NEW FOR 2026: Master "Dear Writer" Letter

[graycardinal]

In an effort to save some time in drafting individual signups, I'm trying something new this year; starting with this year's unsent_letters exchange, assigned writers (and interested treat-writers) will get two posts as opposed to one. This master post will cover my general interests & likes, and there will be an individual signup post with specifics regarding prompts and DNWs for each particular exchange. The AO3 signup will link to the exchange-specific post, and each exchange-specific post will include a link to this one.

General Notes

I’m a flexible reader; in general, the story I want most out of a given exchange is usually the one you want to tell me rather than the one that’s living in my own head (that one, if I want it badly enough, I can always write myself).

Text-driven pluses for me include effective use of wit (aka banter aka snark, etc.), as well as strong characterization & dialogue. I value both respect for and clever use of canon, including well-developed canon-divergence AUs. I thrive on UST (heavy on both U and T), and am neutral where gen/het/slash is concerned; if the pairing is well-developed, I'll read with an open mind.

Why I'm Here

In three words: flexibility, challenge, and surprise.

As a writer, I come for the challenge. While I’m careful to offer for fandoms I know I can write, I also tend to offer fandoms that will stretch my internal idea generator and my storytelling muscles. Much of the fun for me is in the range of what I might be asked to do. I enjoy both plot-driven and character-driven requests, and the unique challenges facing me in any given year.

As a requester, I come bearing flexibility - notwithstanding the specific match AO3’s Sorting Hat may generate, I want you to have choices too. With rare exceptions, I am looking not for the story I’d write, or even the story I’d most like to read – rather, I’m looking for the story a given pair of crossed fandoms makes you write, because that’s most likely to be one I would never have thought of.

Thus, as both a writer and reader, I come to exchanges for the surprise. I enjoy being surprised by the stories my muse draws from the match(es) I’m handed, and I very much enjoy being surprised by the stories your muse draws from the one(s) I’ve supplied for you. Having said that: if you'd like more specific prompts than what I’ve supplied, please contact the mods, and I will cheerfully amplify on any of my individual requests.

Do feel free to wander backward through this journal and my fic on AO3 (linked to your left) to get an idea of my interests; what I write is very much also what I like to read – and has, over time, added up to a considerable variety of fandoms. My past letters for various exchanges are tagged "dear santa" herein.

DNWs:

Alt-setting AUs.
I fall for worlds; transplanting characters out of those worlds just isn't my jam. So please avoid alt-setting AUs (i.e. coffeeshop, high school, department store, etc.) unless an exchange request indicates otherwise.

This does NOT mean you can’t extend on canon, fill in blanks, et cetera. Likewise, this is very much NOT meant to exclude crossovers/fusions, even when not formally built into a request.

Smut/PWP for its own sake, unless specifically requested.
As with alt-setting AUs, this simply isn't my jam. This is emphatically not meant to forbid frank treatment of sexual matters that's integral to the story you're telling, especially in those cases where I may have brought up romantic or sex-related prompts on my own nickel. In general, if your muse takes you into explicit territory in the context of a prompt I've given, or if there's context for it in source canon, I am willing to come along for the ride.

Specific sex-related squicks..
Non-con, incest, or adult/child kinks; A/B/O settings; power-imbalanced sex/romantic partnerships (teacher/student, boss/underling, etc.).

Romantic partnerships explicitly inconsistent with canon.
Please don't break up an established canon pairing, or invalidate a character's established preferences/identity, unless I've specifically requested a non-canon relationship. To amplify: where a character explicitly states a sexual preference/identity in canon, honor the statement. OTOH, if no preference/identity is specified onstage, please do feel free to establish - or widen - one for a given character. Also feel free to create or expand relationships for unpaired characters, including cross-canonical pairings where the potential arises.