#yuletide letter 2020

[clarktooncrossing]

HEY THERE PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT IS I, SANTA CLARK! Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost is nipping at your nose. Mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again. All the dogs in the neighborhood somehow learned to bark Jingle Bells in sync. Yet retail workers are still more annoyed with Mariah Carey. Snow is getting shoveled, tossed, and formed into sentient beings leading parades without permits. It makes for an excellent distraction as the Krampus abducts children for bad behavior. Fruitcake is exchanged only to find its permanent home in the garbage. Terrorists have hijacked the Holiday office party right before your boss can give you a Jelly of the Month Club membership as your bonus. And of course, the Turducken has returned to wreak its fiery vengeance upon an unsuspecting world! If all this doesn’t put you in the Christmas spirit, perhaps this festive slice of cheer from the Clarktoons will!

Let's make like The Ghost of Christmas Past and rewind back to 2014. Folks were suffering from Frozen Fever, both as a result of the movie and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. That year also saw Jimmy Fallon take over The Tonight Show after Leno stepped away for real this time, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 swung low while the Guardians of the Galaxy aimed high, people still cared about Kanye and Kim's relationship as if either people are worth your attention, Bill Cosby was outed as the horrible monster that he is, and most importantly of all, I initiated the 12 Days of Christmas event. Yes, clearly that's as major a moment as those other things I mentioned. Starting December 14th I would post a new pic or comic everyday leading up 'til Christmas. Our first year saw the Pizza Bites writing their oddball letters to Santa (with help from Mr-Herp-Derp), Crocie visualizing his perfect yuletide, and even a full length action comic starring me as a seasonal superhero. And in case anybody asks: no, the Holiday Knight isn't coming back. Sadly, neither will the 12 Days at this rate. Despite my continued best efforts, this festive event hasn't been able to return ever since 2020. Blame that on the last four months of every year becoming an increasingly busy time for. Should the choice arise, I will always pick spending the season with my family over drawing. Weird to hear, I know. Still, that's not to say I haven't been hard at work. You can tell I have considering this giant page of sketches I found lingering in Clarktoon Christmas limbo. Thus we have Dumpster DUDELZ: Regifted Edition! Let's take a peak to what's waiting under the tree?

[1] KARL THE KRAMPUS People credit that crummy 2015 horror movie for introducing Krampus into the popular culture. To that I say; you're all wrong! Clearly I did that a year earlier with my own character, Karl. Being a Clarktoon take on a German folk monster, naturally he became a big, bumbling goofball envisioned to have the voice of Richard Kind. It also meant he encountered Croc's Swamp Gang the most, Xena and Bumper especially. After years of the two (or at least Xena) tormenting the fluffy demon, it was time for a facelift. Honestly this design is a drastic upgrade over the original, making Karl more monstrous while not losing his approachability. Cuz only in the Clarktooniverse will you meet a cuddly monster who drags naughty children of to hell. XD

[2] NUTCRACKER: REB00TED CAST Nutcracker freak'n sucks! I have made my opinions regarding this boring ballet no secret over the years. For crying out loud, I compared going to see it to the Five Stages of Death. Nothing against anybody who does enjoy it, just don't count me among your masses. Getting me to like adaptations lacking Mickey and Minnie is a challenge. Then again, I enjoy a good challenge. While contemplating what I would do with the story one year, an ad for Matrix: Resurrections dropped onto YouTube. After seeing it I thought: what if the world of Nutcracker was set within the Matrix? Hence we have Nutracker: REB00TED! I plan to diverge more plot details later, but for now you can at least meet our cast. Starting from left to right we have Prince Leon, the Nutcracker Prince who's grasp on reality is slipping. Helping to guide him is the Count Drosselmyer, turned into Love-A-Lot Larry Beary. Don't let his cuddly facade fool you, he will whoop yo' @$$! Alongside his niece Clara, the badass ballerina determined to rescue her beloved and free the kingdom from the evil Rat King! What does the king look like? Good things come to those who wait...

[3] ROSIE MEETS THE HOGFATHER Any excuse to draw Rosie Stardust is an awesome one! Even if the sketch is last minute like this one. During the Holiday season last year this random little idea sprung into mind of Rosie exploring Christmas contemporaries across the multiverse. This would include Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Hearth's Warming Eve, Life Day, and of course Hogswatch. Anyone familiar to the works of Terry Pratchett will recognize the name. Just like those esteemed few will also recognize the mini-Claus counterpart the Cosmic Cutie's encountered. It's not the Hogfather she was expecting, but she will gladly take it!

[4] WILBUR'S PLASTIC TREE You'd think a collection of coupons would be the easiest to complete. Just like you'd think the monkeys would stop flying out of my butt at some point. Nope, that ain't happening. Blame it on my nitpicky attention to details, otherwise Wilbur's White Elephants coupons are already a third of the way done. In fact, the sketch here is already fully colored just waiting to be posted. Being the cheap sonuv'a bush he is, Wilbur naturally won't go for a natural Christmas tree, instead opting for plastic. No, the other kind of plastic. The kind that'll guarantee some poor tree manufacturer in Hoboken will get an angry phone call from an irate store manager. And in case you're wondering what he sounds like, my ideal voice actor is Daran Norris doing his Jameson voice from Spectacular Spider-Man!

[5-7] REDESIGNS FOR RANDOLF, CUPID, AND ZED My, here's a jolly trio that haven't been seen in a good while. Probably because I keep wanting to give them better designs! This is an itch I can't ever seem to scratch! Since I've listed all three of them together, let's go over each character:

RANDOLF: The cocky but caring step-brother of a certain red-nosed reindeer, Randolf hosts the famous North Pole 1 radio show alongside his bear buddy Zed whenever not hosting the even more famous Reindeer Games. Out of all the characters, Randolf is the one who's design if the toughest to crack. I want him to look young, but not super young. Think early to mid 30s if you will. It'd probably help if I could pin down a potential voice for him. Sam Rockwell is the top contender in my mind.

CUPID: Following some messy drama between princessofDisney27 of Disney and I, the original version of Cupid was thrown out and reworked from the top down. With an extreme hairstyle I 'borrowed' from MLP and an athlete's need for speed, Cupid lives up to her namesake who first pulled Santa's sleigh years ago. No idea on who would voice her if I could afford it.

ZED: Raised by gay penguins on a diet of Polar Cola and smooth jazz, Zed is a laid back bear with a beach comber's attitude.  So long as wherever he is has a heater and is populated by his buddies, Zed will go with wherever the flow will take him. His design is the easiest, being a polar bear in a Hawaiian shirt. One of these days I wanna draw him with his two penguin papas too, but for now we at least have the bear. Again, not sure who I'd have voice him.

[8] BUMPER'S A STAR! A sad truth about my Christmas tree is that I can never put a star on top of it. Everything we've tried is too top heavy. For the longest time I meant to make one featuring everybody's favorite floating marshmallow, finally following through on this desire this year. I made a shape template in Illustrator, drew the front and back of Bumper around it, colored it all in Illustrator, printed both sides out and glued them together. I would've just printed both sides on one sheet of paper, but printers are evil devices meant to torture mankind as a whole. I hate them! But I love this tree topper! ^^

[9] PANICKED TURKEY It's a shame Panicked Turkey didn't get to come out of hibernation this year. Especially when I had some good ideas for tips involving Canon Events, certain cartoon rodents, time traveling, dragons, and Rosie. Chances are I'll be able to use these ideas again in the future, but for now I just wanted to post something with the cowardly bird. So here's the sketch detailing his redesign from last year. Like Karl, this is another change I really like, PT feeling more expressive than he previously was. Hopefully we'll get to see this design in action again next year!

[10] I'll Have a BOO Christmas Without You ...I'm not even sorry! XD

[11] ALIENS OF THE ROCKAPOCALYPSE! Hey look, more characters you haven't seen in forever! This is Phil, the Clarktooniverse's resident one-eyed rockstar from outer space. Back in the day I used to do mock album covers for Christmas, Phil's girlfriend Yezzi standing in for Mariah Carey on one particularly great one that still holds up. Sadly there's only so many iconic Holiday CD covers you can do that aren't just the same generic 'things coming out of a box' design. Heck, it's why the last one of these I did was based on a Manowar album. That following year would've seen an all-new, totally original creation depicting Phil and Yezzi rocking around a dried out Christmas tree in a Nuclear Winter Wonderland. Sadly the full sketch was never realized, save for Phil's rocker gear here. Worse still, these characters have been retired until I can iron out the finer details of their story. Once I do, expect the ultimate comeback tour from the Aliens of the Rock! Just in time for the yuletide / end of the world!

[12] PANICKED WHO? What turkey? I don't see any turkey. All I see is this friendly induvial with a mustache! One who was just drawn randomly with no other intent behind it. Totally. XD

[13] KREEPY KRAMPUS Once upon a time I was able to complete entire comic storylines before Christmas. That couldn't be said for this one comic where Bumper and Xena both try to buy each other Christmas gifts, each of them going after different notable Christmas creatures to pay for them. Bumper would've gone after the wild Nog while Xena would've picked a more frightful foe: the Krampus! This image of the German monster is what she'd find while searching for information online, my intent to be truer to the original folklore than my usual interpretation. It would've made Karl's inevitable appearance that much funnier. Part of me still wants to see this comic fully realized someday. Until then; let this haunt your nightmares!

[14] ANGELICIA, THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON Remember earlier when I mentioned a comic centered around me as a Holiday hero? The one I will never bring back? Part of that idea involved a literal spirit of the season named Angelicia, an adopted sister of sorts to Finjix's own character Aklamos. Both of us have tweaked and upgraded her overall appearance over the years, this being her last for an intended Sketch BOOM that was scrapped. I really should use this character again, the question is for what?

[15] A TURKEY DINNER TO GO! Like I said, there was once a Holiday Sketch BOOM that was never completed. This Panicked Turkey sketch is one of the few things to survive from it. Ignoring how this design was pre-2022 makeover, I still think this silly little pic is hilarious! Next Thanksgiving I'll make sure to remake this in full color!

[16] THE NOG Along with Karl, the Nog has become a seasonal staple of the Clarktooniverse. For years mankind has wondered where the eggs for Eggnog have come from. Some silly saps think they come out of chickens, but we all know that's a lie! Obviously the eggs come courtesy of the wild, North American Nog! These rambunctious creatures hail in the colder climates, sticking primarily to the North States where they graze on wild berries, tree bark, and rare flowers. Whenever it's not foraging for food it's fending off wild predators, displaying its tusks for potential mates, running for Congress, or raising their young. That is, the young that actually get to hatch. Good luck drinking that next ice-cold cup knowing the Nog is 100% real and you're feasting on what could've been one of its young you sick monster!

[17-18] TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE DOVES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Doves! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Doves! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Doves! Heroes for the Holidays! BIRDY POWER! Back in 2019 I made a silly little parody of the Ninja Turtles based on the beloved Christmas carol "The 12 Days of Christmas". Was it an extremally obvious joke to make? Yes. Does my earlier pun prove I will stoop to such lows? Heck yes! Thus these two goofy characters were born and eventually given the names Currier and Ives by AnimatedTigerGirl. Currier is the one with the bo staff on the left. At home he's a easy-going party animal, but in the field he's a dedicated leader fighting to keep his family safe. Next to him is the nunchuck-wielding Ives, a hot-tempered brainiac with a big heart. Together the two must save their mother, face the 10 Evils of Christmas, and help out their new human friend Ash.

Standing in for their April O'Neal is Ash, one of their few human friends who helps her fine-feathered friends move about New York. Since this story is set during the 90s, she's naturally a skate-boarding tomboy ready to prove to her dad that she's more capable than given credit for. That chance comes suddenly when her father is abducted by the Partridge Crime Family and their ten specifically themed assassins. Now Ash must rescue her dad alongside these two magically enhanced bird-themed ninjas. Y'know, that old chestnut!

[19] SHORT-E AND SHER-I Dang, it's been a while since these two were seen either. I'm sensing a pattern here. At leas these designs have held up the best. Heck, they look especially good in their winter ensemble. SHORT-E wears basic gloves and a jamaica while SHER-I went shopping with EMIL-E to get fancier gloves and a beret! SLAY, QUEEN!

[20] SNOW CONIE MEETS THE NOG Yes, another refuge from the scrapped Sketch BOOM. This one featuring the unofficial mascot of the Sketch BOOMs, the Snow Conies! Or at least one, facing down the angry snout of a mother Nog. I envision these creatures having the temperament of wild hogs, much to the misfortune of this innocent sentient dessert!

[21] SIR PANICKED TURKEY, THE CANADIAN! Along with redesigning this cowardly bird, I also made a special bonus Panicked Turkey tip for Canadian Thanksgiving. It was very last second, going through a few iterations before settling on the final idea. Before then the plan was to either have PT surrounded by angry canucks with guns in a style similar to the John Wick posters or the giant chicken disguising himself as a Mounty, not yet realizing he'll find no peace in the Great White North. Ultimately both were dropped in favor or one menacing Mounty looming over the frightened fowl, which I thought wouldn't work until I saw the final product. Funny how that works, innit? Still, what about the entre in shining armor? That has to do with an idea I mentioned earlier, but I dare not spoil the surprise further than that. Like I mentioned, said idea can be reused for next year. So when Turkey Day rears its ugly head, Sir Turkey turned tail and fled!

[22] UGLY SWEATERS, TROPICAL WEATHER Yet again another idea I hope to bring back, though slightly modified. Originally the plan was to make Ugly Sweater pin-ups for the couples (or friends) of 3K with my friends Finjix and @burningthrucelluloid. This one was the only one sketched before Alec lost his Adobe art programs that would've allowed him to help in this project. Even then, my nitpicky attention to details got the better of me again and too much time was wasted attempting to draw the other pics. All we got out of this failed collaboration were Nerva and her buddy Weed Eater in their Hawaiian-style sweaters, the latter not happy about his situation. He was even depicted eating the sweater and partridge at one point. Who would've guessed the living Christmas tree would be a humbug?

[23-24] CROCZILLA VS TURDUCKEN When I released by Terror of the Turducken posters back in 2020, peeps said they would totally pay to see that movie. Hopefully the same can be said for its sequel, an epic clash between the titular Turducken and the colossal Croczilla! Why are they fighting? Who cares, it's two giant monsters beating the stuffing out'a each other! No doubt the posted to go with this creature feature would've been a legendary one! At least had it not been for my nitpicky attention to details. Plenty of poster designs were drawn up, including this one that was inspired by the then-current Godzillva vs Kong posters. Perhaps I can recycle this idea next year when the sequel comes out and the two fight another giant monkey. Until then, feel free to place your bets on which of these festive Kaijus come out on top!

And if you're rooting for the Turducken, enjoy this redesign of the character where each of its heads feel more distinct. Hey, if nothing else it's cooler to look at than another freak'n ape.

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[ardentaislinn]

Yuletide Letter 2020

Hi! I am also ardentaislinn on AO3. Thank you so much for volunteering to write one of my chosen fandoms! I really can’t wait to see what you come up with. Most importantly, I hope you have fun writing whichever of my fandoms it is. Any suggestions I make here are optional.

Here you’ll find:

My general likes

My DNWs

And prompts for the following fandoms:

Peninsula: Train to Busan 2 (2020) - Jung Seok, Min Jung, Joon Yi, Yoo Jin

Stranger | 비밀의 숲 - Hwang Si Mok, Han Yeo Jin

Kingdom | 킹덤 - Prince Lee Chang, Seo Bi

Illang: The Wolf Brigade | 인랑 (2018) - Im Joong Kyung, Lee Yoon Hee | Kim Seo Hee

A quick note on the Korean names - I’m fine with however you choose to transliterate them. Hyphen/no hyphen, Shi Mok/Si Mok, etc. Just do what you are comfortable with and I’ll adjust no problem. No need to add the honourifics, though

My likes:

I love getting together fics most of all. I love almost every kind of trope (fake dating, slow burn, rivals-to-lovers, “unrequited” pining (that is really requited), found families, etc.) Also, casefic, epistolary fic, consent, forbidden pleasures, beta heroes, bed sharing, masquerades, military kink, physical imperfections, ladies being badass and female relationships (whether romantic or friendship), relationships that build tension before exploding, equal relationships, trapped together, competence, communication, U/RST, positive endings.

You may notice from the below that my ships mostly involve sweet and occasionally broken men being head over heels for awesome ladies, (and usually not feeling worthy). So that dynamic is strongly encouraged.

I also like smut, but it certainly isn’t a necessity. For smut, I’m (sadly) fairly vanilla. But I like light bondage, cunnilingus, shower sex, and accidental/consensual voyeurism, (Particularly guys taking matters into their own hands when they think they can’t be with their lady, and the woman stumbling across him mid-act. Possibly my favourite kink ever? Writer’s choice whether the woman joins in or gets embarrassed)

Happy endings (or at least hopeful endings) are preferred. Like, super, super preferred. I don’t mind angst at all, but it kinda has to be on the way out of the darkness by the end.

Dislikes/DNWs:

Miserable endings. Major character death. Baby/Pregnancy fic. Humiliation. Drug use/drug mentions/addiction. Self harm/abuse. Non-con/rape. Heavy kink. A/B/O. M-Preg. Incest. Bestiality, animal harm etc. Underage sexual content. 1st person POV (unless for epistolary). Not big on high school AUs or Rock band AUs. Unbalanced power dynamics in ships without acknowledging/exploring that. (This effects one particular ship below, which I’ll discuss in more detail in the fandom section).

I think that’s it?

And so, to the fandoms, in no particular order:

Peninsula: Train to Busan 2

Jung Seok, Min Jung, Joon Yi, Yoo Jin

While maybe objectively not as good a film as the first one, I still enjoyed the hell out of it. Given that it was essentially a cross between Escape From New York and Mad Max, what isn’t to love? I loved the expansion of the world and the clever uses of zombies in the chase scenes. And I loved that the message was that being logical and self-sacrificing isn’t always the right choice - sometimes you should be driven by heart and empathy. And I really liked the idea that anything can mean happiness when you love and are loved in return - particularly in regards to Joon Yi, but also Jung Seok (and his found family?).

What would interest me the most in this fandom is post-movie fics. But if you wanna do a canon divergent/au thing, I’d be cool with that, too. Some prompts:

Joon Yi struggles a lot more than her sister to readjust to a “normal” life

In order to stay together after being rescued, Jung Seok and Min Jung have to pretend to be married

After four long years of loneliness, Min Jung just wants to be touched

Jung Seok isn’t surprised to find himself in love with Min Jung - and wanting to be a father to her girls - but is he good enough for them? He’s left them behind once - can he forgive himself? Can Min Jung?

The zombie plague escapes from Korea - and Jung Seok, Min Jung, and her girls are the closest thing to experts on how to fight back and contain it that the authorities have. Will their nightmare never be over? Or is this a chance to end it once and for all?

With Min Jung in hospital while her leg heals, Jung Seok suddenly finds himself a surrogate father to two very unruly girls.

Stranger | 비밀의 숲

Han Yeo Jin, Hwang Si Mok

This show is just so good, and Si Mok and Yeo Jin - and their relationship - is a big part of that. He’s logical and doesn’t feel things the way most other people do, but that doesn’t mean he’s given a free pass to be an asshole. He’s a good man who always does what’s right. And Yeo Jin is just as smart as he is, and equally committed to doing what’s right, but in a different way. They make a perfect team.

I love how much they absolutely, completely, trust and respect each other. Si Mok cares about her as much as he is capable - probably more so than he cares about anyone else. There isn’t any drama or jealousy or anything like that in their relationship. They are both practical adults. But it doesn’t mean they don’t have a deep bond. I do ship these two - and would love getting together fic if you can!

Prompts:

Yeo Jin will probably have a tough time of it from now on. How will Si Mok support her through it?

How will Yeo Jin and Si Mok keep in touch now that he’s moved away again? Late night phone calls that slowly become more intimate? Texts or emails (epistolary style)?

In the last episode, there was a hint that Si Mok had a prophetic dream. What if he really did develop a power? And Yeo Jin was the only one he trusted with the truth?

What if Yeo Jin and Si Mok had to travel somewhere for an investigation - and there’s only one bed…

Si Mok isn’t incapable of noticing when a woman is attracted to him. But what if that woman is Yeo Jin? Do they try to make a friends-with-benefits arrangement work? Or do they like each other two much for that?

Everyone already knows Yeo Jin and Si Mok are close - but why do their friends suddenly think they are dating? What’s changed? And how do they stop the rumours - without disappointing all the friends who were hoping they’d finally become a couple?

Yeo Jin had drunk one too many shots of soju and thought she might never see Si Mok again - so she’d jumped his bones and snuck out before he woke, full of regrets. But what happens now they have to work a case together again?

Feel free to bring in the other characters, too, as long as Yeo Jin and Si Mok remain the focus! I love the various dynamics they have with the people around them.

Kingdom | 킹덤

Prince Lee Chang, Seo Bi

Like with Si Mok and Yeo Jin above, so much of what I like about these two is that they are great characters separately - but work so well together as a team. They trust each other. He has great faith in her abilities and respects her so much. And she is loyal to him and respects him in return because she knows he’s a good man and a good leader.

I also love how the show uses both politics and horror elements, both to best advantage. It’s so well-written and compelling.

Now, I can see how this ship skirts close to my “no unbalanced power differentials in relationships” DNW, since he’s a prince, and she’s very much not royalty, so I thought I would clarify my position on this. I would most like fic set after he gives up his place in the royal family, since I think that mitigates basically all the issues. Even though I don’t think he would have intentionally abused his power over her, and Seo Bi was never particularly deferential to him, it still would have effected the relationship. Now that they are on more equal footing, there may be some lingering, residual issues surrounding this, but I feel like it’s at the level of bringing some interesting angst into the equation without feeling icky, if that makes sense.

Prompts:

Lee Chang and Seo Bi are somehow transported into modern day Korea. How will they adapt?

Both Lee Chang and Seo Bi have seen horrifying things - and they have the nightmares to prove it. How do they help each other through?

I feel like there are a million stories you could tell within the time jump at the end of the second season. Seo Bi and Lee Chang are travelling together, but no doubt keeping their mission to find the resurrection plant a secret. Are they pretending to be married? Is there anything Lee Chang has to adjust to now that he’s no longer, technically, the crown prince? How are they making money? Is Seo Bi hiring out her medicinal knowledge, while Lee Chang sells his sword? How far will they go to find the answers they seek?

The properties of the resurrection plant are still largely unknown. What horrors will they have to face next, now that another outbreak is looming? 

Lee Chang decides that Seo Bi needs formal fight training - and takes it upon himself to teach her.

What moments of levity can they find together amongst the horrors?

Lee Chang knows he shouldn’t think of Seo Bi in that way - they are colleagues, and despite everything he is still from a royal family. He needs her too much to risk everything because of his desire. But oh, how he wants her…

Illang: The Wolf Brigade | 인랑 (2018)

Im Joong Kyung, Lee Yoon Hee | Kim Seo Hee

So much about this movie is absolutely my jam. The action scenes, the exploration of what desperation can drive people to, the unclear loyalties that are slowly revealed. That whole sequence when they first meet and spend time together is like a distillation of so many of my favourite things. He sees her and is just instantly gone on her. And she for him. And from then on it’s just a quiet, intense longing between them. They are so aware of each other, every sense drawn towards the other. But he’s so broken, and he sees himself as more animal than man. And it’s revealed that she has equally deep wounds, too.

An argument can be made that at least some of it was an act, of course. They were both trying to deceive each other after all. But I think it’s pretty obvious that there were real feelings there, particularly because she tries to warn him that he’s walking into a trap, and he comes back to save her. Maybe even they don’t know how deep their feelings go, or the other’s feelings, but the audience knows.

And yet...I’ve seen it twice now, and the ending is still no clearer to me. Like, is he dead? It doesn’t seem like it, since both she and her brother saw him at the train station. But maybe he’s like a guardian angel now? And if he’s not dead, where did the shot come from? A hidden gun? The sniper? And most importantly of all, if he’s not dead...why aren’t they together??? Like, aren’t all the potential impediments to their relationship gone by that point?

So, I guess most of all I would like fic that makes more sense than that ending - preferably by giving them the happy ending they deserve.

Prompts:

Joong Kyung watches over Yoon Hee from the shadows - but she always knows he’s there. How can she convince him to come into the light, and back into her life?

Yoon Hee’s brother gets himself into trouble, and the only person she can turn to for help is a man she hasn’t seen in too long - Joong Kyung.

Joong Kyung now walks the line between the living and the dead, but he can’t stay away from Yoon Hee. (Paranormal/magic AU?)

Has there been too many lies between them to make a relationship work? Neither think they are worthy of the other, but when they are pulled back together (to give evidence for an official inquiry?) they can’t quite keep their distance.

Joong Kyung is on the run, and he doesn’t know who to trust - except the one woman he’s never forgotten.

Misunderstandings and lies abound between them - but what happens when they are trapped together and must wait for rescue?

If you don’t want to do a post-canon fic, how about canon divergence? What would have happened if the phone hadn’t rung in that warehouse at that moment? Might Yoon Hee have told herself that she could use her body to prove her loyalty to him? And might Joong Kyung have told himself that it couldn’t hurt to succumb - that it didn’t mean anything?

I think that’s everything. Thank you so much!

[mystarsandmyocean]

Yuletide letter 2020

yuletide letter 2020

Dear, dear author,

Thank you for the gift of a wonderful story! I am so, so looking forward to this year’s Yuletide. It’s been a year, to say the least, so I’m looking forward to the comfort of old friends and familiar faces from my favorite fandoms.

Regarding my letter, please feel free to view the following requests as more guidelines than demands (with the exception of my DNWs!). The best wishes are the ones for which you don’t even ask, so I am guaranteed to love whatever you write!

Likes:

Ladies! All the lady love. Female characters, female friendship, complicated female relationships, I love them all. I know my requested fandoms are more romance heavy, so I wanted to make clear that as much as I love the lovin’; the lady loves gotta come first.

Found Family! A common theme in my fandoms is the belief that family is based on bonds, not blood, and any exploration of such relationships would absolutely thrill me! I am a big believer in making one’s own family, and I have a near and dear spot in my heart for seeing that philosophy play out amongst my favorite fandoms and characters.

Pining! More specifically, pining by the more privileged party. Few tropes give me greater joy than the person in power waxing anguish over their loves. Give me ALL the pining pine trees is what I am saying.

Romance Tropes j'adore: Fake Dating! Marriages of Convenience! UST! Mistaken and/or Secret Identities (a la You’ve Got Mail and Cyrano de Bergerac)! Bets and Wagers (a la She’s All That & 10 Things I Hate About You)! Childhood Friends Reunited! Berserk Buttons in high danger situations! H/C brought on by high danger or hallucinations/nightmares situations! Groveling!

Smut Tropes j'adore: Sex pollen, love potions, and all other inhibition releasers—provided the pairing is a consenting one! Light, consensual bondage! Consensual pain play! 69ing and oral sex! Voyeurism! Overall however, while I do enjoy smut, PWP is not my preferred cup of tea. Please don’t feel pressured to write smut if it’s not your own preferred cup of comfort!

Plot Tropes j'adore: Heists! Spies and thieves and con artists! Fairytale Retellings (especially of the unusual kind a la Tam Lin, Anastasia, Swan Lake/Swan Princess, etc.)! Shakespeare & classic literature callbacks! Behind the Scenes shenanigans of TV/Reality TV! Magic-infused reality! Epistolary writing (both letters/emails and social media usage)! Time Travel! Paradoxes! Multiverse theory and Parallel Universes!

AUs! Including Alternate Reality, What Ifs, and Transplanted Characters/Fusions! I am a HUGE lover of the alternate universe lifestyle. My AU tastes lean towards alternative reality or transplanted character/fusion AUs, but I’m also partial to well-done What If AUs (some favorites have included regency AUs, spy AUs, living in NYC AUs, and transplanted character AUs of any of my old or new fandoms). Most important for me will always be the integration of the original canon into the world of the AU, taking into consideration how different choices, different lives, different plotlines would need to be adjusted for a different fandom’s characters’. My only request is no crossover fic (If you feel any of the below canons would work EXCEPTIONALLY WELL in a crossover, feel free to ask). In this case, my own fics and bookmarked fics on A03 would really be the best place to see my favorite takes on AUs.

In conclusion, I am generally drawn to stories driven by the characters, rather than the plot (though I would also ADORE a well-executed and well-developed twisty-turny sort of plot-driven mystery or heist). I really love stories that delve deep into characterization, whether as a behind/missing scene or more plot/trope-focused fic. I love watching a relationship/feelings develop, both in romance and friendship, and I am a huge shipper when it comes to the couples I love. At the end of the day, it’s the characters that are important to me. So long as they read true, I will undoubtedly be happy!

Dislikes/Do Not Wants:

Noncon, dubcon, rape threats, attempted sexual assault, etc. I will be triggered by this content and ask that it not be included at all.

Pandemic. For stories set in our present-day, please do not include reference to the pandemic or use quarantining as a plot device, etc. Please also no ‘killer virus must be stopped’ related plots.

Not Like the Other Girls! The inverse of my love for ladies. Sometimes, by writing or position or profession, female characters are inevitably a “woman in a man’s field” or friendships-wise “just one of the guys.” I’m fine if you leave out ladies you don’t love/don’t feel comfortable writing, but I do ask for no misogyny/hate between them (adding in or creating non-canonical friendships between women is always a plus!).

Romance Tropes je déteste: Beautiful All Along (a la Pygmalion and Taming of the Shrew)! Sex with the Love Interest is Like Being Touched for the Very First Time! Unrequited Pining! Being “Saved” by the Purity of Love! Nice Guys TM! Basically, any story that centers around one person fighting to show the other that they “deserve” them & that involves a grossly unequal power difference. There are also very few circumstances in which I enjoy the person with less privilege loving the other first/from afar/unrequited, so this trope is one to avoid for me.

Plot Tropes je déteste: Misogyny! Racism! Anti-semitism! Homophobia! If a villain canonically does these things, I’m okay with minimal inclusion. I also really detest historical handwaving re: well-known facts, stories set in suburbia, and inaccurate city details (particularly NYC, since I live here).

Excessive character bashing and situations of extreme embarrassment/mortification. If there is a character I love (or even simply ask to see!) that you cannot stand, please just find an organic way to exclude them from the story. I also absolutely cannot stand anything that will give me extreme secondhand embarrassment, no matter my feelings on the character.

Christmas-themed stories. On the flip side, as a practicing Jew, if there is canonical Judaism in any of these stories, I would love for it to be included—but please only do so if it’s a topic you’re familiar with and/or comfortable researching. Thank you!

Major character deaths. Injury and angst are fine, but please stick to canon re: deaths of any core characters. The only exception would be a parallel universe/time loop situation, where revised timelines would “fix” the death. Please feel free to ask the mods or anonymously via Tumblr if you need clarification

For further insight into my tastes, my A03 page has all of written fic to date (x). And I am always happy to clarify via mods or anonymous Tumblr asks!

***

FANDOM #1: THE AMERICANS (TV 2013)

Characters: Philip Jennings | Clark Westerfeld, Elizabeth Jennings, Oleg Burov, Nina Krilova

**Eithor/Or Request: So long as EITHER Phillip Jennings | Clark Westerfeld & Elizabeth Jennings OR Oleg Burov & Nina Krilova are included, I shall be happy.**

Possible Prompts: Missing Scenes! What If!

I started watching this series during the pandemic and unexpectedly fell in love. It’s been a treat to watch the progression between Philip and Elizabeth from reluctant allies to tentative lovers to true partners. On the flipside, it was an absolute heady whirlwind to go from hating Oleg alongside Nina to being devastated alongside him when she was murdered.

Re: Phillip and Elizabeth, I’d love to see more of those quiet/missing moments between the two of them, either before or during the series. Moments where their feelings began changing, moments of them comforting each other after missions gone wrong (I *love* how protective they are of each other!), moments of them worrying over the other.

Re: Oleg and Nina, I’d of course love to see missing moments of theirs as well—their romance was so sudden, we didn’t see enough of their emotions shifting! I’d also love to see more of their thoughts as the stakes became higher for Nina and her mission with Stan.

And for both couples, I’d love to see what if scenarios! Both larger what ifs, such as what if Philip and Elizabeth met while working at the Rezidentura? What if Oleg and Nina were a Directorate S couple? Or smaller what ifs, like if Oleg had been able to save Nina? If Philip and Elizabeth fell for each other at a different time?

FANDOM #2: A GATHERING OF DRAGONS — MILLA VANE

Characters: Yvenne, Maddek 

Possible Prompts: Missing Scenes! What if’s! AU it!

Well-written fantasy romance is hard to find, but oh, did this hit the spot! Badass princesses, epic adventures, world-ending stakes, pining (so much pining)—all of my favorite things!

My first request would be to see more missing/quiet moments between Yvenne and Maddek, especially as their feelings for each other change from hate to respect to more. I’d love to see Yvenne come to terms with her feelings for Maddek being the man she now knows vs the man she’s learned about from his loved ones. Likewise, I’d love more insight into Maddek as he grapples with Yvenne’s lessons and what it means to be a good king—and a good husband.

Of course, this series is also rife with what if potential! I’d love to see any various scenarios, such as what if Maddek’s parents had been able to send him a message about Yvenne before dying? Or what if Yvenne and her mother had only been confined once Yvenne was older? What if Yvenne and Maddek has met as children?

I also think Yvenne and Maddek would make a great AU setup—regency era or modern celebrities, for example. If any ideas strike your fancy, I would love to see where that goes!

FANDOM #3: PSY CHANGELING — NALINI SINGH

Characters: Tazia Nerif, Stefan Berg, Brenna Kincaid, Judd Lauren

**Eithor/Or Request: So long as EITHER Tazia Nerif & Stefan Berg OR Brenna Kincaid & Judd Lauren are included, I shall be happy.**

Possible Prompts: Missing or Pre-Novella Scenes! Post-Novella Fallout of the Series’ Events! The Arrow Guide to Sex & Its Origin! AU it!

You might spot a pattern by now re: what I look for in fandom—fantastic romance, intriguing world building, opportunities for more quiet/falling in love moments! I adore both of these couples, but since we have much less material re: Tazia and Stefan, my asks for them are a bit more broad. I’d really love to see their missing moments from before, during, after their novella. For example, what was Tazi’s first impression of Stefan and the ship, in her first few months away from home? What was Stefan’s experience like as Tazi’s presence caused his Silence to fall apart? How and where did his feelings develop? I’d also love more moments of Stefan awkwardly being drawn to Tazi—and frustrated by his inability to communicate!

Since their relationship began pre-Fall, I’d also love to see them developing as a couple, relying and learning about each other in a pre- and post-Fall world. When and how, for example, do they reveal their marriage to their teammates? Does Stefan play in the Arrow rebellion against Ming LeBon? How does discovering their relationship’s influence on the Honeycomb affect them?

Re: Brenna and Judd, I’d love specifically pre or during Caressed by Ice missing moments. Specifically, when did they realize their feelings for each other? Was there something even before the attack?

Re: either couple, I think this series makes for a great AU! Crime fighting, Regency, government assassins, or spies were some thoughts I had.

Last but not least, my wildcard request would be for you to explore Stefan and Judd’s research into telekinetic sex. I would love all the shennanigans of the Arrows collecting information and perhaps creating some unofficial Arrow Guide to Sex? Alternatively, I think an AU take would be great fun: A group of female psychology grads are conducting a study on adult virgins—and in walks some prime male specimens.

FANDOM #4: SERPENT & DOVE SERIES — SHELBY MAHURIN

Characters: Reid Diggory, Louise Le Blanc

Possible Prompts: Missing Scenes! What’s Next! AU It!

This pairing—and series—had more than a few of my favorite things: star crossed romance, mystery & intrigue, gorgeous & magical settings. And of course, Reid and Louise.

There’s a wealth of missing moments between the two as they overcame their prejudices and fell in love—I’d love to see any and all of those quiet moments where Reid and Louise began looking at each other in a new light (I’d also love canon scenes in the POV we didn’t see!). Of course, both books one and two also ended on such intense cliffhangers—I’d also love to see speculation as to what’s next for book three (or in the case of book two, if you haven’t read, alternate scenarios for what could have happened!).

Last but not least, I think Lou and Reid’s story works in so many different universes! I’m particularly interested in a fairytale AU, given how many Snow White and Swan Lake references there are throughout the book. I also think a regency era or Harry Potter AU would be such fun—but I’m interested in any AU, really!

***

In conclusion, I hope my letter proved helpful rather than overwhelming, and I apologize for the verbosity! If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like clarification on, please don’t hesitate to ask, either via the mods or Tumblr!

Thank you so, so, so much for taking the time to write for me, my dearest author, and happiest of Yuletides to you! I look forward to reveal day!

All my best,

mystarsandmyocean (otherwise known as Sam)

[miikkasakari]

yuletide letter 2k20

Hello, Yuletide author!! My AO3 handle is celluloid. I’m looking forward to whatever you end up writing for me!

General likes: character introspection, relationship analysis (friendships preferred, but romance/friends with benefits fine), angst, horror (especially of the psychological variety), go as dark as you want but please keep it in character, gore optional no limits

DNWs: omegaverse, porn without plot, mundane AUs (e.g. coffee shops), holiday fic The Expanse Amos Burton

I love all of the characters on this show, but Amos is my favourite. I’ll take any combination of characters with him (or just him alone!), and he doesn’t even have to be the centrepiece of what you write, but he should still feature at least somewhat prominently.

In addition to loving all of the characters, I love literally every single aspect of the show, from the (mostly) real-world science to the intricate politics. Anything that captures the characters and at least the feel of the show will be delightful! (I’m not opposed to an AU if that’s what strikes your inspiration!)

Please also note: I’ve read all of the books, so 1. I’m spoiler-proof and totally happy if you include any book elements, and 2. if you haven’t, that’s fine, but it also means I’d prefer you avoid any speculation-type stuff (I know Amos’ backstory is a big one for this, so if you haven’t read The Churn it’s probably best to just not go there at all to begin with). 

Prompts:

Anything with morality as a theme. Ideal characters to play off Amos with this would be Holden and Naomi. Maybe something on Amos’ gradual progression of turning more to Holden from Naomi, or maybe he goes a little over the line and Holden and Naomi decide they need to have a chat. (Could even exclude Amos from the story all together in that one, as long as they’re talking extensively about him/their impressions of him/how they could help him, or something along those lines.)

Amos and Bobbie are pretty much the tough guys of the series. How would they bond during a shore leave moment? Bobbie could take him to some of her favourite haunts around Mars, if you need a setting prompt, but they could end up on Tycho together too or something.

Amos and Drummer don’t really interact. What would happen if they got together? Naomi is close to both of them - could lead to something, whether she’s there or not.

Avasarala’s powers of observation are unmatched. How does she perceive Amos?

Post-S4, it’s a long, long journey back to Sol system from Ilus. And Amos is spending a lot of time with Murtry. Yeah, a lot of it’s violent - but do they ever talk, especially since they recognize what the other is? Do any of the other Roci crew overhear things, get concerned?

The Boys (TV 2019) any (see tagset)

This show is so dark and fucked up and I love everything about that. There’s a lot of grey area when it comes to morality here and anything embracing that would be fantastic. I’m big on corruption arcs, whether they have theoretically already happened pre-canon (e.g. any member of the Seven that maybe once had a soul but has long since lost it, or any of the Boys for that matter) or in the current timeline. Characters losing everything is good, too.

Please also note: I haven’t read the comics. From my understanding the show has gone in some very different directions but also, if you could avoid any potentially spoiler-y references to the comics if you have read them, that would be swell!

Prompts:

Hughie is the ultimate fish out of water on this show. It took him like, a day to be totally down with murder, and then admit he actually liked doing it. Go further with that! Corrupt him. Maybe he recognizes he’s going down a dark path and wants to pull out; maybe he’s in too deep already; maybe he’s just living his new best life. Billy could feature heavily here too; it’s largely his fault, after all.

For one beautiful week the show had me shipping Frenchie/Lamplighter. I’d love to see more of that, whether it’s some good ol’ pre-series nemesis shenanigans (with or without hatefucking), anything mid-canon after Lamplighter leaves Sage Grove with the Boys, or canon divergence in which Lamplighter doesn’t off himself.

Pre-series Frenchie and MM. Could be in a relationship, could just be bros, could be gossiping about Billy. Really flexible here.

Frenchie and Hughie take a moment to chill out, smoke some weed, muse on life and how they’ve ended up where they are now. Just some good ol’ bonding time.

Annie and Maeve. After leaving things off in a rather rough spot with Elena, does Maeve turn to Annie for help for once? Friendship or the beginnings of a relationship would both work well here.

Annie, Maeve and Kimiko just hanging out. They got to bond by beating up a nazi, they should get to all keep being friends.

Homelander’s childhood was fucked. up. Anything exploring that, whether it’s still him as a kid or in canon times.

Pair The Deep up with someone. Literally anyone. Make it serious, make it semi-serious nonsense, what have you will; I’d like him to be treated as a serious character in whatever you write but he’s also so primed for shenanigans and any character combination with him has the potential to be chaotic.

Mr. Robot any (see tagset)

In this house we love and respect a tightly-plotted show that always knew where it was going to end up. This show had a lot of love for (well, some of) its characters, so anything particularly character-centric would be really good. Missing scenes or anything post-canon preferred. AUs welcome, too; feel free to ignore my DNW for mundane AUs here.

Prompts:

Anything dealing with Elliot and Darlene’s relationship post-canon. S02E04′s cold open can potentially provide some inspiration here.

Elliot gets to see Angela one last time, either mid- or post-canon.

Post-canon, Darlene and Dom meet again. How have they changed? Are circumstances better for them this go-around, or has that ship sailed?

Literally anything involving an Elliot and Dom interaction or dynamic; they didn’t have much together in canon. Dom’s observations on how Elliot is different from Darlene; Elliot crossing Dom’s path while she has to work for the Dark Army; Dom sticking with Elliot and Darlene towards the show’s end; or anything else you come up with!

Dom and Angela have a chance encounter. Maybe they’re aware of, or learn, their degrees of separation from one another; maybe it’s just a footnote in their lives.

[unofficialyuletide]

Yuletide sign-ups closing soon!

We’re t minus two-ish days and counting before sign ups close for Yuletide 2020! They close Monday, Oct. 26th at 9am UTC - what time is that for you?

That also means, if you’ve already signed up, you have two-ish days left to edit your offers and requests.

[mustlovemustypages]

Yuletide 2020 Letter

Dear potential writer,

I truly hope all is well with you and yours. No matter what state you find yourself in, my wish is that Yuletide boosts your spirits and gives you the extra jolt we all could use to usher in the new year. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and thank you in advance if you decide to write anything for me!

Below are my desired fandoms and pairings along with story ideas that I would love to see written. Please don’t feel stifled by my prompts; I’ve also listed my general likes and dislikes at the very bottom of this letter if you decide to go a different route.

Little Women (2019):

Characters: Amy March and Theodore “Laurie” Laurence”

The main reason I adore this adaptation is because it made me see why Amy and Laurie ended up together. They had very similar worldviews and fit so well what the other needed. Both deserved to be with someone that valued them for who they are. With Laurie, Amy was not just financially secure but with someone who encouraged her to express herself creatively, politically, or however she chose. With Amy, while she grounded Laurie in reality and challenged him to be the best version of himself, he didn't have to fundamentally change to make her happy.

Story ideas:

These quotes really show how Amy's perspective on life was different than her sister's: "You are your family's hope." (Aunt March) "I’ve always known I would marry rich." (Amy March) That's a lot of pressure on someone so young. We heard some of Laurie's thoughts, mostly that he didn't think Amy should feel ashamed for wanting that. How would some of that pressure continue even after she got married, and what would Laurie say to make her realize they were in life together as a team and she didn’t have to suffer the weight of the world alone?

The conversation between Amy and Laurie in the painting studio showed just how level-headed and intelligent she was. Laurie, while not wholly agreeing, was respectful and didn't discount her thoughts. It would be interesting to see the impact on their story if Vaughn hadn't arrived, and this had played out more. Would the proposal have happened earlier and/or how would later scenes be altered as a result of further conversation?

What did the other characters think of Amy and Laurie's relationship, and how did it change after seeing them interact more as a couple? It would be interesting to read about Meg, Marmee, John, or some of the other characters realizing they were genuinely a good match for each other.

Post-canon, I'd love to get a glimpse of what kinds of conversations they had. Did Amy encourage Laurie to pursue a career and find what he was passionate about (music perhaps as Laurie mentioned writing an opera)? And similarly, did Laurie encourage Amy to pursue her art? Did they continue to have in-depth conversations about societal pressures and expectations of gender in certain economic classes?

Tenet:

Characters: The Protagonist, Kat, and Neil

Tenet is the first movie I've seen in theaters since Star Wars IX. There have been some mixed reviews, but my love for Christopher Nolan sci-fi films combined with the experience of stepping foot in a theater again made it a wonderful experience for me. Sure, the plot could be confusing at times, but it was fun trying to fit certain puzzle pieces together and oh so thrilling when things just clicked into place in the most satisfying ways.

I adored the dynamic between Neil and the Protagonist. The easy friendship, the banter, the suits... everything. I also loved the relationship between the Protagonist and Kat. It started off as each using the other but transformed into one of genuine care on both sides. Ever the romantic, I definitely saw something more than just friendship between the two and was slightly disappointed the movie didn't explore that aspect more.  

For pairings, I’m interested in friendships between all of the characters. I’d be interested in seeing a romantic relationship between Kat and the Protagonist if you’re up for that, but not between Neil and Kat, nor Neil and the Protagonist. If you really want to give a romantic partner to Neil, I'd be fine with Laura (or an original female character if she’s not the focus of the story), but please, no slash. While I’d be ecstatic to see all three characters together, if you can only find a way to fit in two, that’s wonderful as well!

Story ideas:

Even though Andrei Sator is gone, there are still other players in the game, some like Priya, who want to eliminate Kat or even abduct her with the delusional idea she can continue her husband's work. The Protagonist (and Neil, if you so choose) ensures no harm comes to her, and he realizes that keeping her at a distance may not have been the best idea.

I personally don't buy into the fan theory that Neil is Kat's son Max; however, I do find the idea intriguing and would be up for reading about how that worked. The Protagonist breaks his rule and sees Kat, helping to raise her son Max/Neil and eventually teaching him about inversion.

The Protagonist doesn't have to wait quite as long as he'd thought to see Neil again. It can be the Neil who had already met him and knows about Tenet or the Neil who knows nothing about inversion.

What conversations did Neil and Kat have while the Protagonist was asleep after almost freezing to death? Maybe Neil explained the finer workings of Tenet and inversion more in-depth. Perhaps they discussed the Protagonist. 

Clueless:

Characters: Cher Horowitz and Josh Lucas

This movie set the bar high for teen romantic comedies. How can anyone ever beat 90s Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd? Plus, the relationship between their two characters is fantastic. Josh and Cher just bring out the best in each other. Cher shows Josh that he doesn't need to be so serious all of the time and that people are more than their outer appearances. Josh makes Cher want to be a better person, and he believes that she's not just a pretty face. Their banter and playful moments always make me smile.

Story ideas:

Knowing Josh and Cher end up together, this brings a heightened awareness to rewatches. They have so many casual touches and exchanged glances (when did Paul Rudd's eyes get so blue?) that it's hard to miss their natural chemistry. It may take quite some time for Cher's dad to notice anything has changed because they don't act all that different from before. Is there something that makes him finally take notice? How does he react?

Sort of related to the last prompt, there's a moment where Josh decides to go to the dance to keep an eye on Cher and Christian, and you can tell by Mel Horowitz’s smirk he realizes Josh has a crush on Cher. Does he do anything to push it along or play matchmaker just like his daughter?

I've always been curious about whether or not Josh believes Cher's story about being assaulted in the car by Elton and then held at gunpoint. We skip over Josh pulling up to the phone booth and go straight to Cher already being in the car. How did Josh react when she reiterated the story, and does he instantly believe her, or does it take some convincing? I'd like to see if he comforts her and if they both go together to tell Cher's dad what happened.

Cher is obviously very intelligent socially, if not always so much academically. When it comes time to apply for college, what does she major in? And how is Josh a positive influence in Cher's life, encouraging her to be ambitious and not letting negative comments from guidance counselors or teachers dissuade her?

Things I don’t like:

Alternate Universes – For the specific fandoms that I picked, I really like the universes as they are. I’m definitely okay with deviations from canon, but please don’t make Little Women into a supernatural werewolf story or have Tenet take place in a mundane coffee shop setting. (I don’t mind Soulmate AUs or something similar because those can be incorporated into canon with little change to worldbuilding).

Non-Con/Rape/BDSM/Sexual Violence/Graphic Sex – I like my characters to be happy and everything within ships to be 100% consensual, no question about it (mentions of non-con if it occurred in canon is fine). I also prefer plot over porn, especially with one-shots.

OT3s – Two people per romantic relationship, please. Any more than that makes me uncomfortable.

Character Bashing - Unless a character is a bad guy in canon, I don’t want to read hundreds of words about how awful they are, especially if they are one of the characters that I requested. Don’t take it out on the characters. If you hate my pairings, just write gen.

Things I love:

Hurt/Comfort – There is nothing I love more than one character comforting another. The hurt can be physical, psychological, or both.  

Happy Endings – I’m all for the realistic endings… but if they could be plausible AND at least happy-ish, that would be amazing.

Expanded Scenes/Contorting Canon – Feel free to expand scenes and change up the canon to your heart’s content as long as it makes logical sense.

Humor/Banter/Snark – I thrive on this stuff.

Bonding/Building Relationships – Whether it be a friendship or a romantic relationship, I adore reading about two people growing closer together. When characters know each other so well that they can have conversations with just their eyes or anticipate the person’s next move (especially if it’s to the surprise/confusion of everyone around them), my shipper heart is thrilled.

Dark to Light – Seeing a character come out of a bad mindset or situation and get better is so satisfying.

Happy writing and I hope you get the Yuletide gift of your dreams!

- Maddy @mustlovemustypages (on Tumblr, Ao3, and FF.net)

[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:  Chihayafuru, Nirvana in Fire, Thunderbolt Fantasy

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 quite a few 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 similar 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!

CHIHAYAFURU: Mashima Taichi, Wataya Arata, Suou Hisashi

You don’t have to include all three characters, but I’d love to see a fic that explores the connections between them better. I’m up to date with all manga scanlations.

Wataya Arata/ Mashima Taichi

In the immortal words of Henjin Meijin, Arata is that person for Taichi whose opinion makes or breaks him. (His wording may have been different, but if I go rummaging into the chapter archive to find the exact quote, I’ll end up binge-rereading year three into the night again, and then where would my Yule sign-up be?) (On that note, what kind of a MASSIVE LOSER waxes poetics about Taichi’s boyfriend problems to Taichi’s MOTHER, whom he JUST met? Suou Hisashi, that’s who.) Needless to say, that paramount opinion was not always great, and neither was Taichi’s general wellbeing.

Good news is, Arata is confident in his manliness, and he has no problem acknowledging Taichi’s ridiculously pretty and not too bad at karuta these days, and he’s also moving to Tokyo. Taichi’s definitely pretty and has an apartment in Tokyo, where a country bumpkin of paramount importance may possibly stay over until things are sorted out… eventually. Hint hint.

Jokes aside, I pine for the dynamics between the two of them. I nearly lost it, reading the Meijin semifinals — and if you can show me a person who saw them bawl as they crawled into each other’s laps on Japanese national television and didn’t bawl in response, well, that person is sure not me.

I’d like to see a story that lets them build and explore that connect. I do not object to eventual OT3, but I think Chihaya is on a quest to find her own footing and pursue other goals at the moment, and I’d really like it if she was allowed to do this (join forces with Shinobu to drag karuta into a professional league, girl!). I’d like to think that in that space, different bonds and relationships can develop and strengthen, starting with Arata and Taichi.

Taichi the overanalyzer, the hardworker and the looker, the golden boy who at some point surely hit that red button, meme-style: you will be perfect at everything, you will have everything, except the one thing that you want above all. Arata appears to be his perfect foil: steady and serene where Taichi’s scrambling and flawed, adorably awkward and disarmingly sincere where Taichi’s groomed, smooth and miserable about his own deceptions. But they don’t see it like that! And they keep tripping each other up so beautifully!

I’d love to read your take on them growing closer and hopefully smooshing their faces together. Roommates in Tokyo? Long-distance friends? Figuring out how to tell your flatmate you’ve been in love with him since you were 12? Established relationship while hijinks happen? AWKWARD THIRDWHEELING WITH SUOU?!

On that note:

Suou Hisashi & (or / - wejustdon’tknow.gif) Mashima Taichi

I cannot believe that ridiculous man. Did you see a grown ass adult swoon because his unrequited disciple I mean not-friend I mean Taichi just up and went to meet his relatives??? To  help reconnect them?? One can do things like this?? What next, being able to make phonecalls like an adult??

Does not compute.

I was there, Gandalf. I was there when the story first indicated that we might be getting an unlikely team-up of the world’s weirdest Meijin and Tokyo’s most miserable overachiever. But even in my wildest dreams I did not dare hope to see them sprawled on the carpet on a humid summer afternoon, Taichi comfortable in his own skin and Suou, erm, probably not very comfortable with his fascination :D He did not sign up for this. He, a grown ass man in what must be his early twenties, is too old for this youthful seishun sakura bullshit. And yet it is he who mournfully accosts Taichi’s mom to talk about how this other boy is paramount in Taichi’s universe. He who gets offended because Taichi knowing how to adult and work the social ropes is too sexy and competent. He who finds something compelling in the painful struggle of genius and skill.

Arata - Taichi - Suou

For maximum indulgence of yours truly, bring those into one place. Arata coming to Tokyo and finding Suou a fixture in Taichi’s life how?! Suou being infinitely pissy at the Fukuyi upstart and yet dragging himself to socialize with the boys regardless like a totally-not-pathetic adult with a social life of his own? Arata being mildly puzzled about the antagonism, but in there for the sweet snacks?

You tell me! I delight in my anticipation.

NIRVANA IN FIRE: Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingyan

Is this a complex, narratively inevitable historic tapestry strangling people with its treads, full of delicious politicking and identity porn? Yes, it is.

Is my burning – nay, primal – desire so simple as to smoosh two faces together and watch them kiss? Yes, it is :’)

I mean, I will obviously not say no if the kissing is giftwrapped in the said tapestry of beautiful, politicky plot, but the fever I can’t get out of my system is this: LET THEM KISS, GODDAMMIT. LET THEM BE HAPPY. I welcome canon divergences, alternative endings, fix-its, insert eps and codas where it looks like they would have kissed (erm, or at least confronted each other in a way that would inevitably end with them making out) if only Mei Changsu wasn’t so caught up in self-loathing and fluffy foxfur coats, and Jingyan didn’t talk too loudly about his so dead, so very dead beautiful ex to hear Mei Changsu weep stoically into his beautiful white furs.

I adore Prince Jing. He is 90% cheekbones and 20% heartbroken pouting over his so very dead friends, and all of it noble and awkward and stubborn and deserving of happiness. Mei Changsu is ridiculous, and capable, and twisted into pretzels of his own creation: not above gloating over his enemies while daintily dipping cookies into his tea, he gets too caught up in weaving the tapestry to notice he is a part of it.  Pull him off his high horse, Jing! Render him helpless by being yourself! Do something about being hopelessly charmed with each other, through resentment, loss, bitter pining, and narrative inevitability! JUSTKISSALREADY.gif!!

THUNDERBOLT FANTASY: Rin Setsua; Sho Fukan

I LOVE THIS SELF INDULGENT WUXIA NONSENSE AND I CANNOT LIE!

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 discoball on fire and pulls a bunny out of a hat.  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 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).

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 :)

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

Dear Yuletide writer,

I’m 100indecisions on AO3. just based on numbers of requests/offers in the signup summary, it seems fairly likely that you matched with me on Avengers Academy, but it’s also slightly possible it was Silent Hill 3 or The Bifrost Incident. numbers also indicate nobody else requested or offered my other two fandoms, but I’m including them here anyway in case you or anyone else wants to take a stab at them. (there’s also this post if you want a little more info about why these fandoms are cool and where to find them.)

regardless! the important thing as always is that you have fun writing the fic, and for the most part everything that follows is just a suggestion. whatever you come up with, I’m sure I’ll love it.

I feel like…most of the fandoms I requested aren’t too likely to lead to fics with my major DNWs, probably. I wouldn’t want to see dubcon or significant manipulation in a relationship that’s supposed to be positive and healthy, for instance. I’m not opposed to explicit sex scenes of any kind, although I often end up skimming them because I’m the type of ace person who is just Not Interested in most of the physical aspects, so…you’re welcome to write sex scenes if it’s relevant but you absolutely don’t have to feel like you need to.

in general, my biggest DNW is unhappy endings. I’m thrilled to see my favorite characters go through all kinds of hell to get there, so for most of these I would be very happy to get something tagged Crueltide, but I also like things to be okay or at least hopeful by the end. if canon is the unhappy part in one way or another, I’m always happy to read fix-it fics. Between post-canon fix-its that could reasonably happen in the future and canon-divergence AUs where things are okay now because of some mid-canon change, I have a slight preference for the former, but both are good.

as for stuff I like, well, the other thing implied by my main DNW is that I do often enjoy fairly dark fics, as long as they end okay. I also like Loki a lot, as you can probably guess from my requests. if you ended up matching me on Avengers Academy Loki or Bifrost Incident Loki, and/or you want to take a stab at one of the other Loki-centric requests, the Loki fics I’ve actually written are pretty representative of stuff I like in my Loki fics, which basically boils down to “sympathetic interpretations always, with loads of angst and/or whump on the way to a reasonably happy ending”. I tend to take a somewhat lighter tone in general with my Avengers Academy fics (I’ve written several of those and only one of them doesn’t involve Loki at all, so…yeah I have a one-track mind where Loki is concerned), although I did also write a pretty damn whumpy fic for AvAc Loki. I’m very invested in the relationship between Thor and Loki as brothers, although Thorki is usually a personal squick. for things that aren’t necessarily Loki-related, I like found families and deep friendships, sibling bonds, stories about characters reclaiming their own agency from some outside force and/or figuring out how to take control of their own narratives, and probably plenty of other things that aren’t coming to mind at the moment. I’m equally good with plotty fics and little slice-of-life or introspective pieces. I will always always always be happy to see queer characters, especially asexual ones.

more detail about my specific requests, basically just expanded versions of what I wrote in my sign-up:

Silent Hill 3 (Heather Mason). I love this game and that’s mostly because of Heather–she’s resourceful, brave, and incredibly tough, and the game is essentially all about her reclaiming her agency (in a very literal, physical way) from people who used her for their own ends. Anything that gets into Heather’s head would be great, whether it’s a missing scene of some kind during the game or something afterward that explores what she does next, how she recovers from a frankly massive amount of trauma, and how she reconciles the various layers of her identity. The ways in which Heather, Cheryl the child, and Alessa both are and are not the same person are endlessly fascinating to me, and it seems like she probably has a lot of weird memories bouncing around in her head at this point--and possibly some extra trauma from Alessa’s memories of things Heather never physically experienced, as if she doesn’t have enough to deal with already. I would also really love to see something involving Angela and/or Maria from Silent Hill 2; I’m not sure how the timelines would line up (although realistically, considering the setting, that part would be trivial to handwave) but the way Heather basically said “fuck you, you don’t own me” to the cult makes me want to see other female characters find their own agency as well, and it would be really awesome if Heather found a way to help them do that, either by helping them directly or just by influencing the way the town operates. in general, I love these games for their atmosphere and symbolism, so anything you can do along those lines would be great.

Avengers Academy (Loki, Thor). I still miss this game. I especially miss Loki, who was a snarky little bastard but really not a bad dude. Mostly I’d be thrilled to see anything that focuses on him (or her, I super loved Loki’s canonical genderfluidity) developing actual friendships at the academy, with any characters who might be relevant (Steve, Natasha, America Chavez, Nebula, Union Jack, Angela, Jane Thor, really anybody). Working things out with Thor and/or the rest of his family is always good too; Loki’s Frost Giant storyline didn’t involve Thor at all, for instance, probably because it was written long before Thor was added to the game, so I’d be interested to see how things went when he found out his brother was a Frost Giant. I’m also always happy to see crossovers of some kind with other Marvel universes, especially considering AvAc was an interesting patchwork of film and comics canon; meta stuff where characters are aware of their multiverse counterparts is always fun (again, my own AvAc fics are pretty representative of what I like…and if you wanted to build off anything in those, I’d be thrilled). and hey, if you want to pick up or expand on any of the plot threads the game never really got around to, like more about the Academy’s supposed mole, the actual nature and origin of the timefog, or other worldbuilding-related stuff, that would be awesome. random slice-of-life stuff is also fun; so is expanding on any of the event plotlines or digging into in-world reasons for various gameplay decisions (way back during the Civil War event, for instance, Loki was one of the characters who could do stuff to earn points for Team Cap even though this didn’t come up in dialogue--it was almost certainly because they needed another non-event character to round out the rosters, but it would also make a fun premise for a fic). I’d also be happy to see something post-canon, showing what characters are up to now or doing some kind of reunion. I’m realizing somewhat belatedly that last year I only requested Loki because that’s the character I wanted most, and this year I requested both Loki and Thor even though my actual wishes haven’t changed, which...I’m not sure if that’s a potential matching problem or not. But just to be clear, the only character I require is Loki, and everything else is basically a suggestion. If there’s a character I haven’t listed but Loki had an interesting interaction with them, or they never spoke but you think they’d play off each other in fun ways, go for it.

The Bifrost Incident - The Mechanisms (Loki, Thor, Sigyn). I...need a fix-it. Like, for these characters specifically, but also for the universe in general, because the premise of this album is absolutely fascinating but I can't deal with tragedy, so--I need somebody to fix it. Somehow. I mean, I would also be very interested in pretty much anything about Loki and Sigyn, backstory or otherwise (especially if there’s Loki whump due to cosmic horror in general or Odin being a dick specifically, because...I am who I am), or Loki’s relationship with Thor, or...yeah, pretty much anything Loki-centric? But also I am a baby who cannot deal with tragedy so I gotta have like...at least a hint that things are going to end up differently than in canon. Or if you really don’t want to do that, speculate on this universe’s version of Valhalla or something, I don’t know. And yes, even though this isn’t a Marvel universe, I would also be very happy with some type of crossover/fusion with the MCU or another Marvel universe.

Loki: Where Mischief Lies - Mackenzi Lee (Loki). I had a lot of issues with this book and I’m not sure how much of that is just me not appreciating what the author was doing with an unreliable narrator (in part because I’m already pretty attached to certain interpretations of Loki) and how much is the author not quite doing it right, but I’d love to see something that would…make it make sense internally in terms of Loki’s motivations and actions. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a fix-it, although I’d love one of those too, with Loki reuniting with Theo and/or actually reconciling with his family. A giant crossover that includes this Loki with other major versions of Loki could be fun too. I’ve been planning for a while to write up some kind of actual review to articulate what about this book didn’t work for me, and I’ll update this post with a link when I do that, although…again, I know nobody else offered or requested this one. (if you think it sounds fun or you just want to read this book in general, my library actually has the ebook on Hoopla, so it’s worth checking to see if your library does too.)

What If... Thor Was Raised by the Frost Giants? (Loki, Thor). This is such a great little AU and I need MORE. Slice-of-life stuff with Thor and Loki growing up (and Laufey being an abusive bastard to Loki)? Fix-it where Freyja survives or somehow gets brought back? Post-canon fic picking up immediately after the end of the comic? Far-future speculation about what the present-day Marvel universe might look like with this change in its history? Literally anything post-canon about Thor and Loki tentatively reconciling? YES PLEASE. As always, biggest DNW is unhappy endings.

[callunavulgari]

Yuletide Letter | 2020 edition

Dear Yuletide author,

Hi there! First, I’d like to apologize for the fact that parts of this is almost entirely copy/pasted from last year’s yuletide letter. I’m aware you probably had no idea, but I’m gonna feel weird about it unless I say something. Secondly, thanks so much for telling me a story! My most sincere wish is that you have fun writing this. I trust that I’ll love whatever you come up with. :) 

Fandoms:

The Locked Tomb trilogy, Wolf 359, Rolling in the Deep, Stormlight Archive, Spirited Away, Modao Zushi.

Over all, I’m pretty sure I’ll be pretty happy with whatever you decide to throw at me. I’m not particularly picky, and enjoy a variety of ratings, themes, and genres. I have a list of over 2000 bookmarks on Ao3, which I would like to say might help you find the things that I like, but odds are you’d just get stuck in it.

General flavors on things: I really love atmospheric settings, stories that you can really feel. A great example of this is A Cornstalk Fiddle. Or wild peaches. I enjoy alternate universes in almost every variation, from soulmates to daemons to canon divergence (I really like canon divergence). I’m super fond of slow burns, though it’ll be hard to convey that in a yuletide fic unless you’re REALLY inspired and/or bored and decide to make it 20k+. 

Other things I like:

sun/moon trope

enemies to lovers

poly

YEARNING

AUs that are almost entirely canon except one of the characters is secretly some kind of creature (vampire, demon, selkie, etc)

magical realism

post-canon fic

found families

I do tend to prefer a fic to have some kind of ship to it, but that’s definitely not required. I am fully on board with explicit fics, but do ask that if there is smut, it’s not just smut. I like how introducing sex to a story changes various character dynamics, and I really, really like the sexually/emotionally charged lead up, but when it really comes down to it, I’m reading the story for the characters.

Dislikes:

Non-con 

Dubious consent is usually okay, but varies based on the circumstances and the pairing. My anon box will be on for the duration of the holiday season, so if you feel the urge, just ask me.

Most hard kinks. Again, it varies, and you can ask me, but I’m not particularly interested in any hard smut for the above fandoms.

Mpreg and/or omegaverse

And then more specific info on the fandoms below the cut because this is already long.

The Locked Tomb trilogy

This series has basically wedged itself right up under my ribcage and made itself at home. I’m okay with a variety of the characters in the tag set, but I mostly would love to see a story centering around either Harrow and Gideon or Augustine, John, and Mercymorn. I am super, super weak for enemies to lovers AND all things yearning and tragic it’s really no surprise I seized onto both of these. I would love a fic exploring the relationship between the above three (the more pining and tragic, the better). But like, that fic would also probably delve into some dubious consent, which again. Is fine to a point. But I mean? Two characters who are torn between loving the third and hating him (and at least slightly torn between two different feelings with each other? Poetic cinema.

If you go the Harrow & Gideon route, I’m actually kind of interested in the idea of an AU that still keeps the necromancy? I mean, necromancers in space is a great concept and I LOVE it, but I also love the idea of necromancers who work in a flower shop! Or a morgue! Or who have a shitty kiosk job at the mall and keeps raising rabid undead squirrels and setting them loose in the food court for fun.

Wolf 359

This podcast. Haunts me. It has basically ruined me for all other podcasts. I adore all of the characters, so you can feel free to write about whoever you want. Favorites are Eiffel, Jacobi, and Hera, so if you throw something at me that has the three of them interacting I could probably die happy. I’m good with gen fic, but I’m also a fan of Jacobi/Kepler, Eiffel/Jacobi, Hera/Eiffel, and would honestly probably fully embrace any other ship you could possibly throw at me.

I like the idea of Hera getting a body after the series. I like the idea of Eiffel finding himself again. I like the idea of Jacobi finding a new family (cough, Hera and Eiffel). I like the idea of Jacobi and Hera becoming best buds. I like the idea of Jacobi working through his grief over Maxwell and Kepler. I like the idea of Hera learning how to be herself in a big wide world that isn’t entirely on her side. I like the idea of every single member of the crew who touches back down on earth learning how to be people afterwards. I like the idea of Minkowski and Lovelace getting closer, especially if Minkowski’s husband is a part of that dynamic.

I just really like found family and people holding each other up when the going gets tough, and this podcast has that in spades. Also? Have you listened to Zero Hours? Because if you want to introduce some of that dynamic I would be forever in love.

Rolling in the Deep 

I honestly wasn’t sure whether to include this one in my list of wants or not, but ultimately decided on it because I think that anything you wrote for it I would be happy about. I’ve left the character section blank because I’d be okay with whoever you wrote about. This is one of those books where I don’t have many shippy feelings, but love the concept. Though, if you want to write about the mermaid they brought back with them and ANY of the characters, I would be particularly cool with that. 

I just really liked this book a lot, so yeah. Anything. Bonus points for post canon. Bonus bonus points for mermaids.

Stormlight Archive

Kaladin/Shallan/Adolin. I know Sanderson said that thing about how Adolin and Shallan would be down for it, but Kaladin would balk and just - listen to me: forget all that. My default reaction to love triangles is usually to happily ship them in a poly setting and these three are no exception. 

You want to write me an AU? Sure! Throw it at me! Canon and/or canon-divergence? Even better! Daemons? Yes, please. 

Alternatively, if you’re not really crazy about poly, I would be okay with something exploring the relationship between Shallan and Jasnah. I really adore Jasnah’s character and wish we had more of her headspace. 

Spirited Away

Spirited Away is my ultimate comfort movie. It is my go-to when I’m sad or sick or upset, and let’s be real here. It’s been a particularly upsetting year. And I would really love post-canon content with either Chihiru, Haku, or both. 

I would love fic where they find each other again. Where they keep finding each other. Where Chihiru walks from her new house down through the forest and just, stares at the entrance for a while. Where Chihiru is haunted by that place through the years, where she both yearns for it and marvels at how like a dream it felt. Where it’s changed her fundamentally, like walking into the fae realm. Where she meets spirits in strange places and speaks to them, only to realize no one else can see them. A fic where Chihiru is twelve, and then fifteen, and then twenty-three, and then even older, and is still just so taken by that place she disappeared to when she was a child and the people she found there.

Above I mentioned wild peaches as an example of a story that I really like, which is a fic of Sarah in the aftermath of the Labyrinth. That is almost precisely the feeling I’ve been craving from a Spirited Away fic, basically since I first watched the movie.

Modao Zushi

I’m weak for Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian. That is basically all it comes down to. The yearning. The rivals (kind of?) to friends to enemies to friends to lovers concept in this had me really messed up, let me tell you. I am particularly weak for Wei Wuxian as the Yiling Patriarch. That could tread close to the dubious consent line if you want it to, or it could not. Don’t worry about it. As long as it’s not non-con, I will happily accept whatever you have to offer.

I am also pretty okay with basically any AU for this. Not really picky. I will say though that I am particularly enamored with the idea of a dancer and/or composer/musician AU for this one. I’ve written about it twice and it still hasn’t scratched the itch. I just really want them to dance with each other. 

[aibhilin-atibeka]

Yuletide is upon us!

Seeing as I am signing up for Yuletide 2020 and am asked to write a letter to the Yuletide Writer who’ll be gifting me a fanfic in this exchange, I said to myself, hey, why not?

I have provided my Yuletide letter(s) and more information about the fandoms I’ve selected under the cut! In case more of you would like to sign up for this particular fandom exchange, the sign-ups close on October 26th!

So, dear Yuletide Writer, if you are reading this, know that I am already super excited for anything you’ll be coming up with and can’t wait to read it!!! :D No worries, whichever fandom we’ve been matched with, is either veeeeeeeeeeeeeery small or can only profit from another fic added to it!

As such, I’m aiming to provide you with some more information here:

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Dear Yuletide Author, I adore this book because it deals with gender nonconformity in a way that is intriguing, I find. I love the royalty aspect as well as the fact that oh, this time it's the Prince that's a Damsel-in-distress... or is he? That's awesome. And the art is something to behold, too! All in all, thank you very much, dear Yuletide Author, for participating in this exchange! I can't wait to see what you'll come up with!!! :D

Optional Details: When creating my Yuletide piece, feel free to use or disregard the following prompt: "A look at the calendar tells them all. That date is coming closer and closer.” In this fandom, I am not at all comfortable with deathfics, hurt-no-comfort fics, an over-abundance of angst (with no relief anywhere in sight) and thriller-like suspension. >_< Please don't send me lots of entrail/bleeding-heavy pieces, either. I'd love to receive some SFW, fluff, hurt&comfort or AU fanfiction (which AU is up to you). I'm a big fan of time travel fanfics, too. As for pairings, I don't mind if you write a gen fic or a pairing one, though I'd like a gen fic better for this particular fandom. I adore comedy and don’t mind crossovers, if you are so inclined. Recently, I've stumbled over the following thread regarding time travel that I found too hilarious not to share: https://i.redd.it/0rb221n9qfn01.jpg Mayhaps you'll be inspired by this? I don't mind it if you've got a different idea in your head already, though ^_^ I also don't mind if you don't use all the selected characters from my request in your story.

The Little Mermaid (1989) - Disney

Dear Yuletide Writer, I adore mermaids of all genders and fandoms, the culture clash (as well as the linguistic differences that should have been there but weren't!) is fascinating to watch! Mayhaps you'll give me a story about a captured human underwater? Feel free to disregard this prompt, should you have come up with something else already, though. Thank you very much for providing me with such a tremendous gift! I'm already looking forward to seeing what'll come of whatever inspiration you're taking away from this!!! Cheers!

Optional Details: I am not at all comfortable with deathfics, hurt-no-comfort fics, an over-abundance of angst (with no relief) and thriller-like suspension. >_< Please don't send me lots of entrail/bleeding-heavy pieces, either. I'd love to receive some SFW, adventure, fluff, hurt&comfort or AU fanfiction (although I'd love it if you gave me some mermaids, still). I don’t mind crossovers, either (with Kingdom Hearts, maybe?). I'm a big fan of time travel fanfics, too. As for pairings, I don't mind if you write a gen fic or a pairing one, though I like gen fics better, in general. I utterly adore comedy, although it's your call whether or not it suits whatever genre of story you're planning to write. I have read and adored lots of selkie stories in the past. Mayhaps you'll be inspired by this? I don't mind it if you've got a different idea in your head already, though ^_^ I also don't mind if you don't use all the selected characters from my request in your story or include additional ones which I didn't specify here.

Road to El Dorado (2000) - Disney

Dear Yuletide Author, I'm incredibly fond of those two (and a half) dumbasses and their adventures (and diva-like over-the-top shenanigans) on their way to El Dorado. I'm also absolutely in love with cultures clashing and languages keeping people from being understood (which is something that definitely only partly, if at all, is touched upon in the film). What if they didn't understand the natives? Would that have hindered Chel from providing them with help? Mayhaps that inspired you, dear Yuletide Author - feel free to disregard this prompt, however, should you have a different idea in mind already. Thank you very much for agreeing to give me such an awesome gift! I can't wait to see what you'll come up with and am looking forward to receiving it already!!! :D Cheers!

Optional Details: I am not at all comfortable with deathfics, hurt-no-comfort fics, an over-abundance of angst (with no relief) and thriller-like suspension. >_< Please don't send me lots of entrail/bleeding-heavy pieces, either. I'd love to receive some SFW, adventure, fluff, hurt&comfort or AU fanfiction (although I'd love it if the fic has some travelling in it, still). I'm a big fan of time travel fanfics, too. Concerning pairings, I don't mind if you write a gen fic or a pairing one - although, if you're deciding to write a pairing one, I wouldn't mind an OT3, in this case? I utterly adore comedy and the comedic timing in this film. Seeing as I love playing D&D in my free time, I have stumbled over these posts: this one and that one. Maybe you'll rather be inspired by these? I don't mind it if you've got a different idea in your head already, though ^_^ I also don't mind if you don't use all the selected characters from my request in your story or include different ones in addition to the ones that I've specified. If you feel so inclined, don’t hesitate to write a crossover with another fandom, either. (don’t mind the caption of the gif above, I just found that one too funny somehow not to include it...)

Treasure Planet (2002) - Disney

Dear Yuletide Author, Thank you very much for taking on this challenge of writing a gift-fanfic for me!!! I'm already excited and can't wait to see what you'll come up with! :D Have fun! Cheers!

Optional Details: I am not at all comfortable with Major Character deaths, hurt-no-comfort fics, an over-abundance of angst (with no relief) and thriller-like suspension. >_< Please don't send me lots of entrail/bleeding-heavy pieces, either. I'd love to receive some SFW, adventure, fluff, hurt&comfort or AU fanfiction (although I'd love it if the fic has some pirates in it, still). I'm a big fan of time travel fanfics, too. Concerning pairings, I don't mind if you write a gen fic or a pairing one. I utterly adore comedy and the comedic timing in this film. I am a huge fan of the father-son dynamic between John Silver and Jim and would love to have that explored more... maybe Jim's mum gets a letter inviting him to his "real" father's funeral somewhere and John Silver is invited to trudge along (or not)? (don't hesitate to give me feels in response to that prompt) Feel free to use or disregard this prompt, however, should you have a different idea in your head already, though ^_^ I also don't mind if you don't use all the selected characters from my request in your story or include different ones in addition to the ones that I've specified. If you’d like to, you’re welcome to write crossovers with other fandoms, too.

General Information regarding all those fandoms:

I haven't yet written anything for any of those fandoms, although you're welcome to have a look at my works on my AO3 page.

Suffice to say, I will most definitely be happy with whatever you’ll present me with and am already looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labour!!! :D Thank you very much for participating in this fic exchange! I hope you’re enjoying it as much as I am! =^_^= Have fun creating!

Cheers,

Aibhilin.

[trisshawkeye]

Yuletide Letter 2020

It’s my favourite time of year!

Dear Yuletide writer...

Hello, and thank you for offering to write for one of my fandoms! Since you’ve matched with at least one of these, I already think you are an incredibly cool person, and am delightedly looking forward to seeing what you come up with. I do include some likes and prompts for each fandom but aside from the do-not-wants, please don’t feel at all restrained by them.

AO3: Triss_Hawkeye

I Do Not Want: non-con, incest*, porn**, A/B/O, mpreg, underage, soulmate/high-school/college AUs

*Except for Hades, since I am entirely uninterested in debating what ‘counts’ as incest in this media, and Greek mythology family trees are already such a mess - therefore just assume I am fine with anything that comes up in the game

**I’m not opposed to characters having sex, but I don’t want it to be the focus of the fic and would prefer it non-explicit.

I enjoy: friendships and familial relationships, deep platonic and it’s-complicated partnerships, weird power dynamics, antagonistic friendships, friendly rivalries, strange intersections of violence and intimacy, navigating mixed-orientation relationships, mentor&protégé dynamics, established couples, polyamory, asexual characters, complicated gender feels, idiots falling in love without realising. World-building, case-fic, adventurous romps, backstory, character development, atmospheric writing, nonlinear storytelling, unreliable narrators, bittersweet endings, inevitable tragedies. Moral dilemmas, angst, pining, misunderstandings, trust and loyalty, mutual head-over-heels-in-love, interesting social dynamics, revolutions and uprisings, culture clashes, friendly arguments. Science fiction, stories set in space, horror, religious themes.

My nominated fandoms: Space Brothers, Ambition, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, The Locked Tomb trilogy, Hades, Transistor

Space Brothers

Nominated characters: Any.

Relationships I like: Mutta & Hibito siblings, Brian & Hibito mentorship, friendships all round

Space Brothers is a 99-episode anime and an on-going manga about a man who becomes an astronaut in the footsteps of his younger brother - both can be found on Crunchyroll. I love sibling relationships, and I love space! I especially love Space Brothers’ really in-depth exploration of the long process of becoming an astronaut, the effect of trauma, and how people can help each other through difficulties. I adore the storytelling style of flashbacks to a past event informing the emotional journey happening in the present. I follow the manga, so feel free to write as up to date as you like. No shipping Hibito with Olga beyond a one-sided crush on her part, please, but otherwise anything goes! 

Prompts:

It looks like Mutta and Hibito are going to meet each other on the Moon after all - how does that go down?

A story that contrasts Mutta and Hibito’s relationship with one of the other sibling or family relationships (e.g. the Jay brothers).

An incident during Hibito’s training as Brian’s backup, that once again becomes relevant as Hibito is training in Russia to return to the Moon.

Missing scenes from Brian’s time on the Moon, and ways in which Hibito is unknowingly retracing his steps - or doing things differently!

Jason Butler back in his astronaut days - perhaps the circumstances around his own backup’s leaving NASA due to his panic disorder, and how those memories affect his relationships with the astronauts under his leadership in the present.

The Nanba brothers (and whoever else you might want to include with with them) go on a road trip or camping or some other adventure. Hijinks ensue!

Ambition (Bagiński short film)

Nominated characters: Any.

Relationships I like: Master & Apprentice mentorship

Ambition (which you can watch here) is a short sci-fi film of about five minutes, created for, of all things, the ESA Rosetta/Philae mission to orbit and land on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014. Most of the plot revolves around telling the story of the mission from the point of view of the distant future, but there’s a lot of juicy world-building packed into those five minutes. Weird tattoos and gauntlets, telekinetic science-magic, dark and desolate plains, and Aidan Gillen as an enigmatic master instructing a hot-headed young woman in being ludicrously ambitious. I’d love to learn more about these characters, or about the wider world they inhabit. 

Prompts:

“You’re ready. Let’s begin.” What is the big task ahead of the Master and the Apprentice? Construction, terraforming, or something more esoteric?

How did the two meet? What happened that convinced the Master that the Apprentice had potential? Or what did the Apprentice see in the Master that led her to study under him?

What other ‘historical’ space missions does the Master like to throw around when making a point? Maybe he has something to say about New Horizons, Insight, or Perseverance. 

Something that explores the society these two come from, and their role in it. How common and respected are space wizards? Are they a common career prospect, a dying order, or pioneers of new technology? 

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex

Nominated characters: Hideo Kuze, Motoko Kusanagi, Batou, Togusa

Relationships I like: Hideo Kuze &/ Motoko Kusanagi, Batou &/ Motoko Kusanagi, Batou &/ Togusa (I like all of these as either platonic or romantic relationships)

I was surprised that something as iconic as Ghost In The Shell was still eligible for Yuletide! Stand Alone Complex (and particularly 2nd Gig) is my favourite iteration of the franchise - I love the convoluted plots, examinations of collective human behaviour in the context of an ever more connected society, heroes grappling with being agents of a flawed and corrupt system and anti-villains with noble motives, and the deep, complicated closeness of many of the characters. Given I’ve nominated Kuze, I’d particularly love a 2nd Gig-based story, but don’t feel that you need to include all the characters I’ve requested. I’m not as big a fan of SAC:2045 as I am the rest of it, but I’ve seen it and it’s in the continuity, so I'd be happy to receive something set in that part of the timeline too if you like. 

Prompts:

Post-2nd Gig, the Major goes searching for Kuze in the net - did he succeed in going on ahead and uploading his consciousness? Did he maintain his individuality, or become something other than human? 

A canon-divergent AU in which the Major encounters Kuze under different circumstances that sees them being able to work together to achieve justice for the refugees.

A look into Togusa’s family life outside of his Section 9 work. Does Batou ever interact with them? What is his partnership with his wife like compared to his partnership with Batou?

Motoko, Batou, and Kuze, all being full-prosthetic and ex-military, have similar circumstances yet different attitudes to what it means to be human and embodied, and I’d love to see some philosophical exploration of that. 

Section 9 case-fic that explores more of the setting. I’d particularly be interested in something that explores how religion has adapted to the reality of cyberization (be it Shinto, Japanese Buddhism, or something else). 

The Locked Tomb Trilogy - Tamsyn Muir

Nominated characters: Palamedes Sextus, Camilla Hect

Relationships I like: Palamedes & Camilla platonic Sixth House dream team, Palamedes & Harrow and Camilla & Gideon friendships

The Locked Tomb trilogy is currently two books in, and is a delightful and bizarre combination of fascinating and atmospheric world-building, and utterly irreverent and hilarious story-telling. The setting is fantastic, both the wider scope of all of these planetary houses of this universal necromantic society and religion, and the mysterious, secret-filled ruins of Canaan House. I’ve requested the Sixth House duo, and I’m particularly interested in the problem-solving aspect of working through the puzzles of Canaan House as a team, so really I’d like fic revolving around the events Gideon the Ninth or before (though if you want to go a bit speculative and make something work after the events of Gideon the Ninth, more power to you!) I just love the necromancer-cavalier dynamic between Palamedes and Camilla, how much they trust and complement each other. I have also read the Doctor Sex short story, and loved it a lot! 

Prompts:

An exploration of what life is like back in Sixth House, and the development of Pal and Cam's relationship as necromancer and cavalier.

Missing scenes and additional moments in Canaan House of Palamedes and Harrow nerding out together, with Camilla and Gideon guarding or sparring or otherwise bonding over their hopeless nerd necromancers.

Since GtN only follows Gideon’s point of view, I’d love to see what the Sixth House interactions were like with the other houses over the course of the story. 

Something that dives into what each one thinks and feels about God and death and the bigger metaphysical things, and whether it’s intimately tied into their work or abstracted in some way.

Honestly, I will happily read a million Doctor Sex-style ‘Pal and Cam solve a mystery’ stories.

Hades (Video Game)

Nominated characters: Any.

Relationships I like: Zagreus/Thanatos and Zagreus/Megaera (and both at the same time), Magaera & Dusa friendship, Thanatos & Hypnos siblings, Achilles/Patroclus, Orpheus/Eurydice, Nyx &/ Persephone, Hades/Persephone, Hermes/Charon (they’re not nominated but if you wanna throw them in please feel free!)

This game, the latest offering from the incomparable Supergiant, has completely devoured most of my spare time for the past few weeks and it is entirely my jam in a hundred different ways. I love the trope of un-(permanently)-killable immortals, how weird and dramatic it makes people and relationships when killing each other becomes part of your ordinary routine. And that the gods are not human - they’re intense and single-minded and a little bit alien, in a way that makes the Olympian gods extremely petty and flighty, and the chthonic gods stubborn and unyielding. I love the setting and its aesthetics, all bones and jewels and blood - everything is so vivid and larger-than-life and as beautiful as it is slightly horrific. I love the recurring theme of reconciliation as Zagreus goes out of his way to fix not just his own, but everyone else’s relationships too. Basically, I adore pretty much everything about Hades, so write the fic of your heart, especially if it is some as-yet-little-explored aspect of the story - but if you want some inspiration, here are some prompts:

Contrasting Zagreus and Megaera’s first fight as exes and enemies by necessity, with it becoming a normal (and potentially entirely pleasurable) part of their relationship. 

There’s a lot of unexplored comedic potential in the concept of Zagreus having a boyfriend who can appear at the most awkward of moments (or, gods forbid, during lyre practice) as well as noping out from conversations about feelings. Or, how does Thanatos’ unique way of getting around affect his relationships with other people as well?

Megaera and Thanatos are evidently pretty close, sort of best-friend-colleague-metamours or something, and I’d love to see more of their behind-the-scenes dynamic.

In fact, any exploration of relationships that Zagreus only gets to see the edges of or doesn’t see at all - Thanatos and his mother, Achilles and the other house servants, Megaera and Dusa, Dusa and Cerberus, Hermes and the other Olympians, Nyx and Hades’ uneasy but otherwise stable partnership.

Moments from Persephone’s first stint in the Underworld, her relationship with Hades, Nyx, or tiny Than and Meg. Or something that explores why Persephone didn’t feel at home on Olympus (and while the story is that Zeus basically handed her over, maybe she had more of a hand in it than she lets on...)

What is the afterlife like for your typical shade in the Underworld? Pick your favourite figure from Greek history or myth and tell me where they reside and which gods and heroes they’ve encountered!

Transistor (Video Game)

Nominated characters: Red

Relationships I like: Red/Boxer, Red/Sybil, Asher/Grant

Look, Supergiant Games own my entire soul, and I don’t have space to request all their games but I will also request Transistor. I love the initial setting of this game, this beautiful yet ephemeral, sort of dream-like semi-virtual world, ever changing to the whim of its inhabitants, who have this almost religious reverence of the city they inhabit. I love the character of Red, and the game’s playing around with her agency, in which the voiceless character is the one ultimately making the decisions of what to do, despite the advice of the narrator (and/or the will of the player!) I also love the well-intentioned-extremism-gone-horribly-wrong of the antagonists as well, and I’d love to explore more the problems they were trying to solve in an awful way that ultimately backfired in enormous tragedy. 

Prompts:

It’s clear from Red’s songs that while she loves Cloudbank, she also has complicated feelings about its society. I’d love a story exploring her life before the game and her own frustrations with it. 

Villain AU in which Red, instead of being a target for the Transistor, becomes a member of the Camerata inner circle. What is her dynamic with the rest of the group? Could she find a better way to achieve their goals?

What the heck is the Country? It’s euphemistic, yet seems to indicate less of a death and more like a permanent retirement or logging out. But what does that mean for Red, who sings about it like maybe it’s something she’d like to do?

What if Red had stayed and rebuilt Cloudbank? Could she have restored the city? If given the power, could she have fixed its problems? Or would it inevitably end the same way, when it came down to it?

One of Red’s concerts, or an encounter with her, from the perspective of a Cloudbank resident or one of the minor characters.

Thanks again, and I really look forward to whatever you come up with. Have a great Yuletide!

Triss Hawkeye

[bookishbea]

Dear Yuletide Letter

FandomisOhana Yuletide 2020 Letter:

Fandoms I want: Katmai National Park Bear Cams, Internet and Social Media (Discord, Dulingo, Tumblr, Urban Dictionary, Wikipedia), Humans are Space Orcs, Harley Quinn Cartoon (Harleen Quinzell, Pamela Isley)

I would prefer a more humorous fic over a serious fic

Likes: Humor, Crack, Epistolary, Multimedia, lgbt, social media, chatfics, fluff, team as family, hijinks, movie nights, images like memes and gifs, funny video links, interactive fiction, fourth wall breaks, pop culture references, high school au, college au, metafiction, found family, road trips, charecters participating in Yuletide and other fandom related things (characters writing fanics, making fanart, etc), drunken shenanigans (drunk singing and dancing)

Dislikes/DNW: Angst, gore, ableism, homophobia, offensive words/names, death, scat, watersports, self harm, mention of suicide, 

I enjoy smut but would not like it for the bears

Katami National Bear Cams:

Steve Irwin like dialouge about what the bears are doing

Each have their own personality

Funny names for each

Fun facts about them

Internet and Social Media:

If possible each media is formatted like they are as a website

Urban dictionary only talks in slang

Dulingo has weird threats (like the reminders for when you don’t do a lesson)

Wikipeida talks in long articles

Tumblr talks in superwholock gifs

Humans are Space Orcs:

Stabby the Space roomba

somebody saying for science

humans creating weird shit

Journal about the humans

a how to guide about humans

Human dictionary and or enclyopedia

Opportunity (please don’t kill them)

A tony stark like character adopting and creating bots

Aliens learning about neurodivergent humans and some figuring out they might be like that and the humans helping them learn more about themselves

Humans doing stupid things just because they can

Harley Quinn Cartoon:

I would love an autistic Harley who just like infodumps about her special interest, she stims a lot, and loves stuffed animals. Ivy being a supportive and loving girlfriend

High School au where Harley is the adorable nerdy naive girl and ivy is her protective badass artistic girlfriend (i imagine Ivy with tatoos)

College au similar to above plus they are roomates

General slice of life

Maybe spideypool shows up

My harilvy Yuleporn request:

So I’m new to requesting smut so I apologize ahead of time.

Dnw: Scat, watersports, infantlization, diapers, feeding, not much feet fetish, furry, ahd throw up. I prefer more non sexual pet play ahd little space. Preferably if Ivy spoils Harley.

Here’s my prompt idea: Ivy is a size queen with abnormal expectations. But even Harleys cock Is big for her (forgot to mention I like when the cocks are more on the unrealistic side and our veiny ahd muscular) Harley despite being usually the soft bean during the day is a beast of sexual nature in bed, completely opposite of her usual self. I was also thinking she has this cocky egotistical alter ego as well, that’s super muscular. And I would prefer if she was more masculine so she had pecs when she was this muscular alter ego. I was also thinking outside of bed she sometimes uses this alter ego to get what she wants, no matter what

[coppermarigolds]

DYW Letter

Hi, Yuletide writer! Thank you in advance for whatever you write this year! Here are a few notes on my fic preferences:

What I like: Genre-wise, pretty much anything goes–angst, romance, fluff, humor, etc. I love fics that dig into characters’ heads: what they’re thinking and feeling, what drives them, how they interact and react to the world and the people around them, and so on. The same is true of relationships–what makes this pairing tick? Why are they together? And so on. I also love love love awesome female characters being awesome. That doesn’t have to mean being physically kickass, either. It could be anything from a witty line of banter to a thoughtful conversation to a creative problem-solving method, just to scratch the surface. I particularly enjoy female characters being assertive and taking charge in relationships. I love femdom.

DNWs: Rape/non-con is my biggest DNW. I would prefer for character death to be avoided if possible (unless the story deals with the ramifications of a canonical character death, of course). While I’m fine with an angsty story, I tend to stay away from extremely dark, punch-to-the-gut angst. I like my endings happy, or at least bittersweet and/or hopeful.

Fandom-specific notes:

Horizon Zero Dawn, Aloy

Aloy is such a breath of fresh air and I love her so much. She’s wonderfully snarky and take-charge and doesn’t let anyone talk down to her, but also struggles with the pain of abandonment and ostracism. She’s one of those characters that I relate to in some ways, and aspire to be more like her in other ways.

As for other characters, I didn’t request any so as to leave it more open for potential writers. If you want to include supporting characters, feel free. Romance-wise, I really only ship Aloy with Erend, so while I’d love a story about the two of them, I’d prefer for her not to be paired with anyone else. But I’m perfectly fine with friendship fics involving other characters. Aside from Erend, who I adore, I’m particularly fond of Ikrie from the Frozen Wilds expansion.

A couple specific ideas (though please don’t feel limited to these):

• One thing I wished the game would have explored more is Aloy’s reaction to finding out she’s a clone. After spending her whole life in search of her mother, discovering she technically didn’t have one must have been a blow. But aside from a moment or two of shock and angst, the game doesn’t really give her much time or space to process the revelation. So, once HADES is defeated and the dust has settled, how does Aloy deal with the truth of her past? How does she feel about Elisabet?

• One of my favorite things in the game is finding the bits and pieces of files left behind by the “Old Ones”–i.e., us! I’d love to see a story with Aloy reacting to some of the ancient ruins and information she finds. Does she find them strange and confusing, or intriguing? Or do they help her feel closer to Elisabet?

The Letter, Isabella Santos and Ashton Frey

This visual novel is kind of like comfort food for me. It features my favorite horror trope: a group of friends with their own complicated dynamics and inter-relationships find themselves targeted by something sinister and supernatural and have to work together to survive. This is one of those fandoms where I love all the characters in one way or another and would be fine with any of them appearing in the story.

For Isabella and Ashton specifically, I’d enjoy an exploration of their relationship post-game, beyond the epilogue screens, whether romantic or just friends. I love how soft Ashton is for Bella, but it would also be nice to see him own up to how he was kind of a jerk initially when she sounded the alarm about the ghost--and turned out to be very right.

Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order, Second Sister | Trilla Suduri

I played this game and was over the moon to find a compelling female Star Wars villain who actually got more than like three seconds of screen time (looking at you, Phasma). Buuut then they went and killed her off anyway. I unabashedly love Star Wars in all its forms, but I do grow weary of its fixation on the idea that redemption = death. So I’d love a fix-it AU story that has Trilla survive somehow, and explores the aftermath of that, whether she forges her own solitary path or joins up with the Mantis crew. Though I didn’t request any of the other nominated characters, I love them all, so feel free to include any or all of them as you see fit. An exploration of Trilla and Cere’s relationship post-game could be especially fascinating--there’s obviously tons of history there, and plenty to potentially rebuild.

Romance-wise, I don’t really actively ship her with anyone, but I definitely wouldn’t say no to her domming the living daylights out of Cal (and him loving it). Just sayin.’

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Nadine Ross and Sam Drake

Okay, I’ll just be upfront: I ship these two like FedEx. I know that’s not the popular pairing in this fandom and that most people ship Nadine and Chloe instead, which I get. But I’m a weak hetero and Sam and Nadine’s delicious friction just does it for me. Enemies to grudging partners to eventual, possible lovers is basically my catnip. So if you’re up for writing literally anything in which they have a relationship, whether established or in-process, I would be overjoyed. Femdom is also an enormous plus here!

If that’s not your bag, I’m still cool with a friends/grudging partners story as well! Feel free to include Chloe if you like--I would play countless games featuring these three delightful screw-ups getting into mischief and hunting for artifacts together. Just please no love triangles or any drama of that kind.

Thanks again, and happy Yuletide!

[azurefishnets]

Yuletide Letter (2020)

Dear Author,

I’m excited to have you join me for this Yule! I hope you find something that resonates with you here. All my prompts are listed in no particular order and I would love any of them, or, indeed, anything using these tags that doesn’t match my prompts. I just hope you find something that speaks to you! None of these have to include all the listed characters. Feel free to mix and match as necessary.

Yule’s an interesting time with a lot of conflicting ideologies--the cruelty of the cold versus the warmth of kindness, the joy of life versus the grimness of death...etc. After such a year as 2020, it’s really easy to want to snuggle into the warmth and forget the other stuff, and I am entirely down with that, but don’t feel like you have to make it that simple if you’re feeling something on the colder end of the spectrum...just...not entirely whumpy, okay?

It’s probably worth noting that I am far, far more interested, in general, in gen fills and missing moments than I am in ship dynamics. Exceptions will be noted in the prompts themselves, but otherwise, I prefer erring on the side of friendly.

LIKES: fluff of any sort, strangers or acquaintances-to-family, friends-to-lovers, non-mundane AUs, fandom crossovers or fusions, bonding, taking a level in badass, slice of life, angst to happy end, hurt/comfort or plain comfort, missing  moments, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, banter, worldbuilding, sensory details, unusual interactions, puns and wordplay, cool symbolism, unexpected parallels, creepy, mysterious, and/or atmospheric  stuff

OKAY WITH: any tense, any amount of plot or none, out-of-the-ordinary story structures, heavy dialogue, no dialogue, character explorations, slice of life art, characters appearing that aren’t requested as long as it doesn’t go against my DNWs

DNWS: any kind of consent issues whatsoever, non-requested romantic relationships, angst without a happy ending or at least some kind of resolution, infidelity, excessive blood and gratuitous depictions of bodily damage, things squirming under skin, anything to do with saliva or pus, underage relationships, non-canon children, virus stuff

PROMPTS

GHOST TRICK: PHANTOM DETECTIVE

I’m into my third year since I played this game the first time (and quite a few times since) and I haven’t grown tired of my dear love for these characters and this world. I love almost every part of it without reservation. This year...idk, I’m really really feeling my OT3 love, maybe because as I write this letter I’m doing Whumptober and they’re getting pain every which way.  Lots of warm fluffy with them would be great please and thank you. You can split them, you can write just two of them or one of them, that’s OK (although please no infidelity) but...yeah. I just want them all to be happy and healthy together in the end.

That said, explorations of the times when some or all of them were dead are just fine? Or when they’re thinking of each other when there’s no other hope. That kind of thing. There’s a lot of h/c potential there and never let it be said that I would deny potential...Also get-together stories are great too!

Or, idk, man, focus on one person...those five years when each of them are alone are of big interest to me in a bunch of ways. I just really really like the various plays on being haunted in this and anything that explores more of that will have my interest...but you know. With a side of extra fluff because it’s a holiday.

Alma

Cabanela

Jowd

Preferred pairings, if necessary: All sides and configurations as long as none of it includes infidelity as a central premise

There’s a time in late-game where it’s very conceivable that all three of them are dead at the same and there’s no Sissel around to be a distraction. If they met as spirits (as opposed to ghosts) in those few moments...what would that be like? As a holiday miracle, could they influence the situation at all?

There is one (1) huge enormous incredibly giant sucker right here for spirit Alma still being around and doing...something besides floating in angelic and boring splendor in those five years, and that sucker is I. I don’t want her to be just another dead damsel in distress! Let her help her loved ones in some way even if it is not...a very useful way! Help her...

LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS IN THE SKY, ZERO/AO NO KISEKI

Found family is absolutely my favorite thing from these games and anything where the characters can show each other that is going to have my heart. So treat-wise, that’s where I have been and continue to be at. But the other thing I like about these games is the absolute whiplash from adorable fluffiness to profound existential wtf-ness and I would be more than OK with something that explored that, maybe in conjunction with the multiple suggestions we’ve had of cyclical times, forced charisma, a civilization predating the Great Collapse… I don’t know, anything exploring the Mistwald dreams, Phantasma (carnivorous omnivorous bookcases!), the Tetracyclic Towers, or the time on the Ark would be super cool. Interweavings and references to the other two continuities are also extremely cool.

In Zero/Ao, explorations of KeA’s powers juxtaposed with her innocence are always cool… as far as locations go, I’m fascinated with the Temple of Moon, the Tower of Stargaze, and the Ancient Battlefield. How are they linked with themselves, and with the rest of Zemuria? What’s the connection to Erebonia?

Lloyd dadding anyone and everyone who will let him gives me life, but I don’t ship him with anyone. I love his weird connection to Alex Dudley, SUPER NERD, and I love tired chief Sergei uncling everyone Lloyd doesn’t dad at. Individually, I have a lot of feelings about Randy, full stop, and Tio, also full stop. Shizuku…spends pretty much all of Ao crying and that just ain’t right. Give her something to smile at since her dad is a giant dumbass. Elie doesn’t get nearly the fleshing out as a character in the games that I would like. She’s kind of treated as a love interest and not much more and that’s annoying!

Tita Russell

Ries Argent

Renne Hayworth

Mueller Vander

Kloe Rinz | Klaudia von Auslese

Kevin Graham

Estelle Bright

Olivier Lenheim | Olivert Reise Arnor

Alex Dudley

Tio Plato

Sergei Lou

Lloyd Bannings

Elie MacDowell

KeA

Randy Orlando

Rixia Mao

Preferred pairings, if necessary: TRAILS IN THE SKY: Mueller/Olivier, Kevin/Ries, Estelle/Joshua is OK

ZERO/AO NO KISEKI: None, please (at least none between tagged characters. Big fondness for Ilya Platiere/Rixia Mao though)

Fandom DNWS: Harem antics, blecch. Tita/Agate. Spoilers for CS IV or Hajimari.

SPIRITFARER

How soft and warm and loving was this game, I tell you what. I just need some love for these characters, this world...speaking of the world. I get the in-game explanation of the world’s existing but “it was all a dying dream” does NOT work for me. I’d much rather this limbo be treated as a persistent and ongoing world that exists independently of Stella and Daoffodil. So explorations of weird pockets and interesting parts of it will always be fun to me...maybe a look at what’s beyond the black? The map was so large for how much of it we saw...

Slice-of-death is basically this game in a nutshell so more Stella and Daffodil hanging out with the dead is an excellent start. Or even the dead hanging out with each other! They don’t need Stella to be their intermediary to hang out, right? Particular favorites for me were Buck (and what’s his entire deal, huh? Where will he go once Stella et al are gone? And how, without an Everlight?), Summer (her doomed love-story and the tragedy of trusting a literal snake-oil cure kills me stone dead, but also...snake hugs), Alice (she just wanted to hang out with her sheep and watch the evening D: What did she think about on those evenings when you couldn’t get her inside--OK, maybe it was just my game but it glitched and I couldn’t get her to come inside for like...3 days...), Gustav (he gets remembered all right. Susan will remember him for a good long time. Does Susan get his relicts after he’s gone?), and, tragically untagged, Elena (Elena certainly does not have to be in there but something about her really got to me; she’s so awkward, so angry and unloved, but she loves Gustav’s music. She loves it when people go beyond their capacities. She’s so imperfect and she so knows it...and she’s left alone in the end. It seems cruel that even in death she had no friends on the boat at all).

Fandom DNWS: Any pairings. 

[bearholdingashark]

Dear Yuletide Creator Letter 2020

Hi! Thank you for accepting my request. :D

General info

I adore tropes, the more ridiculous the better, and really what I love about ridiculous tropes is how it gives the writer an opportunity to explore the characters and their dynamics and motivations. Fun plots are great, but the characters and what the plot reveals about them is what I really love.

I also really love AUs (especially modern/historical AUs) or crossover fusions, and love how much changes and how much doesn’t. But straight up canon stuff is really good too. Really, character focused stuff is what I love most. I do also think canon divergence AUs can be really great, so feel free to play around with canon as well. 

Please no smut. Romance is great, but nothing more than kissing/fade to black for the physical stuff.

While I’m a big fan of romantic ships, I love relationships in general, romantic or not. Just characters being there for each other is great. I love fluff, but more serious/angsty/dramatic stuff is just as good too. :D And unless specifically stated otherwise, I have no problem with characters other than I requested in the story, but I want the requested characters to be a main focus. 

Aside from the no smut request, my other DNWs (also listed on my sign up) are:  

explicit gore 

violence and injury are fine, but nothing super graphic, generally I would say canon typical violence/gore or less is a good way to go

permanent character death of requested characters

angst without a happy (or at least hopeful) ending. 

I do tend to like fluffier stuff, but angst is great too, as long as there’s some hope or happiness there by the end. 

I hope this helps! I’m including my general prompts below, but feel free to go where the inspiration takes you. Happy writing! :D

Request 1

Fandom: Crown Duel - Sherwood Smith

Characters: Meliara Astiar, Vidanric Renselaeus

Prompts: I would love to see something after the end of the story where they’re merging their lives together while also focusing on fixing all the damage done in the kingdom. It would also be cool to see pieces of the story from Vidanric’s POV. But I’m just excited to read whatever you write. :D

Request 2

Fandom: Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy

Characters: Marguerite Blakeney (Orczy), Percy Blakeney (Orczy)

Prompts: I would love anything where Marguerite is helping Percy and the League with their stuff and being all around awesome, but domestic, peaceful fluff is good too. I also love stories where they’re in public post reveal and he has his mask on, and she’s poking fun at him like she used to, but since they’re both in on it, it’s different (if that’s vague enough to work :D), but I’m also just excited to read whatever you write. 

Request 3

Fandom: Enola Holmes (2020)

Characters: Enola Holmes (Enola Holmes 2020), Viscount "Tewky" Tewksbury (Enola Holmes 2020), Sherlock Holmes (Enola Holmes 2020)

Prompts: I absolutely loved this movie and thought it was so much fun. I don’t typically read first person fanfics, but loved the fourth wall breaking in the movie and would love to see how that translated to a fic. I also really like 3rd person if you don’t want to take on the fourth wall breaking element. I would love to see more of what you think happens after the movie ends, with Enola finding her way, and exploring her friendship and possibly a blossoming romance with the Viscount. I would also love to see her interacting more with her family, but especially Sherlock and loved their take on this character. But I’m also just excited to read whatever you write! 

Request 4

Fandom: Knives Out (2019)

Characters: Marta Cabrera, Benoit Blanc (Knives Out)

Prompts: If you look at my posted stories, you know I’m a fan of the Marta/Benoit ship, but if you’re not comfortable writing them romantically, I also just love them being friends and/or solving cases together. I love AUs where Harlan lives or the murder attempt never happened and the three of them met some other way. I also like anything post movie where they work through the aftermath of the movie together. I love them being partners, whether professionally or romantically (or both). I don’t mind having the Thrombey’s involved, but don’t want them to be the focus. (This goes especially for Ransom. I really don’t want any hint of Marta/Ransom.) I do love both Lieutenant Elliott and Trooper Wagner if you go the more case fic route. I have no problem with vomiting if you want to include Marta’s “condition”, although I would request avoiding any really graphic description of vomit/vomiting.

Request 5

Fandom: Nikita (TV 2010)

Characters: Nikita Mears (Nikita TV 2010), Michael Bishop (Nikita TV 2010)

Prompts: I would love to see what happens post series and how Nikita and Michael spend their time and how they can’t just settle down and live the quiet life without doing missions when they see injustice. I also love AUs for them about how they might have met without Division. But I’m also just excited to see what you create. :D 

Request 6

Fandom: Maleficent (Disney Movies)

Characters: Maleficent (Maleficent Movies), Diaval (Maleficent)

Prompts: I have seen the second movie, and would love something set between the two movies, where Diaval and Maleficent dynamic shifts. I’d also love anything set after the second movie, especially related to that “I missed you" line. How does Maleficent’s reputation change without Ingrith stirring the pot? Does Maleficent and Diaval’s relationship shift even further? I would also love canon divergence to have them romantically involved at any point in the timeline. 

[unofficialyuletide]

Final Tagset and Letters Post!

News, the first: the 2020 Yuletide Tagset has been finalized! (The only final major change to report is that two characters have been removed from Crooked Media RPF)

News, the second: the Letters Post is now live! If you’re writing a letter, enter it into the app and drop a comment linking it to the Letters Post. Two things to remember: by linking a letter you have not actually signed up (sign ups don’t open until Friday, Oct. 16th) and letters are by no means a requirement!