First off, thank you! I hope you are as excited about your assignment as I am to receive it. Hopefully the lateness of my Yuletide letter didn’t panic you too much! I enjoy a wide variety of fic, and these are truly some of my favorite canons, so really you can’t go wrong...but if you are looking for a spark of inspiration, I hope this letter provides it.
General Likes/Dislikes:
Things I love in a Yuletide fic: M/M, UST, hurt/comfort, banter, happy endings. When I look at the canons I chose, one consistent theme is that they all end on a note of hope, yet the characters I chose within these canons don't always get to experience that. I think, more than anything, what I would love to see is a chance for these characters to catch a glimmer of it for themselves (or for each other, in the canons where I've selected a pairing).
Things I generally don’t like in a Yuletide fic: AU’s set outside of the canon setting (coffee shop, etc), MPREG, graphic gore, body horror, unhappy endings. That being said, if you have a wild idea that goes against these, these are definitely more loose guidelines than DNW’s.
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Coldfire Trilogy
Damien Vryce/Gerald Tarrant
Not sure if there will ever be a Yuletide where I don't request CFT fic. I do write frequently for this fandom, but just because I write in a certain style, please don’t restrict yourself to my “usual” topics. For this canon especially, I’m excited to read what you want to write.
I’m starting my millionth re-read of the trilogy, so I am excited to read anything set either during canon, or a post-canon fix-it. Give me all the banter. Give me all the UST. Give me Gerald Tarrant doing something kind (while doing mental gymnastics to justify it to himself as FOR SELFISH REASONS ONLY). Give me Damien forgetting to agonize over what GT is and just enjoying a moment with him (bonus points for him Prophet!fanboying). Give me physical contact of some sort between them, give me the soul bond! I ship these two hard, but I am happy to read pre-slash/gen.
Dimension20: Escape from the Bloodkeep
Leiland (Kraz-Thun)
I watched Escape from the Bloodkeep 2 months ago(?) and once I was done, I immediately restarted it and watched the series again. Bloodkeep has some of my favorite Dropout cast characters, but of course it was Matt Mercer’s Leiland who stole the show for me. Someone on Reddit summed up Leiland as “All that dark power and regal lineage turned into a benny hill skit” and in response I can only say, that’s exactly why I’m here. I am happy with both pre and post-canon fic, gen or shippy (and not picky on ship). I’d really love to see Leiland navigate how to be Leiland, and not Kraz-Thun, and getting more comfortable in the “evil” found family he has created. Galfast Hamhead, while not requested, is of course 1000% welcome in any story.
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors)
Shuten/Rajura
This was my first real fandom, well over two decades ago now, and Shuten/Rajura was my first ship. I definitely carried a binder plastered outside with the Masho chibi from Amanda Swiftgold’s page and stuffed to the brim with too much printed fic from Mink’s Yaoi Cake archive. This was a rare ship even then, and I am absolutely fine with gen, and fics that include all the Masho. I would of course love a fix-it fic, but I am open to exploring missing canon scenes also. I would enjoy a fic either from Rajura or Shuten’s perspective that grapples with their encounter out on the tracks, and that sprinkles in some of their shared complex history. Feel free to bend canon details in terms of what the armor enables.
Uprooted
Solya/Marek
These two have taken up residence in my brain and will not leave me alone. They truly enable each other in a way that is absolutely toxic, but I would love a fic that lets them attempt to do better by each other. I would prefer that Marek lives in your fic, whether that means exploring pre-canon events, or a missing scene during their story, and I would definitely enjoy a fix-it (just think of the hurt/comfort possibilities!) where they get to figure out their version of a happy ending. How do they navigate a world where they both wield less power? Would they be able to make their peace enough with that to carve out something new? Or would they chafe against that lack of power, and it would be that struggle that entwines them further?
I hope this letter finds you well, but if not, then I hope this year’s Yuletide gives you an extra dose of happiness to diffuse these chaotic times. A great story can be the simplest way to turn around someone’s day and make life just a little bit brighter.
Thank you so much in advance for even taking the time to read this and consider writing for me. Due to the new requirement this year of opting in with treats, know that I am open and grateful for any that you may choose to write.
Below are my desired fandoms/pairings and story ideas, but please don’t feel stifled by the prompts. I’ve also listed my general likes and dislikes at the very bottom if you decide to go a different route.
Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs:
Characters: Leah Cornick and Bran Cornick
The world Patricia Briggs has created with Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega is ever-growing and continues to astound me with its complexity. It feels so real and has such a lush history that every surprise revelation is both shocking and simultaneously feels very organic to the story. I think the urban fantasy/paranormal aspects are handled very well, especially the werewolf dynamics and rules that Briggs has created.
One of the biggest shocks to me from the Alpha and Omega companion series is how much I’ve come to love Leah. I, like most readers, absolutely hated her when she was introduced in the Mercy Thompson books. But as we’ve come to learn more about her backstory and her relationship with Bran, I have a new level of understanding of why she is the way she is. She is so much stronger and more nuanced than I would have ever believed her capable. And while I still like Bran, he’s also a much more flawed person than I'd originally thought. I realize there are a lot of books in this world, so don’t worry about spoiling anything with your potential story. You can include as much or as little of the newer books as you’d like. I’m also going to keep my prompts relatively simple for this pairing. I only ask that Leah and Bran are not broken up. If you’d like to just write them in an adventure story without any romantic elements, that’s totally fine. I would like them to remain together, though.
Story ideas:
What are the dynamics like between Bran and Leah now that he knows more about her past? How has his understanding of her personality and actions changed with these revelations
For a long time, Bran and Leah were together without really being “together” in the emotional sense. I’d love to see them learning more about each other and falling in love all over again.
Leah is constantly full of surprises. What is something that she does that surprises Bran and/or the pack (preferably for the better), and how do they react?
While some of the more recent books have focused more strongly on Leah and Bran than in the beginning, I’d still not consider them the main characters so we don’t always get to see the full fallout of all their storylines. Taking any of the major plots involving them and giving their perspective or showing what happens later would be wonderful.
Becoming Elizabeth (TV 2022):
Characters: Elizabeth I of England and Robert Dudley 1st Earl of Leicester
There is so much that we don’t know about the inner workings of the Tudors. What we do know, though, is absolutely riveting. Who doesn’t love stories of royalty and betrayals and struggles for power? In a world that was dominated by men, Elizabeth I being a queen in her own right is part of what makes her so fascinating. Her refusal to marry just adds to the intrigue of what was going on in her mind during all of these important historical events that we only get glimpses of in books.
Becoming Elizabeth is the first show I’ve seen that dedicates so much story to the early years before Elizabeth even takes the throne. From feeling estranged from her only remaining family to being emotionally manipulated by a man twice her age, she is portrayed as such a flawed yet sympathetic character. The only ocassions where we see her actually act her age and be herself are when she’s with her friend, Robert Dudley, the only one who was truly on her side. We don’t know exactly what happened between the real life Elizabeth and Robert, but with the fictional show versions I wish circumstances were different and they could have found a way to be together. If you prefer them as just very supportive friends, most of the below prompts should still work, I would just ask little or no focus be placed on Robert's two marriages.
Story ideas:
I'm crushed we won't be getting future seasons to see Elizabeth take the throne. I'd love to see a story exploring the progression through her brother's death and sister's ascension to her finally becoming queen. How does Robert support her during any/all of these moments?
Even though I knew she was going to decline him, I still wanted to reach through the screen and shake some sense into our future queen when she turned down Robert's proposal. We know from history that Queen Elizabeth was plenty successful without a man at her side. But it doesn't make someone weak to want to be loved. What could have happened if the proposal was accepted?
I found the scene in episode 8 where Edward Seymour apologizes to Elizabeth for not stopping his brother's inappropriate actions very refreshing as we so rarely see in historical dramas any acknowledgment that these predatory behaviors are wrong. We even got an indirect acknowledgment from John Dudley when he was reading Kat's account of Elizabeth's treatment. It would be interesting to see how Elizabeth's perspective of Thomas Seymour and what he did shifts over time. We can assume that Robert knows some of what happened, but his realization that he may have gotten some of it wrong, reaction to the truth, and support to Elizabeth's emotional recovery would be a nice addition as well.
Political machinations and all of the scheming are part of what make these dramas so fun to watch! Departing from some of my more serious story ideas, I want to throw in a suggestion of just something bantery and tropey. Fake dating for political gain with ultimately friends to lovers! Throw in humorous exasperation from Edward Seymour and John Dudley who don't know how Elizabeth and Robert are so oblivious.
Fate: The Winx Saga (TV):
Characters: Riven and Musa
Despite this show’s flaws, I became instantly enamored with it. Season 2 was an improvement over season 1 in some ways, and a regression in others. One of the main positives that came out of the second season was more interactions between Musa and Riven. I was sold on them from their single (I think?) scene in the first season, and even though they still didn’t have a lot more screen time together, what they did have was *chef’s kiss*.
These two are so natural together and you can see that they genuinely enjoy being in each other’s presence. In season 1, they gave off more enemies-to-lovers vibes and I expected more of the same this season, which we got with their banter and butting heads over Musa’s specialist training. However, I was shocked by how soft Riven could also be with Musa from their discussion of Musa’s lost powers to the image of Riven carrying her prone form after battle. I’m so hopeful for another installment so we can get more relationship development and more of their insane chemistry!
Story ideas:
Episode 5 was a gift sent straight down from heaven. From Riven's pleased expression when we "saves" Musa from Terra's ministrations, to him trying to figure out what's bothering her when they're fighting, to him sitting down with Musa when she's stuck on the track and having a heart-to-heart... I want more soft Riven protecting Musa from her well-intentioned friends and having the serious conversations that need to be had. Whether it's about her not wanting her powers back in season 2 or her learning to cope with them next seadon (or something else entirely!).
It was no mistake the way the ending scenes of the second season were set up, with each fairy being comforted by a loved one. And of course Musa's comforter was in the form of Riven bring her the magic-supressing bracelets and them practicing together. We see you writers... Training sessions are practically their love language at this point. As they start to recognize their feelings for each other, what sorts of conversations do they have and what issues do they work out in the middle of a session?
I like to imagine Riven being the proud boyfriend when he hears of Musa's fighting skills coming in handy when reacuing Flora, while simultaneously being angry that she didn't have any back-up in a dangerous situation. Except, maybe as Sky has to remind him, Riven isn't Musa's boyfriend and perhaps he needs to stop being scared and avoiding the inevitable. This could even be set past season 2 when the gang getting Bloom back. There are a lot of opportunities for Riven to be the doting and overprotective not-quite-a-boyfriend.
Any type of enemies-to-lovers story you want to write would be welcome. There is so much potential here for some wonderfully angst-filled scenes! It could be reluctant allies as they work toward a common cause, fake dating to get information on someone, their friends trying to pair them up despite their protests, etc.
The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power (TV 2022):
Characters: Elrond Peredhel and Durin IV
To get this out of the way first, no, the first season was not perfect, nor was it even "good" at some points. There were many missteps with pacing and characterization. Still, I found myself sitting down each week to watch the newest episode, and I did become increasingly invested in the characters. In particular, I loved when the episodes focused on the dwarves. Durin was an immediate favorite of mine as I found him to have one of the most compelling storylines.
One thing I did appreciate with the direction the show took was the focus placed on Durin and Elrond's friendship. The actors were absolutely convincing in their portrayls of best friends that had been apart for years and were seeing each other again with a lot of history behind them. They were simultaneously heartwearming and hilarious together. Almost all of my laughs and cries were during their scenes, and each week my main wish was just to see more of their interactions and to hope they didn't become estranged. Durin and Elrond have so much going against them, but I think their bond of friendship is strong enough to prevail. I personally only see Durin and Elrond as friends so would prefer nothing overtly romantic between them. If you want to include a romance, I like all of the canon relationships (both within the show and in general Tolkien lore). I just ask that the main focus is on Durin and Elrond's friendship.
Story ideas:
All the backstory! How did their first meeting really go? It seems that Elrond was actually the one to save Durin, but the tale of the trolls sounds like a wild and hilarious time.
Durin was a better friend than I with how quickly he forgave Elrond for missing his wedding and the births of his children. I would have required a lot more groveling. Show me a Durin that is a little slower to forgive and makes Elrond do some crazy things to earn that forgiveness. Or if you want to go really off path here, change up history and have Elrond and Durin reconnect much sooner than two decades (late to the wedding perhaps?).
I truly have no predictions of how closely the show is going to follow canon given the contents of season 1. That being said, I think it would be interesting to see Durin's reaction to the rings being created, his conversations with Elrond about the rings (and perhaps Sauron), or just in general a scene(s) of Durin and Elrond conversing about the events that just took place. If you are familiar with the Tolkien canon and where the story may go, feel free to include pieces as you see fit without fear of spoiling.
All the times Durin and Elrond have supported each other over the years and have been more like brothers than just friends. Could be funny, serious, or both!
Things I don’t like:
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)
Dear Exceptional Human (or possibly Truly Remarkable AI),
I am beyond delighted that you're writing for me! I’m a gold star Yuletide participant: I’ve signed up every year, and written at least one story every year, since the challenge began. That’s great news for you, because over the years, I’ve learned that the best Yuletide gifts are the ones that weren’t quite what I had expected, and also that gifts are satisfying and joyful for me as long as it’s clear that the author put effort and care into them. Basically, as long as you avoid my Do Not Wants and run spell check, I’m going to be over the moon with excitement at whatever you write for me.
My biggest non-obvious DNW is babyfic. No pregnancy, no babies, no little kids. I’m also a grumpy Jew, so I’d prefer not to receive stories with strong Christmas themes. The “five things” format is not my favorite. Please don’t center your story around ships that I did not ask for.
While questions of race and sexuality are baked into all of my requests this year, I am not looking for issuefic centered around negotiating those identities. I'd rather read about queer and/or BIPOC folks doing stuff in the world. Should you bring up how race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and body type figure into doing stuff? Yes, please. Should the entire fic be a Socratic dialogue about how marginalization impacts the characters' lives? Not my first choice.
But I like a lot more things than I dislike! I usually read my Yuletide gift(s) while riding the L down to Chinatown for my family's annual dim sum feast, so please give me something to make me smile, laugh out loud at, or feel uncomfortably aroused by on public transportation. Porn is optional, obviously, but: oral sex, eroticized hands, exhibitionism, shower sex, gender play. I like experimental structures and styles, as well as more standard ones, and I am fine with whatever POV and tense you choose. If you are the kind of person who does multimedia or interactive fiction, or just clever footnotes, I am all for that. I love worldbuilding, whether it's adding detail to a sprawling space opera universe or fleshing out the local color of a small Southern town. I like stories that stick close to canon or present interesting “what if” canon divergences, and I also like superhero and In Space AUs.
I tend to write the fic I want to see in the world, so you’ll get a good sense of me by browsing my AO3 account. My AO3 bookmarks are a recs list, and therefore a great way to see what kinds of fic appeal to me and make me happy.
Here are the individual requests from my sign-up, with a little more detail added here and there.
Barry (TV 2018): NoHo Hank, Cristobal Sifuentes
I love my quirky, funny murder show and its quirky, funny drug kingpins who made a great show even better in season 3 by falling in love with each other. Their romance is a laid-back and functional counterpoint to the turmoil of Barry and Sally, and I love that the power of love turned Hank into a goddamned superhero toward the end of the season. Physically, neither is a conventional leading man, and this makes their intimacy super hot to me - use their bodies and their desire for each other as it is, including Hank's alopecia. I'd be very happy with in-character fluff and/or porn that captures their dynamic and the tone of the show. The end of the season leads naturally into psychological and physical hurt/comfort, with an emphasis on the comfort side of that equation. I'd also enjoy a heist narrative that goes spectacularly wrong, a retelling of events from the show from their perspective, or an Actual Superpowers AU. If you're not enthusiastic about writing relationship-focused fic, lean into the heist/caper side of things or build backstory for one or both of the characters.
DNW: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Featured or endgame romantic/sexual relationships other than Hank/Cristobal. Extensive, graphic descriptions of homophobic violence or sexual violence. Phonetic representations of accents or "broken English" used for comedy (I'm especially sensitive to this when it comes to native Spanish speakers).
The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells: Murderbot, Asshole Research Transport
I have been devouring my way through this series, and all I want is more of these two dorks interacting. I absolutely ship them - on their own terms as two agender, asexual, aromantic beings with a tremendous need for reciprocal love and companionship. The far-future corporate-run space opera universe leaves huge scope and space for worldbuilding, both in its quotidian details and in the larger politics that Murderbot and ART often don't comprehend or care about. Since Murderbot's voice and unreliable perspective dominate the series, it would be cool to read a story in ART's voice. I would love a high-stakes story similar to the novels, but with ART as the primary hero and problem-solver. I would equally enjoy quieter, fluffier fic that shows the two characters building their relationship by bonding over serialized dramas or stuff that humans just don't understand.
DNW: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Featured or endgame romantic/sexual relationships, period, for this fandom. A focus on intimate relationships other than Murderbot/ART. Sexual violence. Mundane, present-day, or historical AUs.
P-Valley (TV): Clifford "Uncle Clifford" Sayles, Lil Murda | LaMarques
Uncle Clifford/Lil Murda is one of the most romantic and real relationships I've seen on TV, and I want more of their journey together. Uncle Clifford's gender identity and presentation are so real and confident and complicated, and I love how her choice of wig and makeup (or choice not to wear them) communicate her state of mind. Lil Murda is the embodiment of "I Love How Men Love," and his evolving sense of himself as both a talented musician and a gay/queer man are portrayed with such humanity and realness. I love the two of them together in their quiet, playful, and sexy moments, and I also find them fascinating when their guarded and conflicted personalities create conflict and tension in their relationship. The lived-in world of Chucalissa is one of my favorite things about P-Valley, and I'd be delighted with fic that focuses on its quirks and history as seen through Uncle Clifford and/or Lil Murda's eyes. I don't know how you'd pull off a space opera or superhero AU, but if that challenge appeals to you, go for it. P-Valley does a beautiful job of weaving the COVID-19 pandemic into the narrative, so for this fandom and this fandom only, canon-consistent use of current events is welcome.
DNW: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Featured or endgame romantic/sexual relationships other than Uncle Clifford/Lil Murda. Extensive, graphic descriptions of homophobic, transphobic, racist, or sexual violence. Misgendering characters or using non-canon pronouns for them. Phonetic representations of regional and AAVE accents.
Fire Island (Movie 2022): Max, Will, Noah
This is an either/or request, although I would prefer that all of my requested characters get at least a line or two. Max is the most underwritten character of the five friends in the movie, and I would love a story where he gets to shine in all his fat, black, femme, nerdy fabulousness. He's the opposite of the island's gym twink aesthetic in every way, but Noah says he gets more play than anyone else in the group - let's see that happen. I don't really ship him with any of the characters from the film, so feel free to pair him with an OC or a guest star from one of my other fandoms. Or tell a story about Max without a romantic focus that builds his backstory and point of view.
On the Noah/Will front, I love them and ship them and want them to be happy forever. How do they negotiate a long-distance relationship after the movie ends? How do they let down their emotional walls and deal with their hang-ups so they can be together? Go sexy, go silly, go angsty, go full Austen - just give me the next chapter in their love story.
DNW: Stories centered around pregnancy, babies, or raising children. Strong Christmas/winter holiday themes. Featured or endgame romantic/sexual relationships other than Noah/Will, Howie/Charlie, or Max/anybody. Extensive, graphic descriptions of homophobic, racist, or sexual violence. Misgendering characters or using non-canon pronouns for them.
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:
반도 | Peninsula (2020) (aka Train to Busan 2) - Jung Seok, Min Jung, Joon Yi, Yoo Jin
Free Guy (2021) - Millie Rusk, Walter “Keys” McKeys
Automatic (1995) - J269, Nora Rochester
Zombie Detective | 좀비탐정 - Kim Moo Young/Kang Min Ho, Gong Sun Ji
You Can't Sit With Us - Sunmi (Music Video) - Any (Girl Gang Leader, Girl Gang Member with Slicked Back Hair, Girl Gang Member with Pink Machine Gun, Worldbuilding)
My Likes:
I like getting together fics most of all. I love almost every kind of romance trope (fake dating, slow burn, enemies/rivals-to-lovers, “unrequited” pining (that is really requited), marriage of convenience/arranged marriage, bed sharing, trapped together, etc.) Also, casefic, epistolary fic, consent, forbidden pleasures, beta heroes, found families, masquerades, military kink, physical imperfections, ladies being badass and female relationships (whether romantic or friendship), relationships that build tension before exploding, first kisses, equal relationships, competence, communication, U/RST, positive endings.
You may notice from the below that my ships mostly involve sweet and occasionally broken men being secretly head over heels for badass 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.
I have noticed that this year I've requested fics with interesting crossover potential - particularly with regards to Korean zombie canons. It was a total accident - I'm usually neither here nor there on crossovers - but I'm totally down this year if it inspires you!
Dislikes/DNWs:
Miserable endings. Death of requested characters. 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.
A quick note on the Korean names - I’m fine with however you choose to transliterate them. Hyphen/no hyphen, slight differences in romanisation, etc. Just do what you are comfortable with and I’ll adjust no problem. No need to add the honourifics, though
I think that’s it?
And so, to the fandoms, in no particular order:
반도 | Peninsula (2020) (aka 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?).
I would love if Jung Seok and Min Jung got together. I do think it would be a bit emotionally messy - they both have baggage (and likely PTSD), but that could be interesting to explore.
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.
Jung Seok and Min Jung end up writing letters to each other - maybe after Jung Seok is drafted into the zombie-fighting army. (Or maybe Min Jung is the one who is drafted and he looks after the girls?) I imagine it might be awkward at first but both of them could grow to love it.
A bit of Worldbuilding? We've seen a bit of what the world is like outside of Korea, but maybe an expansion of that elsewhere through the eyes of one of these characters.
Their first X together as a family? (Christmas, Chuseok, etc) Is it melancholy or filled with relief? Or both?
The family team up with the characters from Zombie Detective or You Can't Sit With Us and aren't quite sure what to make of them.
I'm happy if you want to write a story featuring/focusing on just the adults or just the kids!
Free Guy (2021)
Millie Rusk, Walter “Keys” McKeys
This movie was so much fun! I thought I'd enjoy it before going into it, but I liked it even more than expected. I liked that it tried to have a message about treating people (even fictional ones) better. And that your fate isn't written. But it didn't take itself too seriously. I was highly entertained.
Given that I'm trash for stories where men pine for women who (they think) are too good for them, I clearly shipped Millie and Keys together. I was really surprised but happy with how they resolved things between her and Guy. Ultimately, I'd love more of the getting together part of this ship but also post- and pre-canon would be good, too!
Prompts:
What happens during/after the kiss? Do they go straight to bed or do they have some lingering things to clear up first?
What kind of adventures do they get up to together inside the game? Or a different game they didn't create?
Does the memory of Millie kissing Guy (twice!) cause some lingering jealousy for Keys?
How does Millie feel about Keys' porno cop look IRL?
What did their first meeting look like? And how were the early days of their friendship?
Millie and Keys must use their software development/gaming skills to save the (real?) world.
What happens if some of the AIs from the game somehow get downloaded into the real world like coma patients or experimental robots? What kind of chaos ensues? If Antwan finds out he'll try to use it to his advantage, so how do they stop him?
An AU in which Millie didn't watch the video or didn't figure out what it meant?
Millie and Keys try to play wingman for Guy.
Given that a lot of this canon happens online - feel free to use chat logs or other formats to tell a story!
Automatic (1995)
J269, Nora Rochester
This movie is pretty obscure and hard to find, so here's a link on YouTube!
I love cyborg movies. I love almost-innocent heroes that need to learn how to Person, and the heroines that see them as more human than they are. Despite the obviously low budget of this movie, it’s one of my absolute favourite versions of this trope.
I’m most interested in post-canon fic for this, but I’d really be so thrilled to read anything! I’m fairly certain there’s no fic at all for this movie.
Prompts:
What happens after the movie ends? The two are now on the run. How do they survive? What do they learn about the world and each other? Are there other cyborgs out there? Are they being hunted? This is an opportunity to explore further world-building, too!
How does Nora deal with learning what she did about herself at the end of the movie? (Trying not to spoil it!) She’s probably pretty traumatised and maybe kind of angry about everything that happened.
Did they meet before the movie starts, but one or both had their memories wiped?
What’s their first time like?
J269 learning how to be a person and everything that entails. What kind of mistakes does he make that almost give the game away? What does he like and dislike about being “human”?
J269 dealing with Feelings for the first time and not knowing what to do with them. Nora wants him to make a move but he doesn’t quite Get It.
If they are on the run...bed sharing. Huddling for warmth. U/RST. Fake-relationship. Trope-y goodness.
Zombie Detective | 좀비탐정
Kim Moo Young | Kang Min Ho, Gong Sun Ji
Admittedly I wasn't sure what to make of this show at first. It's a horror comedy, and those two elements don't always mesh perfectly. But I ended up really liking it! It's silly at times but that's part of the fun.
The thing I liked most was actually the clever way they explained how he could be a zombie but also a functional person. Basically someone with special powers but also kinda dead? Amazing. If you want to do a bit of world building around this element I'd be cool with that, too. But also, around how being a zombie and being in a relationship works.
I like that he's a mixture of confidence and feeling unworthy. I feel like his line at the end "How can anyone date a zombie?" is something that he kinda believes and kinda doesn't. I like that! And I like that she's spunky and brave and has her own strengths to match his.
Prompts:
What happens when Moo Young meets another zombie like him? Is it evil? Is it a pretty girl? Is it an evil, pretty girl? Is Sun Ji jealous?
There are zombies in this world, so are there vampires? Werewolves? Ghosts? Gumihos? Do Moo Young and Sun Ji fight with them or team up with them? Or does Sun Ji become a supernatural creature herself?
Casefic! Maybe the murder at the end is more complicated than it first appears? Or maybe one of their friends goes missing?
Fake relationship? Bed sharing? Other tropey goodness?
What happens right after they meet again at the Halloween party? How do they get together from there?
Can Moo Young even get it up? Being dead and all. Does he have to find other ways to please Sun Ji?
I know I said no pregnancy/baby fic and usually that's true...but in this case I'm weirdly fascinated by the idea of Sun Ji getting pregnant by a zombie and whatever half-dead superpowered baby might result. Consider it world building? And whatever emotional consequences it might have for the characters. Happiness? Certainly. Nerves? Probably. Horror? Potentially…
I assume that they make at least some of their money by finding missing people (dead or alive) with Moo Young's special sense of smell. This could be funny or poignant, depending, but maybe they also get in trouble with the law? How do they explain...everything?
Can Moo Young ever really be human again? What if Sun Ji decides she doesn't want him to be?
You Can't Sit With Us - Sunmi (Music Video)
Any (Girl Gang Leader, Girl Gang Member with Slicked Back Hair, Girl Gang Member with Pink Machine Gun, Worldbuilding)
Link to the music video!
This music video is extremely up my alley. Mostly the part when cute girls in cute clothes start killing the crap out of zombies! It's very my jam.
So I'd love an expansion on that idea! I'm undecided on whether the zombie outbreak has been happening for a while and the women were just shocked to find them invading a safe oasis, or whether the zombies are a new threat. Either way is fine for me!
While I'm not really married to a romance in this canon, if it inspires you I'd prefer f/f or f/f/f, but background m/f is fine too if you want to keep the girls as friends! I don’t have any headcanons on names for these characters, but if possible please don’t name them after the actresses (eg Sunmi).
Prompts:
Origin story! How did the girls meet? How did they get their skills and weapon cache? Were they a gang of assassins before the zombie outbreak or did they learn after the fact? Were they enemies or friends first?
What happens after the video? It looks like the leader and her zombie boyfriend are about to get arrested. How do her friends get her out of that mess? (Both the arrest and the boyfriend?)
What kind of adventures do they have together in the apocalypse? How do they keep their clothes looking cute and their hair perfect? (This can be a little tongue in cheek if you’d like!) Are they the Cher Horowitzs of the apocalypse?
Crossover with one of my other zombie requests! Do the family from Peninsula meet the girls on their travels? Do the girls try to kill Moo Young from Zombie Detective and then bond with Sun Ji? You can even make the girls villains or antagonists if you like!
This definitely had a mix of retro vibes - flip phones and video stores, etc, with the song itself and the apartment more 80s - was this set in an alternate universe? A simulation? A video game? Or did they create this world themselves as a nostalgic refuge?
The girls have a rival gang that's a bit T-birds to their pink ladies. Maybe also an all-girl gang? Do they compete for kills? Reluctantly help each other? Kiss each other? Try to kill each other? All of the above?
There's a From Dusk Til Dawn reference in there. Are there also vampires around? Does one of the girls become a vampire or a zombie and her friends have to help her?
An arranged marriage situation? Idk, it's the apocalypse, go wild!
What do celebrations look like in this world? Holidays, weddings, etc?
How did the world get to where we see it in the video? I’d be down for an unusual format for this one - letters/reports/diaries/other in-universe documents.
Thank you so much! I'm sure I'll enjoy whatever you write but I hope this letter holds some useful inspiration for you!
Fandoms I want: Florida Man Catches Alligator in Trash bin (Florida Man, Alligator) Because I will never be able to eat Lava (Chaotic Himbo, Put upon Volcanoligist), Humans are Space Orcs (Human, Space Orc, Worldbuilding) Harley Quinn Cartoon (Harleen Quinzell, Pamela Isley), Hot Goth in the Woods Tweet (Hot Goth, Witch)
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), grump/sunshiney, charecter very protective of their partner
Dislikes/DNW: Angst, gore, ableism, homophobia, offensive words/names, death, self harm, mention of suicide, smut, mention of needles
Florida Man Catches Alligator in trash can:
So maybe this alligator is the mascot of the frat house but the president of the college does not know so he has to go in the trash can every week.
A parody of a nature documentary explaing what is going on
He is very drunk and mistakes the alligator for a ninja turtle
He wanted a pet alligator so he keeps it without his mom knowing
Because I will Never Get to Eat Lava:
The himbo can eat the lava as he has supowerpowers but for some insane never told the scientist
Or similar but the scientist knows the himbo has powers but the himbo doesnt know he has powers and if he knew he had them he would use them for stupid stuff
Grumpy/Sunshine
He is an idiot but he is my idiot
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
Hot Goth in the Woods Tweet:
Grumpy/Sunshine
Only I can make fun of him
He uses his magic in increasingly dumb ways to cheer her up
Thanks for signing up for this superfun exchange! This is the sixth year I’ve participated now, and I’ve always enjoyed it– I hope you do, too.
Below you’ll find the following:
General Likes/Kinks
General DNWs
Fandom Specifics/Prompts
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Rebecca Bunch, Greg Serrano
Legally Blonde (Movie) - Elle Woods
Mad Men - Peggy Olson, Stan Rizzo
Superstore - Jonah Simms, Amy Dubanowski
I’ve tried to list some varied prompts for each fandom, but please don’t feel like you have to stick to what I’ve come up with. If the rest of my letter gives you another idea you’d like to write, I’d love to read it!
a little about me to start:
My AO3 name is SuburbanSun; you can also check out my Tumblr if you’d like, and my tags for each of my requested fandoms here:
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | Legally Blonde | Mad Men | Superstore
general likes/kinks:
I’m a big trope fan in general– faves include rivals/enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, bed-sharing, trapped in an enclosed space, mutual pining, secret dating/sneaking around, slow burn, FWBs that turns into something more. Subversions of tropes are also great, so don’t feel like you have to go the obvious route if you choose to write something tropey!
I have a great love for Secret Service/bodyguard/witness protection AUs and private eye AUs, and these days I’m (perhaps unhealthily) invested in US politics/news in my everyday life, so if you want to have any of my requested characters run for office, I’d never turn that down.
Epistolary fic, either as part of a story or as all of it, is always fun to me, if it’s up your alley. Phone calls! (Phone sex?) Emails! Letters! I love it all!
I love strong-but-flawed-and-realistic female characters in general. Ladies kicking ass through cleverness and wit and competence is the best, and I love it when they’re allowed to make mistakes and fuck up and dig themselves into a hole, too.
Smut is cool and fun and here are some kinks that I like to read: Teasing. Phone sex/sexting. Semi-public sex (not actually getting caught though). Workplace sex. Dirty talk. Oral sex. Playfulness/joking around during sex.
general dnws:
Superangst and sad endings. Babyfic/kidfic/pregnancy in general. Self-harm/abuse. Noncon/dubcon. A/B/O, mpreg, incest, bestiality, hard kink. Poly/threesomes/orgies. Members of my ships being paired romantically with other people (unless it’s just briefly, on the way to an OTP-happy ending). First person POV.
fandom specifics/prompts:
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Rebecca Bunch, Greg Serrano
I loved this show from beginning to end. It’s clever, it’s feminist, it’s funny, it’s real (even as it features elaborate musical sequences!), and the characters are so flawed but so great.
I shipped Rebecca and Greg so hard in the early seasons, before he left. When I read that they were bringing the character back but recasting, I was naturally a bit suspicious-- how would that work? Would it diminish my love for the ship? Reader, it did not diminish anything, and in fact made me kind of love them even more. Skylar Astin’s performance of Greg, a little grown up and a little more put together, made me swoon. And I began to see how they could make an adult relationship work. Naturally, things went awry during the course of the final season, but I think the finale left us with so much hope that they would find their way back to each other.
I love all the other characters, so feel free to mix them in-- especially Paula!
Prompts:
Rebecca and Greg find their way back to each other! How does it happen?
Rebecca/Greg + any number of tropes– stuck somewhere together; inconvenient bed-sharing; fake dating, the works.
Maybe West Covina has run its course for both of them, and they decide-- together or separately-- to move somewhere else. Maybe Rebecca decides it’s time for her to go back to New York to give her Broadway dreams a try? Maybe Greg tags along? Or maybe it’s fate, and just as she’s made the choice to head back East, he gets a job offer there, too, so they’re both moving to NYC but aren’t technically together, and how does that work?
It’s Christmas in West Covina, and Greg gets Rebecca’s name in Secret Santa. How does he find the perfect present that says both “I’m still kind of sort of in love with you” and also “I spent no time on this whatsoever because pssh who cares?”
Legally Blonde (Movie)
Elle Woods
This movie is such a classic to me, one I can quote, and one I can’t help but watch when it’s on TV. I love Elle Woods’ determination and relentlessness, and how she’s a shining example of how prettiness and positivity doesn’t preclude smarts and success. I want more about the unstoppable Elle Woods, charging toward her ambitions with a designer handbag and the perfect pink lip.
(I generally dig Elle with Emmett in canon, but I don’t really care much about him, so if you’d rather write her solo or with someone new, go for it!)
Prompts:
Elle Woods for President! Tell me about Elle on the campaign trail. Tell me about the debate between Elle and her opponent. Tell me about how Elle interacts with her campaign staff, or her strategy to win Iowa.
Elle Woods AS President! Tell me about her first night living in the White House after she wins, or her first big challenge, or what it feels like looking out on Washington and thinking about how far she’s come.
Elle heads back to Harvard– does she become a professor? Is it to mentor young law students? Is it for a case?
Elle the Vampire Slayer AU
Mad Men
Peggy Olson, Stan Rizzo
I love and miss this show so much. It was so smart and made me feel so many things, and in truth, Peggy Olson is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction.
Peggy and Stan is such a great ship, to me, and one I was on board with from the very beginning. Omitting his boorish behavior early on, once they established a rapport, they were such equals, and he seemed to respect her so much, and vice versa. They got on each other’s nerves and knew how to push each other’s buttons, but that’s just because they connected so well and really got each other.
Prompts:
I absolutely adore the time period where they’re basically phone buddies. Maybe an AU where they get together earlier in the series, during that time? How their phone conversations evolve from discussing work to discussing everything to falling for each other (or realizing they already had)? Phone sex (or getting ever-so-close to it before realizing they’re in the office and it’s inappropriate) is a-okay here too.
In the same vein, epistolary fic could be really fun to play around with here. Maybe a story told through a series of interoffice memos, messages, notes in the margins of copy pitches and along the edges of spec art?
What are things like now that Peggy and Stan are working together and being together (and possibly living together)? It’s got to be frustrating at times but worth it in the end, right?
NASA/Space Race AU– Peggy’s a NASA scientist/engineer and Stan is an astronaut
Superstore
Jonah Simms, Amy Dubanowski
This is such a fun and funny show, one that snuck up on me but that is reliably a show I look forward to every single week. Amy and Jonah’s slow burn was a delight to watch, and I love their occasionally contentious attraction to each other, and especially how supremely dorky, pretentious and pedantic Jonah can be.
I love all the other characters, so feel free to mix them in!
Prompts:
I’m really interested in exploring Jonah’s ambition or lack thereof. Does he have any, at this point? What if he decides to quit Cloud 9 to pursue a dream? Does he get an MBA or a creative writing degree? Does he decide to write a screenplay? Give me all the pretentious but well-intentioned Jonah.
A look at before Jonah and Amy got together, or if they’d gotten together earlier-- sneaking around the store, or UST in the break room.
AU where some kind of scary outbreak (zombies? werewolves? giant bats?) has hit the town and they’re trapped in Cloud 9 while they wait it out.
So, that’s that! I really hope you enjoy the whole process this Yuletide season, and thanks for participating! Happy writing!
Oh man, author, this is my return to Yuletide after a break of many years, and I am super excited to be back!! A pre-thank you so much for the wonderful fic I can’t wait to read <3 To help you out with…well, writing it, here are some general things that I love in fanfic and in life:
Worldbuilding and history
Found families and unlikely friendships
Girls supporting girls
Slowburn romance
And now here are some more specific things I love in my requested fandoms!
Delilah Dirk & the Turkish Lieutenant
First, I am totally open to your take on Delilah and Selim’s relationship; I definitely ship them, but reading them as platonic friends is by no means a detriment! You may apply your chosen dynamic to the scenarios below:
Delilah Dirk and the Selim Family Dinner. We got the opposite scenario in Book 2, and I’ve GOT to know how this encounter would go. Does she scandalize them? Does she try too hard NOT to scandalize them and end up scandalizing them anyway? Does his mother immediately try to get her to eat food, as all mothers do? Who in his family taught him to brew tea? Are Selim’s family all like him, or is he the black sheep? I would love your answers to any of these questions!!
Delilah Dirk and the Very Large Mongolian Man with a Large Sword, Small Brain, and Bad Temper. Who was he? Why did Delilah face him in battle?? What antics was she getting into??? How did she win the fight???? This single panel from Book 1 has been on my brain for years!!!
Delilah Dirk and the Adventure of Your Choosing. Look, I love this series because I just love reading about a lady who goes on adventures with a bunch of swords. Spin me a tale, author, either between books or post-Book 3, as seven years have now passed since Delilah Dirk saved a Turkish Lieutenant in her flying ship, and I love how the two of them have grown into a true partnership. What other adventures have they gotten into that we haven’t seen between the pages?
Little Witch Academia
Though Akko and Diana are the dearest to me, I love every literally girl in this series, so pick as many of them as you see fit to include in your fic!
I CRAVE backstory and lore on the Nine Olde Witches!! I love the lore that witches don’t truly die, but instead slowly grow into trees as they become one with Yggdrasil. Reading your take on that and the witch culture surrounding mortality, time, and history would be a delight!
All the little notes of different cultures in the global witch community are so much fun, and I always wanted to know more about how Akko deals with not only entering the witch community as a non-magical outsider, but also moving across the world to a different country. Any appearances by the other girls in the series and their respective experiences of their own magic+ethnic cultures are welcome!
The teachers’ interactions with each other and with the students was something I could never get enough of! Getting backstory—perhaps maybe their own adventurous school days?—on any of them would be divine, or just old ladies hangin’ out and sharing witch gossip would be great too!
Long Long Man commercial series
CHIIIIII-CHHHHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!
Dear author, please, go as hog wild on this as you please. I confess I’m a fan of the idea that in the long, long run, Chi-chan, Toru-kun, and LLM shall set aside their dramatic history and realize they have all been in love for a long, long time, but please, don’t let that cage you. I also love the side friend (does she have a name?? she should) who points out that both packages have the same amount of delicious gummy, and would love to see her included somewhere in the story—perhaps even the events from her point of view?? All of it will please me. Anything will please me. Thank you for reading this long, long description.
(And yes, you may go through my tumblr to gather research if you like, or my ao3 (ehmazing) to see my own works and bookmark collection)
