Dear Yuletide Writer

[rebecca2525]

OMG, you are writing in one of my tiny fandoms! For me! I love you already! Please, please, please: have fun with your assignment! I don't expect you to read my mind, and I don't want you to write something you feel unenthusiastic or even uncomfortable about. Really, every fic in my teeny tiny fandoms is a win! Yuletide is for fun and the collective squee, and I'm already overjoyed that you like one of my fandoms enough to offer to write for it! (So many exclamation points. Can you tell I'm excited?)

I don't have any triggers and I am very hard to squick, but I'd rather the fic does not contain (m)preg, death of canon characters, non-con involving canon characters, or overly kinky sex. (Unless it's a canon event. Everything that's canon is fair game!) Other than that, go wild!

Okay, so if you've already got an idea for your fic, that's great! Stop reading this letter, forget about my request details and go write; I can't wait to see what you come up with! :D In case you do want some inspiration, though, here's what I have to say about my fandoms:
RubyQuest: Any

I love how creepy and twisted RubyQuest is. It's amazing how those simple graphics and minimalistic descriptions create such an intense atmosphere. I love the bleak setting, how there are things left unexplained, how we only get fragments of the truth, how things change subtly in places we've been while we were elsewhere, thus hinting at the presence of other creatures. Then there's this whole imagery about eyes/seeing going on, like the hidden cameras and screens, the constant feeling of being watched, Ruby's third eye and the fact that the whole thing is a facility for blind people, the creepy images/models/symbols of eyes everywhere... And in between all the horror, we get cute and heart-warming moments between Ruby and Tom, and the whole game style is also quite funny the way classical point-and-click adventures or pen-and-paper RPGs sometimes are. It's great fun to read along the suggestions and discussions of the "players".

I couldn't really decide on a character, as I especially love the general setting of RubyQuest. I'm not picky about whom of the characters you write, of if you completly go for world-building instead. But just in case you want to narrow down the choice, the characters I find most interesting are: Ruby, because she's central to the plot. (Apart from the obvious fact that she and Tom seem to be the only ones ever getting close to escaping, she also seemed to be the patient who first showed signs of something going wrong, though we don't really know whether that was coincidence or not.) She's also cute. Red: I find him the creepiest character during the first part, and then we find out that he's probably responsible for lots of things and among the first to know what's going on, and he's smart enough to "beat" the curse once and for all... Bella: She's the only one who remembers, and maybe that makes her fate the saddest of them all. Tom: His MANLY PHYSIQUE cracks me up every time.

As for pairings, Ruby/Tom are very adorkable together, and I also like the idea that Red was secretly in love with Ruby.
Story ideas

I normally stay clear of fics that are very dark, involve canon character death, non-con etc, but for this fandom, all bets are off, because, well, this is RubyQuest.

Of the gen variety: What's actually behind the cure/curse? Something Cthulu-like? The artefacts seem to point to something supernatural. Did the researchers know in advance and did they build the facility on purpose on that spot, or did they find out later on? ~*~ Red's POV about how he found out about the cure and its side-effects? ~*~ Something about the whole people-keep-dying-and-getting-revived-and-so-things-repeat-themselves thing that's going on? Maybe an earlier version of Ruby's and Tom's escape that went similar, or completely different? Or Bella's POV, since she's the only one not affected? ~*~ Given the group photo, maybe something from the happy early days with foreshadowing of what's to come? ~*~ Something about Red's final suicide, how he came up with it etc? Since he he commited suicide at least once before, he too must have suffered from memory loss and re-learned everything... ~*~ Why exactly was subject #6 moved to Lab B? ~*~ It seems people only get revived when they're placed in the lockers; who keeps placing people in lockers? Ace? Why? ~*~ Ruby seems to have agreed to take part in the research programme, but all we ever get for proof is a contract. Is it legit? How much did Ruby (or any of the other patients, really, or even the staff) know about what she was letting herself into? ~*~ Something that involves "the players," meta discussion, ...?

Of the shippy variety: Maybe Red was secretly in love with Ruby? ~*~ A sweet moment between Tom and Ruby? ~*~ Or how about the fact that Ruby tried to kill Tom (at least) once? ;_;
Availability

RubyQuest is completely available online. (That wiki also has a page for interesting speculations!) Personally, I prefer the flash version since it's streamlined quite a bit, and takes about one or two days to read. If you don't know RubyQuest, be warned that it's extremely creepy and quite gory (as gory as stick figure graphics can be...)
Albion (Video Game): Drirr

I love the plot with its twists and the detailed world of Albion. I guess the overall story arch isn't very special, but there are just so many surprises along the way. I especially like the tropic Nakiridaani with all those exotic plants and animals, and the Iskai's culture. I can spend hours walking around there, looking at stuff and talking to people! (Glow-in-the-dark flora & fauna! Pretty buildings that are actually shaped out of living plants! Iskai magic! The Formers' guildhouse!) And Drinno, the epic dungeon with all its magic gone wild; seriously, the size of that thing!

I picked Drirr because I love his funny moments and his impulsiveness, because I'm fascinated with all things Iskai, and because I always have him as the party leader (Iskai see better in the dark, and next to Tom, I can picture him in that role.) As far as I'm concerned, though, he doesn't have to take a central role in your story, or any role at all. Other favourite characters of mine are Sira (again, Iskai, and a bad-ass magician!) and Rainer (because he's a scientist and I'm a science geek; I'm probably the only person who was actually sad when he left the party.) But other characters are fine too, especially if it's team fic or more general fic about the world and its cultures. I'm really not picky in this fandom! As for ships, I love the idea of Rainer/Drirr; there's some banter going on between them that just pings the right way for me, and I love exploring couples that have differences, be it cultural, physical, or due to their character traits. I can also picture Tom/Drirr, but I could probably buy whatever you write about.
Story ideas

Of the gen variety: What about the time after the shuttle crash that Rainer spent with the Iskai, before Tom regained consciousness? What was the first contact like, how did Rainer learn the Iskai's language and culture? Maybe Rainer and Drirr already met during that time? ~*~ What happens after the game ends? What do the individual player characters do, or how do the humans from the Toronto cope? Will Drirr go back to his old life or will he stay in contact with his new friends? ~*~ How is growing up on Nakiridaani like? Maybe something about Drirr's past? Or Sira's past? ~*~ Some good old adventure fic? Maybe you can squeeze in a little side quest, or maybe the party continues to roam around together after the game ends? ~*~ Is there more to tell about the old Formers' guildhouse/Agrim?

Of the shippy variety: For Drirr/human pairings, maybe there's shyness, awkwardness, misunderstandings, conflicts, wonder because of different cultures and physiques? ~*~ Getting closer during a quiet night around the campfire? (I imagine that must be a little awkward, what with the lack of privacy...) ~*~ Do Iskai kiss? Hug? Dance? Do they have any taboos? ~*~ Sex pollen? I bet Albion has sex pollen or similar surprises. :D ~*~ An Iskai's tail is practically a tentacle third arm and hand. I'm just saying... ~*~ Dirr/Rainer are not only from completly different cultures/ethnicies, but also very different characters (scientist vs warrior, thoughtful vs impulsive), how does that play out?
Availability

Albion is abandonware and as such downloadable in various places, and there are walkthroughs, transcripts, videos etc. It's a very long game, but you don't have to finish it in order to write fic for me, as many of my favourite things you'll meet early on in the game, and I don't mind if you go (accidentally) AU branching off from an early point in canon, or if take your liberties with canon. I just love the world's atmoshpere! In any case, I've collected some resources here.
Brandstetter - Joseph Hansen: Dave Brandstetter

I adore Hansen's evocative writing style and how he creates atmosphere. He has so lively descriptions of landscapes, architecture, interior design, fashion, people. I love especially when he does bleak places, and I have a soft spot for the late 60s/early 70s anyway... That the stories are mainly not about action, but more unagitated whodunnits about people, and ordinary people at that, is a big plus in my eyes. Hansen is amazing with characterisation and dialogue, and I always want to find out more about all the people involved, regardless of how minor their role is; very few writers achieve this for me.

Another thing to love, of course, is Dave himself. I like his calmness, his confidence, his patience, how he on the one hand comes across as unintrusive and lets people talk, but on the other hand doesn't shy away from telling his opinion or prodding. He can also be quite bad-ass if the situation calls for it. I especially adore how he is at peace with his sexuality even when most people around him aren't. I'm very open to shipping Dave with other people, canon characters or original characters, as long as they are male. I wouldn't want seeing him breaking up with Cecil though, so if Cecil somehow gets in your way, please let it be in an alternative universe where Dave/Cecil never happened.

I'm also very fond of Amanda and her platonic relationship with Dave.
Story ideas

Of the gen variety: I always wonder about Dave's relationship with his father. They seem to be getting on very well, but they are both people who don't talk much and who put their work above everything else. Were there conflicts in the past? Especially seeing Carl's list of very young ex-wifes... ~*~ Was Dave always so self-secure with his sexuality, or how did he come to terms with it? ~*~ How did Dave's father find out about Dave being gay, how did he take it? The only fragment we get in canon is: Dave's father said, "You're full of surprises." / Dave said, "I kept waiting for you to guess." I sometimes wonder if Carl takes Dave's homosexuality serious of if he thinks it's just a phase, seeing how he suggests Dave marry. ~*~ Dave's father once thought that Dave was in love with his wife du jour and thus divorced her-so he didn't know Dave was gay then? Why didn't Dave tell him then? He seemed to like his then-step-mother. ~*~ In the last novel, Dave's friend from school is writing about his friends and juicy details from their past-what was he going to write about Dave? ~*~ I love case fics, too, but I'm afraid I can't suggest anything; go you if you'd like to write one! ~*~ How did Dave and Amanda get to like each other? I imagine it couldn't have been easy in the beginning, given how she's Dave's step mother but much younger than him, and given that Dave knows that most of his Dad's marriages don't last anyway...

Of the shippy variety: Dave/Doug: I know that this relationship isn't meant to be, but I'd still love to see more about the very beginning. Maybe about their moving in with each other? ~*~ Doug's POV of their first meeting during the case, his first impressions of Dave? ~*~ How was Dave's first relationship, or his first date, or his first sexual encounter? ~*~ Does Dave introduce his boyfriends to his father?
Availability

Overall, there are twelve short standalone novels, each a quick read. Still in print is for example the Complete Brandstetter, and they're slowly coming out as ebooks, too. Mind that you don't have to read all of the books in order to write for me. The first book alone should give room enough for fic, and I don't mind (accidental) AUs for any of the books you don't know!
Literary RPF: Hugo von Hofmannsthal

I LOVELOVELOVE Hofmannsthal's poems and prose work. He has such an amazing way with words that really touches and fascinates me. I have to admit though that I don't know much about his later works (his dramas and librettos) since his direction of work and his views about it changed quite a bit.

What I find interesting is Hofmannsthal's latent bisexuality and how that influcenes his work. Hofmannsthal was aware of his homoerotic feelings and accepting of them as long as they weren't acted on beyond flirtation and affectionate friendships. (He said once, "Die Perversion ist reizend solange es eine Spielerei ist" ("The pserversion is attractive as long as it is only playing around")). Most notable is probably his ambivalent relationship with Stefan George: on the one hand Hofmannsthal was fascinated by him and happy to have found a kindred spirit, on the other hand he was overwhelmed by George's pushiness and dominance. And although their friendship didn't last, Hofmannsthal and George could never stop thinking about each other. Then there are Edgar Karg von Bebenburg and Georg von Franckenstein, with whom Hofmannsthal had more harmonious and affectionate relationships.
Story ideas

Whether you want to stick to the facts, indulge in what-if's, go all literary geek or history geek-that's all fine with me! I should perhaps note that German's my native language, so feel free to write in German, or include German bits.

Of the gen variety: Hofmannsthal was very young when he wrote his first poems. How was he as a boy? Did he feel different from his contemporaries or even lonely? When/why did he start writing? Whom did he show his first attempts? ~*~ Maybe you can base something around one of his works? Where did the inspiration come from? Is it very personal? What could the writing process have been like? ~*~ Why did he give up on poetry, symbolism, aestheticism? Did something happen, did he 'grow out' of it, did he ever look back? Maybe there's something in the Chandos letter that can be worked into a fic?

Of the shippy variety: Hofmannsthal's first encounter with Stefan George in Vienna seems to have been brief, but intense. What happened? ~*~ Again, maybe you can base a story on one of their poems, where its inspiration came from, how it was received by the other? ~*~ Were there ever any conflicts about how far they were willing to take their relationship? Did they have different expectations? ~*~ Hofmannsthal's relationships with Edgar Karg von Bebenburg or Georg von Franckenstein: In both cases, there was plenty of subtext, but it was much more harmonic than with George. I'd equally love to hear about the "playing around" with homoeroticism that HvH was fine with, or about how it could have grown into something more-maybe how they shyly, carefully explored unknown territory?

Crossover potential: Oscar Wilde. Hofmannsthal did read his work and essays, and Wilde's ideas about art were very close to young Hofmannsthal's. What would it have been like if they had written each other or met in person? Is there potential for friendship or a romantic relationship? ~*~ Hofmannsthal followed the proceedings of Wilde's trials very closely. What were his thoughts? Did Wilde's conviction influence his own life?
Availability

Unfortunately, there isn't all too much about Hofmannsthal to be found online, and often it's in German. I've collected some resources about his friendhips with Stefan George, Edgar Karg von Bebenburg and Georg von Franckenstein in another post.
General Likes/Disklikes

If you want to see what other fandoms or stories I like, or what I write (not much!), have a look at my fic and bookmarks on AO3, at my sticky post, and at last years' letters.

The following is a brainstormy collection of things I tend to like. Please take this as a possible source of inspiration; I'm not suggesting that your fic should contain any of these (some wouldn't even make sense for some of my requests...) or can't contain anything else.

• romance
• humour
• action/adventure/casefic/mystery/...
• plot, plot-twists
• banter/snark/witty dialogue
• flirting
• first touches/first kisses/first times (not necessarily as in sex, but especially as in 'getting together')
• dancing
• all variations of "they are forced to do it but secretly want it anyway": aliens made them do it/mate or die/mistletoe/truth or dare/bets/sex pollen/drunk fic/under the influence/undercover as gay/having to share a bed/...
• using each other's titles as a playful endearment/developing an own, unconventional language (verbal or not) in which to declare each other's appreciation or love
• coming to terms with things: one's past, one's feelings, ...
• competence/people being good at their job
• outsider POV: someone else's view on my favourite characters or relationships; unusual POVs
• matchmaking
• other people realising the epic love or friendship or ability to work well together before the pairing/thinking they're together or should be
• feels like an episode/episode related (missing scene, post-ep, casting a new light upon canon events)
• bittersweet/melancholy atmosphere
• beautiful prose
• geeky/nerdy/techy stuff; science
• uniforms/formal attire; hiding behind
• UST/becoming aware of one's feelings/trying to suppress one's feelings and failing
• best buddies or colleagues (with or without slowly becoming lovers)/acting like a married couple/knowing how to handle each other's quirks/settling into routines
• relationships (as friends or lovers) that seem mismatched, unbalanced or unlikely at first glance, but aren't or work out against all odds; couples complementing each other
• a silly premise
• open or ambiguous ending
• happy ending
• meta
• world-building: exotic flora, fauna, architecture
• alien sexuality
• things that seem confusing at first/keep me guessing/reveal their mystey only slowly, but make sense in the end/make sense on second reading
• Epistolary fic (be it traditional letters, or mails, chats and texts)

I don't mind Christmas fics at all, though being an Atheist, for me Christmas is more about family than religion. I'm fine with het, slash, femslash, and gen, though I tend to gravitate towards slash. Any rating works for me, be it for sex, violence, language, or lack thereof. I don't mind spoilers (if there's anything left of my requested canons that could spoil me...)

There are also a few things which I normally don't care much for, but which aren't deal-breakers per se: darkfic, genderswap, extremely fluffy fluff with fluff on top, AUs of the "they are vampires/in high school/in another century" variety. (The AU's of the "What if?" variety or the "Let's ignore this part of canon for reasons" variety are awesome though!)
This entry was originally posted at http://rebecca2525.dreamwidth.org/7635.html. Please comment there using OpenID.