Dear Yuletide Writer
Oct. 1st, 2016 04:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
effectaffectThanks for checking out this letter! I’ve got some pretty broad requests this year, so I’ve provided a lot of information in my optional details. I hope they, this supplement, and the Yuletide season don’t overwhelm you. I’m looking forward to spending 1000+ more words in any of these universes, and I hope you’re able to find a story hook you like somewhere below.
GENERAL INFORMATION
For the most part, I find myself most satisfied by and connected to stories that engage with characters as people who are struggling and changing or failing to change. If you have matched on one of my "any" requests hoping to do worldbuilding, fear not! I love an exploration of what makes the canon universe what it is, and its own part played in the development of the characters and their circumstances, as a character itself. I'd love to learn more about how some of these universes work and the way that influences everything happening within them. I am interested in reading fic of any rating, in any genre but filk or Seasonal Holiday, in any format but Five-Things-and-Another-Thing. I especially love fic that deals with themes of self-discovery, agency, and interpersonal bonds. If you're looking to flex your muscles for one of the sub-collections, I've linked to comments (there placed so explicit and darkfic prompts are entirely opt-in).
I would prefer not to receive fic involving vore, parent-child incest, scat, or a/b/o. Otherwise, I'm feeling lucky and have very few fandom-specific additional DNWs for this challenge, which I've specified in my signup details.
REQUESTS
機動戦士ガンダム 鉄血のオルフェンズ | Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Atra Mixta, Kudelia Aina Bernstein, Fumitan Admoss
For this request, I am looking especially for a story about Kudelia and emotional intimacy and support - Fumitan as someone she feels she can trust completely, and Atra as a peer her own age she can learn and grow together with.
I would love anything involving Kudelia processing her feelings about Fumitan coupled with the slowly-growing closeness she has with Atra. I so love the relationship that is developing being Atra and Kudelia in this show! I especially enjoy the moments we see Atra purposefully addressing Kudelia with tenderness and patient love, as a friend and as a partner to her. Atra’s conceptualization of Kudelia as part of the family she would like to build with Mikazuki showed him as if the point of a V between them, but I would very much prefer something that structures their dynamic as an equal triangle OR focuses on Atra and Kudelia’s unique relationship and how it’s bringing them closer together, whenever in the canon you choose to set the story.
Fumitan’s presence and discomfort with/in Tekkadan and with Kudelia, and her eventual decision to protect Kudelia despite her feelings of resentment suggest that Fumitan has, despite herself, really developed an intense bond with Kudelia over the years. Kudelia seems to struggle a great deal with vulnerability, both aware that she is sheltered and desperate to see more of the world, she consciously makes an effort to open herself up over and over again. Fumitan’s influence on Kudelia’s life and worldview as protector, confidante, advisor and friend, even in her resentment of Kudelia’s circumstance, manifesting in how Kudelia drives herself and perceives herself are also fascinating to explore if you choose to aim a little later in canon.
Especially if Kudelia is trying to become an icon of hope for others, she will need a source of hope for herself that is external - for when she’s weak, and insecure, and afraid the way all humans are sometimes. Atra checking in on her and tending their growing friendship anyway she knows how would be a really beautiful thing to include. I’d love for Atra to become a source of hope and reassurance like that for Kudelia, and for Atra to similarly feel and understand that she is necessary and appreciated as a restorative, nurturing presence. They just seem so much like they can grow together to have such a supportive and loving relationship, I am hoping for a story that shows them on any part of that journey together and Fumitan’s influence on that relationship either by her presence or absence (or both).
My only fandom-specific DNW is plot points that hinge on romantic jealousy. If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
Gundam 00 ANY (Graham Aker, Setsuna F. Seiei, Tieria Erde, Sumeragi Lee Noriega)
Because I’m requesting “any” character for this fandom this year, I’m going to talk about what most speaks to me about each of them and how they relate to one another (or don’t). I love these characters and the web of their emotional and personal connections, a lot of my favorite things about 00 are in the character dynamics so for this request I’m looking for a story about interaction, communication, and for whichever characters you choose to include to have their relational dynamic developed or expanded upon. Of all the characters in the tagset this year, Tieria is I think the most complicated. I love the duality of Tieria’s characterized experience, positioned as stoic and fragile, formally distant but emotionally volatile, sprawling across identities that are human and post-human and active and passive-- truly, a messy wreck of a person hiding inside a carefully curated exterior performance.
Setsuna by contrast is sensitive in a more flexible way, less brittle in the face of adversity. His supple adaptability in the face of trauma, his obsession with Gundam and the reliability of life (and of death) to continue cast a really interesting light onto the other meisters by contrast. I really see Setsuna as the desert blossom that thrives in adversity, a shining beacon of hope and love that persists beyond reason, as he strives to embody for others the thing that saved him in his moment of terror. Setsuna seems untouchable even in his desire to feel and express and augment that expression in others, to me, like he doesn’t fear anything being taken from him, even when he experiences loss.
Sumeragi Lee Noriega is wonderful in her vulnerability, the way she’s a mess of a genius and battles with guilt and self-worth issues throughout the series and has highs and lows are great to me. I love how she needs support so intensely and denies it, that she is clever and lashes out when she’s frustrated. I especially love her friendship with Tieria and their comfortable sharp silences, watching out for one another. I love the way she wants to put on a brave face and be a role model but simultaneously doesn’t want anyone to really look up to her. Though Graham and Sumeragi don’t interact much in canon, they are pretty strongly connected through both Setsuna and (unnominated) Katagiri, whose relationship history with Sumeragi is one of my favorite things revealed in the latter half.
Graham himself I love most as a diligent fanatic, willing to completely change his life to quench the thirst of his ambition, curious and persistent. I love that he let it pull him down the rabbit hole, away from his beloved Flag and Over-Flag pet project, driving him to extremes because of rather than despite his pride. I can’t shake the impression idea of Graham and Setsuna both as over-powered children in awe of what they don’t realize yet is their own reflection. I definitely ship Graham and Setsuna together, and last year cried into the vastness of space for something about the two of them actually getting to spend some time together being gearheads or exploring one another’s company in various states of knowledge about Setsuna’s connection to Gundam and Celestial Being… timeline be damned… As for Tieria and Graham’s connections, Tieria’s position as heavy-hitting enforcer could set up an interesting story wherein Tieria is concerned for Setsuna and the organization’s cover under Graham’s scrutiny, and surely is complicated by Graham’s battle experiences with the other pilots that Tieria observed as well.
I love the idea of more undercover missions and not-entirely-revealed identities and motivations of the characters, or what the world was like to push them into their circumstances in the first place, in particular.
After finishing the series I haven’t been able to track down the movie and actually watch it, so I’d prefer the story not focus on movie-specific content. If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
少年ハリウッド | Shounen Hollywood (Anime) ANY (Amaki “Makki” Ikuma, Saeki Kira, Maiyama Shun, Cat (Shounen Hollywood))
Because I’m requesting “any” character for this fandom, I’m going to talk about what most speaks to me about each of them and how they relate to one another (or don’t). Sho-Holly is one of my favorite idol anime specifically because of its slow pacing and focus on the guys constructing and developing their idol personas as characterizations which they perform and break from (or not in Tomii’s case). The moments when we see each of them break character, or conversely settle into the character they had previously not enjoyed, are for me where the canon shines. Those moments really create a sense of depth and intimacy - we the audience really get to indulge in feeling that we know something more about the idols as people than the in-universe fans and observers enhancing the backstage green-room feel. I’d most enjoy a story that carries that duality of persona and modes of character interaction, whatever characters you choose to include or focus on.
Cat, the owl, is obviously a complicated case here in the tagset. Cat’s narrative episode is also mostly about letting the audience indulge in having special knowledge through his perspective, revealing extra details about his favoritism for Shun and history of the theater’s circumstances and the mentor characters’ backstories.
Of the idols themselves I think Shun is the least diligent, most easily tempted by indulgences of all kinds. I love his arc about embracing the flashy arrogance, negative connotations and all, of idol celebrity as a part of his character (regardless of how bad an idea that might be as far as life choices go for his development as a person). I like that he’s the most easily embarrassed and probably the most vain, even though with Kira in the group he’s got strong competition.
Kira and Shun are both trouble-makers, but where Shun acts like he doesn’t like attention while thriving on it, Kira absorbs attention as a side-effect of his desire to do the job well. Kira’s diligence combined with his playful personality are, for me, his biggest charm point. Kira can be a sarcastic little shit in small moments to catch a break from the saccharine way he’s perceived, and go right back to work even when he feels put-upon at the time in a way that highlights him as mature and professional. Makki was so impressed by Kira’s willingness and apparent ease slipping into the role despite knowing how hard Kira was working, when they were out on the town for the fan chance-meeting event and played into the fans’ expectations despite Makki being the one who wanted the kettle corn (big sweet baby that he is).
Makki is similarly surprising in that he looks like trouble - a big guy, formerly a delinquent, seems loud and tough and imposing - but he just wants the chance to pet Cat’s soft feathers, and put his all into the performance even though he knows he has the worst rhythm there. Whereas Shun seems to like himself, to be deeply confident in his ability and personality, Makki and Kira came across to me as more uncertain in a way that I find really interesting with Makki choosing a new direction and trying his hardest and still losing the center spot, needing advice and reassurances, while Kira has to remind himself and everyone around him that he isn’t the person they saw on TV and isn’t satisfied with being treated as that person. Shun is enjoying being seen, but Kira doesn’t feel as visible in the same spotlight because he’s hyper-aware of audience expectation in a way that Shun isn’t yet.
I especially love the episodes of the canon that are on the surface episodes of something else (the music program, Tommy and Tomii’s TV drama), and where they go out into the world to interact with fans and switch back and forth between their performative selves and their underlying identities or struggle to do the work of getting into idol form. If you’re interested in writing slash for this tagset, one dynamic I’d love to see is Kira pursuing Makki, but I’m open to any ship not involving Cat. Because Cat is an owl.
If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
幸腹グラフィティ | Koufuku Graffiti | Gourmet Girl Graffiti (Anime) ANY (Machiko Ryou, Morino Kirin, Shiina (Koufuku Graffiti), Tsuyuko (Koufuku Graffiti))
Because I’m requesting “any” character for this fandom, I’m going to talk about what most speaks to me about each of them and how they relate to one another (or don’t). With this fandom my favorite thing is definitely the focus on preparation and consumption of food as an act of love and bonding. I love that Ryou finds joy and satisfaction through the company of Kirin and Shiina, experiencing meal preparation with them and Tsuyuko and getting the joy of eating it together.
Ryou and Tsuyuko both clearly derive a lot of pleasure from knowing their efforts are appreciated even if they aren’t fully seen or understood -- for each of them, having the others in mind as they cook makes the food better and makes the act of preparing it more nourishing to both the cook(s) and the diner(s). Relationships in the show are at the core built around mutual company and shared experiences, like Ryou’s friendship with Shiina, built on food-sharing, or developing deeper bonds the way Kirin does with Ryou by staying the night and sharing the apartment regularly. The communal experience and fulfilling nature of mealtime really comes across in the way the characters seem to feel enriched and sustained by the presence of each other.
Kirin’s brash inner core coupled with her reactionary shyness around adults really captures her age, whereas Ryou seems older than she is in part because she’s subdued from the loss of her grandmother. Shiina seems relatively carefree, supported as she is by her household in contrast to Kirin’s working on the family farm, and their mutual curiosity about one another and interest in whoever it is that’s getting Ryou’s cooking and attention is really charming. I’d love to see more of their friendship develop, both around each of their relationships with Ryou and away from her, to be its own connection. Similarly, I'd love to see Tsuyuko and Shiina's relationship explored, and Tsuyuko build a mentor-like friendship with the other girls as well.
Because of the culinary focus and sensual presentation, I feel like this fandom is a great opportunity for metaphorical exploration (trying new foods, going off recipe, first tastes and last bites) or playing with the format of a recipe or instructions for a particular dish (or action) as related to or a part of character interaction. I found this canon to be a delightful cream-puff dessert, with just enough crisp and airiness to balance the sweetness of the thick filling. I would love to see something set further after Kirin moves in with Ryou, about their nightly dinners, or about breakfasts together after Shiina stays over to study, or some of them trying things they learned all together again at home. Anything to expand upon the loving connections and delicious food shared between them is welcome.
My only DNWs for this fandom are my blanket DNWs: vore, scat, parent-child incest, and a/b/o. If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
selector infected WIXOSS ANY (Aoi Akira, Igarashi Rumi | Ulith, Kominato Ruuko, Kurebayashi Kazuki, Kurebayashi Yuzuki, Tama (WIXOSS), Uemura Hitoe, Urazoe Iona | Yuki)
I love this show, all of the characters have depth, fears and hopes and desires and things that hold them back and push them forward. I love the way canon shows a wide variety of personality types, both healthy and unhealthy, in similarly varied situations. I loved the way that information was slowly revealed, and its stubborn refusal to answer questions or really explain itself. The multilayered and various mysteries of the character web really opened like a flower, and now we get to examine its petals.
Akira is one of my favorite characters because of her volatility, her obsession, her dependence on outside reassurance. The more she tries to lash out the more vulnerable she becomes, and her wrestling with agency in her identity and her relationships with the other characters. I’d love to see Akira doing battle, card battle or emotional battle, trying to be Aki-lovely or Aki-lucky without being personally destroyed.
Akira is resilient in a totally different way than Hitoe -Hitoe is seen as tragically sympathetic when she makes the same wish again, persisting in the face of futility she can’t entirely know- where Akira could wish for a thousand different things and they’d all seem futile in the end. Hitoe’s relationships with Ruu and especially with Yuzuki seem fertile ground for exploring Hitoe’s experience and inexperience with losing the battle and entering it again, and the nature of wishes and their attainability.
SPEAKING OF AGENCY AND ATTAINABILITY let’s talk about Yuzuki and Kazuki, whose dynamic over the course of the show only answers the question of whether or not the wishes are truly attainable exclusively through action outside of the selector battle through unreliable Mayu. The way we see Yuzuki’s moment of victory and her win conditions manifest, it’s not entirely clear if magically what is happening is happening because of her wish or if it would have happened this way regardless - I’d love something that explores Kazuki’s feelings and the way folks outside of the selector battles are effected by them. Even though Akira is taken aback and simultaneously delighted to discover the secret of Yuzuki’s wish, Ruuko and Hitoe remain supportive. Something that explores their takes on the situation would also be really interesting to me.
Ruuko is a fascinating protagonist because while she loves the game, she’s afraid of what she feels within herself - this reminds me so much of adolescence and awakening to a connection between yourself and something thrilling or unknown (sexual awakening, freedom to rebel, the precipice of responsibility). She loves the game but not its rules, but she still wants to play. Tama’s lack of memories about her creation or awareness of the system play into Ruu’s uncertain and curious desire to move forward, so they can both understand themselves and this experience they both enjoy but are frightened by- I love their relationship, and really just want them to be happy and together eating soft-serve in summer. LET THEM BE TOGETHER, cries my heart of hearts.
Ruu’s ability to change and influence everyone around her is especially fascinating during the “spread” season, once Akira and Yuzuki and Hitoe’s actions reveal more of the machinations of the game-- her influence on Iona and the creation of Yuki, make me wonder what could be explored if Akira experienced this difference between Iona and Ulith, or if Ulith had been Ruu’s card, or Tama’s fear of being similarly made-gray by Ulith’s darkness while Yuki is made-gray by Ruu’s light. Ruuko’s grandmother being a game designer never did come back into the plot in the way I expected, but Ruu’s bone-deep love of play is really the connecting thread through the entire thing, for me -- she is just as bold and straightforward as Yuzuki once she decides what she wants.
I loved the way they implied a multigenerational span to the game, possibly even multiuniversal, and the lingering shot on the flower on the side of the road at the end when they were wondering what happened to Hanayo made me wonder just how long the game could have been working its magic. I would love to see more of this world and how it works out for these people still battling to claim their own selves and desires from the world they’re in. Even though I said that I want Tama and Ruu to be allowed to be together, I will gladly accept all the whump for this show. If you would rather focus on the pain of separation and isolation, as with Hitoe immediately after her minus, or Tama’s moment of “betrayal” when she thought Ruu was giving up on being friends with her, Akira’s rage about her face and eventual vicious resurgence-- can a minus even become a plus? Akira’s modeling career bounced back with Iona’s support and she was getting praise for being edgier in a way that couldn’t have happened without her minus experience. Whatever character or aspect of this canon you choose to run with, I’m looking forward to spending more time with these girls.
If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this and the comments below, if you so chose. Good luck, and happy writing!
For the most part, I find myself most satisfied by and connected to stories that engage with characters as people who are struggling and changing or failing to change. If you have matched on one of my "any" requests hoping to do worldbuilding, fear not! I love an exploration of what makes the canon universe what it is, and its own part played in the development of the characters and their circumstances, as a character itself. I'd love to learn more about how some of these universes work and the way that influences everything happening within them. I am interested in reading fic of any rating, in any genre but filk or Seasonal Holiday, in any format but Five-Things-and-Another-Thing. I especially love fic that deals with themes of self-discovery, agency, and interpersonal bonds. If you're looking to flex your muscles for one of the sub-collections, I've linked to comments (there placed so explicit and darkfic prompts are entirely opt-in).
I would prefer not to receive fic involving vore, parent-child incest, scat, or a/b/o. Otherwise, I'm feeling lucky and have very few fandom-specific additional DNWs for this challenge, which I've specified in my signup details.
機動戦士ガンダム 鉄血のオルフェンズ | Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Atra Mixta, Kudelia Aina Bernstein, Fumitan Admoss
For this request, I am looking especially for a story about Kudelia and emotional intimacy and support - Fumitan as someone she feels she can trust completely, and Atra as a peer her own age she can learn and grow together with.
I would love anything involving Kudelia processing her feelings about Fumitan coupled with the slowly-growing closeness she has with Atra. I so love the relationship that is developing being Atra and Kudelia in this show! I especially enjoy the moments we see Atra purposefully addressing Kudelia with tenderness and patient love, as a friend and as a partner to her. Atra’s conceptualization of Kudelia as part of the family she would like to build with Mikazuki showed him as if the point of a V between them, but I would very much prefer something that structures their dynamic as an equal triangle OR focuses on Atra and Kudelia’s unique relationship and how it’s bringing them closer together, whenever in the canon you choose to set the story.
Fumitan’s presence and discomfort with/in Tekkadan and with Kudelia, and her eventual decision to protect Kudelia despite her feelings of resentment suggest that Fumitan has, despite herself, really developed an intense bond with Kudelia over the years. Kudelia seems to struggle a great deal with vulnerability, both aware that she is sheltered and desperate to see more of the world, she consciously makes an effort to open herself up over and over again. Fumitan’s influence on Kudelia’s life and worldview as protector, confidante, advisor and friend, even in her resentment of Kudelia’s circumstance, manifesting in how Kudelia drives herself and perceives herself are also fascinating to explore if you choose to aim a little later in canon.
Especially if Kudelia is trying to become an icon of hope for others, she will need a source of hope for herself that is external - for when she’s weak, and insecure, and afraid the way all humans are sometimes. Atra checking in on her and tending their growing friendship anyway she knows how would be a really beautiful thing to include. I’d love for Atra to become a source of hope and reassurance like that for Kudelia, and for Atra to similarly feel and understand that she is necessary and appreciated as a restorative, nurturing presence. They just seem so much like they can grow together to have such a supportive and loving relationship, I am hoping for a story that shows them on any part of that journey together and Fumitan’s influence on that relationship either by her presence or absence (or both).
My only fandom-specific DNW is plot points that hinge on romantic jealousy. If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
Gundam 00 ANY (Graham Aker, Setsuna F. Seiei, Tieria Erde, Sumeragi Lee Noriega)
Because I’m requesting “any” character for this fandom this year, I’m going to talk about what most speaks to me about each of them and how they relate to one another (or don’t). I love these characters and the web of their emotional and personal connections, a lot of my favorite things about 00 are in the character dynamics so for this request I’m looking for a story about interaction, communication, and for whichever characters you choose to include to have their relational dynamic developed or expanded upon. Of all the characters in the tagset this year, Tieria is I think the most complicated. I love the duality of Tieria’s characterized experience, positioned as stoic and fragile, formally distant but emotionally volatile, sprawling across identities that are human and post-human and active and passive-- truly, a messy wreck of a person hiding inside a carefully curated exterior performance.
Setsuna by contrast is sensitive in a more flexible way, less brittle in the face of adversity. His supple adaptability in the face of trauma, his obsession with Gundam and the reliability of life (and of death) to continue cast a really interesting light onto the other meisters by contrast. I really see Setsuna as the desert blossom that thrives in adversity, a shining beacon of hope and love that persists beyond reason, as he strives to embody for others the thing that saved him in his moment of terror. Setsuna seems untouchable even in his desire to feel and express and augment that expression in others, to me, like he doesn’t fear anything being taken from him, even when he experiences loss.
Sumeragi Lee Noriega is wonderful in her vulnerability, the way she’s a mess of a genius and battles with guilt and self-worth issues throughout the series and has highs and lows are great to me. I love how she needs support so intensely and denies it, that she is clever and lashes out when she’s frustrated. I especially love her friendship with Tieria and their comfortable sharp silences, watching out for one another. I love the way she wants to put on a brave face and be a role model but simultaneously doesn’t want anyone to really look up to her. Though Graham and Sumeragi don’t interact much in canon, they are pretty strongly connected through both Setsuna and (unnominated) Katagiri, whose relationship history with Sumeragi is one of my favorite things revealed in the latter half.
Graham himself I love most as a diligent fanatic, willing to completely change his life to quench the thirst of his ambition, curious and persistent. I love that he let it pull him down the rabbit hole, away from his beloved Flag and Over-Flag pet project, driving him to extremes because of rather than despite his pride. I can’t shake the impression idea of Graham and Setsuna both as over-powered children in awe of what they don’t realize yet is their own reflection. I definitely ship Graham and Setsuna together, and last year cried into the vastness of space for something about the two of them actually getting to spend some time together being gearheads or exploring one another’s company in various states of knowledge about Setsuna’s connection to Gundam and Celestial Being… timeline be damned… As for Tieria and Graham’s connections, Tieria’s position as heavy-hitting enforcer could set up an interesting story wherein Tieria is concerned for Setsuna and the organization’s cover under Graham’s scrutiny, and surely is complicated by Graham’s battle experiences with the other pilots that Tieria observed as well.
I love the idea of more undercover missions and not-entirely-revealed identities and motivations of the characters, or what the world was like to push them into their circumstances in the first place, in particular.
After finishing the series I haven’t been able to track down the movie and actually watch it, so I’d prefer the story not focus on movie-specific content. If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
少年ハリウッド | Shounen Hollywood (Anime) ANY (Amaki “Makki” Ikuma, Saeki Kira, Maiyama Shun, Cat (Shounen Hollywood))
Because I’m requesting “any” character for this fandom, I’m going to talk about what most speaks to me about each of them and how they relate to one another (or don’t). Sho-Holly is one of my favorite idol anime specifically because of its slow pacing and focus on the guys constructing and developing their idol personas as characterizations which they perform and break from (or not in Tomii’s case). The moments when we see each of them break character, or conversely settle into the character they had previously not enjoyed, are for me where the canon shines. Those moments really create a sense of depth and intimacy - we the audience really get to indulge in feeling that we know something more about the idols as people than the in-universe fans and observers enhancing the backstage green-room feel. I’d most enjoy a story that carries that duality of persona and modes of character interaction, whatever characters you choose to include or focus on.
Cat, the owl, is obviously a complicated case here in the tagset. Cat’s narrative episode is also mostly about letting the audience indulge in having special knowledge through his perspective, revealing extra details about his favoritism for Shun and history of the theater’s circumstances and the mentor characters’ backstories.
Of the idols themselves I think Shun is the least diligent, most easily tempted by indulgences of all kinds. I love his arc about embracing the flashy arrogance, negative connotations and all, of idol celebrity as a part of his character (regardless of how bad an idea that might be as far as life choices go for his development as a person). I like that he’s the most easily embarrassed and probably the most vain, even though with Kira in the group he’s got strong competition.
Kira and Shun are both trouble-makers, but where Shun acts like he doesn’t like attention while thriving on it, Kira absorbs attention as a side-effect of his desire to do the job well. Kira’s diligence combined with his playful personality are, for me, his biggest charm point. Kira can be a sarcastic little shit in small moments to catch a break from the saccharine way he’s perceived, and go right back to work even when he feels put-upon at the time in a way that highlights him as mature and professional. Makki was so impressed by Kira’s willingness and apparent ease slipping into the role despite knowing how hard Kira was working, when they were out on the town for the fan chance-meeting event and played into the fans’ expectations despite Makki being the one who wanted the kettle corn (big sweet baby that he is).
Makki is similarly surprising in that he looks like trouble - a big guy, formerly a delinquent, seems loud and tough and imposing - but he just wants the chance to pet Cat’s soft feathers, and put his all into the performance even though he knows he has the worst rhythm there. Whereas Shun seems to like himself, to be deeply confident in his ability and personality, Makki and Kira came across to me as more uncertain in a way that I find really interesting with Makki choosing a new direction and trying his hardest and still losing the center spot, needing advice and reassurances, while Kira has to remind himself and everyone around him that he isn’t the person they saw on TV and isn’t satisfied with being treated as that person. Shun is enjoying being seen, but Kira doesn’t feel as visible in the same spotlight because he’s hyper-aware of audience expectation in a way that Shun isn’t yet.
I especially love the episodes of the canon that are on the surface episodes of something else (the music program, Tommy and Tomii’s TV drama), and where they go out into the world to interact with fans and switch back and forth between their performative selves and their underlying identities or struggle to do the work of getting into idol form. If you’re interested in writing slash for this tagset, one dynamic I’d love to see is Kira pursuing Makki, but I’m open to any ship not involving Cat. Because Cat is an owl.
If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
幸腹グラフィティ | Koufuku Graffiti | Gourmet Girl Graffiti (Anime) ANY (Machiko Ryou, Morino Kirin, Shiina (Koufuku Graffiti), Tsuyuko (Koufuku Graffiti))
Because I’m requesting “any” character for this fandom, I’m going to talk about what most speaks to me about each of them and how they relate to one another (or don’t). With this fandom my favorite thing is definitely the focus on preparation and consumption of food as an act of love and bonding. I love that Ryou finds joy and satisfaction through the company of Kirin and Shiina, experiencing meal preparation with them and Tsuyuko and getting the joy of eating it together.
Ryou and Tsuyuko both clearly derive a lot of pleasure from knowing their efforts are appreciated even if they aren’t fully seen or understood -- for each of them, having the others in mind as they cook makes the food better and makes the act of preparing it more nourishing to both the cook(s) and the diner(s). Relationships in the show are at the core built around mutual company and shared experiences, like Ryou’s friendship with Shiina, built on food-sharing, or developing deeper bonds the way Kirin does with Ryou by staying the night and sharing the apartment regularly. The communal experience and fulfilling nature of mealtime really comes across in the way the characters seem to feel enriched and sustained by the presence of each other.
Kirin’s brash inner core coupled with her reactionary shyness around adults really captures her age, whereas Ryou seems older than she is in part because she’s subdued from the loss of her grandmother. Shiina seems relatively carefree, supported as she is by her household in contrast to Kirin’s working on the family farm, and their mutual curiosity about one another and interest in whoever it is that’s getting Ryou’s cooking and attention is really charming. I’d love to see more of their friendship develop, both around each of their relationships with Ryou and away from her, to be its own connection. Similarly, I'd love to see Tsuyuko and Shiina's relationship explored, and Tsuyuko build a mentor-like friendship with the other girls as well.
Because of the culinary focus and sensual presentation, I feel like this fandom is a great opportunity for metaphorical exploration (trying new foods, going off recipe, first tastes and last bites) or playing with the format of a recipe or instructions for a particular dish (or action) as related to or a part of character interaction. I found this canon to be a delightful cream-puff dessert, with just enough crisp and airiness to balance the sweetness of the thick filling. I would love to see something set further after Kirin moves in with Ryou, about their nightly dinners, or about breakfasts together after Shiina stays over to study, or some of them trying things they learned all together again at home. Anything to expand upon the loving connections and delicious food shared between them is welcome.
My only DNWs for this fandom are my blanket DNWs: vore, scat, parent-child incest, and a/b/o. If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
selector infected WIXOSS ANY (Aoi Akira, Igarashi Rumi | Ulith, Kominato Ruuko, Kurebayashi Kazuki, Kurebayashi Yuzuki, Tama (WIXOSS), Uemura Hitoe, Urazoe Iona | Yuki)
I love this show, all of the characters have depth, fears and hopes and desires and things that hold them back and push them forward. I love the way canon shows a wide variety of personality types, both healthy and unhealthy, in similarly varied situations. I loved the way that information was slowly revealed, and its stubborn refusal to answer questions or really explain itself. The multilayered and various mysteries of the character web really opened like a flower, and now we get to examine its petals.
Akira is one of my favorite characters because of her volatility, her obsession, her dependence on outside reassurance. The more she tries to lash out the more vulnerable she becomes, and her wrestling with agency in her identity and her relationships with the other characters. I’d love to see Akira doing battle, card battle or emotional battle, trying to be Aki-lovely or Aki-lucky without being personally destroyed.
Akira is resilient in a totally different way than Hitoe -Hitoe is seen as tragically sympathetic when she makes the same wish again, persisting in the face of futility she can’t entirely know- where Akira could wish for a thousand different things and they’d all seem futile in the end. Hitoe’s relationships with Ruu and especially with Yuzuki seem fertile ground for exploring Hitoe’s experience and inexperience with losing the battle and entering it again, and the nature of wishes and their attainability.
SPEAKING OF AGENCY AND ATTAINABILITY let’s talk about Yuzuki and Kazuki, whose dynamic over the course of the show only answers the question of whether or not the wishes are truly attainable exclusively through action outside of the selector battle through unreliable Mayu. The way we see Yuzuki’s moment of victory and her win conditions manifest, it’s not entirely clear if magically what is happening is happening because of her wish or if it would have happened this way regardless - I’d love something that explores Kazuki’s feelings and the way folks outside of the selector battles are effected by them. Even though Akira is taken aback and simultaneously delighted to discover the secret of Yuzuki’s wish, Ruuko and Hitoe remain supportive. Something that explores their takes on the situation would also be really interesting to me.
Ruuko is a fascinating protagonist because while she loves the game, she’s afraid of what she feels within herself - this reminds me so much of adolescence and awakening to a connection between yourself and something thrilling or unknown (sexual awakening, freedom to rebel, the precipice of responsibility). She loves the game but not its rules, but she still wants to play. Tama’s lack of memories about her creation or awareness of the system play into Ruu’s uncertain and curious desire to move forward, so they can both understand themselves and this experience they both enjoy but are frightened by- I love their relationship, and really just want them to be happy and together eating soft-serve in summer. LET THEM BE TOGETHER, cries my heart of hearts.
Ruu’s ability to change and influence everyone around her is especially fascinating during the “spread” season, once Akira and Yuzuki and Hitoe’s actions reveal more of the machinations of the game-- her influence on Iona and the creation of Yuki, make me wonder what could be explored if Akira experienced this difference between Iona and Ulith, or if Ulith had been Ruu’s card, or Tama’s fear of being similarly made-gray by Ulith’s darkness while Yuki is made-gray by Ruu’s light. Ruuko’s grandmother being a game designer never did come back into the plot in the way I expected, but Ruu’s bone-deep love of play is really the connecting thread through the entire thing, for me -- she is just as bold and straightforward as Yuzuki once she decides what she wants.
I loved the way they implied a multigenerational span to the game, possibly even multiuniversal, and the lingering shot on the flower on the side of the road at the end when they were wondering what happened to Hanayo made me wonder just how long the game could have been working its magic. I would love to see more of this world and how it works out for these people still battling to claim their own selves and desires from the world they’re in. Even though I said that I want Tama and Ruu to be allowed to be together, I will gladly accept all the whump for this show. If you would rather focus on the pain of separation and isolation, as with Hitoe immediately after her minus, or Tama’s moment of “betrayal” when she thought Ruu was giving up on being friends with her, Akira’s rage about her face and eventual vicious resurgence-- can a minus even become a plus? Akira’s modeling career bounced back with Iona’s support and she was getting praise for being edgier in a way that couldn’t have happened without her minus experience. Whatever character or aspect of this canon you choose to run with, I’m looking forward to spending more time with these girls.
If you're interested in either sub-collection, check out my supplemental for Crueltide and Yuleporn.
CRUELTIDE (darkfic sub-collection)
Date: 2016-10-02 02:47 am (UTC)If you’re interested in writing darkfic about these characters, I would also love to read about Fumitan’s resentful feelings for and occasional mistreatment and deception of Kudelia and how that effects her. Fumitan’s conscience clearly was bothering her about it from at least the moment when Kudelia gave her a matching pendant to wear, and it seems surprising that Fumitan would only under those circumstances realize how much she means to Kudelia and can influence her. I would still love for Atra to be a soothing balm to Kudelia, but by no means feel that you need to shy away from the intensity of feelings Kudelia might be having about Fumitan and their relationship. Feel free to engage with canonical character deaths, psychological trauma, and the after-effects of survivor’s guilt in a family-bonded group like the one Tekkadan is building together. Above I have specified no parent-child incest, and while Fumitan is an older woman who has been a caretaker for Kudelia, I don’t see their relationship as familial and so if you’d like to write them with a sexually charged dynamic that’s fair game.
Darkfic specific tropes for this fandom: manipulating a person or their worldview, emotional abuse, neglect, love-hate relationships, death and its aftermath, body horror, PTSD, co-dependence and themes of helplessness.
Gundam 00 ANY (Graham Aker, Setsuna F. Seiei, Tieria Erde, Sumeragi Lee Noriega)
If you’re interested in writing darkfic about these characters and the universe, I’d especially love something that focuses on either the emotional aftermath of Tieria’s breakdown, Sumeragi’s alcohol addition, or Graham and Setsuna’s extreme obsessiveness about Gundam. All three would be amazing. Everyone’s a miserable wreck in space, but at least they’re miserable together (making each other more or less miserable by turns), because living is itself a battle. Similarly if you’d like to focus on Setsuna’s trauma as a child of war and his willingness to engage for the greater good, I’d love to read about his (and everyone else’s) coping mechanisms and how well they do or do not function for the characters as people.
Darkfic specific tropes for this fandom: addiction, survivor’s guilt, social anxiety, gender dysphoria, dissociation and unreality, PTSD, obsessive fixation, and themes of losing control.
少年ハリウッド | Shounen Hollywood (Anime) ANY (Amaki “Makki” Ikuma, Saeki Kira, Maiyama Shun, Cat (Shounen Hollywood))
If you’re interested in writing darkfic for this, I’d especially love a focus on the challenges for people getting into the idol industry and celebrity itself. The guys’ inability to be themselves in public without risking breaking character, having to keep their guard up, the paranoia and separation from self that come with performance and the rush of the reward that is fans’ accolades and approval -- if it comes, while it lasts. Something about their struggling to do the work, to adapt to the lifestyle, or to find satisfaction within it would be ideal.
Darkfic tropes for this fandom: identity confusion, dissociation and unreality, emotional emptiness or apathy, depression, insecurity, performance anxiety, and distrust.
幸腹グラフィティ | Koufuku Graffiti | Gourmet Girl Graffiti (Anime) ANY (Machiko Ryou, Morino Kirin, Shiina (Koufuku Graffiti), Tsuyuko (Koufuku Graffiti))
If you’re interested in writing darkfic for this (incredibly light) fandom, I’d love something that deals with Ryou’s grief and isolation after her grandmother’s death. I’d also be interested in reading about Kirin’s family’s opinions on her moving in with Ryou -- they are cousins, but their relationship can definitely be read as having romantic or sexual tension, so if you’re interested in exploring the two of them dealing with living together as a couple and the consequences of that, feel free!
Darkfic tropes for this fandom: loss, death and its aftermath, depression (especially things like the food tasting wrong when Ryou is down), fear of rejection, and loneliness
selector infected WIXOSS ANY (Aoi Akira, Igarashi Rumi | Ulith, Kominato Ruuko, Kurebayashi Kazuki, Kurebayashi Yuzuki, Tama (WIXOSS), Uemura Hitoe, Urazoe Iona | Yuki)
If you’re interested in writing darkfic for this, PLEASE DO. Because the character list and my sign-up were so long for this fandom, I’m just going to list darkfic tropes I’d enjoy seeing with any of the characters in the tagset: agency and consent, abusive relationships, child abuse, child abandonment, coercion, mind control, if only you had known then what you know now, dissociation and unreality, depression, loneliness, impostors, forced separations or collaborations, death and its aftermath, and themes of futility.