Dear Yuletide Author

[impersona]

DEAR ILLUSTRIOUS WRITER OF YULETIDE FIC:

First of all, thank you very much! I have no idea if this is your first year of Yuletide or your billionth, but thank you for the time, effort, creativity, blood, sweat, and various other bodily fluids spent going into my request. This is my first year doing Yuletide, so I'm a mixture of nervous and excited, and really charged up for the chance to write a fic for someone who shares a fandom interest with me. I have spent the last few years admiring my friends who have participated in Yuletide and put a lot of their spirit into it, and so I know you are doing a tough thing, but I'm really thankful for it.

As for my wishlist, even if you don't read the specifics of my fandom requests, you should know three things that can make fics really, really enjoyable for me, no matter what the fandom:

1) A revelation about a character's personality, motivations, or inner demons that wasn't obvious before.
2) Lulz. I love the lulz and I love puns and I love corn and camp and satire and witty lines and sarcastic lines and crass humor. Anything that would give you a chuckle, I'll probably laugh at too.
3) A WTF moment that jumps up and slaps me in the face. I love to be surprised, and if not also baffled and screaming at the computer "OH NO HE DIDN'T".

Most of all, I implore you to have fun! If you have an idea that I don't specifically mention, but you feel would be really awesome or excellent to explore, do it! So long as it doesn't hit any triggers with me, I'm totally fascinated by ANYTHING that is written up for any of these fandoms. And passion in writing shows, and more than anything else I want you to really love what you create in December.

I'm about to go specific into my requested fandoms, but before then, let me just spam you with some of the general stuff I like.  That way if you don't like any of the ideas I throw out for the specific fandom, you can at least have an idea of what other things I tend to dig.

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS THINGS I LIKE:

- I LOVE AUs.  LOVE THEM.  I especially love when characters of one genre are thrown into a completely different genre - like fantasy characters are now in a Noir AU, or cute shoujo characters are now sexy deep space pirates.  I really like my AUs to be full of camp and humor - TV Tropes might be a good resource for you, since I prefer the cliches of the setting to actual research and authenticity.  Cross-overs are okay, though I would prefer that if you did one, it'd be with two series you know I am familiar with (I think my icon set gives you some idea of my other fandoms).

- I tend to be very inspired by music and lyrics in my own writing, and if you happen to be as well, I am open to stories deeply inspired by the songs you love.  You can check out my last.fm for some of my favorite artists to see if we have anything in common, though I'm pretty much open to listening to anything.

- Origin fic, or fics of the characters as children, or fics of adventures that just happen to be pre-canon.  I really like to see the formulative events in a characters life, plus KIDS ARE CUTE.

- My favorite genres to read are urban fantasy or adventure fantasy (I run hot and cold with high fantasy), I LOVE sci-fi in the vein of Ben Bova and Isaac Asimov and H.G. Wells, and I like action/horror, particularly Stephen King, Peter Straub, and sometimes Dean Koontz.  While I don't like the mystery genre itself, i really appreciate a good mystery within whatever I'm reading, and I love watching characters investigate and try to work out their situation.

- In terms of romance/pr0n, I care the most about how the characters are feeling/what they are thinking rather than what is actually happening.  Tab A/Slot B doesn't do much for me, but I really like after-the-deed scenes, especially if there is a kind of fallout or emotional bomb from one side or the other.  Most of all, with romance I like to see how the characters are forced to adapt their personalities and convictions to accommodate for this new person in their life.

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Now, time for the fandoms!  I will have four sections filled out for each series:

Heart Points: Why the series is special to me
The Juicy Stuff: Storylines, characters, and themes that I find interesting in that fandom
Fantasy Fic: The kind of fic I daydream about for that fandom
Please Avoid. The stuff that makes me sad in the pants. Please strongly take into account the Please Avoid listing, since I might not be able to enjoy your fic if it incorporates items in that list.

Juuni Kokki/Twelve Kingdoms:

Heart Points: This series is extremely close to my heart for two reasons: because it sets women on a (nearly) equal footing as men in a swords-and-magic fantasy setting, and also because it is virtually devoid of romantic plot. Watching this show felt like finally seeing a Lord of the Rings made just for me, as I was a teenage girl who had no women to look up to in fantasy (and Yoko is totally an Aragorn). The lack of romantic plot I appreciate because (a) it shows that Yoko has interests and motivations outside of wooing a man (or a rat), and (b) it was so damn REFRESHING to have a story that didn't involve a major romance in any form whatsoever.

The Juicy Stuff: Gender identity, gender roles, the qualities of a ruler, identity crises, overcoming self-doubt, characters exploring and questioning the rules set by the gods, the gods themselves, Taika/Kaikyaku trying to cope with the cultural differences between Wa (Japan) and Juuni Kokki, the Royal Treasures of each kingdom and what they do (for example, the peach stick of dreaming carried by Sairen, or Renrin's wormhole bracelet), the relationships between kirin. If you want to splinter out into total original territory, like Yoko & others interacting with the ruler/kirin of Shun, I would love to see what you come up with!

Fantasy Fic: My fantasy fic would involve a few of the female kirin (Sairin, Hanrin, Renrin, and Sourin) out on a ballin' adventure of their own, with mystery and action and adventure. Maybe Yoko is along with them, having needed their help for some reason or another with a problem, or they are going to give Risai reinforcements as she returns to Tai with Taiki, or something.

Please Avoid: ANY romantic pairing that involves Taiki, Yoko in a submissive/subversive relationship to any of the male characters, anything that goes into Yiff Land. I can deal with character death, so long as it isn't Yoko. Please don't make a romance between canon characters the focus of the story, even if it can be considered canon pairing.


Kirby's Epic Yarn:

Heart Points: This game means a lot to me because my close friend

kol got it for me as a Christmas present last year, and we had such a good time playing through the game together. We make the super-cutesy Kirby and Prince Fluff noises all of the time, yell at each other "I LOST MY SHIT" whenever jewels are lost, and we rock out whenever Fluff and Kirby dance at the end of a level.  So what this game means to me is friendship, the importance of being bros, and having fun.

(And senseless violence against Waddle-Dees.)

The Juicy Stuff: What exactly are the logistics of a world made of fabric/yarn, how do Prince Fluff and Metaknight get along, are there any political and social difficulties in Patch Land that Prince Fluff has to quell, ANYBODY bringing up the fact that Kirby is a mass-murderer of little cute yarn creatures (perhaps someone can bring up the regular genocide of Waddle-Dees in Dreamland), what it is like to transform into a Yarn UFO.

Fantasy Fic: Prince Fluff-centric. Prince Fluff getting huffy and defensive around Metaknight, probably acts like a real idiot in trying to prove he is just as brave and strong, because he's worried of Kirby abandoning their quest together to go team up with Metaknight instead.

Please Avoid: Too much dialogue from Kirby (cause that's kinda weird, at least to me), shipping/romance between anyone (bromance is the limit), any kind of graphic language/violence/triggery things inappropriate to the series.

Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time

Heart Points: Oh boy.  This game is what made me a gamer.   Especially with Skyward Sword just coming out, anything related to this game just jams my nostalgia button.  I've replayed this game 22 times and know every secret by heart, but it is the characters I love the best, and how Nintendo absolutely nailed the epic, weighty tone of this game.

The Juicy Stuff:  I love the Sages so very much, and would love any insight into the lives of the Sages, what they gave up when they died and what kind of 'lives' they live afterwards, the Sages' lives before Link intervened, ANYTHING SAGE-RELATED.  Between Young and Old Link, I prefer fic about the older Link, and especially the nostalgia and sadness he must feel for helping make the future-world as bad as it currently is.  Zelda/Sheik in any flavor or form is also welcome.  Also, I'm fascinated with the Gerudo people and the Sheikah people, so any exploration into those cultures would be freaking fantastic. 

Specific to Nabooru and/or Impa - I am really curious about more of the backstory of these characters, and especially about the cultures they are coming from.  I admire both of these characters because they are strong and righteous, are extremely proud of the cultures they come from, and care about the welfare of the world at large.  (If you go into Nabooru/Impa shipping territory, that's cool, but I can go with or without it.)   I would love to also see fic of Impa training Zelda in the 7 lost years Link is asleep. And/or, what if Impa went a few years without hearing from Nabooru, and tried to investigate what was going on at the Spirit Temple?

Fantasy Fic:  Nabooru and Impa meeting pre-game for some reason or another, they know LINK'S MOM in some fashion (my head-canon being that his mom was a card-carrying badass), and maybe the three of them put their heads together to solve a crisis, or to make sense of the prophecies approaching Hyrule, or something awesome. 

Please Avoid.  Young Link in any weird pedobear situations (I know Nabooru kind of playfully teases him, and that is the line), Ganondorf forcing injustice on the Gerudo women and being portrayed as "right" because he is the Man and he knows best (this is fine if you are doing it with knowledge that Ganondorf is wrong, though).  If you go the romance route, please include a plot, cause PWP doesn't do much for me.


Seirei no Moribito: Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

Heart Points:  This series hit me in the right spots for the same reasons Twelve Kingdoms did - a very strong female protagonist who was not an 'ice-queen' or otherwise unbelievable, but someone flawed but also deeply fascinating.  The relationship between Balsa and Tanda - the badass spearswoman and the healer nice-guy - is so, so deliciously subverted from usual fantasy/adventure romance that I can't help but adore it.

The Juicy Stuff: BALSA/TANDA (even if you don't want to write a romance story, as long as they are friends or have a conversation or SOMETHING, I'm great), the play between the 'real world' and the various worlds of spirits and how Tanda is able to see those other worlds, Balsa and Tanda trying to take care of Chagum as a sort of 'family', the characters trying to investigate more into the history of their kingdom, more about the backstory of Tanda's people and how Tanda feels about the diminishing of his tribe, action scenes and magical feats.

Fantasy Fic: I really loved one scene in the anime when Balsa and Chagum have just left Tanda's hut, and two guards approach Tanda for questioning, and he is all manic-angry about how Balsa always ditches him.  I found this scene HILARIOUS, and I would love to see more of how Tanda tries to cope with being the pining, lonely housewife while Balsa is off having adventures.  Maybe she gets it through her head to try to do something special for him in return, but there is a misunderstanding along the way.

Please Avoid. Cheating plot or any pairing that breaks up Balsa/Tanda, treating the Balsa character as anything other than a self-confident and capable woman - please do not make her Tanda's bitch suddenly, unless it is in his fantasy world, or else she is intentionally leading him on.  If you go down the romance road and there is sweet lovin', please no porn without plot!
 

Thank you again!