265. EXCHANGE WRAP | UNSENT LETTERS.

[peaked]

unsent_letters_exchange has successfully delivered its letters and packages (and maybe some bills) for 2022. I had such a blast! This was the first time I participated in the exchange and I am so glad I did. (I've been wanting to ever since I discovered it sometime last year.) Epistolary is something I really enjoyed writing and I can only hope I have more opportunities to do so!

Onto the good stuff:

What I wrote:

in a minute
mcu | bucky/natasha ft. nick fury, yelena belova, steve rogers, clint barton, maria hill | for Ultra
teen, 6.4k
When Bucky goes A.W.O.L after being brought back from the Blip, Fury pulls out all the stops to try and find him, including going through Natasha’s collection of personal letters addressed to "Soldat" and "James".

I initially wasn't going to sign up for this exchange for a few reasons (one being Trying to Be Responsible) but then I saw ultra_fic's request and I couldn't get it out of my head. My weakness is Bucky/Natasha paired with Red Room or Vormir. I tried my hardest to resist, but as I was already thinking of them in the Red Room having sent letters to one another, I was toast. I shared with my flist that a specific request was the sole reason why I signed up for this exchange and this one was The One.

This was so much fun to piece together. I hadn't intended for it to feature an ensemble that revolved around Bucky and Natasha, but when I sat down to write it, I first started with Yelena and Fury's first email and it all spiralled from there. It was so much fun piecing together Bucky and Natasha' Red Room history into the MCU's canon and building on from that. I also tried to layer each interaction so that it built to the climax.

This is probably one of my favourite fics that I've written for an exchange.

EXCLUSIVE!
smallville | lois/clark ft. oliver queen, lex luthor, jimmy olsen and perry white. | for svgurl410
teen, 2.6k
Five articles Lois Lane published about Superman and the one article she didn’t.

I might be a little addicted to writing for svgurl but, hey, I'm okay with that. I write media releases at work and I had been wanting to write something with a little more flair and fun to it, and svgurl's request came up as a pinch hit that I had to have (sorry not sorry).

It was so much fun threading the personal and professional development of Lois, Clark, Lex and (in particular) Jimmy throughout the story. I was going to date each article, but then I didn't feel that was necessary as I felt the events as they unfolded was enough to show that time was progressing forward. I really enjoyed writing a slightly political and biased slant with Lois' articles, and I particularly liked showing Jimmy's professional journey without needing him to be overly present.

This one was a lot of fun to write. I feel like I packed it with a lot of things intentionally and subconsciously. (My favourite articles are the Lex Luthor one and the final one.) I had to stop myself from writing 20+ articles as I was having way too much fun.

my best friend
mcu | kate & clint ft. sam wilson, bucky barnes, yelena belova, thor odinson.| for endlesstwanted
teen, 2.7k
Kate integrates herself into the Avengers and gives Clint a headache in the process.

When I saw this come up as a pinch hit, all I had in my head was Kate on Twitter being a troll. This transformed into an ensemble piece that centred around Kate being obnoxious, overly friendly, and very much the glue tying our Avengers together. This was absolutely ridiculous and I had so much fun showing the progression of time and Kate's relationships, as well as her positive impact on Clint.

The ending is my favourite. Yes, I laughed at it. (I also learned a few things in Photoshop, which was cool!)

My gift:

THIS WEEK IN PANDORA'S POCKET: SCANDAL IN SOUTHAMPTON?
harry potter | hermione/sirus ft. andromeda tonks and teddy lupin | by avocadomoon
teen, 29.8k
Let us report events logically and without bias: on MONDAY AFTERNOON, the future HIGHBORN HEIR was witnessed escorting the temptress Muggleborn along the boardwalk, and with her own eyes, this reporter witnessed HAND HOLDING.

On THURSDAY MORNING, the ladder-climbing lady was spotted at a local pub MAKING EYES at His Most Honorable over PANCAKES!

And SATURDAY EVENING found the two UNACCOMPANIED sharing a meal at a Muggle restaurant (something called… "tie food?" The names those Muggles come up with!) SITTING CLOSELY and SPEAKING INTIMATELY. The licentious lady - for interested parties - was dressed in a dark maroon blouse and matching skirt - Muggle in style, naturally - and a pair of beautiful - as it pains this reporter to admit - Amina Arncliffe Spring '99 kitten heels, in off-white. The generous gentleman - TO MATCH! - was wearing a Muggle-style t-shirt proclaiming PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION WORLD TOUR 1985 (how silly! Why on earth would the Prince be touring the entire world with a revolutionary sect? Those Muggles!) and a pair of denim trousers. And yes - to answer the many, many reader response owls - his hair is VERY SHORT INDEED now! (Miss Granger's influence? No doubt!)

THIS IS SO GOOD. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this. The articles were fantastic—the voices in this were superb. This features one of my favourite Black sisters in a prominent role that fleshes her out and lets her be her own person. It's delicious!

Sirius/Hermione is an old, nostalgic ship for me. I still read it from time to time as I love the stories and the chemistry, and this fic captured the dynamic I love so well with a more matured Sirius and Hermione. I loved the journalism meta that was also involved in this. I loved the friendships Hermione has in this and how each character who shows up is so mature and not a caricature as they were in both the books and movies.

I was so disappointed when it ended because it ended. I wanted it to go on forever.

Here are a few of the fics I enjoyed in the collection:

An exchange that is both monstrous and scrupulously honest
harry potter | bellatrix & andromeda | by vienna_salvatori
teen, 6.1k
On the evening of Beltane 1976, Bellatrix Lestrange née Black stood before the Dark Lord’s court and swore upon her magic to personally cleanse the Black family line of all those she found unworthy of the name.

It was the greatest protection she could offer.

I thought this was so good and so funny. The Bellatrix voice is superb—I love that she's so biting and dry and she also is a little naive at times. Andromeda is morally ambiguous and it's great to see. This is a relationship that I'm fascinated by and it was great to read a more empathetic take on Bellatrix's perception of Andromeda's betrayal. Bellatrix is still "Pureblood strong!" but I appreciated seeing a more family-oriented Bellatrix, too. It added some great complications to the story.

I love the Black family and this was a good look into how fucked up they are.

Hey, Susan
original | lovesick fool & their high school crush's son who was dumped on them | by Casta_X
mature, 1.6k
Hey Susan,
I’ve been meaning to call you since the grad party.

I didn't really know what to expect when I began reading this and it took me by surprise (in a really good way). This is a great exploration of a man's mature growth over the years and how he learns of and unlearns some of his own toxic habits. There is mature themes in this story, particularly about abuse, but it doesn't go into graphic detail about it. It's a fantastic look at empathy and how people can grow without you in their life, but you can still positively impact them.

what i really meant to say
dceu | lois/clark | by svgurl410
teen, 2.6k
After Clark's death, Lois grieves in her own way.

I love stories about grief, and when I saw this in the collection, I was curious to see DCEU's Lois given the spotlight when I feel she's been shoved continuously into the shadows. This was a great look at Lois in the aftermath of Clark's death. I particularly liked how Lois used writing as her outlet of grief and to tell her truth (similarly to how she tells reveals the truth through her journalism). I really liked the characterisation of who Clark is to her throughout this; Lois' perspective on Clark is one of my favourite things, and while grief certainly clouds her perspective, the way Lois loves Clark for the man and hero he is rather than Superman for being Clark is fantastic. One of the reasons why I love Lois and Clark is that he may be some powerful almighty alien superhero, but to Lois, he's just a gentle man made of flesh and bone, and this captured that perfectly.

If you check out the collection, please leave the authors some love!