Yuletide 2013 letter
Here are some general things I like:
(by no means an obligation or a checklist)
I like humor.
I love plots.
I love folklore and working off of mythologies and urban legends.
I love examining the relationships between people
I like math and science, especially when taken to the brink of implausibility
I have a weakness for puns.
I like politicking and murder mysteries and conspiracies and complicated plots, but these are hard and would be totally beyond the call of duty.
Did I mention I like humor? Because a touch of humor in any story is awesome, even if it's a tragedy.
I like a little grain of discomfort/unease mixed into otherwise pleasant stories.
I like a strong sense of setting or culture
I like a sense of impending disaster.
I like it when an author's love for the characters and story really shows.
Here are some things I'm not really into:
Characters being unpleasant to each other all of the time (fine in small amounts and fine if it's in character, but too much of it starts to get me down)
Character bashing. Believe it or not, there are very few characters in these series that I don't like. (And if you don't like a character, it's okay for you to not write them! Seriously, I understand! Do what you love, not what you hate!)
Introspective stories that don't have things happening. I like things to happen. They don't have to be big things, just. Something beyond just thinking.
Stories that work at a different emotional level than the source material.
Individual requests:
Ōkamiden (Video Games)
Kurow (Ōkamiden)
Source: a DS sequel game to a PS2 game. If you don't know this yet, you probably don't have time to get familiar with the source
I'm really interested in Kurow's creation and backstory--how did Waka make him, what was his early life with Waka (and possibly Ammy?) like before Waka put the block on his memories and sent him to Nippon as a sacrifice, what were his early adventures before he teamed up with Chibiterasu. I thought his interactions with Chibiterasu were adorable, too, so if you'd like to team them up again, that would also be a lot of fun. This is also the one prompt where you can go totally tragic and I'd be okay, since it's in line with the game.
Nimona (Webcomic)
Ballister Blackheart
Nimona (Nimona)
Source: a Webcomic link here Probably would take an hour or two to read through the archive. It's very cute and I love the world!
I love the relationship between Blackheart and Nimona! They are just so adorable and I would love something cute and fluffy like a movie night or Ballister teaching Nimona some Science or them practicing their joint fighting moves (they had to have practiced him jumping on top of her as a triceratops, right?). A little darkness or unease is fine, but these two warm my heart, so nothing too depressing, please.
Uta no Prince-sama
Shinomiya Natsuki
Shinomiya Satsuki
Kurusu Shou
Source: a Japanese dating game (haven't played) and two 13-episode seasons anime available for free on hulu or crunchyroll (the version I would prefer as it is sillier)
Shenanigans! Poor put-upon Shou and adorable Natsuki flipping the heck out into Satsuki! This was one dynamic I loved in the show and I really wanted more of the Natsuki/Satsuki flip, so anything involving that would be wonderful. I love Shou, but please, make his life pain. I'd appreciate it if you keep things relatively light-hearted and silly like the show (I understand the game is a big more serious). I enjoy Shou/Natsuki as a couple, but if you want to go platonic with them, that is also perfectly fine with me. (Shining Saotome is awesome and can come too)
I actually like most of the characters. Masato and Tokiya are also favorites (so hilariously intense!) and Ittoki is adorable. Ren is the only one I don't care for since he's a bit too close to the sexual-harassment line for comfort, so while he can show up, I'd rather he have a minimal presence.
Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Kiryu "Joshua" Yoshiya
Bito "Rhyme" Raimu
Source: a DS game. Would probably take ~2 weeks of playing to get through, though there are probably Let's Plays on youtube
I requested Joshua and Rhyme, which is an unusual pair, but I'd really be interested in seeing how they interact. We don't know much about Rhyme--what was her price, and what's her life like now that she's lost it (or has Joshua given it back?), what kind of person will she grow up into? I like Rhyme's no-nonsense attitude, and think she would do well head-to-head with Joshua if it came down to it. I also like how cagey and flighty Joshua is, especially whenever Emotions and Friendships make things complicated. I don't necessarily see these two as a romantic pair, but that's also an option, if it interests you.
I'd really like to know what Rhyme's deal was. Part of what inspired this was Kingdom Hearts 3D, how Joshua used Rhyme to create/maintain the world and her dreams were strong enough to spread across the paired worlds, and I'd really like to see more interaction like that. It's such an interesting idea. If you want to go with KH3D for this instead, I'm also open to that.