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Sundial Exchange - Dear Author Letter
Dear Creator!
I am so sorry this is late, the pre-holiday times kept getting between me and writing this letter. :(
You've already received my requests, and the info that I put in the form. I hope it was somewhat inspiring! But if you're looking for more details, read below.
Media:
I am happy to receive anything you want to create, as long as you genuinely want to create it. I love all fanworks just for the fact that they exist, and if you're making something for me, I will definitely enjoy it. I hope I can inspire you with my requests. If I manage to do that, and you go and create something from that inspiration, I will love it no matter what it is.
My prompts will sound like fic prompts just because I myself am primarily a writer and that's the way my brain works. If you're planning to create something other than fic, please don't be discouraged. I hope my requests will still be useful and/or inspiring to you.
General likes:
There was a thing going around on Twitter a while ago asking people to describe the character types they always fall for, and I realized that for me it's, well, dumbasses. I can appreciate reading about characters with foresight and intricate strategy skills, but there's nothing that makes me as stupidly happy as a character who stumbles from one disaster to the next, tries their best, and succeeds more through dumb luck than their own doing.
At the same time, I enjoy characters who are very emotionally honest, and who are sure of their feelings. Doesn't mean they can't struggle with them--being in love with someone you shouldn't be in love with, or who is very difficult to love, can be a struggle even if you don't doubt that you love them. I tend to enjoy characters who recognize their own emotions and act on them (even if that gets them into a lot of trouble and they end up regretting it) rather than deliberate and question themselves.
So for the two fandoms I've requested, these qualities are what I enjoy: the genuine intimacy that the characters share, the bonds of trust and friendship, the familiarity, and the innate humor and comfort that comes with close relationships like that even when you're dealing with truly horrific circumstances.
I've listed some tropes in my request that I feel cater to the above-described preferences, but please feel free to branch out. Specifically for fic, I enjoy a mix of angst and fluff, leaning towards the angst but with a happy or open ending. Smut, including smutty kink, is welcome, but please no PWP. (As for what kind of kink: please no humiliation kink, animal/role play, or age play. Otherwise I'm pretty open, and especially enjoy pain/endurance play.)
I listed my general DNWs in my request, but here they are again for completion's sake: please no a/b/o, cat ears or other animal body parts on characters who do not canonically have them, or chibi art.
Fandom-specific likes and dislikes:
Guardian
I have only seen the drama, and know next to nothing about the novel or other adaptations, so I'd appreciate something that sticks to or expands on drama canon. I am here for Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei, and specifically Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei. I like them as an established relationship from episode 14 (or something) onward, and am especially curious about how they actually end up arranging themselves with each other. They sure get together quickly, but it's not until after the finale (and some sort of finale fix-it of any degree of handwavey that you prefer) that they actually know what they're in for. Once all of Shen Wei's secrets are out in the open, and Zhao Yunlan understands the scope of, well, everything, how does that affect them?
If that's not your cup of tea, I am also here for any sort of hurt/comfort or sickfic (or ... sickart. What is that trope called in art?) I'm quite easy, I will enjoy most of anything in that genre. If that is also not your thing, and you'd really rather focus only on one character, I will enjoy anything that gives me insight into Zhao Yunlan--his fake bro persona, his way of handling things going off of intuition only, and especially his relationship with his dad(s). If you'd like to tackle a take on his way of dealing with being queer in a society that doesn't necessarily condone that, I would be here for it. I just like him a whole lot and would love to learn more.
I know it's backwards to say "please no pining" for Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, but pining is not a trope I'm hugely interested in, so I'd prefer if you didn't focus on it too much.
TLTR - don't read this if you haven't seen it, it's spoilery
My god, this show. Here's my reaction thread on Twitter, it may give you an idea of what I enjoy about it.
Again, I don't know any canon beyond the show, so I'd enjoy something that sticks to or expands on it. I am so very much here for Pangzi/Wu Xie. I definitely ship the Iron Triangle as an OT3, but Xiaoge doesn't seem like the type to stick around for more than sex and occasional tomb shenanigans. This leaves Wu Xie and Pangzi in Wushanju living their best bad-antiques-dealer lives, and I'd like to hear all about it.
It doesn't have to be domestic fluff. I didn't request fluff just because pure fluff doesn't quite work for me. If you've got a fluffy idea, maybe there's something you can add in that would give it an edge? You could draw on the h/c themes from the show (I would love more about that. If you're feeling angsty, I'd take an angst-fest from somewhere mid-show about Pangzi facing the idea of losing Wu Xie and not knowing how to deal. The show gives me the happy ending I crave, so if you wanted to, you could go hog-wild.), or you can come up with some other struggle or conflict. I'm also happy to have Xiaoge in the mix; I do like him, too. I just mostly like him in combination with Pangzi and Wu Xie, and would rather not have him be the sole or main focus character.
Some random ideas:
* antiques deal gone very badly so that someone (let's be honest, probably Wu Xie) needs a rescue
* sickfic post-show where Pangzi is suddenly blindsided with repressed terror he went through while Wu Xie was sick on the show
* Wu Xie getting dragged into something he doesn't tell Pangzi about "to protect him" and it goes badly (of course)
* they get a haunted or poisoned artifact in Wushanju and naturally fail to contain it
* something related to 1x03--Pangzi mentions that Wu Xie got sick after they got back from finding the treasure cave; would love to know more about that
This got so extremely long, I hope I didn't scare you off. Most of all, have fun making whatever you decide to make! <3
I am so sorry this is late, the pre-holiday times kept getting between me and writing this letter. :(
You've already received my requests, and the info that I put in the form. I hope it was somewhat inspiring! But if you're looking for more details, read below.
Media:
I am happy to receive anything you want to create, as long as you genuinely want to create it. I love all fanworks just for the fact that they exist, and if you're making something for me, I will definitely enjoy it. I hope I can inspire you with my requests. If I manage to do that, and you go and create something from that inspiration, I will love it no matter what it is.
My prompts will sound like fic prompts just because I myself am primarily a writer and that's the way my brain works. If you're planning to create something other than fic, please don't be discouraged. I hope my requests will still be useful and/or inspiring to you.
General likes:
There was a thing going around on Twitter a while ago asking people to describe the character types they always fall for, and I realized that for me it's, well, dumbasses. I can appreciate reading about characters with foresight and intricate strategy skills, but there's nothing that makes me as stupidly happy as a character who stumbles from one disaster to the next, tries their best, and succeeds more through dumb luck than their own doing.
At the same time, I enjoy characters who are very emotionally honest, and who are sure of their feelings. Doesn't mean they can't struggle with them--being in love with someone you shouldn't be in love with, or who is very difficult to love, can be a struggle even if you don't doubt that you love them. I tend to enjoy characters who recognize their own emotions and act on them (even if that gets them into a lot of trouble and they end up regretting it) rather than deliberate and question themselves.
So for the two fandoms I've requested, these qualities are what I enjoy: the genuine intimacy that the characters share, the bonds of trust and friendship, the familiarity, and the innate humor and comfort that comes with close relationships like that even when you're dealing with truly horrific circumstances.
I've listed some tropes in my request that I feel cater to the above-described preferences, but please feel free to branch out. Specifically for fic, I enjoy a mix of angst and fluff, leaning towards the angst but with a happy or open ending. Smut, including smutty kink, is welcome, but please no PWP. (As for what kind of kink: please no humiliation kink, animal/role play, or age play. Otherwise I'm pretty open, and especially enjoy pain/endurance play.)
I listed my general DNWs in my request, but here they are again for completion's sake: please no a/b/o, cat ears or other animal body parts on characters who do not canonically have them, or chibi art.
Fandom-specific likes and dislikes:
Guardian
I have only seen the drama, and know next to nothing about the novel or other adaptations, so I'd appreciate something that sticks to or expands on drama canon. I am here for Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei, and specifically Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei. I like them as an established relationship from episode 14 (or something) onward, and am especially curious about how they actually end up arranging themselves with each other. They sure get together quickly, but it's not until after the finale (and some sort of finale fix-it of any degree of handwavey that you prefer) that they actually know what they're in for. Once all of Shen Wei's secrets are out in the open, and Zhao Yunlan understands the scope of, well, everything, how does that affect them?
If that's not your cup of tea, I am also here for any sort of hurt/comfort or sickfic (or ... sickart. What is that trope called in art?) I'm quite easy, I will enjoy most of anything in that genre. If that is also not your thing, and you'd really rather focus only on one character, I will enjoy anything that gives me insight into Zhao Yunlan--his fake bro persona, his way of handling things going off of intuition only, and especially his relationship with his dad(s). If you'd like to tackle a take on his way of dealing with being queer in a society that doesn't necessarily condone that, I would be here for it. I just like him a whole lot and would love to learn more.
I know it's backwards to say "please no pining" for Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, but pining is not a trope I'm hugely interested in, so I'd prefer if you didn't focus on it too much.
TLTR - don't read this if you haven't seen it, it's spoilery
My god, this show. Here's my reaction thread on Twitter, it may give you an idea of what I enjoy about it.
Again, I don't know any canon beyond the show, so I'd enjoy something that sticks to or expands on it. I am so very much here for Pangzi/Wu Xie. I definitely ship the Iron Triangle as an OT3, but Xiaoge doesn't seem like the type to stick around for more than sex and occasional tomb shenanigans. This leaves Wu Xie and Pangzi in Wushanju living their best bad-antiques-dealer lives, and I'd like to hear all about it.
It doesn't have to be domestic fluff. I didn't request fluff just because pure fluff doesn't quite work for me. If you've got a fluffy idea, maybe there's something you can add in that would give it an edge? You could draw on the h/c themes from the show (I would love more about that. If you're feeling angsty, I'd take an angst-fest from somewhere mid-show about Pangzi facing the idea of losing Wu Xie and not knowing how to deal. The show gives me the happy ending I crave, so if you wanted to, you could go hog-wild.), or you can come up with some other struggle or conflict. I'm also happy to have Xiaoge in the mix; I do like him, too. I just mostly like him in combination with Pangzi and Wu Xie, and would rather not have him be the sole or main focus character.
Some random ideas:
* antiques deal gone very badly so that someone (let's be honest, probably Wu Xie) needs a rescue
* sickfic post-show where Pangzi is suddenly blindsided with repressed terror he went through while Wu Xie was sick on the show
* Wu Xie getting dragged into something he doesn't tell Pangzi about "to protect him" and it goes badly (of course)
* they get a haunted or poisoned artifact in Wushanju and naturally fail to contain it
* something related to 1x03--Pangzi mentions that Wu Xie got sick after they got back from finding the treasure cave; would love to know more about that
This got so extremely long, I hope I didn't scare you off. Most of all, have fun making whatever you decide to make! <3