Yuletide Letter 2016
Dear Yuletide Writer,
First of all, thank you so much for writing for me! I’m very excited to be doing Yuletide again this year. I really love all of these fandoms I’m requesting, so I’m sure I’ll like anything you write for any of them!
If you’re the type of writer who likes to check out the rest of their recipient’s blog, you may notice I don’t really use this lj for much anymore. My last Yuletide letter (which has been heavily cannibalized for this one) is here, my AO3 account is here, and my tumblr is here. Other than that, I’m afraid I don’t have much of an online presence, but I will try to give you everything you need to know right here.
General Likes/Dislikes
Likes: A strong sense of character and character relationships. Characters who know each other better than anyone else, whether they are friends, lovers, colleagues, enemies, or any combination of the above. Outsider perspectives - either a stranger’s view of the main characters or a friend or relative’s view of a character’s relationships. Cleverly constructed plots. Slice of life fic. Mission fic. Roadtrip fic. Future fic. Backstory. Interesting worldbuilding details. Undercover as a couple. Friends to lovers. Developing relationships. Happy or happy-ish endings.
Dislikes: Porn with no other story around it. Extreme violence. Major character death. Non-con. Extreme underage. Incest. Crossovers. ‘Modern mundane’/high school/coffee shop AUs. Love triangles where everyone acts immature and no one communicates. First person POV, unless the original canon is in first person. Creepily invested matchmaker friends. Anything A/B/O, dom/sub world, soulmates, or magical bonding. Super dark fic for a lighter canon or super fluffy fic for a darker canon.
Requests
Any prompts listed are just ideas and suggestions, and if you have your own super great idea for any of these fandoms and characters you should totally write it!
Lackadaisy - Ivy Pepper, Viktor Vasko
Lackadaisy is a really amazing webcomic about the employees of a St. Louis speakeasy during the Prohibition era. And all the characters are anthropomorphic cats. Despite what that might have you believe, it is extremely accurate and well-researched, and the art is beautifully detailed. The use of cat people just helps to make the characters so incredibly distinct and expressive. It’s definitely one of my favorite webcomics, despite its occasionally glacial update schedule. The main comic, as well as many enlightening and entertaining side comics and sketches, can be found at the Lackadaisy website.
My requested characters are Ivy and Viktor, because they have my favorite relationship in the comic. Big, strong, curmudgeonly characters who have a not-so-secret soft spot for small, sweet, perky characters are a weakness of mine. You can do just about anything with them and I’ll be happy. It can be totally platonic, it can be romantic, it can be anywhere in-between. (Yes, I do kind of ship it, but I know that age gap is a deal-breaker for some, so write whatever makes you comfortable. I genuinely love the relationship in any form.)
Prompt Ideas: Maybe give some backstory on how they first met and developed the relationship they have in the comic’s timeline. Maybe show where they wind up later down the line, after Prohibtion ends (you know, assuming both survive the events of the comic). They were a bit on the outs last time we saw them, maybe show them working through that and reconciling. Or show Ivy dealing with all the new information she’s learned about Viktor recently. Ivy’s starting to get a bit more involved in the more dangerous and illicit parts of the Lackadaisy’s operation - could Viktor ever bring himself to actually work with her or train her in the ways of the business?
The Magnus Archives - Any (Jonathan Sims, Gerard Kaey, Gertrude Robinson, Jane Prentiss, Jurgen Leitner, Martin Blackwood, Sasha Jones)
The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror podcast detailing the efforts of Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, as he attempts to organize and digitize the extensive collection of statements held within the archives. The Magnus Institute being, of course, dedicated to the academic research of the paranormal and supernatural. The show starts off seeming very episodic, with each episode featuring an individual statement and the follow-up investigation into that particular case, but it soon starts to develop an overarching story, first as certain names and locations recurring across otherwise unrelated cases and then as malevolent forces starting to encroach on the Institute and its staff in decidedly non-academic ways. The series can be listened to here or through whatever your preferred podcast listening service is.
I’m requesting ‘Any’ for this canon, because - at the risk of sounding like I’m giving a “write me anything!” kind of prompt - there are a ton of things I’m interested in hearing more about. I love the kind of gradual, piecemeal storytelling and worldbuilding that the format of the show enforces, but it definitely leaves a lot of room to explore and theorize. I’d be into hearing backstory for any of the characters, the Magnus Institute itself, or any of the paranormal beings and events described in the statements. I’d also be interested in anything exploring the little connections that exist between various cases, all those recurring names/places/objects/rituals/etc.
Prompt Ideas: What kind of work did Jonathan Sims do as a researcher with the Institute before he became Head Archivist? What led him to the Institute in the first place - he said he's always been something of a believer, so did he have any paranormal encounters when he was younger? Why were Sasha and Martin chosen to help with the archiving, especially as Martin doesn’t appear to get much respect from any of the other employees? What kind of paranormal experience or interest brought them to the Institute? What kinds of things happen on a typical follow-up research adventure? Will Sasha have any more encounters with the creature calling itself Michael? What happened leading up to Gertrude Robinson’s death, when she ‘died in the line of duty’? Was she aware of the premonition regarding her death? Did she have any hand in choosing her successor? Was there any reasoning behind her apparently nonsensical filing system? What kinds of interactions did she have with the people making their statements?
What really happened with Gerard Kaey and his mother? Are either of them actually dead…or dead-ish? What kind of childhood did he have considering he was already seeking out Jurgen Leitner’s books as a teenager? Are his intentions and goals good or evil? And does he actually have a statement somewhere in the archives? What other kinds of books have come from Leitner’s library, and what kind of damage did they do? How long had he been collecting them and why? What was the ‘incident’ in 1994 that made Jonathan Sims believe his library was dealt with? What exactly is Jane Prentiss at this point? Does she have any individual consciousness left, or is she just a host for the worms? What happened between her statement to the Institute and her current reappearance? Why does the infestation behave so differently in her compared to the other cases we’ve heard about?
Psychonauts - Milla Vodello, Sasha Nein
Psychonauts is a 3D platformer/adventure game about a summer camp for psychic children, and it’s fantastic. I really love everything about this game! I even love the Meat Circus level! …Okay, maybe love is a strong word. Anyway, I really like the unique concept and design of the game, the fact that even really minor characters have their own backgrounds and little storylines, and the way the game uses the level designs to give you more insight into the characters and the world they live in. Also, it’s really, really funny. It can be found on Steam and GOG, and it goes on sale pretty often. It’s also a ten year old game, so you don’t need a very high tech computer to run it. It’s a great time to be a Psychonauts fan, because we’ve been promised both a full sequel and a VR based interquel in the coming years. The sequel is still a little ways off, but the VR game is supposedly coming out before the end of this year. If it comes out during the writing period, feel free to use or completely disregard details from it at your discretion. Same with any teasers or gameplay footage that get released, as I plan to keep myself thoroughly spoilered for the development of both games.
I have requested Superstar Psychonauts Sasha Nein and Milla Vodello for this fandom. They don’t actually have a lot of direct interaction in the game itself, but I love the implied relationship between the two. They are psychic secret agents who appear to be partners! They go on ridiculous missions together and fight crime - psychic crime! One of these missions involved being undercover in elaborate costumes at a fancy party! They have had at least one clichéd instance of falling down and landing on top of each other in a ~romantic~ pose! I eat this stuff up with a spoon. Make it as shippy or as gen as you want and feel free to include other characters as long as the focus is on their relationship.
Prompt Ideas: We see some tragic history in both Sasha and Milla’s memory vaults, but what happens between those events and the start of the game? How did they come to join the Psychonauts and become partners? How did they start teaching at the summer camp? When did they start running secret missions for Agent Cruller? Or maybe tell me what an average day is like for them when they’re not teaching psychic children or being kidnapped and having their brains removed. What are the Psychonauts headquarters like? How do they relate to their coworkers? What kind of lives do they have outside of work? Alternatively, give me all the mission fic! Give me early missions while they’re still getting to know each other. Give me missions where they work with other agents. Give me missions that hit too close to home for one of them. Give me future missions where they work with Raz or Lili or other former campers. Whatever you write, I’d really love to see some interesting uses of psychic powers and the concept of the mental worlds from the game.
Well, that about sums it up, I think. Again, thank you so much for writing for me! If you like prompts, I hope what I gave you is helpful. If you prefer to work without them, I look forward to reading whatever you come up with. I’m sure whatever you write will be awesome!
First of all, thank you so much for writing for me! I’m very excited to be doing Yuletide again this year. I really love all of these fandoms I’m requesting, so I’m sure I’ll like anything you write for any of them!
If you’re the type of writer who likes to check out the rest of their recipient’s blog, you may notice I don’t really use this lj for much anymore. My last Yuletide letter (which has been heavily cannibalized for this one) is here, my AO3 account is here, and my tumblr is here. Other than that, I’m afraid I don’t have much of an online presence, but I will try to give you everything you need to know right here.
General Likes/Dislikes
Likes: A strong sense of character and character relationships. Characters who know each other better than anyone else, whether they are friends, lovers, colleagues, enemies, or any combination of the above. Outsider perspectives - either a stranger’s view of the main characters or a friend or relative’s view of a character’s relationships. Cleverly constructed plots. Slice of life fic. Mission fic. Roadtrip fic. Future fic. Backstory. Interesting worldbuilding details. Undercover as a couple. Friends to lovers. Developing relationships. Happy or happy-ish endings.
Dislikes: Porn with no other story around it. Extreme violence. Major character death. Non-con. Extreme underage. Incest. Crossovers. ‘Modern mundane’/high school/coffee shop AUs. Love triangles where everyone acts immature and no one communicates. First person POV, unless the original canon is in first person. Creepily invested matchmaker friends. Anything A/B/O, dom/sub world, soulmates, or magical bonding. Super dark fic for a lighter canon or super fluffy fic for a darker canon.
Requests
Any prompts listed are just ideas and suggestions, and if you have your own super great idea for any of these fandoms and characters you should totally write it!
Lackadaisy - Ivy Pepper, Viktor Vasko
Lackadaisy is a really amazing webcomic about the employees of a St. Louis speakeasy during the Prohibition era. And all the characters are anthropomorphic cats. Despite what that might have you believe, it is extremely accurate and well-researched, and the art is beautifully detailed. The use of cat people just helps to make the characters so incredibly distinct and expressive. It’s definitely one of my favorite webcomics, despite its occasionally glacial update schedule. The main comic, as well as many enlightening and entertaining side comics and sketches, can be found at the Lackadaisy website.
My requested characters are Ivy and Viktor, because they have my favorite relationship in the comic. Big, strong, curmudgeonly characters who have a not-so-secret soft spot for small, sweet, perky characters are a weakness of mine. You can do just about anything with them and I’ll be happy. It can be totally platonic, it can be romantic, it can be anywhere in-between. (Yes, I do kind of ship it, but I know that age gap is a deal-breaker for some, so write whatever makes you comfortable. I genuinely love the relationship in any form.)
Prompt Ideas: Maybe give some backstory on how they first met and developed the relationship they have in the comic’s timeline. Maybe show where they wind up later down the line, after Prohibtion ends (you know, assuming both survive the events of the comic). They were a bit on the outs last time we saw them, maybe show them working through that and reconciling. Or show Ivy dealing with all the new information she’s learned about Viktor recently. Ivy’s starting to get a bit more involved in the more dangerous and illicit parts of the Lackadaisy’s operation - could Viktor ever bring himself to actually work with her or train her in the ways of the business?
The Magnus Archives - Any (Jonathan Sims, Gerard Kaey, Gertrude Robinson, Jane Prentiss, Jurgen Leitner, Martin Blackwood, Sasha Jones)
The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror podcast detailing the efforts of Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, as he attempts to organize and digitize the extensive collection of statements held within the archives. The Magnus Institute being, of course, dedicated to the academic research of the paranormal and supernatural. The show starts off seeming very episodic, with each episode featuring an individual statement and the follow-up investigation into that particular case, but it soon starts to develop an overarching story, first as certain names and locations recurring across otherwise unrelated cases and then as malevolent forces starting to encroach on the Institute and its staff in decidedly non-academic ways. The series can be listened to here or through whatever your preferred podcast listening service is.
I’m requesting ‘Any’ for this canon, because - at the risk of sounding like I’m giving a “write me anything!” kind of prompt - there are a ton of things I’m interested in hearing more about. I love the kind of gradual, piecemeal storytelling and worldbuilding that the format of the show enforces, but it definitely leaves a lot of room to explore and theorize. I’d be into hearing backstory for any of the characters, the Magnus Institute itself, or any of the paranormal beings and events described in the statements. I’d also be interested in anything exploring the little connections that exist between various cases, all those recurring names/places/objects/rituals/etc.
Prompt Ideas: What kind of work did Jonathan Sims do as a researcher with the Institute before he became Head Archivist? What led him to the Institute in the first place - he said he's always been something of a believer, so did he have any paranormal encounters when he was younger? Why were Sasha and Martin chosen to help with the archiving, especially as Martin doesn’t appear to get much respect from any of the other employees? What kind of paranormal experience or interest brought them to the Institute? What kinds of things happen on a typical follow-up research adventure? Will Sasha have any more encounters with the creature calling itself Michael? What happened leading up to Gertrude Robinson’s death, when she ‘died in the line of duty’? Was she aware of the premonition regarding her death? Did she have any hand in choosing her successor? Was there any reasoning behind her apparently nonsensical filing system? What kinds of interactions did she have with the people making their statements?
What really happened with Gerard Kaey and his mother? Are either of them actually dead…or dead-ish? What kind of childhood did he have considering he was already seeking out Jurgen Leitner’s books as a teenager? Are his intentions and goals good or evil? And does he actually have a statement somewhere in the archives? What other kinds of books have come from Leitner’s library, and what kind of damage did they do? How long had he been collecting them and why? What was the ‘incident’ in 1994 that made Jonathan Sims believe his library was dealt with? What exactly is Jane Prentiss at this point? Does she have any individual consciousness left, or is she just a host for the worms? What happened between her statement to the Institute and her current reappearance? Why does the infestation behave so differently in her compared to the other cases we’ve heard about?
Psychonauts - Milla Vodello, Sasha Nein
Psychonauts is a 3D platformer/adventure game about a summer camp for psychic children, and it’s fantastic. I really love everything about this game! I even love the Meat Circus level! …Okay, maybe love is a strong word. Anyway, I really like the unique concept and design of the game, the fact that even really minor characters have their own backgrounds and little storylines, and the way the game uses the level designs to give you more insight into the characters and the world they live in. Also, it’s really, really funny. It can be found on Steam and GOG, and it goes on sale pretty often. It’s also a ten year old game, so you don’t need a very high tech computer to run it. It’s a great time to be a Psychonauts fan, because we’ve been promised both a full sequel and a VR based interquel in the coming years. The sequel is still a little ways off, but the VR game is supposedly coming out before the end of this year. If it comes out during the writing period, feel free to use or completely disregard details from it at your discretion. Same with any teasers or gameplay footage that get released, as I plan to keep myself thoroughly spoilered for the development of both games.
I have requested Superstar Psychonauts Sasha Nein and Milla Vodello for this fandom. They don’t actually have a lot of direct interaction in the game itself, but I love the implied relationship between the two. They are psychic secret agents who appear to be partners! They go on ridiculous missions together and fight crime - psychic crime! One of these missions involved being undercover in elaborate costumes at a fancy party! They have had at least one clichéd instance of falling down and landing on top of each other in a ~romantic~ pose! I eat this stuff up with a spoon. Make it as shippy or as gen as you want and feel free to include other characters as long as the focus is on their relationship.
Prompt Ideas: We see some tragic history in both Sasha and Milla’s memory vaults, but what happens between those events and the start of the game? How did they come to join the Psychonauts and become partners? How did they start teaching at the summer camp? When did they start running secret missions for Agent Cruller? Or maybe tell me what an average day is like for them when they’re not teaching psychic children or being kidnapped and having their brains removed. What are the Psychonauts headquarters like? How do they relate to their coworkers? What kind of lives do they have outside of work? Alternatively, give me all the mission fic! Give me early missions while they’re still getting to know each other. Give me missions where they work with other agents. Give me missions that hit too close to home for one of them. Give me future missions where they work with Raz or Lili or other former campers. Whatever you write, I’d really love to see some interesting uses of psychic powers and the concept of the mental worlds from the game.
Well, that about sums it up, I think. Again, thank you so much for writing for me! If you like prompts, I hope what I gave you is helpful. If you prefer to work without them, I look forward to reading whatever you come up with. I’m sure whatever you write will be awesome!