Dear Yuletide Writer Letter, 2012

Oct 28, 2012 11:27

Dear Yuletide Writer,

First and most important: thank you so much for signing up and writing for me!

A note up front: In general, if you have a brilliant idea that’s not mentioned in my requests or this letter, please please please feel free to run with it! As long as it doesn't hit my squicks (non-con/bestiality/incest), you’re almost certain to delight me. I would also much rather you write something that you’re fascinated by or passionate about. So you can essentially take the rest of this letter as suggestions to spark your creativity--or if you’re afraid you’re going to be stymied by too many details or options, you are welcome to stop reading here. :)

My only genre constraint is that I don’t much like grimdark, and I don’t like hopeless downer endings. That doesn't mean that I need a clear happy ending, and I certainly don’t require fluff! Things can get pretty dark and that’s fine. I’d just prefer some kind of ray of hope.

I have no objection to AUs, although I prefer if they keep some of the flavor of the original. I also don’t mind crossovers, but I do prefer they be with other canons that I know; you can check the tags on my journal to see what other fandoms I know if the fancy takes you.

On to the fandoms/prompts!



Star Wars: The Old Republic

The Characters: Female Imperial Agent, Watcher Two

The prompt: I really enjoyed the interplay between the Imperial Agent and Watcher Two, and I kept hoping that she'd be a possible romantic interest--and found out later that you CAN flirt with her, but, as far as I can tell, only as a male character. So if you're amenable, I'd adore Female Imperial Agent/Watcher Two. :D

If not, no problem! I'd also be very happy with gen about the female Imperial Agent and Watcher Two, whether it's friendshippy-fic, or even rivalry-fic. Honestly, anything with the two of them would make me happy, set anywhere in the storyline.

As regards general preferences: any rating is fine, and I'm up for any genre, with one exception: I'm not a big fan of darkfic or depressing endings. I prefer no noncon/dubcon, no incest, and no gore. Otherwise, have fun!

What is it?: A Star Wars MMORPG, set during a time of tenuous peace between the Sith Empire and the Republic.

Is it available?: Yes, but not for free. (And the storyline/gameplay is long enough that probably picking it up just for Yuletide isn't tenable.)

Why I love it: I picked up Star Wars: The Old Republic because I have been a Star Wars fangirl from way, way, way back (and I also really liked Bioware's Knights of the Old Republic series). I had originally been planning to play Republic-side, but by friends were playing Empire and I thought, eh, why not. ...And I got completely sucked into the Imperial Agent storyline. I am a sucker for space opera, so I love blasting things with my blaster and flying through space and encountering strange beasts and mysterious aliens, as well as playing politics on a galactic scale. Basically, I love the Star Wars-y-ness of it, and it hits all my space opera buttons.

What I’d like to see: I requested Female Imperial Agent and Watcher Two because I really liked the character interplay throughout the storyline. Sometimes friendly, sometimes somewhat antagonistic/rival-ish (depending on choices, too), it always interested me, and whenever I returned to Dromund Kaas I hoped I’d get another chance to speak to her.

(Note: I listed the character as Watcher Two and refer to her as that throughout (because I wasn't sure how she was referenced on the archive, and that seemed the least spoilery reference), but feel free to set it the story later when she’s Keeper, and feel free to use her name.)

So as I noted in my prompt, if you are amenable, I’d love to see femslash for Female Imperial Agent/Watcher Two. (As far as I can tell, assuming I didn't just miss something the option is only open to male Imperial Agents, which made me a bit sad!). I love the slow development of their working relationship into something friendlier, and I really wanted to push it farther into something romantic, and, well, that’s what fanfic’s for. :D

But if you’re not up for that, I would also be really happy with other interactions with them: professional, friendly, or even rivalry or antagonistic. I love the way they play off each other, a little bit spiky, and anything you wanted to do with that would be wonderful.

If you are interested (and please, please note that this is of course TOTALLY OPTIONAL--I include it only in case you are curious/interested, not in any way to require you to write this kind of Imperial Agent), the female Imperial Agent I played is a Chiss, an Operative, and tends heavily toward Light Side options.

I mention this in part because it gives you some built-in conflict options: Watcher Two is (or at least starts off as) kind of a bigot when it comes to aliens. Whether their relationship is a romance or platonic, there’s a huge area for exploration there! There’s also a lot of exploration if you go with a Light Side Imperial Agent--what does Watcher Two think of that? Is that a problem? She’s clearly a pragmatist, so... (And for that matter, how does a Light Side Imperial justify working for the Empire in the first place? Could be good ground for exploration....)

Alternately, if you want to go in a different direction, perhaps something comparing and contrasting their backgrounds? How did the Imperial Agent grow up? How does that compare with Watcher Two’s backstory, raised by the Empire itself?

And, well, as mentioned above, I’m a huge Star Wars fan, so playing with the larger galaxy would be wonderful too. Heck, if you wanted to do an adventure story or travelogue, perhaps a mission bringing the pair of them to some exciting other world--whether something from existing Star Wars media or something you made up yourself--that would be lovely. As I mentioned above, I’m a sucker for space opera and science fantasy, so space battles, blaster fights, and rubbing elbows with strange aliens in dim cantinas would be wonderful.

And if something else catches your fancy with these characters and world, feel free to go with it!

What I would rather not see: Apart from my squick list (non-con/incest/bestiality), there’s not a lot that would make me unhappy here. The only thing I can think of offhand are that I do want the Imperial Agent to be, specifically, female rather than male. Oh, and while this wouldn't wreck a story for me if you ignored this, I do prefer to have the Imperial Agent character go by "Cipher Nine," rather than by a made-up name. (Although I do realize that some kind of name is pretty much unavoidable if you're doing pre-game backstory.) Otherwise, no limits.

Elfquest

The character: Nightfall

The prompt: Elfquest! This is a long favorite fandom of mine. I selected "Nightfall" as the character I'd like to see, but honestly, I'd be up for pretty much anything with the Wolfriders, so feel free to incorporate other characters as you wish (although of course you don't have to--a piece centering entirely on Nightfall would also be lovely!).

I'm really wide open on this one. I'd love something exploring the culture and worldbuilding of Wolfrider culture. Alternately, I've always been a sucker for Nightfall/Redlance--I love that he's the one who's the gentle magic-user and she's the hunter and warrior--so something with that pairing would be fantastic. Honestly, anything with Nightfall and the rest of the tribe is fine: perhaps Clearbrook mentoring Nightfall, or Strongbow teaching young Nightfall to use the bow, or--later--the special bond between Nightfall and Leetah.

As regards general preferences: any rating is fine, and I'm fine getting het, slash, femslash, poly/multiple, or gen. I'm up for any genre, with one exception: I'm not a big fan of darkfic or depressing endings. I prefer no noncon/dubcon, no incest, and no gore. Otherwise, have fun!

What it is?: A gorgeous, epic comic/graphic novel series focusing on a tribe of elves who bond with wolves.

Is it available?: The whole thing can be read online, for free, here: http://www.elfquest.com/gallery/OnlineComics3.html If you aren't familiar with Elfquest, I’d recommend starting with the Original Quest; if you enjoy it, go on to Siege at Blue Mountain and Kings of the Broken Wheel (in that order). In my opinion, the quality gets a lot more variable after KotBW, although there are some gems after that point.

Why I love it: Elfquest is an old fandom of my heart. Wolves! Elves! Strong female characters! Magic! Animal bonds! Shapechange! Canonical soul-bonding! Hunting! A society that take bisexuality and polyamory as the default! Clash of cultures! Peacemaking! Quests! Family bonds, both biological and chosen! Basically, Elfquest hits all my buttons.

What I’d like to see: Honestly, as long as it’s Elfquest, I’m not going to be disappointed. I included Nightfall as my chosen character mainly because I’d like to see something centered on the Wolfriders, but if you get a brilliant idea for a Wolfrider-centric fic that doesn’t involve her (such a something set during the chieftaincy of one of the other Ten Chiefs), please feel free to go for it, even if Nightfall isn’t involved.

Most of my favorite Elfquest tropes are listed in "Why I love it," and anything like that would make me a happy camper. I also love stories that expand on the worldbuilding, whether that’s fleshing out more of the history, culture and folklore of the Wolfriders (or the other tribes), or focusing on the day-to-day details of life.

If you want to include characters other than Nightfall, here are some ideas for dynamics I love: as mentioned in the prompt, Nightfall/Redlance is a long-time favorite of mine. I love the dynamic between them, and also the way they chose each other deliberately as lifemates rather than waiting for Recognition. If you want to do something during the Kings of the Broken Wheel timeskip, I also always had a soft spot for the idea of the two of them denning with Cutter when he was separated from his family. Or alternately, we know that Cutter and Nightfall were agemates--what was it like when they were both children in the tribe, before the fire and the exodus?

Other favorite characters of mine are Clearbrook, Strongbow and Moonshade, all of whom are tribal elders. Something that dealt with any of them mentoring Nightfall would be wonderful, and I think they’d all bring different things to the table, so to speak: Clearbrook’s wisdom and patience and skill with the sword, Strongbow’s tenacity and adherence to the Way and skill with the bow, Moonshade’s calm and loyalty and skill with her hands.

I've also always really liked the relationship with Nightfall and Leetah, whether you interpret it as friendship or sexual/romantic--or, as is entirely plausible with Wolfriders, both at once. Nightfall sort of served as Leetah’s guide among the Wolfriders in the early days--and I’d like to think that Leetah did the same for Nightfall among the Sun Folk.

Or if something else captures your imagination, go with it!

What I would rather not see: I’d prefer no noncon/dubcon, incest, or bestiality. However, with Elfquest I’m a bit more lenient on the last two. With incest, while I’d still prefer not to see parent/child or sibling incest, the tribe is small enough that anything beyond that is fine. And, e.g., fic about Timmorn would not hit my bestiality squick.

But there are really no genres or characters or settings or (consensual) relationships that would put me off, so go wild!

Okami

The character: Amaterasu

The prompt: For this fandom, I'd love gen. I really adore Amaterasu--feeding the animals! restoring the blossoming trees! painting her way to victory!--and something about her would be fantastic, whether it's set within the plot of the game or at some other point. I really loved the game's setting, dreamy and not-quite-real in its watercolor-esque depiction, and if you want to play with any of the little hints of stories we got throughout, feel free!

If you want to throw in other characters (although, of course, you are not required to do so!), Waka is another favorite of mine--he amused me every time he showed up.

As regards general preferences: for this fandom I'd prefer gen (or, at least, I'd prefer not pairing Amaterasu with anyone). I'm up for any genre, with one exception: I'm not a big fan of darkfic or depressing endings. I prefer no noncon/dubcon, no incest, and no gore. Otherwise, have fun!

What is it?: An adventure game for the PS2 and Wii, about the goddess Amaterasu taking the form of a wolf to save the land from darkness, and told in a beautiful brushstroke-esque art style.

Is it available?: It’s readily available to buy, but not available for free. (Unless you were already planning on playing it anyway, it seems unlikely that this would be something someone would pick up just for Yuletide.)

Why I love it: This is just a beautiful game, telling a beautiful story. It’s kind of a mashup/composite of a number of Japanese myths, legends, religious elements and folktales, and I’m a big sucker for anything like that. It has a female main character--a goddess in the form of a white wolf--and the art style draws me in every time. And I love how much of the game is about spreading beauty and harmony rather than just about killing things. (It made me happy every time I could set a barren tree to blossoming, feed the animals, or restore greenery to the landscape.)

What I’d like to see: First of all, let me say that--while this section is shorter than the sections for the other prompts--that isn’t an indicator my enthusiasm at all. Rather, it’s a sign that practically anything about the game and character would delight me, so I have fewer specifics!

I requested Amaterasu, mostly because I just love both the character and the archetype--the goddess come to earth, the mysterious white wolf, the celestial painter literally painting changes on the world. To be honest, almost anything to do with Amaterasu will make me happy.

Perhaps it’s an exploration of an area or people who we met in the game--I’d love to see Amaterasu spending more time among the Oina, for instance. Or maybe something between Sakuya and Amaterasu, especially early when she’s pretty much the only one who recognizes Amaterasu’s true self and nature. And I loved every one of the Celestial Brush Gods, so if you’d like to involve any of them, please do!

Waka amused me every time he showed up: clearly powerful, prophetic, but also playful and kind of obnoxious! And yet ultimately respectful of Amaterasu. If you want to do something with their interaction, that would be wonderful also.

Or you’re welcome to invent a new place or characters, perhaps drawing on some other piece of Japanese folklore. Perhaps she has to go on a new adventure--with some of her original helpers and companions or with completely new ones! I loved the setting, the “feel” and the characters of Okami so much that the field is wide open.

What I would rather not see: As I mentioned in my prompt, I’d prefer no pairings of Amaterasu with anyone. In general, I’d rather have gen for this offer, although I don’t object to side pairings as long as they don’t include Amaterasu herself. As above, please no noncon/bestiality/incest... otherwise, you’re free to do whatever you like!

Digger

The characters: None/Any.

The prompt: I just discovered Digger this year, and I love it to bits. I loved the setting and, frankly, pretty much all of the characters, so almost anything would make me happy!

If you want more specifics, the thing I loved best about the setting was how quirky and different it was (I mean, vampire squash and oracular slugs? count me in!). I also really liked what we saw of hyena society. There weren't any characters I disliked--I'd be happy with anyone, from Digger down to more minor characters like Librarian Vo--but if you want some direction: I really liked the friendship between Ed and Digger and would be happy to see more of that. I also liked what we saw of hyena society--Boneclaw Mother rules!--and would be up for seeing something about their relationships, both the happy and the painful. Or to go a totally different route, perhaps what happened with Shadowchild after it "grew up" and left. Did it ever see Digger again?

But really, pretty much anything in this setting will make me happy!

As regards general preferences: for this prompt, I'd prefer to stay at PG-13 or below. Gen, het, slash, femslash are all fine, though. I'm up for any genre, with one exception: I'm not a big fan of darkfic or depressing endings. I prefer no noncon/dubcon, no incest, and no gore. Otherwise, have fun!

What is it?: A beautifully-drawn, quirky, clever webcomic about a wombat who gets lost while tunneling and pops up in a strange land, and squarely in the middle of an even stranger mystery.

Is it available?: The whole thing can be read online, for free, at http://www.diggercomic.com/. It is a single self-contained story in twelve chapters.

Why I love it: I am new to Digger--I read the first volume a while ago and then lost track of it. This year I decided to try again... and I read the whole thing in about a day and a half. I love Ursula Vernon’s offbeat, sometimes twisted sense of humor. I adore the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink worldbuilding--I mean, any series that has oracular slugs, skin lizards, winged library rats, hyena matriarchs, hag-doctors, and a talking statue of Ganesh, well, I’m pretty much guaranteed to be delighted. And on top of that, there was not a single character that I disliked.

What I’d like to see: I didn’t request any characters for this, because honestly, I’d be happy to have a story about any character, *or* a story just about the world itself--whatever floats your boat!

When it comes to characters, any of them--nominated or not--would be fantastic. If you want specifics, here are some ideas. Did Digger she get into more adventures when traveling with the Trader after the end of the story? Did she ever meet up with Shadowchild again? I also loved her interactions with Ed, and while there isn’t a ton of time in the main storyline to fit in more, feel free to add a “missing scene” or even go a bit AU if you want to have more Ed and Digger friendship time.

Speaking of Ed, I loved the hyenas, and Ed’s painful backstory really spoke to me, so anything to do with that would be fine. Something about Ed--before or during his exile--would be great, or if you wanted, I wouldn’t object to an AU with stuff after the end of the series. Or maybe something about Boneclaw Mother’s backstory (pretty much everything Boneclaw Mother says makes me laugh, so I’d love more with her!). Or Grim Eyes--backstory or future. How does she change during and after the story?

Or to go in another direction: more about Murai and the veiled would make me very happy. Or something more about Ganesh: perhaps having to solve another metaphysical mystery, with the help of Murai or Librarian Vo or, heck, even Boneclaw Mother.

And the Shadowchild! What happens after we see it leave in canon? Does it ever meet up with our other intrepid adventurers again? Is it successful in its quest?

If you’re more taken with the worldbuilding, that would be lovely also. There is clearly a lot of weird and wonderful history and mythology to play with--what about that god who swoons from heaven, anyway? Or perhaps one of the hyena myths we didn’t see, like how hare stopped eating meat? Or the origin of the vampire squashes...

Or if none of those strike your fancy, feel free to explore in other directions!

What I would rather not see: I’d rather stories for this fandom stay at PG-13 or below, and as above, no noncon/incest/bestiality (although for what it’s worth, I wouldn’t consider it bestiality to pair up someone like the hyenas, or Herne), but you’re welcome to write pairing-y fic if you like. No other restrictions, though.

Annnnd that's it! Once again, thank you so much for agreeing to write fic for me. I'm sure that whatever you write, it will make my day. :D

Posted on LJ and DW, reply here or there. Currently there are
comments at DW.

dear yuletide santa, yuletide

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