Dear Yuletide Author,

(updated 10/24/21— added mini challenge notes)
(updated 11/08/21— changed text color to black)
AO3: SarunoHadaki

Tumblr: Sarunohadaki, Sarushell (for Whumptober)

Dear Yuletide author,
This is my first Yuletide and I’m just happy to be here! Thank you so much for embarking on writing a fic for me!

Opt-in thingies: I am fine with any POV or rating and like fanfic expressed through various mediums, like interactive fiction, poetry, epistolary fics, or anything that uses CSS on AO3 (like chatfics! Or even something simple like font changes/colored fonts!)

Mini challenges:

Two for one (crossover fics):

     - Requesting for all my fandoms (Spiritfarer, Monster Prom, Rune Factory 3, Starlight Brigade)

     - Requesting ATLA/any of my fandoms

     - Monster Prom/Spiritfarer

     - Starlight Brigade/any sci-fi fandom

     - Link to my post

Interactive fiction:
     - Requesting for any fandom!
     - Link to my post

Yuleporn
     - Rune Factory 3, Monster Prom, Starlight Brigade
     - Link to my post

Yulebuilding (worldbuilding):
     - Requesting for any fandoms
     - Worldbuilding likes: Fantasy elements, logical reasoning for in-universe mechanics or features of a game, backstories to locations and people, all those little details that really sell a place, such as unique features, geography, culture, etc.
     - Link to my post

Crueltide (darkfic):
     - Monster Prom, Starlight Brigade
     - Link to my post

Wrapping paper (fanart):
     - Requesting for any fandom!
     - Link to my post

On the whole I would prefer not to have sexually explicit content be the entire focus of the gifted fic, but I am pretty lenient on what sort of sexual content I will consume if you want to include some. Darkfic writers are welcome to bring some deprived material into a fic for me, so long as it is matched with comfort or some palate cleanser afterward.

The main thing that will draw me into your story are the characters and prose. I love literary devices like metaphors, symbolism, or imagery. The little details in a fic sell me the most.

At the end of the day, if you enjoyed what you wrote, that is what matters most to me. I truly feel that when a person enjoys what they’re writing, it shines through in their fic. I have a lot of ideas of what I will like and I’m pretty easy to please.

DNW

Pregnancy

All hurt, no comfort

Rape with onlookers watching

Scat, vomit, watersports

I love:

AUs, especially modern

Spouses/established relationships

Hurt/comfort, particularly emotional hurt and resulting in cuddles

I like:

General Likes:

Queer characters/headcanons (including gnc, polyamory, trans, nonbinary, demisexuality, aro, ace, etc.)

Fluff, slice of life, curtain fics

Worldbuilding

Angst

Humor

Action

Conflict

Friendship

Misunderstandings

Family/found family

Subverting expectations

Character studies/introspection

Author writing something they know extremely well (bring me those random facts about frogs, any cool science, or the details of a job you worked).

Creative/refreshing new takes on overdone tropes such as “there was only one bed,” coffeeshop AU, etc. For example, I favor “I was pushed onto the floor in the middle of the night and slept on the couch” over “I woke up and we were cuddled close together.”

Relationship/Romance Likes:
M/M pairings
Mutual pining resulting in a relationship
The soft ray of sunshine is the actual boss/tops in the relationship
Spoiling the partner who has suffered past abuse/trauma/or just had a bad day
Character who has had a rough go at life learning how to love/trust friends and/or SO
Pair of characters who are functional alone but lose all their braincells when together <3
Getting together fics

·      Shy character struggling to confess their feelings to the clueless crush

Smut likes:
Consensual sex (either explicit or implicit through the character interactions and tone)
Non-penetrative sex/outercourse

·      Frot 💯*

·      Hand jobs

·      Dry humping

·      Intercrural sex

·      Intergluteal sex

·      Mutual masturbation

Anal sex
Anal fingering
First time

·      First-timer paired with an experienced partner (extra points if the experienced one is very soft/doting)

Subverting expectations on which character is into what — primarily, the smaller, “daintier” of the two tops; the innocent-looking one is kinkier; or a character being an unexpected virgin

*Frot, aka: rubbing penises together, which can be different than frottage. (Which is fine too, for the record)

STARLIGHT BRIGADE — TWRP MUSIC VIDEO

Requesting: Strive and worldbuilding. But if you can’t squeeze worldbuilding in, no problem! OCs are encouraged!

The designs for Starlight Brigade were inspired by Moebius, which I am not familiar with, but I got huge Nausicaä of the Valley vibes from the video, and in one Twitter post, an artist mentioned some sources of inspiration for the artwork. There’s a bit of art here, here, and here.

Altogether, Strive’s universe is an amazing mixture of sci-fi and fantasy elements and I’m really curious to see how those blend together. I dumped a bunch of questions below, which I will admit looks intimidating, but is intended to spark ideas, not overwhelm you :-)

Worldbuilding ideas:

—   Culture: What do they eat? Do they have any seasonal traditions or customs? (Me being me, what about courting rituals?) What are Strive’s people’s beliefs/faith, if they have any? Any social nuances that could land you in hot water if you say the wrong thing or make the wrong gesture?

—   Geography: How large is this planet? Does it rain? Is it more of a tundra situation, or are there grasslands/forests in other places? What’s the population of Strive’s hometown and are they the only people on this planet, or do they have trade routes with other groups? Does tourism exist?

—   Biology: They bleed purple blood, as evidenced by Strive’s one injury. What’s up with that? Why are their ears so floof? Why is their skin blue, with some characters having two-toned skin (two shades of blue, one lighter)? Do they age like humans, or do they have a Yoda situation where it takes a long time to age?

—   Magic: It looks like a lot of people have gemstones in their chests. Is it some sort of custom to get one then, as we saw Strive do as a child? Are these gemstones somehow connected to the fading light that was recovered?

—   Misc.: How did these people survive on this desolate land? Maybe some creative thinking was at play there. What other races are there in the universe? Is there sunlight here or only the aurora borealis-eqsue lights?

Shipping:

I would like something that gives Strive a love interest, but I'm not interested in any of the canon characters, so I’d like if you used an OC. Maybe it’s someone from Strive’s home planet? Or does Strive meet someone new while out on his travels? I would give you so many bonus points if this love interest were cute, charismatic, or male.

—   What do you call your partner in their universe?

—   What is their culture’s idea of a perfect date?

—   Is this culture monogamous, polyamorous, or something else/a mix?

—   How do you flirt with someone from Strive’s planet? What’s considered a cute compliment?

NSFW:

I want to know how someone would not only woo this blue alien, but make love to him, too. We don’t really know Strive’s gender outside of him using he/him pronouns, so who’s not to say there’s a colony of androgynous or nonbinary aliens living their best lives?

What kind of equipment does Strive have? Is it the same old human stuff or is there something more alien about it, such as him being intersex, having a higher/lower sex drive, being able to have multiple orgasms/having a short recovery period, etc.? Do these organ(s) self-lubricate, menstruate, or give off a scent?

Does Strive even know how to have sex? (See: “I like first time fics!”) Or was the “bird and the bees” thing not something talked about?

SPIRITFARER

Requesting: Stella and worldbuilding. But if you can’t squeeze worldbuilding in, no problem! I'm fine with any other characters appearing.

It is amazing to see how each person has a connection with someone else in this game. All of us touch another person’s life in one way or another; it’s just one large, interconnected web that we’re wading through our whole lives. I would love more conversations between all the spirits or deeper explorations into their lives and their universe.

—   I am extremely interested in seeing more of Stella’s past life based on Lily’s conversations and the images Stella sees at the shrines. (Which are also the same images Stella sees with Hades, which you can see here.) Some suggestions:

o   Stella and her relationship with Hades (Hades remarks in their first encounter, “You’ve kept your distance, but you knew I was there, hidden in every shadow, skulking in every silence.” He paints her to be so expressive, yet in the game she doesn’t quite feel that way to me? Is Stella suppressing her feelings, is Hades really perceptive, or is the game really bad at showing off this side of her? Is it possible to get more of Stella’s introspective monologue that proves Hades’s words to be true?

o   More fleshed out scenes of Stella in her past life, with my particular interest being the end of her life

§  What is it like working as a palliative care nurse? What kind of pressure must Stella have been under, and what was her relationship with death like? (See: Hades)

§  What is it like to travel the world?

§  What was Stella’s relationship with Lily like? What about her parents, Abdul, Gwen?

§  A collection of drabbles highlighting Stella’s past life

·      Since it’s only 100 words, poetry might work too?

—   Any of the spirit’s backstories (literally anything. Alice, Summer and Rose, Bruce and Mickey, Astrid, etc.)

A lot of this list is asking you to pull from the character’s “other lives,” so to speak, but there’s so much you could do the in-universe game, too:

—   Hurt/comfort fic of Stella feeling overwhelmed by her job as a spiritfarer after ferrying another soul to the Everdoor and being consoled by someone. (My first picks are Atul, Gwen, or Gustav but really anyone could do this part. Although it would probably be goofy or awkward if Elena or Bruce & Mickey did it.)

—   Poetry, epistolary fic, or a travel brochure-style fic describing the beauty of the world Spiritfarer is set in. (Does that world have a name?)

—   Or keep it simple and write more of a novelization of a day in Stella’s life!

—   Anything featuring Stella's personality/a character study of her and her relationship with others

RUNE FACTORY 3

Requesting: Any (your choice!)

I don’t have any ramblings for this one, just a few ideas. Most of them are NPC ships, and I’m fine with any pairings. Also nobody told me there was a sort-of text catalog of the game here! (Also, I acknowledge a lot of these prompts ask for chars I did not/could not request, but as they say, Optional Details Are Optional!)

—   Shara is rightfully heartbroken when she finds out Micah is interested in someone else and finds solace in an unexpected person. (I have no effing clue who, although Shara/Pia or Shara/Raven speaks to me.) (Background Micah/??? is highly encouraged. Micah/Raven was always my OTP as a kid.)

—   Sofia says the wrong thing to the wrong person and it has disastrous consequences. (Or: someone insecure about their feelings for Sofia gets the wrong idea about her comments and it launches into a huge argument between them. They both like each other and Sofia’s mean words are all a misunderstanding!)

—   Gaius and Evelyn go on their first date. Or, at least, Gaius is on a date. Apparently, Evelyn thought it was something else all along. (I apologize if this was already in canon. But I would not put it past them for it to happen twice.)

—   Collette has a crush on Marian and knows if she’s going to confess, she has to be outright with it. But when Collette starts clamming up around Marian because she can’t bring herself to say anything, Marian mistakes it as illness and spends more time with her trying to fix it.

—   Gaius and Zaid talk about dwarf things together.

MONSTER PROM

Requesting: Milo and Oz. I’m fine with others appearing, too.
(Note: Please keep Milo’s they/them pronouns! Ty!)

Not gonna lie, I was a little bummed out when I saw that Monster Camp is slotted under Monster Prom on AO3, but I love both games and Milo made it into the tag set, which is all that matters to me. I love the humor of the games and all the ridiculous hijinks the characters get up to, although I can’t say I would have the same guts as the player characters to woo a crush.

I am absolutely in love with Oz and Milo and would be over the moon to receive a shippy fic featuring both of them together! I have a particular interest in their dynamic. For example:

-       Which one of them is the doting type?

-       What are they like out in public?

-       What do people think of them being together?

-       Do they ever share long, thoughtful conversations about being immortal beings?

-       Who gets sick and who cares for the sick one?

-       Are they kinky in the bedroom or are things more vanilla? Who’s the cuddler?

I would love to see Oz and Milo put into wild situations together and have to puzzle their way out of them, or even wade through a fresh relationship together.

In case you are not into shipping, some other prompts:

-       The obligatory beach episode of an anime only it’s the cast of Monster Prom (or Camp) and they get up to more shenanigans

-       Milo and Oz attend a Ren Faire/historical reenactment/other event based on something that happened ages ago and they fit in pretty damn well since they’ve already lived through that time once before

-       Characters trying to figure out if Oz has a mouth or not

-       A rumor spreads about what Oz is made of. Extra points to you if you manage to incorporate Amish Kapoor/Vantablack

Thank you for reading! ❤️