That which yields...

Dear Yuletide Writer 2025

2025-09-27T03:59:10Z

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Hey hey! Thanks for writing for me! You can get a taste for me as a fannish being on my AO3 works list and Tumblr.

DNWs: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, body horror, anything triggering for trypophobia or thalassophobia, queerphobia of any stripe, modern AUs.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to E is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent, even in the current state of the world (prefer no COVID-19 fic though; I like my apocalypses to be fictional). I also adore romantic comedies. Queer stuff! all the queer stuff! I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

( Thoughts for specific fandoms. )

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2024

2024-10-17T10:28:46Z

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Hey hey! Thanks for writing for me! You can get a taste for me as a fannish being on my AO3 works list, Tumblr, and X (however, I am in read-only mode there; please don't try to contact me using it).

DNWs: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, body horror, anything triggering for trypophobia or thalassophobia, queerphobia of any stripe.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to E is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent, even in the current state of the world (prefer no COVID-19 fic though; I like my apocalypses to be fictional). I also adore romantic comedies. Queer stuff! all the queer stuff! I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

( Specific fandom thoughts. )

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Icons?

2024-01-13T10:03:49Z

I have all these icon slots and I'm only using 21/150 of them. Are there any good icon communities on here peeps can point me to? I do have some old ones from LJ I can bring back, and I'm keen to make some new ones myself, but I want to see what the DW icon maker scene is like.

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2023

2023-10-16T09:23:02Z

Dear Yuletide Writer 2022

2022-10-16T11:00:57Z

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Hey hey! Thanks for writing for me! You can get a taste for me as a fannish being on my AO3 works list, Tumblr, and Twitter.

DNWs: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, body horror, anything triggering for trypophobia or thalassophobia, queerphobia of any stripe.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to E is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent, even in the current state of the world (prefer no COVID-19 fic though; I like my apocalypses to be fictional). I also adore romantic comedies. Queer stuff! all the queer stuff! I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

( Fandom thoughts. )

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laurenthemself @ 2021-10-16T17:10:00

2021-10-16T07:42:27Z

Critical Role Summer Wildflowers

2021-07-09T05:09:51Z

DNWs: Major character death, sexual assault, infidelity (polyam and hall passes are made of win).

Likes: Found family, flirting, double entendres.

( Specific prompts. )

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Critmas 2020!

2020-10-21T10:03:56Z

Dear Critmas writer,

Hey hey! Thanks for writing for me! You can get a taste for me as a fannish being on my AO3 works list, Tumblr, and Twitter. I have Tumblr anon asks on; if you have specific questions flick them to me there!

DNWs: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, body horror, anything triggering for trypophobia or thalassophobia, queerphobia of any stripe, infidelity.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to E is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent, even in the current state of the world (prefer no COVID-19 fic though). I also adore romantic comedies. Queer stuff! all the queer stuff!, I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

( Request-specific comments and prompts. )

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Yuletide 2020!

2020-10-17T00:17:35Z

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Hey hey! Thanks for writing for me! You can get a taste for me as a fannish being on my AO3 works list, Tumblr, and Twitter. You can anon comment here or at my Tumblr for more info.

DNWs: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, body horror, anything triggering for trypophobia or thalassophobia, queerphobia of any stripe.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to E is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent, even in the current state of the world (prefer no COVID-19 fic though). I also adore romantic comedies. Queer stuff! all the queer stuff!, I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

( Fandom-specific comments and prompts. )

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2019

2019-10-28T02:42:18Z

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you so much for joining in this annual celebration of all things fandom! I am chuffed to have you writing for me, and I hope that my requests inspire you. You can find me as notalwaysweak on Tumblr and AO3 to get a sense of me as a fannish entity. Anon asks are on at Tumblr should you wish to get more info about any of my requests.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to E is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent. I also adore romantic comedies. Genderbending (prefer not straight up cisswapping), queer stuff! all the queer stuff!, I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

General Dislikes (DNW): Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, body horror, queerphobia of any stripe.

( Fandom-specific stuff! Callisto 6, L.A. By Night, We're Alive: Frontier, Eric's TBD RPG. )

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2018

2018-10-20T07:12:10Z

Dear Yuletide Author,

Thank you so much for joining in this annual celebration of all things fandom! I am chuffed to have you writing for me, and I hope that my requests inspire you.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to NC-17 is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent. I also adore romantic comedies. Genderbending (prefer not straight up cisswapping), queer stuff! all the queer stuff!, I can't overemphasise how awesome queer stuff is!

General Dislikes (DNW): Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, tentacles, body horror, queerphobia of any stripe.

My AO3 page is here and my Tumblr is here if you want to get a feel for me as a fannish entity.

( Fandom-specific stuff! )

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Ways to Yuletide If You Missed Sign-Ups

2017-10-14T03:31:31Z

Last year, for whatever reason, I was in a bad place mentally around this time and I missed Yuletide sign-ups. I was really devastated because I've been participating since (I think) 2008 and that's a long time to commit to an annual thing and then miss it.

What I did last year, and what you can do, is stuff like this:

Sign up for the pinch hit list. If an existing writer drops out of the exchange, their assignment will go out as a pinch hit, meaning someone else can offer to write it. There's more about pinch hitting here.
Check out the Dear Yuletide Writer letter list for prompts you find appealing, and write a treat (minimum 1000 words) for someone. Can't do 1K? Hit up that treat link and scroll down to Yuletide Madness for details on how to write for that subcollection. Don't feel like clicking through pages of comments? Spreadsheet! Don't feel like searching the spreadsheet? There's an app for that!!! (This is new, I'm so excited.)
Not so into writing, but you like betaing and know some rare fandoms? This post has ways you can help out!
Not even sure what this whole Yuletide thing is? Check out the 2017 FAQ!

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Dear Yuletide Writer 2017

2017-10-08T03:44:06Z

[2017] Dear Crossovering Writer

2017-07-30T01:27:20Z

Dear Crossovering Writer,

Thank you for participating in this awesome exchange! Here is some general stuff about my likes and dislikes in fic, and then I will get on to specifics about the requests I've made.

Likes: fluff, angst with a happy ending, smut, found families, comedy, romance, pretty much any rating or pairing, tropes, banter, apocafic.
Dislikes: non-con, dub-con, scat, watersports, angst without a happy ending.

( Requests! )

You can contact me on anon via Tumblr and I will reply if you have any questions.

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Awards eligibility post.

2017-01-17T10:03:09Z

I found out that 'Tea Party', as published in Defying Doomsday, is on the eligibility list for both the 2017 Ditmars (Best Short Story) and the Aurealis Awards (Science Fiction Short Story).

I may have made some insanely squeaky noises.

seanan_mcguire's awards eligibility post is a lot more impressive than mine, but nonetheless I am going to make one. To quote Seanan:

The nomination period for the 2017 Hugo Awards and John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer is now open, and that means it's time to go over the list of what I published in 2016. Please keep in mind that you must have been a member of last year's Worldcon, OR be a member of this year's Worldcon, OR be a member of next year's Worldcon to be eligible to either nominate or vote.

I genuinely don't know what other awards I might be eligible for. If anyone knows, I'd love the information; I've been trying to find out.

Novel
The Fear Collectors (self-pubbed YA horror/fantasy)

Short Story
'Tea Party' (SF, in Defying Doomsday, from Twelfth Planet Press)

I would also like people to consider Defying Doomsday, wherever it may be eligible as a SF anthology; also Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench (the Hugos say that Editor-Short Form has to have four or more collections published, but they may be eligible elsewhere.

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Trope Bingo 2017: Amnesty Round

2017-01-02T10:18:45Z

( My 2014 card: 16/25 filled, two lines. )

( My 2015 card. 2/25. )

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Yuletide!

2016-12-25T12:10:26Z

Some lovely amazing author anon gave me Life, Love, and Complications, which is a Critical Role, Kashaw-centric fic. There's poly stuff in ways I expected and ways I did not, which is delightful. The writing is smooth and the character voices are spot on, and I just can't say enough nice things about this fic.

I feel so lucky to have gotten this considering I missed sign-ups and only did the pinch-hit. I really do.

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Dear Yuletide Author Letter 2016

2016-12-08T11:47:16Z

Dear Yuletide Author,

Thank you for picking me up off the pile of pinch-hitters and opting to gift me something. I spent a month and a half quite depressed and missed sign-ups, which only made me feel worse, so you already have my undying gratitude even before you've written a word.

I am chuffed to have you writing for me, and I hope that my requests inspire you.

Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to NC-17 is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent. I also adore romantic comedies.

Dislikes: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, tentacles, body horror.

Please no queerphobia of any stripe, ideally not even in the sense that it gets immediately called out. Most of my ships are queer in some way, I'm queer, I get enough of it. Thank you.

My AO3 page is here and my Tumblr is here if you want to get a feel for me as a fannish entity.

( Fandom-specific stuff! )

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Crossovering 2016!

2016-07-17T09:18:20Z

Crucible Character Writeup

2016-02-11T01:13:27Z

What gender am I? Darling, do you ask the ocean its gender as well? What a funny concept. Now, can I interest you in these sugared almonds, perhaps? I don't know their gender either, but they're delicious. -- Turn-of-the-Tide-at-Midnight, Ïakshai trader

Name: Turn-of-the-Tide-at-Midnight
Nicknames: Midnight (for general use); Puddle (to close friends only)
Species: Ïakshai
Culture: Salt Road
Prime Affinity: Water
Legacies: Soul Balm (2); Becalmed Mist (2)
Birthright: Bright Yearning (spreading joy)
Tale-side: Iceberg (fear of deep water)

Turn-of-the-Tide-at-Midnight deals in the simple pleasures. Whether it's just the right exotic spices for your next family reunion dinner, the transport of a love letter to that handsome Drake you're long-distance courting, or something as basic as candy from out of town, they can get it for you--or find someone who can.

( Character writeup continues under cut. )

( Crunching the numbers. )

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Yuletide!

2015-10-21T08:26:09Z

Dear Yuletide Author,

Thank you so much for joining in this annual celebration of all things fandom! I am chuffed to have you writing for me, and I hope that my requests inspire you.

General Likes: Found families, soulmates/soulmate marks, fake dating, trapped together, hurt/comfort, slow build relationships; yes, I know this is just a list of tropes, I am profoundly sorry. Anything G to NC-17 is fine by me. I adore apocafic to an unnatural extent. I also adore romantic comedies.

General Dislikes: Rape and dub-con, incest, scat, watersports, tentacles, body horror.

My AO3 page is here and my Tumblr is here if you want to get a feel for me as a fannish entity.

( Fandom-specific stuff! )

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Dear Crossovering Writer

2015-06-23T07:39:39Z

Dear Crossovering Writer,

Thank you so much for joining in on this adventure with me!

Overall requests: no non-con or dub-con, no guro, incest, scat, or watersports. Any rating is fine.

( Specifics. )

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Trope Bingo 2015

2015-01-03T09:32:19Z

au: college/highschool	day at the beach	caffeine failure	amnesia	mama didn't raise no criminal
au: steampunk	immortality/reincarnation	fake charity	amicably divorced	au: space
au: fantasy	slavefic	WILD CARD	i ate what?	bridezilla
replacement sibling	au: apocalypse	au: all-human	dinner with the boss	black market
fuck or die	de-aged	rivals to lovers	beta couple	au: band

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Dear Yuletide Author 2014

2014-10-22T08:19:34Z

Thank you so, so much for being a part of this amazing fandom exchange!

( General preferences )
( The Gymnasts - Elizabeth Levy )
( October Daye series - Seanan McGuire )
( Newsflesh Trilogy - Mira Grant )
( Frasier (TV) )

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Crossovering: Dear Writer letter

2014-06-05T02:33:02Z

OMG yay, first of all, I am so glad that you are doing this thing that is slightly crazy for me! Go you!

Overall requests: no non-con or dub-con, no guro, scat, or watersports. Any rating is fine.

( Cut for length. )

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