Dear Yuletide 2024
Oct. 17th, 2024 12:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anduefexHello Yuletide writer! I have now finalized this letter and I'm so sorry about the delay. Thank you for reaching via the mods and reminding me to finish it.
First of all, my prompts are for your convenience above everything. If you have a much better idea, or something about it spoke to you but you'd rather tell another kind of story, or even if the story isn't coming together and you need to burn it to the ground and write something different, please feel free to abandon them as necessary! As long as you're not including any of my DNWs and you're making a good faith attempt at telling a story you think I'll enjoy, I'll have a good time.
Also, if you matched with me on Tokyo Babylon, Natsume Yuujinchou, or the Lady Trent Memoirs, I highly recommend reading Darling and the Cinderella Club. It's on AO3, it's relatively short, and it's such a fucking delight. A good backup if you're not feeling my other prompts, but also just in general a story worth reading.
Generals DNWs:
character-bashing, even the really evil guys. pregnancy or discussion of the specifics of childbirth. omegaverse. neurotype/trans/ace headcanons (I don't mind it if informs your writing, but I would rather the focus of the story lie elsewhere unless otherwise specified). coffee shop, high school, or university stories, unless they're baked into the existing setting. If you're writing sex scenes: scat, piss, and sounding are off the table.
General interests:
AU, AU that functions as a character study, pornography that functions as a character study (or vice versa), tension and conflict, complicated endings, messy relationships, background worldbuilding, setting as a character/metaphor, interesting framing devices, experimental or otherwise artsy use of text/form, pretentious nonsense generally is my jam
I just think Jack ought to get a turn in the dress.
listen dude I wanted to come up with an exciting prompt involving gender fuckery and period-accurate bullshit, maybe encountering your choice of fictional/historical figures, maybe exploring the future they're going to try and have together. and if you feel so moved by any of that please follow your heart. but I followed my heart and it said put Jack in the fucking dress. I didn't nominate the fandom so I was unable to include any of Darling's friends but I would love it if you did somehow.
Put Subaru in the spin cycle! I love to see this man examine his life and come to the wrong conclusions. Maybe he gets a chance to rewind the clock and see the consequences of choices he didn't make, or maybe he gets stuck in a time loop. Maybe he just keeps making the same mistakes. I love Seishirou/Subaru, the messier the better, but if that's not your jam I'd still like to focus on their connection and how Subaru holds onto him.
I was thinking about vicious cycles and the Sakurazukamori and how Subaru never is allowed to get what he wants, and I thought it would be fun to take that and make it more material for him. What does he have to give up or accept about himself to move forward? What choices does he think he could have made differently? What has he convinced himself he doesn't want in an effort not to lose it?
I really love Subaru/Seishirou and I know it's a controversial ship. I'd prefer any explicit sex scenes between them to occur when Subaru is an adult, but beyond that I don't have any limitations on how you depict them; Seishirou is a villain and a creep and that's part of what's so fascinating about Subaru's care for him. Beyond them also I welcome any characters from any of the other series set in that world (so including CLAMP Campus if you really want to get silly with it), especially Hokuto if your timeline/metaphysical involvement works out that way. Anywhere in the timeline is great also; I have a fondness for the pre-X years where Subaru grew up and developed all his vices, but wherever the story works best for you is great.
I would love to see where they're at in thirty to forty years' time. Colleagues? Friends? Running into each other again after years out of contact? I think time, continued support, and confidence will bring out previously understated aspects of Natsume's personality, and it would be fun to see it through Natori's eyes.
Here's the thing, I think Natsume has latent Bitchy Queen potential and when he stops dissociating so hard and learns he can be himself more without losing Literally Everything, he will start developing it more. Here's the other thing: Natori is already an occasional target when these tendencies do show up in the series. Therefore I am dying to see a self-actualized Natsume bully the shit out of Natori (in a friendly, concern-motivated sort of way) who is in his fifties at LEAST and should know better than to spend all day on set and all night doing exorcisms on a diet of coffee and cup noodle. it was a bad idea in his twenties and it's an even worse idea now! (also: I said 30-40 years but you can pick a different amount of time if it works better for your story, I just want a significant amount of time to have passed since the events of the show.) Or however you want to play it.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I absolutely do ship Natsume/Natori (though not as something that would happen during the canon years for so many reasons, especially that I don't see Natori going for a teenager and also neither of them seem like they're in a place to form that kind of attachment to someone yet). I don't expect you to! I specifically wrote the prompt to be fun and interesting as strict gen. However if you want to give me a very happy yuletide surprise: live Natori reaction to Natsume glow-up, slash goggles firmly in place.
If you have another preferred Natsume ship, I'm up for it, though I would rather not read about him being in a straight relationship or being a heterosexual as a happy ending for him.
I just know in my heart that Thomas is gay and I want to explore what that would look like for him in this world. Isabela's involvement can be as extensive or minimal as you like, though I love their friendship and would like it to feature somehow.
Thomas and Isabella are positioned pretty deliberately at different ends of social struggles — woman versus man, upper versus lower class — in a way that initially creates tension but later allows them to open doors for one another. I really love the ways they show up for each other and collaborate to do more than either could have done alone. And I think that it feels only natural to build off of this further: Isabella is a married heterosexual woman, and Thomas is an unmarried man. Does this mean he's gay? Not necessarily, but wouldn't it be fun? I think it adds dimension. As a working class man he would have had more anonymity, but once he's been brought into the Philosophers' Colloquium he might not have that luxury anymore. What would that part of his life look like before and after? (Also, this is the "otherwise specified" about trans headcanons because I think that could also be a very interesting interpretation if you want to take it there, although I don't have a specific desire for it.)
So that's a lot of background for why I requested it, but not a lot of prompt for you. If by this point you already have an idea for where to take it, please go with that! But if not, I'll throw out some concepts that might be fun.
- Thomas backstory. What was his journey to studying dragons like? Did he have other mentors? Was he involved with any of them? Did he want to be? Did he have any lasting entanglements and did his aspirations beyond the confines of his economic background complicate them?
- How much does Isabella know, and how does she learn? Is this something he discloses, and if so why would he choose to do so? Does someone else disclose it to her? Does she find out purely on accident? What stage of their working relationship/friendship does this happen, and does it bring them closer or make things awkward?
- Does he have a long-term partner? What would their relationship look like? How is Thomas different at home than at work? Or alternatively, is he looking for one? Do the people in his life interfere?
- How messy would it be if he hooked up with Isabella's brother
Anyway I hope any of that is helpful, thank you so much!
First of all, my prompts are for your convenience above everything. If you have a much better idea, or something about it spoke to you but you'd rather tell another kind of story, or even if the story isn't coming together and you need to burn it to the ground and write something different, please feel free to abandon them as necessary! As long as you're not including any of my DNWs and you're making a good faith attempt at telling a story you think I'll enjoy, I'll have a good time.
Also, if you matched with me on Tokyo Babylon, Natsume Yuujinchou, or the Lady Trent Memoirs, I highly recommend reading Darling and the Cinderella Club. It's on AO3, it's relatively short, and it's such a fucking delight. A good backup if you're not feeling my other prompts, but also just in general a story worth reading.
Generals DNWs:
character-bashing, even the really evil guys. pregnancy or discussion of the specifics of childbirth. omegaverse. neurotype/trans/ace headcanons (I don't mind it if informs your writing, but I would rather the focus of the story lie elsewhere unless otherwise specified). coffee shop, high school, or university stories, unless they're baked into the existing setting. If you're writing sex scenes: scat, piss, and sounding are off the table.
General interests:
AU, AU that functions as a character study, pornography that functions as a character study (or vice versa), tension and conflict, complicated endings, messy relationships, background worldbuilding, setting as a character/metaphor, interesting framing devices, experimental or otherwise artsy use of text/form, pretentious nonsense generally is my jam
I just think Jack ought to get a turn in the dress.
listen dude I wanted to come up with an exciting prompt involving gender fuckery and period-accurate bullshit, maybe encountering your choice of fictional/historical figures, maybe exploring the future they're going to try and have together. and if you feel so moved by any of that please follow your heart. but I followed my heart and it said put Jack in the fucking dress. I didn't nominate the fandom so I was unable to include any of Darling's friends but I would love it if you did somehow.
Put Subaru in the spin cycle! I love to see this man examine his life and come to the wrong conclusions. Maybe he gets a chance to rewind the clock and see the consequences of choices he didn't make, or maybe he gets stuck in a time loop. Maybe he just keeps making the same mistakes. I love Seishirou/Subaru, the messier the better, but if that's not your jam I'd still like to focus on their connection and how Subaru holds onto him.
I was thinking about vicious cycles and the Sakurazukamori and how Subaru never is allowed to get what he wants, and I thought it would be fun to take that and make it more material for him. What does he have to give up or accept about himself to move forward? What choices does he think he could have made differently? What has he convinced himself he doesn't want in an effort not to lose it?
I really love Subaru/Seishirou and I know it's a controversial ship. I'd prefer any explicit sex scenes between them to occur when Subaru is an adult, but beyond that I don't have any limitations on how you depict them; Seishirou is a villain and a creep and that's part of what's so fascinating about Subaru's care for him. Beyond them also I welcome any characters from any of the other series set in that world (so including CLAMP Campus if you really want to get silly with it), especially Hokuto if your timeline/metaphysical involvement works out that way. Anywhere in the timeline is great also; I have a fondness for the pre-X years where Subaru grew up and developed all his vices, but wherever the story works best for you is great.
I would love to see where they're at in thirty to forty years' time. Colleagues? Friends? Running into each other again after years out of contact? I think time, continued support, and confidence will bring out previously understated aspects of Natsume's personality, and it would be fun to see it through Natori's eyes.
Here's the thing, I think Natsume has latent Bitchy Queen potential and when he stops dissociating so hard and learns he can be himself more without losing Literally Everything, he will start developing it more. Here's the other thing: Natori is already an occasional target when these tendencies do show up in the series. Therefore I am dying to see a self-actualized Natsume bully the shit out of Natori (in a friendly, concern-motivated sort of way) who is in his fifties at LEAST and should know better than to spend all day on set and all night doing exorcisms on a diet of coffee and cup noodle. it was a bad idea in his twenties and it's an even worse idea now! (also: I said 30-40 years but you can pick a different amount of time if it works better for your story, I just want a significant amount of time to have passed since the events of the show.) Or however you want to play it.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I absolutely do ship Natsume/Natori (though not as something that would happen during the canon years for so many reasons, especially that I don't see Natori going for a teenager and also neither of them seem like they're in a place to form that kind of attachment to someone yet). I don't expect you to! I specifically wrote the prompt to be fun and interesting as strict gen. However if you want to give me a very happy yuletide surprise: live Natori reaction to Natsume glow-up, slash goggles firmly in place.
If you have another preferred Natsume ship, I'm up for it, though I would rather not read about him being in a straight relationship or being a heterosexual as a happy ending for him.
I just know in my heart that Thomas is gay and I want to explore what that would look like for him in this world. Isabela's involvement can be as extensive or minimal as you like, though I love their friendship and would like it to feature somehow.
Thomas and Isabella are positioned pretty deliberately at different ends of social struggles — woman versus man, upper versus lower class — in a way that initially creates tension but later allows them to open doors for one another. I really love the ways they show up for each other and collaborate to do more than either could have done alone. And I think that it feels only natural to build off of this further: Isabella is a married heterosexual woman, and Thomas is an unmarried man. Does this mean he's gay? Not necessarily, but wouldn't it be fun? I think it adds dimension. As a working class man he would have had more anonymity, but once he's been brought into the Philosophers' Colloquium he might not have that luxury anymore. What would that part of his life look like before and after? (Also, this is the "otherwise specified" about trans headcanons because I think that could also be a very interesting interpretation if you want to take it there, although I don't have a specific desire for it.)
So that's a lot of background for why I requested it, but not a lot of prompt for you. If by this point you already have an idea for where to take it, please go with that! But if not, I'll throw out some concepts that might be fun.
- Thomas backstory. What was his journey to studying dragons like? Did he have other mentors? Was he involved with any of them? Did he want to be? Did he have any lasting entanglements and did his aspirations beyond the confines of his economic background complicate them?
- How much does Isabella know, and how does she learn? Is this something he discloses, and if so why would he choose to do so? Does someone else disclose it to her? Does she find out purely on accident? What stage of their working relationship/friendship does this happen, and does it bring them closer or make things awkward?
- Does he have a long-term partner? What would their relationship look like? How is Thomas different at home than at work? Or alternatively, is he looking for one? Do the people in his life interfere?
- How messy would it be if he hooked up with Isabella's brother
Anyway I hope any of that is helpful, thank you so much!
