Yuletide 2012!
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Hi there! I am super excited that you're offering to write in one of the fandoms I requested. I love all three fandoms and canons a lot, and can't wait to see what you produce for me this year. I bet I'm going to love it.
I said this in my letter last year, as well (which is here, on the off chance that you're curious), but it bears repeating: it's very important to me that you have fun writing a story for me. I've done other exchanges in the past where I've struggled to come up with something to write or something that doesn't feel forced because I felt too tied down or uninspired by the person's requests, and that was brutal. So I'm being genuine when I say that Optional Details are Optional here. Have fun with it. I've tried to give you an idea of things that I like for each fandom, along with prompts, below. Hopefully that'll help, but I understand if you just aren't feeling it. If you're proud of the story and you enjoyed writing it for me, that'll come through, and I know that I'll love it.
Also, I'm a rambler. Sorry in advance for all the text! That's why I'm bolding - so you don't have to read it all if you don't want to. :)
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Likes & Dislikes
When it comes to types of fic I enjoy, I generally enjoy canon-complient stories; AUs and crossovers aren't usually for me. I'll read angst, fluff, humour, romance, and smut fic - whatever you're comfortable with. I'm open to just about any trope, so long as it's done well. (Which I know is subjective, but I trust you; if you feel you've done it well, I bet you have.)
I'll read het, slash, femme, or gen fic. I've listed my favourite pairings from each fandom below, so if you want to write those, great! I'd love that. But don't feel tied to those - if you aren't comfortable writing any of those pairings, gen or friendship fic is always welcome. Just taking the characters in that pairing and writing them into something friendship-based would be great. I've tried to give a couple gen prompts in every fandom, to help you out if you aren't a ship writer.
The only trigger you'd need to worry about for me is mentions of disordered eating, namely pro-ana talk. I can't imagine that would work its way into most fics, but I figured I'd mention it just in case. Better safe than sorry. I also have a couple strong squicks: namely, rape/non-con, mpreg, and watersports/scat/bloodplay. I know many people feel this way, but again, better safe than sorry. I also get really uncomfortable reading songfic (namely, stanzas of lyrics interspersed throughout the fic) and reading about crying men. I usually just laugh awkwardly, which I'm sure isn't the desired effect. And character bashing is no bueno, if you ask me.
Feel free to poke around my Tumblr if you need a better idea of what types of things I like! Although I really only reblog a few things every week, so it may not be very helpful after all.
Now let's get a little fandom-specific!
Just a note: the following sections have spoilers for "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and "Bare: A Pop Opera", so proceed with caution!
-------------------------------------
Teen Wolf RPF
Any - I genuinely love this entire cast, and I think they're a lot of fun together. There are lots of fun combinations you could put them in (check out my letter for favourite ships), or you could write them all into an awesome fic full of hijinks. Also, if you want to give a minor part to someone who wasn't nominated (ie Crystal Reed, Gage Golightly, Stephen Lunsford), go for it. I genuinely love everyone.
I love the "Teen Wolf" actors and Jeff Davis, the show's creator. (For letter purposes, I'm going to refer to them all as actors from here on out. But Jeff's included in that!) They're really adorable in interviews, and there's so little RPF in the fandom, it makes me sad. I'm sure you've noticed that I put "Any" under Characters for this request, and I mean it. I love everyone. ETA: I just wanted to add - you do NOT have to include everyone in this! Any combination of these actors is excellent with me. I have my favourite ships - Colton Haynes/Tyler Posey, Tyler Posey/Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin/Daniel Sharman, Holland Roden/Tyler Hoechlin, Colton Haynes/Tyler Hoechlin - but don't feel married to any of those pairings. You could probably put any two of these castmates together and write me ship fic that'll make me happy, given that I had to force myself to stop listing pairings here! (Although I am less comfortable with shipping the older actors, just to keep in mind. But this doesn't mean you can't write friendship fic about them!) Ship fic not your thing? Friendship fic! I would love two or three or four or all of them just being BFFs together. Getting into trouble, playing pranks on Jeff, having fun... I seriously think you could make any pairing work in friendship fic. I will say, though, that I'm not much of a Sterek shipper (I'll take it or leave it, you know?) - so absolutely feel free to write Dylan O'Brien/Tyler Hoechlin, by all means, just... try not to make them Sterek, if that makes sense, please. And I know Colton's now left the show, so you're free to write with or without that detail in mind - I'm fine either way. Just no everybody-hates-Colton-for-leaving fic, please!
Prompts and Suggestions: What if two of the actors start dating, and try to keep their new relationship a secret from their nosy costars? What if two actors have their first same-sex sexual encounter together? What if two actors try to make their character relationship more believable by giving some roleplay a try in everyday situations? What if one actor gets drunk and wanders off when they're all out partying, and has to be tracked down? What if several of the actors get together and go on a road trip?
Go For It: silliness, smut, adults hanging out with the 'kids', angst with a hopeful ending, romance, domesticity.
Please Stay Away From: crack, referencing fandom in-jokes (ie sourwolf), ageplay on a creepy level (ie an older actor using their age to intimidate/gain power over a younger actor), actors acting exactly like their characters (unless the actor's doing it on purpose).
-------------------------------------
What To Expect When You're Expecting
Marco/Rosie - These two had amazing chemistry and I wish the entire movie had been about them, honestly. Little moments between the two of them throughout her pregnancy, a missing scene in the aftermath of her miscarriage, them getting back together... basically, I just want more of these two together!
Okay, I'll confess: the entirety of "What To Expect When You're Expecting" didn't do much for me. But the storyline between Marco (Chace Crawford) and Rosie (Anna Kendrick)? That, I loved. They had fantastic chemistry and were so much fun together, and then things just got sad, and the movie didn't give me enough closure at the ending for those two. Just hand-holding is not enough! Sigh. So basically, I want more of them! I found two scenes from the movie on Youtube: their first scene together at their food trucks, and their first kiss by the car, if you need a refresher. (Plus they're only in about 16 minutes worth of the movie, so the canon's easy to catch up on.) As the movie's an ensemble piece, every storyline was kind of rushed; I just really want to see more of Marco and Rosie's story. I think the movie laid a lot of personality down for the two of them in a short period of time, so I'd love to see that expanded on. Little things that fill in the gaps, maybe; something where we could watch them fall for each other for real. But I'm definitely open! It's harder to take a non-ship angle with this particular request, I know - I'm sorry! If you aren't a ship writer, I'd be more than happy with something domestic and friends-based for the two of them. I really just want something that has their fun, banter-filled dynamic down.
Prompts and Suggestions: What if Marco and Rosie had actually gone to prom together back in high school? What if Rosie didn't miscarry, and they had the baby? What was a typical night like for the two of them once they found out she was pregnant? What if Rosie decides she wants them to be friends, instead of dating again at the end of the movie? What do Rosie's roommates and Marco's coworkers think of their situation?
Go For It: snark, fun moments, romance, high school scenes/flashbacks, food truck fun, smut, angst with a hopeful ending, kidfic.
Please Stay Away From: heavily including other plotlines from the movie (let's be real, this one was the best), complete and utter sadness and despair.
-------------------------------------
bare: A Pop Opera
(i wish i had a better quality gif, but c'est la vie with musicals, i guess!)
Peter/Jason - I'd love to see them happy, back before everything got complicated and all the bad things happened. Watching them fall for one another or confessing their feelings or having fun with the relationship would be perfect. (But I love angst, so if you're all about the Bare angst, have at it!) Feel free to include anyone else from the "Bare" universe, especially Nadia and/or Ivy.
"Bare" is probably one of the saddest musicals I know, with some of the most beautiful music. I think that all the main characters have their problems and struggles, and I think they're all relatable, which I like. The musical is so sad, so for fic, you can go two ways with this - if you like angst, you can use the opportunity to indulge; if you like happier stories, then by all means, show me the happy sides of these characters! The only thing I ask is that if you delve into angst, please don't make the ending completely devastating? I like my angst with a little bit of hope or bittersweetness. I'd love to see something that explores a part of their relationship we didn't get to see in canon. I love the playful bits in the song "You and I", which is kind of what I'm thinking of. (The rest of the songs are on Youtube and there's an awesome synopsis of the play here!) If you aren't interested in writing something shippy here, I'd love to see them as new friends, before romance complicated things. And feel free to include other characters from the musical! Nadia's probably my favourite, and I love Ivy, and Matt and Sister Chantelle and Peter's mother Claire can definitely make things interesting. I love the bittersweet tone of "Bare", of teenagers growing up and finding themselves in a confusing environment where they can't really find anyone to talk to. Anything that sort of draws on those feelings will be amazing, I know it.
Prompts and Suggestions: What was the beginning of Peter and Jason's relationship like? What were other relationships like in Jason's life leading up to his with Peter? What would happen to their relationship if Jason lived and Ivy had the baby? What if Nadia found out about Jason and Peter early, before anyone else? What if Peter and Jason take it upon themselves to try and play matchmaker for Nadia?
Go For It: fic that acts as snapshots into a character's life, romance, happiness, angst, smut, awesome ladies, a ticking clock.
Please Stay Away From: including entire groups of song lyrics (one line here and there won't hurt), Ivy-bashing, too much religion/preaching, crack, crying men.
-------------------------------------
And I think that's all I have to say! Apologies for the large amount of text. I sincerely hope you don't find this letter too confusing or restrictive - I wanted to give you as much to work with as possible without being a pain. Hopefully I've done that. As I mentioned at the beginning, do not feel tied to anything I've mentioned here. Please just write a story in one of these fandoms that you're happy with, and I bet I'll love it. I'm dying for fic in any of these three fandoms, so in my eyes, you're already awesome.
Thank you so much in advance, Yuletide Writer! I'm really excited. Happy writing!
♥, kissoffools
Hi there! I am super excited that you're offering to write in one of the fandoms I requested. I love all three fandoms and canons a lot, and can't wait to see what you produce for me this year. I bet I'm going to love it.
I said this in my letter last year, as well (which is here, on the off chance that you're curious), but it bears repeating: it's very important to me that you have fun writing a story for me. I've done other exchanges in the past where I've struggled to come up with something to write or something that doesn't feel forced because I felt too tied down or uninspired by the person's requests, and that was brutal. So I'm being genuine when I say that Optional Details are Optional here. Have fun with it. I've tried to give you an idea of things that I like for each fandom, along with prompts, below. Hopefully that'll help, but I understand if you just aren't feeling it. If you're proud of the story and you enjoyed writing it for me, that'll come through, and I know that I'll love it.
Also, I'm a rambler. Sorry in advance for all the text! That's why I'm bolding - so you don't have to read it all if you don't want to. :)
-------------------------------------
Likes & Dislikes
When it comes to types of fic I enjoy, I generally enjoy canon-complient stories; AUs and crossovers aren't usually for me. I'll read angst, fluff, humour, romance, and smut fic - whatever you're comfortable with. I'm open to just about any trope, so long as it's done well. (Which I know is subjective, but I trust you; if you feel you've done it well, I bet you have.)
I'll read het, slash, femme, or gen fic. I've listed my favourite pairings from each fandom below, so if you want to write those, great! I'd love that. But don't feel tied to those - if you aren't comfortable writing any of those pairings, gen or friendship fic is always welcome. Just taking the characters in that pairing and writing them into something friendship-based would be great. I've tried to give a couple gen prompts in every fandom, to help you out if you aren't a ship writer.
The only trigger you'd need to worry about for me is mentions of disordered eating, namely pro-ana talk. I can't imagine that would work its way into most fics, but I figured I'd mention it just in case. Better safe than sorry. I also have a couple strong squicks: namely, rape/non-con, mpreg, and watersports/scat/bloodplay. I know many people feel this way, but again, better safe than sorry. I also get really uncomfortable reading songfic (namely, stanzas of lyrics interspersed throughout the fic) and reading about crying men. I usually just laugh awkwardly, which I'm sure isn't the desired effect. And character bashing is no bueno, if you ask me.
Feel free to poke around my Tumblr if you need a better idea of what types of things I like! Although I really only reblog a few things every week, so it may not be very helpful after all.
Now let's get a little fandom-specific!
Just a note: the following sections have spoilers for "What To Expect When You're Expecting" and "Bare: A Pop Opera", so proceed with caution!
-------------------------------------
Teen Wolf RPF
Any - I genuinely love this entire cast, and I think they're a lot of fun together. There are lots of fun combinations you could put them in (check out my letter for favourite ships), or you could write them all into an awesome fic full of hijinks. Also, if you want to give a minor part to someone who wasn't nominated (ie Crystal Reed, Gage Golightly, Stephen Lunsford), go for it. I genuinely love everyone.
I love the "Teen Wolf" actors and Jeff Davis, the show's creator. (For letter purposes, I'm going to refer to them all as actors from here on out. But Jeff's included in that!) They're really adorable in interviews, and there's so little RPF in the fandom, it makes me sad. I'm sure you've noticed that I put "Any" under Characters for this request, and I mean it. I love everyone. ETA: I just wanted to add - you do NOT have to include everyone in this! Any combination of these actors is excellent with me. I have my favourite ships - Colton Haynes/Tyler Posey, Tyler Posey/Dylan O'Brien, Tyler Hoechlin/Daniel Sharman, Holland Roden/Tyler Hoechlin, Colton Haynes/Tyler Hoechlin - but don't feel married to any of those pairings. You could probably put any two of these castmates together and write me ship fic that'll make me happy, given that I had to force myself to stop listing pairings here! (Although I am less comfortable with shipping the older actors, just to keep in mind. But this doesn't mean you can't write friendship fic about them!) Ship fic not your thing? Friendship fic! I would love two or three or four or all of them just being BFFs together. Getting into trouble, playing pranks on Jeff, having fun... I seriously think you could make any pairing work in friendship fic. I will say, though, that I'm not much of a Sterek shipper (I'll take it or leave it, you know?) - so absolutely feel free to write Dylan O'Brien/Tyler Hoechlin, by all means, just... try not to make them Sterek, if that makes sense, please. And I know Colton's now left the show, so you're free to write with or without that detail in mind - I'm fine either way. Just no everybody-hates-Colton-for-leaving fic, please!
Prompts and Suggestions: What if two of the actors start dating, and try to keep their new relationship a secret from their nosy costars? What if two actors have their first same-sex sexual encounter together? What if two actors try to make their character relationship more believable by giving some roleplay a try in everyday situations? What if one actor gets drunk and wanders off when they're all out partying, and has to be tracked down? What if several of the actors get together and go on a road trip?
Go For It: silliness, smut, adults hanging out with the 'kids', angst with a hopeful ending, romance, domesticity.
Please Stay Away From: crack, referencing fandom in-jokes (ie sourwolf), ageplay on a creepy level (ie an older actor using their age to intimidate/gain power over a younger actor), actors acting exactly like their characters (unless the actor's doing it on purpose).
-------------------------------------
What To Expect When You're Expecting
Marco/Rosie - These two had amazing chemistry and I wish the entire movie had been about them, honestly. Little moments between the two of them throughout her pregnancy, a missing scene in the aftermath of her miscarriage, them getting back together... basically, I just want more of these two together!
Okay, I'll confess: the entirety of "What To Expect When You're Expecting" didn't do much for me. But the storyline between Marco (Chace Crawford) and Rosie (Anna Kendrick)? That, I loved. They had fantastic chemistry and were so much fun together, and then things just got sad, and the movie didn't give me enough closure at the ending for those two. Just hand-holding is not enough! Sigh. So basically, I want more of them! I found two scenes from the movie on Youtube: their first scene together at their food trucks, and their first kiss by the car, if you need a refresher. (Plus they're only in about 16 minutes worth of the movie, so the canon's easy to catch up on.) As the movie's an ensemble piece, every storyline was kind of rushed; I just really want to see more of Marco and Rosie's story. I think the movie laid a lot of personality down for the two of them in a short period of time, so I'd love to see that expanded on. Little things that fill in the gaps, maybe; something where we could watch them fall for each other for real. But I'm definitely open! It's harder to take a non-ship angle with this particular request, I know - I'm sorry! If you aren't a ship writer, I'd be more than happy with something domestic and friends-based for the two of them. I really just want something that has their fun, banter-filled dynamic down.
Prompts and Suggestions: What if Marco and Rosie had actually gone to prom together back in high school? What if Rosie didn't miscarry, and they had the baby? What was a typical night like for the two of them once they found out she was pregnant? What if Rosie decides she wants them to be friends, instead of dating again at the end of the movie? What do Rosie's roommates and Marco's coworkers think of their situation?
Go For It: snark, fun moments, romance, high school scenes/flashbacks, food truck fun, smut, angst with a hopeful ending, kidfic.
Please Stay Away From: heavily including other plotlines from the movie (let's be real, this one was the best), complete and utter sadness and despair.
-------------------------------------
bare: A Pop Opera
(i wish i had a better quality gif, but c'est la vie with musicals, i guess!)
Peter/Jason - I'd love to see them happy, back before everything got complicated and all the bad things happened. Watching them fall for one another or confessing their feelings or having fun with the relationship would be perfect. (But I love angst, so if you're all about the Bare angst, have at it!) Feel free to include anyone else from the "Bare" universe, especially Nadia and/or Ivy.
"Bare" is probably one of the saddest musicals I know, with some of the most beautiful music. I think that all the main characters have their problems and struggles, and I think they're all relatable, which I like. The musical is so sad, so for fic, you can go two ways with this - if you like angst, you can use the opportunity to indulge; if you like happier stories, then by all means, show me the happy sides of these characters! The only thing I ask is that if you delve into angst, please don't make the ending completely devastating? I like my angst with a little bit of hope or bittersweetness. I'd love to see something that explores a part of their relationship we didn't get to see in canon. I love the playful bits in the song "You and I", which is kind of what I'm thinking of. (The rest of the songs are on Youtube and there's an awesome synopsis of the play here!) If you aren't interested in writing something shippy here, I'd love to see them as new friends, before romance complicated things. And feel free to include other characters from the musical! Nadia's probably my favourite, and I love Ivy, and Matt and Sister Chantelle and Peter's mother Claire can definitely make things interesting. I love the bittersweet tone of "Bare", of teenagers growing up and finding themselves in a confusing environment where they can't really find anyone to talk to. Anything that sort of draws on those feelings will be amazing, I know it.
Prompts and Suggestions: What was the beginning of Peter and Jason's relationship like? What were other relationships like in Jason's life leading up to his with Peter? What would happen to their relationship if Jason lived and Ivy had the baby? What if Nadia found out about Jason and Peter early, before anyone else? What if Peter and Jason take it upon themselves to try and play matchmaker for Nadia?
Go For It: fic that acts as snapshots into a character's life, romance, happiness, angst, smut, awesome ladies, a ticking clock.
Please Stay Away From: including entire groups of song lyrics (one line here and there won't hurt), Ivy-bashing, too much religion/preaching, crack, crying men.
-------------------------------------
And I think that's all I have to say! Apologies for the large amount of text. I sincerely hope you don't find this letter too confusing or restrictive - I wanted to give you as much to work with as possible without being a pain. Hopefully I've done that. As I mentioned at the beginning, do not feel tied to anything I've mentioned here. Please just write a story in one of these fandoms that you're happy with, and I bet I'll love it. I'm dying for fic in any of these three fandoms, so in my eyes, you're already awesome.
Thank you so much in advance, Yuletide Writer! I'm really excited. Happy writing!
♥, kissoffools