Yuletide letter!
Dear Yuletide writer,
Thanks so much for writing for me! I really appreciate it. You're awesome.
So, uh, I guess I'll just list some general tropes and things I enjoy before I break it down by fandom. These are just a few of the many things I enjoy in fic, so please don't feel pressured to follow this letter to the letter, or anything!
In general:
I enjoy dysfunctional relationships between characters who are morally opposed to each other and who ought to be (or are) enemies. I love "dark knights" & "paladins" (and shipping these types together.) I love characters who are morally polarized and amoral characters who blur the lines. I like it when very different characters are forced to work together and/or learn one another's ways. I also enjoy different cultures learning each others' ways as well, human and alien societies getting to know one another.
Some major kinks/tropes I enjoy: mind control (especially if the character's conscious of it, but can't fight it); good guys turning to evil/the Dark Side/what have you; forced transformation/transformation trauma/body horror; evil twins and doppelgangers; dubcon; monsters and xeno; creepy abandoned places (dark temples, etc) and dark cults; technology and posthumanism.
I love snark and characters sassing each other. I'm a fan of gen/slash/femslash/het/whatever. Anything goes. When I ship two characters, I enjoy both platonic and romantic relationships, as it's the character interaction that's the most important thing to me. I love when good triumphs over evil...but good has to go through a lot of shit to get there. I like darkfic with a happy ending...but that could be anything from the good guys winning to joining the bad guys.
DNW: I don't have many, but I'd request you ask a Yuletide hippo if you're thinking of including something you fear might be unexpected or unwanted. I would prefer no: straight-up noncon, AUs that remove characters from the canon setting, suicide references, dismemberment, or major character death.
My requests! (Alphabetical)
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow & Dawn of Sorrow (Soma Cruz)
I loved these games so much. I'd really enjoy anything dealing with Soma's powers and the consquences of using or not using them. The idea of being stuffed full of monster souls is nicely creepy - how does Soma feel about all this? Is he still basically human inside, or is he different as a result of everything he's gone through? Does he feel different? Either postgame or in-game fic would be wonderful, for either game. I also love the creepy setting; I'd enjoy anything that played up the game's atmosphere. Interaction with the castle's monsters, the souls inside him, anything about Soma's feelings towards all this mass slaughter and frenzied running around. I would also totally enjoy and appreciate any sort of monstrous transformation and/or xeno if you feel so inclined. Soma has a few really weird abilities that might lend themselves well to this (giant manticore tail, superlong tongue, etc not to mention the fact that he can turn into all sorts of shit.) Anything goes as far as gen, pairings, whatever you like. Please feel free to include whatever other game characters or OCs you think are necessary as long as Soma's the central character.
Star Wars: Fatal Alliance (Shigar Konshi, Darth Chratis)
This book was a lot of fun! I thought there was a lot of potential for more trouble to be visited on Shigar. Darth Chratis was good at getting under Shigar's skin - what if he'd succeeded? What might have happened if Shigar hadn't been distracted during their battle and instead gave in to his anger? I also liked the short period of time they were forced to work together and would love to see more of the same. An AU where Darth Chratis unequivocally survived the end of the book would be great, especially if Shigar has to continue to interact with him for some reason. If Shigar's mission didn't end there, or if he really did become Chratis' apprentice, what might happen next...? Darth Chratis showing off his Force mastery, whether to Shigar or random enemies, would be awesome. Maybe sparring, Darth Chratis demonstrating skills Shigar can't match? I'd love to see them fight again, or just talking/arguing about the Force. Slash between these two would be totally welcome; dubcon and Dark force-use would be great as well.
Final Fantasy XIV (Thancred, Lahabrea)
I think my character choices here probably say a lot about my likes... I would love to see any and all interaction between these two, especially during the time when Thancred is possessed by Lahabrea. Mind control, manipulation, and sort of selfcesty dubcon would be delicious. Lahabrea taunting him, Thancred fighting him. Is Thancred conscious of Lahabrea's actions when Lahabrea is controlling his body? What are his thoughts about all the evil Lahabrea is enacting using his body? Has Lahabrea made him do anything else, anything especially bad? Or maybe something about Lahabrea's powers - it must be weird to have some Ascian dark magic being used with your body. Lahabrea's wicked laughter and delight in evil is a delight to me. I'd also enjoy anything about Lahabrea's motivations and plans, speculation is great! I think it would be great to see things from either character's POV as well, so feel free to go with whatever you like. If it were post-possession...I wonder what they'd have to say to each other? Is Thancred still vulnerable to possession, as the game seemed to indicate? Would they fight? So many possibilities and I like them ALL!
Magic: the Gathering (Jace Beleren, Ashiok)
Blue mages are assholes, it's a known fact. And I love it. I'd love to see any kind of conversation, interaction or showdown between these two. Feel free to handwave away the fact that Jace probably can't leave Ravnica if you wish. (Or set it before Ashiok shows up on Theros, whatever's good!) I'd love to see them trading spells and manipulations - in a way both are mind mages. Trading insults..well..Jace throwing insults would be fun. I love Jace, but I think Ashiok would probably come out on top in the end? I'd love to see Ashiok really unloading with those deeply disturbing nightmare powers and conjuring all sorts of horrors, real and not; Jace giving mostly as good as he gets. I adore Ashiok and would love to see the extent of the vast powers Ashiok seems to wield. Ashiok is so wonderfully inscrutable, I'd also enjoy anything either from Ashiok's POV or dealing with the fact that Jace isn't sure what Ashiok's up to. Darkfic is very welcome...Jace has a lot of skeletons and Ashiok's dedicated to finding them in everyone. Gen or not, xeno, dubcon, anything with the magic or monsters the two summon, planeswalking to unusual places, etc would rock. Ravnica is one of my favorite settings but I'd like others, especially original ones, as well. As Ashiok is canonically not gendered I'd prefer sticking with that and simply dodging pronouns by using the character's name, since we don't really know what Ashiok's perspective would be on the matter.
Sigma Star Saga (Ian Recker, Psyme, Commander Zelly)
Probably no one will read this prompt, because apparently nobody else played this game. It was great though!
I would love literally anything with these characters, in any combination. I'd love to see some xenophilia, intrigue, space politics, war stories. I think this could be a great setting for some Enemy Mine-type shenanigans, learning one anothers' culture, etc. I'd love to see, while Recker and Psyme are working together, Recker playing good, obedient soldier to Commander Zelly...smut welcome. I was also intrigued by the symbiont armor worn by the Krill and the fact that Ian has no problem wearing it - I'd love to see some insight on what that feels like. I love Recker and Psyme snarking at each other and Commander Zelly being a boss. Seeing the game come to a bad end, with worlds destroyed...what might happen then? I'd love to read an AU about their lives in exile. I'd enjoy gen, Recker/Psyme, Recker and Psyme friendship, Zelly/Recker, a threesome, all is good. Heck, if you wanted to give me a genderswapped-by-alien-science Recker and make it a lesbian threesome, I would be totally down. with. that. Xeno, tentacles, I think a lot of things would work great here!
***
Well, that was longer than expected. I hope this was helpful! Please don't hesitate to contact me through a Yuletide hippo if you have any questions or need clarification, if you want to include something but aren't sure if it's okay, etc.
MOST IMPORTANTLY. I want you to have fun! Happy Yuletide.
Thanks so much for writing for me! I really appreciate it. You're awesome.
So, uh, I guess I'll just list some general tropes and things I enjoy before I break it down by fandom. These are just a few of the many things I enjoy in fic, so please don't feel pressured to follow this letter to the letter, or anything!
In general:
I enjoy dysfunctional relationships between characters who are morally opposed to each other and who ought to be (or are) enemies. I love "dark knights" & "paladins" (and shipping these types together.) I love characters who are morally polarized and amoral characters who blur the lines. I like it when very different characters are forced to work together and/or learn one another's ways. I also enjoy different cultures learning each others' ways as well, human and alien societies getting to know one another.
Some major kinks/tropes I enjoy: mind control (especially if the character's conscious of it, but can't fight it); good guys turning to evil/the Dark Side/what have you; forced transformation/transformation trauma/body horror; evil twins and doppelgangers; dubcon; monsters and xeno; creepy abandoned places (dark temples, etc) and dark cults; technology and posthumanism.
I love snark and characters sassing each other. I'm a fan of gen/slash/femslash/het/whatever. Anything goes. When I ship two characters, I enjoy both platonic and romantic relationships, as it's the character interaction that's the most important thing to me. I love when good triumphs over evil...but good has to go through a lot of shit to get there. I like darkfic with a happy ending...but that could be anything from the good guys winning to joining the bad guys.
DNW: I don't have many, but I'd request you ask a Yuletide hippo if you're thinking of including something you fear might be unexpected or unwanted. I would prefer no: straight-up noncon, AUs that remove characters from the canon setting, suicide references, dismemberment, or major character death.
My requests! (Alphabetical)
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow & Dawn of Sorrow (Soma Cruz)
I loved these games so much. I'd really enjoy anything dealing with Soma's powers and the consquences of using or not using them. The idea of being stuffed full of monster souls is nicely creepy - how does Soma feel about all this? Is he still basically human inside, or is he different as a result of everything he's gone through? Does he feel different? Either postgame or in-game fic would be wonderful, for either game. I also love the creepy setting; I'd enjoy anything that played up the game's atmosphere. Interaction with the castle's monsters, the souls inside him, anything about Soma's feelings towards all this mass slaughter and frenzied running around. I would also totally enjoy and appreciate any sort of monstrous transformation and/or xeno if you feel so inclined. Soma has a few really weird abilities that might lend themselves well to this (giant manticore tail, superlong tongue, etc not to mention the fact that he can turn into all sorts of shit.) Anything goes as far as gen, pairings, whatever you like. Please feel free to include whatever other game characters or OCs you think are necessary as long as Soma's the central character.
Star Wars: Fatal Alliance (Shigar Konshi, Darth Chratis)
This book was a lot of fun! I thought there was a lot of potential for more trouble to be visited on Shigar. Darth Chratis was good at getting under Shigar's skin - what if he'd succeeded? What might have happened if Shigar hadn't been distracted during their battle and instead gave in to his anger? I also liked the short period of time they were forced to work together and would love to see more of the same. An AU where Darth Chratis unequivocally survived the end of the book would be great, especially if Shigar has to continue to interact with him for some reason. If Shigar's mission didn't end there, or if he really did become Chratis' apprentice, what might happen next...? Darth Chratis showing off his Force mastery, whether to Shigar or random enemies, would be awesome. Maybe sparring, Darth Chratis demonstrating skills Shigar can't match? I'd love to see them fight again, or just talking/arguing about the Force. Slash between these two would be totally welcome; dubcon and Dark force-use would be great as well.
Final Fantasy XIV (Thancred, Lahabrea)
I think my character choices here probably say a lot about my likes... I would love to see any and all interaction between these two, especially during the time when Thancred is possessed by Lahabrea. Mind control, manipulation, and sort of selfcesty dubcon would be delicious. Lahabrea taunting him, Thancred fighting him. Is Thancred conscious of Lahabrea's actions when Lahabrea is controlling his body? What are his thoughts about all the evil Lahabrea is enacting using his body? Has Lahabrea made him do anything else, anything especially bad? Or maybe something about Lahabrea's powers - it must be weird to have some Ascian dark magic being used with your body. Lahabrea's wicked laughter and delight in evil is a delight to me. I'd also enjoy anything about Lahabrea's motivations and plans, speculation is great! I think it would be great to see things from either character's POV as well, so feel free to go with whatever you like. If it were post-possession...I wonder what they'd have to say to each other? Is Thancred still vulnerable to possession, as the game seemed to indicate? Would they fight? So many possibilities and I like them ALL!
Magic: the Gathering (Jace Beleren, Ashiok)
Blue mages are assholes, it's a known fact. And I love it. I'd love to see any kind of conversation, interaction or showdown between these two. Feel free to handwave away the fact that Jace probably can't leave Ravnica if you wish. (Or set it before Ashiok shows up on Theros, whatever's good!) I'd love to see them trading spells and manipulations - in a way both are mind mages. Trading insults..well..Jace throwing insults would be fun. I love Jace, but I think Ashiok would probably come out on top in the end? I'd love to see Ashiok really unloading with those deeply disturbing nightmare powers and conjuring all sorts of horrors, real and not; Jace giving mostly as good as he gets. I adore Ashiok and would love to see the extent of the vast powers Ashiok seems to wield. Ashiok is so wonderfully inscrutable, I'd also enjoy anything either from Ashiok's POV or dealing with the fact that Jace isn't sure what Ashiok's up to. Darkfic is very welcome...Jace has a lot of skeletons and Ashiok's dedicated to finding them in everyone. Gen or not, xeno, dubcon, anything with the magic or monsters the two summon, planeswalking to unusual places, etc would rock. Ravnica is one of my favorite settings but I'd like others, especially original ones, as well. As Ashiok is canonically not gendered I'd prefer sticking with that and simply dodging pronouns by using the character's name, since we don't really know what Ashiok's perspective would be on the matter.
Sigma Star Saga (Ian Recker, Psyme, Commander Zelly)
Probably no one will read this prompt, because apparently nobody else played this game. It was great though!
I would love literally anything with these characters, in any combination. I'd love to see some xenophilia, intrigue, space politics, war stories. I think this could be a great setting for some Enemy Mine-type shenanigans, learning one anothers' culture, etc. I'd love to see, while Recker and Psyme are working together, Recker playing good, obedient soldier to Commander Zelly...smut welcome. I was also intrigued by the symbiont armor worn by the Krill and the fact that Ian has no problem wearing it - I'd love to see some insight on what that feels like. I love Recker and Psyme snarking at each other and Commander Zelly being a boss. Seeing the game come to a bad end, with worlds destroyed...what might happen then? I'd love to read an AU about their lives in exile. I'd enjoy gen, Recker/Psyme, Recker and Psyme friendship, Zelly/Recker, a threesome, all is good. Heck, if you wanted to give me a genderswapped-by-alien-science Recker and make it a lesbian threesome, I would be totally down. with. that. Xeno, tentacles, I think a lot of things would work great here!
***
Well, that was longer than expected. I hope this was helpful! Please don't hesitate to contact me through a Yuletide hippo if you have any questions or need clarification, if you want to include something but aren't sure if it's okay, etc.
MOST IMPORTANTLY. I want you to have fun! Happy Yuletide.