Letter to the Creator
Hello, and thank you! Whether art or fic, I am excited to see what you will create! As always, everything here is meant as inspiration, and not restriction, so if you have an idea that does not fit in what is there, feel free to pursue it — the important part is for you to have fun!
This is a letter that sums up my general likes (and DNW) because it felt a bit silly to repeat things in each request, and because it's easier to have long lists of things here rather than in the tiny 'additional details' box; it's generic and should apply to all exchanges, as I do try to give the prompts, ideas, and fandom-specific dislikes I have directly in the AO3 sign-up. Of course, if anything in the sign-up itself contradicts what's here, feel free to disregard this letter.
As you can see on my profile, I'm also fluent in French; so if by some turn of chance it's a language you would like to write in, you can.
In a nutshell, I like science-fiction (particularly space opera, and you can cram as much worldbuilding as you wish in there) and queer love stories (particularly established relationships) ; I will also always welcome treats! In more detail:
Things that I like (shipping related)
- Queer characters (I tend to have a preference for sapphic stories, but that's just a preference, not an obligation)
- Established relationships
- Fluff/slice of life in general
- Domestic fluff, something utterly mundane to hang a moment on ; casual intimacy, those kind of unspoken ways the characters can convey their love; snippets of daily life
- If in canon said couple has kids, I like scenes about the life of the family
- Hurt/Comfort but that focuses more on the comfort part ; taking care of/tending to each other
- Trusting each other
Things that I like (gen)
- Canon-compliance: my main impetus for going and reading fanfics is "damn that was good, I want more of the same"
- Pre or post-canon, "missing scene" type moments
- "Elsewhere" fics (I don't know if there's a generally agreed upon name for that... I mean "this story is set in the same world/setting/universe as canon, but follows different characters having different adventures")
- That means that contrarily from a lot of people, I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with OCs
- "Lower Decks" type works (I'm not talking about the Star Trek show itself; I mean all types of "things seen through the eyes of an extra/background character")
- Worldbuilding
- Descriptions of things and places, of new cultures
- Technical details, hard (-ish) scifi, jargon
- Space, spaceships, strange new worlds, space battles
- Partners (in the romantic sense) going on adventures together
- Unassuming people being really competent at something
- Fantasy politics; schemes and plans
- In-universe formats/documents
- Courage (which is not the absence of fear) in the face of danger
- Characters being driven by duty even when it's unwise (galantery in the knightly sense), fighting for a forlorn hope
- Last stands
- Last minute rescues
About fanart
It's always hard when, like I, you don't have the art vocabulary necessary to properly articulate what you like. So this might read as a bit uptight, but I do really really like art and welcome it if that's what you prefer to create!
- Medium: I'm fine with everything, from digital painting to pencils
- Contents (for prompts about characters): portraits ; characters sharing a moment, whether it's the most mundane or life-changing one ; characters displaying affection/hugging/kissing (and more if that's your thing) ; people in action/doing their job ; expressive faces
- Contents (for prompts about worldbuilding): vehicules, machines, logistics, the technical side of it all ; landscapes, sceneries.
- Moods: Depends on the fandom (cozy, comfy, happy / fierce, exciting) ; I do not like dismaying or fearful (or even just 'spooky') moods
- Backgrounds: Detailed backgrounds with lots of things happening are always nice, but not necessary
- Style: I don't really have a favorite style; I tend to like when it's somewhat kept along the lines of the canon style, but that's not a hard rule, you can give free reign to your talent!
- Color palettes: I tend to prefer pastel tones rather than bright colors, but I don't like when things are really muted/brown-grey.
- If you want to draw an in-universe piece, go for it!
General DNW
- Permanent death of a requested character (unless it's characters talking about a canon event. Temporary death (whether it's magic, science, or just miscommunication) is okay as a plot point)
- Issuefic (preachiness; stories whose main point is some kind of political/social issue, current politics)
- Major, radical AUs (think high-school or coffeshop AUs, things that change the world where the story takes place)
- Unhappy endings (bittersweet ones are okay, but not bad ones)
- Omegaverse and Mpreg
- Infidelity
- "Babe" or "Baby" as affectionate nicknames
- Genderswap (unless specifically requested in the prompt)
- Focused descriptions of major injuries, body horror
- Monarchism apologia (I admit, that's not often a relevant thing to specify)
- If a couple does not have kids in canon, I do not like inventing some.
- I put it last because it's not as much a firm DNW as something I generally dislike, but misunderstandings
About smut/porn
I'm not against explicit fics or art! After all, sex is a part of a couple's life (though not necessarily so, of course) and you can feel free if you want to write or draw a given pair (...or more, depending on the context) enjoying each other.
NSFW Likes
- Sex as an expression of love ; tenderness
- Everyone enjoying themselves
- Enthusiastic consent
- Sharing an happy, intimate moment ; porn with feelings
- Lots of foreplay
- Sex scenes that tend towards the realistic (I recognize it's a bit vague, so, to give some examples: in art that might mean remembering that body hair exists, in text that might be thinking about the logisitics of it)
- Dirty talk (though keep the DNW in mind: I like when it's tender, a in praise-kink-ish, body-worship-ish type of way)
- Service tops
- Aftercare, basking in the afterglow
NSFW DNW
- Sex in public/exhibitionism
- Unusual liquids as lube
- Degrading dirty talk ("slut" and things along these lines)
- Non-con
- Extremely underage (that is to say, teenagers bumbling around sex are fine, kids are not)
- Human waste (urine, feces, vomit)
- Violence, blood, guro, vore
- Things that involve food
- Bestiality, necrophilia
- Unrealism like inflation or cervix penetration
- Pet play, breathplay
- Daddy kink, age play, spanking
- Incest