun | Xing Zhi (The Legend of Shen Li)

You Lan (The Legend of Shen Li)

Fu Rong (The Legend of Shen Li)

Mo Fang (The Legend of Shen Li)

[theobscurepotato]

Dear Yuletide Writer 2024

Dear Yuletide Writer:

First off, thank you! I hope you are as excited about your assignment as I am to receive it. Hopefully the lateness of my Yuletide letter didn’t panic you too much! I enjoy a wide variety of fic, and these are truly some of my favorite canons, so really you can’t go wrong...but if you are looking for a spark of inspiration, I hope this letter provides it.  

General Likes/Dislikes: 

Things I love in a Yuletide fic: M/M, UST, hurt/comfort, banter, happy endings. When I look at the canons I chose, one consistent theme is that they all end on a note of hope, yet the characters I chose within these canons don't always get to experience that. I think, more than anything, what I would love to see is a chance for these characters to catch a glimmer of it for themselves (or for each other, in the canons where I've selected a pairing). 

Things I generally don’t like in a Yuletide fic: AU’s set outside of the canon setting (coffee shop, etc), MPREG, graphic gore, body horror, unhappy endings. That being said, if you have a wild idea that goes against these, these are definitely more loose guidelines than DNW’s. 

___

Coldfire Trilogy

Damien Vryce/Gerald Tarrant Not sure if there will ever be a Yuletide where I don't request CFT fic. I do write frequently for this fandom, but just because I write in a certain style, please don’t restrict yourself to my “usual” topics. For this canon especially, I’m excited to read what you want to write.  I’m starting my millionth re-read of the trilogy, so I am excited to read anything set either during canon, or a post-canon fix-it. Give me all the banter. Give me all the UST. Give me Gerald Tarrant doing something kind (while doing mental gymnastics to justify it to himself as FOR SELFISH REASONS ONLY). Give me Damien forgetting to agonize over what GT is and just enjoying a moment with him (bonus points for him Prophet!fanboying). Give me physical contact of some sort between them, give me the soul bond! I ship these two hard, but I am happy to read pre-slash/gen.

Dimension20: Escape from the Bloodkeep

Leiland (Kraz-Thun) I watched Escape from the Bloodkeep 2 months ago(?) and once I was done, I immediately restarted it and watched the series again. Bloodkeep has some of my favorite Dropout cast characters, but of course it was Matt Mercer’s Leiland who stole the show for me. Someone on Reddit summed up Leiland as “All that dark power and regal lineage turned into a benny hill skit” and in response I can only say, that’s exactly why I’m here. I am happy with both pre and post-canon fic, gen or shippy (and not picky on ship). I’d really love to see Leiland navigate how to be Leiland, and not Kraz-Thun, and getting more comfortable in the “evil” found family he has created. Galfast Hamhead, while not requested, is of course 1000% welcome in any story.  Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors)

Shuten/Rajura

This was my first real fandom, well over two decades ago now, and Shuten/Rajura was my first ship. I definitely carried a binder plastered outside with the Masho chibi from Amanda Swiftgold’s page and stuffed to the brim with too much printed fic from Mink’s Yaoi Cake archive. This was a rare ship even then, and I am absolutely fine with gen, and fics that include all the Masho. I would of course love a fix-it fic, but I am open to exploring missing canon scenes also. I would enjoy a fic either from Rajura or Shuten’s perspective that grapples with their encounter out on the tracks, and that sprinkles in some of their shared complex history. Feel free to bend canon details in terms of what the armor enables. 

Uprooted

Solya/Marek These two have taken up residence in my brain and will not leave me alone. They truly enable each other in a way that is absolutely toxic, but I would love a fic that lets them attempt to do better by each other. I would prefer that Marek lives in your fic, whether that means exploring pre-canon events, or a missing scene during their story, and I would definitely enjoy a fix-it (just think of the hurt/comfort possibilities!) where they get to figure out their version of a happy ending. How do they navigate a world where they both wield less power? Would they be able to make their peace enough with that to carve out something new? Or would they chafe against that lack of power, and it would be that struggle that entwines them further?

[davey-in-a-minivan]

someone nominated pasithea powder for yuletide which means i HAVE TO sign up even though last year someone nominated it and i was the only one who offered or requested it but the phantom opportunity of convincing another person to write pasithea fanfic shines before me

[elan-morin-tedronai]

I'd be lying if I said I'm not a bit salty about WoT probably not being Yuletide eligible anymore because of the influx of show fic using the same AO3 tag

[fyeah7kpp]

Yuletide 2024 Nominations!

Hello, my dears!

It's the time of year again to nominate the 7KPP characters for Yuletide! For those who are unfamiliar, Yuletide is a yearly fanfiction gift exchange for small fandoms (fewer than 1000 works in English) on AO3, where the fandoms and characters that can be requested are nominated by users. You can find more information about it on the AO3 collection or on their Dreamwidth.

Nominations are currently open, for both fandoms and for characters. 7KPP will definitely be nominated but individual characters to request will also need to be nominated, so we're putting together a list to keep track of which characters have already been nominated, and who we have yet to nominate!

Note that you do not have to participate in the gift exchange itself to nominate, though you do have to have an AO3 account! You also do not have to nominate to participate, so if you're interested in the future, please feel free to hop in and join the fun!

Nominations are open through September 20 at 9 am UTC!

Please reply/reblog this post/message me to let me know who you are nominating and I will update the post accordingly so we can keep as careful track as we can! Also, people who don't have AO3 accounts who want to suggest additional characters to add to the list who I may have forgotten are welcome to!

Much love to everyone, and I'm sorry for the long absence! We will hopefully get an announcement about 7KPP Week out soon!

-Mod Tina

Information about current nomination statuses under the cut!

Updated as of 9/11/24.

Spoken For Characters: Jiyel Scholar, Jasper, Matchmaker, Sayra, Falon, Jaslen, Yvette, Woodly, Gisette, Avalie, Ria, Rebel MC, Widow MC, Princess MC, Court Lady MC, Countess MC, Clarmont, Lisle, Emmett, Zarad, Jarrod, Kade, Blain, Mrs. White

To be Nominated Characters: Pirate MC, Anaele, Penelope, Hamin, Cordelia, Lyon, Katyia, Sterlyn, Aamir, Constance, Leala, Adalric, Imogen, Estelle, Greer, Jorges, Lord Chancellor Torren Han-Lyle (Arland ambassador), Viscount Herschel (Wellin ambassador), Marchioness Iris Patricia Valentine (Revaire ambassador), Lady Nasira (Corval ambassador), Captain Nike (Hise ambassador), Minister Cato (Jiyel ambassador), Speaker Andel (Skalt ambassador)

[someitems]

Dear Yuletide Author 2024

Happy Yuletide! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Do not wants/dislikes: Please no PWPs (with one exception, discussed below), no unhappy endings, and no pet/child death even in the background. If a character is injured or hospitalized, please tag for it even if it's a minor character and even if it spoils the plot.

What I like: Characterization is my favorite part of fic, and all these fandoms have been chosen because I love these people so much. What makes them tick? What do they like about each other? I enjoy reading about both romance and friendship, and the way romance and friendship intertwine. I love it when opposites attract and two characters can't resist each other despite seeming totally unalike. Most of all, what I love is when a writer brings their love for and delight in canon into their work - if you focus on what makes the world and the people in it so special, I know I'll love whatever you write!

My requests:

Mimi wo Sumaseba | Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Tsukishima Shizuku, Amasawa Seiji

One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the sweet, gentle atmosphere of this movie, the way nothing super important happens in the grand scheme of things but it's all so crucial to the characters, the portrayal of what it's like to be an earnest, creative teen burning with ambition. And I love Shizuku and Seiji's relationship and the way they support each other's ambitions, and how their love for each other powers their art. A fic exploring where they go after the events of the movie, both in their relationship and their art, would be wonderful. What's it like for them when Seiji is in Cremona? How do they handle the growing pains of teenage love? What's the next step for Shizuku's creative writing? Feel free to include any of the other characters in the movie, but keep the focus on Shizuku and Seiji. And please don't age them up any older than early 20s - I want them to keep their youthful earnestness!

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Admiral Croft, Sophia Croft

The Admiral and Sophy are among my favorite married couples in all of literature, and I've always wanted more about them. I'd love fic that expands on their story in some way. Maybe you take us back in time to their courtship, their first meeting, or the early days of their marriage. Maybe you hop us forward to some more of their adventures after the events of the novel and the ways their lives intertwine with the other characters. All I ask is that the fic be primarily focused on the two of them and their relationship - while you can include other characters, and of course the events of the novel can come into play and be part of the story, I don't want a fic that just retells Anne and Captain Wentworth's romance from the Crofts' POV.

A Marshmallow World - Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra (1967 Dean Martin Show Performance)

Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra

Watching this drunken, goofy performance of "A Marshmallow World" has become a holiday tradition in my family, and every time, I think, "They had to have hooked up either right before or right after this performance, right?" I'd love fic about that hookup - how it happens, when it happens, what's behind it all. It can be simple and straightforward or full of buried feelings - up to you! This is the exception to my "no PWPs" request, due to the nature of the canon.

Psmith - P.G. Wodehouse

Mike Jackson, Rupert Psmith

I'm a latecomer to the world of Psmith, but I love it with all my heart and soul, and I especially love the relationship between Psmith and "Comrade Jackson". Psmith is such a funny, chaotic whirlwind of a character, and Mike is the perfect foil to him. I'd love a story about their relationship and further shenanigans together, especially one where Mike is in a sticky situation and Psmith helps him get out of it. Up to you whether it's shippy or just about their friendship - I would be happy with either! Anyone from Psmith's world is fair game to include as supporting characters. Please don't set it during their school days, though. I prefer reading about them as adults.

[incandescentflower]

I don't think I have flip flopped as much on yuletide sign ups in any of the other years I did it as I have this year. Why is this so haaarrdddd.

[forthegothicheroine]

My Yuletide letter is up, for those interested! I'm requesting:

Dracula and Miss Lucy in the style of Don Bluth - Jozef Szekeres

John the Balladeer - Manly Wade Wellman

BraveStarr (Cartoon)

The Wrong Earth (Graphic Novels)

Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty: A Gothic Romance

[diana-fortyseven]

Okay besties, Yuletide nominations are now open!

Here's what's already nominated for Hitman (Video Games):

Agent 47

Diana Burnwood

Victoria

Lucas Grey

Olivia Hall

Arthur Edwards

Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer

Erich Soders

Don't waste your nomination slots on these characters! You can use this post to coordinate the other characters you want to nominate, if the ones you want to offer or request are not in this list.

Here's the Yuletide 2024 Nominations post. Here's the direct link to the AO3 tagset.

Make sure to (re)familiarise yourself with Yuletide's nomination rules before you nominate!

Remember that you have to request 3 and offer 4 unique fandoms!

Nominate enough other small fandoms you're interested in to ensure you'll be able to sign up for this exchange!

You have 10 days to nominate!

[naomitess]

Dear Yuletide Writer 2024

Dear Yuletide Author,

First of all, thank you so much for writing a story for me. Yuletide is one of my favorite parts of the holidays. I love writing stories for people; I love reading stories written for other people in fandoms I didn’t know enough about to properly request; and I love waking up on Christmas morning with a story waiting for me that someone wrote. It's magical. I have loved every story that was written for me, and I am sure I will love whatever you write.

Things I love, in general: witty dialogue. Fic that gets the voices right. Everyday moments that mean more than they seem to on the surface. Enemies-to-friends or enemies-to-lovers. Female friendships. I like crossovers and AUs, including modern/nonmagical AUs of fantasy worlds.

DNWs: moms dying, smut with underage characters. (I prefer gen to smut in Yuletide fics although depictions of sex up through R are fine.)

Specifics for the fandoms (and all optional details are optional; as a Yuletide writer, I love getting fairly specific requests for prompts, but don’t feel like you have to stick with mine):

1. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (character requested: Calpurnia Tate)

I want what I think everyone wants on reading The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate: I want Calpurnia to go to college. (A real college, where she could study science.) I’d love a story about that – Calpurnia fighting to go, going, being there, graduating, any element of it. Any historically plausible college -- Or, if you’d prefer, any story where she takes an important step toward getting a real education will make me happy. Or any story where she does science with her Grandfather, because those are my favorite parts of the books. Or you could use any item on that bucket list she writes at the end of the first book as a prompt. I would prefer not to get a story where Calpurnia’s grandfather dies in the story. If he’s died before the story starts (even quite recently) that’s OK. One of the things I really appreciate about these books is that Calpurnia never surrenders to the demands of femininity. She learns to cook and knit and do various other mandatory tasks because her mother forces her, but never says to herself, “oh, this isn’t so bad,” and the book never presents “becoming a LADY” as the inevitable response to maturity.

I love all the side characters and their relationships with Calpurnia, so feel free to use your favorites or make up some OCs for her to hang out with in college or whatever.

2. Chalion series, Lois McMaster Bujold (characters requested: Umegat, Worldbuilding: either/or) I recently re-read The Curse of Chalion -- at the end, Umegat is an ex-saint struggling with the aftereffects of a severe traumatic brain injury. He has his friends, he's re-learning how to read, and he says that he hopes his god has some interesting task for him before the end. Though hopefully not one involving animals, or royalty.

I would like a story about Umegat -- I would like to know what task he gets next, and what he does. Alternately, I would also like a story about Umegat before we meet him in Curse of Chalion -- growing up in the Archipelago, escaping, his first experience with sainthood (it's clear that the menagerie is not the first time he's hosted a miracle.) Or for that matter, a story about Umegat and the menagerie and how he came to be "given" to the Roya: Umegat complains that the Bastard does not write him messages, so how did he come to realize what the menagerie was for, and why his role there was so critical? How did doing his daily duties as they came to him result in this Sainted Divine arriving in Cardegoss with a couple of gorgeous leopards and realizing that somehow, they kept the Roya from dying? Feel free to use any of the other characters from the novels (or OCs, if you want).

If we matched on Worldbuilding: I love this world and am particularly fascinated by the role of the gods and their saints. Some prompts: a modern AU with the five gods and their roles mapped onto a world more like our own. Something that would show me how the Rusylli interact with the gods. Any real-world culture that we have not visited, mapped onto the world of the Five Gods, and what it's like there.

3. Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis (characters requested: Gav and Eliasha.)

When this book finished, I just wanted ... more. Where do they go next, what do they do? I should note, I actively don't want a romance between Gav and Eliasha -- I want their friendship to strengthen, I want them to have each others' backs, and I want them to find new and interesting ways to undermine both the "Heroes" and the "Villains" in this world and support the common people in surviving and thriving. I strongly suspect that a big part of Gav's journey to the Dark Side originally involved resentment about not being popular with women, and I want him to focus on platonic relationships for a while.

4. The Saint of Steel series (characters requested: Zale, Worldbuilding -- either/or)

I love Zale so much. SO much. I also just love the whole concept of the Temple of the White Rat. I would be happy with anything related to either Zale or the Temple of the White Rat. I realize "I love all this stuff so much" is not much of a prompt, so here are some ideas:

Zale has to handle some profoundly petty legal problem (along the lines of someone demanding a small personal item back from a former roommate) that escalates.

The Temple gets wind of one of the other swords (like from Swordheart), and sends Zale out to handle it.

A modern AU in which the Temple of the White Rat exists in something closer to our world and the White Rat calls journalists to do wrongful conviction podcasts.

A story in which the White Rat called a paladin and decided they were a lot of trouble and the Rat could stick with lawyers henceforth.

A story about how the White Rat calls devotees (does the Rat call people? Or do people just find their way to the Temple and get adopted?)

Seriously, anything sounds great. I also love all the other characters: feel free to include as many as you want (or to invent OCs).

Thank you, and happy Yuletide!

[a-sea-with-no-shores]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook is eligible for Yuletide 2024, yes?? Only 600-something English-language fics on AO3 as far as I can tell 👀

[blurhawaii]

yuletide 2024

dear yuletide writer,

hello and happy yuletide! thanks for checking out my letter, whether you’re my writer, someone looking to write some treats, or you’re just curious. i’m pretty easy to please and i always try to leave comments befitting the effort you’ve gone to write me something, because i’m well aware that managing to write anything is incredibly tough.

all of the prompts below are merely suggestions, jumping off points for if you’re struggling to come up with anything. if you’ve got something else that you’re excited to write about, go right ahead. trust me, i’ll happily read it, no matter how out there it might be.

and, most importantly, have fun!

+ treats are very welcome and much appreciated.

++ this is easily my longest letter yet. sorry about that.

general likes:

dysfunctional relationships eg. codependency, messed up father/son dynamics, enemies to lovers (with or without the friend step in the middle), power imbalances, age gaps

unexpected team ups with unlikely characters OR bottle episodes as fic where characters are stuck together in a place/room, unable to leave

vulnerability in men, uncertain intimacy, UST, slow burns first times, forehead kisses, emphasis on hands and touch, touch starved characters, tough love as a means of showing affection

canon divergence and what-if fics, missing scenes, post-canon, fix-it fics, outsider POV, character studies over purely plot driven fics, go way weirder if you like as long as it still feels in universe

bonding through shared trauma—bonus if that leads to messy codependency, PTSD, redemption arcs, found family tropes, difficult family relationships, characters that can’t seem to stay away from each other

supernatural horror, magical realism, cosmic horror, body horror, gothic horror, noir tropes, dark humour, monsters of any kind, ghosts, time loops

size difference, age difference, rough manhandling, competence kink, incompetence kink, loyalty kink, praise kink, pilot kink, clothes sharing, cigarette sharing, character studies as porn, breathplay, clothed sex, rough sex, biting, hair pulling, awkward sex, crying especially during sex, blunt communication between sexual partners

angst (with or without a happy ending) and hurt/comfort fics (heavy on the hurt)

polyamory—especially when an established couple brings in a third, and the journey towards getting it to work

consent issues in terms of characters having sex for reasons that aren’t just straight up attraction, such as for comfort, loneliness, thinking it’s what the other person wants, hero worship, being undercover, previous emotional and personal baggage, a difficult family history leading to messed up dynamics with other parental figures, avoidance of bigger problems

soulmate and daemon fics (this is mostly fandom specific, see prompts for more info)

any rating from gen to porn

DNWs:

AUs that are completely disconnected from canon e.g. high school and coffee shop AUs

crossovers with other fandoms

genderbending, trans headcanons, and asexual headcanons

extreme feminisation of male characters

fics that are entirely tooth rotting fluff

permanent character death and terminal illness (temporary death, ghosts, resurrections are all fine though)

A/B/O fics

scat/watersports

mpreg

first person fics, crackfic, chatfic, songfic, and reader inserts

the departed (2006)

*billy costigan *sean dignam

one of my favourite films ever. i request it every year so you can't really go wrong with this. trust me, i will devour anything you write for these two.

my number one love is dignam. i love his filthy mouthed defense of his undercovers (which includes billy) and his obvious loyalty towards the job and his partnership with queenan. i get a lot of enjoyment from how much he seems to hate sullivan on vibes alone. he’s basically got legend status in both the cop world and the criminal world, and i would be very interested in seeing how and why that came to be.

i have a vague headcanon that dignam was once a younger undercover who got out somehow, and since that rarely happens cleanly i can see a lot of potential for a fic that delves into the trauma of that, and how it relates to billy’s time undercover—which definitely DOES NOT end cleanly.

billy spends the entire film struggling with repressed violent tendencies, crippling isolation, constantly being reminded of and compared to his well-liked father (his uncle and cousin too, but less favourably), and having to juggle various different identities to the point where he doesn’t know which one is real anymore. all of which are themes i would also love to see be explored further.

and obviously i am fascinated by every interaction between these two. from dignam’s attack dog interview tactics, which are fully designed to verbally tenderise billy. dignam expertly reading and needling every one of billy’s weak spots, tearing him down to nothing, ready for queenan’s slightly softer good cop approach meant to reshape him to fit their purpose. to the very rare moments where dignam actually softens too (we need you, pal and my personal favourite why don’t we meet up, sweetheart. let me buy you an ice cream), all leading up to the ultimate loyalty moment of dignam killing sullivan at the end as revenge for billy’s death (and probably queenan too.)

i have written a couple of departed fics myself, centred around shipping costigan/dignam. but in all honesty, i would be happy with anything involving them both. shipping is preferred but whatever you are comfortable with is fine. due to the nature of the film, i am perfectly comfortable with physical violence and the screwed up relationship they are bound to have. the friction born of the situation they are in vs the fact that they need each other to get through this is what i am all about.

prompts:

i have already promised my eternal gratitude to a previous gifter who wrote me a wonderfully odd fic for this prompt. so i can only offer something lesser like an arm or a leg if you write me another fic that incorporates the why don’t we meet up, sweetheart. let me buy you an ice cream line. if you can make that happen in-universe, during the time billy is still undercover, my arm and/or leg is yours to do with what you wish.

any fic where billy survives is always welcome. whether it centres around the very real consequences of taking a bullet to the head, the recovery period that follows, and the long term future billy is looking down barrel of. OR billy never takes the bullet. maybe dignam shows up in time and a mexican standoff in the elevator goes very differently.

maybe some kind of role reversal where instead of madolyn being billy’s therapist point of contact outside of both the cop world and the criminal world, billy could show up on dignam’s doorstep looking for some of the world’s worst therapy. if dignam was a previous undercover, it could be perfect for some trauma bonding.

i’ve always been of the opinion that a time loop fic could work well with this. whether it’s billy having the knowledge to avoid his ending (only for an actual good ending still being hard to get), dignam feeling guilty for not answering billy’s calls by the end and wanting to fix both billy’s outcome and queenan’s. OR maybe go really wild and have an outsider POV stuck in a loop, someone striving for their own personal outcome that somehow also benefits billy’s and/or dignam’s fate, like sullivan or queenan.

as i said in my general likes i think some kind of soulmate or daemon fic could be very interesting in a world where undercover work is the setting. billy and dignam having each other’s names on their person could lend itself to some interesting scenarios. just imagine the interview scene with that fact in dignam’s back pocket. and something about daemons being a true reflection of souls really appeals to me when dropped into these circumstances. bonus points here if you twist or subvert these tropes into some unusual take on them.

slow horses (tv)

*river cartwright *jackson lamb

first of all, i’ll definitely be all caught up on the show by the time that yuletide goes live, so no worries there. i’m also currently reading through the first book and will probably continue after that. feel free to throw in some later book canon if you feel you need to, i’m not too bothered by spoilers, but i am mostly familiar with the show canon and the characterisation we’ve been shown so far.

so from what i can gather most people seem to view these two purely through the lense of a father/son relationship. and while i definitely see it and agree it’s there, it doesn’t exactly stop me from being interested in the shipping potential. honestly, river’s slew of mother issues, father issues, grandfather issues, and so on…combined with the reluctant hero worship and the unwanted mentor/mentee relationship, the vaguely father/son relationship he has with lamb just makes the whole dynamic way more deliciously dense for me.

i am fascinated by all the history lamb has with river’s grandfather, both the personal and the work related, and how that ultimately affects how he views river. i love the reality of lamb slowly divorcing the preconceptions and assumptions he first has about river being just the grandson of the OB who fucked up majorly on the job, to lamb seeing river as his very own messed up individual who fucked up on the job. BUT ALSO as someone who still continues to do good and always strives to do better. as two opposing characters, i very much enjoy that dichotomy of river working so hard to escape slough house and lamb barely working to stay where he is.

i’m a massive fan of loyalty in characters, especially when they try so hard to hide the fact that they care, so obviously i love lamb’s fierce defense of his joes, all while constantly berating them and making sure they know they’re losers. which also brings me to river’s coin flip bouts of competence and incompetence as a spy, both of which delight me in equal measure, just as much as it delights me to see lamb’s reaction to both extremes. on top of that, pretty much any time that river gets roughed up and bloody, i cheer and gleefully drink it up.

i love the spy craft elements of this universe, the blend of the old world and the more modern practises, depending on the generation of spy doing the spying. also, just the unrelenting bureaucracy of the job and how being a slow horse puts them right at the bottom of the totem pole, as i’m always pulling for the underdogs in any story.

i enjoy every other character doomed to work at slough house (particularly river’s work buddie louisa, standish’s motherly concern and her own history with both river and lamb, and shirley just because), along with taverner, spider, and even duffy. if any one of them were to show up in something here, i would be a-okay with that. just remember i’m mostly familiar with the show.

prompts:

as i said above, i do ship it and i would be over the moon to receive a gift that manages to craft a believable, in character reason for these two to fuck. i’m envisioning any one of the scenarios i mentioned in the consent issues paragraph from my general likes. from hero worship reasons, weird comfort, loneliness, spy mission in which they’re stuck together and the safe house only has one bed, what starts as twisted payback for lamb’s hatred of david cartwright turning into something else, whatever you can think of. if you draw attention to the vague father/son and mentor/mentee relationship here, i’ll award bonus points.

if you’re not comfortable writing anything shippy, i’d be very happy with any fic where river and lamb have to work together in the field for whatever reason. maybe lamb has to come to river’s rescue OR even the reverse of that. and you can’t really go wrong with in media res-ing a situation where river is hurt and lamb is begrudgingly fixing things.

i’ve given a lot of thought to the idea that lamb has known river since he was young, or at least has been aware of him ever since river was left behind in his grandfather’s care. i’m not too sure of the actual timelines, having less familiarity with the books, but i would be very interested in a kind 5+1 fic detailing moments they’ve met before, back when river was just a boy, growing up, leading to him joining the service, and inevitably the mistake that lands him at slough house. i’m not looking for any shipping content when river is still underage, but after that is fair game to me.

the color of money (1986)

*eddie felson *vincent lauria *carmen

this film manages to cover so many of my interests and i can’t believe it took me as long as it did to watch it. but watch it i have, many times since, and i’ve even gone back and watched the hustler for extra context and more paul newman.

for this request i would like for all three characters to play a part in any fic. i ship all configurations and, if you’re willing, i’ve been craving an ot3 fic since the moment i first watched it. if you’re not comfortable writing explicit content, that’s fine too. please just include everyone.

for me, the draw of this film is the theme of corrupted goodness. by the end, i think all three of these characters have fed into each other’s worst traits and made each other even worse—and honestly i love that. the case is strongest for vincent, i’d say, who starts this film being pretty naïve, whereas eddie and carmen are definitely more streetwise. or professionals, as they call themselves. although, eddie running into them again at the end of the film goes to show that eddie hasn’t managed to change all that much either.

there’s also the amazing line: you make him feel, i teach him how to run—and that very much sums up the dynamic i love here, of accidently creating a monster out of vincent, who eventually turns on them, which in turn keeps both eddie and carmen from rising to anything better. let them all wallow in the gutter where they belong, just as long as they’re together.

there’s the older/younger dynamic between all of them, there’s the mentor/protege relationship between all of them. there’s even the special mention of a father/son relationship which the film wonderfully lampoons with eddie allowing vincent to get hurt in order to teach him a lesson. the way eddie gingerly wipes the blood from vincent’s face afterwards while carmen drives the car is one of my favourite scenes. a fic that explores these many criss-crossing connections would be amazing.

the whole road trip setting leads to some very interesting moments where personal boundaries are tested. i’m fascinated by the way vincent and carmen keep openly pushing eddie when it comes to their relationship, flipping between teasing him and enticing him when they let him into their room while they’re showering and getting dressed. contrast that against the moments where we see them happily hanging out, watching tv, and eating meals together. they seem to genuinely enjoy each other’s company sometimes—the odd kindness vincent and carmen show eddie when he gets played himself is so strangely sweet—all of which makes the later jealousy and betrayal even juicier for me.

i love kitschy americana diners and cheap motel rooms as vibes and atmospheres, along with smokey pool halls and less than reputable bars. i love the passing of different generations, eddie having to come to terms with the fact that times are changing, especially after the events of the hustler, and him now being confronted by vincent and carmen’s youth.

and lastly, i’ve always been of the opinion that eddie passing down his pool cue to vincent is pretty phallic in nature. i don’t really know what to do with this knowledge, i just know i enjoy it, and now it’s yours to do with what you wish.

prompts:

i would love any fic that’s set during their time on the road, going from pool hall to pool hall, getting more familiar with each other. maybe to save their hustled money they have to share a motel room, making it a perfect opportunity for a ‘only one bed’ scenario. i can imagine vincent and carmen having to coax eddie into bed with them because an old man like him shouldn’t be sleeping in a chair. it could also include: stopping at diners, driving late into the night, deep conversations, falling asleep on people’s shoulders, fooling around in the backseat and the voyeurism of a third person pretending not to watch.

maybe lean into the whole playing pool thing and the art of the hustle. only, this time, bring carmen into it more. have eddie and vincent teach her how to play, both the game and other people. or they could be the only ones left at a deserted hall, because no one goes to halls to play pool anymore, and what starts as a teaching moment quickly becomes a game of one-upmanship.

anything post-canon where they continue to run into each other, tripping up the other’s plans and grifts on purpose. real childish nonsense of deliberately getting in each other’s ways, all because they can’t seem to stay away, for better and for worse.

from (tv)

*jade herrera

i’m currently watching the new season as it airs, and will definitely be all caught up by the time that yuletide goes live. any potential writer or gifter, i’m giving you a blanket statement allowing you to include and reference anything that happens this season. as i will definitely be craving some supplemental material to go with whatever craziness they see fit to leave us with.

having said that, if jade dies, i will riot, as he has been my favourite since the very beginning. this weed smoking, schrodinger’s bisexual, arrogant tech company guy who thinks his money can buy him everything, including a way out of this (vr) nightmare.

since his arrival in town, he’s maybe the character that has changed the most. a lot of his arrogance has been stripped away by the cruel reality of this place, and his tailored capris pants and expensive shirts have been replaced by practical sweaters and winter coats. his transformation from pretty boy to mountain man initially caused me some distress, but i have since come to accept it, if only because i do love to see a character in decline. i think it succinctly conveys his new state of mind and his humbled acceptance of his place in the town. it most definitely helps that we are still occasionally graced with his kitty cat shirt, which is maybe my favourite thing about him—and i’m barely even kidding.

i am enamoured by his tendency to rub people the wrong way, despite the fact that he is always trying to help fix things and figure out the mystery of the town. his obsessive personality is both a boon and a hindrance in that regard. though i do still believe he believes he’s the smartest person in any room, only that nothing about the town makes any logical sense.

on that note, the connection the town seems to have with him fascinates me too. it’s very supernaturally psychological in nature. journals full of mad scribblings, visions and cryptic symbols and, of course, we can’t forget the screaming ventriloquist dummy. any fic that delves into this weirdness would be amazing.

i devour each and every small bit of info we learn about him. his long term friendship with tobey, growing up in paris with his grandmother but having to come back to the states to live with his uncle when she dies (really makes me wonder what happened to his parents), his ability and his contentment of playing the violin, his apparent habit of playing dress up as a kid, the million dollar software company he just sold before arriving in town. if you want to write backstory about any one of these things, i’d love to read it.

more generally, i love the horror tropes of this show. the constant looming threat of the monsters, the confusing mess of shit they find in the woods every time they venture out there, being confined inside during the night, the body horror, the teleporting trees, the japanese water spirit, the looping nature of the road in and out of town, the forced comradery of living with strangers, whatever the hell the cromenockle actually is. and so on and so on. feel free to make up your own weird shit and throw it into the pot. as long as jade is there and suffering, i will read anything you can come up with.

prompts:

i requested only jade this year for ease of matching and, rest assured, i will be perfectly happy with a gift featuring only him. pick anything i’ve rambled about above and you’re golden.

on the other hand, if you are willing, a lot of my joy of jade does come from his interactions with others. i ship him with so many people in town, and love his platonic interactions with so many others too. if you would be interested in including them, for my gifter and the potential blessed occurrence of treaters, i’ll briefly touch on a couple of my favourites:

jade & tian chen: from the moment she yelled at him, I knew i was in for a wonderful ride. maternal figures just cut straight through jade’s bullshit and i love it. the scene where jade monologues about his grandmother to tian chen and, despite the language barrier, she just GETS him. ah, chefs kiss. recent events in the show have completely gutted me however. she made him tea :( a soft or bittersweet missing scene before that with the two of them might help piece my heart back together.

jade/jim & jade/tabitha & jade/jim/tabitha: i love both of the relationships jade has with jim and tabitha separately. the logical experiments and science based worldview of the town that he shared with jim—against the supernatural, scooby doo mystery sleuthing, vibes based view that he shares with tabitha. they also both yell at him a lot and that’s always good. as for the ot3, i just think jade has the capacity to fix their fail marriage by being so annoying it brings jim and tabitha closer together again, by them wanting to fuck him just as much as punch him.

jade/boyd // jade & boyd: i just think if they pooled their knowledge and means together they could finally get some serious shit done. there’s nothing more to it than that, really.

jade & victor: bring back the violin. i love how much it meant to victor, and that victor eventually trusted jade to even touch it. i also love the idea that word might spread that jade can play, and others might miss music so much that they force him to play to a bigger crowd.

jade/khatri // jade & khatri: a real missed opportunity here, i think. jade called him beautiful while high, and since he loses his oldest friend tobey on the same day that he arrives, maybe talking to a friendly priest is all he needs. there’s also the fact that jade is one of the few people who also regularly sees ghosts of dead residents in town. other than boyd, who better to bond with a dead khatri?

as for more general prompts, i think the necessity of the talismans could lead to a great bottle episode type of fic, as well as contriving an in-universe reason to stick an unusual combination of characters together in a place overnight. roll a die, if you want, and force them to play monopoly or two truths and lies. whatever gets them talking.

if you want to go really weird, how about a fic where jade’s right about it being a large scale larping situation, or a VR simulation that tobey has actually did set up. what happens then when people die in town?

24 (tv)

*tony almeida *jack bauer

i was a huge fan of this show back when dvd boxsets were still a thing, and i pretty much wore my sets out watching them on repeat. more recently, it showed up on disney+ and i’ve since been reliving my obsession again.

seasons 1-4 were the golden years for me. i continued to watch past that and enjoyed it, but certain events of season 5 (namely: the deaths of tony, michelle and david palmer) were hard for me to get over. i give special dispensation to season 7 because they brought my very special boy tony almeida back as a villain (which i admittedly hated at the time, but have since come to love and really appreciate as a legitimate path for his character to take. more on that below in my prompts.)

it’s so amusing for me to go back to the first season and see tony as this smug, soul patch having loser. a minor character that i’m pretty sure we’re meant to dislike just for the crime of being opposed to jack and nina, all while knowing the amazing journey his character goes on. just know that i appreciate every era he goes through.

tony manages to stay very dry and sardonic throughout, which i adore in a character (i still mimic his flat yah every time he answers a phone.) he shows that he can hold his own in the field too (heart eyes for the times tony shows up with a gun at the last second to save the day, like with terri in season 1 and jack and audrey in season 4.) but he’s also savvy enough at the bureaucracy side of things to rise up the ranks to head of CTU. (RIP to george mason, my absolute favourite side character, despite lasting only last two seasons. xander berkeley the GOAT.)

i love tony’s relationship with michelle because i find it fascinating how similar she is to jack at times. the thing with jack and michelle is that they are very much believers of the adage the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and the one, which is obviously very important for the job they do. whereas tony is always more interested in saving the people around him, the people he cares about, and ultimately his wife. it’s what leads to his arrest later, tony putting michelle above his country, and that kind of loyalty, him damning all the consequences, is numero uno in my book.

as for jack, i definitely grew up thinking he was the coolest person alive (i find ways to bring up the moment at the la coliseum when he runs up the wall and snaps that guy’s neck an embarrassing amount.) he’s a one man army, a terminator, endlessly persistent, and yet he can still find the time to sit in his car at the end of a long day and cry. he really can do it all and there’s not much more i need to say.

there’s an underlining of loyalty between these two that starts, i think, from the moment they learn about nina’s status as a mole. the fact that they both slept with her at different times (possibly even overlapping) lends itself to a certain bond going forward. a mutual betrayal building a weird commiserating trust. from there, i love seeing tony become one of the few people at CTU jack trusts pretty implicitly. he entrusts kim’s safety (*sighs* oh, kim) to tony on numerous occasions, to the point where tony and michelle even help jack fake his death. can’t get much more trusting than that.

the 24h clock format for the show really was groundbreaking at the time, and i think it still continues to be a major positive that the show has going for it. i love all the subterfuge and having spies working both sides right under your nose. the quick and sudden violence underscored by the ticking clock. the technology is also hilariously dated at this point too that payphones were a legitimate defense against terrorism and secret agendas.

prompts:

i do ship it, along with liking a lot of their canon relationships. i would love a shipping fic involving tony/jack, but gen is fine. depending on the season setting you choose to write in, i’m fine with references to past relationships like tony/michelle, tony/nina, jack/nina, jack/kate, jack/audrey. i do love ot3 fics as well, so if you want to write any combination of jack/tony/nina and jack/tony/michelle too, it will eat it right up.

straight out of prison, depressed and alcoholic tony is a personal favourite of mine. the way jack relays all the sad facts to audrey so casually has always blown my mind. it means jack was there at the sidelines to see it, and he even mentions michelle’s side of things too, showing that he’s familiar with her too. i once read a post where someone wrote: do you think jack was the best man at tony’s wedding? that question has haunted me ever since, and being confronted with tony at rock bottom always brings it to the front of my mind.

there’s so much potential in a fic set pre-season 3. the whole secret OP that jack, tony and gael organise off the record, which involves getting jack addicted to heroin and in with the salazars. it’s rife for further exploring, maybe something messy and uncomfortably intimate with tony being jack’s only point of contact during this period, and having to sneak behind michelle’s back out of necessity.

i’m weirdly fascinated by the reality of working at CTU during the non-disaster days. the boring, day to day stuff we don’t ever get to see. anything set during any era could honestly be interesting. whether that’s early season 1 during the break in jack’s marriage, or season three when jack is head of OPS and tony is his equal. hell, bring back george mason for a day and let him and tony bitch about jack and their coworkers while standing at the water cooler together. i’m game for anything and anyone, as long as tony and jack are present.

season 7 villain tony. i love the angst jack experiences when learning that tony is alive. i think the show fumbles tony’s true motivations a little by having him flip flop between real villain, undercover good guy, back to actual villain getting revenge for michelle. if they had picked one and stuck with it all the way, i think it might have worked better. having said that, i can get behind both versions, and would love a fic detailing either paths. especially something post-season 7 that explores jack reaching out to tony while he’s back in custody.

[izumisays]

dear yuletide author,

Thank you so much for reading this and taking part in this wonderful annual conspiracy.

First of all, I hope you have a lovely time! If any of the fandoms below pique your interest, I’m delighted already, and ready to hear all the stories you want to tell.

Fandoms: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume’s Book of Friends, 猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin (TV 2022),  Hunting (猎狐), Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀), 御赐小仵作 | The Imperial Coroner (TV), 苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil (TV)

As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences. How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting – I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.

You may notice that some of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.

I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and associated kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!

Natsume Yuujinchou (Natsume’s Book of Friends) - Matoba Seiji, Natori Shuuichi

I continue to have so many emotions about the horrible exorcists, it's not even funny. And can you believe this is the last year Natsume Yuujinchou is eligible for Yule?! Shocking.

We have been treated so GENEROUSLY by Midorikawa-sensei, who in infinte wisdom knows to serve us what we truly need and not just what we think we want. (And if sometimes that means I have to ferally text my friends screaming about LOQUATS, then that too is part of her grand design. I remain very grateful and very humble.) Honestly I’m so pleased that what we’re getting on the page seems to be softer and more open to possibility than what we collectively imagined as a horrible exorcists fandom, yelling about bitter exes and divorces. There is surprisingly less knives and more communication, soft resignation and a working relationship as opposed to a bitter estrangement and mutual avoidance — not ignoring the feuds and bone-breakingly heavy legacies, but growing around them, somewhat? Miharu and Homura arcs were absolutely ruinous in the best way, and what we saw after adds more layer to understanding the history between the two houses but at the same time has enough soft bits around it that makes me hopeful? The mix is intoxicating. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and see the reaction of Matoba’s clansmen when Natori shows up in their boardroom to borrow their esteemed leader for a few days, on important business. HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN, I need to know for science.

Between the two of them, it's an established theme Natori is doing a worse job of judging Matoba by what he does than what he says than even Natsume. He is so stubborn! And the invitation to stop listening to Seiji glibly run his mouth is right there! (I feel compelled to add here that Seiji running his mouth with the most clingy shit is my favourite thing. “Oh it would be nice to have Natori-san’s paper talisman.” “Oh it would be nice to go on a wistful little loquat date again.” URGHUGHG - me and Nastume both, probably). And yet it's Natori cracking the door open, a small crack maybe but that's still a door to the possibility that solitude is not necessarily their only path in life. This is so ruinous. I love it.

Casefics, shipfics, boardroom comedy, AUs or futurefics — all good, as long as it digs into the dynamic between them. Messing with timelines, forced proximity, day jobs crossing with exorcist jobs, narratively convenient youkai curses forcing their hand, etc etc.

I’m up to date with English official translations of manga & anime, and slightly bitter that we won't have more canon information about Seiji's sister in time for the Yuletide. SO TANTALIZING.

Under the Skin (猎罪图鉴 ) - Shen Yi, Du Cheng.

Always welcome the addition of Du Qing, Du Cheng’s fabulous sister, or the ensemble cast of the investigation unit.

For this show, I’m both charmed by the dynamics between the main leads, and the completely realistic (ha!) way they use art skills to solve crime. This is some anime level nonsense and I’m eating it up with a spoon.

Case fics case fics! Case fics that explore and develop the relationship between Shen Yi and Du Cheng. I ship them, and would welcome the acknowledge of the growing closeness and intimacy between them in the story, but you don’t have to push yourself if you are there for camaraderie alone. I think between their backstory and the events of s1, there is a lot that makes them tick as a duo. Things that particularly please me: the playfulness in dialogue and little things like picture notes, acknowledgement and reliance on each other’s competences, protectiveness and care that comes across both in the middle of real danger (how many hostage situations can Shen Yi get himself into? Asking for a friend) and in daily routine. (Food is love! Allowing people to have naps is love!)

The inherent domesticity of adopting one loner artist by a whole investigative unit. I really liked the evolution of how people warmed up to him, and different distance at which these relationships grow and show in their daily work.

On a similar note: how large will Shen Yi’s menagerie grow to be, if he keeps adopting all sorts of strays from his cases? *An amateur artist myself, I am very fond of the many ways art has been shown to interlace and influence things we perceive to be objective and tangible on the show. It’s not just about sketching a perpetrator’s portrait, and joke as I may about the realism of crime-solving with a sketchbook, I’m definitely fond of all kinds of aspects of art and its transformative power that were brought into the show.

Thematically, one thing that boggled my mind when watching the show is how it gravitated towards exploring violence and crimes perpetrated against women, and created a whole range of competent, sympathetic characters… and yet they all somehow were either in victims, perpetrators or both. It’s like the show writers are trying to engage in important issues, but stop before actually seeing it through to the logical end. Is it censorship? Individual creative decisions? I don’t know, but I would hope that in fic, we could be bolder about saying B after saying A.

The drama is available on viki.com, which is where I watched it. I am really excited to watch s2 whenever that releases, but as of writing of this letter it hasn't happened yet.

猎狐 | Hunting - Xia Yuan, Wu Jiaqi

Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good white collar crime, especially one that busts a few capitalist myths. But let’s be real, the best parts of this TV show were Xia Yuan and Wu Jiaqi’s overseas 💕dates💕 I mean business trips, which mysteriously required they be outfitted like a well-matched pair of ridiculously long-legged models that strutted right out of the Vogue pages and into the metaphorical fire. The kind of fire that, in turn, required them to fake date, or dress up even more glamorously to impersonate filthy rich celebrities and their butlers, or deployed other similarly logical methods of tracking down runaway fraudsters.

I would eat up more of such adventures with a spoon, nay, a SHOVEL. Just like the epilogue showed, I’d like to imagine their adventures post-canon be a series of bright postcards (bang bang from Russia with love) capturing their antics in various capitals of the world.

Some ideas for inspiration could be: • Competitive not-dating. Xia Yuan and Wu Jiaqi just happen to contrive the circumstances in a way that makes the next operation seem conspicuously like a date, and the other one simply cannot let this slide and ups the ante. • I’m totally on board with some commentary or scheming from the peanut gallery of the Economics Crimes Division (I love you, Xiaolei!) to set them up faster. I don’t know if I love more the idea of the two of them giving in to the gang’s attempts to set them up, or the gang continuing to set them up completely unaware that the two of them are already dating, thus amplifying the comedy.  • As mentioned above, every city needs a pair of scarily competent and scarily beautiful law enforcement agents (who are also derps) descend on it to charm the pants off the local police forces and then solve some crime while they are at it. It’s also incredibly cute that Wu Jiaqi is the worldlier (or nerdier?) of the two, and can dispense funfacts and trivia at Xia Yuan’s incredibly soft face. I’m a simple girl and I like simple things. • ALL THE TROPES ever, as essential and completely logical ways to solve economic crimes. All the dress-ups. All the role-playing on the job with bae.

The show is available on viki.com.

Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀): any characters

It torments me personally that at the time of writing this letter the issue of s4's English streaming licenses has not been sorted yet. Damn it, my Mandarin is nowhere near good enough to watch it without English subs! (weeps into hands) You may safely assume that I will watch new episodes as soon as they become available in English.

Sanfan is a mixture UTTER GLEE and deep fondness for the genre staples, self-aware and masterful playthrough of all the wuxia tropes in the book, and one goddamn well-constructed story. It plays the tropes straight, calls them out with a knowing wink, walks the tightrope between the two with panache, and just as you are relaxed and enjoying this trapeze show, it grins cheekily at you, sets the hat on fire and pulls a bunny out of a discoball.  It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.

I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission is to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request.

Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3

I am okay with both expanding the canon and playing with AUs/crossovers/fusions for this one, provided they retain the character dynamics. I love the extended cast as well: any characters including the Seiyou gang (and on that note, if you want to write the Seiyou backstory for Shou’s gang that has no Rin in it, you’re welcome as well), reappearance of the familiar faces from Touri (read: Rin’s victim list, past, future and present), original characters lined up and waiting to be screwed over (guaranteed) and rescued (the administration does not bear any responsibility etc etc).

Season three, god bless Urobutcher, just went and upped the ante by 9000 – time and space travel! Magical walkie-talkie pocket-sized boyfriend dolls! Dramatic daddies and villains literally yeeted into literal space, jjba-style! The sandbox has expanded exponentially, and if you think this is a good excuse to open the door wide for any perceivable AUs and still remain canon-compatible, well, then you have the right audience in me.

This year I’m not limiting my request to just the two main characters (though as you can see my fondness for them is great) because I think season three especially kicks the doors wide open for various kinds of hilarious team-ups, confrontations, family dramas and peanut gallery commentaries about one another’s delusions of grandeur. If you would rather write about characters in the demonic realm, or have been wanting a good match-up for characters that never met on screen, or bring back some dead faves — well, then s3 labyrinth invites you to play with it, and I’ll happily read it.

御赐小仵作 | The Imperial Coroner (TV) - Chu Chu, Xiao Jinyu, Leng Yue, Jing Yi

You do not have to include all of the requested characters.

This show was so enjoyable, and I think it was largely because the four main characters had such an incredible chemistry amongst themselves, and all four were competent in their own way. The cases and intrigues are very intelligent, the comedy is well-played, and romance is adorable. Need I say more?

A few suggestions should you need them:

I am really partial to Xiao Jingyu, who seems a little bit on the spectrum, very cerebral, very capable, but at core of it - so fundamentally decent and kind. Scheming/clever characters are often depicted as unscrupulous to a degree, and I feel very pleased that Xiao Jingyu is simply not doing that. He understands other people's strong points and limitations (himself included) and just rolls with it.

I am unapologetically here for the telepathic teamwork-slash-and improv comedy that is Xiao Jingyu and Jing Yi. They just know each other so well, and this is the most playful Xiao Jingyu gets to be, and I am totally here for it.

I am very fond of the hilariously warm relations between Xiao Jingyu and Xiao Jingli. (This is for those of us who always wanted General Meng to give Mei Changsu less courtesy and respect and more of princess-style carrying him out of trouble/self-inflicted exhaustion/minor inconveniences like death threats before breakfast).

You know how the show totally leaned into Leng Yue/Chu Chu? It was so fabulous. In fact it was probably the most fabulous pairing of the four, simply because Leng Yue is so dazzling, the epitome of a jianghu rockstar, and so chivalrous towards Chu Chu. Girls have to look after other girls!! Girls have to bandage each other's wounds with utmost homoeroticism! GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS.

I find the two canon couples very cute, and if you want to play close to canon, that's totally fine too: the four of them is a force to be reckoned with. I absolutely love how whipped for Leng Yue Jing Yi is, and I love that Xiao Jingyu's moral stance is if Chu Chu wants do to an emotional support autopsy, he would simply oblige. Good thing there always seems to be a lot of corpses around them.

The show is available on viki.com.

苍兰诀 | Love Between Fairy and Devil (TV) - Dongfang Qingcang, Changheng

It took me by surprise just how much I enjoyed this show: I thought I was in it for the sheer amount of money invested into visuals (it's completely ridiculous how good looking everything is; if this is a testament to how many low budget cdramas I've seen I don't want to admit that), but I ended up having a really good time throughout. A lot of it was because of Dylan Wang/Wang Hedi's performance as Dongfang Qingcang, and the way the script let him have fun with his emotional journey and occasional bodyswaps. But it was also because of that hilarious not-friendship he had with Changheng, the secondary love interest to the main heroine, and this is what I would like to see in a fic.

the entirety of Yunmeng Lake arc was a love letter this show has for this crackship, you cannot convince me otherwise. It's some sort of tragicomedy while it lasts, but it breaks a lot of barriers and opens the door for their relationship in the future. The long suffering face DFQC had every time Xiao Run was all over him, determined to wrestle him into sword brotherhood! *cackles*

What happens after though! Their hilarious little schtick of "what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" undermined by the fact that they are literally finishing each other's sentences! Changheng casually inviting himself to the Moon palace to rescue DFQC from the brink of death in presence of creme de la creme of his generals! CHEF'S KISS!

You know how DFQC was jealous of Changheng for getting to marry the goddess!Orchid? And Changheng's reaction being are you mad, I feel the same way as you do? Yeah *breathes heavily* Sorry Changheng, none of the people in this show think about your feelings.

And the ending! Changheng getting to be best buds with Danyin instead of a consolation endgame pairing! Changheng getting to lay down the mantle of the god of war and roam the three realms free! And remember what DFQC says in the little special: after he comes back from the dead, he and Orchid split their time between Shuiyuntian, Moon Kingdom and Yunmeng Lake, and they like love the latter the most. You know what this means? CHANGHENG THIRDWHEELING FOREVER. Super love that for them.

Anything that leans into the comedic potential of this ship would be golden. I am literally cackling as I am writing this, so take it as a sign that I'm easily amused.

I’m also open for treats for any of the above – to me, dropping stories into other’s stockings and finding some surprises in your own is definitely a highlight of the true Yule experience :)

Thank you for taking the time to read the letter, and I’m greatly looking forward to reading your story — and hopefully, getting to chat about these ridiculous and wonderful characters post-reveals :)