Thank you so much for reading this and participating in this monster-loving celebration! It’s been a long time since I participated in a fandom event. I’m so excited, and I wish us all the best! This is going to be fun!
First of all, many thanks to our lovely moderators @fiendsandfangs 💜
Rest assured, if you’re reading this and you’ve been paired with me, anything you do will be utterly amazing and received with the fullest thanks and an open heart.
Below is a list of my requested fandoms and pairings, just guides. I would be delighted with any monster love story you wish to write.
Thank you again, I can’t wait to see what you come up with!! <3
Reading Preferences:
I’m open to reading any genre, any tone, any rating. I’ll read everything from fluffy silliness to dark fic - I’m open to any tone. I like pretty much any trope, but the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction. I usually prefer third person to first person pov, but if first is your thing, go for it!
Please avoid a/b/o, water-sports and scat kinks. Other than that, I’m open to receiving anything. I’d love art, a drabble, a small ficlet, one-shot, or small chaptered story if you’re feeling prolific - I know sometimes an idea takes hold, and you just have to run with it, and that’s okay!
I’m open to treats from anyone participating, if they are so inclined. If anything below grabs you, feel free to use it alongside your fulfilment - however, don’t burn yourself out, and most importantly, have fun!
Fandoms:
Legacy of Kain:
I’m not expecting any fellow F&F creators to be fans of this old and niche little vampire/demon gothic-fantasy videogame. Although it has enjoyed a little renaissance of late, due to the recent comic Kickstarter, and the beautiful remaster of the original Soul Reaver series, so there may be one or two of my fellow LoK fans here.
If so, you know how starved we are of content! Any content! You could even write it fandom-blind and I’d be thrilled!
I’ll leave my anons on -(please don’t make me regret this, tumblr)- during the run up to the reveals, so you can anonymously ask any question you like about the characters. I do not judge. Legacy of Kain is a long and complicated tale, with lots of time-jumps, back and forth. I suggest making a slice of life/in-between years/or complete AU - the most important thing is character.
And there are so many delicious monsters in LoK for you to choose from. Here are a few:
Kain - if you know Kain, you know he doesn’t like to lose. He will always choose to keep playing the game, he never folds. He’s always one step ahead, and will keep playing until he gets everything he wants. He doesn’t care who or what he has to hurt to get it. And he will get it… eventually, he’s a patient man (rumour has it, he may have access to a time-streaming device, so he might not wait as long as you think he does, ie he cheats).
Zephon - One of Kain’s vampire offspring, often written gender-fluid, I have no preference! I’m looking for Zephon's personality. Zephon has a chip on their shoulder (especially about their older brother, Raziel), with all the stereotypical fiery aspects that usually get attributed to those lucky, beautiful redheads. Zephon strikes me as being a bit of a trickster.
Following this challenge/exchange's rules, Zephon can be written in Vampire or their devolved, monstrous spider-like form. It could be a drider form, or something far more unsettling, like how they appeared in the game. Either way, someone is going to fall into their web. Zephon may also have a breeding kink which could involve binding and eggs.
Rahab - calling all mer-fans! Also, sometimes any gender, but canonically male, Rahab went to extraordinary lengths to overcome a vampire’s weakness to water. In Legacy of Kain, most vampires will burn up like they’ve been swimming in acid, but Rehab gradually introduced themselves to it little by little, until they were not only immune, but evolved gills. Rahab remains the only one of Kain’s offspring that evolved past the sire, gained an ability that Kain doesn’t have, and got away with it. On the contrary, Rahab most likely did it on Kain’s orders. They’re loyal to a fault, and was probably used horribly by Kain because of it. For F&F exchange rules, Rahab can be written as a Vampire, or their devolved, sea-monster, fully finned-up-Mer-vamp form. Stay out of the water!!
The Elder God - think multi-eyed, tentacled, squid-like, omnipresent eldritch-horror, with the deepest, booming voice you’ve ever heard, and you’ve already nailed it. He wants to consume your soul. Or make you his plaything. It’s the opposite of ‘Until Death’; he’s more of a ‘from death to an eternity’ kind of guy. Big dom energy.
Raziel - oh, Raziel! My dearest heart. The prodigal son, eldest and favourite offspring of Kain. As a vampire, he is haughty and spoilt. He doesn’t remember his past, none of them do. He’s so incredibly loyal to Kain, until the opening of Soul Reaver, of course (lolz!). I like writing and reading him as a dom, switch or the brattiest bottom. But since the OC must be human, please write a dom Raziel, maybe a little dub-con; remember, humans were kept little more than cattle, held in the dungeons for enjoyment during Kain’s vampire reign.
As a wraith, also Kain’s creation, I like to think of Raziel as a tortured soul, who ironically survives on others’… erm, souls. I don’t believe he’s inherently evil. I wish him kindness and tenderness after spending an eternity burning at the bottom of the Lake of the Dead, poor love. He's a tool of the Elder God, used and manipulated at every turn by everyone. He must desperately need a day off.
He’s curious, and usually ignores humans, but beware! You can fall under his thrall, and if he is low on energy, he will sip your soul - I wrote a short nsfw piece inspired by that game mechanic. Take a look if you’d like a peek at the type of stuff I like.
Original Human Character(s) - can be anyone and identify as anyone. Take a favourite oc from somewhere else and use them, or write a self or reader-insert. I don’t mind what you do, what kind of story you’d like to tell or picture you’d like to create. You can let your imagination go wild!
Bottom line: I would be thrilled with anything, anyone, any pairing from the Legacy of Kain fandom.
The Elder Scrolls:
Soltha Sil - I have a weakness for this man. He’s one of those characters who doesn’t live a linear existence, so he already knows his fate. Annoyingly, he’ll do nothing to prevent it. As an all-knowing god, he’s both sexy and horrific at the same time. He’ll either love you, turn you into one of his clockwork abominations, or both. He’d say something cryptic like how he’s a ‘mirror, anything they want him to be’ - so yeah, go mad. I do like my stories to be slightly on the dark side.
Hermaeus Mora - another omnipresent eldritch horror. Only he’s more softly spoken than LoK’s Elder God. I would love a dream in Apocrypha. Avoiding the seekers, of course. Let’s just try not to spend an eternity there, okay? Stay awake!
I didn’t include Teldryn Sero in the nomination lists!! - Oh, whhhyyyy?? I'm not sure what happened there; I meant to. Anyway, I won’t be mad if someone wanted to write or draw a Teldryn piece for me.
I also forgot ESO’s Razum-dar. Because I’m dumb, that’s why. (Honestly, I wouldn’t mind him, either).
Oh, and my favourite deadric prince is Sanguine. :)
Original Human character - I only asked for a human Nord OC because there was no room for multiple TES human races in the pairings. I would also gratefully accept Imperial, Redguard or Breton, if that’s more your thing. Whatever, or whoever, you are most comfortable writing or drawing. I will love anything you do.
Mass Effect:
Saran Arterius - I’ve got a massive thing for turians, bad guys and enemy-to-lovers. I don’t mind a little dub con. I like dark fics. I also love hurt/comfort, so the ‘I’m injured but, you’re the only one here I could turn to, there’s only one bed, dynamics are golden here. Switch it up top or bottom, either side. Can be fluffy, ‘nobody gets me but you’, or straight up hate-sex, anything in that vein would be delicious.
The Thorian - if you’d like to write a Thorian fic for me, please make it weird. Plant alien the size of a planet in your mind with tendrils kinda weird. Does the thorian put you in a pod? Or just use their feelers? How do they charm you with their spores? Is it subtle or something more immediate and for how long?
The above are my absolute favourites but I am I’m happy to receive works from other fandoms, such as Starwars, Halo and Resident Evil. If you’re stuck for a specific prompt, send me an ask.
I hope all of this helps!
Thank you again for reading, participating and happy writing/drawing! I’m sure I’ll love anything you’d like to create, regardless.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open! I’ll keep it under wraps and not post responses too, if you ask me too. Anything you need.
Plus, if you’re reading this and you’ve got this far thinking ‘holy shit, I’d love to participate’ then please do! You can find the sign up details here. Sign ups are open until 17th August!
I hope this post helps you understand or inspire your journey to blessing me with your original content!
You’re always welcome to reach out to me anonymously through my tumblr asks or the event coordinators in case of any questions, but I still tried to be as specific as possible here to help you not be anxious about whether or not I will like something you gift me (I absolutely will, don’t worry!).
Don’t let this limit you, though! as long as you avoid my DNW everything will be OK!!
So, without further ado, here are some of my favorite things.
In a nutshell:
My absolute favorite thing about a story is the characterization and the way you can develop bonds. I’m very big on introspection and character/relationship studies. My favorite trope is angst with a happy ending, but the angst has to make sense: give me the whole story behind it! That being said, I’m also a complete troll and enjoy Crack Treated Seriously very much!
More in-depth:
Tropes
General: The Love Was There, Law of Surprise, Angst with a Happy Ending, Temporary Character Death, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Time Travel, Time Loops, Dimension Travel, Alternate Universes, Parallel Worlds, Secret Societies, Small Town Secrets, Prophecies, Red Herrings, Gray or Blue-and-Orange Morality
Individual: BAMF Characters, Selfless Idiot Sweetheart, The Chosen One, Unreliable Narrator, Final Person
Romantic: Enemies to Lovers, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Fake Dating turned Real, Meet-Cute, Meet-Ugly, Only One Bed, Domestic Fluff
Sexual: Aftercare, Service Top, Topping from the Bottom, Pillow Prince(ss), Dom/Sub Undertones, Body Worship, Breeding, Praise Kink, Competency Kink, Strength Kink, Oral Fixation, Oral Sex, Clothed Sex, Watersports
Life: Hope, Love in All its Forms, Coming of Age, Second Chances, Loyalty, Redemption, Revenge
Horror: Gore, Body Horror, Loss of Identity, Psychological Thriller
Parenthood: First Time Parents, Bonding, Balancing All Facets of Life, The Village/Support Systems
Dynamics: Age Difference, Culture Clash, Language Barrier, Power Dynamics, Mentor/Protege
AUs
Canon-Related: Missing Scenes, Canon Divergence, Fix-Its, Case Fics
Settings: In-Universe Modern Era, Omegaverse, Fantasy, Royalty, Dystopian, Apocalyptic, Mafia
Occupations: Firefighters, Cowboys, Doctors, Athletes, Caretakers, Professors, College/University Students, Entrepreneurs (literally anything goes as long as it makes them happy), Streamer, Farmers, Bodyguards
Mythological: Wishbabies, Creatures (all kinds! but my top 5 are Werewolves, Demons, Ghosts, Faefolk and Merfolk), Daemons, Mythology, Soulmates, Hanahaki, Sentinels and Guides, Superpowers
Rebirth: Transmigration/Isekai (with or without Systems), Reincarnation, Past Lives
Media AUs or Fusions
One Piece (All Media Types)
Digimon (All Media Types of 1-4 (Adventure (except Kizuna. we don’t talk about her in this house. we don’t know her), 02, Tamers and Frontier))
Katekyou Hitman Reborn! (All Media Types)
Mo Dao Zu Shi (All Media Types)
Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System (Danmei)
Yu-Gi-Oh! DM (All Media Types)
Teen Wolf (TV)
Supernatural
Extraordinary You
Ichi the Witch
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books)
Claymore
The Hunger Games (All Media Types)
Tinkerbell (All Media Types)
Miraculous Ladybug
Spiderman (All Media Types, but especially Earth-616 and Andrew’s Spidey)
Ironman (All Media Types)
Spiderverse
The Flash (TV)
DC Comics
Legally Blonde
Barbie (Movies)
The Conjuring
Scream (All Media Types)
Resident Evil (Aliceverse)
Among Us
Zootopia
DNWs
AI-generated works (of any kind)
using non-friendly fonts (fonts that can’t be read by a screen reader; it’s okay if you use AO3’s Creator Style, that one can be hidden at the reader’s discretion)
1st- or 2nd-person POV (unless explicitly asked for)
Angst for the Sake of Angst (I am all for putting the blorbo through the grinder as long as I get a solid happy ending)
Alcoholism (a few drinks or getting drunk on occasion are fine; just not the dependency)
Terminal Illnesses (unless it’s for context and cultural connotations, or you find a cure and it’s all about the hopelessness and then the sudden unbelievable relief that it involves. basically what I don’t like is the terminal part of it for the MCs)
Permanent Major Character Death (even if it’s canon. please find a way to avoid it, like making it temporary instead)
Non-Con (unless I explicitly requested it, or you’re writing a rape aftermath, but NEVER between the main pair (however, you can consider instead Consensual Non-Con for them))
Bittersweet/Unhappy Endings
Bigotry: Queerphobia, Misogyny, Racism, Ableism, etc (unless it’s for worldbuilding purposes AND to fight against it, even if the fight is still slow and on-going)
Infidelity
Bashing-centric stuff (neither characters or ships, I’d rather focus on my beloved blorbos than on the bitterness others might bring. That being said, I do hold a grudge and love some Kill the Villain, so. you can always reach out for more info!)
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: Hikaru no Go, Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends, Link Click (时光代理人), 猎罪图鉴 | Under the Skin (TV 2022), Hunting (猎狐), Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀)
As for reading preferences, I’m happy with a wide variety of tones and genres, of any rating, ranging anywhere from lighthearted antics to dramatic casefics. But the core of all the stories I love has always been character interaction and interplay of their competences.
How the characters play off each other and bring out their best/worst, how they’d react to a divergence of events, how true they’d stay to themselves in a different setting – I love fanfiction for allowing us to reconnect with our favourite stories time and again by asking these questions. And there are so many ways to do it! To name a few favourites, I’m always game for POV hijinks, a missing scene, a casefic, canon expansion, backstories and what-ifs.
You may notice that some of my requests lean towards shipfic – those, too, are welcome in a variety of tones – but I also tried to include openings for gen ideas if that’s your jam. Additionally, while it is not usually my top interest, I don’t have anything against AUs if there is something that you are itching to explore: I tend to enjoy them for a new aesthetic that fleshes out the favoured character dynamics in a new light, or a fusion that redefines the playing ground to allow the characters to exhibit their core competences in new and exciting ways.
I would be very grateful if you could avoid a/b/o and associated kinktropes, played-straight soulmate fic, and character interpretation that runs contrary to their core values. If in doubt, please reach out to me on anon - the askbox is open!
YULETIDE 2023 IS HERE AND IT SAYS 2000s ANIMANGA RENAISSANCE IS ON.
No, seriously. I’m totally going to lean into the fact that with ff.net no longer included for consideration, some of my most beloved canons are back in the game. Bring it on!
Hikaru no Go - Shindou Hikaru, Touya Akira
Oh boy. Oh boy. I cannot point out one single canon more significant to my fandom life than this. It completely possessed my brain after I first read and watched it, I simply couldn’t talk about anything else for days on end. It brought so many wonderful people into my life, and it started me writing fanfic: to say it was foundational seems like an understatement. I feel like I can go years without having a Hikago conversation, and then one day something trips me, and I want to climb into a soapbox and yell into a megaphone about it, or at least how my passion for something else actually has roots in this story.
Anyway, this story. It’s something that straddles two big themes for me, in a way that it’s never really one without the other. The first one, of course, is the eternal rivals (I can’t believe I’m typing this phrase in the year of our lord 2k23, omg I’m so excited) — the dynamic between Shindou and Touya is the core of the story and a big reason why I imprinted on Hikaru no Go. They are mutually obsessed, fierce, kinda ridiculous and ridiculously canon couple (in a way that means any hikago gen in my head comes with akihika implied). The other big theme, of course, is what unites all characters of this story into a vibrant tapestry: the striving for excellence, belonging & competition in a pursuit that’s bigger than one single man’s journey, the community and your place in it. There is not a single character in it whose story leaves me indifferent. Sai (Sai!), Nase, Isumi & Waya, Ochi, Ko, Yashiro, a wave of veteran players whose love for the game is a steady flame, the new wave burning with the desire to catch up, and coming to grips with their generation’s supernovas.
I would love a range of things for this fandom: anything post-canon and ship-centric, including getting together (or catching up with the fact that they were together) and addressing the mystery of Sai; anything with the ensemble cast and a good dose of fond humour; any AU which leans into supernatural forces you would want to tap into because the potential is right there; any AUs/crossovers that recreates the dynamic in a different setting is fine as well.
I’m choosing Shindou and Touya as nominated characters, but it could be centered on other characters if you really wish - as long as they are in the frame, so to say, and acknowledged for who they are.
Note you can take or leave, made in hopes to reduce stress rather than inject it: at the height of my obsession, I went to a Go club for a while and learnt a little of the game; it’s safe to say what survived through the years in my head is probably just familiarity with the Japanese terms for the game, its rules and main concepts. So it’s probably enough to understand a metaphor underpinned by what’s transpiring on the page, but definitely not enough to judge anyone for their Go strategy in fanfic. Be as specific or as metaphorically handwavy as you want to be.
My DNWs: I cannot handle other endgame ships for the characters if it means either Shindou or Touya is miserable, and I’m also incapable of stomaching any sort of romantic relationship between Sai and Shindou.
I'm up to date with both anime and manga, but I haven't seen the c-drama.
Natsume Yuujinchou (Natsume’s Book of Friends) - Matoba Seiji, Natori Shuuichi
I’m having the best time having a horrible exorcist relapse.
I don’t know what I was doing with my life, but I had the last several volumes of the manga on the shelf but unread for a couple of years, and only got around to them a little while ago. I am pleased to report Midorikawa-sensei still knows exactly how to get me ferally texting my friends within a few chapters, yelling about LOQUATS. Honestly I’m so pleased that what we’re getting on the page seems to be softer and more open to possibility than what we collectively imagined as a horrible exorcists fandom, yelling about bitter exes and divorces. I am so grateful that Midorikawa-sensei knows not only what we want, but what we need. There is surprisingly less knives and more communication, soft resignation and a working relationship as opposed to a bitter estrangement and mutual avoidance — not ignoring the feuds and bone-breakingly heavy legacies, but growing around them, somewhat? Miharu and Homura arcs were absolutely ruinous in the best way, and what we saw after adds more layer to understanding the history between the two houses but at the same time has enough soft bits around it that makes me hopeful? The mix is intoxicating, not going to lie. I’d love to be a fly on the wall and see the reaction of Matoba’s clansmen when Natori shows up in their boardroom to borrow their esteemed leader for a few days, on important business. HOW OFTEN DOES THAT HAPPEN, I need to know for science.
Also because I reread the manga from around Distorted World chapters until end of v.28, I have clocked it that the ongoing theme in author notes is gentle callout that Natori is doing a worse job of judging Matoba by what he does than what he says than even Natsume. He is so stubborn! And the invitation to stop listening to Seiji glibly run his mouth is right there! (I feel compelled to add here that Seiji running his mouth with the most clingy shit is my favourite thing. "Oh it would be nice to have Natori-san’s paper talisman." "Oh it would be nice to go on a wistful little loquat date again." URGHUGHG - me and Nastume both, probably).
Casefics, shipfics, boardroom comedy, AUs or futurefics — all good, as long as it digs into the dynamic between them. Messing with timelines, forced proximity, day jobs crossing with exorcist jobs, narratively convenient youkai curses forcing their hand, etc etc.
I'm up to date with English official translations of manga & anime.
Link Click (时光代理人) - Lu Guang, Cheng Xiaoshi
My request for them as I worded it last year seems woefully inadequate now that s2 has aired, so while in essence my wishes remain the same - all stories that aim to answer any questions posed by the show, fill in the worldbuilding gaps, offer casefics or day-in-the-life-of sketches, and above all, to lean into the fiercely protective dynamics between the main leads of the show are very welcome - I feel compelled to add a few comments to it.
The dynamic between Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang remains central to my interest. I ship them, but if you don’t want to explicitly include that, there is still all the rest of it that makes the two of them zing: cooperation, mutual protectiveness, the clear imbalance in knowledge, complementary powers and different styles, the blurry line between what’s actually a limitation in powers & bad practice, and what’s LG doing his damnedest to steer the events in a certain direction.
While I am right there in the first rows, gleefully screaming about Hypocritcal Homura Lu Guang erasing and rewinding timelines to protect Cheng Xiaoshi, I am also the first to admit that I don’t have a very good idea of how it works, and the implications of the time reset (resets?) initiated by LG. I’ve had a really good time reading other people’s theories and watching in fascination the corkboards with timestamps and visual cues offered by the production team, but the truth is, I do not have a firm understanding or a preferred explanation, so please feel free to take it as an invitation to play with it as fast and loose as you like. If you have an elaborate theory of your own — I’d be happy to see where it takes you, if you want to hand-wave the mechanics in favour of a general logic of a thing, or bypass it because it’s not the kind of story that you want to tell — don’t let that bother you. Timetravel is mindboggling.
Actual crossovers with Madoka, if you are inclined to go there, are totally welcome. I’ve refreshed my memory of it and have some thoughts on what sets the two shows apart, on the bone structure level, so if you want to play in that sandbox, please do. Just note that my interest in this crossover is not in packing any of the Link Click cast in frilly mahou shoujo dresses.
I am a big fan of Qiao Ling’s part in the story. She is such a grounding presence for CXS and through him, on LG. I am fiercely protective of the idea that her role in the story is not a romantic one, but it’s no less important for it. The way her level-headedness and empathy allowed for a break-through with Tianxi in s2, or the fact that she doesn’t shy from a fight but is not taking unnecessary risk — all of these things are an important part of the overall balance of power in the story.
On that note, what exactly happened at the end of s2 with Qiao Ling’s visions? Did she have her own powers awaken? What would be the impact?
The characters we got to know through s2 - they don’t capture my attention as much as the main trio. I found chosen themes resonant - e.g. the dismantling of the idea of a “respectable man” in the context of domestic violence, the imbalance of power and knowledge — but the characters via whom these themes were explored in s2 currently don’t occupy the top three slots for things I think about when I obsess about questions raised by the show. They are more of a vehicle to explore an idea, to me, that characters about whom I have intense emotions.
I'm up to date with two seasons as they aired on Crunchyroll, but I cannot claim to have absorbed all the lore shared via official twitter, on the account of my Chinese still being a learner level. I'm happy to read content based on that, though -- as long as you include an explanation and a link with commentary that will help me understand the context.
Under the Skin (猎罪图鉴 ) - Shen Yi, Du Cheng.
Always welcome the addition of Du Qing, Du Cheng’s fabulous sister, or the ensemble cast of the investigation unit.
For this show, I’m both charmed by the dynamics between the main leads, and the completely realistic (ha!) way they use art skills to solve crime. This is some anime level nonsense and I’m eating it up with a spoon.
Case fics case fics! Case fics that explore and develop the relationship between Shen Yi and Du Cheng. I ship them, and would welcome the acknowledge of the growing closeness and intimacy between them in the story, but you don’t have to push yourself if you are there for camaraderie alone. I think between their backstory and the events of s1, there is a lot that makes them tick as a duo. Things that particularly please me: the playfulness in dialogue and little things like picture notes, acknowledgement and reliance on each other’s competences, protectiveness and care that comes across both in the middle of real danger (how many hostage situations can Shen Yi get himself into? Asking for a friend) and in daily routine. (Food is love! Allowing people to have naps is love!)
The inherent domesticity of adopting one loner artist by a whole investigative unit. I really liked the evolution of how people warmed up to him, and different distance at which these relationships grow and show in their daily work.
On a similar note: how large will Shen Yi’s menagerie grow to be, if he keeps adopting all sorts of strays from his cases?
*An amateur artist myself, I am very fond of the many ways art has been shown to interlace and influence things we perceive to be objective and tangible on the show. It’s not just about sketching a perpetrator’s portrait, and joke as I may about the realism of crime-solving with a sketchbook, I’m definitely fond of all kinds of aspects of art and its transformative power that were brought into the show.
Thematically, one thing that boggled my mind when watching the show is how it gravitated towards exploring violence and crimes perpetrated against women, and created a whole range of competent, sympathetic characters… and yet they all somehow were either in victims, perpetrators or both. It’s like the show writers are trying to engage in important issues, but stop before actually seeing it through to the logical end. Is it censorship? Individual creative decisions? I don’t know, but I would hope that in fic, we could be bolder about saying B after saying A.
The drama is available on viki.com, which is where I watched it.
猎狐 | Hunting - Xia Yuan, Wu Jiaqi
Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good white collar crime, especially one that busts a few capitalist myths. But let’s be real, the best parts of this TV show were Xia Yuan and Wu Jiaqi’s overseas 💕dates💕 I mean business trips, which mysteriously required they be outfitted like a well-matched pair of ridiculously long-legged models that strutted right out of the Vogue pages and into the metaphorical fire. The kind of fire that, in turn, required them to fake date, or dress up even more glamorously to impersonate filthy rich celebrities and their butlers, or deployed other similarly logical methods of tracking down runaway fraudsters.
I would eat up more of such adventures with a spoon, nay, a SHOVEL. Just like the epilogue showed, I’d like to imagine their adventures post-canon be a series of bright postcards (bang bang from Russia with love) capturing their antics in various capitals of the world.
Some ideas for inspiration could be:
• Competitive not-dating. Xia Yuan and Wu Jiaqi just happen to contrive the circumstances in a way that makes the next operation seem conspicuously like a date, and the other one simply cannot let this slide and ups the ante.
• I’m totally on board with some commentary or scheming from the peanut gallery of the Economics Crimes Division (I love you, Xiaolei!) to set them up faster. I don’t know if I love more the idea of the two of them giving in to the gang’s attempts to set them up, or the gang continuing to set them up completely unaware that the two of them are already dating, thus amplifying the comedy.
• As mentioned above, every city needs a pair of scarily competent and scarily beautiful law enforcement agents (who are also derps) descend on it to charm the pants off the local police forces and then solve some crime while they are at it. It’s also incredibly cute that Wu Jiaqi is the worldlier (or nerdier?) of the two, and can dispense funfacts and trivia at Xia Yuan’s incredibly soft face. I’m a simple girl and I like simple things.
• ALL THE TROPES ever, as essential and completely logical ways to solve economic crimes. All the dress-ups. All the role-playing on the job with bae.
The show is available on viki.com.
Thunderbolt Fantasy (東離劍遊紀): any characters
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 hat on fire and pulls a bunny out of a discoball. It’s DELIGHTFUL and fun and lovingly crafted, just like a good passion project should be.
I want anything that capitalizes on the absolutely hilarious dynamics between Rin Setsua and Sho Fukan (and while personally I end up using the Japanese versions of their names more often, please feel free to go with the Chinese names if you prefer). Sho Fukan does not want any of those heroic quests, he’s the human equivalent of been there, done that mood, and he just wants to REST and hopefully dump a bunch of magical murderswords someplace safe. Rin Setsua is a Totally Respectable and Non-Villainous Member of Society, of which he will inform you firsthand in the most high spoken and verbose way possible, and maybe even produce paperwork that has definitely not been tampered with. He harbours no ulterior motives, ever, and does not trail behind Sho Fukan for any reason beyond the pleasure of his company, and his mission is to personally victimize and cockblock every morally derelict villain in two countries, by no-one’s request.
Whether you go shipfic (yiss!) or canon levels teamup circus (also yiss!), don’t hold back your horses. Everything about this is Extra, and should continue to be so <3
I am okay with both expanding the canon and playing with AUs/crossovers/fusions for this one, provided they retain the character dynamics. I love the extended cast as well: any characters including the Seiyou gang (and on that note, if you want to write the Seiyou backstory for Shou’s gang that has no Rin in it, you’re welcome as well), reappearance of the familiar faces from Touri (read: Rin’s victim list, past, future and present), original characters lined up and waiting to be screwed over (guaranteed) and rescued (the administration does not bear any responsibility etc etc).
Season three, god bless Urobutcher, just went and upped the ante by 9000 – time and space travel! Magical walkie-talkie pocket-sized boyfriend dolls! Dramatic daddies and villains literally yeeted into literal space, jjba-style! The sandbox has expanded exponentially, and if you think this is a good excuse to open the door wide for any perceivable AUs and still remain canon-compatible, well, then you have the right audience in me.
This year I’m not limiting my request to just the two main characters (though as you can see my fondness for them is great) because I think season three especially kicks the doors wide open for various kinds of hilarious team-ups, confrontations, family dramas and peanut gallery commentaries about one another’s delusions of grandeur. If you would rather write about characters in the demonic realm, or have been wanting a good match-up for characters that never met on screen, or bring back some dead faves — well, then s3 labyrinth invites you to play with it, and I’ll happily read it.
Thunderbolt Fantasy is available on Crunchyroll.
I’m also open for treats for any of the above -- to me, dropping stories into other’s stockings and finding some surprises in your own is definitely a highlight of the true Yule experience :)
Thank you for taking the time to read the letter, and I’m greatly looking forward to reading your story — and hopefully, getting to chat about these ridiculous and wonderful characters post-reveals :)
I am always open to treats, overlapping my requested ships is nearly always welcome, and I love receiving podfic and fanart just as much as written fanfic.
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General DNWs
non-critical portrayal of cults, authoritarianism, paternalism, patriarchy, misogyny, sexism, racism or transphobia; american cultural christianity; whitewashing; domestic abuse; unresolved child abuse/neglect; child death; miscarriage (abortion is fine); drug addiction (drug use is fine); therapy-speak; fixed-everything fluff; perfect little angel children; uwu/woobification, whump, sickfic, or terminal illness; highschool/college/university AUs; genderswap/rule 63, fem!reader, Y/N, /You, reader-insert, or self-insert; any harry potter reference whatsoever, AI-generated content.
Kink DNWs
wax play, cold temperature play/ice, scat, emetophilia (non-kinky vomit is okay as long as it’s not graphic), Traditional Omegaverse (nontraditional is fine), 24/7 BDSM or sexual slavery, any other type of slavery, findom/paypig, cishet, prepubescent underage, mommy/milfs, ageplay (which is not the same as age gap; that’s fine), diapers, infantilization, exotification, castration, ultra-submissive character, force-feminization, detransition, nonconsensual body modification, parasites, necrophilia
DNWs (SW specific):
Mandalorian culture without nuance; Jedi culture without nuance; all clones automatically being Mandalorian and/or knowing mando’a; clones being taller/bigger than their actor(s) or any form of the word beef or similar to describe physique; codywan (not even alluded to or hinted at); unqualified positive portrayal of Kal Skirata; non-humans with human-standard anatomy/genitalia
DNW Characters (unless requested in ship): Satine Kryze, Bo-Katan Kryze, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Jar Jar Binks, any characters originating in the Sequel Trilogy. Unless portraying a requested ship containing one or more of these characters, I still do not want them even as brief cameos.
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Omegaverse straddles the line between Do and Do Not. If you’re writing it for me, it should be very nontraditional, with the trope being used to subvert binary (trinary?) gender norms rather than support them. (omegas should not be portrayed as stereotypically female-coded, alphas not as stereotypically male-coded, betas shouldn’t be boring/sexless) Make it funky, weird, even queer!
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Do Want:
Gay boys, queer everything, non-traditional roles i.e. service top/power bottom, submissive top/dominant bottom, one or both partners switching. I like every flavor of trans characters, (male, female, and nonbinary) but their trans-ness does not have to be the central point. Just let them exist, live their lives, have relationships, it’s cool.
I’m okay with OCs (please check them against DNW list)
Jedi Order Treated With Nuance AND Mandalorians Treated With Nuance
Clones, in my opinion, would not unilaterally speak or understand mando’a, but I do love it, and other, language(s). I’m absolutely a nerd for mando’a and cultural/language barriers for that and other languages/conlangs.
NSFW Tropes I like: negotiations for kink or polyamory, first times, porn with feelings, casual sex/QPR, competence kink, praise kink, humiliation kink, breeding kink, watersports, somnophilia, xenophilia, getting caught/walked in on, DP, chastity devices, orgasm denial/edging, overstim, eating out, biting, switching, threesomes or moresomes, gangbangs, rough sex, tender sex, awkward sex, dirty talk, but not just dirty talk—also normal talking and laughing during sex, topping from the bottom, friends and lovers.
I’ll read (and write) pretty much any kink that’s not on my DNW list, up to and including edgeplay, extreme xenophilia/monsterfucking, and any consent level from enthusiastic to dubious to none, including consensual non-consent. Bring on the DDDNE content, as long as it doesn’t hit any DNWs. Please feel free to ask via the mods if there’s anything in my DNWs needing clarification!
Story Tropes and AUs I like: angst with a happy ending, found family, accidental baby acquisition, have a little murder as a treat, there was only one bed, pining (one-sided or mutual), awkward seduction, men crying/showing emotions, fake dating, getting together, miscommunication, nonverbal communication, unreliable narrator, dystopia, psychological horror, hopeful ending, canon-typical dehumanization, milwank (portrayals of PTSD and other combat-related disabilities welcome), Canon Divergence, Nontraditional Omegaverse, Soulmates/Soulbonds, Pacific Rim, Mer/Pirate/Historical fantasy, Time Loop/Time Travel.
Podfic details:
I try to ask for ships with existing works to pod, but if you want to podfic an original work of your own, be my guest!! I like when there’s a little bit of different voices for different characters, and hearing if they laugh or make other nonverbal sounds in conversation, although I’m sorry to say I’m not able to hear some of the more subtle sound effects, unless they stand out.
Art details:
DNW: flashing/strobe effects, tarot cards or symbolism, christian symbolism, wildly disproportionate/chibi-like characters, or completely non-representational art, disney style. (and this isn’t a strict dnw but I tend not to like pastels as well)
Things I like: any skill level. any.
Painterly style, vibrant colors, dramatic lighting, irregular perspectives, funky color palettes, or muted with one standout color fun facial expressions, costume detail, environmental storytelling, dialogue and words written in the picture (bonus if written in aurebesh or mando’a—not mando’a script tho pls), scientific illustrations, anatomical diagrams, fight scenes, very specific details from the creator’s knowledge base Characters shown in their canon settings as well as AU settings Gender Non-Conforming/Queer interpretations Characters as (space) pirates, bounty hunters, and soldiers/warriors/fighters, especially if it’s not their canon role; characters swapping clothes/gear with each other. Candid moments, dynamic poses. (Mainly for OCs) Within the range of typical human coloration, I tend to prefer darker skin, eyes, and hair, as well as wavy/curly/kinky hair rather than straight (also dyed and/or greying: yes please!); for non-humans, the more colorful the better. Fangs, claws, talons, horns, spikes... anything considered "monstrous" and/or "animalistic" is very welcome. Fat versions of characters, show the rolls :D plus stretch marks and scars, disabled characters and accessibility devices Feel free to go as explicit as you like, genitalia showing, fluids, etc. however much you’re comfortable with.
This is in no way a comprehensive list of things I like; go wild!
I don’t have any specific prompts for you, but some of my favorite tropes include found family, soulmate AUs, fix-its, daemons, and nice things happening to people who aren’t used to nice things happening to them. I like both monogamy and polyamory, and I also like culture clash/culture sharing/culture stuff in general. I prefer my angst with a happy ending and really enjoy humor and romance.
This is my first year participating in this particular exchange, which also means it’s my first year writing one of these letters! I hope I cover what you need to know, but I’ll make sure to leave anon asks on just in case I’ve left out something vital. But most importantly, thanks in advance for whatever you come up with! I’m so excited to read it!
Things I Love in Fic:
Complicated women! I’m sure you can tell from the pairings I’ve listed (and many/most of the pairings I write for, if you happen to have stumbled across my work at any point), I really love media that lets their characters be messy and imperfect and human
There are plenty of tropes I love if they catch your fancy (fake dating, enemies or friends to lovers, there was only one bed, etc.)
I’m good with AUs, fix-it fics, canon, canon divergence, post/pre-canon, whatever you think is going to be the story you feel best about telling! (Same with ratings, I’m good with everything from G to E)
While my students and wife might quibble with this point, I’m pretty easy-going! So long as I’m getting to spend some more time with the characters I love, I’m sure I’ll be delighted with whatever you come up with :)
Things I Don’t Want in Fic:
Non-con or dub-con sexual activity
A/B/O, BDSM universes, etc. (my favorite thing about queer narratives is how they fuck with what’s expected of someone! They often reveal the contingent nature of normative social structures, subverting expectations around things like relationship dynamics, forms of eroticism and intimacy, subject formation, etc., and showing that the expected need not dictate or circumscribe the realm of what can be imagined as possible, so I don’t love the idea of a universe that sweeps everything and everyone under new regimes of categorization)
Major character death
Womp/super heavy angst
Vomit (I know, seems weird to list, but somehow it comes up with surprising frequency, and it’s a phobia of mine!)
Things I’m ~meh~ on in Fic:
Kid fic (canonical kids are cool, though!)
Super fluffy fluff
Specific Ships (in no particular order) That I’d Love to Read:
Hacks (2020) – Ava/Deborah
Grace and Frankie (2015) – Grace/Frankie
Once Upon a Time (2011) – Regina/Emma, Regina/Maleficent
This Way Up (2019) – Charlotte/Shona
I’d be more than happy to come up with specific prompts if that would be helpful, but I also worry that sometimes prompts can end up squashing writerly creativity and the freedom to write the story that you are most excited about gifting, which is the one I’m most excited to read!
Thanks in advance! I’m so excited to read whatever you come up with!
I'm so excited to be part of this exchange! I look forward to seeing the many awesome fanworks that result, and to contribute to their number.
Here below the cut are some of my desires/preferences. I'm happy to receive both fic and art as a treat :)
Possible prompts:
Modern AU WWX knowing and hanging out with Songxiao. Bonus points if WWX teases XXC with being his uncle despite not being that much older (or even younger if you're going by MDZS canon) than him. Bonus bonus points if XXC finds a way to tease WWX.
SongXiao actually start that sect they've been dreaming of and are invited to a discussion conference. I'd love to see them shake up the world of cultivation sects by giving zero fucks. (Bonus points for incorporating the following prompt into this)
SongXiao maliciously complying with sumptuary laws that prevent peasants from wearing colors other than black and white as a statement on class.
Platonic soulmates Song Zichen and Xiao Xingchen. What does it mean for them? What does it look like? How do they navigate that relationship. Any universe, whether canon-compliant or wildly divergent, modern or ancient or sci-fi, I don't care.
Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen as radical librarians. What does it mean? IDK I JUST LOVE CRITLIB AND I LOVE SONGXIAO.
CQL-verse Songxiao on the edges of the Sunshot Campaign. They don't want to get into the fight between sects but there's a lot of suffering they can ameliorate - are they showing up at battlefields weeks later to lay the dead to rest? Are they helping displaced people find new homes? What are they doing?
Likes: Fluff; Songxiao both platonic and romantic, both sexual and nonsexual; Fix-its; happy endings; found family; healing from trauma; living in community. I love Songxiao as a unit but I also love the idea of them having community beyond just each other; realistic sex logistics
Dislikes: Unremitting angst; Hurt-no-comfort; Queer-antagonism on-screen (although a reference to a queer-antagonistic world or experiences thereof is fine); Xue Yang (seriously: i have no interest in seeing him rehabilitated in any fic that I receive); pregnancy/child-bearing details; kinks related to bodily waste; rape/sexual assault/abuse of any kind on-screen (although references to past abuse/sexual assault/rape are fine if they're necessary for plot)
Thank you so much for writing fanfic for me in the Femslash Exchange, and also for bringing more femslash into the world! I already can’t wait to read what you’ve come up with. I’m girlonthelasttrain on AO3 too.
Under the cut you’ll find what I don’t want and a list of what I love in fic as well.
DNWs
- No noncon/dubcon, no sexually explicit scenes between teens. Explicit fic between adult characters is fine as long as it’s not major kinks, especially not the kind that involves bodily fluids and/or extreme power imbalances (rough sex, on the contrary, is okay). Either way I’d rather NOT receive PWP, I prefer sex to be within a context (fic without sex scenes is absolutely welcome!). No omegaverse fic either.
- No gore and no extreme violence (canon-typical violence acceptable).
- No AUs with a different setting than the canon material. Canon divergence and post-canon fic, on the contrary, are very welcome!
- I’d rather NOT receive fic with marriage/pregnancy/kids as central concept; they can be mentioned but they should not be the main point.
- No character/ship bashing; good-natured jokes about other characters and (past) relationships are definitely okay.
- If the characters are canonically involved in relationship other than the one I requested, I’d like to NOT get a cheating/infidelity plot; I’d much rather see this resolved through polyamory or canon divergence.
- I’d also rather NOT receive pure fluff.
Specific DNWs for Star Trek: DS9 fic:
- If you decide to include Julian and/or Garak in your fic, please please please DON’T explicitly mention garashir (even if it’s just a potential relationship). Indirect allusions to it are fine but mentions of that ship are my number one pet peeve in DS9 femslash.
Specific DNWs for Star Trek: Voyager fic:
- I don’t want any reference to the scene from “Infinite Regress” where Seven bites B’Elanna unless it’s to frame it both as assault (with B’Elanna as the victim) and a violation of Seven’s bodily autonomy.
Specific DNWs for Legend of Korra fic:
- Please DON’T characterize Korra as an impulsive hothead who can only use her muscles. In particular, don’t dumb her down.
Specific DNWs for She-Ra fic:
- Catra gushing about Adora or Glimmer gushing about Bow. Mentioning those relationships and even discussing their dynamics is totally fine but I don’t want either to overshadow Catra/Glimmer in importance.
What I like:
- Character moments, missing scenes, creative use of tropes (especially when those tropes are turned on their heads!)
- I always love a good ‘away mission together’ plot.
- Plot in general is very welcome but you totally don’t have to make it particularly elaborate for me (for example, one situation that the characters needs to solve/resolve is already enough).
- Post-canon and in-between canon speculation are both things I usually like a lot too.
- Characters processing their experiences and feelings together, characters coming to terms with themselves/an aspect of themselves or their life (especially with the help of the other character in the ship in question) are the kind of content that is guaranteed to make me love any fic.
- I love longing, and slow realizations about feelings of attraction and love.
- I also love fic that explores the way the characters and their relationship can change through the years.
- trans headcanons and noncanonical pronouns absolutely welcome!
Feel free to go through my AO3 works and bookmarks to have a better idea of the kind of things I like in fic!
