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Yuletide 2022 Letter
Oct. 21st, 2022 08:42 pmUpdated: October 23, 2022
Hello Author!
Thank you so much for spending time to create something for me! I’m excited to see what you come up with! First off, this letter doesn’t cover everything that I like, but rather focuses on broad themes. Also, please don’t feel pressured to fit your creation to every little thing included – optional details are optional, of course!
For transparency, I’ve historically been a serial late commenter on exchange fics. If I don’t leave kudos/comments right away, it’s not you, it’s most definitely me. I promise a comment is coming, it might just take me awhile.
(Note: Most of this letter was copied from previous exchanges I’ve participated in).
Things I'm Not Into (DNWs) ꜛ
- Rape/Non-con
- PWP/Explicit Sex
- Incest
- Descriptions of Graphic Violence
- Asphyxiation/Choking/Strangulation
- Unhappy Endings/Hopeless Endings (Angst is fine, though)
- Non-Canonical Named Character Death (Characters who are dead in canon are fair game; random henchmen or OCs needed for casefic, etc. are fine).
- Apocalypse/Zombie AUs
Things I'm Into (Likes) ꜛ
Below are a few themes/tropes that I like that can be applied to any fandom. In general, I’m not super prescriptive with my prompts, but rather I try to dig into what and why I love certain things. (Overarching themes are in bold, with sub-themes in italics).Platonic Relationships – I love friendship. Gen fics are my jam. I’m always a sucker for platonic cuddling, hair ruffling, and just people being protective/supportive of each other. Hair ruffling and forehead kisses are like my ultimate weakness. There’s something about platonic casual affection that gets me every time. I also love friends feeling comfortable sharing their vulnerabilities and trusting each other.
Families of Choice/Found Family – This is pretty much my favorite trope of all time. People choosing to be each other’s families and just platonically loving each other is my favorite thing in the entire world.
Protective/Supportive Friends – I love friends defending each other and supporting each other no matter what. Characters finding, building, and accepting unconditional friendship is wonderful (especially if it’s something they’re not used to).
Casual Affection – I absolutely adore casual affection between characters in whatever form that takes! From leaning on someone’s shoulders, hair pets/ruffles, or just being close to another person, I adore when characters are comfortable enough to show casual affection!
Relationship Negotiation – I really love characters having to figure out their relationships (both platonic and romantic), especially when they have to navigate an inherent uneven power dynamic (e.g., monetary differences, class differences, other complex relationships, etc.). I just really love characters talking to each other and being vulnerable with each other about who they are, their insecurities, and choosing to make the relationship work, regardless of everything else.Trust – I love fics that focus on the trust and building of trust between two (or more) characters. People accepting the unconditional love and trust of another person and realizing it’s real is one of my favorite things. A character explicitly or implicitly declaring their trust in someone will make me squee every single time.
Communication – People talking out their issues and trusting each other with their entire being, just gives me the all the feels. I love, love reading about characters learning how to understand each other. I especially love when people have to deal with their (and each other’s) insecurities and have to be vulnerable to each other. This also includes the misunderstandings trope, especially if/when the characters eventually work it out in the end!
Emotional Hurt/Comfort – This goes hand-in-hand with my love of fics exploring healthy communication, trust, and relationship negotiation. I love the intimacy of emotional hurt/comfort. Emotional hurt/comfort has always hit me in the feels a lot stronger than physical whump hurt/comfort. I think this is because it forces characters to trust and be vulnerable with each other. I love being able to read characters bare their entire selves on the way to a resolution.Opt-Ins/Additional Info ꜛ
Welcome to the section that is everything that didn’t fit somewhere else – feel free to skip if unhelpful!I’m happy to receive art, multimedia fics, poetry/drabbles, or other non-traditional transformative works! I absolutely love seeing an interesting/different/unusual take on fanworks!
Also, the real reason for the creation of this section: AUs! I always love a fun alternate universe, whether you play it straight or add a twist. I'd be happy with a canon-universe story for all my requests, but if you want to go the AU-route, an incomplete list of AUs that I’m always excited to read include: famous/not famous, fae/fairies, urban fantasy, coffee shop, breakfast club, and soulmates (platonic, romantic, or something else entirely)! Finally, I tend to find myself drawn to concept- and character-driven fic.
Fandom Specific ꜛ
I’m very easy to please, so if you touch on any of the general likes above, I’ll be delighted! I’ve also added specific information below for each of the fandoms I requested (in alphabetical order). Again, I’m generally not very specific with my prompts, rather preferring to give you broad thematic elements to work with.(You might notice three big themes across all my fandom requests this year: explorations of fame, intergenerational friendships, and found family. Honestly, feel free to take any one of those themes and run with it.)
| Marry Me (2022)ꜛ | |
| Characters | Charlie Gilbert, Kat Valdez, and Lou Gilbert |
| Availability | Amazon Prime |
| Other Notes | N/A |
I’ve always been a sucker for a good romantic comedy and one with the famous/not famous trope (along with enough chemistry between the leads to sell it) was right up my alley! I watched this movie twice (almost three times) this year and loved it during both viewings. I’d love to read more about relationship negotiation between Charlie and Kat, especially dealing with their insecurities and the complications that come with dating someone famous. I’d also love to read more about Charlie, Kat, and Lou becoming and being a family and making everything work (especially with Kat’s career/fame).
| McDonald & Dodds (TV)ꜛ | |
| Characters | Dodds and Lauren McDonald |
| Availability | BritBox |
| Other Notes | N/A |
McDonald & Dodds is a show that always makes my Yuletide shortlist, but somehow falls off by the time sign-ups roll around, but that changes this year! I grew up watching British police procedurals with my mom and this is one of my recent favorites. I absolutely love the “odd couple” partnership between McDonald & Dodds. Not only that, but I adore how they genuinely start to understand each other and share more about their lives. As the seasons progress, they’re becoming friends outside of work, which is so much fun. (One of my favorite bits in the show is the recurring conversations about McDonald’s boyfriend). I’d love to read anything about the two of them bonding or spending time together outside of cases.
| Only Murders in the Building (TV)ꜛ | |
| Characters | Charles Haden Savage, Mabel Mora, and Oliver Putnam |
| Availability | Hulu |
| Other Notes | I haven’t finished season 2, yet (but will update this letter when/if I do). |
Continuing our theme of intergenerational friendships (and, murder, I guess), I had so much fun watching Only Murders in the Building. I love the trio of Charles, Oliver, and Mabel. Charles and Oliver’s friendship is a lot of fun, but I adore how Mabel plays off of their absurdity. For me, it’s really all three of them that make the show work! It feels like all three of them have felt alone or misunderstood in their pre-show lives, and the three of them coming together add so much vibrancy and understanding to each other’s lives. I’d love to see that further explored! Really though, I’d love to read anything with the three of them hanging out, learning from each other, and becoming a found family.
| Ten Percent (TV)ꜛ | |
| Characters | Charlotte Nightingale, Luke Nightingale, and Misha Virani |
| Availability | Hulu |
| Other Notes | I haven’t seen any of the original French version. |
I was initially interested in watching Ten Percent because I thought it would be an interesting exploration fame from a different perspective, but I ended up really liking the relationship between Charlotte, Luke, and Misha. (In fact, I think my favorite scene in the entire show is when Charlotte talks with Misha and reassures her that Jonathan’s mistakes were not her fault and that she’s not going to take it out on her). I’d love to see the three of them bonding and becoming closer, especially Charlotte and Luke welcoming her into the family. I think Luke and Misha developing a sibling relationship would be a lot of fun, and I love the idea of them becoming a family of choice!
| ヒロインたるもの！ | Heroine Tarumono! | Heroines Run the Show (Anime) ꜛ | |
| Characters | Shibasaki Aizou, Someya Yuujirou, and Suzumi Hiyori |
| Availability | Crunchyroll |
| Other Notes | I’ve never seen any of the related content (e.g., HoneyWorks music videos, other Confession Executive Committee media, etc.) |
I haven’t really watched a lot of anime in the last couple of years, but I think this show was specifically made to cater to my interests. I love the friendship between Aizo, Yuuji, and Hiyori, especially how the three start to understand each other as the show goes on. Aizo and Yuuji start realizing Hiyori’s worth and what she brings to the table, while Hiyori starts to understand the ups and downs of fame and that being an “idol” can be meaningful. I really enjoyed the shows explorations of parasocial relationships and fame, especially when Aizo and Yuuji “code switch” between their “real” selves and their “idol” personas. I would love to read anything with the three of them becoming closer friends, bonding, and learning to be vulnerable with each other. I’d also love to read anything with protective and supportive friends, especially the boys standing up for Hiyori!
