Dear Yuletide Writer
Nov. 16th, 2011 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foxinthestarsDear Yuletide Writer,
Glad you signed up for Yuletide, hope you’re having fun, and thanks so much for offering to write a story for me --- for my very first Yuletide!
Not only am I a newbie to Yuletide, I’m actually more of a writer than a reader of fanfic (you can read my stuff at FF.net or at Ao3), and I’m a genfic person. I have favored pairings, but I don’t seek out fics for them, and I have read and enjoyed good porn and would like to break myself into writing it, but my comfort zone for it seems to have an odd shape that I don’t entirely understand myself, so I don’t want to lead you into that minefield. I tend to relate to things in a very character-driven way, and what really excites me in fanfics are meditations on characters, situations, worldbuilding, etc.; playing in sticky messes that canon did not address or at least not to my satisfaction; fixer-upper projects for canons in which I see glaring holes or egregious shark-jumps, and suchlike. Most of my prompts reflect the more high-concept side of that, and I hope they don’t stress you out too badly; when I include a series of questions, btw, they’re meant just as food for thought, you don’t have to go through and check them all off or anything.
Here, for your convenience, are my prompts with additional notes:
1. Allison & Lillia. Characters: Merielle and Treize.
Focus on Merielle preferred; we see her act like such a bully to her brother in the anime, I’d like to see a warm, fuzzy, familially loving side to their relationship, but without undercutting Merielle’s forceful personality. Bonus points: Make it a holiday story. We’ve seen a New Years’ tradition in their family (which Treize might usually have to be left out of); that might give you something to work with. No incest, sex, or darkfic, please.
Ah, Allison & Lillia! The most obscure thing I nominated, I’m basically asking you to give me some company in its Ao3 category. The anime is based on light novels (which I haven’t been able to read) by the same author as Kino no Tabi, and I’d say I like it most for its warm-heartedness and for the spirit of wide-eyed adventure more than any actual adventuring, but I also like that there’s a bittersweet undercurrent running though it that keeps it from feeling too sugary --- and, of course, the multigenerational aspect in the second half is something special and well done (like everyone who’s ever reviewed A&L has said that, because it’s true), plus a Fullmetal Alchemist-esque level of gender equality. It does, however, have more than its share of slapdashery, especially in the first two arcs, and there are holes in it you can drive a truck through, but for a writer, even that can have its advantages; I have driven some of those trucks, it’s fun. Feel free to look at my A&L fics, too (on Ao3, plus a couple more that I won’t be posting until I get flyingpast*fallingtoward finished), to get an idea how I approach this one; I took it in a way more subdued and introspective direction than canon, tho, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to do that. I asked for focus on Merielle because I wish I understood her better than I do; the one guidepost I’ve found with her in my own ‘fic is that she’s a control freak, and well, she is a princess; if she doesn’t take charge of her life someone else will do it for her, but I think she takes it too far into thinking she knows what’s good for everybody and being bothered when the people around her resist herding like cats and don’t go along with her perfect plans (why this trait in a future queen doesn’t worry everybody, I’m not sure). Treize is my favorite character (I suspect Sigsawa’s favorite too, because he gets almost-killed so much), but being my favorite means I’m more likely to be territorial about him. ^_~; At first he struck me as a little too much “standard issue hero boy” but as I’ve worked with him in my own ‘fic, I find it interesting how he’s so strong in terms of physical/practical competence but more weak when it comes to asserting himself in relationships; I have a line I want to work in somewhere that he has his mother’s gentle gravity and his father’s chivalrous pride, and the combination looks blandly heroic on the surface but can run him into various kinds of trouble.
2. Saiunkoku Monogatari.
I want a fic where Shuurei is not the first female official --- one of her seniors is (at least biologically) a woman, disguised (or presenting) as a man. Who is it? Could be an original character, or any canon character you care to press into service. Why do they do it? Woman with a dream? Transgendered man? How do they feel about seeing the rules change for Shuurei? Glad? Relieved? Resentful? Nothing much? Will the change affect their life? Will they come out or stay undercover? No explicit sex, please.
And here’s where I kick in with my high-concept genfic prompts. This is a possibility that the canon doesn’t deal with to my knowledge, and I dearly want to see it dealt with! I actually suspected Kou Kijin of this at first, and still think it would make relatively good sense with him (could explain his odd reaction to the rule change, and people who see him unmasked tend to be distracted from details like gender), but that’s not a recommendation unless you want it to be. I came to Saiunkoku having been burned long ago (but oh-so-memorably) by Fushigi Yuugi and healed more recently by The Twelve Kingdoms, and after a friend called 12K “FY with balls,” I facetiously called Saiunkoku “FY with heart and brains.” It really is its own thing, though, and I think what I love most is how so many of the characters combine amusing silliness, respectable competence, and touching vulnerability. I’d say my favorite characters in it are Ryuuki (he’s so cute!!), Kouyuu (I seem to like cranky brainy types), and Eigetsu (just... Eigetsu), although I also love Kochou for her elegant feminine air of badass. I’m not recommending these characters, either, just trying to give you a window into how I relate to it; I really am all about the FTM concept on this one.
3. Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
I want someone to account for fanfic authors in this story world. How do we fit into Kahani’s system? Do our exploits make the Walrus tear his mustache? Are they a long-neglected treasure rediscovered in the cleanup of the Old Zone? All in a day’s work for a Water Genie? You can introduce a fanfic-writing original character (self-insertion is fine if you want to, but I’d prefer you don’t go further into Fandom RPF than that), frame it as a discussion on Kahani with canon characters, show the Eggheads experimenting on fanfic story-streams, however you want to do it. No explicit content or darkfic, please --- although you can describe it going on in story-streams!
Haroun and the Sea of Stories! Although I twig some gender-balance issues after repeated readings, I cannot help but love the playful language and the nutty but perfectly allegorical inventions and the joyous fable about the beauty and power of stories and speech. But yes, I want to see us in this story! This, by the way, is the “gimme.” Even if you’ve never heard of it before, it’s pretty easy to familiarize yourself with the canon --- one breezy 200-page novel, and by all means check your local library first, but if you’re in the contiguous US it can be had from ABE for under $5 shipped, and I really do recommend it.
4. Natsume Yuujinchou.
I want you to give a (canon or original) character who can see youkai an experience with the mental health profession. How did it happen? Did a parent or guardian bring them in out of exasperation, or out of genuine concern? Did they seek treatment themselves, and if so, why? How were they affected by the experience? Was it damaging? Did they lie their way through it and it didn’t amount to much? Was it actually helpful, perhaps in an unexpected way? A mix? What might they say about it to someone else with the same ability? Something at least a little more complex than “evil psychiatrist” would be preferred. No explicit sex, please.
This series is free to view on Crunchyroll, and I’ve only seen through ep 14, which means you wouldn’t have to watch the whole thing to make me happy. It also means I’m going out on a limb, but somehow by the feel of it, I’m guessing that the canon won’t go here, and it could be such a deliciously sticky mess. Even to just have it come up as a threat would be enough. I’d say what I love most about Natsume Yuujinchou is the deep compassion of it, that the youkai are treated humanely without glossing over how they can be dangerous and their values alien to humans --- but sometimes humans have values alien to each other, too, and everyone can have trouble connecting and communicating even when their intentions are good. Natsume himself really embodies the spirit of the show as he has this compassionate openness toward everyone, but that also has an imperfect side; if you used him, being diagnosed as delusional obviously wouldn’t help him, but being given tools to deal with his pain and respect his own needs more very well might. On the other hand, Natori is the character who gets in my head the most, even though (or more probably because) he’s kind of a messed-up jerk, and I read him as the type who smiles and laughs when he’s actually in pain/on high alert; if you went with him, it could be a window into what he’s so bitter about and/or why he functions so well despite the baggage he seems to be carrying. These are just thoughts to give you possibilities, tho, so don’t feel like you should necessarily make it one of those two or take them in those directions; something with Reiko or Tanuma (I don’t understand him as well as I’d like) or an original character would be great, too.
In case you’re interested, I had a couple of orphan prompts that didn’t make it into my Yuletide requests for whatever reason, and just for fun I’ll post them in another entry and link that right here.And in case you’re interested in this too, here are the fandoms I’m offering (we’ll see how in over my head they get me...) (belatedly realized that that could spoil someone...)
And there you have it! Again, thanks so much! I hope there’s something in here that you can have fun with --- and that you get a great ‘fic yourself, too!
(BTW, I don’t know if we’re supposed to do this for Yuletide, but I have anonymous comments enabled, so if you want to, you can use that to ask me questions here without revealing who you are.) (Okay, turns out we're not supposed to do that...)
Glad you signed up for Yuletide, hope you’re having fun, and thanks so much for offering to write a story for me --- for my very first Yuletide!
Not only am I a newbie to Yuletide, I’m actually more of a writer than a reader of fanfic (you can read my stuff at FF.net or at Ao3), and I’m a genfic person. I have favored pairings, but I don’t seek out fics for them, and I have read and enjoyed good porn and would like to break myself into writing it, but my comfort zone for it seems to have an odd shape that I don’t entirely understand myself, so I don’t want to lead you into that minefield. I tend to relate to things in a very character-driven way, and what really excites me in fanfics are meditations on characters, situations, worldbuilding, etc.; playing in sticky messes that canon did not address or at least not to my satisfaction; fixer-upper projects for canons in which I see glaring holes or egregious shark-jumps, and suchlike. Most of my prompts reflect the more high-concept side of that, and I hope they don’t stress you out too badly; when I include a series of questions, btw, they’re meant just as food for thought, you don’t have to go through and check them all off or anything.
Here, for your convenience, are my prompts with additional notes:
1. Allison & Lillia. Characters: Merielle and Treize.
Focus on Merielle preferred; we see her act like such a bully to her brother in the anime, I’d like to see a warm, fuzzy, familially loving side to their relationship, but without undercutting Merielle’s forceful personality. Bonus points: Make it a holiday story. We’ve seen a New Years’ tradition in their family (which Treize might usually have to be left out of); that might give you something to work with. No incest, sex, or darkfic, please.
Ah, Allison & Lillia! The most obscure thing I nominated, I’m basically asking you to give me some company in its Ao3 category. The anime is based on light novels (which I haven’t been able to read) by the same author as Kino no Tabi, and I’d say I like it most for its warm-heartedness and for the spirit of wide-eyed adventure more than any actual adventuring, but I also like that there’s a bittersweet undercurrent running though it that keeps it from feeling too sugary --- and, of course, the multigenerational aspect in the second half is something special and well done (like everyone who’s ever reviewed A&L has said that, because it’s true), plus a Fullmetal Alchemist-esque level of gender equality. It does, however, have more than its share of slapdashery, especially in the first two arcs, and there are holes in it you can drive a truck through, but for a writer, even that can have its advantages; I have driven some of those trucks, it’s fun. Feel free to look at my A&L fics, too (on Ao3, plus a couple more that I won’t be posting until I get flyingpast*fallingtoward finished), to get an idea how I approach this one; I took it in a way more subdued and introspective direction than canon, tho, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to do that. I asked for focus on Merielle because I wish I understood her better than I do; the one guidepost I’ve found with her in my own ‘fic is that she’s a control freak, and well, she is a princess; if she doesn’t take charge of her life someone else will do it for her, but I think she takes it too far into thinking she knows what’s good for everybody and being bothered when the people around her resist herding like cats and don’t go along with her perfect plans (why this trait in a future queen doesn’t worry everybody, I’m not sure). Treize is my favorite character (I suspect Sigsawa’s favorite too, because he gets almost-killed so much), but being my favorite means I’m more likely to be territorial about him. ^_~; At first he struck me as a little too much “standard issue hero boy” but as I’ve worked with him in my own ‘fic, I find it interesting how he’s so strong in terms of physical/practical competence but more weak when it comes to asserting himself in relationships; I have a line I want to work in somewhere that he has his mother’s gentle gravity and his father’s chivalrous pride, and the combination looks blandly heroic on the surface but can run him into various kinds of trouble.
2. Saiunkoku Monogatari.
I want a fic where Shuurei is not the first female official --- one of her seniors is (at least biologically) a woman, disguised (or presenting) as a man. Who is it? Could be an original character, or any canon character you care to press into service. Why do they do it? Woman with a dream? Transgendered man? How do they feel about seeing the rules change for Shuurei? Glad? Relieved? Resentful? Nothing much? Will the change affect their life? Will they come out or stay undercover? No explicit sex, please.
And here’s where I kick in with my high-concept genfic prompts. This is a possibility that the canon doesn’t deal with to my knowledge, and I dearly want to see it dealt with! I actually suspected Kou Kijin of this at first, and still think it would make relatively good sense with him (could explain his odd reaction to the rule change, and people who see him unmasked tend to be distracted from details like gender), but that’s not a recommendation unless you want it to be. I came to Saiunkoku having been burned long ago (but oh-so-memorably) by Fushigi Yuugi and healed more recently by The Twelve Kingdoms, and after a friend called 12K “FY with balls,” I facetiously called Saiunkoku “FY with heart and brains.” It really is its own thing, though, and I think what I love most is how so many of the characters combine amusing silliness, respectable competence, and touching vulnerability. I’d say my favorite characters in it are Ryuuki (he’s so cute!!), Kouyuu (I seem to like cranky brainy types), and Eigetsu (just... Eigetsu), although I also love Kochou for her elegant feminine air of badass. I’m not recommending these characters, either, just trying to give you a window into how I relate to it; I really am all about the FTM concept on this one.
3. Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
I want someone to account for fanfic authors in this story world. How do we fit into Kahani’s system? Do our exploits make the Walrus tear his mustache? Are they a long-neglected treasure rediscovered in the cleanup of the Old Zone? All in a day’s work for a Water Genie? You can introduce a fanfic-writing original character (self-insertion is fine if you want to, but I’d prefer you don’t go further into Fandom RPF than that), frame it as a discussion on Kahani with canon characters, show the Eggheads experimenting on fanfic story-streams, however you want to do it. No explicit content or darkfic, please --- although you can describe it going on in story-streams!
Haroun and the Sea of Stories! Although I twig some gender-balance issues after repeated readings, I cannot help but love the playful language and the nutty but perfectly allegorical inventions and the joyous fable about the beauty and power of stories and speech. But yes, I want to see us in this story! This, by the way, is the “gimme.” Even if you’ve never heard of it before, it’s pretty easy to familiarize yourself with the canon --- one breezy 200-page novel, and by all means check your local library first, but if you’re in the contiguous US it can be had from ABE for under $5 shipped, and I really do recommend it.
4. Natsume Yuujinchou.
I want you to give a (canon or original) character who can see youkai an experience with the mental health profession. How did it happen? Did a parent or guardian bring them in out of exasperation, or out of genuine concern? Did they seek treatment themselves, and if so, why? How were they affected by the experience? Was it damaging? Did they lie their way through it and it didn’t amount to much? Was it actually helpful, perhaps in an unexpected way? A mix? What might they say about it to someone else with the same ability? Something at least a little more complex than “evil psychiatrist” would be preferred. No explicit sex, please.
This series is free to view on Crunchyroll, and I’ve only seen through ep 14, which means you wouldn’t have to watch the whole thing to make me happy. It also means I’m going out on a limb, but somehow by the feel of it, I’m guessing that the canon won’t go here, and it could be such a deliciously sticky mess. Even to just have it come up as a threat would be enough. I’d say what I love most about Natsume Yuujinchou is the deep compassion of it, that the youkai are treated humanely without glossing over how they can be dangerous and their values alien to humans --- but sometimes humans have values alien to each other, too, and everyone can have trouble connecting and communicating even when their intentions are good. Natsume himself really embodies the spirit of the show as he has this compassionate openness toward everyone, but that also has an imperfect side; if you used him, being diagnosed as delusional obviously wouldn’t help him, but being given tools to deal with his pain and respect his own needs more very well might. On the other hand, Natori is the character who gets in my head the most, even though (or more probably because) he’s kind of a messed-up jerk, and I read him as the type who smiles and laughs when he’s actually in pain/on high alert; if you went with him, it could be a window into what he’s so bitter about and/or why he functions so well despite the baggage he seems to be carrying. These are just thoughts to give you possibilities, tho, so don’t feel like you should necessarily make it one of those two or take them in those directions; something with Reiko or Tanuma (I don’t understand him as well as I’d like) or an original character would be great, too.
In case you’re interested, I had a couple of orphan prompts that didn’t make it into my Yuletide requests for whatever reason, and just for fun I’ll post them in another entry and link that right here.
And there you have it! Again, thanks so much! I hope there’s something in here that you can have fun with --- and that you get a great ‘fic yourself, too!
