Dear Yuletide Author...
Oct. 27th, 2019 01:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mk_tortieDear author,
First of all, thank you so much for offering to write one of these amazing fandoms! I love each and every one of them, so whichever you end up writing, I absolutely can't wait to read your story.
I'm not the most active person in any fandom, so I've put together a few notes in general and on each fandom to help you get some ideas, which I hope is useful to you :D My AO3 name, for reference, is also mk_tortie.
All the specific prompts I've given for each fandom are just ideas - if you're inspired to write something else, go for it! Also, some of the fandom sections are longer than others, but I love each of these fandoms equally and would be ecstatic to receive fic in any of them :D
In General
A few of my favourite things to see in fic:
- I love fics that are plot-driven and that add new things to existing canon, especially case-fic, fics that take place before or after the canon events, or ‘what if?’ canon diversion AUs (especially fix-its for deaths or break-ups!)
- I’m a sucker for time travel and time loop fics, especially in an h/c or fix-it context - I love the angst and tension that arises from a character meeting people they know and love but who don’t recognize them, or by characters trying desperately to avoid a particular future for their friends/loved ones.
- Hurt/comfort is one of my favourite tropes, in a few different flavours. For example, characters having to fight through illness or ailments to come out on top, even when it seems hopeless; a stronger/leader character ignoring pain or struggling on for too long before finally being forced to accept help from friends; characters suffering under secret knowledge about a situation/someone else, and trying to protect their friends while keeping the secret; characters believing a friend/loved one is dead, only to finally find out they’re not. I tend to like a heavier focus on hurt than comfort (although 50/50 is also fine), and the hurt can be emotional or physical or both.
There are some things I wouldn't really want:
- surprise!ships (i.e. non-canon ships in a story with no justification, explanation or background - non-canon ships are generally fine if they have some exposition or explanation though!)
- fluff!fic (ie, a little fluff is fine, especially in a happy ending, but if the fic is fluff throughout with no darker elements I would be a little disappointed!)
- sex scenes/porn as a major focus in the story (long sex scenes are just not my cup of tea), PWPs
- crossovers
- gender-bending and/or gender identity as a focus (except when it's canon)
- total AUs (eg hipster AU, high school AU, coffee shop AU...)
- any character bashing
- regional accents written out phonetically
- any kind of plot revolving around miscommunications and awkwardness - this gives me major second-hand embarrassment
Things I'm ambivalent about: holiday stories - I'm not against these, but I'm not interested in fluff with no plot, so a holiday story would have to be a story-taking-place-on-a-holiday rather than just characters doing happy holiday things for the sake of it!
FYI, if the plotbunny that strikes you ends up not involving all of my requested characters, that’s fine – for the most part, I don’t mind if not all my requested characters end up in the final fic, unless I’ve really made it clear that a character is my favourite!
---
To Serve Them All My Days - R. F. Delderfield
Characters requested: any
Signup details: This book has been one of my favourites for a very long time, and I can’t believe I didn’t think to nominate it for Yuletide until now. I think one of the reasons I love it so much is the way it plays with the found family trope, over and over again, from Powlett-Jones’ first days at Bamfylde through to his becoming headmaster. I love the portrayal of his relationships with his students and the dramas of school life, and the rhythm of its ebb and flow. What I’d particularly like to see here is anything the delves into those relationships - between David and Algy Herries, David and Howarth, David and Chad Boyer, or any other combination. I am, however, only interested in gen for this fandom, but canon ships are fine (especially David/Beth).
Some prompts/ideas:
- I’d love to see some h/c for David as he deals with his shell shock at the beginning of his time at the school. We see bits of it in the book, but I’d love to see a scene or scenes in which Algy, Howarth, or his students help him through it, knowingly or not!
- David’s experiences in the war are occasionally described in the book, but not in great detail - I’d love to see this fleshed out! Perhaps in the context of Boyer returning from the front after WWII?
- I really enjoy the friendships and mentorship that David has with the other nominated characters, and would love to see those from the other perspective - we primarily see David’s reaction, rather than anyone else’s.
Fandom-specific things I would love: mentions of the historical context or historical events, David’s politics, nicknames and names used in the same way as in the novel
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: any ships between the nominated characters (canon ships are fine), references to the TV show as I haven’t seen it!
---
ノルウェイの森 - 村上春樹 | Norwegian Wood - Murakami Haruki
Characters requested: Naoko, Kizuki, Toru
Signup details: I’m a big Murakami fan, and this is one of my favourite of his novels. What I love about his works is the referentiality of it - the pop culture intertexts, the symbols and metaphors, and of course the magical realism.
One of the things that fascinated me about Norwegian Wood is what we don’t find out about the characters’ backstory - while we know that Toru and Kizuki were best friends, we don’t really know very much about what Kizuki was like, or how Naoko’s breakdown was linked to him and to her relationship with Toru. I’d love to learn more about them!
Some prompts/ideas:
- I’d love to read something that takes ideas from the lyrics of the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood” and connects it to Naoko, Toru, and Kizuki - not so much songfic as exploring their relationship through the lens of the song, if that makes sense!
- What is Naoko’s perspective on Kizuki and his death, Toru, and the events of the novel? I’d love to read things from her point of view.
- Bring in more magical realism! What if this novel had talking cats/mysterious figures from paintings/some other strange, seemingly magical elements, as in Murakami’s later works. How would that change things? What might Toru have done differently? Feel free to take things in as weird a direction as you’d like!
Fandom-specific things I would love: Murakami-esque magical realism elements, stories told from other characters’ perspectives
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: anything too fluffy, since this is such a melancholy canon
---
The Witcher
Characters requested: Geralt, Regis, Ciri
Signup details: My introduction to The Witcher was played the 3rd game, and since then I’ve also read all the books, including the most recent one. I haven’t played the first or second game, so I’d really prefer to read a fic set during or after the third game. Including book canon is fine too!
This game, and the entire world that Geralt lives in, just drew me in so much. The world-building is incredible, and the characters are so three-dimensional. I love that the game puts the player in such genuine moral quandaries, where it’s often not at all clear what will lead to the best outcome, or if any of the outcomes will truly be positive.
I received a fantastic fic for this canon last year, but I just can’t help wanting more! I picked Ciri, Geralt, and Regis because those are the characters I enjoyed the most in the game, but I’m very happy for not all of them to be featured in the story (as long as you include Geralt!), or for other characters to be included as well. I love the dynamics between Geralt and Ciri, especially in the game ending where he brings her her sword and she joins the path of a Witcher: he wants to look out for her but also support her in fighting for her place in the world. I love Geralt and Regis’ friendship too, and I’m also very happy for you to explore a romance between them if you want to!
Some prompts:
- Any kind of case!fic or monster-of-the-week style plot with Geralt plus Ciri and/or Regis would be awesome. I’d especially love to see some Geralt h/c along the way, where Ciri and Regis eventually realize he needs help and have to fix him up.
- Geralt and Ciri go on the road and get caught up in another intrigue or someone else’s plot, and have to fight/scheme their way out - bonus points for affectionate bickering as they work out how to work together as partners
- Geralt and Regis friendship fic - maybe Regis helps Geralt work out how to be retired? I imagine that Geralt isn’t very good at it!
- Geralt and Regis (and Ciri too, if you’d like) get caught up in more intrigue in Toussaint and have to figure out a solution together.
Fandom-specific things I would love: appearances from other characters from the game and its expansions, places from the game mentioned with identifiable details (so locations of buildings in Novigrad, for example), background Geralt/Yennefer (unless you’re explicitly shipping him with someone else)
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: Relationship drama between Geralt and Yennefer due to him sleeping with someone else (after reading the books I’m fairly done with this as a plot point!), Geralt/Ciri, Ciri/Regis, Geralt/more than one person in the same story.
---
Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School
Characters requested: Kirigiri Kyouko
Signup details: I’ve played all the Dangan Ronpa games except Another Episode, and I loved the show, particularly the Future Arc. In a large part, that was because Kyouko has always been my favourite DR character, so I’m really happy she was nominated this year!
What I like the most about her is that, even when she’s focused on being logical and coldly considering the facts of a situation, she is also fiercely loyal to those she cares about. I love the moments when she’s able to trick Monokuma and cheat death to make it out of the killing game alive and save her friends (especially Makoto). I definitely ship her with Makoto, although I’m also open to reading Kyouko/Hina! While Hina, Makoto, Hajime and Chiaki are my other faves, I’m definitely open to a focus on whichever characters are your favourites, as long as Kyouko takes centre stage.
Some prompts/ideas:
- I’d love to see some of the events of the Future Arc from Kyouko’s perspective - especially with a Kyouko/Makoto slant!
- What if, after the events of the Future Arc, Kyouko goes on a hunt with her friends to stop Monokuma and those who are seeking the Ultimate Despair, once and for all?
- I’d love to see more of Kyouko dealing with the Ultimate Imposter, in whichever guise you’d like them to take.
- This is absolutely a canon that you can go wild in - time travel or time loops? Sucked into a new/different TV show? Interesting types of narrative? (For example - epistolary, interview, text messages...). Whatever crazy idea you’d like to try - go for it! The only thing I don’t tend to enjoy is total setting AUs, but I’m open to those if there is a backstory as to how the characters got there from the canon setting (ie, they’re actually undercover, they got sucked into a wormhole, or some other explanation).
- I’d love to see a moment set anywhere during the DR canon, where Kyouko ends up needing help from her friends, rather than being the one who has all the answers. Maybe recovering from the final killing game is harder than she thought? Or perhaps there’s a moment during it when it takes support or comfort from a friend to get her back on track?
- Another of my favourite DR characters is Chiaki, and I’d love any fic that had Kyouko and Chiaki working together to fix a problem of some kind, maybe also involving a proper fix-it for Chiaki’s death!
- I’m also a big fan of the Persona games, so I’d absolutely be open to a crossover in which Kyouko ends up investigating something that leads her to the characters or events from Persona 3, 4 or 5!
Fandom-specific things I would love: cameos from other characters, especially Makoto, Hina, Chiaki, or Hajime; messaging/texting; case!fic
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: jealousy as a major component of the story, fic focusing around domestic life, Kyouko as just Makoto’s sidekick, characters using honorifics/last names more than the English dub of the anime uses.
—-
So, thanks again, and I hope my requests haven't scared you off altogether! Definitely take everything I've written here as a suggestion to start off your creative process, not anything prescriptive at all - if you get an awesome idea when reading this, but it doesn't match any particular prompt, then go for it. I'm sure I will love it :D If anything here is really confusing, or you want to know more about my preferences that I've missed/forgotten here, then totally feel free to get in touch via the mods or through commenting anonymously here. I am really looking forward to reading your story, and I know if you love any one of these fandoms you must be an awesome person, so I'm really happy we were matched!
Good luck, and happy Yuletide,
Anna/mk_tortie
First of all, thank you so much for offering to write one of these amazing fandoms! I love each and every one of them, so whichever you end up writing, I absolutely can't wait to read your story.
I'm not the most active person in any fandom, so I've put together a few notes in general and on each fandom to help you get some ideas, which I hope is useful to you :D My AO3 name, for reference, is also mk_tortie.
All the specific prompts I've given for each fandom are just ideas - if you're inspired to write something else, go for it! Also, some of the fandom sections are longer than others, but I love each of these fandoms equally and would be ecstatic to receive fic in any of them :D
In General
A few of my favourite things to see in fic:
- I love fics that are plot-driven and that add new things to existing canon, especially case-fic, fics that take place before or after the canon events, or ‘what if?’ canon diversion AUs (especially fix-its for deaths or break-ups!)
- I’m a sucker for time travel and time loop fics, especially in an h/c or fix-it context - I love the angst and tension that arises from a character meeting people they know and love but who don’t recognize them, or by characters trying desperately to avoid a particular future for their friends/loved ones.
- Hurt/comfort is one of my favourite tropes, in a few different flavours. For example, characters having to fight through illness or ailments to come out on top, even when it seems hopeless; a stronger/leader character ignoring pain or struggling on for too long before finally being forced to accept help from friends; characters suffering under secret knowledge about a situation/someone else, and trying to protect their friends while keeping the secret; characters believing a friend/loved one is dead, only to finally find out they’re not. I tend to like a heavier focus on hurt than comfort (although 50/50 is also fine), and the hurt can be emotional or physical or both.
There are some things I wouldn't really want:
- surprise!ships (i.e. non-canon ships in a story with no justification, explanation or background - non-canon ships are generally fine if they have some exposition or explanation though!)
- fluff!fic (ie, a little fluff is fine, especially in a happy ending, but if the fic is fluff throughout with no darker elements I would be a little disappointed!)
- sex scenes/porn as a major focus in the story (long sex scenes are just not my cup of tea), PWPs
- crossovers
- gender-bending and/or gender identity as a focus (except when it's canon)
- total AUs (eg hipster AU, high school AU, coffee shop AU...)
- any character bashing
- regional accents written out phonetically
- any kind of plot revolving around miscommunications and awkwardness - this gives me major second-hand embarrassment
Things I'm ambivalent about: holiday stories - I'm not against these, but I'm not interested in fluff with no plot, so a holiday story would have to be a story-taking-place-on-a-holiday rather than just characters doing happy holiday things for the sake of it!
FYI, if the plotbunny that strikes you ends up not involving all of my requested characters, that’s fine – for the most part, I don’t mind if not all my requested characters end up in the final fic, unless I’ve really made it clear that a character is my favourite!
---
To Serve Them All My Days - R. F. Delderfield
Characters requested: any
Signup details: This book has been one of my favourites for a very long time, and I can’t believe I didn’t think to nominate it for Yuletide until now. I think one of the reasons I love it so much is the way it plays with the found family trope, over and over again, from Powlett-Jones’ first days at Bamfylde through to his becoming headmaster. I love the portrayal of his relationships with his students and the dramas of school life, and the rhythm of its ebb and flow. What I’d particularly like to see here is anything the delves into those relationships - between David and Algy Herries, David and Howarth, David and Chad Boyer, or any other combination. I am, however, only interested in gen for this fandom, but canon ships are fine (especially David/Beth).
Some prompts/ideas:
- I’d love to see some h/c for David as he deals with his shell shock at the beginning of his time at the school. We see bits of it in the book, but I’d love to see a scene or scenes in which Algy, Howarth, or his students help him through it, knowingly or not!
- David’s experiences in the war are occasionally described in the book, but not in great detail - I’d love to see this fleshed out! Perhaps in the context of Boyer returning from the front after WWII?
- I really enjoy the friendships and mentorship that David has with the other nominated characters, and would love to see those from the other perspective - we primarily see David’s reaction, rather than anyone else’s.
Fandom-specific things I would love: mentions of the historical context or historical events, David’s politics, nicknames and names used in the same way as in the novel
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: any ships between the nominated characters (canon ships are fine), references to the TV show as I haven’t seen it!
---
ノルウェイの森 - 村上春樹 | Norwegian Wood - Murakami Haruki
Characters requested: Naoko, Kizuki, Toru
Signup details: I’m a big Murakami fan, and this is one of my favourite of his novels. What I love about his works is the referentiality of it - the pop culture intertexts, the symbols and metaphors, and of course the magical realism.
One of the things that fascinated me about Norwegian Wood is what we don’t find out about the characters’ backstory - while we know that Toru and Kizuki were best friends, we don’t really know very much about what Kizuki was like, or how Naoko’s breakdown was linked to him and to her relationship with Toru. I’d love to learn more about them!
Some prompts/ideas:
- I’d love to read something that takes ideas from the lyrics of the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood” and connects it to Naoko, Toru, and Kizuki - not so much songfic as exploring their relationship through the lens of the song, if that makes sense!
- What is Naoko’s perspective on Kizuki and his death, Toru, and the events of the novel? I’d love to read things from her point of view.
- Bring in more magical realism! What if this novel had talking cats/mysterious figures from paintings/some other strange, seemingly magical elements, as in Murakami’s later works. How would that change things? What might Toru have done differently? Feel free to take things in as weird a direction as you’d like!
Fandom-specific things I would love: Murakami-esque magical realism elements, stories told from other characters’ perspectives
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: anything too fluffy, since this is such a melancholy canon
---
The Witcher
Characters requested: Geralt, Regis, Ciri
Signup details: My introduction to The Witcher was played the 3rd game, and since then I’ve also read all the books, including the most recent one. I haven’t played the first or second game, so I’d really prefer to read a fic set during or after the third game. Including book canon is fine too!
This game, and the entire world that Geralt lives in, just drew me in so much. The world-building is incredible, and the characters are so three-dimensional. I love that the game puts the player in such genuine moral quandaries, where it’s often not at all clear what will lead to the best outcome, or if any of the outcomes will truly be positive.
I received a fantastic fic for this canon last year, but I just can’t help wanting more! I picked Ciri, Geralt, and Regis because those are the characters I enjoyed the most in the game, but I’m very happy for not all of them to be featured in the story (as long as you include Geralt!), or for other characters to be included as well. I love the dynamics between Geralt and Ciri, especially in the game ending where he brings her her sword and she joins the path of a Witcher: he wants to look out for her but also support her in fighting for her place in the world. I love Geralt and Regis’ friendship too, and I’m also very happy for you to explore a romance between them if you want to!
Some prompts:
- Any kind of case!fic or monster-of-the-week style plot with Geralt plus Ciri and/or Regis would be awesome. I’d especially love to see some Geralt h/c along the way, where Ciri and Regis eventually realize he needs help and have to fix him up.
- Geralt and Ciri go on the road and get caught up in another intrigue or someone else’s plot, and have to fight/scheme their way out - bonus points for affectionate bickering as they work out how to work together as partners
- Geralt and Regis friendship fic - maybe Regis helps Geralt work out how to be retired? I imagine that Geralt isn’t very good at it!
- Geralt and Regis (and Ciri too, if you’d like) get caught up in more intrigue in Toussaint and have to figure out a solution together.
Fandom-specific things I would love: appearances from other characters from the game and its expansions, places from the game mentioned with identifiable details (so locations of buildings in Novigrad, for example), background Geralt/Yennefer (unless you’re explicitly shipping him with someone else)
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: Relationship drama between Geralt and Yennefer due to him sleeping with someone else (after reading the books I’m fairly done with this as a plot point!), Geralt/Ciri, Ciri/Regis, Geralt/more than one person in the same story.
---
Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School
Characters requested: Kirigiri Kyouko
Signup details: I’ve played all the Dangan Ronpa games except Another Episode, and I loved the show, particularly the Future Arc. In a large part, that was because Kyouko has always been my favourite DR character, so I’m really happy she was nominated this year!
What I like the most about her is that, even when she’s focused on being logical and coldly considering the facts of a situation, she is also fiercely loyal to those she cares about. I love the moments when she’s able to trick Monokuma and cheat death to make it out of the killing game alive and save her friends (especially Makoto). I definitely ship her with Makoto, although I’m also open to reading Kyouko/Hina! While Hina, Makoto, Hajime and Chiaki are my other faves, I’m definitely open to a focus on whichever characters are your favourites, as long as Kyouko takes centre stage.
Some prompts/ideas:
- I’d love to see some of the events of the Future Arc from Kyouko’s perspective - especially with a Kyouko/Makoto slant!
- What if, after the events of the Future Arc, Kyouko goes on a hunt with her friends to stop Monokuma and those who are seeking the Ultimate Despair, once and for all?
- I’d love to see more of Kyouko dealing with the Ultimate Imposter, in whichever guise you’d like them to take.
- This is absolutely a canon that you can go wild in - time travel or time loops? Sucked into a new/different TV show? Interesting types of narrative? (For example - epistolary, interview, text messages...). Whatever crazy idea you’d like to try - go for it! The only thing I don’t tend to enjoy is total setting AUs, but I’m open to those if there is a backstory as to how the characters got there from the canon setting (ie, they’re actually undercover, they got sucked into a wormhole, or some other explanation).
- I’d love to see a moment set anywhere during the DR canon, where Kyouko ends up needing help from her friends, rather than being the one who has all the answers. Maybe recovering from the final killing game is harder than she thought? Or perhaps there’s a moment during it when it takes support or comfort from a friend to get her back on track?
- Another of my favourite DR characters is Chiaki, and I’d love any fic that had Kyouko and Chiaki working together to fix a problem of some kind, maybe also involving a proper fix-it for Chiaki’s death!
- I’m also a big fan of the Persona games, so I’d absolutely be open to a crossover in which Kyouko ends up investigating something that leads her to the characters or events from Persona 3, 4 or 5!
Fandom-specific things I would love: cameos from other characters, especially Makoto, Hina, Chiaki, or Hajime; messaging/texting; case!fic
Fandom-specific things I wouldn't enjoy so much: jealousy as a major component of the story, fic focusing around domestic life, Kyouko as just Makoto’s sidekick, characters using honorifics/last names more than the English dub of the anime uses.
—-
So, thanks again, and I hope my requests haven't scared you off altogether! Definitely take everything I've written here as a suggestion to start off your creative process, not anything prescriptive at all - if you get an awesome idea when reading this, but it doesn't match any particular prompt, then go for it. I'm sure I will love it :D If anything here is really confusing, or you want to know more about my preferences that I've missed/forgotten here, then totally feel free to get in touch via the mods or through commenting anonymously here. I am really looking forward to reading your story, and I know if you love any one of these fandoms you must be an awesome person, so I'm really happy we were matched!
Good luck, and happy Yuletide,
Anna/mk_tortie
