sunrises | Dear Yuletide Letter 2018

Hi writer,

Thank you so much for participating in Yuletide, and for taking on my assignment! That means a lot to me, and I hope that you will enjoy the story you write as much as I'll (inevitably) love reading it. Most of the fun in fandom is to share stories with one another, and in turn, share how much we care for these characters. Admittedly, this is my first year doing Yuletide (!!!) so please speak up if anything in this letter seems odd to you.

In general, I'm a sentimental sap who will read and re-read anything that has been gifted to me. You took the effort to write it! That's enough to make me swoon. I hate, hate putting specifics, but given my tendencies, here they are: I lean towards comedies and romance more than drama and angst, and derive joy from seeing how characters encounter the mundane. I love stories where two characters find each other and become partners, friends, or life-long companions, just as I love stories where everyone is one big happy family. Even if the beginning may be sad, even if things seem to get tough, things will be okay and every tragic event will have its place.

I also am a total sucker for AUs, given that they make sense for the characters involved! For example, a "high school AU" for Archie is literally canon (?), and "rival gangs" doesn't mesh with the cheerful tone of the original canon, so I'd rather stick to "rival sports teams" or "rival chefs," if you focus on a culinary-obsessed guy like Jughead. If you think you have an alternate world you want me to explore, go for it! Write it! I'll love and cherish it anyway.

Stories written either in the 1st or 3rd person are fine (you have to win me over with 2nd, though I've both written and read some amazing stories that have used it well!), and I don't have any preference in terms of style and/or narrative. Surprise me!

Anyway, Happy Holidays, and best of luck - you're awesome. My specific fandom requests are below:

1. Archie Comics Reboot (2015)

Archie Comics have always been close to my heart, and I will forever have a soft spot for the friendship between Archie, Betty, and Jughead. Their childhood friendship is one of strong, lasting bonds that will last until adulthood, even if it's being tested now with the drama that is thrown their way.

Particularly, I love how explicit the comics have been towards Jughead's asexuality. He is his own person, he is a gamer with an appetite to rival even the biggest eaters, and he feels like he has a complete life. He don't need no romance, though I would be equally open to a fic that highlights how partnership =/= romance.

I would also be open to a fic that highlights Archie/Betty, if at all possible! I'm an eternal sucker for childhood friends turned lovers, and feel that their love (whether as friends or romantic companions) would be fun to explore. If you want to do a platonic OT3 - or even a romantic one! - I would also be delighted. Sometimes a relationship is three crazy people in love, regardless of what that looks like. If you choose to go with no relationships and highlight their friendship, that is also equally delighting!

As far as other specifics go, I'm flexible, and I'd rather you have a lot of fun writing this! Go wild, enjoy the story, and hopefully something great will come out of it.

2. Backstage Pass

Backstage Pass was such a fun otome game! I remember going through all the routes and playing them over and over again, just to see how quickly I could get Sian expelled (eep - couldn't get her sleeping often enough, even with the prompts) or how to win over the hearts of various people Sian encounters in the industry.

Although I did mark both John Brandon and Sian Goodin, I would be happy with a fic that has either character present; there is zero need to have both of them in the same story. Writing about John's college days in England and/or time on sets away from Sian would be just as fun as writing about Sian's high-school or college days. They're both fascinating characters with great backstories.

Additionally, I don't need John/Sian to be in a relationship! In fact, Sian and John bonding over Adam (in a world where Sian married and/or went pro with Adam) would be just as delightful. The friend route works just fine for me, I assure you.

Sian is the one I'm most passionate about, and writing a story about her fame and/or newfound career goals, no matter what it is, would be equally heartwarming. Setting the story during any romance route would be fine. Really, I want you to have as much fun writing it as I would reading it, and let the sky be your limit. I know our heroine certainly had limitless potential.

3. Boy Meets World

Boy Meets World was certainly a formative show for me, and not just because of Shawn Hunter (though who /didn't/ have a crush on him back in the day?) - I loved the close tight-knit friendship between Cory and Shawn, and I especially loved the friendships between Shawn and Topanga, as well as the romance between Shawn/Angela.

I don't have many requests for this one: I'd love to see either a Shawn/Angela fic, set either in an alternate GMW where they didn't break up, or during their school years. Or! If you'd prefer to go the friendship route with Shawn and Topanga, any time period is fine with me. Their school years, Shawn freaking out at Topanga over his wedding to Angela because well, he can't go to Cory about this kind of thing, or even them watching over a Riley and [insert Shawn/Angela child here] playdate.

The point is to highlight the relationship, maybe capture a bit of that idealistic Boy Meets World spirit - god knows we could use some in this day and age.

The sky is the limit, as far as I'm concerned, and you are more than welcome to add in other characters as you please! I would much rather you find something you're passionate about and run with it.

As Shawn is canonically an alcoholic, and I'm not much for ones with stories mentioning alcohol, my major dnw is substance abuse, alcohol use, and/or underage drinking. Beyond that, I'm fine with most anything.

4. Code Realize: Guardian of Rebirth

Code: Realize was an unexpected delight of an otome game. I can't remember the last time I was taken for a ride regarding plot twists and turns, nor can I remember how much I'd witnessed a heroine like Cardia change and grow - and how much she comes into her own.

I would love a story post-game, either set during Lupin's or Frankenstein's route, where Cardia is processing how she feels about no longer being poisoned (and how her touch no longer harms those she touches). IIRC, Impey's route also has shades of this towards the end, so the general point is to write her during a time period where she is no longer "the poison girl" who hurts everything and everyone around her.

I would also love a story revolving around some of the skills she picked up, and how she utilizes them outside of a danger / plot-heavy context. Maybe she shows off her shooting skills at a festival and racks up a ton of points, or maybe she's now an amazing chef because well, someone shouldn't let Van Helsing do all of the cooking. Or maybe she's an expert navigator, writing guides to Steel London and publishing them under a male pseudonym like "Alexander Knightley". The possibilities of her in this new world are endless, and she would be so much fun to read about!

As for the routes, I would prefer Cardia with Frankenstein and/or Impey Barbicane, just because of how much science went into their stories (the chemical warfare in Fran's; the Gravity Alleviator in Impey's and how he is so, so desperate to become the first vampire on the moon). The quote from Impey, about how Cardia is a child of science, and therefore 100% hopes and dreams, stuck with me, and I'd love a story that played upon that notion, even if only because her SO was also in love with science, and therefore, those same hopes and dreams. I haven't finished the fandisk, so if she does romance Sholmes, that would also be an appropriate choice, given his focus on logic and rationality.

If you're not feeling those plot ideas, or even a story about Cardia being a child of science, it's fine to have her marry no one at all and be a Strong Independent Lady.

No big dnw's stick out to mind, though I would like to avoid heavy amounts of gore and/or violence (and as always, substance abuse and underage drinking).

Write something canon, write an AU proposing a "what-if", it's all good to me. Have fun with this! I hope you loved the game as much as I did (!!) because even now, sometimes I'd love to explore Steel London and get a feel for the steampunk world.