yuletide 2016
Oct. 3rd, 2016 09:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alectorineETA 14/12: I'll be overseas around the time of work reveals and may not have access to internet, but I'll do my best to read and enthuse before author reveals!
Dear Yuletide author,
First of all, thank you so much for participating! Rest assured that I'll love your fic no matter what you write, so please don't feel pressured :) I've written some prompts, and a list of tropes/narrative devices I enjoy, but by no means do you have to include all or any of them – if you have a particular idea you're burning to write, go for it! I'm a very long-winded person, so I apologise for the length of this letter, but absolutely feel free to disregard all of it if you know what you want to write. Also, the length of the prompts isn't reflective of levels of enthusiasm; I would be equally as delighted to receive fic for any of my requested fandoms!
You can also find some of the fics I've liked here. If you're really stuck, a more comprehensive list of my fandoms and ships can be found here, and last year's Yuletide letter can be found here – if the prompts for any of those fandoms (except Wicked Lovely, please, as I received a wonderful fic for it last year!) are striking a chord, I'd be more than happy to receive fic for them instead. The most important thing is that you have fun writing the rare fandoms we both adore!
General likes:
NSFW likes:
Things I have no preference on:
General dislikes:
Tropes/AUs I love:
1. 7 Seeds
If you're writing Mayu fic, you've already made me the happiest person in the universe, so you quite literally cannot go wrong! Mayu's emotional maturity, levelheadedness, care for her friends, social charisma, classic Summer A self-absorption, cheerful passive-aggressiveness, sweetness, and teenage conceit are what make her my favourite 7 Seeds character out of a cast I absolutely adore. I'd love slightly off-key slice-of-life fic set pre-canon exploring Mayu's childhood/middle-school years within Summer A – what kind of group traditions do they have? Do they attempt to adopt any heinously misinterpreted civilian customs, spearheaded by Mayu? What does her daily routine look like? Where does she get her supply of cute hair accessories???
I'd also love an AU where Mayu lives instead of Ango and becomes the Summer A leader – what changes, and what doesn't? Does she still clash with the other teams? How do the rest of Summer A feel about her leadership? There's a whole range of possibilities, and I'd love to see your take on it!
Here are some potential Mayu dynamics I particularly love – all optional, just here if you'd like more prompts:
2. Pokemon GO
I love the team leader trio with all my heart, and for this fandom I'd like fic set in canon. Feel free to draw on other material in the Pokemon franchise for worldbuilding – I'll admit that my knowledge of canon is limited to having watched a few of the movies as a kid, but I'd love to learn more about it!
I'd particularly love poly, but I'm more than fine with gen if that's what you'd rather write – please keep the relationships trio-focused, though, rather than a 'couple-and-third-wheel' scenario. Regarding Blanche's gender, either she/her or they/them pronouns would be preferred (or no pronouns at all), thank you – personally I headcanon Blanche as nonbinary and using she/her, but you're under no obligation whatsoever to write that! Regardless, I ask that you don't make Blanche's gender the focus of the story.
Some ideas:
3. Tower of God
My favourite thing about Anak and Androssi is how they each represent for the other the thing they hate the most about the world – to Anak, Androssi is the system that tore her family apart and murdered her parents; to Androssi, Anak is entitlement, having received the power Androssi had to fight for by virtue of birth – and yet they reach out, past the prickle of pride and clashing personalities, to understand one another, to identify with one another, and to trust in one another. They're loyal to each other without liking each other, which is such an intriguing dynamic!
I do ship them romantically if that's your thing; if not, I adore their platonic/familial relationship as well, so interpret these prompts however you wish!
4. Mystic Messenger
My endgame ot3! I love how earnest and supportive they are of one another, and how they begin to open up around each other about their insecurities and pasts. Jaehee's route is my favourite, but I'm also more than happy for you to set this in Zen's route.
5. Engelsfors
Minoo/Ida is my rarepair otp! I'm so taken with how they mirror one another, except in that Minoo actively wants and tries to be (or seem like) a good person, while Ida… simultaneously doesn't bother and sees herself as inherently right, and even takes refuge in cruelty for the sake of her own pride. I adore the scene in The Circle where Minoo calls Ida, wanting to offer comfort at first, and upon being brushed off and insulted, tells Ida she wishes she were dead. She's horrified afterwards, but I think it (and the events of The Key) show that Minoo is capable of the same kind of brutality that Ida is, and on a grander, more impersonal scale that Ida is uneasy with, while Minoo shies away from Ida's brand of directed cruelty.
Basically, I'd like to see them reluctantly spending time together for some reason, shying away from what they see of themselves reflected in the other, making spur-of-the-moment overtures, having to work together, being unsettled by but ultimately drawn to one another – missing scenes from The Circle and Fire. I'm also really interested in how their family situations shape their personalities – Minoo's adopted her family's moral compass and overachiever tendencies, while Ida's internalised her family's coldness and viciousness. Both of them struggle with familial expectation and the resulting slew of hurt or insecurities – do they ever manage to set the need to preserve their image aside and have a proper conversation about it?
Any sort of canon divergence is fine with me – AUs where Elias/Rebecka/Ida herself live are welcome! Also more than happy for you to add any of the other nominated characters into the mix to play Minoo and Ida off of – particularly interested in some kind of tensely semiplatonic Minoo/Viktor/Ida thing rooted in mutual dislike and grudging trust, as well as Minoo/Linnea/Ida clashing worldviews, and I love the Circle otx.
6. Skulduggery Pleasant
I'm very interested in the shared history between China and Tanith! We meet Tanith several times at China's library – what sort of relationship do they strike up over the pre-canon years, as two people whose lives only seem to intersect by association with Skulduggery, then later with Valkyrie? I'd love to read fic about them dropping in and out of one another's lives, vaguely courteous, mostly distrustful of one another, and possibly being brought together to work with each other for some reason – I really like how their skillsets are complementary (some sort of bodyguard semi-romance perhaps…?)! Any sort of embroidering around the edges of canon is welcome; I'd love some sort of missed connections/ships passing in the night/unresolved could-have-beens dynamic that neither of them really want to address.
I'm also very interested in Valkyrie being mentored by both ladies, whether seen through a platonic or romantic light (if romantic, would prefer aged-up Valkyrie, even if it means a little fiddling with canon timelines)! Tanith/Valkyrie is so fun and supportive and I love how much they adore and admire one another, even as their relationship grows edges with Tanith possessed by a remnant and the Darquesse situation. I'd be happy with fic about lighthearted shenanigans early on in canon, all casual affection and banter and being the sister figure both of them wanted in their lives, or fic set later as the plot complications arise.
China/Valkyrie is also delightful! I'm fascinated by both the magic and the mundane (horseriding!!! history and lore!!!) aspects of their mentorship, and I'd love to see anything exploring those further – China's blend of serenity and razor-sharp intensity makes her such a compelling mentor to Valkyrie, especially with the cooler, more distant relationship they have.
I don't expect you to include all three characters in your fic, but if you want to combine any of these prompts in a sort of ot3-type situation, I have no complaints!
Again, these are all just suggestions – use them or leave them as you wish! Thank you so much, and I hope you have fun!
- Ash/AO3 user pyrophane
***
Dear Yuletide author,
First of all, thank you so much for participating! Rest assured that I'll love your fic no matter what you write, so please don't feel pressured :) I've written some prompts, and a list of tropes/narrative devices I enjoy, but by no means do you have to include all or any of them – if you have a particular idea you're burning to write, go for it! I'm a very long-winded person, so I apologise for the length of this letter, but absolutely feel free to disregard all of it if you know what you want to write. Also, the length of the prompts isn't reflective of levels of enthusiasm; I would be equally as delighted to receive fic for any of my requested fandoms!
You can also find some of the fics I've liked here. If you're really stuck, a more comprehensive list of my fandoms and ships can be found here, and last year's Yuletide letter can be found here – if the prompts for any of those fandoms (except Wicked Lovely, please, as I received a wonderful fic for it last year!) are striking a chord, I'd be more than happy to receive fic for them instead. The most important thing is that you have fun writing the rare fandoms we both adore!
General likes:
- unusual/experimental prose style
- worldbuilding, histories (canonical or invented), strong sense of setting
- minor characters & ensemble casts
- mentor-mentee dynamics
- physicality & nonverbal communication
- ideological clashes
- leader/second-in-command dynamics
- the presence of female characters
- unorthodox relationships between characters, especially if they are not shown interacting much in canon
- relationship dynamics that are difficult to define, especially if non-romantic
- sparring
- unhealthy relationships
- allusions to mythology
- references to backstory events or other canons (I love crossover cameos!)
- polyamory negotiations
- transition from teenager to adult/the process of growing up
- legacies
- offhand and complete (not necessarily romantic) devotion to a person
- wound care
- the combination of violence and tenderness/intimacy
- pining and repressed feelings
NSFW likes:
- breathplay/choking
- consensual violence
- multiple partners
- Dom/sub undertones
- focus on hands, wrists, throats, collarbones and/or shoulderblades
- authority kink
- loyalty kink
- edging
- praise kink when combined with an unhealthy relationship
Things I have no preference on:
- content rating
- implied and background pairings, unless specifically mentioned (you can find a complete list of my ships here!)
- multishipping
- genre
- plot/lack thereof and endings
General dislikes:
- excessive fluff or angst
- pwp
- scat, watersports, etc
- graphic bloodplay (though light/non-graphic bloodplay is fine!)
- ignoring other influential relationships the characters in the main ship have experienced
- romance-related jealousy
- sexual assault and rape
- A/B/O
- formal BDSM
- fic centred on kids/pregnancy/marriage
- bullying played for laughs
- soulmate AUs played straight
- over-westernisation of non-western canons (eg the characters going to prom, westernised nicknames/non-canon shortened names)
- graphic descriptions of unsanitary situations
Tropes/AUs I love:
- magical realism/mundane superpowers AU
- fake dating/undercover as married
- Pacific Rim AU, especially with unconventional jaeger teams
- HDM daemons AU
- canon divergence
- enemies to friends while still retaining some form of legitimate rivalry/resentment (to lovers optional)
- friends who could have been lovers to enemies (to lovers)
- espionage AU
- pre-canon and futurefic
- post-apocalyptic roadtrip AU
- uneasy/unconventional domesticity
- general magic/fantasy AU (eg KHR AU, BNHA AU, X-Men AU, witchcraft AU etc)
- slice-of-life and everyday routines
1. 7 Seeds
Mayu
If you're writing Mayu fic, you've already made me the happiest person in the universe, so you quite literally cannot go wrong! Mayu's emotional maturity, levelheadedness, care for her friends, social charisma, classic Summer A self-absorption, cheerful passive-aggressiveness, sweetness, and teenage conceit are what make her my favourite 7 Seeds character out of a cast I absolutely adore. I'd love slightly off-key slice-of-life fic set pre-canon exploring Mayu's childhood/middle-school years within Summer A – what kind of group traditions do they have? Do they attempt to adopt any heinously misinterpreted civilian customs, spearheaded by Mayu? What does her daily routine look like? Where does she get her supply of cute hair accessories???
I'd also love an AU where Mayu lives instead of Ango and becomes the Summer A leader – what changes, and what doesn't? Does she still clash with the other teams? How do the rest of Summer A feel about her leadership? There's a whole range of possibilities, and I'd love to see your take on it!
Here are some potential Mayu dynamics I particularly love – all optional, just here if you'd like more prompts:
- Mayu/Ryo - Ryo's fake bad boy lifestyle provides an excellent foil and enabler for Mayu, and this is shamefully my series OTP. Canon-wise, did Mayu hang around on the peripheries of Ryo and Ango's dramatic rivalry and make fun of them with Nijiko? Did she teach Ryo how to do his hair? If Mayu's second specialisation was fire, did she ever work with, compete against, tutor, or be tutored by Ryo? In the Mayu-lives AU, tell me about her exile roadtrip with Ryo – how the two people least interested in exploring the new world, having prioritised the safety of their friends above all else, begin to turn their worldviews outwards and reluctantly find beauty and comfort in this utterly foreign place. A friend put it as 'we are trying to preserve this fading world even though in doing so we've alienated every other person we wanted to do it for, but this singular other person thinks we're on the right track, so we can keep going for another day' – anything with that kind of 'us against the world' vibe would be amazing! Also consider: that face-cradling scene with Mayu instead of Ango, track jacket sharing, fake dating when they meet Summer B.
- Mayu/Ayu - as Koruri's best friend, Mayu must be on top of all the Summer A gossip, and so surely she must have known about the bullying Ayu was going through, especially as they share soil class. Mayu's also clearly well-respected by her peers, so why didn't she put a stop to it? Did she try to rationalise her inaction the way Ayu did ('it would be condescending if I tried to help her, she's strong enough to handle it herself')? Was there a period, when the bullying had just begun, where Ayu thought that Mayu would step in soon? For all Mayu's interpersonal expertise, Ayu seems to be the one situation she doesn't know how to deal with, and I'd love to see something exploring that. In the Mayu-lives AU, how does that friction and misery escalate? Does Mayu seek Ayu out, or does she try to pretend everything is fine between them? Does Mayu see Natsu as a way to 'redo' the Ayu situation?
- Mayu/Koruri - the sweetest friendship (plus Nobara, if you like)! Would love any sort of slice-of-life – Mayu: Girl Detective's investigations into the mysterious Saucer-Eyed Club activities, helping each other study for exams, roommate hijinks. In the Mayu-lives AU, tell me about Mayu and Koruri clashing over Koruri growing closer to the other teams!
- Mayu/Nijiko - I imagine Mayu would be bemused by the egregious fake heterosexuals Nijiko/Ryo and their joint decision to latch onto her – would love to see Mayu and Nijiko being unexpectedly good friends and classmates! Maybe a soil class field trip, or studying in the library together, or Mayu waterproofing an extra track jacket for Nijiko?
2. Pokemon GO
Blanche, Candela, Spark
I love the team leader trio with all my heart, and for this fandom I'd like fic set in canon. Feel free to draw on other material in the Pokemon franchise for worldbuilding – I'll admit that my knowledge of canon is limited to having watched a few of the movies as a kid, but I'd love to learn more about it!
I'd particularly love poly, but I'm more than fine with gen if that's what you'd rather write – please keep the relationships trio-focused, though, rather than a 'couple-and-third-wheel' scenario. Regarding Blanche's gender, either she/her or they/them pronouns would be preferred (or no pronouns at all), thank you – personally I headcanon Blanche as nonbinary and using she/her, but you're under no obligation whatsoever to write that! Regardless, I ask that you don't make Blanche's gender the focus of the story.
Some ideas:
- First meeting! What brings them together to work under Professor Willow? Have they interacted with one another in the past (maybe they're childhood friends who've drifted apart, or they've competed against each other before)?
- Domesticity – I'm a huge sucker for cohabitation and the trio living together and learning each other's spaces!
- Rivalry – give me over-the-top declarations of eternal rivalry and pride and meticulously-kept gym battle tallies, underscored with genuine affection, loyalty and intimacy!
- Daily routines – what is it like working under the Professor? What kind of research do they carry out, and how? What are their thesis requirements like? Do they have to grade assignments or teach classes? Tell me about grad student hell!
- I'm really into Blanche working through self-doubt and imposter syndrome, so if that's also your thing, please delve into that, and how it shapes Blanche's interactions with the other two (I'm Team Mystic, incidentally)!
- If you have an idea that's more plotty (quest to retrieve some obscure treasure? figuring out how to summon their respective legendaries?), go for it!
3. Tower of God
Androssi Zahard, Anak Zahard Jr
My favourite thing about Anak and Androssi is how they each represent for the other the thing they hate the most about the world – to Anak, Androssi is the system that tore her family apart and murdered her parents; to Androssi, Anak is entitlement, having received the power Androssi had to fight for by virtue of birth – and yet they reach out, past the prickle of pride and clashing personalities, to understand one another, to identify with one another, and to trust in one another. They're loyal to each other without liking each other, which is such an intriguing dynamic!
I do ship them romantically if that's your thing; if not, I adore their platonic/familial relationship as well, so interpret these prompts however you wish!
- I'd LOVE to hear about the promised dinner date! Who picks the venue? Who ends up paying? Do they bump into anyone else at the restaurant? What do they talk about?
- The conversation after they fell off the pillars during the fisherman test remains one of the most emotionally-charged scenes in the whole manhwa for me – how, in the dark, with nothing left to lose, they allow themselves to be honest with one another. I'd love a fic about a situation that spurs the same sort of unexpected, reluctant vulnerability and connection, and how they deal with its aftermath!
- Any of the missing scenes from S1 to S2 – growing closer, sparring, getting into fights, trying to comfort each other, protecting each other, resenting each other, needing each other.
- I'm also very interested in the Zahard Princesses as a group, so feel free to add in any of the others into the peripheries if you like, whether or not they've appeared in canon! I have a weakness for Garam and Yuri interacting with these two (re Garam, particularly under the headcanon that Garam sheltered Anak Jnr out of unrequited love for Anak Snr). Also, if you, like me, are frustrated with the odd turn Androssi's characterisation seems to have taken from S3 onwards (and even in S2, to be honest), I'm happy for you to stick with her S1 characterisation and develop things from there.
4. Mystic Messenger
Kang Jaehee, Zen | Hyun Ryu, Main Character
My endgame ot3! I love how earnest and supportive they are of one another, and how they begin to open up around each other about their insecurities and pasts. Jaehee's route is my favourite, but I'm also more than happy for you to set this in Zen's route.
- For Jaehee/Zen in particular, tell me about their shared history in the RFA, stepping carefully around one another, how Jaehee admires Zen but sets down boundaries, how they become tentative friends.
- Polyamory negotiations! I'd love to see some sort of seemingly-unrequited pining where each of them wants the other two to be happy and is willing to step aside to let that happen – ending, of course, in a poly situation. Relatedly, I'm very interested in how they learn to navigate each other's spaces and boundaries.
- Any sort of slice-of-life for these three in an established domestic situation would be wonderful!
- If you want to write something more angsty, how about an AU where Jaehee and Zen never meet MC, never get the chance to grow as close, and spend their lives missing someone they can't name?
- I really encourage you to experiment with style and format – I'm open to interactive fiction and/or creative html! Use as many memory/time/self-awareness tropes as you like. I'm neutral on the 707 reset theory, so I don't mind whether you have a self-aware Seven or not if he happens to feature (though if he's pining for both MC and Zen that would be wonderful…), but also consider: self-aware Jaehee, self-aware Zen…? Totally optional, but if you wanted to throw Jumin into the mix for Maximum Awfulness and tension, feel free to do so!
5. Engelsfors
Minoo Falk Karimi, Ida Holmström
Minoo/Ida is my rarepair otp! I'm so taken with how they mirror one another, except in that Minoo actively wants and tries to be (or seem like) a good person, while Ida… simultaneously doesn't bother and sees herself as inherently right, and even takes refuge in cruelty for the sake of her own pride. I adore the scene in The Circle where Minoo calls Ida, wanting to offer comfort at first, and upon being brushed off and insulted, tells Ida she wishes she were dead. She's horrified afterwards, but I think it (and the events of The Key) show that Minoo is capable of the same kind of brutality that Ida is, and on a grander, more impersonal scale that Ida is uneasy with, while Minoo shies away from Ida's brand of directed cruelty.
Basically, I'd like to see them reluctantly spending time together for some reason, shying away from what they see of themselves reflected in the other, making spur-of-the-moment overtures, having to work together, being unsettled by but ultimately drawn to one another – missing scenes from The Circle and Fire. I'm also really interested in how their family situations shape their personalities – Minoo's adopted her family's moral compass and overachiever tendencies, while Ida's internalised her family's coldness and viciousness. Both of them struggle with familial expectation and the resulting slew of hurt or insecurities – do they ever manage to set the need to preserve their image aside and have a proper conversation about it?
Any sort of canon divergence is fine with me – AUs where Elias/Rebecka/Ida herself live are welcome! Also more than happy for you to add any of the other nominated characters into the mix to play Minoo and Ida off of – particularly interested in some kind of tensely semiplatonic Minoo/Viktor/Ida thing rooted in mutual dislike and grudging trust, as well as Minoo/Linnea/Ida clashing worldviews, and I love the Circle otx.
6. Skulduggery Pleasant
China Sorrows, Tanith Low, Valkyrie Cain
I'm very interested in the shared history between China and Tanith! We meet Tanith several times at China's library – what sort of relationship do they strike up over the pre-canon years, as two people whose lives only seem to intersect by association with Skulduggery, then later with Valkyrie? I'd love to read fic about them dropping in and out of one another's lives, vaguely courteous, mostly distrustful of one another, and possibly being brought together to work with each other for some reason – I really like how their skillsets are complementary (some sort of bodyguard semi-romance perhaps…?)! Any sort of embroidering around the edges of canon is welcome; I'd love some sort of missed connections/ships passing in the night/unresolved could-have-beens dynamic that neither of them really want to address.
I'm also very interested in Valkyrie being mentored by both ladies, whether seen through a platonic or romantic light (if romantic, would prefer aged-up Valkyrie, even if it means a little fiddling with canon timelines)! Tanith/Valkyrie is so fun and supportive and I love how much they adore and admire one another, even as their relationship grows edges with Tanith possessed by a remnant and the Darquesse situation. I'd be happy with fic about lighthearted shenanigans early on in canon, all casual affection and banter and being the sister figure both of them wanted in their lives, or fic set later as the plot complications arise.
China/Valkyrie is also delightful! I'm fascinated by both the magic and the mundane (horseriding!!! history and lore!!!) aspects of their mentorship, and I'd love to see anything exploring those further – China's blend of serenity and razor-sharp intensity makes her such a compelling mentor to Valkyrie, especially with the cooler, more distant relationship they have.
I don't expect you to include all three characters in your fic, but if you want to combine any of these prompts in a sort of ot3-type situation, I have no complaints!
Again, these are all just suggestions – use them or leave them as you wish! Thank you so much, and I hope you have fun!
- Ash/AO3 user pyrophane
