Yuletide 2021 Exchange Letter

[silverinerivers]

Hi!

Happy Yuletide and thanks for creating something for me! The thing I love the most about fandom is seeing everyone's passions and the different takes everyone has on the same canon/premise/characters, so I'm super excited to see what you come up with!

I've organized this letter into general likes & DNWs (Do Not Wants) and then by fandom specific prompts/likes/thoughts that might inspire you. I've also requested a few of these fandoms before if you want to filter my dreamwidth tags for a given fandom. Otherwise, feel free to mix & match things in my letter, take inspiration from my AO3 works/bookmarks/older exchange letters or whatnot, or go with whatever your muse is telling you! This letter is only to help with your inspiration if you so choose. I'm also happy with gen or ship works and am cool with all ratings.

I'm also happy to receive treats for any of my fandoms at any time into the future <3 I don't think I ever truly get over things I was into - 'tis the joy of fandom, right?

AO3: silverinerivers
Other exchange letters: here

Table of Contents:

Likes
DNWs

Wotakoi: Love is hard for Otaku
Yuukoku no Moriarty/Moriarty the Patriot
The Social Network
Hibike Euphonium
Vanitas no Carte/The Case Study of Vanitas
Blue Lock

Likes:

• Settings based in canon:
  • Examples: canon-divergence, missing scenes in canon, post-canon, pre-canon, etc.
  • I adore works that deal with the 'what-if's, and gaps in worldbuilding/lore/character relationships that get explored/explained!
• AUs:
  • Some common AUs I like include: magic/magical realism, royalty, time loops, alternative professions, reincarnation (especially if it ties into their canon-selves!)
  • I also love AUs based off other established canons (Hogwarts is my personal fav, alongside Hunger Games/Avatar the Last Airbender, but really anything goes as long as you depict it in a way that doesn't require me to know the canon - maybe you'll convince me to pick it up ...)
  • I also enjoy slice of AU embedded in canon-setting (e.g. soulmates exist in canon though everything else remains the same, a/b/o secondary genders are a thing, etc)
• General Tropes/Themes:
  • Character development/character driven, b/c who needs plot, right? Not me!
  • Deep emotional connections between friends and/or family, with LOTS of trust and loyalty. Also when that loyalty is misused/abused, that's an excellent flavour too.
  • Working together as a team (effectively! or poorly and learning from their lessons!)
  • Found family
  • Competent characters, whether or not they flaunt it
  • Hurt/comfort
  • Introspection, ALL THE INTROSPECTION. I love it in whatever form you choose
  • 5+1s
  • Open endings
  • Communication, whether through words or otherwise
  • The 'oh' moment, a trope as old as time for good reason
• Romance-Specific Tropes/Themes:
  • Feelings realization: whether abrupt, long stupid pining, or like long stupid mutual pining. All good flavours!
  • Touch-starvation, importance and significance of touch
  • Relationship progression past just getting together. I'd like to see how they navigate their new feelings/relationship status, all the ups and downs!
  • Identity porn/use of names as symbolism to convey a specific relationship/point/identity (e.g. nickname only A calls B, given names only A can call B, that trope where A calls out B by a different name when they're in danger for the first time, all that good stuff!)
  • Dysfunctional/unhealthy relationships (e.g. codependence, power imbalance, shouldn't/can't be with each other b/c of ~circumstances~), especially when the characters are still horribly attracted/drawn to the other.
  • In every lifetime, it's you
  • For you and only you, I'll do anything. Corruption arcs are sexy, and so is A going feral/unhinged only for B.
• Smut-Specific Tropes/Themes:
  
  • Sexual tension of all varieties (accidental, a device for feelings realization, or being a tease on purpose!), especially if it's resolved by the end.
  • Dub-con and non-con of all types (Some favourite flavours include sex pollen, fuck or die, A/B/O - whether conventional or unconventional pairings/tropes, blackmail/to protect someone else/under duress, somnophilia, okay I can probably go on and on but you get the gist!)
  • Sexual insatiability - whether that be from drugs or a/b/o hormones or whatnot, your pick!
  • Edging, orgasm denial, overstimulation
  • Sexual experimentation of all types (more about the navigation of trying new things than whatever that new thing is, but either or goes!)
  • Switching, switching up power dynamics/power imbalance
  • Voyeurism, exhibitionism
  • Hatesex (with actual feelings suppressed underneath or genuine hatred, up to you), especially if it's like an unhealthy/unestablished relationship but the sex is just too good to let go of it
  • Subspace/subdrop + aftercare
  • I've also been trying to make the tag "Pining while fucking" a canonical tag on AO3 for whenever they do non-fandom canonicals again, so if you can somehow add that in as a tag, you will have my heart!!! <3

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DNWs:

• Graphic violence/gore/vore
• Crack
• A focus on pregnancy
• A focus on children/kid-fic (mentions of canonical children are ok!)
• A focus on OCs (okay if minor role, or created out of necessity to the plot without lingering on the OC's characteristics too much)
• Permanent major/any requested character death (temporary okay, major character death that's canonical okay, villains/OCs okay)
• Genderbending/Rule 63, or any unrequested gender identity headcanons playing a prominent role in the work
• First or second person POV narration (in letters/epistolary are ok!)

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Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Watched the anime & caught up to Ch70 of the manga, and will continue to be if more English translations come out.

Momose Narumi
Nifuji Hirotaka

• Fandom-specific likes:
  • The fact that they're adults and nerds AT THE SAME TIME.
  • The fact that the main four all work at the same company, their easy and natural friendship, their sleepovers, AND there's some inherent weird hierarchy/power dynamics happening there.
  • Otaku culture snippets: twitter, Narumi drawing doujins, conventions, Hanako & cosplays, gaming together, Animate, etc
• Fandom-specific prompts:
  • I am requesting only Narumi and Hirotaka here so you're not obligated to write the main 4, but I also love love love OT4 in all mixes and variations (platonic or romantic!), so pick your favourite variant(s) and enjoy <3
  • I love each of their distinct personalities and how they carve out a little bit of otaku culture for themselves. I love the girls' friendship and their mutual love for BL and how that translates over to their boyfriends' lives and how Hirotaka is more okay with it (the modeling for her doujins...help) vs Kabakura. Maybe one day that goes a little too far in terms of experimentation, whether it's for a photoshoot or on a dare or cuz they got drunk, up to you!
  • I really like the honesty and way Narumi and Hirotaka interact with each other, how they can be free to be themselves whether or not they're just playing games together or at a con. I like how he's way more functional at work than her but he sucks at taking care of himself. More of the domestic life would be sweet to see, like cooking for him, having a night in that turns into something more.
  • The most otaku date you can think of. A trip away and the shenanigans that may occur as a result of said trip would also be super cool to see.
  • Narumi taking real life inspiration/poses in order to storyboard her newest doujin. The BL shenanigans make me laugh so much, especially how Hirotaka's just like *shrug* sure.
  • Intimacy on the pairing(s) of your choosing. It might be cool if you worked in some kind of otaku-related roleplay, and how that might go over well - or not!

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Yuukoku no Moriarty | Moriarty the Patriot

Watched both seasons of the anime and am caught up to the English translation of the manga (Chapter 62 right now) and will continue to be. I prefer manga-verse, but am cool with the anime if you are!

William James Moriarty

• Fandom-specific likes:
  • Mind games & pretty much borderline flirtation between William & Sherlock and how they read each other so well.
  • The fact that the Lord of Crime is 'James Moriarty' and not specifically just William.
  • Exploration of justice, the morality spectrum, and the exceptions people make against their moral compass because of ~reasons~.
  • Everyone's unending devotion/loyalty/trust in William, and how that in turns isolates him.
  • How Sherlock calls him "Liam" and what that implies/might mean to him.
• Fandom-specific prompts:
  • I'm requesting just William here, so up to you what you'd like to focus on given his variety of relationships within the canon. My main ships here are Sherlock/William and William/Louis, but I also don't have a NOTP if you're particularly fond of something else.
  • Exploring the concept of William falling asleep at a very bad time. Does he have nightmares? How does this affect the situation? Who catches him falling asleep? Who wakes him up (if anyone)?
  • The implications of the Final Problem and how everyone comes to terms with it. On that note, recovery, taking care of an injury, angst relating to the events of the fall and how other characters take William & Sherlock's disappearance. I'm dreadfully fond of any take of potential "Last Times" and what ensues. If you did want to explore William dying, I will waive my major character death DNW for this.
  • William and Sherlock take on a case together again and having a lot of fun with it. Or frankly anything on William & Sherlock being each other's match - physically, mentally, etc. They're such a good pair together, I'd read them in any scenario (but also they need more smut so uh, shamelessly requesting if you are so inclined, b/c THE POSSIBILITIES esp with the tension & identity porn and guilt and just they're basically flirting 24/7 might as well do the mind games all the way right?)
  • A party at the Moriartys and what goes down - or in contrast, a party at 221B Baker Street.
  • William's brand of flirtation with a side of murder, and/or flirtation that goes wayyy beyond flirting.
  • Dub-con/non-con as a coping mechanism/battle for dominance and/or winning/a way to say goodbye.
  • How Sherlock potentially wins William's brothers over (mostly Louis, cuz y'know)

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The Social Network

Watched (and cried) over this movie many times. Yes, it's been 11 years. No, I'm still not over it.

Mark Zuckerberg
Eduardo Saverin

• Fandom-specific likes:
  • The progression of Mark and Eduardo's relationship and how drastically different their dynamic can be depending on which era you go for (Harvard, Palo Alto, Depositions, Post-Depositions).
  • Mark being an intelligent asshole who knows it and frankly doesn't care - or selectively cares, up to your interpretation. Always very fond of the "You have no idea what this will mean to my father / Of course I do." scene that proves he has a heart kind of interpretation and others like it.
  • Framing the events from different POVs through legal proceedings.
  • The 'Wardo' nickname and what that implicates through time.
• Fandom-specific prompts:
  
  • I'm requesting Mark and Eduardo here. Feel free to go gen or ship fic and bring in other people as you'd wish.
  • I will never ever ever get tired of fix-it fics for them. How do they fix things after the lawsuit? Who reaches out first? Is there more screaming or just being ignored? Do they forcefully bump into one another at some corporate event? I think I've read every variant of this in the fandom and I still want more. Drunken confessions? Hatesex? Tears and breaking down? Truthful reconciliations? Throwing things at each other? All of the above? Make with it as you will!
  • I think part of the tragedy is their lack of communication throughout the events of the movie, so a fic where they actually face that and explore each other's flaws together would be good, maybe even after they get together. I'm envisioning like marriage counselling/therapy kind of environment, which might even lend itself to a bit of humour! Up to you.
  • Canon-divergence AU where Eduardo does go out to California - do they finally sort out their issues together?
  • Dysfunctional Mark/Eduardo and how incredibly toxic and hot that can be when you throw the lawsuit and the aftermath in there. Emotional manipulation and all that.
  • ...just give me more sexual tension and smut if you're up for it, I don't even need plot for this pair if you so incline. Their chemistry is insane and I'd love to see them in any of the 'smut-specific likes' scenarios, because holy shit, especially depending on when this happens and their history, it can really set me on fire and/or break my heart. I always think of the hallway scene and hatesex. Maybe screwing over Eduardo was never metaphorical. Maybe that changes things in the context of the lawsuit.
  • "I was your only friend. You had one friend." This will never cease to break me.
  • Life after Facebook for Eduardo and how he does or doesn't manage to move on.
  • College experimentation/shenanigans. Think that bathroom scene, but like, more of it. How do Mark and/or Eduardo react to the other? Does that change the nature of their relationship, or cause feelings realization to happen?
  • People taking care of Mark, who doesn't seem to eat or sleep or want to if he can code instead.
  • Any number of backstories for some of the random Facebook features that exist (e.g. poking, the Wall, etc, oh my god as I type this I feel so old because I have no idea what recent Facebook features even are.)

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Hibike Euphonium

Watched all the seasons of the anime, the movie, and Liz & The Blue Bird if that helps at all! I don't have any knowledge of the novels unfortunately.

Tanaka Asuka

• Fandom-specific likes:
  • The easy light-hearted feel of the school setting, the friendships developed and the every day slice of life contrasting with the competitive nature and work needed to put in to succeed in the band
  • The friendships in particular based on different friend groups, senpai/kouhai, instruments, etc.
  • Everyone's devotion and love of music and the different ways in which they show it.
  • Found family found family found family
• Fandom-specific prompts:
  
  • I'm requesting Tanaka Asuka here specifically because she fascinates the hell out of me. But I also love her relationships with Kumiko, her other fellow upper class friends, and the entire band as a whole, if you'd like to explore any of those in particular. Romantically, I'd be interested in Asuka/Kumiko and how that'd unfold (flustered & confused Kumiko? something sweet and relatable? maybe fake dating or just a prank that turns into more? go crazy!) but anything else you're really into ship-wise would also work great by me.
  • I would also be really interested in seeing a story set around her relationship with her family and how she internalizes a lot of that and how that drives Asuka's actions. She's a very complicated character and a lot of that is because of her family upbringing and the tightrope she has to walk between. I'd love some introspective goodness there. It doesn't have to center around her family even; I'd just LOVE to see your take on how she thinks!
  • In terms of music, how does Asuka approach her euphonium studies vs school? How does she get better over time? What are her ending aspirations re: her music and in the end, what does she decide to do with her life?
  • More backstory set during the earlier years before Kumiko's time, in terms of how the band used to be and how they are now under new leadership and renewed commitment!
  • I already wrote this BUT found family found family found family. Everyone is so precious together and I'd love to see their daily interactions, from the mundane to the exciting! Anything not in a band setting would be great to see, for example a school festival or trip or something to that effect. Or go full AU, totally up for that as well!

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Vanitas no Carte/The Case Study of Vanitas

I have not watched the anime yet but I am caught up to date (Ch54 as of right now) and will continue to be in the manga.

Vanitas
Noé Archiviste

• Fandom-specific likes:
  • The tension between humans and vampires and how that history changes through time.
  • The origin and meanings behind vampires and their true names
  • Worldbuilding here in general! There's a lot the canon hasn't dug into that I'd love to see.
  • Vanitas & Noé's clash in personalities but also how they manage to read and mesh together in spite of that towards a common cause.
• Fandom-specific prompts:
  
  • I'm requesting Vanitas & Noé here. You can choose to gen or ship them together and bring in other characters as you'd like! I have a fond spot for Domi and Jeanne if you want to work them in!
  • The backstory behind Vanitas (the vampire) and Vanitas (the human), especially the experimentation done and its physical/mental lasting effects on Vanitas and how Noé reacts in response.
  • Similarly, Noé's backstory! How did he end up being sold? What was his upbringing like with the humans and then again with vampires? Does he ever come to a crossroads of having to decide definitively which side he's on? Does Vanitas cause that change?
  • Noé drinking Vanitas' blood and what brings that on? At one point Vanitas has already said he'd kill Noé if he ever did it, but I'm both interested in the memories that you may choose to explore or the fallout of tasting Vanitas' blood in the first place. Vampires drinking blood esp from the neck is so incredibly erotic and I'd be so down to read the explicit version of this where they tumble into sex as a result of whatever encounter you choose to throw them in.
  • They have also had some great moments together in terms of committing to each other's cause in numerous ways. I like how Noé is more open and loud about his declarations whereas Vanitas is more secretive and laughs things off even though you can tell he's more complicated than that. Exploring the difference in communication, perhaps leading to miscommunication, would also be wonderful to see, especially also given their personality differences and how Vanitas gets roped into Noé's kindness and antics and how Noé runs blind in Vanitas' schemes.

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Blue Lock

I'm up to date with the manga (Ch148 right now) and will continue to be!

Any

• Fandom-specific likes:
  • The insanity that is the concept of Blue Lock and how they all consented to this crazy experiment out of a desire to be the best.
  • On that note, the concept of 'ego' and how that manifests in different ways in soccer, but also in life and how each character approaches it.
  • The comradery and competition of trying to beat each other but also meet each other down the line as true friends if they are strong enough to succeed.
  • This is basically a boarding school at this point so whatever shenanigans that go on behind the scenes as teenagers do.
• Fandom-specific prompts:
  
  • I'm requesting Any character for this, as they are all individually fascinating to me! Gen or ship works for me. I literally just caught up an hour ago as I type this so I have no idea what popular ships even are, but spur of the moment, I'd be fond of Nagi/Reo, Isagi/Bashira, Isagi/Rin, Rin/Sae or whatever you choose to create!
  • More immediately post canon, how does winning the match vs the U20s change their lives and careers? Maybe a future fic where they describe Blue Lock and how it shaped them. On that note, what happens/happened to Blue Lock afterwards? Is it celebrated and revered or was it a one time success?
  • I really like their different partnerships in the sport, how some people spark better chemical reactions and plays together and are able to predict/think alike.
  • For Nagi & Reo, I really love how they grow into their own and love for the sport, especially for Reo who theoretically has everything he could possibly want, but ends up striving for the near impossible by starting a sport so late, and finding Nagi and inspiring him and calling HIM HIS TREASURE like save me. They've been through a lot together but don't seem to at least hold it too much against each other for the breakdown of their relationship halfway through the canon. I'd love to see how that has affected them and where their relationship goes from here.
  • Similarly for Rin & Sae, oh boy their backstory took me by surprise. Explain what happened to Sae to cause him to become that way, and where they go from here!
  • I really like Isagi becoming someone to watch after being the underdog, and how he and Bachira become friends over inspiring each other to unleash their inner monsters, so to speak. I like how they got each other from the get go, and the whole concept of 'steal me back' with Bachira makes my mind go places...ahem, sexy rewards and all, y'know?
  • On that note...they're away from home and it's soccer day in and day out. How do they unwind? Teenagers and hormones...give me those awkward walking in on each other, shower scenes, friends with benefits or with emotions type of deal. You know it definitely happened ;)
  • Give these boys some time off! You know those filler beach/festival type of episodes you get every once in a while? Yeah, give me some of that good old found family bonding nonsense!!

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Thanks!
Lulu