Yuletide Letter 2012
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Thank you so much for offering/pinch-hitting a fic for me! This year is going to be awesome, just like your story. So let’s cut down to business, hm? :)
I love fluff, angst, grumpy softies, Nightmare Fuel, psychological horror, shipping (m/f, m/m, f/f), gen, character studies, focus on minor characters, hurt/comfort, intergenerational friendships, the Enemy Mine trope (enemies working together), the "Earn Your Happy Ending" trope, unreliable narrators, whimsical fantasy and world-building. I love having my "nostalgia button" pressed and squeegle at references to my childhood from the 80s and 90s. :)
Please don’t include rape, non-con (mindfuck and dub-con is okay regarding “Yume Nikki”), drug/alcohol addiction, love triangles, infidelity, family drama, animal/child abuse, bullying, incest, scatological/urological/“bathroom” activities, pregnancy/miscarriage/abortion, vampires, zombies, or bad things constantly heaped on somebody for the sake of tragedy.
I'm all for violence and sex if they're appropriate for the canon, but they need to fit naturally in the narrative rather than being pasted on for the sake of "shock value" and "edgy writing." I’ll go for any ending as long as it’s appropriate for the story you’re writing, but I’d like even the gloomiest of endings to have hope in them. I want to be moved, not broken. ;D
Unless otherwise noted, I prefer gen in my requests. :)
Raggedy Ann & Andy
This fandom took me by surprise. I love Raggedy Ann & Andy themselves, and I adore the artwork and creativity that Johnny Gruelle put into his books. I’m also fascinated by the real-life tragedy behind the dolls: Gruelle had told stories to his ailing daughter Marcella about her favorite toy (Raggedy Ann, of course), and after she had passed away from an infected vaccination, he continued writing in his daughter’s memory. Later, Raggedy Andy was created by the suggestion of Gruelle’s sons, who loved playing with Ann and wanted her to have a brother so “she wouldn’t be lonely.” I would absolutely love to have an h/c fic of Raggedy Ann and the other toys coping with the loss of their owner, with introspection on Ann & Andy’s sibling relationship and their loyalty for each other.
The above prompt regards the books and/or meta, but if you're into dark world-building, I bring to you “Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure.” It's an animated movie directed by Richard Williams ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit?") that is often surreal and disturbing (there’s a reason Nostalgia Critic listed it among his “Top 11 Nostalgic Mindfucks”), so I'd love a horrorfic exploring the creepier aspects of the film… most specifically, Looney Land. What is its history? How come they have never been discovered by humans? There’s also a scene where King Koo-Koo tells Ann & Andy “You’re going to stay here and keep me laughing! Then when I am bored with you, you’ll become one of them!” What's the horrific process that gets involved for a toy becoming a "Looney?" Make the child in me sleep with the lights on for weeks.
All that I ask is that you don’t turn Raggedy Ann & Andy into axe-murderers or misanthropic cynics. One of the things I like about the dolls is that while they’re well aware that terrible things happen, they’re still compassionate and optimistic, and above all, empathetic. :)
Yume Nikki | Dream Diary
Yume Nikki is a free-ware game about a girl exploring her dreams, from peaceful to strange to downright disturbing. My all-time favorite dream in the game is when she enters a spaceship and meets its single resident, a monochromatic piano player that the fandom dubs “Seccom Masada Sensei.” I’ve always imagined Masada to be kind, polite and hospitable, and his spaceship is one of the few places in the game where I felt safe and relaxed. I also find him rather innocent and timid, as demonstrated by his slowly backing away when you equip the knife effect. I absolutely adore the relationship between Madotsuki and Masada; those two have the uncommon ability to making me squeal from the adorable, to shivering in outright horror, then being poignant and breaking my heart all at once… they’re what I call a “FEELZ!!!11!1 Rollercoaster.”
Usually, fanfics explore Madotsuki’s past and are usually from her point of view. So what is Masada’s life like? Does he know about the other places and residents in Madotsuki’s Dream World? Does he exist in the real world or is he a complete figment of Madotsuki's imagination? Is he reluctant to leave his spaceship, much like Madotsuki refuses to go out the front door of her apartment in her waking life? Is he being haunted by someone, like Uboa or the hidden Face in the Numbers World (close to where the Kyukyu-kun pink thing rubbing the stair rail is) or Tasei-san? (The crying creature in the sewers underneath Mars) Since I'm mean to my favorite characters, I'd like to see him suffer a little. He doesn't have to be Tess of the D'Urbervilles (see: dislikes), but he can go through enough to make me wish I could give him hugs. I want him sympathetic, not evil or antagonistic. While the “Masada was Madotsuki’s piano teacher in real life” is common among theories and fanfics, I’d prefer that Masada be a teacher, but not necessarily Madotsuki’s. I think she would call him “Sensei” out of politeness. :)
Optional: I ship Madotsuki/Masada like crazy, so if you're good with that, feel free to roll! Smut is fine (also optional), as long as it's tasteful. Well... as tasteful as it gets for a game where there's a lot of stabbing anyway. :P
Ib
A psychological horror game that centers around art… sign me up! I love the friendship between Ib and Garry and I love the sacrifices Garry makes to protect her. The handkerchief bit in the “Promise of Reunion” ending never fails to make me squeal, and “The Forgotten Portrait” makes me wibble with tears. So what I’d like to see is a sequel taking place after the events of "The Forgotten Portrait," inspired by A-Ha’s “Take On Me” music video. More epic creepy adventures inside the world of art and sketches! If you could include Garry flashing back and forth between painting and flesh-and-blood in the real world just like at the end of the video, I will be a happy, happy soul and give you an Internet. I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending, but whatever you do I’m sure will be fantastic. :3
Alternately, if you’re up for a challenge, I would love a crossover fic between “Ib” and Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” What if Dorian Gray stepped into the “Fabricated World” and met Mary? Who would come out on top? (Aka who gets to escape into the real world and who remains a painting?) Would Weiss Güertena and Basil Hallward know each other, and would Güertena warn him against painting anyone that he knew in real life? How would a conversation between Ib and Lord Henry Wotton go? Would Ib reject what he says or would she be corrupted by his poisonous influence?
Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Ahh, Earthbound! One of my favorite games of all time: the humor, the quirky characters, and the overall fuzzy feeling that you get once you’re immersed in its world. The Chosen Four have become heroes to me, and I’m touched because they made it clear that you, the player, made that possible. So what are my epic, thoughtful and heartwarming prompts for an epic, thoughtful and heartwarming game?
One of my favorite parts of the game was Magicant. I loved the Flying Men, I loved the strange and peaceful atmosphere, the way the sky and landscape changed color with Ness's mood, and Ness's memories were so poignant. Then the part where you wake up and you're told that Magicant will cease to exist... that always punched me in the gut. And the gravestone of Buzz-Buzz! Then there's the graves of the Flying Men, whose obituaries become increasingly less detailed until the final one says, "gravestone." (I don't know... I haven't had the heart to lose all of my Flying Men to see if this was true. ;;) This got me wondering what the Magicants of the rest of the Chosen 4 would be like. Whether you choose one of them or all three will be up to you. What are the memories of Jeff, Paula and/or Poo? What little things impacted them in their lives, like the Snowman that Ness built? Does Paula remember Everdred? How would Dr. Andonuts, Tony and Maxwell act in Jeff's Magicant? Does Star Master live in Poo's Magicant, leaving his student with the knowledge that when he conquers his Nightmare, he will disappear forever?
I wondered what Paula would think when she learned that Ness and Jeff found Everdred in Fourside shortly after she was kidnapped, and then he left their lives forever without them knowing if he was dead or alive. I love the contrast between Jeff and Tony, with the former leaning toward logic and the latter on emotion. Yet they're best friends who need each other and are both awkward in their own ways (Tony being clingy, Jeff not exactly a pro at socializing), and care for another even when they know they can't be physically together and um... something between the two of them, platonic or romantic, whether they're a major focus or a paragraph, will make me squeegle. I always imagined that Poo felt close to Star Master and greatly admired him, like a father-figure he never had. So if you're writing Poo's Magicant, I'd love it if you explored the teacher-student relationship between them. And I'm a sucker for seeing Poo's softer/more vulnerable side. *cough*
Optional: Shipping is allowed if you like! I have a particular craving for the following pairings: Ness/Paula/Jeff/Poo Chosen OT4 polymory, Paula/Poo (yes, Paula tops), Ness/Poo… I’m in a Poo mood, as you can see, and I realize how awkward this sounds to anyone who hasn’t played "Earthbound." XD But I also love Jeff/Tony and Ness/Paula, and I wouldn’t mind Maxwell/Jeff/Tony either. No broken hearts or jealousy!
Smut is also allowed, even encouraged, but there's no need to follow that route if you're not confident/comfortable with porn or if you can't find a way to make it work. Take note that if you do write NC-17, I prefer the characters to be legal (18+), though teenagers experimenting together is fine.
Above all, gen, romance or smut, make me wibble. ;D
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I’m looking forward to what you’ll write for me, and I wish us both a Happy Yuletide~!
Happy Holidays!
Puri
Edit: I fixed my letter a bit to add more prompts for Earthbound. Hopefully this shall be easier for my future Santa! :3
This post has been crossposted with Dreamwidth at http://shamanicshaymin.dreamwidth.org/37131.html. Pick your poison. Mwoiiiiiiiing~!
Thank you so much for offering/pinch-hitting a fic for me! This year is going to be awesome, just like your story. So let’s cut down to business, hm? :)
I love fluff, angst, grumpy softies, Nightmare Fuel, psychological horror, shipping (m/f, m/m, f/f), gen, character studies, focus on minor characters, hurt/comfort, intergenerational friendships, the Enemy Mine trope (enemies working together), the "Earn Your Happy Ending" trope, unreliable narrators, whimsical fantasy and world-building. I love having my "nostalgia button" pressed and squeegle at references to my childhood from the 80s and 90s. :)
Please don’t include rape, non-con (mindfuck and dub-con is okay regarding “Yume Nikki”), drug/alcohol addiction, love triangles, infidelity, family drama, animal/child abuse, bullying, incest, scatological/urological/“bathroom” activities, pregnancy/miscarriage/abortion, vampires, zombies, or bad things constantly heaped on somebody for the sake of tragedy.
I'm all for violence and sex if they're appropriate for the canon, but they need to fit naturally in the narrative rather than being pasted on for the sake of "shock value" and "edgy writing." I’ll go for any ending as long as it’s appropriate for the story you’re writing, but I’d like even the gloomiest of endings to have hope in them. I want to be moved, not broken. ;D
Unless otherwise noted, I prefer gen in my requests. :)
Raggedy Ann & Andy
This fandom took me by surprise. I love Raggedy Ann & Andy themselves, and I adore the artwork and creativity that Johnny Gruelle put into his books. I’m also fascinated by the real-life tragedy behind the dolls: Gruelle had told stories to his ailing daughter Marcella about her favorite toy (Raggedy Ann, of course), and after she had passed away from an infected vaccination, he continued writing in his daughter’s memory. Later, Raggedy Andy was created by the suggestion of Gruelle’s sons, who loved playing with Ann and wanted her to have a brother so “she wouldn’t be lonely.” I would absolutely love to have an h/c fic of Raggedy Ann and the other toys coping with the loss of their owner, with introspection on Ann & Andy’s sibling relationship and their loyalty for each other.
The above prompt regards the books and/or meta, but if you're into dark world-building, I bring to you “Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure.” It's an animated movie directed by Richard Williams ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit?") that is often surreal and disturbing (there’s a reason Nostalgia Critic listed it among his “Top 11 Nostalgic Mindfucks”), so I'd love a horrorfic exploring the creepier aspects of the film… most specifically, Looney Land. What is its history? How come they have never been discovered by humans? There’s also a scene where King Koo-Koo tells Ann & Andy “You’re going to stay here and keep me laughing! Then when I am bored with you, you’ll become one of them!” What's the horrific process that gets involved for a toy becoming a "Looney?" Make the child in me sleep with the lights on for weeks.
All that I ask is that you don’t turn Raggedy Ann & Andy into axe-murderers or misanthropic cynics. One of the things I like about the dolls is that while they’re well aware that terrible things happen, they’re still compassionate and optimistic, and above all, empathetic. :)
Yume Nikki | Dream Diary
Yume Nikki is a free-ware game about a girl exploring her dreams, from peaceful to strange to downright disturbing. My all-time favorite dream in the game is when she enters a spaceship and meets its single resident, a monochromatic piano player that the fandom dubs “Seccom Masada Sensei.” I’ve always imagined Masada to be kind, polite and hospitable, and his spaceship is one of the few places in the game where I felt safe and relaxed. I also find him rather innocent and timid, as demonstrated by his slowly backing away when you equip the knife effect. I absolutely adore the relationship between Madotsuki and Masada; those two have the uncommon ability to making me squeal from the adorable, to shivering in outright horror, then being poignant and breaking my heart all at once… they’re what I call a “FEELZ!!!11!1 Rollercoaster.”
Usually, fanfics explore Madotsuki’s past and are usually from her point of view. So what is Masada’s life like? Does he know about the other places and residents in Madotsuki’s Dream World? Does he exist in the real world or is he a complete figment of Madotsuki's imagination? Is he reluctant to leave his spaceship, much like Madotsuki refuses to go out the front door of her apartment in her waking life? Is he being haunted by someone, like Uboa or the hidden Face in the Numbers World (close to where the Kyukyu-kun pink thing rubbing the stair rail is) or Tasei-san? (The crying creature in the sewers underneath Mars) Since I'm mean to my favorite characters, I'd like to see him suffer a little. He doesn't have to be Tess of the D'Urbervilles (see: dislikes), but he can go through enough to make me wish I could give him hugs. I want him sympathetic, not evil or antagonistic. While the “Masada was Madotsuki’s piano teacher in real life” is common among theories and fanfics, I’d prefer that Masada be a teacher, but not necessarily Madotsuki’s. I think she would call him “Sensei” out of politeness. :)
Optional: I ship Madotsuki/Masada like crazy, so if you're good with that, feel free to roll! Smut is fine (also optional), as long as it's tasteful. Well... as tasteful as it gets for a game where there's a lot of stabbing anyway. :P
Ib
A psychological horror game that centers around art… sign me up! I love the friendship between Ib and Garry and I love the sacrifices Garry makes to protect her. The handkerchief bit in the “Promise of Reunion” ending never fails to make me squeal, and “The Forgotten Portrait” makes me wibble with tears. So what I’d like to see is a sequel taking place after the events of "The Forgotten Portrait," inspired by A-Ha’s “Take On Me” music video. More epic creepy adventures inside the world of art and sketches! If you could include Garry flashing back and forth between painting and flesh-and-blood in the real world just like at the end of the video, I will be a happy, happy soul and give you an Internet. I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending, but whatever you do I’m sure will be fantastic. :3
Alternately, if you’re up for a challenge, I would love a crossover fic between “Ib” and Oscar Wilde’s “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” What if Dorian Gray stepped into the “Fabricated World” and met Mary? Who would come out on top? (Aka who gets to escape into the real world and who remains a painting?) Would Weiss Güertena and Basil Hallward know each other, and would Güertena warn him against painting anyone that he knew in real life? How would a conversation between Ib and Lord Henry Wotton go? Would Ib reject what he says or would she be corrupted by his poisonous influence?
Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Ahh, Earthbound! One of my favorite games of all time: the humor, the quirky characters, and the overall fuzzy feeling that you get once you’re immersed in its world. The Chosen Four have become heroes to me, and I’m touched because they made it clear that you, the player, made that possible. So what are my epic, thoughtful and heartwarming prompts for an epic, thoughtful and heartwarming game?
One of my favorite parts of the game was Magicant. I loved the Flying Men, I loved the strange and peaceful atmosphere, the way the sky and landscape changed color with Ness's mood, and Ness's memories were so poignant. Then the part where you wake up and you're told that Magicant will cease to exist... that always punched me in the gut. And the gravestone of Buzz-Buzz! Then there's the graves of the Flying Men, whose obituaries become increasingly less detailed until the final one says, "gravestone." (I don't know... I haven't had the heart to lose all of my Flying Men to see if this was true. ;;) This got me wondering what the Magicants of the rest of the Chosen 4 would be like. Whether you choose one of them or all three will be up to you. What are the memories of Jeff, Paula and/or Poo? What little things impacted them in their lives, like the Snowman that Ness built? Does Paula remember Everdred? How would Dr. Andonuts, Tony and Maxwell act in Jeff's Magicant? Does Star Master live in Poo's Magicant, leaving his student with the knowledge that when he conquers his Nightmare, he will disappear forever?
I wondered what Paula would think when she learned that Ness and Jeff found Everdred in Fourside shortly after she was kidnapped, and then he left their lives forever without them knowing if he was dead or alive. I love the contrast between Jeff and Tony, with the former leaning toward logic and the latter on emotion. Yet they're best friends who need each other and are both awkward in their own ways (Tony being clingy, Jeff not exactly a pro at socializing), and care for another even when they know they can't be physically together and um... something between the two of them, platonic or romantic, whether they're a major focus or a paragraph, will make me squeegle. I always imagined that Poo felt close to Star Master and greatly admired him, like a father-figure he never had. So if you're writing Poo's Magicant, I'd love it if you explored the teacher-student relationship between them. And I'm a sucker for seeing Poo's softer/more vulnerable side. *cough*
Optional: Shipping is allowed if you like! I have a particular craving for the following pairings: Ness/Paula/Jeff/Poo Chosen OT4 polymory, Paula/Poo (yes, Paula tops), Ness/Poo… I’m in a Poo mood, as you can see, and I realize how awkward this sounds to anyone who hasn’t played "Earthbound." XD But I also love Jeff/Tony and Ness/Paula, and I wouldn’t mind Maxwell/Jeff/Tony either. No broken hearts or jealousy!
Smut is also allowed, even encouraged, but there's no need to follow that route if you're not confident/comfortable with porn or if you can't find a way to make it work. Take note that if you do write NC-17, I prefer the characters to be legal (18+), though teenagers experimenting together is fine.
Above all, gen, romance or smut, make me wibble. ;D
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I’m looking forward to what you’ll write for me, and I wish us both a Happy Yuletide~!
Happy Holidays!
Puri
Edit: I fixed my letter a bit to add more prompts for Earthbound. Hopefully this shall be easier for my future Santa! :3
This post has been crossposted with Dreamwidth at http://shamanicshaymin.dreamwidth.org/37131.html. Pick your poison. Mwoiiiiiiiing~!