Candy Hearts Exchange Letter 2023

[slumber]

{{ Dear Candy Heart }}

Thank you so much for signing up this year, and I’m so excited to have you assigned to me! I'm Slumber on AO3 as well, and I hope you're as excited about this exchange as I am!

For what it’s worth I’m incredibly easy to please, so feel free to run away with whatever ideas you may already have! But if you wanted some prompts, I hope this letter helps inspire you.

{{ General Likes and Dislikes }}

Likes. It depends on the ship and the dynamics that attracted me to them in the first place, but I quite love canon-centric studies of relationships and dynamics and seeing the different nuances other people have on a character, but for danmei, I'm also very interested in Modern Setting AUs, as I've found that tends to lend itself to less grave stakes (RIP everyone) and fun takes on canon dynamics.

Tonally I gravitate to lighter fare, and I'm always up for those tried-and-true romcom tropes of idiots in love, mutual pining, friends to lovers, fake dating, didn't know they were dating, practically married, fwb to more, etc. 5+1 fics are great too! I love domesticity but not established relationship, so anything in that vein would be amazing too! I love ships where each person stands on their own as well as can stand together, so any kind of power couple type portrayal is perfect for me, but in the same manner I also love when things are unhealthily balanced, and that dynamic is explored.

I'm game for all ratings under the sun, not particular about who is doing what, so feel free to write what moves you in that regard as well.

Opt-in stuff that people might be hesitant about that are totally okay with me: (stealing this from marks because I found this very helpful) any form of dubcon (sex pollen, somno, drunken shenanigans, mistaken identities, etc), omegaverse, trans characters, rule 63, infidelity (as long as ships requested are endgame, I don't mind if they're cheating on other people to be together), feet, needles, blood/gore mention, canon-typical violence, abusive pasts/parents, unhealthy coping mechanisms, reckless sexual behavior, pregnancy, vomit/emeto, incest -- like, I'm not sure if/how any of these would somehow pop up, but if you end up with something that does, don't worry about it?? XD

DNWs:
- COVID settings
- first-person POV
- noncon (dubcon and dubcon-adjacent situations are fine — as long as everyone's having a good time by the end works for me)
- kink-centered PWPs
- explicitly saying "I love you"
- unhappy endings (bittersweet/hopeful/ambiguous endings okay)

The Prompts. Here’s a blanket disclaimer on the prompts here — feel free to absolutely ignore them and run away with your own ideas! If something I’ve said sparks an offshoot kind of idea, please pursue it! All I’d be truly happy for is another round at reliving these characters in their worlds, and I am SO looking forward to what you come up with whether it’s from one of these prompts or not! So please consider them starting points, if anything, or some way to get a sense of what drew me to these characters/fandoms to start. Thank you so much! <3

And with that, feel free to navigate to the fandom that makes sense to you!

{{ I Ship My Adversary X Me }} {{ Modao Zushi }} {{ On or Off }}
{{ Sasaki to Miyano }} {{ Scum Villain }} {{ Seeing Double }}
{{ Tian Guan Ci Fu }} {{ You've Got Mail - A Cautionary Tale }} {{ Your Wish is my Command }}

{{ I Ship My Adversary X Me }}

Gu Yiliang/Wei Yanzi

General: NIANGZI IS RIO!!!

TBH I don't know what I'd like here because I don't know how far the story's gotten, so I don't know what I'm missing so far? I got up to the translations until they were on hiatus, though, and I'm caught up with the manhua! But I adore how WYZ is such a sweetheart, and just the comedy of miscommunication that's going on with them so far!

Possible prompts:
+ NiangZi fall into bed together for reasons, but are confused about what it means. Cue confusion and mutual pining and mild angst that is ultimately resolved :'3

+ A scandal threatens Gu Yiliang's reputation, but Wei Yanzi comes in to..... save the day...?? Even he is surprised how!

+ Xianxia AU? Niangzi are disciples from competing sects that must work together after some kind of accident at a Sect Alliance Conference. Wei Yanzi, who has held many assumptions about Gu Yiliang, begin to see each of them challenged and broken down :'3

{{ Modao Zushi }}

Jiang Cheng/Lan Jingyi, Jin Guangyao/Lan Xichen, Jin Ling/Lan Sizhui

General: I just love the complexities of everyone's motivations and relationships with each other, and I just have an especially soft spot for the characters who I think probably tried very hard to make the right decisions for them, only to have those backfire in the end. I'm in it for the drama in a canon-compliant setting, but I am also very much in it for a happy resolution for their arcs, whether that takes place in canon or a more modern setting.

Possible prompts:
+ Chengyi have to work on something together. Anything! A mysterious demon, an inter-sect issue, matchmaking Jin Ling and Lan Sizhui (or negotiating their betrothal, who knows). Romance ensues.

+ Modern Chengyi: A random encounter somewhere turns into a little bit of a disaster when Jingyi realizes the hot angry man he (snapped at, hit on, fucked, choose-your-own-complication) turns out to be his best friend's uncle.

+ Xiyao: Anything about the time JGY was hiding LXC away and things get dangerous/steamy~

+ Xiyao: I know JGY is like, trapped with NMJ for like a hundred years, but hey what if his soul finally goes through reincarnation and maybe he has to start at the lowest of the low but it turns out Xichen's been waiting all this time I DON'T KNOW I am that image of Charlie Day with red strings on the board going "this is how canon Xiyao can still win" heLPPPPP

+ Modern Xiyao: Any kind of romcom, meet-cute, fake dating vibe for these two would be fun, just because I think they deserve a break, thank you very much

+ ZhuiLing: Post-canon getting together, I'm not fussy about how, could be a deep dive into character studies/introspectives, a comedy of errors, a sweet fluff piece, or maybe one of them looks after an injury for the other.

{{ On or Off }}

Ahn Yiyoung/Kang Daehyung

General: I binged this in one go and I just love the fresh take it had on the everyman x high-powered company exec tropes!

Possible prompts:
+ What if Ahn Yiyoung DID go into acting, after all? What if that had been the end of them, all those years ago, until many many years later when they reunite in some way?

+ Ahn Yiyoung in Kang Daehyung's clothes :3 As a treat. For Kang Daehyung. :3

{{ Sasaki to Miyano }}

Hirano Taiga/Kagiura Akira, Miyano Yoshikazu/Sasaki Shuumei

General: These boys are all so precious and cute! I love how soft and sweet this series is, and the way Sasaki and Miyano understand and care for each other. Totally happy with anything canon compliant that's either a missing scene or a continuation of their story :) Meanwhile Hirano and Kagiura are ready to bring their own strong brand of slow burn to the Pining Olympics aren't they? I'm pretty caught up to their manga story too, if that helps!

Possible prompts:
+ SasaMiya: Firsts! Doesn't have to be the first time together (but that would be great too!) but I think now that Sasaki's in college, what other firsts will they get to as a couple?

+ SasaMiya: Domesticity~ Maybe years into the future, when they've ended up living together or are always at the other's place, just the two of them enjoying being with each other

+ SasaMiya: Clothes sharing/swap

+ SasaMiya: Age swap - What if Miyano was the senpai?

+ KagiHira: Feelings realization and/or getting together: Please I don't care what it is, I'm dying to know what you think would make Hirano realize he not just doesn't mind Kagiura's affections but maybe even welcomes?? or likes?? them???

+ KagiHira: A date: whether or not they're on the same page feelings-wise yet, maybe Kagiura manages to talk Hirano into going out with him on something more date-like~

+ KagiHira: Valentine's (or other holidays): Special occasions sure have a different meaning/feel a different way when you've got a kouhai with a massive crush on you, who you haven't fully rejected yet, huh?

{{ Scum Villain's Self-Saving System }}

Mobei-jun/Shang Qinghua, Liu Qingge/Yang Yixuan

General: This was the first of the mxtx novels I read and MY GOD it was unhinged and hysterical and I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. The world that's geared toward ensuring everyone papapas, leaning into every kind of trope possible, the way BingQiu are Just Like That and everyone has to suffer around them. For SVSSS, while I'd also adore Modern AUs for them, I actually have fewer ideas about how those would go -- I imagine a lot of corporate AU, heist AU, etc would be fun to play with, but I have less specifics to go with, mostly because in canon, a) everyone stays alive >.>, and b) the world is so META already that it seems ripe for playing.

Possible prompts:
+ MoShang: Someone on Twitter said "what if Mobei-jun is another fan who transmigrated into PIDW, good thing MBJ canonically doesn't have to talk a lot!"

+ Modern MoShang: I know the hotshot corporate CEO + the mousy little assistant trope is so common, but do you have any idea how many of those kinds of webtoons and fic premises I've read? AND I WILL READ MORE!

+ YangLiu: I just think giving LQG his own sticky disciple who ends up winning him over would be nice. For LQG.

+ YangLiu: LQG tries to get heroic and is hit with a papapa plot device that should have gone for LBH. Good news! He doesn't need to cultivate with demon blood to get rid of it! Bad news: whatever he's got to do, well, only YYX is qualified to do it. >:)

{{ Seeing Double }}

Lee Jae-woo/Lee Seo-woo/Ra Ohn

General: I loved this triangle as a triangle, yes, but you can't just give me twins and also only expect me to be fine with just ONE of them getting the guy!!!

Possible prompts:
+ Ohn chooses them both!

+ Jae-woo and Seo-woo decide to team up and apologize to Ohn

+ Ohn (or any one of them) has a very naughty dream >:)

{{ Tian Guan Ci Fu }}

Feng Xin/Xie Lian, Pei Ming/Shi Qingxuan, Pei Ming/Yushi Huang, Quan Yizhen/Yin Yu

General: My god do I love so many of these characters, the plot, the nuance between everyone's relationships. I absolutely ADORE HuaLian of course, so if you're hardpressed to come up with anything out of these prompts I am so into any slice-of-life fluff or hurt/comfort or domestic piece you'd like to make of HuaLian post-canon, or maybe even in modern AU settings, but if you're up for it, there are also some rarer fare I've been eyeing!

Anyway feel free to fuck with genders all you want with these too. XD

Possible prompts:
+ Fenglian: Pre-ascension getting together and mutual pining? Forbidden feelings, esp with XL's role as Crown Prince as well as his cultivation style but maybe Feng Xin doesn't care about that, he'll have XL however way he can have him??

+ Pei Ming/Shi Qingxuan: Can we also talk about how Pei Ming is that annoying bestie for an older brother SQX adores??? Who is kind of a dick most of the time but actually, relatively speaking, not the WORST heavenly official there is??? Maybe Pei Ming and Shi Qingxuan have to work together over something and SQX sees a side to PM he hadn't seen before?? Maybe Pei Ming looks for SQX post-canon and just looks over him, whether or not SQX knows/wants him to/etc, and maybe it's more than just because SQX is his dead friend's younger brother? Maybe SQX and PM have one night together they never ever ever ever ever talk about!

+ Pei Ming/Yushi Huang: Gosh I just love how Pei Ming is such a fuckboy and Yushi Huang is so unimpressed with him!! And she seems like the only person who throws him off his game, WITH GOOD REASON. Maybe she saves his ass one too many times? Maybe he has to ask her for a favor? Maybe we're going with a "She's All That" modern AU, go hog wild! I would love to see what you've got for them!

+ QuanYin: I cannot explain how drawn I was to their dynamics. I just LOVE Yizhen SO MUCH, he's such a well-meaning clusterfuck of a bumbling fool, Yin Yu is an overthinker with a heart of gold with a streak of maybe just, idk, the unfortunate luck of being adored by someone who shines so much brighter than he ever could, but wow. WOW. I love how little Yizhen understands that. I love how Yin Yu has so much resentment tied up in admiration AND goodness that just causes him so much frustration. I will take ANY AND ALL QuanYin forms, ngl! Pre-canon fellow disciple days, yes. Pre-canon early godhood days, sure! Post-canon fix-it??? Oh my god, yes, please! Missing scenes from canon? Times when Yin Yu was actually so close to Yizhen but hid away in time, times Yizhen almost, ALMOST found his shixiong again? *grabby hands* ANY modern AU where the dynamics of both these two rising up together but only Yizhen succeeding while Yin Yu falls into obscurity, and the ways they find their way to each other since? (Some kind of celebrity AU, professional sports AU, corporate AU, hell, gangster AU??) When I say I cannot get enough of them, I truly mean it.

{{ You've Got Mail - A Cautionary Tale }}

Hei'er/Rancui, Ansheng/Constable Zhang

General: I ADORE this series and I would love love love to see so much more of it in any way, shape or form! I love the completely silly yet heartwarming way WXZ is just a lonely pervert, the way he throws GSJ off his game, the ODD AND OBVIOUS TENSION SIMMERING BETWEEN HEI'ER AND RANCUI, and of course, Ansheng the Beancurd Lad and his precious Constable Zhang :3

Possible prompts:
+ Hei'er/Rancui: Rancui does not like Hei'er's face, his build, or even his attitude. But Rancui sure likes Hei'er's pengiornis. JUST his pengiornis. Certainly, definitely, nothing more.

+ Ansheng/Constable Zhang: We know they got together because of the Peng Society for Gentlemen, but how DID these two get together? Maybe Constable Zhang's always had his eye on the beancurd lad? Maybe Ansheng had thought he was a little scary at first? Did they feel shocked seeing each other's faces in the Peng Society, or maybe they thought they'd start as friends first?

{{ Your Wish is my Command }}

Cheon Chiwoo/Jin

General: Gosh this first season started out SO STRONG with all the monsterfucky goodness, and then we got JIN the purple-haired second lead of my heart!! I adored his clear devotion to Chiwoo and how deeply Chiwoo did care for him, even after finding out what he was. :'3

Possible prompts:
+ Mayhaps something in the canon-divergent fix-it vein?

+ No magical powers AU where Jin WAS just a coworker at the cafe and Chiwoo IS just a regular guy, and the two of them just regularly fall in love :'3 (Hwan as a jealous best friend or otherwise harmless plot device is fine here!)

+ What if Jin had gone through the reveal in a more dramatic fashion, despite his apprehensions? And what if Chiwoo defeats him through the power of friendship (and love)?