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Dear Yuletide letter (2012)
Dear Yuletide Writer,
Thank you so much for volunteering to write a fic for me! Please feel free to take a look around my journal if you want to see what kinds of stories I like. You can find my Fanfic Masterlist here, and the fics are also tagged by fandom and/or title in the sidebar. As you can see, I mostly read and write m/m slash, but if you don't feel comfortable writing that, I would be perfectly happy with a gen or het story, too!
Likes: Love stories with happy endings. Romantic fluff is fine, but I also like angsty fics--as long as they eventually end happily. For gen, I have a soft spot for stories about family or friendship. For both romance and gen: humor, drama, hurt/comfort--it's all good, as long as it ends happily. (Actually, I have a pretty big narrative kink for emotional hurt/comfort in particular.) If you decide to write romance, I'm fine with any rating--explicit, steamy sex scenes are great, but I'm happy even if it doesn't go beyond a kiss or fade-to-black. The emotions that the characters share are more important to me than the level of physical affection.
Dislikes/squicks: Character death, noncon, infidelity, mpreg (not really expecting that in these fandoms, but just to be on the safe side). And I generally don't read BDSM unless I'm familiar with the author and know how they'll handle it. Also, it's not a big squick, but I'm not really into threesomes--I'm more of a "two people find true love" kinda gal.
Listed below are some prompt ideas for my chosen fandoms in case you'd like some suggestions, but I want to stress that these are only suggestions and you should feel free to follow your muse, so please don't be intimidated by my very long comments! (I love character/meta discussion and tend to get carried away when talking about my favorite fandoms.) If you come up with an idea that's completely different, it will be all the more exciting for me because it's a surprise, and I'm sure I'll be thrilled with whatever you write! :D
Haru wo Daiteita | Embracing love: I nominated my favorite characters (Iwaki, Katou, Onozuka, and Kikuchi), but am requesting "0" characters in order to give potential writers the freedom to write about any character(s) they want. Onozuka doesn't appear until Book 8, and I know that people who have only read the first 5 volumes published in English may not be familiar with him. So if you write a story including Onozuka, that would be awesome, but if you would just like to write about Iwaki and Katou, that would be awesome also! This is one fandom for which I can definitely say that I would be happy to get a story about any character, so feel free to write about whomever you want--I love absolutely every character in the series, even the minor supporting ones! That means if you have a burning desire to write about an unnominated character (Sawa, Yukihito, Asano, Shimizu, Kaneko, Miyasaka, Yoshizumi, Mochimune, or anybody else) feel free to have at it!
I ship Kikuchi/Onozuka in my fics, so I would be thrilled if you wanted to write that pairing, but since it's purely fanon, don't feel like you have to. It would be great if you wanted to include them as gen characters--perhaps Kikuchi is scheming to make trouble for Katou and Iwaki, and Onozuka counter-schemes to help his friends; or Kikuchi and Onozuka team up to play a (mostly) harmless prank on Iwaki and Katou. Or all four of them could be working on a movie together, with Kikuchi and Katou having to set aside aside their past differences and call a truce, at least until filming is done. (If you're not able to include Onozuka, it would still be fun to see Iwaki, Katou, and Kikuchi working together.)
If you do choose to write Kikuchi and Onozuka as a couple, I'd love to see Kikuchi and Onozuka having lovers' quarrels for the pleasure of making up later--maybe one day it goes too far and a fake quarrel becomes real, or maybe their coworkers get fed up with all the drama and decide to teach them a lesson. Or show me how they got together in the first place! (Obviously, I have my own headcanon for that in my fanon universe, but I'd love to see a different take on the pairing.)
If you prefer to concentrate on Iwaki and Katou, that's absolutely fine, too. With Iwaki/Katou, I enjoy seeing Katou doing romantic things for an embarrassed Iwaki, or Katou wanting the reserved Iwaki to be more romantic. Or maybe they get into a fight over a misunderstanding, and the story is about how they make up. (Bonus points if Onozuka helps them get back together again! ^_^)
Since the fandom is a yaoi manga/anime, I'm assuming most people are interested in the slash pairings, but if you would like to write a story focusing mainly on a solo character, I'd find that really interesting, too! For Iwaki or Katou, maybe a story about their past career in the porn industry before they became a couple? For Kikuchi, I'd love to see a story taking a look at the scandal that forced him to leave Japan, and/or showing us what his life in America was like. For Onozuka, maybe something about how he got into show business or why he's so devious?
If you want to go for a more meta-type/worldbuilding fic, maybe you could show us how Iwaki and Katou's romance has changed the Japanese showbiz industry and/or society in general. They had a marriage ceremony in America, and although same-sex marriage is not legal in Japan, the public and the press acknowledge them as a married couple, and their fans seem very supportive of them. Do they inspire other gay or bisexual celebrities to come out, and how are those celebs treated by the press and public? Kikuchi says in the manga that the public only likes them because they have a "pure" love and are not really gay, only gay for each other. OTOH, their public romance apparently made it acceptable for him to come back home and work on a movie in Japan again. Or maybe a young closeted gay fan (teens or early 20s) finds the courage to come out publicly, thanks to Iwaki and Katou's example--and his or her parents blame Iwaki and Katou for corrupting their son or daughter. Would this cause a public backlash against Iwaki and Katou, or would the public continue to support them?
In Death - J.D. Robb: I'm picking Eve, Roarke, and Peabody, but feel free to write about any character(s) that you want, because I love all of them! I love how prickly and standoffish Eve is, but how she lets down her guard for the few people that she loves and trusts--Roarke, of course, and good friends like Peabody. And I enjoy seeing Roarke do romantic things for his "darling Eve," even if she is flustered and bemused by the gesture--which is what makes it fun, I suppose! And I really love the partnership between Eve and Peabody--one of the things I liked most about the series is the way that their working relationship slowly evolved into a deeper and more personal friendship. I also like how Peabody's lighthearted personality contrasts and complements Eve's more serious, no-nonsense personality.
Fic ideas: Eve and Peabody working on a case, maybe with an assist from Roarke because he knew the victim or the crime took place on one of his many properties. Or Peabody fangirling over Roarke, to Eve's mingled amusement and annoyance--maybe he invites her along with them to some fancy and exclusive party. Or Eve, who hates shopping, enlists Peabody's help to buy a gift for Roarke on a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, Christmas). Or maybe Roarke decides to fire up the grill and throw a barbecue party, and he and Eve invite Peabody over (and maybe some of their other friends if you're game for it).
If you'd rather focus more on Eve and Roarke, that's great, too! I love to see Roarke trying to do romantic things for the very un-romantic Eve. Or on a more serious note, I'd like to see them trying to work through Eve's trust issues and/or Roarke's past (particularly early in their relationship), probably with some arguments and angst along the way, but their relationship turns out stronger for it in the end. If you can manage to work Peabody in somehow, even in a minor role, that would be the icing on the cake! In the first scenario, maybe she helps Roarke find the perfect gift for Eve; in the second, maybe Peabody helps them to make up after a fight, or just lends Eve a sympathetic ear.
Or if you want to write a cracky/humorous fic, I love Eve's ongoing battle with the candy thief! Maybe Eve enlists Peabody's and/or Roarke's help to catch the thief. (And maybe she isn't entirely sure that Peabody isn't the thief?) It's up to you if they actually catch the thief or if he/she remains a mystery in the end.
I love all the In Death characters, so if there's anyone else you'd like to write about, feel free to include them. I even have a bit of fondness for Dickhead, so I promise, you can write about anybody from the series, and I will be happy!
Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms - Mercedes Lackey: I nominated Siegfried, Leopold, and Rosamund from Sleeping Beauty, and Eric from Beauty and the Werewolf because those are my favorite characters from the two books in the series that I'm most familar with. However, if you'd like to write about other characters or write OCs for a worldbuilding type fic, that would be fine also. (I'm requesting "0" characters for that reason.)
In the series, it's mentioned in passing that a prince might prefer to marry a prince instead of a princess (and vice versa), but we don't see any canon same-sex couples, so I'd love to see a slashy romance fic! Maybe Siefried and Leopold fall in love with each other instead of Rosamund (but still help her find the solution to protect her Kingdom). In Sleeping Beauty, it's briefly mentioned that one of the princes competing for Rosamund's hand is disqualified because "he" is actually a princess--maybe Rosa decides to let the princess compete along with the princes and winds up falling for her. But if there are characters from the other books that you would like to ship together, go for it! Likewise, if you'd prefer to create an OC couple or create an OC to romance a canon character.
If that doesn't strike your fancy, I would love to see a story written from a villain's point of view, someone that the tradition steered down the wrong path. This is one of the reasons why I nominated Eric, the roguishly handsome but amoral Woodsman from Beauty and the Werewolf. He's not a nice person, but I found him to be more interesting than the main characters, partly because he had some genuine grievances--you can't really blame him for being bitter about being an illegitimate son who was never acknowledged by his father and therefore denied the inheritance he would otherwise have been entitled to. His half-brother Sebastian shows some sympathy and affection for him, but it doesn't seem to have ever occurred to Sebastian to try to mend some of their father's wrongdoing, perhaps by acknowledging Eric as his brother and granting him a position more fitting of a Duke's son. None of this justifies Eric's actions, of course (sexual harassment and blackmail, plotting to kill Sebastian), but I can't help feeling like he had the potential to be a hero, or at least a more decent person instead of a villain if things had gone a little differently--if his father had loved and acknowledged him, or if a Godmother had watched over him and helped steer him down a happier Tradition path. So tell me a story about the creation of a villain, someone who started off as an innocent child but was pushed by The Tradition down a darker path. It doesn't have to be about Eric, but bonus points if it is! Also, since I like happy (or at least hopeful) endings, I would prefer if the villain gets a chance at redemption in the end (while still having to atone for their past crimes).
If you'd prefer to go the meta/worldbuilding route, I'd love to see a story telling how The Tradition came into being. Maybe one of the Godmothers is researching its history and discovers that it was created by accident; maybe a Godmother in the far past was trying to create a spell to protect the subjects of her Kingdom, but the spell went out of control and took on a life of its own. Or perhaps a story where a Godmother is trying to find a spell to negate or least better control The Tradition--how would life in the Five Hundred Kingdoms change if The Tradition suddenly ceased to exist?
Edited to add: Just wanted to make it clear that slash, het, or gen are all fine for the villain and worldbuilding prompts.
ETA #2 (11/16/12): Sorry that I added this note so late, but I just realized that I didn't give any non-slashy prompts for Siegfried, Leopold, and Rosa, and I just wanted to make it clear that it's okay if you don't want to go that route--friendship fic would fine, or something about Siegfried and Rosa ruling the kingdom together post-canon, or any combination of them going off on an adventure would all be cool! Or anything else you can come up with--I really meant what I said in the beginning, that the prompts are only suggestions, and if you come up with something different, it would be a great surprise gift!
Troubleshooter Inc - Suzanne Brockmann: (Technically, it's "Troubleshooters, Inc." but A03 seems to have left off the "s".) I'm choosing Robin, Jules, and Sam because I Iove the romance between Robin and Jules, and equally love the friendship between Jules and Sam. I really love the way Brockmann makes all her characters so complex and three-dimensional: the gay characters, like Robin and Jules, come across as real people, not tropes or stereotypes, and I also love how Sam likes to play to people's expectations of a bigoted redneck, but is actually much more sensitive and open-minded than he seems at first glance. (And I also love how he does overcome some of his real prejudices: Sam was a bit homophobic and very uncomfortable around Jules when they first met, but have since become very close friends.)
I'd love to see how Jules and Robin's relationship continues to develop post-canon. Maybe you could show them trying to juggle their careers and their relationship? Or the two of them having some alone time together, either at home or on a romantic getaway--things can be quiet and tender, or hot and steamy, depending on your preferences. Either is fine with me!
As for Sam, while he is supportive of Jules and Robin, he still worries that Jules has sacrificed his chances of advancement in the FBI in order to be with Robin, and that still causes some tension between Sam and Robin, even though Jules is perfectly content. Or maybe Sam is helping to bodyguard Robin during a movie shoot--maybe after a deranged fan has made some threats?
Or maybe Sam is working undercover on a Troubleshooters mission, and Robin can help somehow, by letting Sam pose as a movie producer or someone involved in the industry. I also remember there was one short story--I think it was included as an extra at the end of Into the Storm--where Sam is on a security assignment in Italy, and Jules poses as his boyfriend in order to help Sam ward off an amorous and very determined female admirer. I thought it was hilarious, and it made me want to see Jules and Sam go undercover as a gay couple--much to the amusement of Robin and Alyssa. (I think Robin would be more amused than jealous, but maybe there's a tiny bit of irrational jealousy even though he knows Sam is straight and happily married to Alyssa.)
I picked only those 3 characters in order to maximize the chances of matching with a writer, but once again, I love all the characters in this fandom, so feel free to include anyone else you would like--only if you want to, of course! Maybe there's a mission involving the other Troubleshooters or Sam's former Navy SEAL comrades. Or maybe Sam, Alyssa, Jules, and Robin all go out on a double date. Or maybe Sam and Alyssa go on a date, and Jules and Robin baby-sit for them. Or Jules's ex-boyfriend Adam shows up to either cause trouble or make amends. Or if you have any other ideas, just go for it! As I said, I love all the characters, so I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever you come up with, as long as Robin, Jules, and/or Sam also have a prominent role in the story!