Dear Yuletide Writer 2019

[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 full-length JRPG, a pen-and-paper roleplaying game with a lot of canon, and a browser game that also has pretty deep lore stuff), 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: I enjoy both gen and ship/smut! For gen, I'm 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 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 and ideally enthusiastically consenting (no dubcon/noncon or seriously impaired characters), and mutually satisfying. 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 costuming, 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. I'm interested in exploring characters mostly in their canon situations, so please no setting-change AUs, although canon-divergence AUs are fine. 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.

DNWs: 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 unprompted kink beyond what I've already mentioned as okay and no animal cruelty, particularly directed at cats.

Specific prompts time! Here we go:

Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine (RPG) -- any character (Chuubo, Leonardo, Seizhi, Entropy II)

First things first: I nominated characters under their default names/genders for Glass-Maker's Dragon, but feel free to write them as any gender or permutation you want! If you want to write a fic where machine-speaker Seizhi teams up with Dulcinea VII to talk down Shokyou Rock and Roll, who has turned into a giant snake even though this never helps... well, you should write that fic. Maybe that specific fic I just described, in fact.

Anyway! In game terms, I'd like to read some Pastoral-toned fic here, although it's okay if things get dark and twisty, or action-y if needs be. I love CMWGE's combination of wild fantasy and mundanity: the way that so many of the characters are beings of bizarre cosmic power but also just regular people trying to get by, and how Town is simultaneously weird and welcoming. Any of the canon characters are fine, not just the nominated ones! (I love them all, but you only get so many nomination slots.) Here are some concrete ideas:

* School shenanigans, with the nominated characters or the entire GMD crew; it's a side of these character's lives we don't see (I'm not even sure they all go to School canonically), and I'd be interested to see them in that environment, dealing with all the weird problems that come with School. Is Chuubo ever really paying attention? How much of Seizhi's day is wrangling him? How much does Leonardo resent even being there? How does Entropy function as a Principal in relation to these kids, who are both potential seeds of new worlds and people who deserve to live their own lives? (Someone being both a useful tool on the cosmic stage and a person with their own feelings seems like something he can understand, after all.)

* Leonardo as a kid, during his "hanging out with Chuubo and trying to be a normal person" days. Did they collaborate on any projects, and how disastrously did that go? Was Seizhi around at this point? Is Seizhi suddenly around retroactively, and that feels wrong and weird, which means SCIENCE needs to be thrown at it?

* If you know the Halloween Special, I'd love to read about the Halloween Special versions of Chuubo and Entropy, dealing with either the immediate crisis or the general "the Jarls sent me to destroy you but I really don't want to" situation. I'm particularly interested in how they end up in that motorcycle chase on the back cover.

For non-gen stuff, I'm fairly open-minded. I don't like Chuubo/Seizhi because of the power dynamics at play, and I don't want to see Entropy in a relationship with any of the teenage characters, but anything else is fair game. Leonardo/Seizhi could be fun; it seems like they'd have a lot to bond over, about Chuubo being so damn Chuubonic, and about the struggles of trying to be someone worth being and feeling like you can't do it.

General DNWs: noncon/dubcon, abusive relationships, humiliation, cruelty to cats
Fandom-specific DNWs: Underage sexual content, Chuubo/Seizhi, Entropy paired with any of the kids

Chuubo's is a fandom that's really captured my imagination lately, and I'd be delighted to read anything you come up with. Like I said in the letter, any and all characters are welcome; my nominations were a bit arbitrary, although I confess I have a serious soft spot for Leonardo de Montreal and his simultaneously completely ridiculous and heartbreakingly serious situation. He is the amazing angsty hyper-powerful sad-backstory-having roleplaying character I was always too self-conscious to play as a teenager, and I will read anything about him, from "forced to finally confront his wings of blood and fire and what they mean" to "drank the last of the milk and didn't buy more."

I'd also be excited about stories that delve deeper into the game's setting! I love Fortitude: on the Shores of Big Lake and all of its great little details -- Imported Cold, the seafood restaurant with the terrible mural, the video-rental service where a talking rat delivers you the movie they think you should watch -- but anywhere in the setting would be wonderful to explore.

A final note, if you're into writing something with a higher rating in this fandom: don't be afraid to get weird with the intimacy or smut here. Many characters in Chuubo's are fantastically strange, and as long as what's going on is consensual and mutually enjoyable, feel free to explore that strangeness however you see fit.

Tattered Weave (Video Game) -- any character (Othidar, The Wolf, The Witch, The Dollmaker)

I love this charming little game, and I particularly love the Shadow Stage and all its weird drama goblins, as well as Othidar's continuing entanglements with them. While I would prefer a focus on the nominated characters, feel free to use any of the canon Shadow Stage and Enchanted Forest NPCs, and maybe NPCs from other remnants in the background if you need.

Like the first paragraph suggested, I'd love to see Othidar involved in shenanigans with Shadow Stage NPCs. Recent events have me shipping Othidar/The Wolf pretty hard; if you don't ship it, I'd be happy with a fic where they're just friends, but I really like the concept of these two jaded people finding some new happiness together. (Smut is also extremely welcome here, maybe with some enthusiastic rough sex? The Wolf seems like she'd be an assertive partner, and Othidar's no slouch either, even if he's starting to feel his age.) I'd also enjoy seeing Othidar's continuing cooking lessons with the Witch -- how do you encourage a Sugarmancer to eat her damn vegetables without candying them first? -- or his reaching out to the Dollmaker, either to commiserate together on their very similar sorrows, or just to be salad friends. Sadness and salad are a sure foundation for friendship.

If you don't want to write Othidar, that's cool too! I'd love to see more of the Shadow Stage folks healing and rebuilding their lives in the post-Narrator world. Maybe the Witch reaching out to the Dollmaker, as someone who knew and loved her parents, or the Wolf trying to tamp down on her overprotectiveness as the Witch grows up. The one caveat here is that I don't want a fic focused on the Witch's gender issues, and if you do address the topic, I'd like the Wolf (and others!) to be accepting and supportive. My headcanon is that the Wolf still uses male pronouns for the Witch because she doesn't know better, and that the Stage in general is fairly flexible about gender identity given the nature of the remnant.

A quick note: I'm writing this request on October 27th, when the Illuminary Gala event is still in progress, and it's completely possible the end of the event might render these requests unworkable. I'll update my letter after the event concludes if the ending substantially changes my request. If you want to write using post-Gala canon, go ahead, but also feel free to write a fic set pre-Gala/in an AU where the Gala runs smoothly and everyone loves Othidar's cake/whatever works for you.

General DNWs: noncon/dubcon, abusive relationships, humiliation, cruelty to cats
Fandom-specific DNWs: Underage sexual content, non-canon character death, serious danger or trauma for Witch, transphobia

So, yeah, I'm a little nervous writing this prompt, because this is an ongoing canon and the current event has a fairly serious likelihood of disrupting something. I'll update this paragraph if there are major changes to my requests after the Gala ends and the dust settles.

EDIT 10/31: HOLY CRAP THAT WENT PLACES. Okay, so! Now everything's exploding, and feel free to write about the post-Gala fallout if you want! Either plot stuff with the characters trying to save the Forest, or character stuff dealing with the emotional fallout, are cool. Just... hoo boy. Further edits maybe to come once the November event launches, but I don't expect you to be writing up-to-the-minute canon compliance, so no worries if this gets jossed.

Anyway, here are a few more concrete prompts:

* Othidar and the Wolf going hunting in either of their remnants -- the Enchanted Forest is probably more interesting, but the Shadow Stage probably has some weird fauna other than those blackbirds.

* In general, Othidar's first experiences traveling to the Shadow Stage, or between remnants in general. (I'm assuming he'd go with Castwick, which is a story in and of itself.) If this becomes a regular thing, maybe he has to form a kith alliance of his own?

* The Dollmaker trying his best to be a good parental figure to the Witch -- maybe grave-tending together, or attending Eludance's recitals? I love what a good weird dad Dollmaker is to Eludance, and I'd love more found-family Shadow Stage stuff.

* Enchanted Forest/Shadow Stage fusion cuisine: either Othidar working with what the Shadow Stage has to create more nutritious food options, or Witch just Sugarmancing it up. Candy Corn Vinaigrette, anyone?

Rubyquest -- any (Ruby, Red, Jay, Stitches)

I'd really love to read some worldbuilding or gap-filling for Rubyquest! 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)

I got some great Rubyquest fic last year, but I'd still love more! 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 the nominated cast, 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.

Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushu | EarthBound -- any characters (Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo)

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

So, Earthbound. I could go on about Earthbound at great length, and I have in the past! My 2016, 2017, and 2018 letters all have EB prompts in them, and I think the others on this journal have prompts for other Mother games and general rambling about the series, so feel free to datamine wildly. (I've also written a lot of fics in this fandom, and they're an accurate depiction of the kinds of things I'd like to read, so if that's your thing, I won't stop you.)

Seriously, it's hard for me to think of things I don't want to read for Earthbound barring really nihilistic stuff or things that hit my DNWs. Write me action! Write me missing scenes from canon! Write me the kids recovering in a hotel room after hitting up a Sanctuary! Write me scenes from their adulthood! (I do see them as lifelong friends, to be fair, so some kind of "they all hate each other now" fic would not work for me, but still.) Write what you love about Earthbound and I will love it right along with you.