Yuletide Letter 2013
Oct. 14th, 2013 04:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shamanicshayminDear Yuletide Writer,
In the words of Dug from Pixar's Up, "I have just met you and I love you!" Thank you so much for writing for me! ;; From vignettes to plotty epics, I'll love it no matter how long your fic is. May your Yuletide stocking be stuffed and your holiday cup full of cheer. :)
Likes: Fluff and angst are welcome as long as they don't go into extremes. I accept gen, het, m/m, f/f, and polymory. I'm a Nightmare Fuel fetishist and fond of trippy media, as well as cosmic horror and psychological mindfuck. I'm a major sucker for h/c, character-driven pieces, grumpy softies, focus on minor characters, unusual friendships, aliens, sentient machines and evil supercomputers, "Earn Your Happy Ending" (especially if it's for a dark setting/crapsack world), AUs of the "What if X event happened instead of Y event" kind, AUs taking place in an entirely different fandom's universe (ex. The Sailor Senshi are trainers in the Pokemon universe) magical girl AUs based off Madoka (more detail on this in the requests), post-apocalypse and/or dystopias (no zombies!), fix-it fic, world-building, and nostalgia (ex. references to books you've read as a child, arcade machines with 8-bit graphics).
Dislikes: Rape*, graphic depiction of drugs/alcoholism, love triangles, infidelity, Contrived Misunderstandings, the Liar Revealed trope, mpreg/pregnancy/miscarriage/abortion, dysfunctional family drama, eating disorders, animal/child abuse, bullying, incest, pedophilia, vampires, zombies, werewolves, a/b/o, slut-shaming, Nice Guyism, Madonna-Whore complex, sexism, all-hurt-and-no-comfort, high school AU.
*I understand that Ellen from I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream has Rape As Backstory. However, I would prefer it to be mentioned as little as possible or not at all, especially since she conquered that demon as a major part of her storyarc.
I'm all for violence and sex if they're appropriate for the canon, but they need to fit naturally in the narrative rather than being pasted on for the sake of "shock value" and "edgy" writing. I don't mind PWPs as long as there's definite characterization and not just paragraphs of empty Tab-A-into-Slot B. I'll go for any ending as long as it’s appropriate for the story you’re writing, though happy and bittersweet endings are my favorites. So's the good twist ending. :D
Kinks: Oral sex (fellatio, cunnilingus, it's all good. ;D), anal sex (including the oft-neglected het and f/f), rimming, fingering, frottage, bondage, descriptive kissing, biting/nibbling, awkward first times, cuddles, dirty talk, artist/model scenarios, machines and robots, xenophilia/xeno-biology, pervertibles (NSFW), drawing on the body/body marks like scars and tattoos, foodplay (like with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. :3), massages, and pegging. And tentacles/tentacle-like appendages. *cough* Obviously, you don't have to include all of these in one fic, especially if it's not IC for the ship in question. XD
Non-Kinks: Scat/watersports/vomit, ageplay, stuffing/forcefeeding, inflation, snowballing. Noncon/dubcon is off-limits except for one particular pairing, which I'll specify in a bit.
Under each fandom, I'll list the canons I'm familiar with for it, my ships if I have any, and whether or not I allow smut. Ships can be considered as separate prompts, albeit a lot more open-ended. Now on with the show!
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Canon: Anime, A Different Story, bits and pieces of the PSP game. Unfamiliar with Oriko, Kazumi Magica and CD dramas. No Rebellion-fic please.
Shipping: Homura/Madoka, Kyouko/Sayaka, and Mami/Kyouko are my favorites, but I'm also welcome to Mami/Madoka and Mami/Charlotte. My polyships are an OT5 of the main girls and Mami/Kyouko/Sayaka. :)
Smut: Yes. All I ask is that you age up the characters. Teenagers experimenting with each other is fine, but no younger than 15-16.
Dear god, this fandom is sheer world-building and fanfic potential. I love magical girls and I love cosmic horror, so seeing those together is a dream come true. Unfortunately, 12 episodes can only bring so much, so let's remedy this. With prompts! :D
- I loved the spinoff manga, "A Different Story." I loved the character studies of Mami and Kyouko, and the way it dealt with their relationship with each other, from teacher-student to clashing ideologies to eventual forgiveness. But what really got to me was how Mami agonized over self-perfection. She wants others to see her as capable/calm/selfless/experienced and BE the role, or else when they find out she's not the "cool big sis" they imagined her to be, they would abandon her and sentence her back to loneliness... something I personally relate with all too well. So the scene where she confesses to Sayaka that she's not the flawless heroine she was hoping for, and later, the arc with Kyouko confronting Mami after her break-down? Knowing that Sayaka didn't care and saw her as a friend, warts and all, and Kyouko fighting to help her and sacrificing herself in spite of the rift in their relationship hits a strong chord with me. I found it heartwarming and consider the ending to be bittersweet because of that; Mami realized that she had friends who loved and respected her regardless of the decisions she makes, expressing hope in her farewell letter that the five of them would meet again in another life someday.
So basically, I'd love post-Different Story fic of Mami and Kyouko reuniting in the afterlife. ;; I'd adore Mami/Kyouko shippiness to the max, but I'd also appreciate platonic love (Kyouko officially considers Mami her "family" after all) or welcome-back smut. Either way, I want them to be at peace while I cry lots of happy tears. ;;
If you haven't read Different Story, don't worry! For the anime, I'd love a fic where Mami survives Charlotte and struggles to remain a good mentor to Madoka and Sayaka, and Madoka does her best to keep her sane. Go all out with the Mami/Madoka (or even Mami/Madoka/Sayaka if your story steers toward that way), but again, friendship-only is welcomed.
- I know she isn't nominated, but Hitomi's been on my mind lately. I feel like she had a lot of potential, particularly as a mundane completely out-of-the-loop from the magical girl system. Imagine wondering why the hell your best friends avoid you lately (and gradually looking sadder and sadder), and on top of that, one of them dies after the two of you have a rift over a crush on the same guy. How do you cope with bearing the guilt of maybe having driven your friend to death? What's with the disasters lately and where is Madoka and will she be okay? Basically, what would go through the mind of someone whom I imagine would be scared to death for her friends, whom she doesn't know have made a deal with the devil. All I ask is if you write Hitomi, whether as a main character or one of the sides, please don't portray her as a backstabbing harpy who "stolen" Kyousuke from Sayaka. Please don't.
I'm not a fan of Kyousuke or any ships involving him, and would prefer it if he was mentioned as little as possible. (Though it would ease my troubled mind if he responded more to Sayaka's death than just showing up as a silhouette at her funeral) But if you think you can develop his character and make him more sympathetic, go for it.
Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Canon: Game. I heard that there's a novelization, but I don't it's finished being translated yet.
Shipping: Ness/Paula, Jeff/Tony, Poo/Paula, Ness/Poo, Chosen OT4. Anything post-game would be lovely, though if you're writing for Jeff/Tony, Jeff staying the night with Tony after the Stonehenge incident will also be good.
Smut: Yes. The same rules apply from Madoka.
Earthbound is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm so happy it's a hit on Virtual Console, especially since it's becoming discovered and loved by a new generation. ;; The fandom is one of the most creative spaces I hang out with as well, from sculptures of Starmen to thank-you notes to Shigesato Itoi, the series creator. :3
- Does Paula remember Everdred? I wondered what she would think when she learned that Ness and Jeff found him in Fourside shortly after she was kidnapped, and then he left their lives forever without them knowing if he was dead or alive. What's Everdred's deal? Why is he looking out for Paula's safety? How does he know Paula so well, and what connection does he have with the Polestar family? Does Paula know him from before Ness saved her from the Happy-Happyists? A fic exploring that would be neat. :o
- I always imagined that Poo felt close to Star Master and greatly admired him, like a father-figure he never had. So I'd love a fic exploring their teacher-student bond and how it's impacted Poo more than just his training. Who is Star Master himself? Is he a mortal being, or is he a spirit that disappears as soon as Poo finishes his lessons? Make me wibble for all its worth. Also, this is totally your chance to explore Poo's softer and/or more vulnerable side, so feel free to make me squeegle. :3
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
Canon: Short story and PC game. Unfamiliar with radio special and comic adaptation.
Shipping: None... except for AM/Ted. This is the one ship in my letter that I encourage noncon for. Bring on the torture and mindgames! Hell, have AM mock Ted about Ellen. Humiliate the fuck out of him. Let Ted be defiant and/or have it lead to dubcon. Make Ted squirm! I actually like Short Story!Ted better than Game!Ted, but feel free to use either, or include details from the game for Short Story!Ted. Though like all my ships, gen with AM & Ted is accepted.
Smut: Yes.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is an amazing short story that chills me in all the right ways, featuring one of the creepiest (and one of my all-time favorite) endings I have ever read in literature. While the PC game has its flaws and undeniable cheese, it has a genuinely disturbing atmosphere and some terrifying scenarios (like the elevator scene in Ellen's section. Brrr. D:) and a neat expansion of the original plot, complete with backstories for the five captives. I like that the prisoners are finally given a chance to redeem themselves, whether its from overwhelming guilt or war atrocities, and rise up against AM. In this fandom, I'm much more lenient with darker material. When your fandom is named I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, that goes without saying. :)
- One thing that disappointed me about the game was that Benny's homosexuality from the short story is never brought up. To quote "What Could Have Been" from TV Tropes: "The Benny scenario would have actually gone into his homosexuality; that implies that he killed Brickman because he was his lover, that he did not want the other soldiers to spread the word and he would have had to accept his sexuality as a way of winning at Am's game. Not to mention the game still keeps the puzzle where he has to plant a flower on his grave with a fruit as a sign of "compassion" and the fruit is later described as a symbol of "love"... "
Of all the controversial material in the game that gets red-flagged, it's LGBTQ themes. Holocaust? Sure. Cutting out the still-beating heart of a man or animal? A-Okay. Rape? Bring it on. Eating babies? Aw, are you sure we can't put that in? Gay men? OH DEAR GOD NO. So, what I'm asking for is Benny's scenario rewritten to include issues with his sexuality. Don't forget about Benny's wife from the final section of the game and answer any questions regarding her. Was she his beard or something? :o
Ib
Canon: The most recently updated version of the game.
Shipping: None. I prefer to explore friendships in this fandom, namely the bond between Ib and Garry. Any h/c between them, like in the scene where Garry gives Ib his jacket, or a fic where he consoles Ib after Mary's death post-game, will make me wibble.
Smut: No.
I've played a lot of indie horror games, but Ib is one of those that stuck with me the most. I love the art museum setting and creativity involving the living paintings and sculptures, and how the game balances itself between being creepy, tragic, and heartwarming. So much potential for h/c! All the heartwarming bits mixed in with the horror really make this game for me and I love all three of the main characters. ;;
- Mary fascinates me because she is so gray of a character. On one hand, she was a lonely and sheltered little girl who wanted to become human, see the world and make friends. On the other, she'll do whatever it takes to escape, even if it meant killing a new friend. The new "Painting's Demise" ending especially got to me, and so did this fansong of Mary's theme. What was Mary's life like before Ib and Garry arrived? Had she met anyone else trapped in the painting? If so, what happened to them? Did they escape or were they killed, by Mary or otherwise?
- What was Garry's life like before he met Ib? When Ib asked him about his use of lavender linguistics ("Why do you talk like a lady?"), he replies that it's nicer to be gentle than rough. What influenced him to think like that? What was his childhood like, when he was Ib's age? Was he lonely like Mary? I'd be intrigued with this contrast between their reactions to being alone. Does Garry see parts of himself in Ib?
Animal Forest | Animal Crossing
Canon: The original N64 game, Wild World, and City Folk. Sadly, I don't have a copy of New Leaf yet, so I don't know much about that game. :(
Shipping: Tom Nook/Sable. Will be further explained in the prompts below.
Smut: No.
Animal Crossing is so addictive! I love making friends with all the villagers, planting the town with flowers and tiles, and making my own designs for clothes and decorating. It's no surprise then, that I absolutely adore the Able Sisters. I remember randomly talking to Sable and being surprised when she started talking to me about her memories of her family. Since then, I loved those hedgehogs even more, and made sure to visit them everyday. So...
- ABLE SISTERS. GIVE ME ALL THE ABLE SISTERS FIC. Feel free to write fic that explores their childhood in more detail, like the time Sable made her first mittens to save Mabel from frostbite. If sticking with the present is more of your thing, I'd like to see a fic where Labelle visits the Able Sisters and continues to reconcile her relationship with Sable (apparently Labelle works with the Able Sisters now in New Leaf? So I'd like to see how it's culminated to that). Or fic where Mabel takes Sable with her to socialize more often, whether it's seeing K.K. Slider perform or hanging out at the Roost and/or befriending Brewster. Make it cute!
- I'm curious about the relationship between Sable and Tom Nook, especially since it was revealed that they were childhood friends before Nook went to the city and drifted apart. Did Sable have feelings for him then? Does she still do now? I'd like to see a fic where they finally talk to each other again, complete with awkwardness. Whether or not they get together romantically is completely up to you.
Now that you know my fandoms, it's time for the completely optional...
Hard Mode: AUs and Crossovers!
Canon: See above for Madoka, Earthbound, Ib and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
Shipping: See above.
Smut: Yes except for Ib.
- As I mentioned in my likes, I love the idea of other canons following the magical girl system of Madoka. What would the characters wish for and what would their powers be? What would ultimately bring them to despair, and what would their witch forms be? A particular fandom I'm most interested in following Madoka rules is Earthbound, where the Chosen 4 have become magical boys (and girl) in order to save the world and fight the ultimate warlock, Giygas. How do they respond to the truth of what being a magi entails? How do they keep each other's sanities to prevent each other from succumbing to despair? Do they somehow manage to rewrite the magical system? If so, what alternatives do they find without costing their own existence? If you've played Mother 1/Earthbound 0, feel free to contribute canon from the game into Giygas's background for why he turned into a warlock. Maybe even include the Mother 1 cast and tell me what had become of them. Did they also become witches and warlocks in a cruel twist, or did they sacrifice themselves before that happened? All I ask is that you keep that element of hope that was always present in the Mother series. Especially so that I don't go into despair myself. XD
- What if instead of the main five from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, AM had captured Madoka, Homura, Mami, Sayaka and Kyouko instead? Alternatively, what if Kyubey was the omniscient being keeping the girls alive to extract their suffering as a constant force against entropy in a post-apocalyptic world? (Basically, choose your villain: super hammy AM who gleefully indulges himself in the girls' grief or the emotionless callousness of Kyubey who sees his captives as nothing more than cattle?) Would Homura be a favorite of AM/Kyubey for her ability to turn back time, and exploit it to their advantage? Just like in the original game, I want the girls to be able to confront their demons and be able to challenge AM/Kyubey, namely Madoka being the one who deals the final blow and playing the role of the survivor in the "good" ending.
- While it's not one of my nominated fandoms, a crossover between Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Ib would be awesome. What if Dorian Gray stepped into the "Fabricated World" and met Mary? Who would come out on top? (Aka who gets to escape into the real world and who remains a painting?) Would Weiss Güertena and Basil Hallward know each other, and would Güertena warn Basil against painting anyone that he knew in real life? How would a conversation between Ib and Lord Henry Wotton go? Would Ib reject what he says or would she be corrupted by his poisonous influence? Would Garry challenge Wotton and Grey in order to protect Ib, like James Vane had tried to avenge his sister Sybil?
Once again, thank you so much, and I commend you for reading all my babble. I'll be glad to make edits to my letter if necessary. I wish us the very best luck on Yuletide!
Happy Holidays!
Puri
In the words of Dug from Pixar's Up, "I have just met you and I love you!" Thank you so much for writing for me! ;; From vignettes to plotty epics, I'll love it no matter how long your fic is. May your Yuletide stocking be stuffed and your holiday cup full of cheer. :)
Likes: Fluff and angst are welcome as long as they don't go into extremes. I accept gen, het, m/m, f/f, and polymory. I'm a Nightmare Fuel fetishist and fond of trippy media, as well as cosmic horror and psychological mindfuck. I'm a major sucker for h/c, character-driven pieces, grumpy softies, focus on minor characters, unusual friendships, aliens, sentient machines and evil supercomputers, "Earn Your Happy Ending" (especially if it's for a dark setting/crapsack world), AUs of the "What if X event happened instead of Y event" kind, AUs taking place in an entirely different fandom's universe (ex. The Sailor Senshi are trainers in the Pokemon universe) magical girl AUs based off Madoka (more detail on this in the requests), post-apocalypse and/or dystopias (no zombies!), fix-it fic, world-building, and nostalgia (ex. references to books you've read as a child, arcade machines with 8-bit graphics).
Dislikes: Rape*, graphic depiction of drugs/alcoholism, love triangles, infidelity, Contrived Misunderstandings, the Liar Revealed trope, mpreg/pregnancy/miscarriage/abortion, dysfunctional family drama, eating disorders, animal/child abuse, bullying, incest, pedophilia, vampires, zombies, werewolves, a/b/o, slut-shaming, Nice Guyism, Madonna-Whore complex, sexism, all-hurt-and-no-comfort, high school AU.
*I understand that Ellen from I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream has Rape As Backstory. However, I would prefer it to be mentioned as little as possible or not at all, especially since she conquered that demon as a major part of her storyarc.
I'm all for violence and sex if they're appropriate for the canon, but they need to fit naturally in the narrative rather than being pasted on for the sake of "shock value" and "edgy" writing. I don't mind PWPs as long as there's definite characterization and not just paragraphs of empty Tab-A-into-Slot B. I'll go for any ending as long as it’s appropriate for the story you’re writing, though happy and bittersweet endings are my favorites. So's the good twist ending. :D
Kinks: Oral sex (fellatio, cunnilingus, it's all good. ;D), anal sex (including the oft-neglected het and f/f), rimming, fingering, frottage, bondage, descriptive kissing, biting/nibbling, awkward first times, cuddles, dirty talk, artist/model scenarios, machines and robots, xenophilia/xeno-biology, pervertibles (NSFW), drawing on the body/body marks like scars and tattoos, foodplay (like with strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup. :3), massages, and pegging. And tentacles/tentacle-like appendages. *cough* Obviously, you don't have to include all of these in one fic, especially if it's not IC for the ship in question. XD
Non-Kinks: Scat/watersports/vomit, ageplay, stuffing/forcefeeding, inflation, snowballing. Noncon/dubcon is off-limits except for one particular pairing, which I'll specify in a bit.
Under each fandom, I'll list the canons I'm familiar with for it, my ships if I have any, and whether or not I allow smut. Ships can be considered as separate prompts, albeit a lot more open-ended. Now on with the show!
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Canon: Anime, A Different Story, bits and pieces of the PSP game. Unfamiliar with Oriko, Kazumi Magica and CD dramas. No Rebellion-fic please.
Shipping: Homura/Madoka, Kyouko/Sayaka, and Mami/Kyouko are my favorites, but I'm also welcome to Mami/Madoka and Mami/Charlotte. My polyships are an OT5 of the main girls and Mami/Kyouko/Sayaka. :)
Smut: Yes. All I ask is that you age up the characters. Teenagers experimenting with each other is fine, but no younger than 15-16.
Dear god, this fandom is sheer world-building and fanfic potential. I love magical girls and I love cosmic horror, so seeing those together is a dream come true. Unfortunately, 12 episodes can only bring so much, so let's remedy this. With prompts! :D
- I loved the spinoff manga, "A Different Story." I loved the character studies of Mami and Kyouko, and the way it dealt with their relationship with each other, from teacher-student to clashing ideologies to eventual forgiveness. But what really got to me was how Mami agonized over self-perfection. She wants others to see her as capable/calm/selfless/experienced and BE the role, or else when they find out she's not the "cool big sis" they imagined her to be, they would abandon her and sentence her back to loneliness... something I personally relate with all too well. So the scene where she confesses to Sayaka that she's not the flawless heroine she was hoping for, and later, the arc with Kyouko confronting Mami after her break-down? Knowing that Sayaka didn't care and saw her as a friend, warts and all, and Kyouko fighting to help her and sacrificing herself in spite of the rift in their relationship hits a strong chord with me. I found it heartwarming and consider the ending to be bittersweet because of that; Mami realized that she had friends who loved and respected her regardless of the decisions she makes, expressing hope in her farewell letter that the five of them would meet again in another life someday.
So basically, I'd love post-Different Story fic of Mami and Kyouko reuniting in the afterlife. ;; I'd adore Mami/Kyouko shippiness to the max, but I'd also appreciate platonic love (Kyouko officially considers Mami her "family" after all) or welcome-back smut. Either way, I want them to be at peace while I cry lots of happy tears. ;;
If you haven't read Different Story, don't worry! For the anime, I'd love a fic where Mami survives Charlotte and struggles to remain a good mentor to Madoka and Sayaka, and Madoka does her best to keep her sane. Go all out with the Mami/Madoka (or even Mami/Madoka/Sayaka if your story steers toward that way), but again, friendship-only is welcomed.
- I know she isn't nominated, but Hitomi's been on my mind lately. I feel like she had a lot of potential, particularly as a mundane completely out-of-the-loop from the magical girl system. Imagine wondering why the hell your best friends avoid you lately (and gradually looking sadder and sadder), and on top of that, one of them dies after the two of you have a rift over a crush on the same guy. How do you cope with bearing the guilt of maybe having driven your friend to death? What's with the disasters lately and where is Madoka and will she be okay? Basically, what would go through the mind of someone whom I imagine would be scared to death for her friends, whom she doesn't know have made a deal with the devil. All I ask is if you write Hitomi, whether as a main character or one of the sides, please don't portray her as a backstabbing harpy who "stolen" Kyousuke from Sayaka. Please don't.
I'm not a fan of Kyousuke or any ships involving him, and would prefer it if he was mentioned as little as possible. (Though it would ease my troubled mind if he responded more to Sayaka's death than just showing up as a silhouette at her funeral) But if you think you can develop his character and make him more sympathetic, go for it.
Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Canon: Game. I heard that there's a novelization, but I don't it's finished being translated yet.
Shipping: Ness/Paula, Jeff/Tony, Poo/Paula, Ness/Poo, Chosen OT4. Anything post-game would be lovely, though if you're writing for Jeff/Tony, Jeff staying the night with Tony after the Stonehenge incident will also be good.
Smut: Yes. The same rules apply from Madoka.
Earthbound is one of my favorite games of all time. I'm so happy it's a hit on Virtual Console, especially since it's becoming discovered and loved by a new generation. ;; The fandom is one of the most creative spaces I hang out with as well, from sculptures of Starmen to thank-you notes to Shigesato Itoi, the series creator. :3
- Does Paula remember Everdred? I wondered what she would think when she learned that Ness and Jeff found him in Fourside shortly after she was kidnapped, and then he left their lives forever without them knowing if he was dead or alive. What's Everdred's deal? Why is he looking out for Paula's safety? How does he know Paula so well, and what connection does he have with the Polestar family? Does Paula know him from before Ness saved her from the Happy-Happyists? A fic exploring that would be neat. :o
- I always imagined that Poo felt close to Star Master and greatly admired him, like a father-figure he never had. So I'd love a fic exploring their teacher-student bond and how it's impacted Poo more than just his training. Who is Star Master himself? Is he a mortal being, or is he a spirit that disappears as soon as Poo finishes his lessons? Make me wibble for all its worth. Also, this is totally your chance to explore Poo's softer and/or more vulnerable side, so feel free to make me squeegle. :3
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream - Harlan Ellison
Canon: Short story and PC game. Unfamiliar with radio special and comic adaptation.
Shipping: None... except for AM/Ted. This is the one ship in my letter that I encourage noncon for. Bring on the torture and mindgames! Hell, have AM mock Ted about Ellen. Humiliate the fuck out of him. Let Ted be defiant and/or have it lead to dubcon. Make Ted squirm! I actually like Short Story!Ted better than Game!Ted, but feel free to use either, or include details from the game for Short Story!Ted. Though like all my ships, gen with AM & Ted is accepted.
Smut: Yes.
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is an amazing short story that chills me in all the right ways, featuring one of the creepiest (and one of my all-time favorite) endings I have ever read in literature. While the PC game has its flaws and undeniable cheese, it has a genuinely disturbing atmosphere and some terrifying scenarios (like the elevator scene in Ellen's section. Brrr. D:) and a neat expansion of the original plot, complete with backstories for the five captives. I like that the prisoners are finally given a chance to redeem themselves, whether its from overwhelming guilt or war atrocities, and rise up against AM. In this fandom, I'm much more lenient with darker material. When your fandom is named I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, that goes without saying. :)
- One thing that disappointed me about the game was that Benny's homosexuality from the short story is never brought up. To quote "What Could Have Been" from TV Tropes: "The Benny scenario would have actually gone into his homosexuality; that implies that he killed Brickman because he was his lover, that he did not want the other soldiers to spread the word and he would have had to accept his sexuality as a way of winning at Am's game. Not to mention the game still keeps the puzzle where he has to plant a flower on his grave with a fruit as a sign of "compassion" and the fruit is later described as a symbol of "love"... "
Of all the controversial material in the game that gets red-flagged, it's LGBTQ themes. Holocaust? Sure. Cutting out the still-beating heart of a man or animal? A-Okay. Rape? Bring it on. Eating babies? Aw, are you sure we can't put that in? Gay men? OH DEAR GOD NO. So, what I'm asking for is Benny's scenario rewritten to include issues with his sexuality. Don't forget about Benny's wife from the final section of the game and answer any questions regarding her. Was she his beard or something? :o
Ib
Canon: The most recently updated version of the game.
Shipping: None. I prefer to explore friendships in this fandom, namely the bond between Ib and Garry. Any h/c between them, like in the scene where Garry gives Ib his jacket, or a fic where he consoles Ib after Mary's death post-game, will make me wibble.
Smut: No.
I've played a lot of indie horror games, but Ib is one of those that stuck with me the most. I love the art museum setting and creativity involving the living paintings and sculptures, and how the game balances itself between being creepy, tragic, and heartwarming. So much potential for h/c! All the heartwarming bits mixed in with the horror really make this game for me and I love all three of the main characters. ;;
- Mary fascinates me because she is so gray of a character. On one hand, she was a lonely and sheltered little girl who wanted to become human, see the world and make friends. On the other, she'll do whatever it takes to escape, even if it meant killing a new friend. The new "Painting's Demise" ending especially got to me, and so did this fansong of Mary's theme. What was Mary's life like before Ib and Garry arrived? Had she met anyone else trapped in the painting? If so, what happened to them? Did they escape or were they killed, by Mary or otherwise?
- What was Garry's life like before he met Ib? When Ib asked him about his use of lavender linguistics ("Why do you talk like a lady?"), he replies that it's nicer to be gentle than rough. What influenced him to think like that? What was his childhood like, when he was Ib's age? Was he lonely like Mary? I'd be intrigued with this contrast between their reactions to being alone. Does Garry see parts of himself in Ib?
Animal Forest | Animal Crossing
Canon: The original N64 game, Wild World, and City Folk. Sadly, I don't have a copy of New Leaf yet, so I don't know much about that game. :(
Shipping: Tom Nook/Sable. Will be further explained in the prompts below.
Smut: No.
Animal Crossing is so addictive! I love making friends with all the villagers, planting the town with flowers and tiles, and making my own designs for clothes and decorating. It's no surprise then, that I absolutely adore the Able Sisters. I remember randomly talking to Sable and being surprised when she started talking to me about her memories of her family. Since then, I loved those hedgehogs even more, and made sure to visit them everyday. So...
- ABLE SISTERS. GIVE ME ALL THE ABLE SISTERS FIC. Feel free to write fic that explores their childhood in more detail, like the time Sable made her first mittens to save Mabel from frostbite. If sticking with the present is more of your thing, I'd like to see a fic where Labelle visits the Able Sisters and continues to reconcile her relationship with Sable (apparently Labelle works with the Able Sisters now in New Leaf? So I'd like to see how it's culminated to that). Or fic where Mabel takes Sable with her to socialize more often, whether it's seeing K.K. Slider perform or hanging out at the Roost and/or befriending Brewster. Make it cute!
- I'm curious about the relationship between Sable and Tom Nook, especially since it was revealed that they were childhood friends before Nook went to the city and drifted apart. Did Sable have feelings for him then? Does she still do now? I'd like to see a fic where they finally talk to each other again, complete with awkwardness. Whether or not they get together romantically is completely up to you.
Now that you know my fandoms, it's time for the completely optional...
Hard Mode: AUs and Crossovers!
Canon: See above for Madoka, Earthbound, Ib and I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.
Shipping: See above.
Smut: Yes except for Ib.
- As I mentioned in my likes, I love the idea of other canons following the magical girl system of Madoka. What would the characters wish for and what would their powers be? What would ultimately bring them to despair, and what would their witch forms be? A particular fandom I'm most interested in following Madoka rules is Earthbound, where the Chosen 4 have become magical boys (and girl) in order to save the world and fight the ultimate warlock, Giygas. How do they respond to the truth of what being a magi entails? How do they keep each other's sanities to prevent each other from succumbing to despair? Do they somehow manage to rewrite the magical system? If so, what alternatives do they find without costing their own existence? If you've played Mother 1/Earthbound 0, feel free to contribute canon from the game into Giygas's background for why he turned into a warlock. Maybe even include the Mother 1 cast and tell me what had become of them. Did they also become witches and warlocks in a cruel twist, or did they sacrifice themselves before that happened? All I ask is that you keep that element of hope that was always present in the Mother series. Especially so that I don't go into despair myself. XD
- What if instead of the main five from I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, AM had captured Madoka, Homura, Mami, Sayaka and Kyouko instead? Alternatively, what if Kyubey was the omniscient being keeping the girls alive to extract their suffering as a constant force against entropy in a post-apocalyptic world? (Basically, choose your villain: super hammy AM who gleefully indulges himself in the girls' grief or the emotionless callousness of Kyubey who sees his captives as nothing more than cattle?) Would Homura be a favorite of AM/Kyubey for her ability to turn back time, and exploit it to their advantage? Just like in the original game, I want the girls to be able to confront their demons and be able to challenge AM/Kyubey, namely Madoka being the one who deals the final blow and playing the role of the survivor in the "good" ending.
- While it's not one of my nominated fandoms, a crossover between Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Ib would be awesome. What if Dorian Gray stepped into the "Fabricated World" and met Mary? Who would come out on top? (Aka who gets to escape into the real world and who remains a painting?) Would Weiss Güertena and Basil Hallward know each other, and would Güertena warn Basil against painting anyone that he knew in real life? How would a conversation between Ib and Lord Henry Wotton go? Would Ib reject what he says or would she be corrupted by his poisonous influence? Would Garry challenge Wotton and Grey in order to protect Ib, like James Vane had tried to avenge his sister Sybil?
Once again, thank you so much, and I commend you for reading all my babble. I'll be glad to make edits to my letter if necessary. I wish us the very best luck on Yuletide!
Happy Holidays!
Puri
