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Dear Yuletide Letter (2014)
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 I would be perfectly happy with a gen or het story too!
Btw, my name on A03 is geri_chan, the same as here on LJ/IJ.
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, or at least hopefully. (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
I know some sections are longer than others, but that's mainly due to the varying number of characters that I'm requesting (or potentially requesting in the case of "any"). Please be assured that I love all these fandoms and will be thrilled no matter which one you choose to write for!
Please be aware that there are canon spoilers discussed below:
Aibou | Partners (TV) (Any--Itami Kenichi, Kameyama Kaoru, Kanbe Takeru, Sugishita Ukyou):
See last year's Yuletide letter and my Aibou tags for more on my thoughts about the show and characters.
I love the odd-couple bromance between the hotheaded, impulsive Kameyama Kaoru and the logical, intellectual Sugishita Ukyou (more commonly romanized as Ukyo, but that was how A03 romanized it when I nommed the show last year). I love that they're complete opposites in personality, but get along very well as both working partners and friends. I think it's because they both share a strong sense of justice and are dedicated to exposing the truth and catching the criminal, even if it means going against orders and risking their careers.
In contrast to Kaoru, I like the way that Kanbe is more reserved, and how his outward charm often hides what he’s really thinking. And I liked how he and Ukyo started off with a rather prickly and adversarial relationship, but gradually learned to trust and respect each other. It was both amusing and touching to see that Ukyo clearly missed Kaoru (though he'd never admit it) and resented his new partner, to the point of being uncharacteristically petty with his frequent criticisms of Kanbe, and also the way that he would often go out to investigate on his own without Kanbe. I also like the comical moments in the show when we see Kanbe getting squeamish over dead bodies.
One thing I found interesting about Kanbe was that even after they learned to respect each other, he would often come into conflict with Ukyo because although he does cares about truth and justice, he sometimes values compassion more. Especially in Seasons 9 and 10, I noticed that there are times when he's willing to bend the law in order to protect someone, while Ukyo is always determined to expose the truth no matter what. (See last year's letter for specific examples.) One of my favorite episodes for both Kanbe and Itami was Season 8, Ep. 15 (狙われた刑事, or "Detective Targeted"), where they shared a brief bonding moment (more on that below).
As for Itami, I love his ongoing feud with Special Mission, and I love the way his constant bickering with Kaoru seems to mask an underlying friendship between the two (though they would both deny it). And I love that beneath all the gruff rudeness and sneering insults, Itami is an honest and decent cop who has more in common with the Special Mission team than he'd like to admit. And I love his occasional vulnerable moments, like when he shows compassion towards a murder victim's loved ones, or feels guilt over having failed to keep his promise to a witness, as he does in "Detective Targeted". In that episode, someone is trying to kill him, and the detectives believe that it's a former suspect that he arrested and/or interrogated, but he's struck with guilt when he realizes that the culprit is actually a witness that he failed to protect. (He had promised that the young man wouldn't have to testify against his friends, but the prosecution made him testify, and his life went downhill after he was branded as a traitor.) It's Kanbe and not Ukyo who figures out the truth this time--Kanbe tells Itami that he had accidentally injured a civilian in the line of duty in the past, and that what a police officer most regrets is hurting an innocent person. Although Itami often treats Kanbe rudely, for that brief moment there was a sense of understanding and connection, and ever since then, I've shipped the two of them together in my headcanon.
I'd love to see fic that explores any of these characters and/or the different ways that they relate to each other. Some suggested prompts:
-Any combination of characters working together on a case, or getting together for drinks after work. If you want to explore how the characters do or don't get along with each other, that would be great, but I'd be equally happy to see them just working/hanging out together.
-Kaoru returning from abroad to visit Ukyo and meet Ukyo's new partner. Maybe there's a little conflict between him and Kanbe, and/or he helps them with a case.
-Itami seeking out Special Mission's help on a case, or Itami being temporarily demoted to Special Mission as punishment for talking back to Chief Uchimura or one of the other higher-ups in the MPD.
-Itami is gay, but is closeted for the sake of his career. One night he goes to a gay bar and is shocked to find Kanbe there, and somehow the two of them wind up going home together. (Kanbe has a canonical ex-girlfriend, so for the sake of fic, let's say he's bisexual.)
-For solo character prompts, I'd enjoy seeing a story about their past, before Ukyo, Kaoru, and/or Kanbe joined Special Mission: Ukyo's past work in the NPA or training at Scotland Yard as part of an exchange program; Kaoru's career in Division One of the MPD, with or without Itami; Kanbe's past work in the MPD or NPA. For Itami, you could write a story where he solves a case without Special Mission's interference for once. Or tell me why any of them decided to become a police officer--have they always had a strong sense of justice, or is there a personal reason, such as the death of a loved one or some past injustice that they suffered?
I don't have any fanon ships other than Itami/Kanbe, but if you want to write shippy fic, go ahead! If you want canon ships, feel free to include Tamaki and Miwako. If you want to write slash, I'm fine with that, but I don't care for infidelity, so please set any slash fics with Kaoru during the period when he and Miwako broke up, or make it an AU in which he and Miwako had an amicable permanent breakup.
You can also feel free to write about about any other Aibou character that you want--I love them all, but didn't have enough slots to include more of them! I have seen Seasons 1-10, movies 1 and 2, and the Yonezawa movie. (I plan to buy movie 3 and X-Day soon.) I don't mind being spoiled for later seasons, but might need some exposition or recap to figure out what's going on. You don't need to use my prompts if you have other ideas, and I am sure that I will love anything you come up with. There is no Aibou fic out there that I can find, so I will be thrilled with any type of Aibou story!
The Chinese site Youku has episodes available for streaming online--with Chinese subtitles only, I'm afraid. Season One starts here if you're new to the series and would like to watch it from the beginning. You may be able to find videos at other sites if you search online.
Foreigner Series - C. J. Cherryh (Bren Cameron, Jago): I chose Bren and Jago because I'm most interested in the relationship between those two, but if you would like to include other characters, please feel free to do so. I find all the characters to be interesting, especially the Atevi.
I'm fascinated by the complexities of Atevi society and all the fantastic worldbuilding that Cherryh put into it, including the differences in the way that humans and Atevi view emotions. While reading the first trilogy, I thought that Bren had much more chemistry with Jago than Barb, and I kept rooting for them to get together even though I knew, as Bren said, that such a relationship was almost certainly doomed to failure given that the Atevi don't experience love, at least in the human sense of the word. I was pleasantly surprised when they finally did get together, and moreover, the relationship seemed to work very well!
I'm fascinated by the similarities and differences between love and manchi, and the problems this causes between the humans and the Atevi. Bren and Jago--and on a slightly different note, Bren and the rest of his aishid (bodyguards)--now seem secure and content in their relationship without needing to define it, but I would still enjoy a story that dealt with the issue of whether or not the Atevi feel love (even if they don't call it "love")--or from the Atevi POV, whether or not humans are able to feel manchi.
Another thing I find fascinating about the series is Bren's position as an outsider in both human and Atevi societies, and how he can never completely fit into either. Even before he chose to serve the Atevi over the humans, he seemed to have picked up too much of the Atevi mindset to fit easily into human society, and no matter how accepted he is by the Atevi, he can never truly become Atevi. A story examining Bren's feelings about this would also be welcome.
Related to the love/manchi and outsider issues, I've often wondered what would happen if Bren and Jago's relationship became public knowledge. I doubt that they would ever deliberately out themselves, but if it happened by accident or if they were exposed by an enemy/political rival, what would the fallout be? I can picture it causing a huge uproar and scandal among both the humans and the Atevi. OTOH, early on in the series, Tabini teased Bren about the Atevi ladies who were interested in him--but perhaps those ladies felt free to flirt with him because they never seriously expected him to accept their propositions? If you do choose to go this route, I'd like things to end happily for Bren and Jago, without them being forced to separate permanently, although it's fine if they suffer some angst along the way.
If you'd prefer to write something less meta and/or a little lighter-hearted, I'd also be delighted with a story about Bren and Jago carrying out a mission for Tabini (feel free to include Banichi, Tano, and Algini if you wish). Or Bren and Jago just enjoying a little relaxation time alone together--maybe recovering after a tough mission, or having fun sexytimes, or both! And I would enjoy seeing Bren get to relax on his country estate, since he rarely gets to do so in canon!
Really, anything exploring Atevi culture or just showing me a little more of my favorite characters will make me happy, so don't feel bound by my prompts, and feel free to write whatever you like!
Haru wo Daiteita | Embracing Love (Any--Iwaki Kyousuke, Katou Youji, Kikuchi Katsuya, Onozuka Yuu): 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 BeBeautiful or Viz books might 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/or Katou and/or Kikuchi, 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, feel free to have at it!
What I like most about Kikuchi and Onozuka are how devious and complex they are. Kikuchi is a jerk towards Iwaki and Katou, but at the same time, I can understand his bitterness and have some sympathy for the way his career was destroyed by the past gay scandal. As for Onozuka, he's a manipulative bastard, but he's also very loyal towards his friends. I ship the two of them together in my fics, so I would be thrilled if you wanted to write that pairing, but since it's purely fanon, please don't feel like you have to. It would be great if you wanted to include either or both of them as gen characters: perhaps Kikuchi is scheming to make trouble for Katou and Iwaki, and/or Onozuka schemes to help his friends; or Kikuchi and Onozuka team up to play a (mostly) harmless prank on Iwaki and Katou; or I'd be happy with a fic showing Iwaki and/or Katou working on a movie with Kikuchi and/or Onozuka.
If you do choose to write Kikuchi and Onozuka as a couple, I'd love to see them 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 fics, 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. Part of what I like about them is how different their personalities are: how open Katou is about his feelings, and in contrast, how Iwaki has difficulty expressing his feelings, and how that often leads to misunderstandings and conflicts between them. Iwaki seems to have some trust issues, and I love seeing how he slowly begins to trust and open up to Katou in the manga, so I would enjoy seeing that examined in a fic. Some prompt suggestions: the two of them fighting over a misunderstanding (such as the tabloid article about Katou's alleged infidelity in Book 2), or Katou wanting Iwaki to do something romantic (such as a public date or exchanging candy on Valentines Day) in order to be reassured that Iwaki loves him, but Iwaki is embarrassed by the idea and unintentionally hurts Katou's feelings by refusing to go along with it.
I'm also intrigued by the idea of them being an openly gay celebrity couple in Japan. Perhaps young gay actors or fans start to look up to them as role models, something they might be a little uncomfortable with, especially the very reserved and private Iwaki.
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?
Otoyomegatari | The Bride's Stories (Henry Smith, Talas (Otoyomegatari)): I loved the friendship/budding romance between Mr. Smith and Talas in Book 3, so I was heartbroken by how they were forced to part ways. I would love fix-it fic in which the two of them actually did get together. You can handwave it however you like--perhaps they managed to get back before Talas's mother-in-law agreed to marry the uncle. Or maybe the uncle couldn't find any other suitors willing to marry Talas because they believe that she's jinxed or cursed due to all her previous husbands dying, and her uncle grudgingly agrees to let Smith marry her--especially if Smith offers his expensive pocketwatch as a dowry to sweeten the deal. Or maybe Smith somehow saves the uncle's life (the guide was passing him off as a doctor, after all), and the uncle is obliged to let Talas marry Smith to repay the debt. Or they can just run off and elope! The story could be about how they manage to get the uncle's consent to get married, or it could focus on the aftermath of how they adjust to life as a married couple with Talas accompanying Smith on his travels. Or anything else you can come up with--as long as they have a happy ending, I'm sure I'll be happy, too!
If you're not comfortable with contradicting canon, perhaps you could write a story about some of the happier times they spent together while Smith was a guest of Talas and her mother-in-law. I'd enjoy seeing slice-of-life fic with Talas telling Smith about her people's customs, or Smith trying to help with her chores, or Smith telling her stories about his travels. Or maybe a little adventure they have chasing a runaway sheep or horse (like the scene in canon where the sheep runs off wearing Talas's headscarf).
This is completely optional since I didn't request any other characters, but I adore Amir and Karluk, so feel free to include them if you want!
Shitsuren Chocolatier (TV) (Koyurugi Sota, Rikudo Seinosuke): See my promo post for a more detailed look at what I love about this show. There's a discrepancy in the spelling of Sota's name because the dvd subtitles spelled it as "Souta," but Drama Wiki and Asian Wiki spell it as "Sota". Since he didn't have a character tag in A03, I figured it would cause less confusion and be quicker to get him approved as "Sota".
Getting back to the fandom...as I said in the promo post, I adore Rikudo and love his kindness and his dedication to his work. And while Sota is far from perfect, I do like that in the end he realizes that he needs to find his inspiration from within and pursue chocolate-making for his own sake, not Saeko's. I love the odd sort of friendship these two develop, and the way that Rikudo becomes kind of a mentor to Sota.
I also think that Rikudo's crush on Sota is cute, so if you want to ship them together, have at it! I'd love it if they somehow managed to get together for real, but I'd also be fine with it being one of Rikudo's wild fantasies. However, if you don't ship the two of them, I'd be equally happy with friendship fic, since as mentioned above, I love the way that Rikudo is a friend and mentor to Sota.
In either shippy or gen fics, some suggested prompts are:
-Rikudo and Sota collaborating on a special project.
-Rikudo giving Sota advice on a problem, either personal or business-related. Perhaps he helps Sota to find his inspiration again, after Sota gives up on Saeko.
-Rikudo going to France on business, and stopping by to visit Sota post-canon.
-Rikudo and Sota competing against each other in some sort of chocolatier competition.
One thing I forgot to mention in the promo post is that I love the sensuality in the way that Sota lovingly tempers the chocolate, and all the care and detail that he puts into the candy and pastries that he makes. So if you feel like describing chocolate-making in your fic, I would love that! (It will probably also make me hungry, but I'm okay with that. I'll make sure to have some candy on hand before I read the story. ^_^)
I chose just Sota and Rikudo to maximize my chances of getting a match, but I love Sekiya and Kaoruko, so please feel to include either one (or both) of them if you want. (I also kind of ship Rikudo/Sekiya, based on Kaoruko's hypothetical question of what would Sekiya do if he had an unrequited love for his boss.) Or any other characters from the show--I also love Erena, Matsuri, Olivier, and Sota's dad. You can include Saeko if you wish, but I'd prefer that there not be too much emphasis on her relationship with Sota, since that was already pretty well covered and resolved in canon.
Troubleshooters Inc - Suzanne Brockmann (Jules Cassidy, Robin Chadwick Cassidy): I received an awesome Troubleshooters treat last year, which only made me crave even more fic! And once again, I'm choosing Robin and Jules because I love the relationship between those two. However, I love all the other Troubleshooters characters too, so feel to include anyone else you want--Brockmann does such a great job creating vivid, three-dimensional characters, and makes me care about minor supporting characters along with the main ones.
If you're interested, you can read my Troubleshooters recs and reviews here, here, and here.
Some suggested prompts: I'd love to see how Jules and Robin's relationship continues to develop during or post-canon. Maybe you could show them trying to juggle their careers and their relationship? At the end of the short story Beginnings and Ends, they were about to have a child via surrogate, and I'd also love to see a fic about them dealing with parenthood.
If you'd like to go the more shippy, romantic route, I'd really enjoy seeing 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!
I love stories about show business (see also the section on Haru wo Daiteita), so if you want to write something dealing with Robin's acting career, go for it! Maybe he needs protection from a crazed fan or stalker, or maybe he can somehow use his influence/contacts to help Jules with his FBI work or to help Troubleshooters with a mission.
As mentioned above, you are very welcome to include any other Troubleshooters characters you want, as a completely optional detail. You could have them all working together on a mission, or maybe getting together to celebrate a holiday, birthday, or a premiere for one of Robin's movies. Or if you have any other ideas, just go for it! I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever you come up with!
Once again, my prompts are just suggestions, so please don't feel bound to follow them if you come up with a different plot bunny!
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 I would be perfectly happy with a gen or het story too!
Btw, my name on A03 is geri_chan, the same as here on LJ/IJ.
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, or at least hopefully. (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
I know some sections are longer than others, but that's mainly due to the varying number of characters that I'm requesting (or potentially requesting in the case of "any"). Please be assured that I love all these fandoms and will be thrilled no matter which one you choose to write for!
Please be aware that there are canon spoilers discussed below:
Aibou | Partners (TV) (Any--Itami Kenichi, Kameyama Kaoru, Kanbe Takeru, Sugishita Ukyou):
See last year's Yuletide letter and my Aibou tags for more on my thoughts about the show and characters.
I love the odd-couple bromance between the hotheaded, impulsive Kameyama Kaoru and the logical, intellectual Sugishita Ukyou (more commonly romanized as Ukyo, but that was how A03 romanized it when I nommed the show last year). I love that they're complete opposites in personality, but get along very well as both working partners and friends. I think it's because they both share a strong sense of justice and are dedicated to exposing the truth and catching the criminal, even if it means going against orders and risking their careers.
In contrast to Kaoru, I like the way that Kanbe is more reserved, and how his outward charm often hides what he’s really thinking. And I liked how he and Ukyo started off with a rather prickly and adversarial relationship, but gradually learned to trust and respect each other. It was both amusing and touching to see that Ukyo clearly missed Kaoru (though he'd never admit it) and resented his new partner, to the point of being uncharacteristically petty with his frequent criticisms of Kanbe, and also the way that he would often go out to investigate on his own without Kanbe. I also like the comical moments in the show when we see Kanbe getting squeamish over dead bodies.
One thing I found interesting about Kanbe was that even after they learned to respect each other, he would often come into conflict with Ukyo because although he does cares about truth and justice, he sometimes values compassion more. Especially in Seasons 9 and 10, I noticed that there are times when he's willing to bend the law in order to protect someone, while Ukyo is always determined to expose the truth no matter what. (See last year's letter for specific examples.) One of my favorite episodes for both Kanbe and Itami was Season 8, Ep. 15 (狙われた刑事, or "Detective Targeted"), where they shared a brief bonding moment (more on that below).
As for Itami, I love his ongoing feud with Special Mission, and I love the way his constant bickering with Kaoru seems to mask an underlying friendship between the two (though they would both deny it). And I love that beneath all the gruff rudeness and sneering insults, Itami is an honest and decent cop who has more in common with the Special Mission team than he'd like to admit. And I love his occasional vulnerable moments, like when he shows compassion towards a murder victim's loved ones, or feels guilt over having failed to keep his promise to a witness, as he does in "Detective Targeted". In that episode, someone is trying to kill him, and the detectives believe that it's a former suspect that he arrested and/or interrogated, but he's struck with guilt when he realizes that the culprit is actually a witness that he failed to protect. (He had promised that the young man wouldn't have to testify against his friends, but the prosecution made him testify, and his life went downhill after he was branded as a traitor.) It's Kanbe and not Ukyo who figures out the truth this time--Kanbe tells Itami that he had accidentally injured a civilian in the line of duty in the past, and that what a police officer most regrets is hurting an innocent person. Although Itami often treats Kanbe rudely, for that brief moment there was a sense of understanding and connection, and ever since then, I've shipped the two of them together in my headcanon.
I'd love to see fic that explores any of these characters and/or the different ways that they relate to each other. Some suggested prompts:
-Any combination of characters working together on a case, or getting together for drinks after work. If you want to explore how the characters do or don't get along with each other, that would be great, but I'd be equally happy to see them just working/hanging out together.
-Kaoru returning from abroad to visit Ukyo and meet Ukyo's new partner. Maybe there's a little conflict between him and Kanbe, and/or he helps them with a case.
-Itami seeking out Special Mission's help on a case, or Itami being temporarily demoted to Special Mission as punishment for talking back to Chief Uchimura or one of the other higher-ups in the MPD.
-Itami is gay, but is closeted for the sake of his career. One night he goes to a gay bar and is shocked to find Kanbe there, and somehow the two of them wind up going home together. (Kanbe has a canonical ex-girlfriend, so for the sake of fic, let's say he's bisexual.)
-For solo character prompts, I'd enjoy seeing a story about their past, before Ukyo, Kaoru, and/or Kanbe joined Special Mission: Ukyo's past work in the NPA or training at Scotland Yard as part of an exchange program; Kaoru's career in Division One of the MPD, with or without Itami; Kanbe's past work in the MPD or NPA. For Itami, you could write a story where he solves a case without Special Mission's interference for once. Or tell me why any of them decided to become a police officer--have they always had a strong sense of justice, or is there a personal reason, such as the death of a loved one or some past injustice that they suffered?
I don't have any fanon ships other than Itami/Kanbe, but if you want to write shippy fic, go ahead! If you want canon ships, feel free to include Tamaki and Miwako. If you want to write slash, I'm fine with that, but I don't care for infidelity, so please set any slash fics with Kaoru during the period when he and Miwako broke up, or make it an AU in which he and Miwako had an amicable permanent breakup.
You can also feel free to write about about any other Aibou character that you want--I love them all, but didn't have enough slots to include more of them! I have seen Seasons 1-10, movies 1 and 2, and the Yonezawa movie. (I plan to buy movie 3 and X-Day soon.) I don't mind being spoiled for later seasons, but might need some exposition or recap to figure out what's going on. You don't need to use my prompts if you have other ideas, and I am sure that I will love anything you come up with. There is no Aibou fic out there that I can find, so I will be thrilled with any type of Aibou story!
The Chinese site Youku has episodes available for streaming online--with Chinese subtitles only, I'm afraid. Season One starts here if you're new to the series and would like to watch it from the beginning. You may be able to find videos at other sites if you search online.
Foreigner Series - C. J. Cherryh (Bren Cameron, Jago): I chose Bren and Jago because I'm most interested in the relationship between those two, but if you would like to include other characters, please feel free to do so. I find all the characters to be interesting, especially the Atevi.
I'm fascinated by the complexities of Atevi society and all the fantastic worldbuilding that Cherryh put into it, including the differences in the way that humans and Atevi view emotions. While reading the first trilogy, I thought that Bren had much more chemistry with Jago than Barb, and I kept rooting for them to get together even though I knew, as Bren said, that such a relationship was almost certainly doomed to failure given that the Atevi don't experience love, at least in the human sense of the word. I was pleasantly surprised when they finally did get together, and moreover, the relationship seemed to work very well!
I'm fascinated by the similarities and differences between love and manchi, and the problems this causes between the humans and the Atevi. Bren and Jago--and on a slightly different note, Bren and the rest of his aishid (bodyguards)--now seem secure and content in their relationship without needing to define it, but I would still enjoy a story that dealt with the issue of whether or not the Atevi feel love (even if they don't call it "love")--or from the Atevi POV, whether or not humans are able to feel manchi.
Another thing I find fascinating about the series is Bren's position as an outsider in both human and Atevi societies, and how he can never completely fit into either. Even before he chose to serve the Atevi over the humans, he seemed to have picked up too much of the Atevi mindset to fit easily into human society, and no matter how accepted he is by the Atevi, he can never truly become Atevi. A story examining Bren's feelings about this would also be welcome.
Related to the love/manchi and outsider issues, I've often wondered what would happen if Bren and Jago's relationship became public knowledge. I doubt that they would ever deliberately out themselves, but if it happened by accident or if they were exposed by an enemy/political rival, what would the fallout be? I can picture it causing a huge uproar and scandal among both the humans and the Atevi. OTOH, early on in the series, Tabini teased Bren about the Atevi ladies who were interested in him--but perhaps those ladies felt free to flirt with him because they never seriously expected him to accept their propositions? If you do choose to go this route, I'd like things to end happily for Bren and Jago, without them being forced to separate permanently, although it's fine if they suffer some angst along the way.
If you'd prefer to write something less meta and/or a little lighter-hearted, I'd also be delighted with a story about Bren and Jago carrying out a mission for Tabini (feel free to include Banichi, Tano, and Algini if you wish). Or Bren and Jago just enjoying a little relaxation time alone together--maybe recovering after a tough mission, or having fun sexytimes, or both! And I would enjoy seeing Bren get to relax on his country estate, since he rarely gets to do so in canon!
Really, anything exploring Atevi culture or just showing me a little more of my favorite characters will make me happy, so don't feel bound by my prompts, and feel free to write whatever you like!
Haru wo Daiteita | Embracing Love (Any--Iwaki Kyousuke, Katou Youji, Kikuchi Katsuya, Onozuka Yuu): 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 BeBeautiful or Viz books might 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/or Katou and/or Kikuchi, 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, feel free to have at it!
What I like most about Kikuchi and Onozuka are how devious and complex they are. Kikuchi is a jerk towards Iwaki and Katou, but at the same time, I can understand his bitterness and have some sympathy for the way his career was destroyed by the past gay scandal. As for Onozuka, he's a manipulative bastard, but he's also very loyal towards his friends. I ship the two of them together in my fics, so I would be thrilled if you wanted to write that pairing, but since it's purely fanon, please don't feel like you have to. It would be great if you wanted to include either or both of them as gen characters: perhaps Kikuchi is scheming to make trouble for Katou and Iwaki, and/or Onozuka schemes to help his friends; or Kikuchi and Onozuka team up to play a (mostly) harmless prank on Iwaki and Katou; or I'd be happy with a fic showing Iwaki and/or Katou working on a movie with Kikuchi and/or Onozuka.
If you do choose to write Kikuchi and Onozuka as a couple, I'd love to see them 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 fics, 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. Part of what I like about them is how different their personalities are: how open Katou is about his feelings, and in contrast, how Iwaki has difficulty expressing his feelings, and how that often leads to misunderstandings and conflicts between them. Iwaki seems to have some trust issues, and I love seeing how he slowly begins to trust and open up to Katou in the manga, so I would enjoy seeing that examined in a fic. Some prompt suggestions: the two of them fighting over a misunderstanding (such as the tabloid article about Katou's alleged infidelity in Book 2), or Katou wanting Iwaki to do something romantic (such as a public date or exchanging candy on Valentines Day) in order to be reassured that Iwaki loves him, but Iwaki is embarrassed by the idea and unintentionally hurts Katou's feelings by refusing to go along with it.
I'm also intrigued by the idea of them being an openly gay celebrity couple in Japan. Perhaps young gay actors or fans start to look up to them as role models, something they might be a little uncomfortable with, especially the very reserved and private Iwaki.
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?
Otoyomegatari | The Bride's Stories (Henry Smith, Talas (Otoyomegatari)): I loved the friendship/budding romance between Mr. Smith and Talas in Book 3, so I was heartbroken by how they were forced to part ways. I would love fix-it fic in which the two of them actually did get together. You can handwave it however you like--perhaps they managed to get back before Talas's mother-in-law agreed to marry the uncle. Or maybe the uncle couldn't find any other suitors willing to marry Talas because they believe that she's jinxed or cursed due to all her previous husbands dying, and her uncle grudgingly agrees to let Smith marry her--especially if Smith offers his expensive pocketwatch as a dowry to sweeten the deal. Or maybe Smith somehow saves the uncle's life (the guide was passing him off as a doctor, after all), and the uncle is obliged to let Talas marry Smith to repay the debt. Or they can just run off and elope! The story could be about how they manage to get the uncle's consent to get married, or it could focus on the aftermath of how they adjust to life as a married couple with Talas accompanying Smith on his travels. Or anything else you can come up with--as long as they have a happy ending, I'm sure I'll be happy, too!
If you're not comfortable with contradicting canon, perhaps you could write a story about some of the happier times they spent together while Smith was a guest of Talas and her mother-in-law. I'd enjoy seeing slice-of-life fic with Talas telling Smith about her people's customs, or Smith trying to help with her chores, or Smith telling her stories about his travels. Or maybe a little adventure they have chasing a runaway sheep or horse (like the scene in canon where the sheep runs off wearing Talas's headscarf).
This is completely optional since I didn't request any other characters, but I adore Amir and Karluk, so feel free to include them if you want!
Shitsuren Chocolatier (TV) (Koyurugi Sota, Rikudo Seinosuke): See my promo post for a more detailed look at what I love about this show. There's a discrepancy in the spelling of Sota's name because the dvd subtitles spelled it as "Souta," but Drama Wiki and Asian Wiki spell it as "Sota". Since he didn't have a character tag in A03, I figured it would cause less confusion and be quicker to get him approved as "Sota".
Getting back to the fandom...as I said in the promo post, I adore Rikudo and love his kindness and his dedication to his work. And while Sota is far from perfect, I do like that in the end he realizes that he needs to find his inspiration from within and pursue chocolate-making for his own sake, not Saeko's. I love the odd sort of friendship these two develop, and the way that Rikudo becomes kind of a mentor to Sota.
I also think that Rikudo's crush on Sota is cute, so if you want to ship them together, have at it! I'd love it if they somehow managed to get together for real, but I'd also be fine with it being one of Rikudo's wild fantasies. However, if you don't ship the two of them, I'd be equally happy with friendship fic, since as mentioned above, I love the way that Rikudo is a friend and mentor to Sota.
In either shippy or gen fics, some suggested prompts are:
-Rikudo and Sota collaborating on a special project.
-Rikudo giving Sota advice on a problem, either personal or business-related. Perhaps he helps Sota to find his inspiration again, after Sota gives up on Saeko.
-Rikudo going to France on business, and stopping by to visit Sota post-canon.
-Rikudo and Sota competing against each other in some sort of chocolatier competition.
One thing I forgot to mention in the promo post is that I love the sensuality in the way that Sota lovingly tempers the chocolate, and all the care and detail that he puts into the candy and pastries that he makes. So if you feel like describing chocolate-making in your fic, I would love that! (It will probably also make me hungry, but I'm okay with that. I'll make sure to have some candy on hand before I read the story. ^_^)
I chose just Sota and Rikudo to maximize my chances of getting a match, but I love Sekiya and Kaoruko, so please feel to include either one (or both) of them if you want. (I also kind of ship Rikudo/Sekiya, based on Kaoruko's hypothetical question of what would Sekiya do if he had an unrequited love for his boss.) Or any other characters from the show--I also love Erena, Matsuri, Olivier, and Sota's dad. You can include Saeko if you wish, but I'd prefer that there not be too much emphasis on her relationship with Sota, since that was already pretty well covered and resolved in canon.
Troubleshooters Inc - Suzanne Brockmann (Jules Cassidy, Robin Chadwick Cassidy): I received an awesome Troubleshooters treat last year, which only made me crave even more fic! And once again, I'm choosing Robin and Jules because I love the relationship between those two. However, I love all the other Troubleshooters characters too, so feel to include anyone else you want--Brockmann does such a great job creating vivid, three-dimensional characters, and makes me care about minor supporting characters along with the main ones.
If you're interested, you can read my Troubleshooters recs and reviews here, here, and here.
Some suggested prompts: I'd love to see how Jules and Robin's relationship continues to develop during or post-canon. Maybe you could show them trying to juggle their careers and their relationship? At the end of the short story Beginnings and Ends, they were about to have a child via surrogate, and I'd also love to see a fic about them dealing with parenthood.
If you'd like to go the more shippy, romantic route, I'd really enjoy seeing 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!
I love stories about show business (see also the section on Haru wo Daiteita), so if you want to write something dealing with Robin's acting career, go for it! Maybe he needs protection from a crazed fan or stalker, or maybe he can somehow use his influence/contacts to help Jules with his FBI work or to help Troubleshooters with a mission.
As mentioned above, you are very welcome to include any other Troubleshooters characters you want, as a completely optional detail. You could have them all working together on a mission, or maybe getting together to celebrate a holiday, birthday, or a premiere for one of Robin's movies. Or if you have any other ideas, just go for it! I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever you come up with!
Once again, my prompts are just suggestions, so please don't feel bound to follow them if you come up with a different plot bunny!