YULETIDE LETTER
Hi, lovely writer! First off, I am so sorry for what a disaster I am, I can't believe it's taken me this long to get this up DDD: If there's anything I can do to make it up to you or something let me know, for reals (I have no idea what this might be but I feel terrible about this whole thing so yeah the offer is there!!)
Second! Allow me to take a minute and say how freaking pleased I am to have you as my writer! We've spoken a few times on tumblr and you seem like a super friendly, kind person, and those are my favourite kinds of people. Also, we evidently share some interests, which makes me inclined to think that in addition to being friendly and super sweet you are also interesting and in possession of buckets of good taste <333 So yeah, basically I am super excited to read what you are going to write, and I have every faith it's going to be amazing, because you are clearly amazing *__*
I'd like to preface the following likes/dislikes, kinks/squicks, and prompt-type things, by saying that when I say that I'll read literally anything, that's not hyperbole. As far as ships go, I'm a hardcore multishipper, and I can be convinced of basically any pairing. Genre-wise, I have no real preferences. I guess the best way to put it simply is that, for me, It's more about the execution than the specifics, if you know what I mean? So yeah, I really will read anything. Having said that, it'd be a dick move to just say that and not give you any prompts, so I will list some things I have really liked or been somewhat apathetic to in the past, as well as some prompts for my specific Yuletide fandoms, in case you want that to guide you, but yeah please take them as suggestions at most! You could skip reading this letter entirely and I would still be thrilled to read whatever you come up with, because these neglected fandoms/characters need more love and I'm just really happy you're going to give it to them :')
(Also uh I'm writing this letter while like half-asleep and somewhat brain-dead, off of notes I jotted down earlier so if my phrasings sound completely bizarre uh that's why fdjsjfdks okay on with the show!!)
Likes
BASICALLY EVERYTHING. Specifically: women having agency over their lives! Women being friends! Women going on adventures! Women being in love, with women or men or people of any gender! Women!! The thing I love about fanfiction is its potential to fill spaces left, unintentionally or not, by canon, especially to rectify imbalances in representation -- whose stories are given priority, whose stories are allowed to matter and to be shown. So in addition to that general ALL THE WOMEN thing, I'm also a huge fan of stories about queer people, PoC, people struggling with mental health issues, etc -- so in the case of Orphan Black, while I would absolutely adore fic about Sarah (or any of the clones I didn't nominate tbh,) I would also love fic that centers around Art, since his perspective is often neglected by canon and by fandom, or about Felix; I'll go into that more when I write specifically about OB, but that's basically a good key to piquing my interest in fic right off the bat. Other things I'm a fan of: unexpected AUs! Expected AUs! Tropes done in new and interesting and clever ways! Characters having flaws that hinder them, but working to overcome those flaws and become better! Characters having flaws, and maybe not working to overcome them, but not being out-and-out villainized for them (... within reason, obviously. For example, Walter White's flaws are so far beyond villain he's basically Satan himself, and any other portrayal would be OOC to the extreme.)
But yeah, seriously, the sky is the limit. I love character introspective pieces, I love gen pieces, I love all-out-shippy-as-hell romcom sap fests, I love adventure and I love crack and I love angst and I love horror* and I love all the things!
*A quick note about angst & horror tho: I adore both genres, but the one thing I will say is that I get uncomfortable when I feel like the character who is the subject of the angst/horror is trapped without recourse, when they have no agency or no ability to fight or there's no other possible outcome. I don't mind if there isn't a happy ending! Sometimes that's the more interesting choice. But I find stories where the protagonist is being slowly, like, keelhauled by the horror and agony of the story with no fighting chance of escape really draining and hard to read.
Kinks
I am supremely into d/s, and the things that often come with it, especially painplay (breathplay, knifeplay, spanking, slapping, waxplay). That being said, as a general rule I'm not super into d/s scenes as a form of punishment? Especially when the dominance is performed in traditionally masculine forms of aggression (anger, threatening, etc.) My thing for d/s is all about each partner getting off through a kind of give-and-take, because they're both into this thing, be it the physical sensation stuff or the mental dominance/submission stuff, and they each want to make the other feel good and to feel good themselves. Other general sex stuff I dig: hair pulling, cunnilingus (altho really who ain't a fan of cunnilingus), uhhhh. wallsex. all of the fucking wallsex.
Dislikes
Again, besides the thing about angst/horror I mentioned, there really isn't much! I'm not a huge fan of first/second person point of view, but done right they can be interesting to read. Oh, and incest just isn't my thing, so please avoid that if possible. (For OB, clonecest, or whatever we're calling that, is a-okay.)
Squicks
Hard nos: no scat/watersports, please. No noncon. I'm not a fan of dubcon either(although, if it suits the story -- say, an exploration of Sarah's feelings about sleeping with Paul while pretending to be Beth, or really any of the clones and their relationships with their monitors -- then obviously that's a different thing than dubcon being written purely for kink purposes, which is just really not my thing.) Some of the more role-play type d/s stuff squicks me, too -- stuff like puppy play, or ritualized d/s, or "master" stuff. There's also some other things I'm not normally a fan of, but wouldn't be uncomfortable with if they showed up: I find voyeurism as it's often written in fic really skeevy, but if it was consensual from start to finish (instead of, say, one person walking in, and then not announcing themselves for a long amount of time or whatever) I wouldn't mind. Exhibitionism (where there's a genuine chance someone could walk in/find out/whatever especially) isn't really my kink, but I'm not opposed to it if it shows up. Aaaaaaaaand I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.
Fandom specific stuff
Code Name Verity -- Maddie Brodatt, Julie Beafort-Stuart. This is one of my all-time favourite fictional friendships, and any fic about them would make me so so happy! Some specific ideas, in case you're interested: AUs!! Non-canon AUs, like Maddie and Julie are students attending Hogwarts during Grindelwald's era of terror, or Maddie and Julie working in a coffee shop, or Julie as a Hollywood starlet in the Golden Age of cinema and Maddie as -- you get the idea. Or canon AUs! What if they both made it out alive? I'd also be super interested (although I would probably cry a lot) in reading fic about Julie set post-CNV, through the process of grief, in the aftermath of the loss of Julie and the end of the war. Or fic set during their training, through the course of their friendship, Julie and Maddie and their madcap, beautiful shenanigans *___*
Ships: Julie/Maddie, obviously, but I'd also be happy with gen. I heard somewhere that the sequel has Maddie romantically involved with a man, but I haven't read it and that's not something I'm really interested in reading about, tbh. The beauty and joy of CNV is about Julie and Maddie, and whether you read that as friends or friends and more, that's what's central.
Old Kingdom, Garth Nix -- Lirael, Sabriel, Ellimere, the Disreputable Dog. I don't have any specific ideas off the top of my head, but here are some things I'd be interested in reading about to fill in the gaps in this universe: Ellimere and Sabriel (and Touchstone) travel the kingdom so that Ellimere can know every inch of the place she'll rule someday. Ellimere falling in love with a woman -- are there political repercussions to this in the Old Kingdom? Would it affect relations between Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom? Sabriel and Lirael getting to know each other through and outside of Lirael's Abhorsen training -- to the best of my knowledge, we've never seen in this series what formal Abhorsen training entails; Sam's training was done while Sabriel was away, and Sabriel's training wasn't covered in her book, so I'd be super interested to see your ideas about it. Also, I am always going to be delighted by Lirael and Dog getting into trouble and going on adventures, so I'd also love to read fic about their time exploring the library and the other hideaways in the Clayr's Glacier.
Ships: I don't have any specific ships for this fandom, so gen or whatever ship you like best is fine! I'd be super interested in Ellimere/OFC or Lirael/OFC though :DDD
Orphan Black -- Beth Childs, Sarah Manning, Art Bell, Felix Dawkins. Sarah is probably my favourite character on OB, so any and all fic about her is guaranteed to steal my heart. However, I'm also super interested in fic exploring the other three, either because fandom or canon has left gaps in their stories I want to see filled. I'd love to read fic about Art, about his relationship with Beth or his relationship, after learning the truth, with Sarah, or about his feelings about his decision to put his career on the line in the Maggie Chen case, or his suspicions and doubts through season one as things get weirder and less straightforward in the case of the religious killer (Helena.) I'd also love to read fic from Beth's perspective, since we know so little about her; she's such a tragic character, but I'd love to see fic where she's allowed to have some strength and to claim some small victories for herself despite her tragedy. She was betrayed by Paul, and she struggled with addiction and with depression and eventually suicide, and I think above all I'd love to read fic about those things that doesn't just cut her down into a one-dimensional victim, because in addition to that she also took on a leader role in the clone club, she also negotiated with Katja, she also called Art "dipshit" and earned his loyalty and friendship. I'd also love to read about Felix's indecision and unhappiness with all the tension in his family, when Sarah left and when she came back. On a less character-driven level, I'd also love to read fic inspired by your predictions for the next season and the future of the show! Thematically, OB is a super interesting show, with its narratives of power structures and how they oppress and try to control women and women's bodies (the religious group, the scientists, the police/government), and I'd be super interested to see how you think those themes will play out.
Ships: I don't have any specific ships for OB! Relationships and dynamics I'm super interested in are Beth and Art (and Sarah), Felix and Sarah, Felix and Alison, and Beth and Alison. I'd be happy to read about any of those, platonic or otherwise (although I'd prefer not Felix/Sarah, because, again, incest just ain't my cup of tea.)
My Mad Fat Diary -- Finn Nelson, Rae Earl. Okay, I confess it. My #1 desire is fic about these two being SUPER CUTE AND MAYBE A LITTLE AWKWARD BUT MOSTLY HILARIOUSLY ADORABLY IN LOVE. Dates!! Going to concerts!! Meeting the parents as Officially Boyfriend/Girlfriend!! Trying to navigate being a couple in a friend group, and not being too PDA-y but also gosh you're so hot I just want to make out with you all the time. Uh, I haven't really thought further than wanting adorable Rae/Finn, but I'd also be super interested in fic about the whole gang! I just love this whole group of stupid, earnest, wonderful teenagers who care about each other so much, and anything at all about them would make my day *__* Another idea -- the show, I felt, sometimes got a little too close to cliche fake-bffs-fighting-over-a-dude with Rae and Chloe, and I'd really love anything that took an honest look at their dynamic, and at Chloe growing into a person more deserving of Rae's friendship, to put it bluntly, but with neither of them being villainized for their canonical flaws (despite canon getting quite close to doing so with Chloe.)
Ships: Rae/Finn, obviously. I'd also be intrigued and impressed by future Rae/Chloe.
OKAY THAT'S ALL THAT'S IT!!! thanks so much again for writing for me, omfg. if you have any further questions or even if you just want to chat, please feel free to drop me an ask on tumblr <3333 and if you need links to any of these i can probably dig them up! I think I have links to pdf downloads for the old kingdom series, and I know I could easily find streaming links for mmfd and orphan black, and while I don't have a pdf for code name verity on hand I'd be happy to take a look around for one!
Second! Allow me to take a minute and say how freaking pleased I am to have you as my writer! We've spoken a few times on tumblr and you seem like a super friendly, kind person, and those are my favourite kinds of people. Also, we evidently share some interests, which makes me inclined to think that in addition to being friendly and super sweet you are also interesting and in possession of buckets of good taste <333 So yeah, basically I am super excited to read what you are going to write, and I have every faith it's going to be amazing, because you are clearly amazing *__*
I'd like to preface the following likes/dislikes, kinks/squicks, and prompt-type things, by saying that when I say that I'll read literally anything, that's not hyperbole. As far as ships go, I'm a hardcore multishipper, and I can be convinced of basically any pairing. Genre-wise, I have no real preferences. I guess the best way to put it simply is that, for me, It's more about the execution than the specifics, if you know what I mean? So yeah, I really will read anything. Having said that, it'd be a dick move to just say that and not give you any prompts, so I will list some things I have really liked or been somewhat apathetic to in the past, as well as some prompts for my specific Yuletide fandoms, in case you want that to guide you, but yeah please take them as suggestions at most! You could skip reading this letter entirely and I would still be thrilled to read whatever you come up with, because these neglected fandoms/characters need more love and I'm just really happy you're going to give it to them :')
(Also uh I'm writing this letter while like half-asleep and somewhat brain-dead, off of notes I jotted down earlier so if my phrasings sound completely bizarre uh that's why fdjsjfdks okay on with the show!!)
Likes
BASICALLY EVERYTHING. Specifically: women having agency over their lives! Women being friends! Women going on adventures! Women being in love, with women or men or people of any gender! Women!! The thing I love about fanfiction is its potential to fill spaces left, unintentionally or not, by canon, especially to rectify imbalances in representation -- whose stories are given priority, whose stories are allowed to matter and to be shown. So in addition to that general ALL THE WOMEN thing, I'm also a huge fan of stories about queer people, PoC, people struggling with mental health issues, etc -- so in the case of Orphan Black, while I would absolutely adore fic about Sarah (or any of the clones I didn't nominate tbh,) I would also love fic that centers around Art, since his perspective is often neglected by canon and by fandom, or about Felix; I'll go into that more when I write specifically about OB, but that's basically a good key to piquing my interest in fic right off the bat. Other things I'm a fan of: unexpected AUs! Expected AUs! Tropes done in new and interesting and clever ways! Characters having flaws that hinder them, but working to overcome those flaws and become better! Characters having flaws, and maybe not working to overcome them, but not being out-and-out villainized for them (... within reason, obviously. For example, Walter White's flaws are so far beyond villain he's basically Satan himself, and any other portrayal would be OOC to the extreme.)
But yeah, seriously, the sky is the limit. I love character introspective pieces, I love gen pieces, I love all-out-shippy-as-hell romcom sap fests, I love adventure and I love crack and I love angst and I love horror* and I love all the things!
*A quick note about angst & horror tho: I adore both genres, but the one thing I will say is that I get uncomfortable when I feel like the character who is the subject of the angst/horror is trapped without recourse, when they have no agency or no ability to fight or there's no other possible outcome. I don't mind if there isn't a happy ending! Sometimes that's the more interesting choice. But I find stories where the protagonist is being slowly, like, keelhauled by the horror and agony of the story with no fighting chance of escape really draining and hard to read.
Kinks
I am supremely into d/s, and the things that often come with it, especially painplay (breathplay, knifeplay, spanking, slapping, waxplay). That being said, as a general rule I'm not super into d/s scenes as a form of punishment? Especially when the dominance is performed in traditionally masculine forms of aggression (anger, threatening, etc.) My thing for d/s is all about each partner getting off through a kind of give-and-take, because they're both into this thing, be it the physical sensation stuff or the mental dominance/submission stuff, and they each want to make the other feel good and to feel good themselves. Other general sex stuff I dig: hair pulling, cunnilingus (altho really who ain't a fan of cunnilingus), uhhhh. wallsex. all of the fucking wallsex.
Dislikes
Again, besides the thing about angst/horror I mentioned, there really isn't much! I'm not a huge fan of first/second person point of view, but done right they can be interesting to read. Oh, and incest just isn't my thing, so please avoid that if possible. (For OB, clonecest, or whatever we're calling that, is a-okay.)
Squicks
Hard nos: no scat/watersports, please. No noncon. I'm not a fan of dubcon either(although, if it suits the story -- say, an exploration of Sarah's feelings about sleeping with Paul while pretending to be Beth, or really any of the clones and their relationships with their monitors -- then obviously that's a different thing than dubcon being written purely for kink purposes, which is just really not my thing.) Some of the more role-play type d/s stuff squicks me, too -- stuff like puppy play, or ritualized d/s, or "master" stuff. There's also some other things I'm not normally a fan of, but wouldn't be uncomfortable with if they showed up: I find voyeurism as it's often written in fic really skeevy, but if it was consensual from start to finish (instead of, say, one person walking in, and then not announcing themselves for a long amount of time or whatever) I wouldn't mind. Exhibitionism (where there's a genuine chance someone could walk in/find out/whatever especially) isn't really my kink, but I'm not opposed to it if it shows up. Aaaaaaaaand I can't think of anything else off the top of my head.
Fandom specific stuff
Code Name Verity -- Maddie Brodatt, Julie Beafort-Stuart. This is one of my all-time favourite fictional friendships, and any fic about them would make me so so happy! Some specific ideas, in case you're interested: AUs!! Non-canon AUs, like Maddie and Julie are students attending Hogwarts during Grindelwald's era of terror, or Maddie and Julie working in a coffee shop, or Julie as a Hollywood starlet in the Golden Age of cinema and Maddie as -- you get the idea. Or canon AUs! What if they both made it out alive? I'd also be super interested (although I would probably cry a lot) in reading fic about Julie set post-CNV, through the process of grief, in the aftermath of the loss of Julie and the end of the war. Or fic set during their training, through the course of their friendship, Julie and Maddie and their madcap, beautiful shenanigans *___*
Ships: Julie/Maddie, obviously, but I'd also be happy with gen. I heard somewhere that the sequel has Maddie romantically involved with a man, but I haven't read it and that's not something I'm really interested in reading about, tbh. The beauty and joy of CNV is about Julie and Maddie, and whether you read that as friends or friends and more, that's what's central.
Old Kingdom, Garth Nix -- Lirael, Sabriel, Ellimere, the Disreputable Dog. I don't have any specific ideas off the top of my head, but here are some things I'd be interested in reading about to fill in the gaps in this universe: Ellimere and Sabriel (and Touchstone) travel the kingdom so that Ellimere can know every inch of the place she'll rule someday. Ellimere falling in love with a woman -- are there political repercussions to this in the Old Kingdom? Would it affect relations between Ancelstierre and the Old Kingdom? Sabriel and Lirael getting to know each other through and outside of Lirael's Abhorsen training -- to the best of my knowledge, we've never seen in this series what formal Abhorsen training entails; Sam's training was done while Sabriel was away, and Sabriel's training wasn't covered in her book, so I'd be super interested to see your ideas about it. Also, I am always going to be delighted by Lirael and Dog getting into trouble and going on adventures, so I'd also love to read fic about their time exploring the library and the other hideaways in the Clayr's Glacier.
Ships: I don't have any specific ships for this fandom, so gen or whatever ship you like best is fine! I'd be super interested in Ellimere/OFC or Lirael/OFC though :DDD
Orphan Black -- Beth Childs, Sarah Manning, Art Bell, Felix Dawkins. Sarah is probably my favourite character on OB, so any and all fic about her is guaranteed to steal my heart. However, I'm also super interested in fic exploring the other three, either because fandom or canon has left gaps in their stories I want to see filled. I'd love to read fic about Art, about his relationship with Beth or his relationship, after learning the truth, with Sarah, or about his feelings about his decision to put his career on the line in the Maggie Chen case, or his suspicions and doubts through season one as things get weirder and less straightforward in the case of the religious killer (Helena.) I'd also love to read fic from Beth's perspective, since we know so little about her; she's such a tragic character, but I'd love to see fic where she's allowed to have some strength and to claim some small victories for herself despite her tragedy. She was betrayed by Paul, and she struggled with addiction and with depression and eventually suicide, and I think above all I'd love to read fic about those things that doesn't just cut her down into a one-dimensional victim, because in addition to that she also took on a leader role in the clone club, she also negotiated with Katja, she also called Art "dipshit" and earned his loyalty and friendship. I'd also love to read about Felix's indecision and unhappiness with all the tension in his family, when Sarah left and when she came back. On a less character-driven level, I'd also love to read fic inspired by your predictions for the next season and the future of the show! Thematically, OB is a super interesting show, with its narratives of power structures and how they oppress and try to control women and women's bodies (the religious group, the scientists, the police/government), and I'd be super interested to see how you think those themes will play out.
Ships: I don't have any specific ships for OB! Relationships and dynamics I'm super interested in are Beth and Art (and Sarah), Felix and Sarah, Felix and Alison, and Beth and Alison. I'd be happy to read about any of those, platonic or otherwise (although I'd prefer not Felix/Sarah, because, again, incest just ain't my cup of tea.)
My Mad Fat Diary -- Finn Nelson, Rae Earl. Okay, I confess it. My #1 desire is fic about these two being SUPER CUTE AND MAYBE A LITTLE AWKWARD BUT MOSTLY HILARIOUSLY ADORABLY IN LOVE. Dates!! Going to concerts!! Meeting the parents as Officially Boyfriend/Girlfriend!! Trying to navigate being a couple in a friend group, and not being too PDA-y but also gosh you're so hot I just want to make out with you all the time. Uh, I haven't really thought further than wanting adorable Rae/Finn, but I'd also be super interested in fic about the whole gang! I just love this whole group of stupid, earnest, wonderful teenagers who care about each other so much, and anything at all about them would make my day *__* Another idea -- the show, I felt, sometimes got a little too close to cliche fake-bffs-fighting-over-a-dude with Rae and Chloe, and I'd really love anything that took an honest look at their dynamic, and at Chloe growing into a person more deserving of Rae's friendship, to put it bluntly, but with neither of them being villainized for their canonical flaws (despite canon getting quite close to doing so with Chloe.)
Ships: Rae/Finn, obviously. I'd also be intrigued and impressed by future Rae/Chloe.
OKAY THAT'S ALL THAT'S IT!!! thanks so much again for writing for me, omfg. if you have any further questions or even if you just want to chat, please feel free to drop me an ask on tumblr <3333 and if you need links to any of these i can probably dig them up! I think I have links to pdf downloads for the old kingdom series, and I know I could easily find streaming links for mmfd and orphan black, and while I don't have a pdf for code name verity on hand I'd be happy to take a look around for one!