dear author: yuletide 2014

[straightforwardly]

Dear Yuletide Author,

Hello, Mystery Author! Before I say anything else: thank you for being my writer! I'm very excited to see what it is you come up with.

Next, I should probably mention that I'm one of those people who loves both writing and receiving long, detailed letters. If you're not one of those people, please don't panic! This isn't meant to pressure you or make you feel constrained in any way. Rather, it's my way of trying to give you as many ideas and options as possible. I do firmly believe that optional details are optional. As long as you treat the characters I love with love and respect, and at least try to consider my dislikes, I'll probably be more than happy with what you give me. ♥

Previous Letters: 2013

General Likes & Dislikes

Likes	Dislikes
subtle romances romance in general character studies friendship happy endings exploring the relationships between characters plot love expressed without saying "I love you" kissing	porn without plot graphic violence characters being humiliated unhappy endings (in the context of this fest) crack!fic kid!fic sex scenes for the sake of sex scenes complete AUs

Cinders

Requested Character(s): Cinders, Perrault
Canon: A Cinderella-inspired otome game which can be bought on Steam or here on the creator's website.

I left this game really into Perrault/Cinders, and so that's what I'd like to see best.

I like my Cinders somewhat snarky, but ultimately a good person. My favorite ending for Cinders herself would be the Independent Woman route; however, my favorite ending for this pairing is when Cinders is a (preferably Fair & Wise) Queen and Perrault is her lover. I'm generally not very interested in the ending where they strike off on their own together. In general, I'd prefer something post-game, though if you have an idea for a story set during the game, feel free to go for it.

With the Queen route, I just can't help but wonder how that affair began. Did Cinders know that she would never love Prince Basile and only chose to marry him to improve her life / possibly do good, or did she try to ignore her interest in Perrault and try to convince herself that she could love the prince? I can't see either Perrault or Cinders just jumping into infidelity right off the bat, so what changed? What convinced them?

I don't really have any specific ideas about what I'd like to see from an Independent Woman ending, but I definitely would not mind seeing a story set there. One thing I really like about their romance in that ending is how it's a bit more of a slow-burn. By the time they actually settle down together, they've known each other for years, and there's this sense of familiarity between them that makes me kind of giddy.

Alternatively, if you have an idea for some sort of independent plot set during either of those endings, I'd love to see that as well.

I love the stepsisters, especially Sophia, and would prefer to see them treated well. I'm also into Prince Basile/Sophia, if you want to include that as a side-pairing. I don't really like Basile as a love interest. However, I am a huge fan of he and Cinders having some sort of friendship with one another.

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun

Requested Character(s): Sakura, Mikorin
Canon: A twelve-episode anime which (lovingly) pokes fun at the shoujo genre. It can be watched here on crunchyroll.

I should probably mention that I'm only familiar with the anime.

That being said, there is so much that I would love to read for this fandom— I had a very difficult time narrowing it all down. I requested Sakura and Mikorin because I loved their relationship, regardless whether it's a platonic friendship or a romance. If you do take the romance route, however, I do ask that you are fair to Sakura's canonical feelings for Nozaki. (Especially since I ship that too.)

In general, I prefer for stories for this fandom to be set while they're still at school

As for story ideas, maybe something where Sakura has to bail Mikorin out of (his completely-but-accidentally self-created) trouble? If you're interested in writing them as a pairing, I would be all over a solution which involves a pretend relationship turning into something real. I could really see that working for this fandom. Or maybe something happens which leads to them getting roped into being the inspiration for a subplot for Nozaki's manga.

If you're not interested in Sakura and Mikorin, or if the plot bunnies just aren't hopping for them, then I'd be equally interested in seeing something for Hori/Kashima. If Sakura & Mikorin have my favorite relationship, then Hori/Kashima is my favorite pairing, if that makes sense. The physical violence in their relationship does make me somewhat uncomfortable, but... I just can't help but fall for the sheer faith Hori has in Kashima, or the admiration she has for him.

I realize it's a bit cliché for these two, but I'd love anything set around a play, especially if it resolves in them realizing their feelings for each other. Maybe something where Hori is, at the last-minute, roped into replacing a character (a rival prince, maybe?), and Kashima's character ends up having more chemistry with his character than with the princess? Or anything, really— I'm sure you'll be more imaginative than me, haha.

One last note: I'd really prefer not to get anything excessively angsty for this fandom. It just really doesn't work for me, especially since the anime itself is so lighthearted.

Halloween Otome

Requested Character(s): Emma Cee, The Count
Canon: A free otome game which is much better than the title and summary makes it sound. It can be downloaded here.

(Note: to avoid potential spoilers for anyone who might come across this & be interested in trying out the game, I'm going to simply refer to him as "The Count".)

This is probably one of the most straightforward of my requests. Essentially, I want The Count/Emma. Post-game, during the game, whenever you'd like to set it— I just desperately want to have more of the romance between these two.

I'd be really happy with fluffy, slice-of-life stuff set post-game. How do the Count and Mira interact with one another? How do they integrate themselves into each other's lives? I really connected with Emma's general disinterest for celebrities, so I'd prefer if she maintained some of the more down-to-earth qualities of her life, and would generally be more interested in seeing the Count in her world than she in his. Does the Count ever get the fluffy dog with short legs of his dreams?

I will now take the time to say that I am completely in love with the Count's blinding yellow sweaters, and would love and appreciate any appearances.

Another take I'd be interested in seeing is what if some of the supernatural elements were real? The portion of the game with the doll and singing really, really creeped me out, and I could never be quite convinced that it was all just a game. Maybe the Count has some secrets in his family history / mansion / past of the supernatural variety? If you go that route, though, I do ask that you keep the characters (and the characterization) true to how they were portrayed in the game.

This is also the only prompt where I don't mind if you ignore my general disinterest in sex scenes. Maybe it's because of the Count's flirting, but for some reason, when I was playing this game, I found myself really wanting them to have sex upon every available surface. Maybe they just kept ending up having quickies while they on the way to a task / supposed to be working on a task during the game, before Emma finds out who the Count is? Or maybe something post-game where they completely shatter Mira's "no-making-out-in-the-house" rule against the kitchen counter.

The Second Reproduction

Requested Character(s): Gardis, Christina Ranzaad
Canon: A Japanese otome game. The English patch can be found here. The company which published it is, as far as I know, no longer around, so there's no legal way to obtain a copy of the actual game. However, if you google it, you should be able to find a download for it somewhere.

I left this game much more charmed by the friendship scenes between Gardis, Christina, & Lezette than by the actual romance (which was much too dub-con-y at times for my taste), so I'd prefer it if you tried to hit the same note as the friendships rather than the romances.

I loved how Gardis and Lezette actually formed a friendship/relationship outside of their feelings/any potential rivalry for Christina, as well as how Christina forms a deep connection with both of them regardless of who you actually choose to romance. Gardis' constant suggestions for a threesome during Lezette's route just cemented my love for them.

I would love to receive a Gardis/Christina/Lezette fic, or even just friendship/gen fic of the three. Like I said above, I simply love their relationship, in whatever shape it takes. If you do want to write a romance, but not for the OT3, then Gardis/Christina is the only combination of the three which I also enjoy on their own, and I would just as pleased to receive something for them.

If you want to write something set post-canon, I'd prefer it to be set after the Gardis Good Ending, mainly because 1) I prefer Gardis/Christina and, more importantly, 2) I love how Lezette started a school in that ending. I just feel like that's something which he was well-suited for, and it made me happy.

You will forever get bonus points for Gardis being the most emotionally aware of the three, particularly if you go the OT3 route.

As for fic ideas, I'd be interested in seeing a Gardis/Christina/Lezette get-together fic set post-canon, where Christina & Gardis are married, Lezette has his school, and Gardis and Christina come to the conclusion that their relationship is missing a piece.

I'd also really like to see a reworking of the canon storyline as though there had been an OT3 or friendship-only route. I'm aware that would be quite the undertaking and certainly wouldn't be able to fit in 1000 words, so if that idea intrigues you, rest assured that I'd be equally pleased with seeing a snippet or scene from such an alternate route as my story.

If you just want to write Gardis/Christina, then I'd love to see anything that deals with the time-travel element of the game, especially if it deals with the potential ramifications of Christina having a whole set of memories that no one else does. For instance, what if she accidentally refers to that moment where she & Gardis first connected after the destruction of the Wind Village? Are there any shared experiences which she regrets losing? Does Gardis ever notice her having off-moments which (unbeknownst to him) are connected to her remembering what happened before?

Basically, anything dealing with the fact that Christina travelled through time & no one else knows would make me happy. Feel free to apply to to any OT3/friendship fic as well, if you have any ideas for that as well.

Finally, I also really liked Celes and her relationship with Christina, so if you wanted to work her (or her romance with King Fedex!) into the story somehow, feel free to do so.

And that's that! Whatever we matched on— and whatever you choose to write— I hope that I've given you enough inspiration, and managed to avoid making you freak out about your assignment. Don't worry if you can't follow a request exactly; as long as you treat the characters with love and try to respect my dislikes, I'll probably be very happy with whatever it is you write for me.

Thank you. ♥