dear elfscouts writer!

[epistolic]

Hello, dear writer! Thank-you so much for writing for me!

I'm so grateful you've taken the time to read this and write something for me - I know these exchanges take so much effort and time, and I really hope you enjoy the process of creating it as much as I'm sure I'll enjoy unwrapping the gift!

I'm fairly easy to please, so I've listed (in addition to everything on the Sign Up), what I like and don't like below:

Things I love:

1. AUs! I love AUs. I love canon too, but AUs are my absolute weakness - high school, fantasy, dystopia, anything. I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi but other than that, please go nuts!
2. Angst! Not angst for the sake of angst, but angst that makes me feel something or learn something about life or love or whatever, angst that feels real. Angst that feels like somebody might be going through that right this moment somewhere out in the universe. I don't mind how the fic ends, it doesn't have to be a happy ending, but as long as the journey feels realistic I'm all for it!
3. Misunderstandings, miscommunications, people misinterpreting other people's feelings.
4. If you want to just write smut, I'm all for it! But I prefer smut with a side dish of feelings or angst, too.
5. Complex characters. I really love it when characters have multiple layers, or motivations, or contradictions, or are just really very human. They don't have to be good people, but they have to be people! Would really love if you could explore this!

Things I love a little less:

1. Heavy kinks. I'm okay with light stuff, but anything heavy - sounding, roleplay, watersports, etc. - isn't my cup of tea.
2. Crack!fic. I'm sorry, I just prefer either fluff or angst, crack!fic is always so hit-and-miss for me!
3. Shock factor. Please no character deaths just for shock, if there's a reason it's there or if it is important to the plot then that's alright, but please no suicides or car accidents or previous sexual abuse or anything just to create a reason for OTP to be together ;___;
4. Please please no bashing of other characters or of any OCs in the fic, especially if they're female! I really don't enjoy it when female fans, or female characters in general, are presented as rabid awful one-dimensional human beings, it really upsets me.
5. I haven't listed Underage as a squick for me, just because it's a very broad sort of tag, but no huge age-gaps with one participant underage please ;____; I kinda categorise underage as <15yo, if they're teenagers I don't mind so much. But if there is an age-gap then please no pastel characters, it's really not my thing /o\
6. I'm not a huge fan of ABO, it just isn't something I enjoy, sorry :(

That should about cover it! Thanks again so much for writing for me, I can't wait to read whatever you come up with!

With so much love,
Melanie.