Dear Yuletide Writer 2018

[wasuremono]

Dear Yuletide Writer,

Thank you! Thank you for participating in Yuletide, thank you for writing for me (or considering writing for me, if you found this via the community post and got curious), and thank you for reading this letter. Before we get started, there are three general points about me and Yuletide.

1. In the event you found this from the LJ/DW community or a DW search, my AO3 username is Wasuremono. This is obviously redundant if you're my assigned writer, but you never know.

2. None of the fandoms on my list is a gimme/consolation-prize fandom. All of the canons I've requested are things I really like and would be overjoyed to have Yuletide fiction for, so whichever one you matched me on, don't worry that it's not what I really want! The length of my prompts and notes varies a bit by fandom, but that's not a reflection of my degree of desire for them. Whatever canon we matched on will be fantastic!

In the event of a last-minute pinch hit on other Yulemergency, your best bet is probably going to be Rubyquest, which is an illustrated story/comic-oid thing available freely online and can be read within an hour or two. My other three requests are for longer or more slow-to-access canons (a JRPG, a five-volume manga series, and a browser game), so don't worry about picking those up. (Also, if you're a last-minute pinch hitter, for me or for anyone else, thank you so much for your hard work!)

3. Above all else, I want you to write something you want to write. One of the great joys in Yuletide is writing in a rare fandom, and I want you to really enjoy the act of writing for me. To that end, please remember that all my optional details are optional! I'd like for my prompts and general likes/dislikes to be kept in mind, of course, but at the end of the day, what I really want from my Yuletide story is something crafted with joy and love for our shared rare fandom. If that means taking my prompts and going to strange places with them, I don't mind at all.

Likes: Gen, whether plot-based or just slice-of-life; I'm down with anything from low-key character-development pieces to insane adventure craziness, although I would prefer at least some degree of substantive plot and development. I also really like stories that develop settings -- tastes of everyday life in fantastic worlds, imaginary histories, that sort of thing. I enjoy fic set all along the time spectrum, from pre-canon events to fill-in-the-holes to post-canon; that said, I'd appreciate if stories set within the canon have something more to add to the story than just a fresh POV of your own words. I enjoy happy endings, where characters find contentment and safety (or make good progress in finding it), and in general notes of hope and optimism are always appreciated.

For non-gen stories, I tend to prefer non-dysfunctional relationship dynamics: relationships where the characters in question authentically like each other and can both grow as people because of their connection. Similarly, I prefer sex scenes to be cheerful, obviously consenting (no dubcon/noncon or seriously impaired characters), and mutually satisfying. I don't really have any kinks, so vanilla sex is fine, but the introduction of some mild kink is fine too -- light BDSM (simple bondage, blindfolds, lighthearted wrestling, that kinda thing) or genderplay, say, if it fits the scenario and characters. Het, slash, femslash, and any and all permutations thereof are fine with me.

Dislikes: PWP and similar stories focused on the raw action of sex/kink; it's fine if the "plot" of the porn is just "the characters have sex and spend some time together," but I prefer that porn be used to develop the characters in question and their relationship to one another, so I'm generally more interested in the characters' thoughts and feelings during sex than a play-by-play of the action. For similar reasons, I don't like crack pairings, and in general I'm not fond of crack or excessive AU-ing. "What if?"s based on canon or branching off from canon are great, but I'm not into coffeeshop/high-school/"not in their canon at all" AUs. I also don't like character-bashing exercises or excessively downbeat endings. I would prefer no unprompted crossovers, please; I'm fine with crossovers and fusions and whatnot, but my fandom tastes are sufficiently esoteric that I might not know or appreciate even a big fandom enough to enjoy a crossover involving it.

Squicks: This is probably redundant given my Likes section, but just in case: I really don't want to read about non-consensual or questionably-consensual sex, either for fetish or for drama/tragedy. Humiliation and abuse, particularly domestic abuse, squick me the fuck out in both sexual and platonic contexts; in general, I don't like "comedy of cruelty" sorts of material where the goal is to watch repulsive characters treat each other poorly. It's okay to have characters struggle and fail, but if they're not at least a little sympathetic and they don't have at least the possibility of a moment of grace, it's probably more irritating to me than interesting. I would also prefer no heavy kink beyond what I've already mentioned as okay and no animal cruelty, particularly directed at cats.

All right, onto the specific prompts:

Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushu | EarthBound
any characters

Earthbound is a real fandom of the heart for me, so I'll be happy with anything, although I'd generally prefer something in the tone of the canon (sometimes dark/bittersweet but ultimately hopeful). I'm fine with integration of non-nominated characters and material from the other games; feel free to use anything from the canon that you'd like.

As stated above, I'm very easy to please, but this year I think I'd most like some stuff about the Chosen Four's lives post-canon: what it's like to grow up with their powers, shared history, and bond with one another. I'd prefer that this be overall optimistic in tone, but it's okay to address dark topics as well. After all, these kids are essentially war veterans, and it's not always easy putting together the second act of a life after doing so much so young. Still, I'd like to see them make it through and stay close to one another, and if you just want to write some fluff about these kids having goofy teenage adventures, or about their adult lives, that's fine with me too!

I'm fine with gen or shipping for this fandom, although I'd prefer that any romantic/sexual interactions stay age-appropriate (no explicit sex unless the characters are aged up to at least late teens). My "default" Earthbound ships are Ness/Paula, Jeff/Tony, and Poo/OFC, but Jeff/Paula and Ness/Poo are my weird guilty-pleasure rarepairs, and I'm fine with OT3/OT4 permutations involving the Chosen.

General DNWs: noncon/dubcon, abusive relationships, humiliation, cruelty to cats
Fandom-specific DNWs: Underage sexual content, hurt/whump without comfort and an eventual happy ending

Seriously, I could write a billion words about Earthbound, but I don't want to overwhelm this letter. My letters for 2016 and 2017 both have EB sections, with lots of rambling about how the setting's metaphysics works, so feel free to take a look there if you want. A lot of those prompts are kind of overthink-y, though, and at the end of the day, I'm really pleased by anything about these characters that still carries the feel of the canon, in all its idiosyncrasy. EB is a canon that's intended for exploration and interpretation; if you write me a story that comes from your own feelings about the game, that's all I really want.

ダンジョン飯 | Dungeon Meshi | Delicious in Dungeon
Senshi, Namari

First things first: I'm caught up with the Yen Press translation of the canon (through Chapter 35) but not any farther, so please, no spoilers for anything past that! If any of my prompts are silly or redundant in the context of the current Japanese canon, feel free to tweak them, write AUs, or whatever.

I really love this comic for its thoughtful, interesting worldbuilding, as well as the fun core cast and their affectionate/exasperated dynamics. While I requested both Namari and Senshi, I'm fine with writing about only one of them if you prefer, or about the whole Thorden party past or present. (I'd prefer a focus on either the Thorden party or Namari's new adventures with the Tansu party; Kabru and his team, along with the other newcomers, are pretty cool, but I'd rather have more of the canon for them first.) I'd prefer gen in this fandom, please.

For Senshi and/or Namari, I think it'd be interesting to see some more of their personal histories. For all of Senshi's talk about family traditions, he doesn't seem to have fared well in dwarven society before leaving it for solitude, and Namari seems to have family problems of her own; despite her being a more "traditional" dwarf, I wonder if she couldn't find some common ground with Senshi over their past troubles. If you don't want to write them both, stories of their individual attempts to get by would be great too! Namari with the Thorden or Tansu parties -- or others? -- and Senshi building knowledge and connections in the dungeon would both be wonderful.

I'm also totally interested in worldbuilding here, because I'd love to read some exploration of what's really going on. Dungeons are clearly an established presence in this world, and I've wondered about other dungeons with their own ecology, or what happened to them after being "cleared"/conquered. Alternately, expand on some of the little snippets we get of backstory! Tell me about treasure insect breeders, or about how sapient those fishmen actually are, or an AU where kelpies actually can be made friends with and Senshi and Anne have magical adventures.

General DNWs: noncon/dubcon, abusive relationships, humiliation, cruelty to cats
Fandom-specific DNWs: Explicit sexual content, romance/shipping focus

My request prompt covers most of it, but just to clarify: I'm 100% fine with inclusion of other characters, and I really like the canonical team dynamics, so if you want to write an ensemble piece instead of focusing on my requests, go for it! I'd just like to make sure that Senshi and/or Namari stay in the picture somehow.

For stories with a plot/adventure focus, I'd prefer it if everyone involved gets a chance to shine; one of the things I appreciate about the manga is that everyone gets a chance to be competent in their own fields, and nobody is the constant butt of the joke. (I admit, before I settled on the dwarves, I strongly considered just asking for Chilchack being the awesome thief that everyone kind of wanted in their D&D games and nobody ever pulled off.) That said, it's also fine if there isn't a ton of plot and we get to see these characters not in constant peril for once. The members of the Thorden party past and present clearly care about each other a lot, even in somewhat awkward ways (Senshi's paternalism!), and if you want to focus on that in a calmer situation, that'd be great.

Flight Rising
Bogsneak Dragons, The Earthshaker

Like Dungeon Meshi, this is a fandom where I'm fine with skipping one of my requested characters! Don't feel obliged to use both.

Oh, Flight Rising. I love this silly dragon browser game a lot and enjoy expanding the lore that the game's given us so far. I'd really enjoy a deeper exploration of canonical stuff and am okay with original dragon characters!

For the Earthshaker: I've been in Earth Flight since I joined the game, and one of the things that intrigued me about it was that Earth dragons specifically create monuments. They're not just miners or ruin-delvers, although those elements are there; there's a ritualistic part of life in Dragonhome, and I'd love to know more about that. My headcanon is that Earth dragons tend to be more devoted to their patron god and the spiritual world than other flights, which also helps account for the high rate of exaltation by Earth dragons and clans. (For the record, you don't have to use metagame or out-of-lore parts of the site in your story; I just think the intersection of Earth's canonical lore with its status as a high-exalting flight is kind of neat.) I'd love to read about how Earth dragons celebrate this side of themselves, and how the Earthshaker feels about his children's devotion, even with their small numbers. He can't be sad or asleep all the time, right?

(I suppose this is already implied, but just to state it clearly: I'm only interested in the canonical lore about exaltation, where it's a great honor and exalted dragons can serve their deity/flight in a lot of different ways. I respect that other people have darker headcanons, but I'd rather not read about them.)

For Bogsneak dragons: there's something very evocative to me about the concept that Bogsneaks are the first breed of dragons created without a deity's involvement, and I'd really like to read about Bogsneaks hatched from alchemically-brewed eggs, essentially life created from nothing. Sure, these Bogsneaks hatch with elemental affinities, but do they really have a connection to that element's deity? (And does every Bogsneak hatch with an elemental affiliation, or are some born blank-eyed and neutral? Can environment change this, or magic, or devotion to a deity?) I'd also be interested in stories of Bogsneaks trying to navigate the world of deities and flights, maybe trying to find a proper home for themselves and acceptance by a deity. It seems like the most accepting ones might be the Earthshaker (Dragonhome is every dragon's home), the Plaguebringer (Bogsneaks are definitely survivors) and the Arcanist (always down for alchemical weirdness), but feel free to surprise me.

General DNWs: noncon/dubcon, abusive relationships, humiliation, cruelty to cats
Fandom-specific DNWs: Explicit sexual content, non-canonical interpretations of exaltation

This is another long prompt that mostly says it all. As before, don't feel obliged to use both requested characters! If the story ends up Earthy and not bogsneak-y, or vice versa, go with it.

On the whole, for this request, I think I'd like to see a more hopeful tone. I know that Flight Rising lore can be pretty dark and occasionally over the top, but I'm more interested in... psychologically grounded stories here, I guess? (Insofar as that makes sense in Magic Dragon World.) I'm interested in stories about faith, loss, devotion, solitude, and belonging -- clans who honor forgotten history, servants of a lonely god, and magical accidents trying to find a place for themselves in a chaotic world.

Rubyquest
any characters

I'd really love to read some worldbuilding or gap-filling for Rubyquest this year! I find the canon really intriguing, and it leaves a lot of questions open about what's really going on here, especially with the various intimations that dark magic is behind what's going on in the Metal Glen. Tell me what's up with those weird statues and arcane diagrams! Show me a slice of everything going to Hell! While I'm fine with a story focused on the nominated characters, I'd also be fine with the full non-nominated cast, including the background characters who only show up as photographs (or a severed head, poor thing). Obviously, this can and probably should get pretty dark and nasty, and I particularly like body horror, so feel free to go nuts. The one exception is that I don't want any romantic/sexual horror besides the "seduce, then stab" sort of thing we see in canon, and ideally no more detailed than that -- I know Red has some kind of probably-unrequited interest in Ruby, but I'd rather not read a story about his stalking or coercing her, please. (Honestly, for Red, I think I'd like to see his saner and more caring side from before everything went wrong, just because we don't get nearly as good a feeling for that in canon as we do his current state.)

I'd also be interested in reading post-canon for this one. What is the world like outside, and how do our heroes get by in it? If you're going this route, I'd prefer a happy or hopeful tone; I want these folks to have their happy ending, even if it's very weird.

General DNWs: noncon/dubcon, abusive relationships, humiliation, cruelty to (non-sapient) cats
Fandom-specific DNWs: n/a (you can go pretty crazy with the Cheez Whiz for this one if you want, it's all good)

Really, this is a pretty straightforward "I like this cool thing, so give me more of it" sort of request. I don't want to explicitly request non-nominated characters, of course, and if you want to focus strictly on Ruby and/or Red, that's fine -- but boy, there are a lot of background characters with implied stories ripe for the telling, and so many evocative details about the Metal Glen that remain unexplained. If there's a part of canon that always made you think "seriously, what the hell?", go ahead and dig in. I'll love it.

Really, the only tricky thing here is that I'd like to see a difference in tone for stories set post-canon than for stories set pre-/during canon. Pre-canon or fill-in stories can be as horrific as you feel is appropriate, and given what we see of canon, that should probably be "pretty darn horrific"; for post-canon, though, I'd like more of... well, like I said in the prompt, a happy/hopeful/happy-ish ending, because our survivors have been through the wringer already and I'd rather see them at least get a chance at decent lives. I don't expect full rainbows and sunshine, but I'd prefer these poor folks not be doomed.

And... I think that pretty much covers it for me this year! Thank you, as always, for reading my rambling, and have a wonderful Yuletide. I hope the exchange treats you well.