Yuletide 2014
Dear Yuletide Author:
Thank you so much for offering to write a fic for me. I know I will enjoy it. I did put some guidelines and suggestions in this letter but optional details are optional and I wouldn't want to see you frustrated by my letter.
Here are some things I am totally OK with, in no particular order. (There are a couple of small exceptions listed with the fandoms.) Fluff. Angst. Fluffy angst. Angsty fluff. Happy endings. Sad endings. Smut. Gen. Femslash. M/M slash. Het. Character death. Alternate Timeline. Alternate Universe.
Here are a few things I especially like, but this is just for your consideration. I would love a fic just as much even if it doesn't have any of these. Kissing. Cuddling. People dressing up in fancy clothes. Mysterious and surreal scenes. Unrequited love becoming requited. People quoting literature or poetry. Hurt/comfort, including emotional hurt/comfort. Telephone conversations. Internet conversations.
There are a few things I definitely don't want in my fic. I am not judging people who like these things or write them, and I'm not saying they are all the same type of thing because they definitely aren't. These are: Any kink involving severe pain, injury, playing with body fluids, or humiliation. (Bondage or other consensual kink not involving these is fine.) Mpreg. Rape or dubious consent. Someone having a miscarriage. Cannibalism. (This includes pokemon eating other pokemon.) Incest. Fart jokes. (Specifically just that. Other types of silly humor are totally fine.) Extended descriptions of people hunting animals or eating meat. (Mentioning it is fine.) Crossovers with fandoms I don't know well.
Also please no polyamorous relationships, even though they might be a good solution in a couple of my requests. I think they are an awesome thing in real life, and I hate even listing it, but I just don't want any in my fic this year.
However there is one thing I want to emphasize: I want to read the fic you want to write. If you are sitting there thinking "She doesn't really say, but I wonder if she'd like a fic about _____," the answer is yes. I write a letter because some authors really love suggestions, not because I want a fic designed to my exact specifications.
Also there are no writing styles or perspectives that I categorically don't like. Feel free to use the first person or anything else you want if that's what you think works for the story.
These are my requests. I am really lucky this year and am able to ask for five fandoms I just love, and I'm looking forward to anything you might write.
Black Jack: Black Jack, Dr. Kiriko
This is probably my favorite manga, and I've also seen two of the anime (Black Jack 21 and the OVAs) and the movie Two Doctors of Darkness, all of which I loved. The interplay between Black Jack and Kiriko really fascinates me. Usually I don't gravitate to slash between rivals but it seems like Kiriko gets under Black Jack's skin in a way other people just don't. That said, a gen fic is equally welcome and there is certainly plenty of material for one. A fic where they have to cooperate would be interesting, but so would a fic where they are just being the bitter enemies they usually are in canon. I'm kind of curious about Kiriko's possible backstory as we only know some of it. Feel free to disregard medical realities; canon certainly does. One note: I'd rather not see the current Ebola outbreak used in fiction, as tempting as it might be.
Some suggestions: Black Jack has to treat Kiriko medically, or the other way around. Black Jack and Kiriko are a couple but still don't see eye-to-eye. Black Jack and Kiriko fight over a patient's fate. Black Jack and Kiriko travel together and/or talk about their pasts.
Brief Encounter (1945) Laura Jesson, Alec Harvey
I saw this movie years ago and it really made an impression on me, because the situation seemed so real. It's not about a woman in a relationship that's incredibly boring or terrible and the handsome dangerous man who sweeps her off her feet. And it's not about the other man being a jerk and the husband being the "good guy." Everyone in the situation has flaws but is essentially "good." And she doesn't stay with her husband because she's cowardly, or noble, but because she just can't morally justify anything else and she knows neither choice would make her completely happy.
All that said, if you want to write me a fic where they end up together (temporarily or permanently, adulterously or not) I'm all for it. Or maybe they did never end up together but they did meet again much later? Anything exploring their feelings and maybe getting deeper into the reasons they felt so strongly about each other, even for that brief time, would be great.
I really don't see this film as a "period piece" completely. Even though some things were considered shocking then which aren't now, I think someone attracted to a person outside their marriage or relationship would still struggle with these issues today.
Die Ärzte: Farin Urlaub, Bela B
I would love a fic about Farin and Bela. I just love how fun these guys are and how they have so much history together, and the fact that they turn the stage gay up to eleven doesn't hurt! Really anything would be great, a slash or gen fic set at any time in their lives.
I don't want a sad ending with this prompt, and I hope that doesn't put a burden on you as a writer. I don't mean the fic has to be sunshine and rainbows, just that no one ends up broken-hearted or miserable or dead. I also don't want any bashing of anyone's real-life partner, past or present. Feel free not to mention them at all. I'm not going to wonder where they are. But handle it however you want as long as no one is bashed.
Other than that, go anywhere you want with it, whatever works for you. A gen fic is just as welcome as a slash fic -- these guys fascinate me. You could even go wild with this and write some AU where they're vampires or pirates or whatever sounds fun to you. Feel free to include Rod in a non-romantic way if you want, though of course you don't have to.
A few ideas I'm throwing out: Bela meeting Farin when Farin returns home from a vacation, or going along with him. Events in the fic turning out to be the inspiration for song lyrics. Bela and Farin playing practical jokes on each other. (Or on Rod if you do want to include him.)
Things I like about Farin and Bela: their song lyrics, their sense of humor, Bela's tattoos, Bela's interest in horror, Farin's goofiness, the height difference.
Les Revenants|The Returned (TV): This show scares the living crap out of me and I love it. I asked for Julie because she fascinates me as a character. She seems to be the only relatable character in the show, and even she has darkness and mystery about her. I'm curious why she took Victor in and got so attached to him, and what happened when she went with him in the last episode, but those are just thoughts and Victor doesn't have to be in the fic. I'm also curious at what point she started wondering if she was dead -- it seems like it was even before these other people "came back to life."
I would prefer something that somehow contains some of the supernatural elements of the show (as opposed to a fic about ordinary life before dead people started coming back.) But then again maybe they didn't have ordinary lives before dead people started coming back either! I like Julie's canon pairing with Laure but you don't have to write about her at all if you'd rather not.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hero, Partner
I love these games way too much. They are such a combination of cute and scary and just so much fun. I love the characterization. It's kind of funny that the pokemon in this game get way more characterization that the humans in the main series games.
I requested a fic about the Hero and the Partner. Feel free to make them whatever Pokemon you want (even if it's not possible in the game.) Ideally I'd like one or both of them to be female but I'm not going to be at all disappointed if they're both male.
There are so many ways you could go with this and I'd like any of them: The hero and the partner learning to cooperate, or having a dungeon adventure, or some ficticious scenario that happens after the game events. Even just hanging out in Spinda's drinking health drinks and swapping dungeon stories! Things I like about their relationship: The way the Hero helps the Partner get over their fears, the way the Partner accepts the hero even though they know there's something weird going on, the way they progress together and get stronger, the way they always want to help other pokemon, the way they get so attached to each other that the idea of them being apart is tragic.
While I think it's clear that the hero and the partner are completely devoted to each other, this could be shippy or gen, I'm fine either way. However I would rather not read smut about pokemon.
Thank you so much for offering to write a fic for me. I know I will enjoy it. I did put some guidelines and suggestions in this letter but optional details are optional and I wouldn't want to see you frustrated by my letter.
Here are some things I am totally OK with, in no particular order. (There are a couple of small exceptions listed with the fandoms.) Fluff. Angst. Fluffy angst. Angsty fluff. Happy endings. Sad endings. Smut. Gen. Femslash. M/M slash. Het. Character death. Alternate Timeline. Alternate Universe.
Here are a few things I especially like, but this is just for your consideration. I would love a fic just as much even if it doesn't have any of these. Kissing. Cuddling. People dressing up in fancy clothes. Mysterious and surreal scenes. Unrequited love becoming requited. People quoting literature or poetry. Hurt/comfort, including emotional hurt/comfort. Telephone conversations. Internet conversations.
There are a few things I definitely don't want in my fic. I am not judging people who like these things or write them, and I'm not saying they are all the same type of thing because they definitely aren't. These are: Any kink involving severe pain, injury, playing with body fluids, or humiliation. (Bondage or other consensual kink not involving these is fine.) Mpreg. Rape or dubious consent. Someone having a miscarriage. Cannibalism. (This includes pokemon eating other pokemon.) Incest. Fart jokes. (Specifically just that. Other types of silly humor are totally fine.) Extended descriptions of people hunting animals or eating meat. (Mentioning it is fine.) Crossovers with fandoms I don't know well.
Also please no polyamorous relationships, even though they might be a good solution in a couple of my requests. I think they are an awesome thing in real life, and I hate even listing it, but I just don't want any in my fic this year.
However there is one thing I want to emphasize: I want to read the fic you want to write. If you are sitting there thinking "She doesn't really say, but I wonder if she'd like a fic about _____," the answer is yes. I write a letter because some authors really love suggestions, not because I want a fic designed to my exact specifications.
Also there are no writing styles or perspectives that I categorically don't like. Feel free to use the first person or anything else you want if that's what you think works for the story.
These are my requests. I am really lucky this year and am able to ask for five fandoms I just love, and I'm looking forward to anything you might write.
Black Jack: Black Jack, Dr. Kiriko
This is probably my favorite manga, and I've also seen two of the anime (Black Jack 21 and the OVAs) and the movie Two Doctors of Darkness, all of which I loved. The interplay between Black Jack and Kiriko really fascinates me. Usually I don't gravitate to slash between rivals but it seems like Kiriko gets under Black Jack's skin in a way other people just don't. That said, a gen fic is equally welcome and there is certainly plenty of material for one. A fic where they have to cooperate would be interesting, but so would a fic where they are just being the bitter enemies they usually are in canon. I'm kind of curious about Kiriko's possible backstory as we only know some of it. Feel free to disregard medical realities; canon certainly does. One note: I'd rather not see the current Ebola outbreak used in fiction, as tempting as it might be.
Some suggestions: Black Jack has to treat Kiriko medically, or the other way around. Black Jack and Kiriko are a couple but still don't see eye-to-eye. Black Jack and Kiriko fight over a patient's fate. Black Jack and Kiriko travel together and/or talk about their pasts.
Brief Encounter (1945) Laura Jesson, Alec Harvey
I saw this movie years ago and it really made an impression on me, because the situation seemed so real. It's not about a woman in a relationship that's incredibly boring or terrible and the handsome dangerous man who sweeps her off her feet. And it's not about the other man being a jerk and the husband being the "good guy." Everyone in the situation has flaws but is essentially "good." And she doesn't stay with her husband because she's cowardly, or noble, but because she just can't morally justify anything else and she knows neither choice would make her completely happy.
All that said, if you want to write me a fic where they end up together (temporarily or permanently, adulterously or not) I'm all for it. Or maybe they did never end up together but they did meet again much later? Anything exploring their feelings and maybe getting deeper into the reasons they felt so strongly about each other, even for that brief time, would be great.
I really don't see this film as a "period piece" completely. Even though some things were considered shocking then which aren't now, I think someone attracted to a person outside their marriage or relationship would still struggle with these issues today.
Die Ärzte: Farin Urlaub, Bela B
I would love a fic about Farin and Bela. I just love how fun these guys are and how they have so much history together, and the fact that they turn the stage gay up to eleven doesn't hurt! Really anything would be great, a slash or gen fic set at any time in their lives.
I don't want a sad ending with this prompt, and I hope that doesn't put a burden on you as a writer. I don't mean the fic has to be sunshine and rainbows, just that no one ends up broken-hearted or miserable or dead. I also don't want any bashing of anyone's real-life partner, past or present. Feel free not to mention them at all. I'm not going to wonder where they are. But handle it however you want as long as no one is bashed.
Other than that, go anywhere you want with it, whatever works for you. A gen fic is just as welcome as a slash fic -- these guys fascinate me. You could even go wild with this and write some AU where they're vampires or pirates or whatever sounds fun to you. Feel free to include Rod in a non-romantic way if you want, though of course you don't have to.
A few ideas I'm throwing out: Bela meeting Farin when Farin returns home from a vacation, or going along with him. Events in the fic turning out to be the inspiration for song lyrics. Bela and Farin playing practical jokes on each other. (Or on Rod if you do want to include him.)
Things I like about Farin and Bela: their song lyrics, their sense of humor, Bela's tattoos, Bela's interest in horror, Farin's goofiness, the height difference.
Les Revenants|The Returned (TV): This show scares the living crap out of me and I love it. I asked for Julie because she fascinates me as a character. She seems to be the only relatable character in the show, and even she has darkness and mystery about her. I'm curious why she took Victor in and got so attached to him, and what happened when she went with him in the last episode, but those are just thoughts and Victor doesn't have to be in the fic. I'm also curious at what point she started wondering if she was dead -- it seems like it was even before these other people "came back to life."
I would prefer something that somehow contains some of the supernatural elements of the show (as opposed to a fic about ordinary life before dead people started coming back.) But then again maybe they didn't have ordinary lives before dead people started coming back either! I like Julie's canon pairing with Laure but you don't have to write about her at all if you'd rather not.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hero, Partner
I love these games way too much. They are such a combination of cute and scary and just so much fun. I love the characterization. It's kind of funny that the pokemon in this game get way more characterization that the humans in the main series games.
I requested a fic about the Hero and the Partner. Feel free to make them whatever Pokemon you want (even if it's not possible in the game.) Ideally I'd like one or both of them to be female but I'm not going to be at all disappointed if they're both male.
There are so many ways you could go with this and I'd like any of them: The hero and the partner learning to cooperate, or having a dungeon adventure, or some ficticious scenario that happens after the game events. Even just hanging out in Spinda's drinking health drinks and swapping dungeon stories! Things I like about their relationship: The way the Hero helps the Partner get over their fears, the way the Partner accepts the hero even though they know there's something weird going on, the way they progress together and get stronger, the way they always want to help other pokemon, the way they get so attached to each other that the idea of them being apart is tragic.
While I think it's clear that the hero and the partner are completely devoted to each other, this could be shippy or gen, I'm fine either way. However I would rather not read smut about pokemon.