Yuletide Letter 2015!
Dear Yuletide writer,
Thanks so much for writing for me!
I'm gonna 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! (Also I've totally cribbed from my older letters where my preferences haven't changed.)
In general:
I love canon-divergence AUs - what would happen if it went THIS way instead of THAT way. 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: good guys turning to evil/the Dark Side/what have you; forced transformation/transformation trauma/body horror; evil twins and doppelgangers; mind control (especially if the character's conscious of it, but can't fight it); 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. <---- especially this last part
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. Please no: straight-up noncon/rapefic, AUs that remove characters from the canon setting, A/B/O, suicide references, dismemberment, or major character death.
My requests! (Random order)
Final Fantasy XIV (Warrior of Light, Fray)
So this prompt necessarily has spoilers for the level 50 Dark Knight quest. If you don't want to be spoiled, look away!
I absolutely loved the DRK 30-50 questline. I loved seeing Fray put a voice to the WoL's (and our) frustration with the constant demands of a helpless populace. I'd love to see what happens next... although the Warrior banishes their darkside - Fray - for now, Fray left us with the promise/threat that they would always be there to "step in" should the WoL need them. I'd especially like to see Fray returning to take over their body when the WoL is infuriated or threatened, and/or manifesting to thoroughly creep on, molest, and/or generally bother our hero. Encouraging them to give in to their darkness. Would love to see dubcon, selfcest, creepy DRK stuff, Fray as the voice in the WoL's head. If Fray had won, what might have happened then? Would they have gone off somewhere, would the WoL's friends come after them? Maybe a scene of lots of bloodlust, going berserk in a fight and Fray appearing afterward for fucked-up makeouts? Tons of great possibilities here, I think! I would love it if you could either A)write the Warrior and their darkside as female (Elezen female, if you really want to spoil my id!) or B) keep the Warrior and Fray gender and race unspecified by using writing conventions like first- or second-person perspective. I would especially love F/F for this prompt!
Sigma Star Saga (Ian Recker, Psyme, Commander Zelly)
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!
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits: (Kharg, Darc)
Prompt ideas:
- Darc, Kharg, Darc/Kharg, Kharg/Darc Darc + Kharg
- Two sides of the same coin
- Kharg is the one with a more Deimos personality
- Twincest
- Role reversal - Kharg on the run, Darc in a position of responsibility (postgame?)
- Darc has to save Kharg's ass - from the humans
- Darc, Kharg or both regrow their wings. Or turn full Deimos. Awwwwyeah.
- Wingkink, flight
- Rough play or rough sex
- Kharg has fangs. Darc is amused by this.
- Deimos are...different.
I love the relationship between these two, whether platonic or slash. Great rivals. I believe Kharg has a Deimos's heart in a human body, and Darc a human heart in a Deimos one. ...Still think they'd bare teeth at each other a lot. I would love to see Kharg being forced to come to terms with his Deimos heritage, and Darc introducing him to it. I would absolutely love any kind of transformation fic here where Kharg comes to resemble the half-Deimos he is, or somehow he and/or Darc become full Deimos (seems like the big macguffin near the end of the game could cause this.) I'd also love more detail on Deimos culture and maybe Darc and Kharg having to do some traditional activity or ritual together to support the Drakyr. Please no noncon (dubcon is okay), or Kharg-bashing. He's a douche, but I love him. Wouldn't mind him getting taken down a peg though.
I hope this was helpful! Please don't hesitate to contact 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. Have fun! Happy Yuletide.
Thanks so much for writing for me!
I'm gonna 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! (Also I've totally cribbed from my older letters where my preferences haven't changed.)
In general:
I love canon-divergence AUs - what would happen if it went THIS way instead of THAT way. 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: good guys turning to evil/the Dark Side/what have you; forced transformation/transformation trauma/body horror; evil twins and doppelgangers; mind control (especially if the character's conscious of it, but can't fight it); 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. <---- especially this last part
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. Please no: straight-up noncon/rapefic, AUs that remove characters from the canon setting, A/B/O, suicide references, dismemberment, or major character death.
My requests! (Random order)
Final Fantasy XIV (Warrior of Light, Fray)
So this prompt necessarily has spoilers for the level 50 Dark Knight quest. If you don't want to be spoiled, look away!
I absolutely loved the DRK 30-50 questline. I loved seeing Fray put a voice to the WoL's (and our) frustration with the constant demands of a helpless populace. I'd love to see what happens next... although the Warrior banishes their darkside - Fray - for now, Fray left us with the promise/threat that they would always be there to "step in" should the WoL need them. I'd especially like to see Fray returning to take over their body when the WoL is infuriated or threatened, and/or manifesting to thoroughly creep on, molest, and/or generally bother our hero. Encouraging them to give in to their darkness. Would love to see dubcon, selfcest, creepy DRK stuff, Fray as the voice in the WoL's head. If Fray had won, what might have happened then? Would they have gone off somewhere, would the WoL's friends come after them? Maybe a scene of lots of bloodlust, going berserk in a fight and Fray appearing afterward for fucked-up makeouts? Tons of great possibilities here, I think! I would love it if you could either A)write the Warrior and their darkside as female (Elezen female, if you really want to spoil my id!) or B) keep the Warrior and Fray gender and race unspecified by using writing conventions like first- or second-person perspective. I would especially love F/F for this prompt!
Sigma Star Saga (Ian Recker, Psyme, Commander Zelly)
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!
Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits: (Kharg, Darc)
Prompt ideas:
- Darc, Kharg, Darc/Kharg, Kharg/Darc Darc + Kharg
- Two sides of the same coin
- Kharg is the one with a more Deimos personality
- Twincest
- Role reversal - Kharg on the run, Darc in a position of responsibility (postgame?)
- Darc has to save Kharg's ass - from the humans
- Darc, Kharg or both regrow their wings. Or turn full Deimos. Awwwwyeah.
- Wingkink, flight
- Rough play or rough sex
- Kharg has fangs. Darc is amused by this.
- Deimos are...different.
I love the relationship between these two, whether platonic or slash. Great rivals. I believe Kharg has a Deimos's heart in a human body, and Darc a human heart in a Deimos one. ...Still think they'd bare teeth at each other a lot. I would love to see Kharg being forced to come to terms with his Deimos heritage, and Darc introducing him to it. I would absolutely love any kind of transformation fic here where Kharg comes to resemble the half-Deimos he is, or somehow he and/or Darc become full Deimos (seems like the big macguffin near the end of the game could cause this.) I'd also love more detail on Deimos culture and maybe Darc and Kharg having to do some traditional activity or ritual together to support the Drakyr. Please no noncon (dubcon is okay), or Kharg-bashing. He's a douche, but I love him. Wouldn't mind him getting taken down a peg though.
I hope this was helpful! Please don't hesitate to contact 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. Have fun! Happy Yuletide.