Dear Yuletide Writer 2020
Oct. 16th, 2020 09:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foxinthestarsHello, Hello! It's Yuletide time again! Thank you, kind writer, for volunteering to write a story for me, or for considering writing a treat for me!
I've been doing Yuletide every year since 2011 --- so this year makes ten! It kind of blows my mind! And kind of let you knows how much I like this exchange. ^_~ I hope my prompts inspire you and you enjoy Yuletide this year, too!
See under the cut for the things you need to know…
I'm![[archiveofourown.org profile]](https://p.dreamwidth.org/b164c54b26e4/-/archiveofourown.org/favicon.ico)
foxinthestars at Ao3, same username as on DW.
LIKES:
Sympathetic Protagonists, people being good-hearted
Happy or Hopeful Endings
Competence
Explorations of Issues and Ideas
Character Pieces
Genfic (but I’m also fine with het, m/m, f/f, or poly)
Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Fluff and WAFF
Fixer-upper/Canon-Divergence/"What If?" AUs
Cuddling (cute fluffy cuddling or intense romantic cuddling, it’s all good)
Sensuality and Description Porn
Representation (Women/LGBTQ+/People of marginalized ethnicities/People with disabilities/et. al. being awesome)
DO NOT WANTS:
(Note that these are not necessarily things I disapprove of or even dislike, but they are things it’s not safe to give me in an exchange)
Humiliation/Abasement/Embarrassment (the Embarrassment squick can be triggered vicariously by, e.g., a character acting stupid or being set up to fail as an object lesson)
Rape, Non-con, Dub-con
Incest
Infidelity
Fat-shaming, Fat jokes
Christocentrism
Zombies (canon-typical undeads for MDZS are OK, I mainly just don't like the US-typical Zombie genre, Zombie AUs, etc)
Crossovers (unless specifically noted)
Gritty/Grimdark
Sad/Bad/Tragic Endings
Actual Porn
Character/Ship Bashing
Directly speculating about future events in an open canon (This one’s weird. Writing in a timeframe beyond current canon with vague or absent explanation of how it turned out the way you’re depicting it is fine, but if you directly invent or handwave, e.g. “they got out of the current arc like thus and such,” or “the prophecy turned out to mean this,” I tend to bounce off.)
Suffocation in any form is acceptable but I need you to tag/warn for it.
Special note: Around Yuletide Story-Time I tend to be in the mood for winter-themed stories — things with sensuous descriptions of long dark nights and bracing winds and deep snows, cold-reddened skin, getting warm by fires and sipping hot beverages and bundling up in cozy clothing, that kind of thing. If you want to get some characters into adorable and/or highly-charged body-heat-sharing situations, that’s fine, too, just note the “do not want” on porn.
Or just don’t worry about it. If it doesn’t grab you or doesn’t fit with an idea that does grab you, I don’t want you to feel like you have to shoehorn it in.
(This is a seasonal thing, so to anyone here looking for New Years Resolution prompts, a) thank you! and b) don’t worry about it unless you just want to.)
And the prompts, roughly in descending order of canon length:
Mo Dao Zu Shi Q
Characters: Nie Huaisang
In all the Mo Dao Zu Shi versions I've seen, I like Nie Huaisang, and I do like his soft side, so the chibi donghua is good for that. As of this writing, he's such a hapless woobie in this one, always getting the (adorably) short end of the stick. Maybe have one of these cute vignettes actually go well for him. Maybe have a sweet scene with him and his brother. Or a scene where his interests and skills are useful.
If you've seen a complete version of MDZS, you know that Nie Huaisang is a surprisingly complex character, and I've seen lots of interesting interpretations of him; like I recall a fic where he has a chronic health condition that keeps him from fitting his clan's mould, one that implies he's actually flubbing his tests on purpose because that way he can keep coming back and learning/doing more of what he cares about... And maybe I'm partial, but even when we see his hidden depths, I like to think of him as basically sweet deep down. So yeah, if you can explore some of that while keeping it soft and cute and in keeping with the chibi donghua, that's cool, too.
Canon Review and Notes
Here's my MDZS animation playlist on YouTube; scroll down until you see the chibi thumbnails to get to MDZS Q. If an episode comes up with no subtitles or a mysterious visual joke or something, check the comments. (Note, if you want to watch the main animated series listed at the beginning of the playlist, you can, but you don't have to. As MDZS versions go, it's not complete and I find it relatively confusing, but it clicks best for some people and it's what MDZS Q is most closely spun off from.)
I listed this as the "longest" canon because, while the MDZS Q shorts aren't long in themselves, to write knowledgeably about them I would recommend having a complete version of the story under your belt, and those are much longer. Options there:
Fan translation of the novel at Exiled Rebels (Includes explicit m/m scenes with potential DNWs; those might only be in the bonus chapters but I don't remember for sure.)
Drama version: "The Untamed" at Viki (my preferred legal translation), also available on YouTube or on Netflix. (The drama has some differences in events and character interpretations -- including a more roguish Nie Huaisang -- so bear that in mind. The drama is actually my favorite, though, so it should be OK as an overall view to use in writing for me. Note, I have not seen the spin-off movies.)
Merc Storia (anime)
Characters: Yuu, Merc, Harshut, Ultos
You don't have to use all of the requested characters; just use at least one.
As I put it in the fandom promo post, this is a 12-episode anime aimed at a younger target audience. It follows a boy named Yuu who is a healer (ie monster-tamer) and his friend Merc who is a kind of water fairy who lives in a jar. The two travel the world having adventures and meeting fun arc characters in a bunch of interestingly worldbuilt countries: there are furries, there are fairies, there are angels. It all starts out pretty fluffy and simplistic, but as it goes along the arcs get surprisingly deep and twisty; by the end we've seen the impact of depression on relationships, a fantasy indictment of the idol industry, and a person with a disability struggling with their faith in God. The arcs all have happy endings, sometimes at the cost of simplistic-ness or "wait, back up, I think you skipped some stuff," but I like that element of healing atmosphere, and maybe you will too. (It's also based on an online game but I don't know anything about that. All I know is the anime has characters in its ED who aren't in any of the episodes.)
As for prompts, Yuu and Merc are always fun to bounce off each other or off of cute or interesting new monsters. Maybe dig deeper into Yuu getting over his fear. I also did wish they'd found Yuu's father, so that could be a possibility. Yuu and Merc can also be a doorway to arc settings or arc characters I didn't nominate.
Harshut appears in an early arc when things were still pretty simple and fluffy, but right to the end (spoiler alert) she is still my favorite gender-non-conforming badass lady prince. We could see her bonding with her brother or solving problems for her town, how she became who she is, maybe if she ever does anything with her obvious crush on Yuu, etc. (Note, I interpret Harshut as non-conforming cis; I could also accept her as nb or mtf or something, as long as you don't go all "not really a woman.")
Ultos appears in the last arc, one of the deepest and twistiest, and he has a really interesting story. Isolated for much of his life due to a stigmatized disability, he's still willful and assertive. Even when his disability is eventually "cured," it's still shaped his life in a way that makes him uniquely able to go beyond the boundaries and prejudices of his culture. He also has a fun brother to bond with and an obvious crush on Yuu that could go somewhere, and he's last seen going off to explore the world, so you could even bounce him off characters from other arcs or invent whole new adventures for him.
Canon Review and Notes
The series on Crunchyroll.
From here on out, my canons this year are pretty short. This one is a 12-episode anime series, and it's pretty light viewing. Harshut appears in ep 2 (and never again ;_;). Ultos appears in eps 10-12. In a pinch you could even just watch the first two eps and do something with Harshut, but I really do recommend watching the whole thing.
The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang
Characters: Frances, Prince Sebastian | Lady Crystallia
Both characters on this one, please.
Such a beautiful story - and such a beautiful pair of kids. Sebastian | Crystallia's ambigender nature and struggle between authenticity and anxiety perhaps more obviously stand out, but I'm no less fascinated by Frances' creative dreams and class issues. It also warms my heart that so many people are willing to learn in this story, not smoothly perhaps but with grace in the end. And the setting on the cusp of modernity reminds us that we're always on the cusp of something new in understanding ourselves and each other. I'd really just like to spend some more time with these people. For a specific prompt, as I said, I found the class issues around Frances interesting, maybe introduce more backstory for her, or friends or family she's known since pre-canon. Please do maintain the canon's optimism in whatever you do.
Canon Review and Notes
Buy the Book at alibris
Buy an ebook version at Amazon or Kobo
or Find it in a Library at WorldCat
Another quick canon; this one is a stand-alone graphic novel. If we matched on something else and you don't like my prompt, give this a try. Reading it won't take you long, and it's well worth it!
Toshokan Rocket (Minna no Uta Music Video)
No characters specified
This two-and-a-half-minute music video is just packed! So many characters! So many fascinating images! So cute! Much epic! The basic "plot" seems to involve four little birds (in their whale starship and their corgi shuttle!) running a kind of pan-galactic bookmobile for great justice and everlasting peace, but... well, you just have to see it. I want to see what somebody can do with this, anywhere you want to take it that's in keeping with the canon atmosphere.
Canon Review and Notes:
The video on YouTube.
I also keep an emergency backup version of it here (sorry for the jacked-up aspect ratio).
And, since it's not subtitled, here's my own quick-and-dirty translation of the lyrics.
The quickest of my quick canons. If nothing else grabs you, take two-and-a-half minutes and see if you can do something with this. Heck, take the two-and-a-half minutes anyway, you deserve it!
Yeah, for a while there I had a gadget of questionable legality that let me watch streams of NHK-E(ducational). Sadly no longer works, but I ran across some real gems, particularly in NHK's "Minna no Uta" all-ages music video series. I think this one takes the cake. (Fire-breathing feathered dinosaur!)
And that’s it! Happy writing and a Joyous Yuletide to you!
I've been doing Yuletide every year since 2011 --- so this year makes ten! It kind of blows my mind! And kind of let you knows how much I like this exchange. ^_~ I hope my prompts inspire you and you enjoy Yuletide this year, too!
See under the cut for the things you need to know…
I'm
LIKES:
Sympathetic Protagonists, people being good-hearted
Happy or Hopeful Endings
Competence
Explorations of Issues and Ideas
Character Pieces
Genfic (but I’m also fine with het, m/m, f/f, or poly)
Drama, Hurt/Comfort
Fluff and WAFF
Fixer-upper/Canon-Divergence/"What If?" AUs
Cuddling (cute fluffy cuddling or intense romantic cuddling, it’s all good)
Sensuality and Description Porn
Representation (Women/LGBTQ+/People of marginalized ethnicities/People with disabilities/et. al. being awesome)
DO NOT WANTS:
(Note that these are not necessarily things I disapprove of or even dislike, but they are things it’s not safe to give me in an exchange)
Humiliation/Abasement/Embarrassment (the Embarrassment squick can be triggered vicariously by, e.g., a character acting stupid or being set up to fail as an object lesson)
Rape, Non-con, Dub-con
Incest
Infidelity
Fat-shaming, Fat jokes
Christocentrism
Zombies (canon-typical undeads for MDZS are OK, I mainly just don't like the US-typical Zombie genre, Zombie AUs, etc)
Crossovers (unless specifically noted)
Gritty/Grimdark
Sad/Bad/Tragic Endings
Actual Porn
Character/Ship Bashing
Directly speculating about future events in an open canon (This one’s weird. Writing in a timeframe beyond current canon with vague or absent explanation of how it turned out the way you’re depicting it is fine, but if you directly invent or handwave, e.g. “they got out of the current arc like thus and such,” or “the prophecy turned out to mean this,” I tend to bounce off.)
Suffocation in any form is acceptable but I need you to tag/warn for it.
Special note: Around Yuletide Story-Time I tend to be in the mood for winter-themed stories — things with sensuous descriptions of long dark nights and bracing winds and deep snows, cold-reddened skin, getting warm by fires and sipping hot beverages and bundling up in cozy clothing, that kind of thing. If you want to get some characters into adorable and/or highly-charged body-heat-sharing situations, that’s fine, too, just note the “do not want” on porn.
Or just don’t worry about it. If it doesn’t grab you or doesn’t fit with an idea that does grab you, I don’t want you to feel like you have to shoehorn it in.
(This is a seasonal thing, so to anyone here looking for New Years Resolution prompts, a) thank you! and b) don’t worry about it unless you just want to.)
And the prompts, roughly in descending order of canon length:
Mo Dao Zu Shi Q
Characters: Nie Huaisang
In all the Mo Dao Zu Shi versions I've seen, I like Nie Huaisang, and I do like his soft side, so the chibi donghua is good for that. As of this writing, he's such a hapless woobie in this one, always getting the (adorably) short end of the stick. Maybe have one of these cute vignettes actually go well for him. Maybe have a sweet scene with him and his brother. Or a scene where his interests and skills are useful.
If you've seen a complete version of MDZS, you know that Nie Huaisang is a surprisingly complex character, and I've seen lots of interesting interpretations of him; like I recall a fic where he has a chronic health condition that keeps him from fitting his clan's mould, one that implies he's actually flubbing his tests on purpose because that way he can keep coming back and learning/doing more of what he cares about... And maybe I'm partial, but even when we see his hidden depths, I like to think of him as basically sweet deep down. So yeah, if you can explore some of that while keeping it soft and cute and in keeping with the chibi donghua, that's cool, too.
Canon Review and Notes
Here's my MDZS animation playlist on YouTube; scroll down until you see the chibi thumbnails to get to MDZS Q. If an episode comes up with no subtitles or a mysterious visual joke or something, check the comments. (Note, if you want to watch the main animated series listed at the beginning of the playlist, you can, but you don't have to. As MDZS versions go, it's not complete and I find it relatively confusing, but it clicks best for some people and it's what MDZS Q is most closely spun off from.)
I listed this as the "longest" canon because, while the MDZS Q shorts aren't long in themselves, to write knowledgeably about them I would recommend having a complete version of the story under your belt, and those are much longer. Options there:
Fan translation of the novel at Exiled Rebels (Includes explicit m/m scenes with potential DNWs; those might only be in the bonus chapters but I don't remember for sure.)
Drama version: "The Untamed" at Viki (my preferred legal translation), also available on YouTube or on Netflix. (The drama has some differences in events and character interpretations -- including a more roguish Nie Huaisang -- so bear that in mind. The drama is actually my favorite, though, so it should be OK as an overall view to use in writing for me. Note, I have not seen the spin-off movies.)
Merc Storia (anime)
Characters: Yuu, Merc, Harshut, Ultos
You don't have to use all of the requested characters; just use at least one.
As I put it in the fandom promo post, this is a 12-episode anime aimed at a younger target audience. It follows a boy named Yuu who is a healer (ie monster-tamer) and his friend Merc who is a kind of water fairy who lives in a jar. The two travel the world having adventures and meeting fun arc characters in a bunch of interestingly worldbuilt countries: there are furries, there are fairies, there are angels. It all starts out pretty fluffy and simplistic, but as it goes along the arcs get surprisingly deep and twisty; by the end we've seen the impact of depression on relationships, a fantasy indictment of the idol industry, and a person with a disability struggling with their faith in God. The arcs all have happy endings, sometimes at the cost of simplistic-ness or "wait, back up, I think you skipped some stuff," but I like that element of healing atmosphere, and maybe you will too. (It's also based on an online game but I don't know anything about that. All I know is the anime has characters in its ED who aren't in any of the episodes.)
As for prompts, Yuu and Merc are always fun to bounce off each other or off of cute or interesting new monsters. Maybe dig deeper into Yuu getting over his fear. I also did wish they'd found Yuu's father, so that could be a possibility. Yuu and Merc can also be a doorway to arc settings or arc characters I didn't nominate.
Harshut appears in an early arc when things were still pretty simple and fluffy, but right to the end (spoiler alert) she is still my favorite gender-non-conforming badass lady prince. We could see her bonding with her brother or solving problems for her town, how she became who she is, maybe if she ever does anything with her obvious crush on Yuu, etc. (Note, I interpret Harshut as non-conforming cis; I could also accept her as nb or mtf or something, as long as you don't go all "not really a woman.")
Ultos appears in the last arc, one of the deepest and twistiest, and he has a really interesting story. Isolated for much of his life due to a stigmatized disability, he's still willful and assertive. Even when his disability is eventually "cured," it's still shaped his life in a way that makes him uniquely able to go beyond the boundaries and prejudices of his culture. He also has a fun brother to bond with and an obvious crush on Yuu that could go somewhere, and he's last seen going off to explore the world, so you could even bounce him off characters from other arcs or invent whole new adventures for him.
Canon Review and Notes
The series on Crunchyroll.
From here on out, my canons this year are pretty short. This one is a 12-episode anime series, and it's pretty light viewing. Harshut appears in ep 2 (and never again ;_;). Ultos appears in eps 10-12. In a pinch you could even just watch the first two eps and do something with Harshut, but I really do recommend watching the whole thing.
The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang
Characters: Frances, Prince Sebastian | Lady Crystallia
Both characters on this one, please.
Such a beautiful story - and such a beautiful pair of kids. Sebastian | Crystallia's ambigender nature and struggle between authenticity and anxiety perhaps more obviously stand out, but I'm no less fascinated by Frances' creative dreams and class issues. It also warms my heart that so many people are willing to learn in this story, not smoothly perhaps but with grace in the end. And the setting on the cusp of modernity reminds us that we're always on the cusp of something new in understanding ourselves and each other. I'd really just like to spend some more time with these people. For a specific prompt, as I said, I found the class issues around Frances interesting, maybe introduce more backstory for her, or friends or family she's known since pre-canon. Please do maintain the canon's optimism in whatever you do.
Canon Review and Notes
Buy the Book at alibris
Buy an ebook version at Amazon or Kobo
or Find it in a Library at WorldCat
Another quick canon; this one is a stand-alone graphic novel. If we matched on something else and you don't like my prompt, give this a try. Reading it won't take you long, and it's well worth it!
Toshokan Rocket (Minna no Uta Music Video)
No characters specified
This two-and-a-half-minute music video is just packed! So many characters! So many fascinating images! So cute! Much epic! The basic "plot" seems to involve four little birds (in their whale starship and their corgi shuttle!) running a kind of pan-galactic bookmobile for great justice and everlasting peace, but... well, you just have to see it. I want to see what somebody can do with this, anywhere you want to take it that's in keeping with the canon atmosphere.
Canon Review and Notes:
The video on YouTube.
I also keep an emergency backup version of it here (sorry for the jacked-up aspect ratio).
And, since it's not subtitled, here's my own quick-and-dirty translation of the lyrics.
The quickest of my quick canons. If nothing else grabs you, take two-and-a-half minutes and see if you can do something with this. Heck, take the two-and-a-half minutes anyway, you deserve it!
Yeah, for a while there I had a gadget of questionable legality that let me watch streams of NHK-E(ducational). Sadly no longer works, but I ran across some real gems, particularly in NHK's "Minna no Uta" all-ages music video series. I think this one takes the cake. (Fire-breathing feathered dinosaur!)
And that’s it! Happy writing and a Joyous Yuletide to you!
