Dear Yuletide Writer: 2015 Edition

[healyg]

Dear Yuletide Writer 2015



Hi! My name is HealyG (Healy on AO3 and also everywhere but here). I am excited for this year’s Yuletide, aren’t you? Let’s get started with some general likes and dislikes!

General Likes and Dislikes

Likes: Comedy, action, fake documents, mysteries, humor, mysterious places, heartwarming junk, humor based on people acting like jerks (hey! I can like two things), bros being bros, wordplay, weird junk, character studies, rad set-pieces, jokes in general.

Favorite types of gags/tropes: Hypocrite humor, parody commercials, show-within-a-show stuff, puns, humor about someone who blithely misunderstands the obvious, characters revealing a surprising side of themselves, mystery symbolism, people fighting against incredible odds, aaaand that’s about all I can think of right now.

DNW: Noncon/dubcon, incest, underage, porn or explicit sexual content, physical/sexual abuse, and graphic violence.

Other notes: I'd prefer Gen but romance is okay so long as there is equal attention on the comedy and/or action. Crossovers are okay, but I’d really prefer you’d cross-over any of the fandoms I’ve requested here before anything else. I am okay with weird formats like scriptfics, interactive fiction, fics in the form of fake documents from the series, and the like.

Two More Eggs
Any (CGI Pals, Dooble, Eggpo, Trauncles)
Link to the shorts on Youtube
Two More Eggs page on the Homestar Runner Wiki

Two More Eggs is the latest cartoon by the Homestar Runner guys (a.k.a. the Brothers Chaps). Homestar Runner was one of my favorite cartoons when I was a teen, and this has the same goofy spirit as HR. I love this kind of non-sequitar-ish humor, the wacky parody commercials, the weird tangents the dialogue takes.

Prompts for CGI Pals: I love the Pals’ little superiority complex, so anything focusing on that would be great. Maybe they could agree to give Grossface a CGI makeover, but then screw it up somehow (and make Gross feel bad about it). Or what would happen if they ran into more advanced examples of CGI? How would they ever deal with that?

Prompts for Dooble: I’d love to see this weird little guy keep interacting with different people, things, and professions. Dooble selling real estate! Dooble helping folks out in the way only he can! Dooble teaming up with a superhero! Dooble meeting another Two More Eggs character! Heck, cross him over with one of my other fandoms if you want.

Prompts for Eggpo: I like the idea of exploring all these neat little video game worlds, like ice castles, lava dungeons, giant land, spooky forests, etc. Anything that you’d expect to see in a Mario game is fair game here. I also want to see some zanier enemy types, like ghost Eggpos or a super huge boss. Finally, I really like the back-and-forth between the younger, more anxious Eggpo and the older, laidback Eggpo, so write me some of that, please! Maybe they’re going on a warp tour through all the levels, and old Eggpo keeps getting tired of new Eggpo’s antics.

Prompts for Trauncles: Maybe the narrator gets (whatever the subject of the lesson is) all wrong, and Stevens tries to correct him, with poor results. Or maybe the lesson is some kind of fandom thing, like fanfics or fanart. Also, I really love the part at the beginning of some of the shorts, where the narrator goes over the increasingly ridiculous features of the town, so if you can include that in your fic, that’d be great.

Prompts for all four: You don’t have to cross the shorts over (but you can if you want), but I was thinking of a collection of short fics, kinda like an old cartoon compilation. If you want, it can themed around something like Christmas or the holidays. Maybe they all meet up at the end, or maybe they don’t. Whichever you prefer is fine by me.

No One Knows My Plan – They Might Be Giants (Song)
Link to the song on Youtube
Lyrics on TMBG Wiki

I love They Might Be Giants songs for their quirky sense of humor and the subtle menace in their lyrics. They’re also quite catchy as tunes. As for No One Knows My Plan, I always interpreted it as being about a comic book-y mad scientist, so go nuts with the supervillain tropes! Here’s some ideas to help you out:

What got the narrator thrown in jail? I think it had something to do with atomic power, maybe even an atomic bomb (mainly because the line “when I made a shadow on my windowshade” made me think of Hiroshima shadows) but you can make it about anything you want. A sinister secret project, the theft of something important, or maybe just a garden variety murder.

What’s he building in there? Most people seem to think it’s some kind of escape plan, but you can take it in many directions. Is it giant robots? A sinister terror weapon? A portal to another dimension? A machine that makes everyone start dancing uncontrollably?

Other thoughts: Does the narrator have a nemesis who can stop him? Does he have an assistant for his evil plans? What is with those burning autumn leaves, anyway? Also, feel free to leave references to other They Might Be Giants songs! I always thought there was a bit of a connection between this song and Destination Moon from the same album, but you don’t have to go there if you don’t want.

Beat the Champ - The Mountain Goats (Album)
Werewolf Gimmick
Werewolf Gimmick on Youtube
Werewolf Gimmick on the Mountain Goats Wiki

I’m not really a wrestling fan, and I’m not really a Mountain Goats fan, but I’m sure as hell a Beat the Champ fan. I just love its picturesque view of an earlier, less centralized wrestling, when it seemed like every county had their own homegrown superhero. Werewolf Gimmick is one of my favorite songs from this album, and I think it was the first song I listened to as well (someone on a message board I go to linked it with a tantalizing slice of the lyrics). I interpret Werewolf Gimmick as being about a guy who’s so intoxicated with wrestling, with being a somebody, that he absorbs himself totally into his gimmick, his persona. I don’t think he necessarily believes he is an actual, real live werewolf (although maybe he really wants to believe), but he does devote nearly all his energy towards selling his gimmick and himself; maybe the distinction the two is academic.

Anyhow, way I see it, there are several ways you could write this:

The Secret Origin of Werewolf Gimmick: What caused this guy to dress up like a wolf in the ring, anyway? Was it something his manager forced on him at first, or did he do it out of a sense of desperation? (Perhaps he didn’t want to be forgotten, or ignored.) If the guy really is a werewolf, how did he get like that? Was it through a werewolf bite, a deal with the devil? Who was his first opponent as the Werewolf Gimmick? Also, what kind of person was he before he took on the werewolf gimmick?

Werewolf Gimmick: His Life and Times: Tell us the life story of Werewolf Gimmick! You can try for as complete a picture as you can, or just give a snapshot of one particular moment, like a triumphant victory or a crushing defeat. You could easily do a found documents-style story with this one if you wanted to.

Werewolf Gimmick Team-ups: I would really dig a story where Werewolf Gimmick teamed up with some of the other characters on the album. Have him fight against Animal Mask, or share a ride with the guy from Southwestern Territory. Maybe he was a tag team partner for the wrestlers from Choked Out or Foreign Object, or maybe they were rival heels.

Lupin III
Any (Arsene Lupin III, Ishikawa Goemon XIII, Jigen Daisuke, Zenigata Koichi)
Lupin III on Wikipedia
Second Series on Crunchyroll
Luin III: Castle of Cagliostro on Hulu

I was a big fan of this series during its run on Adult Swim in the early ‘00s. I’ve been catching up with the rest of the series here and there on Crunchyroll and Hulu. So far my favorite episodes are When the Seventh Bridge Falls (1st series, episode 11), The Emerald’s Secret (1st, episode 14) Which of the Third Generation Will Win? (1st, episode 19), Shot Through the Heart (2nd series, episode 26), Wings of Death: Albatross (2nd, episode 145), and The Target is 555 Meters (2nd, episode 148). (Sadly those last two aren’t on Hulu or Crunchyroll, but you might find copies floating around on Youtube.)

I really like the characters and their interactions on this series! There’s an undercurrent of respect to them, even when they’re fighting each other. I also like the action and chases and slapstick and junk. Lupin III has always had a really loose continuity, so don’t feel pressured to go with any one bit of canon unless it inspires you. I didn’t request Fujiko because she wasn’t in the tagset, but you can use her if you want! All I ask is that she isn’t too betrayal-happy (I prefer her as a woman with her own plans that may be at odds with Lupin’s, rather than someone who’s all too willing to sell him down the river). Also, I’d prefer if you tone down some of the canon sexual harassment.

Prompts for Arsene Lupin III: Another relic of Arsene Lupin I has been found, and you can bet your bottom dollar Lupin III is after it! But the whole thing turns out to be more trouble than its worth… How? Is the security system too tight, is there something special about the artifact itself? OOOR A heist has gone wrong, and now Lupin has to rough it on his own. Who is after him? How long can he last against them? Things I like about the character: I like Lupin best when he’s this suave-yet-not dork. I also prefer him more on the heroic side (not that I don’t enjoy his thieving antics).

Prompts for Ishikawa Goemon XIII: Goemon is sent out for a mission with the Zantetsuken, but it goes pear-shaped pretty quick. Is Goemon captured? Does he still have the Zantetsuken with him, or did someone take it? OOOR So what does Goemon do in his spare time, anyway? Gardening? Flower arrangements? Slouching on the couch? Does he visit his family or old friends? How does the rest of the gang feel about it? Do they sometimes join in? Things I like about the character: I think I like the deadpan snarker version of Goemon the most (as seen in the Geneon dub of the second series, and maybe the original too). I’m also fond of his samurai action movie aesthetic.

Prompts for Jigen Daisuke: Write something about his old mob days. Was it easy giving up the Mafia (or whatever organization he worked for) life, or did he fight tooth and nail to get out? Was he against working with Lupin at first? If so, what made him change his mind? OOOR What if someone (or something) from his shady past came back to haunt him in the present? Who or what do they threaten? What does Jigen have to do to protect his people and/or stuff? Things I like about the character: I like his laid-back style, and how loyal he is to Lupin. I like stories that focus on his relationship to Lupin and the rest of the team.

Prompts for Zenigata Koichi: Write a story about one of Lupin’s capers from Zenigata’s perspective! How does he feel about that young thief upstart who’s always showing him up? How does he feel about it if they have to team up? OOOR Some jerk (e.g., a rival policeman, a reporter for a big newspaper, some Silicon Valley tech start-up, etc.) claims that they’d be better at catching Lupin than Zenigata. Obviously Pops ain’t gonna take this lying down! But what roadblocks will both of them have to face to catch Lupin? Things I like about the character: I love the balance between goofiness and competence he has. I also like how he has a bit of a soft spot for Lupin, even though they’re enemies.

Prompts for (combinations of) all four: I love a good heist story, so write me one of those! Here are some setting ideas that may help you think of something: an abandoned mine, a secret military base in the mountains, an ancient temple, a posh train, a blimp, the moon(!?), a fancy hotel with a convention on. You can also combine some of the individual character prompts; in fact, this might be an easier way to go (especially if you have trouble with casefic).

Thank you for reading my letter! I know it’s a little long. Here’s the part where I say you can use these prompts as jumping off points or ditch them as needed, and also make a noncommittal promise to update them as I see fit.